ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

NASA's Kepler Mission To Seek Other Earths Posted: 20 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST NASA's Kepler spacecraft is ready to be moved to the launch pad and will soon begin a journey to search for worlds that could potentially host life. It is the first mission with the ability to find planets like Earth -- rocky planets that orbit sun-like stars in a warm zone where liquid water could be maintained on the surface. Liquid water is believed to be essential for the formation of life.

Injections Of Licorice Ingredient Show Promise As Treatment For Cocaine Addiction Posted: 20 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST An ingredient in licorice shows promise as an antidote for the toxic effects of cocaine abuse, including deadly overdoses of the highly addictive drug, researchers are reporting.

Indoor Plants Can Reduce Formaldehyde Levels Posted: 20 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST The toxic gas formaldehyde is contained in building materials including carpeting, curtains, plywood, and adhesives. As it is emitted from these sources, it deteriorates the air quality, which can lead to "multiple chemical sensitivity" and "sick building syndrome," medical conditions with symptoms such as allergies, asthma and headaches. The prevalence of formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds is greater in new construction. Researchers are studying the ability of plants to reduce formaldehyde levels in the air.

Genetics Research Sheds Light On Evolution Of The Human Diet Posted: 20 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST Diet -- and how it has shaped our genome -- occupies much of an evolutionary scientist's time. Scientist hav explored how diet holds keys to understanding who we are, how we live and form societies, and how we evolved from hunter-gatherers to agriculturists, all the way to modern urban dwellers.

Water Vapor Feedback Loop Will Cause Accelerated Global Warming, Professor Warns Posted: 20 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST Here's yet another reason to hate humidity: it expands global warming, says a professor of Atmospheric Sciences writing in the journal Science. He says that warming due to increases in greenhouse gases will lead to higher humidity in the atmosphere. And because water vapor itself is a greenhouse gas, this will cause additional warming.

Will Online Shopping Look Something Like Second Life In The Future? Posted: 20 Feb 2009 11:00 AM PST For all of the conveniences of online shopping -- no crowds, easy parking, seemingly endless choices -- it can't always compete with the real thing. At least not yet. A marketing professor said consumers can expect that some of the disadvantages of online shopping will disappear as retailers adapt models from Second Life.

Fruit Flies Sick From Mating Posted: 20 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST Mating can be exhausting. When fruit flies mate, the females' genes are activated to roughly the same extent as when an immune reaction starts. Using a combination of behavioral studies and genomic technology, researchers in Sweden can show how fruit fly females are affected by mating.

Soybean Product Fights Abnormal Protein Involved In Alzheimer’s Disease Posted: 20 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST A vegan food renowned in Asia for its ability to protect against heart attacks also shows a powerful ability in lab experiments to prevent formation of the clumps of tangled protein involved in Alzheimer's disease, scientists are reporting.

Shark Attacks Decline Worldwide In Midst Of Economic Recession Posted: 20 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST The recession may be responsible for a slump of a different sort: an unexpected dive in shark attacks, says a University of Florida researcher.

Chewing Gum Helps Treat Hyperphosphatemia In Kidney Disease Patients Posted: 20 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST Chewing gum made with a phosphate-binding ingredient can help treat high phosphate levels in dialysis patients with chronic kidney disease, according to a new study. The results suggest that this simple measure could maintain proper phosphate levels and help prevent cardiovascular disease in these patients.

Orbiting Carbon Observatory Aims To Boost Carbon Management Options Posted: 20 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST As the concentration of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere continues to rise, so also does public awareness, as well as efforts to find solutions to this global problem. Increasing concentrations of this potent greenhouse gas threaten to alter Earth's climate in ways that will have profound impacts on the welfare and productivity of society and Earth's ecosystems.

Are There Positive Aspects To Binge-drinking? Researchers Ask The British Posted: 20 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST Are there positive aspects to the British taste for binge drinking? And are health experts and policy makers too quick to condemn what is a key part of British cultural life? These controversial issues are raised by a Dutch-born academic in an article in the Journal of Health Psychology.

Coastal Wetlands In Eastern U.S. Disappearing Posted: 20 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST While the nation as a whole gained freshwater wetlands from 1998 to 2004, a new report documents a continuing loss of coastal wetlands in the eastern United States.

High-fat Diets Inflame Fat Tissue Around Blood Vessels, Contribute To Heart Disease Posted: 20 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST A new study shows that high-fat diets, even if consumed for a short amount of time, can inflame fat tissue surrounding blood vessels, possibly contributing to cardiovascular disease.

