Thursday, May 22, 2008

2008: May 22nd Good News (New Parkinsons Disease Advances; Pittsburg Student's Environmental Film Wins Festival Prize, more...)

Good Morning All,

So, I'm feeling a little glum. This probably has to do with sleep deprivation, and the fact that I didn't get the score I was hoping for on my recent test. Bummer. I have to wait 6 months to retest.

Anyway, here's the good news for today. :) Send me a comment (at the bottom of this post).
See you tomorrow.



Today's Top 5:
1. Neural Cell Transplants May Help Those with Parkinson's Disease (Science Daily)
2. Student's Environmental Film Wins Festival Prize (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
3. Oregano Oil Works as Well as Synthetic Insecticides Against Beetles (Environmental News Network)
4. Senegalese Fishermen Save Dozens of Stranded Whales (PlanetArk.org)
5. Runners don't Always Stop when they're Pregnant:
Risks exist, but advocates believe it's healthy for mom and baby (Tennissean.com)


Honorable Mentions:
1. Teen Construction Worker Wins $35M (Fox Carolina)
2. Celery, Green Peppers may Help Brain (United Press International)
3. King Hands Mathematics Prize to US and French Mathematicians (Earth News)
4. The Queen Goes Green with World's Largest Wind Turbine (Reuters)
5. Supernova Caught Exploding on Camera (Yahoo News)






Today's Top 5:


1. Neural Cell Transplants May Help Those with Parkinson's Disease
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519083013.htm
ScienceDaily
May 22, 2008

The current issue of CELL TRANSPLANTATION (Vol. 17:4) features a number of publications by researchers seeking new ways to treat Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurological disease characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor and slowed physical movements related to insufficient levels of dopamine (DA) in the basal ganglia of the brain, by using primate models to examine the potential therapy role of transplanted cells.

One research team looked at the ability of human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) as a potential therapy when hNPCs were engineered to produce glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the brain following hNPC transplants.

"Localized delivery is essential for aiming therapeutic molecules when treating neurodegenerative disorders," said Maria Emborg, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "There are currently a number of clinical trials underway using direct gene therapy approaches to deliver potent trophic factors throughout the basal ganglia."

Emborg and colleagues report that hNPCs genetically modified to over-express GDNF were able to survive transplant and produced GDNF for three months, and that functional recovery in test animals increased while no obvious negative side effects from the transplant procedure were observed.

An international team of researchers from the University of Kentucky Medical Center and the Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shangdong, PR of China, are studying the neurorestorative effects of the exogenous protein neurturin (NTN), another member of the GDNF family. They found that the protein may have beneficial effects on PD as their results showed some restorative influences after cell transplantation.

"Tissue distribution of trophic factor is a critical variable to achieve optimal effects on dopamine function and promote behavioral improvement," said corresponding author Richard Grondin, PhD of the University of Kentucky. "The volume of GDNF distribution in the trophic factor recipients significantly correlated with motor function improvements. Tissue distribution may not have been optimal with NTN, but the overall effects of NTN on motor and dopaminergic function suggest potential therapeutic uses."

According to Zhiming Zhang, M.D. corresponding author and colleagues from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, the need is great for longitudinal noninvasive, highly sensitive imaging techniques to monitor treatment for PD. Their study reports on attempts at monitoring GDNF-induced functional changes in the basal ganglia using pharmacological MRI (phMRI) to measure response to dopamine. The aim is to eventually be able to visualize changes in the living brains of PD patients.

"Our hypothesis was that phMRI techniques combined with selective dopaminergic agents could monitor PD treatment," said Zhang. "GDNF has been proven to halt or reverse progressive degeneration of the nigrostriatal DA system in models of PD. The ability to reliably monitor therapeutic effects would provide valuable information in assessing the progression of PD."

In their study, Zhang, et al found that phMRI "showed its potential" by detecting functional changes before and after infusion with GDNF. These changes were also accompanied by improvements in motor function.

