ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Canine Tooth Strength Provides Clues To Behavior Of Early Human Ancestors Posted: 30 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT Measuring and testing the teeth of living primates could provide a window into the behavior of the earliest human ancestors, based on their fossilized remains. New research takes us one step closer to understanding the relationship between canine teeth, body size and the lives of primates.

Inadequate Sleep May Exacerbate Cellular Aging In The Elderly, Animal Study Suggests Posted: 30 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT Researchers have shown that the unfolded protein response, which is a reaction to stress induced by sleep deprivation, is impaired in the brains of old mice. The findings suggest that inadequate sleep in the elderly could exacerbate an already-impaired protective response.

Fisheries, Not Whales, To Blame For Shortage Of Fish Posted: 30 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT The argument that increasing whale populations are behind declining fish stocks is completely without scientific foundation, leading researchers and conservation organizations said as the International Whaling Commission opened its 60th meeting in Santiago, Chile.

Complexity Of Crohn's Disease Revealed As 'Gene' Count Tops 30 Posted: 30 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT New research has trebled the number of genetic regions known to be implicated in Crohn's disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, to over thirty. The research, published in the journal Nature Genetics, has identified a number of potential new targets for drug development as well as providing surprising new links between the condition and other common diseases including asthma.

Researchers Peer Into Water In Carbon Nanotubes Posted: 30 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT Researchers have identified a signature for water inside single-walled carbon nanotubes, helping them understand how water is structured and how it moves within these tiny channels.

Study: Media Bias Can Net Mistakes At The Ballot Box Posted: 30 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT The media slant political news to the left or right to increase ratings and profits, spinning up an information vacuum that can lead to mistakes at the ballot box, a new study by three University of Illinois economists says.

Maize (Corn) May Have Been Domesticated In Mexico As Early As 10,000 Years Ago Posted: 30 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT Now, in addition to more traditional macrobotanical and archeological remains, scientists are using new genetic and microbotanical techniques to distinguish domesticated maize from its wild relatives as well as to identify ancient sites of maize agriculture. Paleobotanical evidence pushes back the time of domestication.

Pigs Prefer Three Square Meals A Day Posted: 30 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT Pigs raised in conventional indoor pens have different feeding patterns from those raised under more natural conditions. New research shows that while pigs in the wild spend much time searching for food and eat little and often, the preferred feeding regime for conventional raised pigs is three meals a day.

Calcium Alone Does Not Reduce Hip Fracture Risk Posted: 30 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT People, especially the elderly, may reach for calcium supplements in hopes of protecting themselves against bone fractures in case of a fall. But a recent analysis of several studies found no reduction in risk of hip fracture with calcium supplementation.

Census Of Marine Life Lists 122,500 Known Species, Over Halfway To Complete Inventory By Oct. 2010 Posted: 30 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT Census of Marine Life-affiliated scientists consolidating world databases of ocean organisms have demoted to alias status almost one-third of all names culled so far from 34 regional and highly specialized inventories. Experts will complete the World Register of Marine Species by October 2010 as part of the first Census of Marine Life.

Volcano 'Pollution' Solves Mercury Mystery Posted: 30 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT Scientists have discovered how volatile metals from volcanoes end up in polar ice cores. Researchers had suspected that mercury boils out of hot magma, the big surprise was just how much mercury escapes from volcanoes. Measurements made on just one part of the Masaya volcano in Nicaragua have shown that about 7 tons of natural volcanic mercury escapes into the atmosphere from this vent each year.

Higher Temperatures Helped New Strain Of West Nile Virus Spread Posted: 30 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT Higher temperatures helped a new strain of West Nile virus invade and spread across North America. Researchers found that the new strain is more efficiently transmitted than the older strain, and the advantage of the new strain increases with higher temperatures. These findings help explain the spread of virus strain responsible for largest US epidemics.

Total Ankle Replacement With No Metal Posted: 30 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT Patients suffering from severe arthritis now have an option for total ankle replacement that offers increased mobility and pain relief without permanent metal implants. This technique is the first in the U.S to offer arthritis sufferers a non-metal, biological ankle replacement.

