ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Scientists First To Image 'Anatomy' Of A Molecule
• Scientists Construct 'Off Switch' For Parkinson Therapy
• Rheumatism Video Discloses Center Of Inflammation At An Early Stage
• HIV Subtype Linked To Increased Likelihood For Dementia
• Parasites Ready To Jump: Even DNA Is Subject To Attack By Parasites
• It's Not All In Your Head: Descending Neural Mechanisms Of Placebo-induced Pain Control
• Handwriting-based Tool Offers Alternate Lie Detection Method
• New Target For Treating Breast Cancer Metastasis
• Seeing The Tree From The Forest: Predicting The Future Of Plant Communities
• Obesity Is A Poor Gauge For Detecting High Cholesterol Levels In Children
• Restoring A Natural Root Signal Helps To Fight A Major Corn Pest
• Study Shines Light On Night-time Alertness
• Mysterious Glaciers That Grew When Asia Heated Up
• Researchers Identify New, Cancer-causing Role For Protein
• Device For On-The-Spot Blood Analysis
• Continued Vigilance Against Drug-resistance Malaria Is Needed
• New Test For Safer Biomedical Research Results
• New Study Suggests The Brain Predicts What Eyes In Motion Will See
• Warped Debris Disks Around Stars Are 'Blowin' In The Wind'
• Blood Thinner Causes Stroke In Some Dialysis Patients, Study Suggests
• Slowly Slip-sliding Faults Don't Cause Earthquakes, Study Suggests
• The Anti-diabetic Effects Of Sodium Tungstate Revealed
• Asia Faces Food Shortage By 2050 Without Water Reform
• Feelings Of Hopelessness Linked To Stroke Risk In Healthy Women
• Nitrous Oxide Now Top Ozone-depleting Emission
• Immune Defect Is Key To Skin Aging
• Slow-motion Earthquake Testing Probes How Buildings Collapse In Quakes
• Abnormal Heartbeats Caused By Changes In Ion Channel Density
• Hankering For Molecular Electronics? Grab The New NIST Sandwich
• Job Insecurity Leads To Health Problems In US Workers
• Scientists Find 'Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch'
• Gene Associated With Language, Speech And Reading Disorders Identified
• Washing Away Painful Wounds
• Antidepressants: Selective Serotonin And Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor Drugs Show Benefits In German Study
• Scientists Detect 'Fingerprint' Of High-temp Superconductivity Above Transition Temperature
• Outcome Matters More Than Intention When Punishing Or Rewarding Accidents

Scientists First To Image 'Anatomy' Of A Molecule Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT IBM scientists have been able to image the "anatomy" -- or chemical structure -- inside a molecule with unprecedented resolution, using a complex technique known as noncontact atomic force microscopy.

Scientists Construct 'Off Switch' For Parkinson Therapy Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Addressing safety concerns related to potential gene therapies for Parkinson's disease, researchers at the have constructed a gene transfer therapy that can be inhibited with a common antibiotic. Experiments in rats show that the gene therapy product can be completely shut off, indicating for the first time that genes that have been irrevocably delivered to the brain to treat Parkinson's can be regulated.

Rheumatism Video Discloses Center Of Inflammation At An Early Stage Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT It can strike anyone: rheumatism occurs just as often as diabetes, arteriosclerosis and cancer combined. Approximately one percent of the population is stricken with the rheumatoid arthritis. Now scientists in Germany have developed such an early detection method.

HIV Subtype Linked To Increased Likelihood For Dementia Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Patients infected with a particular subtype of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are more likely to develop dementia than patients with other subtypes, a new study shows.

Parasites Ready To Jump: Even DNA Is Subject To Attack By Parasites Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Even DNA is subject to attack by parasites -- so-called transposons. Transposons are mobile genetic elements that can insert into genomes at variable sites and disseminate to new locations. Researchers have discovered a mechanism that helps to repress their activity.

It's Not All In Your Head: Descending Neural Mechanisms Of Placebo-induced Pain Control Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT A new study reveals that when it comes to pain control, the "placebo effect" involves evolutionarily old pain control pathways in the human brainstem, the part of the brain that is continuous with the spinal cord. The research provides fascinating mechanistic insight into how and why simply expecting that a treatment will reduce pain can act as an effective analgesic.

