ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Red-Hot Research Could Lead To New Materials Posted: 11 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Recent experiments to create a fast-reacting explosive by concocting it at the nanoscopic level could result in more spectacular firework displays. But more impressive to the researchers, the method used to mix chemicals at that tiny scale could lead to new strong porous materials for high temperature applications, from thermal insulation in jet engines to industrial chemical reactors.

New Drug Shows Promise In Treating Drug-resistant Prostate Cancer Posted: 11 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT A new therapy for metastatic prostate cancer has shown considerable promise in early clinical trials involving patients whose disease has become resistant to current drugs. Chemists and biologists have created a new drug to treat a particularly lethal form of prostate cancer: castration resistant prostate cancer.

How Tumor Cells Move Posted: 11 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT If cancer cells lack a certain protein, it could be much easier for them to penetrate healthy body tissue, the first step towards forming metastases. Scientists have discovered the previously unknown cell signal factor SCAI (suppressor of cancer cell invasion).

Soybean Component Reduces Menopause Effects Posted: 11 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Soy aglycons of isoflavone (SAI), a group of soybean constituent chemicals, have been shown to promote health in a rat model of the menopause. The research shows how dietary supplementation with SAI lowers cholesterol, increases the antioxidative properties of the liver and prevents degeneration of the vaginal lining.

Process By Which Cells 'Hide' Potentially Dangerous DNA Segments Explained Posted: 11 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Heterochromatin is the super-condensed portion of the cell's genetic material that hides unneeded genes and potentially dangerous DNA sequences such as transposons from the cell's DNA-activating machinery. Scientists have now identified a critical requirement for heterochromatin assembly. They show that it depends on the strength with which a protein called Chp1 binds to a specific site on a histone protein that is attached to the DNA double helix.

Ancestors Of African Pygmies And Neighboring Farmers Separated Around 60,000 Years Ago Posted: 11 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT All African Pygmies, inhabiting a large territory extending west-to-east along Central Africa, descend from a unique population who lived around 20,000 years ago, according to a new study. The research concludes that the ancestors of present-day African Pygmies and farmers separated ~60,000 years ago.

Some Massive Galaxies May Be Relatively New: Discovery Challenges Galaxy Formation Theories Posted: 11 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Astronomer have found a sample of massive galaxies with properties that suggest that they may have formed relatively recently. This would run counter to the widely-held belief that massive, luminous galaxies (like our own Milky Way Galaxy) began their formation and evolution shortly after the Big Bang, some 13 billion years ago.

HIV Treatment: Early Administration Of Antiretroviral Therapy Can Improve Survival Posted: 11 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT The first antiretroviral treatments appeared in 1996. Since then, new and better drugs have been discovered that have almost turned AIDS into a chronic disease. Nevertheless, there is still room to improve the performance of the the therapeutic strategies used in clinical practice. A new study suggests that early administration of antiretroviral treatment reduces the rate of AIDS development and death in HIV-positive patients by 28%.

Scientists Test System To Steer Drivers Away From Dangerous Weather Posted: 11 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Scientists are testing an innovative technological system in the Detroit area this month that ultimately will help protect drivers from being surprised by black ice, fog, and other hazardous weather conditions.

Test Predicts Who Will Develop End-stage Renal Disease Posted: 11 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Measuring kidney function by assessing two different factors -- glomerular filtration rate and urinary albumin levels -- helps determine which patients with chronic kidney disease will develop end-stage renal disease, according to a new study. This combination test could help physicians identify patients at high risk of serious kidney trouble and allow them to intervene at an early stage.

New Technology To Secure Integrated Systems And Circuits Posted: 11 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT A new technology capable of reducing data leakage from integrated circuits during electronic transactions by up to 95% in comparison with conventional logic circuits has just been developed.

Health Risks Of Chinese Slimming Capsules Posted: 11 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Taking herbal food supplements is certainly not free of risk. Since 2005, the poison emergency centers in the German cities of Freiburg and Goettingen have registered a total of 17 patients with health problems after taking Chinese slimming capsules.

Biologists Discover How 'Silent' Mutations Influence Protein Production Posted: 10 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT Biologists have revealed a hidden code that determines the expression level of a gene, providing a way to distinguish efficient genes from inefficient ones. The research involved creating hundreds of synthetic green-glowing genes and provides an explanation for how a cell "knows" how much of each protein to make.

'Good' Energy Burning Fat In Lean Adults Posted: 10 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that adult humans still have a type of "good" fat previously believed to be present only in babies and children.

