news 2009


Category
Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 24.12.2009
UCLA scientists find molecular switch to prevent Huntington’s disease in mice
UCLA scientists have identified a molecular switch that prevents Huntington's disease from developing in mice. Published in the Dec. 24 edition of the journal Neuron, the discovery suggests a new approach to treating the genetic disorder, which ultimately leads to death in as little as 10 years.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 22.12.2009
New human reproductive hormone could lead to novel contraceptives
New human reproductive hormone could lead to novel contraceptives
BERKELEY — Nearly 10 years after the discovery that birds make a hormone that suppresses reproduction, University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists have established that humans make it too, opening the door to the development of a new class of contraceptive and possible treatments for cancer or other diseases.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 17.12.2009
Marking of tissue-specific genes in embryonic stem cells crucial to ensure proper cell function
Tissue-specific genes, long thought to be dormant or unmarked for activation in embryonic stem cells, are indeed marked by transcription factors, and this marking may be crucial for the function of tissues derived from stem cells, UCLA Broad Stem Cell Center researchers have discovered.

Life Sciences - Physics/Material Science - 17.12.2009
Scientists Use Light to Map Neurons’ Effects on One Another
Cambridge, Mass. - December 17, 2009 - Scientists at Harvard University have used light and genetic trickery to trace out neurons' ability to excite or inhibit one another, literally shedding new light on the question of how neurons interact with one another in live animals.

Life Sciences - 17.12.2009
Discovery of 4.4 million-year-old "Ardi" named Breakthrough of the Year
The discovery, reported in the journal's Oct. 2 issue by an international team co-led by Tim White, a University of California, Berkeley, professor of integrative biology, surprised scientists because Ardi doesn't look like a human or our presumed relative, the chimpanzee.

Medicine/Pharmacology - History/Archeology - 16.12.2009
Predicting Insurgent Attacks with a Mathematical Model
December 17, 2009 — When bombs and bullets left 37 dead during Friday prayers at a mosque in Pakistan, earlier this month, the insurgency was using the element of surprise. Unpredictability is the hallmark of modern insurgent attacks such as this one.

Medicine/Pharmacology - 15.12.2009
Informal social networks better at encouraging Hispanics to prepare for disasters, study finds
Historically, authorities have used broad media campaigns to encourage the public to prepare for disasters — an approach that has proven largely ineffective. For this new study, UCLA researchers sought to test novel, culturally tailored, informal social networking approaches to improve disaster preparedness, using data on 231 Hispanics in Los Angeles County.

Life Sciences - Psychology - 8.12.2009
Social scientists build case for 'survival of the kindest'
BERKELEY — Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, are challenging long-held beliefs that human beings are wired to be selfish. In a wide range of studies, social scientists are amassing a growing body of evidence to show we are evolving to become more compassionate and collaborative in our quest to survive and thrive.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 7.12.2009
UCLA researchers demonstrate that stem cells can be engineered to kill HIV
Researchers from the UCLA AIDS Institute and colleagues have for the first time demonstrated that human blood stem cells can be engineered into cells that can target and kill HIV-infected cells ? a process that potentially could be used against a range of chronic viral diseases.

Psychology - 4.12.2009
Parental monitoring key to reducing behavior problems in teens with HIV-positive mothers
UCLA researchers and colleagues examined the influence of HIV-positive mothers' parenting skills on their children and found that adolescents in families with higher levels of parental monitoring and frequent, regular routines that brought predictability into their lives had lower rates of aggression, anxiety, depression, binge drinking and other behavioral issues.

Administration/Government - Psychology - 4.12.2009
Most runaway teens return home with help of family ties, study finds
The teen years can be a tumultuous time, as many parents know, a time when adolescents begin to flex their mental muscles, testing boundaries and turning to peers rather than parents for advice. Sometimes emotions and arguments can become so intense that things get out of hand and the child runs away.

Life Sciences - Veterinary Science - 3.12.2009
Researchers Demonstrate a Better Way for Computers to ’See’
Cambridge, Mass. - December 3, 2009 - Taking inspiration from genetic screening techniques, researchers from Harvard and MIT have demonstrated a way to build better artificial visual systems with the help of low-cost, high-performance gaming hardware.

Psychology - Medicine/Pharmacology - 24.11.2009
UM Is Offering New Cognitive Behavioral Treatments for Anxiety and Depression at Low or No Cost
November 25, 2009 — Coral Gables — New research suggests that behavioral therapy can provide a safe, effective alternative treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs seem to work as well as-or better than-medication treatments.

Mathematics - Life Sciences - 24.11.2009
The Cause Behind the Characteristic Shape of a Long Leaf Revealed
Cambridge, Mass. - November 24, 2009 - Applied mathematicians dissected the morphology of the plantain lily (Hosta lancifolia), a characteristic long leaf with a saddle-like arc midsection and closely packed ripples along the edges.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Business/Economics - 23.11.2009
Medical ’pay for performance’ programs help improve care but not always, study finds
A new UCLA study shows that patient-care performance ratings for 25 medical groups across California improved significantly following the launch of a statewide pay-for-performance program in 2004 — but not when incentives focused on doctors' productivity.

