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'Hobbit' Skull Study Finds Hobbit Is Not Human Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST In a an analysis of the size, shape and asymmetry of the cranium of Homo floresiensis, scientists conclude that the fossil, found in Indonesia in 2003 and known as the "Hobbit," is not human.

Immunotherapy Alleviates Hay Fever And Asthma In Children, Study Finds Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Taking one grass pollen tablet every day can alleviate hay fever and asthma in children, new research shows.

From Golf To Gulf, Drainage Industry Greens Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST A new idea being explored for cleaning drainage water originating on and off golf courses is to attach a filter cartridge to drainage pipe and retention pond outlets to filter out pollutants before they reach streams.

Anakinra For Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Modest Benefit With Some Risk, Study Suggests Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST New research supports a modest beneficial effect of anakinra for rheumatoid arthritis patients, but warns against potential risks for serious infections and its use with other biologic medications.

Stop Traffic Crashes: Switch On The Lights Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Street lighting provides a simple, low cost means of stemming the global epidemic of road traffic death and injury. Low income countries should consider installing more lights, and high income countries should think carefully before turning any off to reduce carbon emissions, is the advice from a new Cochrane Review.

Acupuncture Stops Headaches, But 'Faked' Treatments Work Almost As Well Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Headache sufferers can benefit from acupuncture, even though how and where acupuncture needles are inserted may not be important. Two separate systematic reviews by Cochrane Researchers show that acupuncture is an effective treatment for prevention of headaches and migraines. But the results also suggest that faked procedures, in which needles are incorrectly inserted, can be just as effective.

New Imaging Method Lets Scientists 'See' Cell Molecules More Clearly Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST Scientists have developed a unique new imaging tool. The new technique allows for imaging whole cells in liquid with a scanning transmission electron microscope.

Research Exposes Risk To Infants From Chemicals Used In Liquid Medicines Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST A team of medical scientists has published research which looks into the harmful substances in liquid medicines that premature babies are being exposed to. Their study revealed that the chemicals added to medicines to improve their taste, absorption and to prolong their shelf-life could be potentially harmful to very small babies.

Sailboat To Sail Autonomously Across The Atlantic Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST Eight mechanical engineering students have taken on something big: in the context of their focus project, they are designing a sailing boat to sail autonomously across the Atlantic.

Mutant Host Cell Protein Sequesters Critical HIV-1 Element Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST Scientists have identified a new way to inhibit a molecule that is critical for HIV pathogenesis. The research presents a target for development of antiretroviral therapeutics that are likely to complement existing therapies and provide additional protection from HIV and AIDS.

Power Emissions Limits To Save Most Carbon At Least Cost, Study Suggests Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST The least cost way to reduce power related carbon emissions in Europe would be to supplement the EU's Emissions Trading System with the introduction of Emissions Performance Standards for energy, according to a new study.

Girls Have The Edge In New Technologies, New Report Reveals Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST A new report has revealed that girls are more likely to have new technologies at home than boys and it is mothers rather than fathers who assist them.

Scientists Agree Human-induced Global Warming Is Real, Survey Says Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST A broad poll of experts taken by earth scientists finds that the vast majority of climatologists and other earth scientists believe in global warming and think human activity is a factor for the temperature rise. This survey dispels lingering doubts by some of a consensus among the scientists.

Potential Colon Cancer Biomarker Revealed Through Study Of Human Tissue Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists have identified a new biomarker that could help predict a person's risk of developing colon cancer and how aggressive it may become.

Special Nanotubes May Be Used As A Vehicle For Treating Neurodegenerative Disorders Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Electrical engineering researchers have demonstrated that magnetic nanotubes combined with nerve growth factor can enable specific cells to differentiate into neurons. The results from in vitro studies show that magnetic nanotubes may be exploited to treat neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease because they can be used as a delivery vehicle for nerve growth factor.

E. Coli Persists Against Antibiotics Through HipA-induced Dormancy Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Bacteria hunker down and survive antibiotic attack when a protein flips a chemical switch that throws them into a dormant state until treatment abates, researchers report in Science.

Scientists 'Write' With Atoms Using An Atomic Force Microscope Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists have discovered a new method to manipulate atoms. Using the atoms at the tip (that are chemically different to those at the surface) as "ink", it is possible to "write" or "draw" with the microscope.

Drugs For Children Are Not Safe Enough, German Analysis Finds Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Drugs are regularly prescribed to children in outpatient care that have not been licensed for children. German pharmacologists present the result of their health services analysis in the new edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.

First Americans Arrived As Two Separate Migrations, According To New Genetic Evidence Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST The first people to arrive in America traveled as at least two separate groups to arrive in their new home at about the same time, according to new genetic evidence.

New Step In DNA Damage Response In Neurons Discovered Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST Mutations in the ATM gene cause neurological problems combined with immune deficiency and radiation sensitivity in humans. ATM controls cells' response to DNA damage in several cell types. Cdk5, involved in several neurodegenerative diseases, is required to activate ATM.

Prenatal Exposure To Chemicals With Higher BMI In Toddlers Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST A new study reveals an association between prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants and elevated body mass index (BMI) during the first three years of life, as reported in Environmental Health Perspectives. The study also found associations between exposures to various pollutants and birth weight and length.

Rise In Antibiotic Resistant Pediatric Head And Neck Infections Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST There was a nationwide increase in the prevalence of pediatric methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus head and neck infections from January 2001 to December 2006, contributing to a growing concern in the medical community about an epidemic of community acquired antibiotic resistant infections.

New Tool Improves Reliability Of Climate Models Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST Scientists have created a new quantitative tool which reconstructs the sea surface temperature during the Last Glacial Maximum. Project MARGO offers more exhaustive data than that available at present and will serve to represent more exact models of the past and predict the climate's evolution in the future.

