Research News http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1024&ft=1&f=1024 New advances in science, medicine, health, and technology.Stem cell research, drug research, and new treatments for disease. en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Sat, 18 May 2013 05:13:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Research News http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1024&ft=1&f=1024 Not Your Grandpa's RV: This Roving Lab Tracks Air Pollution Atmospheric scientist Ira Leifer installed special air sensors on a camper, then drove from Florida to California, measuring methane levels all along the way. More than 6,000 readings later, he found some noticeable spikes, especially around petrochemical plants and urban areas like Los Angeles. Sat, 18 May 2013 05:13:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/18/184863769/not-your-grandpas-rv-this-roving-lab-tracks-air-pollution?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/18/184863769/not-your-grandpas-rv-this-roving-lab-tracks-air-pollution?ft=1&f=1024 Atmospheric scientist Ira Leifer installed special air sensors on a camper, then drove from Florida to California, measuring methane levels all along the way. More than 6,000 readings later, he found some noticeable spikes, especially around petrochemical plants and urban areas like Los Angeles.

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]]> Researchers Report Cloning Advance For Producing Stem Cells Scientists reported this week in the journal <em>Cell</em> that they had used somatic cell nuclear transfer techniques to create a source of embryonic stem cells from the skin cells of a patient. George Daley, director of the stem cell transplantation program at Boston Children's Hospital, and Josephine Johnston of the Hastings Center discuss the research. Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/184775918/researchers-report-cloning-advance-for-producing-stem-cells?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/17/184775918/researchers-report-cloning-advance-for-producing-stem-cells?ft=1&f=1024 Scientists reported this week in the journal Cell that they had used somatic cell nuclear transfer techniques to create a source of embryonic stem cells from the skin cells of a patient. George Daley, director of the stem cell transplantation program at Boston Children's Hospital, and Josephine Johnston of the Hastings Center discuss the research.

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]]> A Small Shock To The System May Help Brain With Math The results are preliminary, and alpha parents seeking an edge for their children shouldn't risk electrocution. Still, the findings are provocative and may lead researchers down a new road. Thu, 16 May 2013 16:14:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/16/184544875/a-small-shock-to-the-system-may-help-brain-with-math?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/16/184544875/a-small-shock-to-the-system-may-help-brain-with-math?ft=1&f=1024 The results are preliminary, and alpha parents seeking an edge for their children shouldn't risk electrocution. Still, the findings are provocative and may lead researchers down a new road.

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]]> Stem Cell Milestone Revives Intense Ethical Debate Scientists in Oregon have achieved something that has eluded researchers for years. They have created stem cells that are tailored to individual patients, made from cloned embryos. That would open the door to treating many diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and many others. But researchers face ethical dilemmas. Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/16/184399430/stem-cell-milestone-revives-intense-ethical-debate?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/16/184399430/stem-cell-milestone-revives-intense-ethical-debate?ft=1&f=1024 Scientists in Oregon have achieved something that has eluded researchers for years. They have created stem cells that are tailored to individual patients, made from cloned embryos. That would open the door to treating many diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and many others. But researchers face ethical dilemmas.

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]]> Water Trapped For 1.5 Billion Years Could Hold Ancient Life Scientists have discovered water that was sealed in Canadian bedrock for nearly half of Earth's history. It may contain the descendants of ancient microbes. The discovery could give scientists new insights into early life on Earth and inform the search for life on other planets. Thu, 16 May 2013 03:03:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/16/183950854/water-trapped-for-1-5-billion-years-could-hold-ancient-life?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/16/183950854/water-trapped-for-1-5-billion-years-could-hold-ancient-life?ft=1&f=1024 Scientists have discovered water that was sealed in Canadian bedrock for nearly half of Earth's history. It may contain the descendants of ancient microbes. The discovery could give scientists new insights into early life on Earth and inform the search for life on other planets.

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]]> How Researchers Cloned Human Embryos After decades of trying, scientists say they've finally figured out how to make personalized embryonic stem cells. One day, these designer cells may help treat an array of diseases. A jolt of caffeine and and a little electric shock helped to do the trick. Wed, 15 May 2013 15:14:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/15/184223277/how-scientists-cloned-human-embryos?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/15/184223277/how-scientists-cloned-human-embryos?ft=1&f=1024 After decades of trying, scientists say they've finally figured out how to make personalized embryonic stem cells. One day, these designer cells may help treat an array of diseases. A jolt of caffeine and and a little electric shock helped to do the trick.

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]]> Go Fish (Somewhere Else): Warming Oceans Are Altering Catches Fish are moving away from the equator and toward the poles to maintain their preferred water temperature. That means, for example, that fishermen are seeing swordfish normally found in the Mediterranean swimming near Denmark. But in the tropics, there are no fish to replace the ones that are leaving. Wed, 15 May 2013 13:06:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/15/183968378/go-fish-somewhere-else-warming-oceans-are-altering-catches?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/15/183968378/go-fish-somewhere-else-warming-oceans-are-altering-catches?ft=1&f=1024 Fish are moving away from the equator and toward the poles to maintain their preferred water temperature. That means, for example, that fishermen are seeing swordfish normally found in the Mediterranean swimming near Denmark. But in the tropics, there are no fish to replace the ones that are leaving.

