Headline of the day
Irked neighbor saws off left half of tree (CNN)
It's nice to know someone still gets "irked."
Must press button. Must get food. Must crap in hand and throw it at strangers.
Monkeys control a robot arm with their thoughts
By Benedict Carey (International Herald Tribune)
Two monkeys with tiny sensors in their brains have learned to control a mechanical arm with just their thoughts, using it to reach for and grab food and even to adjust for the size and stickiness of morsels when necessary, scientists reported on Wednesday.
The report, released online by the journal Nature, is the most striking demonstration to date of brain-machine interface technology. Scientists expect that technology will eventually allow people with spinal cord injuries and other paralyzing conditions to gain more control over their lives.
The findings suggest that brain-controlled prosthetics, while not practical, are at least technically within reach.
In previous studies, researchers showed that humans who had been paralyzed for years could learn to control a cursor on a computer screen with their brain waves and that nonhuman primates could use their thoughts to move a mechanical arm, a robotic hand, a robot on a treadmill or a small vehicle.
The new experiment goes a step further. In it, the monkeys' brains seem to have adopted the mechanical appendage as their own, refining its movement as it interacted with real objects in real time. The monkeys had their own arms gently restrained while they learned to use the added one.
Multimedia
Experts not involved with the study said the findings were likely to accelerate interest in human testing, especially given the need to treat head and spinal injuries in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This study really pulls together all the pieces from earlier work and provides a clear demonstration of what's possible," said Dr. William Heetderks , director of the extramural science program at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.
Dr. John Donoghue, director of the Institute of Brain Science at Brown University, said the new report was "important because it's the most comprehensive study showing how an animal interacts with complex objects, using only brain activity."
The researchers, from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, used monkeys partly because of their anatomical similarities to humans and partly because they are quick learners.
In the experiment, two macaques first used a joystick to gain a feel for the arm, which had shoulder joints, an elbow and a grasping claw with two mechanical fingers.
Then, just beneath the monkeys' skulls, the scientists implanted a grid about the size of a large freckle. It sat on the motor cortex, over a patch of cells known to signal arm and hand movements. The grid held 100 tiny electrodes, each connecting to a single neuron, its wires running out of the brain and to a computer.
The computer was programmed to analyze the collective firing of these 100 motor neurons, translate that sum into an electronic command and send it instantaneously to the arm, which was mounted flush with the left shoulder.
The scientists used the computer to help the monkeys move the arm at first, essentially teaching them with biofeedback.
After several days, the monkeys needed no help. They sat stationary in a chair, repeatedly manipulating the arm with their brain to reach out and grab grapes, marshmallows and other nuggets dangled in front of them. The snacks reached the mouths about two-thirds of the time — an impressive rate, compared with earlier work.
The monkeys learned to hold the grip open on approaching the food, close it just enough to hold the food and gradually loosen the grip when feeding.
On several occasions, a monkey kept its claw open on the way back, with the food stuck to one finger. At other times, a monkey moved the arm to lick the fingers clean or to push a bit of food into its mouth while ignoring a newly presented morsel.
The animals were apparently freelancing, discovering new uses for the arm, showing "displays of embodiment that would never be seen in a virtual environment," the researchers wrote.
"In the real world, things don't work as expected," said the senior author of the paper, Dr. Andrew Schwartz, a professor of neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh. "The marshmallow sticks to your hand or the food slips, and you can't program a computer to anticipate all of that.
"But the monkeys' brains adjusted. They were licking the marshmallow off the prosthetic gripper, pushing food into their mouth, as if it were their own hand."
The co-authors were Meel Velliste, Sagi Perel, M. Chance Spalding and Andrew Whitford.
Scientists have to clear several hurdles before this technology becomes practical, experts said. Implantable electrode grids do not generally last more than a period of months, for reasons that remain unclear.
The equipment to read and transmit the signal can be cumbersome and in need of continual monitoring and recalibrating. And no one has yet demonstrated a workable wireless system that would eliminate the need for connections through the scalp.
Yet Schwartz's team, Donoghue's group and others are working on all of the problems, and the two macaques' rapid learning curve in taking ownership of a foreign limb gives scientists confidence that the main obstacles are technical and, thus, negotiable.
In an editorial accompanying the Nature study, Dr. John Kalaska, a neuroscientist at the University of Montreal, argued that after such bugs had been worked out, scientists might even discover areas of the cortex that allow more intimate, subtle control of prosthetic devices.
Such systems, Kalaska wrote, "would allow patients with severe motor deficits to interact and communicate with the world not only by the moment-to-moment control of the motion of robotic devices, but also in a more natural and intuitive manner that reflects their overall goals, needs and preferences."
They knew it was Viking DNA because it wore a tiny hat with little horns on it and kept asking for lutefisk.
Authentic Viking DNA Retrieved From 1,000-year-old Skeletons
ScienceDaily (May 28, 2008) — Although "Viking" literally means "pirate," recent research has indicated that the Vikings were also traders to the fishmongers of Europe. Stereotypically, these Norsemen are usually pictured wearing a horned helmet but in a new study, Jørgen Dissing and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen, investigated what went under the helmet; the scientists were able to extract authentic DNA from ancient Viking skeletons, avoiding many of the problems of contamination faced by past researchers.
Analysis of DNA from the remains of ancient humans provides valuable insights into such important questions as the origin of genetic diseases, migration patterns of our forefathers and tribal and family patterns.
Unfortunately, severe problems connected with the retrieval and analysis of DNA from ancient organisms (like the scarcity of intact molecules) are further aggravated in the case of ancient humans. This is because of the great risk of contamination with abundant DNA from modern humans. Humans, then, are involved at all steps, from excavation to laboratory analyses. This means that many previous results have subsequently been disputed as attributed to the presence of contaminant DNA, and some researchers even claim that it is impossible to obtain reliable results with ancient human DNA.
Using freshly sampled material from ten Viking skeletons from around AD 1,000, from a non-Christian burial site on the Danish island of Funen, Dissing and colleagues showed that it is indeed possible to retrieve authentic DNA from ancient humans.
Wearing protective suits, the researchers removed the teeth from the jaw at the moment the skeletons were unearthed when they had been untouched for 1,000 years. The subsequent laboratory procedures were also carefully controlled in order to avoid contamination.
Analysis of the Viking DNA showed no evidence of contamination with extraneous DNA, and typing of the endogenous DNA gave reproducible results and showed that these individuals were just as diverse as contemporary humans. A reliable retrieval of authentic DNA opens the way for a valuable use of prehistoric human remains to illuminate the genetic history of past and extant populations.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/28/08
Headlines of the day
Nude Maid Stole Wife's Jewelry, Husband Says (tampabay.com)
Car carrying nude couple runs off road, hits sign PalmBeachPost.com
Hey Florida, put some clothes on.
Yo T-Rex, I’m Walkin’ Here
Giant Flying Reptiles Preferred To Walk
ScienceDaily (May 28, 2008) —New research into gigantic flying reptiles has found that they weren't all gull-like predators grabbing fish from the water but that some were strongly adapted for life on the ground.
Pterosaurs lived during the age of dinosaurs 230 to 65 million years ago. A new study by researchers at the University of Portsmouth on one particular type of pterosaur, the azhdarchids, claims they were more likely to stalk animals on foot than to fly.
