On the radar

News from the world of science

Satellite down

A satellite mission launched by NASA to observe Earth and gather data about climate came to an abrupt end last week when the Glory satellite failed to reach orbit after it launched.

It appears a protective shell, or fairing, on top of the satellite’s rocket did not separate as expected, according to a short statement on the space agency’s website.

“The launch proceeded as planned, from its liftoff at 5:09am EST through the ignition of the Taurus XL’s second stage,” it stated. “However, the fairing failure occurred during the second stage engine burn. It is likely the spacecraft fell into the South Pacific, although the exact location is not yet known.”

New hope for Alzheimer’s 

New research in mice suggests that the liver may be a source of a protein that forms brain plaques in Alzheimer’s disease.

The US study, published online in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, suggests that in a mouse model of Alzheimer's, beta-amyloid protein may originate in the liver then circulate through the blood to the brain.

“This unexpected finding holds promise for the development of new therapies to fight Alzheimer’s,” said researcher Greg Sutcliffe from The Scripps Research Institute, who led the study with company ModGene. “This could greatly simplify the challenge of developing therapies and prevention.”

 “No. No, no, no. No no no no no no no no. No, no. No.”

- Blogger and biologist PZ Myers (scienceblogs.com/ pharyngula) makes his position clear on the question: did scientists discover bacteria in meteorites? following a widely covered news story