THE NEWS POINTER

Spider silk secrets lead to even stronger synthetic materials

2010-03-15T06:28:00.002+01:00

Spiders and silkworms are masters of materials science, but scientists are finally catching up. Silks are among the toughest materials known, stronger and less brittle, pound for pound, than steel. In most engineered materials” — ceramics, for instance — high strength comes with brittleness. “Once ductility is introduced, materials become weak.” But not silk, which has high strength despite being built from inherently weak building blocks. It turns out that’s because these building blocks — the tiny beta-sheet crystals, as well as filaments that join them — are arranged in a structure that resembles a tall stack of pancakes, but with the crystal structures within each pancake alternating in their orientation. This particular geometry of tiny silk nanocrystals allows hydrogen bonds to work cooperatively, reinforcing adjacent chains against external forces, which leads to the outstanding extensibility and strength of spider silk... [more]
Source : Massachusetts Institute of Technology

China to tap the 'combustible ice' frozen natural gas containing methane and ice crystals as a fuel source

2010-03-14T18:59:00.002+01:00

China's western Qinghai Province, containing major deposits of the country's "combustible ice," will see increased explorations for this emerging clean energy, "combustible ice," or natural gas hydrate, is mainly found in deep seas and atop plateaus. Approximately one cubic meter of "combustible ice" equals 164 cubic meters of regular natural gas... [more] & [more]

Source : Xinhua & US Depatment Of Energy

Marcial Maciel Degollado founder of the Legion of Christ accused of pedophilia and incest

2010-03-14T18:25:00.003+01:00

Maciel was a sexual criminal of epic proportions who gained the trust of John Paul II and created a movement that is as close to a cult as anything we've seen in the church," said author Jason Berry, one of two reporters who broke the Maciel story in 1997 and who directed a 2008 documentary about the priest called "Vows of Silence... [more]
Source : AOL News

Chile earthquake have shifted planet's axis and shortened length of Earth's days

2010-03-02T14:45:00.002+01:00

The earthquake that killed more than 700 people in Chile on Feb. 27 probably shifted the Earth’s axis and shortened the day, the length of the day should have gotten shorter by 1.26 microseconds (millionths of a second), the axis about which the Earth’s mass is balanced should have moved by 2.7 milliarcseconds (about 8 centimeters)... [more] & [more]

Source : Telegraph & Business Week

Gaddafi calls for jihad and calls to prevent any Swiss ships docking

2010-02-26T09:29:00.005+01:00

Muammar Gaddafi has appealed for jihad against Switzerland, long regarded as one of the most peaceful nations in the world. “The masses of Muslims must go to all airports in the Islamic world and prevent any Swiss plane landing, to all harbours and prevent any Swiss ships docking,” he said, apparently unaware that Switzerland does not have a merchant navy, or coast... [more]

Source : Timesonline

Vegetarian diet can cause damage to the environment

2010-02-18T02:37:00.002+01:00

It has often been claimed that avoiding red meat is beneficial to the environment, because it lowers emissions and less land is used to produce alternatives. A switch from beef and milk to highly refined livestock product analogues such as tofu could actually increase the quantity of arable land needed... [more]

Source : Telegraph

It may be possible to create or to clone a Neanderthals from sequenced dna

2010-02-14T19:22:00.002+01:00

The best way to clone Neanderthals may be to create stem cells that have their DNA. In recent years, geneticists have learned how to take skin cells and return them to a state called pluripotency, where they can become almost any type of cell in the human body. That stem cell would be left to reproduce, creating a colony of cells that could be programmed to become any type of cell that existed in the Neanderthal's body. Colonies of heart, brain, and liver cells, or possibly entire organs, could be grown for research purposes... [more]
Source : Archaeological Institute of America

Brain Area Responsible for Fear of Losing Money Dicovered in the Amygdala

2010-02-09T01:57:00.002+01:00

Neuroscientists have tied the human aversion to losing money to a specific structure in the brain—the amygdala. The finding offers insight into economic behavior, and also into the role of the brain's amygdalae, two almond-shaped clusters of tissue located in the medial temporal lobes. The amygdala registers rapid emotional reactions and is implicated in depression, anxiety, and autism... [more]