Until now virtually all pterosaurs have been imagined by palaeontologists to have lived like modern seabirds: as gull- or pelican-like predators that flew over lakes and oceans, grabbing fish from the water. But a study of azhdarchid anatomy, footprints and the distribution of their fossils by Mark Witton and Dr Darren Naish shows that this stereotype does not apply to all flying reptiles and some were strongly adapted for terrestrial life.
Azhdarchids were probably better than any other ptersosaurs at walking because they had long limbs and skulls well suited for picking up small animals and other food from the ground.
Azhdarchids, named after the Uzbek word for 'dragon', were gigantic toothless pterosaurs. Azhdarchids include the largest of all pterosaurs: some had wingspans exceeding 10 metres and the biggest ones were as tall as a giraffe.
Dr Naish said: "Azhdarchids first became reasonably well known in the 1970s but how they lived has been the subject of much debate. Originally described as vulture-like scavengers, they were later suggested to be mud-probers (sticking their long bills into the ground in search of prey), and later still suggested to make a living by flying over the water's surface, grabbing fish.
"Other lifestyles have been suggested too. These lifestyles all seem radically divergent so Mark and I sat down and carefully examined the evidence and we argue that azhdarchids were specialised terrestrial stalkers. All the details of their anatomy, and the environment their fossils are found in, show that they made their living by walking around, reaching down to grab and pick up animals and other prey."
Animals like azhdarchids no longer exist but the closest analogues in the modern world are large ground-feeding birds like ground-hornbills and storks.
The researchers studied fossils in London, Portsmouth and Germany and compared the anatomy of azhdarchid with those of modern animals. This showed that azhdarchids were strikingly different from mud-probers and animals that grab prey from the water's surface while in flight.
Dr Naish said: "We also worked out the range of motion possible in the azhdarchid neck: this bizarrely stiff neck has previously been a problem for other ideas about azhdarchid lifestyle, but it fits with our model as all a terrestrial stalker needs to do its raise and lower its bill tip to the ground."
Other aspects of azhdarchid anatomy, such as their relatively small padded feet and long but weak jaws often pose problems in other proposed lifestyles but fit perfectly with the terrestrial stalker hypothesis. Mr Witton said: "The small feet of azhdarchids were no good for wading around lake margins or swimming should they land on water but are excellent for strutting around on land. As for what azhdarchids would eat, they'd have snapped up bite-size animals or even bits of fruit. But if your skull is over two metres in length then bite-size includes everything up to a dinosaur the size of a fox."
The researchers found that over 50 percent of azhdarchid fossils come from sediments that were laid down inland. Significantly, the only articulated azhdarchid fossils we have come from these inland sediments.
“Pterosaurs lived during the age of dinosaurs 230 to 65 million years ago.:
Yeah, well that certainly narrows it down.
Risky Behavior among Teens—we’re shocked
Energy drinks linked to risky behavior among teenagers
By Tara Parker-Pope/International Heral Tribune
Published: May 27, 2008
Health researchers have identified a surprising new predictor for risky behavior among teenagers and young adults: the energy drink.
Super-caffeinated energy drinks, with names like Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle and Amp, have surged in popularity in the past decade. About a third of 12- to 24-year-olds say they regularly down energy drinks, which account for more than $3 billion in annual sales in the United States.
The trend has been the source of growing concern among health researchers and school officials. Around the country, the drinks have been linked with reports of nausea, abnormal heart rhythms and emergency room visits.
In Colorado Springs, several high school students last year became ill after drinking Spike Shooter, a high caffeine drink, prompting the principal to ban the beverages. In March, four middle school students in Broward County, Florida, went to the emergency room with heart palpitations and sweating after drinking the energy beverage Redline. In Tigard, Oregon, teachers this month sent parents e-mail alerting them that students who brought energy drinks to school were "literally drunk on a caffeine buzz or falling off a caffeine crash."
New research suggests the drinks are associated with a health issue far more worrisome than the jittery effects of caffeine — risk taking.
In March, The Journal of American College Health published a report on the link between energy drinks, athletics and risky behavior. The study's author, Kathleen Miller, an addiction researcher at the University of Buffalo, says it suggests that high consumption of energy drinks is associated with "toxic jock" behavior, a constellation of risky and aggressive behaviors including unprotected sex, substance abuse and violence.
The finding doesn't mean the drinks cause bad behavior. But the data suggest that regular consumption of energy drinks may be a red flag for parents that their children are more likely to take risks with their health and safety. "It appears the kids who are heavily into drinking energy drinks are more likely to be the ones who are inclined toward taking risks," Miller said.
The American Beverage Association says its members don't market energy drinks to teenagers. "The intended audience is adults," said Craig Stevens, a spokesman. He says the marketing is meant for "people who can actually afford the two or three bucks to buy the products."
The drinks include a variety of ingredients in different combinations: plant-based stimulants like guarana, herbs like ginkgo and ginseng, sugar, amino acids including taurine as well as vitamins. But the main active ingredient is caffeine.
Caffeine content varies. A 12-ounce serving of Amp contains 107 milligrams of caffeine, compared with 34 to 38 milligrams for the same amount of Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Monster has 120 milligrams and Red Bull has 116. Higher on the spectrum, Spike Shooter contains 428 milligrams of caffeine in 12 ounces, and Wired X344 contains 258.
Stevens points out that "mainstream" energy drinks often have less caffeine than a cup of coffee. At Starbucks, the caffeine content varies depending on the drink, from 75 milligrams in a 12-ounce cappuccino or latte to as much as 250 milligrams in a 12-ounce brewed coffee.
One concern about the drinks is that because they are served cold, they may be consumed in larger amounts and more quickly than hot coffee drinks, which are sipped. Another worry is the increasing popularity of mixing energy drinks with alcohol. The addition of caffeine can make alcohol users feel less drunk, but motor coordination and visual reaction time are just as impaired as when they drink alcohol by itself, according to an April 2006 study in the medical journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
"You're every bit as drunk, you're just an awake drunk," said Mary Claire O'Brien, associate professor in the departments of emergency medicine and public health services at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
O'Brien surveyed energy drink and alcohol use among college students at 10 universities in North Carolina. The study, published this month in Academic Emergency Medicine, showed that students who mixed energy drinks with alcohol got drunk twice as often as those who consumed alcohol by itself and were far more likely to be injured or require medical treatment while drinking. Energy drink mixers were more likely to be victims or perpetrators of aggressive sexual behavior. The effect remained even after researchers controlled for the amount of alcohol consumed.
Energy drink marketers say they don't encourage consumers to mix the drinks with alcohol. Michelle Naughton, a spokeswoman for PepsiCo, which markets Amp, said, "We expect consumers to enjoy our products responsibly."
That’s odd, we thought the energy drinks were part of the risky behavior. You know, sort of like product placement for adolescents.
Nude Maid Stole Wife's Jewelry, Husband Says (tampabay.com)
Car carrying nude couple runs off road, hits sign PalmBeachPost.com
Hey Florida, put some clothes on.
Yo T-Rex, I’m Walkin’ Here
Giant Flying Reptiles Preferred To Walk
ScienceDaily (May 28, 2008) —New research into gigantic flying reptiles has found that they weren't all gull-like predators grabbing fish from the water but that some were strongly adapted for life on the ground.
