Archives
2009
November
- New autism receptor theory well-received►
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According to a new study helmed by Duke University, the regulation of the hormone 'oxytocin' is a major indicant of autism and can help with both diagnosis and treatment. The study found the methylation markup ("gene-regulating molecules") of the oxytocin receptor in autistic patients to be significantly higher than the non-autistic (70% and 40%, respectively). In short, the autistic person's body does not let it receive the amount of oxytocin a non-autistic person's does. Oxytocin is linked to development of trust and the pick-up of social cues, so now experiments are underway to see if giving oxytocin supplements can improve an autistic person's interpersonal behavior. Findings debuted in the online journal BMC Medicine.
Posted on November 2, 2009 | SourceOctober
- Hit the gym after brain radiation►
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Scientists at Duke University have found exercise greatly enhances memory retention and mood in mice that undergo whole-brain radiation. In a new study, two groups of mice were administered neural radiation--the same procedures used to treat brain cancers in humans--one with access to a running wheel after testing, and one without. The mice which exercised displayed comparable results in memory tests to a control group of unradiated mice. The mice which remained sedentary performed lower on the tests and exhibited more signs of depression. Exercise, the study shows, might help channel blood flow to the hippocampus, an important neural hub for memory and spatial knowledge. Results presented at the Society for Neuroscience on October 18.
Posted on October 30, 2009 | SourceCarbon debris strips lung lining►…
Carbon debris strips lung lining: A new study from three Triangle science titans: North Carolina State University, the Hamner Institute of Health Sciences, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), finds inhaling carbon nanotubes can adversely affect the outer lining of the lung. Carbon nanotubes are found in all kinds of household appliances, including sportsware and medical apparatuses. Researchers studied the effects on mice, and whether or not the nanotubes reached the pleura tissue lining the lung's exterior which is particularly sensitive to asbestos. Overexposure of harmful fibers to the pleura is known to lead to mesothelioma. A "unique reaction" within the tissue began a day after initial exposure, and localized fibrosis had formed in two weeks. Although all traces cleared within three months, scientists are uncertain as to the effects of chronic exposure or inhalation. Published in the October issue of Nature Nanotechnology. (NCSU photo)
Posted on October 26, 2009 | SourceDrink like a fish? How 'bout a fly?►…
Fruit flies exhibit a higher tolerance to alcohol due to a genetic "switch", say researchers at North Carolina State University. A similar gene in humans--the ME1--functions to convert alcohol into liver fat, which in excess can lead to the deadly cirrhosis. The diversity in expression of the gene correlates to different patterns in drinking and proclivity to alcohol. People with certain variations of the gene tend to drink stronger alcoholic beverages. Scientists hope drawing new contrasts between flies and humans will help illuminate the argument of nature vs. nature in excessive binge drinking and in combatting fatty liver syndrome. Published in the October edition of Genetics.
Posted on October 22, 2009 | SourceScience behind the "terrible two's"►…
Infant girls whose mothers were exposed to high levels of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy are more prone to exhibit aggressive behavior as 2-year-olds, say researchers at the University of North Carolina. A compound found in 93% of the country's urine, BPA is common among household plastics like plastic bottles, canned food linings, water supply pipes and medical tubing. The daughters of women who had higher BPA concentrations in their urine were seen to elicit more stereotypically "male" behavioral problems like aggression and hyperactivity, especially if exposure occurred early in the pregnancy. Boys did not seem to be effected by the substance. Published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
Posted on October 19, 2009 | SourceNew hope against metabolic disorder►…
Researchers at Duke University have found a means to battle inherited metabolic disorders (lysosomal storage disorders) with their new developments in cord blood transplants. The method involves a trace amount of theuraputic stem cells, treated to expedite the engraftment process. This allows the fix to be administered to pregnant mothers and remedy the hereditary problem before birth. The diseases are "marked by the absence of specific enzymes the body needs to break down and get rid of metabolic byproducts of energy production." When left untreated, the disorders can lead to chronic bone, brain, and central nervous system problems, and even early death.
Posted on October 16, 2009 | SourceGreen energy. Literally.►…
In the global race to find a clean energy alternative to crude oil, scientists at North Carolina State University might be swimming in the right pond. New research shows Dunaliella algae is cheaper, safer, and easier to mass produce than other leading sources of fuel. The marine plant is able to grow entirely in salinated regions, which would prevent it from tying up arable freshwater zones North Carolina needs for other crops. Algae fits the criteria of building fatty acids and not having cell walls, making the energy easier to harvest. It is also "transportable technology", and those in remote communities would be able to take algal cultures and reap their own fuel on-site. The project has gotten the 'green light' from the federal government and recently received a $2 million stimulus grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Posted on October 11, 2009 | Source"Mommy, where do brain cells come from?"►…
Researchers at the University of North Carolina have located the specific gene which determines the number of neural cells that develop in the human brain. This single gene, GSK-3, controls the delicate balance of two main developmental processes: proliferation and differentiation. Proliferation is where cells originally multiply to provide ample cerebral building blocks (neural stem cells), and differentiation is then where those stem cells mature into functioning neurons. Too much proliferation can lead to a tumor, whereas too little proliferation can lead to a shortage of brain cells. Now GSK-3 becomes more important in studying neurotic illnesses--like schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder--than ever before. Published in online journal Nature Neuroscience.
Posted on October 7, 2009 | SourceSlow and steady wins the race►…
Who said 'no pain, no gain'? New findings at Duke University show moderate-level exercise may be better for the pancreas than upper-level intensity training. In fact, working out at a slower pace may even reduce one's likelihood of developing type II diabetes. Moderate exercise makes the body burn fat, which is beneficial to the pancreas, whereas vigorous exercise requires the body to burn more carbohydrates. It is generally agreed upon that physical activity helps improve insulin sensitivity, but it still remains to be seen what lasting effect the level of workout has on the pancreas's insulin-secreting beta cells. Published in the October issue of Diabetes Care.
Posted on October 2, 2009 | SourceSeptember
- Artificial Photosynthesis►
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Putting the 'art' in artificial photosynthesis: "The main problem with current solar power technology is that if the sun's not shining, you're out of luck," says University of North Carolina chemistry professor Tom Meyer. Meyer is working with the U.S. Dept. of Energy-sanctioned Energy Frontier Research Center to create a new method of solar energy harvest, one which eliminates plants and the time constraints of sunlight from the equation. This new artificial photosynthesis would reap energy from sources like wastewater and methane and then make it more readily storable. The project then ties into next-generation photovoltaics, e.g. "solar shingles", which would convert sunlight directly to electricity. The talent now lies in finding a balance between affordable and efficient. (UNC image)
Posted on September 28, 2009 | SourceH1N1 gets 'game theory' down to a science►…
H1N1 gets 'game theory' down to a science: As flu season is kicking into gear and the H1N1 "swine flu" vaccine is reportedly stretched thin in supply, Triangle area researchers at Duke University (in collaboration with the European School of Management and Technology) argue it's in America's self-interest to give that vaccine away. In adhering to mathematician and economist John Nash's famous "Nash Equilibrium", the optimal outcome for all actors is achieved when systematically taking into account others' moves. Here, Duke says, giving away what limited vaccination supplies the U.S. has to the original epicenter of the epidemic--Mexico--and to poorer countries which carried it north that otherwise could not effectively treat their own citizens will help arrest future spread and actually act in American self-interest. The scholarly article appears in the journal Operations Research, and is available for download via link provided. (CDC/Laura Zambuto photo)
Posted on September 21, 2009 | Source"Go wash your hands, man!"►…
As students weather the storm of Hurricane 'H1N1', North Carolina State University offers something important to add to the ever-growing list of pathogen co-factors: kids aren't washing their hands like they are supposed to. A new Wolfpack study followed students in Ontario during a norovirus outbreak, showing only 17% of kids met hand-washing recommendations, whereas 83% reported they had. Researchers suggest health officials target more specific audiences (like this dorm or that cafeteria), as well as use more "collegiate"-level lingo (i.e. "dude, you'll puke" over "gastro-intestinal disease"). Published in the Journal of Environmental Health.
