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Pulsating Stars Enable New Precise Determination Of Rotation Of The Milky Way
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397469488/080919142648.htm
New, very precise measurements have shown that the rotation of the Milky Way is simpler than previously thought. A remarkable result from the most successful ESO instrument HARPS, shows that a much debated, apparent "fall" of neighborhood Cepheid stars towards our Sun stems from an intrinsic property of the Cepheids themselves.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Receptor Activation Protects Retina From Diabetes Destruction
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666591/080909111028.htm
Diabetes can make the beautifully stratified retina look like over-fried bacon. A drug known for it pain-relieving power and believed to stimulate memory appears to prevent this retinal damage that leads to vision loss, researchers say.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Global Warming's Ecosystem Double Whammy
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666592/080917145131.htm
Plants and soils act like sponges for atmospheric carbon dioxide, but new research on the cover of this week's Nature finds that one abnormally warm year can suppress the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by some grassland ecosystems for up to two years. The findings followed a four-year study of 12-ton containerized grassland plots at Nevada's Desert Research Institute. Plots were extracted intact from the Oklahoma prairie and sealed inside four, living-room-sized environment chambers.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
New Model Predicts Long-term Survival Of Critically Ill Patients
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666593/080916215124.htm
The long term survival of critically ill patients may now be predicted, using a new model. The study used clinical and long term survival data of a heterogenous group of 11,930 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Royal Perth Hospital in Western Australia.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Introducing The Next Generation Of Chemical Reactors
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397160036/080919075009.htm
Unique nanostructures which respond to stimuli, such as pH, heat and light will pave the way for safer, greener and more efficient chemical reactors.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Face Blindness Research Shows Emotions Are Key In The Study Of Face Recognition
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666594/080916215122.htm
Recognizing faces is usually an effortless process. However, a minority of people have difficulties identifying the person they are meeting or remembering people they have met before. These problems can be dramatic, where those affected fail to recognize the face of their spouse or child or even their own face. New research on face blindness demonstrates the importance of using naturalistic emotional faces and bodies for a better understanding of developmental face disorders.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Marine Debris Will Likely Worsen In The 21st Century
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666595/080919142602.htm
Current measures to prevent and reduce marine debris are inadequate, and the problem will likely worsen, says a new congressionally mandated report.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Internationally Adopted Children Hit Puberty Earlier, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666596/080918170811.htm
A Canadian study has found that some girls adopted from China begin puberty as early as eight and boys as early as 10-years-old.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Sophisticated Monitoring Array To Address Mystery Of Uranium Plume
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666597/080917145415.htm
Scientists have puzzled for years about why uranium contamination in groundwater continues to exceed drinking water standards in an area located at the south end of the Hanford Site near Richland, Wash. The Department of Energy wants answers to why the uranium persists. Now, an innovative well-monitoring system has been installed for field experiments to better understand this complex site and to support future clean-up decisions.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Cardiologists Find Physical Exams Just As Good For Assessing Heart Failure
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666598/080916215211.htm
Patient history and physical examination, traditionally the cornerstone diagnostic tool for medical care, may still be among the most accurate and cost-efficient methods to assess patients with congestive heart failure, researchers have found.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Estrogen 'Flooding Our Rivers,' Montreal Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666599/080918170628.htm
A water treatment plant from Canada's second biggest city, Montreal, is dumping 90 times the critical amount of certain estrogen products into the river. It only takes one nanogram (ng) of steroids per liter of water to disrupt the endocrinal system of fish and decrease their fertility.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Positive Thinking Trial In UK Aims To Prevent Childhood Depression
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666600/080918170622.htm
More than 7,000 school pupils from across the United Kingdom will be taking part in the trial of a new positive thinking program led by the University of Bath designed to prevent children developing problems with depression.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Astrophysicists 'Weigh' Galaxy's Most Massive Star
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666601/080919142646.htm
Theoretical models of stellar formation propose the existence of very massive stars that can attain up to 150 times the mass of our Sun. Until very recently, however, no scientist had discovered a star of more than 83 solar masses. Astrophysicists have now found and "weighed" the most massive star ever discovered.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
New Colorectal Screening Procedure Is Accurate And Less Invasive, Trial Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395650249/080917175040.htm
A major clinical trial for colorectal screening finds that more patients stand to benefit from a comprehensive, less invasive method to accurately detect colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Nanoscale Structures: A Snapshot Of Transformations
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666602/080911150101.htm
Researchers have achieved a milestone in materials science and electron microscopy by taking a high-resolution snapshot of the transformation of nanoscale structures.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Adults With Aortic Valve Disorder Do Not Experience Reduction In Survival Rate
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666603/080916215116.htm
Young adults with a bicuspid aortic valve, a congenital heart abnormality, experience subsequent cardiac events but do not appear to have lower survival rates compared to the general population, according to a new study.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Wildlife Management: Salmon Fisheries, Yellowstone Wolf Introduction Show What Is Possible
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395141712/080917074126.htm
The Netherlands is a densely populated nation, but could be a good example of how to practice wildlife management in the coming century. Rapid human population growth on the planet is creating pressure on wildlife populations, and many places will thus come to resemble the present situation in The Netherlands.
Sun, 21 Sep 08
Mom's Beliefs May Impact Their Kids' Alcohol Use, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/398666604/080918170813.htm
Mothers, take note. If you really want to curb your teens' chances of using alcohol, help them develop a self-view that doesn't include drinking. According to a new Iowa State University study, the power of positive thinking by moms may limit their children's alcohol use.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Interstellar Space Molecules That Help Form Basic Life Structures Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397192233/080919075007.htm
Scientists have succeeded in identifying naphthalene, one of the most complex molecules yet discovered in the interstellar medium. The detection of this molecule suggests that a large number of the key components in prebiotic terrestrial chemistry could have been present in the interstellar matter from which the Solar System was formed.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Longevity, Cancer And Diet Connected: New Research In Worms Could Apply To Humans
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792102/080919142654.htm
Researchers have discovered a connection between genes that could hold the key to a longer, healthier life. Using worms that share similar genetics to humans, scientists have identified a previously unknown link between two genes -- one associated with aging, the other with certain types of cancer.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Easier-to-hit 'Targets' Could Help Older People Make The Most Of Computers
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792103/080911111524.htm
Older people could make better use of computers if icons, links and menu headings automatically grew bigger as the cursor moves towards them.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Stem Cells May Solve Mystery Of Early Pregnancy Breast Cancer Protection
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792104/080916144002.htm
The answer to why an early pregnancy seems to protect against breast cancer could rest with a decrease in stem cells found after animals have given birth, said researchers in a report in the journal Stem Cell.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Putting Pictures Into Words
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792105/080918091622.htm
Visual images can contain a wealth of information, but they are difficult to catalogue in a searchable way. European researchers are generating and combining scraps of information to create a searchable picture.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Overbearing Parents Foster Obsessive Children, New Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792106/080918170632.htm
Parents watch your nagging. A new study from the Université de Montréal in Quebec, Canada, has found that parental control directly influences whether a child will develop a harmonious or obsessive passion for their favorite hobby.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Emergence Of Agriculture In Prehistory Took Much Longer, Genetic Evidence Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397192234/080919075005.htm
Researchers have found evidence that genetics supports the idea that the emergence of agriculture in prehistory took much longer than originally thought.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Programmed Cell Death Contributes Force To Movement Of Cells
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792107/080918170618.htm
In addition to pruning cells out of the way during embryonic development, the much-studied process of programmed cell death, or apoptosis, has been newly found to exert significant mechanical force on surrounding cells.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Prosthetic Vein Valve Designed To Direct Blood Flow Shows Promising Pre-clinical Results
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792108/080915121223.htm
Engineers have developed a prosthetic vein valve to help improve the lives of those suffering from a condition known as chronic venous insufficiency. The valve was designed to replace damaged, non-functioning valves.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Sole Use Of Impaired Limb Improves Recovery In Spinal Cord Injury
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792109/080916215118.htm
A new study finds that following minor spinal cord injury, rats that had to use impaired limbs showed full recovery due to increased growth of healthy nerve fibers and the formation of new nerve cell connections. These findings help explain how physical therapy advances recovery, and support the use of rehabilitation therapies that specifically target impaired limbs in people with brain and spinal cord injuries.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Optical Sensors Make MRI Scans Safer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396239863/080918091609.htm
Magnetic resonance scans will be safer for children and other patients needing anaesthesia, thanks to new kinds of optical sensors.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Collaboration Helps Police Address Job Stress
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395520180/080917145515.htm
Mangled bodies, gunfire, high-speed chases and injured children are just a few events witnessed by police officers and soldiers serving in dangerous hot spots around the world. These traumas take a high toll on the police officers and soldiers, who suppress human emotions to get the job done and can be reluctant to share their experiences in an effort to spare others from their ordeals, according to a September Police Quarterly article.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
NASA's Swift Catches Farthest Ever Gamma-Ray Burst
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397642716/080919185809.htm
NASA's Swift satellite has found the most distant gamma-ray burst ever detected. The blast, designated GRB 080913, arose from an exploding star 12.8 billion light-years away.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Thin Men More Vulnerable To Osteoporosis And Bone Fractures Than Other Older Men
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396289939/080918101526.htm
Obesity and weight increase leads to an increased risk of many chronic diseases, and the advice is therefore to maintain a stable healthy weight. Now, research shows that there may be disadvantages to being thin. Men who have low weight in middle age and who reduce their weight, increase the chance of osteoporosis and fracture. The findings are now published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Harnessing New Technology To Keep Older People Behind The Wheel For Longer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792114/080911111520.htm
A new study has highlighted the key role technology could play in extending the age at which people can drive safely on our roads.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Incontinence Affects A Substantial Proportion Of Women; Prevalence Increases With Age
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792115/080916215114.htm
Nearly one-quarter of women surveyed, and more than one-third of older women, report at least one pelvic floor disorder, which includes urinary and fecal incontinence and the shifting of a pelvic organ, according to a new study. These disorders become more prevalent with increasing age and weight.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Mobile Video Communication From A Mountain Top
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792116/080918091605.htm
Imagine being able to communicate with video images anywhere in the world. Regardless of the connection you still have a good image of the person you are communicating with. Ulrik Söderström from Digital Media Lab, Umea university in Sweden, has developed a technique that enables this.
Sat, 20 Sep 08
Homosexuals' Negative Feelings About Sexuality Predict Poor Mental And Sexual Health
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/397792117/080917145418.htm
Researchers have published a study showing that the degree of internalized homonegativity (negative attitude towards homosexuality) among homosexual men is what predicts poor mental and sexual health -- not the act of being homosexual.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Explorers Find Hundreds Of Undescribed Corals, Other Species On Familiar Australian Reefs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820038/080918170401.htm
Hundreds of new kinds of animal species surprised international researchers systematically exploring waters off two islands on the Great Barrier Reef and a reef off northwestern Australia -- waters long familiar to divers. The expeditions, affiliated with the global Census of Marine Life, help mark the International Year of the Reef.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Natural Childbirth Linked To Stronger Baby Bonding Than C-sections
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820039/080918170817.htm
The bonds that tie a mother to her newborn may be stronger in women who deliver naturally than in those who deliver by cesarean section, according to a study published by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the October issue of Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Pictures Of Hot Fudge Sundaes Arouse: Understanding Emotions Improves Our Food Choices
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820040/080915170751.htm
Menus and advertising affect our emotions, and if we understand those emotions, we make better food choices, according to a new study.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Fly Studies Reveal Immune Cell Responses To Tumor And Tissue Damage
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395141714/080917073950.htm
A new report reveals the similarities between the immune response to cancer and and the immune response to tissue damage.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Security: Checking People At Airports – With Terahertz Radiation
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396239866/080918091607.htm
Within the last few years the number of transport checks -- above all at airports -- has been increased considerably. A worthwhile effort as, after all, it concerns the protection of passengers. Possibilities for new and safe methods of checking people are offered by terahertz radiation.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Political Views Affect Firms' Corporate Social Responsibility, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820041/080917145143.htm
Firms in Democratic states tend to have a higher corporate social responsibility rating than those in Republican ones, a new study finds.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Genetically Modified Crops Protect Neighbors From Pests, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820042/080918170355.htm
A study in northern China indicates that genetically modified cotton, altered to express the insecticide, Bt, not only reduces pest populations among those crops, but also reduces pests among other nearby crops that have not been modified with Bt. These findings could offer promising new ideas for controlling pests and maximizing crop yields in the future.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Key Advance In Treating Spinal Cord Injuries Found In Manipulating Stem Cells
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396697922/080918192939.htm
Manipulating stem cells prior to transplantation may hold the key to overcoming a critical obstacle to using stem cell technology to repair spinal cord injuries, scientists have shown.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Smart Desks Make Sci-fi A Reality In The Classroom
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820043/080916215203.htm
Schools are set for a Star Trek make-over thanks to the development of the world's first interactive classroom by experts at Durham University. Researchers are designing new learning environments using interactive multi-touch desks that look and act like a large version of an Apple iPhone.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Muscle Stem Cell Identity Confirmed By Researchers
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820044/080917145135.htm
A single cell can repopulate damaged skeletal muscle in mice, say scientists who devised a way to track the cell's fate in living animals. The research is the first to confirm that so-called satellite cells encircling muscle fibers harbor an elusive muscle stem cell.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Road Crossing Structures Important In Reduction Of Animal Mortality On Roads
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395141701/080917074132.htm
Spanish highways are increasingly incorporating walkways specially designed for wild animals, or mixed use structures designed for other purposes, which connect wildlife from one side of the road to the other. Researchers have analysed 43 walkways used by vertebrates to quantify the importance of these structures, which facilitate animals’ natural movements and reduce mortality caused by vehicles and, consequently, traffic accidents.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Kids With Obese Friends And Family More Likely To Misperceive Weight
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820045/080917145405.htm
Kids and teens surrounded by overweight peers or parents are more likely to be oblivious to their own extra pounds than kids from thin entourages, according to a new Canadian study.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
'Baby' Fat Cells May Be Key To Treating Obesity, Say Researchers
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820046/080918170620.htm
Immature, or "baby," fat cells lurk in the walls of the blood vessels that nourish fatty tissue, just waiting for excess calories to help them grow into the adult monsters responsible for packing on the extra pounds, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in mice.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Novel Anti-cancer Mechanism Found In Long-lived Rodents
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396206097/080918081158.htm
Biologists have found that small-bodied rodents with long lifespans have evolved a previously unknown anti-cancer mechanism that appears to be different from any anticancer mechanisms employed by humans or other large mammals.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
First Dense Gas Of Ultracold 'Polar' Molecules Created
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820047/080918170405.htm
Scientists at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado at Boulder, have applied their expertise in ultracold atoms and lasers to produce the first high-density gas of ultracold molecules -- two different atoms bonded together -- that are both stable and capable of strong interactions.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Mother's Flu Shot Protects Newborns
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395221514/080917095346.htm
Newborns can be protected from seasonal flu when their mothers are vaccinated during pregnancy. Researchers observed a 63 percent reduction in proven influenza illness among infants born to vaccinated mothers while the number of serious respiratory illnesses to both mothers and infants dropped by 36 percent. The study is the first to demonstrate that the inactivated influenza vaccine provides protection to both mother and newborn.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
New Link To Tropical African Climate Proposed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820048/080911150057.htm
Scientists have proposed a new link to rainfall and temperature patterns in southeast Africa. Examining data from African lake core sediments covering the past 60,000 years, the researchers report in this week's Science Express that the region's climate does not march in lockstep with a circulatory system known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone, as previously believed. The finding could help scientists understand how tropical Africa will respond to global warming.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Finger Lengths Linked To Voluntary Exercise
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820049/080916215126.htm
If you find yourself lacking in motivation to go for a run or hit the gym, you may want to check your fingers. According to a new study there is a direct correlation between digit length and voluntary exercise.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
From Sugar To Gasoline: 'Green Gasoline' Crafted From Sugar And Carbohydrates
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820050/080918170827.htm
Following independent paths of investigation, two research teams are announcing this month that they have successfully converted sugar -- potentially derived from agricultural waste and non-food plants -- into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and a range of other valuable chemicals.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Hormone Discovery Points To Benefits Of 'Home Grown' Fat
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820051/080918170359.htm
A hormone found at higher levels when the body produces its own "home grown" fat comes with considerable metabolic benefits, according to a new study. The newly discovered signaling molecule is the first example of a lipid-based hormone -- most are made up of proteins -- although the researchers said they expect it will not be the last.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Biologists Identify Genes Controlling Rhythmic Plant Growth
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820052/080916101146.htm
A team of biologists from UC San Diego, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Oregon State University has identified the genes that enable plants to undergo bursts of rhythmic growth at night and allow them to compete when their leaves are shaded by other plants.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Prostate Cancer Genes Behave Like Those In Embryo
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820053/080916215215.htm
Gene activity in prostate cancer is reminiscent of that in the developing fetal prostate, providing further evidence that all cancers are not equal, researchers report. The finding could help scientists investigate how to manipulate the genetic program to fight a disease whose biology remains poorly understood despite more than half a century of investigation.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Lighting Research Center Develops Framework For Assessing Light Pollution
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820054/080909102148.htm
Balancing public and private interests for nighttime lighting has been a difficult undertaking, as too little lighting may increase safety and security issues, while too much lighting may cause problems for the environment and for human well being. Scientists in the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed the first ever comprehensive method for predicting and measuring various aspects of light pollution.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Accuracy, Efficacy And Ethics Of Abstinence-only Programs Questioned By Public Health Experts
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820055/080916143912.htm
Studies published in the journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy reveal that abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education programs fail to change sexual behavior in teenagers, provide inaccurate information about condoms and violate human rights principles.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
'Buckyballs' Have High Potential To Accumulate In Living Tissue
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820056/080918171148.htm
Research suggests synthetic carbon molecules called fullerenes, or buckyballs, have a high potential of being accumulated in animal tissue, but the molecules also appear to break down in sunlight, perhaps reducing their possible environmental dangers.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Cutting Calories Could Limit Muscle Wasting In Later Years
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820057/080916215209.htm
A restricted-calorie diet, when started in early adulthood, seems to stymie a mitochondrial mishap that may contribute to muscle loss in aging adults, researchers have reported.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Pores Open The Door To Death
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820058/080916143858.htm
Scientists settle the question as to how our immune defenses enter and attack its own cells when they fall prey to viruses and tumor cells.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Inflammatory Response To Infection And Injury May Worsen Dementia
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820059/080916215205.htm
Inflammation in the brain resulting from infection or injury may accelerate the progress of dementia, new research suggests. The findings may have implications for the treatment and care of those living with dementia.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Error Message! How Mobile Phones Distort Measurements
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395141711/080917074128.htm
Nowadays we don't only take measurements with simple measuring devices, but also with whole measuring systems. Unfortunately these complete systems are susceptible to electromagnetic radiation such as that transmitted by mobile phones and radio transceivers.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Exposure To Family Violence Especially Harmful To Previously Abused Children
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820060/080916100930.htm
Researchers conducted a study with a racially diverse sample of 2,925 children ages 5 to 16 years that found that the types of violence that abused children were later re-exposed to lead to specific types of psychological problems. Previously abused children who witnessed family violence, such as partner-on-partner abuse or adult-on-child abuse, had more symptoms of depression and anxiety, while those subjected to harsh physical discipline were more aggressive and more frequently broke rules.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Mother's Diet Can Affect Genes And Offspring's Risk Of Allergic Asthma, Rodent Studies Suggest
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820061/080918192822.htm
A pregnant mouse's diet can induce epigenetic changes that increase the risk her offspring will develop allergic asthma, according to researchers at National Jewish Health and Duke University Medical Center. Pregnant mice that consumed diets high in supplements containing methyl-donors, such as folic acid, had offspring with more severe allergic airway disease than offspring from mice that consumed diets low in methyl-containing foods.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
New Mechanism For Cardiac Arrhythmia Discovered
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396289938/080918101529.htm
Virus infections can cause cardiac arrhythmia. Scientists have now discovered the molecular mechanism. They have demonstrated that the receptor which the virus uses to infect heart cells is normally necessary for regular heart beat. Likewise, when the receptor is absent, arrhythmia occurs. The researchers assume that the virus infection and the autoimmune disease can block the receptor which disrupts the heart's normal rhythm.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Use Of Non-psychoactive Cannabinoids In The Treatment Of Neurodegenerative Diseases.
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820062/080916154721.htm
Scientists have studied the effects of a drug that reduces the progression of a disease similar to multiple sclerosis in animals. This discovery represents another step in the standing fight against the disease.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Genes Capable Of Regulating Stem Cell Function Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395141715/080917073948.htm
An animal model provides insight on pathways used for adult tissue maintenance and regeneration; system for studying relationship between stem cells and cancer. Scientists have developed a new system in which to study known mammalian adult stem cell disorders. This research, conducted with the flatworm planaria, highlights the genetic similarity between these invertebrates and mammals in the mechanisms by which stem cell regulatory pathways are used during adult tissue maintenance and regeneration.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Study Helps Stop Drugs Slipping Through Safety Net
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820063/080916101028.htm
Recent advances in genetic screening will lead to safer pharmaceutical drugs, with reduced adverse side effects, if the methods are incorporated in clinical development. A rallying call to bring key scientists into this growing field of pharmacogenics, the application of genetics to drug development and safety, was made recently at a major conference organized by the European Science Foundation in collaboration with the University of Barcelona.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Early Parenting Plays Key Role In Infants' Physiological Response To Stress
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820064/080916100928.htm
physiological response to stress (measured by heart rate) when they were temporarily separated from their mothers. DNA was collected to determine which infants carried a gene related to risky behaviors in adolescence and adulthood. Among those with the "risk" gene, maternal sensitivity did not affect heart rate at 6 months, but those with sensitive mothers showed an effective cardiac response at 12 months.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Astronomers Discover Most Dark Matter-dominated Galaxy In Universe
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396615907/080918170630.htm
Astronomers have discovered the least luminous, most dark matter-filled galaxy known to exist. The galaxy, called Segue 1, is one of about two dozen small satellite galaxies orbiting our own Milky Way galaxy. The ultra-faint galaxy is a billion times less bright than the Milky Way, according to the team’s results.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
A Healthy Lifestyle Halves The Risk Of Premature Death In Women
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820065/080916215130.htm
Over half of deaths in women from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease could be avoided if they never smoke, keep their weight in check, take exercise and eat a healthy diet low in red meat and trans-fats, according to a study published on the British Medical Journal website.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Ship-induced Waves Affect Snails, Crabs And Insect Larvae In Sandy Lakes And Rivers
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393192219/080915083723.htm
Snails, crabs, insect larvae - the shores of rivers and lakes are populated by thousands of small animals that play an important role in the food chain of the freshwater ecosystem. They eat the leaves which fall into the water, among other things, and help keep the waters clean. Scientists are now studying the impact that ship-induced waves can have on these small animals.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Genes Linked To Blindness Produced By Corneal Oedema Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396239860/080918091620.htm
Scientists have identified genes linked to blindness produced by corneal oedema. The findings, published in the journal ‘Experimental Eye Research’ related to blindness caused by corneal oedema originated by the alteration of the cell barrier of corneal endothelium. When the endothelial cell barrier is unharmed, the cornea remains dehydrated and transparent.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
New Method For Building Multilingual Ontologies That Can Be Applied To The Semantic Web
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396239861/080918091618.htm
Researchers have developed a new method for building multilingual ontologies that can be applied to the Semantic Web. An ontology is a structured set of terms and concepts underpinning the meaning of a subject area. Artificial intelligence and knowledge representation systems are the principal users of ontologies.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Carrots And Sticks To Promote A Healthy Lifestyle?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820066/080916101142.htm
When it comes to deciding whether paying people to make healthier lifestyle changes is a good thing, it seems patient opinion is split right down the middle. Unsurprisingly perhaps, those who smoke and are overweight are its greatest advocates.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
World Faces Global Pandemic Of Antibiotic Resistance, Experts Warn
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820067/080918192836.htm
Vital components of modern medicine such as major surgery, organ transplantation, and cancer chemotherapy will be threatened if antibiotic resistance is not tackled urgently, warn experts.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Common Bronchodilator Drug Linked To Increased Deaths
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820068/080915174609.htm
A common bronchodilator drug which has been used for more than a decade by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been linked to a one-third higher risk of cardiovascular-related deaths. The drug is ipratropium. A new study found that veterans with recently diagnosed COPD using ipratropium were 34 percent more likely to die of a heart attack or of arrhythmia.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
COPD? Eat Your Veggies
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390650326/080912075156.htm
You know it's good for you in other ways, but could eating your broccoli also help patients with chronic lung disease? It just might. Broccoli is known to contain a compound that prevents the degradation of a key component that protects lungs against oxidative damage and has been linked to the development and severity of chronic lung disease.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Determining The Structure Of Nuclear Receptor Has Implications For A Host Of Diseases
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820069/080916101154.htm
Researchers have determined the molecular structure of a nuclear receptor, which regulates the expression of specific genes within cells, that may serve as a drug target for diseases related to heart and blood vessel development, human embryonic development and female infertility. Researchers also found that the receptor, named COUP-TFII, is activated by retinoic acid, a form of Vitamin A.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
Engineers Discover Nanoparticles Can Break On Through
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820070/080916215213.htm
In a finding that could speed the use of sensors or barcodes at the nanoscale, engineers have shown that certain types of tiny organic particles, when heated to the proper temperature, bob to the surface of a layer of a thin polymer film and then can reversibly recede below the surface when heated a second time.
