Desert locusts are harmless, solitary creatures until they get a certain chemical - and it isn't firewater, catnip or anything that comes from Colombia.   It's serotonin, a common brain chemical, but in the right amount they turn into hordes of hungry ... well ... locusts.

With desert locusts, the expression of this swarming characteristic generally means serious trouble for nearby farmer.   Locusts are known to sometimes swarm by the billions, and they often devastate crop yields.  Dr. Stephen Rogers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford in the UK says about 20 percent of the world is affected by desert locusts.

Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine appear to have reversed the neurological dysfunction of early-stage multiple sclerosis patients by transplanting their own immune stem cells into their bodies and thereby "resetting" their immune systems. 

The patients in the small phase I/II trial continued to improve for up to 24 months after the transplantation procedure and then stabilized. They experienced improvements in areas in which they had been affected by multiple sclerosis including walking, ataxia, limb strength, vision and incontinence. The study will be published online January 30 and in the March issue of The Lancet Neurology. 

MS is the result of damage to myelin - the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system - which interferes with messages between the brain and the body. For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern.  Symptoms range from loss of sight and mobility, fatigue, depression and cognitive problems.

Scientists have known for more than 200 years that vision begins with a series of chemical reactions when light strikes the retina, but the specific chemical processes have largely been a mystery. A team of researchers from the United States and Switzerland say they have shed new light on this process by "capturing" this chemical communication for future study and say it may lead to the development of new treatments for some forms of blindness and vision disorders. 

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have discovered a mimic of one of "nature's antibiotics" that can be used to coat medical devices to prevent infection and rejection.   The study, released today in the journal Chemistry and Biology, found that a synthetic form, short tethered cationic antimicrobial peptides (cationic peptide), can protect surfaces, like those of medical devices, killing bacteria and fungi that come into contact with them. Peptides are small proteins.

A study of college freshmen in the United States and in China found that Chinese students know more science facts than their American counterparts but both groups are nearly identical when it comes to their ability to do scientific reasoning - unfortunately neither group  was very good at it.

The lesson is that educators must go beyond teaching science facts if we hope to produce voters, policy makers and scientists who can make reasoned choices.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, January 29 /PRNewswire/ --

Developed Dimension Information Technology (DDIT), a registered company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, today announced the Company has entered into an exclusive International Distributor Agreement to represent ICOP Digital, Inc. (Nasdaq: ICOP), an industry-leading company engaged in advancing digital surveillance solutions, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries including Kuwait, The Sultanate of Oman, Qatar and The United Arab Emirates.

Show Me The Science Month, Day 2

How do two populations change genetically when they are subjected to different evolutionary pressures? To answer this question, many intrepid evolutionary biologists have trudged out into the field to painstakingly study wild populations, but in many cases, we can learn more by studying evolution in the lab. In a paper published the February issue of Nature Genetics, a group of Portuguese and US researchers report a study of 28 years of evolution in a set of lab fruit fly populations. Their results are an example of how studying evolution in the lab, even for a short time, can provide insight in to how natural selection shapes the genetic contours of a population.

CHICAGO and DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, January 29 /PRNewswire/ --

RTS Realtime Systems Group, a leading trading solutions provider, announced that it is now offering connectivity to NASDAQ Dubai, the international stock exchange formerly known as the Dubai International Financial Exchange (DIFX).

Through RTS technology, users will be able to trade all of NASDAQ Dubai's listed products, including equities, derivatives and structured products. NASDAQ Dubai launched the first equity derivatives platform in the UAE in November 2008. The exchange opened in 2005 as the international stock exchange between Western Europe and East Asia.

SAN DIEGO, January 28 /PRNewswire/ --

- Revenues US$2.5 Billion, EPS US$0.20 - Pro Forma EPS US$0.31 - Operating Income Exceeds Prior Guidance

Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies, products and services, today announced results for the first quarter of fiscal 2009 ended December 28, 2008, noting that first quarter fiscal 2009 revenues were at the high end of prior guidance and operating income exceeded prior guidance. However, net income and diluted EPS for the quarter were adversely impacted by other-than-temporary impairments to its marketable securities portfolio.

Total Qualcomm (GAAP) First Quarter Results