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News | Archive (September 2010)
Penn biologists say species accumulate on Earth at slower rates than in the past
— 30 Sep 2010 | BiologyComputational biologists at the University of Pennsylvania say that species are still accumulating on Earth but at a slower rate than in the past…
One-dimensional window on superconductivity, magnetism
— 30 Sep 2010 | PhysicsA Rice University-led team of physicists is reporting the first success in a three-year effort to build a precision simulator for superconductors using a grid of intersecting laser beams and ultracold atomic gas…
Research lays foundation for building on the moon - or anywhere else
— 30 Sep 2010 | TechnologyThe key to the stability of any building is its foundation, but it is difficult to test some building sites in advance - such as those on the moon. New research from North Carolina State University is helping resolve the problem by using computer models that can utilise a small sample of soil to answer fundamental questions about how soil at a building site will interact with foundations…
Red light regulates nectar secretion
— 30 Sep 2010 | BiologyFlowering plants produce nectar to attract insect pollinators. Some plant species, such as the Lima bean, not only secrete nectar from their flowers but also from so-called extrafloral nectaries to attract ants which in turn fend off herbivores. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, have discovered that the production of extrafloral nectar is light dependent. Using a special photoreceptor, the phytochrome, scientists have shown that the plants are able not only to distinguish between day and night, but also to adapt their nectar secretion to current light conditions. The phytochrome probably influences the regulation of a special enzyme that binds the plant hormone jasmonic acid to the amino acid isoleucine. The emerging molecule affects the secretion of extrafloral nectar in such a way that the plant's defence against herbivores is most effective whenever herbivory is most likely - or, more precisely, during the day…
K-State researchers honoured for influential contributions to software engineering field
— 30 Sep 2010 | TechnologyFor two Kansas State University professors, receiving one of software engineering's most prestigious awards was more than 10 years in the making…
Research examines vicious cycle of overeating and obesity
— 30 Sep 2010 | HealthNew research provides evidence of the vicious cycle created when an obese individual overeats to compensate for reduced pleasure from food…
After traumatic event, early intervention reduces odds of PTSD in children by 73 percent
— 30 Sep 2010 | HealthAfter experiencing a potentially traumatic event - a car accident, a physical or sexual assault, a sports injury, witnessing violence - as many as 1 in 5 children will develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)…
Purifying proteins: Rensselaer researchers use NMR to improve drug development
— 30 Sep 2010 | HealthThe purification of drug components is a large hurdle facing modern drug development. This is particularly true of drugs that utilise proteins, which are notoriously difficult to separate from other potentially deadly impurities. Scientists within the Centre for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to understand and improve an important protein purification process…
Smartphone apps harvest, spread personal info
— 30 Sep 2010 | TechnologyPublicly available cell-phone applications from application markets are releasing consumers' private information to online advertisers, according to a joint study by Intel Labs, Penn State, and Duke University…
Milky Way sidelined in galactic tug of war
— 30 Sep 2010 | AstronomyThe Magellanic Stream is an arc of hydrogen gas spanning more than 100 degrees of the sky as it trails behind the Milky Way's neighbour galaxies, the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, has long been thought to be the dominant gravitational force in forming the Stream by pulling gas from the Clouds. A new computer simulation by Gurtina Besla (Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics) and her colleagues now shows, however, that the Magellanic Stream resulted from a past close encounter between these dwarf galaxies rather than effects of the Milky Way…
Herschel Space Observatory to lift off on 14 May
The day the Universe froze