Posted on September 17, 2009 | SourceAlzheimer's gene affects young, too►…
According to new research tackled by Duke University and Pennsylvania State University, the APOE4 gene associated with a heightened risk of Alzheimer's begins affecting the brain much earlier in life than previously believed. The team ran fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) processes on twenty-four mid-20 year olds completing memory tests, twelve with the gene and twelve without. The brains of those with APOE4 seemed to be overcompensating or working inefficiently on the task of recall. This may be a way afflicted brains cope with the weakened ability of creating new memories. Findings are published online in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.
Posted on September 13, 2009 | SourceCheaper lignin extraction: woodn't we like to know?►…
North Carolina State University is undertaking a four-year, multi-million dollar federal research grant to study the development of tree lignin, the "glue" which bonds the wood together. The more lignin, the stronger the wood, which is good for construction and wood-based products but bad for biofuelers, making it harder and more expensive (to the tune of $300 billion a year) to extract the plants' biomass when create ethanol. The team will examine the 33-lignin producing tree genes and remove them one at a time until the specific functionalities and behaviors of each are more evident. Their goal is to cut down 35% of the chemical pretreatment costs and be more energy-efficient.
Posted on September 9, 2009 | SourceThere's always more fish in the sea►…
There's always more fish in the sea: The University of North Carolina has recently completed a marine biology study indicating increasingly warmer ocean temperatures may be leading to "dramatic shifts" in the abundance of marine consumers (animals, fungi, and bacteria) and their respective food webs. Scientists placed both zooplankton (consumers) and phytoplankton (producers) in control and experimental incubators at varying temperatures, discovering warmer waters expedite natural growth and metabolic processes and increase the demand for food. Thus a world where global warming is a reality may create a higher concentration of consumers, yet decrease the overall concentration of sea life. Published in the online journal PLoS Biology. (UNC image: Dina Leech {left}, Virginia Schutte)
Posted on September 2, 2009 | SourceAugust
- Smells like clean spirit►
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An assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering at North Carolina State University has created a cleaner, more odor-friendly method of poultry rendering, and apparently it's became what all the big stink is in the agricultural community. Whereas before, facilities used chemical "scrubbers" to reduce the odors, the new process highlights catalytic oxidation, which is more effective and more eco-friendly to the farm (not to mention, cheaper!). Ozone breaks down smelly compounds, and a thin veneer of cobalt/nickel film is coated on the structure, preserving material and flipping the switch down on energy costs. Published in the August issue of Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
Posted on August 29, 2009 | Source'Vestigial organ' becomes vestigial thinking►…
Scientists at Duke University have discovered the human appendix may not be just a primitive leftover after all. In collaboration with Arizona State University, a team publishing in Journal of Evolutionary Biology has recently announced the appendix serves a modern purpose and has been instated in mankind for much longer than previously believed. Apparently it stores "good" bacteria which repopulates the bowels after diarrhea and may elicit positive new effects on the immune system when properly controlled. This benchmark, which undoes the 'vestigial remnant' logic of Charles Darwin, will provide an ample launchpad for future research, especially on appendicitis.
Posted on August 25, 2009 | SourceNo corny title for this one►…
North Carolina State University has published two academic papers detailing recent studies into the genetic patterns of maize, otherwise known as corn. Investigations of 'maize nested association mapping' populations unveiled what scientists referred to as quantitative trait loci (QTL's) that affect the plant's flowering time, providing clues as to which genes are linked to which growth traits. Researchers hope findings drawn from the QTLS, etc. will assist farmers in growing stronger and healthier corn tomorrow. Papers printed last week in Science.
Posted on August 13, 2009 | SourceCancer drugs linked to high blood pressure►…
Though anti-angiogenesis drugs--like Avastin, Sutent, and Nexavar--are good to cancer patients' bodies for the most part, new research at Duke University shows the extra leg up comes at a price. Use of these drugs substantially increases a patient's chances of developing high blood pressure and hypertension. A new study finds drugs like Avastin inhibit a major hormone called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that stimulates the creation of new vessels that support malignant growth. Scientists are optimistic that these results will provide key assistance in the fight against blood pressure disorders. Published online in 'Hypertension'.
Posted on August 10, 2009 | SourceA dynamic new direction for studying lung disease►…
A breath of fresh air in lung research: Scientists at Duke University have constructed a three-dimensional computer replica of human and animal lung cells, an accomplishment expected to provide a dynamic new direction in the dash to understand and combat lung disease. Previously, very little has been known about these so-called "basal" stem cells, which divide to recoat the lung lining and account for a third of all human airway cells. Basal cells eventually become either ciliary or secretory cells, performing polar different functions but existing within the same numerical proportion of one another. With the new model, developers are optimistic about future research on lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, and asthma, where the balance of ciliary and secretory cells is thrown off, impairing the lung lining. (Duke University image)
Posted on August 3, 2009 | SourceJuly
- Tips for a healthier cookout►
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A warning to all summer grillers and barbeque advocates (read: all North Carolinians). The American Cancer Society (ACS) has recently determined that eating too much grilled meat may increase one's risk of developing cancer. During the grilling process, carcinogens can materialize as the sweltering temperatures break down the amino acids within the meat. In addition, meat fats are prone to drip onto the coals, sending back a charred flare-up, which marinates the meat with harmful chemicals. Some tips to enjoy the grilling season with less health risk include: precooking meat in the oven or microwave, flipping meats frequently, not eating blackened or charred portions, and substituting meat for grilled fruits and veggies, which apparently pose no cancerous risk. Published in the June/July issue of UNC Health Scene.
Posted on July 30, 2009 | SourceHoning in on cloning pens►…
A new study from North Carolina State University links congenital health defects in pigs caused by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR)--like low birth rate and long-term deleterious organ issues--to the 'imprinted gene', found only in placental mammals. IUGR has demonstrated varying results on cloned mammalian species, and in looking at case studies of cloned swine, the imprinted genes (those which only display the DNA from one parent, either mother or father) reveal to be maternal nutrient deliverers to the fetus. When these genes don't function properly, developmental stunting occurs. By studying the implications of IUGR in pigs, researchers hope to unveil more of the IUGR's implications in humans. Results in the July Biology of Reproduction.
