ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

New Family Of Antibacterial Agents Uncovered Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST As bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics continue to increase in number, scientists keep searching for new sources of drugs. Researchers have now found a potential new antibiotic agent in the tiny freshwater animal Hydra.

New Drug Holds Out Promise Of Normal Diet For Sufferers Of Devastating PKU Genetic Disease Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST A new pharmaceutical being developed is offering sufferers of the genetic disease phenylketonuria the hope of being able to eat a normal, protein-rich diet.

Huge Population Of Endangered Asian Elephants Living In Malaysian Park Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST New data released by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Malaysia's Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) reveals that a population of endangered Asian elephants living in a Malaysian park may be the largest in Southeast Asia.

Probiotics May Prevent Certain Allergies In Cesarean-delivered Children But Not In All Children Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST According to a recent study, no allergy-preventive effect is extended to age 5 years by perinatal supplementation with probiotics in babies at risk for developing allergies; protection is conferred only to Cesarean section babies.

Study Refutes Notion That Eating A Certain Cereal Will Result In More Male Babies Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Could eating cereal really make it more likely for someone to have a boy baby than a girl baby? Not according to a new statistical analysis that refutes earlier findings.

Birth Control Pill: Oral Contraceptive Use May Be Safe, But Information Gaps Remain Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Oral contraceptives have been used by about 80 percent of women in the United States at some point in their lives. For women without pre-existing risks for heart disease, the early formulations were generally safe and the newer ones appear to be even safer, but all the risks and benefits are yet to be established, according to specialists in women's heart disease.

Easy Assembly Of Electronic Biological Chips Posted: 17 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST A handheld, ultra-portable device that can recognize and immediately report on a wide variety of environmental or medical compounds may eventually be possible, using a method that incorporates a mixture of biologically tagged nanowires onto integrated circuit chips, according to researchers.

Smoking During Pregnancy May Impair Thyroid Function Of Mom And Fetus Posted: 17 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is associated with potentially harmful changes in both maternal and fetal thyroid function, according to a new study.

'Two-faced' Bioacids Put A New Face On Carbon Nanotube Self-assembly Posted: 17 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated an inexpensive way to induce carbon nanotubes to "self-assemble" in long, regular strands, a useful technique for studying nanotube properties and potentially a new way to assemble nanotube-based devices.

Diabetes Associated With Different Types Of Brain Injury In Patients With Dementia Posted: 17 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Patients with dementia and diabetes appear to display a different pattern of injuries in their brains than patients with dementia but without diabetes, according to a new study.

Intestinal Lymphatic Tissue Important For The Absorption And Spread Of The Scrapie Prion Posted: 17 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Scrapie is a transmissible, degenerative and ultimately fatal disease of the nervous system of sheep. The cause of the disease is a prion protein, and absorption from the intestine is assumed to be the natural route of infection. Lymphatic tissue associated with the intestine is important for the early accumulation of prion protein and its subsequent spread to the central nervous system.

High Live Birth Rates Following In Vitro Fertilization Posted: 17 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST When deciding whether or not to pursue IVF treatment, the obvious question of most patients is, "What is the chance that this therapy will result in a baby?" They now have an answer.

DNA Testing May Unlock Secrets Of Medieval Manuscripts Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Scholars have long struggled with questions about when and where the majority of the thousands of painstakingly handwritten books produced in medieval Europe originated. Now a researcher is using modern advances in genetics to develop techniques that will shed light on the origins of these important cultural artifacts.

Key Developmental Mechanisms Of The Amygdala Identified Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST For the first time, scientists have successfully identified a key developmental program for the amygdala -- the part of the limbic system that impacts how the brain creates emotional memories and responses. This knowledge could help scientists to better understand autism and similar disorders in which altered function of this region is known to occur.

New Hope For Diabetes Patients? Signal Pathway Found That May Be Involved In Type 2 Diabetes Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Researchers have identified a signal pathway that could be involved in the occurrence of Type 2 diabetes. If it is deactivated, it may be possible to delay the illness by many years.

Relapses More Frequent In Patients Diagnosed With Pediatric-onset Multiple Sclerosis Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Patients who develop multiple sclerosis before age 18 appear to experience more relapses of symptoms than those diagnosed with the disease as adults, according to a new report.

How The Sensory Organs Of Bacteria Function Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Bacteria can occur almost anywhere on earth and exist under the most varying conditions. If these tiny, microscopic organisms are to survive in these environments, they need to be able to rapidly detect changes in their surroundings and react to them.