Promising Finding In Severe Lung Disease Posted: 30 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT Researchers have identified a novel function for an enzyme that plays a role in the tissue injury in acute respiratory distress syndrome, also known as ARDS.

Bacteria In Extremely Hostile Environments: New Protein Discovered That Repairs DNA Under Extreme Conditions Posted: 30 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT Mild environmental conditions are a prerequisite for life. Strong acids or dissolved metallic salts in high concentrations are detrimental to both humans and to simpler life forms, such as bacteria. Such conditions destroy proteins, ensuring that all biological functions in the cells come to a standstill. So what do we find at the limits of hostile conditions where we still find life?

Using Mental Strategies Can Alter The Brain's Reward Circuitry Posted: 30 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT The cognitive strategies humans use to regulate emotions can determine both neurological and physiological responses to potential rewards, neuroscientists has discovered. The findings, reported in the journal Nature Neuroscience, shed light on how the regulation of emotions may influence decision making.

Lyme Disease Bacterium Came From Europe Before Ice Age Posted: 30 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT The bacterium responsible for Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, originated in America, or so researchers thought. Now, however, scientists has shown that this bug in fact came from Europe, originating from before the Ice Age.

A Simple Therapy For Brain Injury Posted: 30 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT Severe brain injury due to blunt force trauma could be reduced by application of a simple polymer, polyethylene glycol or PEG, mixed in sterile water and injected into the blood stream -- as reported in the Journal of Biological Engineering.

Air Monitoring Helps Anticipate Possible Ecosystem Changes Posted: 30 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT When rain settles the atmosphere and brings air pollutants to the ground, it can have a lasting effect on ecosystems, sometimes hundreds of miles away. All ecosystems receive some atmospheric inputs, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. The plant and animal life dominant to that region thrives because it has adapted to a particular rate of those nutrients. When the nutrient load changes, it can change the competitive ability of a species and allow different ones to thrive where they once were not competitive. The effects extend from major animal life such as deer down to the smallest bacteria.

First Pharmaceutical Drug To Improve Survival Amongst Patients With Advanced Hepatocarcinoma Posted: 30 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT New research has shown that Sorafenib, an orally administered pharmaceutical medicine, results in patients with primary hepatocarcinomas to live 40 percent more on average compared to those not taking the drug.

New Probe May Help Untangle Cells' Signaling Pathways Posted: 30 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT Researchers have designed a new type of probe that can image thousands of interactions between proteins inside a living cell, giving them a tool to untangle the web of signaling pathways that control most of a cells' activities.

Attitude Determines Student Success In Rural Schools, Study Finds Posted: 30 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT While most of the country focuses on ACT scores, student-teacher ratio and rigorous curriculum to increase student success, a recent study finds the commitment to excellence determines student achievement in rural schools.

Bee Disease A Mystery Posted: 28 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Scientists are one step closer to understanding the recent demise of billions of honey bees after making an important discovery about the transmission of a common bee virus. Deformed wing virus is passed between adult bees and to their developing brood by a parasitic mite called Varroa destructor when it feeds. However, new research suggests that the virus does not replicate in Varroa, highlighting the need for further investigation.

Heavy Birthweight Babies Twice As Likely To Develop Rheumatoid Arthritis Posted: 28 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Heavy birthweight female babies are twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis in adulthood as their average birthweight peers, suggests new research.

Doubling Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Over-45s In Under A Decade Posted: 28 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Rates of sexually transmitted infections have doubled among the over-45s in less than a decade, reveals new research in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Whales Set To Chase Shrinking Feed Zones Posted: 28 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Endangered migratory whales will be faced with shrinking crucial Antarctic foraging zones which will contain less food and will be further away, a new analysis of the impacts of climate change on Southern Ocean whales has found.

New Efficiency Benchmark For Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Posted: 28 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Scientists have achieved a record light conversion efficiency of 8.2 percent in solvent-free dye-sensitized solar cells. This breakthrough in efficiency without the use of volatile organic solvents will make it possible to pursue large scale, outdoor practical application of lightweight, inexpensive, flexible dye-sensitized solar films that are stable over long periods of light and heat exposure.

