news 2011

by Morgan Kelly Scientists can now take that "a-ha" moment to go with a method Princeton University researchers developed — and successfully tested — to speed up the chances of an unexpected yet groundbreaking chemical discovery. The researchers report this month a technique to accomplish "accelerated serendipity" by using robotics to perform more than 1,000 chemical reactions a day with molecules never before combined.

Researchers of Karolinska Institutet and the University of Cologne, Germany, have identified a new protein involved in a defense mechanism against cancer. The VCP/p97 complex is best known for its role in protein destruction and is involved in a type of familial dementia and ALS. In a novel study the researchers now describe how this complex also plays an important role in regulating the recruitment of the tumor suppressor protein 53BP1 to damaged DNA - suggesting an important role for VCP/p97 in our bodys defense against cancer.

Three forums planned for students who wish to discuss recent events University prepares for Clery Act review President gives thanks for Penn State community's support A Message from President Rodney Erickson: Moving Forward Penn State Shenango to hold vigil for victims of child abuse Nov.

I believe that we are creating a Centre that will become globally recognized for innovation. Our collective expertise, proven ability to collaborate, and open innovation model provide an exciting basis for the future.

An international study, published today in the prestigious , reveals more about human pluripotent stem cells and their genetic stability and has important implications for the development of therapies using these cells. Scientists from the University of Melbourne, University of NSW and CSIRO contributed to this study, which examined how the genome of 138 stem cell lines of diverse ethnic backgrounds changed when the cells were grown in the laboratory.

Researchers from The Australian National University have discovered a new type of cell which boosts the human body's ability to fight off infections and life-threatening diseases. Professor Carola Vinuesa from The John Curtin School of Medical Research has found a type of cell which recognises lipid antigens, or foreign molecules, which sit on infectious bacteria which invade the body.

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of two huge pits positioned on celestial alignment at Stonehenge. Shedding new light on the significant association of the monument with the sun, these pits may have contained tall stones, wooden posts or even fires to mark its rising and setting and could have defined a processional route used by agriculturalists to celebrate the passage of the sun across the sky at the summer solstice.

Three quarters of patients with cancer are referred within one month Three quarters of patients with symptoms of cancer in England are assessed, investigated and referred within a month of presenting to their GP, according to research led by Durham University. To date, it is the largest and most comprehensive study of the primary care pathway to cancer diagnosis, covering one in seven practices in England.

An archaeologist from The Australian National University has uncovered the world's oldest evidence of deep sea fishing for big fish, showing that 42,000 years ago our regional ancestors had mastered one of our nation's favourite pastimes. Professor Sue O'Connor of the College of Asia and the Pacific at ANU, also found the world's earliest recorded fish hook in her excavations at a site in East Timor.

Innovative technology being pioneered at Cardiff to speed up the discovery of new drugs to tackle lung diseases could also dramatically reduce testing on animals. Scientists at the School of Biosciences have shown it is feasible to integrate human liver cells with lung cells to create the Metabo-Lung - a working model of human lung tissue to test the toxicity of drugs.

By placing real and virtual objects in the flight paths of bats, scientists at the Universities of Bristol and Munich have shed new light on how echolocation works. Their research is published today in Behavioural Processes . The researchers found that it is not the intensity of the echoes that tells the bats the size of an object but the 'sonar aperture', that is the spread of angles from which echoes impinge on their ears.

Scientists have elucidated the mechanisms underlying the repair of UV-induced damage in DNA, which frequently causes skin cancer. The protein structures additionally determined by these researchers will improve our understanding of how the body protects itself against skin cancer. These studies lay the foundations for the development of a new class of anti cancer agents.

Scientists at Oxford University and The University of Sheffield have demonstrated that natural silks are a thousand times more efficient than common plastics when it comes to forming fibres. A report of the research is published this week in the journal Advanced Materials . The finding comes from comparing silk from the Chinese silkworm ( Bombyx mori ) to molten high density polyethylene (HDPE) - a material from which the strongest synthetic fibres are made.

Berkeley, CA, Nov. 23, 2011 -America's waistline has been expanding at an accelerating rate, prompting both concern about the nation's health and puzzlement over the cause. Now a researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has come up with some intriguing new data and a provocative hypothesis: that obesity itself makes people much more susceptible to risk factors that promote weight gain in the first place.

Neuroscientists find that two rare autism-related disorders are caused by opposing malfunctions in the brain. Most cases of autism are not caused by a single genetic mutation. However, several disorders with autism-like symptoms, including the rare Fragile X syndrome, can be traced to a specific mutation.

They say time heals all wounds, and new research from the University of California, Berkeley, indicates that time spent in dream sleep can help us overcome painful ordeals. UC Berkeley researchers have found that during the dream phase of sleep, also known as REM sleep, our stress chemistry shuts down and the brain processes emotional experiences and takes the edge off difficult memories.

Among young American adults, relationships between white men and minority women move into sexual intimacy and from sex to cohabitation significantly faster than white-white couples or minority-minority pairings, reports a new study by a Cornell demographer. Despite rising intermarriage rates in recent decades - a sign of declining social distance between race groups in the United States - the new paper suggests that racial hierarchies remain an influence on the pace and durability of young adult relationships.

TORC1 is a master regulator in cells, playing a key role in such diverse processes as gene expression and protein synthesis. While previous studies have described the role that TORC1 plays in these processes, a new Cornell study has discovered yet another process where the molecule is a central player: It maintains the composition of proteins in a cell's plasma membrane, the organelle that defines the outer surface of the cell.

Seals show different levels of parenting skills Grey seals have different types of personality that affect the extent to which they guard and care for their young, according to new research. Researchers from Durham University and the University of St Andrews, looking at seal colonies in Scotland, found that seal mothers are often unpredictable and adopt a wide variation of mothering styles when it comes to checking on their pups.

Whether you are playing poker or haggling over a deal you might think that you can hide your true emotions. But telltale signs can reveal that you are concealing something, and now researchers at Oxford University and Oulu University are developing software that can recognise these 'micro-expressions' - which could be bad news for liars.