Huge Rise In Male Mortality Coincided With Move From Communism To Capitalism Posted: 17 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Countries seeking to make massive changes in the way their economies are run, for example by privatizing formerly state-run sectors, must take into account the potential impact of such changes on people's health, experts warn.

Arctic Heats Up More Than Other Places: High Sea Level Rise Predicted Posted: 16 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Temperature change in the Arctic is happening at a greater rate than other places in the Northern Hemisphere, and this is expected to continue. As a result, glacier and ice-sheet melting, sea-ice retreat, coastal erosion and sea level rise can be expected. A new comprehensive scientific synthesis of past Arctic climates demonstrates for the first time the pervasive nature of Arctic climate amplification.

Cause Of Cartilage Degeneration In Osteoarthritis Discovered Posted: 16 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Scientists have found an important link between a protein that declines with age and the development of osteoarthritis, the most common disease of aging affecting nearly 27 million Americans. The finding opens the door to developing effective new treatments for osteoarthritis. Currently, no treatment for this degenerative disease exists apart from palliative drugs for pain and inflammation.

Hubble Snaps Images Of A Nebula Within A Cluster Posted: 16 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST The unique planetary nebula NGC 2818 is nested inside the open star cluster NGC 2818A. Both the cluster and the nebula reside over 10,000 light-years away, in the southern constellation Pyxis (the Compass). NGC 2818 is one of very few planetary nebulae in our galaxy located within an open cluster. Open clusters, in general, are loosely bound and they disperse over hundreds of millions of years.

Chemotherapy Most Effective At Time Of Day When Particular Enzyme At Lowest Level Posted: 16 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST A new study has suggested that treatment is most effective at certain times of day because that is when a particular enzyme system -- one that can reverse the actions of chemotherapeutic drugs -- is at its lowest levels in the body.

When It Comes To Sleep Research, Fruit Flies And People Make Unlikely Bedfellows Posted: 16 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST You may never hear fruit flies snore, but rest assured that when you're asleep, they are too. Scientists have shown that sleep/wake cycles of fruit flies and vertebrates are regulated by some of the same "cellular machinery" as humans. This is significant because the sleep-regulating enzyme that was analyzed is one of only a few possible drug targets for circadian problems.

Brain Mechanisms Of Social Conformity Posted: 16 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST New research reveals the brain activity that underlies our tendency to "follow the crowd." The study provides intriguing insight into how human behavior can be guided by the perceived behavior of other individuals.

Fantastic Voyage: Medical 'Mini-submarine' Invented To Blast Diseased Cells In The Body Posted: 16 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST Scientists developed a medical "mini-submarine" to blast diseased cells in the body. The blueprints for the submarine and a map of its proposed maiden voyage were developed earlier this year. Now the scientists will build and test-run the actual "machine" in human bodies.

Alzheimer's Therapeutic Target? DREAM gene Regulates Pain, Learning And Memory Posted: 16 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST The DREAM gene, which is crucial in regulating pain perception, also seems to influence learning and memory. The new findings could help explain the mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease and yield a potential new therapeutic target.

NASA Tests Engine Technology For Landing Astronauts On The Moon Posted: 16 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST A technology development engine that may help NASA safely return astronauts to the lunar surface has successfully completed its third round of testing. The goal of these tests is to reduce risk and advance technology for a reliable and robust rocket engine that could enable America's next moon landing.

Link Between Two Aging Pathways In Mice Uncovered Posted: 16 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST Two previously identified pathways associated with aging in mice are connected, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding reinforces what researchers have recently begun to suspect: The age-related degeneration of tissues, organs and facial skin is an active, deliberate process rather than a gradual failure of tired cells.

Better MRI Scans Of Cancers Now Possible Posted: 16 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST Researchers have developed a substance that enables doctors to get better MRI scans of tumors. The medical profession's ability to trace and visualize tumors is increasing all the time. Detection and imaging techniques have improved enormously in recent years. One of the techniques that have come on by leaps and bounds is MRI. Patients who are going to have MRI scans are often injected with a 'contrast agent', which makes it easier to distinguish tumors from surrounding tissues.

Video Game Players Love The Game, Not The Gore Posted: 16 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST The next time a loved one brandishes a virtual shotgun in their favorite video game, take heart. That look of glee, says a new study, likely stems from the healthy pleasure of mastering a challenge rather than from a disturbing craving for carnage. A new psychology study shows that violence does not motivate video game players.

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