Sunday, November 30, 2008

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Farming And Chemical Warfare: A Day In The Life Of An Ant

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

One of the most important developments in human civilization was the practice of sustainable agriculture. But we were not the first; ants have been doing it for over 50 million years. Just as farming helped humans become a dominant species, it has also helped leaf-cutter ants become dominant herbivores and one of the most successful social insects in nature.

Does Hormone Treatment Predispose Patients To Breast Cancer?

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

Breast cancer, the leading cause of death among women in France, is the most commonly occurring cancer in women. Sporadic breast cancer, which is non-hereditary, turns out to be the most widespread, representing 85 to 90% of all cases, but remains the least well-known. Researchers have just discovered the cause of 50% of sporadic breast cancers.

Rabies Barrier To Save World's Rarest Wolf

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

Conservationists are battling to save the world's rarest wolf from a rabies outbreak by creating a 'barrier' of vaccinated wolf packs.

Portuguese Scientists Discover New Mechanism That Regulates Formation Of Blood Vessels

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

Researchers have discovered a novel mechanism which regulates the process whereby new blood vessels are formed and wounds heal, including chronic wounds, such as those found in diabetic patients and those suffering from morbid obesity. These findings have implications for the development of new therapeutic approaches to healing damaged blood vessels and building new ones.

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

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 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.

How Binge Drinking May Drive Heart Disease

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST

As the holidays arrive, a group of researchers has identified the precise mechanisms by which binge drinking contributes to clogs in arteries that lead to heart attack and stroke. The works adds to a growing body of evidence that drinking patterns matter as much, if not more, to risk for cardiovascular disease than the total amount consumed. Irregular, heavy drinking pattern clogs blood vessels.

Common Cold Virus Came From Birds About 200 Years Ago, Study Suggests

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

A virus that causes cold-like symptoms in humans originated in birds and may have crossed the species barrier around 200 years ago, according to an article in the Journal of General Virology. Scientists hope their findings will help us understand how potentially deadly viruses emerge in humans.

Ultrasound Waves Aid In Rapid Treatment Of Deep Vein Thrombosis

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

The use of ultrasound waves for deep vein thrombosis may help dissolve blood clots in less time than using clot-busting drugs alone, according to researchers.

Climate Change Opens New Avenue For Spread Of Invasive Plants

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

A team of researchers from the Netherlands and Florida has found that plants that range beyond their normal distribution because of warming climates may have advantages over native plants. Global warming-induced biological invasions may represent an additional threat to biodiversity.

Exercise And Rest Reduce Cancer Risk

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

Exercise is good for more than just your waistline. A recent study suggests that regular physical activity can lower a woman's overall risk of cancer -- but only if she gets a good night's sleep. Otherwise, lack of sleep can undermine exercise's cancer prevention benefits.

Sustainable Garden Roofs Developed As New Construction Material

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

A Spanish research study has tested different combinations of supports and indigenous plants to determine which are the best for reducing energy consumption inside buildings. This type of roof is a "rurban," sustainable architectural solution that will lead to a reduction in environmental and acoustic contamination levels in cities, and be visually pleasing.

Science Professors Know Science, But Who Is Teaching Them How To Teach?

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST

U.S. science and engineering students emerge from graduate school exquisitely trained to carry out research. Yet when it comes to the other major activity they'll engage in as professors -- teaching -- they're usually left to their own devices. That's now beginning to change.

2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season Sets Records

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

The 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially comes to a close on November 30, marking the end of a season that produced a record number of consecutive storms to strike the United States and ranks as one of the more active seasons in the 64 years since comprehensive records began. A total of 16 named storms formed this season. The storms included eight hurricanes, five of which were major hurricanes at Category 3 strength or higher.

Fast Food A Potential Risk Factor For Alzheimer’s

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

Mice that were fed a diet rich in fat, sugar and cholesterol for nine months developed a preliminary stage of the morbid irregularities that form in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The study gives some indications of how this difficult to treat disease might one day be preventable.

New Excavations Strengthen Identification Of Herod’s Grave At Herodium

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

Analysis of newly revealed items found at the site of the mausoleum of King Herod at Herodium (Herodion in Greek) have provided archaeological researchers with further assurances that this was indeed the site of the famed ruler's 1st century B.C.E. grave. Herod was the Roman-appointed king of Judea from 37 to 4 B.C.E., who was renowned for his many monumental building projects, including the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the palace at Masada, the harbor and city of Caesarea, as well as the palatial complex at Herodium, 15 kilometers south of Jerusalem.

