98302
submission
bennett77 writes:
What looks like an upside-down
rainbow is actually a rare atmospheric spectacle called a circumzenithal
arc. According to the San Francisco Chronicle: its an unusual
phenomenon caused by sunlight shining through a thin, invisible screen of tiny
ice crystals high in the sky and has nothing at all to do with the rain.
74124
submission
mattnyc99 writes:
A new report by the National Research Council warns that, by 2010, the number of NASA's Earth-observing missions will drop dramatically, and the number of operating sensors and instruments on NASA spacecraft will decrease by 40 percent. From the report: "The United States' extraordinary foundation of global observations is at great risk." So what does it all mean? Popular Mechanics asks an MIT professor involved in the findings.
74118
submission
supermegadope writes:
From the article. at http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNew s/20070116/cancer_dca_070116/20070116?hub=Canada
""I think DCA can be selective for cancer because it attacks a fundamental process in cancer development that is unique to cancer cells," said Dr. Evangelos Michelakis, a professor at the University of Alberta department of medicine and a key study author.
The molecule appears to repair the damage that cancer cells cause to mitochondria, the units that convert food into energy."
"In addition, because DCA has been used in both healthy people and ailing patients with mitochondrial diseases, researchers know it is a relatively non-toxic molecule that can be immediately tested in patients with cancer.
The compound, which is sold both as powder and as a liquid, is widely available at chemistry stores.
Furthermore, the compound is not patented, nor is it owned by any drug firm, so it would be an inexpensive drug to administer.
However, because DCA is not patented, Michelakis expressed concern that it may be difficult to find funding from private investors to test the compound in clinical trials. "
