Monday, September 08, 2008

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Next Stop: The Fourth Dimension, With Large Hadron Collider Experiments

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT

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.

Changes To Embryonic Stem Cells Caused By Down Syndrome Revealed

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT

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.

Tiny Gold Clusters Are Top-notch Catalysts

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT

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.

Stem Cell Transplantation Benefits Mice With Childhood Motor Neuron Disease

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT

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.

Changes In Urine Could Lead To BSE Test For Live Animals

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT

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.

Functional Food – Delicious And Healthy

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 10:00 AM CDT

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.

As Easy As 1, 2, 3: Number Sense Correlates With Test Scores

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT

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.

New 'Trick' Allows HIV To Overcome A Barrier To Infection

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT

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.

Smoke Smudges Mexico City's Air, Chemists Identify Sources

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT

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.

Cholesterol Drugs Lower Risk Of Stroke For Elderly, Too

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT

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.

Role Of Aerosols In Climate Change Examined

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT

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.

Child Safety Seats And Lap-and-shoulder Belts Effective In Preventing Serious Injury, Study Suggests

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 07:00 AM CDT

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.

Lightweight And Long-legged Males Go The Distance For Sex

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT

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.

You Can Be Replaced: Immune Cells Compensate For Defective DNA Repair Factor

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT

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.

Trichoplax Genome Sequenced: 'Rosetta Stone' For Understanding Evolution

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT

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.

Change In HER2 Status Found After Treating Breast Cancer Patients With Herceptin

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT

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.

New Evidence On The Robustness Of Metabolic Networks

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT

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.

Age, Income And Marital Status: Socio-demographic Factors Influence Costs Of Back Pain

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 04:00 AM CDT

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.

Atomic Structure Of The Mammalian 'Fatty Acid Factory' Determined

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT

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.

How STDs Increase The Risk Of Becoming Infected With HIV

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT

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.

Last-ever Look At ESA's Gravity Satellite GOCE

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT

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.

AMD and Vision Loss: Low-Luminance Study Yields a New Predictive Tool

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT

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.

Driving The Future Of In-vehicle ICT

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT

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.

Free Drug Samples May End Up Costing Uninsured More

Posted: 08 Sep 2008 01:00 AM CDT

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.

New Once-a-week Treatment For Type 2 Diabetes Developed

Posted: 06 Sep 2008 11:00 PM CDT

Researchers have reported that a new once-weekly treatment for type 2 diabetes could replace the more common twice-daily injection.

Living Sensor Can Warn Of Arsenic Pollution

Posted: 06 Sep 2008 11:00 PM CDT

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.

Milk May Help Bacteria Survive Against Low Levels Of Antibiotics

Posted: 06 Sep 2008 11:00 PM CDT

Milk may help prevent potentially dangerous bacteria like Staphylococcus from being killed by antibiotics used to treat animals.

Rattlesnake-type Poisons Used By Superbug Bacteria To Beat Our Defenses

Posted: 06 Sep 2008 11:00 PM CDT

Colonies of hospital superbugs can make poisons similar to those found in rattlesnake venom to attack our bodies' natural defenses, according to new research.

A New 'Pyrex' Nanoparticle

Posted: 06 Sep 2008 11:00 PM CDT

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.

How Plants Fine Tune Their Natural Chemical Defenses

Posted: 06 Sep 2008 11:00 PM CDT

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.

No comments: