ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Early Life On Earth: Could Salt Crusts Be Key Ingredient In Cooking Up Prebiotic Molecules?
• Single Missing Protein May Result In Down Syndrome And Other Human Chromosomal Birth Defects
• New Air Force Magnetron May Help Defeat Enemy Electronics
• Nanoparticle Treatment For Burns Curbs Infection, Reduces Inflammation
• Sustainable Fertilizer: Urine And Wood Ash Produce Large Harvest
• Quality Of Early Child Care Plays Role In Later Reading, Math Achievement
• Gene Variation That Lets People Get By On Less Sleep Transferred To Create Insomniac Mice
• On-the-job Pesticide Exposure Associated With Parkinson's Disease
• Chinks In ISS Armour Deliver Data On Space Junk Impacts
• Gene Mutation Causes Severe Epilepsy, Febrile Seizures In Thousands Of Infants Worldwide
• Toward Making Smart Phone Touch-screens More Glare And Smudge Resistant
• Bitemark Evidence And Analysis Should Be Approached With Caution, According To Study
• Live Birth -- Key To Much Marine Life -- Depends Upon Evolution Of Chromosomal Sex Determination
• Supplementing Babies' Formula With DHA Boosts Cognitive Development, Study Finds
• Mechanism That Constructs Key Brain Structure Discovered
• New Marker For Alzheimer's Discovered
• New Material For Nanoscale Computer Chips
• Prison Gambling Associated With Crime, Substance Abuse When Offenders Re-enter Community: Study
• Longest Lightning Storm On Saturn Breaks Solar System Record
• Kids With Small Head Size At Risk Of Neurologic Problems, Screening Needed
• Researchers To Probe Whether Lyme Disease Will Follow Spread Of Ticks Across U.S.
• Once-daily Pill Effective As Multiple Dosings For Oral Yeast Infection In HIV/AIDS Patients
• Nanotube Risk Assessment
• Human-made Crises 'Outrunning Our Ability To Deal With Them,' Scientists Warn
• Melting Of The Greenland Ice Sheet Mapped
• Visual Detection: New Neural Circuits Identified In The Retina
• Exotic Timber Plantations Found To Use More Than Twice The Water Of Native Forests
• What Happens When Immune Cells Just Won't Die?
• Can Gene Expression Profiling Make It Possible To Predict Deadly Infections In Cattle?
• Active Older Adults Live Longer, Have Better Functional Status
• Alzheimer’s Disease Results In Greater Language Impairments In More Highly-educated Than Less Learned Patients, New Study Suggests
• Egg-shaped Legacy Of Britain's Mobile Ice-sheet
• Yes-associated Protein: Early Diagnosis Of Gastric Carcinoma
• Insecticide-free Method Studied For Control Of Soybean Aphids
• Failure To Tackle Climate Change Spells A Global Health Catastrophe, Experts Warn
• Patterns In Mars Crater Floors Give Picture Of Drying Lakes
• New Antituberculosis Compounds Discovered
• With A Flash Of Light, A Neuron's Function Is Revealed
• Exercise Better Than Shockwave Treatment For Chronic Shoulder Pain, Study Finds
• Genetic Secrets Of Date Palm Unlocked
• Acne Really Is A Nightmare For Some Teens
• Scientists Cure Color Blindness In Monkeys
• Remodeling Tumor Vasculature: A New Approach To Therapy
• Brain's Response To Seeing Food May Be Linked To Weight Loss Maintenance
• Gut Ecology In Transplant Patients
• How To Spell B-Y-U With DNA
• Under Pressure: The Impact Of Stress On Decision Making

Early Life On Earth: Could Salt Crusts Be Key Ingredient In Cooking Up Prebiotic Molecules? Posted: 17 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT German scientists investigating the complex chemical mixture thought to be present in the early Earth's oceans have found that amino acids can be 'cooked' into many other important chemical building blocks of life when embedded in salt crusts.

Single Missing Protein May Result In Down Syndrome And Other Human Chromosomal Birth Defects Posted: 17 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT Using yeast genetics and a novel scheme to selectively remove a single protein from the cell division process called meiosis, a cell biologist found that when a key molecular player known as Pds5 goes missing, chromosomes fail to segregate and pair up properly, and birth defects such as Down syndrome can result.

New Air Force Magnetron May Help Defeat Enemy Electronics Posted: 17 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT Researchers funded by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research have invented a new type of magnetron that may be used to defeat enemy electronics. A magnetron is type of vacuum tube used as the frequency source in microwave ovens, radar systems and other high-power microwave circuits.

