Wednesday, May 13, 2009

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Global Warming Inadvertently Curbed In Past By Lead Pollution, Scientists Find

Posted: 13 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Lead pollution in the air may have considerably curbed the greenhouse effect in the past. Lead pollution in the air stimulates the formation of ice particles in clouds. Scientist have found that particles containing lead are excellent seeds for the formation of ice crystals in clouds. This not only has a bearing on the formation of rain and other forms of precipitation but may also have an influence on the global climate.

Trauma Experienced By A Mother Even Before Pregnancy Will Influence Her Offspring's Behavior

Posted: 13 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT

A mother who experienced trauma prior to becoming pregnant affects the emotional and social behavior of her offspring, according to a new study. The researchers chose to investigate rats, as social mammals with cerebral activity that is similar in many ways to that of humans.

'Beating' Heart Machine Expedites Research And Development Of New Surgical Tools, Techniques

Posted: 13 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT

A new machine makes an animal heart pump much like a live heart after it has been removed from the animal's body, allowing researchers to expedite the development of new tools and techniques for heart surgery. The machine saves researchers time and money by allowing them to test and refine their technologies in a realistic surgical environment, without the cost and time associated with animal or clinical trials.

True Grit: How Sea Urchins Carve Hiding Holes in Limestone

Posted: 13 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Researchers have revealed a unique strategy evolved by sea urchins to keep their digging teeth sharp enough to carve out hiding holes in limestone.

Home Energy Savings Are Made In The Shade

Posted: 13 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Trees positioned to shade the west and south sides of a house may decrease summertime electric bills by 5 percent on average, according to a recent study of California homes.

Following The Leader: Social Networks Of Schoolchildren

Posted: 13 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Kids always seem to be ahead of trends, and marketers realize the importance of new products and services taking off with the younger set. A new study helps identify which children might be the trendsetters of their generation.

Predators Ignore Peculiar Prey, Bird And Salamander Study Finds

Posted: 13 May 2009 05:00 AM PDT

Rare traits persist in a population because predators detect common forms of prey more easily. Researchers have found that birds will target salamanders that look like the majority -- even reversing their behavior in response to alterations in the ratio of a distinguishing trait.

Molecular Structure Could Help Explain Albinism, Melanoma

Posted: 13 May 2009 05:00 AM PDT

Scientists have long known that members of the phenoloxidase family are involved in skin and hair coloring. When they are mutated, they can cause albinism. Produced over abundantly, they are associated with melanoma. Researchers can now explain how hemocyanin is activated -- a finding that could lead to a better understanding of both ends of the skin and hair color spectrum.

Meditation May Increase Gray Matter

Posted: 13 May 2009 05:00 AM PDT

Researchers report that certain regions of the brain in long-term meditators were larger than non-meditators. Specifically, meditators showed significantly larger volumes of the hippocampus, and within the orbito-frontal cortex, thalamus and inferior temporal gyrus, all regions of the brain known for regulating emotions.

Unprecedented Data On Circadian Rhythms Revealed

Posted: 13 May 2009 05:00 AM PDT

Fluctuations in light intensity allow restoring the regularity of circadian rhythms. In higher organisms, such as mammals, biological or circadian rhythms are generated by a multicellular genetic clock which is located in two regions of the hypothalamus that are connected to each other known as suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), containing about 10,000 neurons each. In order to generate and regulate circadian rhythms, our biological clock needs to use the "cooperative cell behavior" of SCN neurons.

Ants In Southern Hemisphere Richer And More Diversified Than Northern Hemisphere Ants

Posted: 13 May 2009 05:00 AM PDT

Australia has more ants than the entire northern hemisphere. There are far fewer species of ants in the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere. Scientists studied 1,003 local ant assemblages on five different continents. According to the study, ant communities in the northern hemisphere may have suffered more extinctions as a result of the climate changes that occurred between 53 and 54 million years ago.

Two Glasses Of Wine A Day Helps To Reduce Quantity Of Fat In Liver

Posted: 13 May 2009 05:00 AM PDT

Scientists have studied the effect of reservatrol — a molecule of plant origin present in wine and several fruits — in rats with non-alcoholic hepatic esteatosis, an accumulation of fat in the liver when alcohol is not involved.

Race To Preserve The World’s Oldest Submerged Town: Pavlopetri, Greece

Posted: 13 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT

The oldest submerged town in the world is about to give up its secrets -- with the help of equipment that could revolutionize underwater archaeology. The ancient town of Pavlopetri lies in three to four meters of water just off the coast of southern Laconia in Greece. The ruins date from at least 2800 BC through to intact buildings, courtyards, streets, chamber tombs and some thirty-seven cist graves which are thought to belong to the Mycenaean period (c.1680-1180 BC). This Bronze Age phase of Greece provides the historical setting for much Ancient Greek literature and myth, including Homer's Age of Heroes.

