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Ripple effect: Water snails offer new propulsion possibilities

A UC San Diego engineer has revealed a new mode of propulsion based on how water snails create ripples of slime to crawl upside down beneath the surface.

Eric Lauga, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering, recently published a paper in the journal Physics of Fluid called "Crawling Beneath the Free Surface: Water Snail Locomotion," that explains how and why water snails can drag themselves across a fluid surface that they can't even grip.

AAAS satellite image analysis reveals South Ossetian damage

Promising new material that could improve gas mileage

EVANSTON, Ill. --- With gasoline at high prices, it's disheartening to know that up to three-quarters of the potential energy you are paying for is wasted. A good deal of it goes right out the tailpipe instead of powering your car.

Now a Northwestern University-led research team has identified a promising new material that could transform a technology that currently cools and heats car seats -- thermoelectrics -- into one that also efficiently converts waste heat into electricity to help power the car and improve gas mileage.

Children with cystic fibrosis not well covered by guidelines for vitamin D needs

Existing recommendations for treating vitamin D deficiency in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) are too low to cover the serious need, leaving most at high risk for bone loss and rickets, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

Spallation Neutron Source sends first neutrons to 'Big Bang' beam line

OAK RIDGE, Oct. 9, 2008 -- New analytical tools coming on line at the Spallation Neutron Source, the Department of Energy's state-of-the-art neutron science facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, include a beam line dedicated to nuclear physics studies.

The Fundamental Neutron Physics Beam Line (FNPB) has opened its shutter to receive neutrons for the first time. Among the nuclear physics studies planned for the new, intense beam line are experiments that probe the neutron-related mysteries associated with the "Big Bang."

Evolution of virulence regulation in Staphylococcus aureus

Scientists have gained insight into the complex mechanisms that control bacterial pathogenesis and, as a result, have developed new theories about how independent mechanisms may have become intertwined during evolution. The research, published by Cell Press in the October 10th issue of the journal Molecular Cell, may lead to strategies for developing more effective therapeutics against the human pathogen responsible for most of the antibiotic-resistant infections contracted in the community.

New findings may improve treatment of inherited breast cancer

Scientists have identified some of the elusive downstream molecules that play a critical role in the development and progression of familial breast cancer. The research, published by Cell Press in the October 10th issue of the journal Molecular Cell, also identifies a compound found in grapes and red wine as an excellent candidate for treatment of some forms of breast cancer.

Researcher at NYU Langone's Skirball Institute available to discuss finding published in Cell

New York City, NY, October 9, 2008 - Over the past several decades, many laboratories have studied the communication between nerve cells and muscle fibers that are crucial to form and maintain neuromuscular synapses. Now, researchers at the at the NYU Langone Medical Center have found that a protein named Lrp4 is the missing link that allows communication between two crucial molecules—one derived from the nerve and the other from muscle—that enables the formation of the synapse.

Case Western Reserve University research finds drug candidate slows age-related macular degeneration

CLEVELAND – Research results from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine show that the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is markedly slowed in new laboratory-engineered mice when they received treatments of retinylamine, a trial drug that has been tested in a medical school lab. AMD is a leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older.

The findings from the National Eye Institute-funded research are reported in the prestigious Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Turning freshwater farm ponds into crab farms

Work by researchers at North Carolina State University is leading to a new kind of crab harvest – blue crabs grown and harvested from freshwater ponds, instead of from the sea.

Crab lovers shouldn't worry, researchers say, because the pond-raised crabs look and taste just like their ocean-raised brethren.

Preventing colds: Washing your hands is more effective than taking vitamins

The days are getting shorter, temperatures are dropping, and the cold and flu season is beginning. Many people have started taking vitamin C tablets as a precautionary measure. But research has shown that vitamin supplements do not provide nearly as much protection as other measures, like frequently washing your hands – and that high doses can even be harmful. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has published information and a quiz on the subject of prevention, helping to separate widespread myths from facts.

Gene with probable role in human susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis identified

A new gene that may confer susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis has been identified by Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) researchers and their collaborators in The Netherlands, Indonesia, United Kingdom, and the Russian Federation.

In the current j PLoS Genetics, the scientists report that the gene, named Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8), which had been previously shown to recognize some factors from viruses such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), also has a probable role in human susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections.

Researchers discover how infectious bacteria can switch species

Scientists from the Universities of Bath and Exeter have developed a rapid new way of checking for toxic genes in disease-causing bacteria which infect insects and humans. Their findings could in the future lead to new vaccines and anti-bacterial drugs.

They studied a bacterium called Photorhabdus asymbiotica, which normally infects and kills insects, but which can also cause an unpleasant infection in humans.

New tool probes function of rice genes

A new tool for investigating the rice genome has been developed by researchers at UC Davis led by Pamela Ronald, professor of plant pathology. The inexpensive, publicly-available rice DNA microarray covers nearly all the 45,000 genes in the rice genome. Details are published this week in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.

International drug study shows rapid improvement in overactive bladder symptoms

Patients with overactive bladders who took part in a multi-centre study to measure the effectiveness of solifenacin noticed improvements in as little as three days, according to research published in the November issue of BJU International.

Just over a hundred urology centres from 14 countries took part in the study of 863 patients led by Professor Linda Cardozo from the Department of Urogynaecology at King's College Hospital in London.