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• Imitation Promotes Social Bonding In Primates
• MRI May Cause More Harm Than Good In Newly Diagnosed Early Breast Cancer
• Biologists ID Molecular Basis Of High-altitude Adaptation In Mice
• Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation: Passive Oxygen Flow Better Than Assisted Ventilation
• Graphene Has High Current Capacity, Thermal Conductivity
• Smile As You Read This: Language That Puts You In Touch With Your Bodily Feelings
• Antarctic Glacier Thinning At Alarming Rate
• Bypassing Bypass Surgery: New Blood Vessels Grown To Combat Heart Disease
• Chemists Discover Twisted Molecules That Pick Their Targets
• Finding May Explain Anti-cancer Activity Of Thiazole Antibiotics
• Scientists Develop 'Gas Gauge' For Placenta Aimed To Prevent Pregnancy Loss
• 'Cash For Clunkers' Program Is Expensive Way To Cut Carbon Emissions, Expert Argues
• World Record In Packing Puzzle Set In Tetrahedra Jam: Better Understanding Of Matter Itself?
• How Pathogens Have Shaped Genes Involved In Our Immune System
• Manganese Damages Immune Response In Marine Animals, Research Finds
• Discovery Of Genetic Mutation In Leigh Syndrome
• Mars Orbiter Shows Angled View Of Martian Crater
• Parents Can Help Stop The Obesity Epidemic, Says Psychologist; Healthy Body Image Is First Step
• Trigger-happy Star Formation: Radiation From Massive Stars
• Active Ingredients In Marijuana Found To Spread And Prolong Pain
• London's Earliest Timber Structure Found During Belmarsh Prison Dig
• Light Shed On Brain's Mechanism Responsible For Processing Of Speech
• Baltic Sea: Rapid Changes In Winter Climate
• Cultural Evolution Continues Throughout Life, Mathematical Models Suggest
• Brain Innately Separates Living And Non-living Objects For Processing
• An Apple A Day Keeps Kidney Stones Away: More Fruits And Veggies, Less Salt Prevents Stones From Forming
• Bad News For Coffee Drinkers Who Get Headaches
• Cancer Mortality Rates Experience Steady Decline: Conventional Method May Underreport Declining Death Rate For All Age Groups
• GOES-11 Sees Tropical Cyclones Fizzling And Forming In Eastern Pacific
• Nurses Open To Idea Of Robots

Imitation Promotes Social Bonding In Primates Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Imitation, the old saying goes, is the sincerest form of flattery. It also appears to be an ancient interpersonal mechanism that promotes social bonding and, presumably, sets the stage for relative strangers to coalesce into groups of friends, according to a new study.

MRI May Cause More Harm Than Good In Newly Diagnosed Early Breast Cancer Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT A new review says using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery to assess the extent of early breast cancer has not been shown to improve surgical planning, reduce follow-up surgery, or reduce the risk of local recurrences.

Biologists ID Molecular Basis Of High-altitude Adaptation In Mice Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT A group of scientists have discovered the specific mutations involved in evolutionary adaptation to different environments.

Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation: Passive Oxygen Flow Better Than Assisted Ventilation Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Arizona researchers compared the survival rates in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with positive-pressure ventilation (bag-valve mask) vs. passive oxygen flow. Survival was higher (38.2 percent) with passive oxygen flow than with assisted ventilation (25.8 percent). This study reinforces the notion that survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest might have more to do with circulating the blood through uninterrupted chest compressions than with ventilation.

Graphene Has High Current Capacity, Thermal Conductivity Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Recent research into the properties of graphene nanoribbons provides two new reasons for using the material as interconnects in future computer chips. In widths as narrow as 16 nanometers, graphene has a current carrying capacity approximately a thousand times greater than copper -- while providing improved thermal conductivity.

