Science News

(Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS)) The Journal of Management & Social Science published a paper titled "A New Role for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising - Reviving an Ancient Approach to Peace," indicating that the military application of the Transcendental Meditation technique has merit. The paper discusses how militaries worldwide could use the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, as a nonreligious and scientifically verified way to prevent war and terrorism.

(Washington University in St. Louis) A team led by physicist Ken Kelton is building an electrostatic levitation chamber that will be installed at the Spallation Neutron Source in Oakridge National Laboratory. Kelton and his colleagues are particularly eager to see what the new instrument will tell them about the "glass transition," the smooth change a glass undergoes from a freely flowing liquid to a viscous liquid to a rigid structure. The physics underlying the transition has been called "the deepest and most interesting unsolved problem in solid-state research."

(University of Wisconsin-Madison) For more than 30 years, scientists have known that multiple sclerosis is much more common in higher latitudes than in the tropics. Because sunlight is more abundant near the equator, many researchers have wondered if the high levels of vitamin D engendered by sunlight could explain this unusual pattern of prevalence.

(American Chemical Society) Scientists in California are reporting for the first time that walnuts -- already renowned as a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids that fight heart disease -- reduce the size and growth rate of prostate cancer in test animals. They described their findings today at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

(American Friends of Tel Aviv University) Professor Yael Hanein of Tel Aviv University's School of Electrical Engineering has foundational research that may give sight to blind eyes, merging retinal nerves with electrodes to stimulate cell growth. Successful so far in animal models, this research may one day lay the groundwork for retinal implants in people.

(American Chemical Society) Label directions for using some household pesticides are written in a way that may leave consumers with the impression that "if a little is good, more is better," according to a study presented here today at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. As a result, consumers may use excessive amounts of pesticides that could subject family members and pets to increased exposures.

(American Friends of Tel Aviv University) Tel Aviv University's Prof. Yael Hanein, Dr. Slava Krylov and Assaf Ya'akobovitz have set out to make sensors for microelectromechanical systems significantly more sensitive and reliable than they are today, shrinking their work to nano size to do it.

(Bayer Corporation) Significant numbers of today's women and underrepresented minority chemists and chemical engineers (40 percent) say they were discouraged from pursuing a STEM career (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) at some point in their lives, according to a new Bayer Corporation survey.

(American Chemical Society) Consuming less meat and dairy products will fail to reverse global warming -- despite continual claims that link greenhouse-gas production to eating meat-rich diets. In a report today at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, air quality specialist Frank Mitloehner discusses this popular misconception and describes why he believes it is steering society away from solutions to the global crisis.

(American Chemical Society) The process that lights up big-screen plasma TV displays is getting a new life in producing ultra-clean fuels, according to a report here today at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. It described a small, low-tech, inexpensive device called a GlidArc reactor that uses electrically-charged clouds of gas called "plasmas" to produce in three steps super-clean fuels from waste materials.

(American Physical Society) There's less neon in Jupiter's upper atmosphere than scientists expected. A new study concludes that neon is being captured in droplets of helium rain.

(Karolinska Institutet) For an as yet unknown reason, cancer radiotherapy can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life, a problem that is growing as more and more people survive their cancer diagnosis. New research from Karolinska Institutet now suggests that sustained inflammation induced by post-radiotherapy changes in the gene expression in the arteries could be the cause.

(North Carolina State University) A team led by researchers from North Carolina State University has published a paper explaining how to use atomic layer deposition to incorporate "biological functionality" into complex nanomaterials, which could lead to a new generation of medical and environmental health applications. For example, the researchers show how the technology can be used to develop effective, low-cost water purification devices that could be used in developing countries.

(Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International) The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide, said today that it will begin a diabetes research collaboration with Pfizer, Hadassah Medical Organization, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on drugs to replicate and regenerate insulin-producing cells in people with type 1 diabetes.

(Arizona State University) Researchers at Arizona State University are making improvements to semiconductor alloys that will help overcome some of the technical roadblocks to producing more effective photovoltaic cells for generating solar energy and will enable light-emitting diodes to provide more versatile and efficient lighting.

(ESO) For the first time, astronomers have made direct measurements of the size and brightness of regions of star-birth in a very distant galaxy, thanks to a chance discovery with the APEX telescope. The galaxy is so distant, that we see it as it was 10 billion years ago. A cosmic "gravitational lens" is magnifying the galaxy, giving us a close-up view that would otherwise be impossible. The research is published online today in the journal Nature.

(American Chemical Society) A new simple, inexpensive three-in-one test to diagnose a terrible trio of parasitic diseases that wreak havoc in the developing world is passing preliminary tests, scientists reported here today. Described during the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society the test is for Chagas' disease, leishmaniasis and "sleeping sickness" or African trypanosomiasis.

(American Chemical Society) Scientists today reported the development of a "smart" roof coating, made from waste cooking oil from fast food restaurants, that can "read" a thermometer. They described the coating at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, being held here this week.

(American Chemical Society) With stomach irritation preventing almost two out of every 10 people from enjoying coffee, scientists today reported discovery of several substances that may be among the culprits responsible for brewing up heartburn and stomach pain in every cup.

(University of Rhode Island) URI researcher Navindra Seeram, who specializes in medicinal plant research, has found more than 20 compounds in maple syrup from Canada that have been linked to human health, 13 of which are newly discovered in maple syrup. In addition, eight of the compounds have been found in the Acer (maple) family for the first time.