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January 14, 2013

Your World of Science News

Top Story

Study: Dead whales, sunken logs boost ocean-floor biodiversity
Sunken logs, dead whales and other large structures on the ocean floor can play host to a huge biodiversity previously unexpected, according to a study from Germany's Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology. The researchers placed large logs on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea and returned a year later, finding a wealth of biodiversity, including a new species of bloodworm. Our Amazing Planet (1/11)

Science in the News

Russian researchers get a sample of Lake Vostok
A Russian team of researchers seeking to access and study the waters of the Antarctic's Lake Vostok, which is buried under more than 13,000 feet of ice, retrieved the first sample. The team drilled through the ice to the surface of the lake, allowing the lake water to rise through the bored hole and then freeze. The team has removed the frozen lake core for analysis. ScienceMag.org/Science Insider blog (1/11)

Non-flowering tobacco plant stays perpetually young
Scientists have developed a genetically modified tobacco plant that has significantly more longevity than its predecessor. The team "switched off" the gene that makes the plant flower, which is the cause of its typical four-month lifespan. At least one plant in the experiment has been alive for eight years. LifesLittleMysteries.com (1/13)

System allows creation of patient avatars to improve surgeries
Surgeons at St. Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, are using technology that creates patient avatars on computer screens. Dr. Peter Choong, director of orthopedic surgery at the hospital, said the "stealth guidance machine" allows for accurate navigation of patients' bodies during brain and spine surgeries. The system works by using data from PET and other patient scans to create a 3D model of the head or spine that can be matched to patients during surgery. The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (1/11)

Pediatric heart muscle cells can regenerate
Heart muscle cells can regenerate until about age 20, peaking during infancy and again during teens' growth spurt, according to a study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The findings raise the possibility that damaged hearts can be repaired through stimulation of cell production. DoctorsLounge.com/HealthDay News (1/11)

Archaeologists find a scale model of Florence's cathedral
Italian archaeologists have uncovered what they believe is a scale model of the iconic cathedral in Florence. It was discovered near the cathedral during excavations in preparation for the expansion of the cathedral's museum. Discovery (1/10)

Volunteer astronomers find evidence of 42 new planets
A team of volunteer amateur astronomers has discovered evidence of 42 alien planets. The volunteers were sorting through NASA data as part of the Planet Hunters crowdsourcing program. Professional astronomers have yet to confirm the proposed planets. Space.com (1/11)

Funding Watch

New NASA telescope is on track, project leader says
The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's flagship telescope project, is on budget and on track to launch in 2018, says Eric Smith, the project's director. The telescope, meant to replace the Hubble Space Telescope, is expected to cost $8.8 billion, making it one of the most expensive projects in NASA history. Space.com (1/11)

USDA awards $25M in grants to 4 bioenergy research projects
The Department of Agriculture awarded grants amounting to $25 million to four projects that aim to develop fuel and other products from biomass. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement at the commissioning of a Renmatix multi-feedstock processing plant in King of Prussia, Pa. DomesticFuel.com (1/13)

Ames Laboratory tapped to spearhead rare earth metals study
The Obama administration has named Ames Laboratory as the main site for finding a solution to the rare earth metals shortage in the U.S. The lab, which will create a research center called the Critical Materials Institute, will receive as much as $120 million from the Department of Energy over five years to conduct the research. The Des Moines Register (Iowa)/Green Fields blog (1/9)

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