Scientists at Tel Aviv University in collaboration with researchers at Harvard University have succeeded in tracking the progression of cell reprogramming (the process of coaxing adult cells to revert to an embryonic stem cell-like state, allowing scientists to later re-differentiate these cells into specific types with the potential to treat medical disorders). They used flourescent markers to develop their live imaging approach. During the reprogramming process, the team was able to visually track whole lineages of a cell population from their single-cell point of origin. Uniquely labeled inducible fibroblast populations during a reprogramming process (AFTAU) Cell lineage proved to be crucial for predicting how the cells would behave and whether or not they could be reprogrammed successfully, says Dr. Iftach Nachman of TAU's Department of Biochemistry. "By combining quantitative analysis of the data, we were able to see that these 'decisions' are made very early on. We analyzed the cells over time, and we were able to detect subtle changes that occur as early as the first or second day in a long, two-week process." While embryonic stem cells culled from live embryos can be manipulated to become new "replacement" tissues such as nerve or heart cells, these reprogrammed stem cells from adults represent a safer and ethically more responsible approach, some scientists believe. The next step for Dr. Nachman and his team is research into specific cell-type characteristics before adult cells even enter the reprogramming process. They will try to discover the molecular markers that differentiate between cells that successfully reprogram and those that do not. Several projects in their lab are now attempting to track different cell types and how they change under live imaging. More info: American Friends of Tel Aviv University news (Source: )

In the initial stages of sleep, energy levels increase dramatically in brain regions found to be active during waking hours, according to new research in the June 30 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. These results suggest that a surge of cellular energy may replenish brain processes needed to function normally while awake. Levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of cells, in rats increased in four key brain regions normally active during wakefulness. Shown here is the energy surge measured in the frontal cortex, a brain region associated with higher-level thinking. (Dworak et al. The Journal of Neuroscience 2010) The authors measured levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of cells, in rats. They found that ATP levels in four key brain regions normally active during wakefulness increased when the rats were in non-REM sleep, but were accompanied by an overall decrease in brain activity. When the animals were awake, ATP levels were steady. When the rats were gently nudged to stay awake three or six hours past their normal sleep times, there was no increase in ATP. The authors conclude that sleep is necessary for this ATP energy surge, as keeping the rats awake prevented the surge. The energy increase may then power restorative processes absent during wakefulness, because brain cells consume large amounts of energy just performing daily waking functions. More info: Society for Neuroscience news (Source: )

Researchers have found daydreaming to be remarkably common -- and often quite useful. A wandering mind can protect you from immediate perils and keep you on course toward long-term goals. Sometimes daydreaming is counterproductive, but sometimes it fosters creativity and helps you solve problems. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/science/29tier.html?ref=science)

UCSD computer-science professors have developed software that lets desktop computers continue to function in sleep mode; it could reduce the energy consumption of office networks by around 60 percent. Software running on a remote server maintains a version of each PC's operating systems and applications. The software, called SleepServer, carries on tasks on behalf of the desktop machine while it is put into a low-energy sleep mode. The energy savings come from the fact that each server can host up to 500 virtual machines. (Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/25677/?ref=rss&a=f)

Elisabeth Rieper at the National University of Singapore and colleagues have created a model that suggests that DNA may be held together by quantum entanglement. They say that one line of evidence for this is that a purely classical analysis of the energy required to hold DNA together does not add up, and an entanglement model plugs the gap. The entanglement may also have an influence on the way that information is read off a strand of DNA, and that it may be possible to exploit this experimentally. (Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25375/)

In the book Six intuitions you shouldn't trust, psychologists explain why they put a person in a gorilla suit in the middle of a basketball game -- and why people don't see it. So far, no researcher has found anything that solidly predicts who is going to see it and who is not. (Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627660.900-gorilla-psychologists-weird-stuff-in-plain-sight.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news)

Kansas State University researchers are exploring the use of iron-iron oxide nanoparticle-induced hyperthermia to overheat or bore holes through cancerous tissue to kill it. An organic coating attracts the cancer cells to the nanoparticles. An external alternating magnetic field then causes the particles to produce friction heat, which is transferred to the cancer cells' surrounding proteins, lipids and water, creating little hotspots. With enough hotspots the tumor cells are heated to death, preserving the healthy tissue. If the hotspots are not concentrated, the heat destroys the cell's proteins or lipid structures, dissolving the cell membrane. This creates a hole in the tumor and essentially stresses it to death. Dye enclosed in each nanoparticle's encapsulating sphere is then severed by enzymes and used to mark cancerous masses within the body. More info: Kansas State University news (Source: )

An experimental chip that could one day provide therapeutic deep brain stimulation (DBS) for drug resistant epilepsy and other conditions has been developed by Tel Aviv University researchers. The Rehabilitation Nano Chip (ReNaChip) is implanted under the scalp and connects to DBS electodes implanted in the brain of animal models to rehabilitate motor-learning functions lost due to brain damage. The researchers hope that as chips become smaller, the ReNaChip could be etched right onto the electrodes themselves. More info: American Friends of Tel Aviv University (Source: )

