ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• World Trade Center-exposed NYC firefighters face increased cancer risk, study finds
• First long-term study of WTC workers shows widespread health problems 10 years after Sept. 11
• Clinical practice guidelines on interpretation of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) levels
• Cryptococcus infections misdiagnosed in many AIDS patients, study suggests
• New HIV vaccine approach targets desirable immune cells
• Modeling melanocyte differentiation in zebrafish
• Persistent immunity: Researchers find signals that preserve anti-viral antibodies
• Dendritic cells in liver protect against acetaminophen toxicity; Possible new therapeutic target for acetaminophen induced acute liver failure
• Cryogenic catering truck comes to the ALMA observatory
• Breast cancer risk drops when diet includes walnuts, researchers find
• Signs of aging may be linked to undetected blocked brain blood vessels
• Feeding cows natural plant extracts can reduce dairy farm odors and feed costs
• New half-match bone marrow transplant procedure yields promising outcomes for cancer patients
• Physicists demonstrate quantum integrated circuit that implements quantum von Neumann architecture
• Warming streams could be the end for spring-run Chinook salmon in California
• How to get ahead in the nervous system: Scientists discover a highly conserved mechanism governing brain development
• Study finds more gut reaction to arthritis drugs; Stomach acid-suppressing drugs appear to damage small intestine
• Tree-killing pathogen traced back to California
• Starving inflammatory immune cells slows damage caused by multiple sclerosis, study finds
• Discovery suggests way to block fetal brain damage produced by oxygen deprivation
• New map shows where tastes are coded in the brain
• Physicists capture microscopic origins of thinning and thickening fluids
• From a flat mirror, designer light: Bizarre optical phenomena defies laws of reflection and refraction
• Glowing, blinking bacteria reveal how cells synchronize biological clocks
• Sparing or sharing? Protecting wild species may require growing more food on less land
• Woolly rhino fossil discovery in Tibet provides important clues to evolution of Ice Age giants
• Understanding next-generation electronic devices: Smallest atomic displacements ever
• Biological 'computer' destroys cancer cells: Diagnostic network incorporated into human cells
• Up from the depths: How bacteria capture carbon in the 'twilight zone'
• NASA Earth-observing satellite arrives in California for launch
• NASA's Chandra finds nearest pair of supermassive black holes
• Mars Science Laboratory launch preparations
• Digital quantum simulator developed
• To clear digital waste in computers, 'think green,' researchers say
• Habit makes bad food too easy to swallow
• US high school science standards in genetics are 'inadequate' according to experts
• Researchers successfully perform first injection of cultured red blood cells in human donor
• Alcohol dulls brain 'alarm' that monitors mistakes, study finds
• Key function of mutation in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer gene discovered
• Crippling condition associated with diabetes is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood
• Sporulation may have given rise to the bacterial outer membrane
• Researchers identify gene that leads to myopia (nearsightedness)
• Scientists discover secret life of chromatin: DNA/histone combination, a destination for cell signals, also talks to other proteins
• Two genes that cause familial ALS shown to work together
• Manipulating plants' circadian clock may make all-season crops possible
• New treatments for baldness? Scientists find stem cells that tell hair it's time to grow
• An 'unconventional' path to correcting cystic fibrosis
• Infants trained to concentrate show added benefits
• Orchestrator of waste removal rescues cells that can't manage their trash
• Joining the dots: Mutation-mechanism-disease
• Alzheimer disease: Transport protein ABCC1 plays key role in clearing beta-amyloid from brains of mice
• Social media expert explores dynamics of online networking
• Alzheimer's brains found to have lower levels of key protein
• Hospitals encouraged to consider value-added service of hospital-based radiology groups
• Exercise boosts health by influencing stem cells to become bone, not fat, researchers find
• Using less water to grow more potatoes
• Perception of facial expressions differs across cultures
• Faster diagnostics through cheap, ultra-portable blood testing
• Hubble movies reveal solar-system-sized traffic jams: Giant jets spewing from newborn stars revealed in telescope's images
• Sight fails when defective eye cells cripple renewal

World Trade Center-exposed NYC firefighters face increased cancer risk, study finds Posted: 01 Sep 2011 06:44 PM PDT In the largest cancer study of firefighters ever conducted, researchers have found that New York City firefighters exposed to the Sept. 11 World Trade Center (WTC) disaster site were at least 19 percent more likely to develop cancer in the seven years following the disaster as their non-exposed colleagues and up to 10 percent more likely to develop cancer than a similar sample from the general population.