Dance Your Way To Successful Aging Posted: 10 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT Older people can dance their way towards improved health and happiness, according to new research that reveals the social, mental and physical benefits of social dancing for older people. It suggests that dancing staves off illness, and even counteracts decline in aging.

Test Allows Early Detection Of Vision Problems In Infants With Hemangiomas Of Eyelids Posted: 10 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT In children with vascular birthmarks around the eye, even partial blockage of vision can lead to visual loss due to amblyopia. Now a simple test can detect early evidence of amblyopia in infants too young for conventional vision testing, reports a study in the April issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology.

James Webb Space Telescope First Flight Mirror Completes Cryogenic Testing Posted: 10 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT The first mirror segment that will fly on the James Webb Space Telescope has completed its first series of cryogenic temperature tests in the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Middle School Youth As Young As 12 Engaging In Risky Sexual Activity Posted: 10 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT Middle school youth are engaging in sexual intercourse as early as age 12, according to a new study. Researchers examined sexual risk behaviors among middle school students in a large southeastern US urban public school district.

How You Feel The World Impacts How You See It Posted: 10 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT In the classic waterfall illusion, if you stare at the downward motion of a waterfall for some period of time, stationary objects -- such as rocks -- appear to drift upward. Neuroscientists have found that this phenomenon, called motion aftereffect, occurs not only in our visual perception but also in our tactile perception, and that these senses actually influence one another. Put another way, how you feel the world can actually change how you see it -- and vice versa.

Small RNAs Can Play Critical Roles In Male Infertility, Contraception Posted: 10 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT Scientists have discovered insight into the reproductive workings of the male sex chromosome that may have significant implications for male infertility and contraception.

Researchers Unravel Role Of Priming In Plant Immunity Posted: 10 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT Scientists have discovered a naturally occurring compound that triggers a plant's immune system, protecting it from infection. The patent-pending discovery could lead to an effective, inexpensive and environmentally safe way to improve plants' resistance to disease. Although it has long been known that plants have immune systems, how they has been studied intensely. This study discovered crucial steps and compounds involved in the immune system of a plant related to cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower.

Cancer Survival: Pretreatment Alcohol, Tobacco, Fruit, Exercise Habits Linked To Head And Neck Cancer Survival Posted: 10 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT Head and neck cancer patients who smoked, drank, didn't exercise or didn't eat enough fruit when they were diagnosed had worse survival outcomes than those with better health habits, according to a new study.

NASA Selects Material For Orion Spacecraft Heat Shield Posted: 10 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT NASA has chosen the material for a heat shield that will protect a new generation of space explorers when they return from the moon. After extensive study, NASA has selected the Avcoat ablator system for the Orion crew module.

Dogs And 2-year-olds Share A Limited Ability To Understand Adult Pointing Gestures Posted: 10 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT Dogs and small children who share similar social environments appear to understand human gestures in comparable ways. Looking at how dogs and young children respond to adult pointing actions, researchers show that 3-year-olds rely on the direction of the index finger to locate a hidden object, whereas 2-year-olds and dogs respond instead to the protruding body part, even if the index finger is pointing in the opposite direction.

Scientists Pinpoint The 'Edge Of Space' Posted: 10 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Where does Earth stop and space begin? 118-kilometers above the ground, according to scientists who created an new instrument that is able to pinpoint the so-called "edge of space."

Human ES Cells Progress Slowly In Myelin's Direction Posted: 10 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Scientists have successfully created, from human embryonic stem (ES) cells, cells that can make myelin, opening up new possibilities for basic and clinical research. Myelin loss, as occurs in multiple sclerosis, stops nerves from working with devastating consequences. Creating these cells has long been a challenge partly because they take an unexpectedly long time to develop from human ES cells.

Amalgam Fillings Are Safe, But Skeptics Still Claim Controversy, Researcher Says Posted: 10 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Dental amalgam has been shown to be safe and effective for years, yet unfounded controversy still surrounds it, a researcher says.

Medication May Improve Portal Hypertension Posted: 10 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT In a new study, a therapeutic agent called sorafenib dramatically improved the condition of rats with portal hypertension. The drug is already approved in several countries for treatment of kidney and liver cancer, and it may be time to consider it for patients suffering from advanced portal hypertension, the authors suggest.

Dust Cover Jettisoned From NASA's Kepler Telescope Posted: 10 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Engineers have successfully ejected the dust cover from NASA's Kepler telescope, a spaceborne mission soon to begin searching for worlds like Earth.

Wristbands Ease Nausea With Cancer Treatment Posted: 10 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Cancer patients who wore acupressure wristbands had much less nausea while receiving radiation treatment, making the bands a safe, low-cost addition to anti-nausea medication, according to a new study.

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