science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Τρίτη 29 Μαΐου 2012

Science News SciGuru.com

Researchers Aim to Reduce Food Safety Risk at Farmer’s Markets
Commonly used painkillers may protect against skin cancer
The Final Transit of Venus of the 21st Century
Flapping protective wings increase lift
New Mini-sensor Measures Magnetic Field of the Brain
Physicists devise method for building artificial tissue
Analyzing disease transmission at the community level
NASA Funded Research Shows Existence of Reduced Carbon on Mars

Researchers Aim to Reduce Food Safety Risk at Farmer’s Markets

Posted: 29 May 2012 07:07 AM PDT

Food-safety researchers at North Carolina State University are unveiling a website that offers guidance to farmer’s markets on how to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The program is the first to rely on observational study of farmer’s markets to establish best management practices for food safety.

Commonly used painkillers may protect against skin cancer

Posted: 29 May 2012 05:23 AM PDT

A new study suggests that aspirin and other similar painkillers may help protect against skin cancer. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings indicate that skin cancer prevention may be added to the benefits of these commonly used medications.

The Final Transit of Venus of the 21st Century

Posted: 29 May 2012 05:18 AM PDT

Many astronomers and members of the public in Britain will be getting up early on the morning of 6 June, so they can see the final Transit of Venus of the 21st century. The Transit, when Venus passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, was last seen in 2004 and will not happen again until the year 2117. To help the public view this rare phenomenon, the Royal Astronomical Society has created an online resource about the Transit, including a map of public events around the UK.

Flapping protective wings increase lift

Posted: 29 May 2012 05:07 AM PDT

New research from Lund University in Sweden reveals the value of carrying two layers of wings around. The researchers studied dung beetles and the way their protective forewings actually function. These wings do not only protect but also help the beetles to lift off from the ground – albeit at a cost.

New Mini-sensor Measures Magnetic Field of the Brain

Posted: 29 May 2012 04:56 AM PDT

In future a new magnetic sensor the size of a sugar cube might simplify the measurement of brain activity. In the magnetically shielded room of Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) the sensor has passed an important technical test: Spontaneous as well as stimulated magnetic fields of the brain were detected. This demonstrates the potential of the sensor for medical applications, such as, the investigation of brain currents during cognitive processes with the aim of improving neurological diagnostics.

Physicists devise method for building artificial tissue

Posted: 28 May 2012 01:22 PM PDT

New York University physicists have developed a method that models biological cell-to-cell adhesion that could also have industrial applications.

Analyzing disease transmission at the community level

Posted: 28 May 2012 12:58 PM PDT

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found evidence of a role for neighborhood immunity in determining risk of dengue infection. While it is established that immunity can be an important factor in the large-scale distribution of disease, this study demonstrates that local variation at spatial scales of just a few hundred meters can significantly alter the risk of infection, even in a highly mobile and dense urban population with significant immunity. The study is published in May 28 edition of the journal PNAS.

NASA Funded Research Shows Existence of Reduced Carbon on Mars

Posted: 28 May 2012 07:54 AM PDT

NASA-funded research on Mars meteorites that landed on Earth shows strong evidence that very large molecules containing carbon, which is a key ingredient for the building blocks of life, can originate on the Red Planet. These macromolecules are not of biological origin, but they are indicators that complex carbon chemistry has taken place on Mars.