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October 24, 2012

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Did life or geology produce the methane found in Mars' atmosphere?
Scientists wonder about the concentrations of methane gas, which can have geologic and biotic origins, that was detected in the Martian atmosphere by NASA's Curiosity rover. Traces went beyond what they expect to see. "If the methane detections are confirmed, and we do not find any signs of bacterial life, this means there are likely some interesting geological processes happening on Mars that we don't yet know about," said astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch of Washington State University in Pullman. Space.com (10/23)

SmartSummit: When teachers succeed, students succeed
Join Kahului Elementary School principal Sue Forbes and academic coach Stacey Hankinson on April 25 to hear how their teacher support program enabled their students to thrive amid the pandemic, despite extreme staff shortages and chronic absenteeism. The pair will also discuss why teachers are at the center of their student growth model and more. Sign up today!

Science in the News

Space weather forecasters witness powerful solar flare
An X-class solar flare, the most powerful kind, was seen Monday night, though it was not aimed at Earth. Space weather forecasters warn people that AR1598, a very active sunspot region involved in the recent flurry of flares, is slowly turning toward Earth. The latest flare caused a short-lived high-frequency radio blackout. The Washington Post (10/23)

Scientists use program to monitor radiation in space
A group of scientists created a program called PREDICCS to track radiation around the moon, Mars and Earth in near-real time. The program, which typically forecasts doses of radiation in 20% to 30% of observed levels, uses information collected by different spacecraft including a satellite by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The team wants PREDICCS to help keep astronauts safe from potentially hazardous areas in space. Space.com (10/23)

ASRM says egg freezing is no longer "experimental"
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine issued a report saying evidence supports freezing and thawing egg cells as a way to preserve young women's fertility. Studies show that the technique is just as successful as using fresh eggs in in-vitro fertilization and carries no increased risk of birth defects or DNA abnormalities, the report said. The group views egg freezing as a technique primarily to preserve fertility among young women about to undergo chemotherapy or radiation. Los Angeles Times/Booster Shots blog(tiered subscription model) (10/19) , HealthDay News (10/19)

Study to examine link between genes and long-term health
A new project to sequence the whole genome of children and their parents will potentially reveal genetic mutations that could cause diseases in childhood and adulthood. The findings could allow early treatment or result in costly overtreatment, experts say. The study, at the nonprofit Inova Translational Medicine Institute, plans to enroll 2,500 families to explore the link between genetic variations and future health. Time.com/Family Matters blog (10/22)

Study: Treatment can kill leukemia cells
U.S. researchers have discovered that cancer cells from patients with leukemia can be destroyed through exposure to ionized gas. In the study published in the Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, cancer cells exposed to a four-minute stream of ionized gas were destroyed around 12 hours following the treatment. The findings may allow for the development of a dialysis-style treatment to eliminate cancer cells. Researchers are planning to study the effects of the treatment on healthy red and white blood cells. The Telegraph (London) (10/21)

Dopamine levels affect placebo effect, study says
People with a variation in their genes that codes for increased levels of dopamine respond more to placebos compared with individuals with low levels of dopamine, according to a study in the online version of the journal Public Library of Science One. Research results imply that clinical trials could determine placebo effect versus treatment easily by segregating patients by gene variation, said study co-author Kathryn Hall of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Brookline, Mass. LiveScience.com (10/23)

Stray cat leads to discovery of early Roman burial ground
An ancient Roman burial ground was discovered last week as Mirko Curti, a resident in Rome, and a friend chased a cat through their neighborhood. Archaeologists who surveyed the find said the remains may date to between the first century B.C. and second century A.D. KSL-TV (Salt Lake City) (10/23)

NOAA confirms shipwreck discovery at marine sanctuary
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the discovery of the wreck of a 109-year-old ship, known as the George E. Billings, in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary near Los Angeles in February 2011. Historians and archaeologists used a photo featured in a newspaper article from 1941 to search for the wreck during the last two decades. The lumber vessel was the last schooner constructed by the Hall Bros. in 1903. Our Amazing Planet (10/23)

Funding Watch

Diabetes genetics study wins $4.3M grant from NIDDK
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded the Medical College of Wisconsin and the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Research Institute a $4.3 million grant to study genes identified as contributing to type 1 diabetes. Researchers will use zinc-finger nuclease and transcription activator-like effector nuclease technologies. They plan to test the technologies in an animal model of type 1 diabetes. "We expect to uncover a significant number of new genes, which are playing a role in this terrible disease and will represent new biomarkers for identifying at-risk individuals and provide new targets for therapies to be developed," the researchers said. GenomeWeb Daily News (free registration) (10/23)

SmartQuote

Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we seek too late the one that is open."

--Alexander Graham Bell,
American inventor

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