Nanoparticle Treatment For Burns Curbs Infection, Reduces Inflammation Posted: 17 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT Treating second-degree burns with a nanoemulsion lotion sharply curbs bacterial growth and reduces inflammation that otherwise can jeopardize recovery, scientists have shown in initial laboratory studies.

Sustainable Fertilizer: Urine And Wood Ash Produce Large Harvest Posted: 17 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT Results of the first study evaluating the use of human urine mixed with wood ash as a fertilizer for food crops has found that the combination can be substituted for costly synthetic fertilizers to produce bumper crops of tomatoes without introducing any risk of disease for consumers.

Quality Of Early Child Care Plays Role In Later Reading, Math Achievement Posted: 17 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT Using information from the longitudinal study of early care and youth development, researchers found that children who spent more time in high-quality child care in the first five years of their lives had better math and reading scores in middle childhood. Researchers also found that low-income children who attended high-quality child care programs before the age of five performed similarly to their affluent peers. These findings have implications for the role of child care in the creation of anti-poverty policies.

Gene Variation That Lets People Get By On Less Sleep Transferred To Create Insomniac Mice Posted: 17 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT Sleep experts have identified a genetic variation in humans, which the scientists also developed in mouse models, that allows a rare number of people to require less sleep than others.

On-the-job Pesticide Exposure Associated With Parkinson's Disease Posted: 17 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT Individuals whose occupation involves contact with pesticides appear to have an increased risk of having Parkinson's disease, according to a new report.

Chinks In ISS Armour Deliver Data On Space Junk Impacts Posted: 17 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT Speeding along in orbit at more than seven kilometres per second, the International Space Station has its surfaces carefully shielded against potentially catastrophic collisions with micrometeoroids or man-made debris. Except that is for a trio of unprotected panels until recently attached to external payload platform of ESA's Columbus module, specifically intended to sustain impacts from tiny specks of space dust.

Gene Mutation Causes Severe Epilepsy, Febrile Seizures In Thousands Of Infants Worldwide Posted: 17 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT Medical researchers have identified a gene with mutations that cause febrile seizures and contribute to a severe form of epilepsy known as Dravet syndrome in some of the most vulnerable patients -- infants 6 months and younger.

Toward Making Smart Phone Touch-screens More Glare And Smudge Resistant Posted: 17 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the secret to easing one of the great frustrations of the millions who use smart phones, portable media players and other devices with touch-screens: Reducing their tendency to smudge and cutting glare from sunlight. They report development of a test for evaluating and improving the performance of such smudge- and reflection-resistant coatings.

Bitemark Evidence And Analysis Should Be Approached With Caution, According To Study Posted: 17 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT Against the backdrop of last week's Congressional hearing into the future of forensic science, researchers have published a landmark paper on the controversial topic of bitemark analysis.

Live Birth -- Key To Much Marine Life -- Depends Upon Evolution Of Chromosomal Sex Determination Posted: 17 Sep 2009 05:00 AM PDT A new analysis of extinct sea creatures suggests that the transition from egg-laying to live-born young opened up evolutionary pathways that allowed these ancient species to adapt to and thrive in open oceans.

Supplementing Babies' Formula With DHA Boosts Cognitive Development, Study Finds Posted: 17 Sep 2009 05:00 AM PDT A study of 229 infants shows that babies fed formula supplemented with docosahexaenoic acid -- an essential fatty acid found in breast milk -- have higher cognitive skills than babies fed regular formula. These results suggest that feeding infants formula supplemented with high concentrations of DHA provides beneficial effects on cognitive development -- effects that could extend well beyond infancy.

Mechanism That Constructs Key Brain Structure Discovered Posted: 17 Sep 2009 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have found a molecular mechanism that allows the proper mixing of neurons during the formation of columns essential for the operation of the cerebral cortex.

New Marker For Alzheimer's Discovered Posted: 17 Sep 2009 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a previously unknown substance in spinal fluid that can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease.

New Material For Nanoscale Computer Chips Posted: 17 Sep 2009 05:00 AM PDT New data from Chinese-Danish collaboration shows that organic nanoscale wires could be an alternative to silicon in computer chips.

Prison Gambling Associated With Crime, Substance Abuse When Offenders Re-enter Community: Study Posted: 17 Sep 2009 05:00 AM PDT Parolees with a gambling habit may resort to criminal activities and substance abuse when they are released from prison if there are few community supports to help them re-integrate, a new study has concluded.