Dendritic Cells As New Player In Arteries And Heart Valves Posted: 20 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST In 1973, Ralph M. Steinman launched a new scientific discipline when he published his discovery of the dendritic cell, an odd-shaped player in the immune system. Since then, dendritic cells have proved to be critical sentinels on the lookout for foreign invaders, involved in early immune responses such as graft rejection, resistance to tumors and autoimmune diseases. Now it appears they need to be considered in research on arterial and heart function, too, according to new research in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Gene Mutation Increases Drug Toxicity, Rejection Risk In Pediatric Kidney Transplants Posted: 20 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST Screening for mutations in a gene that helps the body metabolize a kidney transplant anti-rejection drug may predict which children are at higher risk for side effects, including compromised white blood cell count or organ rejection, according to new research. This genetic approach could also help physicians tailor personalized anti-rejection drug doses to prevent adverse reactions, according to researchers.

Two-step Chemical Process Turns Raw Biomass Into Biofuel Posted: 20 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST Taking a chemical approach, researchers have developed a two-step method to convert the cellulose in raw biomass into a promising biofuel. The process is unprecedented in its use of untreated, inedible biomass as the starting material.

Collective Religious Rituals, Not Religious Devotion, Spur Support For Suicide Attacks Posted: 20 Feb 2009 05:00 AM PST While the relationship between religion and popular support for suicide attacks is a topic of frequent conjecture, scientific study of the relationship is rare. A new study in Psychological Science has found that the relationship between religion and support suicide attacks is real but is unrelated to devotion to particular religious beliefs or religious belief in general. Instead, collective religious ritual appears to facilitate parochial altruism in general and support for suicide attacks in particular.

Oil In Ocean Shows Up On NASA Images: Half Of The Oil In The Ocean Bubbles Up Naturally From Seafloor Posted: 20 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST About half of the oil in the ocean bubbles up naturally from the seafloor, with Earth giving it up freely like it was of no value. Likewise, NASA satellites collect thousands of images and 1.5 terabytes of data every year, but some of it gets passed over because no one thinks there is a use for it.

Meningitis Bacteria Dress Up As Human Cells To Evade Our Immune System Posted: 20 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST The way in which bacteria that cause bacterial meningitis mimic human cells to evade the body's innate immune system has been revealed. The study could lead to the development of new vaccines that give better protection against meningitis B, the strain which accounts for the vast majority of cases of the disease in the UK.

Roles Of DNA Packaging Protein Revealed Posted: 20 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST Scientists have found that a class of chromatin proteins is crucial for maintaining the structure and function of chromosomes and the normal development of eukaryotic organisms.

Key Cellular Factor That Regulates Length Of Actin Filaments Identified Posted: 20 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST Researchers have raised the curtain on how actin maintains just the right filament length to keep the cell healthy and happily dividing.

Hidden Phosphorus Food Additives Dangerous To Kidney Disease Patients Posted: 20 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST Advanced kidney disease patients have a list of foods they know to avoid because they naturally contain a high level of the mineral phosphorus, which is difficult for their compromised kidneys to expel. But researchers have discovered that a great deal of processed and fast food actually contains phosphorus additives which can be just as dangerous for these patients.

Having A Parent With Dementia May Affect Memory In Midlife Posted: 20 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST People who have parents diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or dementia perform less well on formal memory testing when compared to people of the same age whose parents never developed Alzheimer's disease or other dementia. This is true even in middle-aged persons who do not have a diagnosis of clinical stroke or dementia, according to a new study.

New Imaging Technique Reveals Atomic Structure Of Nanocrystals Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST A new imaging technique overcomes the limit of diffraction and can reveal the atomic structure of a single nanocrystal with a resolution of less than one angstrom (less than one hundredth-millionth of a centimeter).

Protein Domain Linked To Tumor Progression Isolated Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST When a promising cancer drug reached clinical trials in the 1990s, researchers were disappointed by the debilitating side effects that limited the trials. The drug inhibited a family of enzymes known as matrix metalloproteinases. Now, researchers have shown that creating drugs that inactivate a different part of the MMP enzyme could have the capacity to target the tumor without the damaging side effects. Their findings hold promise for improved cancer therapies.

Detecting Disease In Greenhouse Plants Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST Greenhouses are an integral part of US agriculture. Nearly $200 million of food is produced in domestic greenhouses each year. Researchers have been examining the stresses of a variety of greenhouse plants using color infrared photography.

Young Adult Stroke Patients May Be Misdiagnosed In ER Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST Stroke patients under age 50 may be misdiagnosed in the emergency rooms -- missing out on important time-sensitive treatment. Some are misdiagnosed with vertigo, migraine or alcohol intoxication. Researchers said people under 50 with "seemingly trivial" symptoms such as vertigo and nausea should be assessed meticulously by emergency room staff.

Device Aims To Decrease Wait Period For Patients Needing Immunotherapy Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST Researchers have created a device that significantly decreases the time needed to produce genetically manipulated T cells in preclinical tests for leukemia.

Cancer Death Rates Dropping Among African Americans But Survival Rates Still Low Posted: 19 Feb 2009 11:00 PM PST While death rates from cancer continue to drop among African Americans, the group continues to be diagnosed at more advanced stages and have lower survival rates at each stage of diagnosis compared to whites for most cancer sites.

