U.S. medical scientists say their discovery that an embryo's heartbeat drives blood cell formation might lead to new treatments for blood diseases.
Biologists have long wondered why the embryonic heart begins beating so early, before tissues actually need to be infused with blood.
Science & Technology
The moonshot architecture took a while to emerge
How will the Netherlands, dominated by water, be affected by future climate change? Dutch researcher Martin van Breukelen hopes to answer that question by analyzing stalagmites from the South American Amazon tributaries in Peru as a way to reconstruct climate changes in the past.
So says a new study that tracked DNA damage in 63 steel-foundry workers in Brescia, Italy, who, under their normal factory conditions, were exposed to particulate matter.
The same damage may occur in city dwellers exposed to normal air, the researchers say.
Particulate matter includes suspended, tiny bits of dust, metal, or soot in the air, which can lodge deep in the lungs. Exposure to the substance has been linked to respiratory diseases, lung cancer, and heart problems.
Scientists know little about how inhaling particulate matter can cause health problems, according to lead study author Andrea Baccarelli of the University of Milan.
A fundamental but elusive step in the early evolution of life on Earth has been replicated in a laboratory.
Researchers synthesized the basic ingredients of RNA, a molecule from which the simplest self-replicating structures are made. Until now, they couldn't explain how these ingredients might have formed.
"It's like molecular choreography, where the molecules choreograph their own behavior," said organic chemist John Sutherland of the University of Manchester, co-author of a study in Nature Wednesday.
Researchers synthesized the basic ingredients of RNA, a molecule from which the simplest self-replicating structures are made. Until now, they couldn't explain how these ingredients might have formed.
"It's like molecular choreography, where the molecules choreograph their own behavior," said organic chemist John Sutherland of the University of Manchester, co-author of a study in Nature Wednesday.
© Unknown
China and India have both expressed interest in sending astronauts to the Moon. Former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin has spoken of the possibility a Chinese manned lunar mission by 2016.
China and India have both expressed interest in sending astronauts to the Moon. Former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin has spoken of the possibility a Chinese manned lunar mission by 2016.
In his latest book, The New Moon Race (Rosenberg Publishing, Australia), Jones outlines the steady development of spaceflight trends around the world, and spotlights the growing strength of Asian space programs.
© SPX
The project is engaged in a recovery activity. This involves extensive remote sensing observations by the rover of the local soil characteristics, and ground testing using the surface system testbed rover in the sandbox at JPL.
There has been no recurrence of the anomalous behavior that happened between Sol 1872 (April 9, 2009) and Sol 1881 (April 18, 2009). There is still no explanation for the previous anomalies, and the investigation is continuing.
© Coyne and Cheng
© NASA
Astronaut Michael Good saluted his crewmates on Friday during the second spacewalk of Atlantis' mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. On Saturday, astronauts John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel emerged to tackle one of the most challenging tasks of the mission, the repair of Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys
Astronaut Michael Good saluted his crewmates on Friday during the second spacewalk of Atlantis' mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope. On Saturday, astronauts John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel emerged to tackle one of the most challenging tasks of the mission, the repair of Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys
The space shuttle Atlantis is currently orbiting Earth on an 11-day mission to refurbish Hubble and extend its life until at least 2014. This is the fifth and last mission to service the telescope, which NASA hopes will leave Hubble with its best vision yet.
After two days of spacewalks that ran over-schedule, astronauts John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel made short work of the repair of Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), expected to be one of the most challenging tasks of the mission.
A fossil discovery bears marks of butchering similar to those made when cutting up a deer
One of science's most puzzling mysteries - the disappearance of the Neanderthals - may have been solved. Modern humans ate them, says a leading fossil expert.
The controversial suggestion follows publication of a study in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences about a Neanderthal jawbone apparently butchered by modern humans. Now the leader of the research team says he believes the flesh had been eaten by humans, while its teeth may have been used to make a necklace.
Fernando Rozzi, of Paris's Centre National de la Récherche Scientifique, said the jawbone had probably been cut into to remove flesh, including the tongue. Crucially, the butchery was similar to that used by humans to cut up deer carcass in the early Stone Age. "Neanderthals met a violent end at our hands and in some cases we ate them," Rozzi said.
One of science's most puzzling mysteries - the disappearance of the Neanderthals - may have been solved. Modern humans ate them, says a leading fossil expert.
The controversial suggestion follows publication of a study in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences about a Neanderthal jawbone apparently butchered by modern humans. Now the leader of the research team says he believes the flesh had been eaten by humans, while its teeth may have been used to make a necklace.
Fernando Rozzi, of Paris's Centre National de la Récherche Scientifique, said the jawbone had probably been cut into to remove flesh, including the tongue. Crucially, the butchery was similar to that used by humans to cut up deer carcass in the early Stone Age. "Neanderthals met a violent end at our hands and in some cases we ate them," Rozzi said.
