British coin Three Halfpence

In the News

Labeling Keeps Our Knowledge Organized, Study Shows
A popular urban legend suggests that Eskimos have dozens of words for snow. As a culture that faces frigid temperatures year-round, it is important to differentiate between things like snow on the ground ("aput") and falling snow ("qana"). Psychologists are taking note of this phenomenon, and are beginning to examine if learning different names for things helps to tell them apart.

Mayo Clinic Researchers Invent 'Hitchhiking' Viruses As Cancer Drug De
A Mayo Clinic research team has devised a new virus-based gene therapy delivery system to help fight cancer. Researchers say their findings will help overcome hurdles that have hindered gene therapy cancer treatments.

Researchers Study Role Of Natural Organic Matter In Environment
The decomposition of plant, animal and microbial material in soil and water produces a variety of complex organic molecules, collectively called natural organic matter. These compounds play many important roles in the environment.

Carnivorous Plants Use Pitchers Of 'Slimy Saliva'To Catch Their Prey
Carnivorous plants supplement the meager diet available from the nutrient-poor soils in which they grow by trapping and digesting insects and other small arthropods. Pitcher plants of the genus Nepenthes were thought to capture their prey with a simple passive trap but now researchers show that they employ slimy secretions to doom their victims.

Most Babies Receive Recommended Newborn Tests, But Half A Million Stil
Nearly 90 percent of U.S. babies are born in states that require screening for at least 21 life-threatening disorders, according to the 2007 March of Dimes Newborn Screening Report Card. In 2005, only 38 percent of infants were born in states that required screening for at least 21 of the 29 genetic and functional conditions recommended by the American College of Medical Genetics. If diagnosed early, these conditions can be managed or treated to prevent severe consequences.

Genomic 'Firestorms' Underlie Aggressive Breast Cancer Progression
The first high-resolution analysis of genomic alterations in breast tumors is reported in the scientific journal Genome Research. In this analysis, scientists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from Scandinavia, identified three distinct patterns of genomic variation that underlie breast tumor formation, one of which -- "firestorms"-- may be predictive of aggressive disease progression and short survival.

Center for Public Environmental Oversight (CPEO)
This organization "promotes and facilitates public participation in the oversight of environmental activities, including but not limited to the remediation of federal facilities, private 'Superfund' sites, and Brownfields."The site features publications (on topics such as military base closure environmental assessment, and perchlorate and a proposed missile defense system), and an overview of CPEO projects and activities.

Mechanism For The Captation Of Nutrients In Plants -- Unknown To Date
Up to now it was thought that nutrients penetrated the interior of plant cells by means of substance-specific transporters. Nevertheless, researchers at the Agrobiotechnology Institute at the Public University of Navarra have shown that the nutrients (saccharose, amino-acids, etc.) penetrate the cells basically through an "endocitic", mechanism similar to fagocitosis, and induced by saccharose.

Exercise For Cardiovascular Health Keeps Knee Cartilage Healthy Too, S
Exercise for cardiovascular health keeps knee cartilage healthy, too, suggests a long-term, community-based study. The world's most common joint disease, osteoarthritis is a major cause of disability among adults over the age of 50. Whether physical activity is beneficial or detrimental to weight-bearing joints, knees in particular, has been open to debate. Some studies implicate physical activity in provoking knee OA, while others suggest that physical activity may actually protect the knee joint from the disease.

Male Contraception Possibility
Researchers at the University of Newcastle are working on a reversible male contraceptive as part of their studies into male infertility.

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