UC Science Today

A tool to improve the computer network security of government agencies, along with state and local governments, has been developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Computer scientist Domingo Colon says their network mapping system, called NeMS, gives network managers a comprehensive view of their computer network environments.

"So there are a lot of tools out there that provide different vantage points of network security, but what we needed was something a lot more specific that told us behaviorally what’s happening on our network, and also structurally, how is the composition of our network put together at any point in time. These things provide what’s called “attack surface” for someone from the external world and what you want, as an enterprise, is to reduce that surface."

Colon says the next step is to provide this type of capability to a larger pool of people.

"We’re hoping through our commercial partner, that they will be able to have that level of reachability into other segments of the general public, particularly the commercial entities out there that can also make use of this technology."

A tool to improve the computer network security of government agencies, along with state and local governments, has been developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Computer scientist Domingo Colon says their network mapping system, called NeMS, gives network managers a comprehensive view of their computer network environments.

"So there are a lot of tools out there that provide different vantage points of network security, but what we needed was something a lot more specific that told us behaviorally what’s happening on our network, and also structurally, how is the composition of our network put together at any point in time. These things provide what’s called “attack surface” for someone from the external world and what you want, as an enterprise, is to reduce that surface."

Colon says the next step is to provide this type of capability to a larger pool of people.

"We’re hoping through our commercial partner, that they will be able to have that level of reachability into other segments of the general public, particularly the commercial entities out there that can also make use of this technology."

After a five-year voyage, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has arrived at Jupiter this month, prepared to orbit the planet 32 times over the next year. But before Juno’s approach, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley worked hard to map the gas giant from the Earth. Astronomer Imke de Pater and her team used radio emissions from Jupiter’s ammonia-filled atmosphere to create these maps, and says they will complement the data collected by Juno.

"We essentially can provide context images for the Juno data."

de Pater’s detailed maps can help explain features like the ammonia abundance at different locations on the planet. The Juno spacecraft will fly inside what’s known as radiation belts to collect data.

"Everything on Jupiter changes. And so we will get a lot of data at different wavelengths. And since they’re all now taken at the same time we can interpret all the data together and really get a good understanding of Jupiter’s atmosphere."

Researchers will probe at different levels of the atmosphere, from below the cloud layers to the stratosphere.

This week on Science Today. Pain isn’t just one sensation: we can ache, burn or sting. And these experiences often involve different pathways, some of which remain a mystery. So to learn more, researcher Jeremiah Osteen of the University of California, San Francisco looked to tarantula venom, and discovered two toxins that can target highly specific pain pathways.

"And so what the toxins have given us the ability to do is to look very specifically at this particular type of pain pathway, to have a better understanding of what types of neurons are involved, what types of molecules are involved, in order to design better pain drugs."

We also tackle the subject of pain-relief, and hear from UC Davis professor Aldrin Gomes, who studies a common type anti-inflammatory drug know as NSAIDs. Because the chronic use of pain relievers can actually increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular problems and stroke, Gomes decided to investigate further.

"So we first did a screen of different NSAIDs to see if any of them would affect cardiac cells. And to our surprise, all the NSAIDs we tested affected the heart cells."

From these topics in life sciences, we move on to learn about computer network security. Domingo Colon of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory tells us about a new comprehensive tool called NeMS that’s built to improve the digital security at government agencies.

"So there are a lot of tools out there that provide different vantage points of network security, but what we needed was something a lot more specific that told us behaviorally what’s happening on our network, and also structurally, how is the composition of our network put together at any point in time."

Don't miss these and other episodes about the latest University of California research. Subscribe to UC Science Today on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook. I’m Larissa Branin. Thanks so much for listening.

Subscribe to Science Today:

iTunes: apple.co/1TQBewD

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/science-today

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ucsciencetoday

Stories mentioned in this roundup:

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/venom_pain

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/nsaids

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/computer_networks

After a five-year voyage, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has arrived at Jupiter this month, prepared to orbit the planet 32 times over the next year. But before Juno’s approach, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley worked hard to map the gas giant from the Earth. Astronomer Imke de Pater and her team used radio emissions from Jupiter’s ammonia-filled atmosphere to create these maps, and says they will complement the data collected by Juno.

"We essentially can provide context images for the Juno data."

de Pater’s detailed maps can help explain features like the ammonia abundance at different locations on the planet. The Juno spacecraft will fly inside what’s known as radiation belts to collect data.

"Everything on Jupiter changes. And so we will get a lot of data at different wavelengths. And since they’re all now taken at the same time we can interpret all the data together and really get a good understanding of Jupiter’s atmosphere."

