„Alien“-Mikrobe: Arsen als Lebensbaustein

December 3, 2010 Leave a Comment

03.12.2010

“Bisher als unmöglich geltende Lebensform wirft neues Licht auf extraterrestrisches Leben

Forscher haben ein Bakterium entdeckt, dass es eigentlich gar nicht geben dürfte: Es ernährt sich nicht nur von hochgiftigem Arsen, sondern baut dieses auch in seinen Stoffwechsel ein – sogar in seine DNA. Wie die Wissenschaftler in „Science“ berichten, ist diese im Mono Lake in Kalifornien entdeckte Mikrobe der erste Beleg für ein Lebewesen, das das als essenziell geltende Element Phosphor durch ein anderes Element ersetzt. Dies wirft auch ein völlig neues Licht auf die Suche nach Leben auf anderen Planeten.

Bisher galt es als eindeutig, dass alles bekannte Leben bestimmte chemische Elemente als essenzielle Bausteine benötigt. Neben Kohlenstoff, Wasserstoff, Stickstoff, Sauerstoff und Schwefel gehört auch Phosphor dazu. Das Element Phosphor ist unter anderem Bestandteil des Erbmoleküls DNA, aber auch von Energie liefernden Verbindungen wie ATP. Doch jetzt hat ein amerikanisches Forscherteam unter Leitung von Felisa Wolfe-Simon von der Arizona State Universität erstmals einen Beleg dafür gefunden, dass es auch Lebensformen gibt, die ohne Phosphor auskommen. [...]”

Source/article: Scinexx
Filed Under 2010, Health, SESTI Signals Tagged With Biotech, Health, SESTI Signal, Space

UK Women's lung cancer rate catching up with men's

November 28, 2010 Leave a Comment

28.11.2010

“Research shows dramatic increase in women diagnosed with UK’s biggest killer, as they fail to heed no-smoking message

Women have been urged to take anti-smoking messages more seriously after new research showed lung cancer rates rising among the female population but declining among men. [...]

Alexander Ives and Dr Julia Verne, of the NHS’s South West Public Health Observatory, used data from the UK Association of Cancer Registries to identify women in England diagnosed with the disease between 1985 and 2006. They found that: “Lung cancer incidence for females increased significantly from 1985-87 (32.3 per 100,000) to 2004-06 (35.4 per 100,000)”, a 10% rise. Most recent figures give the rate for men in England as 60 per 100,000.

There is great variation between regions. For example, it is expected that by 2030 lung cancer rates in the south-west will be similar among men and women.

Source/article: Guardian

Filed Under 2010, Health, SESTI Signals Tagged With Health, SESTI Signal, Society

Harvard scientists reverse the ageing process in mice – now for humans

November 28, 2010 Leave a Comment

28.11.2010

Harvard scientists were surprised that they saw a dramatic reversal, not just a slowing down, of the ageing in mice. Now they believe they might be able to regenerate human organs

Scientists claim to be a step closer to reversing the ageing process after rejuvenating worn out organs in elderly mice. The experimental treatment developed by researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, turned weak and feeble old mice into healthy animals by regenerating their aged bodies.

The surprise recovery of the animals has raised hopes among scientists that it may be possible to achieve a similar feat in humans – or at least to slow down the ageing process.

An anti-ageing therapy could have a dramatic impact on public health by reducing the burden of age-related health problems, such as dementia, stroke and heart disease, and prolonging the quality of life for an increasingly aged population.

“What we saw in these animals was not a slowing down or stabilisation of the ageing process. We saw a dramatic reversal – and that was unexpected,” said Ronald DePinho, who led the study, which was published in the journal Nature. [...]

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/nov/28/scientists-reverse-ageing-mice-humans

Filed Under 2010, Health, SESTI Signals Tagged With Health, Longevity, SESTI Signal

The Visual Human Development Index

November 21, 2010 Leave a Comment

Nov. 2010

“The Human Development Index (or HDI) is a measure created to capture the level of development of a country. The HDI is made of three indexes: one for health, one for income, and one for education. Because of its tripartite nature, the same value of HDI can be obtained by substituting one indicator for another, for instance by increasing education and reducing life expectancy. The HDI tree is a visualization that allows comparison of HDI for different countries without the need to aggregate them into a single number, helping avoid the substitutability implied by the HDI definition.”

Visit interactive site at Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/2010/11/17/human-development-index-interactive-visualization.html

Filed Under 2010, Health, SESTI Signals Tagged With Economy, Health, Society

Scientists ferret out a key pathway for aging

November 18, 2010 Leave a Comment

18.11.2010

“It has been well documented in species ranging from spiders to monkeys that a diet with consistently fewer calories can dramatically slow the process of aging and improve health in old age. But how a reduced diet acts at the most basic level to influence metabolism and physiology to blunt the age-related decline of tissues and cells has remained, for the most part, a mystery.

