Arthritis cure with stem cells collected from fat tissue
Adult stem cells collected from fat tissue can be converted to cells that will grow cartilage tissue — has focused one Arizona Arthritis Center lab’s research, promising new hope for osteoarthritis sufferers. These cells offer numerous advantages over cartilage cells. Not only can they be changed readily into a range of other cell types, but because of their long, spindly shape – unlike the rounded shapes of cartilage cells – researchers easily can judge whether they are aligning into the highly structured form they must be in to build hyaline cartilage… [more]
Source : University of Arizona
Tags: Arthritis cure, hyaline cartilage, John A. Szivek, stem cells collected from fat tissue for arthritis cure
Garlic breath cure a glass of milk
In tests with raw and cooked cloves, milk “significantly reduced” levels of the sulphur compounds that give garlic its flavour and pungent smell. Mixing milk with garlic in the mouth before swallowing had a higher odour neutralising effect than drinking milk after eating the garlic… [more]
Source : BBC
Tags: Garlic breath cure
Transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS magnetic fields to treat depression medication free
Magnetic pulses applied to a coil on the patient’s head deliver a gentle electric current that fires up nerve cells in the brain. previously the procedure was tested for use in combating depression and schizophrenia and now trialling ”deep TMS” for disorders such as autism and Asperger’s in patients as young as 18. The therapy uses a coil that stimulates an area of the brain which controls social functioning… [more]
Source : The Age
Tags: magnetic fields to treat depression, TMS, Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Black rice a health promoting anthocyanin antioxidant
Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants… [more]
Source : American Chemical Society
Tags: Black rice
The Swindon honeybee to save billions of bees from the blood sucking varroa mite
Hoskins, a former heating engineer, claims to have bred a honeybee that “grooms” other bees in the hives to remove the blood-sucking varroa mite that spreads viruses and disease. It has killed billions of honeybees… [more]
Source : Guardian
Tags: Ron Hoskins, superbee against the blood sucking varroa mite, Swindon honeybee, varroa mite
Iraq the most dangerous country for computer security
A new study by internet security company AVG has found that Iraq is the most dangerous place in the Middle East to surf the Internet, with a 1 in 49.6 risk that the average Internet user will be attacked. The safest Middle Eastern country for web browsing, the study found, is Israel, with a 1 in 210.9 chance of being attacked… [more]
Source : Jerusalem Post
Tags: Iraq the worst country for computer security
HIV virus hides in the brain the spinal fluid
Studies of the spinal fluid of patients given anti-HIV drugs have resulted in new findings suggesting that the brain can act as a hiding place for the HIV virus. Around 10% of patients showed traces of the virus in their spinal fluid but not in their blood – a larger proportion than previously realised… [more]
Source : University of Gothenburg
Tags: HIV virus in the brain
Al Fayed royal warrants for Harrods were a curse destroyed in 2000
Former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed has revealed he ordered the store’s royal warrants to be destroyed in 2000. He said the endorsements, from the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the late Queen Mother, were a “curse” on the store… [more]
Source : BBC
Tags: royal warrants for Harrods a curse
Swarm intelligence mimicking the behaviour of ants, bees and birds in artificial intelligence
Ants solve their own version using chemical signals called pheromones. When an ant finds food, she takes it back to the nest, leaving behind a pheromone trail that will attract others. The more ants that follow the trail, the stronger it becomes. The pheromones evaporate quickly, however, so once all the food has been collected, the trail soon goes cold. Moreover, this rapid evaporation means long trails are less attractive than short ones, all else being equal. Pheromones thus amplify the limited intelligence of the individual ants into something more powerful… [more]
Source : Economist
Tags: Dr Marco Dorigo, Swarm intelligence, Swarmanoid robots
North Atlantic Ocean garbage patch discovered
A huge expanse of floating plastic debris has been documented for the first time in the North Atlantic Ocean. The size of the affected area rivals the “great Pacific garbage patch” in the world’s other great ocean basin, which generated an outcry over the effects of plastic waste on marine wildlife… [more] & [more]
Source : Independent & Live Science
Tags: North Atlantic Ocean garbage patch
Victor Hugo’s real Quasimodo discovered in the memoirs of Henry Sibson
Clues suggesting that Quasimodo is based on a historical figure have been uncovered in the memoirs of Henry Sibson, a 19th-century British sculptor who was employed at the cathedral at around the time the book was written and who describes a hunched back stonemason also working there… [more] & [more]
Source : Telegraph & ABC News
Tags: Adrian Glew, Henry Sibson, humpacked carver, Jean Trajin, the real Quasimodo discovered
NDM-1 New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase superbug the new superbug spreading from India
