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- Hubble finds oldest-known galaxy
The Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 has taken infrared images showing seven extremely remote galaxies, including one about 13.29 billion light years away -- the farthest object from Earth yet found. "This study represents the deepest archaeological dig of the universe so far," Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb said of the images, which were twice as deep as any image taken by that camera before. The light left the distant galaxies less than 600 million years after the Big Bang. Nature
(12/12)
, New Scientist
(12/12)
    
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- Microquasar found in Andromeda Galaxy
Astronomers have identified a microquasar, or black hole emitting a maximum intensity of light, in M31, better known as the Andromeda Galaxy, which neighbors the Milky Way. The microquasar's luminosity flared early this year to give off about a million times the X-ray emissions of our sun. The astronomers involved in pinpointing the microquasar hope this study's success will help them find others like it through radio emissions. Ars Technica
(12/12)
- Astronomers find discrepancy in sun's light spectrum
Astronomers found a discrepancy in measurements of the iron found in the light spectrum of the sun and other stars. Iron that is highly charged takes up most of the spectrum in certain wavelengths, but is not as strong as scientists expected. "This is something special [that we found]. This is no deviation," said Max Planck Institute of Nuclear Physics researcher Sven Bernitt, who is also the lead author of a paper published today in the journal Nature. The study suggests that the discrepancy lies in a flawed atomic model. Space.com
(12/12)
- Sun-powered muscle could carry soft robots
Researchers developed an artificial muscle that bends on its own when hit with light. The gel-like substance, called a photoresponsive actuator, "absorbs water like an expanding and contracting sponge" when it is hit with ultraviolet light at a 365-nanometer wavelength, said Osaka University researcher Akira Harada, who helped develop the substance. Light-powered muscles could prove useful to soft robots, which are flexible and do not have a skeletal frame. New Scientist/One Per Cent blog
(12/12)
- Genetically altered T-cells subdue leukemia
Genetically engineered T-cells injected into 13 people with leukemia improved each person's condition, so much so that all improved to some degree, with 10 nearing or reaching remission just three months after the injection. "The fact we got a response in all 13, you can't get better than that," said Adaptimmune CEO James Noble in Abingdon, England. His company developed the treatment. A team of University of Maryland researchers took T-cells -- which fight tumor cells -- from each patient, inserted engineered genes into the cells and re-injected them in the patients. New Scientist
(12/11)
- Bacteria thought to protect gut may play role in Crohn's development
A study from the University of Aberdeen found Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, bacteria with anti-inflammatory properties thought to protect the gut, may play a role in the development of Crohn's disease. The study in The American Journal of Gastroenterology found children with Crohn's had elevated levels of the microbe, and while researchers expressed surprise, they cautioned that more studies are needed. NetDoctor (U.K.)
(12/11)
- Study: Fewer cell-adhesion molecules among children with autism
A study found that children with autism had lower concentrations of soluble sPECAM-1 and sP-selectin, cell-adhesion molecules responsible for mediating leukocyte migration, than those without the condition. Head circumference was linked to higher sPECAM-1 levels in the control group, but not in those with autism, researchers reported in the journal Biological Psychiatry. PsychCentral.com
(12/12)
- Suicidal squid? Scientists puzzle over mollusk-strewn beaches
Beaches in Santa Cruz County, Calif., are littered with Humboldt squid, which dragged themselves by the hundreds over the past few days onto the beaches and died. "You just see them essentially killing themselves," said Hanna Rosen, a graduate student at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station. They may be "trying to get away [from something] and don't realize that if they swim towards the shore, they're going to run out of water eventually." Other scientists have suggested that the squid ate something toxic or were exploring an unfamiliar territory. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model)/L.A. Now blog
(12/12)
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