(MCT)우주 체류로 선충의 수명이 늘어났을 가능성이 발견됐다고 사이언스 데일리가 6일 보도했다.우주에서 장기 체류한 사람들이 보이는 뼈와 근육 질량 감소 현상을 연구해 온 국제 연구진은 평상시 노화하는 근육 안에서 일어나는 독성 단백질 축적현상이 우주 비행 중에는 억제된다는 사실을 발견했다고 사이언티픽 리포츠지에 발표했다.이들은 또 우주비행 중에는 발현율이 낮게 나타나는 7종류의 유전자를 발견했으며 지구에서 같은 유전자 발현율을 낮추자 선충들의 수명이 늘어나는 것으로 나타났다고 밝혔다.연구진은 아직 확신할 순 없지만 이들 유전자가 선충의 환경 감지과정에 개입하고 환경에 적응하기 위해 대사에 변화를 일으키도록 신호를 보내는 것으로 보인다고 말했다.예를 들어 한 종류의 유전

게이츠 재단 등 자선단체에 기부`투자의 귀재'로 잘 알려진 억만장자 투자자 워런 버핏이 자신이 소유한 투자회사 버크셔 해서웨이 주식 19억달러(한화 약 2조1천726억원) 상당을 자선재단 등에 기부했다.버핏은 9일(현지시간) 버크셔 해서웨이의 클래스B 주식 2천240만주의 기부 계획을 공개했다.버핏이 기부할 주식 중 대부분인 1천840만주(15억달러 상당)는 마이크로소프트(MS) 창업자 빌 게이츠가 설립한 자선 단체인 '빌&멜린다 게이츠 재단'에 간다.또 180만주의 주식은 버핏 자신이 설립한 재단에 기부되며, 버핏의 세 자녀가 설립한 재단에 각각 64만3천203주가 기부된다.이 밖에 2천만달러에 이르는 23만8천165주의 주식이 8개 자선재단에 기부되며, 버핏이 주최한 투자 콘테스트 최종전 진출자인 초등학생 15명에게 각 10주의 주식이 전달될 예정이다.버핏은 총 441억달러에 이르는 자신의 자산 대부분을 점진적으로 기부하겠다는 뜻을 밝혀 왔으며, 그동안에도 수시로 기부를 해 왔다

미국 항공우주국(NASA)은 화성탐사로봇이 찍은 360도 파노라마 화성 사진을 5일(현지시간) 공개했다.이번에 공개된 사진은 화성탐사로봇 오퍼튜니티가 지난해 12월 21일부터 올해 5 월 8일까지 엔데버 분화구 가장자리에 있는 그릴리 헤이븐 기지에서 촬영한 것으로 NASA는 오퍼튜니티가 찍은 817장의 사진을 붙여 파노라마 사진으로 완성했다.사진의 양쪽 끝은 남쪽이고 가운데가 북쪽이며 화성의 표면에는 오퍼튜니티의 바퀴 자국이 선명하게 나타나있다.오퍼튜니티의 태양 전지판은 오랜 탐사활동 탓에 먼지로 뒤덮여 있으며 태양이 있는 북쪽 아래를 향하고 있다.사진에서는 수십 억년 전에 만들어진 것으로 보이는 엔데버 분화구도 찾아볼 수있다.2004년 1월 화성에 착륙한 오퍼튜니티는 8년 6개월 넘게 탐사작업을 진행하고

South Korean stocks started higher on Tuesday as foreign investors scooped up shares of local heavyweights, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 4.02 points, or 0.22 percent, to 1,840.15 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market bellwether Samsung Electronics climbed 0.36 percent and its smaller rival LG Electronics rose 0.33 percent.Shipbuilders also lent sup

South Korean midfielder Park Ji-sung has joined the Queens Park Rangers (QPR) from Manchester United, sources said Monday.QPR officially announced at a press conference in London that Park has signed with the British Premier League team.The 31-year-old Korean player attended the press meeting wearing his new uniform, with QPR owner Tony Fernandes and manager Mark Hughes, according to the sources.Q

It is 2.30 pm and time for Michaela Lins and Christine Langanke to get up and prepare for their night shift in a German hospital. The two nurses work through the night, from 8.30 in the evening to 6.15 the next morning, and they find the hours take it out of them."It grinds you down, particularly when you do a week of nights or early shifts," Lins says. Her last shift was a relatively quiet one, b

