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”Fountain of youth” steroids may provide protection against heart disease

May 18, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 18 (ANI): Steroids sold as health supplements can switch on a natural defence mechanism against heart disease, according to University of Leeds researchers.

The University of Leeds biologists have identified a previously-unknown ion channel in human blood vessels that can limit the production of inflammatory cytokines – proteins that drive the early stages of heart disease.

After analyses, boffins found that this protective effect can be triggered by pregnenolone sulphate – a molecule that is part of a family of ”fountain-of-youth” steroids. These steroids are so-called because of their apparent ability to improve energy, vision and memory.

Collaborative studies with surgeons at Leeds General infirmary have shown that this defence mechanism can be switched on in diseased blood vessels as well as in healthy vessels.

So-called ”fountain of youth” steroids are made naturally in the body, but levels decline rapidly with age. This has led to a market in synthetically made steroids that are promoted for their health benefits, such as pregnenolone and DHEA. Pregnenolone sulphate is in the same family of steroids but it is not sold as a health supplement.

“The effect that we have seen is really quite exciting and also unexpected,” said Professor David Beech, who led the study. “However, we are absolutely not endorsing any claims made by manufacturers of any health supplements. Evidence from human trials is needed first.”

A chemical profiling study indicated that the protective effect was not as strong when cholesterol was present too. This suggests that the expected benefits of ”fountain of youth” steroids will be much greater if they are used in combination with cholesterol-lowering drugs and/or other healthy lifestyle strategies such as diet and exercise.

“These ”fountain of youth” steroids are relatively cheap to make and some of them are already available as commercial products. So if we can show that this effect works in people as well as in lab-based studies, then it could be a cost-effective approach to addressing cardiovascular health problems that are becoming epidemic in our society and world-wide,” Professor Beech added.

The study finding has been published in Circulation Research. (ANI)

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‘Fat clue’ to TB discovered

March 29, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, March 29 (ANI): In a major breakthrough that may pave the way for innovative strategies for treating tuberculosis, scientists in the US claim to have found a ‘fat clue’ to the progression of the disease.

The factors instrumental in triggering latent tuberculosis (TB) infection to progress into active disease have long remained elusive to researchers. Now, Professor David Russell and his group at Cornell University in New York, USA, have demonstrated that TB-causing bacteria are able to hijack fat metabolism in the host to drive the progression of the disease.

The research shows that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is able to stimulate macrophages – the immune cells the bacterium infects – to accumulate fat droplets, turning them into “foamy” cells. This cellular transformation can trigger a reawakening of the TB infection from its latent state.

Following initial infection by Mtb, the infected immune cells in the body can clump together in the lungs in a cellular mass that is surrounded by a fibrous cuff.

This containing structure, called a tubercle, physically protects the bacteria from being destroyed by the immune system.

This allows them to persist inside the host for years during a latent period in which the host shows no symptoms.

The respiratory infection is reactivated only in a small percentage of individuals in whom it progressively destroys lung tissue. Very little is known about the exact causes of reactivation and the relative roles of the host and the pathogen.

Russell”s group discovered that inside the tubercle, surface molecules of Mtb prompted host macrophage cells to take up vast quantities of cholesterol-type lipids from the surrounding blood vessels.

“We think that the lipids in the newly-formed foamy cell are then expelled into the cellular environment, which contributes to the collapse of the tubercle,” he said.

Once freed from their containing structure, the infectious bacteria are able to leak out into the airways where they can progressively destroy lung tissue.

“If our model is correct, it has huge implications for vaccines and chemotherapy programmes. A more detailed knowledge of the bacterium”s life cycle and its host interactions will allow us to spot new targets for drugs – opening up new possibilities for treatment,” said Russell.

The team presented the research at the Society for General Microbiology”s spring meeting in Edinburgh. (ANI)

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425-mln-yr-old creature is only third ever to be found in ancient rocks

March 23, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, March 23 (ANI): A team of scientists has uncovered an ancient water flea-like creature from 425 million years ago, which is only the third of its kind ever to be discovered in ancient rocks.

Professor David Siveter, of the Department of Geology at the University of Leicester worked with Professor Derek Siveter at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Professor Derek Briggs at Yale University USA and Dr Mark Sutton at Imperial College to make the rare discovery.

The specimen, which was found in rocks in Herefordshire, represents a new species of ostracod, and has been named Nasunaris flata.

Like water-fleas and shrimps, ostracods belong to the group of animals called Crustacea.

The find is important because the fossil has been found with its soft parts preserved inside the shell.

Today, its descendents are common, and inhabit ponds, rivers and lakes and many parts of the seas and oceans, having first appeared on Earth about 500 million years ago.

