For an amputee, replacing a missing limb with a functional prosthetic can alleviate physical or emotional distress and mean a return of vocational ability or cosmetics. Studies show, however, that up to 50 percent of hand amputees still do not use their prosthesis regularly due to less than ideal functionality, appearance, and controllability. But Silvestro Micera, of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, is paving the way for new, smart prosthetics that connect directly to the nervous system. The benefits are more versatile prosthetics with ...

Using powerful X-rays, University of British Columbia researchers have reconstructed a crime scene too small for any microscope to observe – and caught the culprit of arrhythmia in action. Characterized by the heart beating too fast, too slow or inconsistently, arrhythmias may cause a decrease of blood flow to the brain and body, resulting in heart palpitation, dizziness, fainting, or even death. Presented today at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, the 3D animated model reveals for the first time how ...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It has been almost 20 years since the first genetically modified foods showed up in produce aisles throughout the United States and the rest of the world, but controversy continues to surround the products and their regulation. Bruce Chassy, a professor emeritus of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, believes that after thousands of research studies and worldwide planting, "genetically modified foods pose no special risks to consumers or the environment" and are overregulated. Chassy will elaborate on ...

DURHAM, N.H. – As our climate changes, the way we engineer our cities must, too. That's the message that University of New Hampshire professor Paul Kirshen, an author of a recent report that assessed Boston's vulnerability to coastal flooding, will deliver at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting February 14-18, 2013, in Boston. Kirshen will speak coastal adaptation planning for vulnerable communities in the "Environmental Challenges and Adaptation in Cities" session (3 – 4:30 p.m., Room 308, Hynes Convention Center). He'll present ...

A possible Higgs boson of cancer and steps to give natural biodiversity a fighting chance will be among the topics Princeton University researchers will discuss during the 2013 AAAS annual meeting. Below are summaries, arranged chronologically, of the research to be presented. All information is embargoed until the beginning of the respective session. * Virtual water trade helps cope with climate change Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Friday, Feb. 15, 8 a.m., Room 203 Climate change ...

RICHLAND, Wash. -- To make fuel cells more economical, engineers want a fast and efficient iron-based molecule that splits hydrogen gas to make electricity. Online Feb. 17 at Nature Chemistry, researchers report such a catalyst. It is the first iron-based catalyst that converts hydrogen directly to electricity. The result moves chemists and engineers one step closer to widely affordable fuel cells. "A drawback with today's fuel cells is that the platinum they use is more than a thousand times more expensive than iron," said chemist R. Morris Bullock, who leads the research ...

The UK's national synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source, is now the first and only place in Europe where pathogens requiring Containment Level 3 – including serious viruses such as those responsible for AIDS, Hepatitis and some types of flu – can be analysed at atomic and molecular level using synchrotron light. This special light allows scientists to study virus structures at intense levels of detail and this new facility extends that capability to many viruses that have a major global impact on human and animal health. Studying pathogens in this way has the potential ...

Until now, however, it was practically impossible to accurately predict which molecules performed well on the job. They basically had to be identified by trial-and-error. Now, an international team of scientists around Dr. Georg Heimel and Prof. Norbert Koch from the HZB and the Humboldt University Berlin has unraveled the mystery of what these molecules have in common. Their discovery enables more focused improvements to contact layers between metal electrodes and active materials in organic electronic devices. "We have been working on this question for a number of ...

Long segments of RNA— encoded in our DNA but not translated into protein—are key to physically manipulating DNA in order to activate certain genes, say researchers at The Wistar Institute. These non-coding RNA-activators (ncRNA-a) have a crucial role in turning genes on and off during early embryonic development, researchers say, and have also been connected with diseases, including some cancers, in adults. In an online article of the journal Nature, a team of scientists led by Wistar's Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D., detail the mechanism by which long non-coding RNA-activators ...

UPTON, NY - Over the last quarter century, scientists have discovered a handful of materials that can be converted from magnetic insulators or metals into "superconductors" able to carry electrical current with no energy loss-an enormously promising idea for new types of zero-resistance electronics and energy-storage and transmission systems. At present, a key step to achieving superconductivity (in addition to keeping the materials very cold) is to substitute a different kind of atom into some positions of the "parent" material's crystal framework. Until now, scientists ...

The circadian clocks that control and influence dozens of basic biological processes have an unexpected "snooze button" that helps cells adapt to changes in their environment. A study by Vanderbilt University researchers published online Feb. 17 by the journal Nature provides compelling new evidence that at least some species can alter the way that their biological clocks function by using different "synonyms" that exist in the genetic code. "This provides organisms with a novel and previously unappreciated mechanism for responding to changes in their environment," said ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. -- While most farmers consider viruses and fungi potential threats to their crops, these microbes can help wild plants adapt to extreme conditions, according to a Penn State virologist. Discovering how microbes collaborate to improve the hardiness of plants is a key to sustainable agriculture that can help meet increasing food demands, in addition to avoiding possible conflicts over scare resources, said Marilyn Roossinck, professor of plant pathology and environmental microbiology, and biology. "It's a security issue," Roossinck said. "The amount ...

DNA preserved in calcified bacteria on the teeth of ancient human skeletons has shed light on the health consequences of the evolving diet and behaviour from the Stone Age to the modern day. The ancient genetic record reveals the negative changes in oral bacteria brought about by the dietary shifts as humans became farmers, and later with the introduction of food manufacturing in the Industrial Revolution. An international team, led by the University of Adelaide's Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) where the research was performed, has published the results in Nature Genetics ...

