HOUSTON, May 15 (UPI) -- U.S. National Space Biomedical Research Institute scientists say they are studying the possible negative effects lunar dust may have on visiting astronauts.

NSBRI researchers Kim Prisk and Chantal Darquenne are evaluating how long exposure to deposits of the tiny particles of moon dust can affect an astronaut's lungs in a reduced gravity environment. The researchers say their findings will influence the design of lunar bases and could also provide benefits for healthcare on Earth, such as improved delivery of aerosol medications.

During the 1960s and 1970s Apollo lunar missions, dust particles were easily transported via spacesuits into the lunar lander following moonwalks, officials said. Although there were no known illnesses due to exposure, scientists said lunar dust is a concern because it has properties comparable to that of fractured quartz -- a highly toxic substance.

However, the Apollo flights lasted only a few days. During the proposed return to the moon, astronauts might be exposed to lunar dust during missions that could last months.

As for benefits on Earth, the scientists said their findings might lead to a better understanding of how the lungs work and how particles distribute within the lungs.

First-episode schizophrenia to be studied

BETHESDA, Md., May 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has announced a $9.8 million, five-year grant to study people suffering a first episode of schizophrenia.

The grant -- to the Zucker Hillside Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. -- is expected to help scientists identify biological, social and genetic factors that predict the disease's onset, course and response to treatment.

Schizophrenia is characterized by hallucinations, delusions, grossly disorganized conduct and profound social and occupational impairment. It affects about one in 100 people, and onset most frequently occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood.

"It is very important that we determine how we can best treat patients in the first episode so that they have a better chance of recovery," said John Kane, chairman of psychiatry at Zucker and director of the new center. "We have a major opportunity to turn the course of this disease around for millions of patients and their families."

The center will use scans to examine how groups of nerve cells in the brain change in response to treatment. Dr. Anil Malhotra, a co-director of the new center, will oversee genome studies to identify genetic markers that predict who are most likely to benefit from specific medications.

The molecule hydroxyl is detected on Venus

PARIS, May 15 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency said the molecule hydroxyl has been detected on another planet for the first time by its Venus Express spacecraft.

The ESA said hydroxyl, an important but difficult-to-detect molecule, consists of one hydrogen and one oxygen atom. It was detected in the upper reaches of the Venusian atmosphere, approximately 60 miles above the surface, by Venus Express's Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer, or VIRTIS.

Scientists said the molecule was discovered by turning the spacecraft away from the planet and looking along the faintly visible layer of atmosphere surrounding the planet's disc. The instrument detected the hydroxyl molecules by measuring the amount of infrared light they produce.

Venus Express showed the amount of hydroxyl at Venus is highly variable. It can change by 50 percent from one orbit to the next, possibly caused by differing amounts of ozone in the atmosphere.

"Venus Express has already shown us that Venus is much more Earth-like than once thought. The detection of hydroxyl brings it a step closer," said one of the principal investigators of the VIRTIS experiment, Giuseppe Piccioni of The Institute of Astrophysics in Rome.

The discovery is detailed in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters.

Genes in mice act differently in humans

ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 15 (UPI) -- Although mice are used in medical research since they share 85 percent of their genes with humans, a U.S. study suggests genes behave differently in mice.

University of Michigan evolutionary biologists Ben-Yang Liao and Associate Professor Jianzhi Zhang said their findings have serious implications for the use of mouse models in studying human disease.

"Everyone assumes deletion of the same gene in the mouse and in humans produces the same phenotype," said Zhang. "Our results show that may not always be the case."

Zhang and graduate student Liao focused their study on 120 so-called essential genes which, through their effects on survival or fertility, are necessary for organisms to reach sexual maturity and reproduce.

"To our surprise, 22 percent of the 120 human essential genes are non-essential in the mouse," Zhang said.

"If our sample is unbiased, our results will have some important implications," he said, noting people draw inferences about gene function by using information from other organisms. "We need to be careful doing this because … genes may have different functions or different importance in different species."

The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.