Handwriting-based Tool Offers Alternate Lie Detection Method Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT A handwriting lie detection tool may change the face of effective law enforcement. Researchers utilized a computerized tablet that measured the physical properties of the subject's handwriting, which are difficult to consciously control. They have found that these handwriting characteristics differ when an individual is in the process of writing deceptive sentences as opposed to truthful sentences.

New Target For Treating Breast Cancer Metastasis Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that the protein Brk plays a role in breast cancer progression and dissemination.

Seeing The Tree From The Forest: Predicting The Future Of Plant Communities Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT A recent paper presents an algorithm that may be used to predict the future dynamics of plant communities, an increasingly interesting area of study as significant environmental changes, such as global climate change and invasive species, are affecting current plant communities. A goal of plant ecology has been to find ways to predict plant behavior in communities based on observed properties of a few representative members.

Obesity Is A Poor Gauge For Detecting High Cholesterol Levels In Children Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT With the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States, there is concern that overweight and obese children need to be screened for chronic medical conditions, including high cholesterol levels. However, body fat is not an effective indicator of high cholesterol in children, according to new research.

Restoring A Natural Root Signal Helps To Fight A Major Corn Pest Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT Agricultural researchers have successfully manipulated a crop plant to emit a signal that attracts beneficial organisms. Genetic transformation of maize plants resulted in the release of the naturally active substance (E)-beta-caryophyllene from their roots. The substance attracts nematodes that kill larvae of the Western corn rootworm, a voracious root pest.

Study Shines Light On Night-time Alertness Posted: 29 Aug 2009 08:00 AM PDT The circadian system is not the only pathway involved in determining alertness at night. New research shows that red light, which does not stimulate the circadian system, is just as effective at increasing night-time alertness as blue light, which does.

Mysterious Glaciers That Grew When Asia Heated Up Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Long ago, a group of Himalayan glaciers grew by several kilometers even while Central Asia's climate warmed up to six degrees Celsius. New analysis attributes much of the glacial growth to increased cloudiness and wind. A project is now under way to forecast the Indus River system's water supply for the coming decades.

Researchers Identify New, Cancer-causing Role For Protein Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT The mainstay immune system protein TRAF6 plays an unexpected, key role activating a cell signaling molecule that in mutant form is associated with cancer growth, researchers report.

Device For On-The-Spot Blood Analysis Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT A hand-held device could offer point-of-care blood cell analysis in doctors' surgeries. The chip within the device uses microfluidics -- a set of technologies that control the flow of minute amounts of liquids -- to measure a number of different cells in the blood.

Continued Vigilance Against Drug-resistance Malaria Is Needed Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT Current combination malaria therapies recommended by the World Health Organization provide adequate treatment for mild malaria, according to a review of the evidence. However, selected trials had high failure rates for some combinations and evidence for the effectiveness of anti-malarial therapies is lacking in some vulnerable groups.

New Test For Safer Biomedical Research Results Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT In biomedical research with living cells in the culture dish, contamination with bacteria, viruses or other fast-growing cells is always a risk. Scientists have now developed a test system for fast and cost-effective detection of such contaminations. The new method will contribute to making biomedical research results safer and reproducible.

New Study Suggests The Brain Predicts What Eyes In Motion Will See Posted: 29 Aug 2009 02:00 AM PDT When the eyes move, objects in the line of sight suddenly jump to a different place on the retina, but the mind perceives the scene as stable and continuous. A new study reports that the brain predicts the consequences of eye movement even before the eyes take in a new scene.

Warped Debris Disks Around Stars Are 'Blowin' In The Wind' Posted: 28 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT The dust-filled disks where new planets may be forming around other stars occasionally take on some difficult-to-understand shapes. Now astronomers find that a star's motion through interstellar gas can account for many of them.

Blood Thinner Causes Stroke In Some Dialysis Patients, Study Suggests Posted: 28 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT The blood thinner warfarin can prevent strokes in most individuals with abnormal heart rhythms, but the drug may have the opposite effect in kidney disease patients on dialysis, according to a new study. The results suggest that warfarin should be prescribed with caution in patients with kidney failure.

Slowly Slip-sliding Faults Don't Cause Earthquakes, Study Suggests Posted: 28 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT Some slow-moving faults may help protect against destructive earthquakes, suggests new research. Until now, geologists thought when the crack between two pieces of the Earth's crust was at a very gentle slope, there was no movement along that particular fault line. Now geoscientists have found that such a low-angle normal fault in Italy is moving slowly and steadily.