Smile As You Read This: Language That Puts You In Touch With Your Bodily Feelings Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Louis Armstrong sang, "When you're smilin', the whole world smiles with you." Romantics everywhere may be surprised to learn that psychological research has proven this sentiment to be true -- merely seeing a smile (or a frown, for that matter) will activate the muscles in our face that make that expression, even if we are unaware of it. Now, according to a new study, simply reading emotion verbs may also have the same effect.

Antarctic Glacier Thinning At Alarming Rate Posted: 15 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT The thinning of a gigantic glacier in Antarctica is accelerating, scientists report. The Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica, which is around twice the size of Scotland, is losing ice four times as fast as it was a decade years ago. The research also reveals that ice thinning is now occurring much further inland.

Bypassing Bypass Surgery: New Blood Vessels Grown To Combat Heart Disease Posted: 15 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT Although open-heart surgery is a frequent treatment for heart disease, it remains extremely dangerous. Now groundbreaking research has shown the potential for an injected protein to regrow blood vessels in the human heart -- eliminating the need for risky surgery altogether.

Chemists Discover Twisted Molecules That Pick Their Targets Posted: 15 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT Chemists have discovered how to make molecules with a twist -- the molecules fold in to twisted helical shapes that can accelerate selected chemical reactions. The research could yield valuable methods for making pharmaceuticals and other chemicals that require precise assembly of complex structures.

Finding May Explain Anti-cancer Activity Of Thiazole Antibiotics Posted: 15 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have discovered how some recently approved drugs act against cancer cells. The finding may lead to a more effectively targeted anti-cancer strategy.

Scientists Develop 'Gas Gauge' For Placenta Aimed To Prevent Pregnancy Loss Posted: 15 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT To combat the many fetal deaths that occur annually because the placenta is too small, researchers have developed a method to measure the volume of the placenta, which provides nourishment to the fetus.

'Cash For Clunkers' Program Is Expensive Way To Cut Carbon Emissions, Expert Argues Posted: 15 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT New estimates say the federal government's "Cash for Clunkers" program is paying at least 10 times the "sticker price" to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

World Record In Packing Puzzle Set In Tetrahedra Jam: Better Understanding Of Matter Itself? Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Two researchers have made a major advance in addressing a twist in the packing problem, jamming more tetrahedra -- solid figures with four triangular faces -- and other polyhedral solid objects than ever before into a space. The work could result in better ways to store data on compact discs as well as a better understanding of matter itself.

How Pathogens Have Shaped Genes Involved In Our Immune System Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT A recent study on human genetics on various populations across the world has shown how pathogens can shape the patterns of genetic diversity of our immune system over time. Results show that bacteria, fungi and parasites, unlike viruses, appear to have allowed the introduction of mutations in the genes of some proteins of the innate immunity system, thus enabling greater genetic variability. In some cases, these mutations may even constitute an advantage, giving the human host improved resistance to infectious diseases such as leprosy or tuberculosis.

Manganese Damages Immune Response In Marine Animals, Research Finds Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Hypoxia, or lack of oxygen, in bottom waters is a well known environmental problem. New research in Sweden adds to the list of ill effects: hypoxia leads to increased levels of manganese, which damages the immune response in marine animals.

Discovery Of Genetic Mutation In Leigh Syndrome Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a genetic mutation underlying late-onset Leigh syndrome, a rare inherited metabolic disorder characterized by the degeneration of the central nervous system. The study provides vital insights into the cell biology of this neurological disorder and will lead to the development of diagnostic and predictive tests allowing for family and genetic counseling.

Mars Orbiter Shows Angled View Of Martian Crater Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT The high-resolution camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has returned a dramatic oblique view of the Martian crater that a rover explored for two years.

Parents Can Help Stop The Obesity Epidemic, Says Psychologist; Healthy Body Image Is First Step Posted: 15 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Childhood obesity has quadrupled in the last 40 years, which may mean today's children become the first generation to have a shorter lifespan than their parents, a leading obesity expert says.

