Monday, March 2nd, 2009
Gizmorama -
“The Cutting Edge of Science Fact and Science Possibilities”
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Good Morning,
A U.S.-Australian study has determined high humidity
levels, through a process called water vapor feedback,
can aggravate global warming…..
Until Tomorrow,
Erin
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Needle exchange cuts disease spread
The health minister of Canada’s Saskatchewan Province
says he would like to see a better return rate on the
province’s needle exchange program. Health Minister
Don McMorris says while the program is helping reduce
the spread of blood-borne diseases, the 90 percent re-
turn rate on needles could be improved, the Regina
(Saskatchewan) Leader-Post newspaper reported Wednes-
day. A 100-page review of the program noted that all
discarded needles aren’t necessarily ones that were
provided by the exchange. The government ordered a
review of the program last summer following complaints
about the number of needles found littering the ground
after the spring thaw. McMorris says a committee has
been formed to look at the possibility of differentia-
ting needle exchange needles from others. It is also
charged with developing a way to track the distribu-
tion of needles, the Leader-Post said. Saskatchewan
has an estimated 5,000 injection drug users.
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Study: Humidity expands global warming
A U.S.-Australian study has determined high humidity
levels, through a process called water vapor feedback,
can aggravate global warming. Texas A&M University
Professor Andrew Dessler says warming due to increases
in greenhouse gases will lead to higher humidity in
the atmosphere. And because water vapor itself is a
greenhouse gas, this will cause additional warming.
“It’s a vicious cycle,” said Dessler. “Warmer tempera-
tures mean higher humidity, which in turn leads to
even more warming. For years, there was a debate over
this mechanism, with some even questioning if the
water vapor feedback existed at all. But recent work
on this feedback has moved its existence and strength
beyond argument.” He said estimates of significant
global warming suggest the Earth will warm from 2 to
4 degrees Celsius (4 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit) during
the next 100 years — a scenario that could have
devastating long-term consequences. “Everything shows
that the climate models are probably getting the water
vapor feedback right, which means that unless we re-
duce emissions, it is going to get much, much warmer
on our planet by the end of the century,” he said.
The research by Dessler and co-author Steven Sherwood
of the Climate Change Research Center at the
University of New South Wales appears in the Feb. 20
issue of Science magazine.
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Study: Capsaicin can cause, relive pain
U.S. scientists have discovered the mechanism that al-
lows capsaicin to be both an irritant causing a burning
sensation as well as acting as an analgesic. University
of Buffalo researchers said capsaicin creams are natural
pain-relieving folk medicines, effective for a variety
of pain syndromes. Now the scientists have linked those
analgesic effects of capsaicin to a lipid called PIP2 in
the cell membranes. The researchers led by Associate
Professor Feng Qin said capsaicin works by stimulating
a receptor on nerve endings in the skin, generating the
sensation of pain. “The receptor acts like a gate to
the neurons,” said Qin. “When stimulated it opens, let-
ting outside calcium enter the cells until the receptor
shuts down, a process called desensitization. The anal-
gesic action of capsaicin is believed to involve this
desensitization process. However, how the entry of cal-
cium leads to the loss of sensitivity of the neurons
was not clear.” The authors found the receptor remains
fully functional after desensitization. “What changed
was the responsiveness threshold,” said Qin. “This
property, called adaptation, would allow the receptor
to continuously respond to varying stimuli over a
large capsaicin concentration range.” The researchers,
including post doctoral student Jin Yao, said their
findings — published in the journal PLoS Biology –
have implications for pain-sensation mechanisms as
well as clinical applications.