South Korean stocks closed 1.19 percent lower Monday as investors moved to the sidelines on jitters over slowing growth in major economies such as China and the United States, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 22.07 points to 1,836.13. Trading volume was light at 277.6 million shares worth 3.3 trillion won ($

A small truck driven by a Seoul man smashed into the Japanese Embassy in central Seoul early Monday morning, but no casualties were reported, police said.The man detained by police on the scene insisted that he attacked the Japanese embassy in a show of protest against a right-wing Japanese activist's nationalistic insult last month over Korean women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese mili

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has decided to skip South Korea during her upcoming tour of Asia, Europe and the Middle East, according to her department Thursday.Clinton is scheduled to embark on a two-week trip later in the day to France, Japan, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Egypt and Israel, the department said.In Paris on Friday, she will attend the third meeting of

Rep. Chung Doo-un of the ruling aenuri Party, a former close aide of President Lee Myung-bak, nderwent 14 hours of questioning until late Thursday night about llegations of receiving illegal political funds from a candal-ridden savings bank."I gave a full explanation on all allegations (of bribery),"Chung told reporters as he left the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul at 11:45 p.m. Thu

Football finally embraced goal-line technology as FIFA’s lawmaking panel approved two systems for use in matches on Thursday.FIFA will introduce goal-line technology at the seven-team Club World Cup in Japan in December, and plans to use it in Brazil at the 2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup, secretary general Jerome Valcke said.“We want to make sure that the systems at the World Cup work

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, as investors were unmoved by the European and Chinese timulus measures taken overnight, analysts said.The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dipped 4.31 oints, or 0.23 percent to 1,871.18 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech blue chips and financials drove the shares down, with arket behemoth Samsung Electronics losing 0.34 percent and No. 2 ender

South Korea plans to resume hunting whales for research purposes, officials said Thursday, drawing immediate protests from non-whaling nations and environment groups that suspect the plans may be a cover for commercial whaling.South Korean officials conveyed the plan to the International Whaling Commission during an IWC meeting this week in Panama, according to Seoul's Ministry for Food, Agricultu

David Beckham was suspended for one game by Major League Soccer on Thursday for kicking a ball at an opponent in the Los Angeles Galaxy's loss at San Jose.Beckham kicked a ball at San Jose's Sam Cronin during the 4-3 loss on Saturday. Cronin was down in the penalty box at the time, and Beckham's kick set off a prolonged argument between the teams.Beckham was issued a yellow card for the incident.

South Korean stocks closed nearly flat on Thursday as investors refrained from trading ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) policy rate meeting and Samsung Electronics' guidance release, analysts said. The local currency gained against the greenback.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 1.04 points, or 0.06 percent, to 1,875.49. Trading volume was moderate at 318.4 milli

Scottish football was thrown into disarray on Wednesday after indebted Glasgow giant Rangers was barred from competing in the Scottish Premier League following a vote by top-tier clubs.The decision to reject the bid by a new Rangers ownership to play in the top division following the club's financial meltdown could threaten the economic well-being of teams around Scotland. Rangers chief executive

A South Korean worker was banned from working in an inter-Korean industrial zone in North Korea's border city of Kaesong for two weeks in May for a minor offense, the Unification Ministry said Thursday.It was the first time a South Korean has been denied access to the complex under a demerit point system designed to strengthen law and order among the hundreds of South Koreans in the complex.The co

South Korean stocks got off to a weak start on Thursday as investors stepped to the sidelines ahead of the European Central Bank's policy rate meeting, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 2.97 points, or 0.16 percent, to 1,871.48 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Major blue chips lost grounds with Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics falling 1.06 percent

Robin van Persie's Arsenal career appears to be over after the Dutch forward announced Wednesday he will not be extending his contract with the Gunners.Van Persie said he held talks about his future with Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis and manager Arsene Wenger before the European Championship “but ... it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal should

Refined petroleum products led South Korea's exports in the first half of this year thanks to higher prices, accounting for 9.9 percent of all outbound shipments, a report showed Thursday.The report by the Korea Petroleum Association (KPA) said exports of petroleum products totaled $27.28 billion in the January-June period, up, 11.5 percent from a year earlier."The gain is mainly due to a steep ri