ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Sex Life Of Plants Reveals Conflicts Between The Sexes Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT The pollen grains of male plants live in great competition. A grain of pollen that succeeds in manipulating the flower's pistil can emerge victorious from the struggle, according to new research from Sweden.

High Blood Pressure Could Be Caused By A Common Virus, Study Suggests Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus, a common viral infection affecting between 60 and 99 percent of adults worldwide, is a cause of high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.

Sweet Deception: New Test Distinguishes Impure Honey From The Real Thing Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Here's some sweet news for honey lovers: Researchers have developed of a simple test for distinguishing 100 percent natural honeys from adulterated or impure versions that they say are increasingly being foisted off on consumers.

Heart Condition? Chewable Aspirin Absorbs Most Readily Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT For many years, it has been known that aspirin is beneficial to patients suffering heart attacks and near-heart attacks. But which of the many different types of aspirin is likely to help the most?

Peruvian Stalagmites Hold Clues To Climate Change Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT How will the Netherlands, dominated by water, be affected by future climate change? Dutch researcher Martin van Breukelen hopes to answer that question by analyzing stalagmites from the South American Amazon tributaries in Peru as a way to reconstruct climate changes in the past.

Many People Misjudge Their Degree Of Cancer Risk Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Working with a population of individuals at risk for gastrointestinal cancers, researchers have learned that many people misjudge their actual degree of cancer risk and, therefore, their true need for prevention support.

Progress Toward Artificial Tissue? Posted: 16 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have developed a novel, highly porous, sponge-like material whose mechanical properties closely resemble those of biological soft tissues.

New Imaging Technique Reveals Structural Changes In Tourette's Posted: 16 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT Magnetization transfer imaging has been used to visualize previously unknown alterations in the cerebral architecture of patients with Tourette's syndrome. The researchers also found a correlation between the extent of some of the structural changes and symptom severity.

Ginger Quells Cancer Patients' Nausea From Chemotherapy Posted: 16 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT People with cancer can reduce post-chemotherapy nausea by 40 percent by using ginger supplements, along with standard anti-vomiting drugs, before undergoing treatment, according to scientists.

LXR Proteins: New Target In The War On Tuberculosis? Posted: 16 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT New research has identified a role for LXR proteins in the mouse immune response to airway infection with the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. As treatment of normal mice with molecules that activate LXRs provided substantial protection from both a new infection and established infections, the authors suggest that LXRs might provide a new target for tuberculosis therapeutics.

New Species Of Cholesterol-busting Bug With A Taste For Waste Discovered Posted: 16 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT A novel species of bacteria with cholesterol-busting properties has been discovered by scientists. They isolated the new bug, called Gordonia cholesterolivorans, from sewage sludge.

Intelligence And Physical Attractiveness Both Impact Income Posted: 16 May 2009 08:00 AM PDT People looking for a good job at a good salary could find their intelligence may not be the only trait that puts them at the top of the pay scale, according to researchers. A new study finds attractiveness, along with confidence, may help job-seekers stand out to employers.

New Fuel Cell Catalyst Uses Two Metals: Up To Five Times More Effective Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT Material scientists have developed a technique for a bimetallic fuel cell catalyst that is efficient, robust and two to five times more effective than commercial catalysts. The novel technique eventually will enable a cost effective fuel cell technology, which has been waiting in the wings for decades, and should give a boost for cleaner use of fuels worldwide.

Drug That Targets Vasculature Growth Attacks Aggressive Thyroid Cancer Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT A medication that helps stop the growth of new blood vessels has produced dramatic benefits for some patients with aggressive thyroid cancer, new research indicates.

Expression Of Infrared Fluorescence Engineered In Mammals Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have shown that bacterial proteins called phytochromes can be engineered into infrared-fluorescent proteins. Because the wavelength of IFPs is able to penetrate tissue, these proteins are suitable for whole-body imaging in small animals.

Chronic Infection Now Clearly Tied To Immune-system Protein Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT A new study finds the cross-talk between 'killer T-cells' and 'helper T-cells' can only happen in the presence of interleukin-21, a powerful immune-system protein. Researchers say if interleukin-21 is missing, the immune system's anti-viral efforts fail. The study mice were treated for lymphocytic choriomeningitis.

Rational Design Of Vaccines: A Long But Essential Journey Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT The holy grail of the defense mechanism against infectious diseases and tumors has not yet been discovered. In the search for a 'master switch' in the immune apparatus of humans and animals, many strategies still need to be explored before the enormous potency of this complex system can be activated and controlled in the right manner.

Individual Stress Linked To Adolescent Obesity Posted: 16 May 2009 02:00 AM PDT Stress may indeed be a direct contributor to childhood obesity. That's according to a new study finding that increased levels of stress in adolescents are associated with a greater likelihood of them being overweight or obese.

Let The Planet Hunt Begin: Kepler Spacecraft Begins Search For Other Earth-like Worlds Posted: 15 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT NASA's Kepler spacecraft has begun its search for other Earth-like worlds. The mission, which launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on March 6, will spend the next three-and-a-half years staring at more than 100,000 stars for telltale signs of planets. Kepler has the unique ability to find planets as small as Earth that orbit sun-like stars at distances where temperatures are right for possible lakes and oceans.

