Daily News chosen by Anchor Science

Updated: 03-February-2012, 11:13
Announced on 02-03-2012 :
Self-assembling nanorods: Researchers obtain 1-, 2- and 3-D nanorod arrays and networks
Researchers have developed a relatively fast, easy and inexpensive technique for inducing nanorods to self-assemble into aligned and ordered macroscopic structures. This technique should enable more effective use of nanorods in solar cells, magnetic storage devices and sensors, and boost the electrical and mechanical properties of nanorod-polymer composites.
Sun delivered curveball of powerful radiation at Earth
A potent follow-up solar flare, which occurred Jan. 17, 2012, just days after the Sun launched the biggest coronal mass ejection seen in nearly a decade, delivered a powerful radiation punch to Earth's magnetic field despite the fact that it was aimed away from our planet.
Massage reduces inflammation and promotes growth of new mitochondria following strenuous exercise, study finds
About 18 million individuals undergo massage therapy annually in the U.S. Despite several reports that long-term massage therapy reduces chronic pain and improves range of motion in clinical trials, the biological effects of massage on skeletal tissue have remained unclear -- until now.
Nano-oils keep the electronic devices really cool
Scientists have created a nano-infused oil that could greatly enhance the ability of devices as large as electrical transformers and as small as microelectronic components to shed excess heat.
Scientists help define structure of exoplanets
Using models similar to those used in weapons research, scientists may soon know more about exoplanets, those objects beyond the realm of our solar system. Astronomers have come up with new methods for deriving and testing the equation of state of matter in exoplanets and figured out the mass-radius and mass-pressure relations for materials relevant to planetary interiors.
'Life and activity monitor' provides portable, constant recording of vital signs
Researchers have developed a type of wearable, non-invasive electronic device that can monitor vital signs such as heart rate and respiration at the same time it records a person's activity level, opening new opportunities for biomedical research, diagnostics and patient care.
Scientists confirm first 'frequency comb' to probe ultraviolet wavelengths
Physicists have created the first "frequency comb" in the extreme ultraviolet band of the spectrum, high-energy light less than 100 nanometers in wavelength. Laser-generated frequency combs are the most accurate method available for precisely measuring frequencies, or colors, of light. The new tool can aid in the development of "nuclear clocks" based on ticks in the nuclei of atoms, and measurements of previously unexplored behavior in atoms and molecules.
Spider web's strength lies in more than its silk
A study that combines experimental observations of spider webs with complex computer simulations has shown that web durability depends not only on silk strength, but on how overall web design compensates for damage and the response of individual strands to continuously varying stresses.
Bacterial plasmids -- the freeloading and the heavy-lifters -- balance the high price of disease
Studying self-replicating genetic units, called plasmids, found in one of the world's widest-ranging pathogenic soil bacteria -- the crown-gall-disease-causing microorganism Agrobacterium tumefaciens -- biologists are showing how freeloading, mutant derivatives of these plasmids benefit while the virulent, disease-causing plasmids do the heavy-lifting of initiating infection in plant hosts. The research confirms that the ability of bacteria to cause disease comes at a significant cost that is only counterbalanced by the benefits they experience from infected host organisms.
New technology shows molecules and cells in action
A new affinity capture device provides a platform for viewing cancer cells and other macromolecules in dynamic, life-sustaining liquid environments.
Sleep deprivation tied to increased nighttime urination in preadolescence
A new study sheds light on why some children may need to urinate more often during the rest cycle. Researchers found sleep deprivation caused healthy children, ages 8-12, to urinate significantly more frequently, excrete more sodium in urine, have altered regulation of the hormones important for excretion.
New technique successfully dissolves blood clots in brain and lowers risk of brain damage after stroke, study suggests
Neurologists report success with a new means of getting rid of potentially lethal blood clots in the brain safely without cutting through easily damaged brain tissue or removing large pieces of skull.
New 'biopsy in a blood test' to detect cancer
Scientists and cancer physicians have successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of an advanced blood test for detecting and analyzing circulating tumor cells -- breakaway cells from patients' solid tumors -- from cancer patients. The findings show that the highly sensitive blood analysis provides information that may soon be comparable to that from some types of surgical biopsies.
How to tell apart the forgetful from those at risk of Alzheimer’s disease
It can be difficult to distinguish between people with normal age-associated memory loss and those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). However people with aMCI are at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and identification of these people would mean that they could begin treatment as early as possible. New research shows that specific questions, included as part of a questionnaire designed to help diagnose AD, are also able to discriminate between normal memory loss and aMCI.
