Urgent appointments, tight work timetables and hectic social schedules structure modern life, and they very often clash with our intrinsic biological rhythms. The discrepancy results in so-called social jetlag, which can damage one's health. Among other effects, it can contribute to the development of obesity, as a new LMU study shows. Three temporal cycles shape our lives. Our biological clock ensures that fundamental physiological processes oscillate with a period of approximately 24 hours. This internal timekeeper used the daily succession of light and dark to synchronize ...

Scientists have identified a protein which regulates the activation of brown fat in both the brain and the body's tissues. Their research, which was conducted in mice, was published today, Friday 11 May, in the journal Cell. Unlike white fat, which functions primarily to store up fat, brown fat (also known as brown adipose tissue) burns fats to generate heat in a process known as thermogenesis. The research, led by scientists at the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories at the Institute of Metabolic Science, discovered that the protein BMP8B acts on ...

Patrons tilting heads and crouching up and down at libraries and bookstores are a familiar sight. Azymous Interactive's new ShelfLook iPhone app may change that landscape forever, as users no longer have to bend or twist to view book titles. Using ShelfLook is exceptionally simple. Users just launch the ShelfLook app, hold the iPhone horizontally, and look through the screen. Book titles that were once hard to read are now easily read horizontally on the screen. For low light environments, ShelfLook conveniently provides enhanced lighting at the push of a button. When ...

In order to interact with the environment, bacteria secrete a whole arsenal of proteins. Researchers have now found how one of the transportation systems used for this purpose – the type VI secretion system – works for the single-celled organism Agrobacterium tumefaciens. They have identified the relevant transport proteins and their energy suppliers. With colleagues at the Academia Sinica in Taiwan, RUB biologist Prof. Dr. Franz Narberhaus describes the findings in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. "The proteins involved also occur in other secretion apparatuses" explains ...

Astronomy & Astrophysics is publishing a special feature devoted to the early results obtained during the first science flights of the airborne observatory SOFIA [1] with the GREAT far-infrared instrument [2]. We present 22 articles reporting on the technologies and the early astronomical results (including the first ever detection of new interstellar molecules). Developed on the legacy of the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, which flew from 1974 to 1995, SOFIA performed its first science flight by the end of 2010, after a series of characterization flights. SOFIA flies ...

Understanding linguistic diversity among London's schoolchildren is key for the city's future as a 'global player', research shows. A study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) mapped the distribution of languages spoken by London state school pupils. By combining language spoken with ethnicity, researchers have shed new light on patterns of educational inequality. "London's increasing language diversity attracts much interest and debate among public service providers, educationalists and the public. Yet little was known about the numbers of people ...

From June 22nd through 24th, 2012, London will be the site of the first 7 Graces Global Conference (7GGC), bringing together hundreds of participants wishing to express their commitment to business ethics, corporate responsibility, social wellbeing and environmental sustainability (http://the7gracesofmarketing.com/7GGC) The 3-day conference will take place on Friday June 22nd through Sunday 24th, 2012, at The Window, 13 Windsor Street, London, N1 8QG, United Kingdom. To encourage as many people for around the world to attend without increasing their carbon footprint, ...

Researchers in the University of Leicester's Department of Cell Physiology and Pharmacology have identified a cellular mechanism that could underlie the development of tinnitus following exposure to loud noises. The discovery could lead to novel tinnitus treatments, and investigations into potential drugs to prevent tinnitus are currently underway. Tinnitus is a sensation of phantom sounds, usually ringing or buzzing, heard in the ears when no external noise is present. It commonly develops after exposure to loud noises (acoustic over-exposure), and scientists have speculated ...

This press release is available in German. Around 100 billion neurons in the human brain enable us to think, feel and act. They transmit electrical impulses to remote parts of the brain and body via long nerve fibres known as axons. This communication requires enormous amounts of energy, which the neurons are thought to generate from sugar. Axons are closely associated with glial cells which, on the one hand, surround them with an electrically insulating myelin sheath and, on the other hand support their long-term function. Klaus Armin and his research group from the ...

A few hundred thousand billion free-floating life-bearing Earth-sized planets may exist in the space between stars in the Milky Way. So argues an international team of scientists led by Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, Director of the Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology at the University of Buckingham, UK. Their findings are published online in the Springer journal Astrophysics and Space Science. The scientists have proposed that these life-bearing planets originated in the early Universe within a few million years of the Big Bang, and that they make up most of the so-called ...

Philadelphia, PA, May 10, 2012 – These findings are not about the classic story of gift-giving, although the MAGI genes (officially named membrane associated guanylate kinase, WW and PDZ domain containing proteins) do influence brain function in important ways. MAGI1 and MAGI2 are genes that code for the MAGI proteins. These proteins influence the development and function of synapses in the brain, the junctions where communication between nerve cells occurs. Because they perform many important functions at brain synapses, researchers have made several attempts to tie ...

Chimpanzee Santino achieved international fame in 2009 for his habit of gathering stones and manufacturing concrete projectiles to throw at zoo visitors. A new study shows that Santino's innovativeness when he plans his stone-throwing is greater than researchers have previously observed. He not only gathers stones and manufactures projectiles in advance; he also finds innovative ways of fooling the visitors. The study, which was carried out at Lund University, has been published in PLoS One. The new study looked at the chimpanzee's ability to carry out complex planning. ...