Geologists find ostracods useful in order to help recreate past environments – the type of ostracod found in a rock sample would, for example, help to determine a picture of ancient conditions like water depth and salinity.

According to Professor David Siveter, “Most fossil ostracod species are known only from their shells. You need exceptional conditions to preserve the soft body- there are only two other known examples of ancient fossil ostracods where the complete soft parts of the animal are preserved along with the shell.”

Professor Siveter and colleagues were able to identify the 5mm-long fossil, its body and appendages inside the shell, including the antennae and also a set of paired eyes.

The ostracod was so well preserved that the team managed to spot the Bellonci organ, a sensory structure observed in modern species which protrudes out of the middle eye located at the front of the head.

“This is the first time the Bellonci organ is observed in fossil ostracods,” said David Siveter. (ANI)

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Fossilized feces reveal monster croc could take down large dinos 79 mln yrs ago

March 20, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, March 20 (ANI): Ancient bite marks and fossilized feces discovered in Georgia, US, have indicated that a giant crocodile that roamed the Southeast United States about 79 million years ago could take down dinosaurs its own size.

The giant reptile, called Deinosuchus, was up to 29 feet long and preferred living in a shallow water environment.

“We’re sure (Deinosuchus) ate a lot of sea turtles, but it’s evident it liked to prey on dinosaurs too,” said Columbus State paleontologist, Professor David Schwimmer who recently completed two studies on the giant croc with one of his students, Samantha Harrell.

Schwimmer and Harrell gave a combined presentation on the bite marks and the fossilized dung, called coprolites, at the March 13-16 Geological Society of America Northeastern/South-eastern annual meeting in Baltimore.

The studies detail how bite marks on dinosaur bones discovered in various locations around the country, and large fossilized dung droppings discovered near Columbus, Ga., have been linked to the Deinosuchus.

The dung fossils are the first such documented samples from the Deinosuchus and help confirm the giant, ancient croc preferred living in the marine shallows.

Meanwhile, the separate bite mark findings reveal aspect of the creature’s eating habits.

“In some cases, we’re talking about a 29-foot Deinosuchus taking down a 29-foot dinosaur,” Schwimmer said.

A likely victim, Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis — a relative of Tyrannosaurus rex — was discovered near Montgomery, Ala., and named in 2005 by Schwimmer and a pair of colleagues.

In spring 2009, Schwimmer asked Harrell to take command of a project as an independent study course to gather and analyze fossilized feces he had started to recover from a fossil hot spot along the banks of the Hannahatchee Creek in Stewart County, a major tributary of the Chattahoochee River, south of where the Piedmont meets the Coastal Plain.

Harrell worked with 20 samples of fossil crocodylian dung.

She attributed six of the large spindle shaped masses, 8-13 centimeters long, to Deinosuchus.

Harrell explained coprolites are studied in order to convey information about the lifestyles of the dead and buried.

She discovered sand and lots of shell fragments, signifying the crocs lived in a shallow, brackish, warm-water environment — likely near the mouth of a river where it opened to a sea with sandy shoreline and an abundance of sea turtles for its diet. (ANI)

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Soon, gel that could change lives of babies born with cleft palates for good

March 19, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, March 19 (ANI): Scientists have broken new ground in a treatment for babies born with severe cleft palates.

Clefts are quite common in newborns and in severe cases surgery is required to correct the problem. Moreover, future complications can occur as the child grows into an adult.

But now the preliminary results on a hydrogel material studied using the Science and Technology Facilities Council”s ISIS neutron source show treatment for severe cleft palates could be carried out without the need for complex surgery.

Cleft palates are currently repaired by surgically repositioning the available palatal mucosa, the tissue structure at the roof of the mouth, so as to cover the gap in the palate. However, if the cleft defect is too wide there may be insufficient local tissue available to close the gap without undertaking quite radical surgery. It is these severe cases that can cause future complications for infants as they develop into adults – particularly with speech and facial growth problems.

Scientists at the University of Oxford, the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxfordshire, and the Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States used ISIS to look at hydrogel on the molecular level to try and gather enough information to develop materials that could be used for a potential new treatment.

Professor David Bucknall from the Georgia Institute of Technology said: “ISIS provided us with the high level of structural detail we needed to assess the new material. It gives unique and accurate results that we can”t get with any other technique.”

The new potential treatment for these severe cases involves inserting a small plate made of an anisotropic hydrogel material (similar to that used in contact lenses) under the mucosa of the roof of the mouth of the patient.

The hydrogel slowly expands, as fluid is absorbed, encouraging skin growth over and around the plate – a process known as ”tissue expansion”. When sufficient skin has been generated to repair the palatal cleft, the plate is removed and the cleft is repaired by using this additional tissue.