Aspirin Appears To Help Lower Risk Of Stroke For Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease Posted: 15 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT An analysis of previous studies indicates that among patients with peripheral artery disease, aspirin use is associated with a statistically nonsignificant decrease in the risk of a group of combined cardiovascular events (nonfatal heart attack, nonfatal stroke and cardiovascular death), but is associated with a significant reduction in the risk of one of these events, nonfatal stroke, although the findings may be limited by the lack of a large study population, according to a new article.

Climate Change, Fishing And Commercial Shipping Top List Of Threats To Ocean Off West Coast Of U.S. Posted: 15 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT Climate change, fishing and commercial shipping top the list of threats to the ocean off the West Coast of the United States.

Surgery Improves Survival For Prostate Cancer Patients Younger Than 50 Posted: 15 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT For men younger than 50 with prostate cancer, undergoing a radical prostatectomy can greatly increase their chances for long-term survival, according to a new study. Results from the study done on the National SEER database show that the surgical procedure improves the 5-, 10-, 15- and 20-year survival for younger patients, when compared with other standard treatments such as radiotherapy or watchful waiting.

Soil Nitrogen Test Measures Microbial Nitrogen Posted: 15 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT The Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test was recently studied to clarify the chemical nature of what the test measures and its relationship to microbial growth in soils, determining that the test does not estimate total soil nitrogen and is selective for certain forms of microbial nitrogen.

Youths Use Alcoholic Drink Labels To Choose Strongest Drink At Lowest Cost Posted: 15 May 2009 08:00 PM PDT Contrary to the industry's position that visible drink labels will promote responsible drinking, young people are, instead, using these visible standard drink labels to increase or even maximize the amount of alcohol they consume at the lowest cost possible. Young people in Australia have very high awareness of standard drink labeling. However, this was predominately to help them choose the drinks that would get them drunk in the shortest time possible.

Even In Our Genome, Good Fences Make Good Neighbors Posted: 15 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT Our genome is a patchwork of neighborhoods that couldn't be more different: Some areas are hustling and bustling with gene activity, while others are sparsely populated and in perpetual lock-down. Breaking down just a few of the molecular fences that separate them blurs the lines and leads to the inactivation of at least two tumor suppressor genes, according to researchers.

First 'Neuroprotective' Gene In Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Isolated Posted: 15 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT A genetic variant that substantially improves survival of individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, has been identified.

How Oil Gets Stuck Underground In Inaccessible Places Posted: 15 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT It is a mystery to many people why the world is running out of oil when most of the world's oilfields have only been half emptied. However some of the oil that has been located is trapped as droplets of oil in small cavities in the surrounding rock or is stuck to the walls of the underground cavity and cannot be accessed by the techniques currently used in the oil industry. Nano-research on drill cores from the North Sea might help increase extraction rates of oil.

Diet And Exercise Intervention Helps Older, Overweight Cancer Survivors Reduce Functional Decline Posted: 15 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT A home-based diet and exercise program reduced the rate of functional decline among older, overweight long-term survivors of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer, according to a new study.

Warming Climate Is Affecting Cascades Snowpack In Pacific Northwest Posted: 15 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT There has been recent disagreement about the snowpack decline in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest, but new research leaves little doubt that a warmer climate has a significant effect on the snowpack, even if other factors keep year-to-year measurements close to normal for a period of years.

Conflict Between Doctors, Midwives Over Homebirth Posted: 15 May 2009 05:00 PM PDT Researchers have uncovered a pattern of distrust -- and sometimes outright antagonism -- among physicians at hospitals and midwives who are transporting their home-birth clients to the hospital because of complications.

Graphene Yields Secrets To Its Extraordinary Properties Posted: 15 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Applying innovative measurement techniques, researchers have directly measured the unusual energy spectrum of graphene, a technologically promising, two-dimensional form of carbon that has tantalized and puzzled scientists since its discovery in 2004.

Compounds In Spinal Fluid Associated With Faster Decline Among Individuals With Mild Dementia Posted: 15 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Levels of biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid of individuals with very mild dementia may be associated with the rate at which their thinking, learning and memory skills decline, according to a new report.

Red Fungus Turned Orange May Help Tackle Vitamin Deficiency Posted: 15 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT The edible fungus Monascus purpureus imparts a distinct flavor and red color when added to fermented rice dishes such as those served in Asia. Now, with "a helping hand" from science, the fungus could offer a way to address a major public health concern: vitamin A deficiency.

Low And High Levels Of Hormone In Men With Heart Failure Associated With Increased Risk Of Death Posted: 15 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Men with systolic chronic heart failure who have low or high levels of estradiol, a form of the hormone estrogen, have an increased risk of death compared with men with moderate levels of this hormone, according to a new study.

Most Extensive Genetic Resource For Reef-building Coral Created Posted: 15 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT A nearly complete collection of genes for a species of reef-building coral has been assembled. The scientists will use the genetic data to understand natural variations in corals from around the world and how they respond, at the genetic level, to rising water temperatures.

Real And Simulated Acupuncture Appear More Effective Than Usual Care For Back Pain Posted: 15 May 2009 02:00 PM PDT Three types of acupuncture therapy -- an individually tailored program, standard therapy and a simulation involving toothpicks at key acupuncture points -- appear more effective than usual care for chronic low back pain, according to a new article.

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