E-Pix

A plan for a global database of all human gene mutations has been announced in Australia. The Human Variome Project could allow doctors to rapidly diagnose patients with rare genetic conditions and could ultimately lead to new treatments for diseases.

The neurological basis for poor witness statements and hallucinations has been found by scientists at UCL (University College London). In over a fifth of cases, people wrongly remembered whether they actually witnessed an event or just imagined it, according to a paper published in NeuroImage this week.

“Crunch time” in our lives may mean no “break time.” While some people feel like they don’t have time between meetings, appointments, and chores throughout the day, researchers at the MIT say regular breaks are key to forming memories.

People have fewer close friends nowadays than two decades ago.

Scientists at Whitehead Institute have figured out how to repair that a key biological pathway and restore normal neurological function in certain animals. This pathway, when obstructed causes Parkinson’s symptoms. “For the first time we’ve been able to repair dopaminergic neurons.”

THE world’s oldest animal in captivity has died on the Sunshine Coast at the ripe old age of 176.
Giant Galapagos tortoise Harriet has died of a suspected heart attack.

She was a star attraction at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo since the 1980s and even features in the Guinness Book of Records for her longevity.

Doom and gloom for hubble fans? The Advanced Camera for Surveys is out of action with a power supply problem. NASA will spend the next week diagnosing the problem. The good news is that remain confident the camera can be fixed.

Alongside the submarines, ships and airplanes participating in large-scale military exercises in the Pacific this month, a team of sea lions and dolphins are expected to patrol the sea.These marine animals will be flown in from San Diego for simulated mine recovery and mine detection during the biennial RIMPAC war games.

Death rates after heart surgery are five times higher for patients who are given blood that has been stored for more than 31 days than for those given blood stored for 19 days or less

Stephen Hawking expressed concern about global warming Wednesday even as he charmed and provoked a group of Chinese students.