The physics of the mysterious crop circles

There's no reason to think that Crop Circles are the work of aliens - particularly when human pranksters have already admitted to making them - but they're still mysterious... not to mention a fascinating junction point between physics and art.

Crop circles, elaborate designs that are etched into farmlands that are a thing of beauty when viewed from the air have long been determined to be the work of pranksters.

Crop circles have confounded farmers and scientists alike since they were first recorded in the 17th century, and now physicist Professor Richard Taylor says the phenomenon is growing alongside advances in technology.

Taylor says physics could hold the answer, with crop—circle artists possibly using the Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as lasers and microwaves to create their patterns, dispensing with the rope, planks of wood and bar stools, the journal Physics World reports.

Microwaves, Taylor suggests, could be used to make crop stalks fall over and cool in a horizontal position - a technique that could explain the speed and efficiency of the artists and the incredible detail that some crop circles exhibit, according to an Oregon statement.

And another question -- why does an academic feel the need to get caught up in the world of alien landing conspiracies?

Matin Durrani, editor of Physics World, said Taylor was "merely trying to act like any good scientist -- examining the evidence for the design and construction of crop circles without getting carried away by the side-show of UFOs, hoaxes and aliens."

The physics of the mysterious crop circles

There's no reason to think that Crop Circles are the work of aliens - particularly when human pranksters have already admitted to making them - but they're still mysterious... not to mention a fascinating junction point between physics and art.

Crop circles, elaborate designs that are etched into farmlands that are a thing of beauty when viewed from the air have long been determined to be the work of pranksters.

Crop circles have confounded farmers and scientists alike since they were first recorded in the 17th century, and now physicist Professor Richard Taylor says the phenomenon is growing alongside advances in technology.

Taylor says physics could hold the answer, with crop—circle artists possibly using the Global Positioning System (GPS) as well as lasers and microwaves to create their patterns, dispensing with the rope, planks of wood and bar stools, the journal Physics World reports.

Microwaves, Taylor suggests, could be used to make crop stalks fall over and cool in a horizontal position - a technique that could explain the speed and efficiency of the artists and the incredible detail that some crop circles exhibit, according to an Oregon statement.

And another question -- why does an academic feel the need to get caught up in the world of alien landing conspiracies?

Matin Durrani, editor of Physics World, said Taylor was "merely trying to act like any good scientist -- examining the evidence for the design and construction of crop circles without getting carried away by the side-show of UFOs, hoaxes and aliens."

IE users are dumb, recent study says

If you are yet to ditch Internet Explorer 6, a web browser released in 2001, now is the time to do it. Unless you want to be called dumb.

Here comes the flame war. According to a new report, dumb people are more likely to use Internet Explorer than smart people.

A survey used tests offered through Web searches or in online ads to measure the IQ of browser users.

• Internet Explorer users scored lower on online IQ tests than users of other browsers
• Report says people on the old IE 6 browser scored lowest; Opera users the highest
• The survey, by a consulting company, wasn't conducted scientifically

It’s also interesting to note that average IQ scores of IE6 users were significantly higher in 2006, and that the IQ scores get better with newer versions of IE.

A company called AptiQuant, a self-proclaimed “world leader in the field of online psychometric testing,” tested the IQs of users and grouped the results according to which browser respondents used.

The survey findings were reported by Jared Newman on PC World with the headline "Internet Explorer Users Are Kinda Stupid" and as his story spread AptiQuant started to receive hate mail from IE users.

IE users are dumb, recent study says

If you are yet to ditch Internet Explorer 6, a web browser released in 2001, now is the time to do it. Unless you want to be called dumb.

Here comes the flame war. According to a new report, dumb people are more likely to use Internet Explorer than smart people.

A survey used tests offered through Web searches or in online ads to measure the IQ of browser users.

• Internet Explorer users scored lower on online IQ tests than users of other browsers
• Report says people on the old IE 6 browser scored lowest; Opera users the highest
• The survey, by a consulting company, wasn't conducted scientifically

It’s also interesting to note that average IQ scores of IE6 users were significantly higher in 2006, and that the IQ scores get better with newer versions of IE.

