ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

---

• New DNA Test Uses Nanotechnology To Find Early Signs Of Cancer
• Inexpensive Hypertension Drug Could Be Multiple Sclerosis Treatment, Study Suggests
• Stressed Crops Emit More Methane Than Thought
• More Sensitive Assay Detects DNA Methylation In Colon Cancer
• Icy Exposure Creates Armored Polymer High-Tech Foams
• Neural Pathway Missing In Tone-deaf People
• Stone Tools, Rare Animal Bones: Clues To Caribbean's Earliest Inhabitants Discovered
• Gene Vital To Brain's Stem Cells Implicated In Deadly Brain Cancer
• Non-invasive Brain Surgery Moves A Step Closer
• New Strategy For Inhibiting Virus Replication
• Jade Sheds Light On Guatemala's Geologic History
• Intelligent Harvesting Robot To Cut Costs For UK Farms
• Personality Traits Associated With Stress And Worry Can Be Hazardous To Your Health
• Inherited Risk Factors Increase Odds Of Developing Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
• Molecules Wrestle For Supremacy In Creation Of Superstructures
• Delays In Defibrillation Not Explained By Traditional Hospital Factors
• Biolubricants Made With Sunflower Oil Just As Efficient As Traditional Ones
• Coordination Needed To Support Green-fingered Youths
• 'Killer Spices' Provide Eco-friendly Pesticides For Organic Fruits And Veggies
• 'Regulatory' Genetic Sequences May Predict Risk For Prostate Cancer
• Immersive Dome Replaces Flat Movie Screen: Don’t Just Watch, Join The Action!
• Seed Implants A Suitable Prostate Cancer Treatment Option For Men Of All Ages
• Optimum Scheduling Of Soccer Games: Planning English Football Fixtures
• How To Make Negative Services Less Unpleasant For Consumers
• Early Human Hunters Had Fewer Meat-sharing Rituals
• Prion Protein Identified As Novel Early Pancreatic Cancer Biomarker
• Freshwater Fish At The Top Of The Food Chain Evolve More Slowly
• Model Explains Disorders Caused By Improper Transmission Of Chromosomes
• To Understand The Universe, Science Calls On The Ultrasmall
• US-born Asian-American Women More Likely To Think About, Attempt Suicide, Study Finds
• Speciation Through Genome Duplication More Common In Plant Evolution Than Previously Thought
• Does Sugar Feed Cancer?
• Climate Change Could Harm Lake Fish: Light Determines Growth Of Fish In Lakes
• MS Patients Who Smoke Show More Brain Atrophy, More Lesions, Than MS Nonsmokers
• Self-healing Surfaces
• Personality Type Linked To Risk Of Death Among Individuals With Peripheral Artery Disease
• The Mind's Eye Scans Like A Spotlight: New Role Discovered For Brain Waves
• Folic Acid: Mandatory Fortification May Be Unnecessary
• Links Between Video-game Playing And Health Risks In Adults Found
• New Biomarker Predicts Response To Hepatitis C Treatment; May Explain Differing Racial Response Rates
• Computer Game Taps Creativity Of Scientists To Solve Energy Problems
• Excessive Exercise Can Be Addicting, New Study Says

New DNA Test Uses Nanotechnology To Find Early Signs Of Cancer Posted: 19 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT Using tiny crystals called quantum dots, researchers have developed a highly sensitive test to look for DNA attachments that often are early warning signs of cancer.

Inexpensive Hypertension Drug Could Be Multiple Sclerosis Treatment, Study Suggests Posted: 19 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT Turning serendipity into science, researchers have found a link, in mice and in human brain tissue, between high blood pressure and multiple sclerosis. Their findings suggest that a safe, inexpensive drug already in wide use for high blood pressure may have therapeutic value in multiple sclerosis, as well.

Stressed Crops Emit More Methane Than Thought Posted: 19 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT Scientists have found that methane emission by plants could be a bigger problem in global warming than previously thought. They say an uncounted-for source of greenhouse gas could promote global warming.