Medication May Provide Some Benefit For Older Adults With Anxiety Disorder Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST Preliminary research suggests that use of the drug escitalopram provided some improvement in symptoms for older adults with generalized anxiety disorder, although the overall benefits were diminished because of nonadherence to the drug by some patients, according to a new study.

New Findings On The Evolution Of Parasitism Posted: 20 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST Today, 150 years after Darwin's epochal "On the Origin of Species," many questions about the molecular basis of evolution are still waiting for answers. How are signaling pathways changed by genes and by the environment enabling the development of new species? Scientists are seeking answers by decoding the molecular basis of parasitism, using nematode worms.

Gene Associated With Reduced Mortality From Acute Lung Injury Posted: 20 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST Researchers have discovered a gene that is associated with improved survival among patients with acute lung injury. Acute lung injury (ALI) results in low oxygen levels in the blood, and fluid in the lungs. It is one of the most vexing problems for intensive care units, killing 40 percent of the 200,000 ALI patients in the US each year.

Satellites Help Locate Water In Niger Posted: 20 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST Like most sub-Saharan African countries, Niger faces problems meeting its water needs. As part of ESA's TIGER initiative, satellite data are being used to identify underground water resources in the drought-prone country.

New Analysis Estimates Numbers Of Older US Adults Who May Benefit From Statin Therapy Posted: 20 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST Researchers estimate more than 11 million older Americans may be newly eligible for statin therapy if findings from a recently published large clinical trial are adopted into clinical practice guidelines, according to a new analysis of the trial data.

Computer Program Alerts Doctors To The Risk Of Thrombosis Posted: 20 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST Doctors have developed an electronic alarm system that alerts doctors to the level of risk of thrombosis in hospitalized patients. The program, which performs a daily evaluation of each hospitalized patient, is a way to solve the problem of the lack of preventive treatment.

African-Americans Have Worse Prognosis At Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis Posted: 20 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST African-American patients with colorectal were more likely to present with worse pathological features at diagnosis and to have a worse five-year survival rate compared to Caucasian patients, according to a new study.

Rethinking The Genetic Theory Of Inheritance: Heritability May Not Be Limited To DNA Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST In the first study of its kind, scientists have detected evidence that DNA may not be the only carrier of heritable information; a secondary molecular mechanism called epigenetics may also account for some inherited traits and diseases. The epigenetic heritability may help explain currently unclear issues in human disease.

Low-carbohydrate Diet Burns More Excess Liver Fat Than Low-calorie Diet, Clinical Study Finds Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST People on low-carbohydrate diets are more dependent on the oxidation of fat in the liver for energy than those on a low-calorie diet, researchers have found in a small clinical study.

Discovery Could Help Scientists Stop 'Death Cascade' Of Neurons After A Stroke Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Distressed swimmers often panic, sapping the strength they need to keep their heads above water until help arrives. When desperate for oxygen, neurons behave in a similar way. They freak out, stupidly discharging energy until they drown in a sea of their own extruded salts. Every year, millions of victims of stroke or brain trauma suffer permanent brain damage because of this mad rush to oblivion that begins once a part of the brain is deprived of blood.

Greater Quadriceps Strength May Benefit Those With Knee Osteoarthritis Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Studies on the influence of quadriceps strength on knee osteoarthritis, one of the leading causes of disability among the elderly, have shown conflicting results.

Possible New Hope For Crops Battling Parasitic Infection Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Scientists have demonstrated how nematodes, also known as roundworms, manipulate the transport of the plant hormone auxin in order to force the plant to produce food for them. Their findings could open up new possibilities for the development of nematode-resistant plants.

Motor Skill Learning May Be Enhanced By Mild Brain Stimulation Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST People who received a mild electrical current to a motor control area of the brain were significantly better able to learn and perform a complex motor task than those in control groups. The findings could hold promise for enhancing rehabilitation for people with traumatic brain injury, stroke and other conditions.

Adaptation Plays Significant Role In Human Evolution Posted: 20 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST For years researchers have puzzled over whether adaptation plays a major role in human evolution or whether most changes are due to neutral, random selection of genes and traits. Geneticists now have laid this question to rest. Their results show adaptation-the process by which organisms change to better fit their environment-is indeed a large part of human genomic evolution.

Experimental Therapy Turns On Tumor Suppressor Gene In Cancer Cells Posted: 20 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST Researchers have found that the experimental drug they are testing to treat a deadly form of thyroid cancer turns on a powerful tumor suppressor capable of halting cell growth. Few other cancer drugs have this property, they say.

Bobsled Design: Hammerhead On The Test Bed Posted: 20 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST After nearly two years of development and production, the day had arrived: the "Citius" bobsleigh went into the wind tunnel. The tests exceeded expectations. Now the next hurdle must be cleared: the ice track.

Glitches In DNA Repair Genes Predict Prognosis In Pancreatic Cancer Posted: 20 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST Variations in mismatch repair genes can help predict treatment response and prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer, according to new research.

Temporal Relationships Established Within Archaeological Complexes Posted: 20 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST A researcher has developed a solution that makes it possible to establish the temporal relationships between artefacts within archaeological complexes. He has linked the lifestyle and behavior of the Neanderthals of the Mid Palaeolithic with archaeological remains deposited over the period. This is the best way of understanding the history of stones.

Reduced Breast Cancer Risk: Physical Activity After Menopause Pays Off Posted: 20 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST The breast cancer risk of women who are regularly physically active in the postmenopausal phase is reduced by about one third compared to relatively inactive women.

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