The Anti-diabetic Effects Of Sodium Tungstate Revealed Posted: 28 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT The molecular mechanisms of tungstate activity in diabetes have been uncovered. Researchers have identified the pathways through which sodium tungstate improves pancreatic function and beta cell proliferation.

Asia Faces Food Shortage By 2050 Without Water Reform Posted: 28 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT A comprehensive new study of irrigation in Asia warns that, without major reforms and innovations in the way water is used for agriculture, many developing nations face the politically risky prospect of having to import more than a quarter of the rice, wheat and maize they will need by 2050.

Feelings Of Hopelessness Linked To Stroke Risk In Healthy Women Posted: 28 Aug 2009 05:00 PM PDT Healthy middle-aged women with feelings of hopelessness appear to experience thickening of the neck arteries, which can be a precursor to stroke, according to new research.

Nitrous Oxide Now Top Ozone-depleting Emission Posted: 28 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Nitrous oxide has now become the largest ozone-depleting substance emitted through human activities, and is expected to remain the largest throughout the 21st century, scientists report in a new study.

Immune Defect Is Key To Skin Aging Posted: 28 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Scientists have discovered why older people may be so vulnerable to cancer and infections in the skin. The team has shown in human volunteers that defective immunity in the skin is caused by an inability to mobilize essential defenses that would otherwise recognize threats and clear them before irreparable damage is done. This discovery could be important for preventing, managing or treating many age-related skin health problems.

Slow-motion Earthquake Testing Probes How Buildings Collapse In Quakes Posted: 28 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT It takes just seconds for tall buildings to collapse during earthquakes. Knowing what's happening in those seconds can help engineers design buildings that are less prone to sustaining that kind of damage. But the nature of collapse is not well understood. That's why researchers are trying an innovative "hybrid" approach to testing that may provide a safer, less expensive way to learn about building collapses.

Abnormal Heartbeats Caused By Changes In Ion Channel Density Posted: 28 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Two independent studies have determined how changes in the density of different ion channels in the surface membrane of heart muscle cells can lead to life-threatening abnormal heartbeats.

Hankering For Molecular Electronics? Grab The New NIST Sandwich Posted: 28 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Scientists have found a simple method of sandwiching organic molecules between silicon and metal, two materials fundamental to electronic components. By doing so, they may have overcome one of the principal obstacles in creating switches made from individual molecules.

Job Insecurity Leads To Health Problems In US Workers Posted: 28 Aug 2009 02:00 PM PDT Persistent job insecurity poses a major threat to worker health, according to a new study.

Scientists Find 'Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch' Posted: 28 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Scientists have just completed an unprecedented journey into the vast and little-explored "Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch." The researchers encountered a large amount of debris including a large net entwined with plastic and various marine organisms.

Gene Associated With Language, Speech And Reading Disorders Identified Posted: 28 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT A new candidate gene for Specific Language Impairment has been identified. The results point toward the likelihood of multiple genes contributing to language impairment, some of which also contribute to reading or speech impairment.

Washing Away Painful Wounds Posted: 28 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT A new device uses a solution to wash away necrotic tissue, bathing a chronic wound while keeping bacteria away.

Antidepressants: Selective Serotonin And Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor Drugs Show Benefits In German Study Posted: 28 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Patients with depression benefit from taking venlafaxine and duloxetine, two drugs belonging to the selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor drug class. This is the conclusion of a report published by German researchers. Clinical comparisons with a sham drug (placebo) show that patients respond better to the therapy, suffering less from the symptoms of depression.

Scientists Detect 'Fingerprint' Of High-temp Superconductivity Above Transition Temperature Posted: 28 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT Scientists have shown for the first time that the spectroscopic "fingerprint" of high-temperature superconductivity remains intact well above the super chilly temperatures at which these materials carry current with no resistance. This confirms that certain conditions necessary for superconductivity exist at the warmer temperatures that would make these materials practical for energy-saving applications -- if scientists can figure out how to get the current flowing.

Outcome Matters More Than Intention When Punishing Or Rewarding Accidents Posted: 28 Aug 2009 11:00 AM PDT New research finds that when choosing to punish or reward accidental behavior, individuals tend to focus on outcome, rather than a person's intent.

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