ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Sophisticated Nano-structures Assembled With Magnets Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST What do Saturn and flowers have in common? As shapes, both possess certain symmetries that are easily recognizable in the natural world. Now, at an extremely small level, researchers have created a unique set of conditions in which tiny particles within a solution will consistently assemble themselves into these and other complex shapes.

Newly Discovered Gene Could Be A Prime Target In The Most Lethal Brain Cancer Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST Scientists have discovered mutations in two genes that could become therapeutic targets in malignant glioma, a dangerous class of brain tumors.

Diamond-like Films Help In Study Of Solar Winds Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST Diamond-like carbon films are helping probe the far boundaries of the solar system as part of a NASA mission to study how the sun's solar wind interacts with the interstellar medium -- the matter that exists between the stars within a galaxy.

Commonly Available Drug Found To Treat Opioid Addiction Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST Scientists have discovered that a commonly available non-addictive drug can prevent symptoms of withdrawal from opioids with little likelihood of serious side effects.

Permafrost Is Thawing In Northern Sweden Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST Areas with lowland permafrost are likely to shrink in northern Sweden. Warmer summers and more winter precipitation are two of the reasons.

Science Suggests Access To Nature Is Essential To Human Health Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST Considerable research supports the idea that nature is essential to the physical, psychological and social well-being of the human animal.

Vast Cache Of Ice-age Fossils Uncovered At La Brea Tar Pits In Los Angeles Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles has announced an endeavor of discovery and research so enormous that it could potentially rewrite the scientific account of the world-famous La Brea Tar Pits and their surrounding area -- one of the richest sources of life in the last Ice Age, approximately 40,000 to 10,000 years ago.

Could Genetics Improve Warfarin Dosing? New Research Says Yes -- Now For The Clinical Trial Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST A world wide team of researchers addressed one of the trickiest drugs to prescribe -- the blood-thinner warfarin. Each patient's optimal dose varies widely, is hard to predict, and is crucial for his or her safety. Using data from thousands of genetically and geographically diverse patients, the international team developed a gene-based dosing strategy that could work for a broad range of patients. To test the concept in patients, NIH is launching a large-scale clinical trial.

Plants Take A Hike As Temperatures Rise Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST Plants are flowering at higher elevations along trails in Arizona's Santa Catalina Mountains, according to new research. Individual plant species respond differently to a warming climate. An analysis of 20 years of data collected by an avid local hiker and naturalist shows that 93 species of plants have shifted their flowering ranges uphill to find the right conditions for flowering.

New 'Light' On Fascinating Rhythms Of Circadian Clock Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST Scientists shed new light on circadian timing systems and focuses on a key gene that seems to regulate the response of the circadian clock to light signals.

New Monitoring Stations Detect 'Silent Earthquakes' In Costa Rica Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST After installing an extensive network of monitoring stations in Costa Rica, researchers have detected slow slip events (also known as "silent earthquakes") along a major fault zone beneath the Nicoya Peninsula. These findings are helping scientists understand the full spectrum of motions occurring on the fault and may yield new insights into the events that lead to major earthquakes.

The Liberating Effects Of Losing Control Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST Self-control is one of our most cherished values. But is it possible that willpower can sometimes be an obstacle rather than a means to happiness and harmony? A new study reveals that the volunteers lacking discipline and self-control found talking about race with a black interviewer much more enjoyable than did those with their self-control intact, presumably because they weren't working so hard at monitoring and curbing what they said.

New Recipe For Dwarf Galaxies: Start With Leftover Gas Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST There is more than one way to make a dwarf galaxy, and NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has found a new recipe. The spacecraft has, for the first time, identified dwarf galaxies forming out of nothing more than pristine gas likely leftover from the early universe. Dwarf galaxies are relatively small collections of stars that often orbit around larger galaxies like our Milky Way.

New Genomic Markers Associated With Risk Of Heart Disease And Early Heart Attack Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST Researchers have for the first time identified clusters of genetic markers associated with heart attack and coronary heart disease. In the largest ever study of its kind, the Myocardial Infarction Genetics Consortium identified nine precise genes associated with an increased risk of infarction (MI), three of them newly discovered; the investigators said that these nine gene variants "identify 20% of the population at 2.25-fold increased risk for MI."

Potential Health Risks Associated With Stressed Foodstuffs Such As Foie Gras Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST Harmful proteins fragments known as amyloid fibrils associated with damage to brain cells in Alzheimer's disease and to pancreatic cells in Type II diabetes can be present in the meat of poultry and mammals. These amyloids are not destroyed even with high-temperature cooking process.

Novel Economical Blood Test For Hepatitis C Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST A novel blood test could bring a breakthrough in the battle against the dangerous hepatitis-C virus. This procedure offers a considerably cheaper alternative to the normal commercial tests, whilst maintaining equal sensitivity. So now, for the first time, poorer countries will also have the opportunity to monitor their entire blood banks for the hepatitis C virus using optimum methods.