More Sensitive Assay Detects DNA Methylation In Colon Cancer Posted: 19 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have developed a highly sensitive method for detecting methylated DNA. Chemical modification of DNA via the addition or deletion of methyl groups has been established as a common biological means of activating or silencing genes. Abnormal levels of DNA methylation, which effectively disrupt the genes responsible for normal cell cycle regulation, has been implicated in a number of different cancers, and has led to the development of novel cancer biomarkers.

Icy Exposure Creates Armored Polymer High-Tech Foams Posted: 19 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT Chemists and engineers have found that exposing particular mixtures of polymer particles and other materials to sudden freeze-drying can create a high-tech armored foam that could be used for a number of purposes, including a new range of low power room temperature gas sensors.

Neural Pathway Missing In Tone-deaf People Posted: 19 Aug 2009 05:00 AM PDT Nerve fibers that link perception and motor regions of the brain are disconnected in tone-deaf people, according to new research. Experts estimate that at least 10 percent of the population may be tone deaf -- unable to sing in tune. The new finding identifies a particular brain circuit that appears to be absent in these individuals.

Stone Tools, Rare Animal Bones: Clues To Caribbean's Earliest Inhabitants Discovered Posted: 19 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT A prehistoric water-filled cave in the Dominican Republic has become a "treasure trove" with the announcement by archaeologists of the discovery of stone tools, a primate skull, and the claws, jawbone and other bones of several species of sloths. This rare find is expected to offer insight into both the earliest inhabitants of the Greater Antilles and an issue of worldwide concern -- the extinction of native birds and animals when humans arrive.

Gene Vital To Brain's Stem Cells Implicated In Deadly Brain Cancer Posted: 19 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have identified a protein that activates brain stem cells to make new neurons -- but that may be hijacked later in life to cause brain cancer in humans. The protein called Huwe1 normally functions to eliminate other unnecessary proteins and was found to act as a tumor suppressor in brain cancer.

Non-invasive Brain Surgery Moves A Step Closer Posted: 19 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Medical researchers have completed a pilot study using transcranial MR-guided focused ultrasound to treat 10 patients with neuropathic pain.

New Strategy For Inhibiting Virus Replication Posted: 19 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Viruses need living cells for replication and production of virus progeny. Thus far, antiviral therapy primarily targets viral factors but often induces therapy resistance. New improved therapies attempt to targets cellular factors that are essential for viral replication.

Jade Sheds Light On Guatemala's Geologic History Posted: 19 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT The shifting of tectonic plates in Central America has been poorly understood -- until now. New research on jade found along fault lines in Guatemala is helping geologists piece the puzzle of the past 130 million years.

Intelligent Harvesting Robot To Cut Costs For UK Farms Posted: 19 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have developed imaging technology to be used in an intelligent harvesting machine that could minimize wastage and solve an impending labor shortage for UK farmers.

Personality Traits Associated With Stress And Worry Can Be Hazardous To Your Health Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Personality traits associated with chronic worrying can lead to earlier death, at least in part because these people are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking.

Inherited Risk Factors Increase Odds Of Developing Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Scientists have identified inherited variations in two genes that account for 37 percent of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, including a gene that may help predict drug response.

Molecules Wrestle For Supremacy In Creation Of Superstructures Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have found how mirror-image molecules gain control over each other and dictate the physical state of superstructures.

Delays In Defibrillation Not Explained By Traditional Hospital Factors Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Traditional hospital factors -- such as case volume and academic status -- do not appear to predict whether patients with cardiac arrest at that facility are likely to experience delays in receiving defibrillation, according to a new report.

Biolubricants Made With Sunflower Oil Just As Efficient As Traditional Ones Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have shown in a lab trial that the efficiency of high-oleic sunflower oil as a base ingredient for industrial lubricants measures up to traditional materials, while being more environmentally friendly.

Coordination Needed To Support Green-fingered Youths Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 PM PDT Young people working on conservation projects are often coerced into "grunt" activities like digging holes or picking up litter and gain little from environmental volunteering, according to research at the University of Exeter.

