ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Mystery Of South American Trophy Heads Solved Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST A recent study using specimens from Chicago's Field Museum establishes that Nazca trophy heads came from people who lived in the same place and were part of the same culture as those who collected them.

Adult-onset Diabetes Slows Mental Functioning In Several Ways, With Deficits Appearing Early Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Adults with diabetes experience a slowdown in several types of mental processing, which appears early in the disease and persists into old age, according to new research. Given the sharp rise in new cases of diabetes, this finding means that more adults may soon be living with mild but lasting deficits in their thought processes.

Gold Nanoparticles For Controlled Drug Delivery Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Using tiny gold particles and infrared light, MIT researchers have developed a drug-delivery system that allows multiple drugs to be released in a controlled fashion.

Gene Expression And Splicing Vary Widely From One Tissue To The Next Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Genes talk to themselves and to each other to control how a given cell manufactures proteins. But variation in the control of the same gene in two different tissues may contribute to certain human traits, including the likelihood of getting a disease, said a team of geneticists and neuroscientists.

Grazing Animals Help Spread Plant Disease Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Researchers have discovered that grazing animals such as deer and rabbits are actually helping to spread plant disease -- quadrupling its prevalence in some cases -- and encouraging an invasion of annual grasses that threaten more than 20 million acres of native grasslands in California.

Teens Girls Smoke Now, Pay Later With Larger Waistlines As Adults Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 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.

Stars Forming Just Beyond Black Hole's Grasp At Galactic Center Posted: 06 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST The center of the Milky Way presents astronomers with a paradox: It holds young stars, but no one is sure how those stars got there. The galactic center is wracked with powerful gravitational tides stirred by a 4 million solar-mass black hole. Those tides should rip apart molecular clouds that act as stellar nurseries, preventing stars from forming in place. Yet the alternative -- stars falling inward after forming elsewhere -- should be a rare occurrence.

Obesity Linked To Elevated Risk Of Ovarian Cancer Posted: 06 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST A new epidemiological study has found that among women who have never used menopausal hormone therapy, obese women are at an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women of normal weight.

Increased Risk Of Pneumococcal Disease In Asthma Patients Posted: 06 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Adults with asthma are at increased risk of serious pneumococcal disease caused by Streptococcus pneumonia, the most common bacteria causing middle ear infections and community acquired pneumonia.

New Methods For The Environmental Chemist’s Toolbox Posted: 06 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Organic compounds exhibit specific isotopic compositions that can be used as their "fingerprint". Environmental chemists nowadays exploit changes of isotopic compositions to identify the origin of organic pollutants and to assess their (bio)degradation in the environment by compound-specific stable isotope analysis.

‘Magnetic Bra’ Gives Independence Back To Disabled And Older Women Posted: 06 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Researchers have developed a new bra for older and disabled women which replaces traditional fastenings with magnets.

Possible Abnormality In Fundamental Building Block Of Einstein's Theory Of Relativity Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Physicists have developed a promising new way to identify a possible abnormality in a fundamental building block of Einstein's theory of relativity known as "Lorentz invariance." If confirmed, the abnormality would disprove the basic tenet that the laws of physics remain the same for any two objects traveling at a constant speed or rotated relative to one another.

Defensive Protein Killed Ancient Primate Retroviruses, Research Suggests Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Retroviruses are the worst sort of guest. Over eons, these molecular parasites have insinuated themselves into their hosts' DNA and caused a ruckus. The poor hosts can't even be rid of the intruders by killing them, because they stubbornly remain after death.

New Park Protects Penguins And Other Marine Life In Argentina Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST A new coastal marine park has recently been signed into law by the Government of Argentina. The park protects half a million penguins along with several species of rare seabirds and the region's only population of South American fur seals. It is the first protected area in Argentina specifically designed to safeguard not only onshore breeding colonies but also areas of ocean where wildlife feed at sea.

Alternative Way To Save Brain Cells After Stroke Or Head Trauma, New Finding Suggests Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Shredded extracellular matrix is toxic to neurons. Researchers reveal a new mechanism for how ECM demolition causes brain damage. The study suggests that drugs that block KA1, one subunit of the kainate receptor, might provide an alternative way to save brain cells after stroke or head trauma.

Genetic Modification Turns E. Coli Bacteria Into High Density Biofuel Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists have successfully pushed nature beyond its limits by genetically modifying Escherichia coli, a bacterium often associated with food poisoning, to produce unusually long-chain alcohols essential in the creation of biofuels.

Early Family Depression Has Lasting Effects On Teens, Young Adults Posted: 06 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST A new study on 485 Iowa adolescents over a 10-year period (1991-2001) found that early socioeconomic adversity experienced by children contributes to poor mental health by the time they become teens -- disrupting their successful transition into adulthood.

Common Gene Variant Linked To High Blood Pressure Identified Posted: 05 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST Researchers have identified a common gene variant that appears to influence people's risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The STK39 gene is the first hypertension susceptibility gene to be uncovered through a new technique called a genome-wide association study and confirmed by data from several independent studies.