New in the journals: From how our attachment with our moms affects our future relationships, to the connection between family size and general intelligence.... and more. Attachment to mom predicts ability to cope with future loss How children cope with the loss of a loved one depends on their attachment to their mother and activity within their nervous system, according to a recent study. Adolescents with more attachment anxiety to their mom at age 14 had a harder time adjusting to the loss of a close social partner than adolescents with less attachment anxiety. "Adolescent ...

In the run-up to the G8 summit in Camp David, Maryland, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, in partnership with the national science academies of the G8 member states and seven other science academies, has equipped the world leaders with a set of recommendations on addressing some of the planet's most pressing challenges. The partners' three statements on the topics of water and energy, greenhouse gas reduction and ways of building resilience to natural and technological disasters will today be handed over to the participating governments for them to consult ...

Metro Tapas Bar & Lounge in Woodside, NY officially opens its doors this week offering patrons a unique dining experience in a comfortable bar like atmosphere. Executive Chef Lee Knoeppel's menu features a variety of small plates that take the diner on a culinary tour of American food with an ethnic twist. The restaurant's fare is inspired by local and regional favorites kicked up to reflect the refined palates of today's diners. Knoeppel previously worked at the famed Craft Bar in Gramercy and was Chef de Cuisine at the Pridwin Beach Hotel on Shelter Island, NY. ...

WASHINGTON — National science academies from 15 countries issued joint statements today calling on world leaders who are about to meet at the upcoming G8 Summit and other international gatherings this year to give greater consideration to the vital role science and technology could play in addressing some of the planet's most pressing challenges. The "G-Science" statements recommend that governments engage the international research community in developing systematic, innovative solutions to three global dilemmas: how to simultaneously meet water and energy needs; how ...

This press release is available in French. C5ORF42 was identified as the gene that causes Joubert Syndrome in a number of families in the Lower St. Lawrence region of Quebec where the causal gene had remained unknown since the initial description of the syndrome in 1969. This is what a study in the April issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics reveals. The study was conducted by researchers from the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the Centre of Excellence in Neuromics of Université de Montréal (CENUM). Joubert Syndrome is a condition ...

Lebanon, NH –Five leading health systems are changing aspects of how they perform total knee replacements, as a result of data they collected that showed variations in length of stay, length of operating room time, and in-hospital complications. The voluntary testing of clinical measures and processes they identified as potential "best practices" is a step toward their goal of higher quality care, at lower cost. Founding members of the High Value Healthcare Collaborative (HVHC) are Cleveland Clinic, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Denver Health, Intermountain Healthcare, Mayo Clinic, ...

Polaris Financial Technology Ltd. (POLS.BO), a leading global Financial Technology company, announced that the company won the 'Best Payments Infrastructure Project for Mid Tier Banks' award at The Asian Banker Summit 2012 held in Bangkok, for its implementation at National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) for providing the bank with a global cross border and domestic payment platform. The prestigious Asian Banker IT Implementation Awards jointly recognizes banks and their vendor partners for their success in implementing IT projects and programmes. Every year the programme ...

Our marketing tip for this month concerns establishing who your high-value customers are and targeting your marketing efforts specifically towards this demographic. This may seem to conflict with earlier advice - namely getting exposure to the widest possible audience; nevertheless, while building a wide network is fantastic, building a network of people who are actually likely to need and use your services, or who have influence with people who will do so is even better. Not only is it advisable to target the demographic that is most likely to use your services, or ...

This release is available in German.How do we build a memory in the brain? It is well known that for animals (and humans) new proteins are needed to establish long-term memories. During learning information is stored at the synapses, the junctions connecting nerve cells. Synapses also require new proteins in order to show changes in their strength (synaptic plasticity). Historically, scientists have focused on the cell body as the place where the required proteins are synthesized. However, in recent years there has been increasing focus on the dendrites and axons (the compartments ...

Inflammation might be an important factor in the progression from reflux to esophageal cancer, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. "Our research shows that damage to the esophageal lining that can be seen with endoscopy is important in the progression from normal cells to cancer, and Barrett's esophagus is likely to be an intermediate step," said Rune Erichsen, MD, of Aarhus University Hospital and lead author of this study. In the past three decades, ...

A study led by a Johns Hopkins neuroscientist and published in the May 10 issue of the journal Neuron suggests a potential new therapeutic approach for improving memory and interrupting disease progression in patients with a form of cognitive impairment that often leads to full-blown Alzheimer's disease. The focus of the study was "excess brain activity" commonly associated with conditions that cause mild cognitive decline and memory loss, and are linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's. Previously, it had been thought that this neural hyperactivity in the hippocampus ...

The creation of a social media videoconferencing platform geared towards healthcare might pave the way for enhanced use of social media in the world of healthcare according to a study published this month in the International Journal of Electronic Finance. Peter DeVries of the Department of Finance, Accounting, and CIS, at the University of Houston – Downtown, explains that despite the advent of social media tools and accessible mobile communications devices, the patient-doctor relationship has changed little. DeVries suggests that innovative use of social media might ...

With endless applications, high-speed wireless Internet access, and free messaging services, smart phones have revolutionized the way we communicate. But at what cost? According to researchers at Tel Aviv University, the smart phone is challenging traditional conceptions of privacy, especially in the public sphere. Dr. Tali Hatuka of TAU's Department of Geography and Dr. Eran Toch of TAU's Department of Industrial Engineering have teamed to measure the impact of the smart phone phenomenon on privacy, behavioral codes, and the use of public space. Their early results ...