ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Saturday, June 11, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Saturday, June 11, 2011

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Physicists hit on mathematical description of superfluid dynamics (June 10, 2011) -- A century after the discovery of superfluids, scientists using a powerful supercomputer have devised a theoretical framework that explains the real-time behavior of superfluids. ... > full story

Simple test could hold key to early diagnosis of cancers (June 10, 2011) -- Cancers of the gut, stomach and pancreas could be detected much sooner with a simple urine test, research suggests. Researchers have identified key proteins in the urine of patients with advanced cancers. ... > full story

Biologists uncover regulatory mechanism for gene expression in the visual system (June 10, 2011) -- Biologists have uncovered a key regulatory mechanism used for gene expression in the visual system. Their findings offer new insights into the complexity behind the genetic make-up of biological systems. ... > full story

Two isolates from E. coli outbreak sequenced (June 10, 2011) -- An outbreak of Escherichia coli causing a severe illness called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) began in Germany on May 2, 2011 and has killed more than 20 people and sickened more than 2,000. The organism causing the outbreak has been identified as a strain of E. coli O104:H4 that produces a Shiga toxin and causes an illness similar to infection with E. coli O157:H7. Two isolates from this outbreak have been sequenced. Both strains, TY-2482 and LB226692, have been annotated. ... > full story

Landsat satellite images compare before and after Massachusetts tornado (June 10, 2011) -- Satellites provide a lot of useful information and the Landsat 5 satellite captured an image of the long damage track created on June 1, 2011, when a tornado tracked from Springfield to Sturbridge, Mass. An earlier image is now available from 2010 that enables people to more clearly see the damage path the June 2011 twister created on its eastward track. ... > full story

NASA's Dawn spacecraft approaches protoplanet Vesta (June 10, 2011) -- NASA's Dawn mission to the doughnut-shaped asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is approaching Vesta, some 220 million miles from Earth. Many surprises are likely awaiting the spacecraft. ... > full story

Potential new way to fight sepsis (June 10, 2011) -- By digging a little deeper, researchers may have found a potential target for reversing the deadly blood infection sepsis. ... > full story

Fighting oil-spills with air-bubbles (June 10, 2011) -- Curtains of air-bubbles are turning out to be a new method of fighting oil-spills. The bubbles gather up the oil efficiently, even in winds and strong currents, and keep it together in a "pool". ... > full story

New approaches open up in spinal muscular atrophy: Failure in nerve-fiber navigation corrected in zebrafish model (June 10, 2011) -- Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the leading genetic cause of death in children under 2, with no treatment other than supportive care. In a new study, researchers show how loss or mutation of the SMA gene causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, and suggest a promising approach to treating the condition, sometimes referred to as a "Lou Gehrig's disease of babies." ... > full story

New parallelization technique boosts computers' ability to model biological systems (June 10, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new technique for using multi-core chips more efficiently, significantly enhancing a computer's ability to build computer models of biological systems. The technique improved the efficiency of algorithms used to build models of biological systems more than seven-fold, creating more realistic models that can account for uncertainty and biological variation. This could impact research areas ranging from drug development to the engineering of biofuels. ... > full story

Voters have up to five times more influence in early primaries (June 10, 2011) -- As the nation gears up for the 2012 presidential election, potential candidates are making frequent stops in New Hampshire and Iowa. New research shows that voters in early primary states have a disproportionate influence on who gets elected. ... > full story

Engineers envision 'two-dimensional' graphene metamaterials and one-atom-thick optical devices (June 10, 2011) -- Engineers have proposed the possibility of 'two-dimensional' metamaterials. These one-atom-thick metamaterials could be achieved by controlling the conductivity of sheets of graphene, which is a single layer of carbon atoms. ... > full story