Transplantation of dopamine neurons as therapy for PD has been tested recently. Researchers sought to answer questions about where to place the transplanted neurons to gain the best environment for the optimal effect. One research team found that grafted dopamine neurons could "extend neurites toward a desired target over several millimeters through the brain in animal models..." which favors the prospect of "circuit reconstruction from grafted neurons placed at appropriate locations in the neural circuitry."

According to corresponding author John Sladek, PhD of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, there have always been questions about the regenerative capacity of mammalian neurons. One point at issue was the need to provide a "neuronal microenvironment that would be more conducive for regulated neurological control of DA production and release by the grafted neurons," said Sladek.

Test results suggested that substantia nigra grafts could send targeted DA neurons to a location where they could survive and extend neurites over longer distances.

"Survival of the grafts and extension of the axons is of importance because it positions the DA neurites to grow in a trajectory toward the striatum, using the striatal grafts as an attractant," concluded Sladek.

"Taking these four papers together we can see that primate studies are helping to elucidate the likelihood of favorable outcomes following stem cell transplantation with respect to route of administration, possible modes of action and the ability to track the effects." said Jeffrey Kordower, PhD of the Rush University Medical Center, Chicago and guest editor of this special meeting issue of CELL TRANSPLANTATION.

Adapted from materials provided by Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.




2. Student's Environmental Film Wins Festival Prize
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08143/883599-298.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml
Thursday, May 22, 2008
It's been quite a week for Mt. Lebanon High School senior Austin Wright.

First, there was the long-awaited premiere Sunday of the movie "Every 15 Minutes," a documentary on the dangers of drinking and driving which was produced by Austin and worked on by a group of more than 50 other Mt. Lebanon High School students.

Then, came the news that he will be featured in a U.S. News & World Report article in the May 26 edition.

"So much is happening right now," said Austin, 18.

The article, which is already available online at www.usnews.com, is about Pittsburgh high school students entering an environmental film festival sponsored by Bayer Corp. and the Carnegie Science Center's SciTech Initiative.

Austin's video, "Stop Waiting for the World to Change," won the narrative prize in the festival called the Creating Awareness and Understanding of Our Surrounding Environment Challenge High School Film Festival.

He was one of eight Mt. Lebanon students to enter the contest. The article also mentions Austin's "Every 15 Minutes" video and it includes information about "the thriving television program" at Mt. Lebanon High School and Robert Rosen, its teacher.

The message of Austin's environmental film is that saving the environment doesn't have to come from extreme measures, but from simple steps such as holding a yard sale or using recycling containers.

Austin will attend the University of Arizona next year where he plans to study journalism.

-- By Mary Niederberger

First published on May 22, 2008 at 12:00 am




3. Oregano Oil Works as Well as Synthetic Insecticides Against Beetles
http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/36685
From: Society of Chemical Industry
Published May 22, 2008 08:28 AM

New research in the Society of Chemical Industry’s Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture shows that oregano oil works as well as synthetic insecticides to combat infestation by a common beetle, Rhizoppertha dominica, found in stored cereals.

Not only does oregano oil work as well as synthetic versions but it has none of the associated side effects of synthetic insecticides on the environment.

Growing resistance to synthetic insecticides combined with potential environmental damage and new government directives on changes to the way chemicals are registered means that scientists are increasingly looking at natural alternatives that can be produced in the large scale quantities needed for agricultural industry use.

Oregano, a member of the Lamiaceae family of plants, has long been renowned as a natural insecticide. It appears to work by inhibiting egg laying and larval development but this is the first time it has been looked at as a viable alternative for synthetic insecticides.

Dr Chahrazed Boutekedjiret and her team from the National Polytechnic in Algeria identified 18 components in oregano oil that combat pests and found that the greater the concentration of the oil used, the more effective it was.

She says: “It is feasible that, in the near future, these natural insecticides will replace synthetic insecticides and add considerably to more environmentally friendly insecticides on a large scale.”

Dr Alan Baylis, the honorary secretary of the Society of Chemical Industry’s Bioresources Group said: “Just because something is natural does not mean it is harmless to humans — some of the most toxic compounds lethal to humans and other mammals are natural products. However, there will be markets for natural insecticides which have been rigorously tested for safety and efficacy, but as they are difficult to produce on a large scale for agricultural use, then the scope for them is rather limited.”





