news 2011

SMOS detects freezing soil as winter takes grip ESA's SMOS satellite is designed to observe soil moisture and ocean salinity, but this innovative mission is showing that it can also offer new insight into Earth's carbon and methane cycles by mapping soil as it freezes and thaws. The launch of the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission in November 2009 opened up a new era of monitoring Earth using a new remote-sensing technique.

It was the brightest and closest stellar explosion seen from Earth in 25 years, dazzling professional and backyard astronomers alike. Now, thanks to this rare discovery—which some have called the "supernova of a generation"—astronomers have the most detailed picture yet of how this kind of explosion happens.

Avalanches created in controlled laboratory environments are helping us to understand the potentially lethal processes that these natural disasters unleash. In September 2002, one hundred million cubic metres of rock and ice separated from the northern slope of the Kazbek massif in North Ossetia, Russia.

Discovery leads to novel melatonin drug with potential to treat insomnia Montreal, December 14, 2011 - A team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University has made a major breakthrough by unraveling the inner workings of melatonin, also known as the "sleep hormone.

Scientists studying the behavioural traits of the common sea anemone have discovered that 'fortune favours the brave' when it comes to fighting and setting territorial disputes. Proving the old adage about the 'size of the fight in the dog', marine biologists at Plymouth University have found that the personality of a sea anemone will play just as crucial a role as physical size and weapon strength when fighting.

Scientists discover why buttercups reflect yellow on chins - and it doesn't have anything to do with whether you like butter Our research provides exciting insight into not only a children's game but also into the lengths to which flowers will go to attract pollinators." —Dr Beverley Glover, Department of Plant Sciences Scientists have found that the distinctive glossiness of the buttercup flower ( Ranunculus repens ), which children like to shine under the chin to test whether their friends like butter, is related to its unique anatomical structure.

Human hairs help stop the bed bugs biting Hairy humans do not let the bed bugs bite according to research at the University of Sheffield which shows how hair helps us defend against and detect bloodthirsty invaders on our bodies. Sensitive, fine hairs which cover our bodies allow us to feel parasitic insects on our skin as well as creating a natural barrier to stop them biting us.

Study of man-eating snakes: Snakes are predators on, prey of, and competitors with primates More than a quarter of the men in a modern Filipino hunter-gatherer group have been attacked by giant pythons, reports a study that also concludes that humans and snakes not only eat and are eaten by each other, but have long been competitors for the same prey.

Search for Higgs boson at an "exciting beginning”, Durham University expert says The search for the Higgs boson is at a "very exciting and positive beginning", according to a Durham University physics expert. Scientists working on two experiments - Atlas and CMS - at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN, in Geneva, today reported seeing hints of the Higgs boson at a similar mass, though they have not yet claimed a discovery.

Experiments at CERN point towards the discovery of the Higgs boson particle, scientists at the organisation have said. Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider, an underground facility near Geneva, have been searching for evidence of the theoretical particle first postulated by Peter Higgs. Scientists at have said that tantalising hints have been seen by experiments there, but these are not yet strong enough to claim a discovery.

Crops that can cope with sudden changes in the weather could be developed, thanks to fresh discoveries about plants. University scientists have studied how tiny algae survive by renewing old or damaged cell proteins. They say their findings could be useful in developing crops suited to climates in which weather changes quickly.

Patients with life-threatening heart valve disease could be helped with alternative scanning techniques that provide greater insight into the condition. University researchers used an imaging technique that could help predict which patients will need open heart surgery to replace their heart valves.

As lawmakers review child abuse laws, Erickson expresses support Blue out, canning efforts raise $47,000 to fight child abuse, rape Berks students hold fundraiser to benefit Children's Alliance Center Penn State to create Center for the Protection of Children A message from President Rodney Erickson: The days ahead.

University pledges continued cooperation with NCAA inquiry Hotels to support RAINN over commencement weekend A message from President Rodney Erickson As lawmakers review child abuse laws, Erickson expresses support Blue out, canning efforts raise $47,000 to fight child abuse, rape A new chemical technique for depositing a noncrystalline form of silicon into the long, ultra-thin pores of optical fibers has been developed by an international team of scientists in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Malaria in early pregnancy significantly increases the risk of miscarriage, but taking antimalarial drugs is relatively safe and reduces this risk. That's the finding of the largest ever study to assess the effects of malaria and its treatment in the first trimester of pregnancy. Despite the risks of malaria for pregnant women, there is very little published evidence on the effects of malaria and taking antimalarial drugs during the first trimester of pregnancy.

With a sustained data rate of 186 gigabits per second, high-energy physicists demonstrate the efficient use of long-range networks to support cutting-edge science Researchers have set a new world record for data transfer, helping to usher in the next generation of high-speed network technology. At the SuperComputing 2011 (SC11) conference in Seattle during mid-November, the international team transferred data in opposite directions at a combined rate of 186 gigabits per second (Gbps) in a wide-area network circuit.

New research by two University of Toronto professors and a post-doctoral fellow, in collaboration with a colleague at the Ontario Cancer Institute, explains the molecular basis for cherubism, a bone development disorder, and may lead to the development of new drugs to treat cancer. Cherubism is characterized by abnormal bone tissue in the lower part of the face.

Yale Cancer Center researchers have identified a gene in melanoma that can dramatically affect the spread of the disease. The study, published in the journal Cancer Cell, provides new insight into how melanoma metastasizes in patients with advanced disease, and which organs are most likely to be affected.

The first rigorous study of an increasingly common form of skin cancer in young people finds that indoor tanning significantly increases the risk. This new study by Yale Cancer Center researchers finds that people who used indoor tanning beds are at a significantly higher risk of developing basal cell carcinoma (BCC) before the age of 40 than people who never used indoor tanning beds.

The use of nanoparticles in medicine is ever increasing and it is important to understand the effects these particles might have on human tissues and health in general. Scientists have shown that signalling molecules that damage the DNA of cells grown underneath a barrier are transmitted only when the barrier is more than one layer thick and DNA damage and cytokine release is signalled across the barrier.