science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Σάββατο 8 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012

Science News SciGuru.com

NASA's Global Hawk Mission Begins with Flight to Hurricane Leslie
Study shows how sea otters can reduce CO2 in the atmosphere
Tension on Gut Muscles Induces Cell Invasion in Zebrafish Intestine, Mimicking Cancer Metastasis, Penn Study Finds
Northwestern Researchers Set World Record for Highest Surface Area Material
Advanced maternal age not harmful for adult children
Noisy surroundings take toll on short-term memory

NASA's Global Hawk Mission Begins with Flight to Hurricane Leslie

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 01:29 PM PDT

NASA has begun its latest hurricane science field campaign by flying an unmanned Global Hawk aircraft over Hurricane Leslie in the Atlantic Ocean during a day-long flight from California to Virginia. With the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission, NASA for the first time will be flying Global Hawks from the U.S. East Coast.

Study shows how sea otters can reduce CO2 in the atmosphere

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 01:17 PM PDT

A new study by two UC Santa Cruz researchers suggest that a thriving sea otter population that keeps sea urchins in check will in turn allow kelp forests to prosper. The spreading kelp can absorb as much as 12 times the amount of CO2 from the atmosphere than if it were subject to ravenous sea urchins, the study finds.

The theory is outlined in a paper released online today (September 7, 2012) in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment by lead authors UC Santa Cruz professors Chris Wilmers and James Estes.

Tension on Gut Muscles Induces Cell Invasion in Zebrafish Intestine, Mimicking Cancer Metastasis, Penn Study Finds

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 01:04 PM PDT

The stiffness of breast tissue is increasingly recognized as an important factor explaining the onset of breast cancer. Stiffening induces molecular changes that promote cancerous behavior in cells. Bioengineering studies have found that breast cancer cells grown on a 3-D gel have enhanced cell replication and decreased organization as rigidity increases. These signals are probably coordinated by surface proteins that communicate with connective tissue, to regulate cell replication, death, and movement.

Northwestern Researchers Set World Record for Highest Surface Area Material

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 10:16 AM PDT

Northwestern University researchers have broken a world record by creating two new synthetic materials with the greatest amount of surface areas reported to date.

Named NU-109 and NU-110, the materials belong to a class of crystalline nanostructure known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that are promising vessels for natural gas storage for vehicles, catalysts, and other sustainable materials chemistry.

Advanced maternal age not harmful for adult children

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 10:11 AM PDT

Previously existing ideas on how advanced maternal age affects adult health of children have to be reconsidered. It had been thought that mothers delivering later in life have children that are less healthy as adults, because the body of the mother had already degenerated due to physiological effects like decreasing oocyte quality or a weakened placenta.

Noisy surroundings take toll on short-term memory

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 07:10 AM PDT

Have you ever noticed how tiresome it can be to follow a conversation at a noisy party? Rest assured: this is not necessarily due to bad hearing – although that might make things worse. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig have found that adverse listening situations are difficult for the brain, partly because they draw on the same, limited resources supporting our short-term memory.