News Articles

Scientists have fine-tuned computer models that can indicate when forest "carbon sinks" actually become net carbon generators instead. The effort, detailed in Global Change Biology, will help pinpoint the effectiveness of trees in offsetting carbon releases that contribute to higher atmospheric temperatures and global climate change.Since U.S. forests absorb and store about 750 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, managing forest resources to optimize carbon sequestration is essential to mitigating the effects of climate change, the authors say.

Scientists have developed a non-viral, synthetic nanoparticle carrier to improve and save the sight of mice with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease characterized by progressive vision loss and eventual blindness, for which there is no cure.The researchers say the findings are based on "a clinically relevant treatment paradigm" and may one day lead to a gene replacement therapy for human retinal degeneration. The research is detailed in The FASEB Journal.Mice with with the retinal degeneration slow (Rds) gene, which causes retinitis pigmentosa, received one of three types of "treatments:" nanoparticles containing the normal copy of the Rds gene, the normal gene alone, or saline solution.

A new high resolution temperature map and images of Saturn's moon Mimas have revealed surprising patterns on the surface of the small moon, including unexpected hot regions that resemble "Pac-Man" eating a dot, and striking bands of light and dark in crater walls.The new images were collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on Feb. 13, during its closest flyby of the moon, which is marked by an enormous scar called Herschel Crater and resembles the Death Star from "Star Wars."

Researchers studying the health information content of Twitter updates say misunderstandings about antibiotics have the potential to spread widely through social networking sites.Writing in the American Journal of Infection Control, they stress that because health information is shared extensively on such networks, it is important for health care professionals to have a basic familiarity with social networking media services, such as Twitter.

Most obesity research focuses on what kinds of foods people eat and how much. But a news study from the University of Alabama suggests that timing may be equally important when it comes maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding metabolic syndrome. Published in the International Journal of Obesity, the study examined the influence exerted by the type of foods and specific timing of intake on the development of metabolic syndrome characteristics in mice. The research revealed that mice fed a meal higher in fat after waking had normal metabolic profiles.

Just one small square of chocolate a day can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease, says a new study published online today in the European Heart Journal.The authors of the study believe that flavanols in cocoa may be the reason why chocolate seems to be good for people's blood pressure and heart health; and since there is more cocoa in dark chocolate, dark chocolate may have a greater effect.

Marketing experts say advertising that touts head-scratching scientific ingredients or other such "puffery" only an expert could appreciate is likely to alienate informed consumers. The findings show that consumers filter ad claims, rather than accepting them blindly. As a result, the authors say, effective advertising should relate to consumers on a personal level, rather than talking down to them.Based on a study that gauged consumer reaction to technical, tough-to-decipher advertising claims, researchers say consumers become immediately suspicious when they see or hear information they perceive as useless. The result often is a loss of trust, and maintaining trust is very important in advertising, the study explains.

Researchers from Jena University in Germany say it is not only painful memories and associations that put our pain memory on alert, words can do the trick as well. "Even verbal stimuli lead to reactions in certain areas of the brain", says Dr. Thomas Weiss from the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena. As soon as we hear words like "tormenting", "gruelling" or "plaguing", those areas in the brain are being activated which process the corresponding pain.

Arizona State University researchers have reengineered the genetics of cyanobacteria, producing mutant strains that continuously secrete fatty acids through their cell walls. The reprogramming has essentially turned the microbes into tiny biofuel production facilities. By Introducing an enzyme called thioesterase into cyanobacteria researchers were able to coax them into overproducing fatty acids. Accumulation within the cells eventually caused these fatty acids to leak out through the cell membrane, through the process of diffusion.

Hemophilia is caused by a genetic defect that inhibits the body's ability to control blood clotting. The two forms of the disease — hemophilia A and B — are associated with the absence of proteins called factor VIII and factor IX, respectively. The disease affects millions of people and is sometimes untreatable due to patients' immune systems rejecting the standard treatment--infusion with a protein that helps the blood to clot.To help patients tolerate therapy, doctors try to exhaust patients' immune systems by administering the therapeutic protein intravenously at frequent intervals and for long periods until the body no longer responds by producing inhibitors. While that brute force approach works

A survey of television weathercasters conducted by George Mason University researchers shows that two-thirds are interested in reporting on climate change, and more than half are skeptics of the phenomenon.The survey comes at a time when only a handful of TV news stations employ a dedicated science reporter.Ultimately, the team hopes to turn TV meteorologists nationwide into a reliable source of informal science education about climate change.

E20 fuel, which blends 20 percent ethanol with gasoline, reduces the tail pipe emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, compared with traditional gasoline or E10 blends, according to a new study in the Journal of Automobile Engineering. In addition, the research found no measurable impact to vehicle drivability or maintenance in conventional internal combustion engines.E20, the study's authors say, could be used to reduce overall vehicle emissions at a time when many states and the U.S. Department of Transportation are considering policies that would increase the ethanol percentage in standard gasoline. The results are also being used by the Environmental Protection Agency to promote the federal Renewable Fuel Standard program.