High school science teachers translate the latest research into classroom activities, lessons
...ochemistry of Microbe/Mineral Interactions," which describes how the five teachers from city, suburban, and rural schools in southwest Virginia learned about nanoscience in general and the environmental aspects of the particular model project, then worked with the scientists to distill important aspects of the...Novel form of vitamin D shown to grow bone
...aggett-Dame, Hironori Yamamoto and J. Wesley Pike, describes the effects of a potent Vitamin D analog known in scientific shorthand as 2MD. Its synthesis by the Wisconsin group, and studies of its effects in the lab and in animals, suggests the potential for developing a class of drugs that could effectively r...Scientists discover genetic defect responsible for microcephaly
...blished in the September issue of Nature Genetics, describes the gene mutation that underlies Amish microcephaly (MCPHA), a birth defect marked by a profoundly small head and brain size. Over the past 40 years, 61 babies with MCPHA have been born to 23 nuclear families in the Old Order Amish community in Lanca...Biologists new experiment may vindicate Darwin
...d a new model of speciation to evolution--one that describes bugs, which account for a quarter of the species on earth."...UT Southwestern receives $2 million grant to purchase 30-ton superconducting magnet
...rs expect it to be installed by summer 2003. Rosen describes the device as a magnet that sits in a thermos of liquid nitrogen and liquid helium. It is encased in a steel shell to contain the magnetic field. "When you drop solutions of proteins into the center of a strong magnetic field, it allows them to absor...Laboratory study explains clinical promise of anti-angiogenesis cancer drug
...er treatment known as anti-angiogenesis. The paper describes how the drug -- tetrathiomolybdate, or TM -- keeps tumor cells from sending signals that spur the formation of new blood vessels. By keeping copper low and blocking the NFkB signaling pathway, the researchers believe, TM blocks the angiogenesis, or b...New possibilities for deadly childhood brain cancer
... the Aug. 22 issue of Nature. A team led by Beachy describes how two proteins related to Hedgehog actually interact, offering additional ways to try to target Hedgehog's signal. At the heart of this study are new ways to keep track of the two proteins, known as Patched and Smoothened. Scientists already knew t...Why the hammerhead shark's head is in the shape it's in
...alloped hammerhead and sandbar sharks This study describes and quantifies the behavioral responses of a sphyrnid and a carcharhinid shark to test the predictions of the enhanced electroreception hypothesis. The responses of juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks, Sphyrna lewini, and sandbar sharks, Carcharhinu...New predictor of heart disease risk found
...ble on the Web at http://www.circulationaha.org ), describes a new molecular pathway that stimulates plaque formation. The work is important because it provides a new target for drug development efforts, explains why cholesterol screening is not enough to accurately assess heart disease risk, and underscores t...A thermodynamic history traces temperature's effect on Universe, Earth and humans
...tivity." Far beyond the confines of humanity, Segr describes the history of our universe in terms of its evolut...rn and Jupiter. Segr, a Penn professor since 1967, describes physics as his "family business." Nephew of particle physicist and Nobel laureate Emilio Segr, he i...New compound may immobilize AIDS virus, certain radionuclides
...for it. An article in the current issue of Science describes characteristics of the newly discovered, extremely active compound, called niobium heteropolyanions (hetero-poly-an-ions) or HPAs. "It wasn't difficult to synthesize, it was luck," lead researcher May Nyman says of her discovery. "I wasn't going af...U of C researcher tracks path of flying snake
...8 issue of Nature, the sixth-year graduate student describes some of the aerodynamics of the Chrysopelea paradi...e article, titled "Gliding flight in snakes," also describes the three-dimensional kinematics of gliding by the paradise tree snake. More specifically, the snake......d macular degeneration. The Kellogg scientist also describes the form of macular degeneration in the study as X-linked, meaning the gene is carried on the X chromosome. Because men have only one X chromosome (paired with a Y), they have a 50 percent chance of inheriting any such mutation carried by their moth...New test identifies B-cell tumor markers
...mistry laboratories. The study by Bradwell, et al. describes the development and assessment of a sensitive, latex-enhanced, turbidimetric, FLC assay for use on a popular automated immunoassay system. In his presentation at the AACC Annual Meeting, Bradwell will compare detection limit of this new assay with th...Carbon nanotubes found to fluoresce
...rene discoverer and Nobel laureate Richard Smalley describes the first observations of fluorescence in carbon nanotubes. Fluorescence occurs when a substance absorbs one wavelength of light and emits a different wavelength in response. The Rice experiments, conducted by Smalley's group and the photophysics res...Physics tip sheet #21 July 10, 2002
...nd of galaxy formation and evolution. This article describes the goals and methods used by the SDSS, the current status of the survey, and highlights some discoveries made from data obtained in the first two years of survey operations. Preprint: http://www.arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0207189 9) Now in print B...Large brains not required? Third and smallest skull of 'first Eurasians' reported in Science
...tors out of Africa. An international research team describes their find in the journal Science , published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The scientists found a petite new individual, with a small brain, thin brow ridge, short nose, and huge canine teeth, according to co-author Da...Monkeys that drink heavily develop signs of liver disease, Wake Forest study shows
...e Research Society on Alcoholism in San Francisco, describes a chemical found in the urine of monkeys also found in human alcoholics, and liver biopsies that show development of "fatty liver" -- another common finding in heavily drinking people. Carol C. Cunningham, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry said, "One...URI biological oceanographers study potentially toxic microalgae on the northeast coast
...s. The comprehensive list contained in the article describes each species, its characteristics, location, the level of toxicity, and some of the problems the species has caused to marine plants, animals, and humans. "We must emphasize that the presence of a species known to be toxic or harmful in other coastal...... Medicine. He is not an author of the paper. "This describes a protein that sticks to things. Usually, we think of a protein either sticking to something or not sticking to something. Here we see a protein binding tighter when it is trying to be sheared off. That opens the door to further investigation." Prese...