Organic Plant Waste Proves Effective Weed Control For Citrus Trees Posted: 05 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST Interest in organic crop production is increasing around the world. Organics are healthy for consumers while adding environmental benefits and decreasing the amount of synthetic herbicides in foods, soil, and water. While organics gain popularity with consumers, organic farmers are faced with new production challenges, especially managing and reducing invasive weeds.

Acute Gastric Injury Due To High-dose Analgesics? Posted: 05 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST A new study has documented the gastrointestinal complications of high dose acetaminophen, a commonly used drug. The study investigated the acute high dose ingestion of analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen, with suicidal intent. The study results surprisingly indicated that acetaminophen induces gastric lesions.

Better Predictions Of Share Yields Posted: 05 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST It is not easy to predict stock market trends. Two financial researchers at BI Norwegian School of Management have identified a target indicator that can predict future return on shares.

Power Of Wilderness Experiences As A Catalyst For Change In Young Offenders Posted: 05 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST Researchers have been working with young offenders to help them turn their lives around. Findings of the self-reported measures of self-confidence, trust, belonging and connectedness to nature showed that after each wilderness experience, feelings increased and during the months in between levels fell, as participants had less contact with nature. The final value at the end of the project was substantially higher than the initial starting value.

Astronomers To Gaze Back In Time And Map History Of Universe Posted: 05 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Astronomers are set to expand our knowledge of the history of our universe with a new project to map the inception and formation of galaxies.

Dormant Cancer Cells Rely On Cellular Self-cannibalization To Survive Posted: 05 Jan 2009 05:00 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.

Patient-derived Induced Stem Cells Retain Disease Traits Posted: 05 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST When neurons started dying in Clive Svendsen's lab dishes, he couldn't have been more pleased. The dying cells -- the same type lost in patients with the devastating neurological disease spinal muscular atrophy -- confirmed that the stem cell biologist had recreated the hallmarks of a genetic disorder in the lab, using stem cells derived from a patient.

Newly Identified Gene Powerful Predictor Of Colon Cancer Metastasis Posted: 05 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Scientists have identified a gene which enables them to predict for the first time with high probability if colon cancer is going to metastasize. They were able to demonstrate that the gene MACC1 not only promotes tumor growth but also the development of metastasis. When MACC1 gene activity is low, the life expectancy of patients with colon cancer is longer in comparison to patients with high MACC1 levels.

Quantum Electronics: Tunneling Effect In Strong Laser Field Interaction Under Attack Posted: 05 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Physicists have worked on the quantum physics description of the tunneling effect for 60 years. The group has now for the first time succeeded in measuring time intervals that enable the direct measurement of the tunneling time of electrons in laser-induced ionization. No corresponding delay was measured in the experiment: something that astonished many physicists. An established but perhaps over-simplified explanatory model begins to look shaky.

Family Members Of Critically Ill Patients Want To Discuss Loved Ones' Uncertain Prognoses Posted: 05 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Critically ill patients frequently have uncertain prognoses, but their families overwhelmingly wish that physicians would address prognostic uncertainty candidly, according to a new study.

Testes Stem Cells Can Change Into Other Body Tissues Posted: 04 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Scientists have succeeded in isolating stem cells from human testes. The cells bear a striking resemblance to embryonic stem cells -- they can differentiate into each of the three main types of tissues of the body -- but the researchers caution against viewing them as one and the same.

Baby Jupiters Must Gain Weight Fast Posted: 04 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST The planet Jupiter gained weight in a hurry during its infancy. It had to, since the material from which it formed probably disappeared in just a few million years, according to a new study of planet formation around young stars.

Jupiter-like Planets Could Form Around Twin Suns Posted: 04 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Life on a planet ruled by two suns might be a little complicated. Two sunrises, two sunsets. Twice the radiation field. Astronomers suggest that planets may easily form around certain types of twin star systems. A disk of molecules discovered orbiting a pair of twin young suns in the constellation Sagittarius strongly suggests that many such binary systems also host planets.

Evolution In Action: Our Antibodies Take 'Evolutionary Leaps' To Fight Microbes Posted: 04 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST With cold and flu season in full swing, the fact that viruses and bacteria rapidly evolve is apparent with every sneeze, sniffle and cough. A new report explains for the first time how humans keep up with microbes by rearranging the genes that make antibodies to foreign invaders. This research fills a significant gap in the understanding of how the immune system helps us survive.

Breast Cancer Gene Linked To Disease Spread Discovered Posted: 04 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Researchers have identified a long-sought gene that is fatefully switched on in 30 to 40 percent of all breast cancer patients, spreading the disease, resisting traditional chemotherapies and eventually leading to death. In doing so, the scientists may have answered one of the biggest mysteries in cancer research.

Removing User Fees Does Not Improve Health Outcomes In Ghana Posted: 04 Jan 2009 09:00 PM PST Removing user fees for primary health care changed health utilization behavior but did not improve health outcomes among households with children under the age of five in Ghana, says a new study.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Latest Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ScienceDaily: Latest Science News in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610