Three Esophageal, Stomach Cancer Subtypes Linked To Smoking; One Associated With Alcohol Use

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

Researchers who have been following the health of more than 120,000 residents of the Netherlands for more than two decades have found that smoking is associated with two forms of esophageal cancer as well as a form of stomach cancer, and that drinking alcohol is strongly linked to one form of esophageal cancer.

Model To Measure Soil Health In Bioenergy Era

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

The loss of soil organic matter due to poor land-management practice threatens farmlands, and while the use for crop residues as feedstock for biomass ethanol and bio-based products increases, these materials no longer contribute to the health of the soil. Scientist have now developed a method of measuring soil quality to assure an adequate amount of soil organic matter, called the CQESTR model.

Specific DNA Variations Of The Serotonin Transporter Gene Can Influence Drinking Intensity

Posted: 30 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST

The brain's serotonergic system plays an important role in alcohol preference and consumption. New findings show that specific DNA sequence variations of the serotonin transporter gene can influence drinking intensity among alcohol-dependent individuals.

New HIV Cases Could Be Reduced By 95% With Universal Voluntary Testing And Immediate Treatment, Mathematical Model Shows

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Universal and annual voluntary testing followed by immediate antiretroviral therapy treatment (irrespective of clinical stage or CD4 count) can reduce new HIV cases by 95% within 10 years, according to new findings based on a mathematical model developed by a group of HIV specialists in WHO.

Is An Anchor Responsible For Mad Cow Disease (BSE) Infections?

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Chemists are providing prion researchers with a new tool to elucidate the role played by specific anchor molecules. These complicated anchor compounds are suspected of promoting infections with BSE or Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease.

Tracking Down Strange Seismic Waves

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Seismic waves generated by earthquakes pass through the earth. Changes in their direction or velocity indicate variations in the materials through which they pass. Geophysicists have now been able to show in a model exactly what happens at zones where crustal plates subduct below one another.

A Surgeon You Can Swallow

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

In the future, tablet-shaped robots could perform some surgical operations without injuring the body. A new publication shows how such surgical bio-microrobots might function.

Pesticides Are In For It Now

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Chemists have developed a method to detect pesticide residues in foodstuffs -- a method that may also be of interest for other areas and may enable quality checks on a running basis.

YouTube Usage Decoded

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Why are certain videos on YouTube watched millions of times while 90 percent of the contributions find only the odd viewer? A new study reveals that increased attention in social systems like the YouTube community follows particular, recurrent patterns that can be represented using mathematical models.

Humanity May Hold Key For Next Earth Evolution

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Human degradation of the environment has the potential to stall an ongoing process of planetary evolution, and even rewind the evolutionary clock to leave the planet habitable only by the bacteria that dominated billions of years of Earth's history, according to Harvard geochemist Charles Langmuir.

Boll Weevil Feeding Habits Now Better Understood

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Boll weevils don't hibernate during winter in the subtropics but actually remain active, feeding on orange, grapefruit and other plants, according to a scientist studying this infamous cotton pest.

Insecticides Or Genetically Modified Crops? Non-Target Insects Affected More By Insecticides Than By Crops Engineered To Make Insect-specific Toxins

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Non-target insects are probably affected more by conventional insecticides than by crops that contain genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), according to a new article. Bt crops such as maize and cotton are genetically engineered to produce insect-specific toxins.

Humans Prompted New Paths For Parasites

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Scientists are tracking how the dissemination of the parasite Trichinella spiralis throughout Europe, North Africa and the Americas was facilitated by human travel and the transportation of animals.

Cell Receptor Identified As Target For Anti-inflammatory Immune Response

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Invading pathogens provoke a series of molecular heroics that, when successful, muster an army of antibodies to neutralize the threat. Like with any close-quarter combat, however, an aggressive immune response runs the risk of friendly fire accidents. For the last decade, immunologists have intensively studied mechanisms evolved by the immune system to avoid these accidents by shutting off the immune response once the invaders have been eliminated.

Influence Of Climate Warming On The Increase In Tick-borne Diseases

Posted: 28 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST

Rises in the ambient temperature modify the behavior of dog ticks and increase their affinity for humans. There is thus a risk that episodes of global warming may be associated with epidemics of tick-borne diseases.

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