For most people, the sea is a deep, dark mystery. That is changing, though, as scientists find innovative ways to track the movements of ocean-going creatures. Stanford marine sciences professor and Stanford Woods Institute Senior Fellow Barbara Block is using technology to enable live feeds of animal movements relayed by a series of "ocean WiFi hotspots." This could help protect marine ecosystems by revolutionizing how we understand their function, population structure, fisheries management and species' physiological and evolutionary constraints. Block will explain ...

Children and adolescents who watch a lot of television are more likely to manifest antisocial and criminal behaviour when they become adults, according to a new University of Otago, New Zealand, study published online in the US journal Pediatrics. The study followed a group of around 1000 children born in the New Zealand city of Dunedin in 1972-73. Every two years between the ages of 5 and 15, they were asked how much television they watched. Those who watched more television were more likely to have a criminal conviction and were also more likely to have antisocial ...

A Melbourne-based research team has discovered a genetic defect that can halt cell growth and force cells into a death-evading survival state. The finding has revealed an important mechanism controlling the growth of rapidly-dividing cells that may ultimately lead to the development of new treatments for diseases including cancer. The discovery was made by Associate Professor Joan Heath, Dr Yeliz Boglev and colleagues at the Melbourne-Parkville Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Dr Kate Hannan, Associate Professor Rick Pearson and Associate Professor ...

Douglas A. Melton will give a keynote presentation on "How To Make Pancreatic Beta Cells" at the Stem Cell Summit 2013 (Apr 29-30, 2013 in Boston MA). Dr. Melton's presentation will focus on the research of making human pancreatic beta cells to study and treat diabetes. This goal is pursued with two main approaches: directing the differentiation of stem cells into beta cells and studying the signals that replicate pre-existing beta cells. The signals that direct stem and progenitor cells toward a mature beta cell phenotype will be described as well as work ...

Achieving the highest customer satisfaction rating of 5 stars, Abbey Design Center has won the prestigious CMUS Talk of the Town Customer Satisfaction Award in the Home Improvement & Remodeling category. The Talk of the Town Awards, presented by Talk of the Town News, Customer Care News magazine and Celebration Media U.S. (CMUS), honor companies and professionals that provide excellent customer service as reported by their customers through no-cost, user-review websites, blogs, social networks, business rating services, and other honors and accolades. This data ...

Nashville Roofing Master, a Tennessee based roofing contractor, has announced the creation of a new website. The new site, Roofing-Nashville.net, is designed to provide consumer advice for homeowners and residents of the Nashville metro area and the surrounding region. The site features articles on various topics which will be of interest to people who need a new roof or repairs to their current roof. Prior to launching the new site, Roofing Master had a site which was more focused on marketing the strengths of the company, but which didn't have any content featuring ...

The League of Women Voters of Bergen County will hold its annual commemoration of Women's History Month and observe the League's 93rd birthday with a special celebration on Sunday, March 3, 2 to 4 p.m., at the Park Ridge Community Center, 53 Park Avenue, Park Ridge, New Jersey. The entrance to the library on the lower level should be used. The celebration is free and open to the public. The audience is invited to participate in the program and to select and discuss briefly a woman in current or past United States history, whom they admire. At previous celebrations, contenders ...

Rayven Choi Films announced the launch of their comical short film, The Takeover, that made its online world premiere debut just in time for Valentine's Day, at http://www.thetakeoverfilm.com The Takeover is the story of best friends Ashley, a Caucasian fashion designer, and Tisha, an African American comic book artist, who debate the difficulty of dating; each arguing that the other has it easier. After help from a friend and his potent espresso, the ladies trade places and experience the dating scene in each others shoe's for 24 hours. This hilarious short film presents ...

Patagonia CEO and conscious leader Casey Sheahan will be speaking as part of a panel at a Conscious Leadership Connection (CLC) launch event on February 19, 2013 at the Westlake Village Inn, according to CLC Founder Mark Lefko. "Casey is a great example of a conscious leader, and we're very excited to have him join us at this, the Conscious Leadership Connection's first public event," said Lefko. "Patagonia is a leader in conscious business practices that addresses not only business profits but the needs of people and of the planet as well." In ...

The use of prescription sleeping drugs, such as Ambien, Lunesta and Sonata, has been steadily increasing. Global sales for all sleeping pills, called hypnotics, will top $5 billion in the next several years. Most sleeping pills, especially when taken over long periods of time, have considerable side effects, stay in the bloodstream, and give a hangover effect the next day and beyond. They can become addictive, impair memory, reduce performance on the job and at home, and contribute to machine and car accidents. Adelle Davis is one of the earliest nutritionists to base ...

Rural communities across the nation have witnessed economic benefits from Golden Shovel's innovative website creation, development and management; however, an alternative approach exists for budget-conscious communities that want to remain highly visible. These regions opt to rely solely upon Golden Shovel's Gatekeeper Social Management Service, which highlights regional attributes through continually updated and strategically planned social media content. Each month Golden Shovel works with communities to perform analyses of regional attributes, strategize best practices ...

By invitation only, Uniquely Designed Jewelry, by Renee Howard, debut at Plitzs Fashion Week, New York City, Feb. 7, 8, & 9th, 2013, at the W-Hotel, in Manhattan. Local Jewelry Designer's Debut in New York, Plitzs Fashion Week, 2013 Sarepta, LA, February 15, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Renee's "Uniquely Designed Jewelry" caught the eyes of all, opening many new doors with the opportunity to be showcased on display for several fashion designers. Robert Powell, Designer of Wolfen Wear, Houston , Tx., (www.wolfonwear.com), has confirmed his invitation to have Uniquely ...