science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Τετάρτη 12 Φεβρουαρίου 2014

Science News SciGuru.com

Researchers develop first detailed model for a 3-D strand of curly hair
Four new galaxy clusters take researchers further back in time
Identification of genetic markers in breast cancer brain metastases: hope for future drug development
MIT robot may accelerate trials for stroke medications

Researchers develop first detailed model for a 3-D strand of curly hair

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 06:50 AM PST

The heroes and villains in animated films tend to be on opposite ends of the moral spectrum. But they’re often similar in their hair, which is usually extremely rigid or — if it moves at all — is straight and swings to and fro. It’s rare to see an animated character with bouncy, curly hair, since computer animators don’t have a simple mathematical means for describing it.

Four new galaxy clusters take researchers further back in time

Posted: 12 Feb 2014 04:46 AM PST

Four unknown galaxy clusters each potentially containing thousands of individual galaxies have been discovered some 10 billion light years from Earth.

An international team of astronomers, led by Imperial College London, used a new way of combining data from the two European Space Agency satellites, Planck and Herschel, to identify more distant galaxy clusters than has previously been possible. The researchers believe up to 2000 further clusters could be identified using this technique, helping to build a more detailed timeline of how clusters are formed.

Identification of genetic markers in breast cancer brain metastases: hope for future drug development

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 06:42 PM PST

One of the most devastating developments that can occur in breast cancer is if the cancer metastasises to the brain. When this occurs prognosis is very poor due to the paucity of treatment options- limited to surgery and radiation- and fewer than two percent of these patients survive beyond two years. However, a new study dissecting the genetic markers that characterise breast cancer that spreads to the brain may offer new hope for future development of targeted small molecule drugs.

MIT robot may accelerate trials for stroke medications

Posted: 11 Feb 2014 12:48 PM PST

The development of drugs to treat acute stroke or aid in stroke recovery is a multibillion-dollar endeavor that only rarely pays off in the form of government-approved pharmaceuticals. Drug companies spend years testing safety and dosage in the clinic, only to find in Phase III clinical efficacy trials that target compounds have little to no benefit. The lengthy process is inefficient, costly, and discouraging, says Hermano Igo Krebs, a principal research scientist in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.