Marc Swan, a plastic surgeon at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, and the instigator of the study, said: “Babies born with cleft palates usually have problems feeding, and may have speech difficulties in later life, as well as issues with their hearing, dentition and facial growth.

“The severest cases often have the least favourable outcomes and unfortunately these are the most challenging children to treat surgically.”

Andrew Taylor, ISIS Director said: “This study shows how fundamental knowledge about the structure of materials can be used to develop new technology. The instruments at the new ISIS second target station build on 25 years of expertise developed in the UK. They are designed to allow new areas of research to flourish – particularly in soft matter and bioscience – and make it easy for research teams to get the important results that they need. We”re pleased that at ISIS we can continue to contribute to research affecting everyday lives.”

The clinical trials in this area are expected to take place early next year. (ANI)

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Four giant stone-age axes found in African lake basin

September 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 13 (ANI): A team of archaeologists has found four giant stone hand axes from the dry basin of Lake Makgadikgadi in the Kalahari Desert in Africa, dating back to the Stone Age, which suggests that the region was once much drier and wetter than it is today.

The discovery of the axes is part of the finding of thousands of stone tools on the lake bed, which sheds new light on how humans in Africa adapted to several substantial climate change events during the period that coincided with the last Ice Age in Europe.

Researchers from the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford are surveying the now-dry basin of Lake Makgadikgadi.

Their research was prompted by the discovery of the first of what are believed to be the world’s largest stone tools on the bed of the lake.

Although the first find was made in the 1990s, the discovery of four giant axes has not been scientifically reported until now.

Four giant stone hand axes, measuring over 30 cm long and of uncertain age, were recovered from the lake basin.

Equally remarkable is that the dry lake floor where they were found is also littered with tens of thousands of other smaller stone-age tools and flakes, according to the researchers.

According to Professor David Thomas, Head of the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford, “Many of the tools were found on the dry lake floor, not around its edge, which challenges the view that big lakes were only attractive to humans when they were full of water.”

“As water levels in the lake went down, or during times when they fluctuated seasonally, wild animals would have congregated round the resulting watering holes on the lake bed,” he said.

“It’s likely that early human populations would have seen this area as a prolific hunting ground when food resources in the region were more concentrated than at times when the regional climate was wetter and food was more plentiful and the lake was full of water,” he added.

The research team has investigated islands on the floor of the lake – remnants of former sand dunes – which suggest the region’s climate has also been both windier and markedly drier than it is today.

“The interior of southern Africa has usually been seen as being devoid of significant archaeology. Surprisingly, we have found and logged incredibly extensive Middle Stone Age artefacts spread over a vast area of the lake basin,” Professor Thomas said. (ANI)

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Animals give off “stench of death” to warn their living relatives about fatal diseases

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 10 (ANI): Scientists have discovered that when animals die, their corpses exude a particular “stench of death” that repels their living relatives, who avoid others that have succumbed to the disease or places where predators lurk.

Corpses of animals as distantly related as insects and crustaceans all produce the same stench, caused by a blend of simple fatty acids.

This ‘death recognition system’ likely evolved over 400 million years ago.

According to a report in BBC News, the discovery was made by a team of researchers based at McMaster University, near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Led by Professor David Rollo, the team stumbled upon the phenomenon while studying live cockroaches.

When a cockroach finds a good place to shelter, it gives off pheromones that attract more of its kind.

In a bid to identify the exact chemicals involved, Prof Rollo’s team extracted body juices from dead cockroaches to see what effect they had.

“We were astonished to find that nearly 100 percent of cockroaches avoid shelters treated with whole body extracts. Something in the extract was overriding any attractive chemicals,” said Prof Rollo.

“We initiated extensive work to figure out what could be so important to make all these insects go away,” he added.

After eliminating a host of other possibilities, such as cockroaches producing alarm signals, they considered the idea that a specific chemical is released by the insects upon death.By smelling their dead, cockroaches may be able to avoid predators.

The fraction that was so off-putting to other cockroaches contained nothing but simply fatty acids, with oleic and linoleic acids the two main components.

Further work by another research team showed that a very primitive type of insect called a collembola also uses these same fatty acids to recognise dead kin.

New experiments by Rollo’s team have found that terrestrial woodlice use the same chemistry to recognise their dead, using it to avoid both crushed woodlice and intact corpses.

As do two unrelated species of social caterpillar, which usually gather in large numbers.

When tested, both tent moth caterpillars and fall webworms strongly avoided extracts taken from the bodies of other dead caterpillars. They also avoided pure oleic and linoleic acids.

