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Latest Articles: Science/Tech
How immune cells lead to cancer
Post Date: 2011-09-29 07:30:59 by Tatarewicz
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The study prompts a re-think of cancer therapies that aim at boosting the immune system. Scientists at A*STAR’s Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) have shown for the first time that PMN-MDSC body’s immune system to combat cancer, a type of immune cell in the body that suppresses the immune response, can actually accelerate the growth and spread of cancerous tumours directly. This finding explains how inflammation, the body's natural defence mechanism when a tissue or an organ becomes affected, is linked to cancer progression. It also highlights the need for a careful reassessment of current cancer therapies that target the body’s immune system to combat cancer. Using a ...
Antimagnet' joins list of invisibility approaches
Post Date: 2011-09-29 04:51:29 by Tatarewicz
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Researchers have designed a "cloak" that is invisible to magnetic fields both coming in and coming out. The idea of blocking magnetic fields has been proposed before, but the new design, in the New Journal of Physics, could even hide magnetic materials. It could thus find application in security or medical contexts, such as those surrounding MRI scans. The approach uses superconductor layers and the "metamaterials" familiar from recent invisibility cloak research. Metamaterials are artificially designed materials designed to guide electromagnetic waves - like light or magnetic fields - in a way that natural materials do not. Much research in recent years has ...
Sunspot 1302 unleashed towards Earth, detected on shortwave radio
Post Date: 2011-09-29 03:56:41 by Tatarewicz
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Greenbelt - Scientists are monitoring a sunspot that produced an X1.9-category solar storm that was unleashed over the weekend and could be headed towards Earth. Sunspot 1302 is so strong that it has been detected shortwave radio on this planet. Digital Journal has reported in the past on intense solar storms, and so far nothing catastrophic has occurred. The worst thing that has transpired thus far has been loss of radio signals in some parts of the United States. On Monday, NASA issued a news release that updated us on a strong X1.9-category solar storm that erupted from active region (sunspot) 1302 Saturday morning that was recorded by the space administration’s Solar Dynamics ...
Virus kills all grades of breast cancer ‘within 7 days’ in lab experiment
Post Date: 2011-09-27 09:13:49 by Tatarewicz
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Scientists at the Penn State College of Medicine said this week they have discovered a virus that is capable of killing all grades of breast cancer "within seven days" of first introduction in a laboratory setting. The virus, known as adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2), is naturally occurring and carried by up to 80 percent of humans, but it does not cause any disease. Researchers learned of its cancer-killing properties in 2005, after Penn State scientists observed it killing cervical cancer cells. They also found that women who carried the AAV2 virus and human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes cervical cancer, had a lower propensity to develop cervical cancer. When ...
Storm computing enters cyberspace
Post Date: 2011-09-25 07:14:46 by Tatarewicz
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Google Bets Big on New Early-Stage Tech Boom By Andrew Mickey | Friday, September 23rd, 2011 The next big tech boom is here. All the big players are getting behind it: Google, Apple, IBM, Microsoft, AT&T — name a big technology company, and chances are they’ve already invested billions of dollars. It has all the benefits service providers and their customers want and use... More efficiency, lower energy cost, better service, and more capability are all part of it. And the rest of the world is just starting to see the potential of this tech boom and how it’s going to improve customers' lives and increase the bottom line. Best of all, any further economic slide ...
Protein 'Switches' Could Turn Cancer Cells Into Tiny Chemotherapy Factories
Post Date: 2011-09-25 05:53:01 by Tatarewicz
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ScienceDaily (Sep. 24, 2011) — Johns Hopkins researchers have devised a protein "switch" that instructs cancer cells to produce their own anti-cancer medication. In lab tests, the researchers showed that these switches, working from inside the cells, can activate a powerful cell-killing drug when the device detects a marker linked to cancer. The goal, the scientists said, is to deploy a new type of weapon that causes cancer cells to self-destruct while sparing healthy tissue. This new cancer-fighting strategy and promising early lab test results were reported this week in the online early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Although the switches have ...
