science wire

Atherosclerotic disease heredity mapped
21 May 2013 Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have mapped the significance of heredity for common forms of atherosclerotic disease.

Heading up
Astronaut training Related articles Services Calendar 21 May 2013 ESA astronaut Timothy Peake and UK prime minister David Cameron at the office of the pr

Gold for Nottingham at Chelsea
Nottingham academics have won a Gold Medal at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

New data from the Novartis chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) portfolio
New data reinforces strength of Novartis once-daily COPD portfolio in improving lung function, shortness of breath and reducing rate of exacerbations BLAZE study showed once-daily QVA149 significantly improved patient self-reported shortness of breath and lung function compared to placebo and tiotropium 18 mc g SPARK results showed that QVA149 significantly reduced rate of all exacerbations compared to glycopyrronium 50 mcg a

Neuroscience meets robotics in stroke rehab
Etienne Burdet (Bioengineering) integrates neuroscience and robotics to develop assistive devices, particularly for people who have suffered a stroke.

The un-Limited Edition
Emerging new digital editions at Cambridge are effecting a sea-change in the nature of the scholarly edition, radicalising access to vital source materials and opening up new possibilities for research.

BBC broadcaster gives media tips to Sussex psychologists
BBC broadcaster gives media tips to Sussex psychologists BBC broadcaster and Sussex alumna Claudia Hammond gave invaluable media tips to psychology students and researchers when she paid a return visit to campus on Friday (17 May) and met up with some of her former tutors.

University of Glasgow academic wins prestigious entrepreneurship award
A simple 30-minute test for infections could revolutionise the detection and treatment of common diseases, including chlamydia, gonorrhoea and malaria, thanks to a new device developed by a Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow's Division of Biomedical Engineering.

Research suggests modular design competence can benefit new product development
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A new research study suggests that supplier integration into the new product development process can be more beneficial if buyers increase their competency in modular design. Penn State Smeal College of Business faculty member Veronica H. Villena and her colleague Fabrizio Salvador of the IE Business School in Madrid examined the ways modular design competence can mitigate costs and challenges associated with supplier integration while making best use of the benefits.

Alcohol sales fall due to ban on multi-buy promotions
A report published today shows a 2.6% decrease in the amount of alcohol sold per adult in Scotland in the year following the introduction of the Alcohol etc.

Moonrise
21 May 2013 The Moon rises above clouds blanketing the Pacific Ocean in this image taken by ESA's Rosetta spacecraft during its first flyby of Earth eight years ago.

U-M Water Center awards $570K in Great Lakes restoration grants
Jim Erickson, U-M News Service, (734) 647-1842, ericksn [a] umich (p) edu, Jennifer Read, U-M Water Center, (734) 769-8898, jenread [a] umichg (p) edu ANN ARBOR-The new University of Michiga

Shedding light on forests
By using advanced imaging technology, scientists are able to map on an unprecedentedly large scale - and in remarkably accurate detail - what is happening to these precious resources worldwide. 

Parents should be allowed to make informed choices over infant bed-sharing, says child sleep expert
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Women with advanced breast cancer feel left out of the breast cancer movement
Largest-ever global survey of 1,273 women in 12 countries reveals women with advanced breast cancer feel left out of the breast cancer movement.

Crash risk among young drivers linked to less sleep
Young drivers who do not sleep enough are at significant risk of having a car crash, according to a new study published today in JAMA Paediatrics by University-affiliate the George Institute for Global Health.

Big miners’ community engagement doing more harm than good?
The corporate social responsibility programs of big mining companies in remote towns are often disconnected from community needs, reactive and ad hoc.

Discovery of a novel medicine for the treatment of chronic wounds
Every 20 seconds, a limb is lost as a consequence of diabetic foot ulcer that does not heal. To date, medical solutions that can change this situation are very limited.

Penn Medicine Study Raises Questions About Added Costs and Physician Resources
With little evidence to guide them, many hospital intensive care units (ICUs) have been employing critical care physicians at night with the notion it would improve patients' outcomes.

Salil Vadhan named Simons Investigator
Award offers computer scientist a 5-year appointment with $100,000 of research support per year The Simons Foundation has appointed Salil Vadhan , Vicky Joseph Professor of Computer Science an

Vigorous athletic activity is safe with implanted arrhythmia devices
There has long been concern that people with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) should not participate in any kind of strenuous sports activity for fear that their devices could fail.

Sarah Thomas to lead Harvard Library
Dr Sarah Thomas, Bodley's Librarian, has been appointed Vice President for the Harvard Library, taking up the post this summer.

No-treatment approach may be best choice for older prostate cancer patients
Older prostate cancer patients with other underlying health conditions should think twice before committing to surgery or radiation therapy for their cancer, according to a multi-center study led by researchers from the UCLA Department of Urology. The study reports 14-year survival outcomes for 3,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1994 and 1995.

Amazon River exhales virtually all carbon taken up by rain forest
The Amazon rain forest, popularly known as the lungs of the planet, inhales carbon dioxide as it exudes oxygen. Plants use carbon dioxide from the air to grow parts that eventually fall to the ground to decompose or get washed away by the region's plentiful rainfall. Until recently people believed much of the rain forest's carbon floated down the Amazon River and ended up deep in the ocean.

Stanford physicists develop revolutionary low-power polariton laser
Stanford physicists have created a new method of producing coherent matter beams. The new laser system would use a hundredth the power of conventional lasers and could one day be used in many places from consumer goods to quantum computers. Lasers are an unseen backbone of modern society. They're integral to technologies ranging from high-speed Internet services to Blu-ray players.

The Golden Gate returns to Stanford May 30
Stanford celebrates a remarkable collaboration: Vikram Seth's sonnets become sound in Conrad Cummings' opera, which has been called one of the best of the new century.

