PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories

Physicist takes a quantum leap

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:20:01 EST

(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Queensland physicist is seeking answers to a persistent problem throughout human history: how do I compute things? None, however, have had the same impact as what we today know as simply the computer, the harbinger of the digital age.

Students with depression twice as likely to drop out of college (w/ Podcast)

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:00:01 EST

(PhysOrg.com) -- College students with depression are twice as likely as their classmates to drop out of school, new research shows.

US Justice Dept probing telecom companies: WSJ

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:53:58 EST

The US Justice Department is conducting an initial review to determine whether large US telecom companies have abused their market power, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

National Semiconductor Introduces Industry's Lowest-Noise Frequency Synthesizer

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:51:02 EST

National Semiconductor today announced the industry`s lowest-noise, fully integrated frequency synthesizer. The PowerWise LMX2541 provides less than 2 milli-radians (mrad) root-mean-square (rms) noise at 2.1 GHz and 3.5 mrad rms noise at 3.5 GHz, outperforming the nearest competitor by 10 dB in both in-band phase-locked loop (PLL) noise and spurious performance.

Chemicals in common consumer products may play a role in pre-term births

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:40:36 EST

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study of expectant mothers suggests that a group of common environmental contaminants called phthalates, which are present in many industrial and consumer products including everyday personal care items, may contribute to the country's alarming rise in premature births.

One step closer to an artificial nerve cell

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:37:27 EST

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at Karolinska Institutet and Link�ping University (Sweden) are well on the way to creating the first artificial nerve cell that can communicate specifically with nerve cells in the body using neurotransmitters. The technology has been published in an article in Nature Materials.

Space Station Marathon

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:30:02 EST

The International Space Station (ISS) is about to make a remarkable series of flybys over the United States. Beginning this 4th of July weekend, the station will appear once, twice, and sometimes three times a day for many days in a row. No matter where you live, you should have at least a few opportunities to see the biggest spaceship ever built.

Proba-2's journey to Russia marks its first step towards space

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:20:04 EST

(PhysOrg.com) -- Proba-2, one of the smallest satellites ESA has ever built for space, is about to leave its Belgian homeland. Its development and testing complete, the satellite is being packed up for the first leg of its journey to orbit - shipment to the distant Plesetsk launch site in northern Russia.

Hormone clue to root growth

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:10:01 EST

(PhysOrg.com) -- Plant roots provide the crops we eat with water, nutrients and anchorage. Understanding how roots grow and how hormones control that growth is crucial to improving crop yields, which will be necessary to address food security and produce better biofuels.

Researchers test new 'space Internet' system on International Space Station

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:59:55 EST

The University of Colorado at Boulder is working with NASA to develop a new communications technology now being tested on the International Space Station, which will extend Earth's Internet into outer space and across the solar system.

TV makers hope thin is in for newest sets

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:50:01 EST

(AP) -- Lee Richman installs high-end home theater systems that can cost as much as $170,000. Lately, he's noticed that some of his clients - or their interior designers - are perking up when they hear about ultra-slim TV sets, which come off the wall only about an inch.

World's oldest surviving Bible published online

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:39:50 EST

About 800 pages of the world's oldest surviving Bible have been pieced together and published on the Internet for the first time, experts in Britain said Monday.

Final rules out for government stem cell research

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:36:42 EST

(AP) -- The government is creating a master list of which embryonic stem cells qualify for taxpayer-funded research, now that President Barack Obama has lifted restrictions on the field.

Dogs, humans, put heads together to find cure for brain cancer

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:33:47 EST

Pinpointing the genes involved in human brain cancer can be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and sometimes the needle you find may not be the right one. By comparing human and canine genomes, researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered that a gene commonly believed to be involved in meningiomas-tumors that affect the meninges, or thin covering, of the human brain and account for one out of four adult brain tumors -may not be as key for tumor formation as previously thought, and they've narrowed the search for the real culprit.

Atomic force microscope research could lead to better health care

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:32:17 EST

Where biology, chemistry and physics intersect, a Kansas State University professor expects to find applications to improve human health.

Mice with skin condition help scientists understand tumor growth

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:30:02 EST

Cancerous tumors sometimes form at the site of chronic wounds or injury, but the reason why is not entirely clear. Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have engineered mice with a persistent wound-like skin condition, and the mice are helping them understand the tumor-promoting effects of long-standing wounds and injuries.

