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CHICAGO, IL--Researchers in the field of synthetic biology are still a long way from being able to assemble living cells from scratch in the laboratory. But according to biochemist David Deamer of the University of California, Santa Cruz, their efforts are yielding clues to the mystery of how life began on Earth.

The challenges of detecting, understanding and projecting the impacts of climate change demand high-quality, global data collected consistently over decades. In the nearly 50 years of meteorological satellite observations, the data have increasingly been used to complement research satellite data for purposes of observing climate processes and monitoring change.

Chicago, IL (February 15, 2009)—P&G Beauty & Grooming scientists are presenting research at the AAAS Annual Meeting (Chicago, Feb. 12-16) that offers evidence of science's role in evolving beauty and grooming product efficacy. This year's meeting theme observes the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, affording a unique perspective for examining the company's use of advanced science and technology to help individuals feel and look their best. Five studies--with subjects ranging from color optics to skin aging genomics to razor engineering--will be on display.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – A team of researchers led by Rutgers' Samuel Gunderson has developed a novel gene silencing platform with very significant improvements over existing RNAi approaches. This may enable the development and discovery of a new class of drugs to treat a wide array of diseases. Critical to the technology is the approach this team took to specifically target RNA biosynthesis.

The research findings are reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology, published online in the February 15th issue.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Graphene, a single-atom-thick sheet of carbon, holds remarkable promise for future nanoelectronics applications. Whether graphene actually cuts it in industry, however, depends upon how graphene is cut, say researchers at the University of Illinois.

Graphene consists of a hexagonal lattice of carbon atoms. While scientists have predicted that the orientation of atoms along the edges of the lattice would affect the material's electronic properties, the prediction had not been proven experimentally.

Now, researchers at the U. of I. say they have proof.

A new study has identified the first common gene variants associated with an increased incidence of hypertension – a significant risk factor for heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. The report receiving early online release in the journal Nature Genetics identifies variants in genes for proteins involved with cardiovascular response to stress that also appear to influence blood pressure levels, an association previously seen in animals but not demonstrated in humans.

Chemists at New York University and China's Nanjing University have developed a two-armed nanorobotic device that can manipulate molecules within a device built from DNA. The device is described in the latest issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

"The aim of nanotechnology is to put specific atomic and molecular species where we want them and when we want them there," said NYU Chemistry Professor Nadrian Seeman, one of the co-authors. "This is a programmable unit that allows researchers to capture and maneuver patterns on a scale that is unprecedented."

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators have identified a new genetic hotspot for breast cancer.

Reporting this week in Nature Genetics, Wei Zheng, M.D., Ph.D, and colleagues have identified a region on chromosome 6 that is strongly associated with breast cancer susceptibility in Asian women. This genetic "locus" may help guide efforts to find the specific genes linked with sporadic – or non-inherited – forms of the disease, the authors suggest.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer types among women worldwide.

Several years after Duke University researchers announced spectacular behavior of a low density ultracold gas cloud, researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory have observed strikingly similar properties in a very hot and dense plasma "fluid" created to simulate conditions when the universe was about one millionths of a second old.

CHICAGO – Sarah A. Tishkoff, PhD, David and Lyn Silfen University Associate Professor, will present "Evolutionary History of Modern Humans in Africa," at the 2009 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Chicago, as a part of the Sunday, February 15th session, "Studying Vertebrate Genomes: Reading Evolution's Notebooks."

A new facility opening later this year at the Diamond synchrotron is set to revolutionise world heritage science. A new research platform soon to be available at the leading UK science facility, Diamond Light Source, will help uncover ancient secrets that have been locked away for centuries. For the first time ever, cultural heritage scientists will be able to scan and image large relics and artefacts up to two tonnes in weight in incredible precision. They will no longer be restricted to examining small items.

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A failure to grasp the fundamentals of biological systems may be leaving K-12 teachers and students vulnerable to claims by intelligent design creationists, new-age homeopaths and other "hucksters," according to a University of Colorado at Boulder biology professor.

Westchester, Ill. –A study in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicineshows that a 40 minute protocol for the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT40) is superior to a 20-minute protocol (MWT20) at detecting excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in adults who may be unable to maintain wakefulness while driving. Yet results also suggest that the test may not be completely reliable when the strong motivation to keep a driver's license enables individuals to overcome sleepiness during the test.