ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

'Invisibility Cloak' Successfully Hides Objects Placed Under It Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Never mind Harry Potter, researchers have made an invisibility cloak of their own. Scientists have taken a major step towards a true invisibility device with the creation of a carpet cloak from nanostructured silicon that conceals the presence of objects placed under it from optical detection.

Scientists Race To Deliver DNA Swine Flu Test Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Genetics experts are working against the clock to produce the world's first DNA test for the Mexican strain of swine flu.

Date Palm Genome Drafted Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Researchers have mapped a draft version of the date palm genome, unlocking many of its genetic secrets.

Prostate Cancer Therapy Increases Risk Of Fractures And Cardiovascular-related Death Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Prostate cancer patients who undergo therapy to decrease testosterone levels increase their risk of developing bone- and heart-related side effects compared to patients who do not take these medications, according to a new analysis.

Computer Hackers R.I.P.: Making Quantum Cryptography Practical Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Quantum cryptography, a completely secure means of communication, is much closer to being used practically as researchers have now developed high speed detectors capable of receiving information with much higher key rates, thereby able to receive more information faster.

Emotional Support Leads To Sporting Success Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Sportsmen and women could get the edge on their opponents by accepting more emotional support in their personal and professional lives. A study shows the extent to which a sympathetic ear or regular words of encouragement can improve sports performance. Previous studies have linked 'social support' to performance in golf and other sports. Now for the first time, researchers have tested the importance of social support by providing individually-tailored support to sportsmen and then measuring its impact on performance.

Storing A Lightning Bolt In Glass For Portable Power Posted: 02 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT Materials researchers have reported the highest known breakdown strength for a bulk glass ever measured. Breakdown strength, along with dielectric constant, determines how much energy can be stored in an insulating material before it fails and begins to conduct electricity.

Folic Acid May Help Treat Allergies, Asthma Posted: 02 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT Folic acid, or vitamin B9, essential for red blood cell health and long known to reduce the risk of spinal birth defects, may also suppress allergic reactions and lessen the severity of allergy and asthma symptoms, according to new research.

Potentially Harmful Chemicals Found In Forest Fire Smoke Posted: 02 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have detected common plant toxins that affect human health and ecosystems in smoke from forest fires. The results from the new study also suggest that smoldering fires may produce more toxins than wildfires - a reason to keep human exposures to a minimum during controlled burns. Finding these toxins -- known as alkaloids -- helps researchers understand how they cycle through earth and air.

Risk Of Leukemia With Multiple Sclerosis Drug Higher Than Thought Posted: 02 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT The risk of developing leukemia as a side effect of a drug for multiple sclerosis is higher than previously reported, according to a new study.

Stopping Expensive 'Ice' Plugs In Oil Pipelines Posted: 02 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT Operators of subsea fields on the continental shelf spend huge sums on combating insidious ice-like crystals, but a chemical jigsaw puzzle that is being pieced together is at last offering hope of a less expensive means of protection against this "ice".

Prenatal Cocaine Exposure May Compromise Neurocognitive Development Posted: 02 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have found that heavier intrauterine cocaine exposure is associated with mild compromise on selective areas of neurocognitive development during middle childhood.

Unusual Impact Basin Discovered On Mercury Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT A previously unknown, large impact basin has been discovered by the MESSENGER spacecraft during its second flyby of Mercury in October 2008. The impact basin, now named Rembrandt, more than 700 kilometers (430 miles) in diameter. If the Rembrandt basin had formed on the east coast of the United States, it would span the distance between Washington, D.C., and Boston.

Low Vitamin D Causes Problems For Acutely Ill Patients Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT Endocrinologists have observed that very sick patients tend to have very low levels of Vitamin D. The sicker they are, the lower the levels.

Diabetes: MicroRNA Protects Beta Cells Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT A decade ago, biologists did not know that microRNA existed. Now it has become clear that short, noncoding RNAs regulate numerous important processes in our bodies. One new example is miRNA-375. Without this molecule the beta cells in the pancreas degenerate, resulting in diabetes.

Adding Steroid Drug To MS Treatment May Reduce Disease Activity Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT Using a steroid drug for multiple sclerosis in addition to an MS drug may reduce the amount of disease activity more than using the MS drug alone, according to a new study.

New Southern California Beetle Killing Oaks Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT US Forest Service scientists have completed a study on a beetle that was first detected in California in 2004, but has now attacked 67 percent of the oak trees in an area 30 miles east of San Diego.

