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Land-cover changes do not impact glacier loss
A new study shows that land-cover changes, in particular deforestation, in the vicinity of glaciers do not have an impact on glacier loss. However, the study, in which Innsbruck climate researcher were directly involved, also shows that deforestation decreases precipitation in mid elevation zones, which affects the quality of life of the population living in the surrounding areas. The study is published online in Nature Climate Change on Feb. 5 2012.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:00 am
Crystalline materials enable high-speed electronic function in optical fibers
Scientists at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with Penn State University have, for the first time, embedded the high level of performance normally associated with chip-based semiconductors into an optical fiber, creating high-speed optoelectronic function.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:00 am
Tree rings may underestimate climate response to volcanic eruptions
Some climate cooling caused by past volcanic eruptions may not be evident in tree-ring reconstructions of temperature change because large enough temperature drops lead to greatly shortened or even absent growing seasons, according to climate researchers, who compared tree-ring temperature reconstructions with model simulations of past temperature changes.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:00 am
UBC researchers discover key to immune cell’s ‘internal guidance’ system
UBC researchers have discovered the molecular pathway that enables receptors inside immune cells to find, and flag, fragments of pathogens trying to invade a host.The discovery of the role played by the molecule CD74 could help immunologists investigate treatments that offer better immune responses against cancers, viruses and bacteria, and lead to more efficient vaccines.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:00 am
Chemists develop faster, more efficient protein labeling
North Carolina State University researchers have created specially engineered mammalian cells to provide a new “chemical handle” which will enable researchers to label proteins of interest more efficiently, without disrupting the normal function of the proteins themselves or the cells in which they are found.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:00 am
Genetic variant increases risk of common type stroke
A genetic variant that increases the risk of a common type of stroke has been identified by scientists in a study published online in Nature Genetics today. This is one of the few genetic variants to date to be associated with risk of stroke and the discovery opens up new possibilities for treatment.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:00 am
Steroids control gas exchange in plants
Plants leaves are sealed with a gas-tight wax layer to prevent water loss. Plants breathe through microscopic pores called stomata on the surfaces of leaves. As the key conduits for CO2 uptake and water evaporation, stomata are critical for both our climate and plant productivity. Thus, not surprisingly, the total number and distribution of stomata are strictly regulated by plants to optimize photosynthesis while minimizing water loss. But the mechanisms for such regulation have remained elusive until now.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:00 am
Materials for first optical fibers with high-speed electronic function are developed
For the first time, researchers have developed crystalline materials that allow an optical fiber to have integrated, high-speed electronic functions. The potential applications of such optical fibers include improved telecommunications and other hybrid optical and electronic technologies, improved laser technology, and more-accurate remote-sensing devices.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 5:00 am
Henry Ford Hospital researchers identity potential biomarker for osteoarthritis
Henry Ford Hospital researchers have identified for the first time two molecules that hold promise as a biomarker for measuring cartilage damage associated with osteoarthritis.Researchers say the concentration of two molecules called non-coding RNAs in blood were associated with mild cartilage damage in 30 patients who were one year removed from reconstruction surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, injury.
Posted on 4 February 2012 | 5:00 am
Lower levels of sunlight link to allergy and eczema
Increased exposure to sunlight may reduce the risk of both food allergies and eczema in children, according to a new scientific study published this week.
Posted on 3 February 2012 | 5:00 am
Yahoo! News: Science News
Science News
Sierra Club Received Millions from Natural Gas Industry
(ContributorNetwork)
ContributorNetwork – According to a blog post from Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune, the environmentalist organization accepted millions of donated dollars from the natural gas industry to fight against coal-fired plants nationwide. Here are the details.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 9:26 pm
Fire at Moscow nuclear institute, Russia says no risk
(Reuters)
Reuters – There was no risk of a radiation leak after a fire broke out at a Moscow nuclear research center housing a non-operational 60-year-old atomic reactor Sunday, said officials, but Greenpeace Russia expressed serious concern about the incident.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 6:15 pm
Clinton urges Bulgaria to be energy independent
(AP)
AP – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Bulgaria, urging the country to break its energy dependence on Russia by diversifying its oil and gas supplies.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 10:48 am
The nation’s weather
(AP)
AP – Wet weather will ease Sunday across the Midwest as a winter storm treks eastward. The system will also advance southeastward from the mid-Mississippi River Valley, moving over the Tennessee Valley and into the Appalachians.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 9:56 am
Over 6,300 Respond to NASA’s Request for Astronaut Applicants
(ContributorNetwork)
ContributorNetwork – NASA’s space shuttle program is over. NASA does not have its own means of taking astronauts into space. Commercial spacecraft under development won’t be ready for another four to five years. The Orion spacecraft is even more uncertain.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 6:46 am
Storm blankets Nebraska after dumping on Colorado
(AP)
AP – A powerful winter storm that covered parts of Colorado with up to 6 feet of snow crept east across the Plains Saturday, knocking out electricity to thousands in Nebraska as the blanket of heavy, wet precipitation downed power lines and made travel treacherous.
Posted on 5 February 2012 | 12:20 am
First ‘Vampire’ Bat Fly Fossil Discovered
(LiveScience.com)
LiveScience.com – A one-of-a-kind fossil shows that so-called bat flies — tiny vampire insects that survive on the blood of bats — have been parasitizing the winged mammals and spreading bat malaria for at least 20 million years, scientists report in a pair of studies Friday (Feb. 3).
Posted on 4 February 2012 | 11:55 pm
Jupiter-Bound NASA Probe Adjusts Course Toward Giant Planet
(SPACE.com)
SPACE.com – A NASA probe on a five-year mission to Jupiter fired up its rocket thrusters this week to better aim itself at the largest planet in our solar system.
Posted on 4 February 2012 | 1:45 pm
New map pinpoints Lyme disease risk areas
(AP)
AP – Researchers who spent three years dragging sheets of fabric through the woods to snag ticks have created a detailed map they claim could improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
Posted on 3 February 2012 | 6:22 pm
Unlike Patriots, NFL slow to embrace ‘Moneyball’
(AP)
AP – It’s advice that sounds like heresy on the gridiron: Go for it on fourth down. Try more onside kicks. Running backs don’t matter much.
Posted on 3 February 2012 | 6:20 pm