4. Senegalese Fisherman Save Dozens Of Stranded Whales
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48443/story.htm
REPUBLIC OF SENEGAL: May 22, 2008

YOFF, Senegal - Senegalese fishermen dragged dozens of stranded pilot whales back out to sea on Wednesday but at least 20 more died on the beach after mysteriously coming ashore.

More than 100 pilot whales, which have bulbous foreheads and can grow to over 4 metres long, beached themselves overnight at Yoff, a traditional Lebou fishing community on the Cap Vert peninsula, mainland Africa's most westerly point.
Local fishermen struggled through the night to drag the animals back to sea from the sloping sandy beach, using their brightly coloured open wooden boats known as "pirogues" and attaching ropes around the animals' sleek, black bodies.

"No one slept last night because all the fishermen were called out to help save the whales," said Iba Dieye, a local fisherman from Yoff.

"About 100 of the big fish washed up on the beach last night at around 9 p.m.. We worked all night to try to drag them back into the ocean. We got about 80 back into the water with ropes, our pirogues and our hands. But the ones still here are dead now," said another fisherman, Elima Bah.

Nevertheless, hours after the mass stranding, local adults and children were still trying to haul some of the remaining live whales back into the waves.

During the day, curious crowds gathered around the carcasses of the dead animals. Some snapped photos with their mobile phones, while children played on the carcasses, dousing them with water to create a slippery slide.

Local fishermen said they would need government help to remove the dead whales from the beach. They said they feared the rotting carcasses could cause disease and infection.

"All animal carcasses should be destroyed and shouldn't be eaten. But this is Africa, and if the area is not secured, people are tempted to cut off a piece of flesh, some for their animals, like their dogs, and some to eat themselves," said Kabore Alassi, a professor from Dakar's Veterinary School.

Witnesses said some residents dragged off whale carcasses.

Local experts said a similar mass beaching of whales had occurred at the same spot some 30 years ago. Some residents had fallen ill after eating meat from the dead whales.

They had no precise explanation for the mass stranding.

"It's like a collective suicide. Even when you push them out, they still keep coming back," said Ali Haidar, president of the Oceanium marine conservation organisation in Dakar.

"It's something to do with their navigational and orientation systems getting disturbed," he added.

Haidar said that when around 250 whales beached on the shore in neighbouring Mauritania two years ago, experts believed the animals had been disturbed by offshore seismic and sonar exploration by international oil companies.

The sonar systems of submarines patrolling or involved in military exercises could have a similar effect on whales.

It was also possible that the pilot whales at Yoff had been driven ashore by chemical pollution in the water, Haidar said.

(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/)

(Additional reporting by Finbarr O'Reilly, Normand Blouin, Diadie Ba and Pascal Fletcher; writing by Pascal Fletcher; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Story by Emmanuel Braun




5. Runners Don't Always Stop When They're Pregnant:
Risks exist, but advocates believe it's healthy for mom and baby
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080522/FEATURES01/805220302/-1/RSS05
By JESSICA HOPP • Staff Writer • May 22, 2008

In the later months of her pregnancy, Melissa Steinhart often went running. With her belly leading the way, she noticed strangers on the street staring in disgust.

"People would yell out their car windows, 'You are going to kill that baby,' " the 34-year-old mother of two said.

Steinhart ran on.

"I considered the source," she said. "If my doctor had told me that, I would be a little concerned, but the people that mattered were very supportive."

Now with two healthy daughters, Steinhart said staying active throughout her pregnancy — running until the final weeks — was a positive experience. More active women are continuing to strap on their running shoes and support belts when a child is on the way.

Although significant research on the subject is sparing, some studies say the benefits of running during pregnancy include shorter labors, a lower incidence of operative deliveries and higher pain tolerance from exercise-induced endorphins.

Still, there are those in the medical world and general public who don't accept the activity, worried about the potential dangers to the unborn fetus.

There are risks women should consider — most important being overheating and dehydration, which can cause birth defects — but if done carefully and monitored by a doctor, exercise can be healthy for a mom-to-be and the baby.

