EurekAlert! - Breaking NewsThe premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.Geologists push back date basins formed, supporting frozen Earth theory- July 3, 2008 Even in geology, it's not often a date gets revised by 500 million years. But University of Florida geologists say they have found strong evidence that a half-dozen major basins in India were formed a billion or more years ago, making them at least 500 million years older than commonly thought.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/uof-gpb070308.php New study points to agriculture in frog sexual abnormalities- July 3, 2008 A farm irrigation canal would seem a healthier place for toads than a ditch by a supermarket parking lot.But University of Florida scientists have found the opposite is true. In a study with wide implications for a longstanding debate over whether agricultural chemicals pose a threat to amphibians, UF zoologists have found that toads in suburban areas are less likely to suffer from reproductive system abnormalities than toads near farms -- where some had both testes and ovarieshttp://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/uof-nsp070308.php Species have come and gone at different rates than previously believed- July 3, 2008 Diversity among the ancestors of such marine creatures as clams, sand dollars and lobsters showed only a modest rise beginning 144 million years ago with no clear trend afterwards, according to an international team of researchers. This contradicts previous work showing dramatic increases beginning 248 million years ago and may shed light on future diversity.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/nsf-shc070308.php AGU Journal Highlights -- July 3, 2008- July 3, 2008 In this issue: "Carbon enters deep Arctic Ocean mainly from continent edges"; "Magnetic patterns around Venus revealed"; "How porous, organism-rich layers form in Antarctic sea ice"; "Cold plasma plumes help generate aurora"; "Sea current near Norway gets cooled in Arctic"; "Rock type may influence hill steepness and landslide frequency"; and "Permafrost risk from rapid melt of Arctic sea ice."http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/agu-ajh070308.php Volcanic activity shaped Mercury after all- July 3, 2008 A research team led by Brown University planetary geologist James Head has determined that volcanism played a central role in forming Mercury's surface. The evidence of volcanic activity lends important insights into Mercury's geologic history and appears in a special section describing the MESSENGER mission's recent flyby of Mercury in the July 4 issue of Science.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/bu-vas070308.php UCLA researchers clarify function of glucose transport molecule- July 3, 2008 UCLA scientists have solved the structure of a class of proteins known as sodium glucose co-transporters, which pump glucose into cells. The solution of the SGLT structure will accelerate development of new drugs designed to treat patients with diabetes and cancer. The journal Science publishes the findings.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/uoc--urc070308.php Stem cells from umbilical cord used in the treatment of hepatic diseases- July 3, 2008 Researchers of the University of Granada and the University of Len (Spain) have proved that human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells can be an effective alternative to bone marrow. This work, accepted to be published by the journal Cell Transplantation, means a significant advance in regenerative hepatic medicine.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/udg-scf070308.php |