New £23m research unit will use advances in genetics to help reduce risk of disease
A new £23million research unit is announced today, that will exploit the latest advances in genetics to improve understanding of how changes to lifestyle or environment, as well as pharmacological interventions, can reduce the risk of disease.

South African crime-fiction wave hits Cambridge
Amid high-profile, real-life murder investigations and growing concerns about public safety, a new breed of crime fiction is sweeping South Africa, as one of its leading writers will tell the University of Cambridge this week.

Brazil ’still not a priority’ in the eyes of the media
Brazil ‘still not a priority' in the eyes of the media With nearly a year to go until the start of the 2014 World Cup, King's Brazil Institute hosted a panel discussion last night on the changing global perceptions of Brazil and the country's image in the eyes of the media.

Studying the unseen activity in bacteria chatter and a nation's bereavement
  Princeton University senior Sofia Quinodoz took on two theses that in essence pertain to unseen and not fully understood actions nonetheless felt by those they afflict.

Postcard: Dr Iain Jackson in India
Gathering stones from riverbeds surrounding the Indian city of Chandigarh in 1958, Nek Chand, a local road inspector, began to build what is now the country's second most popular tourist destination after the Taj Mahal.

New Doctor of Physical Therapy Learned Benefits of Program Long Before Graduation
Nashwa Khalil knew the benefits of physical therapy long before she enrolled in the doctor of physical therapy program at Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Global warming continues; most extreme projections 'less likely'
A new study led by Oxford University concludes that the latest observations of the climate system's response to rising greenhouse gas levels are consistent with conventional estimates of the long-term ‘climate sensitivity', despite a “warming pause” over the past decade.

Experts advocate for stronger measures to protect trees and other plants from pests and pathogens
Ash dieback, caused by the Chalara fungus, prompts re-evaluation of current protocols to protect UK trees and other plants; taskforce recommends threats to plant health be taken as seriously as animal disease The UK needs to be better prepared for threats to plant health.

Tim Peake to ISS
20 May 2013 ESA's Director General, Jean-Jacques Dordain, announced today that the ISS Multilateral Crew Operations Panel has decided on Friday, 17 May to accept his proposal to fly astronaut Timothy Peake to the International Space Station in 2015.

Space drives e-mobility
20 May 2013 An ESA business incubation start-up company is helping major car manufacturers to develop electric vehicle concepts and improve safety systems by turning ideas quickly into virtual prototypes.

Global warming continues but most extreme projections ’less likely’
Observations of the climate's response to rising greenhouse gas levels are consistent with conventional estimates of long-term 'climate sensitivity', despite a "warming pause" over the past decade.

Labor, Coalition are "failing" in Asia: Woolcott
Event Details: WHAT: Richard Woolcott AC presents " Indonesia and Australia in the Asian Century" WHEN: 6.30pm, Tuesday 21 May 2013 WHERE: GM15, Melbourne Law School, 185 Pelham Street, Car

BBC Radio 3 announces new broadcasting star
Fern Riddell, a PhD student in the Department of History, has been selected to take part in BBC Radio 3's New Generation Thinkers scheme for 2013.

Novartis drug Afinitor significantly extended time without disease progression in women with HER2 positive advanced breast cancer
Everolimus plus trastuzumab and vinorelbine met primary endpoint of extending PFS compared to placebo plus trastuzumab and vinorelbine after prior therapy Results of Phase III trial, BOLERO-3,

Latest news on planned strike by patient-care workers unions at UC, UCLA
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union, which represents more than 12,500 University of California patient care employees, has asked its members to strike at UC medical centers May 21–22.

Getting to the bottom of how oceans breathe
UAlberta researcher receives $5M to study how carbon dioxide moves from the surface to the floor of the Labrador Sea.

Imperial physicists share in prize for masterminding Higgs boson detector
Two Imperial physicists have been praised as particle detector masterminds, following last year's discovery of a Higgs boson at CERN.

Engineers’ new nanoscavenger purifies water, gets retrieved by magnet
A new nanoparticle developed by Stanford engineers offers promising advancement in the way water is purified.

Professor Steve Williams elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences
Professor Williams is the founding Director of the Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, a collaboration between King's and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM).

Proba-V opens its eyes
17 May 2013 Earth watcher Proba-V is in good health following its launch last week. The Vegetation imager has been switched on and the first image has been captured over western France.

Youth bullying because of perceived sexual orientation widespread and damaging
Bullying because of perceived sexual orientation is widely prevalent among school-aged youths, according to a study led by Dr. Donald Patrick, professor of health services at the UW School of Public Health.  The study was published online May 16 in the American Journal of Public Health. The research team analyzed responses collected in 2010 from more than 24,000 youths in a Washington state survey conducted in public school grades eight through 12.

Good progress for integrated care pilot
A report evaluating a new scheme designed to deliver more integrated care to patients in North West London has been published today. The Inner North West London Integrated Care Pilot is a large-scale programme focused on developing new models of care planning and coordination for people with diabetes and those who are over 75 years of age.

Gene modification technology developed at University of Minnesota and Iowa State University receives patents
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/17/2013) —The USPTO has issued two patents for technology developed jointly by researchers at the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University that allows scientists to modify genes to create specific traits. The patents (US 8,440,431 and US 8,440,432) were issued on May 14, 2013 and are based on TAL effector nucleases that "read" DNA and make pinpoint cuts in targeted genes.

U-M experts available to discuss Canadian earthquake felt in Michigan today
ANN ARBOR-Earthquakes Canada reported that a magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurred at 9:43 a.m. ET today northwest of Ottawa, Canada, and was followed 10 minutes later by an aftershock of magnitude 4.1.

Playing doctor in the digital age
Computer game uses real hospital situations to teach medical students the importance of communicating as a team.