Protecting Romaine Lettuce From Pathogens Posted: 28 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Knowing the preferences of foodborne pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 is essential to a successful counterattack on these microbes. That's why microbiologists are scrutinizing the little-understood ability of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica to contaminate romaine lettuce.

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ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Cluster Satellites Listen To The Sounds Of Earth Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 PM CDT The first thing an alien race is likely to hear from Earth is chirps and whistles, a bit like R2-D2, the robot from Star Wars. In reality, they are the sounds that accompany the aurora. Now ESA's Cluster mission is showing scientists how to understand this emission and, in the future, search for alien worlds by listening for their sounds.

First Patients Implanted In Study Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation For Depression Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 PM CDT St. Jude Medical, Inc. has announced the first patient implants in a clinical study that is investigating whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy will help people who suffer from major depressive disorder, a severe form of depression. The patients, a 59-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man, were implanted with the St. Jude Medical Libra® Deep Brain Stimulation System, an investigational device.

Cassini To Earth: 'Mission Accomplished, But New Questions Await!' Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 PM CDT NASA's Cassini mission is closing one chapter of its journey at Saturn and embarking on a new one with a two-year mission that will address new questions and bring it closer to two of its most intriguing targets -- Titan and Enceladus.

Discovery Of Lyme Disease Bug Clone May Explain Disease Spread Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 PM CDT Scientists have discovered that a certain clone of Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete that causes Lyme disease, appears to be the most common strain causing Lyme disease in North America and Europe, and may account for the increase in cases for the past 20 years.

The 21st Century Tomato Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 PM CDT The revolution in genomics, with a wealth of data emerging from sequencing and simultaneous expression analysis of thousands of genes, has made it possible to study the numerous pathways and regulatory networks -- systems -- that operate to produce a desirable fruit.

Mechanism And Function Of Humor Identified By New Evolutionary Theory Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 PM CDT The pattern recognition theory of humor is an evolutionary and cognitive explanation of how and why any individual finds anything funny. Effectively it explains that humor occurs when the brain recognizes a pattern that surprises it. It also identifies implications of pattern recognition in childhood cognitive development, other species and artificial intelligence, and posits humor as a major driving force in the evolution of humankind's unique perceptual and intellectual abilities.

In 'Novel Playground,' Metals Self-assemble Into Porous Nanostructures Posted: 29 Jun 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers have developed a method to self-assemble metals into complex nanostructures. Applications include making more efficient and cheaper catalysts for fuel cells and industrial processes and creating microstructured surfaces to make new types of conductors that would carry more information across microchips than conventional wires do.

Customized 'Wimpy' Polioviruses Designed: A New Path To Vaccines? Posted: 29 Jun 2008 01:00 PM CDT A team of molecular biologists and computer scientists at Stony Brook University has designed and synthesized a new class of weakened polioviruses. They used their synthesizing method with computer software to systematically re-code the poliovirus genome. In doing so, the team is the first to demonstrate that a synthetic weakened virus can immunize an animal. These results show promise in the creation of new attenuated ('live virus') anti-viral vaccines and are reported in the journal Science.

Phoenix Scrapes To Icy Soil In Wonderland Posted: 29 Jun 2008 01:00 PM CDT NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander scraped to icy soil in the "Wonderland" area on Thursday, June 26, confirming that surface soil, subsurface soil and icy soil can be sampled at a single trench.

The Good And The Bad Of A Potential Alzheimer's Target Posted: 29 Jun 2008 01:00 PM CDT Research in fruit flies has shown that enhancing the production of a protein called neprilysin can reduce the formation of plaques and neuron death associated with Alzheimer's, at the expense of reducing the flies' lifespan.

'Electron Trapping' May Impact Future Microelectronics Measurements Posted: 29 Jun 2008 01:00 PM CDT Using an ultra-fast method of measuring how a transistor switches from the "off" to the "on" state, researchers recently reported that they have uncovered an unusual phenomenon that may impact how manufacturers estimate the lifetime of future nanoscale electronics.