That means that various types of distantly-related insects, as well as woodlice, which are a type of crustacean, share a common system for recognizing death.

“Recognizing and avoiding the dead could reduce the chances of catching the disease, or allow you to get away with just enough exposure to activate your immunity,” said Prof. Rollo. (ANI)

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1 in 3 teenage girls in UK has suffered sexual abuse by their boyfriends

September 1, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Sep 1 (ANI): One in three girls in their teens has been a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a boyfriend, while one in four has suffered violence in a relationship, according to an in-depth study.

Conducted by the NSPCC and Bristol University, the survey of 1,353 teenage girls and boys questioned across the UK, found that 90 percent of girls in the age group of 13-17 had been in an intimate relationship.

A similar number of boys had also been in relationships.

The research found that 25 percent of girls had suffered physical violence in some form or the other, including being slapped, punched or beaten by their boyfriends.

For the study, the investigators questioned 91 young people at length.

Among the girls, one in six said that they had been pressured into having sex, and one in 16 claimed that they had been raped.

Other participants said that they had been pressured or forced to kiss or intimately touch their boyfriends.

A small minority of the boys – one in 17 – reported being pressured or forced into sexual activity, and almost one in five suffered physical violence in a relationship.

A large number of girls said that they felt they had to put up with the abuse because they felt scared or guilty, or feared they would lose their boyfriend.

According to the NSPCC, having an older boyfriend placed young girls at a higher risk of abuse, with three-quarters of them saying they had been victims.

Even young women from a family where an adult had been violent towards them were also at greater risk.

For boys, having a violent group of friends actually made it more likely that they would become a victim, or be a perpetrator of violence, in a relationship.

“The high rate and harmful impact of violence in teenagers’ intimate relationships, especially for girls, is appalling,” the Guardian quoted Professor David Berridge, of Bristol University, one of the authors of the report, as saying.

“It was shocking to find that exploitation and violence in relationships starts so young. This is a serious issue that must be given higher priority by policymakers and professionals,” he added.

The report reminds schools of the need to raise awareness of relationships where there is harmful, controlling and abusive behaviour.It has also recommended that anti-bullying groups at school should tackle violent relationships and that child protection professionals should consider teenagers who are in intimate relationships, especially girls with older boyfriends.

Diane Sutton, head of policy and public affairs at the NSPCC suggested that parents and schools could perform a vital role in teaching children about loving and safe relationships and what to do if they are suffering from violence or abuse. (ANI)

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Scientists make advancement in reducing MS severity

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 24 (ANI): University of Bristol scientists have made a major breakthrough in reducing the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS).

In the study carried out on mice and human brain tissue, the researchers found that neuropeptide ‘galanin’ was resistant to the MS-like disease, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

“The results were really remarkable, rarely do you see such a dramatic effect as this,” the Daily Express quoted Professor David Wynick, who works on the function of galanin in the relief of neuropathic pain, as saying.

“Mice with high levels of galanin just didn’t develop any signs of disease,” he added.

Although the researchers say that results are extremely “promising”, they insist that lot more needs to be done to figure out how this works before a drug can be developed. (ANI)

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Galileo may have discovered Neptune 234 years before its official discovery

July 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 10 (ANI): A new theory by a University of Melbourne physicist has said that Galileo knew he had discovered a new planet, that we now know as Neptune, in the year 1613, 234 years before its official discovery date.

Professor David Jamieson, Head of the School of Physics, has put the theory forward.

He is investigating the notebooks of Galileo from 400 years ago and believes that buried in the notations is the evidence that the astronomer discovered a new planet that we now know as Neptune.

If correct, the discovery would be the first new planet identified by humanity since deep antiquity.

Galileo was observing the moons of Jupiter in the years 1612 and 1613 and recorded his observations in his notebooks.

Over several nights, he also recorded the position of a nearby star which does not appear in any modern star catalogue.

“It has been known for several decades that this unknown star was actually the planet Neptune. Computer simulations show the precision of his observations revealing that Neptune would have looked just like a faint star almost exactly where Galileo observed it,” Professor Jamieson said.

But, a planet is different to a star because planets orbit the Sun and move through the sky relative to the stars.

It is remarkable that on the night of January 28 in 1613, Galileo noted that the “star” we now know is the planet Neptune appeared to have moved relative to an actual nearby star.

There is also a mysterious unlabeled black dot in his earlier observations of January 6, 1613, which is in the right position to be Neptune.

“I believe this dot could reveal he went back in his notes to record where he saw Neptune earlier when it was even closer to Jupiter but had not previously attracted his attention because of its unremarkable star-like appearance,” said Professor Jamieson.

