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Interview with Dr. Anwar Zahid: ‘Environmental Issues in Bangladesh’

Dr. Anwar Zahid has been working in the field of hydrogeology, groundwater model and environmental geology for more than 17 years. Currently he is the Deputy Director of Ground Water Hydrology, Bangladesh Water Development Board and also Deputy Project Director of coastal water resources assessment project of the Bangladesh Government. Dr. Zahid is involved in many research activities in his fields of expertise in collaboration with national and international institutions and universities and 35 of his research papers has been published in reputed journals and books. He is a research fellow of German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and visited 18 countries in connection with research and academic activities.
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NASA Opens New Era in Measuring Western U.S. Snowpack

Environment

PASADENA, Calif. – A new NASA airborne mission has created the first maps of the entire snowpack of two major mountain watersheds in California and Colorado, producing the most accurate measurements to date of how much water they hold. (more…)

Redesigned Material Could Lead to Lighter, Faster Electronics

Science

Thin Layer of Germanium May Replace Silicon in Semiconductors

COLUMBUS, Ohio—The same material that formed the first primitive transistors more than 60 years ago can be modified in a new way to advance future electronics, according to a new study. (more…)

Method makes it easier to separate useful stem cells from ‘problem’ ones for therapies

Science

UCLA study IDs small molecule that destroys potentially dangerous cells

Pluripotent stem cells can turn, or differentiate, into any cell type in the body, such as nerve, muscle or bone, but inevitably some of these stem cells fail to differentiate and end up mixed in with their newly differentiated daughter cells. (more…)

Behaviour of seabirds during migration revealed

Nature

The behaviour of seabirds during migration – including patterns of foraging, rest and flight – has been revealed in new detail using novel computational analyses and tracking technologies.

Using a new method called ‘ethoinformatics’, described as the application of computational methods in the investigation of animal behaviour, scientists have been able to analyse three years of migration data gathered from miniature tracking devices attached to the small seabird the Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus). (more…)

Southern exposure: 21% of U.S. elderly take high-risk medicines

Health

A study of more than 6 million seniors in Medicare Advantage plans in 2009 found that 21 percent received a prescription for at least one potentially harmful “high-risk medication.” Nearly 5 percent received at least two. Questionable prescriptions are more common in the South and among people who live in poor areas. (more…)

New Algorithm Helps Evaluate, Rank Scientific Literature

Science

Keeping up with current scientific literature is a daunting task, considering that hundreds to thousands of papers are published each day. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a computer program to help them evaluate and rank scientific articles in their field. (more…)

Sea Turtles Benefiting From Protected Areas

Nature

Study Offers First Look at Green Sea Turtle Habitat Use in the Dry Tortugas

DRY TORTUGAS, Fla. – Nesting green sea turtles are benefiting from marine protected areas by using habitats found within their boundaries, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study that is the first to track the federally protected turtles in Dry Tortugas National Park.

Green turtles are listed as endangered in Florida and threatened throughout the rest of their range, and the habits of green sea turtles after their forays to nest on beaches in the Southeast U.S. have long remained a mystery. Until now, it was not clear whether the turtles made use of existing protected areas, and few details were available as to whether they were suited for supporting the green sea turtle’s survival. (more…)