More than 10 years after the discovery of the first extrasolar planet, astronomers have now discovered more than 250 of these planets. Until a few years ago, most of the newly discovered exoplanets were Jupiter-mass, probably gaseous, planets. Recently, astronomers have announced the discovery of several planets that are potentially much smaller, with a minimum mass lower than 10 Earth masses: the now so-called super-Earths [1].

In April, a European team announced in Astronomy & Astrophysics the discovery of two new planets orbiting the M star Gliese 581 (a red dwarf), with masses of at least 5 and 8 Earth masses.

ANTONY, GRENOBLE France, December 13 /PRNewswire/ -- STALLERGENES S.A and Protein'eXpert S.A. announce they have signed a partnership agreement for developing and pharmaceutically producing mites recombinant allergens(1).

The partnership is part of the STALLERGENES "Enhanced Allergens" innovation programme for a recombinant protein treatment for sublingual desensitisation of allergy to mites. This second-generation treatment is made up of the recombinant allergens Der p 1 and Der p 2 in the form of a fusion protein, combined with an adjuvant and/or a mucoadhesive formulation for facilitating recognition of the allergen by the immune system.

Protein'eXpert will handle:

- developing processes aimed at optimising the existing production protocol;

Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating of the major psychiatric disorders, and is also one of the most difficult to treat.

Although numerous antipsychotic treatments are available, they can cause significant side effects and many patients experience only a partial relief of their symptoms and up to 30% no relief at all.

In a new study in Biological Psychiatry, Dr. Stephen Marder of UCLA and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of a new psychotropic agent for the treatment of schizophrenia in a 6-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

LUSTENAU, Austria and DALLAS, Texas, December 13 /PRNewswire/ -- IDENTEC SOLUTIONS recent acquisition of a Wtek, a global leader in providing active RFID solutions in the workplace, sets the stage for IDENTEC SOLUTIONS entry into the growing sector of worker safety and security.

Worker safety and security has long been an ongoing and vital concern for a number of industries. Identifying the location of employees in time sensitive situations can often mean the difference between life and death. By utilizing active RFID, emergency response and deployment in time critical situations is vastly enhanced, thereby offering the employer and employee a greater assurance of overall safety and security.

LONDON, December 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The MS Society has today (13 December) welcomed an unprecedented move by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to provide potential prescribers of the unlicensed drug Sativex more information to help them in their decision.

Sativex is an oral spray containing a cannabis extract and clinical trials are investigating its efficacy in alleviating symptoms of spasticity and pain in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Although currently unlicensed, it is available to people with MS on a named patient basis and around 1,200 people have so far received the drug in the UK.

How close are we to real-world bionic parts like they show on TV? We spent Part I discussing Bionic Women on TV and speculating as to why they spent $55 Million on Jaime Sommers in the show but couldn't fix actress Michelle Ryan's chin.

Now we're going to get into actual science, like how we would build a Bionic Woman today if we didn't give a crap about television ratings. It's a good thing I am writing this now because television ratings are important and this show could be cancelled any day, making it a lot less culturally relevant. How will I get you to buy a book on science if it doesn't have pop culture relevance and cute girls?

A plentiful ingredient found in human semen drastically enhances the ability of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to cause infection, according to a report in the journal Cell. The findings help to understand the sexual transmission of HIV and suggest a potential new target for preventing the spread of AIDS, the researchers said.

Collaborating research groups in Hannover and Ulm, Germany, show that naturally occurring fragments of so-called prostatic acidic phosphatase (PAP) isolated from human semen form tiny fibers known as amyloid fibrils. Those fibrils capture HIV particles and help them to penetrate target cells, thereby enhancing the infection rate by up to several orders of magnitude.

LONDON, December 13 /PRNewswire/ --

- Your Chance to Hear and Question Sir Ranulph Fiennes on His Living Dangerously Lecture and Learn About the Plight of the Endangered African Lion

LONDON, December 13 /PRNewswire/ --

On Friday 18th January 2008 "An Audience with Sir Ranulph Fiennes and ALERT" will provide people with an exclusive opportunity to hear and question Sir Ranulph Fiennes on his worldwide adventures and endurance feats. As well as discussing quests such as being the first man to visit both the north and south poles by land, Fiennes will also be discussing his work as patron to the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust, ALERT.

An international team of scientists have sequenced the genome for Physcomitrella – the first non-flowering or ‘lower’ plant to be sequenced – and published their findings in the latest issue of Science.

The moss Physcomitrella patens is a primitive plant, similar to the first plants which began to grow on land around 450 million years ago. Just one cell thick, these early plants had to adapt to withstand cold, heat and drought without roots or complex leaves. The ability of mosses to survive severe dehydration and then regrow when watered could be of enormous use in crops grown in drought-stricken areas of the developing world.

BAAR, Switzerland, December 13 /PRNewswire/ --

- Manas Petroleum Corp. (MNAP.OB) (Manas)

"The Albanian Council of Ministers has approved Decision No. 796 regarding the approval of production sharing for exploration, development and production of hydrocarbons on onshore Albania, in Blocks A-B and D-E, between the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy, represented by the National Agency of Natural Resources (AKBN) and DWM Petroleum AG." DWM Petroleum AG is 100% subsidiary of Manas.