A company called AptiQuant, a self-proclaimed “world leader in the field of online psychometric testing,” tested the IQs of users and grouped the results according to which browser respondents used.

The survey findings were reported by Jared Newman on PC World with the headline "Internet Explorer Users Are Kinda Stupid" and as his story spread AptiQuant started to receive hate mail from IE users.

Dell Streak 10 Pro Introduced In China | Apple iPad 2 3G Teardown | The company is betting on China to make its mark in the increasingly crowded tablet market

Dell Streak 10 Pro Introduced In China | Apple iPad 2 3G Teardown | The company is betting on China to make its mark in the increasingly crowded tablet market

Dell on Thursday said that its Dell Streak 10 Pro tablet is now available in China.

The 10-inch tablet runs version 3.1 of the Android operating system, known as Honeycomb. It features a dual-core nVidia Tegra 2 mobile processor running at 1 GHz, 16 GB of internal storage, and a SDHC card slot that can accommodate up to 32 GB. Its 1200 x 800 WGXA screen supports 10-point capacitive multitouch input and includes both front-facing (2 megapixel) and rear-facing cameras (5 megapixel).

The device can handle 1080p video and includes GPS, gyro, accelerometer, compass sensors, as well as dual stereo speakers and two microphones.

The Streak 10 Pro is being offered at a special promotional price of RMB 2,999, which is about $461 in U.S. dollars. That promotion ends Friday, July 29, and thereafter the normal price will be RMB 3,699, or about $562.

"The fact that we're launching it in China first underscores the importance of China to Dell overall," said Michael Tatelman, VP of consumer sales and marketing for the company, in a blog post. "More people are online in China than anywhere else in the world, and IDC estimates that more than 900 million people are expected to come online in China alone in the next 10 years."

Some of the many people in China are bound to buy Dell's tablet, but it remains to be seen whether the company can attract enough customers to alter the balance of power in the tablet market.

Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney expressed some skepticism about Dell's move. "China looks favorable on Android and if it's made by a Chinese manufacturer, it could do well," he said in an email. "Also, they may prefer the smaller size devices such as the 10.1 inch screen. But with over 200 tablets coming, Dell will have many challenges. So my conclusion is that they are going to have a rough time with this. Frankly, I think Dell needs to decide whether it might be too late to be in this business except as a niche player."

The Apple iPad has plenty of competition nowadays. Research firm Strategy Analytics reported earlier this month that Apple's iOS-based iPad accounted for over 94% of the global tablet shipments in Q2 2010, but only 61.3% in Q2 2011. Global Android tablet shipments meanwhile have risen from 2.9% to 30.1% during the same period.

But shipping a tablet is only half the battle. People have to buy them and, to date, they're still mostly buying iPads. As an example, Motorola said it expects to sell between 1.3 million and 1.5 million Xoom tablets this year, based on Q2 sales of 440,000. Apple sold 9.25 million iPads during the same period, the company's fiscal Q3. Read More

Counterfeit to the Apple core | APPLE MacBook Air notebook computer | Apple's Mac OS X | Thomas and Apple

Counterfeit to the Apple core | APPLE MacBook Air notebook computer | Apple's Mac OS X | Thomas and Apple

AN APPLE MacBook Air notebook computer, offered on eBay by a seller in Perth for just $599 - $500 less than the list price - was the bargain of the year, thought Tony Thomas, Melbourne journalist and Mac enthusiast, as he hit the ''buy now'' button.

The computer, shown on the eBay site to have an illuminated Apple logo on its lid and Apple's MacBook Air livery on its packaging, was, in fact, a fake. It ran not Apple's Mac OS X operating system but Microsoft's Windows.