Trigger-happy Star Formation: Radiation From Massive Stars Posted: 14 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT A new study from two of NASA's Great Observatories provides fresh insight into how some stars are born, along with a beautiful new image of a stellar nursery in our Galaxy. The research shows that radiation from massive stars may trigger the formation of many more stars than previously thought.

Active Ingredients In Marijuana Found To Spread And Prolong Pain Posted: 14 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT Experiments with rodents and humans have shown that cannabinoids, the active ingredients of marijuana, can actually amplify and prolong pain rather than damping it down. This discovery has implications both for the use of marijuana in pain relief and for basic understanding of the connection between transient and chronic pain.

London's Earliest Timber Structure Found During Belmarsh Prison Dig Posted: 14 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT London's oldest timber structure has been unearthed by archaeologists. It was found during the excavation of a prehistoric peat bog adjacent to Belmarsh Prison in Plumstead, Greenwich, in advance of the construction of a new prison building. Radiocarbon dating has shown the structure to be nearly 6,000 years old and it predates Stonehenge by more than 500 years.

Light Shed On Brain's Mechanism Responsible For Processing Of Speech Posted: 14 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT Researchers have succeeded for the first time in devising a model that describes and identifies a basic cellular mechanism that enables networks of neurons to efficiently decode speech in changing conditions. The research may lead to the upgrading of computer algorithms for faster and more precise speech recognition as well as to the development of innovative treatments for auditory problems among adults and young people.

Baltic Sea: Rapid Changes In Winter Climate Posted: 14 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT The Baltic Sea winter climate has changed more in the last 500 years than previously thought. Research in Sweden shows that our part of the world has experienced periods of both milder and colder winters, and the transitions between these climate types seem to have been abrupt.

Cultural Evolution Continues Throughout Life, Mathematical Models Suggest Posted: 14 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT By successively acquiring culture in the form of values, ideas, and actions throughout their lives, humans influence future learning and the capacity for cultural evolution. The number of learning opportunities a person is exposed to is of great importance to that individual's cultural evolution during his/her lifetime, according to researchers in Sweden. With the aid of mathematical models, these scientists show that there are differences between cultural and biological evolution.

Brain Innately Separates Living And Non-living Objects For Processing Posted: 14 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT For unknown reasons, the human brain distinctly separates the handling of images of living things from images of non-living things, processing each image type in a different area of the brain. For years, many scientists have assumed the brain segregated visual information in this manner to optimize processing the images themselves, but new research shows that even in people who have been blind since birth the brain still separates the concepts of living and non-living objects.

An Apple A Day Keeps Kidney Stones Away: More Fruits And Veggies, Less Salt Prevents Stones From Forming Posted: 14 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Researchers have found another reason to eat well: a healthy diet helps prevent kidney stones. Loading up on fruits, vegetables, nuts, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains, while limiting salt, red and processed meats and sweetened beverages is an effective way to ward off kidney stones, according to a new study.

Bad News For Coffee Drinkers Who Get Headaches Posted: 14 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT People who consume high amounts of caffeine each day are more likely to suffer occasional headaches than those with low caffeine consumption, researchers in Norway have found. But, oddly enough, low caffeine consumption was associated with a greater likelihood of chronic headaches.

Cancer Mortality Rates Experience Steady Decline: Conventional Method May Underreport Declining Death Rate For All Age Groups Posted: 14 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT The number of cancer deaths has declined steadily in the last three decades. Although younger people have experienced the steepest declines, all age groups have shown some improvement, according to a new report.

GOES-11 Sees Tropical Cyclones Fizzling And Forming In Eastern Pacific Posted: 14 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT There are a lot of ups and downs in tropical cyclone formation in the Pacific Ocean this week, and that's keeping NOAA's GOES-11 satellite busy. There are remnants of Maka and Tropical Depression 9E, a fizzled Felicia, and a new Tropical Storm named Guillermo.

Nurses Open To Idea Of Robots Posted: 14 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Front-line staff in the nursing and care sector would welcome sensor and robot technology in nursing homes and the homes of elderly people.

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