ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Blast From The Past Gives Clues About Early Universe
• Genes That Drive You To Drink (But Don't Make You An Alcoholic)
• Pumpkin Skin May Scare Away Germs
• Use Of Antipsychotic Medications By Children And Adolescents Associated With Significant Weight Gain
• Knocking Nanoparticles Off The Socks
• Polymorphism Of An Opioid Receptor Linked To Alcohol Misuse Among Adolescents
• Stem Cells Changed Into Precursors For Sperm, Eggs
• Migraine With Aura Doubles Risk Of Stroke
• Answering That Age-old Lament: Where Does All This Dust Come From?
• Circadian Surprise: Mechanism Of Temperature Synchronization In Drosophila
• New Strategies To Monitor Exposure To Environmental Carcinogens Needed
• Heart Patients Running The Red Light On Traffic Restrictions
• When Ants Attack: Chemicals That Trigger Aggression In Argentine Ants Synthesized
• Epilepsy Drugs Could Treat Alzheimer's And Parkinson's
• Modified Crops Reveal Hidden Cost Of Resistance
• Early Treatment Of Fibromyalgia More Effective, Research Suggests
• Key Process For Space Outpost Proved On 'Vomit Comet' Ride
• Swine Flu Vaccine Must Be Free And Safe For High Uptake
• North Carolina Sea Levels Rising Three Times Faster Than In Previous 500 Years, Study Finds
• Hormone Replacement Therapy Decreases Mortality In Younger Postmenopausal Woman, Study Shows
• Rot-resistant Wheat Could Save Farmers Millions
• Muscle Weakness A Common Side Effect Of Long Stays In Intensive Care Units
• Pathogenic E. Coli Pervasive In Stream-water Samples With Low Concentrations Of Fecal Indicator Bacteria
• Researchers Rest Their Case: TV Consumption Predicts Opinions About Criminal Justice System
• Trees Facilitate Wildfires As A Way To Protect Their Habitat
• A Decade Later, Lifestyle Changes Or Metformin Still Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk
• Fishery Impact Test Developed
• Taking Medicine For HIV Proves Hard To Swallow For Many People
• Pesticides: Easier Detection Of Pollution And Impact In Rivers
• Not A Healthy State For All Latinos In The US
• Dining Out In An Ocean Of Plastic: How Foraging Albatrosses Put Plastic On The Menu
• Bad Driving May Have Genetic Basis, Study Finds
• Diet And Intestinal Bacteria Linked To Healthier Immune Systems
• Dendritic Cells Spark Smoldering Inflammation In Smokers' Lungs
• Cancer: New Explanation Of 'Asian Paradox'
• Software That Gets Reduced, Reused, Recycled
• Depressed Pregnant Women Could Be At Higher Risk For Severe Response To Flu Infection
• Gamma-ray Photon Race Ends In Dead Heat; Einstein Wins This Round
• Patients Starting Dialysis Have Increased Risk Of Death, Study Finds
• Why Fish Oils Help With Conditions Like Rheumatoid Arthritis How They Could Help Even More
• New Technique For Injectable Facial Fillers Improves Comfort, Recovery
• EPA's New Green Parking Lot Allows Scientists To Study Permeable Surfaces That May Help The Environment
• Depression Can Lead To Inflated Reports Of Physical Symptoms
• NASA's Ares I-X Rocket Completes Successful Flight Test
• Statins Show Dramatic Drug And Cell Dependent Effects In The Brain
• Underwater Exploration: Autosub6000 Dives To Depth Of 3.5 Miles
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Problems Associated With Low Folate Levels In Pregnant Women
• Breakthrough In Lab-on-chip For Fast Cancer Detection And Therapy

Blast From The Past Gives Clues About Early Universe Posted: 29 Oct 2009 11:00 AM PDT Astronomers studied the most distant object yet seen in the Universe, a giant stellar blast from more than 13 billion years ago, and learned tantalizing facts about the blast itself and the environment of the star that exploded in the early Universe.

