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Astronomy's bright future

To mark UNESCO's International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009), six leading astronomers from the UK, the US, Europe and Asia write in March's Physics World about the biggest challenges and opportunities facing international astronomers over the next couple of decades.

Many of those challenges are purely scientific, including the quest to clarify the true nature of dark matter and dark energy; the search for extra-terrestrial life among the myriad of extrasolar planets that are set to be discovered; and finding the first stars that formed after the Big Bang.

Classifying concussions could help kids

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) - It's estimated that more than a half million kids in the U.S. go to the hospital each year with a concussion.* That's an average of a kid per minute- every minute of every day. Some concussions are worse than others but it might surprise you to know that almost all of them are treated the same. New research is pointing toward a more sophisticated way of diagnosing and treating concussions in kids.

13 year old Dustin Edens had to work on his game by himself for a few days, after a recent run-in with a teammate during basketball practice.

Water method for unsedated colonoscopy; interval between prep and colonoscopy predicts prep quality

OAK BROOK, Ill. – March 2, 2009 – In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month during March, GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has put out a special issue on colonoscopy for colorectal neoplasia. Studies of note regarding colonoscopy appear in both the monthly March issue and the special issue. A study appearing in the March issue from researchers in California focuses on the impact of a novel water method on scheduled unsedated colonoscopy in U.S. veterans.

School-based intervention is a promising model for improving adolescent sleep habits

Westchester, Ill. — A study in the March 1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows that a school-based sleep intervention is a promising model for addressing adolescent sleep problems, given its high retention rate, cost-effectiveness and potential for promoting healthy sleep knowledge and practice.

Underlying sleep problem linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children

Westchester, Ill. — A study in the March 1 issue of the journal SLEEP suggests the presence of an intrinsic sleep problem specific to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and supports the idea that children with ADHD may be chronically sleep deprived and have abnormal REM sleep.

Childhood sleep problems persisting through adolescence may affect cognitive abilities

Westchester, Ill. — A study in the March 1 issue of the journal SLEEP suggests that it is the rate of change in sleep problems across development, rather than the initial level of sleep problems, that may affect cognitive abilities in late adolescence.

Ex vivo neural stem cell expansion

In the March 1 issue of G&D, Dr. Christopher Fasano (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center) and colleagues lend new mechanistic insight into the effective generation of neural stem cells outside of the neurogenic niche.

Studies evaluate the anatomy and stability of ACL reconstruction with different techniques

LAS VEGAS, NV – An improved understanding of the anatomy of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in recent years has generated a renewed interest in the evaluation of surgical techniques to repair the knee ligament. In a study being presented at the 2009 American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine Specialty Day in Las Vegas, researchers analyzed various aspects of two of the most common ACL reconstruction techniques.

MIT uses nano-origami to build tiny electronic devices

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Folding paper into shapes such as a crane or a butterfly is challenging enough for most people. Now imagine trying to fold something that's about a hundred times thinner than a human hair and then putting it to use as an electronic device.

Health campaigns that promote exercise may cause people to eat more

New research from the University of Illinois suggests that weight-loss campaigns that promote exercise may actually cause people to eat more.

People who viewed posters suggesting that they "join a gym" or "take a walk" ate more food after looking at the posters than people who saw similarly designed posters prompting them to "make friends" or "be in a group," the researchers found.

Subliminal words about being active had a similar effect on study participants, said psychology professor Dolores Albarracín, who led the research.

Self-digestion as a means of survival

In times of starvation, cells tighten their belts: they start to digest their own proteins and cellular organs. The process - known as autophagy - takes place in special organelles called autophagosomes. It is a strategy that simple yeast cells have developed as a means of survival when times get tough, and in the course of evolution, it has become a kind of self-cleaning process. In mammalian cells, autophagosomes are also responsible for getting rid of misfolded proteins, damaged organelles or disease-causing bacteria.

How yeast is helping us to understand Parkinson's Disease

Teams of scientists from Australia and the United States have used yeast and mammalian cells to discover a connection between genetic and environmental causes of Parkinson's disease.

Yeasts are single cell organisms, used widely in biological research because their structure resembles that of cells found in animals and humans. Yeasts share many genes, or their functional equivalents, with humans and offer the ability to screen or test thousands of genes and analysing their effects.

Desert ants smell their way home

Humans lost in the desert are well known for going around in circles, prompting scientists to ask how desert creatures find their way around without landmarks for guidance. Now research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology shows that Desert Ants input both local smells and visual cues into their navigation systems to guide them home.

Do doodle: Research shows doodling can help memory recall

Doodling while listening can help with remembering details, rather than implying that the mind is wandering as is the common perception. According to a study published today in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, subjects given a doodling task while listening to a dull phone message had a 29% improved recall compared to their non-doodling counterparts.

Researchers identify ALS gene mutation

CHICAGO --- Research that has discovered a new gene whose mutations cause 5 percent of inherited cases of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is part of a national study led by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.