ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

To Widen Path To Outer Space, Engineers Build Small Satellite Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST It's not much bigger than a softball and weighs just 2 pounds. But the "pico satellite" being designed and built in a University of Florida aerospace engineering laboratory may hold a key to a future of easy access to outer space -- one where sending satellites into orbit is as routine and inexpensive as shipping goods around the world.

Key Contributor To Alzheimer's Disease Process Identified Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST A professor of neuroscience and ophthalmology led new research identifying a specific function of a fragment of ribonucleic acid, once thought to be no more than a byproduct, in regulating inflammation and the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Why Shar Pei Dogs Have So Many Wrinkles Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Researchers have discovered the origin of the mucinosis present in Shar Pei dogs, a hereditary disorder responsible for the characteristic wrinkles found in this breed. The research report appears in the journals Veterinary Dermatology and Journal of Heredity. The report details the genetic alteration in this breed which multiplies the activity of an enzyme responsible for an excessive production of hyaluronic acid, a substance which gathers under the skin and produces wrinkles.

No Clear Answer On Why HIV Vaccine Candidates Did Not Lower Risk Of Acquiring HIV Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST In the comprehensive analyses of immune responses to the vaccine, researchers analyzed study participants' blood samples to try to assess why the vaccine did not prevent infection and why some study participants who received the vaccine were more likely than others to develop HIV infection. The vaccine was effective at producing an immune response: 77 percent of those vaccinated who later developed HIV infection while in the study had generated HIV-specific T-cells prior to infection.

Physicists Test Theory That Explains Why Universe Is Made Of Matter Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Physicists are analyzing data from an experiment that tests a theory that won a share of this year's Nobel Prize in Physics. The theory and the data help explain why the universe is made of matter.

Does Anxiety Increase Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease? Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Psychological stress and anxiety have been shown to produce an activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis. Resulting hypercoagulability is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and could therefore contribute to an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease in anxiety patients.

Dirty Brown Clouds Impact Glaciers, Agriculture And The Monsoon Posted: 16 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST Cities from Beijing to New Delhi are getting darker, glaciers in ranges like the Himalayas are melting faster and weather systems becoming more extreme, in part, due to the combined effects of man-made Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABCs) and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The brown clouds, the result of burning of fossil fuels and biomass, are in some cases and regions aggravating the impacts of greenhouse gas-induced climate change, says a new report.

Low Risk For Heart Attack? Could An Ultrasound Hold The Answer? Posted: 16 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST By adding the results of an imaging technique to the traditional risk factors for coronary heart disease, doctors found they were able to improve prediction of heart attacks in people previously considered low risk.

3D 'Nanobamas' Smaller Than A Grain Of Salt Posted: 16 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST A professor has created 3-D portraits of the president-elect that are smaller than a grain of salt. He calls them "nanobamas."

New Biomarker For Heart Failure Identified Posted: 16 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST Blood levels of resistin, a hormone produced by fat cells, can independently predict an individual's risk of heart failure, according to research results from the Health ABC (Aging and Body Composition) study, which followed 3000 elderly people in the Pittsburgh and Memphis areas over seven years starting in 1998.

SHIMMER Successfully Observes Earth's Highest Clouds Posted: 16 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST The Naval Research Laboratory's Spatial Heterodyne Imager for Mesospheric Radicals has successfully observed a second northern season of polar mesospheric clouds, which are the Earth's highest clouds. This successful observation fulfills the primary goal of the Space Test Program Satellite-1 Extended Mission.

Analysis Shows How Cap-and-trade Plans Can Cut Greenhouse Emissions Posted: 16 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST Researchers at MIT's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research have produced a report concerning key design issues of proposed "cap-and-trade" programs that are under consideration in the United States as a way of curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

Brisk Walk Could Help Chocoholics Stop Snacking Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST A walk of just fifteen minutes can reduce chocolate cravings. The benefits of exercise in helping people manage dependencies on nicotine and other drugs have previously been recognized. Now, for the first time, newly-published research shows that the same may be true for food cravings.

New Theory May Lead To Effective Heart Failure Treatments Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST A family of proteins called matrix metalloprotienase may play a crucial role in why the supporting tissue surrounding the heart, called the myocardium, goes through significant and deleterious effects in heart failure patients.

Electrical Drive Systems: World Record Of One Million Revolutions Per Minute Set Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST In future it can be expected that the drill used in material processing will become even faster and the compressor used for vehicles and airplanes even more compact. In order to drive these rotary applications directly, efficiently and in a controlled fashion, there must be electrical drive systems with the appropriate rpm and engine power. Up to now, industrially-deployed motors have normally reached 250,000 revolutions per minute. Now, however, researchers from ETH Zurich's Department of Power Electronics have developed a drive system in cooperation with its industrial partners that can achieve over 1,000,000 rpm.

Dual Treatment For Stroke Leads To Improved Recovery Rates, Reduced Mortality Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST It appears that stroke patients who receive both intravenous thrombolysis, a minimally invasive treatment that dissolves abnormal blood clots, and endovascular interventions, such as drugs and implanting medical devices, are much more likely to recover and have lower chances of dying, according to new research.

Measuring Water From Space Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Observations from satellites now allow scientists to monitor changes to water levels in the sea, in rivers and lakes, in ice sheets and even under the ground. As the climate changes, this information will be crucial for monitoring its effects and predicting future impacts in different regions.

Doctors' Questions About End-of-life Legalities May Result In Patient Pain Posted: 16 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST When treatment options dwindle or are exhausted, terminally ill-patients often opt for pain management and comfort over life-extending therapies. However, researchers report that a lack of thorough understanding about the laws governing end-of-life care may be leaving many medical providers with an ethical dilemma and causing some terminally-ill patients considerable, unnecessary pain.

Protein Compels Ovarian Cancer Cells To Cannibalize Themselves Posted: 14 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST A protein known to inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer works in part by forcing cancer cells to eat themselves until they die, researchers report in Cancer Research.

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