Longest Lightning Storm On Saturn Breaks Solar System Record Posted: 17 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT A powerful lightning storm in Saturn's atmosphere that began in mid-January 2009 has become the Solar System's longest continuously observed thunderstorm. It broke the record duration of 7.5 months set by another thunderstorm observed on Saturn by NASA's Cassini spacecraft between November 2007 and July 2008.

Kids With Small Head Size At Risk Of Neurologic Problems, Screening Needed Posted: 17 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology finds that children with microcephaly -- that is, children whose head size is smaller than that of 97 percent of children -- are at risk of neurologic and cognitive problems and should be screened for these problems.

Researchers To Probe Whether Lyme Disease Will Follow Spread Of Ticks Across U.S. Posted: 17 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT Potentially debilitating Lyme disease doesn't afflict people everywhere that the ticks harboring it are found. At least not yet. A five-university consortium wants to find out why. "These ticks are on the move. As ticks expand into new areas, more people will likely become infected," said Michigan State University fisheries and wildlife assistant professor Jean Tsao.

Once-daily Pill Effective As Multiple Dosings For Oral Yeast Infection In HIV/AIDS Patients Posted: 17 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT A once-daily medication option for treating the most common mouth infection in HIV/AIDS patients has shown to be just as effective and safe as taking an anti-fungal pill five times a day, according to a new study.

Nanotube Risk Assessment Posted: 17 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT Italian scientists suggest that we need a much more detailed toxicological approach to hazard assessment before judgement regarding the long-term safety of carbon nanotubes can be made.

Human-made Crises 'Outrunning Our Ability To Deal With Them,' Scientists Warn Posted: 17 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT The world faces a compounding series of crises driven by human activity, which existing governments and institutions are increasingly powerless to cope with, a group of eminent environmental scientists and economists has warned. Pointing to global action on ozone depletion (the Montreal Protocol), high seas fisheries and antibiotic drug resistance as examples, they call for a new order of cooperative international institutions capable of dealing with issues like climate change -- and enforcing compliance where necessary.

Melting Of The Greenland Ice Sheet Mapped Posted: 16 Sep 2009 11:00 PM PDT Will all of the ice on Greenland melt and flow out into the sea, bringing about a colossal rise in ocean levels on Earth, as the global temperature rises? The key concern is how stable the ice cap actually is, and new Danish research fcan now show the evolution of the ice sheet 11,700 years back in time.

Visual Detection: New Neural Circuits Identified In The Retina Posted: 16 Sep 2009 11:00 PM PDT The detection of approaching objects, such as looming predators, is necessary for survival. Which neurons and nerve circuits mediate this function? A new type of nerve cell, sensitive to approaching motion, has recently been identified in mice.

Exotic Timber Plantations Found To Use More Than Twice The Water Of Native Forests Posted: 16 Sep 2009 11:00 PM PDT Ecologists have discovered that timber plantations in Hawaii use more than twice the amount of water to grow as native forests use. Especially for island ecosystems, these findings suggest that land management decisions can place ecosystems -- and the people who depend on them -- at high risk for water shortages.

What Happens When Immune Cells Just Won't Die? Posted: 16 Sep 2009 11:00 PM PDT X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP) is a rare inherited immunodeficiency most commonly caused by deficiency in the protein SAP. New research now provides an explanation as to how SAP deficiency causes boys with XLP to develop an extreme, usually fatal, accumulation of activated immune cells known as cytotoxic T lymphocytes following infection with the common virus that causes mono.

Can Gene Expression Profiling Make It Possible To Predict Deadly Infections In Cattle? Posted: 16 Sep 2009 11:00 PM PDT A new study suggests that gene expression profiling may allow researchers to track the progression of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and ultimately predict their infectious status.

Active Older Adults Live Longer, Have Better Functional Status Posted: 16 Sep 2009 11:00 PM PDT Older adults who continue or begin to do any amount of exercise appear to live longer and have a lower risk of disability, according to a new report.

Alzheimer’s Disease Results In Greater Language Impairments In More Highly-educated Than Less Learned Patients, New Study Suggests Posted: 16 Sep 2009 08:00 PM PDT Alzheimer's Disease results in greater language impairments in more highly-educated than less learned patients, according to a new study. The research also revealed that women with the disease fare worse on language tasks, which have been traditionally associated with better performance in healthy women.

