Many scientists think of the brain as the original “information superhighway” with its cells hooked together something like a vast telecommunications system, but there apparently is more to it than that.
Two California researchers have demonstrated that brain cells use wireless communications to talk to one another as well.
Writing in the journal Science, Daniel Madison of Stanford University and Erin Schuman of the California Institute of Technology describe experiments that found electrical stimulation to one brain cell in a rat produced similar but lesser stimulation to nearby cells with no direct physical connection to the original cell.
“Instead of depending only on direct connections-which could be seen as the equivalent of telephone lines-to get their messages out, it looks as though brain cells can function as loudspeakers, sending out broadcasts and influencing their whole neighborhood,” Madison said.
The researchers suspect that cells release chemicals, perhaps nitric oxide for one, that let their neighbors know what’s happening to them.
CHEAPER TITANIUM MAY BE ON THE WAY
Titanium is lightweight, corrosion-resistant and extremely expensive, so use of the metal has been restricted to high-performance applications such as artificial hip implants and airplane parts.
That could change if research at the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory pans out. The new technology replaces the complex, many-step method of processing titanium with a simpler, cheaper process.
The new process heats a titanium compound until the atoms, which are usually titanium and chlorine, break apart. The plasma is then cooled rapidly before other elements can recombine with titanium.
Scientists hope their research can be developed into an industrial process that could produce titanium at costs low enough so that it could be used to make lighter automobiles that would get better gas mileage.
MILKY WAY MAY CONTAIN IMPORTED STARS
Our galaxy, the Milky Way, may not be the uniform subdivision of the universe that most scientists envision, say researchers from the Carnegie Institution and Michigan State University.
Instead of being formed all at one time, the Milky Way may have started as a smaller aggregation of stars that has annexed its smaller neighboring galaxies from time to time, the physicists argued in a paper presented at a meeting in Arlington, Va., to the American Astronomical Society.
Evidence for this scenario lies in several stars seen in the Milky Way that seem to be low on “metal” elements such as oxygen, iron and calcium that are commonly found in stars. Lacking these elements suggests the stars were formed long ago in a relatively pristine environment, but the stars in question appear to be so massive as to suggest they are fairly young.
“The pieces just didn’t fit,” said Timothy Beers, a Michigan State astronomer. “I believe the answer is that these metal-poor stars were born in a different galaxy.”
Beers and his colleagues plan to construct computer simulations of galaxies colliding to see if the outcomes support their theory.
ADVICE TO PARENTS ON THUMB-SUCKING KIDS
In North America, about one young child in five is a thumb-sucker, researchers from the Mayo Clinic report in the Journal of Dentistry for Children.
Experts have disagreed as to why youngsters suck their thumbs, fingers or other objects, report Dr. Brent Larson, a Mayo orthodontist, and Dr. Eric Johnson, a former Mayo orthodontic resident who now practices in Pocatello, Idaho.
Studies found no evidence of thumb-sucking among 1,000 Eskimo children in the Canadian Arctic. Other studies found that among American children older than 2, girls are far more likely to be thumb-suckers than boys.
No relationship has been found linking the method babies are fed-breast or bottle-with thumb-sucking. Also no link was found between colic and thumb-sucking.
If a child persists in sucking beyond the age of 4, it can lead to problems with the development of the teeth and face. Larson and Johnson suggest having a physician or dentist inform a child about the potential problems from prolonged thumb-sucking. A low-key approach is best, they say.
“Don’t make too big a deal out of it too early,” Larson said. “It is a natural thing. And emphasize the positive.”
BIODIVERSITY HELPS SPECIES PROSPER
Among environmentalists’ fundamental tenets is the notion that when it comes to plants and animals, the more the merrier, and species should be protected on general principles.
Now a study in the journal Nature provides some evidence backing the value of biodiversity. David Tilman of the University of Minnesota and John Downing of the University of Montreal carried out their studies on 207 test plots of Minnesota prairie, studying each plot through several years of drought in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
There were 1 to 26 species growing in the various plots. The researchers examined the productivity of each plot by weighing the amount of vegetation growing there.
They found that plots with seven or more plant species fared well during the drought, but those with fewer did poorly. Most species-rich plots lost an average of half their vegetation growth during the droughts; some species-poor plots lost nearly 90 percent.
“The more species you have,” Tilman said, “the more likely some will be resistant to drought or other stresses. The resistant ones will grow and take the place of those harmed by the stress. We should preserve biodiversity because it’s nature’s insurance policy against catastrophes. Today, humans are greatly decreasing biodiversity, not just in the tropics but in our own back yards. This loss of species has serious long-term implications for the Earth. Our habitats are becoming more susceptible to insects, disease, fire, drought and the like.”
WHAT’S IN THE FRIDGE PROVES A HEAVY STUDY
The question, “what’s in the fridge?” has taken on a new meaning for scientists at the United States Bureau of Mines, where they have begun analyzing the contents of refrigerators, washing machines and other major household appliances.
The scientists estimate that nearly 400 million household appliances now in use in the United States contain some 34 million tons of steel, 1 million tons of copper and 1.2 million tons of aluminum. Only about 7 percent of discarded appliances are recycled, a figure kept low, in part, by the difficulty of separating component materials.
THERE MAY BE SOMETHING TO THAT LEECH CURE
Lessons learned from the practice of applying leeches to patients are making their way closer to modern application.
A protein isolated from the saliva of bloodsucking leeches has passed its first test as a potential clot-busting drug. Leeches, some bats and other creatures that bite animals to suck their blood have drawn scientific interest because they must produce anti-clotting agents in their saliva to keep blood flowing.
Preliminary studies published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association, suggest that hirudin, an anti-clotting agent in leech saliva, may be safely administered to patients with heart disease.
Later studies will determine the agent’s effectiveness in preventing formation of coronary artery clots that can trigger heart attacks.
IT’S NOT THE FLOSS, IT’S THE FLOSSING
Flossing your teeth will improve dental health and help prevent tooth loss no matter what kind of floss you use, a study reports in Clinical Preventive Dentistry.
Volunteers in the study compared a traditional waxed nylon floss with a new floss material engineered to be less likely to fray. The researchers at the University of Buffalo found no significant difference in the ability of either type of floss to remove plaque from around teeth and gums.
The best kind of floss is whatever a person prefers to use, concluded the researchers led by Dr. Sebastian Ciancio, periodontics chairman at the dental school.