U.S. counties with thriving small businesses have healthier residents
U.S. counties and parishes with a greater concentration of small, locally-owned businesses have healthier populations — with lower rates of mortality, obesity and diabetes — than do those that rely on large companies with “absentee” owners, according to a national study.
New RNA-based therapeutic strategies for controlling gene expression
Small RNA-based nucleic acid drugs represent a promising new class of therapeutic agents for silencing abnormal or overactive disease-causing genes, and researchers have discovered new mechanisms by which RNA drugs can control gene activity.
Football findings suggest concussions caused by series of hits
A two-year study of high school football players suggests that concussions are likely caused by many hits over time and not from a single blow to the head, as commonly believed.
Scientists coax shy microorganisms to stand out in a crowd
Scientists have advanced a method that allowed them to single out a marine microorganism and map its genome even though the organism made up less than 10 percent of a water sample teeming with many millions of individuals from dozens of identifiable groups of microbes.
Google Earth ocean terrain receives major update
Internet information giant Google updated ocean data in its Google Earth application this week, reflecting new bathymetry.
Research ethics: Coercive citation in academic publishing
Scientists have examined the unethical practices of some journal publications, articulating results from their research to show that some editors coerce authors into adding unnecessary citations to articles in the same journal that is considering publishing the submitted work. Journal editors want to increase the number of times articles within their journals are cited by researchers -- because it raises the journal ranking and is used to make claims of prestige and importance.
A market solution for the Falkland Islands
Should the disputed Falkland Islands be returned to Argentina? Experts write that a market solution could help Britain and Argentina avoid another war.
[News of the Week] Around the World
In science news around the world this week, an Italian official will also be a defendant in the earthquake trial, Japanese experts have questioned the safety of—and need for—nuclear power, biodiversity in the Andes is threatened, and Nobelists are lobbying for a gigantic neutrino experiment.
[News of the Week] Random Samples
Thomas Edison is still number one when it comes to invention. Researchers think they know why the male orb-web spider will often voluntarily break off his whole sex organ while it's still lodged in the female's abdomen: It continues to transfer sperm into the female long after the male has fled or been consumed. A British seismologist has a geologic twist on the classic nightstand "word-a-day" calendar: the daily rock. And this week's numbers quantify the price offered for DNA sequencing company Illumina and the percentage of plant collectors who have found more than 50% of the world's known species.
[News of the Week] Newsmakers
This week's Newsmakers are Janet Rowley of the University of Chicago, Brian Druker of the Oregon Health & Science University, Nicholas Lydon of Blueprint Medicines, and Masato Sagawa of Intermetallics Co., winners of the Japan Prizes; Scott Doney, whose nomination to be chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been withdrawn by the White House; Johannes Vogel, an expert on fern genetics, who took over as director of Berlin's Natural History Museum this week; and Paul Alivisatos of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Charles Lieber of Harvard University, Jacob Bekenstein of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ronald Evans of the Salk Institute, Michael Aschbacher of the California Institute of Technology, and Luis Caffarelli of the University of Texas, Austin, winners of the Wolf Prizes.
[News & Analysis] Avian Influenza: The Limits of Avian Flu Studies in Ferrets
How concerned should people be that what happened in the controversial experiments that exposed ferrets to H5N1 avian influenza viruses engineered to be more transmissible will apply to humans? Author: Jon Cohen
[News & Analysis] Cell Biology: Donation Spurs a Cell Observatory—And Bigger Plans
The Broad Institute received a $32.5 million gift last week to take on one of the biggest challenges in biology: mapping the molecular "circuitry" inside several kinds of mammalian cells. Author: Jocelyn Kaiser
[News & Analysis] Astronomy: Celebrated Exoplanet Vanishes in a Cloud of Dust—Or Maybe Not
Last week, Fomalhaut b, an exoplanet that once enjoyed celebrity status, faced an identity crisis after astronomers failed to spot it in a new round of observations. Author: Yudhijit Bhattacharjee
[News Focus] Genomics: China's Sequencing Powerhouse Comes of Age
With new sequencing centers in Europe and the United States, BGI hopes its growing clout will help deliver the benefits promised by genomics—and revenue to pay off a mounting debt. Author: Dennis Normile
[News Focus] Ecology: Rebuilding Wetlands by Managing the Muddy Mississippi
When spillways were opened to divert the flooding Mississippi last spring, scientists studying the waters sought data that might help restore the river's eroding delta. Author: Carolyn Gramling
[News Focus] Oil Resources: Technology Is Turning U.S. Oil Around But Not the World's
The high price of oil is driving technological innovation that has reversed the decline in U.S. oil production, but the world will increasingly depend on OPEC and “non-oil” oil. Author: Richard A. Kerr
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