''I was in Perth on my way home from Africa when I saw the MacBook Air on eBay,'' Thomas says. ''I snapped it up straight away, sure I had a wonderful bargain. I even emailed the seller, identified as Jake Gill at 'oz-sh0p' in the Perth suburb of Balga, suggesting I cab out to his place with the cash so I could take the machine home next day. He replied that it wasn't convenient and insisted I pay through PayPal.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/counterfeit-to-the-apple-core-20110727-1hyym.html

Scientists build Artificial Intelligence in test tubes

Scientists have now taken a major step towards creating artificial intelligence, not in a robot or a silicon chip, but in a test tube.

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a circuit of interacting molecules that can recall memories based on incomplete DNA patterns, just like the human brain.

Supercomputers, robots and the human brain represent the artifacts of a long evolutionary chain stretching back to a soupy mass of molecules floating in Earth's oceans billions of years ago. Now researchers have gone back to the primordial ooze by creating a new type of artificial intelligence based on DNA inside of test tubes.

The neural network is made up of just four artificial neurons, as opposed to the human brain's 100 billion real ones.

To test the network, the scientists played a game with it. That game started with the network being trained to "know" four scientists, each one identifiable by a unique combination of yes/no answers to the same four questions (such as "Is the scientist British?"). Human players then chose one of those scientists, and provided the network with an incomplete set of the identifying answers. They did this by dropping DNA strands that were programmed to correspond to those answers, into water in a test tube that contained the neurons.

Communicating through fluorescent signals, the network would then either correctly identify the chosen scientist, it would indicate that it didn't have enough data to identify just one scientist, or it would state that the data didn't match any of the scientists.

Biochemical systems with artificial intelligence — or at least some basic, decision—making capabilities — could have powerful applications in medicine, chemistry, and biological research, the researchers say.

In the future, such systems could operate within cells, helping to answer fundamental biological questions or diagnose a disease.

The human brain consists of 100 billion neurons, but creating a network with just 40 of these DNA—based neurons — 10 times larger than the demonstrated network — would be a challenge, according to the researchers.

Scientists build Artificial Intelligence in test tubes

Scientists have now taken a major step towards creating artificial intelligence, not in a robot or a silicon chip, but in a test tube.

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a circuit of interacting molecules that can recall memories based on incomplete DNA patterns, just like the human brain.

Supercomputers, robots and the human brain represent the artifacts of a long evolutionary chain stretching back to a soupy mass of molecules floating in Earth's oceans billions of years ago. Now researchers have gone back to the primordial ooze by creating a new type of artificial intelligence based on DNA inside of test tubes.

The neural network is made up of just four artificial neurons, as opposed to the human brain's 100 billion real ones.

To test the network, the scientists played a game with it. That game started with the network being trained to "know" four scientists, each one identifiable by a unique combination of yes/no answers to the same four questions (such as "Is the scientist British?"). Human players then chose one of those scientists, and provided the network with an incomplete set of the identifying answers. They did this by dropping DNA strands that were programmed to correspond to those answers, into water in a test tube that contained the neurons.

Communicating through fluorescent signals, the network would then either correctly identify the chosen scientist, it would indicate that it didn't have enough data to identify just one scientist, or it would state that the data didn't match any of the scientists.

Biochemical systems with artificial intelligence — or at least some basic, decision—making capabilities — could have powerful applications in medicine, chemistry, and biological research, the researchers say.

In the future, such systems could operate within cells, helping to answer fundamental biological questions or diagnose a disease.

The human brain consists of 100 billion neurons, but creating a network with just 40 of these DNA—based neurons — 10 times larger than the demonstrated network — would be a challenge, according to the researchers.

Lithium Drive: Electric Car DBM Energy KOLIBRI Lithium Battery's Record Range of 280 Miles Per Charge tnr.v, czx.v, lmr.v, rm.v, alk.ax, sqm, cgp.v, abn.v, ura.v, nup.ax, usa.ax, srz.ax, fmc, roc, lit, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, res.v, ree, avl.to, nsany, f, gm, rno.pa, dai, byddf, hev, aone, vlnc | Lithium Battery's Blog