Now, writing in the current online issue (Nov. 18) of the journal Cell, a team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and their colleagues describe a molecular pathway that is a key determinant of the . The finding not only helps explain the cascade of events that contributes to aging, but also provides a rational basis for devising interventions, drugs that may retard aging and contribute to better health in old age.

“We’re getting closer and closer to a good understanding of how caloric restriction works,” says Tomas A. Prolla, a UW-Madison professor of genetics and a senior author of the new Cell study. “This study is the first direct proof for a mechanism underlying the anti-aging effects we observe under caloric restriction.” [...]”

Source/article: PhysOrg

Filed Under 2010, Health, SESTI Signals Tagged With Aging/Longevity, Health, Medicine, SESTI Signal

Will oil run out 90 years too soon?

November 11, 2010 Leave a Comment

11.11.2010

“The forecast, published this week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, is based on the theory that long-term investors are good predictors of whether and when new energy technologies will become commonplace.

“Our results suggest it will take a long time before renewable replacement fuels can be self-sustaining, at least from a market perspective,” said study author Debbie Niemeier, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Davis.

Niemeier and co-author Nataliya Malyshkina, a UC Davis postdoctoral researcher, set out to create a new tool that would help policymakers set realistic targets for environmental sustainability and evaluate the progress made toward those goals. [...]”

Source/article: Futurity.org

Filed Under 2010, Energy, SESTI Signals Tagged With Economy, Energy, Futurology, Politics, SESTI Signal, Society

PROFESSOR MICHAEL GRÄTZEL: DEVELOPER OF DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS

November 11, 2010 Leave a Comment

11.11.2010

“The 2010 Millennium Grand Prize Winner Michael Grätzel is the father of third generation dye-sensitized solar cells. Grätzel cells, which promise electricity-generating windows and low-cost solar panels, have just made their debut in consumer products. [...]

“For his invention and development of dye-sensitized solar cells, known as ‘Grätzel cells’. The excellent price/performance ratio of these novel devices gives them major potential as significant contributor to the diverse portfolio of future energy technologies. Grätzel cells are likely to have an important role in low-cost, large-scale solutions for renewable energy. Besides photovoltaics, the concepts of Grätzel cells can also be applied in batteries and hydrogen production, all important components of future energy needs.” – International Selection Committee

One of mankind’s greatest challenges is to find ways to replace the diminishing fossil fuel supply. The most obvious energy source is the sun, origin of almost all the energy found on Earth. The surface of the Earth receives solar radiation energy at an average of 81,000 terawatt – exceeding the whole global energy demand by a factor of 5,000. Yet, we are still figuring out a cost-effective way of harnessing it. [...]”

Source/article: Millennium Prize

 

Filed Under 2010, Energy, SESTI Signals Tagged With Bionics, Energy, Environment, SESTI Signal

Trees Infused With Glowing Nanoparticles Could Replace Streetlights

November 11, 2010 Leave a Comment

11.11.2010

“Taiwanese researchers have come up with the elegant idea of replacing streetlights with trees, by implanting their leaves with gold nanoparticles. This causes the leaves to give off a red glow, lighting the road for passersby without the need for electric power. This ingenious triple threat of an idea could simultaneously reduce carbon emissions, cut electricity costs and reduce light pollution, without sacrificing the safety that streetlights bring. [...]”

Source/article: PopSci

Filed Under 2010, Energy, SESTI Signals Tagged With Bionics, Biotech, Energy, Nanotech, SESTI Signal

Specialized Blood Vessels Jumpstart and Sustain Organ Regeneration

November 10, 2010 Leave a Comment

10.11.2010

“In a pair of studies that has the potential to change the way researchers think about regenerative medicine, scientists have shown that a previously overlooked group of cells—the endothelial layer of blood vessels—is essential in helping adult stem cells multiply and revitalize damaged tissue.

The endothelium is the innermost layer of blood vessels, made up of cells that had largely been assumed to function primarily as delivery vehicles for oxygen and nutrients. But earlier this year, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Shahin Rafii figured out that these endothelial cells also release growth factors that direct bone marrow stem cells to multiply and differentiate into different types of blood cells. [...]”

Source/article: HHMI

Filed Under 2010, Health, SESTI Signals Tagged With Health, Medicine, SESTI Signal, Tissue Engineering/Regenerative Medicine

Implanting Artificial Limbs in the Body

November 10, 2010 Leave a Comment

10.11.2010

“Surgically installing prostheses into bones works better than traditional methods, but it still presents a significant risk of infection.

Johnny Matheny, a former commercial baker from Redhouse, Virginia, lost his left arm to bone cancer in 2008. He now wears a hook-style prosthesis strapped onto his chest; he can laboriously open and close the hook and move the arm up and down by flexing certain muscles. But he is avidly awaiting new technology that he thinks will work much better: a surgically implanted device that attaches directly to bone, potentially enabling superior range of movement and more precise control. [...]”

Source/article: Technology Review

Filed Under 2010, Health, SESTI Signals Tagged With Health, Implants/Prosthetics, Medicine, SESTI Signal, Tissue Engineering/Regenerative Medicine
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