Fri, 19 Sep 08
What Was I Doing? Interruptions Can Change Purchase Decisions
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/396820071/080915170747.htm
You're on your computer, about to buy a vacation package when the phone rings. According to a new study, when you return to the computer after the interruption, you may have a completely different mindset -- and make a different decision.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
It’s All In The Hips: Early Whales Used Well Developed Back Legs For Swimming, Fossils Show
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736302/080917210028.htm
The crashing of the enormous fluked tail on the surface of the ocean is a "calling card" of modern whales. Living whales have no back legs, and their front legs take the form of flippers that allow them to steer. Their special tails provide the powerful thrust necessary to move their huge bulk. Yet this has not always been the case. Now newly found fossils from Alabama and Mississippi that pinpoint where tail flukes developed in the evolution of whales.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Top-selling Cholesterol Drug Does Little For Women, Study Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395694894/080917145147.htm
Lipitor has been the top-selling drug in the world and has accounted for over $12 billion in annual sales. It has been prescribed to both men and women to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with common risk factors for heart disease. However, a new study was unable to find high quality clinical evidence documenting reduced heart attack risk for women in a primary prevention context.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Small Numbers Of Patients With Drug-resistant TB May Account For High Proportion Of New Infections
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736303/080916101148.htm
Inadequate treatment of antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis can leave patients highly infectious, and small numbers of such patients may drive transmission of the disease in the very health care facilities intended to treat it, according to research published in PLoS Medicine.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
From Xbox To T-cells: Borrowing Video Game Technology To Model Human Biology
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736304/080916155058.htm
Researchers are harnessing the computing muscle behind the leading video games to understand the most intricate of real-life systems.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Signals From Blood Of Mother Enhance Maturation Of Brain
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736305/080915210513.htm
The maturation of the brain of unborn infants is given a gentle “prod” by its mother, according to new research. A protein messenger from the mother’s blood is transferred to the embryo and stimulates the growth and wiring of the neurons in the brain.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Scientists Turn Human Skin Cells Into Insulin-producing Cells
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395650248/080917175042.htm
Researchers have transformed cells from human skin into cells that produce insulin, the hormone used to treat diabetes. The breakthrough may one day lead to new treatments or even a cure for the millions of people affected by the disease, researchers say.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
New Leukemia Signal Could Point Way To Better Treatment
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736306/080917145133.htm
Cancer researchers have discovered a promising new chemotherapy target for a deadly form of leukemia. Their discovery hinges on a novel "double agent" role for a molecular signal that regulates cell growth.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Blanket Ban On Bushmeat Could Be Disastrous For Forest Dwellers In Central Africa, Says New Report
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736307/080916101152.htm
A new report from the Center for International Forestry Research, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and partners warns that an upsurge in hunting bushmeat -- including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians -- in tropical forests is unsustainable, and that it poses serious threats to food security for poor inhabitants of forests in Africa, who rely largely on bushmeat for protein.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Almost 7 Million Pregnant In Sub-Saharan Africa Infected With Hookworms
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736308/080917145411.htm
A new study reveals that between a quarter and a third of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa, or almost 7 million, are infected with hookworms and at increased risk of developing anemia.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Scavenger Birds Chew The Fat
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736309/080908105404.htm
Humans aren't the only ones who like fatty foods -- bearded vultures do, too. The bearded vulture will discard less energy-dense bones and choose only the bones containing the highest fat content both for its consumption and delivery to its young.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Genetic Research Using Human Samples Requires New Types Of Informed Consent
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736310/080916101150.htm
Genetic studies involving the long term storage and study of human samples hold great promise for medical research -- but they also pose new threats to individuals such as uninsurability, unemployability, and discrimination, say a team of researchers in this week's PLoS Medicine.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Researchers Suppress 'Hunger Hormone' In Pigs: New Minimally Invasive Method Yields Result As Good As Bariatric Surgery
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736311/080916100946.htm
Johns Hopkins scientists report success in significantly suppressing levels of the "hunger hormone" ghrelin in pigs using a minimally invasive means of chemically vaporizing the main vessel carrying blood to the top section, or fundus, of the stomach. An estimated 90 percent of the body's ghrelin originates in the fundus, which can't make the hormone without a good blood supply.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Viral 'Magic Bullet' Targets Cancer Cells With Help Of New Compound
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736313/080916143958.htm
Researchers report a significant breakthrough in the use of viruses to target and destroy cancer cells, a field known as oncolytic virotherapy.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Capturing Replication Strategies Used By SARS Viruses In Their Bid To Spread
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736315/080916101156.htm
Biologists report how they have used virus-infected cell cultures and developed a sophisticated method to preserve and visualize the fragile replication structures of SARS-coronavirus, both in whole cells and in sections of cells.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Steroids Not As Effective In Obese Asthma Patients
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736316/080916215217.htm
Researchers have shown that glucocorticoids, the primary controller medication for asthma, are 40 percent less effective in overweight and obese asthma patients than in those of normal weight.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Developing Pea Varieties Tolerant Of Drought And Effects Of Climate Change
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736319/080916143856.htm
New research could help breeders to develop pea varieties able to withstand drought stress and climate change. The research also shows that the composition of crops is likely to change with the climate.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Children Who Are Concerned About Parents Arguing Are Prone To School Problems
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736321/080916100932.htm
A new study charted how children's concerns about their parents' relationship may increase their vulnerability to later adjustment problems. Children who worry a lot about conflict between their parents were found to have school problems because of difficulty focusing and sustaining attention. These attention problems were noted by teachers in the year that the concern was reported and one year later. The findings have implications for mental health programs among children dealing with parental discord.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Improving Our Ability To Peek Inside Molecules
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736324/080916144006.htm
It's not easy to see a single molecule inside a living cell. Nevertheless, researchers are developing a new technique that will enable them to create detailed high-resolution images, giving scientists an unprecedented look at the atomic structure of cellular molecules.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
How Often To Screen For Colon Cancer? Study Finds 5-year Risk Extremely Low
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395650247/080917175036.htm
How frequently should symptom-free individuals at average risk for colon cancer undergo screening with colonoscopy? Researchers report that while there still is no definitive answer to the question, they now know the procedure need not be performed any sooner than every five years.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Coating Improves Electrical Stimulation Therapy Used For Parkinson's, Depression, Chronic Pain
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736327/080916101024.htm
Researchers have designed a way to improve electrical stimulation of nerves by outfitting electrodes with the latest in chemically engineered fashion: a coating of basic black, formed from carbon nanotubes.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Blood Pressure Drug Combination Reduces Heart Attack Deaths
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736329/080916143904.htm
Thousands of patients with high blood pressure could benefit from changing their drug treatment regimen to reduce their risk of cardiac death. Researchers analyzed data from existing clinical trials of diuretic drugs and found that combining a thiazide diuretic with a "potassium-sparing" drug to treat hypertension reduced both sudden cardiac death and total coronary mortality by 40 percent. The findings call into question the current treatment guidelines.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
The Greening Of Sub-Saharan Africa
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395520175/080917145740.htm
The green revolution that has led to food being far more abundant now than forty years ago in South America and Asia has all-but bypasses Sub-Saharan Africa as that region's population trebled over that time period. Now, researchers in The Netherlands point to possible causes for this disparity and offer hope of reversing the trend based on a technological approach.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Move Over Mean Girls -- Boys Can Be Socially Aggressive, Too
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736332/080916100934.htm
A new analysis contradicts the notion that "social" aggression, such as spreading rumors, is a female and not male form of aggression. The researchers analyzed 148 studies of social and physical aggression, encompassing 74,000 children and adolescents. Children who carry out one form of aggression (social or physical) were inclined to carry out the other form. Social aggression is related to delinquency and ADHD-type symptoms, while physical aggression is related to depression and low self-esteem.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Significant Increase In Alien Plants In Europe Observed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736334/080917145409.htm
The number of alien plant species has more than tripled over the last 25 years. This is the finding of a study by European scientists who evaluated the data from 48 European countries and regions. A total of 5789 plant species were classified as alien. Of these, 2843 originating outside of Europe, according to the researchers. By contrast, in 1980 only 1568 alien species were registered.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
New Oral Drug Shrinks Lung Cancers Before Surgery, Researchers Report
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736345/080916101030.htm
Pazopanib, a new oral angiogenesis inhibitor, has demonstrated interesting activity in difficult to treat non-small-cell lung cancer, researchers report.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Pregnant Women With Bulimia Have More Anxiety And Depression, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736346/080917095356.htm
Women who have bulimia in pregnancy have more symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to pregnant women without eating disorders. A new Norwegian study shows that they also have lower self-esteem and are more dissatisfied with life and their relationship with their partner.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
New Results Help Predict Treatment Response In Colorectal Cancer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736348/080916101036.htm
Gene marker indicates doubling of survival time in advanced colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab. A study shows value of circulating tumor cells in patients on targeted therapy.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Bovine Mastitis: Could A Vaccine Be On The Way?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395520177/080917145736.htm
It is the most common infectious disease in farmed animals. Around one million cases occur each year in the UK. It is painful, occasionally life threatening, and costs the dairy industry £200m every year in lost production and treatments. Within the UK alone it has been estimated that around 12m doses of antibiotic are used annually to control and treat mastitis in cattle.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Troubled Girls From Poor Neighborhoods More Likely To Have Sex In Early Adolescence
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736350/080916100940.htm
A new study has found that girls living in poor neighborhoods were more likely to engage in sexual intercourse in early adolescence and to be doing so with older boys.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Nottingham Scientists To Develop Blood Test For Alzheimer’s
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736351/080917202830.htm
Researchers in the United Kingdom are joining forces to develop a simple blood test to diagnose Alzheimer's disease.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Even If Greenhouse Gas Emissions Hold Steady, Warmer World Faces Loss Of Biodiversity, Glaciers
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395520173/080917145509.htm
Even if greenhouse gas emissions are fixed at 2005 levels, a new analysis shows that irreversible warming will lead to biodiversity loss and substantial glacial melt.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Migraine Linked To Blood Clots In Veins
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736352/080915165814.htm
People with migraines may also be more likely to develop blood clots in their veins, according to a new study.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Drinking Water: The Need For Constant Innovation
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736353/080912091736.htm
Most western countries' drinking water is of excellent quality, but there is no room for complacency. The challenges are growing: undesirable contaminants are found in rivers, lakes and groundwater. Climate change is also warming waterbodies, with implications for water quality, and in developing countries more and more people are reliant on groundwater containing natural contaminants. In industrialized countries water utilities are aging and need to be renewed.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Factors Associated With Poor Weight Loss After Gastric Bypass Surgery Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736354/080915165816.htm
Individuals with diabetes and those whose stomach pouches are larger appear less likely to successfully lose weight after gastric bypass surgery, according to new report.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
High Grain Prices Are Likely Here To Stay
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736355/080915132700.htm
An ethanol-fueled spike in grain prices will likely hold, yielding the first sustained increase for corn, wheat and soybean prices in more than three decades, according to new research.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Parents Of Dying Newborns Need Clearer Explanation Of Options
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395736356/080915174550.htm
Parent-doctor discussions about whether to maintain or withdraw life support from terminally ill or severely premature newborns are so plagued by miscommunication and misunderstanding that they might as well be in different languages, according to a small but potentially instructive new study.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Fastest Flights In Nature: High-speed Spore Discharge Mechanisms Among Fungi
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395465101/080916215120.htm
Microscopic coprophilous (dung-loving fungi) make our planet habitable by degrading the billions of tons of feces produced by herbivores. But the fungi have a problem: survival depends upon the consumption of their spores by herbivores and few animals will graze on grass next to their own dung. Evolution has overcome this obstacle by producing mechanisms of spore discharge whose elegance transforms a cow pie into a circus of microscopic catapults, trampolines and squirt guns.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Nanomedical Approach Targets Multiple Cancer Genes, Shrinks Tumors More Effectively
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395465091/080915143328.htm
Nanoparticles filled with a drug that targets two genes that trigger melanoma could offer a potential cure for this deadly disease, according to cancer researchers. The treatment, administered through an ultrasound device, demonstrates a safer and more effective way of targeting cancer-causing genes in cancer cells without harming normal tissue.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Giant Grass Offers Clues To Growing Corn In Cooler Climes, Researchers Report
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393385624/080915121331.htm
A giant perennial grass used as a biofuels source has a much longer growing season than corn, and researchers think they've found the secret of its success. Their findings should help develop cold-tolerant corn, significantly boosting per-acre yields.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Old And New Therapies Combine To Tackle Atherosclerosis
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395465098/080915174544.htm
Futuristic nanotechnology has been teamed with a decades-old drug to beat atherosclerotic plaques. The scientists found that drug-laced nanoparticles plus a statin could stop the growth of tiny blood vessels that feed arterial plaques. Their results suggest that the dual treatment also prevents the vessels from restarting their growth, which could shrink or stabilize plaques.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
3-D MRI Technique Helps Radiologists Detect High-risk Carotid Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395465099/080916100938.htm
Canadian researchers have used 3-D magnetic resonance imaging to accurately detect bleeding within the walls of diseased carotid arteries, a condition that may lead to a stroke. The results of the study suggest the technique may prove to be a useful screening tool for patients at high risk for stroke.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Older Problem Gamblers May Face Greater Suicide Risk Than Younger Counterparts, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395465108/080916100944.htm
Compared to their younger counterparts, older problem gamblers who ask casinos to bar them from returning are three to four times more likely to do so because they fear they will kill themselves if they don't stop betting, according to a new study.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Scientists Find Black Hole 'Missing Link'
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395465100/080917145139.htm
Scientists have found the "missing link" between small and super-massive black holes. For the first time the researchers have discovered that a strong X-ray pulse is emitting from a giant black hole in a galaxy 500 million light years from Earth. The pulse has been created by gas being sucked by gravity on to the black hole at the center of the galaxy.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
An 'HIV-test' Equivalent For Early Detection Of Lung Cancer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395465102/080916101158.htm
A team of researchers led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center reports online today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology the validation of a potential "HIV-test" equivalent for the early detection of lung cancer. The test, which relies on immune-system signals, much like an HIV test, can detect the presence of lung cancer a year prior to diagnosis, long before symptoms appear.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Roman York Skeleton Could Be Early TB Victim
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395465104/080916101038.htm
The skeleton of a man discovered by archaeologists in a shallow grave on the site of the University of York's campus expansion could be that of one of Britain's earliest victims of tuberculosis.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
New Drug Substantially Extends Survival In Pancreatic Cancer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395465106/080916101032.htm
A new form of chemotherapy that destroys new blood vessels that grow around tumors has produced excellent results in a phase II trial of patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer, researchers report at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Stockholm.
Thu, 18 Sep 08
Houses Made Of Hemp Could Help Combat Climate Change
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/395465107/080916154724.htm
Houses made of hemp, timber or straw could help combat climate change by reducing the carbon footprint of building construction, according to researchers at the University of Bath.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Breakthrough In Energy Storage: New Carbon Material Shows Promise Of Storing Large Quantities Of Renewable Electrical Energy
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394515510/080916143910.htm
Engineers and scientists have achieved a breakthrough in the use of a one-atom thick structure called "graphene" as a new carbon-based material for storing electrical charge in ultracapacitor devices, perhaps paving the way for the massive installation of renewable energies such as wind and solar power.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Gene Therapy For Chronic Pain Gets First Test In People
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393385625/080915121329.htm
Scientists have launched a phase 1 clinical trial to test whether a pain-relieving gene can be sent to a key point in the nervous system and block pain sensation. The technique promises a more effective, targeted way to treat persistent pain than present painkillers.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Fantastic Photographs Of Fluorescent Fish
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466076/080915210600.htm
Scientists have discovered that certain fish are capable of glowing red. Research in BMC Ecology includes striking images of fish fluorescing vivid red light.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Is Re-emerging Superbug The Next MRSA?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466077/080915174607.htm
Physicians are issuing a warning that Clostridium difficile, a virulent strain of an intestinal bacteria, is currently plaguing hospitals and now rivals the superbug Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus as a top disease threat to humans. The little-known bacteria appears to be the next emerging disease threat, killing 1,000s in the United States.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Oil Palm Plantations Are No Substitute For Tropical Rainforests, New Study Shows
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393385627/080915121221.htm
The continued expansion of oil palm plantations will worsen the dual environmental crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, unless rainforests are better protected, warn scientists in the most comprehensive review of the subject to date.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
New Music Software Can Create Accompaniment To Any Melody, In Style Of Any Artist
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466078/080915143320.htm
A new software system can not only create an accompaniment to any given melody, but do so in the style of any chosen artist, or even the particular style used in select pieces by the artist. The system can potentially run on an ordinary PC.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Why Some Primates, But Not Humans, Can Live With Immunodeficiency Viruses And Not Progress To AIDS
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466079/080916143900.htm
Some primate species, including sooty mangabeys, harbor simian immunodeficiency viruses but remain healthy, unlike rhesus macaques. The immune systems of sooty mangabeys become significantly less activated during SIV infection than the immune systems of macaques. The less vigorous immune response to SIV in mangabeys may be an effective evolutionary response to a virus that resists clearance by antiviral immune responses. New treatment strategies that would steer the immune system away from over-activation could protect against the unintended damage caused by host immune responses.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Embryonic Stem Cells Might Help Reduce Transplantation Rejection
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393385622/080915122723.htm
Researchers have shown that immune-defense cells influenced by embryonic stem cell-derived cells can help prevent the rejection of hearts transplanted into mice, all without the use of immunosuppressive drugs. The finding has implications for possible improvements in organ and bone marrow transplantation for humans.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Earth Structure: Lowermost Mantle Has Materials With Unexpected Properties
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466082/080916105720.htm
Materials deep inside Earth have unexpected atomic properties that might force earth scientists to revise their models of Earth's internal processes. Recreating in the lab materials they believe exist in the lowermost mantle 2,900 kilometers below Earth's surface, researchers say the materials exhibit unexpected atomic properties that might influence how heat is transferred within Earth's mantle, how superplumes form, and how the magnetic field and heat generated in Earth's core travel to the planet's surface.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
3-D Computer Processor: 'Rochester Cube' Points Way To More Powerful Chip Designs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466088/080915105733.htm
The next major advance in computer processors will likely be the move from today's two-dimensional chips to three-dimensional circuits, and the first three-dimensional synchronization circuitry is now running at 1.4 gigahertz at the University of Rochester.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Mice Missing 'Fear' Gene Slow To Protect Offspring
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466089/080915174548.htm
First, he discovered a gene that controls innate fear in animals. Now Rutgers geneticist Gleb Shumyatsky has shown that the same gene promotes "helicopter mom" behavior in mice. The gene, known as stathmin or oncoprotein 18, motivates female animals to protect newborn pups and interact cautiously with unknown peers. Shumyatsky's newest finding could enhance our understanding of human anxiety, including part-partum depression and borderline personality disorders.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Whale Songs Are Heard For First Time Around New York City Waters
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466090/080916143906.htm
For the first time in waters surrounding New York City, the beckoning calls of endangered fin, humpback and North Atlantic right whales have been recorded.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Genetic Variant Increases Risk Of Developing Malignant Melanoma
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466091/080915122731.htm
People who carry a particular genetic variant are at significantly increased risk of developing malignant melanoma, new research shows.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Innovative Hydrogen-powered Car Created
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696416/080912091726.htm
As the price of gasoline fuel soars, and concerns grow about the impact of car culture on the environment, a team of scientists have come up with a hydrogen-powered car, which they believe is a significant step forward in creating a mass-produced green machine.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Later Treatment Of Acute Stroke Suggested By New Study
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466092/080915105729.htm
The time span in which treatment should be given for acute ischaemic stroke -- i.e. stroke caused by a clot or other obstruction to the blood supply -- can be lengthened. This according to a new study, the results of which can bring about more effective and safer treatments for stroke sufferers.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Extremely Detailed Images From Inside The Body Possible With New Technology
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696414/080912091732.htm
New technology will enable extremely detailed images to be made of the smallest structures of the human body. The aim is to detect the risk or commencement of an illness at a very early stage in heart, brain and cancer research. This will be the only magnetic resonance tomograph of the modern 7 tesla generation in the world, in which a metrology institute is also involved.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Seize The Day! New Research Helps Tightwads 'Live A Little'
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466093/080915143326.htm
Some people have trouble indulging, and they regret it later. There's hope for those people, according to a new study.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Watch And Learn: Time Teaches Us How To Recognize Visual Objects
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466094/080911150046.htm
In work that could aid efforts to develop more brain-like computer vision systems, MIT neuroscientists have tricked the visual brain into confusing one object with another, thereby demonstrating that time teaches us how to recognize objects.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Genetic Profile Reveals Susceptibility To Cleft Palate
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393385620/080915122727.htm
For the first time, researchers have identified a series of genetic mutations that appear to be linked to significant risk for cleft palate and other dental abnormalities. These are devastating conditions that cause tremendous social isolation, and also are associated with decreased lifespan, a higher risk of cancer and increased susceptibility to psychiatric disorders, even after surgical repair.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Low-emission, High-performance Engine For Future Hybrids
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466095/080915164550.htm
In an advance toward introduction of an amazing new kind of internal combustion engine, researchers in China are reporting development and use of a new and more accurate computer model to assess performance of the so-called free-piston linear alternator (FPLA).
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Protective Pathway In Stressed Cells Not So Helpful When It Comes To Prions
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466096/080915121216.htm
Scientists have discovered that an important cellular quality control mechanism may actually be toxic to some brain cells during prion infection. The research proposes a new general mechanism of cellular dysfunction that can contribute to the devastating and widespread neuronal death characteristic of slowly progressing neurodegenerative diseases.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
New Mechanism To Produce Energy From Biomass
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393240626/080915083713.htm
Scientists have developed a system that can improve the efficiency of the conversion process of biomass to fuel gas that will contribute to the production of energy in a more sustainable manner.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
New Insights Into Teenagers And Anxiety Disorders
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466099/080915165832.htm
Can scientists predict who will develop anxiety disorders years in advance? One UCLA professor of psychology thinks so, and is four years into an eight-year study, evaluating 650 students who were 16-years-old at the study's start, to learn risk factors for the development of anxiety and depression -- the most comprehensive study of its kind.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
New Clues To Oxygen At The Origin Of The Solar System
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276410/080915134903.htm
Oxygen is the most abundant element on Earth, accounting for almost half the planet's mass. Of its three stable isotopes, oxygen 16 makes up 99.762 percent of oxygen on Earth, while heavier oxygen 17 accounts for just 0.038 percent, and the heaviest isotope, oxygen 18, makes up 0.2 percent. Yet minerals in some of the most primitive objects in the solar system, including the meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites, have quite different ratios of oxygen isotopes than on Earth; presumably the rare heavy isotopes occurred in much greater abundances in the early solar system.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Key Protein Molecule Linked To Diverse Human Chronic Inflammatory Diseases
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466101/080915143332.htm
Scientists have revealed a common connection between the cellular innate immunity network and human chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, Type 2 Diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. The finding presents a viable cellular and molecular target for the diagnosis and treatment of serious human inflammatory diseases.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Moderate Quantities Of Dirt Make More Rain
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466102/080909111026.htm
Drought or deluge? Scientists have now discovered how aerosols affect the when, where and how much of rainfall.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Acting Surgeon General Issues 'Call To Action To Prevent DVT And Pulmonary Embolism'
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466103/080915121219.htm
Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., has issued a Call to Action to reduce the number of cases of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in the United States. Galson urged all Americans to learn about and prevent these treatable conditions.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Bovine Colostrum And Fermented Cabbage Can Help Restrict Infections
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393240623/080915083721.htm
Antibodies extracted from bovine colostrum as well as lactobacilli extracted from fermented cabbage and other sources prevent the action of pathogenic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Consumers Think Differently About Close And Distant Purchases
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466104/080915143334.htm
If you are deciding on a major vacation for next year, you'll use different criteria than if you are planning a trip this weekend, according to a new study.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Neighbors From Hell: Infanticide Rife In Guillemot Colony
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394755873/080916215333.htm
One of Britain's best-known species of seabird is increasingly attacking and killing unattended chicks from neighboring nests due to food shortages.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Immigrant Sun: Our Star Could Be Far From Where It Started In Milky Way
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677695/080915170755.htm
New simulations challenge a long-held belief, indicating that in galaxies similar to the Milky Way stars such as our Sun can migrate great distances.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Genetic Mutation That May Predict Organ Rejection Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276411/080915132702.htm
Using a novel combination of cutting-edge technologies to scan the human genome, researchers have identified a genetic mutation that identifies transplant recipients who experience rejection.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Drinking Chamomile Tea May Help Fight Complications Of Diabetes
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276413/080915164519.htm
Drinking chamomile tea daily with meals may help prevent the complications of diabetes, which include loss of vision, nerve damage, and kidney damage, researchers in Japan and the United Kingdom are reporting.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Role For Gefitinib In Asian Nonsmokers With Lung Cancer Established
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276416/080915121327.htm
The targeted therapy gefitinib should be considered a first-line therapy for nonsmoking Asian patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung, one of the most common types of lung cancer, suggests a presentation at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Biological Selenium Removal: Solution To Pollution?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276417/080915121321.htm
Unsafe levels of selenium, sometimes referred to as an "essential toxin," can be reduced by a microbiological treatment. With this method, microorganisms reduce selenate to the less-toxic elemental selenium, which can potentially be recovered from the process. An estimated 0.5 to 1 billion people worldwide suffer from selenium deficiency, even though many live near areas where levels of selenium have reached toxic levels.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Massage Therapy May Have Immediate Positive Effect On Pain And Mood For Advanced Cancer Patients
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276418/080915174534.htm
Massage therapy may have immediate benefits on pain and mood among patients with advanced cancer. In a randomized trial of 380 advanced cancer patients at 15 U.S. hospices, improvement in pain and mood immediately following treatment was greater with massage than with simple touch.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Photosynthesizing Bacteria With A Day-night Cycle Contain Rare Chromosome
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276419/080915174540.htm
Researchers sequencing the DNA of the blue-green algae Cyanothece 51142 found a linear chromosome harboring genes important for producing biofuels. Simultaneously analyzing the complement of proteins revealed more genes on the linear and typical circular chromosomes then they'd have found with DNA sequencing alone.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Brain Protein Linked To Alzheimer's Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276420/080915132658.htm
A link has been announced between the brain protein KIBRA and Alzheimer's disease, a discovery that could lead to promising new treatments for this memory-robbing disorder. The new discovery builds on a previous study, which showed a genetic link between KIBRA and memory. In the new study, researchers found that carriers of a memory-enhancing flavor of the KIBRA gene had a 25 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Potential New Drug For Cocaine Addiction And Overdose
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276421/080915164427.htm
Chemists are reporting development of what they term the most powerful substance ever discovered for eliminating cocaine from the body, an advance that could lead to the world's first effective medicine for fighting overdoses and addictions of the illicit drug.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
More Findings On Gene Involved In Childhood Asthma
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393385623/080915122721.htm
Asthma researchers have found that a gene variant known to raise the risk of childhood asthma in European children plays a similar role in white American children, but not in African-American children. The new findings showed the gene was involved in both milder and more severe forms of asthma.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Water Purification Down The Nanotubes: Could Nanotechnology Solve The Water Crisis?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276422/080915105731.htm
Nanotechnology could be the answer to ensuring a safe supply of drinking water for regions of the world stricken by periodic drought or where water contamination is rife. Writing in the International Journal of Nuclear Desalination, researchers in India explain how carbon nanotubes could replace conventional materials in water-purification systems.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Don't Throw The Candy Out: Temptation Leads To Moderation
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276423/080915143330.htm
Banishing tempting goodies may not be the best way to keep from eating them. Tempting foods can actually increase willpower, according to new research. Although it seems counterintuitive, consumers show more self-control after they've spent some time in the presence of a treat.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Higher Urinary Levels Of Commonly Used Plastic Compound, BPA, Linked To Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394466106/080916100942.htm
Higher levels of urinary Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound commonly used in plastic packaging for food and beverages, is associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and liver-enzyme abnormalities, according to a study in the September 17 issue of JAMA. This study is being released early to coincide with a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearing on BPA.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Sun-damaged Skin Does Not Improve With Estrogen Treatments, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276424/080915165828.htm
Treating the skin with estrogen can stimulate collagen production -- which improves the appearance of the skin -- in areas not typically exposed to the sun, according to new research. But in sun-damaged skin, the same treatment does not increase collagen production, the study found.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
NASA Selects 'MAVEN' Mission To Study Mars Atmosphere
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276425/080915234615.htm
NASA has selected a Mars robotic mission that will provide information about the Red Planet's atmosphere, climate history and potential habitability in greater detail than ever before.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
MRI Reveals Inner Ear Anomalies In Children With Hearing Loss
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276427/080915165824.htm
Using magnetic resonance imaging, physicians can identify soft-tissue defects that contribute to hearing loss in children, according to a new report.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
New Rechargeable Lithium Batteries Could Jump-start Hybrid Electric Car Efficiency
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276428/080915121227.htm
Researchers are helping to develop new rechargeable batteries that could improve hybrid electric cars in the future. For hybrid cars, new materials are crucial to make the batteries lighter, safer and more efficient in storing energy.