Posted on July 22, 2009 | SourceS.I.T. SPOTLIGHT:►…
-------------------MOON LANDING-------------------
We briefly interrupt our Triangle coverage to bring you something a little more spherical. On July 20, 1969, the United States-led Apollo 11 mission was the first manned expedition to the Moon. Millions were glued to their black-&-white television sets as pilots Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins announced to Houston that 'the Eagle has landed'. Armstrong has since become immortalized for the iconic "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", setting foot on the lunar surface, and implanting an American flag into the ground. In honor of its 40th anniversary, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has created an interactive website (see source) dedicated to the event, chock-full with the historic photos and videos. Discover, or rediscover, the sensation this astronomical scientific landmark has had on the world.
Posted on July 20, 2009 | SourceOf mice and mental disorders►…
Of mice and mental disorders: Scientists at Duke University and the University of North Carolina have created a new chemical method of brain examination, one that seeks to unveil the function of any given neuron population within the animal brain. In testing the drug clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) on mice, they were able to engineer "mutant" rodents where a single selected host of neurons was activated and observed. The new method, detailed in Neuron online, is expected to help demystify, treat, and prevent a number of neurological diseases, among them seizures and Parkinson's. (Warner Bros. picture)
Posted on July 17, 2009 | SourcePlant sex leads to better protection►…
To our chlorophyll-ed companions, abstinence is not the best form of protection; in fact, it's the least. Scientists at Duke University and North Carolina State University have discovered asexual plants are much more susceptible to generalist (non-discriminatory) herbivore attacks. In examining the effects of sex on the evening primrose (Onagraceae), it became clear sexual reproduction was a form of combative evolution--shuffling up genes to weed out weak ones--a defense constructed over time to quell the plants' extinction. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Posted on July 13, 2009 | SourceUnder-sand-ing beach contaminants►…
Both children and adults who directly interact with beach sands are at greater risk of developing gastrointestinal disease, a collaborative team from the University of North Carolina and the EPA says. Their recent study of over 27,000 concluded that beach sands can contain traces of fecal contamination, and those who build castles, dig into, or bury themselves with it are much more likely to develop an illness than those who simply walk along it. Recommended now is a thorough application of hand sanitizer and body cleansing post-sand play. Results published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Posted on July 12, 2009 | SourceRemote control community goes batty►…
Remote control community goes batty: Scientists at North Carolina State University are developing a new breed of micro-aerial vehicles (MAVs) they think will provide increased maneuverability and performance. The design emulates the delicate yet deliberate flight of the bat, with the entire skeleton weighing in at less than 6 grams! The team believes the new remote control-guided "robo-bat" bots will enhance our understanding of aerodynamics, introduce new surveillance capabilities, and assist in various laboratory experiments. Results will be presented at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Conference in September. (Photo: Gheorghe Bunget, NCSU)
Posted on July 9, 2009 | SourceHarnessing the mind's (shut-)eye►…
It's no shock a strong psychosomatic connection exists between one's daily stress level and one's ability to sleep, but a new study indicates contemporary stress alleviation techniques may be the best way to cope with the late, late nights. Duke University Integrative Medicine personnel recently followed 151 adults who underwent eight weeks of formal mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a majority of which reported significant changes by the end. Less prescription drugs were used, fewer experienced irritating mid-sleep wakeups, and the levels of daytime fatigue decreased substantially. Findings were presented at the North American Research Conference on Complementary and Integrative Medicine.
Posted on July 9, 2009 | SourceJune
- It's what's on the inside that counts►
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In a new study examining the differences between chronological and molecular human age, researchers from the University of North Carolina have found a strong correlation in weak individuals. Those who do not exercise (or smoke excessively) exhibit dramatic increases in the P16^INK4a blood protein as time progresses over those who do (or do not). This ‘biomarker’ may render certain lifestyles more likely to artificially hasten the molecular aging process and affect how patients respond to surgery or chemotherapy. Results published in Aging Cell online.
Posted on June 22, 2009 | SourcefMRIs show the nature of thought►…
A team of Duke neuroscientists, along with the university’s Fuqua School of Business, have concluded that how and where the brain responds to risks and rewards can predict decision-making strategies an individual employs. Scanning 23 participants with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) devices to highlight which areas of the brain are activated in ‘real world’ monetary situations, researchers found there were no blanket ‘rational’ and ‘irrational’ zones, as previously thought, but rather the engaging level of computation coupled with individual personality traits determined the cognitive response. Results published in Neuron online.
Posted on June 12, 2009 | SourceMay
- IASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►
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SCION-DTU A/S
As one of the oldest parks in the IASP, Scion-DTU is home to some of Denmark's finest developmental achievements over the last half century. Erected in 1962, the park spans a whopping 1,000,000 sq. m and hosts 180 tenant companies and institutions. As its roots are cemented in the pan-academic web of the university system, it works to accomodate all forms of research: biotech, eletronics, nanotech, medico, ICT, life sciences, and environmental innovation. Scion's goal is that by 2011, "all high-tech companies will contact [them] when they want to grow on a European scale".
Posted on May 29, 2009 | SourceIASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►…
HSINCHU SCIENCE PARK
A leader in the production of semi-conductors and optoelectronics, Taiwan’s Hsinchu Science Park broke ground when it opened in 1980. Nearly 30 years later, it remains a world pioneer in advanced research and development. Hsinchu hosts about 400 tenant companies, the vast majority of which are domestic, but as time goes on, the park looks to expand its global prowess. Other major focuses include biotechnology, computers, ICT, telecomm, and lasers. Hsinchu provides 10,000 people jobs, with more developing all of time.
Posted on May 27, 2009 | SourceIASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►…
TECHNOPOLE RENNES ATALANTEFrance: a country known for its food, art, culture, and science parks. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Technopole Rennes Atalante was constructed in 1984 as a means of business expansion and technological start-up in the Ille et Vilaine area. Today it employs over 15,000 in the private sector within 257 companies (80% of which are engineers and technicians). Most of the companies concentrate in biotech, computers, electronics, ICT, environmental affairs, media, or life and health sciences. Its proximity to 2 major universities and 28 colleges isn't all that bad, either.Posted on May 26, 2009 | SourceIASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►…
IDEON SCIENCE PARKThe motto at Sweden’s Ideon Science Park is: “anything is possible”. The 100,000m2 park is stationed in Lund where it collaborates with the globally prestigious Lund University and employs 3,000 people from 260 companies. Ideon is known for a variety of enterprises ranging from bio-tech and clean-tech to IT/ICT to multimedia and telecommunication and distinguised for its mobile telephony, having phone goliath Sony Ericsson headquartered right next to the park. But it is perhaps best known for its powerful incubator programs, where it continuously invests in entrepreneurs and the businesses of the future.Posted on May 25, 2009 | SourceIASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►…
PURDUE RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Since 1930, the non-profit Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) has played an integral role in advancing Purdue University’s science and technology initiatives. Covering 725 acres of West Lafayette, Indiana, USA, the park is home to 147 tenant businesses and institutions. They specialize in agriculture, multimedia, telecommunications, life sciences, medical and health sciences, manufacturing, robotics, engineering, and industrial design. Over the last 15 years, PRF has expanded beyond Indiana’s borders and into a model for newer parks and projects.
