TOKYO (AFP) ― A Japanese stem-cell scientist accused of fabricating research has agreed to retract papers published in the respected journal Nature, an official said Wednesday. Haruko Obokata, 30, would withdraw two papers at the center of the controversy, according to a spokeswoman for Riken, the respected research institute that sponsored the study, marking a steep fall from grace for the young researcher.“We confirmed that she agreed to retract both articles,” the spokeswoman said. She added

LONDON (AP) ― Britain’s fertility regulator says controversial techniques to create embryos from the DNA of three people “do not appear to be unsafe” even though no one has ever received the treatment, according to a new report released Tuesday.The report based its conclusion largely on lab tests and some animal experiments and called for further experiments before patients are treated.“Until a healthy baby is born, we cannot say 100 percent that these techniques are safe,” said Dr. Andy Greenfi

GRANTS PASS, Oregon (AP) ― A new study suggests that steelhead trout can have trouble using the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate if they were raised in a hatchery, where the field can be distorted by iron pipes.Scientists at the Oregon Hatchery Research Center in Alsea raised two sets of fish: one outside the hatchery with a natural magnetic field, and one inside the hatchery, where instruments showed the field was distorted.Fish raised outside the hatchery oriented themselves to changes in th

Local researchers said Monday they have developed a low-cost screening system that may potentially help discover natural substances that will work as a substitute for materials related to neurotransmission like Botox.The study, led by a team of researchers from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, focuses on identifying the process of synaptic vesicle membrane fusion, which involves the synaptic vesicle and the neuron. The fusion secretes a neurotransmitter, the interaction of which

PARIS (AP) ― European teams say they are more prepared than ever for a hot and humid World Cup, training in saunas, planning to soak their jerseys in cold water before games and working with doctors to design the perfect hydration formula for each player.Even though the tournament is held in Brazil’s winter, stadiums in the tropical north will be warm, with temperatures often above 30 degrees Celsius. And many games will be played under the afternoon sun, so they can be broadcast in prime time i

SOREK, Israel (AP) ― After experiencing its driest winter on record, Israel is responding as never before ― by doing nothing.While previous droughts have been accompanied by impassioned public service advertisements to conserve, this time around it has been greeted with a shrug ― thanks in large part to an aggressive desalination program that has transformed this perennially parched land into perhaps the most well-hydrated country in the region.“We have all the water we need, even in the year wh

HONG KONG (AFP) ― A Japanese scientist and a German-born biophysicist were on Tuesday named joint winners of the prestigious $1 million Shaw Prize for their pioneering research into molecular production.Kazutoshi Mori and Peter Walter received Asia’s highest scientific honor in recognition of their contribution to the understanding of how several diseases can be better treated, organizers said. Mori, a molecular biologist at Japan’s Kyoto University, and Walter, a professor at the University of

Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have crossed a new threshold, the U.N.’s weather agency says, highlighting the urgency of curbing man-made, climate-altering greenhouse gases.In April, for the first time, the mean monthly carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere topped 400 parts per million throughout the northern hemisphere, which pollutes more than the south, the World Meteorological Organization said.“This should serve as yet another wakeup call about the constantly rising leve

LONDON (AP) ― Doctors in Italy have designed a miniature dialysis machine for babies, used for the first time last year to save a newborn girl, according to a new report.Usually, doctors adapt standard dialysis machines for babies, but that can be risky since the devices can’t always be accurately tweaked. About 1 to 2 percent of hospitalized infants have kidney problems that may require dialysis, which cleans toxins from the blood when the kidneys aren’t working.“Only a small number of (babies)

SYDNEY (AFP) ― Australian researchers are working on fighting out-of-control bushfires with explosives, likening the process of using the soundwave produced by a blast to blowing out a candle.Graham Doig of Sydney’s University of New South Wales has been examining how blasts can extinguish fires, a technique sometimes used on oil well blazes. In one test, Doig detonated an explosion inside a 4-meter steel tube to produce a shockwave and rush of air aimed at a meter-high flame fueled by a propane