Saturday, September 19, 2009

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Invading Black Holes Explain Cosmic Flashes

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

Black holes are invading stars, providing a radical explanation to bright flashes in the universe that are one of the biggest mysteries in astronomy today.

Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Retain Some Gene Expression Of Donor Cells

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

A team of researchers has developed a safe strategy for reprogramming cells to a pluripotent state without use of viral vectors or genomic insertions. Their studies reveal that these induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are very similar to human embryonic stem cells, yet maintain a "transcriptional signature."

Ice Cream May Target The Brain Before Your Hips, Study Suggests

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

Blame your brain for sabotaging your efforts to get back on track after splurging on an extra scoop of ice cream or that second burger during Friday night's football game.

Blood Test Helps Guide Treatment And Can Impact Quality Of Life For Breast Cancer Patients

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

With the goal of tailoring cancer interventions for the individual, researchers have published the results of a prospective study that validates the use of a simple blood test to help doctors more reliably assess treatment effectiveness for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Using Waste To Recover Waste Uranium

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

Using bacteria and inositol phosphate, a chemical analogue of a cheap waste material from plants, researchers have recovered uranium from the polluted waters from uranium mines. The same technology can also be used to clean up nuclear waste.

Young Age At First Drink May Affect Genes And Risk For Alcoholism

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

The age at which a person takes a first drink may influence genes linked to alcoholism, making the youngest drinkers the most susceptible to severe problems.

Genetically Encoded Mouse Cells Controlled By Light

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Researchers have genetically encoded mouse cells to respond to light, creating cells that can be trained to follow a light beam or stop on command like microscopic robots.

Vaccine To Prevent Urinary Tract Infections Shows Early Promise

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Scientists have made an important step toward what could become the first vaccine in the US to prevent urinary tract infections, if the robust immunity achieved in mice can be reproduced in humans.

Listeria L-forms: Discovery Of An Unusual Form Of Bacterial Life

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered a new life form of Listeria, an opportunistic pathogen responsible for serious food poisoning. These bacteria can reproduce and proliferate as so-called L-forms. The methods to detect these bacteria should now be adapted.

Athletes With Smaller Anterior Cruciate Ligaments May Be More Susceptible To Injury

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Comparing images of the knees in people who did and didn't have previous injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament suggests that people who tore their ACLs are more likely to have a smaller ligament than do similarly sized people who have never injured a knee. Researchers calculated the total volume of the ligaments based on magnetic resonance images of human knees. The ACLs among those with previous injuries were, on average, about 10 percent smaller than were ACLs among those without an injury.

Ganymede Makes Big Impression On Jupiter's Auroral Lightshows

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Studies of features in Jupiter's spectacular and rapidly changing aurorae have given new insights into the complex electromagnetic interactions between the giant planet and two of its innermost moons. As Ganymede and Io orbit Jupiter, they interact with regions of plasma and generate electromagnetic waves that are projected along Jupiter's magnetic field lines towards Jupiter's poles where they cause auroral bright spots. Scientists from the University of Liège in Belgium have used thousands of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in ultraviolet wavelengths to monitor these auroral features in unprecedented detail.

Real-Time Feedback System For Alpine Skiers Help Improve Performance

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Researchers have developed an effective real-time performance management and feedback system for alpine ski racers that allow skiers to better understand their carved turning skills and improve their performance. A new study describes the development of the vLink Racing Computer System and investigates the effectiveness of this system.

New NASA Temperature Maps Provide 'Whole New Way Of Seeing The Moon'

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), an unmanned mission to comprehensively map the entire moon, has returned its first data. One of the seven instruments aboard, the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment, is making the first global survey of the temperature of the lunar surface while the spacecraft orbits some 31 miles above the moon.

Scientists Illuminate How MicroRNAs Drive Tumor Progression

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT

Researchers have identified collections of tiny molecules known as microRNAs that affect distinct processes critical for the progression of cancer. The findings, they say, expand researchers' understanding of the important regulatory function of microRNAs in tumor biology and point to new directions for future study and potential treatments.

Ego City: Cities Are Organized Like Human Brains

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT

Cities are organized like brains, and the evolution of cities mirrors the evolution of human and animal brains, according to a new study.

Lung Cancer Suppresses MiR-200 To Invade And Spread

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT

Primary lung cancer shifts to metastatic disease by suppressing a family of small molecules that normally locks the tumor in a noninvasive state, researchers report.

Plants Choose Ammunition Carefully

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT

Plants are not as defenseless as they may seem. Various plant hormones work together to specifically fend off attacks. Botanists have now shown how these hormones cooperate. By 'consulting' with each other plant hormones determine which defense mechanism they shall set in motion.

New Dangers Of 'Clubbing Drugs' On The Web

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 02:00 AM PDT

Researchers in the UK will release new evidence about the dangers of 'Spice' drugs -- herbal mixes widely sold as an 'incense' or legal substitute for cannabis.

Using Magnetism To Turn Drugs On And Off

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT

Many medical conditions, such as chronic pain, cancer and diabetes, require medications that cannot be taken orally, but must be dosed intermittently, on an as-needed basis, over a long period of time. Researchers have devised a drug delivery solution that combines magnetism with nanotechnology.

