SAN FRANCISCO, June 15, 2011 -- Sing it with us: What lives in the rainforest, under a tree? Spongiforma squarepantsii, a new species of mushroom almost as strange as its cartoon namesake. Its discovery in the forests of Borneo, says San Francisco State University researcher Dennis Desjardin, suggests that even some of the most charismatic characters in the fungal kingdom are yet to be identified. Shaped like a sea sponge, S. squarepantsii was found in 2010 in the Lambir Hills in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is bright orange—although it can turn purple when sprinkled with ...

The three awards in the categories of photovoltaics, PV production technology and solar thermal technology were presented for the fourth time. The winners were chosen by a jury of experts from research, science, industry and specialist media from a total of 128 international applicants. In their evaluation, the jury paid particular attention to the technological degree of innovation, the benefits for industry, environment and society as well as the economic viability of the products. "The global market leader in the realisation of photovoltaic systems presents the ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Results of a small, observational study conducted at the University at Buffalo suggest that liraglutide, an injectable medication used to treat type 2 diabetes, also helps type 1 diabetics on insulin achieve optimal control of their blood glucose levels. If the findings are confirmed in a larger, prospective, randomized study now being planned by the UB researchers, they could mean the first significant, new treatment for type 1 diabetes since insulin was discovered and made available in the 1920s. The research has been published online ahead of print ...

PITTSBURGH—Small genetic mutations that add up over time could create an evolutionary express lane that leads to the rapid development of new traits, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Wisconsin at Madison have found. The team reports in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that slight changes in segments of DNA known as transcriptional enhancers—which determine the when, where, and how much in gene production—can activate dormant genetic imperfections. These alterations awaken specific genes to low-level activity, ...

According to The Centers for Disease Control, the number of asthma cases in the U.S. is rising. New statistics show that nearly 1 in 12 Americans were diagnosed with Asthma by 2009 and that the number of people diagnosed with asthma in the U.S. grew by 4.3 million between 2001 and 2009. Sanjay Patel, M.D., a board-certified allergy and asthma specialist in Indiana at Medical Specialists says that despite improvements in outdoor air quality and decreased smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, asthma is still increasing. Dr. Patel says he is particularly concerned with ...

VERNON – A long-term study verifies multi-paddock grazing improves vegetation, soil health and animal production relative to continuous grazing in large-scale ranches, according to Texas AgriLife Research scientists. The study measured the impacts on vegetation and soils achieved by commercial ranchers who adapted management practices in response to changing circumstances to achieve desirable outcomes, said Dr. Richard Teague, AgriLife Research rangeland ecology and management scientist in Vernon. At the ranch scale, when multi-paddock grazing is managed to give best ...

A new Baylor University study has found that sunlight decreases the toxicity of golden algae, which kills millions of fish in the southern United States every year. While golden algae is primarily a coastal species, it has been found in Texas rivers and lakes, including Lake Whitney and Lake Waco in Central Texas, and Lake Granbury in North Texas. Experts believe that several environmental factors influence toxin production, but new research from Baylor scientists shows that sunlight is a key component in the magnitude and duration of the toxicity of the algae to fish. ...

The international T2K collaboration announced today that they have observed an indication of a new type of neutrino transformation or oscillation from a muon neutrino to an electron neutrino. Boston University Professor of Physics Edward Kearns is among the team of researchers responsible for this discovery. Evidence of this new type of neutrino oscillation may lead the way to new studies of a matter/ anti-matter asymmetry called charge-parity (CP) violation. This phenomenon has been observed in quarks (for which Nobel prizes were awarded in 1980 and 2008), but never ...

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 15, 2011 — A first of its kind combination of experiment and simulation at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing a close-up look at the molecule that complicates next-generation biofuels. Lignin, a major component of plant cell walls, aggregates to form clumps, which cause problems during the production of cellulosic ethanol. The exact shape and structure of the aggregates, however, have remained largely unknown. A team led by ORNL's Jeremy Smith revealed the surface structure of lignin aggregates down to 1 angstrom—the ...

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A new study suggests that consuming olive oil may help prevent a stroke in older people. The research is published in the June 15, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "Our research suggests that a new set of dietary recommendations should be issued to prevent stroke in people 65 and older," said study author Cécilia Samieri, PhD, with the University of Bordeaux and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Bordeaux, France. "Stroke is so common in older people and olive ...

KINGSTON, R.I. – June 15, 2011 – In the longest running U.S. study of premature infants who are now 23 years old, University of Rhode Island Professor of Nursing Mary C. Sullivan has found that premature infants are less healthy, have more social and school struggles and face a greater risk of heart-health problems in adulthood. Sullivan has also found that supportive, loving parents and nurturing school environments can mitigate the effects of premature birth. She also found that premature babies are resilient and have a strong drive to succeed. A research scientist ...

MADISON, WI, JUNE 15, 2011 -- Assessing the environmental risk of pesticide use is an important, complex task that requires knowledge of the equilibrium sorption parameter. This helps researchers assess the risk of pesticides leaching into groundwater. For cost-effective assessments, this is usually determined through batch experiments that find the amount of pesticide in test soils as a function of concentration at a constant temperature. These experimental conditions differ considerably from real-world conditions. Thus, the validity of the data collected using this method ...