Grassroots women’s groups could halve maternal death rate
Women's groups can dramatically reduce the number of maternal and newborn deaths in some of the world's poorest communities, according to a new meta-analysis published in The Lancet .

Penn Medicine Study Suggests New Role for ECMO in Treating Patients With Cardiac Arrest
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a procedure traditionally used during cardiac surgeries and in the ICU that functions as an artificial replacement for a patient's heart and lungs, has also been used to resuscitate cardiac arrest victims in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. Now, a novel study of this technique in the U.S. has been completed by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania , indicating a potential role for this intervention to save patients who are unable to be resuscitated through conventional measures.

Female conversion to Islam in Britain examined in unique research project
A ground-breaking report examining the experiences of nearly 50 British women of all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds and faiths (or no faith) - who have all converted to Islam - was launched in London yesterday by the University of Cambridge.

Major motion pictures from our prehistoric past
Cambridge archaeologists are illuminating some of the oldest graphic art of the past, by applying some of the most advanced graphic technology of the present.

Salt consumption in India: the need for data to initiate population-based prevention efforts
International researchers are studying the salt intake of Indian adults to provide vital new data to aid the development of a national salt reduction strategy. Scientists from the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), the University of Birmingham, Imperial College London and the University of Sydney are carrying out an assessment of dietary salt intake among 1,400 adults over 24 years in urban Delhi and rural Haryana.

Global health policy fails to address burden of disease on men
Men experience a higher burden of disease and lower life expectancy than women, but policies focusing on the health needs of men are notably absent from the strategies of global health organisations, according to a Viewpoint article in this week's Lancet .

Views of the landscape
In a talk on Monday (20 May 2013) Dr Simon Nightingale will explore how painterly interpretations of the countryside were embedded into the literature of agricultural improvement in a way that might s

Single-pixel power: scientists make 3D images without a camera
Physicists have found a way to make sophisticated 3D images without using conventional digital cameras. http://itunes.gla.ac.uk/web/news/video/3DCI_MattEdit.mp4 Their system uses simple, cheap detectors which have just a single pixel to sense light instead of the millions of pixels used in the imaging sensors of digital cameras.

More Sub-Saharan Africans Living Longer but With Limited Function
The number of adults living beyond age 45 in sub-Saharan Africa is rapidly expanding, yet many of these older men and women experience physical illnesses and disabilities that limit their ability to function, according to a study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and in Malawi.

In a bowl of breakfast cereal, principles of attraction on display
Andong He saw a phenomenon at work in his breakfast bowl that he couldn't explain. It prompted this question: How does cereal shape influence the way cereals floating in the milk join?

Strong standards for school snacks increase lunches and revenue
Schools that implement strong nutrition standards for snacks sold at school increase student meal participation and school revenue, according to a study by the Yale Rudd Center and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Mathematicians Analyze Social Divisions Using Cell Phone Data
Differences divide us. Human society fractures along lines defined by politics, religion, ethnicity, and perhaps most fundamentally, language. Although these differences contribute to the great variety of human lives, the partitions they create can lead to conflict and strife, impeding efforts toward social justice and economic development.

Viking jewellery sheds light on dark period of British history
The presence of Scandinavian-style female jewellery in Britain has overturned the idea that the Viking conquest of England was an all-male affair, suggesting that in fact large numbers of women travelled over from the Scandinavian homelands.

First new Galileo satellite arrives at ESA for space testing
16 May 2013 The first satellite of Galileo's next phase has arrived at ESA's technical heart in the Netherlands for a rigorous set of tests to check its readiness for launch.

Yale Cancer Center carves new path in immunotherapy
Cancer immunotherapy is showing promise in treating patients with a variety of advanced, metastatic tumors, as evidenced by two newly unveiled studies from Yale Cancer Center. The research will be formally presented at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, but abstracts were made public by ASCO in advance of the meeting.

Preventive mastectomy: understanding Angelina Jolie's decision
Actress Angelina Jolie's revelation that she has undergone a preventive mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer is all over the news, drawing attention to mutations in genes BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 that dramatically elevate some women's risk for the disease.

Royal Navy Officer Becomes Journalist
Aboard the frigate HMS Argyll, Christopher Harress (JRN'13) reported on humanitarian efforts in Sierra Leone and two major drug busts in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Kids, especially boys, perceive sadness of depressed parents
ANN ARBOR-Children of depressed parents pick up on their parents' sadness-whether mom or dad realizes their mood or not. A new University of Michigan study indicates that children who have at least one parent suffering from depression are very skilled at picking up on facial cues. Boys living in this environment are highly sensitive to facial expressions of sadness, said Nestor Lopez-Duran, assistant professor of psychology and one the study's authors.

Next destination: space
16 May 2013 ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano left for Baikonur, Kazakhstan today, his last stop before heading to the International Space Station on 28 May.

King’s Russia Institute expands with new staff
King's Russia Institute expands with three new research staff The King's Russia Institute is delighted to announce the appointment of three new senior lecturer Dr Marc Berenson, Dr Gulnaz Sharaf

Beautiful "flowers" self-assemble in a beaker
: Caroline Perry , (617) 496-1351 These false-color SEM images reveal microscopic flower structures created by manipulating a chemical gradient to control crystalline self-assembly.

Bach to the blues,our emotions match music to colors
Whether we're listening to Bach or the blues, our brains are wired to make music-color connections depending on how the melodies make us feel, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

U-M anthropologist named 2013 National Geographic Emerging Explorer
Vivianne Schnitzer, U-M News Service, (734) 763-0368, vsh [a] umich (p) edu or Caroline Braun, National Geographic, (202) 862-8281, cbraun [a] ngs (p) org ANN ARBOR-Jason De León, assistant

Artificial Forest for Solar Water-Splitting
In the wake of the sobering news that atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at its highest level in at least three million years, an important advance in the race to develop carbon-neutral renewable energy sources has been achieved.

