EurekAlert! - Breaking NewsThe premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.Genome communication- June 27, 2008 The exact mechanisms of how genes talk to other genes and change their behavior are being investigated, and recent results suggest that these processes could be important in engineering plants responsive to a variety of environmental conditions. Dr. Vicki Chandler and her colleagues have studied paramutations in maize and other plants and have identified some of the genes and mechanisms that operate in this epigenetic process.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/asop-gc062308.php Early origins of maize in Mexico- June 27, 2008 Now, in addition to more traditional macrobotanical and archeological remains, scientists are using new genetic and microbotanical techniques to distinguish domesticated maize from its wild relatives as well as to identify ancient sites of maize agriculture.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/asop-eoo062308.php UCSB professor's paper on safety of large hadron collider to be published in Physical Review D- June 27, 2008 UC Santa Barbara Physics Professor Steve Giddings has co-authored a paper, "Astrophysical implications of hypothetical stable Te V-scale black holes," that will be published in an upcoming edition of the peer-reviewed journal Physical Review D, documenting his study of the safety of microscopic black holes that might possibly be produced by the Large Hadron Collider.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/uoc--upp062708.php Caphosol favorably impacts both the rate and severity of oral mucositis in cancer patients- June 27, 2008 New data show that use of CAPHOSOL (R), an advanced oral electrolyte solution, resulted in both favorable impact on rates and severity of oral mucositis in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/e-cfi062708.php MIT probe may help untangle cells' signaling pathways- June 27, 2008 MIT researchers have designed a new type of probe that can image thousands of interactions between proteins inside a living cell, giving them a tool to untangle the web of signaling pathways that control most of a cells' activities.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/miot-mpm062708.php McGill researchers overcome chemotherapy resistance in the lab- June 27, 2008 Researchers from McGill University's faculty of medicine have discovered a compound that reduces resistance to chemotherapy agents used to treat cancer. Their results were published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/mu-mro062708.php Brown researchers create mercury-absorbent container linings for broken CFLs- June 27, 2008 Brown University researchers have discovered a nanomaterial that can absorb the mercury emitted from a broken compact fluorescent lamp. The researchers, led by Robert Hurt, professor of engineering, and engineering student Natalie Johnson, have created a mercury-absorbent container lining that can be used commercially. The packaging invention, for which Brown has applied for federal patents, would relieve a major concern with CFL use and comes as CFL sales are projected to skyrocket.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/bu-brc062708.php Unravelling the 'inconvenient truth' of glacier movement- June 27, 2008 Predicting climate change depends on many factors not properly included in current forecasting models, such as how the major polar ice caps will move in the event of melting around their edges. This in turn requires greater understanding of the processes at work when ice is under stress, influencing how it flows and moves.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/esf-ut062708.php Cluster listens to the sounds of Earth- June 27, 2008 The first thing an alien race is likely to hear from Earth is chirps and whistles, a bit like R2-D2, the robot from Star Wars. In reality, they are the sounds that accompany the aurora. Now ESA's Cluster mission is showing scientists how to understand this emission and, in the future, search for alien worlds by listening for their sounds.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/esa-clt062708.php Climate change causing significant shift in composition of coastal fish communities- June 27, 2008 A detailed analysis of data from nearly 50 years of weekly fish-trawl surveys in Narragansett Bay and adjacent Rhode Island Sound has revealed a long-term shift in species composition, which scientists attribute primarily to the effects of global warming.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/uori-ccc062508.php |