A miniature glider robot capable of jumping, gliding and perching for search and rescue or detection of forest fires have been designed by researchers at EPFL's Laboratory of Intelligent Systems. The robot is constructed with two spring-loaded arms fitted with pins that dig into the surface, whether it is wood or concrete. The arms snaps snap forward to provide soft deceleration of the glider and avoid mechanical damage. A remotely controlled mini-motor then detracts the pins and allows the robot to continue on its way. Developer Mirko Kovac, currently a post-doc at UC Berkeley, imagines swarms of his robots equipped with different sensors and small cameras that could be deployed over devastated areas to transmit essential information back to rescue command centers. The robot design is scalable, he says. More info: EPFL news (Source: )

SRI International is hoping to bring the concept of virtual personal assistants closer to reality. Recently, the institute has set its sights on the mobile phone and Web market, especially on creating applications that perform personal functions. SRI's newest venture: a Web-based personalized news feed, Chattertrap, that monitors what people are reading to learn what they like, and then serves up articles and links that suit their interests. Another recent project is a mobile application, Siri, that allows people to perform Web searches by voice on a cellphone, and was acquired by Apple. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/28/technology/28sri.html)

University of Leicester scientists have found one of the key proteins involved in the process of memory and learning: the M3-muscarinic receptor, which has to be activated in order for any memory to be laid down. Drugs designed to target this protein would be of benefit in treating Alzheimer's disease, the scientists suggest. (Source: http://www.physorg.com/news196925409.html)

A robot can that swim through sand and could help find people trapped in the loose debris resulting from an earthquake has been developed by researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and Northwestern University. The robot is made from seven aluminium segments linked by six motors, all clothed in spandex to prevent the motors from becoming jammed. It emulates the sandfish lizard, Scincus scincus. (Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627665.500-lizardlike-robot-can-swim-through-sand.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news)

Sal Khan is educating the globe for free. His 1,516 videotaped mini-lectures are transforming the former hedge fund analyst into a YouTube sensation, reaping praise from even reluctant students across the world. (Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_15339889?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com)

A cluster of carbon nanotubes coated with a thin layer of protein-recognizing polymer form a biosensor capable of using electrochemical signals to detect minute amounts of human ferritin proteins, Boston College researchers have found. The team used arrays of wire-like nanotubes coated with a non-conducting polymer coating capable of recognizing proteins with subpicogram per liter sensitivity. The biosensor could provide a crucial new diagnostic tool for the detection of a range of illnesses. The detection can be read in real time, instead of after days or weeks of laboratory analysis, meaning the nanotube molecular imprinting technique could pave the way for biosensors capable of detecting human papillomavirus or other viruses weeks sooner than available diagnostic techniques currently allow. More info: Boston College news (Source: )

ViaCyte (formerly Novocell) is developing an implant as a treatment for type 1 diabetes, using specially wrapped insulin-producing cells derived from embryonic stem cells can regulate blood sugar. (Viacyte) (Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25659/)

Emulating the efficient way that bacteria communicate with molecules, computer scientists are developing a mathematical theory of molecular communication based on a wetware model that includes quorum sensing and factors such as Brownian motion, the velocity of fluid flow, and the rate of molecular diffusion. (Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25365/)

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the brain boosts the language ability of patients with Alzheimer's disease, suggests preliminary research published online in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive technique that involves the delivery of a rapid succession of magnetic pulses in frequencies of up to 100 Hz. (Source: PhysOrg.com)

National Institute of Standards and Technology scientists have moved a step closer to developing a rapid diagnostic blood test that can scan for thousands of disease markers and other chemical indicators of health. The team reports it has learned how to decode the electrical signals generated by a nanopore -- a "gate" less than 2 nanometers wide in an artificial cell membrane. (NIST) (Source: http://www.physorg.com/news196591826.html)

Yale University researchers have built a functioning lung by growing cells on the skeleton of a donor lung. The engineered organ was transplanted in a live rat, where it exchanged carbon dioxide with oxygen in the blood--just as a normal lung would--for two hours. The study is the first proof that old lung scaffolds can be used as a scaffold on which new lung tissue can grow. A rat lung, grown from the scaffold of an old lung seeded with healthy cells, is mechanically ventilated in a bioreactor. (Thomas Petersen and Laura Niklason, Yale University) (Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25657/?a=f)

A host of companies -- AT&T, Microsoft, Google and startups -- are investing in services that hint at the concept of machines that can act on spoken commands. They go well beyond voice-enabled Internet search. Later this summer, a new model of the Ford Edge will recognize complete addresses, including city and state spoken in a single phrase, and respond by offering turn-by-turn directions. Certain emotions are now routinely detected at many call centers, by recognizing specific words or phrases, or by detecting other attributes in conversations. Voicesense, an Israeli developer of speech analysis software, has algorithms that measure a dozen indicators, including breathing, conversation pace and tone, to warn agents and supervisors that callers have become upset or volatile. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/science/25voice.html?ref=technology)