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- Researchers use heart cells to create "biobots"
A team of researchers developed biological robots by connecting heart muscle cells from anesthetized newborn rats onto a flexible structure made of hydrogel. Researchers chose heart cells for the "biobots" since they spontaneously contract, moving the robots forward fractions of an inch every second. Researchers believe that the robots have many potential uses such as attacking tumor cells. National Geographic News
(11/19)
    
| Science in the News
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- Study: Primates also experience midlife crises
Midlife crises happen not just to humans but also to chimpanzees and orangutans, according to a study led by primate psychologist Alexander Weiss of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Researchers analyzed results of a survey of caretakers on the well-being of more than 500 orangutans and chimpanzees in five countries, and observed that the animals' happiness bottoms out in the middle of their lives and improves again as they reach old age. Caretakers can boost the quality of life for captive apes by determining at which age they benefit from additional enrichment or attention, Weiss said. National Geographic News
(11/19)
- ReFIT algorithm takes neural prosthetics to a new level
A team at Stanford University developed an algorithm called ReFit that significantly improved the speed and accuracy of neural prostheses operated by rhesus monkeys to control computer cursors. Unlike earlier versions, ReFIT analyzed and implemented visual feedback gathered in real time, interpreted neural signals about the cursor's position and velocity at the same time, and performance did not degrade for as long as four years. "These findings could lead to greatly improved prosthetic system performance and robustness in paralyzed people," said Stanford professor Krishna Shenoy, who wrote the paper published in the journal Nature Neuroscience. News-Medical.Net
(11/19)
, VentureBeat
(11/18)
- Astronomers spot "super Jupiter" planet
Astronomers spotted Kappa Andromedae b, a planet 13 times bigger than Jupiter, circling a star known as Kappa Andromedae about 170 light-years away. Scientists believe that the "super-Jupiter" will serve as an interesting test case for planet origin theories since it appears to come from a "protoplanetary disk" of material that revolves around an evolving star. Space.com
(11/19)
- NASA's lunar orbiter will investigate floating lunar dust
NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer will launch on a mission in August next year to collect data on floating dust particles in the moon's atmosphere. LADEE will investigate the twilight rays several Apollo astronauts saw before lunar sunset and sunrise while orbiting the moon. "If LADEE never sees levitated dust, that settles the question for the high-altitude observations, at least for its mission time frame. ... If LADEE does see dust, we will then have a basis for expecting the same phenomena at all other 'nearly-airless' bodies around the solar system," said LADEE project scientist Rick Elphic of NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif. Space.com
(11/19)
- Construction work uncovers 10,000-year-old home in Scotland
Ruins of an ancient dwelling believed to be the oldest house in Scotland was found at an excavation site near Edinburgh. More than 1,000 flint artifacts found in an oval pit were thought to be more than 10,000 years old. "The radiocarbon dates that have been taken from this site show it to be the oldest of its type found in Scotland," said Historic Scotland's senior archaeologist Rod McCullagh. United Press International
(11/19)
- New species wait an average 21 years to be classified
 Specimens from all the kingdoms of life are on the shelves of museums for 20.7 years on average before they are recognized as new species, according to a study by Benoît Fontaine of the Natural History of Museum in Paris. Fontaine cited several factors that can speed up the process, such as recent revision of a group's evolutionary relationships. Findings also showed that the best-studied groups, which include insects and plants, stay on shelves longest compared with other groups. DiscoverMagazine.com/Not Exactly Rocket Science blog
(11/17)
- Cellulosic pretreatment using fungus shows promising results
 A cellulosic pretreatment process using a white rot fungus called Ceriporiopsis subvermispora extracts more sugars from "corn stover," according to a report in the journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. "Treating corn stover with the white rot fungus for one month enabled us to extract up to 30% more sugar from the leaves and 50% more from the stalks and cobs," said Yebo Li, the report's lead author. DomesticFuel.com
(11/19)
| Funding Watch
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- Advanced biofuel developers get $15.7M in USDA funding
The Department of Agriculture awarded more than $15.7 million in funding to 189 advanced biofuel developers under the USDA Rural Development's Advanced Biofuel Payment Program. "Advanced biofuels production is a key component of the president's 'all-of-the-above' energy strategy, which is designed to reduce America's reliance on foreign oil," said Dallas Tonsager, USDA undersecretary for rural development. EthanolProducer.com
(11/19)
- Pathogen protein research wins $52.4M grant from NIAID
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease and the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases a five-year grant worth up to $52.4 million to support research into drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for infectious diseases. The money allows the institutes to continue research, which began in 2007, aimed at gaining a better understanding of proteins from more than 40 bacterial, viral and protozoan pathogens. American City Business Journals/Seattle
(11/19)
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