Lithium Drive: Electric Car DBM Energy KOLIBRI Lithium Battery's Record Range of 280 Miles Per Charge tnr.v, czx.v, lmr.v, rm.v, alk.ax, sqm, cgp.v, abn.v, ura.v, nup.ax, usa.ax, srz.ax, fmc, roc, lit, li.v, wlc.v, clq.v, res.v, ree, avl.to, nsany, f, gm, rno.pa, dai, byddf, hev, aone, vlnc | Lithium Battery's Blog

News about wonder Lithium battery from German DBM Energy are sipping into the mass media place. We have our Catalyst and perfect storm for this generational boom in place: IEA admits that Crude Oil Peak has already happened in 2006; Shai Agassi shares economics of Oil, Auto and Electric Cars industries; and we have the new hype in the U.S. Lithium OTC market these days. There is no hype without interest. Serious players are coming into the lithium space now. Gas prices are pushing consumers to the Electric Cars and just few of them are already on our streets - more are coming. With this development from DBM Energy maybe even German automakers will wake up and for real will embrace the Electric cars, otherwise we should wait for announcement from another Chinese company about the breakthrough in Lithium batteries technology. Chinese companies are moving into the sector with State-level support and announced target to become the leader in Lithium batteries and Electric Cars.

"International Lithium IPO: Ganfeng Lithium To Establish Subsidiary for The Production Of Lithium Ion Batteries. TNR Gold has found a very aggressive and active strategic partner in Lithium space for its International Lithium IPO. After ten years in production of Lithium materials Ganfeng Lithium is moving into the Lithium Ion Batteries production as well. Now we can see how this Chinese company is building the hole in-house supply value chain for the Lithium Ion batteries. Company has just recently announced that it is taking the strategic stake in International Lithium IPO - spin out form TNR Gold and now we have this news about the Lithium Ion Battery company." Read More

New but tiny moon found orbiting Pluto

Pluto may not have full planet status but the distant, icy rock at the fringe of the solar system has three more moons than Earth. The tiny new moon — announced July 20 and called P4 for now — brings the number of known Pluto satellites to four.

And the find, made with the Hubble Space Telescope, suggests that NASA's New Horizons probe could make some big discoveries, too, when it makes a close flyby of Pluto in 2015, researchers said.

Pluto's largest moon, Charon, is 648 miles (1,043 km) across. The other two, Nix and Hydra, are between 20 and 70 miles in diameter (32 to 113 km), NASA said.

P4 is located between the orbits of Nix and Hydra, both of which were discovered by Hubble in 2005. Charon was discovered in 1978 at the U.S. Naval Observatory.

All four of Pluto's moons are believed to have formed when Pluto and another planet-sized body collided in the early history of our solar system. Earth's Moon may have formed the same way.

P4 was first seen in a photo taken by Hubble on June 28 and was confirmed in subsequent Hubble pictures taken July 3 and July 18, NASA said.

New but tiny moon found orbiting Pluto

Pluto may not have full planet status but the distant, icy rock at the fringe of the solar system has three more moons than Earth. The tiny new moon — announced July 20 and called P4 for now — brings the number of known Pluto satellites to four.

And the find, made with the Hubble Space Telescope, suggests that NASA's New Horizons probe could make some big discoveries, too, when it makes a close flyby of Pluto in 2015, researchers said.

Pluto's largest moon, Charon, is 648 miles (1,043 km) across. The other two, Nix and Hydra, are between 20 and 70 miles in diameter (32 to 113 km), NASA said.

P4 is located between the orbits of Nix and Hydra, both of which were discovered by Hubble in 2005. Charon was discovered in 1978 at the U.S. Naval Observatory.

All four of Pluto's moons are believed to have formed when Pluto and another planet-sized body collided in the early history of our solar system. Earth's Moon may have formed the same way.

P4 was first seen in a photo taken by Hubble on June 28 and was confirmed in subsequent Hubble pictures taken July 3 and July 18, NASA said.

Dawn spacecraft to study origins of Earth

NASA's Dawn robotic science probe has entered the orbit around the asteroid Vesta to study the second most massive of its kind in the solar system.

This unmanned NASA probe made history 117 million miles from Earth on Saturday (July 16) when it arrived at the huge asteroid Vesta, making it the first spacecraft ever to orbit an object in the solar system's asteroid belt.

