Recently some people have disputed the existence of the NEUTRON, which if this had any sound basis would cast doubt on some of my recent activities. Maybe this is because the neutron has not had much of an impact in popular culture. The only item that I remember is a song Yes to the Neutron Bomb (1981) by the Liverpool Group “Moderates”. I first went a-neutron scattering about three years ago. I arrived at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford, and went to the ISIS facility. After getting my badge and doing the safety test, I walked through the experimental hall (picture) and found myself entering a room entitled “LOQ CABIN”, although it did not look at all as if Abraham Lincoln had been born there. But what is the point of scattering neutrons?

A possible future way to prevent relapses into drug dependence has been discovered by researchers at Linköping University and the German cancer research center DKFZ. The target is the dopamine-producing nerve cells in the midbrain.

Earlier research has shown that these cells become more excitable when a person takes drugs. To find out the functional meaning of this, these researchers used a mouse model for cocaine dependence. When they blocked the cells’ receptors for glutamate - the brain’s most important signal substance -the risk of relapsing into addiction vanished. The findings are being published in the highly ranked journal Neuron.

Dopamine-producing nerve cells are central to the brain’s reward system.

Preliminary research led by Dr. Lawrence Cheskin, MD, Director of John Hopkins Weight Management Center, suggests increasing intake of low-energy density foods like mushrooms in place of high-energy-density foods like lean ground beef is a strategy for preventing or treating obesity. This is good news for the more than one-third of U.S. adults age 20 and older who are obese, according to the Center for Disease Control and who therefore have a greater risk factor for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes. (1)

In a Mushroom Council study led by Dr. Cheskin, study participants were randomly chosen to receive either beef or mushroom lunch entrées over four days – lasagna, napoleon, sloppy Joe and chili. Subjects then switched entrées to consume the other ingredient (mushroom or beef) the following week.

Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin, Misty May-Treanor and Lin Dan are four Olympic athletes who have each spent most of their life learning the skills needed to reach the top of their respective sports, swimming, gymnastics, beach volleyball and badminton (you were wondering about Lin, weren't you...) 

Their physical skills are obvious and amazing to watch.  For just a few minutes, instead of being a spectator, try to step inside the heads of each of them and try to imagine what their brains must accomplish when they are competing and how different the mental tasks are for each of their sports.

SAN FRANCISCO, August 15 /PRNewswire/ --

- IBM's Jerry Cuomo to Kick-Off Keynote at the 'Unconference'

Interop(R), the leading business technology event, produced by TechWeb, today announced a keynote speaker for its Energy Camp unconference at Interop New York 2008. IBM's Gennaro (Jerry) Cuomo will launch this one-day, all-day program. The positive response from attendees at Interop Las Vegas 2008 led to bringing Energy Camp to the 2008 New York event. Energy Camp at Interop takes place at the Javits Convention Center in New York, September 16, 2008.

PRINCETON, New Jersey, August 15 /PRNewswire/ --

- Special Biotechnology and Green Chemistry Events Added

Informex today announced that registration for InformexUSA 2009 is now open and may be arranged on the internet at informex.com. Buyers and sellers of higher value chemicals, specialty materials, biotechnology and sustainable technologies may register any time before December 1 to receive a discount on registration fees. The upcoming event has been expanded to include a Biotechnology Day and Green Chemistry outreach program, a Green Chemistry Forum and Pavilion. InformexUSA 2009 will be held at the Moscone South Convention Center in San Francisco, California, January 27-30, 2009.

LEEDS, England, August 15 /PRNewswire/ --

- X Factor's Niki Evans Lost 18 Inches With MYA Cosmetic Surgery

- With Photo

X Factor star and mother of two Niki Evans has had amazing results from having liposuction with MYA Cosmetic Surgery. (http://www.mya.co.uk) The 36-year-old, who is well known for her vocal talent, is thrilled with the results of her surgery with MYA and in total has lost 6 inches from her waist, 4 inches from her hips and 4 inches from each thigh. Her decision to have the procedure was made at the end of last year as she was not happy with her current shape and wanted to start her music career with a brand new look.

A middle school in East Harlem recently implemented a new invention in the area of rules. It can be described in two words—attendance court. In the area of tardiness, truant individuals may be able to add science as another excuse to their ongoing list.

“Telling a late person just to be on time is a little like telling a dieter to simply stop eating so much,” is a widely used quote from the San Francisco time management consultant Diana DeLonzor’s book "Never Be Late Again: 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged." It is so simple that it’s a concept easily overlooked.

In her book DeLonzor attacks the issue of what she calls a "lifelong habit" as more than just a matter of poor time management, or rudeness.

Being late is something that DeLonzor suggests has a sort of appeal. “Repetitive lateness is more often related to personality characteristics such as anxiety or a penchant for thrill-seeking,” she writes. “Some people are drawn to the adrenaline rush of that last minute sprint to the finish line, while others receive an ego boost from over-scheduling and filling each moment with activity.”

CAMBRIDGE, England, August 15 /PRNewswire/ --

- Moviestorm Will Attract a Whole New Generation of Amateur Movie Makers

Short Fuze Limited, the award- winning Cambridge company set up to bring movie making to the world, today announces the first consumer release of Moviestorm.

Moviestorm is a complete software package for creating animated movies that is both easy-to-use for first-timers and fully featured for advanced movie makers. It can be downloaded free from http://www.moviestorm.net

Scientists at Michigan State University have identified a new protein necessary for chloroplast development that they say could ultimately lead to plant varieties tailored specifically for biofuel production.

Chloroplasts, which are specialized compartments in plant cells, convert sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into sugars and oxygen ("fuel" for the plant) during photosynthesis. The newly discovered protein, trigalactosyldiacylglycerol 4, or TGD4, offers insight into how the process works.