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279,047 articles from PhysOrg

Features of early Martian environment and presence of water drive search for life forms

New Rochelle, April 16, 2009-Solar energy and winds, collisions with asteroids and comets, and changing magnetic fields have all altered the environment of Mars, a planet that may have been able to support life during its history, as documented in a special collection of papers published in the current issue of Astrobiology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert.

How life-threatening blood clots take hold

When plaques coating blood vessel walls rupture and expose collagen, platelets spring into action to form a blood clot at the damaged site. Now, a new report in the April 17th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, reveals how those life-threatening clots -a leading cause of death in the United States, Europe and other industrialized countries--get an early grip. The discovery might...

New study yields clue to how stem cells form

An Emory University study shows some of the first direct evidence of a process required for epigenetic reprogramming between generations - a finding that could shed more light on the mechanisms of fertilization, stem-cell formation and cloning. The journal Cell published the results of the study on the nematode C. elegans in its April 17 issue.

Obama vows to fast track high speed rail

US President Barack Obama Thursday called for a US high speed rail service to rival the express trains of France, Japan, Spain and China, highlighting a 13 billion dollar government funding boost.

Researchers succeed in multiplying blood cells in the lab

A team from the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at Université de Montréal has succeeded in producing a large quantity of laboratory stem cells from a small number of blood stem cells obtained from bone marrow. The multidisciplinary team, directed by Dr. Guy Sauvageau, thus took a giant step towards the development of a revolutionary treatment based on these...

The story of X -- evolution of a sex chromosome

(PhysOrg.com) -- Move over, Y chromosome - it's time X got some attention. In the first evolutionary study of the chromosome associated with being female, University of California, Berkeley, biologist Doris Bachtrog and her colleagues show that the history of the X chromosome is every bit as interesting as the much-studied, male-determining Y chromosome, and offers important clues to the origins...

Astronomers find most crowded collision of galaxy clusters

The most crowded collision of galaxy clusters has been identified by combining information from three different telescopes. This result gives scientists a chance to learn what happens when some of the largest objects in the Universe go at each other in a cosmic free-for-all.

Cold and brown fat raise the prospect of a new method of treating obesity

Sven Enerbäck, Professor at the Institute of Biomedicine at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, is one of the scientists who published their results in The New England Journal of Medicine this week. Studies carried out by Enerbäck and others show that adults use brown fat to convert energy to heat - a discovery that may provide new possibilities in treating...

'First aid' for brain cells comes from blood

In acute ischemic stroke, the blood supply to the brain is restricted. Initially, brain cells die from lack of oxygen. In addition, ischemia activates harmful inflammatory processes in the affected area of the brain. For the first time, scientists at the Neurology Clinic at Heidelberg University Hospital have shown that certain immune cells in the blood inhibit inflammation after a stroke. These...

Immigrant women may be at higher risk of having a baby with a birth defect

Immigrant women are less likely to use folic acid supplements before pregnancy to prevent spina bifida, particularly those who recently immigrated to the country, according to a new study led by a St. Michael's Hospital physician in collaboration with Statistics Canada, Health Canada and the University of Toronto. The study is the first to provide national estimates of pre-pregnancy folic acid use...

Nokia profit plunges 90 percent in Q1

(AP) -- Nokia Corp. on Thursday said profits plummeted 90 percent in the first quarter because of fading demand for mobile phones amid the worldwide downturn - but its shares surged as analysts had expected an even gloomier report.

Pelvic pain as prevalent in teens as older males

A Queen's University research team has found that a painful pelvic affliction associated with adult men occurs as frequently in adolescent boys. Chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a urogenital disease associated with persistent and life-altering pelvic and genital pain.

Safe exercise for migraine sufferers

Many patients who suffer from migraines avoid taking aerobic exercise because they are afraid that the physical activity may bring on a serious migraine attack. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have now developed an exercise programme that can improve fitness among migraine sufferers without aggravating this painful condition.

Twin Reno girls treated for rare disease

(AP) -- Twin 5-year-old girls living with a rare disease are among the first in the country being treated for their condition at a Reno hospital after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted special permission to use an experimental drug.