Dawn, which was launched in 2007 by the US space agency, is to offer insights into the beginning of the universe by examining rocky objects that date to the time when planets were forming in the solar system.

The 1.6—metre—long, 747—kilogramme craft was to have begun circling the asteroid Vesta early Saturday. Both Vesta and another Dawn target, the dwarf planet Ceres, are significantly smaller than Earth’s moon.

The probe has taken four years to get to Vesta and will spend the next year studying the huge rock before moving on to the "dwarf planet" Ceres.

Vesta is a huge asteroid about as wide as U.S. state of Arizona, and is also the brightest asteroid in the solar system. It is located in the asteroid belt, a band of rocky objects that encircles the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroid Vesta looks like a punctured football, the result of a colossal collision sometime in its past that knocked off its south polar region.

Using ion thrusters to propel it through interplanetary space, the spacecraft has been sneaking up on Vesta, rather than speeding up and rapidly slowing down. The latter method used by rocket-propeled spacecraft can have catastrophic consequences if the target should be missed. With Dawn's ion drive, if the target is missed, there would have been enough fuel to take another shot at entering orbit.

Interestingly, as the exact mass (and therefore gravity) of Vesta is not known, the exact time of orbital capture cannot be calculated. If the asteroid is more massive, Dawn would have been captured sooner by a stronger gravitational field; if Vesta is less massive, the spacecraft would be captured later by a weaker gravitational field. Until more data is relayed from Dawn, we won't know the precise time of capture.

Dawn spacecraft to study origins of Earth

NASA's Dawn robotic science probe has entered the orbit around the asteroid Vesta to study the second most massive of its kind in the solar system.

This unmanned NASA probe made history 117 million miles from Earth on Saturday (July 16) when it arrived at the huge asteroid Vesta, making it the first spacecraft ever to orbit an object in the solar system's asteroid belt.

Dawn, which was launched in 2007 by the US space agency, is to offer insights into the beginning of the universe by examining rocky objects that date to the time when planets were forming in the solar system.

The 1.6—metre—long, 747—kilogramme craft was to have begun circling the asteroid Vesta early Saturday. Both Vesta and another Dawn target, the dwarf planet Ceres, are significantly smaller than Earth’s moon.

The probe has taken four years to get to Vesta and will spend the next year studying the huge rock before moving on to the "dwarf planet" Ceres.

Vesta is a huge asteroid about as wide as U.S. state of Arizona, and is also the brightest asteroid in the solar system. It is located in the asteroid belt, a band of rocky objects that encircles the sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroid Vesta looks like a punctured football, the result of a colossal collision sometime in its past that knocked off its south polar region.

Using ion thrusters to propel it through interplanetary space, the spacecraft has been sneaking up on Vesta, rather than speeding up and rapidly slowing down. The latter method used by rocket-propeled spacecraft can have catastrophic consequences if the target should be missed. With Dawn's ion drive, if the target is missed, there would have been enough fuel to take another shot at entering orbit.

Interestingly, as the exact mass (and therefore gravity) of Vesta is not known, the exact time of orbital capture cannot be calculated. If the asteroid is more massive, Dawn would have been captured sooner by a stronger gravitational field; if Vesta is less massive, the spacecraft would be captured later by a weaker gravitational field. Until more data is relayed from Dawn, we won't know the precise time of capture.

GPSC, Geme, Gamegape: DeKalb County School System administrator suspended

GPSC, Geme, Gamegape: DeKalb County School System administrator suspended

An administrator for DeKalb County Schools is being suspended for 10 days for selling a book he wrote to five schools within the DeKalb system, including one where he previously worked.

Former Assistant Superintendent Ralph Simpson agreed to the suspension after an investigation by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GPSC) found that he and a principal had circumvented the system, purchasing policy.

School spokesman Jeff Dickerson said that concerns about Simpson were first raised after the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported in July 2010, that Simpson sold more than $12,560 worth of copies of his book From Remedial to Remarkable to five schools, including Miller Grove High School in Lithonia, where Simpson had once been principal.