First long-term study of WTC workers shows widespread health problems 10 years after Sept. 11 Posted: 01 Sep 2011 06:44 PM PDT In the first long-term study of the health impacts of the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse on Sept. 11, 2001, researchers have found substantial and persistent mental and physical health problems among Sept. 11 first responders and recovery workers.

Clinical practice guidelines on interpretation of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) levels Posted: 01 Sep 2011 03:19 PM PDT The American Thoracic Society has issued the first-ever guidelines on the use of fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) that address when to use FENO and how to interpret FENO levels in different clinical settings. The guidelines are graded based on the available evidence in the literature.

Cryptococcus infections misdiagnosed in many AIDS patients, study suggests Posted: 01 Sep 2011 03:19 PM PDT Most AIDS patients, when diagnosed with a fungal infection known simply as cryptococcosis, are assumed to have an infection with Cryptococcus neoformans, but a new study suggests that a sibling species, Cryptococcus gattii, is a more common cause than was previously known. The difference between these strains could make a difference in treatment, clinical course, and outcome.

New HIV vaccine approach targets desirable immune cells Posted: 01 Sep 2011 02:12 PM PDT Researchers have demonstrated an approach to HIV vaccine design that uses an altered form of HIV's outer coating or envelope protein.

Modeling melanocyte differentiation in zebrafish Posted: 01 Sep 2011 02:12 PM PDT Researchers have combined genetic data with mathematical modeling to provide insights into cells and how they differentiate. The findings demonstrate the utility of a systems biology approach and could have implications for understanding and treating diseases, including cancers, caused when cells start to function incorrectly.

Persistent immunity: Researchers find signals that preserve anti-viral antibodies Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:39 PM PDT How does our remarkable immune system retain the ability to defend against viruses previously encountered? While antibodies persist in our blood for only a few short weeks, our bodies retain the cells that make specific, successful antibodies for decades. Researchers have determined the protein signals that keep the memory of old viruses alive, findings that may aid in creating better, more effective vaccines.

Dendritic cells in liver protect against acetaminophen toxicity; Possible new therapeutic target for acetaminophen induced acute liver failure Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:39 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that dendritic cells in the liver have a protective role against the toxicity of acetaminophen, the widely used over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer for adults and children.

Cryogenic catering truck comes to the ALMA observatory Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:39 PM PDT The superconducting receivers of ALMA's telescopes in the Chilean Andes now have their own cryogenic catering service -- a customized truck, inspired by airline catering vehicles, that cuts maintenance disruptions to the upcoming astronomy schedule and greatly reduces ALMA's carbon footprint.

Breast cancer risk drops when diet includes walnuts, researchers find Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:39 PM PDT The risk of breast cancer dropped significantly in mice when their regular diet included a modest amount of walnut, researchers report in a new study.

Signs of aging may be linked to undetected blocked brain blood vessels Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:39 PM PDT Tiny blocked brain vessels may be the cause of many common signs associated with older age, according to new research. Brain autopsies showed more lesions in those with the most pronounced difficulty walking. Thirty percent of small brain lesions could only be seen under a microscope after study participants died. The lesions couldn't be detected by current scans.

Feeding cows natural plant extracts can reduce dairy farm odors and feed costs Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:39 PM PDT With citizens' groups seeking government regulation of foul-smelling ammonia emissions from large dairy farms, scientists report that adding natural plant extracts to cow feed can reduce levels of the gas by one-third while reducing the need to fortify cow feed with expensive protein supplements.