Antioxidant Controls Spinal Cord Development: Neuroscientists Discover New Molecular Control

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have discovered how one antioxidant protein controls the activity of another protein, critical for the development of spinal cord neurons. The research, publishing this week in Cell, describes a never-before known mechanism of protein control.

Arctic Sea Ice Reaches Minimum Extent For 2009, Third Lowest Ever Recorded

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT

The Arctic sea ice cover appears to have reached its minimum extent for the year, the third-lowest recorded since satellites began measuring sea ice extent in 1979.

Weight Loss Is Good For The Kidneys, Study Finds

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT

Losing weight may preserve kidney function in obese people with kidney disease, according to a new study. The findings indicate that taking off the pounds could be an important step kidney disease patients can take to protect their health.

New Hybrid Vehicle Concept For RV Travelers Developed

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT

While the cost of fuel has put a damper on the travel plans of many Americans, one father-son engineering duo with a passion for RV travel has decided to combat the problem by creating a concept for an electric-hybrid passenger vehicle with the ability to improve fuel economy and increase the acceleration of the motor home towing it.

Ways To Quiet Ordinary Snoring

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 05:00 PM PDT

Ordinary, loud snoring doesn't seem to be harmful, but snorers still may want to seek treatment to stop snoring, reduce embarrassment and improve sleep for themselves and their bed partner.

Secrets Of Insect Flight Revealed: Modeling The Aerodynamic Secrets Of One Of Nature's Most Efficient Flyers

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

Researchers are one step closer to creating a micro-aircraft that flies with the maneuverability and energy efficiency of an insect after decoding the aerodynamic secrets of insect flight.

Binge Drinkers Let Down Guard Against Infection

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

As if a bad hangover wasn't enough of a deterrent, new research has shown how binge drinking weakens the body's ability to fight off infection for at least 24 hours afterwards. The study focused on the effect of heavy drinking on toll-like receptor 4, a protein that has an important role in immune system activation.

Out Of Darkness, Sight: Rare Cases Of Restored Vision Reveal How The Brain Learns To See

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

Cases of restored vision after a lifetime of blindness, though exceedingly rare, provide a unique opportunity to address several fundamental questions regarding brain function. After being deprived of visual input, the brain needs to learn to make sense of the new flood of visual information. Very little is known about how this learning takes place, but a new study by neuroscientists suggests that dynamic information — that is, input from moving objects — is critical.

Less Than 10 Percent Of Americans Have Low Risk For Heart Disease

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

The proportion of Americans rated low on key heart disease risk factors expanded during the 1980s and 1990s, but is now declining, according to national surveys. Only about 1 in 12 US adults had a low risk profile for cardiovascular disease during 1994-2004. While fewer adults are smoking, an increasing proportion are developing high blood pressure or diabetes or becoming overweight or obese.

Strain On Nanocrystals Could Yield Colossal Results

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

In finally answering an elusive scientific question, researchers have shown that the selective placement of strain can alter the electronic phase and its spatial arrangement in correlated electron materials. This unique class of materials is commanding much attention now because they can display properties such as colossal magnetoresistance and high-temperature superconductivity, which are highly coveted by the high-tech industry.

Negative Public Opinion An Early Warning Signal For Terrorism, Princeton Professor Says

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 02:00 PM PDT

An analysis of public opinion polls and terrorist activity in 143 pairs of countries has shown for the first time that when people in one country hold negative views toward the leadership and policies of another, terrorist acts are more likely to be carried out.

Magnetism Observed In Gas For The First Time

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT

For the first time, MIT scientists have observed ferromagnetism in an atomic gas, addressing the decades-old question of whether gases could show properties similar to a magnet made of iron or nickel.

Rare Genetic Disease Successfully Reversed Using Stem Cell Transplantation

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT

A recent study offers good news for families of children afflicted with the rare genetic disorder, cystinosis. In research that holds out hope for one day developing a potential therapy to treat the fatal disorder, the study shows that the genetic defect in mice can be corrected with stem cell transplantation.

Reconstruct Mars Automatically In Minutes

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT

A computer system is under development that can automatically combine images of the Martian surface, captured by landers or rovers, in order to reproduce a three dimensional view of the red planet. The resulting model can be viewed from any angle, giving astronomers a realistic and immersive impression of the landscape.

How To Improve Vaccines To Trigger T Cell As Well As Antibody Response

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT

Most successful vaccines stimulate antibodies that attack and kill viruses as they scoot from one cell to another. But what about viruses and other pathogens that never leave the cell? A new theory of how the immune system recognizes pathogens suggests ways to make vaccines that trigger both antibodies and a T cell response, targeting extracellular as well as intracellular pathogens. Scientists now report results supporting the new hypothesis.

Research Teams Successfully Operate Multiple Biomedical Robots From Numerous Locations

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT

Using a new software protocol called the Interoperable Telesurgical Protocol, nine research teams from universities and research institutes around the world recently collaborated on the first successful demonstration of multiple biomedical robots operated from different locations in the US, Europe and Asia. SRI International operated its M7 surgical robot for this demonstration.

Face Off: Misunderstood Expressions Facilitate Adolescent Aggression

Posted: 18 Sep 2009 11:00 AM PDT

Juvenile delinquency may be a result of misunderstood social cues. Research shows that male juvenile delinquents frequently misinterpret facial expressions of disgust as anger, providing a possible cause for their aggressive behavior.

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