Environmental Sciences - Business/Economics - 23.11.2009
Climate change could boost incidence of civil war in Africa, study finds
Climate change could boost incidence of civil war in Africa, study finds
Farmers and pastoralists in a maize-growing region of Eastern Kenya. A new study finds that climate change could severely harm crop productivity and increase the likelihood that disadvantaged rural populations will take up arms.

Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 18.11.2009
UCLA study shows brain’s ability to reorganize
Visually impaired people appear to be fearless, navigating busy sidewalks and crosswalks, safely finding their way using nothing more than a cane as a guide. The reason they can do this, researchers suggest, is that in at least some circumstances, blindness can heighten other senses, helping individuals adapt.

Physics/Material Science - Life Sciences - 16.11.2009
Some of us may be born more empathetic, new study suggests
BERKELEY — Could it be that the generous Mother Teresa and the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge from “A Christmas Carol” were influenced by their genes? Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have found compelling evidence that people who are more empathetic possess a particular variation of the oxytocin receptor gene.

Physics/Material Science - Chemistry - 15.11.2009
New funding will stimulate alternative energy research: Los Alamos to play key role in four geothermal projects funded by ARRA
New funding will stimulate alternative energy research: Los Alamos to play key r
Schoolchildren at the Pueblo of Jemez get hands-on learning at a geothermal well during a recent Earth Day event. The well may be used for power or warmth. Los Alamos National Laboratory is providing technical assistance in the project thanks to funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

Physics/Material Science - Mathematics - 15.11.2009
One of the largest-ever computer models explores "turbulent flames" as they occur in early stages of a supernova
Scientists use the Roadrunner supercomputer to model a fundamental process in physics that could help explain how stars begin to explode into supernovae - Los Alamos, New Mexico, November 16, 2009 — Despite decades of research, understanding turbulence, the seemingly random motion of fluid flows, remains one of the major unsolved problems in physics.

Physics/Material Science - Medicine/Pharmacology - 13.11.2009
NanoSystems Institute at UCLA to host global symposium on nanobiotechnology
Nanotechnology has shown great promise for applications in the areas of energy, information technology and the environment. In the health and medicine fields, however, its promise has progressed beyond possibility to become reality.

Administration/Government - 11.11.2009
Rethinking Sexism: A Daughter-Father Team Examines How Society Maintains the Status Quo
November 12, 2009 — Coral Gables — There is a tendency to think that only men treat women in a sexist way, but a new study by a University of Miami researcher and his daughter shows that both men and women participate in maintaining a gender hierarchy in our society.

Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 11.11.2009
Why can’t chimps speak Study links evolution of single gene to human capacity for language
Scientists suspect that part of the answer to the mystery lies in a gene called FOXP2. When mutated, FOXP2 can disrupt speech and language in humans. Now, a UCLA–Emory University study reveals major differences between how the human and chimp versions of FOXP2 work, perhaps explaining why language is unique to humans.

Earth Sciences - 5.11.2009
New Study in ‘Geology’ Identifies Active Magma Systems in East Africa
New Study in ‘Geology' Identifies Active Magma Systems in East Africa
November 06, 2009 — A team from the University of Miami, University of El Paso and University of Rochester have employed Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images compiled over a decade to study volcanic activity in the African Rift.

Physics/Material Science - Mathematics - 5.11.2009
Rapid supernova could be new class of exploding star
Rapid supernova could be new class of exploding star
BERKELEY — An unusual supernova rediscovered in seven-year-old data may be the first example of a new type of exploding star, possibly from a binary star system where helium flows from one white dwarf onto another and detonates in a thermonuclear explosion.

Physics/Material Science - Medicine/Pharmacology - 4.11.2009
Los Alamos National Laboratory names six scientists as 2009 Fellows
Recognizes sustained, outstanding scientific contributions - Los Alamos, New Mexico, November 5, 2009—Antoinette “Toni” Taylor, Stephen Becker, Joachim Birn, Lowell Brown, Patrick Colestock, and Samuel “Tom” Picraux have been designated 2009 Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellows in recognition of sustained, outstanding scientific contributions and exceptional promise for continued professional achievement.

Medicine/Pharmacology - 4.11.2009
Statement by Gerald Levey
I believe the selection of A. Eugene Washington to serve as the next dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine and vice chancellor of health sciences at UCLA is an inspired choice and signals a strong commitment to the issues of greatest importance to academic medicine in the coming years.

Physics/Material Science - Chemistry - 4.11.2009
Quantum Gas Microscope Offers Glimpse of Quirky Ultracold Atoms
Cambridge, Mass. - November 4, 2009 - Physicists at Harvard University have created a quantum gas microscope that can be used to observe single atoms at temperatures so low the particles follow the rules of quantum mechanics, behaving in bizarre ways.

Psychology - 30.10.2009
For Gay and Straight Men, Facial Attraction Operates Similarly
Cambridge, Mass. - October 30, 2009 - A new study from a researcher at Harvard University finds that gay men are most attracted to the most masculine-faced men, while straight men prefer the most feminine-faced women.

