Developmental drug effective against radiation damage

August 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Recent tests by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will provide much needed, independent data on how electromagnetic radiation penetrates aircraft, helping to ensure continued air travel safety. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires aircraft manufacturers to demonstrate that their aircraft have effective high intensity radiated field (HIRF) protection.

August 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, a team of scientists at Dartmouth university has proposed a new way of creating a reproduction black hole in the laboratory on a much-tinier scale than their celestial counterparts. The new method to create a tiny quantum sized black hole would allow researchers to better understand what physicist Stephen Hawking proposed more than 35 years ago: black holes are not totally void of activity; they emit photons, which is now known as Hawking radiation.

August 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study from two of NASA's Great Observatories has shown that radiation from massive stars may trigger the formation of many more stars than previously thought. While astronomers have long understood that stars and planets form from the collapse of a cloud of gas, the question of the main causes of this process has remained open.

August 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists, using a new detector, have for the first time observed evidence that Martian dust storms can generate lightning. Dust storms on Earth build up an electric field as dust particles collide, and then emit lightning as the electric field discharges.

August 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, scientists have concluded that slight shifts in solar radiation caused by predictable changes in Earth's rotation and axis made the periodic ice ages to finally come to an end about 19,000 years ago. The research, by scientists from Oregon State University and other institutions conclude that the known wobbles in Earth's rotation caused global ice levels to reach their peak about 26,000 years ago, stabilize for 7,000 years and then begin melting 19,000 years ago, eventually bringing to an end the last ice age.

May 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Textile engineering students have thought up of an answer to one of the prime threats bedevilling NASA space missions: radiation. The students of North Carolina State University (NCSU) have designed a 'blanket' that could shield lunar outposts and astronauts' living quarters from radiation, while generating and storing power.

May 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A group of students at North Carolina State University, US, has developed a "blanket" of sorts that covers lunar outposts, in an attempt to provide astronauts protection against radiation, while also generating and storing power. Astronauts who previously traveled to the moon had little protection against radiation, but were only exposed to it for a short amount of time.

April 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study conducted at the Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA, has found that majority of ordering physicians lack knowledge of CT-related radiation exposure and its associated risks. "More than 100 surveys were completed by physicians from various specialties who order CT scans at a tertiary-care teaching hospital," said Jeremy McBride, MD, lead author of the study.

April 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research by scientists from the Niels Bohr Institute indicates there can be changes in the CO2 levels in the atmosphere that suddenly reach a critical turning point and with that trigger dramatic climate changes. The Earth's climate is essentially contolled by three different cycles.

April 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has revealed that treatment with biphosphonates could prevent radiation-induced leukaemia. Lead researcher Dr Alexandra Miller, a senior scientist at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, said that the study will not only help military and space agency personnel exposed to risky levels of radiation, it will also be beneficial for civilian populations.

April 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Experiments on rats conducted by researchers at the University of Puerto Rico have shown that isolation during early development alters the brain sensitivity to cocaine. Researchers Natasha Lugo-Escobar, Nicole Carreras, and Annabell C.

April 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has suggested that a brilliant burst of gamma rays may have caused a mass extinction event on Earth 440 million years ago, and a similar celestial catastrophe could happen again in the future. Most gamma-ray bursts are thought to be streams of high-energy radiation produced when the core of a very massive star collapses.

April 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Radiation therapy directly over the ovaries should be avoided because they could lead to fertility problems in women, according to a review study. Radiation therapy of the pelvic region can cause ovarian failure or result in damage that makes the uterus unable to accommodate the growth of a foetus.

March 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has delved into the emerging practice of drug delivery systems that use light to activate medications in the body. The new process makes use of biocompatible materials that are sensitive to certain physiological variables or external physicochemical stimuli.

February 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - People with healthy or sound hearts should avoid going in for various scans, warns an advisory committee convened by the American Heart Association. The panel cautioned that cardiac scans that use ionizing radiation should, in all cases, be used judiciously, and are not recommended for people without chest pain or other symptoms who are at low risk for heart disease.