Nanotechnology could help fight diabetes
Injectable nanogel can monitor blood-sugar levels and secrete insulin when needed. Injectable nanoparticles developed at MIT may someday eliminate the need for patients with Type 1 diabetes to constantly monitor their blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin. The nanoparticles were designed to sense glucose levels in the body and respond by secreting the appropriate amount of insulin, thereby replacing the function of pancreatic islet cells, which are destroyed in patients with Type 1 diabetes.

Trust in the use of statistics remains low
In light of the UK Statistics Authority's criticism of the Department of Work and Pensions use of figures on welfare benefits, the misrepresentation of statistics is back in the spotlight.

Invasive Crazy Ants Are Displacing Fire Ants, Researchers Find
AUSTIN, Texas — Invasive "crazy ants" are displacing fire ants in areas across the southeastern United States, according to researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

Actor Johnny Depp immortalised in ancient fossil find
A scientist has discovered an ancient extinct creature with scissor hand-like claws in fossil records and named it in honour of movie star. The 505 million year old fossil called Kooteninchela deppi (pronounced Koo-ten-ee-che-la depp-eye), which is a distant ancestor of lobsters and scorpions, was named after the actor Johnny Depp for his starring role as Edward Scissorhands - a movie about an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands.

What is English?
English speakers who are 18 or under use the word 'like' in conversation over five times as often as speakers who are over 70; 'because' is the most misspelled English word globally; the word 'love' is said and written over six times more frequently than the word 'hate'.

Penn Medicine Reveals New Potential Therapy for Advanced Cancers
In the largest clinical trial to date to examine the efficacy of PARP inhibitor therapy in BRCA 1/2 carriers with diseases other than breast and ovarian cancer, the oral drug olaparib was found to be effective against advanced pancreatic and prostate cancers. Results of the study, led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel, will be presented during the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Chicago in early June (Abstract #11024).

Cuatro Corridos: New Chamber Opera Takes Look at Issue of Sex Trafficking Along Border
"Cuatro Corridos," the new chamber opera by UC San Diego soprano Susan Narucki and Mexican author Jorge Volpi, earned rave reviews for its May 8 premiere on campus.

Viewpoint: Proposals to change the Dangerous Dog Act
Dr Carri Westgarth, from the University of Liverpool's School of Veterinary Sciences, responds to news about changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act: "Parliament has proposing changes to the Dangerous D

UC San Diego Creates Center for Brain Activity Mapping
Responding to President Barack Obama's "grand challenge" to chart the function of the human brain in unprecedented detail, the University of California, San Diego has established the Center for Brain Activity Mapping (CBAM).

How cyanide-eating butterflies led to Charles Perkins Centre appointment
"Nutritional ecology is so central to every aspect of life that it should be considered a foundational part of biology in the same way evolution is." Professor David Raubenheimer, the first chair

Volcano adventurer takes the heat out of new labs for the Charles Perkins Centre
It's hard to know what Dr Ian Garthwaite is more excited about: relaying his volcano adventures from around the world, or the new research environment being created by the 'hub' for the Charles Perkins Centre.

Power professor joins University of Sydney
Australia's electricity supply could be more efficient, reliable and accommodating of more renewable energy but we are facing a shortage of power experts, says Professor Joe (Zhao Yang) Dong whose ap

CTRL+P: Printing Australia’s largest solar cells
Scientists have produced the largest flexible, plastic solar cells in Australia - ten times the size of what they were previously able to - thanks to a new solar cell printer that has been installed at CSIRO.

Larson Institute hosts international friction workshop
Josh Jones of Oklahoma-based Blastrac showed off a machine designed to remove tire rubber, residue and surface contamination from asphalt surfaces to improve skid resistance, micro textures and macro textures.

Newly Described Type of Immune Cell and’T cells Share Similar Path to Maturity, According to New Penn Study
Labs around the world, and a core group at Penn, have been studying recently described populations of immune cells called innate lymphoid cells (ILCs).

New Penn Medicine Research Identifies Infection and Sepsis-Related Mortality Hotspots Across the U.S
In the past, researchers have sought to determine the geographic distribution of many life-threatening conditions, including stroke and cardiac arrest.

Tiger, tiger, not burning so bright
India's tigers are facing extinction owing to a collapse in the variety of their mating partners, according to new research carried out by scientists at Cardiff University. India is a refuge for approximately 60% of the world's wild tigers, yet even here their numbers remain low and genetic diversity is declining rapidly making them increasingly vulnerable to extinction.

A new laser paradigm: An electrically injected polariton laser
ANN ARBOR-Engineering researchers at the University of Michigan have demonstrated a paradigm-shifting "polariton" laser that's fueled not by light, but by electricity.

The artificial pancreas that keeps tabs on sugar
Development of a sophisticated artificial pancreas holds potential to transform the lives of patients with Type 1 diabetes.

Brain rewires itself after damage or injury, life scientists discover
When the brain's primary "learning center" is damaged, complex new neural circuits arise to compensate for the lost function, say life scientists from UCLA and Australia who have pinpointed the regions of the brain involved in creating those alternate pathways — often far from the damaged site.

The music of the Arab Spring finds a home on the Stanford campus
Stanford scholars broadcast Middle Eastern music and culture on two KZSU radio shows, Arabology and Mediterraneans: Music of the Middle East, North Africa, and Beyond.

Turning Up the Heat on Biofuels
The production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass would benefit on several levels if carried out at temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees Celsius.

Measure your 'nitrogen footprint'
Researchers have calculated that beef generates about twice as much nitrogen as pork, and almost three times as much as chicken or fish.