Genes That Drive You To Drink (But Don't Make You An Alcoholic) Posted: 29 Oct 2009 11:00 AM PDT Your genetic make up may predispose you to drink more but may not increase your genetic risk for alcoholism. New research pinpoints genetic pathways and genes associated with levels of alcohol consumption but not with alcohol dependence in rats and humans.

Pumpkin Skin May Scare Away Germs Posted: 29 Oct 2009 11:00 AM PDT The skin of that pumpkin you carve into a Jack-o'-Lantern to scare away ghosts and goblins on Halloween contains a substance that could put a scare into microbes that cause millions of cases of yeast infections in adults and infants each year, according to a new study.

Use Of Antipsychotic Medications By Children And Adolescents Associated With Significant Weight Gain Posted: 29 Oct 2009 11:00 AM PDT Many pediatric and adolescent patients who received second-generation antipsychotic medications experienced significant weight gain, along with varied adverse effects on cholesterol and triglyceride levels and other metabolic measures, according to a new study.

Knocking Nanoparticles Off The Socks Posted: 29 Oct 2009 11:00 AM PDT Scientists are reporting results of one of the first studies on the release of silver nanoparticles from laundering those anti-odor, anti-bacterial socks now on the market. Their findings may suggest ways that manufacturers and consumers can minimize the release of these particles to the environment, where they could harm fish and other wildlife.

Polymorphism Of An Opioid Receptor Linked To Alcohol Misuse Among Adolescents Posted: 29 Oct 2009 11:00 AM PDT A genetic study has examined the association between a polymorphism of the µ-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene and alcohol misuse among adolescents. Results suggest that teens who carry the G allele (A118G) of the OPRM1 gene are at increased risk for alcohol problems because they experience alcohol as more pleasurable or rewarding than teens without A118G.

Stem Cells Changed Into Precursors For Sperm, Eggs Posted: 29 Oct 2009 08:00 AM PDT Human embryonic stem cells derived from excess IVF embryos may help scientists unlock the mysteries of infertility for other couples struggling to conceive, according to new research. Researchers at the school have devised a way to efficiently coax the cells to become human germ cells -- the precursors of egg and sperm cells -- in the laboratory.

Migraine With Aura Doubles Risk Of Stroke Posted: 29 Oct 2009 08:00 AM PDT Migraine with aura (temporary visual or sensory disturbances before or during a migraine headache) is associated with a twofold increased risk of stroke, finds a new study. Further risk factors for stroke among patients with migraine are being a woman, being young, being a smoker and using estrogen-containing contraceptives.

Answering That Age-old Lament: Where Does All This Dust Come From? Posted: 29 Oct 2009 08:00 AM PDT Where does it come from? Scientists are reporting a surprising answer to that question, which has puzzled and perplexed generations of men and women confronted with layers of dust on furniture and floors. Most of indoor dust comes from outdoors.

Circadian Surprise: Mechanism Of Temperature Synchronization In Drosophila Posted: 29 Oct 2009 08:00 AM PDT New research reveals a pathway that links peripheral sensory tissues with a "clock" in the brain to regulate molecular processes and behaviors in response to cyclical temperature changes. The research reveals some surprising fundamental differences between how light-dark and temperature cycles synchronize the brain clock of the fruit fly, Drosophila.

New Strategies To Monitor Exposure To Environmental Carcinogens Needed Posted: 29 Oct 2009 08:00 AM PDT A new report on cancer and the environment says exposure to carcinogens should be minimized or eliminated whenever feasible, and calls for new strategies to more effectively and efficiently screen the large number of chemicals to which the public is exposed.

Heart Patients Running The Red Light On Traffic Restrictions Posted: 29 Oct 2009 08:00 AM PDT More than half of patients with acute coronary syndrome don't get any counseling on their ability to drive after angioplasty -- and this could be putting lives in danger, researchers say.

When Ants Attack: Chemicals That Trigger Aggression In Argentine Ants Synthesized Posted: 29 Oct 2009 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have identified and synthesized the chemical cues by which Argentine ants distinguish colony-mates from rivals. By exploiting these chemicals, researchers have demonstrated that normally friendly Argentine ants can turn against each other and fight.

