SCIENCE-NEWS for Commoner.

[Anoushka]

amzing what science can do at times.
this seems to be a path breaking work!
http://tinyurl.com/gj598 or
http://today.reuters.com/news/Articl...ENCE-BRAIN.xml
excerpts:
...........A paralyzed man using a new brain sensor has been able to move a computer cursor, open e-mail and control a robotic device simply by thinking about doing it, a team of scientists said on Wednesday.....

..........He is the first of four patients with spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, stroke or motor neurone disease testing the brain-to-movement system developed by Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc in Masschusetts.

"This is the dawn of major neurotechnology where the ability to take signals out of the brain has taken a big step forward. We have the ability to put signals into the brain but getting signals out is a real challenge. I think this represents a landmark event," said Professor John Donoghue of Brown University in Rhode Island and the chief scientific officer of Cyberkinetics............
....This part of the brain, the motor cortex, which usually sends its signals down the spinal cord and out to the limbs to control movement, can still be used by this participant to control an external device, even after years had gone by since his spinal cord injury," added Hochberg, a co-author of the study published in the journal Nature......

[Anoushka]

Anti-smoking vaccine

A vaccine which could stop smokers getting a nicotine buzz from tobacco is being tested in America.

The drug reduces the pleasure from smoking by producing antibodies that stick to nicotine molecules and stop them entering the brain.

Each jab lasts about a month, reports the Mirror.

Now 300 people are being given repeat doses to see if the effect will last months and help them give up altogether.

If the trials are successful the drug NicVax could be on the market in three years.

Lead researcher Dr Victor Reus, professor of psychiatry at the University of California, said one key question will be whether booster shots could help prevent people who have given up from relapsing.

The US Food and Drug Administration has put the trial on fast-track for approval.

Dr Frank Vocci, a director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse,
said: "They have put a spotlight on it and really tried to move it along because it would be a unique product."

Thomas Rathjen, a spokesman for NicVax developers Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, said the results of the study should be available next year.

Copyright (c) 2006 Ananova Ltd

[Anoushka]

* Call for proposals to help save Earth:
A group is offering grants to amateur and
professional astronomers to help find errant
asteroids.

http://www.world-science.net/otherne...728_grants.htm


* Lowly graphite stirs new excitement:
Graphite, the common material used in pencils, can
behave in surprising ways, researchers have found.

http://www.world-science.net/otherne...4_graphene.htm


* Diet changes may not help fight cancer, studies
find:
New research suggests healthy diets have limited
benefits in cancer treatment.

http://www.world-science.net/othernews/060718_diet.htm


* Ancient "apartheid" leaves modern imprint:
Genetic evidence reveals a system of official
discrimination in ancient England, scientists
claim.

http://www.world-science.net/otherne..._apartheid.htm


* Animals teach pups with surprising skill,
researchers say:
Meerkats instruct and encourage their young in
food-catching, according to a study.

http://www.world-science.net/otherne...15_meerkat.htm

[gaddeswarup]

More on turmeric:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/...n-booster.html

[gaddeswarup]

More on turmeric:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/...n-booster.html

[Hulkster]

Theres a new discovery of twin planets or planemos found beyond the solar system with one planet circling the other instead of the planets circling the stars or the sun.

Excerpts from the article

*Mass of one of the planet is 1% of the mass of the Sun
*They must have been formed millions of years ago as deemed by scientists.
*The way they are created challenges the accepted theory of planet evolution.
*This planemos are distanced from earth six times the distance of pluto from the sun.

[gaddeswarup]

Are we expecting too much from children? Pl. see:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0808161224.htm

[rajraj]

Swarup,
In India they do! It is sad to see the workload a child carries. They don't have time to be kids!

Are we expecting too much from children? Pl. see:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0808161224.htm

[gaddeswarup]

I saw this another site and cannot resist passing it on:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13439261/

[rocketboy]

I was a mute witness to the testing of an explosive today morning. This is just a brief narration. I was closing the door of my room and was all set to go to my lab. I heard a loud bang outside. At the same time the windows in my room shuddered.My first guess was that someone had fired from a gun. I came out of the room and looked all around to fix the source of the noise. I saw smoke emanating from a far off place. I thought maybe some transformer had failed . My friend and I then decided to go and see for ourselves what was the cause of that bang. After covering some distance the smell of burnt debris loomed in the air.On enquiry we learnt that some explosive has been tested in the nearby field and that alone was the cause of this hoopla.We smiled at each other. My friend remarked ,"Man if this is just a test then imagine what damage a real explosive could do to us". There was truth in his statement.