Self-regulating Molecular 'Transformers' Control Intracellular Protein Delivery Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists have uncovered the Transformer-like properties of molecules responsible for carrying and depositing proteins to their correct locations within cells. The research could eventually lead to novel treatments for diseases that result from flaws in protein delivery as well as the development of new types of antibiotics.

I Totally Empathize With You ... Sometimes: Effects Of Empathy On Ethnic Group Interactions Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST A new study reveals that empathy for minority groups has a much less positive effect when it is triggered in the context of an actual intergroup interaction situation than it does when directed toward minority group members in the abstract. The researchers surmise that empathy has a negative effect during interactions with members of the minority group because the empathetic individuals become preoccupied with how they will be viewed by that minority group.

One-fifth Of Fossil-fuel Emissions Absorbed By Threatened Forests Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST Scientists have discovered that rainforest trees are getting bigger. They are storing more carbon from the atmosphere in their trunks, which has significantly reduced the rate of climate change.

Autism: Fluoxetine Not Effective In Reducing Repetitive Behaviors, Study Shows Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST Autism Speaks reported initial results for the first industry-sponsored Autism Clinical Trials Network study, the Study of Fluoxetine in Autism which showed that fluoxetine was not effective for reducing repetitive behaviors in children and adolescents with autistic disorder as compared to placebo. The study of 158 patients (ages 5 -- 17) was carried out in 19 CTN sites.

Diverse 'Connectomes' Hint At Genes' Limits In Nervous System Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST Genetics may play a surprisingly small role in determining the precise wiring of the mammalian nervous system, according to painstaking mapping of every neuron projecting to a small muscle mice use to move their ears. These first-ever mammalian "connectomes," or complete neural circuit diagrams, reveal that neural wiring can vary widely even in paired tissues on the left and right sides of the same animal.

Immunosuppressant Medication May Be Cost-effective For Dry Eye Syndrome Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST A topical eye emulsion consisting of cyclosporine (a medication used to reduce transplant rejections or to treat arthritis and psoriasis) may be a cost-effective treatment for dry eye syndrome that does not respond to other therapies, according to a new report.

Including Native Perennials In Biofuel Crops Could Keep Watersheds Healthy Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST Field work and computer simulations in Michigan and Wisconsin are helping biofuels researchers understand the basics of getting home-grown energy from the field to consumers. Preliminary results suggest that incorporating native, perennial plants during biofuels production reduces emissions of greenhouse gases, improves water quality and enhances biodiversity. The results are part of an experimental effort to make biofuels economically and environmentally sustainable.

'Suicide By Cop' Phenomenon Occurring In Over A Third Of North American Shootings Involving Police Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST "Suicide by cop" is a suicide method in which a person engages in actual or apparent danger to others in an attempt to get oneself killed or injured by law enforcement. A new study in the Journal of Forensic Sciences examined the prevalence of this phenomenon among a large sample of officer-involved shootings.

Unique Details Of Double Star In Orion Nebula And Star T Leporis Captured By 'Virtual' Telescope Posted: 18 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST A team of French astronomers has captured one of the sharpest color images ever made. They observed the star T Leporis, which appears, on the sky, as small as a two-storey house on the moon. The image was taken with ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI), emulating a virtual telescope about 100 m across and reveals a spherical molecular shell around an aged star.

Blood Pressure Compound May Benefit Brain Tumor Patients Posted: 18 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST A widely used blood pressure medication may be the key to preventing brain function loss common after radiation treatment, according to a newly published study. The findings offer the hope of an improved quality of life for cancer patients.

Bus Left You Waiting In The Cold? Use Your Cell Phone To Track It Down Posted: 18 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST Two graduate students have created a free tool that lets Seattle bus-riders use a cell phone, iPhone or computer to see whether their bus is running late.

Study Examines Effects Of Exercise On Quality Of Life In Postmenopausal Women Posted: 18 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST Exercise appears to improve quality of life in postmenopausal women regardless of whether they lose weight, according to a new report.

Towards A New Generation Of Materials Posted: 18 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST Scientists have developed a mechanical method to generate and stabilize at room temperature and atmospheric pressure crystalline phases of metals that until now have only been stable at very high pressures.

Accelerating Urbanization Presents Daunting Engineering Challenge Posted: 18 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST Ensuring the world's fast-growing urban regions function efficiently in the future will demand a much more complex public infrastructure than anything yet designed. Engineers are facing challenges of not only dealing with information, communication and public-utility systems that are themselves becoming more complicated, but must develop the technological advances necessary to effectively interconnect and control these systems on larger scales than anything achieved to date.

Forget The Antioxidants? Researchers Cast Doubt On Role Of Free Radicals In Aging Posted: 18 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST For more than 40 years, the prevailing explanation of why we get old has been tied to what is called oxidative stress. This theory postulates that when molecules like free radicals, oxygen ions and peroxides build up in cells, they overwhelm the cells' ability to repair the damage they cause, and the cells age. Now researchers are calling the entire oxidative stress theory into question. Some organisms live longer when their ability to rid themselves of free radicals is partially disabled.

