science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Πέμπτη 13 Ιουνίου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

Researchers develop easy and effective therapy to restore sight
Resilience in trying times - a result of positive actions
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Raises Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death, Mayo Clinic Finds
Light-Carved ‘Nano-Volcanoes’ Hold Promise for Drug Delivery
Research Shows Male Guppies Reproduce Even After Death

Researchers develop easy and effective therapy to restore sight

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 06:07 AM PDT

Researchers at UC Berkeley have developed an easier and more effective method for inserting genes into eye cells that could greatly expand gene therapy to help restore sight to patients with blinding diseases ranging from inherited defects like retinitis pigmentosa to degenerative illnesses of old age, such as macular degeneration.

Unlike current treatments, the new procedure is quick and surgically non-invasive, and it delivers normal genes to hard-to-reach cells throughout the entire retina.

Resilience in trying times - a result of positive actions

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 05:54 AM PDT

Communities that stick together and do good for others cope better with crises and are happier for it, according to a new study by John Helliwell, from the University of British Columbia in Canada, and colleagues¹. Their work suggests that part of the reason for this greater resilience is the fact that humans are more than simply social beings, they are so-called 'pro-social' beings. In other words, they get happiness not just from doing things with others, but from doing things both with and for others.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Raises Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death, Mayo Clinic Finds

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 05:46 AM PDT

People who have obstructive sleep apnea — when a person stops breathing for periods during sleep — have a greater risk of sudden cardiac death, according to a study published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. An estimated 12 million American adults have obstructive sleep apnea, and many of them are undiagnosed, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

Light-Carved ‘Nano-Volcanoes’ Hold Promise for Drug Delivery

Posted: 13 Jun 2013 05:42 AM PDT

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a method for creating “nano-volcanoes” by shining various colors of light through a nanoscale “crystal ball” made of a synthetic polymer. These nano-volcanoes can store precise amounts of other materials and hold promise for new drug-delivery technologies.

Research Shows Male Guppies Reproduce Even After Death

Posted: 12 Jun 2013 10:46 AM PDT

Performing experiments in a river in Trinidad, a team of evolutionary biologists has found that male guppies continue to reproduce for at least ten months after they die, living on as stored sperm in females, who have much longer lifespans (two years) than males (three-four months).