"The idea that women should not exercise while pregnant is a very dated thought," said Andrea Hall, who is certified in pre-natal exercise and coordinator of Baptist Hospital's StrongMommy! program. "Pregnant women can do lots of different exercises, and they are having healthy babies, easier deliveries and feeling better emotionally and physically."

Participate, don't compete
When she was sixth months pregnant, Jennifer Anderson ran a 7.5-mile relay leg of the St. Louis Marathon.

It was the longest leg of the competition and many of her friends worried about her burgeoning belly, but Anderson was in the best shape of the group and embraced the opportunity to participate.

"A lot of people are still old-school," said the 31-year-old Nashville resident, who still participates in local short-distance races and is now seven months pregnant with her second child. "They think you should sit and put your feet up and eat bonbons.

"As an avid runner, it is part of who you are, and I can't imagine giving it up for long periods of time."

Like Anderson, many longtime runners remain race-active while expecting, but they change their approach. Wanting to remain fit but not wanting to endanger the baby, women approach the finish line less as a goal motivator and more as a stopping point in a casual-active outing.

"In my mind, I like to compete and I like to run for fun, so I just took the competitiveness completely out the equation," said Steinhart, a Lebanon resident.

Perhaps the best known pregnant competitive runner was Paula Radcliffe, a Brit who won the 2007 New York City Marathon 10 months after giving birth. Radcliffe ran twice a day for the first five months of her pregnancy, gradually cutting back to every other day in the last two months.

There are a variety of maternity support belts to help, including the Gabrialla and the Prenatal Cradle, which lift the belly to alleviate pressure on the lower spine. Such devices range between $50 and $70 but can be difficult to find in stores, leaving many to dress the old-fashioned way.

"I would say it is actually a huge challenge for pregnant runners to find clothes," said Tina Seago. "There is not a lot available, so I just squeeze into my pre-pregnancy running tights and roll down the belly."

To find the right balance of activity and awareness, many women turn to literature.

Anderson read Runner's World Guide to Running and Pregnancy (Rodale Press, $15), which she said "breaks it down by month, telling you what's going on with the baby and yourself."

"It makes you feel good no matter what your effort," Anderson said.

Run inside in summer
Monitoring that effort is the most important task for a running mother-to-be.

For normally active women who become pregnant, the recommendation for exercise is moderate intensity done safely for 20-60 minutes, three to five days a week, according to Michelle Collins, a certified nurse midwife and Vanderbilt faculty member.

Now viewed as somewhat antiquated, at one time doctors recommended that heart rate not exceed 140. Medical professionals now ask women to monitor their exertion. On a level from one to 20, Collins said, somewhere between 10 and 12 is good.

"Women usually voluntarily decrease their activity level as they get further along," Collins said.

There are, of course, guidelines.

When active, the most important thing is that a woman makes sure not to overheat — particularly in Tennessee's hot summer climate.

Because a fetus cannot regulate temperature like the mother and even small changes in the mother's core temperature can be damaging — particularly in the first trimester — running should be done indoors or in the cooler evening or morning hours. Hydration is also particularly important.

Collins also cautioned that it is not healthy for women who were not active before pregnancy to attempt to start running while expecting.

"The only way we recommend it is if someone is in shape prior and this is part of their life," Collins said. "Where it would still be frowned upon is if she says, 'I am going to start jogging.' No. That is not healthy. The caveat is if she is used to that, if she is conditioned to that point."

Not all doctors agree
Seago didn't start running until after her fourth pregnancy. She kept on running during her fifth and didn't stop until about a week and a half before delivery.

Her son, Emre Seago, was born on April 20, "a healthy 7 pounds, 9 ounces.'' Seago said it was the fastest, easiest delivery and recovery of the five. "This could be the diligent prayers for just such a scenario, but I also think running had something to do with it.''

Her doctor wasn't convinced that the 35-year-old Columbia, Tenn., resident should be running in that late stage.

"She is the most fantastic doctor," Seago said. "And one of the hardest things has been to continue running even though she didn't think it was best for me, because I trust her so much. But she is not a runner, and I think if she ran she would have a different opinion on it."