3-D printing "layers" first driveable car
Post Date: 2011-09-25 04:59:53 by Tatarewicz
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The world’s first 'printed' car has finally rolled off the printing press. The 'Urbee' was made using a special printer which built up layer upon layer of bodywork - almost as if the car was 'painted' into existence, except using layers of ultra-thin composite that are slowly 'fused' into a solid. But unlike most 'innovations' in cars, this one won't break down after 5 years - Urbee is built to last 30. Project leader Jim Kor, told MailOnline today: 'For us, this unveiling was quite a milestone. Built to last: The highly-durable material used in 'additive layer manufacturing' is said to last for 30 years Built to last: The ...
In case any techies interested
Post Date: 2011-09-24 08:50:13 by Tatarewicz
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We know that there are many technology experts among our readers. And we suspect that many of those would be quite interested in a role in a reputable intimate apparel company based in Munich, Germany. Well, Triumph is recruiting, so read on for more information. Kind regards, The Local Do you have SAP experience? Do you want to work in a multi-cultural environment? Are you a fluent English speaker? Then Triumph may be the perfect company for you! Who we are: Triumph Corporate Competence Center (CCC), an in-house IT consultancy A part of Triumph International; a world-leading manufacturer of lingerie and undergarments A certified Corporate Competence Center involved in the continual ...
BPA in plastics may alter fertility in progeny
Post Date: 2011-09-23 06:56:05 by Tatarewicz
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BPA Alters Development of in Vitro Ova and Could Increase Risk of Down Syndrome, Study Suggests ScienceDaily (Sep. 21, 2011) — Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, in collaboration with the Vall d'Hebron Hospital Fetal Tissue Bank, the Department of Gynaecology and the Research Unit of Paediatric Endocrinology, analysed the effects of Bisphenol A (BPA), a polymer widely used to manufacture plastics, in an in vitro culture of ovaries. The research demonstrated that exposure to this substance gravely altered the development of oocytes and future ova, possibly diminishing the fertility of a woman's offspring and at the same time increasing the risk of Down ...
Reactivating aging withering muscle
Post Date: 2011-09-23 06:41:07 by Tatarewicz
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Bioengineers Reprogram Muscles to Combat Degeneration ScienceDaily (Sep. 23, 2011) — Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have turned back the clock on mature muscle tissue, coaxing it back to an earlier stem cell stage to form new muscle. Moreover, they showed in mice that the newly reprogrammed muscle stem cells could be used to help repair damaged tissue. The achievement, described in the Sept. 23 issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology, "opens the door to the development of new treatments to combat the degeneration of muscle associated with muscular dystrophy or aging," said study principal investigator Irina Conboy, UC Berkeley assistant ...
US scientists testing earthquake early warning
Post Date: 2011-09-23 02:45:54 by Tatarewicz
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-PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Elizabeth Cochran was sitting in her office when her computer suddenly sounded an alarm. Beep. Beep. Beep. A map of California on her screen lit up with a red dot, signaling an earthquake had struck. A clock next to the map counted down the seconds until shock waves fanning out from the epicenter north of Los Angeles reached her location in Pasadena: 5-4-3-2-1. Right on cue, Cochran felt her chair quiver ever so slightly from a magnitude-4.2 that rumbled through Southern California on Sept. 1. "If I hadn't known it was an earthquake, I would have thought it was a truck going by," she said. After years of lagging behind Japan, Mexico and other ...
Faster than light particles found, claim scientists
Post Date: 2011-09-23 01:32:37 by Tatarewicz
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Particle physicists detect neutrinos travelling faster than light, a feat forbidden by Einstein's theory of special relativity Subatomic Neutrino Tracks Neutrinos, like the ones above, have been detected travelling faster than light, say particle physicists. It is a concept that forms a cornerstone of our understanding of the universe and the concept of time – nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. But now it seems that researchers working in one of the world's largest physics laboratories, under a mountain in central Italy, have recorded particles travelling at a speed that is supposedly forbidden by Einstein's theory of special relativity. Scientists at ...
