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A.
Exceptional Eruption on Jupiter's Moon, Io
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Routine monitoring of volcanic
activity on Jupiter's moon, Io, on the Keck II telescope
in Hawaii, has turned up the largest eruption to
date on Io's surface or in the solar system. Franck
Marchis, a researcher in the department of astronomy
at the University of California, Berkeley, co-led
the group that witnessed the eruption.
Marchis:
It's an amazing result because in two days it seems
that we saw a volcanic eruption, which cover an area
that is larger than the city of London. And this eruption
is much more powerful, much more energetic, than any
eruption you have on Earth.
Narrator:
Remarkably, Marchis' team witnessed the eruption
just ten minutes before Io rotated into the shadow
of Jupiter and blocked their view. Despite this
pressure, they were able to collect significant
data.
Marchis:
We can calculate what we call the thermal output,
that means the amount of energy which is emitted
by the volcano, and it's a thousand times higher
than the brightest eruption seen on Earth by human.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
Scientists Identify A 'Master' Molecule in the Cell
Nucleus
Narrator:
This is Science Today. A 'master' molecule in the
cell nucleus that affects enzymes and controls hundreds
of different genes has been identified by University
of California, San Francisco scientists. Researcher
Erin O'Shea says although their findings are based
on studies of yeast, this same molecule is present
in all higher organisms - including humans.
O'Shea: Why is it that there
are proteins that are related between these two very
different organisms? I think that the similarity in
the protein simply reflects the underlying similarity
in the organization of the cell and the fundamental
cell biological processes - like DNA replication,
like cell division.
Narrator: The fact that this 'master'
molecule controls activities like cell division and
transcription is especially exciting because those
same actions are involved in cancer.
O'Shea:
So one avenue we're pursuing is trying to understand
the details - the mechanism of how this molecule really
controls the transcriptional process.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
Holiday Tips for Stressed-out Parents
Narrator:
This Science Today. Festive decorations, culinary
feasts and exchanging presents are some of the family
rituals that are hallmarks of the holiday season.
But in households where both parents work long hours
outside of the home, balancing the demands of work,
family and upcoming holiday expectations can be very
stressful. University of California, Davis child development
expert, Brenda Bryant, explains.
Bryant:
If you've grown up in a family where the mother
was at home, you may have a different kind of holiday
than you will plan if you have both adults working
outside the home.
Narrator:
Bryant says in stressed-out working families, it's
a good idea to try and plan ahead.
Bryant:
I recommend, particularly families that have a major
portion of their lives are connected with their work,
to really sit down and talk about this. Setting your
rituals that match what you can do and still have
fun and still have a memory that you're not so overworked
that you can hardly remember what had gone on.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
Brain Perception and the Weighted Average
Narrator:This
is Science Today. According to researchers at the
University of California, Berkeley, when the human
brain is presented with conflicting information about
an object from different senses, it finds a remarkably
efficient way to sort out the discrepancies. Martin
Banks, professor of optometry and psychology, explains
how your brain splits the difference to create a single
mental image.
Banks:
What the brain always does is a weighted average.
So it always takes what the eyes see and what the
hand feels and it just averages the two to get a result.
Narrator:
In
other cases, when the brain receives conflicting information
from the same sense, it will go with the weighted
average.
Banks:
So
that's what kind of convinced us then that the brain
is really combining these two cues, and once it does
that, it's basically just throwing away the cues.
It just keeps that combined representation.
Narrator:
Understanding this type of brain function is a first
step towards developing programs that integrate virtual
reality technology, including those used by surgeons.
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
Botox: A Little Goes a Long Way
Narrator:
This is Science Today. More people - especially women
- are turning to Botox, an injectable cosmetic procedure,
to erase furrowed brows and look younger. Botox works
by essentially paralyzing the muscles that cause wrinkles
and according to Dr. Richard Glogau, a dermatologist
at the University of California, San Francisco, the
drug's effect lasts about three to four months.
Glogau:
With repeated treatment, there is a tendency to
lengthen the time because quite honestly, your brain
kind of forgets how to frown after a while. So not
infrequently, we see people that go out five, six
months in between treatments - but that's about it.
So there's an investment in terms of money and time
to get that effect.
Narrator:
Glogau reminds potential patients that a little Botox
goes a long way …
Glogau:
One problem I have is I see too many patients
that have been over-treated. They've had way too much
done, they have a mask-like appearance and I try to
tell patients all the time that the best results with
Botox come with a little less.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
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