Wed, 17 Sep 08
Blissfully Ignorant: Skip Those Pesky Details
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/394276429/080915170745.htm
Wouldn't you like some more information about that cream puff? Not if you just ate it. A new study examined what's known as the "blissful ignorance effect," the way consumers' goals shift after they've made purchases.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Dark Matter Disk In Our Galaxy, Supercomputer Simulation Shows
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393842917/080915210506.htm
The Milky Way contains a disk of "dark matter," according to new calculations by astronomers. They have used the results of a supercomputer simulation to deduce the presence of this disk.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Childhood Brain Cancer Genes Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677696/080915121315.htm
Scientists have isolated three important genes involved in the development of a type of childhood brain cancer. Researchers have found three genes associated with specific characteristics of ependymoma — the third most common form of childhood brain cancer.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Fuel Emissions From Marine Vessels Remain A Global Concern
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677698/080909111035.htm
The forecast for clear skies and smooth sailing for oceanic vessels has been impeded by worldwide concerns of their significant contributions to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that impact the Earth's climate.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Prosthetic Ears Appear To Improve Hearing And Speech Recognition In Noisy Environments
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677699/080915165822.htm
Prosthetic ears appear to improve hearing and speech recognition in noisy environments, according to a new report.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Flower-shaped Nanoparticles May Lead To Better Batteries For Portable Electronics
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677700/080915164612.htm
Want more power and longer battery life for that cell phone, laptop, and digital music player? "Flower power" may be the solution. Chemists are reporting development of flower-shaped nanoparticles with superior electronic performance than conventional battery materials.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Magic Can Conjure Up Confidence And Social Skills
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677701/080911142419.htm
For years, audiences have been thrilled by the amazing performances of master magicians, such as David Blaine and Derren Brown. Now, the results of a new experiment suggests that such magical feats can also work wonders with children’s confidence and social skills.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
New Ant Species Discovered In The Amazon Likely Represents Oldest Living Lineage Of Ants
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393842918/080915174538.htm
A new species of blind, subterranean, predatory ant discovered in the Amazon rainforest is likely a descendant of the very first ants to evolve.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Two Beta Blockers Also Protect Heart Tissue, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677702/080915121229.htm
A newly discovered chemical pathway that helps protect heart tissue can be stimulated by two of 20 common beta-blockers, drugs that are prescribed to millions of patients who have experienced heart failure.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Depressed Dialysis Patients More Likely To Be Hospitalized Or Die, Researcher Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390731995/080912101404.htm
Dialysis patients diagnosed with depression are nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized or die within a year than those who are not depressed, researchers have found.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Newest Interventional Radiology Treatment Used To Bust Blood Clots In Legs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677703/080915105725.htm
The first major national trial of a catheter-based treatment for deep vein thrombosis will evaluate the use of clot-dissolving drugs in combination with clot removal devices to prevent post-thrombotic syndrome in patients with DVT (the formation of a blood clot in a leg vein). PTS, a common irreversible complication of DVT, causes permanent damage to the veins, resulting in debilitating chronic leg pain, swelling, fatigue and/or skin ulcers.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Automated System Provides Early Warning Of Natural Disasters
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393192217/080915083725.htm
When disaster threatens, the first hours are crucial. Researchers have developed an automated system to provide early detection, forecasting, and warning of natural disasters such as floods and wildfires.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Pervasive Games Promise To Spice Up Daily Life
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393192215/080915083727.htm
In the movie The Game, the character is hounded by villains and left for dead in Mexico in an intense version of an alternative reality game. Minus the Hollywood bravado, games that merge the virtual with the real could be the next entertainment revolution.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Arctic Sea Ice At Lowest Recorded Level Ever
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677704/080915162428.htm
Arctic sea ice may well have reached its lowest volumes ever, as summer ice coverage of the Arctic Sea looks set to be close to last year's record lows, with thinner ice overall. Final figures on minimum ice coverage for 2008 are expected in a matter of days, but they are already flirting with last year's record low of 1.59 million square miles, or 4.13 million square kilometers.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
New Treatment For Prostate Cancer Pioneered
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677705/080915121325.htm
Scientists are developing and commercializing a promising novel therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer that may offer patients a faster and more precise treatment than existing clinical alternatives, with fewer side effects.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Slicing Solar Power Costs: New Method Cuts Waste In Making Most Efficient Solar Cells
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677706/080915083451.htm
Engineers have devised a new way to slice thin wafers of the chemical element germanium for use in the most efficient type of solar power cells. They say the new method should lower the cost of such cells by reducing the waste and breakage of the brittle semiconductor.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Dental Fillings Without Gaps
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384176941/080905072132.htm
Tooth cavities are usually closed with plastic fillings. However, the initially soft plastic shrinks as it hardens. The tension can cause gaps to appear between the tooth and the filling, encouraging more caries to form. For the first time, researchers have simulated this process.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
New Technique Allows Certain Objects To Be Invisible To Human Eye
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677708/080912091730.htm
Researchers in Spain have taken a step forward to realize a dream of science fiction writers and film makers: invisibility. By means of a numerical technique known as Transmission Line Matrix (TLM) Modelling method, scientists have managed to hide an object or make it invisible in a certain frequency, inside an electromagnetic simulator. Such research are key to achieving invisibility to radars and even to the human eye.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Help For Shopaholics: New Test Determines Who's At Risk For Compulsive Buying
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677709/080915165830.htm
Compulsive shopping can lead to financial problems, family conflicts, stress, depression, and loss of self-esteem. According to a new study, there may be more people engaged in compulsive buying than previously thought.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
How Memories Are Made, And Recalled
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677710/080908101651.htm
What makes a memory? Single cells in the brain, for one thing. For the first time, scientists have recorded individual brain cells in the act of calling up a memory, thus revealing where in the brain a specific memory is stored and how the brain is able to recreate it.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
'1-hit' Event Provides New Opportunity For Colon Cancer Prevention, Say Researchers
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393240627/080915083449.htm
Over 30 years ago, Fox Chase Cancer Center's Alfred Knudson, Jr., revolutionized cancer genetics with the Two-Hit Hypothesis, which guided scientists around the globe in their quest for tumor suppressor genes. Now, Knudson and colleagues offer evidence that a "one-hit" event is enough to make cells abnormal. By studying the first colon cell proteome, which describes the proteins a cell makes, they believe they may have discovered patterns that could indicate cancer.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Revising And Re-sizing History: New Work Shows Ohio Site To Be An Ancient Water Works, Not A Fort
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390829753/080912114403.htm
More than 200 years ago, William Henry Harrison -- when he was a general and not yet the US' ninth president -- made historical pronouncements that a hilltop site west of Cincinnati was an ancient military fort. Discoveries made by University of Cincinnati researchers this summer, though, offer new evidence that turns that long-accepted historical interpretation upside down.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Adding Taxotere To Chemotherapy Regimen Improves Survival In Early Breast Cancer, Study Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677711/080915083801.htm
For patients with early stage breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, adding four cycles of docetaxel (Taxotere) into a sequential regimen of epirubicin followed by cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil (CMF) reduces the risk of recurrence and death, updated long-term results show.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Moving Quarks Help Solve Proton Spin Puzzle
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390731996/080912101402.htm
New theory work at the US Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has shown that more than half of the spin of the proton is the result of the movement of its building blocks: quarks. The result, published in Physical Review Letters, agrees with recent experiments and supercomputer calculations.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Impulsive Eater? Remembering Failures May Help Curb Eating
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677712/080915170743.htm
When it comes to tempting or fattening foods, some people are a lot more impulsive than others. And according to a new study, impulsive people think and act differently than non-impulsive people after they remember a time when they resisted or succumbed to temptation.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Purifying Parasites From Host Cells With Light
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390875001/080912132958.htm
Researchers have developed a clever method to purify parasitic organisms from their host cells, which will allow for more detailed studies and a deeper insight into the biology of organisms that cause millions of cases of disease each year.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Investigational Drug Shows Promise In Ovarian Cancer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393240624/080915083717.htm
An investigational drug that combats ovarian cancer by inhibiting the formation of new blood vessels has shown promise in a phase II trial, according to new research.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
New Method Identifies Meth Hot Spots
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393240632/080915083341.htm
A new method of combining multiple sources of data to identify counties in Oregon with high numbers of methamphetamine-related problems per capita, giving officials a new tool in fighting the illegal drug.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
New Tool To Speed Cancer Therapy Approval Available
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393240629/080915083347.htm
Although cancer remains a leading cause of death in America, it can take up to 12 years to bring a new anti-cancer agent before the FDA and the success rate for approval is only five to 10 percent. That means many research hours and dollars are wasted chasing avenues that will not bring fruit.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
New Geomorphological Index Created For Studying Active Tectonics Of Mountains
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677713/080911142421.htm
To build a hospital, nuclear power station or a large dam you need to know the possible earthquake risks of the terrain. Now, researchers from the Universities of Granada and Jaen, alongside scientists from the University of California (Santa Barbara, USA), have developed, based on relief data from the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada, a geomorphological index that analyses land form in relation to active tectonics, applicable to any mountain chain on the planet.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Steady Work And Mental Health: Is There A Connection?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393677714/080915105727.htm
Research from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health, in a new report from the World Health Organization on the social determinants of health, highlights the profound impact of employment conditions on health.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Criminals Who Eat Processed Foods More Likely To Be Discovered, Through Fingerprint Sweat Corroding Metal
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393755851/080915210509.htm
The inventor of a revolutionary new forensic fingerprinting technique claims criminals who eat processed foods are more likely to be discovered by police through their fingerprint sweat corroding metal.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Economic Value Of Insect Pollination Worldwide Estimated At U.S. $217 Billion
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393385621/080915122725.htm
Scientist has determined that the worldwide economic value of the pollination service provided by insect pollinators, bees mainly, is €153 billion in 2005 for the main crops that feed the world. This figure amounted to 9.5 percent of the total value of the world agricultural food production. The study also determined that pollinator disappearance would translate into a consumer surplus loss estimated between €190 to €310 billion.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Vaccine Against HER2-positive Breast Cancer Offers Complete Protection In Lab
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393240631/080915083343.htm
Researchers have tested a breast cancer vaccine they say completely eliminated HER2-positive tumors in mice -- even cancers resistant to current anti-HER2 therapy --- without any toxicity.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Key To Keeping Older People Fit For Longer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393432022/080911111522.htm
A carefully framed combination of moderate exercise and nutritional supplements could help older people maintain an active lifestyle for longer.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Significant Benefits In Non-small-cell Lung Cancer From Customizing Erlotinib Treatment
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393432024/080915083729.htm
Lung cancer patients whose tumors carry specific genetic mutations can achieve significantly longer survival when treated with targeted therapies such as erlotinib, researchers report.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Global Shortages Of Radio Isotopes For Cancer Diagnosis May Be A Thing Of The Past
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393432025/080911142423.htm
Thanks to a newly-developed technology, global shortages of radio isotopes for cancer diagnosis could be a thing of the past.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Unusual Case Of Woman Who Suffered Stroke During Sex
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393240630/080915083345.htm
Minutes after having sexual intercourse with her boyfriend, a 35-year-old woman suddenly felt her left arm go weak. Her speech became slurred and she lost feeling on the left side of her face. She was having a stroke. Doctors later concluded the stroke probably was due to several related factors, including birth control pills, a venous blood clot, sexual intercourse and a heart defect.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Viruses Collectively Decide Bacterial Cell's Fate
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393432026/080915121231.htm
A new study suggests that bacteria-infecting viruses -- called phages -- can make collective decisions about whether to kill host cells immediately after infection or enter a latent state to remain within the host cell. The research shows that when multiple viruses infect a cell, the overall level of viral gene expression increases, which has a dramatic nonlinear effect on gene networks that control cell fate.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Ovarian Cancer Drug Trial Reveals Promising New Treatment
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393240628/080915083351.htm
Women with recurrent ovarian cancer can be helped by an experimental therapy using a drug already touted for its ability to fight other cancers, a finding that provides hope for improved treatment of this deadly disease.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Mother's Stress Linked To Her Child Becoming Overweight
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393432027/080909122755.htm
A mother's stress may contribute to her young children being overweight in low income households with sufficient food, according to a new Iowa State University study published in the September issue of Pediatrics, the professional journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Turn It Off To Turn It On: Neuroscientists Discover Critical Early Step Of Memory Formation
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393432028/080915105819.htm
Researchers have found how nerve cells in the brain ensure that Arc, a protein critical for memory formation, is made instantly after nerve stimulation. Paradoxically, its manufacture involves two other proteins -- including one linked to mental retardation -- that typically prevent proteins from being made.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Ice Core Studies Confirm Accuracy Of Climate Models
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393432029/080911150048.htm
An analysis has been completed of the global carbon cycle and climate for a 70,000 year period in the most recent Ice Age, showing a remarkable correlation between carbon dioxide levels and surprisingly abrupt changes in climate.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Cold And Lonely: Does Social Exclusion Literally Feel Cold?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393385619/080915122729.htm
There are numerous examples in our daily language of metaphors which make a connection between cold temperatures and emotions such as loneliness, despair and sadness. We are taught at a young age that metaphors are meant to be descriptive and are not supposed to be taken literally. However, recent studies suggest that these metaphors are more than just fancy literary devices and that there is a psychological basis for linking cold with feelings of social isolation.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
First Picture Of Likely Planet Around Sun-like Star
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393564792/080915162420.htm
Astronomers have unveiled what is likely the first picture of a planet around a normal star similar to the Sun. Scientists used the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawai'i to take images of the young star, which lies about 500 light-years from Earth, and a candidate companion of that star. They also obtained spectra to confirm the nature of the companion, which has a mass about eight times that of Jupiter, and lies roughly 330 times the Earth-Sun distance away from its star. The parent star is similar in mass to the Sun, but is much younger.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Newer Antipsychotics No Better Than Older Drug In Treating Child And Adolescent Schizophrenia, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393192221/080915083353.htm
Nearly every child who receives an antipsychotic medicine is first prescribed a second-generation, or "atypical" drugs. However, there has never been evidence that these drugs are more effective or safer than the older, first-generation medications. Now a UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine study suggests that first-generation drugs are as effective as the newer ones and should be used as a first line of therapy in some children.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Aerobic Exercise For The Wheelchair-bound
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393330086/080910160800.htm
Simple exercise machine makes it fun for wheelchair users to fight high obesity, diabetes and heart disease rates.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Laminin Builds The Neuromuscular Synapse
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393240633/080915083339.htm
Like a plug and a socket, a nerve and a muscle fiber mesh at the neuromuscular junction. New work reveals that an extracellular matrix protein called laminin shapes both sides of the junction to ensure they fit together.
Tue, 16 Sep 08
Putting A 'Korset' On The Spread Of Computer Viruses: Invention Stays One Step Ahead Of Anti-virus Software
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/393330087/080909111037.htm
Anti-virus companies play a losing game. Casting their nets wide, they catch common, malicious viruses and worms, but it may take days before their software updates can prepare your computer for the next attack. By then it could be too late. And some insidious programs prove immune to anti-virus software, residing inside your computer for months or even years, collecting personal information and business secrets.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
NASA's Phoenix Lander Sees, Feels Martian Whirlwinds In Action
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392820474/080914222123.htm
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has photographed several dust devils dancing across the arctic plain this week and sensed a dip in air pressure as one passed near the lander. These dust-lofting whirlwinds had been expected in the area, but none had been detected in earlier Phoenix images.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Scientists Watch As Listener's Brain Predicts Speaker's Words
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791834/080911140815.htm
Scientists have shown for the first time that our brains automatically consider many possible words and their meanings before we've even heard the final sound of the word.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Brightest Stellar Explosion Heralds New Type Of Long-distance Astronomy
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791835/080910141829.htm
Some 7.5 billion years ago, a supernova heralding the birth of a black hole went off halfway across the universe, sending a pencil-beam flash of light toward Earth that was briefly visible to the naked eye on March 19. UC Berkeley's Joshua Bloom and colleagues, who analyzed data from PAIRITEL and Gemini South to characterize the gamma-ray burst, see such bursts as a way to probe the early universe.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
World-first To Predict Premature Births
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383320448/080904102749.htm
Australian researchers and a pathology company have joined forces to develop a world-first computerized system which may reveal a way to predict premature birth with greater accuracy.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Future Nanoelectronics May Face Obstacles
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392820475/080908201843.htm
Combining ordinary electronics with light has been a potential way to create minimal computer circuits with super fast information transfer. Researchers are now showing that there is a limit. When the size of the components approaches the nanometer level, all information will disappear before it has time to be transferred.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
The 'Satellite Navigation' In Our Brains
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392820476/080911103906.htm
Our brains contain their own navigation system much like satellite navigation, with in-built maps, grids and compasses, according to new research by neuroscientists.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Superconductivity Can Induce Magnetism
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791836/080911150055.htm
When an electrical current passes through a wire it emanates heat -- a principle that's found in toasters and incandescent light bulbs. Some materials, at low temperatures, violate this law and carry current without any heat loss. But this seemingly trivial property, superconductivity, is now at the forefront of our understanding of physics. Scientists now show that, contrary to previous belief, superconductivity can induce magnetism, which has raised a new quantum conundrum.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
New Cancer-causing Gene In Many Colon Cancers Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392668584/080914182545.htm
Demonstrating that despite the large number of cancer-causing genes already identified, many more remain to be found, scientists have linked a previously unsuspected gene, CDK8, to colon cancer. CDK8 influences transcription factors, making it an attractive target for drug therapies, as affecting the gene may potentially disrupt the cancer process and disable tumor cells.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Automated Bus Uses Magnets To Steer Through City Streets
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791837/080910142425.htm
The thought of a bus moving along city streets while its driver has both hands off the wheel is alarming. But a special bus steers not by a driver, but by a magnetic guidance system developed by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, with remarkable precision.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Women Experience More Pain Than Men Do, Study Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696413/080912091734.htm
Rheumatoid arthritis is often a more painful experience for women than it is for men, even though the visible symptoms are the same. Scientists are now saying that doctors should take more account of these subjective differences when assessing the need for medication.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Nanoscale Silver: No Silver Lining?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791841/080909074102.htm
Widespread use of nanoscale silver will challenge regulatory agencies to balance important potential benefits against the possibility of significant environmental risk, highlighting the need to identify research priorities concerning this emerging technology, according to a new report.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Better Health Through Your Cell Phone
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392820477/080911103946.htm
Researchers have advanced a novel lens-free imaging technique on the path to use in medical diagnostic applications that promise to improve global health related disease monitoring, such as malaria and HIV. The on-chip imaging platform is capable of quickly and accurately counting targeted cell types in a mixed cell solution. Eventually, the platform will be scaled down to the point that it can be integrated within a regular wireless cell phone.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Quantum Insights Could Lead To Better Detectors
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390829752/080912124754.htm
A bizarre but well-established aspect of quantum physics could open up a new era of electronic detectors and imaging systems that would be far more efficient than any now in existence, according to new insights by an MIT leader in the field.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Faster, Cheaper Way Of Analyzing The Human Genome Developed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392668583/080914182547.htm
A faster and less expensive way for scientists to find which genes might affect human health has been developed. Using barcodes, not unlike what shoppers find in grocery stores, researchers found a way to index portions of the nearly 3-billion-base human genetic code, making it easier for scientists to zero in on the regions most likely to show variations in genetic traits.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Scientists Point To Forests For Carbon Storage Solutions
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791843/080908185330.htm
Scientists who have determined how much carbon is stored annually in upper Midwest forests hope their findings will be used to accelerate global discussion about the strategy of managing forests to offset greenhouse gas emissions. In an era of competing land use demands, the researchers argue that forests help stabilize the climate and are abundant sources of other ecological goods and services -- such as cleansed air, fertile soil and filtered water.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Newly Found Gene Variants Account For Kidney Diseases Among African-Americans, Studies Show
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392668582/080914182549.htm
For the first time, researchers have identified variations in a single gene that are strongly associated with kidney diseases disproportionately affecting African-Americans.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Hotline To The Cowshed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791845/080908203009.htm
A wireless measuring system, consisting of sensors and transmission units, helps to keep livestock healthier with a minimum use of resources.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Common Among Injured Patients
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791846/080911103908.htm
Suffering serious injury can have long-lasting implications for a patient's mental health, according to the largest-ever US study evaluating the impact of traumatic injury. Researchers found that post-traumatic stress disorder and depression were common among patients assessed one year after suffering serious injury. Injured patients diagnosed with PTSD or depression were also six times more likely to not return to work in the year following injury.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
How Corals Adapt To Day And Night
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390875000/080912133000.htm
Researchers have uncovered a gene in corals that responds to day/night cycles, which provides some tantalizing clues into how symbiotic corals work together with their plankton partners.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
New Pathway For Malaria Infection Discovered
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791850/080911142622.htm
Scientists are describing the discovery and in vivo validation of scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI), a major regulator of cholesterol uptake by the liver, as a critical host factor for malaria infection. The new research findings are the first to describe a molecular link between cholesterol metabolism and malaria infection, and the new data could lead to new approaches for the treatment of malaria including use of RNAi therapeutics.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Gap Junction Protein Vital To Successful Pregnancy, Researchers Find
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791851/080910111109.htm
Researchers studying a critical stage of pregnancy -- implantation of the embryo in the uterus -- have found a protein that is vital to the growth of new blood vessels that sustain the embryo. Without this protein, which is produced in higher quantities in the presence of estrogen, the embryo is unlikely to survive.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Colorectal Cancer Screening Should Start At Age 50, Study Confirms
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392820478/080902171143.htm
Colorectal adenomas, the precursor polyps in virtually all colorectal cancers, occur infrequently in younger adults, but the rate sharply increases after age 50. Additionally, African Americans have a higher rate of proximal, or right-sided, polyps, and may have a worse prognosis for survival if the polyps become cancerous. Therefore, the results of this study further emphasize the importance of colonoscopies, which view the entire colon, for the prevention of colorectal cancer beginning at age 50.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Saltwater Solution To Save Crops
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389737609/080911103910.htm
Technology under development could offer new hope to farmers in drought-affected and marginal areas by enabling crops to grow using salty groundwater.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Women Who Binge Drink At Greater Risk Of Unsafe Sex And Sexually Transmitted Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392820479/080904215613.htm
Binge drinking (5 or more alcoholic beverages at one time) is associated with risky sexual behaviors. A new study examined this association by gender at a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. Binge drinking increased the risk of unsafe sexual behaviors and having an STD for women patients.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Giant Honeybees Use Shimmering 'Mexican Waves' To Repel Predatory Wasps
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791857/080909204550.htm
Researchers report the finding that shimmering -- a remarkable capacity of rapid communication in giant honeybees -- acts as a defensive mechanism, which repels predatory hornets, forcing them to hunt free-flying bees, further afield, rather than foraging bees directly from the honeybee nest.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Monitoring Immune Responses In Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382270875/080903075619.htm
A new method enables the detection of multiple parameters of single human cells. A new report demonstrates the characterization of specific blood cells from an individual with type 1 diabetes, providing information about the role these cells might play in the development of the disease and during therapy.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Zebra Finches Vary Immune Response According To Age, Sex And Costs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392820480/080910160802.htm
Individual zebra finches vary their immune response to balance the costs, depending on sex, age and the environment. When changing from nest-bound juveniles to adults, female immune responses matured slowly while males who were molting into colorful plumage showed dramatic variation. Adult males showed little variation. When females laid eggs with high-quality resources, immune responses similar to nonbreeding females and for males. However, when laying eggs on reduced resources, females reduced their immune response.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Chest Surgeons Propose Measures For Indicating Quality Of Lung Surgery
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/392791860/080909205557.htm
Even though 30,000 patients in the United States undergo lung surgery each year, no standard criteria exist to measure the quality of their care. In the current issue of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Mayo Clinic surgeons have proposed a system of lung surgery quality indicators for surgeons and the public as a method to demonstrate best practices for obtaining positive patient outcomes.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Viability Of Hydrogen Transportation Markets: Chicken Or Egg?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389737606/080911103918.htm
Hydrogen may well be the new gasoline. But where's the nearest "gas" station where you can pull up and refuel your energy-efficient vehicle? Will hydrogen stations be strategically convenient -- located on street corners and travel-stop locations around the globe? In a new study, RIT professor James Winebrake and Patrick Meyer consider the number of barriers to overcome before the hydrogen-fuel infrastructure becomes efficient, affordable and publicly accepted.
Mon, 15 Sep 08
Mobile Phones Help Secondary Pupils
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389737602/080911103924.htm
Ask a teacher to name the most irritating invention of recent years and they will often nominate the mobile phone. However, some education researchers believe it is time that phone bans were reassessed — because mobile phones can be a powerful learning aid, they say.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Accurate Speedometer For Astronomy: Determining Velocities Of Stars And Other Celestial Bodies
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391871432/080909111030.htm
There is now a new method for determining the velocities of stars and other celestial bodies which is a thousand times more accurate than previous methods.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Seeing Through The Skin: Optic-less Imaging Technology Could Beat Lens-based Imaging Devices
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389737601/080911103944.htm
Feeling blue? According one researcher, humans may have an ability to “see” colors and shapes with their skin. His optic-less imaging model could lead to a new form of optical imaging technology that beats the limitations of today’s lens-based imaging devices, and it may also explain how this controversial primordial instinct might have evolved over millions of years.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
How Not To Gain The Dreaded 'Freshman Fifteen'
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391871434/080909105633.htm
When fall classes at the University of California, San Diego begin on Sept. 25, freshmen will be on their own for the first time to spend endless hours on the computer, play video games and eat whatever they want, a recipe for weight gain. However, several UC San Diego wellness, weight-management and counseling programs will help students beat the dreaded "freshmen fifteen."
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Say 'Goodbye' To Back Fat Rolls
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390650329/080912075152.htm
A new study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reveals a new back lift procedure that removes the unsightly bumps and bulges of back fat rolls while hiding the scar under the bra line.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Physicists Harness Effects Of Disorder In Magnetic Sensors
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391871435/080909205552.htm
Scientists have discovered how to make magnetic sensors capable of operating at the high temperatures that ceramic engines in cars and aircraft of the future will require. The key to fabricating the sensors involves slightly degrading samples of a well-known semiconductor material, called indium antimonide, which is valued for its purity.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Immunity Traits May Be Involved In Mate Choice In Some Human Populations
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391871436/080912075206.htm
Some human populations may rely on biological factors in addition to social factors when selecting a mate. Scientists have reported genomic data showing that immunity traits may be involved in mate choice in some human populations.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Old Growth Forests Are Valuable Carbon Sinks
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391871437/080910133934.htm
Contrary to 40 years of conventional wisdom, a new analysis suggests that old growth forests are usually "carbon sinks" -- they continue to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and mitigate climate change for centuries.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Key Component Of Debilitating Lung Disease Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390650327/080912075154.htm
Antioxidant defense system could be new target for potential therapies for COPD. For the first time, researchers have demonstrated a close correlation between the decline in a key component of the lung's antioxidant defense system and the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in humans.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Photos Reveal Myanmar's Large And Small Predators
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391871438/080909105305.htm
Using remote camera traps to lift the veil on Myanmar's dense northern wild lands, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society have painstakingly gathered a bank of valuable data on the country's populations of tigers and other smaller, lesser known carnivores (see photo attachments). These findings will help in the formulation of conservation strategies for the country's wildlife.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Erectile Dysfunction Related To Sleep Apnea May Persist, But Is Treatable
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390607551/080912075158.htm
For sufferers of sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction is often part of the package. New research indicates that ED in cases of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome may be linked to the chronic intermittent hypoxia -- oxygen deprivation -- that patients with OSAS experience during episodes of obstructed breathing.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Prototype Superconductor For Tokamak Fusion Reactor Proves Successful
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388694026/080910090831.htm
Fusion for Energy (F4E) with the support of the European Commission, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and ITER Organisation have successfully tested a prototype superconductor for the ITER Poloidal Field coils made of Niobium(Nb)-Titanium(Ti) reaching a stable operation at 52 kA in a magnetic field of 6.4 Tesla. Poloidal Field coils will be used to maintain the plasma equilibrium and shape inside the ITER Tokamak reactor.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Illusion Vs. Reality: Age-related Differences In Expectations For Future Happiness
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391871449/080911154216.htm
Albert Einstein once quipped, "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." The famous scientist might have added that the illusion of reality shifts over time. According to a new study in the journal Psychological Science, age influences how we perceive the future.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
New Cannabis-like Drugs Could Block Pain Without Affecting Brain, Says Study
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696415/080912091728.htm
A new type of drug could alleviate pain in a similar way to cannabis without affecting the brain, according to a new study in the journal Pain. The research demonstrates for the first time that cannabinoid receptors called CB2, which can be activated by cannabis use, are present in human sensory nerves in the peripheral nervous system, but are not present in a normal human brain.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Tuberculosis Drug Shows Promise Against Latent Bacteria
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390874999/080912133002.htm
A new study has shown that an investigational drug, R207910, is quite effective at killing latent bacteria. This revelation suggests that R207910 may lead to improved and shortened treatments for this globally prevalent disease.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Photo Reveals Rare Okapi Survived Poaching Onslaught
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391871450/080910141827.htm
A set of stripy legs in a camera trap photo snapped in an African forest indicates something to cheer about, say researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Osteoporosis: Calcium And Exercise To Strengthen The Bones -- Do You Get Enough?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390829754/080912114401.htm
A stumble, a fall -- a broken bone: many older people are afraid of this happening. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care has published information about how you can protect yourself. Research shows that regular adequate intake of calcium and exercise can strengthen the bones. But many people do not know whether they are getting enough calcium in their diets.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Closest Look Ever At Graphene: Stunning Images Of Individual Carbon Atoms From TEAM 0.5 Microscope
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388694025/080910092613.htm
Hailed as the world's most powerful transmission electron microscope, TEAM 0.5 is living up to expectations. Using the microscope, researchers have produced stunning images of individual carbon atoms in graphene, the two-dimensional crystalline form of carbon that is highly prized by the electronics industry.