Pterosaurs lived during the age of dinosaurs 230 to 65 million years ago. A new study by researchers at the University of Portsmouth on one particular type of pterosaur, the azhdarchids, claims they were more likely to stalk animals on foot than to fly.
Until now virtually all pterosaurs have been imagined by palaeontologists to have lived like modern seabirds: as gull- or pelican-like predators that flew over lakes and oceans, grabbing fish from the water. But a study of azhdarchid anatomy, footprints and the distribution of their fossils by Mark Witton and Dr Darren Naish shows that this stereotype does not apply to all flying reptiles and some were strongly adapted for terrestrial life.
Azhdarchids were probably better than any other ptersosaurs at walking because they had long limbs and skulls well suited for picking up small animals and other food from the ground.
Azhdarchids, named after the Uzbek word for 'dragon', were gigantic toothless pterosaurs. Azhdarchids include the largest of all pterosaurs: some had wingspans exceeding 10 metres and the biggest ones were as tall as a giraffe.
Dr Naish said: "Azhdarchids first became reasonably well known in the 1970s but how they lived has been the subject of much debate. Originally described as vulture-like scavengers, they were later suggested to be mud-probers (sticking their long bills into the ground in search of prey), and later still suggested to make a living by flying over the water's surface, grabbing fish.
"Other lifestyles have been suggested too. These lifestyles all seem radically divergent so Mark and I sat down and carefully examined the evidence and we argue that azhdarchids were specialised terrestrial stalkers. All the details of their anatomy, and the environment their fossils are found in, show that they made their living by walking around, reaching down to grab and pick up animals and other prey."
Animals like azhdarchids no longer exist but the closest analogues in the modern world are large ground-feeding birds like ground-hornbills and storks.
The researchers studied fossils in London, Portsmouth and Germany and compared the anatomy of azhdarchid with those of modern animals. This showed that azhdarchids were strikingly different from mud-probers and animals that grab prey from the water's surface while in flight.
Dr Naish said: "We also worked out the range of motion possible in the azhdarchid neck: this bizarrely stiff neck has previously been a problem for other ideas about azhdarchid lifestyle, but it fits with our model as all a terrestrial stalker needs to do its raise and lower its bill tip to the ground."
Other aspects of azhdarchid anatomy, such as their relatively small padded feet and long but weak jaws often pose problems in other proposed lifestyles but fit perfectly with the terrestrial stalker hypothesis. Mr Witton said: "The small feet of azhdarchids were no good for wading around lake margins or swimming should they land on water but are excellent for strutting around on land. As for what azhdarchids would eat, they'd have snapped up bite-size animals or even bits of fruit. But if your skull is over two metres in length then bite-size includes everything up to a dinosaur the size of a fox."
The researchers found that over 50 percent of azhdarchid fossils come from sediments that were laid down inland. Significantly, the only articulated azhdarchid fossils we have come from these inland sediments.
“Pterosaurs lived during the age of dinosaurs 230 to 65 million years ago.:
Yeah, well that certainly narrows it down.
Risky Behavior among Teens—we’re shocked
Energy drinks linked to risky behavior among teenagers
By Tara Parker-Pope/International Heral Tribune
Published: May 27, 2008
Health researchers have identified a surprising new predictor for risky behavior among teenagers and young adults: the energy drink.
Super-caffeinated energy drinks, with names like Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle and Amp, have surged in popularity in the past decade. About a third of 12- to 24-year-olds say they regularly down energy drinks, which account for more than $3 billion in annual sales in the United States.
The trend has been the source of growing concern among health researchers and school officials. Around the country, the drinks have been linked with reports of nausea, abnormal heart rhythms and emergency room visits.
In Colorado Springs, several high school students last year became ill after drinking Spike Shooter, a high caffeine drink, prompting the principal to ban the beverages. In March, four middle school students in Broward County, Florida, went to the emergency room with heart palpitations and sweating after drinking the energy beverage Redline. In Tigard, Oregon, teachers this month sent parents e-mail alerting them that students who brought energy drinks to school were "literally drunk on a caffeine buzz or falling off a caffeine crash."
New research suggests the drinks are associated with a health issue far more worrisome than the jittery effects of caffeine — risk taking.
In March, The Journal of American College Health published a report on the link between energy drinks, athletics and risky behavior. The study's author, Kathleen Miller, an addiction researcher at the University of Buffalo, says it suggests that high consumption of energy drinks is associated with "toxic jock" behavior, a constellation of risky and aggressive behaviors including unprotected sex, substance abuse and violence.
The finding doesn't mean the drinks cause bad behavior. But the data suggest that regular consumption of energy drinks may be a red flag for parents that their children are more likely to take risks with their health and safety. "It appears the kids who are heavily into drinking energy drinks are more likely to be the ones who are inclined toward taking risks," Miller said.
The American Beverage Association says its members don't market energy drinks to teenagers. "The intended audience is adults," said Craig Stevens, a spokesman. He says the marketing is meant for "people who can actually afford the two or three bucks to buy the products."
The drinks include a variety of ingredients in different combinations: plant-based stimulants like guarana, herbs like ginkgo and ginseng, sugar, amino acids including taurine as well as vitamins. But the main active ingredient is caffeine.
Caffeine content varies. A 12-ounce serving of Amp contains 107 milligrams of caffeine, compared with 34 to 38 milligrams for the same amount of Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Monster has 120 milligrams and Red Bull has 116. Higher on the spectrum, Spike Shooter contains 428 milligrams of caffeine in 12 ounces, and Wired X344 contains 258.
Stevens points out that "mainstream" energy drinks often have less caffeine than a cup of coffee. At Starbucks, the caffeine content varies depending on the drink, from 75 milligrams in a 12-ounce cappuccino or latte to as much as 250 milligrams in a 12-ounce brewed coffee.
One concern about the drinks is that because they are served cold, they may be consumed in larger amounts and more quickly than hot coffee drinks, which are sipped. Another worry is the increasing popularity of mixing energy drinks with alcohol. The addition of caffeine can make alcohol users feel less drunk, but motor coordination and visual reaction time are just as impaired as when they drink alcohol by itself, according to an April 2006 study in the medical journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
"You're every bit as drunk, you're just an awake drunk," said Mary Claire O'Brien, associate professor in the departments of emergency medicine and public health services at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
O'Brien surveyed energy drink and alcohol use among college students at 10 universities in North Carolina. The study, published this month in Academic Emergency Medicine, showed that students who mixed energy drinks with alcohol got drunk twice as often as those who consumed alcohol by itself and were far more likely to be injured or require medical treatment while drinking. Energy drink mixers were more likely to be victims or perpetrators of aggressive sexual behavior. The effect remained even after researchers controlled for the amount of alcohol consumed.
Energy drink marketers say they don't encourage consumers to mix the drinks with alcohol. Michelle Naughton, a spokeswoman for PepsiCo, which markets Amp, said, "We expect consumers to enjoy our products responsibly."
That’s odd, we thought the energy drinks were part of the risky behavior. You know, sort of like product placement for adolescents.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/23/08
We’re kind of surprised that the structure of the receptor was a mystery. It’s located right next to the pork and cold beer receptors.
