Science News

By Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Environmentalists and power companies are lobbying U.S. senators to put forward climate and energy legislation that would initially cap greenhouse emissions only from electric utilities, saying it's the last best chance for passing a bill this year.

A Pennsylvania State University investigation has found no substance behind allegations of academic misconduct by climate researcher Michael Mann, one of the central figures in the so-called 'Climategate' e-mail scandal.

It is the third formal inquiry to clear scientists involved in the scandal, which publicized more than 1,000 private e-mails from scientists expressing doubts about their data, refusing to share information and questioning the work of others.

Have you ever wondered how long you might live? New research suggests that an important indicator of your probable life span may be your genes . Scientists have identified unique genetic signatures strongly associated with a long and healthy life, findings that could help to further the understanding of how certain genes may offer protection from common age-related diseases like cancer, dementia and cardiovascular disease. And one day the data might lead to the development of genetic tests to predict whether a person can expect to live into old age as well as guide intervention efforts to prevent age-related illness.

The study, led by Paola Sebastiani, professor of biostatistics at Boston University (B.U.) School of Pubic Health, and Thomas Perls, professor of medicine and geriatrics at the B.U. School of Medicine, was published online July 1 in Science .

Humans have not set foot on the moon since December 14, 1972, when astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of the Apollo 17 mission departed the lunar surface to return home. Thankfully, Cernan and Schmitt, a trained geologist , collected 110 kilograms of lunar material--the largest-ever haul of moon rocks and soil--before heading for Earth. [More]

Conflict brought on by droughts, famine and unwelcome migration are as old as history itself. Yet a growing number of military analysts think that climate change will exacerbate these problems worldwide and are encouraging countries to prepare to maintain order even as shrinking resources make their citizens more desperate. [More]

Editor's Note: Julie Huang is an undergraduate geophysics major at the University of Chicago. She is working as a summer intern with the Stramski lab at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., and is currently on board the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System research vessel New Horizon . This is her first experience at sea on a research vessel. She interviewed the scientists on board for this entry, which is a follow-on to the blog posts of marine biologist William Gilly , who wrote several entries about his recent expedition to study Humboldt squid on the New Horizon in the Gulf of California. [More]

From the land of dams and canals comes a new device billed as the savior of agriculture and reforestation in drought-plagued areas.

The " Waterboxx " is the brainchild of Dutch businessman Pieter Hoff, who sold his lily-growing operation in 2003 to focus on water. Then he started tinkering with a polypropylene box, about the size of a laundry basket. It has a fluted lid and a wick extending from the bottom. The plant sits in a cylindrical opening in the center that goes all the way through the box.

Most children conceived via assisted reproductive technology (ART), such as superovulation are fine, although some recent studies are raising doubts about whether these fertility fixes are as safe as promised. The extensive handling of these crucial cells is a concern, and there are mixed reports on the long-term health of these hard-won children, with several studies suggesting increased risks of low birth weight, rare disorders down the line, and even death. [More]

Editor's Note: Vienna, Austria-based science writer Chelsea Wald is taking part in a two-week Marine Biological Laboratory journalism fellowship at Toolik Field Station , an environmental research post inside the Arctic Circle. To see the current conditions in Toolik, check out the Webcam .

Walking over Eriophorum, Watch your step of you'll fall off 'em. [More]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released preliminary data Wednesday from its own toxicity testing for eight dispersants in a bid to corroborate potentially suspect industry-provided results. But questions remain about the safety of these chemicals that can be used to break up oil spills, including COREXIT 9500 , which is being employed on a massive scale by BP in the Gulf of Mexico. The agency's results showed broadly similar impacts on silverside fish ( Menidia beryllina ) and mysid shrimp ( Americamysis bahia ) across a range of concentrations. And none of the dispersants showed significant capacity to disrupt the hormonal systems of animals, at least at the cellular level. [More]

Four years ago Amanda Wang, then 27 years old, was at a rehearsal dinner for a close friend. At the start of the evening, she felt content, eager to enjoy the wedding ­festivities. But shortly after she sat down to dinner, she was struck by “a tidal wave” of negative emotions. Her mind began to race with disturbing thoughts about her own marriage, which was unstable, and feelings of self-loathing. Suddenly, Wang says, it was as if someone had draped a heavy cloth over her, suffocating her and cutting her off from the conversation. Overcome by anxiety and dread, she excused herself from the dinner table and escaped to the bathroom. Desperate to dull her feelings, she removed her belt, tied it around her neck and pulled it tight to stop herself from breathing. She performed this act several times, until the pain offered her some relief from her emotions. After about 10 minutes, she returned to the table, feeling much better.

At the time, Wang felt she was the only person in the world who battled such extreme mood swings--being content one moment and nearly suicidal the next--and who harmed herself to cope with them. “Self-harm was one of the things that I did to myself to stop feeling crazy, to stop all the arguments in my head, the edginess and anxiety,” she says.

A restful night’s sleep might make a cup of coffee less of a desperate need first thing in the morning. But pharmaceutical companies are looking into whether the latest pills to promise sound, natural sleep could also play an active role in overcoming even the most powerful addictions.

The new sleep aids block the activity of brain peptides called orexins. These tiny proteins keep us wide awake and attentive during the day, and they also govern some stimulating effects of addictive drugs. Orexins do not cause addiction or relapse directly, but neither happens without the peptides’ participation.