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Weakest Solar Wind of the Space Age and the Current “Mini” Solar Maximum
New Innovative stable Titania Nanopowder
The heart’s own stem cells play their part in regeneration
Bacteria grow faster if they feed each other
Scientists crack riddle of important drug target
Kids whose bond with mother was disrupted early in life show changes in brain
Koalas Low-pitched Voice Explained by Unique Organ

Weakest Solar Wind of the Space Age and the Current “Mini” Solar Maximum

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:32 PM PST

The last solar minimum, which extended into 2009, was especially deep and prolonged. Since then, sunspot activity has gone through a very small peak while the heliospheric current sheet achieved large tilt angles similar to prior solar maxima. The solar wind fluid properties and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) have declined through the prolonged solar minimum and continued to be low through the current “mini” solar maximum.

New Innovative stable Titania Nanopowder

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 12:16 PM PST

Indian researchers (Theivasanthi and Alagar) have prepared stable titania nanopowder in an easy method. The group, from Centre for Research and Post Graduate Department of Physics, Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College comments: “To our best knowledge, the adopted physical grinding method is very useful one for mass production of titania nanopowder in a short span of time.” The researchers have explained about this nanopowder in their report [Theivasanthi et al, arXiv:1307.1091].

The heart’s own stem cells play their part in regeneration

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 12:08 PM PST

Up until a few years ago, the common school of thought held that the mammalian heart had very little regenerative capacity. However, scientists now know that heart muscle cells constantly regenerate, albeit at a very low rate. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, have identified a stem cell population responsible for this regeneration. Hopes are growing that it will be possible in future to stimulate the self-healing powers of patients with diseases and disorders of the heart muscle, and thus develop new potential treatments.

Bacteria grow faster if they feed each other

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 12:03 PM PST

The division of labour is more efficient than a struggle through life without help from others – this is also true for microorganisms. Researchers from Research Group Experimental Ecology and Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology and their colleagues at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany came to this conclusion when they performed experiments with microbes. The scientists worked with bacteria that were deficient in the production of a certain amino acid and therefore depended on a partner to provide the missing nutrient.

Scientists crack riddle of important drug target

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:49 AM PST

A new approach to mapping how proteins interact with each other, developed at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, could aid in the design of new drugs for diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis. By reengineering proteins using artificial amino acids, the Salk scientists determine the detailed molecular structure of a cellular switch and its ligand, the molecule that turns it on. The switch--corticotrophin releasing factor type 1 (CRF1R)--belongs to a class of cellular receptors whose structures are notoriously hard to determine.

Kids whose bond with mother was disrupted early in life show changes in brain

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:45 AM PST

Children who experience profound neglect have been found to be more prone to a behavior known as "indiscriminate friendliness," characterized by an inappropriate willingness to approach adults, including strangers.

UCLA researchers are now reporting some of the first evidence from human studies suggesting that this behavior is rooted in brain adaptations associated with early-life experiences. The findings appear in the Dec. 1 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Biological Psychiatry.

Koalas Low-pitched Voice Explained by Unique Organ

Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST

The pitch of male koalas' mating calls is about 20 times lower than it should be, given the Australian marsupial's relatively small size. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on December 2 have discovered their secret: koalas have a specialized sound-producing organ that has never before been seen in any other land-dwelling mammal. The key feature of this newly described organ is its location outside the voice box, what scientists call the larynx.