Fw: Newswise SciWire for 06-Dec-2010

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Newswise SciWire for 06-Dec-2010

Newswise SciWire for 06-Dec-2010

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06-Dec-2010

Persistent Organic Pollutants Detected in Sperm Whales Throughout the PacificSperm whales throughout the Pacific carry evidence of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and persistent organic pollutants including the pesticide DDT, according to a study published online December 6 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). The broad study provides a baseline for future research on ocean pollution and health. (Embargo expired on 06-Dec-2010 at 00:00 ET)Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP)—Environmental Health Perspectives (NIEHS)

What's the Matter? That's What U.Va. Physicists Are Seeking to DetectOne of the great and fundamental questions in physics is: Why is there matter? Physicists theorize that in the instant after the Big Bang created the makings of the universe, there were nearly equal amounts of matter and anti-matter, protons and anti-protons, neutrons and anti-neutrons. They should have annihilated each other, resulting in … nothing.—University of Virginia

New microscopic life aboard the RMS TitanicA brand-new bacterial species has been found aboard the RMS Titanic, which is contributing to its deterioration. The discovery by a team led by researchers at Dalhousie University reveals a potential new microbial threat to the exterior of ships and underwater metal structures such as oil rigs. Media embedded: Image(s)International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, December 8, 2010—Dalhousie University

05-Dec-2010

Study of How Genes Activate Yields Surprising DiscoveryScientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have made an unexpected finding about the method by which certain genes are activated. Contrary to what researchers have traditionally assumed, genes that work with other genes to build protein structures do not act in a coordinated way but instead are turned on randomly. The surprising discovery, described in the December 5 online edition of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, may fundamentally change the way scientists think about the way cellular processes are synchronized. Media embedded: Video (Embargo expired on 05-Dec-2010 at 13:00 ET)Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, Online Edition, December 5—Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University

Babies’ Biological Clocks Dramatically Affected by Birth Light CycleThe season in which babies are born can have a dramatic and persistent effect on how their biological clocks function. Media embedded: Image(s) (Embargo expired on 05-Dec-2010 at 13:00 ET)Nature Neuroscience, 12/05/2010—Vanderbilt University

Rivers Cut Deep Notches in the Alps’ Broad Glacial ValleysNew research shows that notches carved by rivers at the bottom of glacial valleys in the Swiss Alps survive from one glacial episode to the next, protected in part by the glaciers themselves. (Embargo expired on 05-Dec-2010 at 13:00 ET)Nature Geoscience—University of Washington

03-Dec-2010

Researchers Fabricate More Efficient Polymer Solar CellsResearchers from Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory have developed a process for fabricating more efficient polymer solar cells. The result is a polymer solar cell that captures more light and produces more power. Media embedded: Image(s)Advanced Materials—Iowa State University

Nicotine Exposure in Pregnant Rats Puts Offspring at Risk for Learning Disabilities Exposure to nicotine during pregnancy leads to a decrease in adult stem cells and a change in synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus of the offspring, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Researchers say this could be a possible cause for behavioral problems such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) seen in children whose mothers smoked.Neuroscience 2010—University of Alabama at Birmingham

NDSU Researchers Phone Home to Young Scientists from 9,000 Miles AwayForget Santa and the North Pole. For a group of 8th graders, the real deal this winter is a team of North Dakota State University research scientists working on the earth’s southernmost and coldest continent of Antarctica, which includes the South Pole. Media embedded: Image(s)—North Dakota State University

WHOI Website Will Take Viewers Deep into the Gulf Utilizing the human-occupied submersible Alvin and the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Sentry, researchers are about to investigate—and view first-hand—the possible effects of the oil spill at the bottom of the Gulf. And, from Dec. 6-14, the mission will be relayed to the public as it happens on the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s (WHOI) Dive and Discover website (http://divediscover.whoi.edu).—Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

The Race Is On: Rowan U Engineering Creation Can Solve Rubik’s Cube in Mere Seconds The Rowan University College of Engineering’s Rubik’s Cube is quite a little performer.—Rowan University

Experts Available to Comment on Mono Lake MicrobeMedia Contacts: Steve Koppes 773-702-8366 skoppes@... McGregor 630-252-5580 smcgregor@... Expert(s) available—University of Chicago