Sun, 14 Sep 08
Making Snack Food Choices: Are Bad Intentions Stronger Than Good Intentions?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391871451/080911111528.htm
People who are asked whether they would choose between a "good" snack and a "bad" snack might not follow their intentions when the snacks arrive. Researchers found that there is a substantial inconsistency between healthful snack choice intentions and actual behavior.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Scientist Uncovers Miscalculation In Geological Undersea Record
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388749956/080910104202.htm
The precise timing of the origin of life on Earth and the changes in life during the past 4.5 billion years has been a subject of great controversy for the past century. The principal indicator of the amount of organic carbon produced by biological activity traditionally used is the ratio of the less abundant isotope of carbon, 13C, to the more abundant isotope, 12C. A new study challenges how geologists interpret variations in the 13C/12C ratio throughout Earth's history.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Mad Cow Disease Also Caused By Genetic Mutation
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254497/080912075208.htm
New findings about the causes of mad cow disease show that sometimes it may be genetic. Until several years ago, it was thought that the cattle prion disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy -- also called BSE or mad cow disease -- was a foodborne disease.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Infidelity Dissected: New Research On Why People Cheat
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254498/080908185238.htm
The probability of someone cheating during the course of a relationship varies between 40 and 76 percent. "It's very high," say researchers.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Some Bladder Problems Are Provoked By Colon
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254499/080911140809.htm
For up to a million women, enjoying a piece of pepperoni pizza has painful consequences. They have a chronic bladder condition that causes pelvic pain. Spicy food, as well as citrus and caffeine, can intensify the pain, which is so intense some women inject lidocaine into their bladders. Researchers previously thought chemicals from the food irritated the bladder. A surprising discovery now reveals the symptoms actually are being provoked by the colon. The discovery opens up new treatment possibilities.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Color-coded Bacteria Can Spot Oil Spills Or Leaky Pipes And Storage Tanks
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254500/080910210529.htm
Oil spills and other environmental pollution, including low level leaks from underground pipes and storage tanks, could be quickly and easily spotted in the future using color-coded bacteria, scientists report.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
'Dodgy Dossier' Partly To Blame For Failure Of War Against Malaria In The Tropics
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388749957/080910104156.htm
The war against malaria in tropical countries was fought and lost in the 20th century on the basis of faulty intelligence, a 'dodgy dossier' which argued that the same methods used to tackle the disease in temperate countries would also work in the tropics.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
DNA 'Tattoos' Link Adult, Daughter Stem Cells In Planarians
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254503/080910133702.htm
Using the molecular equivalent of a tattoo on DNA that adult stem cells pass to their "daughter" cells in combination with gene expression profiles, researchers have identified two early steps in adult stem cell differentiation -- the process that determines whether cells will form muscle, neurons, skin, etc., in people and animals.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Key Enzyme For Regulating Heart Attack Damage Found, Scientists Report
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254504/080911150053.htm
Marauding molecules cause the tissue damage that underlies heart attacks, sunburn, Alzheimer's and hangovers. But scientists say they may have found ways to combat the carnage after discovering an important cog in the body's molecular detoxification machinery.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
New Marker For Raised Intracranial Pressure
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254508/080910210531.htm
Magnetic resonance imaging measurements of the thickness of the optic nerve sheath are a good marker for raised intracranial pressure. New research shows that a retro-bulbar optic nerve sheath diameter above 5.82mm predicts raised ICP in 90 percent of cases.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
New Method For Creating Inducible Stem Cells Is Remarkably Efficient
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254510/080910133642.htm
Some of the most challenging obstacles limiting the reprogramming of mature human cells into stem cells may not seem quite as daunting in the near future. Two independent research papers describe new tools that provide invaluable platforms for elucidating the molecular, genetic, and biochemical mechanisms associated with reprogramming.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Amount Of Work For Medical Residents -- Not Just Hours -- Need Review, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254513/080909210436.htm
The first objective study on the effect that on-call workloads have on the quality of the education medical residents receive found that the complexity of care patients require has just as much impact on residents' training as the number of hours they work.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Curbing Coal Emissions Alone Might Avert Climate Danger, Say Researchers
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254514/080910160757.htm
An ongoing rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels might be kept below harmful levels if emissions from coal are phased out within the next few decades, say researchers. They say that less plentiful oil and gas should be used sparingly as well, but that far greater supplies of coal mean that it must be the main target of reductions.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Untapped Potential Of Antidepressants For Cancer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254517/080911142620.htm
A comprehensive review of current scientific literature has suggested that antidepressants can help the human body fight cancer by boosting its own immune response, amongst other mechanisms.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Computational Biochemist Uncovers A Molecular Clue To Evolution
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254518/080910120953.htm
A Florida State University researcher who uses high-powered computers to map the workings of proteins has uncovered a mechanism that gives scientists a better understanding of how evolution occurs at the molecular level.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Early Stage Colon Cancer Characterized By Inactivation Of Gatekeeper Gene
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254519/080909205415.htm
The absence or inactivation of the RUNX3 gatekeeper gene paves the way for the growth and development of colon cancer, Singapore scientists report in the September issue of the journal Cancer Cell. Previous studies have shown that RUNX3 plays a role in gastric, breast, lung and bladder cancers.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Math Model Helps Unravel Relationship Between Nutrients And Biodiversity
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254520/080910121504.htm
The level of nutrients in soil determines how many different kinds of plants and trees can thrive in an ecosystem, according to new research published by biologists and mathematicians in Nature.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Study Links Primary Care Shortage With Salary Disparities
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/391254521/080909205410.htm
The nation's shortage of primary care physicians has been linked to a host of poor health outcomes, and a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that salary disparities play a major role in the shortage.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Robot Scout: Fly Me (Safely) To The Moon
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696397/080909155117.htm
The first attempt to land humans on the moon -- Apollo 11 -- was a triumph that almost ended in disaster. The landings for NASA's return to the moon are likely to be even more challenging. Mission planners want to be able to set down on the edge of enormous craters in the polar regions, because the crater rims will be bathed in gentle but nearly-permanent sunlight. Steady sunshine provides a reliable source of power for long-term expeditions.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Clinical Trial For New Tuberculosis Vaccine
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389737608/080911103912.htm
With annually 2 million deaths and 9 million new cases, there are more victims of tuberculosis than of any other infectious disease, apart from AIDS. Worsening the situation, many strains of tuberculosis are so resistant that they no longer respond to traditional treatment, making the necessity of a new tuberculosis vaccine more urgent than ever. For the first time in 80 years, a promising live tuberculosis vaccine has reached the clinical trial stage in Germany.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Psychiatry: When The Mirror Becomes An Enemy
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696398/080908185236.htm
A nose that's too big, hair that's too curly or a beauty mark in the wrong place -- who hasn't focused on a small detail of their appearance while staring at a mirror? But when these imperfections take over our thoughts, or exist only in our heads, it's a sign that such obsessing is a disorder.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Is Probiotic Yakult Helpful In The Treatment Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696399/080910090238.htm
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is a common feature in irritable bowel syndrome and may be directly related to symptoms. SIBO is detected indirectly using the lactulose breath test, where an early rise in breath hydrogen is suggestive of SIBO. Researchers examined the effect of L. strain Shirota. After 6 weeks, there was a significant shift in the time of first rise after the lactulose breath test, indicating a reduction in SIBO.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Astronomers Tune In To 'Radio Universe'
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696400/080909095106.htm
An innovative project aims to address many key issues in astrophysics: What is the universe made of and how does it evolve? Are we alone in the universe? How do galaxies, stars and planets form and evolve? What are the laws of physics in extreme conditions? And how does the Sun affect the Earth?
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Teens' Failure To Use Condoms Linked To Partner Disapproval, Fear Of Less Sexual Pleasure
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696401/080909122757.htm
Approximately one in four teens in the United States will contract a sexually transmitted disease (STD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts believe a major contributing factor is the failure of many teens to use condoms consistently and routinely. Now a new study provides some insight into some of the factors that influence condom use among teenagers.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Strict Mediterranean Diet Can Help Reduce Deaths From Major Chronic Diseases
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696402/080912075204.htm
Sticking to a full Mediterranean diet provides substantial protection against major chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Risk Of Breast Cancer Mutations Underestimated For Asian Women
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389737605/080911103920.htm
Oncologists were perplexed. Computer models designed to identify women who might have dangerous genetic mutations that increase their risk of breast and ovarian cancer worked well for white women. But they seemed to be less reliable for another ethnic group. Researchers have now found that two computer models widely used to determine who should undergo genetic testing for BRCA mutations under predicted mutation frequency in Asian-American women by 50 percent.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Genetically Engineered Thermophilic Bacterium: Researchers Advance Cellulosic Ethanol Production
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696404/080908185132.htm
A team of researchers have made a discovery that is important for producing large quantities of cellulosic ethanol, a leading candidate for a sustainable and secure alternative to petroleum-derived transportation fuel. For the first time, the group has genetically engineered a thermophilic bacterium, meaning it's able to grow at high temperatures, and this new microorganism makes ethanol as the only product of its fermentation.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Off-label Medicine Combinations Are Predominant Treatment In Survey Of Schizophrenics
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696405/080909204832.htm
Researchers report that 74.5 percent of 200 community-based schizophrenic patients, who were interviewed and evaluated (including a review of clinical records), were treated with off-label medication treatments. Specifically, 42.5 percent of subjects reported they were simultaneously treated with more than one antipsychotic drug, an unapproved treatment for schizophrenia. The most common unapproved drug combination was the use of both an antipsychotic drug and a mood stabilizer (45 percent of patients).
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Mathematics Aids Mayonnaise Production
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388749962/080910090827.htm
How bubbles behave in liquids is important to many production processes, but also extremely difficult to calculate. TU Delft researcher Jok Tang is helping to change this.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Searching In Space And Minds: Research Suggests Underlying Link
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696406/080910090249.htm
New research from Indiana University has found evidence that how we look for things, such as our car keys or umbrella, could be related to how we search for more abstract needs, such as words in memory or solutions to problems. "Common underlying search mechanisms may exist that drive our behavior in many different domains," said IU cognitive scientist Peter Todd.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
My, What Big Teeth You Had! Extinct Species Had Huge Teeth On Roof Of Mouth
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696407/080912075202.htm
Paleontologists have found a previously unknown amphibious predator that probably made the Antarctica of 240 million years ago something less than a hospitable place.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Male-specific Neurons Directly Linked To Gender-specific Behaviors
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696408/080910133655.htm
New research identifies a few critical neurons that initiate sex-specific behaviors in fruit flies and, when masculinized, can elicit male-typical courtship behaviors from females. The study demonstrates a direct link between sexual dimorphism in the brain and gender differences in behavior.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Hurricane Ike Impact Felt In Space
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390731994/080912101406.htm
Hurricane Ike has delayed the scheduled Friday arrival of a Russian Progress cargo ship at the International Space Station 220 miles above Earth.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Killing Bacteria Isn't Enough To Restore Immune Function After Infection
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696409/080910133932.htm
A bacterial molecule that initially signals to animals that they have been invaded must be wiped out by a special enzyme before an infected animal can regain full health, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Food Soil Stuck To Surfaces Can Hold Bacteria In Food Processing Factories
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696411/080909204552.htm
Tiny amounts of food soil stuck to surfaces can act as a reservoir for potentially pathogenic bacteria. This food may help bacteria to survive industrial cleaning regimes in food processing factories, scientists report.
Sat, 13 Sep 08
Brains Rely On Old And New Mechanisms To Diminish Fear
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390696412/080910133653.htm
Humans have developed complex thought processes that can help to regulate their emotions, but these processes are also linked with evolutionarily older mechanisms that are common across species, according to a study by neuroscientists at New York and Rutgers universities.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Good Luck, Not Superiority, Gave Dinosaurs Their Edge, Study Of Crocodile Cousins Reveals
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187045/080911150042.htm
Researchers have challenged the general consensus among scientists that there must have been something special about dinosaurs that helped them rise to prominence. Good luck, not general 'superiority,' was the primary factor in the rise of the dinosaurs according to new research.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Cancer Stem Cells Isolated: Could Lead To New Drugs To Stop Cancer From Returning
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187046/080911140813.htm
Cancer prevention researchers have discovered a protein marker that allows them to isolate cancer stem cells from regular cancer cells. By targeting this marker, scientists are developing new drugs to kill the stem cells and stop cancer from returning.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Air Pollution Can Hinder Heart's Electrical Functioning
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187047/080908185127.htm
Tiny particles of air pollution and black carbon, a marker for traffic exhaust fumes, may adversely affect heart function among heart attack survivors. Researchers say people with recent heart attacks and even healthy people should avoid being around heavy traffic after hospital discharge.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
70 Years Old And Going Strong With Down Syndrome And No Dementia
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187048/080910090616.htm
In the world of Down syndrome, 'Mr. C' is a rarity. A real person whose progress has been tracked for the past 16 years, at seventy, 'Mr. C' has well surpassed the average life expectancy of a person with Down syndrome, currently in the late fifties, but in the teens when 'Mr. C' was born. Further, 'Mr. C' does not exhibit clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Titanium Work Surfaces Could Cut Food Poisoning Cases, Say Scientists
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187049/080909204557.htm
Food factory work surfaces coated in titanium could cut the number of food poisoning cases every year, scientists report.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Remote Brainwaves Predict Future 'Eureka' Moment
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187050/080909095108.htm
The brain mechanism underlying the eureka or "ah-ha" moment is poorly understood. What happens in the brain during that particular moment? Is that moment purely sudden as often reported by the solver or is there any (neural) precursor to it? Can we predict whether and when, if at all, the solver will hit upon the final eureka moment? New research addresses these questions by measuring brainwaves of human participants as they attempted to solve puzzles or brainteasers that call for intuitive strategies and novel insight.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Nano-sized 'Cargo Ships' To Target And Destroy Tumors Developed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187051/080911185104.htm
Scientists have developed nanometer-sized "cargo ships" that can sail throughout the body via the bloodstream without immediate detection from the body's immune radar system, and ferry their cargo of anti-cancer drugs and markers into tumors that might otherwise go untreated or undetected.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Stem Cell Regeneration Repairs Congenital Heart Defect
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187052/080911122531.htm
Medical investigators have demonstrated that stem cells can be used to regenerate heart tissue to treat dilated cardiomyopathy, a congenital defect.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Hurricane Ike Tracked By European Space Agency's Envisat
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187053/080911122529.htm
Residents along the Gulf Coast are bracing for Hurricane Ike as it travels over the Gulf of Mexico after ripping through Cuba and Haiti. ESA's Envisat satellite is tracking the storm, which is forecast to make landfall on the Texas coast by Sept. 13.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Calcium During Pregnancy Reduces Harmful Blood Lead Levels, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187054/080909205555.htm
Pregnant women who take high levels of daily calcium supplements show a marked reduction in lead levels in their blood, suggesting calcium could play a critical role in reducing fetal and infant exposure.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Copper-bottomed Guarantee For Safe Shellfish In Restaurants
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187055/080909204548.htm
Putting brass where your money is could be a guarantee of safety according to researchers looking at the dangers of eating raw fish and shellfish in seafood restaurants, scientists report.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Survival Instincts Propel 'Difficult Patient' To Insist On Quality Care
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187056/080910133938.htm
Michelle Mayer had to become a "difficult patient" before she could get her physicians to accurately diagnose the disease that was destroying her health.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Beautiful Death: Halos Of Planetary Nebulae Revealed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187057/080911142411.htm
Stars without enough mass to turn into exploding supernovae end their lives blowing away most of their mass in a non-explosive, but intense stellar wind. Only a hot stellar core remains in the form of a white dwarf; the rest of the star is dispersed into the interstellar medium, enriching it with chemically processed elements, such as carbon, that is found in all living organisms on Earth. These elements were cooked in the stellar furnace during a stellar life span covering billions of years. The high-energy radiation from the hot white dwarf makes the blown gas to shine for a short period of time, and the result is one of the most colourful and beautiful astronomical objects: a planetary nebula.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Protein Opens Hope Of Treatment For Cystic Fibrosis Patients
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187058/080910210525.htm
Scientists have finally identified a direct role for the missing protein that leaves cystic fibrosis patients open to attack from lung-damaging bacteria, the main reason most of them die before their 35th birthday, scientists report.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
An Advance On New Generations Of Chemotherapy And Antiviral Drugs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759503/080908102923.htm
Researchers are describing progress toward developing a new generation of chemotherapy agents that target and block uncontrolled DNA replication — a hallmark of cancer, viral infections, and other diseases — more effectively than current drugs in ways that may produce fewer side effects.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
How To Differentiate Benign From Malignant Bile Duct Strictures?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187059/080909094740.htm
The differentiation of benign and malignant strictures is difficult. Recently, a group of clinical specialists in Netherlands attempted to find possible criteria for differentiation of malignant from benign bile duct strictures. They found that except for vascular involvement which was associated significantly with malignancy, there were no conclusive features of malignancy on regular imaging modalities.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Engineers Develop Laser Solution To Power Plants Slowed By Slagging
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187060/080909122806.htm
The system relies on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to provide instant analysis of the elemental composition of coal as it is being burned. LIBS was developed by engineers at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., and at the Energy Research Company in Staten Island, N.Y. Slagging and related problems cost coal-fired power plants an estimated $2.4 billion each year.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Tsunami Survivors Experienced Complex Trauma And Grieving Process, Says New Study
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388749965/080910090823.htm
People who survived the Indian Ocean tsunami or lost loved ones in the disaster went through a complex process of trauma and grief, according to research published in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Flies, Too, Feel The Influence Of Their Peers, Studies Find
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187061/080911122527.htm
Researchers have found that group composition affects individual flies in several ways, including changes in gene activity and sexual behavior, all mediated by chemical communication
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Light-activated Treatments Could Solve MRSA Problems After Surgery
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187062/080909204544.htm
Killer dyes that can wipe out bacteria could help solve the superbug problems faced by surgical patients, scientists report.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Nanoscopic Golden Rods
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759505/080908101624.htm
Scientists have now developed a new method for the production of nanoscopic gold rods. In contrast to previous methods, they have achieved this without the use of cytotoxic additives, using an ionic liquid as a solvent.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Breast Cancer Screening May Lower Mortality And Disease Burden In India
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187063/080909204841.htm
Regular screening of women between the ages of 40 and 59 could substantially reduce breast cancer mortality in India, according to new study.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
NASA Report Explores Use Of Earth Data To Support National U.S. Priorities
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187065/080909104206.htm
The United States faces challenges in utilizing Earth science information to manage resources and protect public health, according to a NASA-sponsored report issued by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program. The report examines the computer-based decision support tools that many government agencies use to make predictions and forecasts in areas such as agricultural productivity, air quality, renewable energy resources, water management, and the prevention of vector-borne disease.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
New Way To Help Schizophrenia Sufferers' Social Skills
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/390187066/080910090622.htm
Researchers in Australia are investigating a new way to help schizophrenia patients develop their communication and social skills.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Female Spiders Eat Small Males When They Mate
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778207/080910165846.htm
A number of hypotheses have been proposed for why females eat males before or after mating. After looking at a wide range of data, researchers found that sexual cannibalism may not be a complex evolutionary balancing act of costs and benefits but rather a case of a hungry female eating a male when he is small enough to catch.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Infectious Heart Disease Death Rates Rising Again, Say Scientists
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778208/080910210527.htm
Infectious heart disease is still a major killer in spite of improvements in health care, but the way the disease develops has changed so much since its discovery that nineteenth century doctors would not recognize it, scientists report.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Vitamin B12 May Protect The Brain In Old Age
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778209/080908185121.htm
Vitamin B12, a nutrient found in meat, fish and milk, may protect against brain volume loss in older people, according to a new study.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
U.S. Hospitals 'Flunk' Colon Cancer, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778210/080909204834.htm
A new study has found the majority of hospitals don't check enough lymph nodes after a patient's colon cancer surgery to determine if the disease has spread. Leading oncology organizations have recommended a minimum of 12 lymph nodes be examined to determine if colon cancer has metastasized. That affects whether a patient receives chemotherapy, which significantly improves survival. Yet, more than 60 percent of nearly 1,300 institutions in the United States failed to check enough nodes.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Food Poisoning Bacteria Prefer Duck To Beef On Meat Factory Surfaces
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778211/080909204554.htm
The food poisoning bacterium Listeria could survive on surfaces in meat processing factories if certain other bacteria are present, scientists report.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Dance To The Music: Learning And Exercising At YMCA Can Prevent Diabetes, New Study Says
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778212/080909074058.htm
Community-based exercise organizations, such as the YMCA, are an effective tool in the fight against diabetes, according to new study. More than 60 million Americans have pre-diabetes, and most of them are unaware. Adults with pre-diabetes are at more than 10 times the normal risk for developing diabetes and at twice the risk for heart attack or stroke. Reaching this growing population is a concern for diabetes educators and physicians.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Brewing A Great Beer: DNA Study Reveals Evolution Of Beer Yeasts
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778213/080910180844.htm
Lager lovers convinced that their beer of choice stands alone should prepare to drink their words this Oktoberfest. New research by geneticists at the Stanford University School of Medicine indicates that the brew, which accounts for the majority of commercial beer production worldwide, owes its existence to an unlikely pairing between two species of yeast -- one of which has been used for thousands of years to make ale.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Aberrations In One Region Of One Chromosome Associated With Broad Range Of Disorders In Children
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778214/080910180846.htm
A submicroscopic variation in a region of human chromosome 1q21.1 is associated with a broad range of disorders and levels of impairment, including mental retardation, autism, heart defects, hand deformities and other conditions.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Toward Improved Antibiotics Using Proteins From Marine Diatoms
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759507/080908101615.htm
Researchers in Florida are reporting an advance toward tapping the enormous potential of an emerging new group of antibiotics identical to certain germ-fighting proteins found in the human immune system. Their study may help fight the growing epidemic of drug-resistant infections.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Clinicians Debate Use Of Arthroscopy In Patients With Osteoarthritis
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778215/080910180840.htm
Arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee provides no additional benefit to optimized physical and medical therapy, a new study shows. An accompanying editorial, however, points out that the study has some weaknesses and argues strongly that arthroscopy does have a role in some patients with osteoarthritis.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Switched-on New Nanotechnology Paints For Hospitals Could Kill Superbugs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778216/080909204542.htm
New nanotechnology paints for walls, ceilings, and surfaces could be used to kill hospital superbugs when fluorescent lights are switched on, scientists report.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Army Still Using Physicians In Interrogation, Bioethicist Says
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778218/080910180836.htm
U.S. Army psychiatrists may be participating in the interrogation of detainees, while ignoring recommendations to the contrary from professional medical associations, according to a Penn State bioethicist.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
NASA Developing Fission Surface Power Technology
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778219/080910161016.htm
NASA astronauts will need power sources when they return to the moon and establish a lunar outpost. NASA engineers are exploring the possibility of nuclear fission to provide the necessary power and taking initial steps toward a non-nuclear technology demonstration of this type of system.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Bleeding Gums Linked To Heart Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778222/080910210523.htm
Bad teeth, bleeding gums and poor dental hygiene can end up causing heart disease, scientists report.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Injured Brains 'Work Harder' To Perform At Same Level As Healthy People
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778223/080908185125.htm
Brain imaging experts have found a distinct "brain signature" in patients who have recovered from head injuries that shows their brains may have to work harder than the brains of healthy people to perform at the same level.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
As Head And Neck Cancer Risks Evolve, More Treatment Options Emerge
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778224/080910180849.htm
Recent advances in the treatment of head and neck cancer are bringing patients more treatment options, improved quality of life and opportunities for prevention. These advances include new targeted therapies, refinements in radiation and chemotherapy and the identification of a link with human papillomavirus.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Oil-eating Microbes Give Clue To Ancient Energy Source
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778225/080909204546.htm
Microbes that break down oil and petroleum are more diverse than we thought, suggesting hydrocarbons were used as an energy source early in Earth's history, scientists report.