Cells must use their brakes moderately for effective speed control
How cells regulate their own function by "accelerating and braking" is important basic knowledge when new intelligent medicines are being developed, or when plant cells are tweaked to produce more bioenergy. In a study published by Nature 14 May, researchers at Uppsala and Umeå universities show a model of how cells' regulatory systems work.

Secrets of life on Earth, Mars bubbling in 2.7 billion-year-old water
A team of scientists from the University of Toronto and Manchester University in the United Kingdom have gone three kilometres beneath the surface of the Canadian Shield to find some of the oldest fluids in our planet's history. The waters are rich in clues about lives lived without sunlight on Earth and possibly on Mars.

Tropical air circulation drives fall warming on Antarctic Peninsula
The eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula, a finger of the southern polar continent that juts toward South America, has experienced summer warming of perhaps a half-degree per decade - a greater rate than possibly anywhere else on Earth - in the last 50 years, and that warming is largely attributed to human causes.

Documents that Changed the World: ‘What is the Third Estate?’ 1789
Joe Janes reached back two centuries to a self-published pamphlet in pre-revolutionary France for the latest installment of his podcast series, “ Documents that Changed the World.” In

Young children appear to reject story characters who are obese
Research by the University of Leeds has shown that very young children appear to reject story book characters who are overweight, but not those who are disabled. Led by Professor Andrew Hill from the Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, the research investigated young children’s ratings of, and choices between, story characters drawn as overweight, normal weight, or disabled.

Project to explore the social history of Nottingham’s green ’lungs’
PA 162/13 The social history of the green open spaces that ring Nottingham's city centre is to be explored as part of a new research project being led by The University of Nottingham.

Dr. Roy Herbst has new post as the Ensign Professor of Medical Oncology
Dr. Roy S. Herbst, recently designated as the Ensign Professor of Medical Oncology, is nationally recognized for his leadership and expertise in lung cancer treatment and research.

Making frequency-hopping radios practical
New hardware could lead to wireless devices that identify and exploit unused transmission frequencies, using radio spectrum much more efficiently.

Guide adds new voices to history of Gettysburg battle
This Confederate artillery location on Benner's Hill played a key role on day-one at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Australian BREAST moves overseas
15 May 2013 A web-based training tool for reading mammograms developed by researchers at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Health Sciences is poised to be implemented by breast screening services across the globe.

Twin epidemics: HIV and Hepatitis C in the urban Northeast
A new Yale study looks at the scope and consequences of a burgeoning health problem in the cities of the U.S. Northeast: concurrent infection with both HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV). The study appears online in the May 14 issue of the Public Library of Science (PLoS One). HIV and HCV are the two most prevalent chronic viral infections in the United States.

Engineering Tissue to Rebuild Damaged Bones and Organs
From the chimera in Greek mythology to the sphinx in ancient Egypt, humans have imagined making creatures from pieces of different organisms for millennia. Tissue engineering, the innovative field that uses engineering principles to develop biological substitutes for cells or even major organs, is just the latest version, says Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic , the Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Sciences.

Wireless signals could transform brain trauma diagnostics
New technology developed at the University of California, Berkeley, is using wireless signals to provide real-time, non-invasive diagnoses of brain swelling or bleeding.

Stanford professor and former NASA official on the Kepler space telescope
Scott Hubbard, a consulting professor of aeronautics and astronautics, helped guide the Kepler mission when he served as director of NASA Ames Research Center.

Engineers monitor heart with paper-thin flexible ’skin’
Engineers combine layers of flexible materials into pressure sensors to create a wearable heart monitor thinner than a dollar bill.

ESA’s UK Facility
14 May 2013 David Willetts, UK Minister for Universities and Science, and Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, today unveiled the Agency's first UK facility: ECSAT, the European Centre for Space Applications and Tele , located at the Harwell Oxford campus.

Renowned U of’T Alzheimer’s researcher wins prestigious international health award
World-renowned molecular geneticist Professor Peter St George-Hyslop , director of the University of Toronto's Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases , has won one of Europe's top health awards for his pioneering work on the roots of neurodegenerative diseases.

A better way to prevent child abuse
New research at The University of Nottingham is calling for changes to a government scheme which engages community nurses in the prevention of child abuse and neglect in the home as part of a maternal and child health care programme.

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design launches ’Extreme IDEAS’ series
UCLA Architecture and Urban Design (A.UD) will carry the narrative of modern architecture in Los Angeles forward from its influential past to the future with " Extreme IDEAS: Architecture at the Int

Warming in central China greater than most climate models indicated
Temperatures in central China are 10 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit hotter today than they were 20,000 years ago, during the last ice age, UCLA researchers report — an increase two to four times greater than many scientists previously thought.

Research Helps Paint Finer Picture of Massive 1700 Earthquake
In 1700, a massive earthquake struck the west coast of North America. Though it was powerful enough to cause a tsunami as far as Japan, a lack of local documentation has made studying this historic event challenging.

Multimillion pound project to develop next generation computing systems
14 May 2013 A national collaboration of electronic engineers and computer scientists is aiming to develop the next generation of energy-efficient computing systems.

Stanford adds walkers, bikers to incentive-based study to relieve traffic congestion
Stanford research offering cash incentives to drivers for avoiding rush hour has helped the university fulfill an agreement with Santa Clara County.

Cooling ocean temperature could buy more time for coral reefs
Limiting the amount of warming experienced by the world's oceans in the future could buy some time for tropical coral reefs, say researchers from the University of Bristol.

Creativity that counts
In a digital world, literature, art and music are often the result of collaborative efforts. But who owns what, and can copyright law cope? New research aims to find out. Authorship remains an important concept in the digital age, though there is real diversity in its meaning.

Children being stigmatised in India
By Richard North 14 May 2013 Chidren with asthma in India are being prevented from receiving effective treatment by a range of widely-held myths and misconceptions, says a University of Sydney study.

