Rare red ants get a helping hand

   A conversation project hopes to prevent a rare species of red ant from becoming extinct in mainland Britain.
Source

Egypt derides 7 wonders of world contest (AP)

   

AP - Egypt is scoffing at a global contest to name the new seven wonders of the world, saying it is a disgrace that the ancient Pyramids of Giza — the only surviving structure from the traditional list of architectural marvels — must compete for a spot.

Source

Yosemite case may affect access to parks (AP)

   

AP - The plunging waterfalls and soaring crags chiseled by the Merced River draw millions of visitors each year, but the crowds are precisely what threatens the waterway and the park.

Source

There are no free rides to outer space (AP)

   AP - Brian Emmett's childhood fantasy came true when he won a free trip to outer space. He was crushed when he had to cancel his reservation because of Uncle Sam.
Source

Experts: Latest climate report too rosy (AP)

   

AP - Later this week in Paris, climate scientists will issue a dire forecast for the planet that warns of slowly rising sea levels and higher temperatures.

Source

JCI table of contents: January 25, 2006

   This release contains summaries, links to PDFs and contact information for the following newsworthy papers to be published online, January 25, 2006, in the JCI, including: Carbon monoxide protects mice from multiple sclerosis; New antibody for EGFR causes lung cancer regression; Adiponectin helps clear away apoptotic cells; Ha-ras goes it alone in bladder cancer; and How one bacterium causes diarrhea.
Source

Both genetics and dopaminergic neurotransmission have a role in delirium tremens

   Alcohol-dependent individuals have a five to 10 percent lifetime risk of developing delirium tremens (DT) following alcohol withdrawal. Although the symptoms of DT are relatively well known, the pathophysiology of DT is less clear. A review of formerly published research has found that both genetics and the regulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission appear to play a role in the pathophysiological process of the development of DT.
Source

Winter entrenched (weather.com)

   weather.com -
Source

Drug strategy makes cancer genes get lost in translation

   A new strategy for fighting cancer aims to make its genes get lost in translation, according to a report in the Jan. 26, 2007, issue of the journal Cell, published by Cell Press.
Source

Immune system 'brakes' found

   Scientists say they have found how the body controls the machinery it uses to fight infections.
Source

Antarctic hill surprises experts

   For the first time, a drumlin - a mound of sediment and rock - has been observed mid-formation, in Antarctica.
Source

Smokers quit after damage to brain region

   Smokers with damage to a particular area of the brain quit cold.
Source

Light-Activated Tissue Regeneration and Therapy -- II

   Engineering Conferences International is sponsoring a second international conference on Light-Activated Tissue Regeneration and Therapy, to be held in Portugal this coming June. Participants will discuss the latest advances in the field and measurements including the determination of the mechanisms of light activated tissue regeneration and therapy. We expect that the mechanisms will be verified by the start of the meeting. Light sources, narrow and broadband, as well as the metrology and medical outcomes they produce will be discussed.
Source

'Biomimetic Technologies' project will create first soft-bodied robots

   Tufts University researchers have launched a multidisciplinary initiative focused on the science and engineering of a new class of completely soft-bodied robots. Based on biological materials and the adaptive mechanisms found in living cells, tissues and whole organisms, these devices could make surgeries less invasive and painful, repair space stations by reaching places that astronauts can't, and work in hazardous environments like nuclear reactors and landmine fields. This work received a W.M. Keck Foundation grant.
Source

Unexpected cooling effect in Saturn's upper atmosphere

   UK researchers from University College London (UCL), along with colleagues from Boston University, have found that the hotter than expected temperature of Saturn's upper atmosphere -- and that of the other giant planets -- is not due to the same mechanism that heats the atmosphere around the Earth's Northern Lights. Reporting in Nature (Jan. 25) the researchers findings thus rule out a long-held theory.
Source