Newswise: SciNews

Causes Found for Stiff Skin Conditions

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:45:00 EST

By studying the genetics of a rare inherited disorder called stiff skin syndrome, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have learned more about scleroderma, a condition affecting about one in 5,000 people that leads to hardening of the skin as well as other debilitating and often life-threatening problems. The findings, which appear this week in Science Translational Medicine, open doors to testing new treatments.

Rare Lady Beetles Prefer Traditional Diet

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

South Dakota entomologists have discovered a way to preserve & grow rare, captive lady beetles that could help farmers fight invasive aphids harmful to their crops. It's all a matter of paying attention to diet & enlisting help from citizen scientists.

Professor Discusses the Science Behind Earthquakes

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

A series of major earthquakes have struck countries in the Caribbean, South America and Asia, causing catastrophic damage. Large-scale relief efforts are in place in the hardest-hit nations, including Haiti and Chile. Northeastern earth and environmental sciences professor Jennifer Cole discusses what causes earthquakes and how one natural disaster can lead to another.

Chemist Monitors Nanotechnology's Environmental Impact

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Interest in 'green' innovation means not just thinking big but also very, very, very small. At least that's the way Omowunmi Sadik, director of Binghamton University's Center for Advanced Sensors and Environmental Systems, sees it. She's working to develop sensors that would detect and identify engineered nanoparticles. Her research will advance our understanding of the risks associated with the environmental release and transformation of these particles.

Clean Snowmobile Challenge Tests Lower-Emission, Quieter Sleds

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Despite unseasonably warm March weather, teams of college snowmobile engineers are competing in the annual Clean Snowmobile Challenge at Michigan Technological University.

World Policymakers Have Underestimated Climate-Change Impacts, Says Expert

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Charles H. Greene, Cornell professor of Earth and atmospheric science, and colleagues have published in the peer-reviewed journal Oceanography (March 2010). The scientists conclude that the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 4th assessment report underestimates the potential dangerous impacts that man-made climate change will have on society.

Mayo Research: Intervention Drops Hospital Infection Rate by One-Third

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Clostridium difficile infection nears zero

Cup Plant Is Potential New Biomass/Carbon Storage Crop

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

South Dakota State University research is exploring a native perennial called cup plant as a potential new biomass crop that could also store carbon in its extensive root system and add biodiversity to biomass plantings.

Inside the Plastic Vortex

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Last summer, minutes before leaving port on a voyage to the North Pacific Ocean Gyre, Chief Scientist Miriam Goldstein was frank about what might and might not be encountered during the expedition to a place that has become known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch." Goldstein made it clear to fellow scientists, cruise volunteers, and a few members of the news media that SEAPLEX would be an exploratory voyage.

USDA and NSF International 2010 Food Safety Education Conference to Attract over 600 Food Safety Experts

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:40:00 EST

The USDA and NSF International will be hosting a 2010 Food Safety Education Conference, ""Advancements in Food Safety Education: Trends, Tools and Technologies" on March 23-26, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Ga. More information is available at www.fsis.usda.gov/Atlanta2010.

Estimating Ethanol Yields from CRP Croplands

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:15:00 EST

The scramble to find sufficient land for biofuel production has experts eyeing marginal croplands that have been placed in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Now a study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists indicates that plant species diversity and composition are key factors in potential energy yield per acre from biomass harvested from CRP land.

Experience Hubble's Universe in 3-D

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST

Science visualization specialists at the Space Telescope Science Institute, in Baltimore, Md. transformed Hubble Space Telescope 2-D images into 3-D environments to create several groundbreaking astronomy visualizations for the new Imax film "Hubble 3D," which opens today in 40 select Imax theaters worldwide.

PhD-Candidate and Grad Student Discover New Species of Raptor Dino

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST

Well-preserved, nearly complete skeleton is a relative of the Velociraptor; will help scientists further describe the physical appearance of other closely-related dinosaurs within the Dromaeosauridae family. Research led by Dr. Xu Xing.

Press Registration Open for Experimental Biology 2010

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST

Press registration is open for the Experimental Biology 2010 meeting. The six sponsoring societies for the April meeting are the American Association of Anatomists (AAA), The American Physiological Society (APS), American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

Even Oysters Pay Taxes

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:05:00 EST

'Metabolic taxation' accounts for part of difference between fast and slow growth of animals, according to a new theory. USC marine biologists say that a study of oyster genes associated with growth suggests that fast-growing animals have better tuned ribosomal factories for making proteins.

U.Va. and Azure Worldwide Join Forces to Secure a Brighter Future for the Chesapeake Bay with the U.Va. Bay Game

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST

The University of Virginia and Azure Worldwide, an organization co-founded by Philippe Cousteau, are partnering to showcase a new concept in environmental engagement and action: The Bay Game, an interactive game that simulates the conditions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed with players taking the roles of people who live in the watershed and make their livelihoods from the resources of the bay.

Physics Press Conferences at Next Week's American Physical Society March Meeting

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST

The following press conferences will take place during the March Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS), to be held March 15-19, 2010 in the Portland Convention Center.

Researchers Sequence Pea Aphid Genome

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST

A better understanding of the pea aphid genome could help control agricultural pests.

Rare Hawaiian Monk Seal Brought to UCSC's Long Marine Lab for Study and Treatment

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST

A young Hawaiian monk seal is providing researchers at UC Santa Cruz a rare opportunity to study the physiology of this critically endangered species.

Regenerative Medicine Forum Offers "Young Minds" Program

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST

The Regenerative Medicine Foundation is pleased to announce a special "Young Minds" graduate student registration rate for its annual Translational Regenerative Medicine Forum, set for April 6-8 in Winston-Salem.

Bird Bones May be Hollow, But They are Also Heavy

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Biologists have known since Galileo's time that bird bones are hollow, but many people are surprised to learn that bird skeletons do not weigh less than those of similar-sized mammals. New work now explains how bird skeletons can be both delicate and heavy.

Geophysicists Rush to Chile To Study Ongoing Earthquake Aftershocks

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:25:00 EST

A team of geophysicists led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professor Steven Roecker is in Chile to study the scope and strength of aftershocks that continue to rattle the area following the massive Feb. 27 8.8-magnitude earthquake. The 10-member team, which was assembled quickly from universities around the United States, will be putting in place more than 50 broadband seismometers throughout the impacted area in Chile.

51st Annual Drosophila Research Conference

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST

Representatives of the media are invited to attend the 51st Annual Drosophila Research Conference in Washington, DC, April 7-11, 2010, sponsored by the Genetics Society of America. More than 1600 basic research scientists who study genetic models in Drosophila (fruit flies) are expected to attend.

IOCS Applauds IUCN's Reclassification of Beluga Sturgeon

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:30:00 EST

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) today formally announced the reclassification of beluga sturgeon in the Caspian Sea as "critically endangered" on its Red List, providing strong evidence that fishing and international trade should be halted and a stock-rebuilding plan should be initiated immediately.

Morocco to Announce National Earth Charter for 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:30:00 EST

The Kingdom of Morocco will announce an unprecedented National Charter for Environment and Sustainable Development on Earth Day, April 22, the first commitment of its kind in Africa and the Arab World. The charter will guide policy in the country and future laws on natural resources, the environment and sustainability. A high ranking delegation from Morocco joined E.P.A. Administrator Lisa Jackson and Earth Day Network at a Washington, DC press conference today to make the announcement.