Fri, 12 Sep 08
Real-world Behavior And Biases Show Up In Virtual World
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389778226/080909074104.htm
Americans are spending increasing amounts of time hanging around virtual worlds in the forms of cartoon-like avatars that change appearances according to users' wills, fly through floating cities in the clouds and teleport instantly to glowing crystal canyons and starlit desert landscapes. Simply fun and games? A new study shows that avatars responded to social cues -- and revealed racial biases -- in the same ways that people do in the real world.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Cryopreservation Techniques Bring Hopes For Women Cancer Victims And Endangered Species
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388749963/080910090825.htm
Emerging cryopreservation techniques are increasing hope of restoring fertility for women after diseases such as ovarian cancer that lead to destruction of reproductive tissue. The same techniques can also be used to maintain stocks of farm animals, and protect against extinction of endangered animal species by maintaining banks of ovarian tissue or even nascent embryos that can be used to produce offspring at some point in the future.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Popular Surgery Provides No Relief For Osteoarthritis Of The Knee, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222883/080910180838.htm
A landmark study shows that a routinely practiced knee surgery is ineffective at reducing joint pain or improving joint function for sufferers of osteoarthritis.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Evidence Of Survivors Of 9/11 Will Help Save Lives In Future High Rise Evacuations
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222884/080909095104.htm
New research involving face-to-face interviews with survivors of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre (WTC) will help save lives in the future.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Cortisol And Fatty Liver: Researchers Find Cause Of Severe Metabolic Disorders
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222886/080909131223.htm
A healthy body stores fat in the form of so-called triglycerides in specialized fatty tissue as an energy reserve. Under certain conditions the delicate balance of the lipid metabolism gets out of control and fat is accumulated in the liver, leading to the dreaded fatty liver. This increases the risk of many metabolic diseases, such as the metabolic syndrome known as "deadly quartet". This combination of fatty liver, obesity, diabetes and hypertension is regarded as the primary cause of life-threatening vascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
May 2008 Earthquake In China Could Be Followed By Another Significant Rupture
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222887/080910141831.htm
Researchers analyzing the May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China's Sichuan province have found that geological stress has significantly increased on three major fault systems in the region. The magnitude 7.9 quake on May 12 has brought several nearby faults closer to failure and could trigger another major earthquake in the region.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Why Delaying Gratification Is Smart
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222890/080909111022.htm
If you had a choice between receiving $1,000 right now or $4,000 ten years from now, which would you pick? Previous research suggests that higher intelligence is related to better self-control, but the reasons for this link are unknown.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
1843 Stellar Eruption May Be New Type Of Star Explosion
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222892/080910133659.htm
Eta Carinae, a bright, variable star in the southern sky that is the most luminous known star in the Milky Way Galaxy, underwent a major eruption 145 years ago that may be the first example of a new type of stellar explosion that is much fainter than a supernova and doesn't destroy the star. UC Berkeley astronomer Nathan Smith reached this conclusion after discovering a fast-moving blast wave from the 1843 eruption.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Help From Herpes? Coinfection Induces Acyclovir To Inhibit HIV
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222893/080910133651.htm
A surprising interaction may enable development of new HIV treatment strategies by exploiting infection with multiple pathogens. The research demonstrates that a drug commonly used to treat herpes directly suppresses HIV in coinfected tissues and thus may be beneficial for patients infected with both viruses.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Geologists Dig Up One Of The Largest Lakes In The World, Dammed By Ice During Last Ice Age
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222894/080908073744.htm
Geologists are digging in the bed on the western bank of what was once a 700-800 kilometre-long lake along the 62nd parallel in Russia. Large lakes, dammed up by a huge ice sheet one or more times during the last Ice Age, used to dominate this enormous plain.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Variety In The Splice Of Life: Chromosome Breaks Are Surprisingly Complex
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222895/080908224503.htm
When chromosomes break, trouble usually ensues; chromosome abnormalities are the single biggest cause of birth defects in humans. But a new study of translocations, in which two chromosomes swap segments of DNA, shows that the chromosomes can splice the pieces together in a variety of ways with no ill effects.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Enzyme Detectives Uncover New Reactions: Implications For Engineering Biofuels
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222896/080908185129.htm
Scientists have discovered a fundamental shift in an enzyme's function that could help expand the toolbox for engineering biofuels and other plant-based oil products.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Abuse Of Painkillers Can Predispose Adolescents To Lifelong Addiction
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388749958/080910104151.htm
Researchers reveal that adolescent mice exposed to the painkiller Oxycontin can sustain lifelong and permanent changes in their reward system -- changes that increase the drug's euphoric properties and make such adolescents more vulnerable to the drug's effects later in adulthood.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Immaturity Of The Brain May Cause Schizophrenia
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222897/080910133341.htm
The underdevelopment of a specific region in the brain may lead to schizophrenia in individuals. According to research published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Molecular Brain, dentate gyrus, which is located in the hippocampus in the brain and thought to be responsible for working memory and mood regulation, remained immature in an animal model of schizophrenia.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Brush Your Teeth To Reduce The Risk Of Heart Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222901/080908203017.htm
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. However, many people with cardiovascular disease have none of the common risk factors such as smoking, obesity and high cholesterol. Now, researchers have discovered a new link between gum disease and heart disease that may help find ways to save lives.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Oldest Sheep Contribute Most To Population Growth When Climate Changes Making Conditions Harsh
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384507527/080905153847.htm
Researchers show how sheep on a remote island off the west coast of Scotland respond to two consequences of climate change: altered food availability and the unpredictability of winter storms. When times are good, lambs contribute almost twice as much to population size. The oldest sheep contribute most to population growth when conditions are harsh. New mathematical breakthroughs have made it possible to learn how individuals affect population dynamics in rapidly changing environments.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Pain Appears Common Among Patients With Parkinson's Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222910/080908185222.htm
Pain appears to be more common in individuals with Parkinson's disease than in those without, suggesting that pain is associated with the condition, according to a new report.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Switchable Bio-adhesion
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222912/080908105358.htm
Researchers have developed a new type of property-changing polymer: it is water-repellent at 37 C, which makes it an ideal culture substrate for biological cells. At room temperature it attracts water, allowing the cells to be detached easily from the substrate.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Researcher Begins Study Of Osama Bin Laden Audio Tapes
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388749959/080910104147.htm
More than 1,500 audio cassette tapes taken in 2001 from Osama bin Laden's former residential compound in Qandahar, Afghanistan, are yielding new insights into the radical Islamic militant leader's intellectual development in the years leading up to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Brightest Gamma-ray Burst Provides Wealth Of Information On How Stars Explode
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222914/080910121502.htm
Astronomers from around the world combined data from ground- and space-based telescopes to paint a detailed portrait of the brightest explosion ever seen. The observations reveal that the jets of the gamma-ray burst called GRB 080319B were aimed almost directly at the Earth.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
How Parkinson's Develops: Protein Found That Regulates Gene Critical To Dopamine-releasing Brain Cells
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222915/080910090618.htm
Researchers have identified a protein they say appears to be a primary player in maintaining normal functioning of an important class of neurons -- those brain cells that produce, excrete and then reabsorb dopamine neurotransmitters. These molecules command numerous body functions, ranging from management of behavior and mood to control of movement, and one day may hold the key to why and how some people develop Parkinson's and other brain diseases.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Dirty Air Brings Rain – Then Again, Maybe Not: Scientists Reconcile Contradictory Effects
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222916/080908073755.htm
Scientists have come up with a surprising finding to the disputed issue of whether air pollution increases or decreases rainfall. The conclusion: both can be true, depending on local environmental conditions.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Older Women Who Get Little Sleep May Have A Higher Risk Of Falling
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222919/080908185134.htm
Women age 70 and older who sleep five hours or less per night may be more likely to experience falls than those who sleep more than seven to eight hours per night, according to a new report. Additionally, the use of sleep medications does not appear to influence the association between sleep and risk of falling.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Bacteria Stop Sheep Dip From Poisoning Fish And Bees
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222925/080908073742.htm
Bacteria can be used to break down used sheep dip, preventing bees and fish from dying because of soil and river contamination, scientists report.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Sexual Harassment 10 Times More Likely In Casual And Contract Jobs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388749960/080910104144.htm
Women employed in casual and contract jobs are up to 10 times more likely to experience unwanted sexual advances than those in permanent full time positions, a University of Melbourne study has found.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
World's First Synthetic Tree: May Lead To Technologies For Heat Transfer, Soil Remediation
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222929/080910161900.htm
In Abraham Stroock's lab at Cornell, the world's first synthetic tree sits in a palm-sized piece of clear, flexible hydrogel -- the type found in soft contact lenses. Stroock and graduate student Tobias Wheeler have created a "tree" that simulates the process of transpiration, the cohesive capillary action that allows trees to wick moisture upward to their highest branches.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Potential Approach To Treatment Of Hepatitis B Virus Infection
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222932/080910090243.htm
Researchers have found that hepatitis B virus infection can be treated with therapeutic approaches targeting host cell proteins by inhibiting a cellular gene required for HBV replication or by restoring a response abrogated by HBV. This provided a potential approach to the prevention and treatment of HBV infection.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Calculating How Breast Cancers Will Respond To Tamoxifen
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222934/080908101645.htm
A discovery by Australian scientists could help clinicians decide which women with breast cancer will make good candidates for anti-estrogen therapies, such as tamoxifen, and which will not.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
UK Children's Physical Activity Levels Hugely Overestimated
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222936/080908215935.htm
UK children's physical activity levels have been greatly overestimated, with true levels likely to be around six times lower than national data suggest, finds new research.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Hydrogen Bonds: Scientists Find New Mechanism
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222940/080909095135.htm
Water’s unrivaled omnipresence and the crucial role it plays in life drive scientists to understand every detail of its unusual underlying properties on the microscopic scale. Researchers now report how water solvates its intrinsic hydroxide (OH-) anion. Unraveling this behavior is important to advance the understanding of aqueous chemistry and biology.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Over 1 In 4 South African Men Report Using Physical Violence Against Their Female Partners
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/389222945/080908185123.htm
A first-ever, national study conducted in South Africa found that 27.5 percent of men who have ever been married or lived with a partner report perpetrating physical violence against their current or most recent female partner.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Engineers Create New Gecko-like Adhesive That Shakes Off Dirt
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388786979/080910090610.htm
Researchers have created the first gecko-like adhesive that cleans itself after each use without the need for water or chemicals. It's the latest milestone in the effort to create a synthetic version of the remarkable toe hairs that enable the acrobatic feats of the gecko lizard.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Bacteria's Sticky Glue Is Clue To Vaccine, Says Scientist
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388786981/080909204540.htm
Sticky glue secreted by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus could be the clue scientists have been searching for to make an effective vaccine against MRSA, medical researchers report.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Recovery Efforts Not Enough For Critically Endangered Asian Vulture
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384476392/080905153803.htm
Captive breeding colonies of a critically endangered vulture, whose numbers in the wild have dwindled from tens of millions to a few thousand, are too small to protect the species from extinction, a new analysis shows.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Golf-related Eye Injuries In Children Are Rare, But Can Be Devastating
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388786984/080908185224.htm
Pediatric golf injuries are rare but can be devastating to the eye and vision system, according to a report in the Archives of Ophthalmology.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Oil Seed Rape Grown For Biofuel Can Help Clean Up Toxic Soils
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388786988/080909204830.htm
Oil seed rape grown for biofuel in Ireland could help clean up contaminated soils, scientists report.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
A New Addiction: Internet Junkies
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388787004/080908185314.htm
While compulsive gambling is only beginning to be addressed by mental health professionals, they must now face a new affliction: Internet addiction.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Sleek Probe To Map Earth’s Gravity
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388749961/080910103709.htm
The European Space Agency is launching a new satellite to map variations in the Earth's gravity field with unprecedented accuracy. The satellite will give UK scientists vital information about ocean circulation and sea level change needed to improve climate forecast models.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Human Embryonic Stem Cell Secretions Minimize Tissue Injury After Heart Attack
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388787006/080909205547.htm
A novel way to improve survival and recovery rate after a heart attack was reported in the journal Stem Cell Research. This method, developed in laboratory research with pigs, is the first noncell based therapeutic application of human embryonic stem cells. It entails using secretions from stem cells.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
World's Largest-ever Study Of Near-Death Experiences
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388694029/080910090829.htm
The University of Southampton is launching the world's largest-ever study of near-death experiences this week. The University of Southampton is launching the world's largest-ever study of near-death experiences this week. The AWARE (AWAreness during REsuscitation) study is to be launched by the Human Consciousness Project -- an international collaboration of scientists and physicians who have joined forces to study the human brain, consciousness and clinical death.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Researchers Identify Natural Tumor Suppressor
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388787007/080909152017.htm
Researchers have identified a key step in the formation -- and suppression -- of esophageal cancers and perhaps carcinomas of the breast, head and neck. By studying human tissue samples, they found that Fbx4, a naturally occurring enzyme, plays a key role in stopping production of another protein called Cyclin D1, which is thought to contribute to the early stages of cancer development.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Magnetic Resonance And Radar Technology United In One Prototype: New Process To Improve Diagnostic Images
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388787010/080909102226.htm
Don't move a muscle! Patients certainly have to take this request to heart if they have to lie in a magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) device – otherwise movement artifacts result on the images produced by the MRT. With the aid of an ultra-broadband radar device, these vital movements during measurement can be taken into consideration and the MRI measurements can be corrected.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Bilingual Children More Likely To Stutter
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388787012/080908215938.htm
Children who are bilingual before the age of 5 are significantly more likely to stutter and to find it harder to lose their impediment, than children who speak only one language before this age, suggests research in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Genetic Region Linked To Five Times Higher Lung Cancer Risk
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388694018/080909210438.htm
A narrow region on chromosome 15 contains genetic variations strongly associated with familial lung cancer, a new study says. The researchers found a more than five times higher risk of lung cancer for people who have both a family history of the disease and these genetic variations.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Spiky Probe On NASA Mars Lander Raises Vapor Quandary
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386708283/080908093032.htm
A fork-like conductivity probe has sensed humidity rising and falling beside NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, but when stuck into the ground, its measurements so far indicate soil that is thoroughly and perplexingly dry.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Many Cancer Patients Receive Insufficient Pain Management Therapy
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388694021/080909122753.htm
Pain is one of the most common symptoms of cancer patients, yet many of them do not receive adequate therapy for the pain caused by their disease or treatments, according to new study.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Carbon Molecule With A Charge Could Be Tomorrow's Semiconductor
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388694022/080908185324.htm
As part of the research to place gadolinium atoms inside the carbon cage of a fullerene molecule for MRI applications, researchers created an 80-atom carbon molecule with two yttrium ions inside. They then replaced one of the carbon atoms with an atom of nitrogen and discovered that the extra electron ducks inside between the yttrium ions, forming a one-electron bond with unique spin properties that can be altered.
Thu, 11 Sep 08
Previously Deported Immigrants More Likely To Be Rearrested After Leaving Jail, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388694023/080908135940.htm
Deportable immigrants who previously have been expelled from the United States are more likely to be rearrested on suspicion of committing a crime after they are released from jail than other deportable immigrants without the prior history of expulsion, according to a new RAND Corporation study. The findings provide support for law enforcement programs that target deportable immigrants who have a record of being previously deported from the United States.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Upper Mass Limit For Black Holes?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262249/080909095133.htm
There appears to be an upper limit to how big the Universe's most massive black holes can get, according to new research led by a Yale University astrophysicist and published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Eating Fish While Pregnant, Longer Breastfeeding, Lead To Better Infant Development, Research Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262250/080909205559.htm
Higher prenatal fish consumption leads to better physical and cognitive development in infants, according to a study of mothers and infants from Denmark. Longer breastfeeding was also independently beneficial.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Nanoscale Droplets With Cancer-fighting Implications Created
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382536245/080903134407.htm
Scientists have succeeded in making unique nanoscale droplets that are much smaller than a human cell and can potentially be used to deliver pharmaceuticals.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Protein Essential In Long Term Memory Consolidation Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262251/080909102146.htm
New research has identified a specific protein essential for the process of long term memory consolidation. The process of memory creation and consolidation is the first to be affected in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's; understanding the biological mechanisms of this process brings us one step closer to finding a treatment for these incurable diseases.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Climate: New Spin On Ocean's Role
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262252/080909094745.htm
New studies of the Southern Ocean are revealing previously unknown features of giant spinning eddies that are profoundly influencing marine life and the world's climate. These massive swirling structures -- the largest are known as gyres -- can be thousands of kilometers across and can extend down as deep as 500 meters or more, new research shows.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Diversity At Medical Schools Makes Stronger Doctors, Study Shows
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262253/080909205615.htm
A new UCLA study disputes controversial legislation like Prop. 209 that claimed campus policies to promote student-body diversity were unnecessary and discriminatory. UCLA researchers found that medical students who undergo training in racially diverse schools feel better equipped to care for patients in a diverse society.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Manure 'Smells Like Money' As Energy Costs Rise
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262254/080908225153.htm
With energy prices driving the cost of agricultural inputs up, nutrient-rich manure is getting another look.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Why Do Some Lifelong Nonsmokers Get Lung Cancer?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262255/080908215940.htm
A new study finds that lung cancer death rates among never-smokers are highest among men, African-Americans and Asians residing in Asia.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
New Nano Device Detects Immune System Cell Signaling
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262256/080903172412.htm
Scientists have detected previously unnoticed chemical signals that individual cells in the immune system use to communicate with each other over short distances. The signals the researchers detected originated in dendritic cells -- the sentinels of the immune system that do the initial detection of microscopic invaders -- and was received by nearby T-cells, which play a number of crucial roles in the immune system, including coordination of attacks on agents that cause disease or infection.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
New Drug Hope For Cystic Fibrosis Patients
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262257/080909074100.htm
A new drug therapy may represent a tremendous step forward in the treatment of some 70,000 cystic fibrosis patients worldwide. One of the researchers said, "The early results with VX-770 suggest that drug therapies which target defects at the root of the disease have the potential to improve greatly the quality of life of CF patients."
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Oxygen Theory Of Mass Extinction Questioned By New Research Findings
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386708292/080908073751.htm
Several theories have been proposed by scientists to explain the two mass extinction events which took place on the earth 250 and 200 million years ago. The Permian-Triassic catastrophe (250 million years ago) was the worst of all five of the mass extinction events to ever have befallen the earth. It eradicated almost 95% of all species, 53% of marine families, 84% of marine genera and an approximated 70% of all land species including plants, insects and vertebrate animals.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Boss’ Gender Impacts Employee Stress Levels
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262259/080908125150.htm
Worker mental and physical well-being are influenced by gender in the workplace, according to a study that analyzed the impact of supervisor and subordinate gender on health.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Simple Blood Test For Alzheimer's? Researchers Seeking To Identify Alzheimer's Risk Focus On Specific Blood Biomarker
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262260/080909094743.htm
A simple blood test to detect whether a person might develop Alzheimer's disease is within sight and could eventually help scientists in their quest toward reversing the disease's onset in those likely to develop the debilitating neurological condition, Columbia University Medical Center researchers announced today.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
High Levels Of Physical Activity Can Blunt Effect Of Obesity-related Gene, Study Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262262/080908185228.htm
High levels of physical activity can help to counteract a gene that normally causes people to gain weight, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed gene variants and activity levels of the Old Order Amish in Lancaster County, Pa., and found that the obesity-related FTO gene had no effect on individuals who were the most physically active.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
White Men Attach Greater Stigma To Mental Health Care
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262264/080908125123.htm
Beyond financial and access barriers to mental health care, factors such as mistrust, perceptions of stigma and negative attitudes toward care can prevent people from seeking the help they need. A new study investigates the effect of gender, race and socioeconomic status on these psychosocial barriers to mental health care.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Anthropologists Develop New Approach To Explain Religious Behavior
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262266/080909122749.htm
Without a way to measure religious beliefs, anthropologists have had difficulty studying religion. Now, two anthropologists from the University of Missouri and Arizona State University have developed a new approach to study religion by focusing on verbal communication, an identifiable behavior, instead of speculating about alleged beliefs in the supernatural that cannot actually be identified.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Protein 'Switch' Suppresses Skin Cancer Development
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262267/080908140100.htm
The protein IKKalpha (IKK±) regulates the cell cycle of keratinocytes and plays a key role in keeping these specialized skin cells from becoming malignant, researchers report in Cancer Cell.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Bottoms Up: Better Organic Semiconductors For Printable Electronics
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262268/080904115128.htm
Researchers have learned how to tweak a new class of polymer-based semiconductors to better control the location and alignment of the components of the blend. Their recent results could enable the design of practical, large-scale manufacturing techniques for a wide range of printable, flexible electronic displays and other devices.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Antiangiogenic Drugs Impede Chemotherapy-stimulated Tumor Recovery
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262269/080908135900.htm
Scientists have gained new insight into a mechanism whereby chemotherapy may actually assist the rapid regrowth of tumors after treatment.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Compost Heap Bacteria Could Provide 10% Of UK Transport Fuel Needs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262270/080908203021.htm
Bacteria found in compost heaps able to convert waste plant fiber into ethanol could eventually provide up 10% of the UK's transport fuel needs, according to new research.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Parenting Children With Disabilities Becomes Less Taxing With Time
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262271/080908125230.htm
Having a child with a disability takes a toll on parents' mental and physical health, yet new research suggests that, over time, parents learn to adapt to the challenges of caring for a disabled child. As these parents age, their health more closely mirrors the health of parents with children who don't have disabilities.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Silent Streams? Escalating Endangerment For North American Freshwater Fish
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262272/080909205412.htm
Nearly 40 percent of freshwater fish species in North America are now in jeopardy, according to the most detailed evaluation of the conservation status of these fishes in the last 20 years. The 700 fishes now listed represent a staggering 92 percent increase over the 364 listed as "imperiled" in the previous 1989 study published by the American Fisheries Society. Researchers classified each of the 700 fishes listed as either vulnerable (230), threatened (190) or endangered (280). In addition, 61 fishes are presumed extinct.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Diet May Eliminate Spasms For Infants With Epilepsy
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262273/080908185332.htm
Infantile spasms are a severe and potentially devastating epilepsy condition affecting children aged typically 4-8 months. In a new study appearing in Epilepsia, researchers have found that the ketogenic diet, a high fat, low carbohydrate diet more traditionally used for intractable childhood epilepsy, is an effective treatment for this condition before using drugs. The study is the first description of the ketogenic diet as a first-line therapy for infantile spasms.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
No-till Practices Show Extended Benefits On Wheat And Forage
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262274/080904215903.htm
With more than 3 million acres of wheat in north Texas, 50 percent or more of which is grazed by 1 to 2 million head of cattle, it is important to look at tillage practices and their effect on forage production. Research agronomists have been studying nitrogen response and forage production in relation to tillage practices.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
High Blood Pressure After Stroke Should Not Necessarily Rule Out Use Of Clot-busting Treatment
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262275/080908185219.htm
Patients who require therapy to lower their blood pressure following a stroke do not appear to be at a higher risk for bleeding or other adverse outcomes after receiving anti-clotting therapy, according to a report in the Archives of Neurology.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Rail, Road Or Waterway?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262276/080908135908.htm
Is road transport the best way to send oranges from Spain to northern Germany? Or would it be better to ship them by rail or waterway for part of the route? A new software package determines the cheapest, fastest or most environmentally compatible mode of transportation.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Women In Crowded Homes Are More Likely To Be Depressed Than Men
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/388262277/080908125027.htm
Seeking to determine whether gender-specific responses to the stress of crowded living situations exist, sociologists have examined data from a survey of Toronto residents and analyzed levels of depression, aggression and withdrawal among men and women.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Dogs And Cats Can Live In Perfect Harmony In The Home, If Introduced The Right Way
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387639825/080908135916.htm
Thinking about adopting a perky little puppy as a friend for your fluffy cat, but worried that they'll fight -- well, like cats and dogs? Think again. New research has found a new recipe for success.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Acupuncture May Hold Promise For Women With Hormone Disorder Who Experience Fertility Challenges
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387639826/080903172159.htm
Researchers believe that acupuncture could be an important alternative, non-drug therapy for women with polycystic ovary syndrome, which causes a hormonal imbalance, interfering with ovulation and ultimately, fertility.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Type 2 Diabetes Under Stress
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387639827/080905215945.htm
Type 2 diabetes is caused by an inability of the beta-cells in the pancreas to produce enough of the hormone insulin to meet the body's needs. Central to this is a loss of beta-cell function and mass as a result of insulin resistance (the inability of cells in the body to respond appropriately to insulin).
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Hotline To The Cowshed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387639828/080908135912.htm
A wireless measuring system, consisting of sensors and transmission units, helps to keep livestock healthier with a minimum use of resources.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
How You Spend Affects How Much You Spend: Non-cash Purchases Found To Be Higher Than Cash Buys
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385918583/080907123704.htm
There is fresh evidence that people spend less when paying cash than using credit, cash-equivalent scrip or gift certificates. They also spend less when they have to estimate expenses in detail.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Astronomers Discover Missing Link For Origin Of Comets
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383541422/080904151635.htm
Astronomers have found an unusual object whose backward and tilted orbit around the Sun may clarify the origins of certain comets. In the first discovery of its kind, researchers from Canada, France and the United States have discovered an object that orbits around the Sun backwards, and tilted at an angle of 104 degrees -- almost perpendicular to the orbits of the planets.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
'Healthy' Individuals May Be At Risk For Heart Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386660780/080908085502.htm
In the face of a growing obesity epidemic in the United States, researchers have new study results that indicate that how much fat a person has is not as important as where that fat is located when assessing risk for cardiovascular events and metabolic disease.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Potential New Threat For Coral Reefs And Health Of Communities In The Tropics
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383370638/080904112656.htm
Human activities bear a large part of the responsibility for coral reef degradation. Several threats hang over this complex ecosystem with its extraordinary biodiversity, whether in the form of anthropogenic effluents emitted at certain times or global warming which causes coral bleaching.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Apples And Oranges: Tumor Blood Vessel Cells Are Remarkably Atypical
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387639830/080908135902.htm
Contrary to a long-standing assumption that blood vessel cells in healthy tissues and those associated with tumors are similar, a new study unequivocally demonstrates that tumor blood vessel cells are far from normal.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
South America Holds Treasure Of Copper, Molybdenum, Gold And Silver
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387639832/080908225740.htm
Deposits of undiscovered copper, molybdenum, gold and silver may be present in the Andes Mountains of South America, according to a new scientific assessment.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Walk This Way? Masculine Motion Seems To Come At You, While Females Walk Away
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387639835/080908135904.htm
You can tell a lot about people from the way they move alone: their gender, age and even their mood, earlier studies have shown. Now, researchers have found that observers perceive masculine motion as coming toward them, while a characteristically feminine walk looks like it's headed the other way.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
'Smart Water' May Help Boost Production From Oil Wells By 60 Percent
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759504/080908102811.htm
Researchers in Norway report that injecting a special type of seawater called "smart water" into certain low-yield oil wells may help boost oil extraction by as much as 60 percent. The study could help meet rising energy demands and provide consumers with some financial relief at the gas pump in the future, the scientists suggest.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season Kicking Into High Gear
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387965263/080909154813.htm
For the first time in the 2008 hurricane season, there were four tropical cyclones active in the Atlantic Ocean basin on one day (Sept. 2). September is considered the peak of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season, and in the first week of September there were four tropical cyclones that forecasters were watching.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Tracking Down The Menace In Mexico City Smog
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387639840/080908101649.htm
Chemical scientists have shown that, bad as the traffic is, the most harmful air pollution in Mexico City may not come from burning fossil fuels. Instead the culprit may be garbage incineration.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Improves Blood Sugar Control, Clinical Trial Demonstrates
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387639841/080908135918.htm
Patients with type 1 diabetes who used a CGM devices to help manage their disease experienced significant improvements in blood sugar control, according to initial results of a major multicenter clinical trial funded by JDRF. Results from the study were presented today during the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Rome.
Wed, 10 Sep 08
How Bacteria Recycle Their Cell Wall: New Insights
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387639842/080908185322.htm
A new paper provides important new insights into the process by which bacteria recycle their cell wall.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Valley Networks On Mars Formed During Long Period Of Episodic Flooding
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222793/080908185320.htm
Ancient features on the surface of Mars called valley networks may well have been carved by recurrent floods during a long period when the martian climate may have been much like that of some arid or semiarid regions on Earth. An alternative theory that the valleys were carved by catastrophic flooding over a relatively short time is not supported by the new results.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Gene Therapy For Blindness Improves Vision, Safety Study Indicates
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222794/080908185316.htm
No significant adverse effects were reported during a safety trial testing gene therapy on three patients with a type of hereditary blindness called Leber congenital amaurosis type 2. In addition, the subjects said the vision in their treated eyes was slightly improved in dim lighting conditions.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Urbanization Reconfigures Surface Hydrology
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222797/080903134327.htm
What are the consequences of human-made tinkering with land cover and hydrology on surrounding native desert ecosystems and biodiversity? This question forms the backdrop for a case study published in the journal BioScience, which found that one of the most profound impacts of urbanization is the "reconfiguration of surface hydrology."