A superbug spread around the world after reaching Britain from India — in part because of medical tourism — and scientists say there are almost no drugs to treat it. NDM-1 makes bacteria highly resistant to almost all antibiotics, including the most powerful class called carbapenems, and experts say there are no new drugs on the horizon to tackle it… [more] & [more] & [more]
Source : ABC News & Montreal Gazette & Guardian
Tags: carbapenems NDM-1, NDM-1, New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase
Beautiful women face discrimination for so called masculine jobs
While many see no downside to being beautiful, a professor at the University of Colorado Denver Business School says attractive women face discrimination when it comes to landing certain kinds of jobs. Attractive women were discriminated against when applying for jobs considered “masculine” and for which appearance was not seen as important to the job. Such positions included titles like manager of research and development, director of finance, mechanical engineer and construction supervisor… [more]
Source : University of Colorado Denver
Tags: Attractive women face discrimination
Honeybees more clever in the morning
The earliest rising bee catches the best flower and ultimately the best meal, according to research. This early brain power may have evolved to help the insects sniff out flowering plants and forage for nectar more efficiently… [more]
Source : BBC
Tags: Honeybees clever in the morning
Cat like crocodile of 100 million years discovered in Africa
Fossils of an ancient crocodile with mammal-like teeth have been discovered in the Rukwa Rift Basin of Tanzania, the scientists describe the new species of notosuchian crocodyliform as a small animal—“its head would fit in the palm of your hand,” O’Connor said—that wasn’t as heavily armored as other crocodiles, except along the tail. Other aspects of its anatomy suggest it was a land-dwelling creature that likely feasted on insects and other small animals to survive… [more]
Source : Ohio University
Tags: Cat like crocodile, notosuchian crocodyliform
A pill from kynurenic acid to aid learning in healthy people and to cure Alzheimer’s disease
University of Maryland scientists have linked a brain compound called kynurenic acid to cognition, potentially opening the door to development of a drug that could aid learning in healthy people — and in those with disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. “Workers might want to take a pill so they can work harder, and college students would be interested because they already are taking amphetamine-type pills so they will be sharper,” said Robert Schwarcz, professor of psychiatry… [more]
Source : The Baltimore Sun
Tags: cure to Alzheimer's disease, kynurenic acid, professor Robert Schwarcz
Hypertension cure capsaicin in chilli peppers may lower blood pressure
Scientists have discovered that the long-term ingestion of capsaicin, the ingredient in chillies that makes them taste hot, can reduce blood pressure… [more]
Source : Independent
Tags: capsaicin chilli peppers, Hypertension cure
Hiroshi Ishiguro Telenoid R1 Robot bald, legless and creepy
The Japanese roboticist latest creation – a strange robotic creature called the Telenoid R1, It is intended to be used as a communication device so that people can ‘chat’ from long distances: the robot is supposed to be able toe transmit the presence’ of a person from a distant place… [more]
Source : Daily Mail
Tags: Hiroshi Ishiguro, Telenoid R1
More or fewer than seven hours of sleep increase risk for cardiovascular disease
Sleeping fewer than five hours a day, including naps, more than doubles the risk of being diagnosed with angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke… [more]
Source : ABC News Australia
Tags: Seven hours of sleep
One in five recalls memories that never actually happened
A new study claims that some of our vivid memories are simply figments of the imagination.
Remembering events from our past that we know have never actually happened is actually a relatively common phenomenon, according to psychologists… [more]
Source : University of Hull
Tags: fifth of us recall events that never happened, some vivid memories figments of the imagination
Wearing red makes men more attractive to women
Women found men more appealing when they were either pictured wearing red or framed in red, compared with other colours, it found. Red is known to increase the compatibility of women to men and has also been shown to enhance performance in sport. “Red is typically thought of as a sexy colour for women only,” said Andrew Elliot, of the University of Rochester… [more] & [more]
Source : Telegraph & University of Rochester
Tags: red makes men more attractive to women, red sexy colour, Women prefer man in red
SIRT1 protein on the brain play role in aging and longevity
Researchers watched two groups of mice, both nearing the end of a two-day fast. One group was quietly huddled together, but the other group was active and alert. The difference? The second set of mice had been engineered so their brains produced more SIRT1, a protein known to play a role in aging and longevity… [more]
Source : Washington University School of Medicine
Tags: SIRT1, SIRT1 longevity
Sogen Kato the oldest man of Tokyo dead for 30 years supposedly 111 years old
He was thought to be the oldest man in Tokyo – but when officials went to congratulate Sogen Kato on his 111th birthday, they uncovered mummified skeletal remains lying in his bed.
