Body

CHICAGO – Astrobiologists have often pondered "life as we do not know it" in the context of extraterrestrial life, says Paul Davies, an internationally acclaimed theoretical physicist and cosmologist at Arizona State University. "But," he asks, "has there been a blind spot to the possibility of 'alien' life on Earth?"

Temperature is an important factor in the spread of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases, but researchers who look at average monthly or annual temperatures are not seeing the whole picture. Global climate change will affect daily temperature variations, which can have a more pronounced effect on parasite development, according to a Penn State entomologist.

February 14, 2009 — (BRONX, NY) — Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have piggybacked antibodies onto radioactive payloads to deliver doses of radiation that selectively target and destroy microbial and HIV-infected cells. The experimental treatment — called radioimmunotherapy, or RIT — holds promise for treating various infectious diseases, including HIV and cancers caused by viruses.

Researchers in the laboratory of Samuel I. Stupp at Northwestern University have an interesting approach for tackling some major health problems: gather raw materials and then let them self-assemble into structures that can address a multitude of medical needs.

CHICAGO -- The smallest nano-sized silica particles used in biomedicine and engineering likely won't cause unexpected biological responses due to their size, according to work presented today. The result should allay fears that cells and tissues will react unpredictably when exposed to the finest silica nanomaterials in industrial or commercial applications.

A simple, chemical materials model may lead to a better understanding of the structure and organization of the cell according to a Penn State researcher.

Genetic diseases and genetically mixed populations can help researchers understand human diversity and human origins according to a Penn State physical anthropologist.

"We wanted to get to a strategy to predict what a face will look like," said Mark D. Shriver, associate professor of biological anthropology. "We want to understand the path of evolution that leads to that part of the selection process."

CHICAGO, IL--Research performed in the Center for Biomolecular Science & Engineering (CBSE) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, suggests that mobile repetitive elements--also known as transposons or "jumping genes"--do indeed affect the evolution of gene regulatory networks.

CINCINNATI/NEW YORK CITY—Children born in areas with increased traffic-related pollution may be at greater risk of developing asthma due to genetic changes acquired in the womb, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The team reports its findings in the Feb. 16, 2009, issue of PLoS ONE.

AMARILLO – A group of Texas-based researchers provided answers for the nation's cattle feeding industry after it was given a very short window by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to begin reporting ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions.

The EPA issued a final ruling on Dec. 18 that required the reporting of continuous air releases of these gases by large confined animal feeding operations to local and state emergency management entities.

NEW YORK (Feb. 13, 2009) -- Breaking a fall, such as a tumble on the sidewalk, with your hands and wrists is everyone's natural reflex. But, if you fall hard enough, you'll often fracture your radius bone, or even one of the smaller wrist bones and wrist ligaments. Left untreated, these injuries could lead to disabling wrist arthritis.

SEATTLE – The HPV vaccine does not increase the risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 61st Annual Meeting in Seattle, April 25 to May 2, 2009. Guillain-Barré is a disorder that causes muscle weakness and tingling that can progress to paralysis.

Although it can be life-threatening, most people recover with few remaining problems. The disorder often occurs after an infection; the body's immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system.

Prof Dave Stuart, Director of Life Sciences at Diamond – the UK national synchrotron – and head of the Structural Biology Laboratory at Oxford's Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics will unveil the structure of a biological protein from the vaccinia virus at the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science – AAAS- in Chicago. This is a significant step towards unlocking effective therapies to treat viruses.

Extremely intense X-rays from Diamond - the UK's national synchrotron - are helping to advance research into the understanding and treatment of eye diseases. Due to the detailed nature of the experiments, researchers from Cardiff University are making discoveries about the eye that should help to advance laser surgeries such as LASIK¹ and contribute to the eventual development of an artificial cornea.

When it comes to our own security, says UCLA behavioral ecologist Daniel T. Blumstein, there is much we can learn from biology and evolution.

Speaking today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago, at a symposium paying tribute to Charles Darwin a day after the 200th anniversary of his birth, Blumstein shared lessons and insights from Darwin that can be applied to our own safety — from using ATMs in unsafe neighborhoods to dealing with terrorist threats.