CERN scientists 'break the speed of light'
Post Date: 2011-09-22 22:09:28 by PnbC
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CERN scientists 'break the speed of light' Scientists said on Thursday they recorded particles travelling faster than light - a finding that could overturn one of Einstein's fundamental laws of the universe. Antonio Ereditato, spokesman for the international group of researchers, said that measurements taken over three years showed neutrinos pumped from CERN near Geneva to Gran Sasso in Italy had arrived 60 nanoseconds quicker than light would have done. "We have high confidence in our results. We have checked and rechecked for anything that could have distorted our measurements but we found nothing," he said. "We now want colleagues to check them ...
Marijuana Prevents Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Say Doctors
Post Date: 2011-09-22 11:14:50 by gengis gandhi
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Marijuana Prevents Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Say Doctors Wed Sep 21 2011 16:14 SHARE THIS STORY 18 Share 0 0 inShare Cannabinoids (marijuana) administration after experiencing a traumatic event blocks the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms in rats, according to a new study conducted at the University of Haifa and published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. “We found that there is a ‘window of opportunity’ during which administering synthetic marijuana helps deal with symptoms simulating PTSD in rats,” said Dr. Irit Akirav of the University of Haifa’s Department of Psychology, who led the study. Marijuana Credit: ...
Autonomous Car Navigates the Streets of Berlin
Post Date: 2011-09-22 06:57:44 by Tatarewicz
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ScienceDaily (Sep. 20, 2011) — Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin traveled 80 km in total as passengers during a test drive of their autonomous car "MadeInGermany" over the weekend. The car is driven by computers -- the safety driver behind the steering wheel only monitors the car's behavior. The autonomous car is a conventional VW Passat modified for "drive by wire." Electronic commands from the computer are passed directly to the accelerator, the brakes, and the steering wheel of the vehicle. Multiple sensors integrated in the car's chassis provide information about all cars or persons on the street. They allow the car to avoid obstacles, ...
Robots' first conversation descends into argument
Post Date: 2011-09-21 12:34:44 by Ada
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Two chatbots forget the etiquette of avoiding religion, sex or politics in conversation when two PhD students at Cornell University introduced the pair to eachother. Cornell University researchers Jason Yosinski and Igor Labutov rigged up a chatbot system to allow online avatars to talk to each other. Chatbots are designed to emulate the conversational abilities of humans, usually in an attempt to pass the Turing Test for intelligence. Alan Turing in his 1950 paper proposed that if a computer could fool a sufficiently adept human while conversing with them into thinking that the machine is another human, that computer could be then called intelligent. However, the conversation rapidly ...
Scientists Turn Back the Clock On Adult Stem Cells Aging
Post Date: 2011-09-21 07:23:37 by Tatarewicz
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ScienceDaily (Sep. 20, 2011) — Researchers have shown they can reverse the aging process for human adult stem cells, which are responsible for helping old or damaged tissues regenerate. The findings could lead to medical treatments that may repair a host of ailments that occur because of tissue damage as people age. A research group led by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted the study in cell culture, which appears in the September 1, 2011 edition of the journal Cell Cycle. The regenerative power of tissues and organs declines as we age. The modern day stem cell hypothesis of aging suggests that living organisms are as old as ...
Inexhaustible' Source of Hydrogen May Be Unlocked by Salt Water
Post Date: 2011-09-21 07:07:23 by Tatarewicz
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ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2011) — A grain of salt or two may be all that microbial electrolysis cells need to produce hydrogen from wastewater or organic byproducts, without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere or using grid electricity, according to Penn State engineers. "This system could produce hydrogen anyplace that there is wastewater near sea water," said Bruce E. Logan, Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering. "It uses no grid electricity and is completely carbon neutral. It is an inexhaustible source of energy." Microbial electrolysis cells that produce hydrogen are the basis of this recent work, but previously, to produce hydrogen, the fuel cells ...
China launch to pave way for space station
Post Date: 2011-09-21 03:18:32 by Tatarewicz
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BEIJING - China will launch an unmanned module next week, paving the way for a planned space station, a spokesman for the space program said on Tuesday. Tiangong-1, or "Heavenly Palace 1", will blast off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province between Sept 27 and 30, the spokesman said. The 8.5-ton module, and the Long March II-F rocket that will carry it skyward, were positioned onto the launch pad on Tuesday, signaling that the project has entered the final preparation stage. "Scientists will conduct final tests in the next few days before injecting propellants for the launch," Cui Jijun, director of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, said. The ...
