Plasma Jets are Suspect in Solar Mystery
Scientists take new look at solar corona
One of the most enduring mysteries in solar physics is why the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, is millions of degrees hotter than its surface. (more…)
Category Archives: Science
Online Access to the Plants of the World Is Available
*The Global Plants Initiative Meets at the Smithsonian in Panama Jan. 11-13*
For centuries, jungle explorers from Europe and North America have created art of the plants they discover—pressing bright flowers and green tendrils onto herbarium sheets for prestigious museums and plant collections. But scientists in the most biodiverse countries lack easy access to this basic information needed to identify plants. The Global Plants Initiative, meeting Jan. 11-13 at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, catapults biodiversity research to a new level, sharing plant collections in a massive online database of high-resolution scans. (more…)
Chemical Analysis Confirms Discovery of Oldest Wine-making Equipment Ever Found
UCLA scientists use new scientific method to verify vintage 4100 B.C. wine
Analysis by a UCLA-led team of scientists has confirmed the discovery of the oldest complete wine production facility ever found, including grape seeds, withered grape vines, remains of pressed grapes, a rudimentary wine press, a clay vat apparently used for fermentation, wine-soaked potsherds, and even a cup and drinking bowl. (more…)
No Left Turn: ‘Superstreet’ Traffic Design Improves Travel Time, Safety
The so-called “superstreet” traffic design results in significantly faster travel times, and leads to a drastic reduction in automobile collisions and injuries, according to North Carolina State University researchers who have conducted the largest-ever study of superstreets and their impacts. (more…)
Research Indicates Green Tea Protects Against Alzheimer’s and Cancer
A study by Newcastle University in Britain, indicates that green tea may protect the brain from diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. The research, published in the journal Phytomedicine, also suggests that the ancient Chinese remedy that has been popularized throughout the world may also have an important role in protecting the body against cancer.
In the study, scientists investigated whether the beneficial properties of green tea, which had already been proven in newly prepared and undigested tea, were still active once the tea was digested. (more…)
Young People Say Sex, Paychecks Come in Second to Self-Esteem
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Young people may crave boosts to their self-esteem a little too much, new research suggests. (more…)
Antibiotic Use in Infancy May Increase Risk of Childhood Asthma
Children who receive antibiotics within the first six months of life are at a significantly increased risk of developing asthma and allergies by 6 years of age, even without a genetic predisposition, new research by the Yale School of Public Health suggests. The findings are reported online in the American Journal of Epidemiology. (more…)
Scientists Now Know Why Some Cancers Become Malignant and Others Don’t
Cancer cells reproduce by dividing in two, but a molecule known as PML limits how many times this can happen, according to researchers lead by Dr. Gerardo Ferbeyre of the University of Montreal’s Department of Biochemistry. The team proved that malignant cancers have problems with this molecule, meaning that in its absence they can continue to grow and eventually spread to other organs. Importantly, the presence of PML molecules can easily be detected, and could serve to diagnose whether a tumor is malignant or not. (more…)