Mr Kato may have been dead for 30 years according to Japanese authorities… [more] & [more] & [more]
Source : BBC & The Australian & Daily Mail
Tags: oldest man in Tokyo dead for 30 years, Sogen Kato
Poly-L-glutamic acid the gel that can grow back decayed teeth will end fillings
The gel, which is being developed by scientists in France, works by prompting cells in teeth to start multiplying. They then form healthy new tooth tissue that gradually replaces what has been lost to decay. Researchers say in lab studies it took just four weeks to restore teeth back to their original healthy state. The gel contains melanocyte-stimulating hormone, or MSH… [more] & [more]
Source : Daily Mail & Telegraph
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Tags: gel that can grow back decayed teeth, melanocyte-stimulating hormone, MSH, Poly-L-glutamic acid
An Invisibility Cloak Made of Glass
Elena Semouchkina, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Michigan Tech, has found ways to use magnetic resonance to capture rays of visible light and route them around objects, rendering those objects invisible to the human eye. They describe developing a nonmetallic cloak that uses identical glass resonators made of chalcogenide glass, a type of dielectric material. In computer simulations, the cloak made objects hit by infrared waves—approximately one micron or one-millionth of a meter long—disappear from view… [more]
Source : Michigan Tech University
Tags: invisibility cloak made of tiny pieces of glass, Professor Elena Semouchkina
Brain scans test to discover the ideal job
Neuroscientists are getting closer to being able to pinpoint your talents just by looking at the landscape of your mind. They found that the amount of grey matter – parts of the brain used for computations – and white matter – the part used for communication – and where they were positioned seemed to indicate how good you are at a number of tasks including arithmetic, learning and remembering facts and figures. Individual differences in cognitive abilities provide information that is valuable for vocational guidance, but there is an ongoing debate about the role of ability factors, including general intelligence, compared to individual tests… [more] & [more]
Source : Telegraph & BMC Research Notes
Tags: Brain scans for vocational guidance, Professor Richard Haier, psychometric assessments for career choice
Deinococcus radiodurans world’s toughest bug Conan the bacterium
Scientists have discovered that a microbe dubbed “Conan the Bacterium” can travel through space, the discovery has led them to suggest such organisms could have been the origin of life on earth. They subjected the bug, Deinococcus radiodurans, to powerful radiation, freezing temperatures and a vacuum, all designed to simulate conditions found on meteorites and other rocks in space… [more]
Source : The Australian
Tags: Conan the bacterium, Deinococcus radiodurans
Anthony Ward the man who has bought 240,100 tonnes of cocoa
Armajaro Holdings, a hedge fund founded by multi-millionaire Mr Ward, pulled off the £658 million purchase of 241,000 tons of cocoa beans. The purchase has surprised commodity dealers because, in a highly unusual move, Mr Ward’s firm has actually taken delivery of the beans. According to industry sources, in 98 per cent of transactions, traders exchange contracts which give them the option to buy and sell cocoa at various prices and at different times without ever taking possession of the stock… [more]
Source : Daily Mail
Tags: Anthony Ward, Anthony Ward 240 100 tonnes of cocoa, Armajaro Holdings
Nervous systems of plants can remember and react to light
Plants, scientists say, transmit information about light intensity and quality from leaf to leaf in a very similar way to our own nervous systems. In their experiment, the scientists showed that light shone on to one leaf caused the whole plant to respond… [more]
Source : BBC
Tags: memory of plants, plants Nervous system, Plants think and remember
Osteoarthritis cure stem cell therapy for arthritic knees
The stem cells will be tested against cultured cartilage cells (chondrocytes) which are currently used to repair small areas of cartilage damage, but not osteoarthritis. These cells are extracted from patients, grown in the lab and re-implanted back into the patient. A combination of both types of cells will also be trialled with the aim of repairing damage to the joint, stopping osteoarthritis getting worse and delaying or even avoiding the need for knee replacement surgery… [more]
Source : Keele University
Tags: cultured cartilage cells chondrocytes, tem cell therapy for Osteoarthritis
Heart and skeletal muscle inflammation HSMI Killing Farmed Salmon and Risk to Wild Salmon
Heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI), an often fatal disease, was first detected in salmon on a farm in Norway in 1999, and has now been reported in 417 fish farms in Norway as well as in the United Kingdom. The disease destroys heart and muscle tissue and kills up to 20 percent of infected fish. Although studies have indicated an infectious basis, recent efforts to identify the pathogen causing the disease have been unsuccessful… [more]