Improving Australia’s foreign aid to the world
14 May 2013 Four University of Sydney researchers have been awarded funding grants in the AusAID Development Research Awards Scheme (ADRAS), a project which supports Australian primary research to improve the quality and effectiveness of Australian aid in developing countries.

Partnership in sleep-disordered breathing
14 May 2013 The University of Sydney and ResMed Limited have announced a new partnership that includes significant and long-term funding of research at the University, ultimately benefitting the hundreds of millions of sufferers of sleep-disordered breathing worldwide.

Software Developer Combines Technology Skills With Journalism in New Dual-Degree Program
Over the course of a six-year career designing online banking software for the British financial firm HSBC, Rashmi Raman would often find herself trolling the Columbia Journalism School website and dreaming of the possibilities.

Documentary film portrays UW–Madison mindfulness research
MADISON – Groundbreaking research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is the focus of the new documentary film, “Free the Mind,” which debuts in Madison tomorrow, May 15.

Columbia to House El Diario Photo Archive
So much of New York's history has been lived, sung and reported in Spanish. With the great migration of the 1950s, what had long been a relatively small Latino community in New York became a thriving center of Puerto Rican life and culture.

Faculty Q&A With Martin Chalfie
When he received his A.B. from Harvard in 1969, Martin Chalfie wasn't sure what he would do next. His worst grades had been in physics and chemistry, and a summer research project had failed, so science seemed out of reach. He had a series of short-term jobs and then spent two years teaching high school algebra, chemistry and social science in Connecticut.

Alexander Vardy Named First Jack Keil Wolf Chair in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering Professor Alexander Vardy, a renowned researcher in information and coding theory, has been appointed as the first Jack Keil Wolf Endowed Chair in Electrical Engineering at the University of California, San Diego.

New report released on health impacts of Duwamish River cleanup
Posted under: Environment , Health and Medicine , Research , UW and the Community A new report released today, May 13, examines the potential health impacts of the Duwamish River cleanup on Native American tribes and other people who use the river or live or work nearby.

Tumor-Activated Protein Promotes Cancer Spread
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center report that cancers physically alter cells in the lymphatic system - a network of vesse

Leak repaired on International Space Station
13 May 2013 Over the weekend the crew of the International Space Station worked overtime to fix a leaking cooling network outside the orbital outpost.

Higher Child Marriage Rates Associated with Higher Maternal and Infant Mortality
Countries in which girls are commonly married before the age of 18 have significantly higher rates of maternal and infant mortality, report researchers in the current online issue of the journal Violence Against Women. The study, by Anita Raj, PhD, a professor in the Department of Medicine in the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Ulrike Boehmer, PhD, an associate professor in the Boston University School of Public Health, is the first published ecological analysis of child marriage and maternal mortality.

UAlberta medical school a $2B economic engine for Alberta
Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry also helps create more than 13,500 jobs across the province. The University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry unveiled its first economic impact report, demonstrating an impact of $2 billion on the provincial economy in 2012.

GridSTAR Net Zero Energy Demonstration Project underway at The Navy Yard
PHILADELPHIA - A powerful collaboration of researchers, manufacturers and economic development officials are embarking on a groundbreaking demonstration project for smart-grid, net zero energy buildings called the GridSTAR Center - a Smart Energy Campus initiative at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia.

Helping doctors know when to screen for depression
UAlberta-led national task force says routine screening for depression not needed in patients with no apparent symptoms. A national task force led by a University of Alberta researcher is encouraging physicians in Canada to stop conducting routine screening for depression because there's no evidence the practice is beneficial.

Using earthquake sensors to track endangered whales
The fin whale is the second-largest animal ever to live on Earth. It is also, paradoxically, one of the least understood. The animal's huge size and global range make its movements and behavior hard to study. A carcass that washed up on a Seattle-area beach this spring provided a reminder that sleek fin whales, nicknamed “greyhounds of the sea,” are vulnerable to collision when they strike fast-moving ships.

Olympian Rosie McLennan talks brain and body symbiosis at U of T
The perfect coordination of mind and body is easy to take for granted. But it can mean the difference between safety and danger, success and failure – or silver and gold.

Stanford’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve at 40
In the past 40 years, research conducted at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve has transformed fundamental ecology science.

TEDxStanford highlights breakthroughs in research and creativity, Stanford-style
Saturday's TEDxStanford featured awe-inspiring ideas and displays of creativity. Among them: a presentation about a solar house that "teaches" its inhabitants, a hip-hop dance that smashes Asian stereotypes and a talk about Stanford's model football program.

Galaxy zoom
13 May 2013 Bright arcs are smeared around the heart of galaxy cluster Abell S1077 in this image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble space telescope.

Educating midwives in Canada’s Arctic
UAlberta professor writes book about Inuit birthing traditions, supports midwifery training in far North.

Volunteers needed to put best foot forward
13 May 2013 Researchers at The University of Manchester are looking for volunteers from across the North West to take part in a new study to help people act on their good intentions to walk more. Studies show that despite many people wanting to increase their physical activity levels, they often fail to do so by not thinking through exactly how they are going to fit it into their busy lives.

Transforming the culture of dying
It was famously said that the only two things certain in life are death and taxes. The impact of taxes is well commented upon, but discussions on the end of life are much less prominent.

UK economy downgrades
New research by Cardiff Business School's Dr Vito Polito and Professor Michael Wickens has cast doubt on the timing of the recent downgrades of the UK.

Albion united: university technology links fans by phone for promotion battle at the Amex
Albion united: university technology links fans by phone for promotion battle at the Amex It will be a testing time in more ways than one for football fans at Brighton's Amex Community Stadium

GridSTAR Net Zero Energy Demonstration Project under way at The Navy Yard
PHILADELPHIA - A powerful collaboration of researchers, manufacturers and economic development officials are embarking on a groundbreaking demonstration project for smart-grid, net zero energy buildings called the GridSTAR Center - a Smart Energy Campus initiative at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia.