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Routine Use Of MRI Scans To Evaluate Breast Cancer Challenged
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385918585/080907123707.htm
A new study suggests women with newly-diagnosed breast cancer who receive an MRI after their diagnosis face delays in starting treatment and are more likely to receive a mastectomy. The study also shows that despite lack of evidence of their benefit, the routine use of MRI scans in women newly diagnosed increased significantly between 2004 and 2005, and again in 2006.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Putting The Squeeze On Nitrogen For High Energy Materials
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222800/080903134318.htm
Researchers from the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory report changes in the melting temperature of solid nitrogen at pressures up to 120 gigapascals and temperatures reaching 2,500° Kelvin. These results, plus observed changes in the structure of solid nitrogen at high pressures, could lead to new high energy nitrogen- or hydrogen-based fuels in the future. Hypothesized nitrogen polymers could form materials with higher energy content than any known non-nuclear material.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Fluctuations In Serotonin Transport May Explain Winter Blues
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759506/080908101620.htm
In the first study of its kind in the living human brain, scientists have discovered greater levels of serotonin transporter in the brain in winter than in summer. These findings have important implications for understanding seasonal mood change in healthy people, vulnerability to seasonal affective disorders and the relationship of light exposure to mood.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Childbirth Was Already Difficult For Neanderthals
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222802/080908203013.htm
Neanderthals had a brain at birth of a similar size to that of modern-day babies. However, after birth, their brain grew more quickly than it does for Homo sapiens and became larger too. Nevertheless, the individual lifespan ran just as slowly as it does for modern human beings.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Early Warning System For Cardiac Patients For Home Use
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222804/080903101418.htm
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in Europe and early diagnosis is essential to save lives. Monitoring the heart's rhythm and electrical activity in real time using an electrocardiogram (ECG) provides vital information about abnormalities and gives clues to the nature of a problem.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Early Phase Breast Cancer Study Suggests New Approach Can Re-sensitize Tumors
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222806/080905153641.htm
Women with hormone-receptor positive, metastatic breast cancer may take medications for years to help keep their cancer at bay, but when the tumor becomes resistant to anti-hormonal drugs, treatment with chemotherapy becomes the only option. But a new study may change this approach. Early data suggests a new treatment approach can "re-sensitize" the tumor, allowing anti-hormonal drugs to do their job once again.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Scientists Await Start-up Of Large Hadron Collider
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222809/080908140102.htm
The moment that James Pilcher has been waiting for since 1994 will arrive at 1:30 a.m. CDT on Wednesday, Sept. 10, when the world's largest scientific instrument is scheduled to begin operation. Physicists built the particle detector for the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) experiment at LHC, with the search for the Higgs boson and supersymmetry in mind. Theoretically speaking, the long-sought Higgs boson is the particle that endows all objects in the universe with mass. Evidence of supersymmetric particles, meanwhile, could provide an understanding of the dark matter, which makes up about a quarter of the mass of the universe.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Birds' Harmonious Duets Can Be 'Aggressive Audio Warfare,' Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383621021/080904144821.htm
Researchers have new insight into the motivating factors that drive breeding pairs of some tropical bird species to sing duets. Those duets can be so closely matched that human listeners often mistake them for solos.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
As Andean Glacier Retreats, Tiny Life Forms Swiftly Move In
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222812/080908135944.htm
Scientists working at 16,400 feet in the Peruvian Andes has discovered how barren soils uncovered by retreating glacier ice can swiftly establish a thriving community of microbes, setting the table for lichens, mosses and alpine plants. The discovery is the first to reveal how microbial life becomes established and flourishes in one of the most extreme environments on Earth and has implications for how life may have once flourished on Mars.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
African-Americans Have Unique Lung Cancer Risks From Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384094287/080905065355.htm
Scientists have developed a risk prediction assessment for lung cancer specifically for African-Americans that suggests a greater risk from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
US Air Force Technology Helps Scientists Understand Plant Root Function
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222818/080908105356.htm
Scientists have developed a non-invasive technique that uses thermal neutron attenuation to measure spatial and temporal distribution of water in soils. The study focuses on the McClellan Nuclear Radiation Center in Sacramento, Calif., developed by the US Air Force.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
More Off-premise Alcohol Outlets Can Lead To More Injuries Among Neighborhood Children
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222819/080904215615.htm
Injuries are the leading cause of death among children ages one to 14 in the United States. A first-of-its-kind study shows that numerous off-premise alcohol outlets in neighborhoods can reduce overall guardianship of children's activities, leading to increased injuries.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Presence Of Planets In Young Gas Discs Hinted At Using Clever New Astronomical Method
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222821/080908105400.htm
Astronomers have been able to study planet-forming discs around young Sun-like stars in unsurpassed detail, clearly revealing the motion and distribution of the gas in the inner parts of the disc. This result, which possibly implies the presence of giant planets, relies on the use of a very clever method enabled by ESO's Very Large Telescope.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Genetic Variants Associated With Vitamin B12
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222824/080908135942.htm
Researchers have identified a common genetic influence on B12 vitamin levels in the blood, suggesting a new way to approach the biological connections between an important biochemical variable and deficiency-related diseases.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Shifting Earth Near Closed Mines: Ground In Dutch Province Rising Faster Than Expected
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382402842/080903101420.htm
The ground in the Dutch province of South-Limburg is not as stable as had been thought. Satellite observations have shown greater localized rises than expected. Newly-developed technology has also enabled improved charting of ground subsidence in the provinces of Groningen and North-Holland. The satellites measure ground shifts down to the last millimeter.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Creating Lung Cancer Risk Models For Specific Populations Refines Prediction
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222831/080905153849.htm
Lung cancer risk prediction models are enhanced by taking into account risk factors by race and by measuring DNA repair capacity, according to epidemiologists.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Scientists Develop Model To Map Continental Margins
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222835/080908105352.htm
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a new exploration method to assist the oil and gas industry in identifying more precisely where the oceans and continents meet.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Middle Schoolers And Alcohol: Tips For Parents From AAAS
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222838/080904151637.htm
The first few weeks of middle school are a frenzy of friends, parties, and school events. It's also time for parents to start talking with their kids about the dangers of drinking alcohol, according to the Science Inside Alcohol Project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Memory Enhanced By Sports-cheat Drug
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/387222842/080908203011.htm
A drug used to increase blood production in both medical treatments and athletic doping scandals seems also to improve memory in those using it. New research shows that the memory enhancing effects of erythropoietin (EPO) are not related to its effects on blood production but due to direct influences on neurons in the brain. The findings may prove useful in the treatment of diseases affecting brain function, such as schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Marijuana Ingredients Show Promise In Battling Superbugs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759502/080908103045.htm
Substances in marijuana show promise for fighting deadly drug-resistant bacterial infections, including so-called "superbugs," without causing the drug's mood-altering effects, scientists in Italy and the United Kingdom are reporting.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Gene Therapy Prevents Blindness In An Animal Model Of Mitochondrial Dysfunction
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759494/080904144825.htm
Scientists have created an animal model suitable for testing and validating gene therapies for treatment of a common mitochondrial dysfunction that causes loss of vision.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Structure Of Key Epigenetics Component Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386808040/080903134159.htm
Scientists from the Structural Genomics Consortium have determined the 3-D structure of a key protein component involved in enabling "epigenetic code" to be copied accurately from cell to cell. The research not only represents an advance for the epigenetics field, but also an advance for how the science was done.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
First Prognosticator Of Survival In Aggressive Cancer Revealed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383370640/080904082746.htm
The tumor suppressor gene pRb2/p130 may provide the first independent prognostic biomarker in cases of soft tissue sarcoma, according to new research.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Alpine Fungi Collected In Beartooth Mountains Of Montana
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386808041/080908101647.htm
Some of the world's top experts on fungi recently collected fungi and mushrooms above tree line in the Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge, Mont.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Will The 'Bare Below The Elbows' Rule For Doctors Cut Infection Rates Or Just Patient Confidence?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386708293/080908073746.htm
Should surgeons be bare below the elbows and tie-less or are new UK dress rules for doctors compromising their professional image without sufficient evidence that hospital-acquired infections will be reduced?
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Hunt For Elusive Higgs Boson -- Most Highly Sought-after Particle In Physics -- Gets Boost
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382354073/080903093433.htm
The hunt for the Higgs boson, the most highly sought-after particle in physics, received a boost this month with two new results from the Tevatron particle collider at Fermilab in Illinois. Scientists working on the DZero particle detector experiment have for the first time successfully observed pairs of Z bosons at the Tevatron. Pair production of these force carrying particles is extremely rare and difficult to detect, and researchers say that having observed them represents a big step towards observing the Higgs boson itself.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Common Painkillers Lower Levels Of Prostate Cancer Biomarker, Study Shows
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386660779/080908085508.htm
Common painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen appear to lower a man's PSA level, the blood biomarker widely used by physicians to help gauge whether a man is at risk of prostate cancer. But the authors of the study caution that men shouldn't take the painkillers in an effort to prevent prostate cancer just yet.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Tracking The Reasons Many Girls Avoid Science And Math
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759495/080905153807.htm
The self-confidence instilled by parents and teachers is more important for young girls learning math and science than their initial interest. The three-year study aimed to identify supports and barriers that steer girls and young women toward or away from science and math during their education.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Gaining A Better Understanding Of Kidney Diseases
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383320441/080904102758.htm
By introducing a genetic switch in mice it is possible to increase or decrease the production of specific protein molecules in their kidneys. Thus, researchers can study the influence of specific proteins on disease development. This model of investigating severe kidney diseases was published in Nature Medicine.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Unexplored Arctic Region To Be Mapped
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759497/080903112032.htm
A scientific expedition this fall will map the unexplored Arctic seafloor where the US and Canada may have sovereign rights over natural resources such as oil and gas and control over activities such as mining. Both countries will use the resulting data to establish the outer limits of the continental shelf, according to the criteria set out in the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Txt Crimes, Sex Crimes And Murder: The Science Of Forensic Linguistics
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386708290/080908073841.htm
Text and instant messaging may soon cease to be an anonymous method of communication as advances in forensic linguistic research make it possible to identify the sender and also predict the gender and age of the author with some degree of success.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Can Science Improve Man's Best Friend?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759498/080904220139.htm
While animal buyers often look closely at physical characteristics, behavioral traits can make the difference between a dog becoming a much loved and pampered family member, or a mistreated or neglected unwanted animal. Science and breeding can be used to produce dogs that have characteristics desired by average dog owners and are well suited to the domestic environment.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Best Way To Treat Malaria: Avoid Using Same Drug For Everyone, Scientists Say
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384476391/080905153810.htm
Scientists employing a sophisticated computer model have found that many governments worldwide are recommending the wrong kind of malaria treatment.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
New Rules Needed To Govern World's Fragile Polar Regions
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385918584/080907123702.htm
Consideration of international law and policy issues in polar regions is urgently needed as climate change opens the Arctic Ocean to shipping, fishing, and other resource exploitation, and as growing numbers of bioprospectors, researchers and tourists flock to Antarctica, all with potentially serious environmental consequences in these highly fragile ecosystems.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
New Stem Cell Screening Tool Takes Adult Stem Cell Research To New Level
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383320436/080904102852.htm
A bioinformatic system takes adult stem cell research to a new level. Rather than using stem cells from embryonic sources, which opens difficult ethical and complicated scientific issues, scientists have been looking to adult human stem cells, culled from a person's own body. Adult stem cells are now being cultivated from various tissues in the body -- from skin, bones and even wisdom teeth.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Safer Skies For The Flying Public: New Air Traffic Control System Model Will Track Variables Without Human Input
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759499/080903172421.htm
Researchers are developing an air traffic control system that can track multiple flight locations and changing weather conditions and help controllers optimize traffic flow and air safety.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Sweating, Crying May Help Prevent Exercise-Induced Asthma In Athletes
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386708287/080908085456.htm
An athlete's ability to sweat may do more than keep the body cool. It also may prevent the development of exercise-induced asthma, a common respiratory condition among trained athletes.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Comets Throw Light On Solar System's Beginnings
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386708288/080908073845.htm
A new picture of the composition of comets is emerging. The early solar system is commonly believed to have been formed from a cold outer region and a hot inner region, which did not exchange material. But the comet Wild-2 contains both iron oxides, which suggests that it was exposed to small trickles of water, and chromium oxide (a high temperature mineral). This means that material must have moved between the two regions.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Numerous Undiscovered Gene Alterations In Pancreatic And Brain Cancers Detected
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383590551/080904145119.htm
Investigators have detected a multitude of broken, missing, and overactive genes in pancreatic and brain tumors, in the most detailed genetic survey yet of any human tumor. Some of these genetic changes were previously unknown and could provide new leads for improved diagnosis and therapy for these devastating cancers.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Cassini Images Ring Arcs Among Saturn's Moons
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386708285/080908092951.htm
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has detected a faint, partial ring orbiting with one small moon of Saturn, and has confirmed the presence of another partial ring orbiting with a second moon. This is further evidence that most of the planet's small, inner moons orbit within partial or complete rings.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Obese People With Asthma Have Nearly Five Times Greater Risk Of Hospitalization For Asthma
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759500/080904082740.htm
A new study found obese people with asthma are 4.6 times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than non-obese people with asthma. The study surveyed 1,113 asthmatics and is the first study to control for risk factors that explain the obesity-asthma association: smoking, oral or inhaled corticosteroid medication use, gastroesophageal reflux disorder and demographics. The study found obese people had a harder time controlling asthma day-to-day compared to non-obese people with asthma.
Tue, 9 Sep 08
Plastic Bottles: Bisphenol A Of 'Some Concern' According To U.S. Government Report
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386759501/080903091142.htm
Current human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in many polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, is of "some concern" for effects on development of the prostate gland and brain and for behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children, according to a final report released in the U.S. by the National Toxicology Program.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Next Stop: The Fourth Dimension, With Large Hadron Collider Experiments
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365775/080903112026.htm
How did the universe come to be? What is it made of? What is mass? Can science prove that there are other dimensions? We may have answers soon. On September 10, 2008, the new CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is scheduled to turn on. The first high-energy collisions are expected to take place in October 2008. Scientists are calling it the largest experiment in the world.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Changes To Embryonic Stem Cells Caused By Down Syndrome Revealed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365776/080904145053.htm
Scientists investigating the mechanisms of Down syndrome have revealed the earliest developmental changes in embryonic stem cells caused by an extra copy of human chromosome 21 -- the aberrant inheritance of which results in the condition.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Tiny Gold Clusters Are Top-notch Catalysts
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365777/080905215954.htm
Using a pair of scanning transmission electron microscopy instruments for which spherical aberration is corrected, researchers have for the first time achieved state-of-the-art resolution of gold nanocrystals absorbed onto iron oxide surfaces that can catalyzed a variety of reactions, including the oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Stem Cell Transplantation Benefits Mice With Childhood Motor Neuron Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365778/080902221737.htm
The motor neuron disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the second most common genetic disorder leading to death in childhood. There is currently no cure for SMA, but some clinicians and researchers consider stem cell transplantation as a potential therapeutic strategy. And now, work using a mouse model of SMA suggests that spinal cord neural stem cells might be a possible treatment for individuals with SMA.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Changes In Urine Could Lead To BSE Test For Live Animals
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365779/080905153643.htm
Researchers have demonstrated that protein levels in urine samples can indicate both the presence and progress of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy disease in cattle. The scientists hope that their discovery might lead to the development of a urine-based test that could prevent the precautionary slaughter of many animals as now occurs when the disease is detected.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Functional Food – Delicious And Healthy
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384176944/080905072128.htm
Linseed is said to protect against cancer – but not everybody likes the taste. Researchers have now isolated the valuable components of the flax seeds. Incorporated in bread, cakes or dressings, they support the human organism without leaving an unpleasant aftertaste.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
As Easy As 1, 2, 3: Number Sense Correlates With Test Scores
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386255877/080907211940.htm
Knowing how precisely a high school freshman can estimate the number of objects in a group gives you a good idea how well he has done in math as far back as kindergarten.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
New 'Trick' Allows HIV To Overcome A Barrier To Infection
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383590555/080904144827.htm
Researchers have discovered a new 'trick' that allows HIV to overtake resting T cells that are normally highly resistant to HIV infection -- the binding of the virus to the surface of those cells sends a signal that breaks down the cells' internal skeleton, a structure that otherwise may present a significant barrier to infection.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Smoke Smudges Mexico City's Air, Chemists Identify Sources
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365780/080903172459.htm
Mexico City once topped lists of places with the worst air pollution in the world. Although efforts to curb emissions have improved the situation, tiny particles called aerosols still clog the air. Now, atmospheric scientists have sorted through the pall that hangs over the city to precisely identify aerosols that make up the haze and chart daily patterns of changes to the mix.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Cholesterol Drugs Lower Risk Of Stroke For Elderly, Too
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365781/080903172140.htm
Elderly people who take a cholesterol drug after a stroke or mini-stroke lower their risk of having another stroke just as much as younger people in the same situation, according to new research.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Role Of Aerosols In Climate Change Examined
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384476397/080905153801.htm
It appears that aerosol effects on clouds can induce large changes in precipitation patterns, which in turn may change not only regional water resources, but also may change the regional and global circulation systems that constitute the Earth's climate. A group of scientists have proposed a new framework to account more accurately for the effects of aerosols on precipitation in climate models.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Child Safety Seats And Lap-and-shoulder Belts Effective In Preventing Serious Injury, Study Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383541423/080904151633.htm
Study reveals that lap-and-shoulder seat belts perform as well as child safety seats in preventing serious injury. For young children, all states currently require the use of child safety seats, and the minimum age and weight requirements to graduate to seat belts has been increasing over time. A new study reveals that lap-and-shoulder seat belts perform as well as child safety seats in preventing serious injury.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Lightweight And Long-legged Males Go The Distance For Sex
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384476390/080905153853.htm
A study of giant cricket-like insects suggests that sexual selection for smaller, more mobile males could be responsible for some of the impressive sexual difference in body size in this species and may explain other species where males are smaller than females.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
You Can Be Replaced: Immune Cells Compensate For Defective DNA Repair Factor
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365782/080904144833.htm
A new mouse model has provided some surprising insight into XLF, a molecule that helps to repair lethal DNA damage. The research suggests that although XLF shares many properties with well known DNA repair factors, certain cells of the immune system possess an unexpected compensatory mechanism that that can take over for nonfunctional XLF.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Trichoplax Genome Sequenced: 'Rosetta Stone' For Understanding Evolution
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365783/080903172419.htm
Molecular and evolutionary biologists have produced the full genome sequence of Trichoplax, one of nature's most primitive multicellular organisms, providing a new insight into the evolution of all higher animals.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Change In HER2 Status Found After Treating Breast Cancer Patients With Herceptin
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365786/080903204229.htm
Researchers have discovered that when treated with Herceptin prior to surgery, 50 percent of HER2 positive, breast cancer patients showed no signs of disease at the time of surgery. However, of those women who had residual disease, about one-third had tumors that converted from HER2 positive to HER 2 negative status -- possibly indicating a resistance to the targeted therapy.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
New Evidence On The Robustness Of Metabolic Networks
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365787/080904215621.htm
Biological systems evolve in ways that increase their fitness for survival amidst environmental fluctuations and internal errors. Now researchers have found new evidence that evolution has produced cell metabolisms that are especially well suited to handle potentially harmful changes like gene deletions and mutations. The team developed a mathematical model, which could be useful in bioengineering, medicine and the design of synthetic networks, describing the cascading failure phenomenon as a percolation-like process.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Age, Income And Marital Status: Socio-demographic Factors Influence Costs Of Back Pain
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365788/080903134204.htm
It is well-known that back pain belongs to the most frequent health problems in the industrial nations and, it is also well-known that it is the cause of considerable costs for health insurance schemes and the economy. Researchers have now scrutinized socio-demographic variables of patients as potential cost-influencing parameters.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Atomic Structure Of The Mammalian 'Fatty Acid Factory' Determined
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384176946/080905072124.htm
Mammalian fatty acid synthase is one of the most complex molecular synthetic machines in human cells. It is also a promising target for the development of anti-cancer and anti-obesity drugs and the treatment of metabolic disorders. Now researchers have determined the atomic structure of a mammalian fatty acid synthase.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
How STDs Increase The Risk Of Becoming Infected With HIV
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365789/080905215948.htm
Individuals who have a sexually transmitted disease and women with yeast and bacterial vaginal infections have an increased risk of becoming infected with HIV if exposed to the virus through sexual contact. New research has provided a new explanation as to how and why STDs have this effect.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Last-ever Look At ESA's Gravity Satellite GOCE
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383320439/080904102802.htm
As preparations for the launch of GOCE Sept. 10 continue on schedule, an important milestone has just been achieved as engineers say farewell to the satellite as it is encapsulated in the two half-shells of the launcher's fairing.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
AMD and Vision Loss: Low-Luminance Study Yields a New Predictive Tool
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381434744/080902074553.htm
Scientists have discovered a simple and inexpensive way to predict the rapid loss of visual acuity, the ability to see detail, in “dry” AMD patients.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Driving The Future Of In-vehicle ICT
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386365790/080905164326.htm
Information and communications systems in road vehicles are progressing steadily, but the research community behind these developments remains fragmented. Now a European initiative has linked key knowledge centers and is paving the way for the next generation of ‘joined up’ intelligent vehicle research.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Free Drug Samples May End Up Costing Uninsured More
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384094288/080905065353.htm
Free drug samples provided to physicians by pharmaceutical companies could actually be costing uninsured patients more in the long run, according to a new study.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
New Once-a-week Treatment For Type 2 Diabetes Developed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386255861/080907211952.htm
Researchers have reported that a new once-weekly treatment for type 2 diabetes could replace the more common twice-daily injection.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Living Sensor Can Warn Of Arsenic Pollution
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386255862/080907211950.htm
Scientists studying arsenic pollution have discovered a living sensor that can spot contamination. They have also discovered new bacteria that can clean up arsenic spills even in previously untreatable cold areas.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Milk May Help Bacteria Survive Against Low Levels Of Antibiotics
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386255863/080907211948.htm
Milk may help prevent potentially dangerous bacteria like Staphylococcus from being killed by antibiotics used to treat animals.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
Rattlesnake-type Poisons Used By Superbug Bacteria To Beat Our Defenses
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386255864/080907211945.htm
Colonies of hospital superbugs can make poisons similar to those found in rattlesnake venom to attack our bodies' natural defenses, according to new research.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
A New 'Pyrex' Nanoparticle
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386255876/080907211943.htm
Researchers in Switzerland have developed a new method to fabricate borosilicate glass nanoparticles. Used in microfluidic systems, these "Pyrex"-like nanoparticles are more stable when subjected to temperature fluctuations and harsh chemical environments than currently used nanoparticles made of polymers or silica glass. Their introduction could extend the range of potential nanoparticle applications in biomedical, optical and electronic fields.
Mon, 8 Sep 08
How Plants Fine Tune Their Natural Chemical Defenses
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/386255878/080907211937.htm
Even closely related plants produce their own natural chemical cocktails, each set uniquely adapted to the individual plant's specific habitat. Comparing antifungals produced by tobacco and henbane, researchers have discovered that only a few mutations in a key enzyme are enough to shift the whole output to an entirely new product mixture.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Bad Sign For Global Warming: Thawing Permafrost Holds Vast Carbon Pool
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385541949/080903134309.htm
Permafrost blanketing the northern hemisphere contains more than twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, making it a potentially mammoth contributor to global climate change depending on how quickly it thaws
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Scientists Identify Genetic Link That May Neutralize HIV
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385541950/080904144837.htm
A genetic target may provide a significant new opportunity for vaccine or therapeutic development. Scientists have uncovered new evidence that strengthens the link between a host-cell gene called Apobec3 and the production of neutralizing antibodies to retroviruses. The finding adds a new dimension to the set of possible explanations for why most people who are infected with HIV do not make neutralizing antibodies that effectively fight the virus.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Defibrillators Save Lives, Don't Diminish Quality Of Life, Researchers Find
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385541951/080903172145.htm
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators reduce the risk of death from sudden cardiac arrest among patients with heart failure, and they do so without significantly altering a person's quality of life, say researchers from Duke University Medical Center.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
A Light Bulb And A Few Chemicals: Scientists Find A Way To Help Make New Reactions
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385541952/080904215624.htm
Scientists have discovered a way of stimulating organic molecules that they expect will prompt researchers to create materials from new kinds of chemical reactions. The method of catalysis, when used, could lead to groundbreaking kinds of drugs and agricultural chemicals and will provide a shortcut to standard multi-step methods of chemical production.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Sexologists Can Infer A Woman's History of Orgasms By The Way She Walks
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385541953/080904215626.htm
A new study found that trained sexologists could infer a woman's history of vaginal orgasm by observing the way she walks.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Fatal Protein Interactions May Explain Neurological Diseases
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385541954/080903204225.htm
Researchers have investigated how proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease interact to form unique complexes. Their findings explain why Alzheimer's patients might develop Parkinson's, and vice versa. The new and unique molecular structures they discovered can now be used to model and develop new drugs for these devastating neurological diseases.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Cardiac Cell Transplant Studies Show Promise In Cardiac Tissue Repair
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382454025/080903112030.htm
Two studies involving cardiac cell transplantation have shown an evolving role for bone marrow cells in cardiac cell therapy. The implantation of heart muscle cells and subsequent restoration of cardiac function was enhanced when bone marrow cells were implanted along with the cardiomyocytes. Researchers also found that mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow provided an advantage over fetal amniotic fluid derived cells when differentiating into appropriate cells for cardiac cell transplantation and repair.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Major Flooding Risk Could Span Decades After Chinese Earthquake
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383370632/080904115121.htm
Up to 20 million people, thousands of whom are already displaced from their homes following the devastating Chinese earthquake, are at increased risk from flooding and major power shortages in the massive Sichuan Basin over the next few decades and possibly centuries. A geographer from Durham University makes the observations on returning from carrying out investigative fieldwork in the China earthquake zone.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
What A Sleep Study Can Reveal About Fibromyalgia
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385541957/080903134311.htm
Research engineers and sleep medicine specialists from two Michigan universities have joined technical and clinical hands to put innovative technologies to work in the sleep lab.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Plant-parasitic Nematode Genome Sequenced
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385541958/080904215901.htm
The annotated genome of one of the most destructive nematodes -- Meloidogyne incognita -- the southern root-knot nematode, has just been published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Chemobrain Treatment? Potential Remedy For The 'Mental Fog' In Cancer Patients
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383320437/080904102806.htm
Cancer patients have complained for years about the mental fog known as chemobrain. Now in animal studies, researchers have discovered that injections of N-acetyl cysteine, an antioxidant, can prevent the memory loss that breast cancer chemotherapy drugs sometimes induce. .
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Exercise Reduces Damage After Therapeutic Irradiation To The Brain
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382270874/080903075621.htm
Researchers has shown for the first time that exercise helps restore stem cell growth and improves behavior in young mice that suffered damage to the brain induced by a clinically relevant dose of radiation. The researchers believe that these results are also applicable to children that have suffered damage due to radiotherapy of brain tumors.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
A Virtuous Cycle: Safety In Numbers For Bicycle Riders
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385293243/080903112034.htm
It seems paradoxical but the more people ride bicycles on our city streets, the less likely they are to be injured in traffic accidents. International research reveals that as cycling participation increases, a cyclist is far less likely to collide with a motor vehicle or suffer injury and death - and what's true for cyclists is true for pedestrians.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Add-On Therapy Improves Depressive Symptoms In Bipolar Disorder
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381355094/080902075218.htm
Lingering depression is a serious and common problem in bipolar disorder, and does not resolve well with existing treatments. Because individuals with both depression and bipolar disorder experience a glutathione deficiency, an antioxidant that protects cells from toxins, researchers sought to evaluate whether N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), an over-the-counter supplement that increases brain glutathione, might help alleviate depressive symptoms.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Oxidative Stress: Mechanism Of Cell Death Clarified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382315030/080903075612.htm
Scientists have decrypted the molecular mechanism through which the death of cells is caused by oxidative stress. This knowledge opens novel perspectives to systematically explore the benefit of targeted therapeutic interventions in the cure of aging and stress-related degenerative diseases.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Social Psychology Can Be Used To Understand Nuclear Restraint
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385293247/080904115130.htm
Social psychology is the study of how people and groups interact. A new study shows how social psychology can help us better understand the puzzle of nuclear restraint and uses the case of Japan to illustrate social psychology on nuclear decision-making.
