Featured Articles

GlycoVaxyn AG Raises CHF 25 Million In Financing Led By Edmond De Rothschild Investment Partners

GlycoVaxyn AG Raises CHF 25 Million In Financing Led By Edmond De Rothschild Investment Partners

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

SCHLIEREN, Switzerland, March 5 /PRNewswire/ --

- Proceeds to Facilitate Clinical Development of Lead Conjugate Vaccine

GlycoVaxyn, a pioneer in the development of innovative conjugated vaccines, today announced the successful closing of a CHF25 million (ca. US$22 million, EUR17 million) Series B financing. The round was led by Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners. Existing investors, Index Ventures and Sofinnova Partners, expressed their commitment to the future of the company through significant participation in this round.

Frost Sullivan Expects The Gas Turbine Market To Be Quite Resilient In The Current Economic Climate

Frost Sullivan Expects The Gas Turbine Market To Be Quite Resilient In The Current Economic Climate

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

LONDON, March 5 /PRNewswire/ --

The gas turbine market is expected to be quite resilient despite economic slowdown and persisting credit problems in global financial markets. Gas turbines have been the favourite technology for new installations in many parts of the world for quite some time, and the main drivers of the market are not expected to be substantially affected by the current state of the economy.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)

NetEx HyperIP 5.5 Named As One Of SearchStorage.com 'Products Of The Year'

NetEx HyperIP 5.5 Named As One Of SearchStorage.com 'Products Of The Year'

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

MINNEAPOLIS, March 5 /PRNewswire/ --

- NetEx Wins Bronze in Networking Equipment Category of '2008 Products of the Year' Awards

NetEx(R), the leader in high-speed data transport over TCP, won the Bronze award in the networking equipment category of the 2008 Products of the Year competition for its HyperIP 5.5 software, a business continuity and disaster recovery optimization solution for backup, recovery and data replication applications. This is the second time the company has been honored with a Product of the Year award from the editors of TechTarget's Storage Media Group, having won silver for an earlier version of HyperIP in 2004.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081223/AQTU005LOGO)

Essilor : 2008 Results

Essilor : 2008 Results

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France, March 5 /PRNewswire/ --

- 2008: Solid Sales and Earnings - Revenue Up 9.7% Excluding the Currency Effect - Contribution Margin at 17.9% - Attributable Profit of EUR382.4 Million (up 8.7% Excluding the Currency Effect) - Recommended Increase in Dividend: +6.5% to EUR0.66 per Share

CHARENTON-LE-PONT, France, March 5 /PRNewswire/ --

The Board of Directors of Essilor International, the world leader in ophthalmic optical products, today announced its audited financial results for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Mmmmm, Horse Milk? Equine Domestication Goes Back Farther Than Thought

Mmmmm, Horse Milk? Equine Domestication Goes Back Farther Than Thought

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

Not only have horses been domesticated longer than we thought but they were also milked, says an article in Science.

The researchers have traced the origins of horse domestication back to the Botai Culture of Kazakhstan circa 5,500 years ago, about 1,000 years earlier than thought and about 2,000 years earlier than domestic horses are known to have been in Europe. Their findings strongly suggest that horses were originally domesticated, not just for riding, but also to provide food, including milk.
Resurrection In Evolution: IRGM Gene's Death And Rebirth

Resurrection In Evolution: IRGM Gene's Death And Rebirth

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

Researchers have discovered that a long-defunct gene was resurrected during the course of human evolution. This is believed to be the first evidence of a doomed gene – infection-fighting human IRGM – making a comeback in the human/great ape lineage.

The truncated IRGM gene is one of only two genes of its type remaining in humans. The genes are Immune-Related GTPases, a kind of gene that helps mammals resist germs like tuberculosis and salmonella that try to invade cells. Unlike humans, most other mammals have several genes of this type. Mice, for example, have 21 Immune-Related GTPases. Medical interest in this gene ignited recently, when scientists associated specific IRGM mutations with the risk of Crohn's disease, an inflammatory digestive disorder.
Excess Sugar Consumption Linked To Aging

Excess Sugar Consumption Linked To Aging

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

We know that lifespan can be extended in some animals by restricting calories such as sugar intake shortly after birth.   Université de Montréal scientists now say that it's not sugar itself that is important in this process but the ability of cells to sense its presence.

