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Sun, 24 May 2009 15:22:38 -0700

ClearNeon Invisible UV Reactive Clear Coat Paint (Brush-On) - $19.85

Fri, 22 May 2009 22:35:04 -0700

Krill Light Torch

Fri, 22 May 2009 22:27:41 -0700

Review: Krill and Psycho-Stick electronic glowsticks

Fri, 22 May 2009 22:21:27 -0700

http://www.grouchyoldcripple.com/archives/pilot.jpg

Thu, 21 May 2009 00:04:05 -0700

Roman France - Finding the Traces Left by an Empire - NYTimes.com

Sat, 16 May 2009 21:53:27 -0700

GelaSkins | Brian Despain - Snail Mail for Bamboo Art Prints

Fri, 15 May 2009 23:46:03 -0700

In Ecuador, Resentment Oozes Long After an Oil Company Departs - NYTimes.com

Fri, 15 May 2009 23:36:37 -0700

New genes linked to heart failure & News in Science (ABC Science)

Fri, 15 May 2009 23:24:01 -0700

Scientists combing the human genome have discovered ten common genetic mutations that boost the risk of sudden cardiac arrest by subtly disrupting the heartbeat.

The findings shed light on the cause of the irregular rhythms that often underlie severe heart problems, and could point to new treatments, says the studys' authors, published today in Nature Genetics.

Heart disease is the number one killer worldwide, claiming upward of 17 million lives every year, according to the World Health Organization.

Smoking, obesity and high cholesterol are common risk factors, but genes can be a critical factor too.

In the absence of symptoms, identifying genetic variants that affect the timing of heart contractions - known as the 'QT interval' - could become a critical means of predicting the likelihood of sudden cardiac death.

An international team of more than 40 scientists, led by Arne Pfeufer of Munich University, analysed the genomes of nearly 16,000 individuals whose QT intervals had been measured by electrocardiogram.

Suspect genes
They screened some 2.5 million sites on each genome, trying to match subtle alterations in gene sequence with aberrant patterns of heart contractions.

The study turned up ten bits of wayward genetic code. One, a gene known as Nos1ap, had already been identified as contributing to heart trouble, and several others had been placed on a list of suspects.

"But almost half were surprising new genes that no one would have guessed as being involved in cardiac biology," says Dan Arking, a professor at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, and a co-author of the study.

"So it really does open up a new world of investigation because these are genes that would have never come up if we had only focused on a list of known candidates."

Similar finding
In separate research, scientists led by Dr Christopher Newton-Cheh at Massachusetts General Hospital found similar results from more than 13,000 individuals.

"We were very reassured to see such strong replication in two independent studies," he says.

A single genetic variation in an individual does not necessarily mean a higher risk of an irregular heartbeat, much less increased risk of sudden cardiac death, the researchers point out.

Researchers find grains memory gene & News in Science (ABC Science)

Fri, 15 May 2009 23:21:28 -0700

Plants use a genetic memory to recognise when it is spring and can even count the number of cold days, Australian plant scientists have revealed.

In a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, researchers show how winter cereal crops recognise when it is time to start flowering.

Co-author Dr Jim Peacock of CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra says the findings could, in the future, help scientists genetically adapt wheat to remain productive under changing environments.

Peacock says winter cereal crops need exposure to an extended period of cold weather to begin flowering, a process known as vernalisation.

He says, the study builds on an earlier CSIRO discovery that a gene known as VRN1, which is the master switch that controls flowering in cereals such as wheat and barley.

In the latest paper, Peacock and colleagues show how the VRN1 gene is activated in winter cereals, and reveal a "molecular memory" that is passed on from cell to cell in the plant's development.