Some Like It Hot! Structure Of Receptor For Hot Chili Pepper And Pain Revealed
ScienceDaily (May 22, 2008) — You can now not only feel the spicy kick of a jalapeno pepper, you can also see it in full 3D, thanks to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Using sophisticated equipment, the research team led by Dr Theodore G. Wensel, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at BCM, generated the first three dimensional view of the protein that allows you to sense the heat of a hot pepper.
"This protein, known as TRPV1, not only senses spicy foods, but also makes it possible to feel real heat and the pain and inflammation related to other medical conditions," said Wensel, senior author on the study. "This method of viewing the protein now gives us the chance to clearly see the functional relationship between outside stimuli and the nerve cell."
The outside stimulus used in this study was the heat of a chili pepper. It has been known for years that the burning sensation results from the action of a chemical known as capsaicin on TRPV1 found on the nerve cell membrane. TRPV1 is an ion channel, a tiny pore on the cell membrane that allows chemicals such as calcium to flux in and out.
"Any time you feel a burn or pain sensation, it is mediated by a TRPV1 channel. Different levels of heat are mediated by different TRP channels," said Dr. Vera Moiseenkova-Bell, a postdoctoral associate in Wensel's laboratory at BCM and first author of the study. "They are all related but each is regulated in a different manner."
Wensel said the three-dimensional image of TRPV1 revealed surprising information about its structure. It is made up of a pore domain embedded in the cell membrane, and a "hanging basket" of regulatory domains that extend into the interior of the cell.
"It's an unusual thing. There is a whole hollow 'basket' area but we don't know what's that's for," Wensel said. "Now the search is on to understand how the 'basket' area regulates the channel."
Isolating TRPV1 gives researchers an idea of how other channels are structured as well.
"Visualization of TRPV1 gives us insight on other TRP channels since they are structurally similar," said Moiseenkova-Bell. "Pharmaceutical companies target these TRP channels to make sure the drug binds properly. With this first structure we can start to build models of binding sites and hopefully in the future design more effective pharmaceuticals for a wide range of medical conditions."
Studying these channels is nothing new. In the past, scientists could measure the activity in the cells but it was unclear what each channel was responding to. Determining which proteins interacted with TRPV1, however, required Wensel's lab to create a purified model.
The protein had to be removed from cells, purified, and reconstituted in a synthetic membrane so researchers could control channel activity.
"Since calcium is involved in cell signaling, following the calcium movement confirmed the protein is active," said Wensel. "We are the first group to purify a TRPV1 channel and control what goes in and out when the channel opens."
The report appears in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Others who took part in this work are Dr. Lia Stanicu, of Purdue University, Dr. Irina Serysheva, adjunct associate professor of biochemistry at BCM, and BCM graduate student, Ben J. Tobe.
Funding for this work came from the National Institutes of Health.
Some Like It Hot! Structure Of Receptor For Hot Chili Pepper And Pain Revealed
ScienceDaily (May 22, 2008) — You can now not only feel the spicy kick of a jalapeno pepper, you can also see it in full 3D, thanks to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Using sophisticated equipment, the research team led by Dr Theodore G. Wensel, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at BCM, generated the first three dimensional view of the protein that allows you to sense the heat of a hot pepper.
"This protein, known as TRPV1, not only senses spicy foods, but also makes it possible to feel real heat and the pain and inflammation related to other medical conditions," said Wensel, senior author on the study. "This method of viewing the protein now gives us the chance to clearly see the functional relationship between outside stimuli and the nerve cell."
The outside stimulus used in this study was the heat of a chili pepper. It has been known for years that the burning sensation results from the action of a chemical known as capsaicin on TRPV1 found on the nerve cell membrane. TRPV1 is an ion channel, a tiny pore on the cell membrane that allows chemicals such as calcium to flux in and out.
"Any time you feel a burn or pain sensation, it is mediated by a TRPV1 channel. Different levels of heat are mediated by different TRP channels," said Dr. Vera Moiseenkova-Bell, a postdoctoral associate in Wensel's laboratory at BCM and first author of the study. "They are all related but each is regulated in a different manner."
Wensel said the three-dimensional image of TRPV1 revealed surprising information about its structure. It is made up of a pore domain embedded in the cell membrane, and a "hanging basket" of regulatory domains that extend into the interior of the cell.
"It's an unusual thing. There is a whole hollow 'basket' area but we don't know what's that's for," Wensel said. "Now the search is on to understand how the 'basket' area regulates the channel."
Isolating TRPV1 gives researchers an idea of how other channels are structured as well.
"Visualization of TRPV1 gives us insight on other TRP channels since they are structurally similar," said Moiseenkova-Bell. "Pharmaceutical companies target these TRP channels to make sure the drug binds properly. With this first structure we can start to build models of binding sites and hopefully in the future design more effective pharmaceuticals for a wide range of medical conditions."
Studying these channels is nothing new. In the past, scientists could measure the activity in the cells but it was unclear what each channel was responding to. Determining which proteins interacted with TRPV1, however, required Wensel's lab to create a purified model.
The protein had to be removed from cells, purified, and reconstituted in a synthetic membrane so researchers could control channel activity.
"Since calcium is involved in cell signaling, following the calcium movement confirmed the protein is active," said Wensel. "We are the first group to purify a TRPV1 channel and control what goes in and out when the channel opens."
The report appears in the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Others who took part in this work are Dr. Lia Stanicu, of Purdue University, Dr. Irina Serysheva, adjunct associate professor of biochemistry at BCM, and BCM graduate student, Ben J. Tobe.
Funding for this work came from the National Institutes of Health.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/22/08
Headline of the day
European Court agrees to hear chimp's plea for human rights
(This Is London.co.uk)
If they can’t have him declared “a person,” maybe they can have him recognized as a European.
European Court agrees to hear chimp's plea for human rights
(This Is London.co.uk)
If they can’t have him declared “a person,” maybe they can have him recognized as a European.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/19/08
Headlines of the day
Woman dancing on bar sets customer on fire in Miami-Dade
(SunSentinal.com)
He lingered near the wood chipper ... then he dove in (TwinCities.com)
Wow, it’s a good thing scientists would never do something like that with cloned humans. Isn’t it? Anyway, it is for the greater good.
Monkeys genetically modified to have Huntington's
By Will Dunham
Posted 4:05 pm EDT
WASHINGTON, May 18, 2008 (Reuters) — Scientists have created monkeys genetically modified to have Huntington's disease in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the fatal ailment and uncover clues to possible new treatments.
In the journal Nature on Sunday, the researchers said one of two surviving rhesus macaque monkeys engineered to have the defective gene that causes Huntington's in humans already is showing tell-tale symptoms at age 10 months.
Huntington's -- incurable and hereditary -- is caused by a single abnormal gene in which certain nerve cells in the brain waste away. People are born with the gene but symptoms typically do not appear until middle age.
Researchers often study laboratory animals such as mice to get insights into the underlying biology of diseases. But monkeys and other primates are more similar to people than rodents in physiological, neurological and genetic features.
The scientists at Emory University's Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta said the monkeys are the first primates genetically modified to have a human disease.
They hope studying the monkeys will allow for greater knowledge of Huntington's and ideas for new drugs.