Aging is a complex phenomenon and the mechanisms underlying aging are yet to be explained. What researchers do know is that there is a clear relationship between aging and calorie intake. For example, mice fed with half the calories they usually eat can live 40 percent longer. How does this work? 
Photocatalysis - Using Solar Power To Make Methane From Carbon Dioxide

Photocatalysis - Using Solar Power To Make Methane From Carbon Dioxide

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

Dual catalysts may be the key to efficiently turning carbon dioxide and water vapor into methane and other hydrocarbons using titania nanotubes and solar power, according to Penn State researchers.

Burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. Rather than contribute to global climate change, producers could convert carbon dioxide to a wide variety of hydrocarbons, but this makes sense to do only when using solar energy.
Chloroquine Malaria Drug Also Takes On Two Emerging Viruses With 75 Percent Mortality In Humans

Chloroquine Malaria Drug Also Takes On Two Emerging Viruses With 75 Percent Mortality In Humans

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

Two highly lethal viruses that have emerged in recent outbreaks are susceptible to chloroquine, an established drug used to prevent and treat malaria, according to a new basic science study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in the Journal of Virology.

The two henipaviruses that are the subject of the study -- Hendra Virus (HeV) and Nipah Virus (NiV) -- emerged during the 1990s in Australia and Southeast Asia. Harbored by fruit bats, they cause potentially fatal encephalitis and respiratory disease in humans, with a devastating 75 percent fatality rate. More recently, NiV outbreaks in Bangladesh involving human-to-human transmission have focused attention on NiV as a global health concern.
Discovery - 7 New Species Of Bamboo Coral Near Hawaii

Discovery - 7 New Species Of Bamboo Coral Near Hawaii

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

Scientists identified seven new species of bamboo coral discovered in the deep waters of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Six of these species may represent entirely new genera, a remarkable feat given the broad classification a genus represents. A genus is a major category in the classification of organisms, ranking above a species and below a family. Scientists expect to identify more new species as analysis of samples continues.
   
7 Steps To Successful Weight Loss For Kids

7 Steps To Successful Weight Loss For Kids

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

Overweight children and adolescents, with the active involvement of their parents and families, can successfully lose weight.

People are not biologically inclined to have a particular food addiction so patience and support are key but so is recognizing that it won't happen unless the kids are determined to change and they get some help; parents who have always bought junk food, for example, need to stop.  And kids who may have always had an unhealthy lifestyle need to recognize that and make some changes.

A team of experts that includes physicians and psychologists propose a new model of care for treating childhood and teen obesity which includes dietary, fitness, and lifestyle changes, education, and as a final option, if needed, surgery.
'Personalized Genome' Sequencing Finds Gene Mutation Linked To Pancreatic Cancer

'Personalized Genome' Sequencing Finds Gene Mutation Linked To Pancreatic Cancer

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

Scientists at the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have used "personalized genome" sequencing on an individual with a hereditary form of pancreatic cancer to locate a mutation in a gene called PALB2 that is responsible for initiating the disease. The discovery marks their first use of a genome scanning system to uncover suspect mutations in normal inherited genes.

The coding error in PALB2, which stands for "partner and co-localizer of BRCA2" causes a shortened version of the protein encoded by this gene, rendering it incapable of working with another cancer-related gene, BRCA2, to repair broken DNA. Mutations in BRCA2 are also known to cause hereditary forms of cancer. 
What Happens In Cases Of Peer Review Plagiarism?

What Happens In Cases Of Peer Review Plagiarism?

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

In the past two years, University of Texas Southwestern researchers have used a computer-based text-searching tool they developed, called eTBLAST, to analyze millions of abstracts randomly selected from Medline, one of the largest databases of biomedical research articles. They turned up nearly 70,000 highly similar citations.