If the mysterious black dot on January 6 was actually recorded on January 28, Professor Jamieson proposes this would prove that Galileo believed he may have discovered a new planet. (ANI)

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‘Lost’ medieval church discovered by archaeologists in Wales

May 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 9 (ANI): Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a “lost” medieval village church in Ceredigion, Wales.

According to a report by BBC News, a team from Lampeter University found the 12th Century building after carrying out a geophysical survey, which located it underground in a field.

In the village of Swyddffynnon, near Aberystwyth, it is believed to be Capel y Groes, which was last recorded on the maps of officials in the 1840s.

The church was found by staff and students during a two-week field project last month, but details of their find have only just emerged.

The building is not visible above ground, but a geophysical survey located the church’s foundations in an empty field near a farm called Ty Mawr.

Research by the Strata Florida Landscape Project, led by the university’s Professor David Austin and Dr Jemma Bezant, has found that Swyddffynnon was the site of a medieval village.

Dr Bezant said that the church was probably a grange chapel built by monks from nearby Strata Florida Abbey in 1165.

The field project has also revealed a number of other archaeological sites that have never before been recorded.

This includes two possible prehistoric enclosures, two Bronze Age burnt mounds, house platforms, ruined buildings, trackways and quarries.

The team also investigated the site of a medieval corn mill. (ANI)

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Genetic ‘brakes’ discovery offers hope to multiple sclerosis, cancer patients

April 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Apr 20 (ANI): In what is being called as a “big step” towards answering one of medical science’s great questions, Scottish scientists have discovered genetic “brakes” which could slow down or stop diseases such as multiple sclerosis and cancer.

The findings by the researchers at the Roslin Institute could lead to new treatments and even cures for illnesses, which affect the immune system.

Professor David Hume, the director of the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, has said that the findings have opened up a whole new field of scientific research, which would change the way vaccines were used and drugs were tested.

In the three-year study, international researchers focused on the immune system and examined the genes involved with white blood cells called macrophages.

They noticed that these cells, when healthy, cleanse the body of viruses and bacteria.

But, if they grow uncontrollably, they can turn against the body’s own tissue to cause conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), arthritis and emphysema.

It was previously believed that such cell-growth processes were managed by a select group of master, or regulator, genes that give instructions to many other genes.

However, the new study, makes clear that there are, in fact, hundreds of regulator genes which all interact with each other to control cell development and growth.

This, according to scientists, helps to explain why people can develop the same disease in different ways, because of variations in different parts of their genetic networks.

They also said that if weak spots in these networks were identified, it would soon be possible to stop the growth of tumours, or enable the growth of healthy cells.

In addition, the researchers hoped that the new research could lead to treatments for the likes of myeloid leukaemia and arthritis.

The researchers said the findings offered up previously hidden information about the immune system and could ultimately help doctors understand why some cancer patients responded to immunotherapies while others did not.

“This research provides an incredible resource for the study of immunity and disease in humans and animals. This study has effectively shown us where the brakes are which could slow down or stop diseases like cancer and multiple sclerosis. We believe that this could lead to treatments and cures for many diseases of the immune system,” the Scotsman quoted Hume as saying. (ANI)

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Scientists develop unique approach for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen

April 7, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, April 7 (ANI): Scientists at the Weizmann Institute’s Organic Chemistry Department in the US have developed a unique approach for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

The design of efficient systems for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, driven by sunlight is among the most important challenges facing science today, underpinning the long term potential of hydrogen as a clean, sustainable fuel.

But, man-made systems that exist today are very inefficient and often require additional use of sacrificial chemical agents.

In this context, it is important to establish new mechanisms by which water splitting can take place.ow, a unique approach developed by Professor David Milstein and colleagues of the Weizmann Institute’s Organic Chemistry Department, provides important steps in overcoming this challenge.

During this work, the team demonstrated a new mode of bond generation between oxygen atoms and even defined the mechanism by which it takes place.

In fact, it is the generation of oxygen gas by the formation of a bond between two oxygen atoms originating from water molecules that proves to be the bottleneck in the water splitting process.

The new approach that the Weizmann team has recently devised is divided into a sequence of reactions, which leads to the liberation of hydrogen and oxygen in consecutive thermal- and light-driven steps, mediated by a unique ingredient – a special metal complex that Milstein’s team designed in previous studies.

Moreover, the one that they designed – a metal complex of the element ruthenium – is a ‘smart’ complex in which the metal center and the organic part attached to it cooperate in the cleavage of the water molecule.

The team found that upon mixing this complex with water, the bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms break, with one hydrogen atom ending up binding to its organic part, while the remaining hydrogen and oxygen atoms (OH group) bind to its metal center.