Rapid Burst Of Flowering Plants Set Stage For Other Species Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST A new study based on DNA analysis from living flowering plants shows that the ancestors of most modern trees diversified extremely rapidly 90 million years ago, ultimately leading to the formation of forests that supported similar evolutionary bursts in animals and other plants.

Weight Loss Improves Fatty Liver Disease, Researchers Find Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST Recent study findings will allow doctors to give patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, specific weight loss goals that are likely to improve their health.

NASA Study Predicted Outbreak Of Deadly Virus Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST An early warning system, more than a decade in development, successfully predicted the 2006-2007 outbreak of the deadly Rift Valley fever in northeast Africa, according to a new study led by NASA scientists.

Systolic And Diastolic Blood Pressures Together More Useful For Predicting Cardiovascular Risk Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST Individuals with diastolic blood pressure under 70 mm Hg coupled with an elevated systolic blood pressure may have a greater risk of heart attack and stroke than indicated by the systolic blood pressure values alone, according to a new study.

Download, Install And Drive – The Future Of Automotive Software Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST Computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices regularly download software updates to keep obsolescence at bay. That's not the norm for cars. But that could change thanks to an automotive software architecture developed by European researchers to keep vehicles up to date with the latest technology.

Reading: Yours, Mine, Ours: When You And I Share Perspectives Posted: 19 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST While reading a novel, why do we imagine scenes differently -- when do we view the action from an outsider's perspective and when do we place ourselves in the main character's shoes? The results of a new study, reported in Psychological Science, indicate that we use different perspectives, depending on which pronouns are used.

Planet Earth: Avoiding The Hothouse And The Icehouse Of The Future Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST By controlling emissions of fossil fuels we may be able to greatly delay the start of the next ice age, new research concludes. From an Earth history perspective, we are living in cold times. The greatest climate challenge mankind has faced has been surviving ice ages that have dominated climate during the past million years.

Blocking Protein Leads To Fewer, Smaller Skin Cancer Tumors Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST New research suggests that blocking the activity of a protein in the blood could offer powerful protection against some skin cancers. In the study, normal mice and mice that had a genetically engineered protein deficiency were exposed to almost a year of ultraviolet light that mimics chronic sun exposure.

NASA Spacecraft Falling For Mars Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST The gravity of Mars will change the Dawn spacecraft's path about the sun, helping send the probe toward its 2011 encounter with the asteroid Vesta.

Human Papillomavirus Lesion Identified At The Dentist Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Oral HPV can be detected using a very familiar, conventional device that patients may already experience in your mouth during routine procedures. This device is the VELscope. It's the wand that emits a bright, indigo blue light. If you've ever had a cavity, your dentist may have used the VELscope to set/harden the material used to fill the cavity.

Robotic Therapy May Reduce Stroke Physical Disability Years Later Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Robotic therapy improved physical disability caused by stroke, even years after the stroke. All patients experienced improvement. The greater the disability when therapy began, the less improvement patients achieved.

Recreational Genomics: Will That Be A Paternity Or Cancer Test Today? Posted: 19 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Commercial genetic tests, which can verify risks of cancer risks to paternity, have become commonplace in the Western societies. Yet these tests provide little information and raise a lot more questions, according ton one bioethics expert.

Huge Pressures Melt Diamonds On Planet Neptune Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST The enormous pressures needed to melt diamond to slush and then to a completely liquid state have been determined 10 times more accurately than ever before. It may not immediately obvious why accelerating a projectile about the size of a stick of gum to 25 times the speed of a rifle bullet and smashing it into a target in central New Mexico would say anything about nuclear fusion or the state of diamonds on Neptune.

Estrogen Found To Increase Growth Of The Most Common Childhood Brain Tumor Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Researchers have discovered that estrogen receptors are present in medulloblastoma -- the most common type of pediatric brain tumor -- leading them to believe that anti-estrogen drug treatments may be beneficial in limiting tumor progression and improving patients' overall outcome.

Mars Spirit Rover Gets Energy Boost From Cleaner Solar Panels Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST A small but important uptick in electrical output from the solar panels on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit this month indicates a beneficial Martian wind has blown away some of the dust that has accumulated on the panels.

Inhibiting Proteins May Prevent Cartilage Breakdown In Arthritis Patients Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Researchers hope to find new therapeutic targets for arthritis by studying the interaction between two proteins that, if interrupted, may prevent arthritis pain caused by joint damage. They have found potential evidence that blocking the proteins responsible for inducing inflammation prevents cartilage breakdown.

Cheaper Materials Could Be Key To Low-cost Solar Cells Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Solar cells today are made from expensive materials such as crystalline silicon or exotic thin films of rare elements like cadmium and tellurium. A new study finds that unconventional solar cell materials, such as iron pyrite -- fool's gold -- may be a better deal if photovoltaics are expected to meet energy demands of the future. These materials are more abundant and cheaper to extract, which can offset their somewhat lower efficiency.

'Badly Fragmented' Forensic Science System Needs Overhaul Posted: 19 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST A congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council finds serious deficiencies in the U.S. forensic science system and calls for major reforms and new research.

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