New half-match bone marrow transplant procedure yields promising outcomes for cancer patients Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:53 PM PDT Half-matched bone marrow or stem cell transplants for blood cancer patients have typically been associated with disappointing clinical outcomes. However, a clinical trial testing its unique, two-step half-match procedure has produced some promising results: the probability of overall survival was 45 percent in all patients after three years and 75 percent in patients who were in remission at the time of the transplant.

Physicists demonstrate quantum integrated circuit that implements quantum von Neumann architecture Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:52 PM PDT A new paradigm in quantum information processing has been demonstrated. Physicists have developed a quantum integrated circuit that implements the quantum von Neumann architecture. In this architecture, a long-lived quantum random access memory can be programmed using a quantum central processing unit, all constructed on a single chip, providing the key components for a quantum version of a classical computer.

Warming streams could be the end for spring-run Chinook salmon in California Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:52 PM PDT Warming streams could spell the end of spring-run Chinook salmon in California by the end of the century, according to a study by scientists at UC Davis, the Stockholm Environment Institute and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

How to get ahead in the nervous system: Scientists discover a highly conserved mechanism governing brain development Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:52 PM PDT If you think today's political rhetoric is overheated, imagine what goes on inside a vertebrate embryo. There, two armies whose agendas are poles apart, engage in a battle with consequences much more dire than whether the economy will recover -- they are battling for whether you (or frogs or chickens) will have a forebrain. A new study reveals that a foot soldier of one army -- the ventralizers -- deploys a weapon that disarms the other -- the dorsalizers -- leaving the embryo free to develop a proper brain. Those findings define how the embryonic nervous system develops and could shed light on mechanisms underlying colon cancer.

Study finds more gut reaction to arthritis drugs; Stomach acid-suppressing drugs appear to damage small intestine Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:52 PM PDT A research team has found stomach acid-reducing drugs, known as proton pump inhibitors, may actually be aggravating damage in the small intestine caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs.

Tree-killing pathogen traced back to California Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:26 AM PDT California has emerged as the top suspect as the source of a pathogen responsible for a global pandemic of cypress canker disease. The genetic detective work by researchers in the U.S. and in Italy spotlights the hazards of planting trees and other vegetation in regions where they are not native.

Starving inflammatory immune cells slows damage caused by multiple sclerosis, study finds Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:26 AM PDT Researchers report that inhibiting the ability of immune cells to use fatty acids as fuel measurably slows disease progression in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Discovery suggests way to block fetal brain damage produced by oxygen deprivation Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:26 AM PDT Examining brain damage that occurs when fetuses in the womb are deprived of oxygen, researchers have discovered that damage does not occur randomly but is linked to the specific action of a naturally occurring fatty molecule called LPA, acting through a receptor that transfers information into young brain cells.

New map shows where tastes are coded in the brain Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:21 AM PDT Each taste, from sweet to salty, is sensed by a unique set of neurons in the brains of mice, new research reveals. The findings demonstrate that neurons that respond to specific tastes are arranged discretely in what the scientists call a 'gustotopic map.' This is the first map that shows how taste is represented in the mammalian brain.

Physicists capture microscopic origins of thinning and thickening fluids Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:21 AM PDT In things thick and thin: Physicists now explain how fluids -- such as paint or paste -- behave by observing how micron-sized suspended particles dance in real time. Using high-speed microscopy, the scientists unveil how these particles are responding to fluid flows from shear -- a specific way of stirring.

From a flat mirror, designer light: Bizarre optical phenomena defies laws of reflection and refraction Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:21 AM PDT Exploiting a novel technique called phase discontinuity, researchers have induced light rays to behave in a way that defies the centuries-old laws of reflection and refraction. The discovery has led to a reformulation of the mathematical laws that predict the path of a ray of light bouncing off a surface or traveling from one medium into another -- for example, from air into glass.