"We've known for over 100 years that testing is good for memory," says Kent State University psychology graduate student Kalif Vaughn. Psychologists have proven in a myriad of experiments that "retrieval practice"—correctly producing a studied item—increases the likelihood that you'll get it right the next time. "But we didn't know why." In the past, many researchers have believed that testing is good for memory, but only for the exact thing you are trying to remember: so-called "target memory." If you're asked to recall the Lithuanian equivalent of an English word, say, ...

A new survey of barrier islands published earlier this spring offers the most thorough assessment to date of the thousands of small islands that hug the coasts of the world's landmasses. The study, led by Matthew Stutz of Meredith College, Raleigh, N.C., and Orrin Pilkey of Duke University, Durham, N.C., offers new insight into how the islands form and evolve over time – and how they may fare as the climate changes and sea level rises. The survey is based on a global collection of satellite images from Landsat 7 as well as information from topographic and navigational ...

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marc Schumacher has granted trial attorney John H. "Jack" Hickey's motion to add a claim for punitive damages to a lawsuit alleging Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCCL) failed to fix a known toxic gas leak on board the "Monarch of the Seas" before it killed three and injured several crew members (Case Number: 08-45343CA05). The decision comes after Judge Schumacher examined evidence and reviewed deposition testimony during an extensive evidentiary hearing to determine if RCCL's alleged conduct was either intentional or constituted ...

Since its eruption in early June, several NASA satellites have captured images of the ash plume from the eruption of the Chilean Volcano called Puyehue-Cordón Caulle and have tracked it around the world. NASA has collected them in the NASA Goddard FLICKR image gallery that shows the progression of the plume around the southern hemisphere. The Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex includes the Puyehue volcano, the Cordón Caulle rift zone and the Cordillera Nevada caldera. One of the instruments that provided daily imagery of the ash plume is called the Moderate Resolution ...

Thermafiber, Inc. has launched the first of two attachment clips specifically designed for their RainBarrier continuous insulation product line. RainBarrier Clips are plastic discs that clip onto many different types of masonry wall ties and facade hanging systems. These clips allow a contractor to quickly and securely install the RainBarrier insulation product as recommended. Thermafiber offers an in-depth installation guide for their RainBarrier insulation with recommended spacing for the retaining clips. "Since launching the RainBarrier product in late 2008, ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Using the deepest X-ray image ever taken, a University of Michigan astronomer and her colleagues have found the first direct evidence that massive black holes were common in the early universe. This discovery from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows that very young black holes grew more aggressively than previously thought, in tandem with the growth of their host galaxies. By pointing Chandra at a patch of sky for over six weeks, astronomers obtained what is known as the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS). When combined with very deep optical and infrared ...

The success of world co-operation based on science and practiced since the Cold War by nations operating in Antarctica offers a model to humanity as it confronts challenges to common interests like climate change, biodiversity loss and overfishing, says the editor of a new book on science diplomacy. Since the end of the Second World War science has become an important tool of diplomacy, not only for issues involving environmental management, but for peace in the world we live in, says Paul Berkman, former Head of the Arctic Ocean Geopolitics Programme, Scott Polar Research ...

Orbiting about 31 miles above the lunar surface, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft will get a "front-row seat" to the total lunar eclipse on June 15, says Noah Petro, Associate Project Scientist for LRO at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. A lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes into Earth's shadow, and a total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth completely blocks the sun, causing the moon to darken and appear to change color. However, the moon doesn't go completely dark because Earth's atmosphere bends (refracts) indirect sunlight ...

Some satellite images are striking and memorable, while others are just interesting. On June 10, NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Hurricane Adrian from space and sent a stunning image to the science team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Meanwhile a GOES-11 Satellite animation shows how and when Adrian fizzled. Adrian is no more in the Eastern Pacific as of June 13, 2011, but the Aqua satellite image it left behind will be remembered this hurricane season. The visible image was taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) that ...

The low pressure system called System 98A was renamed tropical depression 1A over the weekend, and its strengthening was short-lived, just as it appears on NASA satellite imagery. NASA's Aqua satellite passed over Tropical Depression 1A on June 11 at 21:29 UTC (5:29 p.m. EDT) as it still sat off of India's west-central coast. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument did see some strong thunderstorms in the depression at that time, that brought heavy rainfall to region near the Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary National Park in Bhojde, Gujarat, ...

A team of Australian scientists has discovered a new type of cell in the immune system. The new cell type, a kind of white blood cell, belongs to a family of T-cells that play a critical role in protection against infectious disease. Their findings could ultimately lead to the development of novel drugs that strengthen the immune response against particular types of infectious organisms. It is also potentially significant for many other important diseases including allergies, cancer and coronary artery disease. The research team includes Dr Adam Uldrich and Professor ...

The main causes of increases in blood pressure over a lifetime are modifiable and could be targeted to help prevent cardiovascular disease: although high blood pressure sometimes has no obvious symptoms, this condition, which affects about a third of the adult UK and US populations, can lead to life-threatening heart attacks and stroke, so reducing blood pressure is very important for health. As reported in this week's PLoS Medicine, a team of researchers, led by Andrew Wills from the Medical Research Council Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, ...

This observational cohort study, by Andrew Edmonds and colleagues, reports that treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) markedly improves the survival of HIV-infected children in Kinshasa, DRC, a resource-deprived setting. The findings presented suggest that HAART is as effective for improving the survival of HIV-infected children in a severely resource-deprived country (still recovering from civil war) as in more resource-privileged settings. Most observational studies on the effects of antiretroviral treatment on child survival have been undertaken ...