"Rodent species can capture some of the characteristics of the disease, but they have not been satisfactory in being able to really capture the essence of the disease," Stuart Zola, head of the Yerkes center, said in a telephone interview.
"Now we have a genetically modified nonhuman primate that really has captured the clinical signs that we see in patients with Huntington's disease."
Those with the progressive, degenerative disease experience uncontrolled movements, emotional disturbances and mental deterioration.
Drugs can help manage symptoms but do not stop the physical and mental decline. People typically die within 10 to 15 years after symptoms arise.
The researchers said they chose Huntington's as the disease for creating the genetically modified monkeys with an eye toward simplicity -- because it is linked to mutations in a single gene rather than multiple genes.
Zola said the achievement could pave the way for creating genetically modified primates with other neurodegenerative ailments such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
"This research allows scientists to advance beyond mouse models, which do not replicate all of the changes in the brain and behavior that humans with Huntington's disease experience," said John Harding, a primate resources official at the National Institutes of Health, which funded the study.
Using so-called viral vector technology, the researchers transferred the Huntington's gene into a monkey egg cell. After using in vitro fertilization, the egg grew into a four-cell embryo and was then placed in the womb of a female monkey acting as a surrogate mother.
Of the five baby monkeys born using this process, two died within about a day, another one died in about a month and two are still living at age 10 months, according to Anthony Chan of the Yerkes center and Emory University School of Medicine,
One of the two surviving monkeys has developed symptoms including involuntary movements of the hands and face, Chan said. The other has no symptoms of the disease yet but may develop them later, he added.
We bet that if you dial 1-800 Slippery Slope, one of these jokers picks up the phone.
About that slippery slope...We're starting to get the impression that we are the only ones who ever saw "The Island of Lost Souls," with Charles Laughton.
MPs back creation of human-animal embryos
(Cow /Mouse admixed embryos)
Mark Henderson and Francis Elliott
British scientists will be allowed to research devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s using human-animal embryos, after the House of Commons tonight rejected a ban.
An amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that would have outlawed the creation of “human admixed embryos” for medical research was defeated in a free vote by a majority of 160, preserving what Gordon Brown regards as a central element of the legislation.
The Government, however, is braced for defeat tomorrow on a separate clause that would scrap the requirement that fertility clinics consider a child’s “need for a father” before treating patients. MPs will also tomorrow consider amendments that would cut the legal limit for abortion from 24 weeks to 22 or 20 weeks.
A second amendment, that would have banned the creation only of “true hybrids” made by fertilising an animal egg with human sperm, or vice-versa, was also defeated by a majority of 63. Another free vote later tonight is expected to approve the use of embryo-screening to create “saviour siblings” suitable to donate umbilical cord blood to sick children.
Edward Leigh, Conservative MP for Gainsborough, moving the amendment to ban all admixed embryos, said mingling animal and human DNA crossed an “ultimate boundary”. He said that exaggerated claims were giving patients false hope and that the dangers of the research were unknown.
He said: "In many ways we are like children playing with landmines without any concept of the dangers of the technology that we are handling.”
Mark Simmonds, a shadow health minister, who moved the amendment to ban “true hybrids”, said there was no compelling evidence of their research utility.
Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West, challenged those who accepted admixed embryos in principle but rejected “true hybrids” to explain the ethical difference between an embryo that was 99 per cent human and one that was 50 per cent human.
Dawn Primarolo, the Health Minister, agreed: “Once we go down that road it seems illogical to oppose a particular mix.” Ms Primarolo said the shortage of human eggs was the major barrier to embryonic stem cell research. The minister admitted that the Bill “was not a promise” that cures to diseases could be found. “It’s an aspiration that it may.”
The amendment to ban all admixed embryos was defeated by 336 votes to 176. The prohibition on true hybrids was defeated by 286 votes to 223.
The main type of admixed embryo permitted by the Bill are “cytoplasmic hybrids” or “cybrids”, made by moving a human nucleus into an empty animal egg. These are genetically 99.9 per cent human. As well as true hybrids, it also allows chimeras that combine human and animal cells and transgenic human embryos that include a little animal DNA.
The most immediate implication of the Commons vote will be to allow teams at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and King’s College, London, who already hold licences to create a particular type of admixed embryo, to continue their research.
Though they were cleared to start these experiments by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in January, these licences would have been rescinded had MPs voted for a ban.
Both teams are trying to create cybrids, which could carry the DNA of patients with genetic conditions to create stem-cell models.
The idea is to make stem cell models of diseases, to study their progress and to test new treatments. Human eggs could be used, but they are in short supply as they cannot be donated without risk to women.
It is legal to culture admixed embryos for a maximum of 14 days but it is illegal to transfer them to a human or animal womb. A Times/Populus poll found last month that 50 per cent of the public supports this work, with only 30 per cent opposed.
The decision will also encourage a third team, who plans to use admixed embryos to study motor neuron disease, to apply for a licence. The group, led by Professor Chris Shaw of the Institute of Psychiatry in London, had been waiting for the vote.
Professor Shaw said: “It will allow us to forge ahead on all fronts in our attempts to understand and develop therapies for a huge range of currently incurable diseases. Cures may be some years off, but this vote does mean we can use hybrid embryos, in addition to adult stem cells, in our search to understand what causes Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease. Without a much better understanding of what is going wrong in the brain it is very unlikely we will be able to reverse the disease process.”
Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, of the National Institute for Medical Research in London, said: “The positive vote is yet another endorsement for the progress of scientific enquiry, one that will greatly aid our understanding of normal embryonic development, and of many types of debilitating genetic disease.
“This understanding will ultimately give us the best chance of developing therapies for these diseases, for infertility and for a range of other medical conditions”.
Simon Denegri, chief executive of the Association for Medical Research Charities, said: “MPs have clearly listened to the strong arguments put forward by medical research charities, patient groups and scientists of the importance of this research to advancing our understanding of diseases and conditions that affect hundreds of thousands of people and their families in the UK. This is a good piece of legislation and its successful passage is in the public interest.”
No word yet on whether the mixed embryos area expected to back Labour or the Conservative candidate.
Woman dancing on bar sets customer on fire in Miami-Dade
(SunSentinal.com)
He lingered near the wood chipper ... then he dove in (TwinCities.com)
Wow, it’s a good thing scientists would never do something like that with cloned humans. Isn’t it? Anyway, it is for the greater good.
Monkeys genetically modified to have Huntington's
By Will Dunham
Posted 4:05 pm EDT
WASHINGTON, May 18, 2008 (Reuters) — Scientists have created monkeys genetically modified to have Huntington's disease in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the fatal ailment and uncover clues to possible new treatments.
In the journal Nature on Sunday, the researchers said one of two surviving rhesus macaque monkeys engineered to have the defective gene that causes Huntington's in humans already is showing tell-tale symptoms at age 10 months.
Huntington's -- incurable and hereditary -- is caused by a single abnormal gene in which certain nerve cells in the brain waste away. People are born with the gene but symptoms typically do not appear until middle age.
Researchers often study laboratory animals such as mice to get insights into the underlying biology of diseases. But monkeys and other primates are more similar to people than rodents in physiological, neurological and genetic features.
