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Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
 OphthalmologyResearchers find new way to attack inflammation in Graves' eye disease A small group of patients with severe Graves' eye disease experienced rapid improvement of their symptoms -- and improved vision -- following treatment with the drug rituximab. Inflammation around their eyes and damage to the optic nerve were significantly reduced. The same patients had not previously responded to steroids, a common treatment for Graves' eye disease. 
National Institutes of Health, Research to Prevent Blindness, Bell Charitable Foundation
Contact: Betsy Nisbet
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesPossible help in fight against muscle-wasting disease A compound already used to treat pneumonia could become a new therapy for an inherited muscular wasting disease. A five-member team of researchers from University of Oregon and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry report that pentamidine might be adapted to counter genetic splicing defects in RNA that lead to type 1 myotonic dystrophy.
National Institutes of Health Muscular Dystrophy Association
Contact: Jim Barlow
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
ScienceComputer predicts reactions between molecules and surfaces, with ‘chemical precision’ An international team of scientists from the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Argentina and the United States has shown in a paper to be published in Science shortly how the chemistry of surface reactions underpinning catalysis can be modeled accurately with computers.
Stichting Nationale Computerfaciliteiten, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Contact: Professor Geert-Jan Kroes
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
Geological Society of America BulletinPast climate of the northern Antarctic Peninsular informs global warming debate The seriousness of current global warming is underlined by a reconstruction of climate at Maxwell Bay in the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic Peninsula over approximately the last 14,000 years, which appears to show that the current warming and widespread loss of glacial ice are unprecedented.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Dr. Rory Howlett
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
Astrophysical Journal'Dropouts' pinpoint earliest galaxies Astronomers, conducting the broadest survey to date of galaxies from about 800 million years after the Big Bang, have found 22 early galaxies and confirmed the age of one by its characteristic hydrogen signature at 787 million years post Big Bang. The finding is the first age-confirmation of a so-called dropout galaxy at that distant time and pinpoints when an era called the reionization epoch likely began.
Carnegie Institution for Science
Contact: Masami Ouchi
Public Release: 6-Nov-2009
Journal of Physics D: Applied PhysicsMagnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat The future for magentic nanoparticles (mNPs) appears bright With the design of "theranostic" molecules. mNPs could play a crucial role in developing one-stop tools to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat a wide range of common diseases and injuries. Contact: Joe Winters
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Journal of the American Chemical SocietyNew synthetic molecules trigger immune response to HIV and prostate cancer Researchers at Yale University have developed synthetic molecules capable of enhancing the body's immune response to HIV and HIV-infected cells, as well as to prostate cancer cells. Their findings, published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could lead to novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Suzanne Taylor Muzzin
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
1st Annual Chemical Sciences and Society SymposiumChemists describe solar energy progress and challenges, including the 'artificial leaf' Scientists are making progress toward development of an "artificial leaf" that mimics a real leaf's chemical magic with photosynthesis -- but instead converts sunlight and water into a liquid fuel such as methanol for cars and trucks. That is among the conclusions in a newly available report from top authorities on solar energy who met at the 1st Annual Chemical Sciences and Society Symposium. The symposium was organized by the American Chemical Society and other scientific societies. Contact: Michael Bernstein
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
NatureCrossing the line: how aggressive cells invade the brain Real-time observation sheds new light on multiple sclerosis. Contact: Dr. Stefanie Merker
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
November 2009 story tips from the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory Fuel economy ratings for the new 2010 model year automobiles are posted at www.fueleconomy.gov, which ORNL maintains for the US Department of Energy and the US Environmental Protection Agency. A team led by ORNL's Nina Balke has moved closer to developing more rugged memory and logic devices. Heavy trucks are less heavy but just as safe and rugged because of steel rail frames. A new approach to crunching massive volumes of data uses neural networks like an artificial brain. Contact: Ron Walli
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
TectonophysicsAre the Alps growing or shrinking? The Alps are growing just as quickly in height, as they are shrinking. This paradoxical result could be proven by a group of German and Swiss geoscientists. Contact: F. Ossing
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Researchers explore new ways to prevent spinal cord damage using a vitamin B3 precursor Substances naturally produced by the human body may one day help prevent paralysis following a spinal cord injury, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College. A recent $2.5 million grant from the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board will fund their research investigating this possibility.
