ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Action Video Games Improve Vision, New Research Shows Posted: 30 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT Video games that involve high levels of action, such as first-person-shooter games, increase a player's real-world vision, according to new research. The ability to perceive changes in shades of gray improves up to 58 percent.

Starve A Yeast, Sweeten Its Lifespan: Molecular Mechanisms Link Sugar Production And Longevity Posted: 30 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new energy-making biochemical twist in determining the lifespan of yeast cells, one so valuable to longevity that it is likely to also functions in humans.

Why Parachutists Die Posted: 30 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT What makes parachuting dangerous? Some people think that it is the risk that the parachute won't open, but new research shows that carelessness or lack of skill in controlling your body or your parachute through the air is considerably more dangerous.

Single Embryo Transfer Is Cheapest And Most Effective Strategy For Assisted Reproduction, Studies Find Posted: 30 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT Two studies are shedding new light on single embryo transfer (SET). The first presents data from one of the longest running consecutive series of patients who chose SET, and shows that several cycles of fresh or frozen single embryo transfer is more effective and cheaper than double or multiple embryo transfers. The second paper shows that, over three consecutive IVF cycles, combining several different transfer stategies (eSET, DET or standard treatment) was not cost-effective.

New Material Could Lead To Faster Chips: Graphene May Solve Communications Speed Limit Posted: 30 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT New research findings could lead to microchips that operate at much higher speeds than is possible with today's standard silicon chips, leading to cell phones and other communications systems that can transmit data much faster.

Video Games, Cell Phones And Academic Performance: Some Good News Posted: 30 Mar 2009 08:00 AM PDT Using cell phones and playing video games may not be as harmful to children's academic performance as previously believed, according to new research.

Fish Oils Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Flatulent Cows Posted: 30 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT Omega 3 fatty acids in fish oils can improve meat quality and reduce methane emissions in cows. Methane given off by farm animals is a major contribution to greenhouse gas levels. Researchers report that by including 2 percent fish oil in the diet of cattle, they achieved a reduction in the amount of methane released by the animals.

Genetic Changes Outside Nuclear DNA Suspected To Trigger More Than Half Of All Cancers Posted: 30 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT A buildup of chemical bonds on certain cancer-promoting genes, a process known as hypermethylation, is widely known to render cells cancerous by disrupting biological brakes on runaway growth. Now, scientists say the reverse process -- demethylation -- which wipes off those chemical bonds may also trigger more than half of all cancers.

Plastic Protein Protects Bacteria From Stomach Acid's Unfolding Power Posted: 30 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT A tiny protein helps protect disease-causing bacteria from the ravaging effects of stomach acid, researchers at the University of Michigan and Howard Hughes Medical Institute have discovered.

Family History Associated With Increased Risk Of Blood Clots Posted: 30 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT Children and siblings of those with venous thrombosis, or blood clots in the veins, appear to have more than double the risk of developing the condition than those without a family history, according to a new article.

Quantum Effect May Hold Promise For Low-cost DNA Sequencing, Sensor Applications Posted: 30 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT A ghostly property of matter, called quantum tunneling, may aid the quest for accurate, low-cost genomic sequencing, according to a new article.

Psychiatric Disorders Are Common In Adults Who Have Had Anorexia Posted: 30 Mar 2009 05:00 AM PDT Many adults who were diagnosed as teenagers to be suffering from anorexia nervosa cannot work due to psychiatric disorders. A follow-up 18 years after the onset of anorexia has shown that one in four are on disability benefit or have been signed off sick.

Food Choices Evolve Through Information Overload Posted: 30 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT Ever been so overwhelmed by a huge restaurant menu that you end up choosing an old favorite instead of trying something new? Psychologists have long since thought that information overload leads to people repeatedly choosing what they know. Now, new research has shown that the same concept applies equally to hundreds of animal species, too.

Strategy Discovered For Fighting Persistent Bacterial Infections Posted: 30 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a promising strategy for destroying the molecular scaffolding that can make Pseudomonas bacterial infections extremely difficult to treat in cystic fibrosis patients.

Efficiency Of Blue Organic Light-emitting Diode Boosted By 25% Posted: 30 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have designed new host materials for a blue phosphorescent OLED that boost efficiency by at least 25 percent and help solve "weakest link" in development of cost-effective white OLEDs.

Genomic Variations In African-American And White Populations Posted: 30 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT Deletions, duplications or rearrangements of genomic regions in the human genomes produce differences in gene copy numbers, referred to as copy number variations (CNV). Those variations account for a substantial portion of human genetic diversity, and in a few cases, have been associated with behavioral traits or increased susceptibility to disease. A new study describes a CNV map of the African-American genome, and compares frequencies of CNVs between African-American and white American/European populations.

TV Crime Drama Compound Highlights Immune Cells' Misdeeds Posted: 30 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT Detectives on television shows often spray crime scenes with a compound called luminol to make blood glow. Researchers have now applied the same compound to much smaller crime scenes: sites where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.

Mending A Broken Heart: Closer Look At 'Broken Heart Syndrome' Posted: 30 Mar 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have created a registry of 70 patients with the medical phenomenon known as "broken heart syndrome."

Optimal Running Speed Associated With Evolution Of Early Human Hunting Strategies Posted: 29 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT Runners, listen up: If your body is telling you that your pace feels a little too fast or a little too slow, it may be right. A new study shows that the efficiency of human running varies with speed and that each individual has an optimal pace at which he or she can cover the greatest distance with the least effort. Such efficient locomotion probably provided our ancestors with an advantage for hunting and gathering food.

Vitamin D Supplements Associated With Reduced Fracture Risk In Older Adults Posted: 29 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT Oral vitamin D supplements at a dose of at least 400 international units per day are associated with a reduced risk of bone fractures in older adults, according to results of a meta-analysis.

Improved Antibiotic: Genes For Synthesizing Thiostrepton Identified Posted: 29 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have identified the genetic machinery responsible for synthesizing thiostrepton, a powerful antibiotic produced by certain bacteria. The drug is effective against the dangerous MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

High Triglyceride Levels Common, Often Untreated Among Americans Posted: 29 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT High concentrations of blood fats known as triglycerides are common in the United States, according to a new article. Lifestyle changes are the preferred initial treatment for hypertriglyceridemia (the resulting condition), but physical inactivity, obesity and other modifiable risk factors remain prevalent.

'Leaf Tatters' Linked To Herbicides: Study Explores Effects Of Herbicide Drift On White Oak Posted: 29 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT Herbicide drift, when pesticides "drift" from the targeted application area to a nontargeted area was studied by researchers who evaluated the effects of field corn herbicides on white oak seedlings. White oak, a popular landscape and forest species native to the eastern United States, has been suffering from an abnormality called "leaf tatters." The study simulated herbicide drift using herbicides commonly applied to corn and previously found to injure plants.

US Hospitals Extremely Slow To Adopt Electronic Health Records, Study Shows Posted: 29 Mar 2009 11:00 PM PDT Researchers found that less than two percent of surveyed hospitals had implemented comprehensive EHR; further, less than eight percent had basic EHR in place. It is the first nationally representative study of the prevalence of EHR in hospitals.

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