FDA, FTC Warn Public Of Fraudulent 2009 H1N1 Influenza Products Posted: 02 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission are alerting the public to be wary of Internet sites and other promotions for products that claim to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat or cure the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.  The agencies are also advising operators of offending web sites that they must take prompt action to correct and/or remove promotions of these fraudulent products or face enforcement action.

Disrupting A Brain Protein Produces Antidepressant-like Effect In Mice Posted: 01 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT A brain protein involved in fear behavior and anxiety may represent a new target for depression therapies, according to new research. The study showed that disrupting the ASIC1a protein produced an antidepressant-like effect in mice. The effect was similar to that produced by currently available antidepressant drugs, but ASIC1a's effect appears to occur through a new and different biological mechanism.

Two-pronged Model Could Help Foil Tough Cystic Fibrosis Infections Posted: 01 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT Researchers have devised a new way to thwart the relentless bacterial infections that thrive in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis, unlocking new possibilities against a tenacious and toxic hallmark of the common genetic disease.

Immune Cell Type Controls Onset And Course Of Severe Malaria Posted: 01 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT Scientists have determined that a subset of immune cells may cause malaria patients to contract the severe form of the disease, suffering worse symptoms. The researchers found that patients with the severe form of malaria have a specific type of cell in their body that people with uncomplicated disease do not.

Landfill Cover Soil Methane Oxidation Underestimated Posted: 01 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT A recent article examines the effectiveness of utilizing cover soil as a way to reduce methane emissions from landfills. The study suggests that the fraction of methane oxidized by the soil, a process which allows soil bacteria to consume the greenhouse gas, is greater than previous default value used by researchers.

When Industrious Ants Go Too Far Posted: 01 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT Nature is full of mutually beneficial arrangements between organisms -- like the relationship between flowering plants and their bee pollinators. But sometimes these blissful relationships have a dark side, as a zoologist explains.

Fish May Actually Feel Pain And React To It Much Like Humans Do Posted: 01 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT Fish don't make noises or contort their faces to show that it hurts when hooks are pulled from their mouths, but a researcher believes they feel that pain all the same.

Popular Diabetes Treatment Could Trigger Pancreatitis, Pancreatic Cancer, Study Suggests Posted: 01 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT A drug widely used to treat type 2 diabetes may have unintended effects on the pancreas that could lead to a form of low-grade pancreatitis in some patients and a greater risk of pancreatic cancer in long-term users. Sitagliptin, sold in pill form as Januvia, caused abnormalities in the pancreas that are recognized as risk factors for pancreatitis and, with time, pancreatic cancer in humans.

'Self-healing' Polymer May Facilitate Recycling Of Hard-to-dispose Plastic Posted: 01 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT Researchers in The Netherlands are reporting development of a new plastic with potential for use in the first easy-to-recycle computer circuit boards, electrical insulation, and other electronics products that now wind up on society's growing heaps of electronic waste.

Uterus Sparing Surgery Is Safe And Effective Treatment For Pelvic Organ Prolapse, Study Suggests Posted: 01 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT Researchers show that uterus sparing surgery is an effective and safe treatment for women who want to preserve the integrity of vaginal function after pelvic organ prolapse. Hysterectomy may not be the only option for women with pelvic organ prolapse.

XBox Forensics Posted: 01 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT A forensics toolkit for the Xbox gaming console has been developed. The toolkit could allow law enforcement agencies to scour the inbuilt hard disk of such devices and find illicit hidden materials easily.

Pandemic Study Of 1918-1919 Outbreak Provides Background And Death Rates For 14 European Countries Posted: 01 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT Researchers have studied deaths from 14 countries in the 1918-1919 flu pandemic and have concluded that it is unlikely that the virus originated in Europe.

Dinosaur-Bird Link: Ancient Proteins Preserved In Soft Tissue From 80 Million-Year-Old Hadrosaur Posted: 01 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Ancient protein dating back 80 million years to the Cretaceous geologic period has been preserved in bone fragments and soft tissues of a hadrosaur, or duck-billed dinosaur. The new findings support earlier results suggesting that collagen protein survived in the bones of a well preserved Tyrannosaurus rex, and offer robust new evidence supporting previous conclusions that birds and dinosaurs are evolutionarily related.

Single Gene Defect Can Cause Stroke, Other Artery Diseases Posted: 01 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT For the first time, scientists have discovered a single gene defect that causes thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections as well as early onset coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke and Moyamoya disease.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Latest Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ScienceDaily: Latest Science News in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610