Analysis Of Flu Virus Could Lead To Better Vaccines

Posted: 13 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT

Scientists may have found a better way to make a vaccine against the flu virus. Though theoretical, the work points to the critical importance of what has been a poorly appreciated aspect of the interaction between a virus and those naturally produced defensive proteins called antibodies that fight infection. By manipulating this multi-stage interactive process -- known as antibody interference -- to advantage, the scientists believe it may be possible to design more powerful vaccines than exist today.

Climate Change Driving Michigan Mammals North

Posted: 13 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT

Some Michigan mammal species are rapidly expanding their ranges northward, apparently in response to climate change, a new study shows. In the process, these historically southern species are replacing their northern counterparts.

Understanding Stellar Explosions Is Less Straightforward Than Previously Thought

Posted: 13 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT

Stellar explosions called nova are caused by nuclear reactions between the star's atoms. In order to better understand such violent phenomena, astrophysicists study the radiation emitted by certain types of atom, and in particular the fluorine-18 produced by these reactions. Now, researchers have determined that fluorine-18 appears to be less abundant than expected. This discovery therefore reduces the chances of observing the radiation emitted by this atom.

Why Silkworms Find Mulberries Attractive

Posted: 13 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT

Biologists have found the source of silkworms' attraction to mulberry leaves, their primary food source. A jasmine-scented chemical emitted in small quantities by the leaves triggers a single, highly tuned olfactory receptor in the silkworms' antennae, they show.

Feeling Cramped While Shopping? Variety Provides Relief

Posted: 13 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT

When consumers find themselves in stores with narrow aisles, they react in a surprising way: they seek variety. According to a new study, confined spaces might help people diversify their choices.

Chemists Discover Rare Rydberg Molecule With 'New' Type Of Bonding

Posted: 12 May 2009 11:00 PM PDT

A newly discovered rare "Rydberg" molecule has upheld the scientific theory predicting the molecule existed. Chemists used a gas of rubidium atoms cooled to a temperature of 3 millionths of a degree above absolute zero to produce the molecule. The longest-lived molecule produced by the team survived only for 18 microseconds.

Gene In Breast Cancer Pathway Identified

Posted: 12 May 2009 11:00 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered how a gene crucial in triggering the spread of breast cancer is turned on and off. The findings could help predict whether breast tumors will metastasize and also reveal potential drug targets for preventing metastasis.

DNA Analysis Reveals The Prime Stock Of Indonesian Cattle

Posted: 12 May 2009 11:00 PM PDT

DNA analysis shows that Indonesian zebu cattle have a unique origin with banteng (Bos javanicus) as part of their ancestry. Throughout the world, cattle inhabit a range of climatically diverse environments: common taurine cattle, for example, are kept in temperate zones, zebus in hot, dry climates and yaks at the high altitudes of Tibet.

Insect Gene Expression Responds To Diet

Posted: 12 May 2009 11:00 PM PDT

Cabbage looper caterpillars are able to alter the expression of genes associated with metabolism, homeostasis and immunity in response to feeding on plants carrying bacteria. Research published in Frontiers in Zoology has shown that, as well as tailoring gene expression within their own digestive systems, the insects are able to pass this information along to their offspring.

New Method Used To Detect Antibiotics In Honey

Posted: 12 May 2009 11:00 PM PDT

Chemists in Spain have developed a method to simultaneously detect the presence of 17 antibiotics in honey within less than 10 minutes. The researchers have shown that traces of antibiotics used to treat diseases among bees can be found in some commercial honey brands.

Adults Aren't Active Enough, 22-year Study Finds

Posted: 12 May 2009 11:00 PM PDT

A new study has sounded the alarm that adults are inactive over their lifespan and don't exercise enough during their leisure time.

Quantum Mechanics: Uncertainty Principle Used To Detect Entanglement Of Photon Shared Among Four Locations

Posted: 12 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT

Scientists have developed an efficient method to detect entanglement shared among multiple parts of an optical system. They show how entanglement, in the form of beams of light simultaneously propagating along four distinct paths, can be detected with a small number of measurements. Entanglement is an essential resource in quantum information science, which is the study of advanced computation and communication based on the laws of quantum mechanics.

More Evidence For The Benefit Of Exercise In Cardiovascular Disease -- And Even In Heart Failure

Posted: 12 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT

In new studies, exercise is shown to improve markers of heart disease in patients following coronary artery bypass surgery, to improve event-free survival rate in coronary patients better than stent angioplasty, and to improve markers of disease in heart failure patients, a group usually thought amenable to little more than palliative care.