Source : California Institute of Technology

Russia's Arms Sales $7.4 Billion

2010-01-30T06:12:00.002+01:00

Russia’s defense export giant Rosoboronexport sold arms in the amount of $7.4 billion, the company’s export had increased 2.4 times from 2001 to 2009. Russian arms enjoy great popularity with several members of NATO. They are Turkey, Greece and the countries of the Eastern bloc... [more]
Source : English Pravda

Astronomer Marek Kukula aliens might not be friendly

2010-01-25T10:21:00.003+01:00

Mr Marek Kukula, public astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, said: "Part of me is with the enthusiasts and I would like us to try to make proactive contact with a wiser, more peaceful civilisation." "Given the consequences of contact may not be what we initially hoped for, then we need governments and the UN to get involved in any discussions... [more] & [more]
Source : Telegraph

Himalayan glaciers melting on Un report only speculation

2010-01-18T05:55:00.003+01:00

Two years ago, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made the claim which it said was based on detailed research into the impact of global warming. But the IPCC have since admitted it was based on a report written in a science journal and even the scientist who was the subject of the original story admits it was not based on fact... [more] & [more]
Source : Telegraph & Timesonline

High calcium concentration due to bone loss in astronauts clogs space station water recycler

2010-01-13T20:27:00.004+01:00

Engineers trouble-shooting a problem with the station's $250 million water recycling system, which processes urine into clean water for drinking, believe the cause is a high concentration of calcium in the astronauts' urine, which clogs the system. Scientists do not yet know if the high calcium concentration is due to bone loss, a consequence of living in a zero-gravity environment, or other factors... [more]
Source : ABC News

Mona Lisa's smile sign of cholesterol build-up of fatty acids under the skin

2010-01-08T02:12:00.002+01:00

For centuries, art historians have been troubled by Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile - but, according to one doctor, her cholesterol levels were more worrying. Mona Lisa's eyes reveal a penchant for fatty foods... [more]

Source : BBC

Veldona lozenge will fight cold and flu bug including swine flu and bird flu

2010-01-03T07:21:00.002+01:00

The drug, which could be sold over-the-counter could be used to prevent everyday sniffles in otherwise health people, as well as prevent life-threatening infections in the elderly. The Veldona lozenge, which tastes like a sweet and dissolves in the mouth, primes the immune system to attack every cold and flu bug... [more]

Source : Telegraph

China choke off exports of rare earth Neodymium

2010-01-02T06:49:00.004+01:00

Western countries risk running out of supplies of certain highly sought-after rare metals that are vital to a host of green technologies, amid growing evidence that China, which has a monopoly on global production, is set to choke off exports of valuable compounds... [more]

Source : Independent

The Jurupa Oak 13,000 Year World's Oldest Plant

2009-12-24T02:29:00.003+01:00

A plant that started life during the last Ice Age is still going strong in the arid scrublands of California, researchers believe the Jurupa Oak has been around for 13,000 years, making it the oldest living plant in the world... [more]

Source : Daily Mail

Fruitflow tomato seeds key to a long life and healthy alternative to aspirin

2009-12-23T02:11:00.003+01:00

The natural gel found in tomato seeds can help maintain a healthy blood circulation by preventing blood from clotting, the gel, which is colourless and tasteless, can then be added to foods without changing their characteristics... [more]

Source : Telegraph

New golden ratios for female facial beauty discovered

2009-12-17T09:43:00.003+01:00

Beauty is not only in the eye of the beholder but also in the relationship of the eyes and mouth of the beholden. The distance between a woman's eyes and the distance between her eyes and her mouth are key factors in determining how attractive she is to others, according to new psychology research from the University of Toronto and University of California, San Diego... [more]
Source : University of Toronto

Father Christmas St Nicholas buried at Jerpoint Abbey in Ireland

2009-12-15T06:33:00.002+01:00

Experts claim that the philanthropist St Nicholas of Myra is entombed at the 12th century abbey after his body was moved there 800 years ago. Philip Lynch, an historian and chairman of Callan Heritage Society in Co Kilkenny, said: "It is an amazing story and yet very few people in Ireland know about St Nicholas's connection with this country... [more]
Source : Telegraph

