Sunday, November 23, 2008

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Breakthrough Technique Unlocks Secret Of Plasmas

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

Researchers have developed a technique that brings scientists a big step closer to unlocking the secrets of the most abundant form of matter in the universe.

How Red Wine Compounds Fight Alzheimer's Disease

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

Scientists have discovered the mechanism behind how compounds in red wine called polyphenols slow the cognitive declines of Alzheimer's.

From Genes To Farmers' Fields: New 'Waterproof' Rice Developed

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

"Waterproof" versions of popular varieties of rice, which can withstand two weeks of complete submergence, have passed tests in farmers' fields with flying colors. Several of these varieties are now close to official release by national and state seed certification agencies in Bangladesh and India, where farmers suffer major crop losses because of flooding of up to 4 million tons of rice per year. This is enough rice to feed 30 million people.

Adults Need Vaccines, Medical Societies Urge

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

The American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America have released a joint statement on the importance of adult vaccination against an increasing number of vaccine-preventable diseases. The statement has been endorsed by 17 other medical societies representing a range of practice areas.

Ultra-wideband Radio Rides A Beam Of Light

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

Multiple high-definition videos and other data-rich services may soon stream through homes, offices, ships and planes via new hybrid optical/ultra-wideband-radio systems developed by European researchers.

Pregnant Women Who Do Aquarobics Have Easier Deliveries, Study Finds

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

A course of water aerobics classes has been shown to reduce the amount of pain-killing medication women request during labor. Research shows that, as well as being safe, the gentle exercise has the benefit of making it easier to give birth.

Simple Eyes Of Only Two Cells Guide Marine Zooplankton To The Light

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

Scientists now explain the remarkable ability of marine zooplankton to swim towards light. A new study reveals how simple eyes of only two cells, sense the direction of light and guide movement towards it. The research also provides new insights into what the first eyes in animal evolution might have looked like and what their function was.

Lactic Acid Found To Fuel Tumors

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

A team of researchers has found that lactic acid is an important energy source for tumor cells. In further experiments, they discovered a new way to destroy the most hard-to-kill, dangerous tumor cells by preventing them from delivering lactic acid.

Drug Addiction: Environmental Conditions Play Major Role In Effective Treatment And Preventing Relapses, Animal Study Shows

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

Environmental conditions play a major role in treating drug addiction and in preventing relapses, according to new research. For the first time, researchers have shown that positive and stimulating environmental conditions make it easier to treat cocaine addiction.

New Technologies Gearing Up To Meet Rising Demand For Vital Malaria Drugs

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

Three emerging technologies have the potential to significantly improve supplies of drugs to combat malaria, according to a new report.

Fluorescence Used To Develop Method For Detecting Mercury In Fish

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

Researchers have developed a simple and quick method for detecting mercury in fish and dental samples, two substances at the center of public concern about mercury contamination. The technique involves a fluorescent substance that glows bright green when it comes into contact with oxidized mercury.

Behavior Very Similar In Distracted Humans And Rats On Neurotransmitter Blocker

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

When picking through a basket of fruit, it doesn't seem very difficult to recognize a green pear from a green apple. This is easy, thanks to "feature binding" -- a process by which our brain combines all of the specific features of an object and gives us a complete and unified picture of it.

Could Marijuana Substance Help Prevent Or Delay Memory Impairment In The Aging Brain?

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

Scientists are finding that specific elements of marijuana can be good for the aging brain by reducing inflammation there and possibly even stimulating the formation of new brain cells. Some research suggests that developing a legal drug that contains certain properties similar to those in marijuana might help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Though the exact cause of Alzheimer's remains unknown, chronic inflammation in the brain is believed to contribute to memory impairment.

New Approach To Screen Individuals For Early Alzheimer's Disease

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

With millions of baby boomers entering late adulthood, the number of patients with Alzheimer's disease is expected to drastically rise over the next several decades. A team of national researchers, has developed a rapid screening test to detect mild cognitive impairment, often the earliest stage of AD.

Glacial Erosion Changes Mountain Responses To Plate Tectonics

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

Intense glacial erosion has not only carved the surface of the highest coastal mountain range on earth, the spectacular St. Elias range in Alaska, but has elicited a structural response from deep within the mountain.

