Follistatin was used in mice to determine if enhanced muscle mass impacts the symptoms of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). After treatment, the mice had increased muscle mass, gross motor function improvement and an increase in average life span of 30 percent.” With the therapy, MU researchers inhibited myostatin, a protein that limits muscle tissue growth. …
As of mid-October, 2008, Saskatchewan had 1,050 wells capable of producing in the Bakken. Of these, the vast majority (979) have been drilled since October 2004. Over the first eight months of 2008, the Bakken accounted for about 8.6 million bbls (an average of 35,250 bbls a day) of Saskatchewan’s oil production of 105.7 million …
Ultra-high-speed wireless connectivity – capable of transferring 15 gigabits of data per second over short distances – has taken a significant step toward reality. A recent decision by an international standards group could help bring this technology to market soon. Multi-gigabit technology could also help enable “viral communications.” Viral communications scenarios envision a future of …
NASA has found three discrete regions where Mars is releasing methane at this time. Methane can only survive a short time in the atmosphere until it is destroyed by sunlight, and so its continued presence means it is being replenished. “The production (of methane) is likely due to only one of two possibilities. The first …
Hyperion Power Generation (HPG) plans to build hot-tub-size reactors that can generate 25 megawatts of electricity, or enough juice to power 20,000 homes. HPG’s uranium hydride reactor has been covered extensively on this site. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission had indicated in a December, 2008 memo that the NRC does not plan to authorize …
Big and bendy: A transparent graphene film, two centimeters on each side, stretches and flexes when transferred to a rubber stamp. The stamp can be used to deposit the film on any substrate. Credit: Ji Hye Hong MIT Technology Review reports that Korean researchers have found a way to make large graphene films that are …
1. The Department of Energy’s (DoE) Office of the Inspector General (IG) has concluded that the DoE has not followed through adequately on various promising potential applications for depleted Uranium. The DoE should do more to avoid having to treat the entire inventory as waste, according to the department’s own internal watchdog. The DoE has …
Zombie PCs are getting smarter and harder to track down, according to security software vendor Commtouch. This is a early hint of a world with more advanced artificial intelligence (AI). The AI could be used for good or bad and could themselves be good or bad. Hackers and malware are targeting new cloud computing and …
Ricardo Montalban dies at age 88. Famous for Mr Roarke on Fantasy Island and Khan Noonien Singh on Star Trek. Patrick McGoohan Dead At 80 famous for being Number Six on the Prisoner. The Prisoner Number Six on a Break from the Island Village Mr Roarke on Fantasy Island
Ground Telescopes underway now. Among telescopes projects under way in 2009 are: • A major upgrade of the 19-year-old Hubble Space Telescope, including two advanced detectors that will vastly improve its vision for another five years. • A bigger European rival to Hubble called the Herschel Space Observatory. • ALMA, an array of 50-plus telescopes …
The Accelerated Retirement of Inefficient Vehicles Retirement Act of 2009 (ARIVA)—also called the “Cash for Clunkers” program—would reimburse drivers with a credit of up to $4,500 for scrapping vehicles with a when-new fuel economy rating of less than 18 mpg US as reported by the original manufacturer for purposes of CAFE compliance if they trade …