Study: World is undergoing mass extinction
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say the Earth is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction of plants and animals, with nearly 50 percent of all species disappearing.
Biologists at the University of California-Santa Barbara say they are working to determine which species must be saved.
"The current extinction event is due to human activity, paving the planet, creating pollution, many of the things that we are doing today," said study co-author Assistant Professor Bradley Cardinale. "The Earth might well lose half of its species in our lifetime. We want to know which ones deserve the highest priority for conservation."
Cardinale said the last mass extinction near the current level, the Cretaceous Tertiary extinction, occurred about 65 million years ago when a meteor struck the Earth. It's best known for causing the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs, as well as numerous plant species.
"Given that we are losing species from ecosystems around the world, we need to know which species matter the most and which we should pour our resources into protecting," said first author Marc Cadotte.
Cadotte, Cardinale and co-author Associate Professor Todd Oakley report their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
New ALS research findings are reported
BALTIMORE, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've found transplanting a new line of stem cell-like cells in rat models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis can help sustain breathing.
Johns Hopkins researchers said targeted cell delivery to the cervical spinal cord is a promising strategy to slow loss of motor neurons in ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
The scientists said such stem cell-like transplants in the rat models clearly shifted key signs of neurodegenerative disease in general and ALS in particular, slowing the animals' neuron loss and extending life.
The finding, the scientists said, supports the hypothesis that artificially outnumbering unhealthy cells with healthy ones in targeted parts of the spinal cord preserves limb strength and breathing and can increase survival.
The research is reported online in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
NASA holds $2M lunar lander competition
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Nine teams with rocket-powered vehicles will compete for $2 million in prize money this week during the U.S. space agency's Lunar Lander Challenge.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's 2008 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge will be Friday and Saturday at Las Cruces International Airport in New Mexico.
"Teams must fly their vehicle, simulating a takeoff and landing on the moon and repeat the task in a limited period of time," NASA said. "The competition provides a demanding test of navigation and control for the vehicles, as well as a demonstration of reusable rocket engine technology."
NASA provides the prize money for the competition as one of its seven Centennial Challenges events that are offered to independent inventors who work without government support, including small businesses, study groups and individuals.
Microparticles may bolster heart function
ATLANTA, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they've developed tiny polymer, drug-embedded microparticles that might aid patients who have suffered a heart attack.
Researchers at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology said the tiny polymer beads can slowly release anti-inflammatory drugs and break down into non-toxic components. When injected into rats' hearts after a simulated heart attack, the drug-embedded "microparticles" reduced inflammation and scarring, they said.
The scientists found injecting the particles could cut the area of scar tissue formed after the heart attack in half and boost the ability of the heart to pump blood by 10 percent weeks later.
The research that included Assistant Professors Michael Davis and Niren Murthy and graduate student Jay Sy is reported in the October-November issue of Nature Materials.
