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BaBar Data Hint at Cracks in the Standard Model
Experts Recommend Men at Risk for Osteoporosis Undergo Bone Density Testing
BPA Exposure Effects May Last for Generations
Cheaper drugs could lead to serious eye issues
Quantum storage system with long-term memory
Carbon is Key for Getting Algae to Pump Out More Oil
Device implanted in brain has therapeutic potential for Huntington's disease
Key part of plants’ rapid response system revealed

BaBar Data Hint at Cracks in the Standard Model

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 12:46 PM PDT

Recently analyzed data from the BaBar experiment may suggest possible flaws in the Standard Model of particle physics, the reigning description of how the universe works on subatomic scales. The data from BaBar, a high-energy physics experiment based at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, show that a particular type of particle decay called “B to D-star-tau-nu” happens more often than the Standard Model says it should.

Experts Recommend Men at Risk for Osteoporosis Undergo Bone Density Testing

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 12:02 PM PDT

Osteoporosis in men causes significant morbidity and mortality. Today, the Endocrine Society released clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for management of this condition in men. “Osteoporosis in Men: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline,” is published in the June 2012 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM), a publication of The Endocrine Society.

BPA Exposure Effects May Last for Generations

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 11:56 AM PDT

Exposure to low doses of Bisphenol A (BPA) during gestation had immediate and long-lasting, trans-generational effects on the brain and social behaviors in mice, according to a recent study accepted for publication in the journal Endocrinology, a publication of The Endocrine Society.

Cheaper drugs could lead to serious eye issues

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 11:50 AM PDT

A Queen’s study of two eye drugs used to treat wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) has determined the cheaper of the two could lead to eye inflammation, a potentially blinding adverse effect.

“This is a very important finding,” says Sanjay Sharma (Ophthalmology and Epidemiology), a noted AMD and health policy researcher who also practices at Hotel Dieu Hospital. “It is particularly important because many seniors need numerous injections so the risk is cumulative.”

Quantum storage system with long-term memory

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 09:13 AM PDT

Credit cards which are completely fraud-proof and passports which cannot be forged: quantum physics could make both of these possible. This is explained by the fact that the quantum mechanical state of a particle, an atomic nucleus, for example, can be neither copied nor read out correctly without additional information which only authorised users of possible cards have. Accordingly, if a credit card were to contain a quantum memory, it would be protected against misuse.

Carbon is Key for Getting Algae to Pump Out More Oil

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 09:06 AM PDT

Overturning two long-held misconceptions about oil production in algae, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory show that ramping up the microbes’ overall metabolism by feeding them more carbon increases oil production as the organisms continue to grow. The findings — published online in the journal Plant and Cell Physiology on May 28, 2012 — may point to new ways to turn photosynthetic green algae into tiny “green factories” for producing raw materials for alternative fuels.

Device implanted in brain has therapeutic potential for Huntington's disease

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 09:01 AM PDT

Studies suggest that neurotrophic factors, which play a role in the development and survival of neurons, have significant therapeutic and restorative potential for neurologic diseases such as Huntington's disease. However, clinical applications are limited because these proteins cannot easily cross the blood brain barrier, have a short half-life, and cause serious side effects. Now, a group of scientists has successfully treated neurological symptoms in laboratory rats by implanting a device to deliver a genetically engineered neurotrophic factor directly to the brain.

Key part of plants’ rapid response system revealed

Posted: 18 Jun 2012 08:56 AM PDT

Science has known about plant hormones since Charles Darwin experimented with plant shoots and showed that the shoots bend toward the light as long as their tips, which are secreting a growth hormone, aren’t cut off.

But it is only recently that scientists have begun to put a molecular face on the biochemical systems that modulate the levels of plant hormones to defend the plant from herbivore or pathogen attack or to allow it to adjust to changes in temperature, precipitation or soil nutrients.