The scientists at Emory University's Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta said the monkeys are the first primates genetically modified to have a human disease.
They hope studying the monkeys will allow for greater knowledge of Huntington's and ideas for new drugs.
"Rodent species can capture some of the characteristics of the disease, but they have not been satisfactory in being able to really capture the essence of the disease," Stuart Zola, head of the Yerkes center, said in a telephone interview.
"Now we have a genetically modified nonhuman primate that really has captured the clinical signs that we see in patients with Huntington's disease."
Those with the progressive, degenerative disease experience uncontrolled movements, emotional disturbances and mental deterioration.
Drugs can help manage symptoms but do not stop the physical and mental decline. People typically die within 10 to 15 years after symptoms arise.
The researchers said they chose Huntington's as the disease for creating the genetically modified monkeys with an eye toward simplicity -- because it is linked to mutations in a single gene rather than multiple genes.
Zola said the achievement could pave the way for creating genetically modified primates with other neurodegenerative ailments such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
"This research allows scientists to advance beyond mouse models, which do not replicate all of the changes in the brain and behavior that humans with Huntington's disease experience," said John Harding, a primate resources official at the National Institutes of Health, which funded the study.
Using so-called viral vector technology, the researchers transferred the Huntington's gene into a monkey egg cell. After using in vitro fertilization, the egg grew into a four-cell embryo and was then placed in the womb of a female monkey acting as a surrogate mother.
Of the five baby monkeys born using this process, two died within about a day, another one died in about a month and two are still living at age 10 months, according to Anthony Chan of the Yerkes center and Emory University School of Medicine,
One of the two surviving monkeys has developed symptoms including involuntary movements of the hands and face, Chan said. The other has no symptoms of the disease yet but may develop them later, he added.
We bet that if you dial 1-800 Slippery Slope, one of these jokers picks up the phone.
About that slippery slope...We're starting to get the impression that we are the only ones who ever saw "The Island of Lost Souls," with Charles Laughton.
MPs back creation of human-animal embryos
(Cow /Mouse admixed embryos)
Mark Henderson and Francis Elliott
British scientists will be allowed to research devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s using human-animal embryos, after the House of Commons tonight rejected a ban.
An amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that would have outlawed the creation of “human admixed embryos” for medical research was defeated in a free vote by a majority of 160, preserving what Gordon Brown regards as a central element of the legislation.
The Government, however, is braced for defeat tomorrow on a separate clause that would scrap the requirement that fertility clinics consider a child’s “need for a father” before treating patients. MPs will also tomorrow consider amendments that would cut the legal limit for abortion from 24 weeks to 22 or 20 weeks.
A second amendment, that would have banned the creation only of “true hybrids” made by fertilising an animal egg with human sperm, or vice-versa, was also defeated by a majority of 63. Another free vote later tonight is expected to approve the use of embryo-screening to create “saviour siblings” suitable to donate umbilical cord blood to sick children.
Edward Leigh, Conservative MP for Gainsborough, moving the amendment to ban all admixed embryos, said mingling animal and human DNA crossed an “ultimate boundary”. He said that exaggerated claims were giving patients false hope and that the dangers of the research were unknown.
He said: "In many ways we are like children playing with landmines without any concept of the dangers of the technology that we are handling.”
Mark Simmonds, a shadow health minister, who moved the amendment to ban “true hybrids”, said there was no compelling evidence of their research utility.
Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West, challenged those who accepted admixed embryos in principle but rejected “true hybrids” to explain the ethical difference between an embryo that was 99 per cent human and one that was 50 per cent human.
Dawn Primarolo, the Health Minister, agreed: “Once we go down that road it seems illogical to oppose a particular mix.” Ms Primarolo said the shortage of human eggs was the major barrier to embryonic stem cell research. The minister admitted that the Bill “was not a promise” that cures to diseases could be found. “It’s an aspiration that it may.”
The amendment to ban all admixed embryos was defeated by 336 votes to 176. The prohibition on true hybrids was defeated by 286 votes to 223.
The main type of admixed embryo permitted by the Bill are “cytoplasmic hybrids” or “cybrids”, made by moving a human nucleus into an empty animal egg. These are genetically 99.9 per cent human. As well as true hybrids, it also allows chimeras that combine human and animal cells and transgenic human embryos that include a little animal DNA.
The most immediate implication of the Commons vote will be to allow teams at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and King’s College, London, who already hold licences to create a particular type of admixed embryo, to continue their research.
Though they were cleared to start these experiments by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in January, these licences would have been rescinded had MPs voted for a ban.
Both teams are trying to create cybrids, which could carry the DNA of patients with genetic conditions to create stem-cell models.
The idea is to make stem cell models of diseases, to study their progress and to test new treatments. Human eggs could be used, but they are in short supply as they cannot be donated without risk to women.
It is legal to culture admixed embryos for a maximum of 14 days but it is illegal to transfer them to a human or animal womb. A Times/Populus poll found last month that 50 per cent of the public supports this work, with only 30 per cent opposed.
The decision will also encourage a third team, who plans to use admixed embryos to study motor neuron disease, to apply for a licence. The group, led by Professor Chris Shaw of the Institute of Psychiatry in London, had been waiting for the vote.
Professor Shaw said: “It will allow us to forge ahead on all fronts in our attempts to understand and develop therapies for a huge range of currently incurable diseases. Cures may be some years off, but this vote does mean we can use hybrid embryos, in addition to adult stem cells, in our search to understand what causes Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease. Without a much better understanding of what is going wrong in the brain it is very unlikely we will be able to reverse the disease process.”
Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, of the National Institute for Medical Research in London, said: “The positive vote is yet another endorsement for the progress of scientific enquiry, one that will greatly aid our understanding of normal embryonic development, and of many types of debilitating genetic disease.
“This understanding will ultimately give us the best chance of developing therapies for these diseases, for infertility and for a range of other medical conditions”.
Simon Denegri, chief executive of the Association for Medical Research Charities, said: “MPs have clearly listened to the strong arguments put forward by medical research charities, patient groups and scientists of the importance of this research to advancing our understanding of diseases and conditions that affect hundreds of thousands of people and their families in the UK. This is a good piece of legislation and its successful passage is in the public interest.”
No word yet on whether the mixed embryos area expected to back Labour or the Conservative candidate.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/16/08
Headline of the day
Raccoon bite causes school to lock down in Swampscott (itemlive.com)
Swampscottians like to leave little to chance. You know the type—belt and suspenders.
Sure, we’ll say it— fat chance of that.
Obesity contributes to global warming: study
By Michael Kahn
GENEVA (Reuters) - Obesity contributes to global warming, too.
Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says.
This adds to food shortages and higher energy prices, the school's researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in the journal Lancet on Friday.
"We are all becoming heavier and it is a global responsibility," Edwards said in a telephone interview. "Obesity is a key part of the big picture."
At least 400 million adults worldwide are obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects by 2015, 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.
In their model, the researchers pegged 40 percent of the global population as obese with a body mass index of near 30. Many nations are fast approaching or have surpassed this level, Edwards said.
BMI is a calculation of height to weight, and the normal range is usually considered to be 18 to 25, with more than 25 considered overweight and above 30 obese.