Glowing, blinking bacteria reveal how cells synchronize biological clocks Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:21 AM PDT Biologists have long known that organisms from bacteria to humans use the 24 hour cycle of light and darkness to set their biological clocks. But exactly how these clocks are synchronized at the molecular level to perform the interactions within a population of cells that depend on the precise timing of circadian rhythms is less well understood.

Sparing or sharing? Protecting wild species may require growing more food on less land Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:21 AM PDT In parts of the world still rich in biodiversity, separating natural habitats from high-yielding farmland could be a more effective way to conserve wild species than trying to grow crops and conserve nature on the same land, according to a new study.

Woolly rhino fossil discovery in Tibet provides important clues to evolution of Ice Age giants Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:21 AM PDT Fossil discoveries from Tibet offer new insights into the origin of the cold-adapted Pleistocene megafauna. A new research paper posits that the harsh winters of the rising Tibetan Plateau may have provided the initial step towards cold-adaptation for several subsequently successful members of the late Pleistocene mammoth fauna in Europe, Asia, and to a lesser extent, North America. The Tibetan Plateau, therefore, may have been another cradle of the Ice Age giants.

Understanding next-generation electronic devices: Smallest atomic displacements ever Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:20 AM PDT Scientists have developed a novel X-ray technique for imaging atomic displacements in materials with unprecedented accuracy. They have applied their technique to determine how a recently discovered class of exotic materials -- multiferroics -- can be simultaneously both magnetically and electrically ordered. Multiferroics are also candidate materials for new classes of electronic devices. The discovery is a major breakthrough in understanding multiferroics.

Biological 'computer' destroys cancer cells: Diagnostic network incorporated into human cells Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:20 AM PDT Researchers have successfully incorporated a diagnostic biological "computer" network into human cells. This network recognizes certain cancer cells using logic combinations of five cancer-specific molecular factors, triggering cancer cells destruction.

Up from the depths: How bacteria capture carbon in the 'twilight zone' Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:20 AM PDT Located between 200 and 1,000 meters below the ocean surface is a "twilight zone" where insufficient sunlight penetrates for microorganisms to perform photosynthesis. Details are now emerging about a microbial metabolic pathway that helps solve the mystery of how certain bacteria capture carbon in the dark ocean, enabling a better understanding of what happens to the carbon that is fixed in the oceans every year.

NASA Earth-observing satellite arrives in California for launch Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:18 AM PDT On Tuesday, Aug. 30, NASA's next Earth-observing research satellite arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to begin preparations for an October launch. The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project (NPP) is the first of a new generation of satellites that will observe many facets of our changing Earth.

NASA's Chandra finds nearest pair of supermassive black holes Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:12 AM PDT Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered the first pair of supermassive black holes in a spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way. Approximately 160 million light years from Earth, the pair is the nearest known such phenomenon.

Mars Science Laboratory launch preparations Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:09 AM PDT NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Project continues to press ahead with launch preparation activities, planning to use additional time before encapsulating the rover in the launch vehicle's nose cone.

Digital quantum simulator developed Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:03 AM PDT Physicists in Austria have come considerably closer to their goal to investigate complex phenomena in a model system: They have developed a digital, and therefore, universal quantum simulator in their laboratory, which can, in principle, simulate any physical system efficiently.

To clear digital waste in computers, 'think green,' researchers say Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:51 AM PDT A digital dumping ground lies inside most computers, a wasteland where old, rarely used and unneeded files pile up. Such data can deplete precious storage space, bog down the system's efficiency and sap its energy. Computer scientists now propose adapting a real-world approach to the cleanup effort.

Habit makes bad food too easy to swallow Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:51 AM PDT Do you always get popcorn at the movies? Or snack while you're on the couch watching television? A new article reveals why bad eating habits persist even when the food we're eating doesn't taste good. The study also reveals the surprisingly simple ways we can counter our habits to gain control over what we eat.

US high school science standards in genetics are 'inadequate' according to experts Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:51 AM PDT More than 85 percent of states have genetics standards that are inadequate for preparing America's high school students for participation in a society and health care system that will be increasingly impacted by genetics-based personalized medicine, according to experts.