'Killer Spices' Provide Eco-friendly Pesticides For Organic Fruits And Veggies Posted: 18 Aug 2009 08:00 PM PDT Researchers are reporting that well-known spices such as rosemary, thyme, clove and mint are becoming organic agriculture's key weapons against insect pests as the industry tries to satisfy demands for fruits and veggies among the growing portion of consumers who want food produced in more natural ways.

'Regulatory' Genetic Sequences May Predict Risk For Prostate Cancer Posted: 18 Aug 2009 08:00 PM PDT Researchers have identified a novel genetic mechanism that may govern an individual's risk of developing prostate cancer.

Immersive Dome Replaces Flat Movie Screen: Don’t Just Watch, Join The Action! Posted: 18 Aug 2009 08:00 PM PDT A new dome projection developed in Europe offers a compelling replacement for the flat movie screen. The 'Immersive Dome' puts viewers at the heart of the action, and lets them actively participate. And instead of the conventional surround sound, a three-dimensional aural experience awaits visitors.

Seed Implants A Suitable Prostate Cancer Treatment Option For Men Of All Ages Posted: 18 Aug 2009 08:00 PM PDT Men diagnosed with prostate cancer have a number of treatments to choose from, but it's a daunting task to figure out the right mix of therapies for an individual patient. Trends among medical professionals have tipped the scales in favor of some treatments for younger men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Scientists have now found that age doesn't make a difference in the long-term therapeutic outcome.

Optimum Scheduling Of Soccer Games: Planning English Football Fixtures Posted: 18 Aug 2009 08:00 PM PDT Can computers solve the logistical nightmare of planning English football fixtures (soccer game schedules) over the holidays?

How To Make Negative Services Less Unpleasant For Consumers Posted: 18 Aug 2009 08:00 PM PDT Service quality beliefs are usually positively related to customer satisfaction -- the higher the perceived service quality, the higher the customer's satisfaction. However, researchers find this relationship may be more complicated in "negative service environments" (i.e., services that consumers would prefer not to have to use), such as health screening, diagnostic tests, or even auto repair.

Early Human Hunters Had Fewer Meat-sharing Rituals Posted: 18 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT An anthropologist has discovered that humans living at a Paleolithic cave site in central Israel between 400,000 and 250,000 years ago were as successful at big-game hunting as were later stone-age hunters at the site, but that the earlier humans shared meat differently.

Prion Protein Identified As Novel Early Pancreatic Cancer Biomarker Posted: 18 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT Mad cow disease is caused by the accumulation of an abnormal protein, the prion, in the brain of an affected patient. Outside of the brain, very little is known about prions. Researchers have, for the first time, identified the prion as a biomarker for pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers in humans; the five year survival rate is less than 10 percent.

Freshwater Fish At The Top Of The Food Chain Evolve More Slowly Posted: 18 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT For avid fishermen and anglers, the largemouth bass is a favorite freshwater fish with an appetite for minnows. Once fish evolve the size and speed needed to become top predators, natural selection keeps them in an evolutionary holding pattern, a new study finds. A new study finds that once they evolved to eat other fish, largemouth bass and fellow fish-feeders have remained relatively unchanged compared with their insect- and snail-eating cousins. As these fishes became top predators in aquatic ecosystems, natural selection put the breaks on evolution, say researchers.

Model Explains Disorders Caused By Improper Transmission Of Chromosomes Posted: 18 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT Scientists have developed a model system for plants and animals that shows the loss of a key structural protein can lead to the premature separation of one DNA copy called a chromatid. The new model shows for the first time that the loss of this protein can lead to aneuploidy -- the name given to birth disorders caused by extra or too few chromosomes.

To Understand The Universe, Science Calls On The Ultrasmall Posted: 18 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT A special three-day symposium focusing on the neutrino, a strange subatomic particle that could help answer some of the universe's most compelling questions, is scheduled for Aug. 16-18 at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C.

