Non-invasive blood test for colon cancer
BALTIMORE, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Researchers in Baltimore, Md., have developed a blood test that detects and quantifies mutations in colon cancer genes at early disease stages.
While many cancers, including those of the colon, are curable if found early, the lack of sensitive, non-invasive screening tools for early stage cancers has limited progress in that area.
To develop a non-invasive blood test for colon cancer-associated genes, Bert Vogelstein and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University modified a technique they previously developed to measure minute quantities of mutant DNA molecules in blood plasma.
Using that technique, the researchers found elevated levels of mutated adenomatous polyposis coli gene in the plasma of patients with advanced-stage colorectal cancers. Mutant genes also were detected in more than 60 percent of patients with early-stage cancers.
Scientists say the results may provide a foundation for a colon cancer screening tool for pre-symptomatic, at-risk populations and might also be adapted for several other cancer types for which there are no pre-symptomatic screening tests available.
The research appears in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Body language more expressive than faces
TILBURG, Netherlands, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Body language can shape first impressions of a person's emotional state, even when attention is focused on facial expression, Netherlands scientists said.
Tilburg University researcher Beatrice de Gelder and colleagues compiled photographs of men and women showing fear or anger in their facial expressions and body postures. Some photographs were altered so, for instance, a fearful facial expression was paired with an angry body posture, which resulted in two "congruent" and two "incongruent" combinations.
Each photograph was shown to 12 participants while measuring their electrical brain activity. Participants were asked to focus on the face in the photographs and decide whether the person was angry or fearful. The photographs were shown briefly, so only a "first impression" glance was possible.
Researchers found when the face and body in the photograph showed conflicting emotions, the participants' judgment of facial expression was hampered and became biased toward the emotion expressed by the body.
The results suggest the brain possesses a neural mechanism sensitive to the agreement between facial expression and body language and can evaluate that information very quickly.
The research is detailed in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Mars: Ready for its close-up
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Astronomers are preparing for a special event Saturday night when Mars reportedly will make its second closest approach to Earth in 59,619 years.
Mars will pass 43.1 million miles from Earth about 11:25 p.m. EDT on Oct. 29 -- the nearest Mars has come to our planet since its record-breaking approach August 27, 2003, when it passed Earth by only 34.7 million miles, Sky & Telescope magazine reported. The best news is for Marswatchers at the latitudes of North America and Europe. In 2003, Mars was too far south in the sky at those locations for amateur telescope users to get a good view. But this year Mars is farther north and rises higher in the sky, affording a sharper and cleaner view, the magazine said.
Mars will be at opposition -- opposite the sun in our sky -- Nov. 7, meaning it will then rise at sunset and set at sunrise.
No winner in 'space elevator' competition
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- It sounds like science fiction, but a competition was held during the weekend for the design of a "space elevator."
A three-day competition at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., ended Sunday, but with no winner.
Competitors tried to design a "space elevator"' -- a platform rising above the Earth's atmosphere along a super-strong ribbon of carbon nanotubes. The elevator would carry cargo into space at a much lower price than do rockets today.
The seven "robot climbers'' entered in the competition didn't ascend more than a few dozen feet up a tether attached to a giant crane, the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News reported, therefore none performed well enough to win the $50,000 grand prize.
But the Mercury News noted the competitors broke a barrier of sorts by proving the idea is not just science-fiction fantasy.
Two teams developed space elevators that were able to rise along the tether using power converted from spotlights.
"It was amazing to watch these silent machines gliding on light,'' said Marc Schwager of the Spaceward Foundation, which organized the competition. "Two college teams came in and showed industry how to build a space elevator."