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]]> Scientists Clone Human Embryos To Make Stem Cells The achievement is a long-sought step toward harnessing the potential power of such cells to treat diseases. But the discovery raises ethical concerns because it brings researchers closer to cloning humans. Wed, 15 May 2013 12:01:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/15/183916891/scientists-clone-human-embryos-to-make-stem-cells?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/15/183916891/scientists-clone-human-embryos-to-make-stem-cells?ft=1&f=1024 The achievement is a long-sought step toward harnessing the potential power of such cells to treat diseases. But the discovery raises ethical concerns because it brings researchers closer to cloning humans.

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]]> With Rising Seas, America's Birthplace Could Disappear By the end of the century, ocean levels could rise by 2 or 3 feet. That's enough to flood the colonists' first settlement at Jamestown, Va. And it's putting pressure on archaeologists to get as many artifacts out of the ground as quickly as possible — before it's too late. Tue, 14 May 2013 15:15:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/14/178809495/with-rising-seas-americas-birthplace-could-disappear?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/14/178809495/with-rising-seas-americas-birthplace-could-disappear?ft=1&f=1024 By the end of the century, ocean levels could rise by 2 or 3 feet. That's enough to flood the colonists' first settlement at Jamestown, Va. And it's putting pressure on archaeologists to get as many artifacts out of the ground as quickly as possible — before it's too late.

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]]> Why Humans Took Up Farming: They Like To Own Stuff The appeal of owning your own property — and all the private goods that came with it — may have convinced nomadic humans to settle down and take up farming. So says a new study that tried to puzzle out why early farmers bothered with agriculture. Mon, 13 May 2013 17:42:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/13/183710778/why-humans-took-up-farming-they-like-to-own-stuff?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/13/183710778/why-humans-took-up-farming-they-like-to-own-stuff?ft=1&f=1024 The appeal of owning your own property — and all the private goods that came with it — may have convinced nomadic humans to settle down and take up farming. So says a new study that tried to puzzle out why early farmers bothered with agriculture.

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]]> Atop A Hawaiian Mountain, A Constant Sniff For Carbon Dioxide Since 1958, researchers have been measuring the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at the Mauna Loa Observatory. The remote outpost has just reported a carbon dioxide level of 400 parts per million — the highest it has climbed in the modern age. Fri, 10 May 2013 14:43:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/13/182654937/atop-a-hawaiian-mountain-a-constant-sniff-for-carbon-dioxide?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/13/182654937/atop-a-hawaiian-mountain-a-constant-sniff-for-carbon-dioxide?ft=1&f=1024 Since 1958, researchers have been measuring the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at the Mauna Loa Observatory. The remote outpost has just reported a carbon dioxide level of 400 parts per million — the highest it has climbed in the modern age.

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]]> 'Dangerous Territory': Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach Milestone The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has crossed the "psychological threshold" of 400 parts per million. That number is one of the clearest measures of how humans are changing the planet by burning fossil fuels. Fri, 10 May 2013 12:27:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182029983/dangerous-territory-carbon-dioxide-levels-reach-iconic-high?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182029983/dangerous-territory-carbon-dioxide-levels-reach-iconic-high?ft=1&f=1024 The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has crossed the "psychological threshold" of 400 parts per million. That number is one of the clearest measures of how humans are changing the planet by burning fossil fuels.

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]]> Microexpressions: More Than Meets The Eye David Matsumoto, a psychology professor at San Francisco State University, trains national security officials and police officers to recognize "microexpressions"--fleeting, split-second flashes of emotion across someone's face. Matsumoto says those subtle cues may reveal how an interview subject is feeling, helping officials to hone their line of questioning. Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182861380/microexpressions-more-than-meets-the-eye?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182861380/microexpressions-more-than-meets-the-eye?ft=1&f=1024 David Matsumoto, a psychology professor at San Francisco State University, trains national security officials and police officers to recognize "microexpressions"--fleeting, split-second flashes of emotion across someone's face. Matsumoto says those subtle cues may reveal how an interview subject is feeling, helping officials to hone their line of questioning.

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]]> Exploring An Ever-Expanding Universe Saul Perlmutter shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery that the universe was expanding at an accelerating rate. Perlmutter explains how supernovae and other astronomical artifacts are used to measure the expansion rate, and explains what physicists are learning about "dark energy" — the mysterious entity thought to be driving the acceleration. Fri, 10 May 2013 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182861376/exploring-an-ever-expanding-universe?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182861376/exploring-an-ever-expanding-universe?ft=1&f=1024 Saul Perlmutter shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery that the universe was expanding at an accelerating rate. Perlmutter explains how supernovae and other astronomical artifacts are used to measure the expansion rate, and explains what physicists are learning about "dark energy" — the mysterious entity thought to be driving the acceleration.

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]]> Kids With Autism Quick To Detect Motion To test a common theory about the cause of autism, researchers recently studied how kids with autism process moving images. They found that the kids saw simple movements twice as fast as their typically developing peers. Fri, 10 May 2013 12:47:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/09/182717089/kids-with-autism-quick-to-detect-motion?ft=1&f=1024 http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/05/09/182717089/kids-with-autism-quick-to-detect-motion?ft=1&f=1024 To test a common theory about the cause of autism, researchers recently studied how kids with autism process moving images. They found that the kids saw simple movements twice as fast as their typically developing peers.

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