Electrofuels Diesel From CO2 And Sunlight To Make Renewable Fuels

2009-12-10T09:48:00.002+01:00

The idea is to make liquid fuels using organisms that can convert carbon dioxide into organic molecules without using photosynthesis. The approaches could prove more efficient than using photosynthetic organisms--such as plants and algae--to make biofuels. And instead of making ethanol, they will make fuels such as diesel, which could be easily distributed and sold with existing infrastructure... [more]

Source : Technology Review

With CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes — the "killer" T cells human blood stem cells can be engineered to kill HIV

2009-12-09T05:46:00.003+01:00

Researchers from the UCLA AIDS Institute have for the first time demonstrated that human blood stem cells can be engineered into cells that can target and kill HIV-infected cells — a process that potentially could be used against a range of chronic viral diseases. Taking CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes — the "killer" T cells that help fight infection — from an HIV-infected individual, the researchers identified the molecule known as the T-cell receptor, which guides the T cell in recognizing and killing HIV-infected cells. These cells, while able to destroy HIV-infected cells, do not exist in enough quantities to clear the virus from the body. So the researchers cloned the receptor and genetically engineered human blood stem cells, then placed the stem cells into human thymus tissue that had been implanted in mice, allowing them to study the reaction in a living organism... [more]

Source : University of California Los Angeles

Tomatoes and potatoes are carnivorous insects trap

2009-12-05T04:52:00.004+01:00

Potatoes and tomatoes have been identified as among a host of plants thought to have been overlooked by botanists and explorers searching the world’s remotest regions for carnivorous species. Domestic varieties of tomatoes and potatoes retain the ability to trap and kill small insects with their sticky hairs and are likely to absorb the nutrients through their roots when the animals decay and fall to the ground. They are, however, thought to derive little benefit because they are so well-supplied with fertilisers whereas in the wild it might be an important source of food... [more] & [more] & [more]
Source : Independent & Telegraph & Wiley-Blackwell

Some ornamental plants can remove indoor pollutants

2009-12-03T02:05:00.003+01:00

Some plants have the ability to drastically reduce levels of indoor pollutants, according to new research. Certain species can effectively remove air-borne contaminants, including harmful volatile organic compounds, suggesting a critical new role for plants in home and office environments. Of the 28 plants tested, researchers identified five “super ornamentals”—those that had the highest rates of contaminant removal, a process called phytoremediation. These include the purple waffle plant, English ivy , variegated wax plant, Asparagus fern and the Purple heart plant. Placed in glass, gas-tight containers, the plants were exposed to a number of common household VOCs, including benzene, toluene, octane, alpha-pinene and TCE... [more]
Source : University of Georgia

Fugu The Puffer Fish Danger Ends As Scientists Breed Non-Lethal Version

2009-11-29T07:27:00.002+01:00

An aquaculture company based in the southern prefecture of Ehime said it had raised 50,000 non-poisonous fugu at a fish farm. But many fugu chefs - who are traditionally bound to commit ritual suicide with their own fish knife should one of their customers expire after eating one of their meals - said they preferred to take their chances with the potentially deadly wild varieties. The fugu is one of the world's most dangerous foods, thanks to a concentration of anhydrotetrodotoxin 4-epitetrodotoxin in the liver or ovaries that is 1,200 times more lethal than cyanide... [more]
Source : Telegraph

MRSA Cure Plasma Bactericidal Cocktails

2009-11-26T16:34:00.003+01:00

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Straphylococcus Aureus) and other drug-resistant bacteria could face annihilation as low-temperature plasma prototype devices have been developed to offer safe, quick, easy and unfailing bactericidal cocktails. Two prototype devices have been developed: one for efficient disinfection of healthy skin (e.g. hands and feet) in hospitals and public spaces where bacteria can pose a lethal threat; and another to shoot bacteria-killing agents into infested chronic wounds and enable a quicker healing process... [more]

Source : Institute of Physics