02-Dec-2010

Team Identifies a Genetic Switch for Determining GenderAn international team has identified a gene that appears to be an important switch in determining whether the biological program for the development of gender will go according to plan, or if, when mutated, will cause a glitch in the program. (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2010 at 14:00 ET)Cell Press—New York University Langone Medical Center

Scientists Discover Mechanism that Transforms Healthy Cells into Prostate CancerA protein that is crucial for regulating the self-renewal of normal prostate stem cells, needed to repair injured cells or restore normal cells killed by hormone withdrawal therapy for cancer, also aids the transformation of healthy cells into prostate cancer cells, researchers at UCLA have found. Media embedded: Image(s) (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2010 at 12:00 ET)Cell Stem Cell—University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Team of Researchers Find Evidence of Fire in Antarctic Ice A team of scientists studying Antarctic ice cores have found surprising evidence of a fluctuating pattern of carbon monoxide concentrations in the Earth’s atmosphere caused by biomass burning in the Southern Hemisphere over the past 650 years. Media embedded: Image(s) (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2010 at 10:00 ET)Science—Stony Brook University

Great Balls of Evolution! Bacteria ate in New WayMicrobiologists Lovley, Zarath Summers and colleagues report in the Dec. 2 issue of Science that they’ve discovered a surprising new cooperative behavior in bacteria known as interspecies electron transfer. It could have important implications for the global carbon cycle and bioenergy. Media embedded: Image(s) (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2010 at 14:00 ET)Science—University of Massachusetts Amherst

Research Scientists Home In on Chemicals Needed to Reprogram CellsGroundbreaking discovery moves field closer to therapeutic applications.Cell Stem Cell, Vol. 7, Issue 6, December 3—Scripps Research Institute

Astrobiologists: Deadly Arsenic Breathes Life Into OrganismsEvidence that the toxic element arsenic can replace the essential nutrient phosphorus in biomolecules of a naturally occurring bacterium expands the scope of the search for life beyond Earth, according to Arizona State University scientists who are part of a NASA-funded research team reporting findings in the Dec. 2 online Science Express. Media embedded: Image(s)Science Express, Dec. 2, 2010—Arizona State University

It’s Not the Size of the Salamander, It’s the Size of the Fight in the SalamanderDon’t get between a salamander and her eggs. The concept usually applies to a mother bear and her cubs, but it rings true for this small amphibian as well—particularly as the eggs get closer to hatching.Herpetologica— Press Publishing Services

Underpasses for Animals Can Make Roadways Safer for Cars and WildlifeDesign features such as overpasses keep drivers moving safely on our highways, letting cars pass in different directions without interacting with other cars or trains. Allowing wildlife to move from one side of the road to the other without encountering vehicle traffic is a challenge for transportation planners and wildlife managers.The Journal of Wildlife Management— Press Publishing Services

Researchers Continue Search for Elusive New Particles at CERNTheir findings were published recently in Physical Review Letters. These results are the first of the “new physics” research papers produced from the CMS experiment at LHC.Physical Review Letters—Texas Tech University

SciWire Announcements

iSTREEM: ACI Introduces Web-Based Model to Predict Chemical Concentrations in Waterways The American Cleaning Institute is offering a free webinar January 13, 2011 to outline a new web-based tool to help forecast chemical concentrations in U.S. waterways.—American Cleaning Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professor s Belfort Wins Biochemical Engineering AwardRensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professor s Belfort has been recognized for his fundamental and applied research of separations processes in biochemical engineering. Media embedded: Image(s)—Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Texas Tech Researcher to Receive Honorary Fellowship >From World’s Largest Textile Association A Texas Tech University fabric researcher will receive an honorary fellowship from the world’s largest textile and fiber association.—Texas Tech University

$5.1 Million Army-Md. Alliance Speeds University Research to MarketThe Army and land state universities have teamed up to move more research innovations to market. “Too many promising technologies never make it beyond university labs, when they could be commercially viable,” says the University of land’s, Jacques Gansler, who administers the $5.1 million land Proof of Concept Alliance. Media embedded: Image(s)—University of land, College Park

Bredesen Dedicates Joint Research Facility at Oak Ridge National LaboratoryGovernor Phil Bredesen today joined officials from the University of Tennessee and the Department of Energy in dedicating a new state-funded research facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.—Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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