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• Aggressive brain tumors can originate from a range of nervous system cells
• Researchers discover turbo switch of calcium pump in biological cells
• Milky Way's black hole getting ready for snack
• Breast Cancer Cells Enticed To Spread By "Tumorous Environment" As Well As Genetic Changes
• Scattered X-rays reveal diseased tissue
• State-of-the-Art Beams From Table-Top Accelerators
• Clue to cause of Alzheimer’s found in brain samples
• New design could improve condenser performance

Aggressive brain tumors can originate from a range of nervous system cells Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:53 AM PDT Scientists have long believed that glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive type of primary brain tumor, begins in glial cells that make up supportive tissue in the brain or in neural stem cells. In a paper published October 18 in Science, however, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that the tumors can originate from other types of differentiated cells in the nervous system, including cortical neurons. read more

Researchers discover turbo switch of calcium pump in biological cells Posted: 22 Oct 2012 02:25 PM PDT The vital calcium pump in our body’s cells has a turbo switch, as a Danish-British research team discovered in studies at the DESY X-ray source DORIS in Hamburg and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF in Grenoble. The on-off switch of the pump thus has a previously unknown third position, in which the pump changes into the turbo gear. The group of Henning Tidow from Aarhus University and Lisbeth Poulsen from the University of Copenhagen published its studies in the British journal “Nature” (advance online publication). read more

Milky Way's black hole getting ready for snack Posted: 22 Oct 2012 11:37 AM PDT Get ready for a fascinating eating experience in the center of our galaxy. The event involves a black hole that may devour much of an approaching cloud of dust and gas known as G2. A supercomputer simulation prepared by two Lab physicists and a former postdoc suggests that some of G2 will survive, although its surviving mass will be torn apart, leaving it with a different shape and questionable fate. read more

Breast Cancer Cells Enticed To Spread By "Tumorous Environment" As Well As Genetic Changes Posted: 22 Oct 2012 11:27 AM PDT A new study from Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that the lethal spread of breast cancer is as dependent on a tumor’s protein-rich environment as on genetic changes inside tumor cells. In a report in the Sept. 25 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists conclude that a molecular signal in the protein meshwork surrounding the breast cancer cells may provide the critical trigger to initiate the life-threatening process of metastasis to distant sites in the body. read more

Scattered X-rays reveal diseased tissue Posted: 22 Oct 2012 11:18 AM PDT Severe lung diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide. To date they have been difficult to diagnose at an early stage. Within an international collaboration scientists from Munich now developed an X-ray technology to do just that. Now they are working on bringing the procedure into medical practice. read more

State-of-the-Art Beams From Table-Top Accelerators Posted: 22 Oct 2012 11:11 AM PDT The rapidly evolving technology of laser plasma accelerators (LPAs) – called “table-top accelerators” because their length can be measured in centimeters instead of kilometers – promises a new breed of machines, far less expensive and with far less impact on the land and the environment than today’s conventional accelerators. read more

Clue to cause of Alzheimer’s found in brain samples Posted: 22 Oct 2012 10:21 AM PDT Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a key difference in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and those who are cognitively normal but still have brain plaques that characterize this type of dementia. read more

New design could improve condenser performance Posted: 22 Oct 2012 10:06 AM PDT Condensers are a crucial part of today’s power generation systems: About 80 percent of all the world’s powerplants use them to turn steam back to water after it comes out of the turbines that turn generators. They are also a key element in desalination plants, a fast-growing contributor to the world’s supply of fresh water. read more

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