ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Hot Southern Summer Threatens Coral With Massive Bleaching Event Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST A widespread and severe coral bleaching episode is predicted to cause immense damage to some of the world's most important marine environments over the next few months.

Single Letter In Human Genome Points To Risk For High Cholesterol Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Write out every letter in the human genome, one A, C, T or G per millimeter, and the text would be 1,800 miles long, roughly the distance from New York to Colorado. Now, in the search for genes that affect how humans synthesize, process and break down cholesterol, scientists have found a single letter among this expanse of code that is associated with elevated LDL cholesterol levels, one of the leading health concerns that has come to dominate the 21st century.

Scientists Pull Protein's Tail To Curtail Cancer Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST When researchers look inside human cancer cells for the whereabouts of an important tumor-suppressor, they often catch the protein playing hooky, lolling around in cellular broth instead of muscling its way out to the cells' membranes and foiling cancer growth.

Hope For Treating Kidney Cancer Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Kidney cancer is typically without symptoms until it has spread to other organs, when it is also the most difficult to treat.

Making Digital Maps More Current And Accurate Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST European researchers have designed an innovative new system to help keep motorists on the right track by constantly updating their digital maps and fixing anomalies and errors. Now the partners are mapping the best route to market.

Physical Disability Brings Marital Happiness Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST A new study finds that the onset of physical disability boosts marital happiness more often than not.

New Breeding Ground For Endangered Whales? High Numbers Of Right Whales Seen In Gulf Of Maine Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST A large number of North Atlantic right whales have been seen in the Gulf of Maine in recent days, leading right whale researchers to believe they have identified a wintering ground and potentially a breeding ground for this endangered species.

Impaired Energy Metabolism Linked With Initiation Of Plaques In Alzheimer's Brain Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists have identified an initiating molecular mechanism in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study provides new information about generation of damaging amyloid beta (A-beta) plaques within the AD brain and underscores the importance of developing new preventative and disease-modifying therapies for AD, especially those aimed at interrupting pathological A-beta-production.

Car Key Jams Teen Drivers' Cell Phones Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Researchers have developed an automobile ignition key that prevents teenagers from talking on cell phones or sending text messages while driving.

Novel Pathway Involved In Therapy-resistant Cancers Discovered Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists have begun to unpick the complex mechanisms underpinning the development of drug resistant cancers. They have identified a novel target that may help to combat the growing problem of therapy resistant cancers and pave the way for innovative therapeutic approaches.

New Model For Nuclear Pore Complex Backed By Structural Study Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST In higher organisms, the genetic material is confined and protected in the cell nucleus. In order for a healthy cell to function, the DNA must send manufacturing orders through the double membrane of the nucleus and into the cell's cytoplasm, where the protein production factories are and where most cellular functions are carried out. The sole portals through which these instructions pass -- nuclear pore complexes -- have a say in what the orders are and how they are conveyed. But these conspicuously large structures have ironically proved all but inscrutable to researchers over the years.

Trying To Eat Less Becomes More Important To Fend Off Middle-Age Weight Gain Posted: 03 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Lots of experts disagree over the seemingly obvious notion of keeping weight off by trying to eat less -- a debate that centers on whether the practice backfires, leading to binging and weight gain.

Genetic Variation May Lead To Early Cardiovascular Disease Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Scientists have identified a variation in a particular gene that increases susceptibility to early coronary artery disease. For years, scientists have known that the devastating, early-onset form of the disease was inherited, but they knew little about the gene(s) responsible until now.

Teens Girls Smoke Now, Pay Later With Larger Waistlines As Adults Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Remember the cool girls, huddled together in high school restrooms, puffing their cigarettes? Well, here's consolation for the nerds in the crowd: Those teen smokers are more likely to experience obesity as adults, according to a new study from Finland.

Inherited Factors Play Important Role In Breast Cancer Progression According To New Study In Mice Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST New research in mice and five independent collections of human breast tumors has enabled scientists to confirm that genes for factors contributing to susceptibility for breast cancer metastasis can be inherited.

Dormant Cancer Cells Rely On Cellular Self-cannibalization To Survive Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST A tumor-suppressing gene is a key to understanding, and perhaps killing, dormant ovarian cancer cells that persist after initial treatment only to reawaken later, researchers report. They found that expression of ARHI turns on autophagy, or self-eating, in ovarian cancer cells, which promotes their survival in a dormant state.

Scientists Identify New Congenital Neutropenia Syndrome And Causative Gene Mutation Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Scientists have discovered a new syndrome associated with severe congenital neutropenia, a rare disorder in which children lack sufficient infection-fighting white cells, and identified the genetic cause of the syndrome.

Molecular Imaging Enables Earlier, Individualized Treatment Of Thyroid Cancer Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST In a study to determine the diagnostic value of molecular imaging in nodal staging of patients with thyroid cancer, researchers were able for the first time to accurately distinguish between cancerous cells in regional lymph nodes and normal residual thyroid tissue directly after surgery.

Cause Of Glacial Earthquakes In Greenland Clarified Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Satellite observations during the past decade have shown dramatic changes in flow speed on year-to-year timescales at Greenland's outlet glaciers. Seismic events traced back to glaciers during the same time period have been interpreted to have resulted from calving events at the glacier terminus or surging events lubricated by subglacial meltwater.

Odd-looking Martian Craters Indicate Hidden Ice Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Surface features common in the northern and southern midlatitudes of Mars and known as lobate debris aprons and lineated valley fill are believed to have formed either as debris flows mobilized by pore ice or as debris-covered glaciers.

Speediest Sand Dunes Clocked From Space Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Monitoring the speeds of migrating dunes and the volumes of sand transported over time is important to understanding how arid landscapes respond to wind-driven changes.

Big Raindrops Favor Tornado Formation, Simulations Suggest Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST One of the largest sources of uncertainty in weather prediction involves how microscale structures influence larger-scale phenomena. For instance, previous studies have demonstrated that the structure, dynamics, and evolution of thunderstorms are very sensitive to cloud microphysical parameters.

Surprise Drop In Carbon Dioxide Absorbed By East/Japan Sea Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST The East/Japan Sea in the western North Pacific is ventilated from the surface to the bottom of the ocean over decades. Authors conclude that overturning circulation is weakening, slowing down the transport of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the surface to the interior of the East/Japan Sea.

Sea Rise Over Continental Shelves Significantly Affected Past Global Carbon Cycle Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; about 21,000 years ago) sea level has risen by 130 meters (430 feet), resulting in continental shelf submergence and a massive expansion of the surface area of shelf seas.

Peer Discussion Improves Student Performance With 'Clickers' Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Across the University of Colorado at Boulder campus students are sharing answers, checking their responses to questions against those of their neighbors and making adjustments to those answers in hopes of earning a better grade.

Family History Of Prostate Cancer Does Not Affect Some Treatment Outcomes Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST In a first of its kind study, a first-degree family history of prostate cancer has no impact on the treatment outcomes of prostate cancer patients treated with brachytherapy, also called seed implants, and patients with this type of family history have clinical and pathologic characteristics similar to men with no family history at all, according to a study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.

Expectant Brains Help Predict Anxiety Treatment Success Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of treatment.

Aquaculture's Growth Seen As Continuing Posted: 01 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST An assessment concludes that despite well-publicized concerns about some harmful effects of aquaculture, the technique may, when practiced well, be no more harmful to biodiversity than other food production systems. Aquaculture production of aquatic animals now accounts for about a third of the total supply and will probably remain the most rapidly increasing food production system worldwide through 2025, according to the author.

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