Inadequate infection control by vets widespread
The infection control practices of veterinarians are inadequate with almost 50 percent of vets contracting infections from animals during their career, research led by the University of Sydney has found. "There is an urgent need for our profession to better educate vets about protecting themselves, and by extension the general public, against contracting infection from animals," said Dr Navneet Dhand , from the University's Faculty of Veterinary Science.

Stress and unhealthy lifestyle increase risk of heart disease
People with job stress and an unhealthy lifestyle are at higher risk of coronary artery disease than people who have job stress but lead healthy lifestyles, according to work published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) by researchers from UCL's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health.

Nano-breakthrough: Solving the case of the herringbone crystal
ANN ARBOR-Leading nanoscientists created beautiful, tiled patterns with flat nanocrystals, but they were left with a mystery: Why did some sets of crystals arrange themselves in an alternating, herringbone style? To find out, they turned to experts in computer simulation at the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Behind the curtain: a history of Russian intelligence
Ahead of his talk at the Hay Festival, Jonathan Haslam discusses his forthcoming history of Soviet intelligence organisations, revealing, among other things, just how unprepared for Operation Barbarossa Stalin was in 1941.

Global carbon dioxide level reaches historic high of 400 parts per million
As the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere passes a landmark value, Imperial scientists take stock of implications for our climate.

Scientists sequence genome of ’sacred lotus,’ which likely holds anti-aging secrets
A team of 70 scientists from the U.S., China, Australia and Japan today reports having sequenced and annotated the genome of the "sacred lotus," which is believed to have a powerful genetic system that repairs genetic defects, and may hold secrets about aging successfully.

Rhino ’dung’ research leads to baby boom at Chester Zoo
Researcher at the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester have monitored the hormone levels of female rhinos at Chester Zoo to discover the best time to introduce them to a potential partner.

’Willy Wonka’ program dishes out delicious science
There may have been no fizzy lifting drinks or scrumdiddlyumptious bars at the University of Chicago's “Science on the Screen” showing of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at the

Advancing medical science at UAlberta
Federal, provincial funding for high-tech robotic arm and MRI scanners will further research that benefits people from head to toe.

Potential flu pandemic lurks
MIT study identifies influenza viruses circulating in pigs and birds that could pose a risk to humans. In the summer of 1968, a new strain of influenza appeared in Hong Kong. This strain, known as H3N2, spread around the globe and eventually killed an estimated 1 million people. A new study from MIT reveals that there are many strains of H3N2 circulating in birds and pigs that are genetically similar to the 1968 strain and have the potential to generate a pandemic if they leap to humans.

Online support a breath of fresh air
UAlberta researcher creates pilot project that helps children with asthma and severe allergies through online support and mentorship.

Scientists develop device for portable, ultra-precise clocks and quantum sensors
Researchers have developed a portable way to produce 'ultracold' atoms for quantum technology and quantum information processing. The project was carried out jointly between University of Strathclyde, Imperial College London, University of Glasgow and the National Physical Laboratory. Many of the most accurate measurement devices, including atomic clocks, work by observing how atoms transfer between individual quantum states.

Plymouth University welcomes 'One Week Job' man Matt Frost
30-year-old Matt, from Liskeard in Cornwall, is currently trying his hand at 52 jobs in a year and is on week 19 of his challenge.

U-M professors win prestigious fellowships in the humanities
ANN ARBOR-Six professors from the University of Michigan's College of Literature. and the Arts are among 88 faculty members nationwide awarded fellowships by the American Council of Learned Societies.

Novartis drug Ilaris approved by FDA to treat active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a serious form of childhood arthritis
Ilaris (canakinumab) is the first interleukin-1 beta inhibitor for the treatment of SJIA and the only treatment approved specifically for SJIA that is given as a monthly subcutaneous injection

Managing ADHD through play
10 May 2013 Children make sense of the world through play, say University of Sydney paediatric occupational therapists, who have developed a play program to teach essential life skills to children diagnosed with ADHD. The program 'The Ultimate Guide to Making Friends', which includes a parent handbook, a video starring an alien character called Oober and clinical play sessions with a therapist, has so far been tested via two pilot studies.

The Future of International Development in Asia and the Pacific
Transformations in the global economy and international political order, and the growth of international private finance for development, are increasingly raising questions about the purpose and future of aid from traditional donor countries like Australia.

A revolution in three dimensions, maybe four: Penn State explores 3-D printing
David Saint John, an instructor in Penn State's College of Engineering, working with a 3-D printer constructed by engineering students.

A revolution in three dimensions ... maybe four: PSU explores 3-D printing
David Saint John, an instructor in Penn State's College of Engineering, working with a 3-D printer constructed by engineering students.

Stanford scholar provides glimpse at words behind Martin Luther King’s dream
The key speechwriter and counsel to Martin Luther King Jr. says his training in music and study of historic speeches helped him draft some of the most important speeches of all time.

Stanford musicians bring 21st-century effects to 16th-century vocal music
Musician Jesse Rodin leads student singers through the works of Renaissance composer Josquin des Prez in a historically inspired performance featuring digital enhancements by sonic pioneer Ge Wang.

Walters Art Museum manuscript collection makes a virtual move to Stanford
A new agreement will ensure the long-term preservation of the Walters Art Museum's digitized collection of medieval manuscripts and provide new apps for studying them.

Flawed Diamonds Promise Sensory Perfection
From brain to heart to stomach, the bodies of humans and animals generate weak magnetic fields that a supersensitive detector could use to pinpoint illnesses, trace drugs - and maybe even read minds.

