Saturday, October 18, 2008

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Ghostly Glow Reveals Galaxy Clusters In Collision

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Astronomers have detected long wavelength radio emission from a colliding, massive galaxy cluster which, surprisingly, is not detected at the shorter wavelengths typically seen in these objects.

No Higher Risk Of Leukemia Found For Children Living Near Powerful Radio Or Television Transmitters

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Children living in the vicinity of powerful radio and television transmitters are not significantly more at risk of leukemia than others, according to a new German study.

Turf Wars: Sand And Corals Don't Mix

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

When reef fish get a mouthful of sand, coral reefs can drown. "We've known for a while that having a lot of sediment in the water is bad for corals and can smother them. What we didn't realize is how permanent this state of affairs can become, to the point where it may prevent the corals ever re-establishing."

Optics Of Alzheimer’s Disease

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the formation of plaques made of protein aggregates in the brain tissue. There is still considerable debate among scientists as to whether these plaques are the cause of the neuronal death that occurs in Alzheimer's or just a by-product of the disease, however.

Spallation Neutron Source Sends First Neutrons To 'Big Bang' Beam Line

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

New analytical tools coming on line at the Spallation Neutron Source, the Department of Energy's state-of-the-art neutron science facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, include a beam line dedicated to nuclear physics studies.

Viruses And 'Young Cuckoos' Lead The Way In The Brain

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Harmless viruses and genetic 'young cuckoos' are going to reveal the answers as to how the brain establishes where we are. The understanding of our sense of locality will be the first higher brain function that we understand at a molecular level.

Physical Decline Caused By Slow Decay Of Brain's Myelin

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT

Human's physical and mental abilities slow as we age, caused by the steady decay of myelin, the "insulation" around neuronal axons.

Keeping Herpes Infection In Check: Researchers Describe Immune System Strategies

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT

Herpes simplex virus type I can cause bouts of cold sores, blindness and potentially lethal encephalitis when it reawakens from a quiescent state in the nerve cells it infects. To prevent these consequences, the stealthy virus is kept under constant guard by the immune system, say University of Pittsburgh scientists. Their research challenges the once common notion that latent HSV-1 in sensory neurons is invisible to the immune system.

Fine Balance: Class Of Spinal Cord Neurons Makes Sure That Sides Of Body Don't Get Ahead Of One Other

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT

Once a toddler has mastered the art of walking, it seems to come naturally for the rest of her life. But walking and running require a high degree of coordination between the left and right sides of the body. Now researchers have shown how a class of spinal cord neurons, known as V3 neurons, makes sure that one side of the body doesn't get ahead of the other.

Drug Candidate Slows Age-related Macular Degeneration

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT

Research results show that the progression of age-related macular degeneration is markedly slowed in new laboratory-engineered mice when they received treatments of retinylamine, a trial drug that has been tested in a medical school lab. AMD is a leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older.

Wildfires Cause Ozone Pollution To Violate Health Standards, New Study Shows

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT

Wildfires can boost ozone pollution to levels that violate US health standards. A new study has found that California wildfires in 2007 tripled the number of ozone violations across a broad area.

Smell Of Smoke Does Not Trigger Relapse In Quitters, New Research Shows

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT

Research into tobacco dependence has shown that recent ex-smokers who find exposure to other people's cigarette smoke pleasant are not any more likely to relapse than those who find it unpleasant.

Stem Cell Breakthrough: Mass-Production Of 'Embryonic' Stem Cells From A Human Hair

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT

Researchers have successfully reprogrammed adult human cells called keratinocytes -- attached to a single hair -- into induced pluripotent stem cells, which by all appearances looked and acted like embryonic stem cells. And, the researchers have boosted reprogramming efficiency more than 100-fold, while cutting the time it takes in half.

Mechanism For Immune System Suppression Pinpointed; Could Help Treat HIV, Measles, And Tuberculosis

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT

Diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and measles claim countless lives by weakening immune systems in ways that have remained unclear. For the first time, researchers have now pinpointed a clear mechanism for immunosuppression. They have shown how an initial viral infection can block production of critical immune system proteins known as type I interferons, leading to susceptibility to other, potentially deadly infections.

Stabilizing Force For Good Communication Between Neurons And Muscle Cells Found

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT

A neuron sends a message, or neurotransmitter, to a muscle cell to tell it what to do. To get the message, the receiving cell must have a receptor. Oddly, the unstable protein rapsyn is responsible for anchoring the receptor so it's properly positioned to catch the message. Now have found what keeps rapsyn in proper conformation.

Steroid Treatment Offers No Benefit In Preemies, Study Suggests

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT

Results of a new study challenge the longstanding practice of treating premature babies with hydrocortisone, a steroid believed to fight inflammation and prevent lung disease.

Evolution Of Virulence Regulation In Staphylococcus Aureus

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT

Scientists have gained insight into the complex mechanisms that control bacterial pathogenesis and, as a result, have developed new theories about how independent mechanisms may have become intertwined during evolution. The research may lead to strategies for developing more effective therapeutics against the human pathogen responsible for most of the antibiotic-resistant infections contracted in the community.

Importance Of Sex-specific Testing Shown In Anxiety Study

Posted: 18 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT

An Australian study has flagged an important truth for the medical research community. Like their human counterparts, male and female mice are not only different, their respective genetic responses can often be the reverse of what you'd expect from pharmacological results. This has important ramifications for laboratory and clinical testing.

Emotion And Scent Create Lasting Memories -- Even In A Sleeping Brain

Posted: 17 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

In a series of experiments with sleeping mice, researchers at the Duke University Medical Center have shown that the part of the brain that processes scents is indeed a key part of forming long-term memories, especially involving other individuals.

Border Control: How Proteins Permit Entry To A Cell

Posted: 17 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

The means by which proteins provide a 'border control' service, allowing cells to take up chemicals and substances from their surroundings, whilst keeping others out, is revealed in unprecedented molecular detail for the first time, in the journal Science.

'Lost' Miller-Urey Experiment Created More Of Life's Building Blocks

Posted: 17 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

A classic experiment proving amino acids are created when inorganic molecules are exposed to electricity isn't the whole story, it turns out. The 1953 Miller-Urey Synthesis had two sibling studies, neither of which was published. Vials containing the products from those experiments were recently recovered and reanalyzed using modern technology. The results are reported in this week's Science.

Human Microbiome Consortium To Investigate Role Of Microbes In Human Health And Disease

Posted: 17 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Scientists from around the globe have formed the International Human Microbiome Consortium, an effort that will enable researchers to characterize the relationship of the human microbiome in the maintenance of health and in disease.

New Solar Energy Material Captures Every Color Of The Rainbow

Posted: 17 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Researchers have created a new material that overcomes two of the major obstacles to solar power: it absorbs all the energy contained in sunlight, and generates electrons in a way that makes them easier to capture. Chemists combined electrically conductive plastic with metals including molybdenum and titanium to create the hybrid material.

Medical Textbooks Use White, Heterosexual Men As A 'Universal Model'

Posted: 17 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT

Images of white men predominate in western anatomy textbooks, which present them as a "universal model" of the human being. This is the main conclusion of a study that has analysed 16,329 images from 12 manuals currently recommended by 20 of the most prestigious universities in Europe, the United States and Canada.

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