The researchers found that obese people require 1,680 daily calories to sustain normal energy and another 1,280 calories to maintain daily activities, 18 percent more than someone with a stable BMI.
Because thinner people eat less and are more likely to walk than rely on cars, a slimmer population would lower demand for fuel for transportation and for agriculture, Edwards said.
This is also important because 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture, he added.
The next step is quantifying how much a heavier population is contributing to climate change, higher fuel prices and food shortages, he added.
"Promotion of a normal distribution of BMI would reduce the global demand for, and thus the price of, food," Edwards and Roberts wrote.
Instead of "Eat the rich," it's just a matter of time before it's 'Eat the fat."
Raccoon bite causes school to lock down in Swampscott (itemlive.com)
Swampscottians like to leave little to chance. You know the type—belt and suspenders.
Sure, we’ll say it— fat chance of that.
Obesity contributes to global warming: study
By Michael Kahn
GENEVA (Reuters) - Obesity contributes to global warming, too.
Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says.
This adds to food shortages and higher energy prices, the school's researchers Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts wrote in the journal Lancet on Friday.
"We are all becoming heavier and it is a global responsibility," Edwards said in a telephone interview. "Obesity is a key part of the big picture."
At least 400 million adults worldwide are obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects by 2015, 2.3 billion adults will be overweight and more than 700 million will be obese.
In their model, the researchers pegged 40 percent of the global population as obese with a body mass index of near 30. Many nations are fast approaching or have surpassed this level, Edwards said.
BMI is a calculation of height to weight, and the normal range is usually considered to be 18 to 25, with more than 25 considered overweight and above 30 obese.
The researchers found that obese people require 1,680 daily calories to sustain normal energy and another 1,280 calories to maintain daily activities, 18 percent more than someone with a stable BMI.
Because thinner people eat less and are more likely to walk than rely on cars, a slimmer population would lower demand for fuel for transportation and for agriculture, Edwards said.
This is also important because 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions stem from agriculture, he added.
The next step is quantifying how much a heavier population is contributing to climate change, higher fuel prices and food shortages, he added.
"Promotion of a normal distribution of BMI would reduce the global demand for, and thus the price of, food," Edwards and Roberts wrote.
Instead of "Eat the rich," it's just a matter of time before it's 'Eat the fat."
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/13/08
Headline of the day
Pete Doherty sought help after trying to kill cat with shovel
Much like his band—Babywhosis—the headline works on so many different levels.
Seal caught on tape molesting a penguin
Eskimo Pie?
Pete Doherty sought help after trying to kill cat with shovel
Much like his band—Babywhosis—the headline works on so many different levels.
Seal caught on tape molesting a penguin
Eskimo Pie?
Monday, May 12, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/12/08
Headlines of the day
3 accused of using corpse head to smoke pot (Houston Chronicle)
We know it’s a creepy story, but it is the inspiration for what we think is the best-est name for a heavy metal band ever—Skull Bong
94-year-old mom on ATV kills son in farm accident (Detroit free press)
Make that “almost all terrain” vehicle.
We figure they looked like a cross between Porter Wagoner in a Nudie suit and the Gabor sisters on holiday.
Ancient sea creatures 'dressed up' in diamonds
A glimpse into prehistoric fashion has revealed that ancient sea creatures liked to doll themselves up with diamonds imported from outer space.
CNN reports that scientists have discovered that the organisms coated themselves with tiny diamonds made from carbon brought to Earth on the asteroid which may have wiped out dinosaurs.
Fossils of the single-celled creatures were discovered in the Umbria-Marche basin of eastern Italy.
The amoeba-like creatures made their own armour by sticking together sediment grains from the ocean floor.
Researchers collected the fossils from rock samples just above and below the sediment layer created by the massive asteroid impact 65 million years ago.
When the asteroid smashed into the Earth off the coast of Mexico the extreme pressure and temperatures generated manufactured diamonds.
Some of the tiny jewels were formed by crushing and heating Earthly graphite rock. But others were truly extraterrestrial, being made from carbon carried in the asteroid. The scientists found evidence of these microscopic diamonds in the fossils.
Other grains present were unusually rich in metals such as nickel and cobalt, indicating an extraterrestrial origin.
The organisms, known as agglutinated foraminifera, are thought to have selected the diamonds for their density.
Lead researcher Michael Kaminski, from University College London, told New Scientist magazine: "The foraminifera were deliberately using extraterrestrial diamonds in their shells."
Scientists still do not know how the creatures were able to pick out the densest grains, an ability they share with their modern descendants.
"Dude, even amoeba-like creatures like shinny things."
3 accused of using corpse head to smoke pot (Houston Chronicle)
We know it’s a creepy story, but it is the inspiration for what we think is the best-est name for a heavy metal band ever—Skull Bong
94-year-old mom on ATV kills son in farm accident (Detroit free press)
Make that “almost all terrain” vehicle.
We figure they looked like a cross between Porter Wagoner in a Nudie suit and the Gabor sisters on holiday.
Ancient sea creatures 'dressed up' in diamonds
A glimpse into prehistoric fashion has revealed that ancient sea creatures liked to doll themselves up with diamonds imported from outer space.
CNN reports that scientists have discovered that the organisms coated themselves with tiny diamonds made from carbon brought to Earth on the asteroid which may have wiped out dinosaurs.
Fossils of the single-celled creatures were discovered in the Umbria-Marche basin of eastern Italy.
The amoeba-like creatures made their own armour by sticking together sediment grains from the ocean floor.
Researchers collected the fossils from rock samples just above and below the sediment layer created by the massive asteroid impact 65 million years ago.
When the asteroid smashed into the Earth off the coast of Mexico the extreme pressure and temperatures generated manufactured diamonds.
Some of the tiny jewels were formed by crushing and heating Earthly graphite rock. But others were truly extraterrestrial, being made from carbon carried in the asteroid. The scientists found evidence of these microscopic diamonds in the fossils.
Other grains present were unusually rich in metals such as nickel and cobalt, indicating an extraterrestrial origin.
The organisms, known as agglutinated foraminifera, are thought to have selected the diamonds for their density.
Lead researcher Michael Kaminski, from University College London, told New Scientist magazine: "The foraminifera were deliberately using extraterrestrial diamonds in their shells."
Scientists still do not know how the creatures were able to pick out the densest grains, an ability they share with their modern descendants.
"Dude, even amoeba-like creatures like shinny things."
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/06/08
Can you hear me now?
Afghanistan Firefight Heard On Voice Mail
OTIS, Ore. (Fox 12-Oregon)-- An Oregon couple received a frightening phone call from their son in Afghanistan when he inadvertently called home during battle.
Stephen Phillips and other soldiers in his Army MP company were battling insurgents when his phone was pressed against his Humvee. It redialed and called his parents in the small Oregon town of Otis.
Sandie Petee, Phillips' mother, and her husband, Jeff Petee, weren't home at the time of the call. They returned home to find a three-minute voice mail on their answering machine.
Click here to find out more!
"His friend died a year ago in Iraq and I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, this may be the last time I hear my son's voice on the phone,'" Petee said.
They heard shooting, swearing and shouted pleas for more ammunition on the phone call from their son.
"They were pinned down and apparently his barrel was overheating," said Jeff Petee. "It's something a parent really doesn't want to hear. It's a heck of a message to get from your son in Afghanistan."
The three-minute call ended abruptly.
"You could hear him saying stuff like, he needs more ammo, or he needs another barrel," said John Petee, Phillips' brother. "At the end, you could hear a guy saying 'Incoming! RPG!' And then it cut off."
As soon as the voice mail stopped playing, the Petees began trying to reach their son in Afghanistan. The family figured out Petee had tried to call home earlier that day, but he didn't leave a message and the phone later redialed during battle.
They eventually reached their son.
"I finally got a hold of him," Sandie Petee said. "He was embarrassed, he said, 'Don't let Grandma hear it.'"
Stephen Phillips is scheduled to return home next month, when his tour is complete, his mother said.
Now that's a network.
Afghanistan Firefight Heard On Voice Mail
OTIS, Ore. (Fox 12-Oregon)-- An Oregon couple received a frightening phone call from their son in Afghanistan when he inadvertently called home during battle.
Stephen Phillips and other soldiers in his Army MP company were battling insurgents when his phone was pressed against his Humvee. It redialed and called his parents in the small Oregon town of Otis.
Sandie Petee, Phillips' mother, and her husband, Jeff Petee, weren't home at the time of the call. They returned home to find a three-minute voice mail on their answering machine.
Click here to find out more!
"His friend died a year ago in Iraq and I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, this may be the last time I hear my son's voice on the phone,'" Petee said.
They heard shooting, swearing and shouted pleas for more ammunition on the phone call from their son.
"They were pinned down and apparently his barrel was overheating," said Jeff Petee. "It's something a parent really doesn't want to hear. It's a heck of a message to get from your son in Afghanistan."
The three-minute call ended abruptly.
"You could hear him saying stuff like, he needs more ammo, or he needs another barrel," said John Petee, Phillips' brother. "At the end, you could hear a guy saying 'Incoming! RPG!' And then it cut off."
As soon as the voice mail stopped playing, the Petees began trying to reach their son in Afghanistan. The family figured out Petee had tried to call home earlier that day, but he didn't leave a message and the phone later redialed during battle.
They eventually reached their son.
"I finally got a hold of him," Sandie Petee said. "He was embarrassed, he said, 'Don't let Grandma hear it.'"
Stephen Phillips is scheduled to return home next month, when his tour is complete, his mother said.
Now that's a network.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Making Science More Better For You on 05/05/08
Headlines of the day
Police: Mother shot 8-year-old daughter in leg to win $1 bet (Seboygan Press.com)
Oh yeah, Mother’s Day is May 11.
Cops arrest man who had 300 dead cats in freezers
(Sacramento Bee)
No restaurant jokes, please.
Who needs egg heads and book learnin’?
Clinton 'Not Going To Put My Lot In With Economists' on Gas Tax
Email
ABC News' Mary Bruce reports: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., declined this morning to name a single economist who backs her call for a gas tax suspension.
"I'm not going to put my lot in with economists," Clinton said in an exclusive appearance on a special edition of "This Week" from Indianapolis.
In light of fierce criticism from economic experts, Clinton said, "We've been, for the last seven years, seeing a tremendous amount of government power and elite opinion basically behind policies that haven't worked well for the middle class and hard-working Americans. ... I know if we get it right, if we actually did it right, if we had a president who used all the tools of the presidency, we would design it in such a way that it would be implemented effectively."
The Democratic candidate also responded to claims that her proposal is not a "truthful response" to the soaring prices at the pump.
"This gas tax issue to me is very real, because I am meeting people across Indiana and North Carolina who drive for a living, who commute long distances, who would save money if the oil companies paid this $8 billion this summer, instead of it coming out of the pockets of consumers," Clinton said. "Now, look, I have long-term plans too. I mean, it's a misnomer to say this is all that I'm doing. It's not. I have a comprehensive long-term energy plan that would go right at dependence on foreign oil."
Clinton also differentiated her plan from that of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the likely Republican presidential nominee, who has also called for summer gas tax holiday.
"My proposal is very different from Sen. McCain," she said. "Sen. McCain has said take off the gas tax, don't pay for it, throw us further into deficit and debt. That is not what I've proposed. What I've proposed is that the oil companies pay the gas tax instead of consumers and drivers this summer."
Clinton has proposed using a windfall profits tax on oil companies to pay for the gas tax holiday. However, she also previously pledged to use windfall profits to create a strategic energy fund for renewable and alternative energies.
But when "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos asked if she had already spent the windfall profits tax, she said, "No ... the tax subsidies will go right into that [strategic energy fund]. I'm talking about something temporary this summer. My longer-term plan is, yes, to put an excess profits tax on the oil companies above a certain level of profit that would go in to help us make the transition."
Yeah, let’s have the oil companies pay the gas tax, cause they’d never think of passing the cost on to consumers. Nope, not those guys.
Police: Mother shot 8-year-old daughter in leg to win $1 bet (Seboygan Press.com)
Oh yeah, Mother’s Day is May 11.
Cops arrest man who had 300 dead cats in freezers
(Sacramento Bee)
No restaurant jokes, please.
Who needs egg heads and book learnin’?
Clinton 'Not Going To Put My Lot In With Economists' on Gas Tax
ABC News' Mary Bruce reports: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., declined this morning to name a single economist who backs her call for a gas tax suspension.
"I'm not going to put my lot in with economists," Clinton said in an exclusive appearance on a special edition of "This Week" from Indianapolis.
In light of fierce criticism from economic experts, Clinton said, "We've been, for the last seven years, seeing a tremendous amount of government power and elite opinion basically behind policies that haven't worked well for the middle class and hard-working Americans. ... I know if we get it right, if we actually did it right, if we had a president who used all the tools of the presidency, we would design it in such a way that it would be implemented effectively."
The Democratic candidate also responded to claims that her proposal is not a "truthful response" to the soaring prices at the pump.
"This gas tax issue to me is very real, because I am meeting people across Indiana and North Carolina who drive for a living, who commute long distances, who would save money if the oil companies paid this $8 billion this summer, instead of it coming out of the pockets of consumers," Clinton said. "Now, look, I have long-term plans too. I mean, it's a misnomer to say this is all that I'm doing. It's not. I have a comprehensive long-term energy plan that would go right at dependence on foreign oil."
Clinton also differentiated her plan from that of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the likely Republican presidential nominee, who has also called for summer gas tax holiday.
"My proposal is very different from Sen. McCain," she said. "Sen. McCain has said take off the gas tax, don't pay for it, throw us further into deficit and debt. That is not what I've proposed. What I've proposed is that the oil companies pay the gas tax instead of consumers and drivers this summer."
Clinton has proposed using a windfall profits tax on oil companies to pay for the gas tax holiday. However, she also previously pledged to use windfall profits to create a strategic energy fund for renewable and alternative energies.
But when "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos asked if she had already spent the windfall profits tax, she said, "No ... the tax subsidies will go right into that [strategic energy fund]. I'm talking about something temporary this summer. My longer-term plan is, yes, to put an excess profits tax on the oil companies above a certain level of profit that would go in to help us make the transition."
Yeah, let’s have the oil companies pay the gas tax, cause they’d never think of passing the cost on to consumers. Nope, not those guys.
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