Posted on May 24, 2009 | SourceRTP Connection►…
THE HAMNER INSTITUTES FOR HEALTH SCIENCES
Earlier this week, the Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences solidified a historic partnership with the China Medical City research park.
Posted on May 22, 2009 | SourceIASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►…
MANCHESTER SCIENCE PARKS LTD.
Home to 80 corporate or institutional tenants, England’s Manchester Science Parks is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Created during a recession, Manchester has grown into one of the most influential international and regional networkers, and is a founding member of the UK Science Park Association (UKSPA). Its palette of sectors includes health care, business services, computers, digital media, industrial initiatives, and environmental laboratories. There are four major universities within the park’s parameters.
Posted on May 21, 2009 | SourceIASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►…
CHINA MEDICAL CITY
As it unveils plans to expand into China's largest industrial research park, China Medical City (CMC) also announces its new bio-tech partnership with the Triangle's own Hamner Institutes of Health Sciences. The proposed pharmaceutical bond was authenticated today by both North Carolina and Chinese officials, aiming to bring both careers and capital into the state. More on CMC in the YouTube source link below.
Posted on May 20, 2009 | SourceIASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►…
WISTA-MANAGEMENT GMBH BERLIN-ALDERSHOF
Aldershof is Germany’s largest technology park and chief economic center. Consuming 420 hectares of Berlin just off the autobahn, Aldershof is home to Humboldt University’s natural science campus, eleven independent research facilities, and over 800 private companies. The park's specialities run the technological gamut, ranging from photonics and optics to materials and Microsystems to information, environmentalism, and energy. It also serves as a German media and broadcasting capital.
Posted on May 18, 2009 | SourceIASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►…
22@BARCELONA
In the nearly ten years since the 22@ district was established inside Poblenou, Barcelona, things have only gone upward for the region. Creating well over 100,000 new tech jobs and renovating over 200 hectares of urban enclosure into state-of-the-art, ecological development (e.g. pollution and climate control, etc.), the park’s strategy has been christened an approach to make Barcelona the “City of Knowledge”. The more efficient, ‘green’ facilities have unearthed brand new opportunities for progress and continued social and economic expansion.
Posted on May 17, 2009 | SourceIASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►…
CHUNGBUK TECHNOPARK
Established in 2003, Chungbuk Technopark is one of South Korea’s quickest-rising technological innovation centers. Stationed in the Chungcheongbuk-do province, the park’s 4 focuses are: bio industry, semiconductor & IT, next-generation battery, and electric-electronic fused parts, aiming to open up the “Industrial Renaissance” by creating 21st-century jobs and businesses. 11 universities, 6 local governments, and 8 companies operate within the park, giving it valuable clout over regional development.
Posted on May 15, 2009 | SourceIASP RTP 2009 Featured Science Park►…
QUÉBEC METRO HIGH TECH PARK
Located in the ambitious business and political hub of Québec City, Québec Metro High Tech Park offers a wealth of research opportunities and partnerships to scientists and entrepreneurs. Working closely with institutes like Université Laval and Université du Québec and hosting 96 separate businesses, the park specializes in optics, photonics, electronics, life sciences (biotechnology, etc.), environmental, wood, information, and “new” technologies. Québec Metro has recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Contact business services manager Natalie Quirion: nquirion@parctechno.qc.ca
Posted on May 14, 2009 | SourceThe SIT-uation►…
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From now until the IASP World Conference on Science and Technology Parks beginning June 1st, S.I.T. will dedicate its front-page resources to better acquainting the international park community. Starting today, we will briefly familiarize you with some other faces who will be at the Raleigh conference as a preliminary means of introduction.
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Posted on May 14, 2009 | SourceObesity, allergies bear heavy correlation►…
A new reason to curtail childhood obesity may be allergen-related, a study from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) says in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The analysis of 4,111 children aged 2-19 showed the obese being 26% more likely to have allergies than the normal weight, and 59% more likely to have food-specific allergies, based on their level of common allergy indicator immunoglobulin E (IgE).
Posted on May 10, 2009 | SourceBesting the pests►…
North Carolina schools are quickly finding that so-called ‘integrated pest management’ (IPM) is more effective, eco-friendly, and economical than conventional spray methods. Now, a North Carolina State University study has found that IPM also greatly reduces cockroach allergens in the school setting, a common allergy and asthma agitator. IPM improves over traditional techniques by constantly monitoring for infestations and controlling them via bait and trap rather than arbitrarily spraying regardless of bug presence, the study explains in Journal of Medical Entomology. State schools are mandated to implement IPM by 2011.
Posted on May 9, 2009 | SourceThe gender gap►…
Women may statistically be living longer than men, but new research shows that longer isn’t necessarily better. A team from Duke University has concluded from a nearly 6,000-person study of people aged 65+ that women suffer 2.5x more than men in their old age due to increased risks of obesity (generally a result of child-bearing and menopause) and arthritis. Cardiovascular disease, a predominately male infliction, is being increasingly observed in women, as well, prompting scientists to re-analyze lifestyle trends. Results and speculation were presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society.
Posted on May 8, 2009 | SourceMaking pain personal, and preventable►…
Previously, 1/3 of all patients who use opioid analgesic drugs that mimic natural endorphins to subdue pain, like morphine and methadone, reported either a lack of intended effect or formation of adverse side effects, such as nausea and constipation. Now, research from the University of North Carolina’s Center for Neurosensory Disorders shows significant variance in the OPRM1 receptor (primary opioid target) gene which predisposes a user to this road less traveled. Potentials for more effective drugs and individualized genetic testing are detailed in Human Molecular Genetics.
Posted on May 5, 2009 | SourceDinosaur dig-up breaks ground►…
Dinosaur dig-up breaks ground: North Carolina State University professor Mary Schweitzer, known for her seminal 2005 T-Rex discovery, has led a new team in Montana to one of the biggest boneyard dig-ups of recent times. With the help of Harvard Medical School pathologist John Asara, they have unearthed soft tissue from the femur of a duckbill dinosaur, believed to be 80 million years old. No DNA was found, but proteins like collagen were, further backing the theory that dinosaurs more closely resemble modern day birds than reptiles. Publishing in Science, Schweitzer and colleagues say the soft tissue method may determine how certain molecules have evolved over time and where more dinosaur fossils like the duckbill are located. (National Geographic Society photo.)
Posted on May 3, 2009 | SourceApril
- Baby supernova►
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Baby supernova: New pictures of the Milky Way’s youngest supernova remnant are available thanks to a mathematical model North Carolina State University researchers have devised. N.C. State physicists worked with colleagues from Cambridge University and NASA, re-examining their original X-ray images of supernova remnant G1.9+0.3 to see if they could learn more about its origins, rate of expansion and any cosmic particles emanating from its explosion. Their model electronically corrects for cosmic dust, a frequent Kodak-moment killer for astronomers. The discovery, which appears in the latest Astrophysical Journal Letters, bears on studies of cosmic ray particles, magnetic fields and the universe at large. (N.C. State image.)
