news 2011

A new study from The Australian National University shows that online therapy programs can play a major and long-lasting role in treating depression. Lou Farrer, from the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research (CMHR), trialled the effectiveness of online programs MoodGYM and BluePages when used in conjunction with telephone counselling services provided by Lifeline.

Earthquakes are some of the most daunting natural disasters that scientists try to analyze. Though the earth's major fault lines are well known, there is little scientists can do to predict when an earthquake will occur or how strong it will be. And, though earthquakes involve millions of tons of rock, a team of University of Pennsylvania and Brown University researchers has helped discover an aspect of friction on the nanoscale that may lead to a better understanding of the disasters.

Since the invention of liquid crystal displays in the mid-1960s, display electronics have undergone rapid transformation. Recently developed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have shown several advantages over LCDs, including their light weight, flexibility, wide viewing angles, improved brightness, high power efficiency and quick response.

The test could be especially important for older patients - we often see growths in the adrenal glands during a routine CT scan." —Morris Brown, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge A new test developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge could help doctors diagnose thousands of people with the most common curable cause of high blood pressure (hypertension).

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a way to control how tiny flat molecules fit together in a seemingly random pattern. The researchers have been studying molecules which resemble tiny rhombus/diamond shaped tiles, with a side length of around 2 nanometres — 2 billionths of a metre.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.-Consumers with multiple debts routinely mismanage them, paying off small debts first even when larger debts have higher interest rates, says a University of Michigan researcher. Although some personal finance experts advocate eliminating smaller debt first-even if it has a higher interest rate-in order to get a quick win, new research from Scott Rick of U-M's Ross School of Business shows that such advice actually makes it harder to dig out of debt.

Every wine aficionado knows that wine has to be swirled in a glass in order for it to release its aroma.

The astrophysicist Stephen Hawking believes that if humanity is to survive we will have to up sticks and colonise space. But is the human body up to the challenge? Scientists at The University of Nottingham believe that Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a microscopic worm which is biologically very similar to the human being, could help us understand how humans might cope with long-duration space exploration.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. An international team of astronomers has mapped in detail the star-birthing regions of the nearest star-forming galaxy to our own, a step toward understanding the conditions surrounding star creation. Led by University of Illinois astronomy professor Tony Wong, the researchers published their findings in the December issue of the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.

Newly published research explores the role of 14-3-3 ? in tumour suppression New research out of McGill University's Goodman Cancer Research Centre provides compelling new evidence that a gene known as 14-3-3? plays a critical role in halting breast cancer initiation and progression. The study, led by the Dept.

A University of Cambridge study, which set out to investigate DNA methylation in the human heart and the "missing link" between our lifestyle and our health, has now mapped the link in detail across the entire human genome.

It is currently an efficient filter system that could be used in countries with poor access to fresh potable water, or to remove heavy metals and industrial waste products from ground water sources." —Dr Easan Sivaniah from the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory Scientists have developed a new method of creating nanoporous materials with potential applications in everything from water purification to chemical sensors.

According to the first results from the Swiss Earnings Structure Survey conducted by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the gross median wage was CHF 5979 per month in 2010.

Evidence is key to many topical debates such as global warming, evolution, the search for weapons of mass destruction, DNA profiling, and advances in science and medicine. A new book asks whether, considering the importance of evidence for so many disciplines, a general 'science of evidence' is possible - or even desirable.

New research from The Australian National University has shown that women are more likely to make risky choices when they are surrounded by other women. The findings could help to reduce gender inequality in the workforce. In an experiment at the University of Essex, Professor Alison Booth from the ANU Research School of Economics and colleagues, tested whether single-sex classrooms in co-educational environments altered students' risk-taking attitudes.

Research into range of mutations provides clues to improve treatment A team of international researchers, led by Matthias Götte from McGill's Department of Microbiology and Immunology, believes it has found a key factor in understanding why certain drug-resistant strains of the hepatitis C virus are seen so frequently, while others are rarely detected.

The molecular mechanism which makes some plants grow more rapidly when the temperature rises has been identified by researchers at the University of Bristol in a paper published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The Bristol scientists, led by Kerry Franklin, with colleagues at the University of Minnesota and the John Innes Centre in Norwich, found that raising ambient temperature from 20?C to 28?C promoted the rapid elongation of stems in plants with the gene PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4) .

Explaining the diversity of leg shapes in the animal kingdom and hereditary defects in finger Scientists have discovered a genetic mechanism that defines the shape of our members in which, surprisingly, genes play only a secondary role.

'Star wars' laser offers new insight into Earth's atmosphere With the need to understand global change one of today's most pressing scientific challenges, ESA is exploring novel techniques for future space missions. Firing laser pulses between satellites is promising a step up in tracking greenhouse gases.

Thoughts about killing oneself and engaging in suicidal behavior may begin much younger than previously thought. While about one of nine youths attempt suicide by the time they graduate from high school, new findings reveal that a significant proportion make their first suicide attempt in elementary or middle school.