What?  NASA wants to make Earth Day about space?

Not at all, NASA is instead asking the public to vote for the most important contribution the space agency has made to exploring and understanding Earth and improving the way we live on our home planet.  That's right, they call this our home planet, which means there may be a vacation planet on the way.  That's thinking big, people.

Combating several human pathogens, including some biological warfare agents, may one day become a bit easier thanks to research reported by a University of Iowa chemist and his colleagues in the April 16 issue of the journal Nature.

Amnon Kohen, associate professor of chemistry in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said that the study indicated a new mechanism by which certain organisms manufacture the DNA base thymidylate. This new mechanism is so very different from the way humans synthesize this base that drugs targeting this biosynthetic path in the pathogens are unlikely to affect the human path, thus resulting in very reduced side effects or no side effects at all.

An unmapped reservoir of briny liquid chemically similar to sea water, but buried under an inland Antarctic glacier, appears to support unusual microbial life in a place where cold, darkness and lack of oxygen would previously have led scientists to believe nothing could survive, according to newly published research.

After sampling and analyzing the outflow from below the Taylor Glacier, an outlet glacier of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet in the otherwise ice-free McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, researchers believe that, lacking enough light to make food through photosynthesis, the microbes have adapted over the past 1.5 million years to manipulate sulfur and iron compounds to survive.

Scientists have found an ancient ecosystem below an Antarctic glacier and learned that it survived millions of years by transforming sulfur and iron compounds for growth.

UNION, Kentucky, April 16 /PRNewswire/ --

- Solution Provides 99.99 Percent Reduction of Many Dangerous Pathogens

Union Springs Pharmaceuticals, LLC today announces the European distribution of its flagship product, MyClyns(TM), a portable spray that reduces 99.99 percent of many harmful pathogens and helps prevent infection. European first responders and public safety officials will now have access to the spray, which is a critical component to effective, portable protection.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090415/CL99689 )

MyClyns is available from a number of distributors throughout Europe.

LONDON, April 16 /PRNewswire/ --

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is urging the public to be aware of the risks when purchasing medicines online, following a survey released by GP magazine.

The survey shows one in four GPs has treated patients for adverse reactions to medicines bought on the Internet. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's Director of Policy, David Pruce said:

It is never a good idea to take a prescription medicine without a valid prescription. The medicine may not be suitable for you and could result in unpleasant side-effects or serious health risks. You should always discuss any health concerns with your GP or pharmacist.

GLENDALE, Colorado, April 15 /PRNewswire/ --

- Courses are to be held in Glendale July 27 - August 14, 2009.

Created by All Black legend Murray Mexted, the International Rugby Academy of New Zealand is looking to bring its prestigious development academy to American soil for the first time through proposed High Performance courses for players and coaches at Infinity Park, Glendale.

IRANZ places primary focus on high performance with emphasis on position specific coaching and includes an impressive lineup of former international coaches and players, including Mexted, former All Blacks Richard Loe, Sean Fitzpatrick, Grant Fox, Keith Robinson, former Wallaby Davis Campese and USA Eagles Head Coach Scott Johnson.

Sanger F, Nicklen S, Coulson AR. 1977. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U S A 74: 5463-7.

This paper describes the most important (IMHO) technical breakthrough in the biological sciences:  DNA sequencing using a single-stranded DNA template, a DNA primer, a DNA polymerase, radioactively or fluorescently labeled nucleotides, and modified nucleotides that terminate DNA strand elongation.

Science is great at finding new rules for expectant mothers.  They already can’t have alcohol, caffeine, or cigarettes. They also need to stay away from their cat’s litterbox, stay off of planes and rollercoasters, stay off of antidepressants, drop their acne medication, and forgo even a well-considered vegan diet.

Now they have to avoid the Hong Kong flu, too.  The Annals of Neurobiology recently published a study that suggested that exposure to the Hong Kong virus during the first trimester of pregnancy may contribute to decreased adult intelligence.  

The Hong Kong flu is fairly easy to avoid now.  But it was everywhere in 1969 and 1970.  It reached its Norwegian apex in the spring of 1970, affecting up to 40% of the population.  

LONDON, April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharmacies across Great Britain should look out for new patient guidance on counterfeit medication and its dangers which will be delivered from May 2009.

The two sided postcard sized leaflet has been produced by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPSGB) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to encourage patients to access medicines in the safest way.

Pharmacists are being asked to distribute the postcards to patients in prescription bags, targeting those taking specific products that have been previously counterfeited for UK sale. These are;