Posted on April 28, 2009 | SourceTo the heart of the stem cell matter►…
Heart stem cells secrete chemicals that restore the injured cells, theorize Duke University researchers in a recent issue of Circulation Research. Until now, scientists have assumed stem cells help heal hearts by being incorporated directly into the tissue. (A slide show is available at the source link below.)
Posted on April 20, 2009 | SourceTrees of life►…
Trees of life: Villages in India well protected by mangroves (like these seen here, in Florida) suffered far fewer deaths compared to less-shielded villages struck by a cyclone's storm surge, University of Delhi and Duke University researchers write this week in the online edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The so-called super cyclone that hit the eastern coast of India in 1999 killed 10,000 people. Researchers analyzed 409 villages and discovered that deaths per village correlated with the thickness of mangrove forests between the villages and the coast. (U.S. Geological Survey photo.)
Posted on April 17, 2009 | SourceGod's magnifying glass in a coffee cup►…
The physics behind the pattern you see when light reflects off the curves inside a coffee cup is the same that governs lightwave-bunching around galaxies, Duke scientists say in the latest Journal of Mathematical Physics. In the latter example, this phenomenon accounts for a so-called gravitational lens that magnifies objects deeper in space. The finding could allow cosmologists to account for missing "dark" matter in space by calculating brightness differences in lensed objects near one another.
Posted on April 14, 2009 | SourceA metabolic path to diatebes►…
A class of proteins prevalent in obese people with high-fat diets contributes to insulin resistance, a diabetes harbinger, according to Duke University animal studies published in Cell Metabolism. The findings suggest that obese people who collect large amounts of these proteins, so-called branch-chain amino acids (common in meat), can overload the body's ability to metabolize food.
Posted on April 7, 2009 | SourceWith or without you, male termites►…
Some female termites can reproduce with or without a mate, say North Carolina State University scientists and collaborators in Japan in Science. These termites, known as “primary queens," asexually spawn “secondary queens” who, in turn, mate with king termites. This promotes genetic variation and prevents the pitfalls that otherwise come with inbreeding.
Posted on April 1, 2009 | SourceMarch
- Duke docs: Check for cancer early and often►
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Early discovery of ovarian cancer lowers its chance of spreading to become more aggressive cancers elsewhere in the body, Duke University oncologists concluded after comparing stats for long-term survivors (seven years or longer) with those for short-term fatalities (fewer than three years). The researchers say that, as in lung and prostate cancer, regular periodic screenings could save lives. Their study was published in the March 24 Clinical Cancer Research.
Posted on March 25, 2009 | SourceTop billing►…
Top billing: A new species of the oldest known beaked bird has been named for University of North Carolina biologist Alan Feduccia. He shares billing with the Chinese philosopher Confucius, namesake for the genus that the 120 million year old bird belongs to and one that Feduccia first described in 1995. The official name of the new crow-sized creature: Confuciusornis feducciai, recently discovered in a fossil-rich ancient dry lakebed in Liaoning Province, northeastern China, "one of the few areas of the world where we have a fairly complete window on the early Cretaceous period," Feduccia says. "It occurred in enormous social flocks in forests around these lakes" and, with two flashy elongated tail feathers, is "larger and more distinctive” than its earlier discovered kin. A study about C. feducciai in the April Journal of Ornithology dedicates the species to Feduccia for his work on the origin and evolution of birds. (UNC photo.)
Posted on March 20, 2009 | SourceZapping Parkinson's►…
Electrical stimulation to the spinal cord instead of the brain may be an effective and less invasive treatment for Parkinson's disease, Duke University Medical Center researchers say today in Science. A stimulator hooked to the spinal cords in mice and rats with depleted dopamine, which causes Parkinson's-like symptoms, helped slow, stiff animals become active within seconds of electricity being applied.
Posted on March 20, 2009 | SourceOvercoming allergies in a nutshell►…
Potentially fatal peanut allergies can be helped by gradual exposure to peanut products, Duke University and Arkansas Children's Hospital researchers reported at the American Academy of Asthma and Immunology meeting in Washington earlier this week. Children the researchers have been following for more than two years have built up a tolerance to peanuts and can eat them safely.
Posted on March 20, 2009 | SourceBrighter ideas for highway lines►…
Lane dividers and other painted-on traffic lines reflect more light when approached from the direction the paint was laid down, North Carolina State University civil engineers report in Public Works Management & Policy. About 60 percent of the nation's roads are marked with paint, which can cost thousands of dollars a mile. The researchers suggest that using evenly reflective plastics and alternative painting methods can save money while helping local and state governments comply with new federal minimum highway-marker brightness standards.
Posted on March 16, 2009 | SourceWhen cheating goes viral►…
Sympathetic observers of cheaters can become cheaters themselves, Duke and University of North Carolina researchers report in Psychological Science. In an experiment, the researchers paid college students for correct math answers. Given the chance to fudge on the tests, they would – if they saw someone they identified with cheat and pocket the money. In the study, participants identified with a pseudo-classmate (a cheating actor) who was wearing a t-shirt with their school's logo. Fewer students cheated when the cheater-actor wore the shirt of a rival college.
Posted on March 16, 2009 | SourceA deadly genetic trifecta►…
When three cancer genes cooperate, tumors thrive, a Duke University team says in the March 9 online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In 91 early lung cancer tumors, the scientists found that the genes known as TTF-1, NKX2-8 and PAX9 "actually work together to provide an environment" that helps cancer cells proliferate, says David Hsu, a Duke medical oncologist who led the study.
Posted on March 11, 2009 | Source'roids rage into old age►…
Football players who use anabolic steroids face a greater risk for injury and illness later in life than those who abstain from these performance-enhancing drugs, University of North Carolina researchers found in a case study of former pros. Steroids led to higher odds of cartilage problems, depression and even attention deficit disorder. Results appear March American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
Posted on March 6, 2009 | SourceImmunity's common cause►…
Immune reactions to viruses and bacteria are triggered by a common cell in blood rather than a rare cell in tissue as previously thought, Duke University scientists report in Nature Immunology. Blood monocytes, not exotic dendritic cells, stimulate microbe-fighting Type 1 helper cells. The finding will inform vaccine and autoimmune therapy development, the researchers say.
Posted on March 4, 2009 | SourceFebruary
- Lung cancer supplements►
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Beta carotene and other carotenoid-containing dietary supplements may increase lung cancer risk, according to a long-term study by University of North Carolina researchers. The study, which compared dietary-supplement survey information for 77,000 Americans over a decade with cancer statistics for the same group, appears in the February American Journal of Epidemiology. Smokers were especially at risk.
Posted on February 28, 2009 | SourceMagnet blossoms►…
Magnet blossoms: Microscopic particles in an iron-laced solution can be guided by magnetism into uniform clusters like these that can be “fixed,” or permanently linked together and made in bulk. The researchers from Duke University and the University of Massachusetts who created the particles say the material could be used as the basic building blocks for advanced optics, cloaking devices, data storage and applications in bioengineering. Their results were published earlier this month in Nature. (Duke image/Benjamin Yellen lab, Pratt School of Engineering.)