Early Word Recognition Is Key To Lifelong Reading Skills Says New Study

Posted: 12 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT

Psychologists help solve 20-year old reading riddle. Children's early reading experience is critical to the development of their lifelong reading skills a new study.

Sleep Apnea May Not Be Closely Linked To Heart Failure Severity

Posted: 12 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA) are not markedly decreased in heart failure (HF) patients managed with beta-blockers and spironolactone, reports a new study.

Fungi Pathogenic To Insects Are New Tool In Fight Against Chagas Disease

Posted: 12 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT

Entomopathogenic fungi may be a safe and efficient means of controlling Triatoma infestans, the bug that helps spread Chagas disease, according to new research conducted in Argentina. The study shows the success of the fungi to kill bugs resistant to current control methods.

Providing Free Drug Samples To Patients Risks Harm To Public Health, Experts Argue

Posted: 12 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT

The tradition of American physicians handing out free drug samples to their patients "has many serious disadvantages and is as anachronistic as bloodletting and high colonic irrigations," say two experts.

New Way Of Reading Light With Help Locate Earth-like Planets Around Other Stars

Posted: 12 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT

A new way of reading light will sharpen the view of planets around other stars. Researchers have created an "astro-comb" to help astronomers detect lighter planets, more like Earth, around distant stars.

Taking Folic Acid Supplements Before Conception Linked To Reduced Risk Of Premature Birth

Posted: 12 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT

Taking folic acid supplements for at least a year before conception is associated with reduction in the risk of premature birth, according to a new study.

How Fit Are You? Lactate Test Made Easy

Posted: 12 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT

The lactate value indicates levels of fitness. At present, athletes have to visit a doctor to have it measured. A new analytical device will make things easier in future: athletes can wear it and check their lactate readings during training.

X-rays Help Predict Permanent Bone Damage From Bisphosphonates

Posted: 12 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT

Bisphosphonates have been found to place people at risk for developing osteonecrosis of the jaws (a rotting of the jaw bones). Dentists, as well as oncologists, are now using X-rays to detect "ghost sockets" in patients that take these drugs and when these sockets are found, it signals that the jawbone is not healing the right way. Early detection of these ghost sockets can help the patient avoid permanent damage to their jawbone.

New Tag Could Enable More Detailed Structural Studies Of Mammalian Proteins

Posted: 12 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT

To say our genes are resourceful is a gross understatement. Through ingenious combinations of a paltry 20 amino acids, the basic building blocks of life, genes engineer all of the tissues and organs that are the marvel of our working bodies.

Warriors Do Not Always Get The Girl

Posted: 12 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT

Aggressive, vengeful behavior of individuals in some South American groups has been considered the means for men to obtain more wives and more children, but anthropologists working in Ecuador among the Waorani show that sometimes the macho guy does not do better.

Landmark Study Reveals Significant Genetic Variation Between Mexico's Population And World's Other Known Genetic Subgroups

Posted: 12 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT

Could genetic differences explain why some people and not others have died of H1N1 Influenza A? That is among the questions raised by a landmark Mexican study showing significant genetic variation between Mestizos (Latin Americans of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry) and the world's other known genetic subgroups.

New Evidence Of How High Glucose Damages Blood Vessels Could Lead To New Treatments

Posted: 12 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT

New evidence of how the elevated glucose levels that occur in diabetes damage blood vessels may lead to novel strategies for blocking the destruction, researchers say.

Mini Helicopters As Disaster Helpers

Posted: 12 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT

In the aftermath of an earthquake or chemical incident, every minute counts: the rescue team has to quickly gain an overview. Mini helicopters can help in future, investigating collapsed buildings from the inside, singly or as a swarm.

More Pills, Less Quality Of Life For Kidney Patients

Posted: 12 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT

The more pills a dialysis patients takes, the worse their health-related quality of life, according to a new study. The findings indicate that increasing the number of medications to control patients' disease may interfere with their ability to enjoy normal activities. The new study finds dialysis patients take an average of 19 pills a day.

Mathematical Advances Strengthen IT Security

Posted: 12 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT

Rapidly rising cyber crime and the growing prospect of the Internet being used as a medium for terrorist attacks pose a major challenge for IT security. Cryptography is central to this challenge, since it underpins privacy, confidentiality, and identity, which together provide the fabric for e-commerce and secure communications. Now, a new approach based on the mathematical theory of elliptic curves has emerged as a leading candidate for more efficient cryptography capable of providing the optimum combination of security and processing efficiency.

Driving To Work Increases Risk Of Heart Attack, Swedish Study Finds

Posted: 12 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT

People who drive to work run a considerably greater risk of having a heart attack than those who are physically active on the way to work.

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