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ALMA Reveals Workings of Nearby Planetary System Fomalhaut
Multitasking – not so bad for you after all?
Scientists find possible cause of movement defects in spinal muscular atrophy
Study Finds Significant Skull Differences Between Closely Linked Groups
Key to new antibiotics could be deep within isolated cave
To Tweet, or Not to Tweet: Physicians Misusing the Internet
'Time machine' will study the early universe
Engineer Tackles Nanoscale Computing Challenges
Personality, habits of thought and gender influence how we remember
Researchers use brain injury data to map intelligence in the brain
uok? Text messages — even automated ones — can soothe the disconnected soul
Chips as mini Internets
Study Shows First N.C. Case of Feral Pig Exposure to Nasty Bacteria
Duck-billed dinosaurs endured long, dark polar winters
Hybrid copper-gold nanoparticles convert CO2
Stem cell injections in Lou Gehrig's disease can be given safely, new research shows
Siblings of stroke patients more likely to have a stroke themselves
Lawson Research Supports Youth with Mood and Anxiety Disorders

ALMA Reveals Workings of Nearby Planetary System Fomalhaut

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:22 AM PDT

A new observatory still under construction has given astronomers a major breakthrough in understanding a nearby planetary system and provided valuable clues about how such systems form and evolve. Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have discovered that planets orbiting the star Fomalhaut must be much smaller than originally thought. This is the first published science result from ALMA in its first period of open observations for astronomers worldwide.

Multitasking – not so bad for you after all?

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:09 AM PDT

Our obsession with multiple forms of media is not necessarily all bad news, according to a new study by Kelvin Lui and Alan Wong from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Their work shows that those who frequently use different types of media at the same time appear to be better at integrating information from multiple senses - vision and hearing in this instance - when asked to perform a specific task. This may be due to their experience of spreading their attention to different sources of information while media multitasking.

Scientists find possible cause of movement defects in spinal muscular atrophy

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:00 AM PDT

An abnormally low level of a protein in certain nerve cells is linked to movement problems that characterize the deadly childhood disorder spinal muscular atrophy, new research in animals suggests.

Spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, is caused when a child’s motor neurons – nerve cells that send signals from the spinal cord to muscles – produce insufficient amounts of what is called survival motor neuron protein, or SMN. This causes motor neurons to die, leading to muscle weakness and the inability to move.

Study Finds Significant Skull Differences Between Closely Linked Groups

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 06:27 AM PDT

In order to accurately identify skulls as male or female, forensic anthropologists need to have a good understanding of how the characteristics of male and female skulls differ between populations. A new study from North Carolina State University shows that these differences can be significant, even between populations that are geographically close to one another.

Researchers found significant differences in skull shape between Portuguese women in communities only 120 miles apart.

Key to new antibiotics could be deep within isolated cave

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 08:58 PM PDT

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in one of the deepest, most isolated caves in the world could mean good news in the battle against superbugs.

Researchers from McMaster and the University of Akron have discovered a remarkable prevalence of such bacteria in New Mexico's Lechuguilla Cave, a place isolated from human contact until very recently.

The discovery that bacteria have developed defenses against antibiotics could indicate the presence of previously unknown, naturally occurring antibiotics that doctors could use to treat infections.

To Tweet, or Not to Tweet: Physicians Misusing the Internet

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 08:47 PM PDT

Robert Wachter, MD, professor and chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine at UCSF and author of the popular health care blog Wachter’s World. “In nearly every situation, especially on the Internet, they should be wearing their doctor’s hat.”

Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS, MA, the lead author of the study and assistant professor of hospital medicine at UCSF, discusses the challenges doctors face when they log on and leave the private sanctuary of the clinic behind.

'Time machine' will study the early universe

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 03:11 PM PDT

A new scientific instrument, a "time machine" of sorts, built by UCLA astronomers and colleagues, will allow scientists to study the earliest galaxies in the universe, which could never be studied before.