Their subsequent analysis of a small sampling of these, including human inspection of the articles in question, revealed 207 pairs of articles with signs of potential plagiarism. 

In a commentary appearing in Science, the UT Southwestern researchers outline the wide range of reactions they received when they followed up with both victims and perpetrators of possible misconduct, as well as responses from journal editors. 
What is Truth?

What is Truth?

Mar 05 2009 | comment(s)

"I think, therefore I am." - Descartes. Are you impressed by this deep and meaningful insight into the human condition? Descartes also wrote, in his Discourse: "... philosophy affords the means of discoursing with an appearance of truth on all matters, and commands the admiration of the more simple." Now, did Descartes come up with "I think, therefore I am." before, or after pushing his tongue firmly into his cheek? In my first blog entry I mentioned the truth values (plural) of a sentence. What are the truth values of "I think, therefore I am."? Before even attempting to answer that question, the rational philosopher is required to explain the meaning of 'truth'. What is truth?
The Pain Of Envy And The Pleasure Of Charity

The Pain Of Envy And The Pleasure Of Charity

Mar 04 2009 | comment(s)

Nature -- presumably through the mechanism of Darwinian selection -- has endowed us with a balanced system of pains and pleasures that correspond respectively to the sort of things we should avoid or seek in order to further our survival and reproduction. It is not surprising that the brain produces a sensation of pain when we bleed: if it didn't we may run the risk of bleeding to death without noticing (or noticing too late). Similarly, it is hardly surprising that our brain releases pleasure chemicals (literally, neural drugs) to reward us when we do something useful, like finding and eating a sugar or fat-ladened substance.
Legislation would put tobacco under FDA control

Legislation would put tobacco under FDA control

Mar 04 2009 | comment(s)

Whether you are for, against, or apathetic to tobacco, Congress is working to ensure that tobacco and tobacco companies fall under FDA regulation.
To Nap Or Not To Nap?

To Nap Or Not To Nap?

Mar 04 2009 | comment(s)

The latest news on napping would have you believe that it’s a harbinger of doom.  The Research Institute at the California Pacific Medical center studied communities of elderly women and linked napping and excess sleep in general to increased death from anything. By this logic, the entire nap-happy nation of Spain should watch out for falling pianos.
Evolution And Personalized Medicine: How Genes Build Traits

Evolution And Personalized Medicine: How Genes Build Traits

Mar 04 2009 | comment(s)


Show Me The Science Month Day 22



How do genes work together to build body traits? This is one of the hottest questions in genetics today, and the answer holds implications not only for our understanding of evolution, but also health, agriculture, and wildlife conservation. A recent paper in Science (by Scientific Blogging's own Redneck Geneticist) takes a look at how genetic variants work together to generate the physical diversity that we see in living organisms.
CCF Announces Its New Board Of Directors

CCF Announces Its New Board Of Directors

Mar 04 2009 | comment(s)

SAN DIEGO, March 4 /PRNewswire/ --

- Sierra Wireless and SGS Wireless join the CCF Board of Directors

The CCF (CDMA Certification Forum), a global non-profit organization dedicated to establishing test efficiency to streamline time to market and minimize costs associated with CDMA device certification, announced today its 2009 Board of Directors and its new members.

The newly elected Board members are Tracy Griffin from Sierra Wireless and Dawn Saad from SGS.

New Website Helps Companies Make Money From Spare Desk Space

New Website Helps Companies Make Money From Spare Desk Space

Mar 04 2009 | comment(s)

LONDON, March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- A new website has been launched which helps companies make money from their spare desks by renting them out to freelancers and small businesses. Desk Space Genie is the UK's first website dedicated to the growing phenomenon of desk space rental.

Ciaron Dunne of Desk Space Genie explains why desk space rental is taking off in the UK: Desk space rental is different to traditional office rental because the space is generally available on short, flexible contracts and the 'desker' gets to move into an existing set-up, complete with broadband internet and work colleagues.