Sun, 7 Sep 08
Encounter Of A Different Kind: Rosetta Observes Asteroid At Close Quarters
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/385293249/080906161700.htm
The European Space Agency's comet chaser, Rosetta, has flown by a small body in the main asteroid belt, asteroid Steins, collecting a wealth of information about this rare type of minor Solar System body.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Long-held Assumptions Of Flightless Bird Evolution Challenged By New Research
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384724208/080903172152.htm
Large flightless birds of the southern continents -- African ostriches, Australian emus and cassowaries, South American rheas and the New Zealand kiwi -- do not share a common flightless ancestor as once believed.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Chandelier Cells Unveil Human Cognition
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384724210/080902221739.htm
What is it that distinguishes humans from other mammals? The answer to this question lies in the neocortex -- the part of the brain responsible for sensory perceptions, conscious thought and language. Humans have a considerably larger neocortex than other mammals, making it an ideal subject for the research of higher cognition. Scientists now reveal new insights into the mysteries of neocortex organization and function.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
How New Helium Ion Microscope Measures Up
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384724211/080904115132.htm
Researchers are probing the newest microscope technology to further improve measurement accuracy at the nanoscale -- a critical capability for setting standards and improving production in the semiconductor and nanomanufacturing industries.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Arteries From Distinct Regions Of The Body Have Unique Immune Functions
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384724213/080903134325.htm
Arteries play an active role in the immune system by sensing infection and injury. They collect information about invaders through dendritic cells embedded in their walls. Arteries supplying blood to distinct parts of the body specialize in recognizing different bacterial signals.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Action As A Goal May Be Too Broad, New Research Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384724216/080904115125.htm
A series of experiments suggest that society's emphasis on action over inaction may lead to unforeseen consequences. The findings could help understand how common words used in everyday life may influence conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Old Before Their Time? Aging Rate In Flies Twice As Fast In Wild Than In Laboratory
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384476398/080905153759.htm
Conventional wisdom suggests that stress accelerates aging -- but is it really true? Evolutionary studies of aging use short-lived animals under laboratory conditions -- constant temperature and humidity, no parasites, superabundant food. Researchers identified individual stilt-legged flies in their harsh natural environments while simultaneously monitoring their cousins in the lab. In males, the rate of aging was as least two times greater in the wild. For both sexes, life in the wild was dramatically shorter. More study of how environment affects gene expression is needed.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Unsuccessful Drug Against Anxiety Opens A Novel Gateway For The Treatment Of Cancer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383320440/080904102800.htm
An unsatisfying drug for anxiety reveals to scientists a promising novel anti-cancer drug target. Cancer cells have multiple ways to avoid apoptosis, programmed cell death the means by which organisms deal with defective cells. One defense is to produce quantities of phosphatic acid, a phospholipid constituent of cellular membranes.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Giant Furnace Opens To Reveal 'Perfect' LSST Mirror Blank
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384686151/080902214750.htm
The single-piece primary and tertiary mirror blank cast for the LSST is "perfect", say project astronomers and engineers. The LSST, or Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, a large survey telescope being built in northern Chile, requires three large mirrors to give crisp images over a record large field of view. The two largest of these mirrors are concentric and fit neatly onto a single mirror blank.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Virology: How Does Herpes Simplex Virus Cause Inflammation Of The Brain?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384686152/080902221735.htm
Worldwide, about 80% of young adults are infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). The most common symptom of infection is a cold sore, but in some individuals the virus can also cause life-threatening inflammation of the brain (encephalitis); 70% of individuals who do not get treatment for this condition die.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Disruption-free Videos
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384176943/080905072130.htm
Standardized video coding techniques still have their snags – digitally transmitted images are not always disruption-free. An extension of the H.264/AVC coding format allows to protect the most important data packets to ensure they arrive safely at the receiver.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Should Nurses Replace GPs As Frontline Providers Of Primary Care?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384176945/080905072126.htm
Should nurses be the frontline providers of primary care, taking the place of general practitioners as the first point of patient contact? Two experts debate the issue. Nurses can deliver as high quality care as general practitioners in most areas of general practice including preventive health care, the management of long term conditions, and first contact care for people with minor illness, according to one expert.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Glaciers In The Pyrenees Will Disappear In Less Than 50 Years, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384507526/080905164328.htm
Much has been said about the situation of the glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica, but little is known about those in the high mountain areas of the Iberian Peninsular. A Spanish research study has revealed, for the first time, that now only the Pyrenees has active glaciers. Furthermore, the steady increase in temperature, a total of 0.9°C since 1890, indicates that Pyrenean glaciers will disappear before 2050, according to experts.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Living Donor Liver Transplants May Drastically Decrease Mortality From Liver Failure
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384547693/080904215857.htm
Patients with acute liver failure could be saved by a transplant from a living donor, according to a new study. The recent experience of US patients shows that recipient mortality rates and donor morbidity rates are acceptable.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Honest Lovers? Fallow Buck Groans Reveal Their Status And Size During The Rut
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384547694/080902221814.htm
Researchers have show for the first time that sexually selected vocalizations can signal social dominance in mammals other than primates, and reveal that the independent acoustic components -- fundamental frequency (pitch) and formant frequencies -- encode information on dominance status and body size, respectively.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Nutritional Research Vindicates Diet Programs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384547695/080902221744.htm
Popular slimming programs do result in reduced energy intake while providing enough nutrients. A new scientific analysis provides comprehensive dietary data about Slim Fast, Atkins, Weight Watchers and Rosemary Conley's "Eat Yourself Slim" Diet & Fitness Plan.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Digitizing Archives From The 17th Century
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383541424/080904151624.htm
A researcher on a short trip to a foreign country, with little money, but a digital camera in hand has devised a novel approach to digitizing foreign archives that could speed up research.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Infant Abductions Increase In Private And Public Places
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384547697/080904082742.htm
A new study, based on 23 years of data collection, showed that while the number of abductions in hospital settings dramatically declined, those from private homes and public places have increased in incidence. Among private home and public place abductions, there has also been an increase in violence and lower infant recovery rates.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
New Virtual Telescope Zooms In On Milky Way's Super-massive Black Hole
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382581404/080903134313.htm
Astronomers have obtained the closest views ever of what is believed to be a super-massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The astronomers linked together radio dishes in Hawaii, Arizona and California to create a virtual telescope more than 2,800 miles across that is capable of seeing details more than 1,000 times finer than the Hubble Space Telescope.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Massive Cancer Gene Search Finds Potential New Targets In Brain Tumors
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383590549/080904145202.htm
An array of broken, missing and overactive genes have been identified in a genetic survey of glioblastoma, the most common and deadly form of adult brain cancer, report scientists. The large-scale combing of the brain cancer genome confirms the key roles of some previously known mutated genes and implicates a variety of other genetic changes that may be targets for future therapies.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
MIT Probe Could Aid Quantum Computing
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384547698/080903134202.htm
MIT researchers may have found a way to overcome a key barrier to the advent of super-fast quantum computers, which could be powerful tools for applications such as code breaking.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
How To Spot A Heart Attack Soon After It Occurs
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384547699/080902221733.htm
The sooner an individual who has had a heart attack is treated, the better their chance of survival and the less permanent damage is done to their heart. A recent paper details a new method for early detection of a heart attack that researchers used to observe changes in the blood of individuals who had had a heart attack as soon as 10 minutes after the event.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Ebola Cell-invasion Strategy Uncovered
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384547700/080903172428.htm
Researchers have discovered a key biochemical link in the process by which the Ebola Zaire virus infects cells -- a critical step to finding a way to treat the deadly disease produced by the virus.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Theory Of Sun's Role In Formation Of Solar System Questioned
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384131468/080904144835.htm
A strange mix of oxygen found in a stony meteorite that exploded over Pueblito de Allende, Mexico nearly 40 years ago has puzzled scientists ever since. Small flecks of minerals lodged in the stone and thought to date from the beginning of the solar system have a pattern of oxygen types, or isotopes, that differs from those found in all known planetary rocks, including those from Earth, its Moon and meteorites from Mars.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Link Between Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes And Neurodegeneration Found
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384131470/080904115119.htm
Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus can contribute to mild neurodegeneration with features common with Alzheimer's disease -- the first study to show that obesity can cause neurodegeneration.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Designer Wine? Characterization Of Grapevine Transposons May Aid Development Of New Grape Varieties
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384131471/080902221816.htm
A new study presents a genome-wide characterization of grapevine transposons. This work shows that transposons have captured and amplified gene sequences in grapevines, which could have had an impact on gene evolution and their regulation.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Low-birth-weight Children Should Have Their Blood Pressure Checked, Researchers Find
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384131472/080904115123.htm
Blood pressure in low-birth-weight children younger than 3 years of age not only can be measured but should be, researchers have found.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Scientists Peel Away Mystery Behind Gold's Catalytic Prowess
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384131473/080904215859.htm
Using the world's most powerful microscopes for chemical analysis, scientists have pinpointed where the conversion of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide occurs when gold is supported on iron oxide. CO oxidation is critical to firefighters and others who wear protect masks when entering a burning building. Bilayer clusters of atoms less than a nanometer in dimension are found to be responsible for a vital oxidation reaction.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Hallucinations In The Flash Of An Eye
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383320446/080904102753.htm
Specific brain regions show increased activity during hallucinations. Researchers introduce a new experimental approach to studying hallucinations as they occur.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Yale Researchers Find 'Junk DNA' May Have Triggered Key Evolutionary Changes In Human Thumb And Foot
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384131474/080904145056.htm
Out of the 3 billion genetic letters that spell out the human genome, Yale scientists have found a handful that may have contributed to the evolutionary changes in human limbs that enabled us to manipulate tools and walk upright.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Infectious, Test Tube-produced Prions Can Jump The 'Species Barrier'
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384131475/080904144830.htm
Researchers have shown that they can create entirely new strains of infectious proteins known as prions in the laboratory by simply mixing infectious prions from one species with the normal prion proteins of another species.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
How Salmonella Bacteria Contaminate Salad Leaves
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/384131476/080902221812.htm
How does Salmonella bacteria cause food poisoning by attaching to salad leaves? A new study shows how some Salmonella bacteria use the long stringy appendages they normally use to help them "swim" and move about to attach themselves to salad leaves and other vegetables, causing contamination and a health risk.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Promising Method For Reducing MRSA Infections In Hospitals
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383370633/080904115117.htm
Researchers report that switching between two antibiotics, linezolid and vancomycin, every three months in the surgical ICU decreased the MRSA infection rate from 1.9 to 1.4 patients per 100 admissions. In-hospital mortality from surgical ICU-acquired MRSA infections fell from 3.8 patients per year to none.
Sat, 6 Sep 08
Thinking People Eat Too Much: Intellectual Work Found To Induce Excessive Calorie Intake
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383320438/080904102804.htm
Scientists have demonstrated that intellectual work induces a substantial increase in calorie intake. The details of this discovery could go some way to explaining the current obesity epidemic.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
DNA Shows That Last Woolly Mammoths Had North American Roots
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383590553/080904145058.htm
In a surprising reversal of conventional wisdom, a DNA-based study has revealed that the last of the woolly mammoths--which lived between 40,000 and 4,000 years ago--had roots that were exclusively North American.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
No Connection Between Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) Vaccine And Autism, Study Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383590538/080904145218.htm
In a case-control study, the presence of measles virus RNA was no more likely in children with autism and GI disturbances than in children with only GI disturbances. Furthermore, GI symptom and autism onset were unrelated to MMR vaccine timing.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Children With TVs Or Computers In Their Room Sleep Less
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381434740/080902102536.htm
Middle school children who have a television or computer in their room sleep less during the school year, watch more TV, play more computer games and surf the net more than their peers who don't.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Innate Immune System Targets Asthma-linked Fungus For Destruction
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771375/080902171115.htm
A new study shows that the innate immune system of humans is capable of killing a fungus linked to airway inflammation, chronic rhinosinusitis and bronchial asthma. Researchers have revealed that eosinophils, a particular type of white blood cell, exert a strong immune response against the environmental fungus Alternaria alternata.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Biocontrol Insect Exacerbates Invasive Weed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771376/080903134405.htm
Biocontrol agents, such as insects, are often released outside of their native ranges to control invasive plants. But scientists in Montana have found that through complex community interactions among deer mice, native plants and seeds, the presence of an introduced fly may exacerbate the effects of the invasive plant it was meant to control.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Age-related Memory Loss Tied To Slip In Filtering Information Quickly
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771377/080902143234.htm
Scientists have identified a way in which the brain's ability to process information diminishes with age, and shown that this break down contributes to the decreased ability to form memories that is associated with normal aging.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
A Fine-tooth Comb To Measure The Accelerating Universe
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383590533/080904145102.htm
Astronomical instruments needed to answer crucial questions, such as the search for Earth-like planets or the way the Universe expands, have come a step closer with the first demonstration at the telescope of a new calibration system for precise spectrographs. The method uses a Nobel Prize-winning technology called a "laser frequency comb," and is published in Science.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
New Drug Protects Against Second Heart Attack Or Stroke, Study Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381388308/080902074559.htm
Data from a Phase II study of an investigational drug designed to block formation of blood clots show potential for added protection against a second heart attack or stroke among patients who are already taking state-of-the-art prevention therapy, according to researchers.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Venus: Global Structure Of Winds And Clouds Have Been Mapped
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381355093/080902075221.htm
Venus is a planet similar in size to the Earth. Nevertheless, it is quite different in other aspects. On the one hand, it spins very slowly on its axis, taking 224 terrestrial days and, moreover, it does so in the opposite direction to that of our planet, i.e. from East to West. Its dense atmosphere of carbon dioxide with surface pressures 90 times that of Earth (equivalent to what we find at 1000 meters below the surface of our oceans), causes a runaway greenhouse effect that raises the surface temperatures up to 450ºC, to such as extent that metals like lead are in a liquid state on Venus.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Asymptomatic Carotid Plaque Healing Mechanisms Observed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771378/080902095120.htm
Researchers have observed a noninvasive MR imaging a healing mechanism for plaque rupture, a potentially life-threatening event in the cardiovascular system that can result in a fatal heart attack or debilitating stroke. The untimely death of well-known television journalist Tim Russert, was due to the sudden rupture of a vulnerable plaque in a critical location in a coronary artery.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
DNA Editing Tool Flips Its Target
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771379/080903134213.htm
Imagine having to copy an entire book by hand without missing a comma. Our cells face a similar task every time they divide. They must duplicate both their DNA and a subtle pattern of punctuation-like modifications on the DNA known as methylation. Scientists have caught in action one of the tools mammalian cells use to maintain their pattern of methylation. Visualized by X-ray crystallography, the SRA domain of the protein UHRF1 appears to act like a bookmark while enzymes are copying a molecule of DNA.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Spending Time In Intensive Care Unit Can Traumatize Kids
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771380/080903112024.htm
Scientists have developed the Children's Critical Illness Impact Scale to measure psychological distress in children following hospital discharge. This is the first self-report scale ever created to measure the psychological impact of intensive care unit hospitalization on children.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Toxic Plastics: Bisphenol A Linked To Metabolic Syndrome In Human Tissue
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383541421/080904151629.htm
New research implicates the primary chemical used to produce hard plastics -- bisphenol A (BPA) -- as a risk factor for the metabolic syndrome and its consequences.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
World Cancer Declaration Sets Ambitious Targets For 2020
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771381/080902122854.htm
A summit of more than 60 high-level policymakers, leaders and health experts have adopted a global plan aimed at tackling the growing cancer crisis in developing countries. The plan, contained in the World Cancer Declaration, recommends a set of 11 cancer-busting targets for 2020 and outlines priority steps that need to be taken in order to meet them. It was presented Sunday at the close of the World Cancer Congress in Geneva.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Mom's Mood, Baby's Sleep: What's The Connection?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381434742/080902095113.htm
If there's one thing that everyone knows about newborn babies, it's that they don't sleep through the night, and neither do their parents. But in fact, those first six months of life are crucial to developing the regular sleeping and waking patterns, known as circadian rhythms, that a child will need for a healthy future. Some children may start life with the sleep odds stacked against them, though, say sleep experts who study the issue.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Gene Is Likely Cause Of Stroke-inducing Vascular Malformations
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771383/080902171155.htm
Scientists have discovered that a gene controlling whether blood vessels differentiate into arteries or veins during embryonic development is linked to a vascular disorder in the brain that causes stroke.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Computerized Whiteboards Improve Classroom Learning, Study Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383370642/080904082744.htm
The British government has invested more money in Interactive Whiteboards in its schools than any other government in the world. But is this huge investment worth it? Have the new data projection technologies allowed students to learn more effectively? This is the subject of recent research.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
College Freshmen: Pain Killers And Stimulants Less Risky Than Cocaine; More Risky Than Marijuana
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382270881/080903073008.htm
A new study in Prevention Science, finds that college freshmen believe that nonmedical use of prescription drugs like pain killers and stimulants is less risky than cocaine, but more risky than marijuana. Study also describes types of students who are most likely to engage in nonmedical use of prescription drugs.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Global Sea-rise Levels By 2100 May Be Lower Than Some Predict, Says New Study
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383590552/080904145113.htm
Despite projections by some scientists of global seas rising by 20 feet or more by the end of this century as a result of warming, a new study concludes that global sea rise of much more than 6 feet is a near physical impossibility.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
New Stem Cell Tools To Aid Drug Development
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771386/080902182037.htm
Scientists have designed, developed and tested new molecular tools for stem cell research to direct the formation of certain tissue types for use in drug development programs.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Previous Claims Of SiRNA Therapeutic Effects Called Into Question By Report In Human Gene Therapy
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771388/080902171147.htm
The many recent reports documenting the therapeutic efficacy of short interfering RNAs in animal models of human disease may actually be describing non-specific therapeutic effects related to the ability of siRNA to activate an immune response, according to a paper in Human Gene Therapy.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
25 Years Of Conventional Evaluation Of Data Analysis Proves Worthless In Practice
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771391/080903101416.htm
So-called ‘intelligent’ computer-based methods for classifying patient samples, for example, have been evaluated with the help of two methods that have completely dominated research for 25 years. Now Swedish researchers are revealing that this methodology is worthless when it comes to practical problems.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Australian Over-50s Walk Away Memory Problems In World-first Trial
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771392/080902171110.htm
An Australian study has found that walking for two and a half hours a week can significantly improve memory problems in the over-50s.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Technology Users Are Failing To Take Adequate Steps To Protect Their Digital Privacy
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383818084/080904220346.htm
Technology users are failing to take adequate steps to protect their privacy in digital society. In the face of technology that will soon be able not only to track an individual’s movements but predict them too, people are far too relaxed about protecting their privacy, according to one social psychologist.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
What Is A Gene? Media Define the Concept In Many Different Ways
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383818085/080904220344.htm
Even scientists define ‘a gene’ in different ways, so it comes as little surprise that the media also have various ways of framing the concept of a gene, according to a new study.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
LHC Switch-on Fears Are Completely Unfounded
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383818086/080904220342.htm
A new report provides the most comprehensive evidence available to confirm that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)’s switch-on, due on Wednesday next week, poses no threat to mankind. Nature’s own cosmic rays regularly produce more powerful particle collisions than those planned within the LHC, which will enable nature’s laws to be studied in controlled experiments.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Molecular Evolution Is Echoed In Bat Ears
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383320442/080904102756.htm
Echolocation may have evolved more than once in bats, according to new research from the University of Bristol.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
New Methods Identify And Manipulate 'Newborn' Cells In Animal Model Of Parkinson's Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771395/080903172407.htm
Researchers in the United States and Sweden used an engineered virus to deliver a protein that glows green when exposed to blue light (green fluorescent protein) into newborn cells of the striatum in an animal model of Parkinson's disease.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Natural Childbirth Makes Mothers More Responsive To Own Baby-cry
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771396/080903204227.htm
A new study has found that mothers who delivered vaginally compared to caesarean section delivery were significantly more responsive to the cry of their own baby, identified through MRI brain scans two to four weeks after delivery.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Hospitalized Patients With CKD Are At Increased Risk Of Being Harmed By Medical Errors, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771399/080903172150.htm
Hospitalized patients with chronic kidney disease are at higher risk for adverse consequences of medical care compared with those without the disease, according to a new study. The findings indicate that steps should be taken to reduce potentially preventable complications of medical care for CKD patients, a population that is frequently under-recognized in most health care settings.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Eyeball Reflexes: Security and Biometrics That Cannot Be Spoofed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383320447/080904102751.htm
Electronic fingerprinting, iris scans, and signature recognition software are all becoming commonplace biometrics for user authentication and security. However, they all suffer from one major drawback -- they can be spoofed by a sufficiently sophisticated intruder. Researchers now describe a new approach based on a person's reflexes that could never be copied, forged, or spoofed.
Fri, 5 Sep 08
Racial Disparities Found In Radiation Therapy Rates For Breast Cancer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/383771401/080903204232.htm
African-American women are less likely than white women to receive radiation therapy after a lumpectomy, the standard of care for early stage breast cancer, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Do 68 Molecules Hold The Key To Understanding Disease?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928185/080903213325.htm
Why is it that the origins of many serious diseases remain a mystery? In considering that question, a scientist at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has come up with a unified molecular view of the indivisible unit of life, the cell, which may provide an answer.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Cigarettes' Power May Not Be In Nicotine Itself, New Study Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928186/080903172424.htm
New research suggests that cigarettes' power may not be in nicotine itself but in how it enhances other experiences while smoking.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Addicted To Tanning Beds? 'Tanorexia' Common Among University Students
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928187/080902122849.htm
A new study conducted at a large university finds more than 25 percent of those surveyed reported symptoms of tanning dependence, including symptoms similar to alcohol and drug-addicted individuals. Suggestively, the study also found those with a tanning dependence tend to be more likely to be thin and smoke cigarettes than others.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Most Vaccine-allergic Children Can Still Be Safely Vaccinated, Experts Say
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381388310/080902074557.htm
With close monitoring and a few standard precautions, nearly all children with known or suspected vaccine allergies can be safely immunized, according to a team of vaccine safety experts led by the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. The scientists offer pediatricians a step-by-step tool for quickly identifying children with allergic reactions to vaccines, and a much-needed guide, they say, to safely immunize those who are allergic.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Complex Ocean Behavior Studied With 'Artificial Upwelling'
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928188/080902143232.htm
A team of scientists is studying the complex ocean upwelling process by mimicking nature -- pumping cold, nutrient-rich water from deep within the Pacific Ocean and releasing it into surface waters near Hawaii that lack the nitrogen and phosphorous necessary to support high biological production.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Participating In Religion May Make Adolescents From Certain Races More Depressed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928189/080903134209.htm
One of the few studies to look at the effects of religious participation on the mental health of minorities suggests that for some of them, religion may actually be contributing to adolescent depression. Previous research has shown that teens who are active in religious services are depressed less often because it provides these adolescents with social support and a sense of belonging.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Closest Look Ever At Edge Of A Black Hole
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928190/080903172415.htm
Astronomers have taken the closest look ever at the giant black hole in the center of the Milky Way. By combining telescopes in Hawaii, Arizona, and California, they detected structure at a tiny angular scale of 37 micro-arcseconds -- the equivalent of a baseball seen on the surface of the moon, 240,000 miles distant. These observations are among the highest resolution ever done in astronomy.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Hearing Restoration May Be Possible With Cochlear Repair After Transplant Of Human Cord Blood Cells
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928191/080903134211.htm
Hearing loss due to cochlear damage may be repaired by transplanting human umbilical cord hematopoietic stem cells. This study, using animal models of chemical and auditory cochlear damage, found that when transplanted stem cells migrated to the damaged area, "surprisingly few" transplanted cells were necessary to help repair sensory hair cells and neurons. Researchers say transplanting umbilical cord stem cells provides hope for the repair of human hearing impairments rising from cochlear damage.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Second Site For Prostate Cancer Gene Found
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928192/080902122852.htm
Scientists studying a prostate cancer gene called HNF1B have found a second independent site within the HNF1B gene on chromosome 17 (17q12) -- increasing the number of genetic variants that may contribute to risk of developing the disease.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Global Warming: Warmer Seas Linked To Strengthening Hurricanes, According to New Research
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928194/080903134323.htm
The theory that global warming may be contributing to stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic over the past 30 years is bolstered by a new study.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
African-Americans Twice As Likely As Caucasians To Die Following A Liver Operation, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928195/080903134411.htm
New research shows African-Americans are more than twice as likely as Caucasians to die in the hospital after surgical removal of part of the liver -- an increasingly used procedure for the treatment of liver cancer.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Tutankhamen Fathered Twins, Mummified Fetuses Suggest
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928196/080902143322.htm
Two fetuses found in the tomb of Tutankhamen may have been twins and were very likely to have been the children of the teenage Pharaoh, according to the anatomist who first studied the mummified remains of the young King in the 1960s.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Loss Of Sleep, Even For A Single Night, Increases Inflammation In The Body
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381355095/080902075211.htm
Loss of sleep, even for a few short hours during the night, can prompt one’s immune system to turn against healthy tissue and organs. Losing sleep for even part of one night can trigger the key cellular pathway that produces tissue-damaging inflammation according to new research. The findings suggest a good night’s sleep can ease the risk of both heart disease and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
PET Scans Help Identify Mechanism Underlying Seasonal Mood Changes
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928197/080901205721.htm
Brain scans taken at different times of year suggest that the actions of the serotonin transporter -- involved in regulating the mood-altering neurotransmitter serotonin -- vary by season, according to a new report. These fluctuations may potentially explain seasonal affective disorder and related mood changes.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Invisibility Undone: Chinese Scientists Demonstrate How To Uncloak An Invisible Object
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382270878/080903073016.htm
Harry Potter beware! A team of Chinese scientists has developed a way to unmask your invisibility cloak. According to a new paper in Optics Express certain materials underneath an invisibility cloak would allow invisible objects be seen again.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
True Extent Of Self-harm Amongst Teenagers Revealed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928198/080903101414.htm
New research reveals that one in four cases of self-harm go unreported and one in five occur under the influence of alcohol. Also, six in ten ‘self-harmers’ mention suicidal wishes. The new study also shows that self-cutting is not confined to young girls, but is the most common form of self-harm amongst young boys too.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Researchers Create Animal Model Of Chronic Stress
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928199/080903172156.htm
In an effort to better understand how chronic stress affects the human body, researchers have created an animal model that shows how chronic stress affects behavior, physiology and reproduction. Developing the animal model better positions the researchers to understand the neurohormonal causes of such stress and the body reaction in order to develop more effective treatment options for humans.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Children Of Older Fathers More Likely To Have Bipolar Disorder, New Report Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928200/080901205719.htm
Older age among fathers may be associated with an increased risk for bipolar disorder in their offspring, according to a new report.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Wolves Would Rather Eat Salmon
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928201/080901205633.htm
Although most people imagine wolves chasing deer and other hoofed animals, new research suggests that, when they can, wolves actually prefer fishing to hunting. The study shows that when salmon is available, wolves will reduce deer hunting activity and instead focus on seafood.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Is There Hope For The Prevention Of Dementia?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928202/080902112259.htm
Scientists reviewed the latest findings about the effect of antihypertensive treatment on cognitive function and dementia at a recent conference. As a risk factor for stroke, ischemic brain lesions and silent brain infarcts, general atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction and cardiovascular morbidity, hypertension may also be a risk factor for dementia related to cerebrovascular disease.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Verifying Wireless Hackers For Homeland Security
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928203/080903172417.htm
Wireless sensor networks used to detect and report events including hurricanes, earthquakes, and forest fires and for military surveillance and anti-terrorist activities are prone to subterfuge. In the International Journal of Security and Networks, computer scientists at Florida Atlantic University describe a new anti-hacking system to protect WSNs.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Multitasking Can Be Efficient At Certain Optimal Times
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381434737/080902104856.htm
In today's fast-paced world, multitasking has become an increasingly necessary part of our daily routine. Unfortunately, multitasking also is notoriously inefficient. However, a new brain imaging study led by a cognitive neuroscientist finds that there are optimal times when we are better suited to multitask.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Physicists Discover 'Doubly Strange' Particle
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382699963/080903172201.htm
Physicists of the DZero experiment at the US Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory have discovered a new particle made of three quarks, the Omega-sub-b. The particle contains two strange quarks and a bottom quark. It is an exotic relative of the much more common proton and weighs about six times the proton mass.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Early Onset Gene For Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Identified
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381434738/080902102540.htm
Two new genetic markers that influence the likelihood of getting Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis during childhood have been identified. One marker sits next to a gene that regulates inflammatory responses, suggesting a target for therapy.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Improving Piglet Survival
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380698858/080901140919.htm
Neonatal mortality in pigs is a major welfare and economic concern. It is one of the issues being tackled by Welfare Quality®, an EU-funded project designed to integrate farm animal welfare into the food chain.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
How Often Do Hip And Knee Replacements Need Revision?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928204/080901205635.htm
A comprehensive study using nationwide data on hip and knee replacements in England has found that one in 75 patients require a revision of their joint replacement after three years. Although this compares favorably with the rest of the world, the study reinforces concerns about the new surgical techniques of hip resurfacing and unicondylar knee replacement.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
A Little Nitrogen Can Go A Long Way
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928205/080903172410.htm
With significant increases in the price of fertilizer and grain, site-specific management -- especially in variable rate nitrogen application -- can have a significant impact on yield and profitability, as reported in the latest issue of Agronomy Journal.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Post-marketing Studies Finding Adverse Events In Drugs Used In Children
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382928206/080902074555.htm
The Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act, designed to stimulate more drug safety studies in children, has resulted in more than 130 label changes since its inception nearly six years ago, according to researchers.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
'Bar-coding' Midges Could Help Prevent Spread Of Bluetongue In The UK
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382847265/080903210652.htm
Ecologists have developed a new technique for genetically "bar-coding" biting midges that could help prevent the spread of bluetongue -- a serious animal disease -- in the UK.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Substance Found In Fruits And Vegetables Reduces Likelihood Of The Flu
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382315029/080903080858.htm
Mice given quercetin, a naturally occurring substance found in fruits and vegetables, were less likely to contract the flu. The study also found that stressful exercise increased the susceptibility of mice to the flu, but quercetin canceled out that negative effect. Quercetin, a close chemical relative of resveratrol, is present in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including red onions, grapes, blueberries, tea, broccoli and red wine.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
New Discovery About Growth Factor Can Be Breakthrough For Cancer Research
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382354063/080902075733.htm
A research team has discovered an entirely new signal path for a growth factor that is of crucial importance for the survival and growth of cancer cells. This discovery, published in Nature Cell Biology, opens up an entirely new landscape for research on breast and prostate cancer, among other types.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Biological Invasions Increasing Due To Freshwater Impoundments, Says Study
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381618015/080902143245.htm
The growing number of dams and other impoundments is increasing the number of invasive species and the speed at which they spread, putting natural lakes at risk, says a study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Nearly Half Of US Adults Will Develop Painful Knee Osteoarthritis By Age 85: Study
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381618017/080902143241.htm
Almost half of all US adults and nearly two-thirds of obese adults will develop painful osteoarthritis of the knee by age 85, a new study suggests.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Remote Satellite Imaging Predicts Outbreaks Of Infectious Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382354065/080902122845.htm
Scientists in the USA have established a way to predict outbreaks of cholera, making it easier to control. This finding could provide a model to predict and potentially control outbreaks of other important infectious diseases.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Teen Suicide Spike Was No Fluke
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382354066/080902171054.htm
After 10 years of steady decline, researchers say a recent spike in the teen suicide rate is not a fluke and new prevention strategies need to be developed. The teen suicide rate jumped 18 percent from 2003-2004. That's the largest one year change in 15 years. Now, the most recent stats available (2004-2005) show the numbers are still significantly higher, and experts are concerned this could be a new trend.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Deep Brain Stimulation Halts Cell Loss, Parkinson's Researchers Find
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382354067/080902171151.htm
Deep brain stimulation, a surgical technique often viewed as a last resort for people with Parkinson's disease, halts the progression of dopamine-cell loss in animal models, according to preliminary research.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Too Much Calcium In Blood May Increase Risk Of Fatal Prostate Cancer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382270880/080903073012.htm
Men who have too much calcium in their bloodstreams may have an increased risk of fatal prostate cancer, according to a new analysis.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Drug Reduces Vomiting, Hospital Admissions In Children With Gastroenteritis, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381618016/080902143243.htm
Researchers have demonstrated that a drug called ondansetron helps reduce vomiting, the need for intravenous fluids and hospital admissions in children with acute gastroenteritis.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Virus Weaves Itself Into The DNA Transferred From Parents To Babies
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382354068/080902112301.htm
New research shows that some parents pass on the human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) to their children because it is integrated into their chromosomes. This is the first time a virus has been shown to become part of the human DNA and then get passed to subsequent generations.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Collective Traumas: Early Explanations Of 9/11 Linked To Long-term Adjustment
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381618018/080902143239.htm
A new study, lead authored by Kent State University's John Updegraff, suggests that finding meaning in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terroist attacks was an important coping response that helped many Americans adjust by reducing their fears of future terrorism.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Cell Division Study Resolves 50-year-old Debate, May Aid Cancer Research
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382354069/080902221728.htm
A new study has finally resolved a controversy that cellular biologists have been arguing over for nearly 50 years, with findings that may aid research on everything from birth defects and genetic diseases to the most classic "cell division" issue of them all -- cancer.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Tall Men At Increased Risk Of Prostate Cancer Development And Progression
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382270879/080903073014.htm
A man's height is a modest marker for risk of prostate cancer development, but is more strongly linked to progression of the cancer, say researchers who conducted their own study on the connection and also reviewed 58 published studies.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Hurricane Katrina Increased Mental And Physical Health Problems In New Orleans By Up To Three Times
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382270877/080903075614.htm
Half the residents of New Orleans were suffering from poor mental and physical health more than a year after their homes and community were devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, according to new research.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Low Birth Weight Children Appear At Higher Risk Of Psychiatric Disturbances
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382354070/080901205723.htm
Low-birth-weight children appear to be at higher risk for psychiatric disturbances from childhood through high school than normal-birth-weight children, according to a new report. In addition, low-birth-weight children from urban communities may be more likely to have attention problems than suburban low-birth-weight children.
