Red List Of Threatened Species Reveals Ongoing Decline Of The Status Of Plants And Animals May 1, 2006
The total number of species declared officially Extinct is 784 and a further 65 are only found in captivity or cultivation. Of the 40,177 species assessed using the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List criteria, 16,119 are now listed as threatened with extinction. This includes one in three amphibians and a quarter of the world’s coniferous trees, on top of the one in eight birds and one in four mammals known to be in jeopardy.
Vaccine Combined With Short-term Postexposure Antibiotics Protects Monkeys From Inhalational Anthrax
Scientists have demonstrated that postexposure vaccination can shorten the duration of antibiotic treatment required to protect against inhalational anthrax. The findings, which appear in this week’s online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could have important implications for public health management of anthrax bioterrorism events.
Biotech Cotton Provides Same Yield With Fewer Pesticides
Arizona farmers receive the same yield/acre, use fewer chemical insecticides and maintain insect biodiversity when they plant the biotech cotton known as Bt cotton, according to new research. The finding comes from the first large-scale study that simultaneously examined how growing Bt cotton affects yield, pesticide use and biodiversity.
Protein’s Potential As A Regulator Of Brain Activity Discovered
UC Irvine researchers have found that a protein best known for building connections between nerve cells and muscle also plays a role in controlling brain cell activity. The finding points to possible therapeutic applications in the development of new drugs for treatment of epilepsy and neurodegenerative disorders.
New Software Protects Confidentiality Of Data While Enabling Access And Sharing
Penn State researchers have developed software that allows databases to "talk to each other" automatically without compromising the security of the data and metadata because the queries, data communicated and other information are encrypted.
Fussy Babies And Postpartum Depression Linked, Study Finds
Researchers from Brown Medical School and the Rhode Island Department of Health have found a strong association between mothers with symptoms of postpartum depression and those with colicky infants. The study, the first to show such a link using population-based data, will be presented May 2 at the Pediatric Academic Societies’ 2006 Annual Meeting.
Cystic Fibrosis Research Could Benefit From Multi-functional Sensing Tool
Researchers are using an innovative, multi-functional sensing tool to investigate adenosine triposphate (ATP) release and its role in cystic fibrosis. The ATP study marks the first application of a novel sensing system developed by a research team led by Christine Kranz at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Nanoparticles May Help Detect, Treat Tumors
A new technique devised by MIT engineers may one day help physicians detect cancerous tumors during early stages of growth. The technique allows nanoparticles to group together inside cancerous tumors, creating masses with enough of a magnetic signal to be detectable by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.
Intelligent Scarecrow Can Save Aquaculture From Financial Losses
The Erebus Scarecrow — designed by USF computer science students to protect both the investment of aqua-farmers and the lives of birds that may prey upon their fish — does not, unlike the scarecrow of Oz fame, have a "head all full of stuffing." Erebus has a head all full of sophisticated but relatively low cost sensors, cameras and other hi-tech computer components that will keep predator birds away from fish farm ponds without harming the birds.
Research Reveals Possible Future Target For Delaying Or Stopping Alzheimer’s
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University’s Neurological Sciences Institute (NSI) have located a possible target for future therapies aimed at delaying or stopping Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, the therapy would target a structure in brain cells, called mitochondria, previously identified as being heavily involved in the degenerative disease.
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