Posted on February 27, 2009 | SourceVaccines you can dunk a donut into►…
Acidophilus, the so-called good bacteria found in dairy products, might be an effective vehicle for oral anthrax vaccine and other preventative medicines to hitch a ride on, North Carolina State University researchers report online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. That's because the bacteria can safely pass through the stomach and into the small intestine to deliver a vaccine payload – against anthrax in mice for this study – that binds to cells and triggers a protective immune response.
Posted on February 24, 2009 | SourceDesigner antibiotics►…
Designer antibiotics: Guided by new software, Duke University-led experimentalists were able to sift though all possible conformations of an enzyme that produces a natural antibiotic like the one modeled here. The software employs the algorithm K* (pronounced "K Star"), which allowed the researchers to "redesign enzymes on a computer, make them in the laboratory and have them work as planned," says Duke computational biochemist Bruce Donald. He and colleagues report on their work online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Duke image/Ivelin Georgiev.)
Posted on February 24, 2009 | SourceWhen an imperfect match is good enough►…
Umbilical cord blood transplants from unrelated donors, even from mismatched blood-immunity types, can treat children with cancer, sickle cell anemia and other genetic diseases, Duke University pediatricians told colleagues Friday (Feb. 13) at the American Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation in Tampa, Florida. Transplant candidates from ethnic minorities can have a particularly difficult time finding matching donors.
Posted on February 16, 2009 | SourceCarolina's huge pain in the back►…
The portion of North Carolinians suffering from chronic low back pain has more than doubled to 10 percent since the early 1990s, University of North Carolina researchers report in the Feb. 9 Archives of Internal Medicine. They say our state's trend may be shared by the rest of the country.
Posted on February 10, 2009 | SourceMental illness ā violence►…
Mental illness alone doesn't make anyone more likely to be violent, according to a University of North Carolina survey of move than 30,000 people published in February's Archives of General Psychiatry. But combined with drink and drugs, mental illness increases the risk for violence. A history of violence, recent job loss or divorce are better violence predictors than mental illness.
Posted on February 9, 2009 | SourceA fattening mutation►…
University of North Carolina researchers have discovered a gene mutation that reduces metabolism but not appetite to cause obesity in mice. The study, which appears in the current Nature. opens up the possibility of new obesity treatments.
Posted on February 9, 2009 | SourceCancer's death mask►…
Cancer's death mask: These cells turned grainy-looking after being hit with chemotherapy drugs, so revealed when Duke University bioengineers captured light beams scattering off tumor cells. The technique can help clinicians literally see whether specific cancer drugs are working. “The new technology allowed us to detect the tell-tale signs of apoptosis (death) in human breast cancer cells in as little as 90 minutes,” says Adam Wax, associate professor of biomedical engineering who led the research. “Currently, it can take between six and eight weeks to detect these changes clinically. It appears that this approach has the potential to be helpful in both clinical and laboratory settings.” Wax and colleagues' findings are in the February Cancer Research. (Duke image.)
Posted on February 4, 2009 | SourceWhy we wheeze►…
Ozone pollution can trigger a bodily sugar release that narrows airways and causes wheezing, says a team from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and Duke University. Animals exposed to ozone released a sugar called hyaluronan; certain proteins can keep hyaluronan release in check and reduce wheezing, they say in this week's Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Posted on February 3, 2009 | SourceJanuary
- Heartbeat protein also prevents muscle damage►
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A protein that allows the heart to keep a normal beat also helps muscle cells buttress themselves against the shearing of contraction, Duke University researchers have discovered. Mice without the protein, ankyrin-B, are born with a type of muscular dystrophy. The ankyrin-B study appears in the journal Cell.
Posted on January 27, 2009 | SourceThe backache of desire (or lack thereof)►…
Menopausal and other women with diminished sex drive run a higher risk than other women for sore backs, faulty memory and other symptoms, say researchers University of North Carolina and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals in the journal Value in Health.
Posted on January 25, 2009 | SourceTaste for tobacco a sixth sense►…
Much like taste, nicotine signals the brain's sensory systems by several direct so-called pleasure pathways, Duke University medical researchers report in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Thus, the brain appears to be hard-wired for nicotine addiction.
Posted on January 23, 2009 | SourceNanowired►…
Nanowired: Duke University-led chemists have made semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes, they report in the current edition of Nano Letters. The achievement, they say, will make it possible to manufacture electronic nanocircuits on the billionths-of-a-meter scale. Lead scientist Jie Liu, Jerry G. and Patricia Crawford Hubbard professor of chemistry, called the advance "the holy grail for the field. Every piece is now there, including the control of location, orientation and electronic properties all together. We are positioned to make large numbers of electronic devices such as high-current field-effect transistors and sensors." (Duke electron micrograph.)
Posted on January 22, 2009 | SourceKilling cancer while it sleeps►…
Chemotherapy should hit cancer cells with drugs in the morning, before the cells' DNA repair machinery can fully crank up and counter the drugs' effects, University of North Carolina biologists suggest in a new mouse study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. That's because repair enzyme activity, like other life-essential functions, follows the circadian clock, and cells are generally less resilient to attack early than later.
Posted on January 21, 2009 | SourceThe skins game►…
DNA analysis goes medieval on books: You might call it the Bibliogenome Project. A North Carolina State University scholar-researcher is applying genetics to divine the origins of handwritten medieval books. Timothy Stinson, an N.C. State assistant professor of English, says that extracting and analyzing the DNA contained in parchment, the animal skins on which the books were composed, can render reliable information on a book's time and place of creation. "Dating and localizing manuscripts have historically presented persistent problems," Stinson says, "because they have largely been based on the handwriting and dialect of the scribes who created the manuscripts – techniques that have proven unreliable." A typical medieval book includes the skins of more than 100 animals. Stinson says a medieval-book DNA database he hopes to build will enable "us to trace the trade route of parchments." Stinson will present on this research later this month in New York at the Bibliographical Society of America annual meeting. (N.C. State photo.)
Posted on January 13, 2009 | SourceCholesterol limbo►…
Nearly three-quarters of people hospitalized for a heart attack had cholesterol levels not considered high risk for "a cardiovascular event," according to a new study in American Heart Journal funded by the pharmaceutical industry through the American Heart Association. Duke University and the University of North Carolina participated in the nationwide study, led by UCLA.
Posted on January 12, 2009 | SourceTight timeline for C-sections►…
Caesarean section babies delivered by choice before 39 weeks of pregnancy to mothers who elected C-section previously face higher odds of serious health problems than comparable newborns delivered at 39 weeks, University of North Carolina researchers report in Jan. 8 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The study found a narrow, "optimal" C-section window between 39 and 40 weeks.
Posted on January 9, 2009 | SourceSmoker see, smoker do►…
Brain scans of smokers a day after they've tried to kick the habit show amped up activity when the subjects were shown photographs of others smoking. The same pictures shown to the smokers before they had quit produced no such effect. The study, published by Duke University medical researchers in Psychopharmacology, suggests the high relapse rate of the those who aspire to be smoke-free is related to deep, hard-wired cravings.