Researchers successfully perform first injection of cultured red blood cells in human donor Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:50 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have successfully injected cultured red blood cells (cRBCs) created from human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into a human donor. As the global need for blood continues to increase while the number of blood donors is decreasing, these study results provide hope that one day patients in need of a blood transfusion might become their own donors.

Alcohol dulls brain 'alarm' that monitors mistakes, study finds Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:50 AM PDT Most people have witnessed otherwise intelligent people doing embarrassing or stupid things when they are intoxicated, but what specifically happens in the brain to cause such drunken actions? A new study testing alcohol's effects on brain activity finds that alcohol dulls the brain "signal" that warns people when they are making a mistake, ultimately reducing self control.

Key function of mutation in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer gene discovered Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:50 AM PDT It is widely known that mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility 1 (BRCA1) gene significantly increase the chance of developing breast and ovarian cancers, but the mechanisms at play are not fully understood. Now, researchers have shown that certain BRCA1 mutations result in excessive, uncontrolled DNA repair, which challenges the prior assumption that mutations in BRCA1 only contribute to breast cancer through a reduction in function.

Crippling condition associated with diabetes is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:50 AM PDT A new article explains symptoms and treatments for Charcot foot, a form of localized osteoporosis linked to diabetes that causes the bones to soften and break, often resulting in amputation.

Sporulation may have given rise to the bacterial outer membrane Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:50 AM PDT Bacteria can generally be divided into two classes: those with just one membrane and those with two. Now researchers have used a powerful imaging technique to find what they believe may be the missing link between the two classes, as well as a plausible explanation for how the outer membrane may have arisen.

Researchers identify gene that leads to myopia (nearsightedness) Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:50 AM PDT Despite decades of intensive research, the specific genes whose defects lead to nearsightedness have remained elusive. A defective gene was identified in a thorough study of severe early-onset myopia that is common in a specific Bedouin tribe in southern Israel.

Scientists discover secret life of chromatin: DNA/histone combination, a destination for cell signals, also talks to other proteins Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:46 AM PDT Chromatin -- the intertwined histone proteins and DNA that make up chromosomes -- constantly receives messages that pour in from a cell's intricate signaling networks: Turn that gene on. Stifle that one. But chromatin also talks back, scientists report, issuing orders affecting a protein that has nothing to do with chromatin's central role in gene transcription -- the first step in protein formation.

Two genes that cause familial ALS shown to work together Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:46 AM PDT Although several genes have been linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), it is still unknown how they cause this progressive neurodegenerative disease. In a new study, researchers have demonstrated that two ALS-associated genes work in tandem to support the long-term survival of motor neurons.

Manipulating plants' circadian clock may make all-season crops possible Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:46 AM PDT Researchers have identified a key genetic gear that keeps the circadian clock of plants ticking, a finding that could have broad implications for global agriculture.

New treatments for baldness? Scientists find stem cells that tell hair it's time to grow Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:46 AM PDT Researchers have discovered the source of signals that trigger hair growth, an insight that may lead to new treatments for baldness.

An 'unconventional' path to correcting cystic fibrosis Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:46 AM PDT Researchers have identified an unconventional path that may correct the defect underlying cystic fibrosis, according to a new study. This new treatment dramatically extends the lives of mice carrying the disease-associated mutation.

Infants trained to concentrate show added benefits Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:46 AM PDT Although parents may have a hard time believing it, even infants can be trained to improve their concentration skills. What's more, training babies in this way leads to improvements on other, unrelated tasks. The findings are in contrast to reports in adults showing that training at one task generally doesn't translate into improved performance on other, substantially different tasks. They also may have important implications for improving success in school, particularly for those children at risk of poor outcomes, the researchers say.

Orchestrator of waste removal rescues cells that can't manage their trash Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:46 AM PDT Just as we must take out the trash to keep our homes clean and safe, it is essential that our cells have mechanisms for dealing with wastes and worn-out proteins. When these processes are not working properly, unwanted debris builds up in the cell and creates a toxic environment. Now, a new study describes a master regulator of the intracellular recycling and waste removal process and suggests an alternative strategy for treatment of metabolic disorders associated with the abnormal accumulation of waste in the cell.