Ideal Time For Stem Cell Collection Defined For Parkinson's Disease Therapy

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

Researchers have identified a stage during dopamine neuron differentiation that may be an ideal time to collect human embryonic stem cells for transplantation to treat Parkinson's disease, according to new research.

Can Renewable Energy Be Sustained?

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

Engineers and entrepreneurs are rushing to explore alternative sources of efficient and renewable energy. One professor has strong words of caution as projects involving wind farms and photovoltaic cells proliferate. Coordination is lacking in development of alternative power sources, he warns.

Methamphetamine Abuse Linked To Underage Sex, Smoking And Drinking

Posted: 23 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

Teens who have never done drugs, but engage in other risky behaviours such as drinking, smoking and being sexually active, are more likely to use crystal meth, medical researchers have concluded.

Complex Systems Science: How Do Math And Intuition Help Us Understand Whole Systems?

Posted: 21 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

The human brain may be the ultimate complex system, but other examples appear everywhere. Take army ants. Despite their name, they have no general, and their queen sends out no instructions. No ant is aiming to get across that gully, and there is no blueprint or traffic light. Yet millions of ants, following the same instinctive rules of individual behavior, can build bridges with their bodies and forage for food along vast efficient highways.

Coastal Erosion On Grand Isle, Louisiana, Occurring Rapidly

Posted: 21 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Students measuring the loss of sand on the barrier island of Grand Isle, La., are seeing coastal erosion happen before their eyes. On spits of land on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico students are observing rapid land loss in southern Louisiana.

Mercury Tarnishes Louisiana Fish

Posted: 21 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Researchers are fighting to remove mercury from the environment. Mercury-containing pressure gauges in the natural gas fields, coal-fired power plants and chlorine plants are among the sources of mercury that concern scientists.

Challenges To Environmentally Responsible Energy Use In Today's Society

Posted: 21 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Our society is rushing to escape the energy culture as we know it, in order to remake it as we don't know it. The irony is that a marginal amount of planning -- continual improvement in mileage standards, closing of the loophole in those standards that exempted light trucks, steady federal investment in renewable energy -- might have alleviated the energy and climate crunch facing us today.

When Good Maples Go Red: Why Leaves Change Color In The Fall

Posted: 21 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

On a hushed autumn morning, when leaves have ripened to the fall, who hasn't stood under a flaming maple and wondered why it goes red?

From Deep In Lake Ontario, Comes A Natural Coolant

Posted: 21 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Cold, clean water from Lake Ontario has the potential to act as a natural coolant for buildings 30 miles away in Syracuse, N.Y., while reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses, substantially cutting energy costs, and aiding in the restoration of the long-polluted Onondaga Lake, according to a team of scientists.

Earthworms’ Underground Invasion Threatens Forest Sustainability

Posted: 21 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Earthworms have long been considered a friend to farmers and home gardeners, playing a vital role in soil quality. However, recent studies have shown that glaciated forests in North America --- forests that evolved without native earthworms -- now face the invasion of European earthworms from agriculture and fishing.

Climate Change May Boost Exposures To Harmful Pollutants

Posted: 21 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

A review of studies projecting the impact of climate change on air quality, including effects on morbidity and mortality, indicates that adverse health effects will likely rise with changes in pollutant creation, transport, dispersion, and deposition. However, reducing greenhouse gas emissions could go far in mitigating adverse effects.

How Global Warming Will Affect U.S. Beaches, Coastline

Posted: 21 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Scientists are finding that sea level rise will have different consequences in different places but that they will be profound on virtually all coastlines. Land in some areas of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States will simply be underwater. On the West Coast, with its different topography and different climate regimes, problems will likely play out differently. The scientists' most recent conclusions, even when conservative scenarios are involved, suggest that coastal development, popular beaches, vital estuaries, and even California's supply of fresh water could be severely impacted by a combination of natural and human-made forces.

Pavement Sealcoat Linked To Urban Lake Contamination In The Central And Eastern United States

Posted: 21 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Dust collected from coal-tar sealcoated parking lots in Central and Eastern U.S. cities contains concentrations of  polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are about 1,000 times greater than levels found in Western cities where coal-tar sealcoat is less commonly used, according to a new study.

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