Earth Sciences - Literature/Linguistics - 30.10.2009
New analyses of dinosaur growth may wipe out one-third of species
New analyses of dinosaur growth may wipe out one-third of species
BERKELEY — Paleontologists from the University of California, Berkeley, and the Museum of the Rockies have wiped out two species of dome-headed dinosaur, one of them named three years ago – with great fanfare – after Hogwarts, the school attended by Harry Potter.

Law/Forensics - Administration/Government - 27.10.2009
What’s the most important thing to do when riding motorcycles?
Physics/Material Science - Computer Science/Telecom - 27.10.2009
Scientists use world’s fastest computer to understand nonlinear physics of high-power lasers
Medicine/Pharmacology - Computer Science/Telecom - 26.10.2009
Scientists use world’s fastest supercomputer to create the largest HIV evolutionary tree
Physics/Material Science - Literature/Linguistics - 26.10.2009
Neutron stars is focus of Los Alamos National Laboratory Frontiers in Science lectures
Psychology - Social Sciences - 26.10.2009
The Pain of Torture Can Make the Innocent Seem Guilty
Physics/Material Science - Computer Science/Telecom - 25.10.2009
Science at the petascale: Roadrunner results unveiled
Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 20.10.2009
Standards for a new genomic era
Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 19.10.2009
First-time Internet users find boost in brain function after just one week
History/Archeology - Arts and Design - 19.10.2009
Mark E. Richard Named Professor of Philosophy
Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 15.10.2009
Skin cells may provide early warning for cancer risk elsewhere in body
Law/Forensics - Computer Science/Telecom - 14.10.2009
New Research by Law Professor Analyzes Efficacy of the FCC’s Current Rules
Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 7.10.2009
Gene Team: Researchers Make Key Gene Discovery
Life Sciences - History/Archeology - 30.09.2009
Where religious belief and disbelief meet in the brain
Medicine/Pharmacology - Administration/Government - 29.09.2009
UC launches bold initiative to revolutionize breast cancer treatment
Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 20.09.2009
UCLA scientists make paralyzed rats walk again after spinal cord injury
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 16.09.2009
Photoswitches shed light on burst swimming in zebrafish
Business/Economics - 15.09.2009
Marc Melitz Named Professor of Economics
Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 3.09.2009
Improving vaccines to trigger T cell as well as antibody response
Chemistry - Physics/Material Science - 31.08.2009
Hydrogen storage gets new hope
Life Sciences - Computer Science/Telecom - 20.07.2009
Brain can develop motor memory for prosthetics, study finds
Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 17.07.2009
Cell biologist Richard Strohman has died at 82
Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 14.07.2009
Researchers find early markers of Alzheimer's disease
Chemistry - Business/Economics - 13.07.2009
Research Shows Glass Can Make Concrete Sturdier
Physics/Material Science - Medicine/Pharmacology - 9.07.2009
White House Honors Los Alamos Physicist’s Early Career Work
Environmental Sciences - Life Sciences - 9.07.2009
Theory provides more precise estimates of large-area biodiversity
Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 22.06.2009
Children susceptible to pesticides longer than expected, study finds
Medicine/Pharmacology - Life Sciences - 15.06.2009
Stress puts double whammy on reproductive system
Chemistry - Physics/Material Science - 4.06.2009
Researchers Solve ’Bloodcurdling’ Mystery
Physics/Material Science - 27.05.2009
Rare radio supernova is nearest supernova in five years
Physics/Material Science - 27.05.2009
Allen Telescope Array begins all-sky surveys
Physics/Material Science - History/Archeology - 26.05.2009
Peering Deep into Space
Environmental Sciences - Earth Sciences - 18.05.2009
Summer haze has a cooling effect in southeastern United States, says new study
Life Sciences - Literature/Linguistics - 8.05.2009
Extraordinary Perception Deficit Sheds Light on How We See
Physics/Material Science - Mathematics - 7.05.2009
Refined Hubble Constant Narrows Possible Explanations For Dark Energy
Physics/Material Science - Chemistry - 7.04.2009
Cool Stars Have Different Mix of Life-Forming Chemicals
Life Sciences - Medicine/Pharmacology - 2.04.2009
Researcher Discovers That Brain Cells Have "Memory"
Medicine/Pharmacology - Environmental Sciences - 11.03.2009
Long-term ozone exposure linked to higher risk of death, finds nationwide study
Physics/Material Science - Earth Sciences - 3.03.2009
With Mar. 6 Kepler launch, work begins for Berkeley astronomers
Physics/Material Science - Medicine/Pharmacology - 5.02.2009
A Better Mesh: Researchers ’Tighten’ Body’s Protective Coating
Environmental Sciences - Life Sciences - 5.02.2009
Predicting diversity within hotspots to enhance conservation
Environmental Sciences - Physics/Material Science - 21.01.2009
Summer peak, winter low temperatures now arrive 2 days earlier
Agronomy/Food Science - Life Sciences - 12.01.2009
Mice without key enzyme eat without becoming obese, new study finds