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• New Nanolaser Key To Future Optical Computers And Technologies
• Carnitine Supplements Reverse Glucose Intolerance In Animals
• Why More Autumn Leaves Are Red In America And Yellow In Europe: New Theory
• Obesity Increases Risk Of Prostate Cancer Recurrence For Both Blacks And Whites
• Carbon Nanoparticles Toxic To Adult Fruit Flies But Benign To Young
• Drug Labels Should Disclose Lack Of Comparison With Existing Medications, Experts Urge
• 'Smell Of Death' Research Could Help Recover Bodies In Disasters And Solve Crimes
• Bone's Material Flaws Lead To Disease
• Braille Displays Get New Life With Artificial Muscles
• Scientists Take Early Steps Toward Mapping Epigenetic Variability
• Changes In Net Flow Of Ocean Heat Correlate With Past Climate Anomalies
• Scientists Find A Common Link Of Bird Flocks, Breast Milk And Trust
• Up To 90 Percent Of US Paper Money Contains Traces Of Cocaine, Study Finds
• Researchers Sequence 'Exomes' Of 12 People; New Strategy For Finding Disease Genes
• Climate Models Confirm More Moisture In Atmosphere Attributed To Humans
• No Evidence Of 'Unhealthful' Relation Between Animal Foods And Breast Cancer, New Studies Find
• The Sky Is Not Falling: Pollution In Eastern China Cuts Light, Useful Rainfall
• Study: 18- To 24-year-old Group More Politically Active, But Not More Knowledgeable
• Metastatic Cancer And Macrophages: Cells Thought To Protect Against Cancer May Actually Promote It
• Low Choline Levels In Pregnant Women Raise Babies' Risk For Brain And Spinal-cord Defects, Study Shows
• Visual Time Machine Offers Tourists A Glimpse Of The Past
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea Is Prevalent In Adults With Down Syndrome
• New Computer Techniques Developed To Analyze Historic Hebrew And Arabic Documents
• Neurological Complications Of Heart Surgery
• Physicists Make Crystal-Liquid Interface Visible For First Time
• Important Step In Neutralizing Toxic Cause Of Muscle Disease
• Discovery Could Help Stem Infections Of Parasitic Roundworms
• Research Team Responds To Concerns About International Insulin Drug Trial
• Legislation Is Restricting Internet Access, Expert Warns
• Why GPs Won't Take Part In Research: Bureaucracy Stifling Studies, Researchers Report

New Nanolaser Key To Future Optical Computers And Technologies Posted: 17 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Researchers have created the tiniest laser since its invention nearly 50 years ago, paving the way for a host of innovations, including superfast computers that use light instead of electrons to process information, advanced sensors and imaging.

Carnitine Supplements Reverse Glucose Intolerance In Animals Posted: 17 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Supplementing obese rats with the nutrient carnitine helps the animals to clear the extra sugar in their blood, something they had trouble doing on their own, researchers report.

Why More Autumn Leaves Are Red In America And Yellow In Europe: New Theory Posted: 17 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Walking outdoors in the fall, the splendidly colorful leaves adorning the trees are a delight to the eye. In Europe these autumn leaves are mostly yellow, while the United States and East Asia boast lustrous red foliage. But why is it that there are such differences in autumnal hues around the world? A new theory proposes taking a step 35 million years back to solve the color mystery.

Obesity Increases Risk Of Prostate Cancer Recurrence For Both Blacks And Whites Posted: 17 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT A new look at a large database of prostate cancer patients shows that obesity plays no favorites when it comes to increasing the risk of recurrence after surgery. Being way overweight is equally bad for blacks and whites, say researchers.

Carbon Nanoparticles Toxic To Adult Fruit Flies But Benign To Young Posted: 17 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that certain types of carbon nanoparticles can be environmentally toxic to adult fruit flies, although they were found to be benign when added to food for larvae. The findings may further reveal the environmental and health dangers of carbon nanoparticles.

