http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Pediatric researchers have identified a novel gene involved in childhood asthma, in one of the largest gene studies to date of the common respiratory disease. Because the gene, called DENND1B, affects cells and signaling molecules thought to be instrumental in the immune system overreaction that occurs in asthma, the discovery may have singled out an important target for new treatments. http://www.physorg.com/news180786674.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:00:01 EST news180786674 The first detailed search of breast cancer genomes to uncover genomic rearrangements is published today. The team characterised the ways in which the human genome is broken and put back together in 24 cases of breast cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news180785193.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:30:02 EST news180785193 The Earth is estimated to have about a nonillion (1030) microbes in, on, around, and under it, comprised of an unknown but very large number of distinct species. Despite the widespread availability of microbial genome data -close to 2,000 microbes have been and are being decoded to date -a vast unknown realm awaits scientists intent on exploring microorganisms that inhabit this "undiscovered country." http://www.physorg.com/news180785441.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:00:10 EST news180785441 Antibiotic resistance in the natural environment is rising despite tighter controls over our use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture, Newcastle University scientists have found. http://www.physorg.com/news180790527.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:20:02 EST news180790527 (PhysOrg.com) -- Drinking water can transmit a number of diseases, including typhoid, dysentery, cholera, and diarrhea, which can then spread explosively throughout an entire service area. To avoid this problem, drinking water must be disinfected. After treatment and disinfection, the water is usually safe. http://www.physorg.com/news180767147.html Chemistry Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:06:57 EST news180767147 (PhysOrg.com) -- At first glance, a dog chasing its tail seems a harmless, if fruitless, pursuit. But for many dogs and their owners, the habit has a dark side, one that means endless hours and energy spent on the same task, to the exclusion of nearly all others. The cause, a type of compulsive disorder, can result in lack of sleep and even physical injury. http://www.physorg.com/news180722905.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:00:02 EST news180722905 No two tumors are alike, but analyzing the genetics of cancers from different parts of the body may reveal surprising details useful for treatment and prevention. http://www.physorg.com/news180708798.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:50:02 EST news180708798 Mice without the deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) enzyme have defects in their adaptive immune system, producing very low levels of both T and B lymphocytes, the major players involved in immune response, according to a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. http://www.physorg.com/news180708481.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:49:18 EST news180708481 To identify the hemophilia mutation that affected Queen Victoria and her European relatives, scientific detectives used a cutting-edge "deep sequencing tool." Able to trace rare genetic disease mutations, the tool can turn a single laboratory into a fertile genetic research center. http://www.physorg.com/news180705775.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:20:06 EST news180705775 The issues are raised in a new Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) publication - What is policing for? Examining the impact and implications of contemporary policing intervention. The publication which highlights the views of experts presented during a Public Policy Seminar series organised by the ESRC in collaboration with the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, The Police Foundation, and the Universities' Police Science Institute. http://www.physorg.com/news180705358.html Other Sciences Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:20:01 EST news180705358 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital have identified an important genetic cause of a devastating kidney disease that is the second leading cause of kidney failure in children, according to The NephCure Foundation. http://www.physorg.com/news180693918.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:45:52 EST news180693918 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a protein required to quickly and efficiently reprogram human skin cells to express embryonic stem cell genes. http://www.physorg.com/news180685131.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:19:21 EST news180685131 At Berkeley Lab's National Center for Electron Microscopy it was revealed that single-stranded DNA can disperse bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes into individual tubes and serve as guideposts for synthesizing platinum nanoparticles onto these tubes. http://www.physorg.com/news180644226.html Nanotechnology Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:10:01 EST news180644226 Identical twins look the same and are nearly genetically identical, but environmental factors and the resulting cellular changes could cause disease in one sibling and not the other. In a study published online in Genome Research, scientists have studied twins discordant for the autoimmune disease lupus, mapping DNA modifications across the genome and shedding light on epigenetic changes that may play a role in the disease. http://www.physorg.com/news180638306.html Medicine & Health Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:10:04 EST news180638306 The once-radical idea of somehow plugging the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to stop the flow of unwanted species from spilling between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basin is quickly picking up political support. http://www.physorg.com/news180639318.html Space & Earth Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:35:47 EST news180639318