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278,916 articles from PhysOrg
As in humans, sleep solidifies a bird's memories
Sleeping is known to help humans stabilize information and tasks learned during the preceding day. Now, researchers have found that sleep has similar effects upon learning in starlings, a discovery that will open up future research into how the brain learns and preserves information.
Doubts about health care reform: Most see congressional bills as deeply flawed
A group of visiting experts and Harvard scholars offered a grim prognosis for the success of the health care reform proposals before Congress during a symposium at Harvard Medical School (HMS) on Monday (Jan. 11).
Drug that modifies gene activity could help some older leukemia patients
Older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) might benefit from a drug that reactivates genes that cancer cells turn off, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions. The researchers say the findings support further investigation of the drug, decitabine, as a first-line treatment for these patients, who have limited treatment...
E-reader Roundup At The 2010 CES
(PhysOrg.com) -- At the 2010 Las Vegas CES, many manufactures introduced their e-reader products in the hope to spark consumer interest in the e-book market. 2010 is going to prove to be an innovative year for e-book readers as color technology is going to play an important part in e-book readers this year.
More accurate diagnosis for leading cancer killer in children may be possible
Brain cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in children. Now a more accurate diagnosis of childhood brain cancers may soon be possible, according to researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah. The information is published online today in the journal Cancer Research.
NASA to Check for Unlikely Winter Survival of Mars Lander
(PhysOrg.com) -- Beginning Jan. 18, NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter will listen for possible, though improbable, radio transmissions from the Phoenix Mars Lander, which completed five months of studying an arctic Martian site in November 2008.
New findings reveal loss of smell function may predict early onset of Alzheimer's disease
A study published in the January 13, 2010 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience links a loss of smell function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model animals with amyloid ß (protein) accumulation in the brain, a distinguishing hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Research conducted by NYU Langone Medical Center suggests that olfactory dysfunction, a common symptom of AD, may serve as an early diagnostic...
Nociception and Pain in Teleost Fish
For her doctorate, Janicke Nordgreen has studied nociception and pain in teleost fish. Her conclusion is that it is very likely the fish feel pain.
Researchers developing nanoscale optical fibers to detect bioterrorist agents
(PhysOrg.com) -- In an age when bacterial agents may be intentionally released as method of terrorist attack, there is an increased need for quick diagnostic methods that require limited resources and personnel. Thomas Inzana, the Tyler J. and Frances F. Young Chair of Bacteriology in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, has been awarded a grant from the...
Researchers identify protein needed to develop auditory neurons
Loss of spiral ganglion neurons or hair cells in the inner ear is the leading cause of congenital and acquired hearing impairment. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health found that Sox2, a protein that regulates stem cell formation, is involved in spiral ganglion neuron development. The study was published in the January 13...
Solar Scientists Use 'Magnetic Mirror Effect' to Reproduce IBEX Observation
(PhysOrg.com) -- Ever since NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, mission scientists released the first comprehensive sky map of our solar system's edge in particles, solar physicists have been busy revising their models to account for the discovery of a narrow "ribbon" of bright emission that was completely unexpected and not predicted by any model at the time.
Tough first year for Yahoo's tough-talking CEO
(AP) -- Carol Bartz spent much of her first year as Yahoo Inc.'s chief executive rallying the troops and clearing the decks, often sounding like a salty drill sergeant as she vowed to whip the downtrodden Internet company back into shape.
TUESDAY 12. JANUARY 2010
'Longevity gene' helps prevent memory decline and dementia (w/ Video)
Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that a "longevity gene" helps to slow age-related decline in brain function in older adults. Drugs that mimic the gene's effect are now under development, the researchers note, and could help protect against Alzheimer's disease.
Across the multiverse: FSU physicist considers the big picture
(PhysOrg.com) -- Is there anybody out there? In Alejandro Jenkins' case, the question refers not to whether life exists elsewhere in the universe, but whether it exists in other universes outside of our own.
Beat Business Burn-Out
(PhysOrg.com) -- Recent reports show that job satisfaction rates in the U.S. are at the lowest level in more than two decades. The recession has caused employees and employers to tighten their financial belts. In many places work that was done by three or four colleagues is now being managed by one. As a consequence, stress, anxiety and job burn-out - made worse by unhealthy habits and poor...
Cassini Returns to Southern Hemisphere of Titan
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA'S Cassini spacecraft will return to Titan's southern hemisphere on a flyby tomorrow, Jan. 12, plunging to within about 1,050 kilometers (about 670 miles) of the hazy moon's surface.
Green tea could modify the effect of cigarette smoking on lung cancer risk
Drinking green tea could modulate the effect of smoking on lung cancer. Results of this hospital-based, randomized study conducted in Taiwan were presented at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer.
How Earth Survived Birth: New Simulation Reveals Planet Migration Prevents Plunge Into Sun
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the last 20 years, the best models of planet formation -- or how planets grow from dust in a gas disk -- have contradicted the very existence of Earth. These models assumed locally constant temperatures within a disk, and the planets plunge into the Sun.
Newer treatment for Achilles tendon disorder does not appear to be effective
An apparently increasingly used treatment method for a type of Achilles tendon disorder that includes injection of platelet-rich plasma into the tendon does not appear to result in greater improvement in pain or activity compared to placebo, according to results of a preliminary study published in the January 13 issue of JAMA.
PCBs found in soon-to-be-dredged Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal
University of Iowa researchers have confirmed that sediments of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal (IHSC) in East Chicago, Ind., are contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Prescribed erectile dysfunction drugs don't lead to risky sexual behavior: study
(PhysOrg.com) -- Despite studies suggesting that erectile dysfunction drugs promote irresponsible sexual behavior, men who receive prescriptions for them are no more likely to engage in risky sex acts than men who do not receive prescriptions for the medications, according to a University of Florida study.
Scientists squeeze more out of metal-organic framework
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a new route to transform the structure of porous materials at industrially-accessible high pressures.
Study casts doubt on caffeine link to tinnitus
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research has found giving up caffeine does not relieve tinnitus and acute caffeine withdrawal might add to the problem. This is the first study of its kind to look at the effect of caffeine consumption on tinnitus.
Study: Era of rapid growth in biomedical research over
After a decade of remarkable growth, total annual funding for biomedical research in the U.S. has decelerated and may have even fallen when adjusted for inflation. That is the conclusion of a study today published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The 'Nose' Knows
(PhysOrg.com) -- Some might say it's as plain as the nose on your face. But detecting toxic or dangerous chemicals in the microgravity environment of space takes a little extra "sniffing." That`s why ENose, or Electronic Nose, spent 10 months on the International Space Station testing whether the technology was useful to detect possible hazardous vapors.