Atrial fibrillation linked to increased hospitalization in heart failure patients

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:20:01 EST

Patients with atrial fibrillation, common in those with advanced chronic heart failure, have an increased risk of hospitalization due to heart failure, according to new research from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The findings, published in June in the European Heart Journal, also suggest that atrial fibrillation is not associated with an increased risk of death in heart failure patients, contradicting previous assumptions.

Ready for relapse: Molecule helps breast cancer cells to survive in the bone marrow

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:11:20 EST

Patients who survive an initial diagnosis of breast cancer often succumb to the disease years later when the cancer shows up in a different part of the body. Now, scientists have identified key signals that support the long term survival of breast cancer cells after they have spread to the bone marrow. The research, published by Cell Press in the July issue of the journal Cancer Cell, may lead to development of treatment strategies that decrease the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence in the bone and other organs.

Elderly breast cancer patients receive chemotherapy if treated in private practices

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:05:15 EST

In a study to determine the non-medical factors that may be associated with the decision to treat nonmetastatic breast cancer, researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health evaluated the association between oncologist characteristics and the receipt of chemotherapy in elderly women with breast cancer and found that they were more likely to receive chemotherapy if treated by oncologists employed in a private practice.

The 2 faces of Mdmx: Why some tumors don't respond to radiation and chemotherapy

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:59:32 EST

A tightly controlled system of checks and balances ensures that a powerful tumor suppressor called p53 keeps a tight lid on unchecked cell growth but doesn't wreak havoc in healthy cells. In their latest study, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggest just how finely tuned the system is and how little it takes to tip the balance.

Heart transplant recipients can improve fitness and perform high intensity workouts

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:10:01 EST

Heart transplant recipients' cardio-respiratory fitness is around 30 to 50 per cent lower than age-matched healthy sedentary individuals. As a result, exercise rehabilitation should be very important to these patients, and a University of Alberta study shows they can improve their overall physical fitness.

EMC raises offer for Data Domain

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:08:26 EST

Computer storage giant EMC raised its offer to purchase data storage firm Data Domain on Monday in a bid to top a rival offer for the company by data management firm NetApp.

Canadian researchers set to study impact of nanomaterials on aquatic ecosystems

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:36:06 EST

A team of Canadian scientists and engineers, led by the University of Alberta and the National Research Council of Canada, will collaborate on a $3.39 million, three-year study to assess the potential effects of nanoparticles in specific water environments.

Intimate abuse study finds clear links with poor health and calls for holistic primary care approach

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:31:03 EST

Nearly a quarter of married and cohabiting women who took part in a survey said that they had been sexually, psychologically or physically abused by their partner, according to research published in the July issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Researchers demonstrate reversible generation of a high capacity hydrogen storage material

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:28:49 EST

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River National Laboratory have created a reversible route to generate aluminum hydride, a high capacity hydrogen storage material. This achievement is not only expected to accelerate the development of a whole class of storage materials, but also has far reaching applications in areas spanning energy technology and synthetic chemistry.

Few people changed their behaviour in the early stages of the swine flu outbreak

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:26:28 EST

Few people changed their behaviour in the early stages of the swine flu outbreak, finds a study published on bmj.com today. But the results do support efforts to inform the public about specific actions that can reduce the risks from swine flu and to communicate about the government's plans and resources.

Researchers identify genes that cause melanoma

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:23:56 EST

Scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have found two new genes that together double a person's risk of developing melanoma.

Physical reality of string theory demonstrated

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:19:17 EST

String theory has come under fire in recent years. Promises have been made that have not been lived up to. Leiden (The Netherlands) theoretical physicists have now for the first time used string theory to describe a physical phenomenon. Their discovery has been reported in Science Express.

New study pinpoints difference in the way children with autism learn new behaviors

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:16:25 EST

Researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have collaborated to uncover important new insights into the neurological basis of autism.

Laboring without the labor bed: It's a good thing

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:15:09 EST

A University of Toronto pilot study that re-conceptualized the hospital labour room by removing the standard, clinical bed and adding relaxation-promoting equipment had a 28 per cent drop in infusions of artificial oxcytocin, a powerful drug used to advance slow labours.