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New Clues To Origin Of Life - SpaceDaily  A new discovery of microbial activity in 3.5 billion-year-old volcanic rock and one of earth's earliest signs of geological existence sheds new light on the antiquity of life, says University of Alberta researchers who are part of a team that made the groundbreaking finding. This evidence of life in the basaltic glass on the seafloor comes in the form of textures produced by microbes as they dissolve the glass, said Banerjee. "These textures include channels or tubes produced by the microbe as it tunnels through the glass, possibly using the glass as a source of nutrients," he said.  Another interesting aspect to the research, said Muehlenbachs, is that the rock type they studied is the same as on the surface of Mars. "Martian rocks would also have glass that would retain a record of life activity-we could learn a lot from them as well."

Ancient Pebbles Provide New Details About Primeval Atmosphere - SpaceDaily  Analysis of 3.2-billion-year-old pebbles has yielded perhaps the oldest geological evidence of Earth's ancient atmosphere and climate. The findings, published in the April 15 issue of the journal Nature, indicate that carbon dioxide levels in the early atmosphere were substantially above those that exist today and above those predicted by other models of the early Earth. The research implies that carbon dioxide, perhaps aided by another greenhouse gas such as methane, helped to keep the planet warm enough for life to form and evolve.

Bone marrow stem cells help mend broken hearts  - Nature  Stem cell therapy might help repair ailing hearts, a clinical trial suggests. Researchers harvested stem cells from patients with cardiac failure, and then transplanted the cells into their damaged hearts. Six months later, the hearts functioned significantly better than those of patients who had not received the therapy. The results suggest that stem cell transplants are a good way to treat heart failure, researchers told the American Association for Thoracic Surgery meeting in Toronto this week. But the study will fuel the ongoing debate over the usefulness of stem cell therapy for cardiac problems. Animal and human studies have yielded conflicting results, leading some to question the effectiveness and safety of the technique. Patients received up to 30 injections into sites where there was obvious muscle damage. Subsequently, their hearts were able to pump more blood than those who had surgery alone. Critically, there seemed to be no side-effects or complications. Earlier this year, a stem cell trial in South Korea was halted after some heart attack patients began to develop abnormal growths in their arteries.

Alzheimer's Disease: : 

Biosciences:
5/2/2004: Officials Seize Giant Snails From Schools - ABC
5/2/2004: Carbon kitty's $50,000 price tag  - BBC
5/2/2004: Albatross punters can have a flutter - New Scientist
5/2/2004: Measurement Clarifies Role Between Protein Structure And Cell Adhesion - Science Daily
5/2/2004: Super Organics  - Wired News
5/2/2004: Fatherless Mice Muddy the Water  - Wired News
5/2/2004: EU paves way to end five-year ban on new GM foods... - FirstScience
5/2/2004: Genetic breakthroughs reported without hype: study... - FirstScience

Climate, Environment:
5/2/2004: Blair Warns on Climate Change As Threat - ABC
5/2/2004: Activists Targeting Jewelers, Miners - ABC
5/2/2004: Patagonian ice in rapid retreat  - BBC
5/2/2004: Blair - climate issue 'critical'  - BBC
5/2/2004: Enter The Dragon: ESA And China's Joint Earth Watch Begins - Science Daily
5/2/2004: Aircraft, Ground Instruments To Track Carbon Dioxide Uptake Along Colorado's Drought-Plagued Front Range - Science Daily
5/2/2004: Blair Backing Climate Change Group... - FirstScience
5/2/2004: Oz seizes Greenpeace ship over GE protest... - FirstScience
5/2/2004: Mozambique OKs greenhouse gas resolution... - FirstScience
5/2/2004: Earthtalk: In search of natural toothpaste and examining population trends... - FirstScience
5/2/2004: African heads of state meet open Niger River basin conference... - FirstScience
5/2/2004: Nations, scientists agree on global climate watch system... - FirstScience
5/2/2004: AD calls on government to plan ahead to reduce CO2 emissions... - FirstScience

Computers:
Devices
5/2/2004: Sony hit by drop in games sales  - BBC
5/2/2004: 'Fight Night 2004' a virtual knockout  - CNN  

Communications
5/2/2004: Cell Phones That Name That Unknown Tune - ABC
5/2/2004: BT broadband to reach almost all  - BBC
5/2/2004: Qwest to forgo link-up fee for some Web phone calls - Seattle Times
5/2/2004: Hold the Phone on Mobile Gambling  - Wired News

Technology
5/2/2004: Japanese joint venture to develop super capacitors  - El. Engr. Times
5/2/2004: Spinning Out Faster, Better Chips  - Wired News

