Some like it hot: Worms at deep-sea vents favor a fiery 45-55C
...ous study of desert fire ants, all died within one minute of exposure to a temperature of 55 degrees Celsius. Such ants will survive brief forays into similarly hot areas to obtain food, but do not choose to remain in superheated environs as Alvinellids do. "We speculate that these worms have evolved to pre...Separate genetic mutations gave people, chimps bitter-taste sensitivity
...ren are asked to taste a piece of paper containing minute concentrations of PTC, they fed plain apples and apples soaked in small concentrations of PTC to the chimps. (PTC is not harmful and the chimps suffered no ill effects from eating it.) These results verified the same gene is responsible for the abili...'Dead zone' summer killed billions of ocean state mussels
...ered how the loss of so many mussels, which filter minute algae called phytoplankton from the water, might affect the bay's ecosystem. So Altieri calculated the filtering capacity of mussels in the reefs, before and after the hypoxic event. They found that the healthy mussels could filter the equivalent of ...Building a hand-held lab-on-a-chip to simplify blood tests
...vides accurate appraisals of blood chemistry using minute blood samples. The process takes about two minutes. "Analysis of blood composition is how doctors test for infections and deficiencies in the immune system, monitor health and make medical diagnoses," said Dr. Yu-Chong Tai, investigator on NSBRI's T...Salk scientist Ron Evans wins 2006 Gairdner Award for his discovery of hormone sensors
...til Dr. Evans' discovery, they had no idea how the minute amounts of hormones produced by the body actually triggered the changes. Because nuclear receptors wield such physiological power, their discovery provided a multitude of targets for clinical scientists to develop new, more effective, and safer drugs...Book on avian hybrids gives startling new insights into birds' breeding habits
...n wood warblers," said McCarthy. "He thought for a minute and said 'maybe two.' In fact, there are 70 listed in my book, almost all of them occurring in a natural setting. The realization that even people who are otherwise well informed about birds are often largely unaware that bird hybrids are common was ...Value of services performed by insects tops $57 billion in US
...'t let the insects' small stature fool you - these minute marvels provide valuable services." The study found that native insects are food for wildlife that supports a $50 billion recreation industry, provide more than $4.5 billion in pest control, pollinate $3 billion in crops and clean up grazing lands, w...New male contraceptive clears hurdle
...vides 10 or more years of protection after a 10-15 minute procedure. Researchers received approval this week to begin enrolling additional study volunteers, after a delay of nearly four years. "RISUG would be exciting because it would mean that, finally, I could take control of my own future, instead of lea...The unseen impact - could adult diseases be caused by food and chemicals before birth?
...uals but we've got to look beyond this to identify minute changes that are outside what's 'normal'. The sheer numbers involved in this study and the fact that the samples come from many different countries will increase this variability and make it bigger than anything we've tackled before." But this comple...Missing breast cancer genes may soon be discovered
..., UK was created in 2004 to provide free up to the minute genetic data to scientific communities and to prevent the duplication of research. The data in COSMIC has expanded to include data on 538 genes, 124,367 tumours with 23,157 mutations. So far in genetic research 350 cancer genes have been identified ...Cold case: Looking for life on Mars
...ur studies showed that we can detect even the most minute amounts of the element nitrogen, which can be evidence of life. Interestingly, rocks might be particularly promising places to find traces left by the tiniest microbes. Svalbard is brittle cold, very dry, and rocky, much like the Martian environment,...USC, Rice to develop bacteria-powered fuel cells
...a would lay flat and orient themselves relative to minute defects in the crystal's surface. "We still have a lot to learn about the chemical cues that the Shewanella use both individually and in colonies but they are incredibly efficient at converting organic inputs to electricity, so we are confident tha...Some heart patients vulnerable to mental stress
...electrocardiographic measurements were taken every minute during the speech and for 10 minutes afterward. About half an hour after the speech, participants underwent heart imaging scans that reflected blood flow to the heart during the stressful situation. "These are patients who for example might have had ...Anthrax spores may survive water treatment
...viable spores. "Under those same conditions, one minute exposure could kill 99.99 percent of other waterborne pathogens that do not exist as spores," says Calomiris. Higher concentrations of chlorine were much more effective. At 5mg/L (a concentration that might be used by treatment systems during perio......, one or the other sound type was played for a one minute interval. The infants were observed for changes in their sucking behaviour. "The neonates changed their behaviour to elicit speech," says Dr. Vouloumanos. "What we found is that their sucking behaviour increased to hear speech and it decreased when t...ASU's Nanotech in Society Center hosts launch event
...ing, manipulating and manufacturing matter at this minute atomic scale, 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. And social scientists and humanists are just starting to understand how such inquiries and technologies interact with the broader society. The launch event will gather a broad networ...Chemical warfare agent detection technology used to treat lung disease
...which are currently deployed in airports to detect minute traces of explosives or drugs. The microDMx sensor is able to identify molecules that may be the cause of lung diseases such as cancer, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by smoking. Dr Paul Thomas from the University's School of......ety for Microbiology will launch a series of 15-25 minute video podcasts entitled Intimate Strangers: Unseen Life on Earth. The weekly video podcast excerpted from a PBS television series will explore the microbial world and how life has evolved over Earth's 3.8 billion-year history. Intimate Strangers: Un...'Fish with chips' reporting from ocean top highlights at Census of Marine Life mid-point
...r than expected also created surprise. Alsofound: minute unicellular animals (calledxenophyophore) using sediment grains to constructdelicate shells that resemble soccer balls. Novelties Still in North Atlantic: Exploring thenorthern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, beneath the most-traveledocean surface on Earth, r...Moderate exercise may delay congestive heart failure, CU-Boulder study suggests
... locomotion speed was increased from 10 meters per minute to 17.5 meters per minute, he said. The speed was subsequently reduced to 14 meters per minute for the duration of the study, and no additional rat deaths occurred, he said. "The bottom line is ...