Drug Labels Should Disclose Lack Of Comparison With Existing Medications, Experts Urge Posted: 17 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT The labeling information that comes with prescription drugs tells you what's known about the medication, but several researchers think it's high time that the labeling tell you what isn't known.

'Smell Of Death' Research Could Help Recover Bodies In Disasters And Solve Crimes Posted: 17 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT In an advance toward the first portable device for detecting human bodies buried in disasters and at crime scenes, scientists are reporting early results from a project to establish the chemical fingerprint of death. The study could also lead to an electronic device that could determine the time elapsed since death quickly, accurately and onsite.

Bone's Material Flaws Lead To Disease Posted: 17 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT The weak tendons and fragile bones characteristic of osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, stem from a genetic mutation that causes the incorrect substitution of a single amino acid in the chain of thousands of amino acids making up a collagen molecule, the basic building block of bone and tendon.

Braille Displays Get New Life With Artificial Muscles Posted: 17 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT Research with tiny artificial muscles may yield a full-page active Braille system that can refresh automatically and come to life right beneath your fingertips.

Scientists Take Early Steps Toward Mapping Epigenetic Variability Posted: 17 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT Scientists have taken the first steps toward mapping epigenetic variability in cells and tissues. Mapping the human epigenome, similar to the human genome project in the 1990s, could someday allow for quicker and more precise disease diagnoses and more targeted treatments of many chronic ailments.

Changes In Net Flow Of Ocean Heat Correlate With Past Climate Anomalies Posted: 17 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT Physicists have combed through data from satellites and ocean buoys and found evidence that in the last 50 years, the net flow of heat into and out of the oceans has changed direction three times. These shifts in the balance of heat absorbed from the sun and radiated from the oceans correlate well with past anomalies that have been associated with abrupt shifts in the Earth's climate, say the researchers.

Scientists Find A Common Link Of Bird Flocks, Breast Milk And Trust Posted: 17 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT What do flocks of birds have in common with trust, monogamy, and even breast milk? According to a new report in the journal Science, they are regulated by virtually identical neurochemicals in the brain, known as oxytocin in mammals and mesotocin in birds.

Up To 90 Percent Of US Paper Money Contains Traces Of Cocaine, Study Finds Posted: 17 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT You probably have cocaine in your wallet, purse, or pocket. Sound unlikely or outrageous? Think again! In what researchers describe as the largest, most comprehensive analysis to date of cocaine contamination in banknotes, scientists are reporting that cocaine is present in up to 90 percent of paper money in the United States, particularly in large cities such as Baltimore, Boston and Detroit. The scientists found traces of cocaine in 95 percent of the banknotes analyzed from Washington, D.C., alone.

Researchers Sequence 'Exomes' Of 12 People; New Strategy For Finding Disease Genes Posted: 17 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT In a pioneering effort that generated massive amounts of DNA sequence data from 12 people, a team of researchers has demonstrated the feasibility and value of a new strategy for identifying relatively rare genetic variants that may cause or contribute to disease.

Climate Models Confirm More Moisture In Atmosphere Attributed To Humans Posted: 17 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT When it comes to using climate models to assess the causes of the increased amount of moisture in the atmosphere, it doesn't much matter if one model is better than the other. They all come to the same conclusion: Humans are warming the planet, and this warming is increasing the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. Scientists now have found that model quality does not affect the ability to identify human effects on atmospheric water vapor.

No Evidence Of 'Unhealthful' Relation Between Animal Foods And Breast Cancer, New Studies Find Posted: 17 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT Although genetic factors are important, there is considerable evidence that breast cancer risk is related to modifiable lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, body weight, alcohol intake, and dietary choices. Researchers are now reporting results from three recent human studies designed to better delineate the relation between animal foods and breast cancer risk. The studies provide no evidence that animal-food consumption increases, or decreases, risk of breast cancer.