Facebook Concepts Indicate Brains Of Alzheimer's Patients Aren't As Networked, Stanford Study Shows Posted: 29 Jun 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine used concepts borrowed from the popular social networking site to analyze the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. They found that patients' brains were less well-connected than the brains of people without the disorder.

A Quark Star? Super-luminous Stellar Explosion Observed Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT Astronomers recently announced that they have found a novel explanation for a rare type of super-luminous stellar explosion that may have produced a new type of object known as a quark star.

Marijuana May Be Effective For Neuropathic Pain Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT The growing body of evidence that marijuana (cannabis) may be effective as a pain reliever has been expanded with publication of a new study in The Journal of Pain reporting that patients with nerve pain showed reduced pain intensity from smoking marijuana. Researchers examined whether marijuana produces analgesia for patients with neuropathic pain. Thirty-eight patients were examined. They were given either high-dose (7%), low-dose (3.5%) or placebo cannabis.

Migrating Songbirds Learn Survival Tips On The Fly Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT Migrating songbirds take their survival cues from local winged residents when flying through unfamiliar territory. Observing local birds' 'mob' behavior helps migrants avoid predators, according to biologists.

10 Percent Of Healthy People In Study Had Injury From 'Silent Strokes' Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT MRIs on healthy Framingham offspring found that about 10 percent had experienced a silent stroke. Silent stroke -- silent cerebral infarction -- is a risk factor for stroke and dementia.

Genome Communication: Alleles Of Homologous Genes Can Silence One Another Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT The exact mechanisms of how genes talk to other genes and change their behavior are being investigated, and recent results suggest that these processes could be important in engineering plants responsive to a variety of environmental conditions. Scientists have studied paramutations in maize and other plants and have identified some of the genes and mechanisms that operate in this epigenetic process.

Should Doctors Be Increasing Their Carbon Footprint By Flying To Medical Conferences? Posted: 29 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT Every year thousands of doctors and scientists fly to meetings all over the world, but with climate change accelerating, can this type of travel be justified, two doctors debate the issue in the British Medical Journal.

Homosexual Behavior Largely Shaped By Genetics And Random Environmental Factors Posted: 27 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Homosexual behavior is largely shaped by genetics and random environmental factors, according to findings from the world's largest study of twins.

Food Inspection Technology Could Kill Waiter Jokes Posted: 27 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT New inspection X-ray technology developed by European researchers is helping to ensure that the only thing in people's dinners is the food itself. Finding a snail in a salad, a fish bone in a supposedly boneless fillet or opening a soup packet to reveal moldy contents is an unpleasant -- and potentially unsafe -- experience.

Ancient Olympics: ‘Like Vince Lombardi On The PGA Circuit’ Posted: 27 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT The modern Olympic ideals differ dramatically from the way the games were actually played in ancient Greece, says a classicist who has heavily researched the Olympic past. The ancient games featured professionals with a "winning is everything" philosophy.

Cancer 'Cure' In Mice To Be Tested In Humans Posted: 27 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Scientists are about to embark on a human trial to test whether a new cancer treatment will be as effective at eradicating cancer in humans as it has proven to be in mice.

Passports For Penguins Posted: 27 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Groundbreaking technology that will enable biologists to identify and monitor large numbers of endangered animals, from butterflies to whales, without being captured, is now available.

Evolution Of Fruit Size In Tomato Posted: 27 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT In general, domesticated food plants have larger fruits, heads of grain, tubers, etc, because this is one of the characteristics that early hunter-gatherers chose when foraging for food. In addition to size, tomatoes have been bred for shape, texture, flavor, shelf-life, and nutrient composition, but it has been difficult to study these traits in tomatoes, because many of them are the result of many genes acting together.

Mate Choice In Plants Posted: 27 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Understanding the molecular mechanisms of pollen recognition is important for designing novel plant breeding systems as well as ensuring safeguards against unwanted pollination by genetically modified crops.

Drought Tolerance In Potatoes Posted: 27 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Scientists are studying these varieties to identify the genes and molecular mechanisms of drought tolerance in order to engineer new drought-resistant crops of potato, as well as other Solanaceous vegetables.

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