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News | Archive (December 2008)
Lung cancer cells activate inflammation to induce metastasis
— 31 Dec 2008 | HealthA research team from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has identified a protein produced by cancerous lung epithelial cells that enhances metastasis by stimulating the activity of inflammatory cells. Their findings, to be published in the 1 January issue of the journal Nature, explain how advanced cancer cells usurp components of the host innate immune system to generate an inflammatory microenvironment hospitable for the metastatic spread of lung cancer. The discovery could lead to a therapy to limit metastasis of this most common lethal form of cancer…
Bright lights, not-so-big pupils
— 31 Dec 2008 | BiologyA team of Johns Hopkins neuroscientists has worked out how some newly discovered light sensors in the eye detect light and communicate with the brain. The report appears online this week in Nature…
Hubble to get last tune-up during 2009
— 31 Dec 2008 | AstronomyFrom troubled beginnings nearly 18 years ago, the Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionised astronomy and its stunning images have stirred the imaginations of people around the globe. But as the International Year of Astronomy dawns, the renowned telescope is preparing for its final chapter, starting with the scheduled 12 May launch of the space shuttle Atlantis for NASA's fifth and final service mission to the telescope…
NASA Mars rovers near five years of science and discovery
— 30 Dec 2008 | AstronomyNASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity may still have big achievements ahead as they approach the fifth anniversaries of their memorable landings on Mars. Of the hundreds of engineers and scientists who cheered at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., on 3 January 2004, when Spirit landed safely, and 21 days later when Opportunity followed suit, none predicted the team would still be operating both rovers in 2009…
Grazing animals help spread plant disease
— 30 Dec 2008 | BiologyResearchers have discovered that grazing animals such as deer and rabbits are actually helping to spread plant disease - quadrupling its prevalence in some cases - and encouraging an invasion of annual grasses that threaten more than 20 million acres of native grasslands in California…
Risk takers, drug abusers driven by decreased ability to process dopamine
— 30 Dec 2008 | HealthFor risk-takers and impulsive people, New Year's resolutions often include being more careful, spending more frugally and cutting back on dangerous behaviour, such as drug use. But new research from Vanderbilt finds that these individuals - labelled as novelty seekers by psychologists - face an uphill battle in keeping their New Year's resolutions due to the way their brains process dopamine…
Study shows competition, not climate change, led to Neanderthal extinction
— 30 Dec 2008 | Geology and palaeontologyIn a recently conducted study, a multidisciplinary French-American research team with expertise in archaeology, past climates, and ecology reported that Neanderthal extinction was principally a result of competition with Cro-Magnon populations, rather than the consequences of climate change…
UC Davis researchers find molecule that targets brain tumours
— 30 Dec 2008 | HealthUC Davis Cancer Centre researchers report today the discovery of a molecule that targets glioblastoma, a highly deadly form of cancer. The finding, which is published in the January 2009 issue of the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, provides hope for effectively treating an incurable cancer…
What are protective effects of anti-ricin A-chain aptamer?
— 30 Dec 2008 | HealthRicin, a lectin from the castor bean plant Ricinus communis is considered one of the most potent plant toxins. Ricin poisoning can cause severe tissue damage and inflammation and can result in death. Most accidental exposures occur by ingestion of the seeds of castor beans whereby the toxin is released after the seed coat is damaged. The ingested toxin causes severe gastrointestinal damage with symptoms and death due to multiorgan failure or cardiovascular collapse…
How to enhance non-thermal effects of ultrasound
— 30 Dec 2008 | HealthIn recent years HIFU has been widely used for the treatment of solid tumours, such as liver tumour, bone tumour, and breast cancer. The mechanism for therapeutic actions of HIFU includes thermal effects and non-thermal effects with the latter dominated by cavitational effects. Adjusting acoustic parameters of pulsed high intensity focused ultrasound (PHIFU) can control thermal effects and non-thermal effects; short duty cycle and high intensity favours the occurrence of cavitation…
Mining bacterial genomes reveals valuable 'hidden' drugs
NASA's hibernating Mars rover may not call home