Posted on January 5, 2009 | Source2008
December
- Bright as a baby's bottom►
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Bright as a baby's bottom: A finely powdered version of the stuff that lifeguards smear on their noses and that parents slather on rash-stricken baby bottoms can turn invisible ultraviolet light into brilliantly visible white light. The material, zinc oxide, can be combined with sulfur and intense heat (1,000 degrees centigrade) to produce this illuminating effect. The Duke University chemists who came up with the concept have applied to use this method as a light source. (Duke photo.)
Posted on December 30, 2008 | SourceCancer cells have a lotta nerve►…
Nerve cells and cancer cells highjack the same biochemical machinery to knock out a key protein and forestall the body's natural programming for cell death, University of North Carolina researchers report in the current Nature Cell Biology. In nerve cells, this ensures a long and happy life. In cancer, though, destructive cells can proliferate.
Posted on December 17, 2008 | SourceSeniors fumble under pressure►…
Rising blood pressure in adults 60 years and older led to foggy thinking among stressed seniors whose blood pressure was already jacked up, says a North Carolina State University study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. The results suggest that high-blood-pressure seniors may have trouble finding solutions when confronted with unfamiliar information.
Posted on December 17, 2008 | SourceBirds and other talented landscape artists►…
Knowing how wind and birds and plants themselves spread seeds will allow managers of "landscape corridors," or strips of flora that link habitats, to predict the proliferation rate of different plant species in the corridors, North Carolina State researchers report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Feathered air travel works quickest for those species that can hitch a ride, but corridors also proved efficient for the wind-blown and self-deposited.
Posted on December 9, 2008 | SourceFurther truth about cats and dogs►…
When pursuing prey, dogs are all business and cats, well, they do their own thing, say Duke University researchers in the Public Library of Science. Their observation, that dogs have perfected an exertion-conserving four-paw running style whereas cats expend a lot of energy sneaking up on birds and rodents, puts an asterisk on the old saw that evolution always favors efficiency.
Posted on December 9, 2008 | SourceJolly old elf as benevolent Big Brother►…
He knows when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows when you've been bad or good. How, for goodness sake? Saint Nick, says North Carolina State University mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Larry Silverberg, borrows cell phone and EKGs technologies to read minds and wish lists. You'd best not shout or pout: A signal-processing system filters data to aid distribution and sorts naughty from nice. A GPS-equpped sleigh directs Santa to most efficient delivery route. And Santa taps a "relativity cloud," akin to a spacetime-continuum jet stream. This explains how he can cover 200 million square miles and make 80 million stops in a single night.
Posted on December 8, 2008 | SourceToxic avengers►…
Scientists and regulators can predict where fish with high mercury levels live, thanks to a computer model devised by a team from North Carolina State University. The model will help officials issue health advisories for specific water bodies and fish species.
Posted on December 5, 2008 | SourceThe truth about cats and dogs►…
Tick-borne bacteria may numb the minds of people who hang out with animals, including dogs and cats, exposed to the arthropods. Collaborators from North Carolina State, Duke and the Centers for Disease Control found one or more strains of the Bartonella (which causes cat-scratch fever) in blood of six patients suffering from migraines, seizures, memory loss, disorientation and weakness. The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
Posted on December 5, 2008 | SourceThe magnetic tug of home►…
The magnetic tug of home: Salmon and sea turtles find their way home through thousands of miles of ocean by recording their birthplace's magnetic field in their young-animal brains, University of North Carolina marine biologists propose in the latest Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Earth's magnetic field varies from place to place, giving each location a "magnetic signature" that long-distance swimmers literally home in on, the researchers argue. "We hope that the paper will inspire discussion among scientists and eventually lead to a way of testing the idea," says Kenneth Lohmann, UNC biology professor and the study's lead author. (UNC photo.)
Posted on December 4, 2008 | SourceNovember
- Tiny three-star generals►
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Molecular three-star generals: Molecular regulators that guide bacterial-protein binding of DNA could be disrupted by new drugs to scramble a bacteria's ability to cause disease, suggests a North Carolina State study published in the journal Structure. Investigators liken the "transition state regulators" (here seen in gold, binding to DNA with Bacillus spores in the background) to protein generals that look alike but wiggle differently to give function-specific orders that keep the bacterial army working properly. (N.C. State image.)
Posted on November 28, 2008 | SourceA hoof-step toward swine-free heparin►…
Scientists at the University of North Carolina have learned to customize a key human enzyme responsible for producing heparin, opening the door to producing a synthetic form of the widely used blood-thinner. Heparin now comes from pig intestines; drug from tainted pigs has been in the news for killing scores of patients worldwide. The UNC study appears in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Posted on November 28, 2008 | SourceFrom 'doo-doo ball' to living fossil►…
Marine biologists at Duke University and elsewhere have discovered what they at first called "doo-doo balls" are actually one-inch single-celled creatures that may be living cousins to blobs that left similar trails in sea mud 530 million years ago. Dubbed the Bahamian Gromia, they roll themselves across the ocean bottom like marbles in slow motion, covering an inch or less a day.
Posted on November 26, 2008 | SourceScaling moist heights►…
Scaling moist heights: Sirajo goby, or olivo, is a Puerto Rico stream fish with suction-cup pelvic fins that allow it to climb cascades, waterfalls and other wet obstacles. The fish was part of the first comprehensive survey of the island's freshwater fish species. The study, presented recently at a scientific meeting, was led by N.C. State's Thomas Kwak. "Many of these fish are very charismatic – they are unique and really worthy of conservation," Kwak says. He considers the survey "a huge first step in conserving and protecting these fish and their habitat." (Photo: Patrick Cooney, N.C. State.)
Posted on November 18, 2008 | SourceLife takes a 2.3 billion year shortcut►…
University of North Carolina biologists have identified an enzyme in cells that triggers an instantaneous chemical reaction that, absent the enzyme, would take 2.3 billion years to otherwise occur in nature. Biological reactions that constitute life depend on enzymes. The enzyme in this study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, concocts hemoglobin in animals and chlorophyll in plants.
Posted on November 11, 2008 | SourceNot-so-insane in the tiny-holed membrane►…
Tiny holes in "nanoporous ceramic membranes" may lead to new a new class of blood glucose sensors for diabetics, blood-impurity scrubbers for dialysis patients and other implantable medical devices, a North Carolina State/University of North Carolina team reports in the journal Biomedical Materials. The properties of this new material prevent buildup of proteins from human-host tissues and may forestall immune response and rejection.
Posted on November 11, 2008 | SourceOctober
- Totable tokes:►
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Totable tokes: The first migrants to the Caribbean toted drug paraphernalia from South America passed down from generation to generation as the colonists moved through the islands, show new lab tests on artifacts. The artifacts, ancient “heirloom” ceramic bowls used for inhaling hallucinogenic concoctions, were left by the people who colonized the islands about 1,600 years ago. The new analysis employed a dating method called luminescence, which applies heat to a substance to give off light that yields a record of past heating. The technique revealed dates that preceded Caribbean colonization, in this case on the West Indies island of Carriacou, by 500 to 800 years (as early as 400 B.C.), suggesting the inhaling bowls were ancient imports even at the time. North Carolina State University anthropologist Scott Fitzpatrick led the study, published in Journal of Archaeological Science. (Island photo: N.C. State.)