New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board
Contact: Andrew Klein
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
European UrologyDoes prostate-specific antigen velocity help in early detection prostate cancer? The November issue of European Urology, the official journal of the European Association of Urology, features an article focusing on prostate specific antigen velocity and early cancer detection. It has been suggested that changes in PSA over time aid prostate cancer detection. Contact: Lindy Brouwer
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
PTB Terahertz calibration satisfies US laser manufacturer Terahertz radiation still lies in a metrological no man's land -- a metrology gap. The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt can now close this gap. For the first time, a commercial Terahertz laser was traced back to the international system of units by measuring its output power absolutely. Therefore, this laser is the first THz laser in the field with a reliably proven output power enabled by a novel calibration capability set up at the PTB. Contact: Dr. Andreas Steiger
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Boat tail reduces truck fuel consumption by 7.5 percent A boat tail, a tapering protrusion mounted on the rear of a truck, leads to fuel savings of 7.5 percent. This is due to dramatically improved aerodynamics, as shown by road tests conducted by the Dutch PART (Platform for Aerodynamic Road Transport) public-private partnership platform. Contact: Gandert van Raemdonck
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Jülich neutron scientists inaugurate unique device in the US A unique large-scale research device from Jülich went into operation in the US yesterday. At the strongest neutron source in the world, the spallation source SNS in Oak Ridge, Tenn., Forschungszentrum Jülich inaugurated a so-called neutron spin echo spectrometer. The NSE spectrometer enables detailed observations to be made of the motion of proteins and polymers. It will thus help to develop improved plastics or to understand metabolic processes in cells. Contact: Angela Wenzik
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Astronomy & AstrophysicsGerman high-school students involved in an astronomical research project Astronomy & Astrophysics publishes the results of an unusual research project, by a team involving German high-school students. They present an accurate, long-term ephemeris of the cataclysmic variable EK Ursae Majoris, obtained using a professional remotely-controlled telescope. Contact: Dr. Jennifer Martin
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
ScienceNew type of supernova explosion reported; predicted by theoretical physicists at UCSB A new class of supernova was discovered by scientists at Berkeley and may be the first example of a new type of exploding star. A team of astrophysicists at UC Santa Barbara had predicted this kind of explosion in their theoretical work. Contact: Gail Gallessich
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Science ExpressRapid supernova could be new class of exploding star UC Berkeley post-doc Dovi Poznanski was looking through seven-year-old data when he chanced upon a very strange supernova that flashed and was gone in less than a month, when 3-4 months is typical. The unusually rapid supernova appears to match the predicted behavior of a thermonuclear explosion on a white dwarf that is drawing helium from its binary companion. This mechanism is quite different from the two standard types of supernovae.
National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy, Katzman Foundation
Contact: Robert Sanders
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
ScienceComplete Genomics publishes in Science on low-cost sequencing of 3 human genomes Complete Genomics, a third-generation human genome sequencing company, today announced publication of a report in the journal Science describing its proprietary DNA sequencing platform, including analysis of sequence data from three complete human genomes. The consumables cost for these three genomes sequenced on the proof-of-principle genomic DNA nanoarrays ranged from $8,005 for 87x coverage to $1,726 for 45x coverage for the samples described in this report.
Complete Genomics
Contact: Andrea Long
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Genome ResearchGenomes of biofuel yeasts reveal clues that could boost fuel ethanol production worldwide As global temperatures and energy costs continue to soar, renewable sources of energy will be key to a sustainable future. An attractive replacement for gasoline is biofuel, and in two studies published online in Genome Research, scientists have analyzed the genome structures of bioethanol-producing microorganisms, uncovering genetic clues that will be critical in developing new technologies needed to implement production on a global scale. Contact: Peggy Calicchia
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
ScienceHow size matters for catalysts University of Utah chemists demonstrated the first conclusive link between the size of catalyst particles on a solid surface, their electronic properties and their ability to speed chemical reactions. The study is a step toward the goal of designing cheaper, more efficient catalysts to increase energy production, reduce Earth-warming gases and manufacture a wide variety of goods from medicines to gasoline.
US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, US Department of Energy
Contact: Lee Siegel
Public Release: 5-Nov-2009
Cancer Prevention ResearchDoes green tea prevent cancer? Evidence continues to brew, but questions remain Although scientists are reluctant to officially endorse green tea as a cancer prevention method, evidence continues to grow about its protective effects, including results of a new study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, which suggests some reduction in oral cancer. Contact: Jeremy Moore
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
NatureMimicking nature, scientists can now extend redox potentials New insight into how nature handles some fundamental processes is guiding researchers in the design of tailor-made proteins for applications such as artificial photosynthetic centers, long-range electron transfers, and fuel-cell catalysts for energy conversion.
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health
Contact: James E. Kloeppel
Public Release: 4-Nov-2009
ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual MeetingsGreat wines come from great soils Experts will discuss terroir with an emphasis on soil science in a symposium on Wednesday, Nov. 4 in Pittsburgh. "Terroir: Winegrapes and the Environment" will be presented in two parts at the 2009 Annual Meetings of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America in Pittsburgh, Pa. Contact: Sara Uttech
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