This modified version of the complex provides the basis for the next stage of the process: the ‘heat stage.’

When the water solution is heated to 100 degrees Celsius, hydrogen gas is released from the complex – a potential source of clean fuel – and another OH group is added to the metal center.

“But the most interesting part is the third light stage,” said Milstein.

“When we exposed this third complex to light at room temperature, not only was oxygen gas produced, but the metal complex also reverted back to its original state, which could be recycled for use in further reactions,” he added. (ANI)

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Ice bridge in Antarctica snaps, may cause Wilkins shelf to break away

April 6, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, April 6 (ANI): Latest reports indicate that an ice bridge linking a shelf of ice the size of Jamaica to two islands in Antarctica has snapped, which could mean the Wilkins Ice Shelf is on the brink of breaking away.

According to a report by BBC News, scientists say the collapse provides further evidence of rapid change caused by warming in the region.

Sited on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Wilkins shelf has been retreating since the 1990s.

Researchers regarded the ice bridge as an important barrier, holding the remnant shelf structure in place.

Its removal will allow ice to move more freely between Charcot and Latady islands, into the open ocean.
The ice bridge has splintered at its thinnest point

European Space Agency (ESA) satellite pictures had indicated last week that cracks were starting to appear in the bridge.

Newly created icebergs were seen to be floating in the sea on the western side of the peninsula, which juts up from the continent towards South America’s southern tip.

The breaking of the bridge had been expected for some weeks; and much of the ice shelf behind is likely to follow, according to Professor David Vaughan, a glaciologist with the British Antarctic Survey, who planted a GPS tracker on the ice bridge in January to monitor its movement.

“We know that the Wilkins Ice Shelf has been completely or very stable since the 1930s and then it started to retreat in the late 1990s; but we suspect that it’s been stable for a very much longer period than that,” he told BBC News.

“The fact that it’s retreating and now has lost connection with one of its islands is really a strong indication that the warming on the Antarctic is having an effect on yet another ice shelf,” he added.
While the break-up will have no direct impact on sea level because the ice is floating, it heightens concerns over the impact of climate change on this part of Antarctica.

Over the past 50 years, the peninsula has been one of the fastest warming places on the planet. Many of its ice shelves have retreated in that time and six of them have collapsed completely. (ANI)

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Antarctic dust helps scientists unravel details of past climate change

March 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, March 30 (ANI): In a new study, dust trapped deep in Antarctic ice sheets is helping scientists unravel details of past climate change.

The study, carried out by the Universities of Edinburgh, Stirling and Lille, has found that the very coldest periods of the last ice age correspond with the dustiest periods in Antarctica’s past, thus establishing a link between the two.

They found that dust blown south to Antarctica from the windy plains of Patagonia – and deposited in the ice periodically over 80,000 years – provides vital information about glacier activity.

It indicates that the ebb and flow of glaciers in the Chilean and Argentinian region is a rich source of information about past climates – which had not until now been fully appreciated by scientists.

During the last ice age, glaciers in Patagonia were at their biggest and released their meltwater, containing dust particles, on to barren windy plains, from where dust was blown to Antarctica.

When the glaciers retreated even slightly, their meltwater ran into lakes at the edge of the ice, which trapped the dust, so that fewer particles were blown across the ocean to Antarctica.

Dust from the ice cores was analysed and found to be a close match with mud of the same age in the Magellan Straits, showing that most of the dust originated in this region.

According to Professor David Sugden, of the University of Edinburgh, “Ice cores from the Antarctic ice sheet act as a record of global environment. However, the dust levels showed some sudden changes which had us puzzled – until we realised that the Patagonian glaciers were acting as an on/off switch for releasing dust into the atmosphere.” (ANI)

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Least religious Brits prefer “fuzzy faith”

March 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Mar. 22 (ANI): According to a European Union survey, Britain is one of the least religious nations in Europe, but it has one of the highest rates of “fuzzy or abstract faith.”

The major study says only 12 per cent of Britons feel they belong to a church, compared with 52 per cent in France, The Telegraph reports.

However, it also found that the UK has one of the highest rates of “fuzzy faith” or people who have an abstract belief in God and an ill-defined loyalty to Christian traditions.

Conducted as part of the influential EU-funded European Social Survey, the study is likely to witness a shift in attitudes and values.

“Christian faith will soon have no role among our traditional establishments or lawmakers. It remains to be seen for example, how much longer bishops will be allowed to sit in the House of Lords,” Professor David Voas of Manchester University’s Institute for Social Change said.

“Fuzzy faith is a staging post on the road to non-religion. They still go along with the some kind of religious identity but a nostalgic affection for Christianity is dying out,” Voas opined.