Joining the dots: Mutation-mechanism-disease Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:46 AM PDT Individuals with an autoinflammatory syndrome experience episodes of prolonged fever and inflammation in the absence of infection. There are several different autoinflammatory syndromes identified by distinct symptoms and underlying genetic mutations. Researchers have now identified a mutation that causes Japanese autoinflammatory syndrome with lipodystrophy and determined the mechanisms by which it does so.

Alzheimer disease: Transport protein ABCC1 plays key role in clearing beta-amyloid from brains of mice Posted: 01 Sep 2011 10:46 AM PDT Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia among older people. One of the main features of AD is the presence in the brain of abnormal clumps of the protein fragment beta-amyloid. Researchers have now identified a way to reduce the amount of beta-amyloid in the brains of mice with a disease that models AD, providing hope that a similar approach could benefit patients with this devastating condition.

Social media expert explores dynamics of online networking Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:25 AM PDT Birds of a feather flock together in cyberspace. At least that is what one social media expert has found while exploring the dynamics of online communities.

Alzheimer's brains found to have lower levels of key protein Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:25 AM PDT Researchers have found that a protein variation linked by some genetic studies to Alzheimer's disease is consistently present in the actual brains of people with Alzheimer's. In further biochemical and cell culture investigations, they have shown that this protein, known as ubiquilin-1, performs a critical Alzheimer's-related function: it "chaperones" the formation of amyloid precursor protein, a molecule whose malformation has been directly tied to Alzheimer's pathology.

Hospitals encouraged to consider value-added service of hospital-based radiology groups Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:25 AM PDT Hospital executives should consider the value-added services of hospital-based radiology groups before allowing radiology departments to be taken over by teleradiologists or other specialists, according to a new article.

Exercise boosts health by influencing stem cells to become bone, not fat, researchers find Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:25 AM PDT Researchers have found one more reason to exercise: working out triggers influential stem cells to become bone instead of fat, improving overall health by boosting the body's capacity to make blood.

Using less water to grow more potatoes Posted: 01 Sep 2011 07:55 AM PDT Agricultural researchers have confirmed that in some production systems, planting potatoes in flat beds can increase irrigation water use efficiency.

Perception of facial expressions differs across cultures Posted: 01 Sep 2011 07:55 AM PDT Facial expressions have been called the "universal language of emotion," but people from different cultures perceive happy, sad or angry facial expressions in unique ways, according to new research.

Faster diagnostics through cheap, ultra-portable blood testing Posted: 01 Sep 2011 07:54 AM PDT Current blood testing procedures are expensive and time-consuming, while sophisticated test equipment is bulky and difficult to transport. A team of researchers has addressed all these drawbacks in a new low-cost, portable blood testing technique using surface plasmon resonance. The technique could help in a wide range of medical sensing applications, including diagnosing diseases like cancer and diabetes long before clinical symptoms arise.

Hubble movies reveal solar-system-sized traffic jams: Giant jets spewing from newborn stars revealed in telescope's images Posted: 01 Sep 2011 07:54 AM PDT Using Hubble Space Telescope images, astronomers have created time-lapse movies that offer astronomers their first glimpse of the dynamic behavior of stellar jets, huge torrents of gas and particles that spew from the poles of newborn stars. The movies are forcing astronomers to rethink the late stages of star birth. The researchers are also using lasers to recreate small-scale versions of the jets.

Sight fails when defective eye cells cripple renewal Posted: 01 Sep 2011 07:54 AM PDT In the rare eye disease, Enhanced S-Cone Syndrome, the retina degenerates because light-receiving cells fail to regenerate, new research shows. The discovery provides a target to treat the disease, which affects about one in 1 million people. But, the findings and the scientists' use of two technologies to uncover the mechanisms leading to sight loss may help gain understanding of other retinal degenerative diseases, including macular degeneration, affecting millions worldwide.

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