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278,927 articles from PhysOrg

'Reaper' protein strikes at mitochondria to kill cells

Our cells live ever on the verge of suicide, requiring the close attention of a team of molecules to prevent the cells from pulling the trigger. This self-destructive tendency can be a very good thing, as when dangerous precancerous cells are permitted to kill themselves, but it can also go horribly wrong, destroying brain cells that store memories, for instance. Rockefeller University scientists...

A fifth of a second: Falling in love is more scientific than you think

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new meta-analysis study conducted by Syracuse University Professor Stephanie Ortigue is getting attention around the world. The groundbreaking study, "The Neuroimaging of Love," reveals falling in love can elicit not only the same euphoric feeling as using cocaine, but also affects intellectual areas of the brain. Researchers also found falling in love only takes about a fifth...

Adapt now to keep farming`s water flowing

Agricultural and horticultural businesses could face damaging water shortages in the coming decades as a result of climate change. Adaptation across the whole industry is needed to meet the impending challenge.

Argonne launches new tool to help auto industry reduce costs

The Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory unveiled today a new "plug and play" modeling tool that complements the automotive industry's interest in reducing costs by accelerating the development and introduction of advanced automotive technologies.

Detecting drivers in microsleep with infrared LED

A new infrared light-emitting diode (IR-LED) from the Siemens subsidiary Osram Opto Semiconductors is designed to help recognize the hazardous microsleep that affects motorists. In addition to the IR-LED, this requires a suitable camera with a CMOS sensor. The sensor detects IR light at a wavelength of 850 nanometers, which isn't visible to the human eye, and analyzes the image of the driver that...

Hidden communities revealed by new DNA sequencing

(PhysOrg.com) -- Half a bucket full of sand from an unassuming beach in Scotland has revealed a far richer and more complex web of microscopic animals living within the tiny ‘ecosystem’ than have previously been identified.

HP launches webOS 2.0 for the Palm and new Pre2 smartphone

(PhysOrg.com) -- HP has just released their webOS 2.0 for the Palm Pre and Pre2. This release should give HP a more completive edge in the smarphone arena. WebOS 2.0 offers consumers a new application experience not found on any other smarphone platform.

Model describes Web page popularity

(PhysOrg.com) -- How do some Web pages become popular? In a recent study, researchers have analyzed Wikipedia articles and a collection of all the Web pages of Chile to better understand the dynamics of online popularity. They observed that online popularity is characterized not by a gradual accumulation process, but by "bursts" that display many of the same features of critical systems, such as...

New airborne multiangle polarizing imager checked out by NASA ER-2

A team of Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers and their collaborators at the University of Arizona’s College of Optical Sciences in Tucson are developing a new prototype science instrument for a next-generation space satellite mission that would survey the impacts of aerosols and clouds on global climate change.

New mobile phone app 'Popcode' adds virtual reality to real world objects (w/ Video)

Have you ever struggled to follow a set of assembly instructions for flat-pack furniture? Simon Taylor, a PhD student in Dr Tom Drummond's group, and Connell Gauld, a graduate of the MEng course in 2010, have been working on a framework for adding virtual content to real world objects. They can bring written instructions to life using a technique called Augmented Reality (AR).

New regulator of circadian clock identified

Daily sleeping and eating patterns are critical to human well-being and health. Now, a new study from Concordia University has demonstrated how the brain chemical dopamine regulates these cycles by altering the activity of the "clock-protein" PER2. Published in the Journal of Neuroscience, these findings may have implications for individuals with Parkinson's Disease with disrupted 24-hour rhythms...

Nine moons, 62 Hours for (long) weekend warrior

Taking a long-weekend road trip, NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully glided near nine Saturnian moons, sending back a stream of raw images as mementos of its adrenaline-fueled expedition. The spacecraft sent back particularly intriguing images of the moons Dione and Rhea.

Projected global loss of biodiversity could be halved due to structural changes

A combination of measures in different sectors could result in halving the projected global loss of biodiversity, up to 2050. This was calculated by the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency in close cooperation with LEI, part of Wageningen UR, and the University of British Columbia. The study will be presented at the upcoming COP10 meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity...

Psychologists at the forefront of weight management

Over the last few decades, the dramatic rise in pediatric obesity rates has emerged as a public health threat requiring urgent attention. The responsibility of identifying and treating eating and weight-related problems early in children and adolescents falls to health care providers and other professionals who work with the child, according to Professor Denise Wilfley and colleagues from the...

Researchers analyze student grief online after campus shootings

After the campus shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Northern Illinois University in 2008, hundreds of affected students turned to social media websites to share their grief and search for solace. A new study of these students found that their online activities neither helped nor harmed their long-term psychological health.

The real 'mommy brain': New mothers grew

Motherhood may actually cause the brain to grow, not turn it into mush, as some have claimed. Exploratory research published by the American Psychological Association found that the brains of new mothers bulked up in areas linked to motivation and behavior, and that mothers who gushed the most about their babies showed the greatest growth in key parts of the mid-brain.

Understanding how cell semaphorins and plexins interact

Axons are the communication channels of the body. Up to a metre in length, they connect parts of the body to the brain, carrying signals from muscles, organs and tissues. As the central nervous system develops these axons must follow very precise paths through the body. The route that they take is guided by proteins, which signal paths that the axon should and shouldn’t take. A group of...