European astronomers announced they had found 32 new planets orbiting stars outside our solar system and said they believe their find means that 40 per cent or more of sun-like stars have such planets. The planets range in size from about five times the size of Earth to about five times the size of Jupiter, they said. More have been discovered, too, they said, promising more announcements later this year
In the 10 years since researchers at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, first reported producing the superheavy element 114, some tens of other sightings of the element (as well as elements 115, 116, and 118) have been documented — but all by the same group. Now a team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, led by Heino Nitsche and Ken Gregorich, has confirmed the results
Stem cells so far have been used to mend tissues ranging from damaged hearts to collapsed tracheas. Now the multifaceted cells have proved successful at regrowing bone in humans. In the first procedure of its kind, doctors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center replaced a 14-year-old boy’s missing cheekbones — in part by repurposing stem cells from his own body. The technique, should it be approved for widespread use, could benefit some seven million people in the US who need more bone–everyone from cancer patients to injured war veterans
Laser-controlled flies may be the latest addition to the neuroscientist’s tool kit, thanks to a new technique. Researchers have devised a way to write memories onto the brains of flies, revealing which brain cells are involved in making bad memories
Stanford University researchers used nanotechnology and magnetics to create a biosensor that they said should be able to detect cancer in its early stages, making a cure more likely. The sensor, which sits on a microchip, is 1,000 times more sensitive than cancer detectors used clinically today, according to scientists at Stanford. The researchers announced this week that the sensors have been effective in finding early-stage tumours in mice, giving them hope that it can be equally successful in detecting elusive cancers in humans
In the hope of helping oncologists remove every piece of tumour tissue during surgery, researchers are developing new imaging tools that work in real time in the operating room. European researchers have now demonstrated that a chemical analysis instrument called a mass spectrometer can be coupled with an electroscalpel to create a molecular profile of tissue during surgery. The researchers have shown that the method can be used to map out different tissue types and distinguish cancerous tissue. The device will begin clinical trials next month
By putting sensors in the brains of mice as they ran through a Quake-derived virtual reality, scientists have found a way to study neurological activity in moving animals. The setup allows for real-time, almost-real-motion tracking of single neurons. That feat has eluded researchers who have a fuzzy, general understanding of brain systems, but little knowledge of how individual cells actually work. They hope that cell-level details will make sense of motion, cognition and other complex mental functions
Researchers have discovered a magnetic equivalent to electricity: single magnetic charges that can behave and interact like electrical ones. The work is the first to make use of the magnetic monopoles that exist in special crystals known as spin ice. The phenomenon, dubbed magnetricity
, could be used in magnetic storage or in computing
Experts believe the device, which is swallowed by the patient and controlled by doctors using a wireless connection, could transform the difficult and invasive process of diagnosing serious conditions. The pill, which contains a tiny camera, is also fitted with tiny legs that can be activated remotely once it is inside the colon or intestine. The legs protrude outwards and are movable in order to make device to crawl
inside the patient like a spider. It can be moved back and forth, giving doctors more flexibility during the examination
When Jules Verne wrote about a gigantic gun that could be used to launch people into space in the 19th century, no one expected it to become a reality. Now physicist John Hunter has outlined the design of such a gun that he says could slash the cost of putting cargo into orbit. The gun is based on a smaller device Hunter helped to build in the 1990s while at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California. With a barrel 47 metres long, it used compressed hydrogen gas to fire projectiles weighing a few kilograms at speeds of up to 3 kilometres per second
The principle behind a novel form of spacecraft propulsion could be tested at the world’s most powerful particle accelerator
Led by Elena Rozhkova, scientists from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago’s Brain Tumour Centre have developed the first nanoparticles that seek out and destroy glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells
Researchers have demonstrated a penny-sized nuclear battery that produces energy from the decay of radioisotopes. As radioactive substances decay, they release charged particles that when properly harvested can create an electrical current. Nuclear batteries have been in use for military and aerospace applications, but are typically far larger
For the first time, astronomers have confirmed that an asteroid contains frozen water on its surface. Analysis of asteroid 24 Themis shows evidence of water ice along with organic compounds widespread across the surface. The scientists say these new findings support the theory that asteroids brought both water and organic compounds to the early Earth, helping lay the foundation for life on the planet
A colossal new ring has been identified around Saturn. The dusty hoop lies some 13 million km (eight million miles) from the planet, about 50 times more distant than the other rings and in a different plane. Scientists tell the journal Nature that the tenuous ring is probably made up of debris kicked off Saturn’s moon Phoebe by small impacts. They think this dust then migrates towards the planet where it is picked up by another Saturnian moon, Iapetus
Doctoring broken bones in the future could be easier and simpler — thanks to a metallic glass material that can be used to make dissolvable screws, pins or plates. Bone fractures or breaks are routinely fixed in place with metal implants to encourage healing. These are usually made from corrosion-resistant steel or titanium, but have to be removed in a second operation once the bones have mended
This week the Annals of Improbable Research hosted its 19th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony. This year was no less ignoble than the previous 18, with such delightful discoveries as applications for panda poo and observations from a lifetime of knuckle cracking. Except for one award: the gas mask bra, which, while ridiculous and hilarious at face value, has far more going on below the neckline. Elena Bodnar, who lives in Chicago, got her start as a scientist in Ukraine, when she witnessed the devastating effects of the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster in 1986. She noticed, among other things, that women were wearing bras that may have been lacy but were certainly not life-saving
The drug metformin, a mainstay of diabetes care for 15 years, may have a new life as a cancer treatment. In a study in mice, low doses of the drug, combined with a widely used chemotherapy called doxorubicin, shrank breast-cancer tumours and prevented their recurrence more effectively than chemotherapy alone
Scientists at the University of Utah have developed an adhesive with many possible medical uses, including repairing bone fractures, based on a glue produced by the sandcastle worm. The announcement was made at the August meeting of the American Chemical Society. The worm creates a complex water-based mortar to create a home from grains of sand and bits of shell. The adhesive can stick to wet surfaces and doesn’t dissolve at certain pH levels, making it ideal for medical applications. Once it has done its job, it can become water-soluble and dissolve
A lack of sleep could help toxic plaques develop in the brain, accelerating the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. David Holtzman looked at how sleep affected the levels of beta-amyloid protein in mice and humans. This protein causes plaques to build up in the brain, which some think cause Alzheimer’s disease by killing cells. Holtzman’s group found that beta-amyloid levels were higher in mouse brains when the mice were awake than when they were sleeping. Lack of sleep also had an effect on plaque levels: when the mice were sleep-deprived — forced to stay awake for 20 hours of the day — they developed more plaques in their brains
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