Source : Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health
Tags: Heart and skeletal muscle inflammation, HSMI
Terahertz Remote Sensing identify from 20 meters illegal drugs and explosives
A major breakthrough in remote wave sensing by a team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers opens the way for detecting hidden explosives, chemical or biological agents, and illegal drugs from a distance of 20 meters. The new all-optical system, using terahertz (THz) wave technology, has great potential for homeland security and military uses because it can “see through” clothing and packaging materials and can identify immediately the unique THz “fingerprints” of any hidden materials… [more]
Source : Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Tags: terahertz (THz) wave technology, Terahertz Remote Sensing hidden explosives chemical or biological agents, THz fingerprint
GABA chemical make jasmine substitute for valium to calme nerves as basis for aromatherapy
Laboratory tests found the fragrance and its chemical substitute dramatically calmed mice when their cage was filled with it, causing them to cease all activity and sit quietly in a corner. Brain scans showed the effect on a chemical called GABA on nerve cells was enhanced by the fragrances and helped soothe, relieve anxiety and promote rest, be seen as evidence of a scientific basis for aromatherapy… [more]
Source : Telegraph
Tags: chemical GABA aromatherapy, substitute for valium jasmine
Fish grunt, growl, pop to talk in a language at each other
Fish have been found to grunt, growl and “pop” at each other, all fish can hear, but not all can make sound – pops and other sounds made by vibrating their swim bladder, a muscle they can contract. ish are believed to speak to each other for a number of reasons, including to attract mates, scare predators, or orientate themselves… [more]
Source : New Zealand Herald
Tags: Fish grunt growl pop, Fish talk
Prozac, antidepressants flushed into the sea make shrimps more likely to be eaten by fish or birds
Research into the behaviour of shrimps exposed to the antidepressant fluoxetine, showed that their behaviour is dramatically affected. The shrimps are five times more likely to swim toward the light instead of away from it – making them more likely to be eaten by fish or birds, which could have devastating effects on the shrimp population. Crustaceans are crucial to the food chain and if shrimps’ natural behaviour is being changed because of antidepressant levels in the sea this could seriously upset the natural balance of the ecosystem… [more]
Source : University of Portsmouth
Tags: antidepressant fluoxetine on the food chain, shrimps exposed to the antidepressant fluoxetine, shrimps on antidepressants, shrimps on Prozac
BP Oil spill causes air pollution of high levels airborne chemicals
Record levels of potentially harmful chemicals have been detected by UC Irvine researchers in the air around the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. While the amounts of individual gases might not reach official risk levels, the unknown effects of the combined swirl of chemicals are a concern. “Somebody should be tasked with a very thorough study of these gases… [more]
Source : UC Irvine
Tags: BP Oil spill air pollution
Human foetus cannot feel pain before the age of 24 weeks
Nerve connections in the foetal brain do not form fully enough to allow perception of pain until after the 24-week limit for terminating pregnancies, an expert report commissioned by Britain’s Department of Health concluded. It found that nerve connections to the cortex, the part of the brain that deals with pain and higher mental functions, do not form properly before 24 weeks. “It can be concluded that the foetus cannot experience pain in any sense prior to this gestation… [more]
Source : The Australian
Tags: foetus cannot experience pain before 24 weeks
E920 Human hair as human foods and dog food
The thought may be an appetite killer, but human hair can be used to make an additive that is found in foods such as the dough for pizza crusts and bagels. Your mop top is a rich source of L-cysteine, an amino acid that can be extracted from hair and used as a flavour enhancer or flour improver. It is sometimes listed as E920 on food packaging. As well as being found in dough it can be used to give food a meat-like flavour, especially in dog food… [more]
Source : BBC
Tags: E920 Human hair human foods, market in human hair
Deepwater Horizon oil rig built in South Korea operated by a Swiss company ans under responsability of Marshall Islands
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico was built in South Korea. It was operated by a Swiss company under contract to a British oil firm. Primary responsibility for safety and other inspections rested not with the U.S. government but with the Republic of the Marshall Islands — a tiny, impoverished nation in the Pacific Ocean… [more] & [more]