Obesity During Pregnancy Associated With Increased Risk Of Birth Defects Posted: 18 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST For women who are obese during pregnancy, there is an associated increased risk of certain birth defects, such as spina bifida and neural tube defects, although the absolute increase in risk is likely to be small, according to an analysis of previous studies.

Dry Beans Inhibit Development Of Mammary Cancer Posted: 18 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST With increasing interest in the ways certain food can reduce people's risks for contracting chronic diseases, a new study demonstrates the benefits of dry beans in reducing the risk of contracting mammary cancer, due to their levels of antioxidants and other cancer reducing contents.

Oncostatin M May Be Promising Drug For Treating Viral Hepatitis And Liver Cancer Posted: 18 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST Medical researchers have identified a molecule as possibly effective for improving the treatment of chronic hepatitis and liver cancer.

Clinicians Override Most Electronic Medication Safety Alerts Posted: 18 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST A new study reveals that clinicians using electronic prescribing often override the alerts and rely instead on their own judgment. The study suggests that most clinicians find the current medication alerts more of an annoyance than a valuable tool. The authors conclude that if electronic prescribing is to effectively enhance patient safety, significant improvements are necessary.

Top Soccer Players Dissatisfied With Physique Posted: 18 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST Researchers have analyzed the professional soccer players' perception of and satisfaction with their bodies. The results indicate that, contrary to popular belief, soccer players would like to have a greater amount of body fat to attain a look similar to that of people who do not play sports professionally.

Cancer-causing Toxins Linked To Unexploded Munitions In Oceans Posted: 18 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST During a research trip to Puerto Rico, an ecologist took samples from underwater nuclear bomb target USS Killen, expecting to find evidence of radioactive matter -- instead he found a link to cancer. Data revealed that the closer corals and marine life were to unexploded bombs from the World War II vessel and the surrounding target range, the higher the rates of carcinogenic materials.

Mutation That Causes Inflammatory Bowel Disease Identified Posted: 18 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Scientists have linked a mouse mutation to an increased susceptibility for developing inflammatory bowel disease -- represented in humans as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, which together are estimated to affect more than a million people in the United States. The findings may one day lead to new and better treatments for the disease.

Body's Defenses May Worsen Chronic Lung Diseases In Smokers Posted: 18 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Although the immune system is designed to protect the body from harm, it may actually worsen one of the most difficult-to-treat respiratory diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, according to new University of Cincinnati research.

A New Gene Silencing Platform -- Silence Is Golden Posted: 18 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Researchers have developed a novel gene silencing platform with very significant improvements over existing RNAi approaches. This may enable the development and discovery of a new class of drugs to treat a wide array of diseases. Critical to the technology is the approach this team took to specifically target RNA biosynthesis.

Super Solar Cells? Certain Nanocrystals Shown To Generate More Than One Electron Posted: 18 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Scientists have shown that carrier multiplication -- when a photon creates multiple electrons -- is a real phenomenon in tiny semiconductor crystals and not a false observation born of extraneous effects that mimic carrier multiplication. The research shows the possibility of solar cells that create more than one unit of energy per photon.

Smoking Kills, Irrespective Of Social Class And Gender Posted: 18 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST A well-off professional who smokes has a much lower survival rate than a non-smoking low-paid worker of the same sex, concludes new research.

Easter Island’s Controversial Collapse: More To The Story Than Deforestation? Posted: 18 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has gained recognition in recent years due in part to a book that used it as a model for societal collapse from bad environmental practices --- ringing alarm bells for those concerned about the health of the planet today. But that's not the whole story, according to an archaeologist who has studied the island --- famous for its massive stone statues --- with a Rapa Nui scientist for nearly 20 years.

Can Exercising Your Brain Prevent Memory Loss? Posted: 18 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Participating in certain mental activities, like reading magazines or crafting in middle age or later in life, may delay or prevent memory loss, according to a new study.

'Middle Class' Coral Reef Fish Feel The Economic Squeeze Posted: 18 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST The economy isn't just squeezing the middle class on land, it's also affecting fish. Overfishing on coral reefs isn't simply caused by too many people. Rather, researchers found that the biomass of fish found on coral reefs in the western Indian Ocean depended mostly on the complexity of the reefs themselves and the socioeconomic status of the people living on the shores.

Stroke Therapy Window Might Be Extended Past Nine Hours For Some Posted: 18 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Some patients who suffer a stroke as a result of a blockage in an artery in the brain may benefit from a clot-busting drug nine or more hours after the onset of symptoms.

Engineer Develops Method To Combat Congenital Heart Disease In Children Posted: 18 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Mechanical and aerospace engineers have developed a unique set of computer modeling tools that are expected to enhance pediatric surgeons' ability to perform heart surgery on children.

Anti-social Behavior In Girls Predicts Adolescent Depression Seven Years Later Posted: 18 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Social scientists tracked first- and second-graders for seven years and found that anti-social behavior among girls and anxiety among both sexes predicted depression in early adolescence. Surprisingly, early signs of depression were not predictive of adolescent depression.

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