The Sky Is Not Falling: Pollution In Eastern China Cuts Light, Useful Rainfall Posted: 17 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT New research shows that air pollution in eastern China over the past 50 years has decreased the yearly number of days of light rainfall by 23 percent. The study links for the first time high levels of pollutants in the air with conditions that prevent the kind of rainfall critical for agriculture. The results suggest that bad air quality might be affecting the country's ability to raise crops as well as health and the environment.

Study: 18- To 24-year-old Group More Politically Active, But Not More Knowledgeable Posted: 17 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT A new study finds that the 18- to 24-year-old demographic became more politically active during the 2008 U.S. election season through the use of new media, but that the young adults were not necessarily more knowledgeable about politics.

Metastatic Cancer And Macrophages: Cells Thought To Protect Against Cancer May Actually Promote It Posted: 17 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT The deadliest part of the cancer process, metastasis, appears to rely on help from macrophages, potent immune system cells that usually defend vigorously against disease, researchers report.

Low Choline Levels In Pregnant Women Raise Babies' Risk For Brain And Spinal-cord Defects, Study Shows Posted: 17 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT A newborn's risk for brain and spinal-cord defects rises if the mother has low blood levels of the nutrient choline during pregnancy, researchers have discovered.

Visual Time Machine Offers Tourists A Glimpse Of The Past Posted: 17 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT A ruined temple, ancient frescos and even a long-dead king have been brought to life by a "visual time machine" developed by European researchers.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Is Prevalent In Adults With Down Syndrome Posted: 17 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT A new study shows that adults with Down syndrome also frequently suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.

New Computer Techniques Developed To Analyze Historic Hebrew And Arabic Documents Posted: 17 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers in Israel will combine the scientific and scholarly expertise of their humanities and computer science experts in a new project to analyze degraded Hebrew documents. The effort to develop new computer algorithms combines scientific expertise in computer vision, computer graphics, image processing and computational geometry with the scholarly expertise of historians and liturgy scholars to provide valuable answers regarding Jewish liturgical texts and Arabic historical texts that advance scholarship in these fields.

Neurological Complications Of Heart Surgery Posted: 17 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Possible neurological complications of heart surgery, ranging from headaches to strokes, are detailed in a new report. For example, complications from bypass surgery can include vision problems, paralysis, hoarseness, movement disorders and disturbances in learning, memory, attention, concentration and mental agility.

Physicists Make Crystal-Liquid Interface Visible For First Time Posted: 16 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have captured the first images of what's actually happening in the fuzzy area of the crystal-liquid interface. Their lab's data make the waves between the two states of matter, solid and liquid, visible for the first time.

Important Step In Neutralizing Toxic Cause Of Muscle Disease Posted: 16 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Cell biologists describe a new approach to remove the toxic agent that causes the neuromuscular disease myotonic dystrophy.

Discovery Could Help Stem Infections Of Parasitic Roundworms Posted: 16 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Biologists have discovered how a Chinese drug effective in killing parasitic roundworms works. Their discovery of the drug's biological mechanism provides important new information about how to combat parasitic roundworms, which infect more than a billion people in tropical regions and are one of the leading causes of debilitation in underdeveloped countries.

Research Team Responds To Concerns About International Insulin Drug Trial Posted: 16 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Accumulating safety data from the large, international ORIGIN trial have been reviewed by its independent data monitoring committee, who have concluded that there is no cause for concern.

Legislation Is Restricting Internet Access, Expert Warns Posted: 16 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Laws aimed at tackling illegal use of wireless internet connections are restricting attempts to increase broadband access, according to new research.

Why GPs Won't Take Part In Research: Bureaucracy Stifling Studies, Researchers Report Posted: 16 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT A group of researchers whose planned leg ulceration study was hamstrung by a physician recruitment rate of 2 percent have published the reasons why so many doctors turned them down. The qualitative information should be of use to those designing trials of their own.

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