Epilepsy Drugs Could Treat Alzheimer's And Parkinson's Posted: 29 Oct 2009 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a potential new function for anti-epileptic drugs in treating neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The study found that neurons in the brain were protected after treatment with T-type calcium-channel blockers, which are commonly used to treat epilepsy.

Modified Crops Reveal Hidden Cost Of Resistance Posted: 29 Oct 2009 05:00 AM PDT Genetically modified squash plants that are resistant to a debilitating viral disease become more vulnerable to a fatal bacterial infection, according to biologists.

Early Treatment Of Fibromyalgia More Effective, Research Suggests Posted: 29 Oct 2009 05:00 AM PDT People suffering from fibromyalgia have reduced activity in the parts of the brain that inhibit the experience of pain. Drugs that affect the CNS can be effective against the disease, and are thought to be even more so if administered early in its course, according to a Swedish researcher.

Key Process For Space Outpost Proved On 'Vomit Comet' Ride Posted: 29 Oct 2009 05:00 AM PDT During flights simulating the moon's low gravity, researchers find that sifters can separate soil particles and produce the best feedstock for an oxygen generator. Scientists are designing and testing components of the generator, which would provide oxygen needed for a lunar or Martian outpost.

Swine Flu Vaccine Must Be Free And Safe For High Uptake Posted: 29 Oct 2009 05:00 AM PDT Almost half of adults surveyed in summer 2009 in Hong Kong say they would take up free swine flu vaccination. However, this figure drops to around 1 in 7 if the price they have to pay for the vaccine reaches $26. In the absence of proved efficacy and safety, the figure decreases to less than 1 in 20, according to one of the first studies on behavioral intentions and A/H1N1 vaccination.

North Carolina Sea Levels Rising Three Times Faster Than In Previous 500 Years, Study Finds Posted: 29 Oct 2009 02:00 AM PDT An international team of environmental scientists has shown that sea-level rise in North Carolina is accelerating, a jump that appears to have occurred during a time of industrial change.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Decreases Mortality In Younger Postmenopausal Woman, Study Shows Posted: 29 Oct 2009 02:00 AM PDT Several observational studies over the years showed that HRT use by younger postmenopausal women was associated with a significant reduction in total mortality. A major 2002 study indicated increased risk for certain outcomes in older women, without increasing mortality. This sparked debate regarding HRT. In a new study, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of available data using Bayesian methods and concluded that HRT almost certainly decreases mortality in younger postmenopausal women.

Rot-resistant Wheat Could Save Farmers Millions Posted: 29 Oct 2009 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have identified wheat and barley lines resistant to crown rot -- a disease that costs Australian wheat and barley farmers $79 million in lost yield every year.

Muscle Weakness A Common Side Effect Of Long Stays In Intensive Care Units Posted: 29 Oct 2009 02:00 AM PDT After decades of focusing on the management of respiratory failure, circulatory shock and severe infections that lead to extended stays in hospital intensive care units, critical care researchers are increasingly turning attention to what they believe is a treatable complication developed by many who spend days or weeks confined to an ICU bed: debilitating muscle weakness that can linger long after hospital discharge.

Pathogenic E. Coli Pervasive In Stream-water Samples With Low Concentrations Of Fecal Indicator Bacteria Posted: 29 Oct 2009 02:00 AM PDT Bacteria commonly used to indicate health risks in recreational waters might not be so reliable after all. Pathogenic E. coli were pervasive in stream-water samples with low concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria. This is one of the unexpected findings that may affect how we rely on indicator bacteria to determine if water is contaminated with bacteria that can make people sick.

Researchers Rest Their Case: TV Consumption Predicts Opinions About Criminal Justice System Posted: 29 Oct 2009 02:00 AM PDT People who watch forensic and crime dramas on TV are more likely than nonviewers to have a distorted perception of America's criminal justice system, according to new research.