Source : Los Angeles Times & Seattle Times
Tags: Deepwater Horizon oil rig built in South Korea, Deepwater Horizon oil rig Transocean Ltd, The Deepwater Horizon oil rig of Marshall Islands
Bridges of $400,000 to help Mount Graham red squirrels cross road safely
The Arizona Department of Transportation plans to spend $400,000 to help squirrels cross the road safely. The squirrels are severely endangered Mount Graham Red Squirrels. They are only found on that one mountain. A count taken in 2009 indicates there are only 250 left in the world. That works out to $1600 per squirrel… [more]
Source : Kgun9
Tags: $$400 000 bridges to help squirrels cross road safely, Mount Graham red squirrels
Parallels between the physiological make-up of monkeys and humans “monkeys like watching television”
Monkeys like watching television, Japanese scientists have revealed in a new study. The study found that when the monkey was witnessing the acrobatic performances of circus animals on a television screen, the frontal lobe area of its brain became vigorously active. The activity in such an area was significant in reflecting the monkey’s pleasure, as the human equivalent is a neurological area associated with triggering delight in a baby when it sees the smile of its mother… [more]
Source : Telegraph
Tags: monkeys like watching television, Parallels between the physiological make-up of monkeys and humans
Jet aircraft produce clouds that can cause rain or snow
Jet aircraft climb or descend under certain atmospheric conditions, they can inadvertently seed mid-level clouds and cause narrow bands of snow or rain to develop and fall to the ground, new research finds. Through this seeding process, they leave behind odd-shaped holes or channels in the clouds, which have long fascinated the public. Precipitation from planes may be particularly common in regions such as the Pacific Northwest and western Europe because of the frequent occurrence of cloud layers with supercooled droplets… [more]
Source : National Center for Atmospheric Research
Tags: aircrafts can cause rain or snow, Hole-punch clouds
Laser That Produces Almost Nothing The Dark Pulse Laser
Despite its ominous name, the dark pulse laser is envisioned as a tool for benign communications and measurements based on infrared light frequencies. The laser’s ultrashort pulses span just 90 picoseconds (trillionths of a second), making the device suitable for measurements on short timescales. Dark pulses might be useful in signal processing because, unlike bright pulses, they generally propagate without distortion. Dark pulses might be used like a camera shutter for a continuous light beam in optical networks… [more]
Source : The National Institute of Standards and Technology
Tags: Dark Pulse Laser
Women have real reason to fear the World Cup of domestic violence
An academic at Royal Holloway, University of London is urging victims of domestic violence to have a plan in place should their partners turn violent during the World Cup, and to avoid the temptation of turning to drink themselves. The World Cup can be a time of fear and worry for victims of domestic abuse as heightened emotions fuelled by alcohol come into play and instances of domestic violence attacks increase. Figures from the Home Office report that during the 2006 Football World Cup there was a 25% average increase in domestic violence on the five England match days in the tournament… [more]
Source : Royal Holloway, University of London
Tags: World Cup and domestic violence
Coffee caffeine prevent diabetes
Scientists are reporting new evidence that drinking coffee may help prevent diabetes and that caffeine may be the ingredient largely responsible for this effect. Scientists fed either water or coffee to a group of laboratory mice commonly used to study diabetes. Coffee consumption prevented the development of high-blood sugar and also improved insulin sensitivity in the mice, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes. Coffee also caused a cascade of other beneficial changes in the fatty liver and inflammatory adipocytokines related to a reduced diabetes risk… [more]
Source : ACS
Tags: Drinking Coffee May Reduce the Risk of Diabetes
Amanda Knox prosecutor Giuliano Mignini had been banned from public office in satanism case
Giuttari enjoyed international success with his novel A Florentine Death, and the Florence prosecutors argued that he was the instigator of the crimes. Mignini, they said, was the passive partner who added the gravitas of the prosecutor’s office to the detective’s attempts to deal legal blows to his boss and other men of power in Florence. Accordingly they asked for a much lighter sentence for Mignini. But the court decided Mignini’s role was more important than that and gave him a sentence only two months shorter than his colleague’s. It also banned Mignini from public office for the same term – but it suspended both sentences, allowing him to return to his Perugia office… [more]
Source : Independent
Tags: Gabriella Carlizzi Amanda Knox, Giuliano Mignini Amanda Knox, Michele Giuttari Amanda Knox