Tree health: Spot pests and diseases for new national OPAL survey
Researchers need help checking the health of Britain's trees using the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) national survey on Tree Health, which opens today.

Effects of climate change on UK wildlife
Flooding is a risk for most UK mammals and climate change is also affecting several British reptile and amphibian species, according to research by leading Oxford University scientists. Their research is contained in a series of Report Cards launched today that sets out to explain the key trends in how the British countryside is responding to climate change.

Robotics Institute Helps Make Stunning Satellite Imagery Easily Accessible
Press Release: Robotics Institute Helps Make Stunning Satellite Imagery Easily Accessible-Carnegie Mellon News - Carnegie Mellon University CREATE Lab Works With Google, USGS and TIME Magazine on

Clickable history
Geographic information systems - once limited to the domain of physical geographers - are emerging as a promising tool to study the past, as researchers are discovering for medieval history. What's exciting about GIS is it allows us to move into a different dimension that frees maps from being static snapshots Nicholas de Lange Almost nothing persists to reveal the existence of Jews in the Byzantine Empire - no buildings or synagogues, coins or seals, pots or pans, charms or amulets.

DARPA awards $6 million to develop nanotech therapies for traumatic brain injuries
Led by Professor Michael J. Sailor, Ph.D., from the University of California San Diego, the award brings together a multi-disciplinary team of renowned experts in laboratory research, translati

Mathematics of Popping Bubbles in a Foam
Written By Robert Sanders Bubble baths and soapy dishwater, the refreshing head on a beer and the luscious froth on a cappuccino.

Heady mathematics: Describing popping bubbles in a foam
Bubble baths and soapy dishwater, the refreshing head on a beer and the luscious froth on a cappuccino.

How black smoke is fuelling the underwater gold rush
Deep in the ocean, hot springs spew plumes of black "smoke" filled with flecks of gold, silver, copper and more.

Smoking declines after U-M campus ban
ANN ARBOR-A campus survey reveals a reduction in tobacco use by faculty and staff members roughly a year after the University of Michigan banned smoking on the grounds of its three campuses.

’Polluted’ stellar graveyard gives glimpse of our Solar System after Sun’s implosion
Research indicates the existence of Earth-like planets in dead solar system through latest chemical analysis techniques Is there another recipe for life? The chemistry can tell us Jay Farihi By chemically sampling the atmospheres of two dead stars in the Hyades cluster 150 light years away, researchers at Cambridge and NASA/ESA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered the building blocks for Earth-sized planets formed around the stars while they lived.

Bacteria organize according to ’rich-get-richer’ principle
Bacteria on a surface wander around and often organize into highly resilient communities known as biofilms.

Researcher identifies four dinosaur species
Breakthrough resurrects research done more than 70 years ago on armour-plated ankylosaurs. Just when dinosaur researchers thought they had a thorough knowledge of ankylosaurs, a family of squat, armour-plated plant-eaters, along comes University of Alberta graduate student Victoria Arbour. Arbour visited dinosaur fossil collections from Alberta to the U.K., examining skull armour and comparing those head details with other features of the fossilized ankylosaur remains.

‘Dung science’ leads to rhino baby boom at Chester Zoo
09 May 2013 Ground breaking science by Chester Zoo, in partnership with The University of Manchester, has helped to achieve a rhino baby boom.

Building protocells from inorganic nanoparticles
Researchers at the University of Bristol have led a new enquiry into how extremely small particles of silica (sand) can be used to design and construct artificial protocells in the laboratory. The work is described in an article published.

Oxford announces Shell support for energy research
Oxford University has announced that Shell International Exploration and Production B.V. (Shell) has contributed a £5.9m boost to research into natural energy resources at the University's Dep

Pressure ulcer research uncertainties
09 May 2013 A new study involving researchers at the universities of York and Manchester has revealed substantial areas of doubt and uncertainty about the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. The findings by the James Lind Alliance Pressure Ulcer Priority Setting Partnership (JLAPUP), which includes The University of Manchester's School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, suggest that more research is needed to guide practice on how to prevent and treat pressure ulcers - pressure sores or bed sores.

Prestigious appointments for two Manchester Professors
09 May 2013 The contribution of two University of Manchester professors to the advancement of medical science has been recognised with their election to the prestigious Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Professor Garth Cooper is a professor in Discovery and Experimental Medicine as well as the Director for the Centre for Advanced Discovery and Experimental Therapeutics.

New Advance in Biofuel Production
Advanced biofuels - liquid fuels synthesized from the sugars in cellulosic biomass - offer a clean, green and renewable alternative to gasoline, diesel and jet fuels. Bringing the costs of producing these advanced biofuels down to competitive levels with petrofuels, however, is a major challenge.

Mobile health technologies to rapidly test and track infectious diseases
Early-warning sensor systems that can test and track serious infectious diseases - such as major flu epidemics, MRSA and HIV - using mobile phones and the internet are being developed by a major new Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC) led by UCL.

Has the nation reached its sell-by date?
Dr Malachi McIntosh, Lecturer in Postcolonial and Related Literatures, wonders what Britishness is, as Granta magazine publishes its influential, once-per-decade 'Best of Young British Novelists' list.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute names three new campus investigators
Evolutionary biologist Nicole King has been interested in the natural world since she was a little girl mucking around in the creeks and swamps of Florida.

UC San Diego’s Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination Lifts Off with Public Events
When he wrote "2001: A Space Odyssey" 45 years ago, Arthur C. Clarke offered extraordinary visions of the future-including HAL, the artificially intelligent computer-that continue to provide insight into the human condition.

Building the Future for Big Data
Campus expanding network uplink capacity by adding 100 Gbps research connection What does it mean to have 100G connectivity? Just how much data is a 100G connection capable of transmitting? The answer, it turns out, is quite a bit.