Thu, 4 Sep 08
Energy-saving Bacteria Resist Antibiotics
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/382354071/080902182035.htm
Bacteria save energy by producing proteins that moonlight, having different roles at different times, which may also protect the microbes from being killed. The moonlighting activity of one enzyme from the tuberculosis bacterium makes it partially resistant to a family of broad-spectrum antibiotics, according to a paper published in the journal Microbiology.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
'Autonomous' Helicopters Teach Themselves To Fly
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899339/080902171117.htm
Stanford computer scientists have developed an artificial intelligence system that enables robotic helicopters to teach themselves to fly difficult stunts by watching other helicopters. The result is an autonomous helicopter than can perform a complete airshow of complex tricks on its own. The airshow is an important demonstration of "apprenticeship learning," in which robots learn by observing an expert, rather than by having software engineers write instructions from scratch.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Battling Diabetes With Beta Cells
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381485805/080902112303.htm
Scientists have replicated insulin-producing cells, providing new hope for diabetics. A new cure -- based on advances in cell therapy -- may be within reach.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Heavy Trucks: Safety Research Identifies Factors That Lead To Loss Of Control, Accidents
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380582712/080901085724.htm
Research carried out in Sweden suggests that there are three critical manoeuvres that lead to loss of control of heavy trucks and subsequent accidents. Writing in the International Journal of Vehicle Safety, the researchers explain that negotiating a bend is the main cause of loss of control, closely followed by avoidance manoeuvres, and road-edge recovery.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
First Direct Proof Of How Osteoarthritis Destroys Cartilage
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899342/080902122838.htm
A team of orthopaedic researchers has found definitive, genetic proof of how the most common form of arthritis destroys joint cartilage in nearly 21 million aging Americans, according to a study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. The findings serve as an important foundation for the design of new treatments for osteoarthritis, researchers said.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Directing A Driver's Gaze Results In Smoother Steering
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381434739/080902102538.htm
A study recently published in ARVO's online Journal of Vision may inform the next generation of in-car driving assistance systems. New research finds that when drivers fix their gaze on specific targets placed strategically along a curve, their steering is smoother and more stable than it is in normal conditions.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Playing, And Even Watching, Sports Improves Brain Function
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899343/080901205631.htm
Being an athlete or merely a fan improves language skills when it comes to discussing their sport because parts of the brain usually involved in playing sports are instead used to understand sport language, new research shows.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Oldest Gecko Fossil Ever Found, Entombed In Amber
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899344/080902163920.htm
Scientists have discovered the oldest known fossil of a gecko, with body parts that are forever preserved in life-like form after 100 million years of being entombed in amber.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
New Hope For Treating Common Form Of Inherited Neuromuscular Disease
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899345/080902122836.htm
Treatments that ramp up production of the tiny "motors" that power cells may have promise for treating one of the most common forms of inherited neuromuscular disease, according to a new report.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Trends For Mega Cities Like Seoul
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380504538/080901085842.htm
Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a typical mega city: vast, pulsating, noisy and full of exhaust fumes. Researchers are developing new building concepts and IT solutions that will save energy, cut pollution and make living in the city a more pleasant experience.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
How Gastric Bypass Rapidly Reverses Diabetes Symptoms
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899346/080902122834.htm
A report offers new evidence to explain why those who undergo gastric bypass surgery often show greater control of their diabetes symptoms within days.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
How Friendly Bacteria Avoids Immune Attack To Live Happily In The Gut
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899348/080902075737.htm
For a long time scientists have been puzzled by the fact that the immune system in the gut is capable of fighting toxic bacterial infection while staying, at the same time, tolerant to its resident “friendly” bacteria. But a new article has starting to explain the mystery by revealing how a recently discovered gene - pims – is activated by the gut immune response against friendly bacteria to rapidly suppress it, effectively creating tolerance to the gut microbiota.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Value Of Direct-to-consumer Drug Advertising Oversold, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899349/080901205629.htm
In the first-ever controlled study measuring the effectiveness of pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising, researchers found only a modest effect on drug sales. In some cases, DTCA had no effect at all.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Scientists Grow 'Nanonets' Able To Snare Added Energy Transfer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899350/080902171153.htm
Adding to the growing list of novel nanoscale structures, researchers report engineering nanonets, flexible webs of tiny wires that improve the performance of their materials, which are used in microelectronics and clean energy research. The new structure improves material used in microelectronics and water-splitting.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
How First Autism Disease Genes Were Discovered
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899351/080901205626.htm
Scientists have presented the compelling neurobiological story of discovering the first autism genes. The role of gene mutations, their association with synapse abnormalities, and -- surprisingly -- a connection between circadian rhythms and autism risk was discussed at a recent conference.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Safe, Inexpensive Alternative To Antibiotics Developed For Production Of Biofuels And Biopharmaceuticals
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899352/080902182033.htm
Researchers have developed a system that eliminates the need for antibiotics and resistance genes in the engineering of industrial and medical products. The method involves safer, less costly alternatives and is well suited for industrial production of many biofuels and biopharmaceuticals.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Why Strawberry Jam Is More Regulated Than Cigarettes
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380504533/080901090817.htm
While jams and other consumer products are strictly regulated and are required to pass stringent tests before they can be sold, tobacco has no restrictions and manufacturers can, and do, add anything they want into the product.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Black-footed Ferrets Sired By Dead Males Via Frozen Sperm
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381388307/080902095117.htm
Two black-footed ferrets at the Smithsonian's National Zoo have each given birth to a kit that was sired by males who died in 1999 and 2000. These endangered ferrets were artificially inseminated in May with frozen semen from the two deceased males, each giving birth on June 20 and 21 respectively. Successful inseminations with frozen semen are extremely rare -- until now only three black-footed ferret kits have been born from this method.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Babies' Rapid Weight Gain Linked To Higher Blood Pressure As Adults
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899354/080902171057.htm
Babies who gain weight rapidly within five months of birth and from about ages 2 to 5 years have higher systolic blood pressure in young adulthood. Babies that are lighter at birth have higher systolic blood pressure as adults. Immediate weight gain after birth is associated with higher diastolic blood pressure as adults.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Brain Imaging Links Chronic Insomnia To Reversible Cognitive Deficits Without Changes In Behavior
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380698866/080901084845.htm
A neuroimaging study has found that cognitive processes related to verbal fluency are compromised in people with insomnia despite the absence of a behavioral deficit. These specific brain function alterations can be reversed, however, through non-pharmacological treatment with sleep therapy.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
New Methods To Protect Wind Generators During Voltage Dips Developed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381434741/080902102534.htm
A young researcher has put forward two protection techniques so that wind generators continue to be operative despite breaks in electricity supply.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Risks And Benefits Of Antipsychotics In Children And Adolescents
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899355/080901205624.htm
New research illuminates the benefits and risks of antipsychotic medication in children and its impact on individual well-being, social, educational and/or vocational functioning, and disease burden. Scientists have pointed out the challenges that clinicians encounter in treating children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders, and discuss the requirements for starting antipsychotic treatment in clinical practice.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Thousand-ruby Galaxy: Pinwheel Shines In The Darkness
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381434734/080902104901.htm
ESO's Wide Field Imager has captured the intricate swirls of the spiral galaxy Messier 83, a smaller look-alike of our own Milky Way. Shining with the light of billions of stars and the ruby red glow of hydrogen gas, it is a beautiful example of a barred spiral galaxy, whose shape has led to it being nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Gene 'Network' Linked To Schizophrenia Pieced Together; Patients Confirmed To Carry Mutations
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381899356/080902143236.htm
Researchers have uncovered for the first time molecular circuitry associated with schizophrenia that links three previously known, yet unrelated proteins.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Periodic Limb Movement During Sleep Is Less Common In African-Americans; Associated With Insomnia
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380698864/080901084847.htm
A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first to objectively determine the prevalence of periodic limb movements during sleep in a population-based sample, finding a lower prevalence of PLMS in African-Americans and a higher rate of insomnia complaints in people with PLMS.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Nuclear Shortcuts Exposed In U.S. Nuclear Fuel Facility
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381485806/080902110625.htm
US regulators have ignored expert safety advice in an attempt to cut corners and fast track the completion of a $4 billion nuclear fuel facility currently under construction near Aiken, South Carolina. The accusation is reported in The Chemical Engineer magazine, published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Bowling Alone Because The Team Got Downsized
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380698862/080901084849.htm
The pain of downsizing extends far beyond laid off workers and the people who depend on their paychecks, according to a new study.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Artificial Meadows And Robot Spiders Reveal Secret Life Of Bees
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381943965/080902225431.htm
Many animals learn to avoid being eaten by predators. Now ecologists have discovered that bumblebees can even learn to outwit color-changing crab spiders. The ongoing battle between predators and prey has fascinated ecologists for decades, and one Queen Mary, University of London professor is no exception. But instead of studying iconic predators such as lions or tigers, his interests lie closer to home with bumblebees and crab spiders.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Ecologists Search For Invasive Ladybird’s Weak Spot
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381943966/080902225429.htm
Ecologists have discovered that – as well as being larger, hungrier and more aggressive than most British native ladybirds - the invasive alien harlequin ladybird is also more resistant to fungal disease and a parasitic wasp, two common natural enemies of native ladybirds.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Scientists Develop New Computational Method To Investigate Origin Of Life
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381434743/080902095106.htm
Scientists have developed a new computational method that they say will help them to understand how life began on Earth. The method has the potential to trace the evolutionary histories of proteins all the way back to either cells or viruses, thus settling the debate once and for all over which of these life forms came first.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Vaginal Proteins In HIV-resistant Prostitutes Suggest New Prevention Measures
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381712112/080901205622.htm
Researchers in Canada report discovery of unusual proteins in a small group of Kenyan sex workers that appear to be associated with resistance to infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Heavy Snoring Is An Independent Risk Factor For Carotid Atherosclerosis
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380698867/080901084842.htm
Objectively measured heavy snoring is an independent risk factor for early carotid atherosclerosis, which may progress to be associated with stroke. The prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis, a leading cause of stroke, increases significantly with the severity of snoring.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Why Did The Squirrel Cross The Road?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/378242131/080829120525.htm
A study has shown that red squirrels can and do make use of special crossings set up over busy roads. This kind of bridge is usually installed at sites where there have been fatalities recorded but up until now no-one has collected any data to show whether or not they are actually used by the animals.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Person's Geographic Origins Located From DNA
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381618014/080902143324.htm
One day soon, you may be able to pinpoint the geographic origins of your ancestors based on analysis of your DNA. New research uses DNA to predict the geographic origins of individuals from a sample of Europeans, often within a few hundred kilometers of where they were born.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
New Sensory Devices To Aid Parkinson’s And Stroke Patients Under Development
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380504532/080901090845.htm
People who have suffered a stroke or who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, could benefit from new research.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
All Types Of Antipsychotic Drugs Increase The Risk Of Stroke, Study Finds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381618013/080828220511.htm
All drugs used to treat psychosis are linked to an increased risk of stroke, and dementia sufferers are at double the risk, according to a study published on bmj.com today.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Dashing Computer Interface To Control Your Car
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380698855/080901140921.htm
Researchers have developed a special dashboard computer to act as a single conduit for all devices emerging in modern cars – GPS, mobile, PDAs, intelligent car technologies. It should mean a better, more relaxed and even safer driving experience.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
More Daytime Sleeping Predicts Less Recovery During Rehabilitation For Older Adults
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380698872/080901084837.htm
Daytime sleeping during a rehabilitation stay predicts less functional recovery for older adults, with effects lasting as long as three months.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
Infidelity Gene? Genetic Link To Relationship Difficulties Found
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381712113/080902161213.htm
Scientists have found a link between a specific gene and the way men bond to their partners. The results offer a better understanding of such problems as autism and social phobia.
Wed, 3 Sep 08
B-vitamin Deficiency May Cause Vascular Cognitive Impairment
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/381434735/080902095110.htm
A B-vitamin-deficient diet caused cognitive impairment and cerebral vascular changes without evidence of neurodegeneration in mice. These findings provide new insight into the mechanisms that may underlie human age-related cognitive decline.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Thawing Permafrost Likely To Boost Global Warming, New Assessment Concludes
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380698860/080901084854.htm
A new assessment more than doubles previous estimates of the amount of carbon stored in permafrost, and indicates that carbon dioxide emissions from microbial decomposition of organic carbon in thawing permafrost could amount to roughly half those resulting from global land-use change during this century.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Teflon: Chemists Break Harmful Bonds
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/377473624/080828162602.htm
Everybody loves the way eggs slide off of Teflon pans. Indeed, the carbon-fluorine bond at the heart of Teflon cookware is so helpful we also use it in products from clothing to blood substitutes. But the very strength of the C-F bond also gives it greenhouse gas effects. In the journal Science, researchers report a catalyst that breaks the C-F bond and converts it to a carbon-hydrogen bond, rendering it harmless to the environment.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
New Giant Clam Species Offers Window Into Human Past
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380922937/080828135859.htm
Researchers report the discovery of the first new living species of giant clam in two decades.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Kids Still Drinking Too Much Soda, Even When Not Available At School
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380922938/080830002204.htm
In May 2006, an agreement was reached by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Beverage Association on voluntary sales restrictions on "competitive foods" such as soft drinks at schools. However, researchers now say limiting the availability of soft drinks at school may not be enough to affect overall consumption among elementary school children.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Researchers Devise Means To Create Blood By Identifying Earliest Stem Cells
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/378685466/080830002202.htm
Researchers have discovered the earliest form of human blood stem cells and deciphered the mechanism by which these embryonic stem cells replicate and grow. They also found a surprising biological marker that pinpoints these stem cells, which serve as the progenitors for red blood cells and lymphocytes.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Analysis Begins On Phoenix Mars Lander's Deepest Soil Sample
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380922940/080901202747.htm
Scientists have begun to analyze a sample of soil delivered to NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's wet chemistry experiment from the deepest trench dug so far in the Martian arctic plains.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
DNA Tubes Created With Programmable Sizes For Nanoscale Manufacturing
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/378286894/080829135354.htm
Scientists have developed a simple process for mass producing molecular tubes of identical -- and precisely programmable -- circumferences. The technological feat may allow the use of the molecular tubes in a number of nanotechnology applications.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Campus Diversity Important Predictor Of Interracial Friendships
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380922942/080828084058.htm
Campus racial diversity predicts diversity in future friendships, and it's generally higher for minorities than whites.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Bonobos May Have Greater Linguistic Skills Than Previously Thought
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/377520354/080828171701.htm
What happens when linguistic tools used to analyze human language are applied to a conversation between a language-competent bonobo and a human? New findings indicate that bonobos may exhibit larger linguistic competency in ordinary conversation than in controlled experimental settings.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Train Safety: Season Of Mists And Leaves On The Line
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380504535/080901090810.htm
The season of mists, mellow fruitfulness, and leaves on the line is almost upon us. But, scientists have discovered that rather than blaming the train companies, passengers suffering annual delays should look to the weather forecast. According to research published in the International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering, it is a dry period followed by drizzly or misty weather that leads to the worst conditions for leaves on the line.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Low-income? No Car? Expect To Pay More For Groceries
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380922948/080822160341.htm
Households located in poor neighborhoods pay more for the same items than people living in wealthy ones, according to a new study.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Prehistoric Funerary Precinct Excavated In Northern Israel: Grave Goods Include Phallic Figurines, Sea Shells
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380698859/080901085355.htm
Hebrew University excavations in the north of Israel have revealed a prehistoric funerary precinct dating back to 6,750-8,500 BCE. The precinct, a massive walled enclosure measuring 10 meters by at least 20 meters, was discovered at excavations being undertaken at Kfar HaHoresh. The Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site in the Nazareth hills of the lower Galilee is interpreted as having been a regional funerary and cult center for nearby lowland villages.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Biophysical Method May Help To Recover Hearing
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380922949/080828220515.htm
Scientists have created a biophysical methodology that may help to overcome hearing deficits, and potentially remedy even substantial hearing loss. The authors propose a method of retuning functioning regions of the ear to recognize frequencies originally associated with damaged areas.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Bitter-tasting Nectar And Floral Odors Optimize Outcrossing For Plants
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380922950/080828162552.htm
Experiments with genetically modified plants reveal new aspects on the biochemistry of flowers. Scientists have discovered how the chemistry of nectar and floral scents enforces good pollinator behavior, enabling plants to optimize the production of out-crossed seeds.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
A Room With A Viewpoint: Conservation Messages And Motivation
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380922952/080822160338.htm
People are more likely to reuse hotel towels if they know other guests are doing it too.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
New Endometrial Cancer Treatment Stops Growth Of Tumors And Kills Cancer Cells, Study Shows
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380992517/080901084901.htm
A new approach to treating endometrial cancer patients not only stops the growth of tumors, but also kills the cancer cells. In a potentially major breakthrough, scientists discovered that introducing a particular inhibitor drug can turn "off'' receptors responsible for the growth of tumors in a significant number of patients with endometrial cancer.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Cinnamon-based Packaging To Prevent Mold In Bread And Other Baked Goods
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380963440/080901215335.htm
Bread that goes moldy is the bane of consumers and bakers alike, ruining appetites and wasting food and money. Now, researchers have developed a new type of paper packaging made with cinnamon oil that appears to prolong the freshness of bread and other baked goods by up to 10 days.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
New Evidence On Folic Acid In Diet And Colon Cancer
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380963441/080901215125.htm
Researchers are reporting a new, more detailed explanation for the link between low folate intake and an increased risk for colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
'Lab On A Chip' Improves Success Of In Vitro Fertilization
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380963442/080901215003.htm
In a finding that could boost the success rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF), researchers report development of a tiny "lab on a chip" to evaluate the fitness of embryos harvested for transfer.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Hospitals Provide Formula Sample Packs While Medical Organizations Encourage Breastfeeding
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380922953/080901205734.htm
A majority of US hospitals on the East coast distribute formula sample packs to new mothers, contrary to recommendations from most major medical organizations concerned about the potential for distributing these packs to reduce breastfeeding rates, according to a new report.
Tue, 2 Sep 08
Depression Common Among Rwandan Youth Who Head Households
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380963443/080901205732.htm
More than half of orphaned youth age 12 to 24 who head households in rural Rwanda meet criteria for depression, according to a new report.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Sex Differences Seen In Response To Common Antidepressant
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/378159933/080829104939.htm
Women with depression may be much more likely than men to get relief from a commonly used, inexpensive antidepressant drug, a new national study finds. But many members of both sexes may find that it helps ease their depression symptoms. The persistence of a gender difference in response to the drug -- even after the researchers accounted for many complicating factors -- suggests that there's a real biological difference in the way the medication affects women.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
New Genes Found For Inflammatory Bowel Disease In Children
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/379884843/080831151341.htm
Researchers have discovered two new genes that increase the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease in childhood. Continuing discovery of genes that interact with each other and with environmental influences in this complex disease helps build the foundation for personalized IBD treatments tailored to a patient's genetic profile.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Powerful Donor Motivators For Fundraising
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380155295/080822131259.htm
People are more likely to donate to pledge drive appeals when fundraisers tap into peoples' desire to help others, according to a new study. Donors are also more likely to respond to appeals that involve negative emotions than pitches about benefits to the donor.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
'Armored' Fish Study Helps Strengthen Darwin's Natural Selection Theory
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/377473623/080828162604.htm
Shedding some genetically induced excess baggage may have helped a tiny fish thrive in freshwater and outsize its marine ancestors, according to a new study in Science.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: Humans Could Be Infected Through Blood Transfusions
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/378286898/080829104935.htm
A nine-year study in sheep has added to the evidence that Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) can be transmitted through blood transfusion in humans. The likelihood of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) being transmitted between sheep through transfusion of infected sheep blood was 36 per cent, according to new research.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Diversity Among Parasitic Wasps Is Even Greater Than Suspected
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/378242133/080829114915.htm
A tiny wasp that lays its eggs under the skin of unwitting caterpillars belongs to one of the most diverse groups of insects on Earth. Now researchers report that its diversity is even higher than previously thought.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Medication To Lower Blood Pressure Reduces Outcome Of Cardiovascular Death, Heart Attack Or Stroke, Study Suggests
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/379742232/080831114719.htm
Telmisartan, a medication used to lower blood pressure, reduced the outcome of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke in people who are unable to tolerate a widely available and effective standard treatment, according to a new study.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Secret Of Plasma Heating Revealed
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/378242132/080829120522.htm
The secret of electron heating in low temperature plasmas has been discovered. Scientists found the answer to a question which has been puzzling scientists for decades -- why electrons in such plasmas are so hot.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Charities Take Note: Personal Relationships Increase Donations
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380155296/080822131257.htm
People tend to be more sympathetic to people suffering from the same misfortune as a friend. But friendship with a victim does not make people generally more sympathetic, according to a new study.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Faster Rise In Sea Level Predicted From Melting Greenland Ice Sheet, Based On Lessons From Ice Age
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/379884840/080831151346.htm
If the lessons being learned by scientists about the demise of the last great North American ice sheet are correct, estimates of global sea level rise from a melting Greenland ice sheet may be seriously underestimated. Scientists report that sea level rise from greenhouse-induced warming of the Greenland ice sheet could be double or triple current estimates over the next century.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Smoking During Pregnancy A 'Double-edged Sword' In SIDS
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/378110798/080829091317.htm
Premature infants whose mothers smoked during pregnancy may be at even higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome than preemies whose mothers did not smoke, according to new research. In the first-ever experimental study to compare the breathing reflexes of preemies of smokers versus non-smokers, researchers found that babies whose mothers had smoked showed a number of signs of impaired respiratory function.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Crystals Improve Understanding Of Volcanic Eruption Triggers
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/377473625/080828162558.htm
Scientists have exploited crystals from lavas to unravel the records of volcanic eruptions.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Jumping For Joy ... And Stronger Bones
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380155297/080828093343.htm
High impact activities such as jumping and skipping that can easily be incorporated into warm-ups before sports and physical education classes, have been shown to benefit bone health in adolescents.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
New Field Of Research Could Help Police In Crime Scene Forensics
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380155298/080828220505.htm
A team of investigators have found a way to identify possible suspects at crime scenes using only a small amount of DNA, even if it is mixed with hundreds of other genetic fingerprints.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
When Charities Ask For Time, People Give More Money
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380155299/080822131255.htm
According to new research in the Journal of Consumer Research, simply asking people a question about whether they're willing to volunteer their time leads to increases in donations of both time and money.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Coronary Stents: Safety And Long Term Results Debated
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380093216/080831211811.htm
New results questioned the long-term safety of drug eluting stents (DES) and sparked intense discussion at a recent conference.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Treatment Appears To Reduce Heart Attack Risk And Revascularisation In Stable Coronary Patients
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380093217/080831211806.htm
Ivabradine is the first antianginal treatment shown to reduce myocardial infarction and revascularisation and to have a good tolerability profile even when used with other drugs.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Effects Of N-3 PUFA In Patients With Symptomatic Chronic Heart Failure: The GISSI-HF Results
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380093218/080831211804.htm
Several epidemiological and experimental studies suggested that n-3 PUFA could exert favorable effects on the atherotrombotic cardiovascular disease including arrhythmias. The GISSI team investigated whether n-3 PUFA could improve morbidity and mortality in a large population of patients with symptomatic heart failure of any cause.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Sex Hormones Link To Heart Risk
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380093219/080831211722.htm
Men are more prone to – and likely to die of - heart disease compared with women of a similar age – and sex hormones are to blame, according to a new study. The findings suggest that this "male disadvantage" may be related to the sex-specific effects of naturally occurring sex hormones.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
New Approach, Old Drug Show Promise Against Hepatitis C, Research Shows
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/379884841/080831151350.htm
Using a novel technique, medical and engineering researchers have discovered a vulnerable step in the virus' reproduction process that in lab testing could be effectively targeted with an obsolete antihistamine.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
New Master Switch Found In Brain Regulates Appetite And Reproduction
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/379884842/080831151343.htm
Body weight and fertility have long known to be related to each other -- women who are too thin, for example, can have trouble becoming pregnant. Now, a master switch has been found in the brain of mice that controls both, and researchers say it may work the same way in humans.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Landmark Study Opens Door To New Cancer, Aging Treatments
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/379884844/080831151339.htm
Researchers have deciphered the structure of the active region of telomerase, an enzyme that plays a major role in the development of nearly all human cancers. The landmark achievement opens the door to the creation of new, broadly effective cancer drugs, as well as anti-aging therapies.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
'Superbug' Breast Infections Controllable In Nursing Mothers, Researchers Find
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/379742231/080831114721.htm
Many nursing mothers who have been hospitalized for breast abscesses are afflicted with the "superbug" methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, but according to new research, conservative treatment can deal with the problem.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
Neurogenesis In Adult Brain: Association With Stress And Depression
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/380093220/080831114717.htm
Scientist have presented the latest findings on how brain cells can be adversely affected by stress and depression. They have explained how the adult brain is generating new cells. These findings will impact the development of novel antidepressant drugs.
Mon, 1 Sep 08
What is Bipolar Depression?
http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/379742233/080831114715.htm
Bipolar disorder is one of the most important psychiatric diseases, often associated with considerable treatment needs and tremendous social and occupational burden for both the individual and family (Pini et al., 2005). Previously also labeled manic-depressive illness, bipolar disorder is typically referred to as an episodic, yet lifelong and clinically severe mood (or affective) disorder.