Seago's doctor has told her that running during pregnancy can cause low-birth-weight babies and pre-term labor.

Collins substantiated the claims, saying typically babies born to active moms are 300 to 500 grams smaller than in non-exercising pregnancies, but added that at this time no studies have shown significant incidence of early labor.

Collins also said that some research has shown benefits of remaining active while expecting, including shorter labors, a lower incidence of operative deliveries and higher pain tolerance because of exercise-induced endorphin levels.

Women also report other upsides. Steinhart attributes the absence of postpartum depression to her running.

Despite these personal discoveries there has been very little research done on the topic, which can add to misconceptions and can prevent a complete education on the benefits and harms.

Seago had chosen to listen to her body — with the support of her husband, who is also a physician — and run up to the last week before delivery.

"If you have a desire to stay fit during your pregnancy, you should not be afraid of giving it a try," Seago said. "It's not going to be for everyone; everyone has different pregnancies and sometimes women can't do it because there are dangers.

"In the end my doctor gave in and said just cut it down. I think there are real benefits to it. Why not do it while I can?"

Reach Jessica Hopp at 259-8253 or jhopp@tennessean.com.



Honorable Mentions:

1. Teen Construction Worker Wins $35M
http://www.foxcarolina.com/news/16344724/detail.html?rss=gsaa&psp=news
19-Year-Old Says He Used Family Ages For Numbers
POSTED: 8:47 pm EDT May 20, 2008
UPDATED: 9:34 am EDT May 21, 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A 19-year-old Gaston, S.C., construction worker won the $35.3 million Powerball jackpot.

Jonathan Vargas said Saturday's ticket was the first time he had played the lottery, and he said he used the ages his brothers, sister and mother will be this year to pick the winning numbers. He said he plans to buy his mother a house with his winnings and may go to college.

Lottery director Ernie Passailaigue said Vargas is the first South Carolinian to win the Powerball jackpot. Other winning tickets sold in South Carolina were to players who lived elsewhere.

The numbers drawn Saturday were: 12-14-15-21-43 and Powerball 30. The Power Play was three.

Powerball is played in West Virginia, 28 other states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.




2. Celery, Green Peppers may Help Brain
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Health/2008/05/21/celery_green_peppers_may_help_brain/8185/
Published: May 21, 2008 at 12:39 AM

URBANA, Ill.- University of Illinois researchers report a compound found in celery and green peppers can disrupt a component of the inflammatory response in the brain.

Rodney Johnson of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and graduate student Saebyeol Jang found that a plant flavonoid, luteolin, inhibited a key pathway in the inflammatory response of microglia -- brain cells key to the body's immune defense.

The findings have implications for research on aging and diseases such as Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis, Johnson says.

Jang studied the inflammatory response in microglial cells and found those exposed to luteolin showed a significantly diminished inflammatory response. Jang showed that luteolin was shutting down production of interleukin-6 -- used in cellular communication -- in the inflammatory pathway by as much as 90 percent.

"This was just about as potent an inhibition as anything we had seen previously," Johnson says in a statement.

The study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.



3. King Hands Mathematics Prize to US and French Mathematicians
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/206686,king-hands-mathematics-prize-to-french-and-us-mathematicians.html
Posted : Tue, 20 May 2008 14:32:08 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Science (Technology)

Oslo - Norwegian King Harald on Tuesday presented the Abel Prize to French mathematician Jacques Tits and US mathematician John Griggs Thompson. Thompson, 75, of the University of Florida in the US, and Tits, 77, of College de France shared the prize, sometimes called the Nobel Prize for mathematics, worth 6 million kroner (1.2 million dollars).

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters cited their "profound achievements in algebra and in particular for shaping modern group theory."

The Abel Prize was first awarded 2003, and created in 2002 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Niels Henrik Abel. The Norwegian is acknowledged as one of the great names in mathematics although he died only aged 26.

Group theory is the "science of symmetries," the academy said citing examples like "the relation between reflections and rotations of a icosahedron, to reveal the secrets of (the) Rubik's cube."