“The finding was that Simpson had sold a book that he had published to schools within the DeKalb School System and the sales of those books were done with public funds,” Dickerson said.

The school system conducted an internal audit and found that in 2007, several months after Simpson was promoted to assistant superintendent and departed from Miller Grove, his successor Selina Carol Thedford, who is also being suspended, purchased 600 copies of the book using school funds.

The school system’s policy requires that all purchases over $5,000 be approved by school staff and according to a case summary obtained from the GPSC, Thedford had originally presented a single purchase order for $9,600 but it was denied. Thedford then directed a subordinate staff member to split the invoice into two invoices of $4,800, which were then paid.

Dickerson said that immediately after discovering this Interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson demoted both Simpson and Thedford to assistant principals and they are currently awaiting placement for the new school year.

Leading up to the time that the audit was done the school system had no policy in place that forbade a school system employee from selling goods or services to the school system when public funds are used.

Dickerson said that after finding out about the sales Tyson and the board quickly put a policy in place to police such sales.

“She also put into place a new training program that starts this year and it’s something that everyone has to do every year, in addition to other ethics training,” Dickerson said.

Dickerson also stated that the money for the book sales have been repaid by Simpson and Thedford. Read More

Mumbai Blasts: CCTV footage being scanned

Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said on Friday (15-July-2011) that investigators are examining forensic evidence and footage from closed circuit televisions for clues about the triple bomb blasts that shook Mumbai and killed 17.

Mumbai Police alongside Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are investigating all the leads found at the three blast sites to crack the case.

Two days after three blasts rocked the city of Mumbai killing 18 people and injuring 131, the Union Home Secretary RK Singh on Friday (July 15) said that the CCTV footages procured from the three blast sites -- Dadar, Zaveri Bazar and Opera House -- are being probed thoroughly. Though he did not divulge much detail on the blast probe, the home secretary hinted at a possible email trail that is being investigated.

In the absence of any claimants, investigators are now hoping that CCTV footage collected from the three blast sites will provide significant leads.

Video footage captured by more than 46 CCTV cameras is now in the process of being scrutinised by special teams from the crime branch and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), including experts from central agencies.

As per reports, one camera in Opera House has captured the images of the possible suspects. The footage shows three or four people talking on the phone for over an hour and a half at the same spot.

Moreover, a person carrying a bag is reported to have been identified as a suspect. He is seen moving towards a parked motorcycle and within seconds there is an explosion.

Mumbai Blasts: CCTV footage being scanned

Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said on Friday (15-July-2011) that investigators are examining forensic evidence and footage from closed circuit televisions for clues about the triple bomb blasts that shook Mumbai and killed 17.

Mumbai Police alongside Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are investigating all the leads found at the three blast sites to crack the case.

Two days after three blasts rocked the city of Mumbai killing 18 people and injuring 131, the Union Home Secretary RK Singh on Friday (July 15) said that the CCTV footages procured from the three blast sites -- Dadar, Zaveri Bazar and Opera House -- are being probed thoroughly. Though he did not divulge much detail on the blast probe, the home secretary hinted at a possible email trail that is being investigated.

In the absence of any claimants, investigators are now hoping that CCTV footage collected from the three blast sites will provide significant leads.

Video footage captured by more than 46 CCTV cameras is now in the process of being scrutinised by special teams from the crime branch and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), including experts from central agencies.

As per reports, one camera in Opera House has captured the images of the possible suspects. The footage shows three or four people talking on the phone for over an hour and a half at the same spot.

Moreover, a person carrying a bag is reported to have been identified as a suspect. He is seen moving towards a parked motorcycle and within seconds there is an explosion.

'Humanized' Mice to help Scientists in Drug Tests

A graduate student from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a way to grow humanized liver cells inside mice and thereby potentially increasing the accuracy of drug tests conducted on the animals.

Although scientists commonly use mice for biomedical research, they are not always helpful for pharmaceutical testing. Because mouse livers react to drugs differently than human livers, they often can’t be used to predict whether a potential drug will be toxic to people.