Engineer Tackles Nanoscale Computing Challenges

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 03:04 PM PDT

Today's best computer chips boast staggering transistor arrays exceeding 2 1/2 billion, but new nanometer-level technologies hold the promise of boosting that number even more. Nanotransistors may be fabricated from materials ranging from silicon to carbon nanotubes and even large molecules.

But how do you guarantee such ultra-small electronic circuits will perform reliably?

Personality, habits of thought and gender influence how we remember

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT

We all have them – positive memories of personal events that are a delight to recall, and painful recollections that we would rather forget. A new study reveals that what we do with our emotional memories and how they affect us has a lot to do with our gender, personality and the methods we use (often without awareness) to regulate our feelings.

The study appears in Emotion, a journal of the American Psychological Association.

Researchers use brain injury data to map intelligence in the brain

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 02:49 PM PDT

Scientists report that they have mapped the physical architecture of intelligence in the brain. Theirs is one of the largest and most comprehensive analyses so far of the brain structures vital to general intelligence and to specific aspects of intellectual functioning, such as verbal comprehension and working memory.

Their study, published in Brain, is unique in that it enlisted an extraordinary pool of volunteer participants: 182 Vietnam veterans with highly localized brain damage from penetrating head injuries.

uok? Text messages — even automated ones — can soothe the disconnected soul

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 02:40 PM PDT

Text messaging often gets a bad rap for contributing to illiteracy and high-risk behavior such as reckless driving. But a social welfare professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has found an upside to texting, especially for people who feel stressed out, isolated and alone.

Chips as mini Internets

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 11:49 AM PDT

Computer chips have stopped getting faster. In order to keep increasing chips’ computational power at the rate to which we’ve grown accustomed, chipmakers are instead giving them additional “cores,” or processing units.

Study Shows First N.C. Case of Feral Pig Exposure to Nasty Bacteria

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 11:38 AM PDT

A North Carolina State University study shows that, for the first time since testing began several years ago, feral pigs in North Carolina have tested positive for Brucella suis, an important and harmful bacteria that can be transmitted to people.

The bacteria are transmitted to humans by unsafe butchering and consumption of undercooked meat. Clinical signs of brucellosis, the disease caused by the bacteria, in people are fairly non-specific and include persistent flu-like symptoms. The bacteria can also spread in pig populations, causing abortions in affected swine.

Duck-billed dinosaurs endured long, dark polar winters

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 11:35 AM PDT

Duck-billed dinosaurs that lived within Arctic latitudes approximately 70 million years ago likely endured long, dark polar winters instead of migrating to more southern latitudes, a recent study by researchers from the University of Cape Town, Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas and Temple University has found.

Hybrid copper-gold nanoparticles convert CO2

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 11:18 AM PDT

Copper — the stuff of pennies and tea kettles — is also one of the few metals that can turn carbon dioxide into hydrocarbon fuels with relatively little energy. When fashioned into an electrode and stimulated with voltage, copper acts as a strong catalyst, setting off an electrochemical reaction with carbon dioxide that reduces the greenhouse gas to methane or methanol.

Stem cell injections in Lou Gehrig's disease can be given safely, new research shows

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:54 AM PDT

The first published results from an early-stage clinical trial show that spinal cord stem cells can be delivered safely into the spines of patients with the condition commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, opening the door for further research on this innovative approach.

In a paper published online ahead of print publication in the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells, a team from the University of Michigan, Emory University and study sponsor NeuralStem, Inc. report the results from 12 patients who took part in a study being conducted at Emory.

Siblings of stroke patients more likely to have a stroke themselves

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:45 AM PDT

New findings from Karolinska Institutet show that individuals with a sibling who has had a stroke have an increased risk of having one themselves - and often around the same age as their brother or sister. According to the researchers, this new knowledge further emphasizes the importance of health professionals paying attention to their patient's family history to prevent stroke.

Lawson Research Supports Youth with Mood and Anxiety Disorders

Posted: 11 Apr 2012 08:22 AM PDT

75% of mental illnesses emerge by age 25. Mood and anxiety disorders are among the most common conditions, yet there is little support for youth in this age group. A new study from Lawson Health Research Institute shows that may no longer be the case.