However, Professor Linda Woodhead, of Lancaster University, who is leading a long-term 8.5 million pound government research program on the role of religion in society, disputed Voas’ conclusions.

“Just because you’re not religious, it doesn’t mean you’re not spiritual or moral”A lot of people simply don’t want to take the whole package of religion on board.”

The study, being published in the European Sociological Review next month, also concludes that there is no evidence to support the idea that interest in religion resurfaces as people age.

While “new wave” religions like Scientology, Kaballah or the Moonie faith, have received considerable media coverage because of their association with Tom Cruise, Madonna and other celebrities, the number of followers remains tiny, the study noted. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: attitudes and values, belief in god, christian faith, christian traditions, european social survey, european sociological review, government research, Kaballah, lancaster university, linda woodhead, manchester university, moonie, professor david, religion in society, religious identity, staging post, telegraph reports, Tom Cruise, union survey, voas

Potential therapeutic target for Down’s syndrome identified

March 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 14 (ANI): Researchers from Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a molecular pathway that can be a potential therapeutic target for Down’s syndrome, the most frequent cause of mental retardation.

The study showed that synaptojanin-1, a central component of the pathway, is essential to production of glia, brain cells that act as neurons’ personal assistants.

Down’s syndrome, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and stroke all are linked by an overproduction of glia.

“The discovery of this molecular signalling pathway promises to completely change the way we think about central nervous system maladies, allowing the development of drugs that inhibit glial proliferation and improve the prognosis of patients with a host of devastating conditions,” said Salk professor David Schubert, who heads the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory.

With the help of new mass spectrometry technique and stem cells that can be made to produce either neurons or glia, the researchers led by Federico Herrera, Ph.D., a senior scientist in the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, identified a molecular signalling pathway that is required for the production of glial cells.

They later studied the pathway in Down’s syndrome patients and a mouse model of the condition.

The findings revealed that the level of a protein called synaptojanin-1, which is encoded in chromosome 21, is much higher in both and is strongly correlated with a greater number of glial cells.

“Given the required balance between the numbers of neurons and glia in a normal brain, an excess of glia may contribute to the cognitive deficits that characterize Down’s syndrome,” said Herrera.

Moreover, a particular part of the Synaptojanin-1 molecule was responsible for generating glia.

“This is a critical first step to identifying drugs that specifically block the excess proliferation of glial cells associated with Down’s syndrome and perhaps promote the production of more neurons,” Herrera added.

The newly identified molecular pathway may also have implications for the onset of glioblastoma, the most common and malignant type of brain tumour.

The findings are published Cell Death and Differentiation. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: brain cells, Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, central component, central nervous system, Chromosome 21, cognitive deficits, frequent cause, Glial Cells, Mass Spectrometry, Mental Retardation, Molecular Pathway, mouse model, overproduction, personal assistants, professor david, salk institute for biological studies, spinal cord injury, stem cells, syndrome patients, therapeutic target

Soon, a virtual reality device that lets you see, hear, smell, taste and touch

March 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, March 5 (ANI): Scientists are developing a virtual reality device that stimulates simultaneously all five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and, touch, with a high degree of realism.

The device, which is the first virtual reality headset, is being made by scientists from the Universities of York and Warwick in the UK, with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), in a project called ‘Towards Real Virtuality’.

‘Real Virtuality’ is a term coined by the project team to highlight their aim of providing a ‘real’ experience in which all senses are stimulated in such a way that the user has a fully immersive perceptual experience, during which he/she cannot tell whether or not it is real.

Teams at York and Warwick now aim to link up with experts at the Universities of Bangor, Bradford and Brighton to develop the ‘Virtual Cocoon’ – a new real virtuality device that can stimulate all five senses much more realistically than any other current or prospective device.

For the user, the ‘Virtual Cocoon’ will consist of a headset incorporating specially developed electronics and computing capabilities.

It could help unlock the full potential benefits of real virtuality in fields such as education, business and environmental protection.

According to Professor David Howard of the University of York, lead scientist on the initiative, “Virtual Reality projects have typically only focused on one or two of the five senses – usually sight and hearing. We’re not aware of any other research group anywhere else in the world doing what we plan to do.”

“Smell will be generated electronically via a new technique being pioneered by Alan Chalmers and his team at Warwick which will deliver a pre-determined smell recipe on-demand,” he said.

“Taste and smell are closely linked but we intend to provide a texture sensation relating to something being in the mouth. Tactile devices will provide touch,” he added.

A key objective will be to optimise the way all five senses interact, as in real life.

The team also aims to make the Virtual Cocoon much lighter, more comfortable and less expensive than existing devices, as a result of the improved computing and electronics they develop.