Former winners include Srinivasa S R Varadhan, Lennart Carleson, Peter D Lax, Sir Michael Francis Atiyah, Isadore M Singer and Jean- Pierre Serre.



4. The Queen Goes Green with World's Largest Wind Turbine
http://uk.reuters.com/article/UK_SMALLCAPSRPT/idUKL2141885720080521
Wed May 21, 2008 4:45pm BST

ABERDEEN (Reuters) - The Queen is going green by investing in the largest wind turbine in the world, her property company the Crown Estate said on Wednesday.

The Estate, which owns most of the seabed off Britain's shores, regularly leases out its land to wind farm projects but has never invested in the turbines.

With a capacity of 7.5 megawatts, the Crown has gone for the biggest yet.

"This is not something we've ever done before and I think it will raise quite a few eyebrows," Ben Barton, the company's offshore manager for wind farms said.

Speaking at an energy conference in Aberdeen, Barton said the Crown Estate had decided to make the investment to help overcome turbine supply difficulties, which he said were a key constraint to the construction of off-shore wind farms.

The turbine will be built by the London-listed wind turbine maker Clipper Windpower and will be fully operational by 2010, Barton said, with all the power generated to be sold to the national grid.

The Crown Estate is looking at areas in north-east England as a possible site for the project, he said.

The company also said it was seeking initial expressions of interest from firms wishing to be considered for developing 100 MW or more capacity in Scottish waters.





5. Supernova Caught Exploding on Camera
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/supernova_dc
Wed May 21, 1:57 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Excited astronomers said on Wednesday they had for the first time caught a supernova on camera just as it was exploding, and they may now learn how to spot others.

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By luck, they spotted a burst of X-rays while looking at another part of a distant galaxy, and managed to turn a variety of telescopes in the right direction just in time.

"For years, we have dreamed of seeing a star just as it was exploding," said Alicia Soderberg of Princeton University in New Jersey, who led the international team of astronomers.

"We were in the right place, at the right time, with the right telescope, on January 9th and witnessed history," she added in a statement.

A supernova is a dying star, but one much bigger than Earth's sun. It first explodes outwards, then shrinks into itself to form an extremely dense, cold ball. Sometimes a neutron star results and sometimes a black hole.

Soderberg's team looked across space and time to witness the death throes of supernova 2008D, found in one arm of the galaxy NGC 2770, 88 million light-years from Earth.

In real time, they are seeing events that occurred 88 million years ago -- but in Earth time they are just occurring and the astronomers can watch the supernova as if it really were exploding just now.

"Using the most powerful radio, optical and X-ray telescopes on the ground and in space we were able to observe the evolution of the explosion right from the start," said Edo Berger, who like Soderberg is a Carnegie-Princeton fellow.

"This eventually confirmed that the big X-ray blast marked the birth of a supernova."

Soderberg and her colleagues were taking a scheduled look at NGC 2770 using the X-ray telescope on NASA's Swift satellite. During that observation, a bright burst of X-rays came from one of the galaxy's spiral arms, they report in this week's issue of the journal Nature.

RUSH TO SEE

The 38-member international scientific team rushed to have a look with both orbiting and ground-based telescopes including the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, Keck I telescope in Hawaii, Palomar Observatory in California and National Science Foundation's Very Large Array and Very Long Baseline Array radio telescopes.

They hope to gather information that will help astronomers spot other supernovas more quickly.

"Astronomical instruments planned for the future should then allow us to finally unravel the mystery of how these explosions occur," Soderberg said.

Supernovas are usually spotted visually days to weeks after the first catastrophic explosion when a star flares up and then fades.

But the first burst creates a blast of particles known as neutrinos and a shock wave of kinetic energy that superheats the gas in the outer layers of the star. They in turn send out X-rays that can be the first clue of the fireball to come.

"This observation is by far the best example of what happens when a star dies and a neutron star is born," said Kim Page of the University of Leicester in Britain, who led the X-ray analysis.

Last week astronomers said they saw the X-ray afterglow of a supernova in Earth's own Milky Way galaxy that would have exploded 140 years ago, Earth-time.

(Reporting by Maggie Fox, editing by Will Dunham and Cynthia Osterman)




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