Prototype space probe prepares to explore Earth's deepest sinkhole
... survey and explore for life in one of Earths most extreme regions and potentially in outer space. If all goes well with this second round of testing and exploration, the team will return in May for a full-scale exploration of the Zacatn system. Sinking more than 1,000 feet, Zacatn has only been partiall...Computer-designed molecule to clean up fluorocarbons?
...c molecular system able to break C-F bonds without extreme temperature and pressure conditions, and a demonstration of a novel technique for designing man-made molecules that can mimic the extraordinary selectivity and chemical activity of natural enzymes. Notes lead researcher Carlos Gonzalez, "All of these...Discovery of new cave millipedes casts light on Arizona cave ecology
...nt of Biological Sciences at NAU, said, "Caves are extreme habitats that have received far too little attenti...be used to find caves on Mars. He is also studying extreme cave-adapted life forms by characterizing their habitats to determine how they exist in the nutrient...Physicists reveal water's secrets in journal Science
...ll, such as crystalline forms of ice, and water in extreme conditions, including highly reactive "supercritical" water, which is used to remove pollutants in wastewater and recover waste plastic in chemical recycling, Szalewicz said....UCLA study uncovers clues for why Graves' disease attacks the eyes
...ssue behind the eye, causing them to protrude. In extreme cases, patients experience trouble closing their eyelids, severe double vision, corneal scarring, optic nerve damage and even blindness. Graves disease is nine times more common in women than men. The disorder most often strikes during the child...Single genetic defect causes early heart disease
...r. Mani identified this family as an example of an extreme outlier of a common disease," said Lifton. "Studying extreme forms of common disease has been a longtime theme in our laboratory." Liftons strategy is to pinpoin...CSIRO imagery shows Outer Great Barrier Reef at risk from river plumes
...essful SENTINEL bushfire tracking system. While extreme coastal events have been captured by remote sensing before, this is the first time they can be seen and analysed straight after the event as there are now more satellites imaging the Earth and CSIRO has invested in fast information delivery systems. ...Scientists identify specific enzymes that make meningitis hard to fight
...and are difficult to treat- sometimes resulting in extreme measures such as limb amputation. When the meningitis bacteria enter the bloodstream, the body's naturaldefences send white blood cells to fight the infection. They ingest thebacteria and subject them to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress damagest...Scientists warn of climate change risk to marine turtles
...hes. A rise of three degrees Celsius would lead to extreme levels of infant mortality and declines in nesting beaches across the USA. Research published this week in the journal Global Change Biology analyses 26 years of loggerhead turtle nesting and climate data and compares the findings with models for f...Preliminary results of largest scan of autism DNA information
... social relationships, and often is accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Autism Spectrum Disorders are diagnosed in one in 166 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The diagnosis of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control ...Largest genomic search finds genes that may contribute to autism
...p social relationships. It is often accompanied by extreme behavior challenges. Autism Spectrum Disorders are diagnosed in one of 166 children in the United States and affect four times as many boys as girls. "These findings are a piece of the puzzle. As we identify these genes we will be able to screen y...US needs to plan for climate change-induced summer droughts
... to protect urban property from sea level rise and extreme weather events. Though many climate change models...t report, prevent and mitigate the damage of other extreme events like floods, hurricanes and tornadoes we accept drought's effects as an unavoidable natural...Changes in west coast marine ecosystems significant
...es in favor of climate change as a cause for these extreme variations in our West Coast marine environment. "Our research has shown there is a 'wobble' in the Jet Stream that in some years has tended to overpower the more historic day-to-day variations in climate in favor of these two- to three-week wind pat......e almost no new trees have been recruited. Despite extreme aridity the main cause of tree mortality seems not to be climate, but commercial charcoal production. This indicates that the traditional and sustainable indigenous resource management, which desert people have developed through millennia, is changin...Kansas State study finds new vaccine effective against deadly viral disease affecting swine
...2. Clinical signs of the disease in pigs include extreme and sudden weight loss, immune suppression, labored breathing, jaundice and diarrhea. More severe cases of the syndrome are characterized by skin lesions, neurological deterioration, kidney failure and eventually death. Swine producers with infected ...Fighting influenza and co. with 40,000 blood samples
...he disease was not only exceptional because of its extreme virulence. The patho-gen, the influenza virus subtype A/H1N1, homed in on women and men in the prime of their lives. 'Normally respiratory diseases are dangerous for children and the over-60s,' the project coordinator Dr. Oliver Schildgen explains. '...Fruit flies and global warming -- some like it hot
...iscovered ways in which fruit flies might react to extreme fluctuations in temperature. Short-term exposure to high heat stress ("heat hardening") has been known to have negative effects on Drosophila. But Loeschcke and Hoffmann discovered that it can have advantages too. Flies exposed to heat hardening were...Both genetics and dopaminergic neurotransmission have a role in delirium tremens
... corresponding author for the study. DT is at the extreme end of the alcohol withdrawal spectrum; most people experience minor symptoms such as insomnia and tremulousness, or possibly more severe complications such as seizures. "The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal relate proportionally to the amount of al...'Hidden-hero' microbes in soil, water may help naturally clean toxic sites
...for drinking, and contaminated aquifers tend to be extreme environments where microorganisms dominate. These microbes are the 'hidden heroes' that do the work of bioremediation. Our new project will provide the basic science necessary to deploy bioremediation technologies at the scales necessary for them to ...Nevada scientist part of team that discovers hybrid speciation in butterflies in Sierra
...new species adaptive habits. Though the climate is extreme at high elevations and the flying season lasts only a matter of a few weeks, the researchers noted that the still-unnamed species seeks out a certain plant at the higher elevations. They use this host plant to lay their eggs. Their "parent butterflie...