US-born Asian-American Women More Likely To Think About, Attempt Suicide, Study Finds Posted: 18 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT Although Asian-Americans as a group have lower rates of thinking about and attempting suicide than the national average, US-born Asian-American women seem to be particularly at risk for suicidal behavior, according to new research.

Speciation Through Genome Duplication More Common In Plant Evolution Than Previously Thought Posted: 18 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Extra genomes appear, on average, to offer no benefit or disadvantage to plants, but still play a key role in the origin of new species, say scientists. Plant biologists have long suspected polyploidy -- the heritable acquisition of extra chromosome sets -- was a gateway to speciation. But the consensus was that polyploidy is a minor force. The first direct, comprehensive survey of polyploid speciation in plant evolution severely challenges that notion.

Does Sugar Feed Cancer? Posted: 18 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Researchers have uncovered new information on the notion that sugar "feeds" tumors. The findings may also have implications for other diseases such as diabetes.

Climate Change Could Harm Lake Fish: Light Determines Growth Of Fish In Lakes Posted: 18 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Light is what determines the growth of fish in lakes. Climate change is expected to lead to browner lakes with less light penetration, which will lead to reduced growth of fish.

MS Patients Who Smoke Show More Brain Atrophy, More Lesions, Than MS Nonsmokers Posted: 18 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Persons with multiple sclerosis who smoked for a little as six months during their lifetime had more destruction of brain tissue and more brain atrophy than MS patients who never smoked, a study by neuroimaging specialists has shown.

Self-healing Surfaces Posted: 18 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT The engineers' dream of self-healing surfaces has taken another step towards becoming reality -- researchers have produced a electroplated layer that contains tiny nanometer-sized capsules. If the layer is damaged, the capsules release fluid and repair the scratch.

Personality Type Linked To Risk Of Death Among Individuals With Peripheral Artery Disease Posted: 18 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT A preliminary study suggests that a negative, inhibited personality type (type D personality) appears to predict an increased risk of death over four years among patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), according to a new report.

The Mind's Eye Scans Like A Spotlight: New Role Discovered For Brain Waves Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Researchers say you are more likely to scan the room, jumping from face to face as you search for your friend. In addition, the timing of these jumps appears to be determined by waves of activity in the brain that act as a clock.

Folic Acid: Mandatory Fortification May Be Unnecessary Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Persistently present levels of unmetabolized folic acid found in the population indicate that introducing mandatory food fortification may result in an "overdosing" effect. A study of blood donors, new mothers and babies, has found that most already get enough folic acid from voluntarily fortified foods.

Links Between Video-game Playing And Health Risks In Adults Found Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT While video gaming is perceived as a pastime for children and young adults, the average age of US players is 35. Investigators analyzed survey data from 500+ adults (19 to 90) on health risks; media use behaviors and perceptions, including those related to video-game playing; and demographic factors. They found measurable correlations between video-game playing and health risks, including a higher BMI and a greater number of poor mental-health days.

New Biomarker Predicts Response To Hepatitis C Treatment; May Explain Differing Racial Response Rates Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Researchers have identified the first genetic marker that predicts response to hepatitis C treatments, and a single letter of DNA code appears to make a huge difference. Scientists says the biomarker not only predicts who is most likely to respond to treatment and who isn't, but also may explain why there are such different rates of response among racial and ethnic groups, a phenomenon that has puzzled physicians for years.

Computer Game Taps Creativity Of Scientists To Solve Energy Problems Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT A rare "thought experiment" -- using a computer game format -- is being carried out in order to focus the creative genius of hundreds of scientists on solutions to one of the 21st century's most daunting problems: Finding sustainable new sources of energy.

Excessive Exercise Can Be Addicting, New Study Says Posted: 18 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Although exercise is good for your health, extreme exercise may be physically addicting. Rats given a drug that produces withdrawal in heroin addicts went into withdrawal after running excessively in exercise wheels, according to new research. Rats that ran the hardest had the most severe withdrawal symptoms.

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
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610