Stimulating brain with electricity aids learning speed
Post Date: 2011-09-20 05:38:11 by Tatarewicz
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Electrically stimulating the brain can help to speed up the process of learning, scientists have shown. Applying a small current to specific parts of the brain can increase its activity, making learning easier. Researchers from the University of Oxford have studied the changing structure of the brain in stroke patients and in healthy adults. Prof Heidi Johansen-Berg presented their findings at the British Science Festival in Bradford. The team at Oxford has been conducting research into how the structure of the brain changes in adulthood, and in particular what changes occur after a stroke. They have used an approach called functional MRI to monitor activity in the brain as stroke ...
Breakthrough Technology Identifies Prostate Cancer Cells
Post Date: 2011-09-20 05:28:21 by Tatarewicz
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ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2011) — A team of researchers at UC Santa Barbara has developed a breakthrough technology that can be used to discriminate cancerous prostate cells in bodily fluids from those that are healthy. The findings are published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. While the new technology is years away from use in a clinical setting, the researchers are nonetheless confident that it will be useful in developing a microdevice that will help in understanding when prostate cancer will metastasize, or spread to other parts of the body. "There have been studies to find the relationship between the number of cancer cells in the blood, ...
Scientists Discover 'Hidden' Code in DNA Evolves More Rapidly Than Genetic Code
Post Date: 2011-09-18 07:04:03 by Tatarewicz
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ScienceDaily (Sep. 16, 2011) — A "hidden" code linked to the DNA of plants allows them to develop and pass down new biological traits far more rapidly than previously thought, according to the findings of a groundbreaking study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The study, published September 16 in the journal Science, provides the first evidence that an organism's "epigenetic" code -- an extra layer of biochemical instructions in DNA -- can evolve more quickly than the genetic code and can strongly influence biological traits. While the study was limited to a single plant species called Arabidopsis thaliana, the equivalent of the ...
New Device Generates Energy from Small Vibrations
Post Date: 2011-09-18 06:50:40 by Tatarewicz
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ScienceDaily (Sep. 16, 2011) — Today's wireless-sensor networks can do everything from supervising factory machinery to tracking environmental pollution to measuring the movement of buildings and bridges. Working together, distributed sensors can monitor activity along an oil pipeline or throughout a forest, keeping track of multiple variables at a time. While uses for wireless sensors are seemingly endless, there is one limiting factor to the technology -- power. Even though improvements have brought their energy consumption down, wireless sensors' batteries still need changing periodically. Especially for networks in remote locales, replacing batteries in thousands of ...
Park your car with your mobile phone
Post Date: 2011-09-18 04:59:00 by Tatarewicz
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A French company has been demonstrating technology at this week's International Motor Show in Frankfurt that can park a car by using a mobile phone. The technology from Paris-based company Valeo means drivers can hop out of their cars when faced with a tight spot and guide the car in from the safety of their mobile phones. The system, which works on both Apple and Android-based phones, operates a series of sensors around the car to guide the vehicle. Drivers can control acceleration and brakes from the phone. It is the latest development in the company's Park4U system which is already available in cars manufactured by Volkswagen, Ford, Lincoln and Audi. Valeo was founded in 1923 ...
GE to invest $1 billion in cancer research
Post Date: 2011-09-16 00:11:37 by Tatarewicz
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US industrial conglomerate General Electric said on Thursday that it would invest $1 billion in cancer research over the next five years. GE chief executive Jeff Immelt and several venture capital partners launched the initiative, which will be aimed at improving diagnostic techniques for breast cancer, the company said in a statement. The investment will go toward research and development into technologies and solutions for cancer detection and treatment, beginning with breast cancer, GE said. GE and its partners also announced a $100 million "global open innovation challenge" to provide grants to researchers who develop promising early-detection techniques. The contest ...
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