PC's
5/2/2004: Buying Without Busting the Bank - ABC
5/2/2004: Samsung shows off displays  - C/Net
5/2/2004: Stepping out  - C/Net
5/2/2004: The Paper Killer  - Technology Review 

Internet
5/2/2004: NETI to examine net's strengths  - Wired News

Miscellaneous
5/2/2004: AOL updates its journal service  - C/Net
5/2/2004: Corporate computer security menace rising fast  - Nature

Energy:
5/2/2004: Mismatch Boosts Solar Efficiency  - Technology Review 

Health:
Cardiovascular
5/2/2004:  Co. Offers Guarantee on Hypertension Drug - ABC
5/2/2004: Bone marrow stem cells help mend broken hearts  - Nature
5/2/2004: Cholesterol Levels Fluctuate With The Seasons - Science Daily
5/2/2004: Science clearing the way for shift in fighting stroke... - USA Today

Cancer  
5/2/2004: UK lung deaths 'twice EU average'  - BBC
5/2/2004: How cancer cells cheat death  - BBC
5/2/2004: This Cancer Drug Has Hearts Racing - Business Week
5/2/2004: Cancer drug Tarceva improves patients' survival, study shows - Seattle Times

Infectious
5/2/2004: One of Two Chinese SARS Patients Recovers - ABC
5/2/2004: Hospitals Take Simple Steps Vs. Infection - ABC
5/2/2004: Gov't to Recommend Gonorrhea Treatment - ABC
5/2/2004: UK urged to spend more on Aids  - BBC
5/2/2004: SARS spreads in China  - Nature

Non-Infectious
5/2/2004: Drink binges put children in hospital  - BBC

Miscellaneous
5/2/2004: KFC Reportedly Changing Menu for Health - ABC
5/2/2004: Laser visionBeams directly into the eye could change how we view the world  - BBC
5/2/2004: 'Skin cell' bandages treat burns  - BBC
5/2/2004: Keyhole ops 'worse for hernias'  - BBC
5/2/2004: Parkinson's Drug Effective In Treating Restless Leg Syndrome - Science Daily
5/2/2004: Cellular Problems Found Behind Complex Obesity Syndrome - Science Daily
5/2/2004: Dietary Calcium Associated With Reduced Risk Of Kidney Stones In Younger Women - Science Daily

History, Anthropology:
5/2/2004: New Clues To Origin Of Life - SpaceDaily
5/2/2004: Ancient Pebbles Provide New Details About Primeval Atmosphere - SpaceDaily
5/2/2004: Slaves of New York: A burial site reveals the stories of those who helped build NYC  - BBC
5/2/2004: Underground maze crammed with mummies - New Scientist
5/2/2004: Dino hunts net rare raptor teeth  - BBC

Miscellaneous:
5/2/2004: 'Green' Record Key to Presidential Race? - ABC
5/2/2004: Is small beautiful?The Smart Car's bid to take on the big beasts on America's roads  - BBC
5/2/2004: Electronic identity: Would Italy's ID card scheme work in Britain?  - BBC
5/2/2004: U.S. Programmers: Bargains Go Begging - Business Week
5/2/2004: Following Every Link in the Food Chain - Business Week
5/2/2004: States outing tax evaders online  - CNN  
5/2/2004: E-voting developers on the defensive  - CNN  
5/2/2004: Leahy: Justice Department to probe leaked files  - CNN  
5/2/2004: Annuities likely to be caught up in scandal - Seattle Times

Neurosciences:
5/2/2004: Seize and Desist - ABC
5/2/2004: Video: Portrait of an Epileptic Child - ABC
5/2/2004: New Medications for Epilepsy - ABC
5/2/2004: Study: Brain sees others' mistakes as own  - CNN
5/2/2004: Brain Visualized In Real Time As Animal 'Smells' - Science Daily

Physics and Astronomy:

Prolongevity
5/2/2004: Living longer now: Will more older people swamp the pension and health system?  - BBC

Robotics:
5/2/2004: Robots readied to take on search-and-rescue duties  - El. Engr. Times

Space:
5/2/2004: Moon-Mars cost estimate is too high... - FirstScience

Technology:
5/2/2004: Climbing Lessons - ABC
5/2/2004: Getting Molecules to Do the Work - Business Week
5/2/2004: High-strength Aluminum Alloy Makes Outboard Motors Quieter And Cleaner - Science Daily
5/2/2004: Enzyme "Ink" Shows Potential For Nanomanufacturing - Science Daily
5/2/2004: Trimble and u-Nav To Develop Next Level of GPS for Portable Electronics - SpaceDaily