The unique physiology of the human liver means that the toxicity of some candidate drugs is not picked up during preclinical tests in animals. But mice implanted with miniature human livers can mimic the ways in which the human body breaks down chemical compounds, to help spot potential problems before drugs are tested in humans.

To create this artificial liver, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US cultured human liver cells, called hepatocytes, in a controlled environment with other factors, such as mouse skin cells.

They then implanted the liver under the skin or inside the body cavity of mice, successfully recreating many of the functions of a human liver.

Previous efforts to create such humanized mice have involved injecting human cells into mice with damaged livers. As the human cells repair the damage, they take up residence the liver, but the process takes months to complete and the resulting livers contain a variable proportion of human cells. The new technique takes just a couple of weeks, making it easier for scientists to spot potential toxic side effects of drugs in animal models before moving to human trials, saving money and possibly avoiding unexpected health problems in clinical trials, the authors argue.

'Humanized' Mice to help Scientists in Drug Tests

A graduate student from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a way to grow humanized liver cells inside mice and thereby potentially increasing the accuracy of drug tests conducted on the animals.

Although scientists commonly use mice for biomedical research, they are not always helpful for pharmaceutical testing. Because mouse livers react to drugs differently than human livers, they often can’t be used to predict whether a potential drug will be toxic to people.

The unique physiology of the human liver means that the toxicity of some candidate drugs is not picked up during preclinical tests in animals. But mice implanted with miniature human livers can mimic the ways in which the human body breaks down chemical compounds, to help spot potential problems before drugs are tested in humans.

To create this artificial liver, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US cultured human liver cells, called hepatocytes, in a controlled environment with other factors, such as mouse skin cells.

They then implanted the liver under the skin or inside the body cavity of mice, successfully recreating many of the functions of a human liver.

Previous efforts to create such humanized mice have involved injecting human cells into mice with damaged livers. As the human cells repair the damage, they take up residence the liver, but the process takes months to complete and the resulting livers contain a variable proportion of human cells. The new technique takes just a couple of weeks, making it easier for scientists to spot potential toxic side effects of drugs in animal models before moving to human trials, saving money and possibly avoiding unexpected health problems in clinical trials, the authors argue.

Google Doodle celebrates 450th Anniversary of St. Basil's Cathedral

Google Doodle is back with a new celebration, internet search giant Google on Tuesday (12-July-2011) marks the 450th anniversary of Moscow's Saint Basil's Cathedral with a commemorative doodle on its home page.

Visitors to Google's home page will see an image of the cathedral integrated into Google's familiar logo.

Clicking on the logo will take the visitor to Google search results for St. Basil's Cathedral.

The Russian Orthodox church sits on Moscow's Red Square just yards from the Kremlin, and its distinctive onion domes have been a backdrop for military parades, concerts, New Year celebrations and Muscovites' wedding photos.

This is not the first time that Google featured the St. Basil’s Cathedral in the search engine’s patented Google Doodles. One of the best St. Basil’s Cathedral Google Doodle was featured on December 24th, 2010 alongside other Christmas-centric buildings, natural wonders and places around the world.

Google Doodle celebrates 450th Anniversary of St. Basil's Cathedral

Google Doodle is back with a new celebration, internet search giant Google on Tuesday (12-July-2011) marks the 450th anniversary of Moscow's Saint Basil's Cathedral with a commemorative doodle on its home page.

Visitors to Google's home page will see an image of the cathedral integrated into Google's familiar logo.

Clicking on the logo will take the visitor to Google search results for St. Basil's Cathedral.

The Russian Orthodox church sits on Moscow's Red Square just yards from the Kremlin, and its distinctive onion domes have been a backdrop for military parades, concerts, New Year celebrations and Muscovites' wedding photos.

This is not the first time that Google featured the St. Basil’s Cathedral in the search engine’s patented Google Doodles. One of the best St. Basil’s Cathedral Google Doodle was featured on December 24th, 2010 alongside other Christmas-centric buildings, natural wonders and places around the world.