science / Top Stories
Antimatter MattersDr James Sullivan is heading a team exploring the potential of the Australian Positron Beam Line Facility.
Science Alert Thursday, July 02, 2009Sky Ledges Open Atop Sears TowerCHICAGO, July 1 -- Don't look down. Or do, since that's the idea. But brace for vertigo. In the city of big shoulders, this is like standing on an eyelash.
Washington Post Thursday, July 02, 2009Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Gene Flaws OverlapA hoard of genetic flaws have been tied to both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in a huge trial that suggests the two mental illnesses have similar roots.
scientists have long believed that schizophrenia is distinct from bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic depression. But now the study, which uncovered thousands of genetic errors which predispose people to schizophrenia, showed that many were the same as those that trigger bipolar disorder. The multinational group of researchers analysed the DNA of 8,000 people with schizophrenia, and 19,000 without it, in three studies
reported in the journal Nature.
Bioethics.net Thursday, July 02, 2009Bioethicists Lead Call for Public Debates on Future Uses of Stem CellsMore than 40
scientists, bioethicists, lawyers and science journal editors are calling on their colleagues, policy makers and the public to begin developing guidelines for the research and reproductive use of stem cell-derived eggs and sperm, even though such use may be a decade or more away. "Science has always moved faster than social debate or society's ability to grapple with these issues," says Debra Mathews, Ph.D., lead author of a paper published in the July issue of Cell Stem Cell and assistant director of science programs at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. The paper calls for all parties to begin engaging in open discussion and debates, and describes the need for informed social policy well in advance of the eventual use of eggs and sperm derived from pluripotent
stem cells.
Bioethics.net Thursday, July 02, 2009Vatican should learn from Galileo mess, prelate saysVATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Catholic Church should not fear scientific progress and possibly repeat the mistake it made when it condemned astronomer Galileo in the 17th century, a Vatican official said on Thursday in a rare self-criticism.
Reuters Thursday, July 02, 2009Hoopla, and Disappointment, in Schizophrenia ResearchThe journal Nature held a big press conference in London Wednesday, at the World Conference of Science Journalists, to unveil three large studies of the genetics of schizophrenia. Press releases from five American and European institutions celebrated the findings, one using epithets like ?landmark,? ?major step forward,? and ?real scientific breakthrough.? It was the kind of hoopla you?d expect for an actual scientific advance. It seems to me the reports represent more of a historic defeat, a Pearl Harbor of schizophrenia research.
Bioethics.net Thursday, July 02, 2009Politicians Reconsider Drilling Off Florida CoastFor years, oil production has been largely banned in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida. In large part, that's because of concerns that a spill could devastate the state's tourism industry. But now, some elected officials seem willing to take another look at offshore drilling after years of opposition.
NPR Thursday, July 02, 2009Prostate cancer patients disease free after five years likely to be disease free after 10 yearsProstate cancer patients who receive brachytherapy and remain free of disease for five years or greater are unlikely to have a recurrence at 10 years, according to a study in the July 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.
Eurekalert.org Thursday, July 02, 2009Ant colony crosses continentsThose ants crawling across your picnic table this weekend might be members of a massive, transnational ant mafia, recently
reported by researchers in Japan and Spain. [More]
Scientific American Thursday, July 02, 2009Plastic Not-So-Fantastic: How the Versatile Material Harms the Environment and Human HealthFrom cell phones and computers to bicycle helmets and hospital IV bags, plastic has molded society in many ways that make life both easier and safer. But the synthetic material also has left harmful imprints on the environment and perhaps
human health, according to a new compilation of articles authored by
scientists from around the world.More than 60 scientists contributed to the new report, which aims to present the first comprehensive review of the impact of plastics on the environment and human health, and offer possible solutions. [More]
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