University of Manchester

University of Nottingham

Massive neutrinos solve a cosmological conundrum

Scientists have solved a major problem with the current standard model of cosmology identified by combining results from the Planck spacecraft and measurements of gravitational lensing in order to deduce the mass of ghostly sub-atomic particles called neutrinos.

The team, from the universities of Manchester and Nottingham, used observations of the Big Bang and the curvature of space-time to accurately measure the mass of these elementary particles for the first time.

See more at :

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/?id=11555

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/2014/february/massive-neutrinos-solve-a-cosmological-conundrum.aspx

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Princeton university

Tracking genes on the path to genetic treatment

Before doctors like Matthias Kretzler can begin using the results of molecular research to treat patients, they need science to find an effective way to match genes with the specific cells involved in disease. As Kretzler explains, finding that link would eventually let physicians create far more effective diagnostic tools and treatments.

See more at:

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S39/32/76C42/index.xml?section=topstories

University of Stanford

Technique developed by Stanford scientists could lead to new treatments for pain

A team of Bio-X researchers at Stanford has developed mice whose sensitivity to pain can be dialed up or down by shining light on their paws. The research could help scientists understand and eventually treat chronic pain in humans

The mice in Scott Delp's lab, unlike their human counterparts, can get pain relief  from the glow of a yellow light.

Right now these mice are helping scientists to study pain – how and why it occurs and why some people feel it so intensely without any obvious injury. But Delp, a professor of bioengineering and mechanical engineering, hopes one day the work he does with these mice could also help people who are in chronic, debilitating pain.

See more at:

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/february/biox-numb-pain-021914.html

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University of California, Los Angeles

 What do women want? It depends on the time of the month

UCLA researchers publish landmark meta-analysis of sexual preferences at ovulation.

If she loves you and then she loves you not, don’t blame the petals of that daisy. Blame evolution.

UCLA researchers analyzed dozens of published and unpublished studies on how women’s preferences for mates change throughout the menstrual cycle. Their findings suggest that ovulating women have evolved to prefer mates who display sexy traits – such as a masculine body type and facial features, dominant behavior and certain scents – but not traits typically desired in long-term mates.

See more at:

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/what-do-women-want-depends-on-249813.aspx

University of Wisconsin La Crosse

An archaeological research in South America

Tim McAndrews, director of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, will speak on “The Rise and ‘Expansion’ of Tiwanaku Civilization in the Bolivian Andes” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, in Port O’ Call, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition.

McAndrews is a widely recognized expert on the enigmatic Tiwanaku civilization, which emerged at an extreme elevation in the South American Andes. He will discuss his research on Tiwanaku expansion out of the Lake Titicaca Basin and into the distant region of Cochabamba, Bolivia, nearly 1 500 years ago.

After a decade of research, he is turning traditional interpretations of Tiwanaku expansion upside down. He argues that it was local chieftains, not Tiwanaku kings, who directed the influx of Tiwanaku culture into the Cochabamba region.

See more at:http://news.uwlax.edu/uw-l-prof-to-discuss-his-archaeological-research-in-south-america/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+uwlax%2FtUxm+%28Campus+News%29

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Universté de l'Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

Helping hawks weather the storm

Researchers look at how climate change affects endangered hawks and what can be done to improve their odds of survival.

A team of researchers at a University of Alberta institute is helping endangered prairie hawks weather the storm of climate change.  

Alberta’s changing climate poses challenges for humans, but for a species like the ferruginous hawk, which already faces a variety of threats, climate change could have disastrous consequences for its survival in the province.

To help improve the odds for these iconic birds, U of A researchers collaborating with the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) on the Biodiversity Management and Climate Change Adaptation project are tackling two challenges—understanding how climate change is affecting hawk populations, and finding ways to reduce the impact.

See more at: http://news.ualberta.ca/newsarticles/2014/january/helping-hawks-weather-the-storm

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Université Laval, Québec

Lutter contre des dérèglements neurologiques

L’Université Laval et la compagnie pharmaceutique Roche collaboreront pour tester l’efficacité de composés prometteurs dans la lutte contre les dérèglements neurologiques.

Cette collaboration portera plus précisément sur l’évaluation du potentiel de différentes molécules affectant l’activité d’une protéine, appelée KCC2, normalement présente dans les neurones du cerveau et de la moelle épinière. De récents travaux établissent un lien très net entre diverses anomalies des circuits neuronaux et une concentration trop faible de cette protéine au sein des cellules nerveuses.

Pour en savoir plus : http://www.relationsmedias.ulaval.ca/comm/2014/janvier/universite-laval-roche-associent-pour-tester-3378.html

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University of Colorado

Vets continue study of stem-cell therapy for feline kidney disease in fifth clinical trial

Chronic kidney disease in older cats is the focus of a fifth clinical trial under way at Colorado State University's James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, where veterinarians are exploring novel stem-cell therapy that could, for the first time, hold promise for treating one of the most perplexing feline diseases.

See more at:  http://www.today.colostate.edu/story.aspx?id=9530

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University of Washington, Seattle

On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles

Vaccines combat diseases and protect populations from outbreaks, but the life-saving technology leaves room for improvement. Vaccines usually are made en masse in centralized locations far removed from where they will be used. They are expensive to ship and keep refrigerated and they tend to have short shelf lives.

University of Washington engineers hope a new type of vaccine they have shown to work in mice will one day make it cheaper and easy to manufacture on-demand vaccines for humans. Immunizations could be administered within minutes where and when a disease is breaking out.

See more at:  http://www.washington.edu/news/2014/01/07/on-demand-vaccines-possible-with-engineered-nanoparticles/

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University of Delaware

 World's mangroves, salt marshes hold potential for reducing carbon emissions

 Mangroves, the dense forests found along tropical and subtropical coastlines, have some specialized trees that can take in air through their roots at low tide and excrete salt right out of their leaves. The unusual ecosystems can also absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, making them a natural solution for controlling greenhouse gases.

Disrupt them, however, and they’ll put that carbon right back into the atmosphere.

Sunny Jardine, an assistant professor of marine policy who joined the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment earlier this year, studies the environmental benefits of mangroves and the economics behind their deforestation.

 See more at:  http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2014/dec/blue-carbon-ecosystems-121613.html

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