Posted on October 23, 2008 | SourceSeeing a brain's first sight►…
An advanced imaging system that tracks electrical activity inside brain cells has enabled Duke University researchers to observe an infant mammal brain as its owner, a one-month-old ferret, opened its eyes for the first time and saw moving objects. It is the first time anyone has seen how a brand new brain organizes information about seeing motion, the group says in Nature.
Posted on October 23, 2008 | SourceDuke to lung cancer: Cut it out, often►…
Hospitals whose surgeons frequently remove lung cancer rank higher for patient survival than hospitals that don’t do the procedure as much, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center. They suggest lung cancer patients select hospitals that do a high volume of these surgeries. The results appear online in Cancer Therapy and will be published in the December issue.
Posted on October 23, 2008 | SourceCancer's new meat thermometer►…
Temperature changes inside the body can be measured more accurately by MRI, magnetic resonance imaging, than ever before, Duke University and Princeton University researchers report in Science. The new method can pinpoint positions of hydrogen atoms in water (which heat up) relative to those in fat (which don't). Measuring temperature inside cells is crucial in hyperthermic, or heat-based, cancer therapy.
Posted on October 20, 2008 | SourceEye-popping leaf-peeping outlook►…
Eye-popping leaf-peeping outlook: North Carolina forests got enough rain when they needed it this summer, ensuring more intense colors than last fall's drought-dulled canopy, says North Carolina State University's Robert Bardon, associate professor of forestry and extension forestry specialist. More rainfall this fall will keep soil moist and extend leaf longevity, he says. (N.C. State photo.)
Posted on October 16, 2008 | SourceLest they forget, seniors need sleep►…
African-Americans over age 65 who have trouble falling asleep are at higher risk of having memory problems than others, say North Carolina State University and Duke University researchers. Their study, coming out in the November Research on Aging, suggests that treating elderly sleep problems can help preserve mental function.
Posted on October 15, 2008 | SourceA flash in the (brain) pan►…
A moving airplane's blinking light registers in a viewer's brain as trailing the plane. This and other instances of the "flash lag effect" open a window to how our retinas lie to us about moving objects, suggest perceptual experiments described by Duke University neuroscientists online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The good news: The flash lag is a vestige of the mind's evolution to overcome, by trial and error, the eye's limitations, allowing us to navigate in an otherwise nonsensical world.
Posted on October 14, 2008 | SourceMove over, morphine►…
It's the mother lode of pain: a protein that relieves pain eight times more effectively than morphine, according to a University of North Carolina team and colleagues from the University of Helsinki. The researchers spell out this week in the journal Neuron how the protein known mainly for diagnosing prostate cancer, PAP, can also be used to block nerves from sensing pain in mice, for up to three days with a single injection.
Posted on October 10, 2008 | SourceA killer's bloody fingerprint►…
Diagnosis of coronary artery disease, or CAD, may now be possible through blood tests, Duke University Medical Center scientists report in the new journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. The Duke group and its collaborators at a California company, CardioDx, identified genes in the blood associated with CAD, the leading cause of U.S. deaths.
Posted on October 10, 2008 | SourceCarbon nanostraws►…
Carbon nanotubes, tiny graphite fibers that make a hair look like an old-growth tree trunk, can be tuned to "like" water and to control its transport through the tubes, University of North Carolina researchers report in the current Science. Normally, water molecules bead up on nanocarbon. But by cooling it just a few degrees centigrade, the water becomes less sticky and can flow inside the tubes. The process may be akin to that of nano-water in controling the protein folding that enables cells to function.
Posted on October 3, 2008 | SourceSeptember
- Nature trumps nurture in stress test►
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Genetic stress responses in infants can be modified through good parenting, a University of North Carolina study suggests in the current issue of the journal Child Development. The researchers studied 142 infants and found that gene-associated heart-rate responses to stress were mutable depending on a mother's sensitivity during play. Unchecked stress may lead to bad behavior later in life.
Posted on September 29, 2008 | SourceA new molecular off switch for cancer►…
A molecule that shuts off cancer-promoting genes may lead to a new way for nipping tumors in the bud, North Carolina State University scientists and their partners at the Wistar Institute report in the German journal Angewandte Chemie. The team tested 1,200 separate compounds to find one with a molecule that decreased by 80 percent the gene-regulaing molecule miRNA-21, linked to more than half of all brain tumors.
Posted on September 26, 2008 | SourceFake popups a window into gullibility►…
Most Internet users can't tell real warnings that pop up on their screens from fake ones that can contain harmful downloads, according to a North Carolina State University study in the current Proceedings of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Despite being warned in advance they'd see some false popups, student subjects presented with a window would click the message box's "OK" button 63 percent of the time.
Posted on September 24, 2008 | SourceSmallest complex-critter genome so far►…
Smallest complex-critter genome so far: North Carolina State University scientists and colleagues have mapped the genome of the northern root-knot nematode, the smallest multicellular animal genome completely sequenced to date. The nematode, seen here as stained red and moving through a root, causes $50 billion in crop damage a year. Researchers hope the genome can point them to ecologically friendly ways to control the parasitic worm. The achievement appears online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The University of California, Davis; the University of California, Berkeley; and the Joint Genome Institute collaborated on the study. (N.C. State image.)
Posted on September 23, 2008 | SourceBobbing for barcodes, sensors►…
When heated just right, certain organic nanoparticles will bob to the surface of a thin film, then sink into the film when reheated. This action could lead to reusable barcodes and sensors that react to heat and specific chemicals, say the North Carolina State University engineers who discovered the phenomenon and write about it in the journal Nano Letters.
Posted on September 23, 2008 | SourceBonus good news for the polyp-free►…
People whose colons are polyp free on their initial screen face little risk of getting colon cancer in the five years that follow, says a University of North Carolina School of Medicine study just published in The New England Journal of Medicine. For this low-risk group, a followup colonoscopy before five years is unnecessary.
Posted on September 23, 2008 | SourceWorm turns in nerve-immune system mystery►…
How can stress and other insults to the nervous system overwhelm the immune system and bring on sickness? Duke University Medical Center scientists, reporting in Science, suggest an answer in their discovery of a nerve-immune system link in C. elegans, that lab-rat-of-a-roundworm and a human-genetic surrogate. When they crippled worm-cells' ability dampen the signals that amp up the immune system, nerve cells muted the immune response. This left worms open to infection.
Posted on September 19, 2008 | SourceYou are, wheeze, what your mother eats►…
If you're an asthmatic mouse, say National Jewish Health investigators in Denver working with the Duke University Medical Center. Pregnant mice with diets high in chemicals called methyl groups (folic acid is a familiar one) have offspring with severe "allergic airway disease," according to a study online now to appear in October's Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Posted on September 18, 2008 | SourceInsulin from skin? No sweat►…
Cells destined to become skin can be rewired to secrete insulin, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine describe how they do it in the current online