“In addition to the technical development of the Virtual Cocoon, we aim to closely evaluate the full, far-reaching economic and other implications of more widespread application of Real Virtuality technologies for society as a whole,” said Professor Howard. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: alan chalmers, cocoon, education business, environmental protection, epsrc, five senses, perceptual experience, physical sciences research, physical sciences research council, professor david, realism, research group, sciences research council, smell taste, tactile devices, universities of york, virtual reality device, virtual reality headset, virtual reality projects, Warwick

Ancient Tongan rock carvings may shed light on pre-Polynesian voyagers

February 2, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Wellington, Feb 2 (ANI): Archaeologists have found over 50 ancient rock engravings in Tonga, which may shed some light on the pre-Polynesian Lapita peoples who voyaged across the Pacific.

The petroglyphs, including stylised images of people and animals, were found emerging from beach sand at the northern end of Foa Island, late last year, the Matangi Tonga newspaper reported.

Artist Shane Egan called in archaeologist Professor David Burley, from the Simon Fraser University in Canada, to investigate and document the site.

“The site on Foa Island is an amazing piece of artwork, with over 50 engraved images. Having an average height of 20 to 30cm, there are very nicely stylized images of men and women, turtles, dogs, a bird, a lizard, as well as footprints and some weird exotic combinations,” he said.

According to Egan, the images were close in form to some found in ancient Hawaii and dated to between 1200 and 1500AD.

If similar dating was found for the latest carvings, it would raise a question about direct long distance voyages between Tonga and Hawaii in that era.

The Foa rock engravings are on two large slabs of fixed beach-rock that were apparently exposed by erosion.

The rock engravings were first sighted by visiting friends Richard Whelan and Janelle Johnston from Melbourne.

Tonga’s previously reported rock art has been limited to simple geometric engravings, though there is also a single engraved outline of a foot on a stone at a royal tomb.

Petroglyphs have been found throughout eastern Polynesia, especially in the Marquesas, Tahiti and Hawaii. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: ancient hawaii, archaeologists, beach sand, david burley, distance voyages, eastern polynesia, egan, foa island, images of men, marquesas, matangi tonga, petroglyphs, polynesian voyagers, professor david, richard whelan, rock art, rock carvings, rock engravings, simon fraser university, university in canada

Horse tranquilliser Ketamine replacing cocaine as new drug of choice in UK

January 15, 2009 By Rajesh Leave a Comment

London, Jan 15 (ANI): Ketamine, the drug popular as a horse tranquilliser, is now taking the place of cocaine as the substance of choice among Britain’s recreational drug users, say charities and experts.

In the survey by the charity DrugScope, nine out of 20 areas reported rise in the use of the drug, known as “Special K” or “Raver’s Smack”.
According to figures revealed by the British Crime Survey, the use of the drug last year increased nationally by 10 per cent on 2006-07.

The drug, which once exclusively belonged to the rave and dance scene, is getting more popular among Britain’s middle-class users due to its price and the myth that it is a “safe” and “clean” drug.

A gram of ketamine costs 20 pounds, half as much as the same amount of cocaine.

On the other hand, a survey carried out by Professor David Nutt, the chairman of the Government’s drug advisory panel, has listed the class C drug as the sixth most dangerous illegal drug available.

The survey revealed that ketamine was more harmful than Ecstasy and cannabis.

Thinking that the substance is risk-free, many young people are ever more trying ketamine and taking it in increasingly higher doses.

However, experts have claimed that it can cause heart or lung failure, and has also been linked to 23 deaths between 1993 and 2006.

“There is worrying evidence that people are experimenting with larger amounts or are even injecting the drug. Evidence of young people using ketamine is a particular concern, especially as many users may underestimate the risks involved,” the Independent quoted Martin Barnes, chief executive of DrugScope, as saying.

The drug can be snorted, swallowed, injected and even smoked. While it is not physically addictive, unlike cocaine and heroin, but, like cannabis and Ecstasy, it is psychologically addictive.

Ketamine’s popularity has grown from an estimated 60,000 users between 1998 and 2000 to about 113,000 in 2008.

Mr Barnes added: “It is becoming very popular and it’s a drug that a lot of people are talking about. The very fact that the price is falling shows how popular it is becoming. Three years ago, when we started this study, it was selling for about £30 a gram, now it is £20. The fall in price does suggest that the people who are selling the stuff have no problems getting hold of it.”

Initially used to treat injured soldiers in Vietnam, ketamine is now most commonly used as a horse tranquilliser. It has also been experimented with to treat depression and alcohol and heroin addiction. (ANI)

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