University of Florida engineering student Maria Palazuelos is working on nanotechnology, but she’s not seeking a better sunscreen, tougher golf club or other product — the focus of many engineers in the field. Instead, Palazuelos, a doctoral student in chemical engineering, is probing the potentially harmful effects of nanotechnology by testing how ultra-small particles may adversely affect living cells, organisms and the environment.
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Sometimes it is better to follow the advice of others rather than your own mind, even though you seem to have things under control. Not only humans but also fish follow this doctrine as shown by ecologists in Sweden, in the journal Ethology.
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A supplement some people turn to in hopes of losing a few pounds may have some previously unknown, unsavory side effects, suggest two new studies. Researchers studied how mice and rats responded to the supplement conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an essential amino acid found in trace amounts primarily in beef, lamb and milk. Synthetic forms of CLA are marketed as supplements that help reduce body fat, and some manufacturers also tout CLA for reducing the risk of diabetes and certain types of cancer.
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Research on mice engineered with an inducible liver clock enabled identification of some genes with expression controlled by the local clock, and other genes (including mPer2) that maintained circadian oscillations thanks to cues from the SCN.
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That plants grow better if grown in a greenhouse in the correct climate is nothing new. Dutch researcher Rachel van Ooteghem has designed a control system for an improved solar greenhouse that yields more. In the new greenhouse, good climate control with sustainable energy resulted not only in an increased crop yield but also a lower gas bill.
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Emperor penguins endure their incubation and fast for four dark and bitterly cold months each year. The tight huddling among these South Pole penguins is a key energy-saving mechanism that allows them to endure the extremely harsh conditions. Huddling and a drop in metabolism allow penguins to survive the biting South Pole cold.
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A new study examined direct medical costs of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and found that the economic impact was substantial.
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For decades, scientists have believed that the brain possesses an internal clock that allows it to keep track of time. Now a UCLA study in the February 1 edition of Neuron proposes a new model in which a series of physical changes to the brain’s cells helps the organ to monitor the passage of time — much like counting the rings in a tree stump reveals the age of a fallen tree.
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To honor early American explorers, NASA will fly into space four coins and a nearly 400-year-old artifact from historic Jamestown. The items will be aboard space shuttle Atlantis during mission STS-117, targeted for launch in March.
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Studies in mice have indicated that the effects of prion disease could be reversed if caught early enough. The researchers said that their findings support developing early treatments that aim to reduce levels of prion protein in the brains of people with prion disease. Also, they said that their findings suggest testing the efficacy of treatments in a new way: by analyzing their cognitive effects in prion-infected mice.
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