Telescopes, Microscopes & Astronomy

The public looks at synthetic biology — cautiously

Tazman — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:22:19 +0000

(iProject on Emerging Nanotechnologies/i) A new poll conducted by Hart Research Associates and the Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center finds that two-thirds of Americans think that synthetic biology should move forward, but with more research to study its possible effects on humans and the environment, while one-third support a ban until we better understand its implications and risks. More than half of Americans believe the federal government should be involved in regulating synthetic biology.

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Abnormal body weight related to increased mortality in colon cancer patients

Tazman — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 04:22:19 +0000

(iAmerican Association for Cancer Research/i) Postmenopausal women diagnosed with colon cancer may be at increased risk of death if they fail to maintain a healthy body weight before cancer diagnosis, according to a study published in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

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Swine researchers seek answers to fiber’s low digestibility

Tazman — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:22:14 +0000

(iUniversity of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences/i) As interest grows in feeding distillers dried grains with solubles to growing pigs, many questions are being asked about the digestibility of this alternative feed option.

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Risk of beetle outbreaks rise, along with temperature, in the warming West

Tazman — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:22:14 +0000

(iUSDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station/i) The potential for outbreaks of spruce and mountain pine beetles in western North America’s forests is likely to increase significantly in the coming decades, according to a study conducted by USDA Forest Service researchers and their colleagues. Their findings, published in the September issue of the journal BioScience, represent the first comprehensive synthesis of the effects of climate change on bark beetles.

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First discovery of bilirubin in a flower announced

Tazman — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:22:13 +0000

(iAmerican Society for Horticultural Science/i) A research team led by Cary Pirone from the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University has identified bilirubin in the popular Bird of Paradise plant. The breakthrough study, published in the September 2010 issue of the American Society for Horticultural Science’s journal HortScience, provides new insights into color production in this iconic tropical plant.

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UCLA, Japanese company to collaborate on specialized nano-imaging instrumentation

Tazman — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:22:12 +0000

(iUniversity of California - Los Angeles/i) Hamamatsu will work with CNSI researchers on efforts to apply nanoscience and nanotechnology to projects having global importance in health, medicine, energy, the environment. Together they will work on new instruments that advance the field of nanolevel optical imaging.

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New model to measure disease burden of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Tazman — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:22:13 +0000

(iInternational Osteoporosis Foundation/i) An article just published in the journal Osteoporosis International introduces a validated new model that can be used to forecast the current and future burden of postmenopausal osteoporosis in different national settings.

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Twins are intriguing research subjects for Notre Dame biometircs researchers

Tazman — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:22:13 +0000

(iUniversity of Notre Dame/i) Kevin Bowyer and Patrick Flynn of the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering are examining how iris discrimination performs in twins to confirm prior claims that biometrics is capable of differentiating between twins.

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Satellite data reveal seasonal pollution changes over India

Tazman — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:22:16 +0000

(iUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/i) rmed with a decade’s worth of satellite data, University of Illinois atmospheric scientists have documented some surprising trends in aerosol pollution concentration, distribution and composition over the Indian subcontinent.

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Linking microbial sex and virulence

Tazman — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:22:12 +0000

(iAmerican Society for Microbiology/i) Two opportunistic pathogens that were once thought to be very different have evolved some sexual reproduction and disease-causing habits that are not only similar but also suggest that in the microbial world sex and virulence are closely linked, according to a review published this week in the online journal mBio.

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