Researchers will probe at different levels of the atmosphere, from below the cloud layers to the stratosphere.

This week on Science Today. Pain isn’t just one sensation: we can ache, burn or sting. And these experiences often involve different pathways, some of which remain a mystery. So to learn more, researcher Jeremiah Osteen of the University of California, San Francisco looked to tarantula venom, and discovered two toxins that can target highly specific pain pathways.

"And so what the toxins have given us the ability to do is to look very specifically at this particular type of pain pathway, to have a better understanding of what types of neurons are involved, what types of molecules are involved, in order to design better pain drugs."

We also tackle the subject of pain-relief, and hear from UC Davis professor Aldrin Gomes, who studies a common type anti-inflammatory drug know as NSAIDs. Because the chronic use of pain relievers can actually increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular problems and stroke, Gomes decided to investigate further.

"So we first did a screen of different NSAIDs to see if any of them would affect cardiac cells. And to our surprise, all the NSAIDs we tested affected the heart cells."

From these topics in life sciences, we move on to learn about computer network security. Domingo Colon of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory tells us about a new comprehensive tool called NeMS that’s built to improve the digital security at government agencies.

"So there are a lot of tools out there that provide different vantage points of network security, but what we needed was something a lot more specific that told us behaviorally what’s happening on our network, and also structurally, how is the composition of our network put together at any point in time."

Don't miss these and other episodes about the latest University of California research. Subscribe to UC Science Today on iTunes or Stitcher. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook. I’m Larissa Branin. Thanks so much for listening.

Subscribe to Science Today:

iTunes: apple.co/1TQBewD

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/science-today

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ucsciencetoday

Stories mentioned in this roundup:

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/venom_pain

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/nsaids

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/computer_networks

Many of us might assume a drug is safe if it’s available over-the-counter, but that’s not always the case. Biochemist Aldrin Gomes of the University of California, Davis studies NSAIDs, a category of drugs that includes familiar anti-inflammatories like Ibuprofen. Up to 20% of the population use these pain relievers at any given time, but their chronic use may be harsher on the body than expected.

"Most people are not aware that NSAIDs have a known history of causing heart problems. NSAIDs actually increase the risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease. So we first did a screen of different NSAIDs to see if any of them would affect cardiac cells. And to our surprise, all the NSAIDs we tested affected the heart cells."

Some of the NSAIDs had a profound effect, causing rapid cardiac cell death. But now, Gomes hopes to study the side effects of other NSAIDs and see if certain protective factors, like antioxidants, can relieve them.

Many of us might assume a drug is safe if it’s available over-the-counter, but that’s not always the case. Biochemist Aldrin Gomes of the University of California, Davis studies NSAIDs, a category of drugs that includes familiar anti-inflammatories like Ibuprofen. Up to 20% of the population use these pain relievers at any given time, but their chronic use may be harsher on the body than expected.

"Most people are not aware that NSAIDs have a known history of causing heart problems. NSAIDs actually increase the risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease. So we first did a screen of different NSAIDs to see if any of them would affect cardiac cells. And to our surprise, all the NSAIDs we tested affected the heart cells."

Some of the NSAIDs had a profound effect, causing rapid cardiac cell death. But now, Gomes hopes to study the side effects of other NSAIDs and see if certain protective factors, like antioxidants, can relieve them.

What can tarantulas teach us about human pain, other than an unpleasant lesson? Researcher Jeremiah Osteen of the University of California, San Francisco discovered two toxins in tarantula venom that are surprisingly selective in the ways they trigger the sensation of pain. This suggests new avenues of research and possible drug treatments.

"We look into the venom of the spider and find toxins that will activate certain pain pathways. That gives us a better sense of how those pain pathways work in other contexts, like when you cut yourself or fall down. And so what the toxins have given us the ability to do is to look very specifically at this particular type of pain pathway, to have a better understanding of what types of neurons are involved, what types of molecules are involved, in order to design better pain drugs."

And these pathways have also been linked to certain neurological disorders, like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease .

What can tarantulas teach us about human pain, other than an unpleasant lesson? Researcher Jeremiah Osteen of the University of California, San Francisco discovered two toxins in tarantula venom that are surprisingly selective in the ways they trigger the sensation of pain. This suggests new avenues of research and possible drug treatments.

"We look into the venom of the spider and find toxins that will activate certain pain pathways. That gives us a better sense of how those pain pathways work in other contexts, like when you cut yourself or fall down. And so what the toxins have given us the ability to do is to look very specifically at this particular type of pain pathway, to have a better understanding of what types of neurons are involved, what types of molecules are involved, in order to design better pain drugs."

And these pathways have also been linked to certain neurological disorders, like epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease .