Detailed information on greenhouse gasses and a subtropical heat wave at the North Pole 55 million years ago is providing information about the Earth’s past as well as a portent for its future, according to reports in the June 1 issue of Nature. An expedition to the Artic Ocean in 2004 by a team of scientists aboard a fleet of icebreakers collected samples by drilling into the floor of the ocean.
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An early phase study pairing an experimental targeted therapy with a common anti-inflammatory produced promising results in patients with advanced lung cancer, researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center reported.
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Scientists investigating the genetic makeup of rehesus macaque monkeys, a key species used in biomedical research, have found the rhesus in may provide a suitable alternative to alleviate a critical shortage of laboratory animals used in work to develop vaccines against diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
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Early detection of autism is critical for early intervention, yet autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are typically not diagnosed until after three years of age. However, a study published today in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found differences between typically developing children and those with ASD are detectable by two years of age. Because there are currently no medical diagnostic tests for autism, identifying developmental disruptions in infants and very young children with ASD may allow for earlier detection and critical intervention.
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Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have used the principles of resonance to develop a new material that holds promise for revolutionizing the field of ultrasound imaging. This “ultrasonic metamaterial” responds differently to sound waves than any natural material. Within a decade, the researchers report, the technology developed to create the material could be used to vastly enhance image resolution of ultrasound while at the same time allowing for the miniaturization of acoustic devices.
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The Spaniards may have been right all along — a siesta after a hearty lunch is natural, new research suggests. Scientists at The University of Manchester have for the first time uncovered how brain cells or ‘neurons’ that keep us alert become turned off after we eat.
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Saturn’s moon Enceladus — an active, icy world with an unusually warm south pole — may have performed an unusual trick for a planetary body. New research shows Enceladus rolled over, literally, explaining why the moon’s hottest spot is at the south pole.
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A study in the June 1 issue of Cancer Research presents the first evidence that exposure to low doses of environmental estrogens during development of the prostate gland in the male fetus may result in a predisposition to prostate cancer later in life.
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Most of New Orleans is sinking at an average rate of 6mm a year. In some areas, subsidence is occurring at a rate of as much as 29mm/year. That’s according to research published in this week’s edition of the journal Nature by scientists from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
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Research involving more than 7,000 older women found that those who drink a moderate amount of alcohol have slightly higher levels of mental function than non-drinkers, particularly in verbal abilities, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.
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