Egg-shaped Legacy Of Britain's Mobile Ice-sheet Posted: 16 Sep 2009 08:00 PM PDT The ice sheets that sculpted the landscape of Northern Britain moved in unexpected ways and left distinctive egg-shaped features, according to new research.

Yes-associated Protein: Early Diagnosis Of Gastric Carcinoma Posted: 16 Sep 2009 08:00 PM PDT A research team analyzed the differences and relevance of Yes-associated protein and survivin, and explored the correlation and significance of their expression in gastric carcinoma and precancerous lesions. It was found that YAP might play an important role as a carcinogenic factor and might induce survivin expression. Detecting both markers together might help in early diagnosis of gastric carcinoma.

Insecticide-free Method Studied For Control Of Soybean Aphids Posted: 16 Sep 2009 08:00 PM PDT Researchers are looking at a way to genetically modify soybeans to prevent damage from aphids. If successful, soybeans will carry in-plant protection from aphids, similar to the way genetically modified corn now keeps the European Corn Borer from destroying corn yields.

Failure To Tackle Climate Change Spells A Global Health Catastrophe, Experts Warn Posted: 16 Sep 2009 08:00 PM PDT Health experts warn that failure to agree radical cuts in carbon dioxide emissions at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen this December spells a global health catastrophe.

Patterns In Mars Crater Floors Give Picture Of Drying Lakes Posted: 16 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT Networks of giant polygonal troughs etched across crater basins on Mars have been identified as desiccation cracks caused by evaporating lakes, providing further evidence of a warmer, wetter martian past.

New Antituberculosis Compounds Discovered Posted: 16 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT Attempts to eradicate tuberculosis are stymied by the fact that the disease-causing bacteria have a sophisticated mechanism for surviving dormant in infected cells. Now, scientists have identified compounds that inhibit that mechanism -- without damaging human cells. The results include structural studies of how the inhibitor molecules interact with bacterial proteins, and could lead to the design of new anti-TB drugs.

With A Flash Of Light, A Neuron's Function Is Revealed Posted: 16 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT Using light, scientists traced a fish's swimming response to the neurons that control it. Their technique could become a powerful way to learn how biological systems work.

Exercise Better Than Shockwave Treatment For Chronic Shoulder Pain, Study Finds Posted: 16 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT Supervised exercises are more effective than shockwave treatment to relieve chronic shoulder pain, a new study finds.

Genetic Secrets Of Date Palm Unlocked Posted: 16 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT Researchers have mapped a draft version of the date palm genome, unlocking many of its genetic secrets.

Acne Really Is A Nightmare For Some Teens Posted: 16 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT Zits, pimples, bumps and blemishes are a young person's worst nightmare. Collectively they are known as acne, a very common skin condition that affects millions of adolescents. Now a Norwegian study has investigated the links between acne, diet and mental health issues in both males and females.

Scientists Cure Color Blindness In Monkeys Posted: 16 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT Scientists cast a rosy light on the potential for gene therapy to treat adult vision disorders involving cone cells -- the most important cells for vision in people. Scientists used gene therapy to cure two squirrel monkeys of color blindness -- the most common genetic disorder in people.

Remodeling Tumor Vasculature: A New Approach To Therapy Posted: 16 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT Life-threatening tumors are fed by the uncontrolled growth of blood vessels within them that allows them to thrive – and to halt disease-fighting cells in their tracks. Reversing or re-arranging the growth of these vessels in combination with specific immune strategies is a promising new strategy for cancer therapy, according to researchers.

Brain's Response To Seeing Food May Be Linked To Weight Loss Maintenance Posted: 16 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT A difference in brain activity patterns may explain why some people are able to maintain a significant weight loss while others regain the weight, according to a new study.

Gut Ecology In Transplant Patients Posted: 16 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT A new genomic analysis shows that small-bowel transplant patients with an ileostomy have a very different population of bacteria living in their gut than patients whose ileostomy has been closed.

How To Spell B-Y-U With DNA Posted: 16 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT DNA origami just got a new "twist" from Brigham Young University researchers who use DNA strands of customized length to spell "BYU." The advance puts them one critical step closer to building nanoscale electronic circuits.

Under Pressure: The Impact Of Stress On Decision Making Posted: 16 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT We are faced with making decisions all the time. Often, we carefully deliberate the pros and cons of our choices, taking into consideration past experiences in similar situations before making a final decision. However, a new study suggests that cognitive stress, such as distraction, can influence this balanced, logical approach to decision making.

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