Trees Facilitate Wildfires As A Way To Protect Their Habitat Posted: 28 Oct 2009 11:00 PM PDT Fire is often thought of something that trees should be protected from, but a new study suggests that some trees may themselves contribute to the likelihood of wildfires in order to promote their own abundance at the expense of their competitors. The study says that positive feedback loops between fire and trees associated with savannas can make fires more likely in these ecosystems.

A Decade Later, Lifestyle Changes Or Metformin Still Lower Type 2 Diabetes Risk Posted: 28 Oct 2009 11:00 PM PDT Intensive lifestyle changes aimed at modest weight loss reduced the rate of developing type 2 diabetes by 34 percent compared with placebo in people at high risk for the disease, researchers conclude based on 10 years of data.

Fishery Impact Test Developed Posted: 28 Oct 2009 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have developed an 'ecological risk assessment' a three-step method that considers targeted and incidentally caught species, as well as threatened, endangered and protected species. Ongoing research is further developing the method for habitats and ecological communities.

Taking Medicine For HIV Proves Hard To Swallow For Many People Posted: 28 Oct 2009 11:00 PM PDT Two new studies illustrate just how hard it is to make sure people take their HIV medication. One study looked at the effects of drinking alcohol on adherence and showed the risk for non-adherence was double among drinkers compared to abstainers.

Pesticides: Easier Detection Of Pollution And Impact In Rivers Posted: 28 Oct 2009 11:00 PM PDT The long-term effects of pesticides on living organisms in rivers and on water quality can now be assessed more easily. Researchers from Germany have developed a tool that can estimate the harmful effect of pesticides, such as those flushed into rivers and streams from agricultural land, within minutes.

Not A Healthy State For All Latinos In The US Posted: 28 Oct 2009 11:00 PM PDT Where Latinos are born and their immigration status affect the quality of health care they receive in the US, according to new research.

Dining Out In An Ocean Of Plastic: How Foraging Albatrosses Put Plastic On The Menu Posted: 28 Oct 2009 09:00 PM PDT Marine biologists examined whether Laysan albatrosses nesting on Kure Atoll and Oahu, Hawaii, 2,150 km away, ingested different amounts of plastic by putting miniaturized tracking devices on birds to follow them at sea and examining their regurgitated stomach contents. Surprisingly, birds from Kure Atoll ingested almost ten times the amount of plastic compared to birds from Oahu.

Bad Driving May Have Genetic Basis, Study Finds Posted: 28 Oct 2009 08:00 PM PDT Bad drivers may in part have their genes to blame, suggests a new study by neuroscientists. People with a particular gene variant performed more than 20 percent worse on a driving test than people without it -- and a follow-up test a few days later yielded similar results. About 30 percent of Americans have the variant.

Diet And Intestinal Bacteria Linked To Healthier Immune Systems Posted: 28 Oct 2009 08:00 PM PDT Insoluble dietary fiber, or roughage, not only keeps you regular, say scientists, it also plays a vital role in the immune system, keeping certain diseases at bay.

Dendritic Cells Spark Smoldering Inflammation In Smokers' Lungs Posted: 28 Oct 2009 08:00 PM PDT Inflammation still ravages the lungs of some smokers years after they quit the habit. What sparks that smoldering destruction remained a mystery until researchers found that certain dendritic cells in the lung -- the cells that "present" a foreign antigen or protein to the immune system -- provoke production of destructive T-cells that attack a key protein called elastin, leading to death of lung tissue and emphysema.

Cancer: New Explanation Of 'Asian Paradox' Posted: 28 Oct 2009 08:00 PM PDT There is abundant evidence of an association between Helicobacter pylori chronic infection and gastric cancer. The incidence of gastric cancer is much higher in Japan than Indonesia. A research from Indonesia and Japan found there was a significant difference in the grade and activity of gastric mucosal changes between Indonesian and Japanese H. pylori positive patients. This finding may prove to be an initial step to explain the "Asian paradox."

Software That Gets Reduced, Reused, Recycled Posted: 28 Oct 2009 08:00 PM PDT Service-centric software engineering is the latest paradigm in computing, and researchers have developed a platform they believe will launch the concept into the business world.

Depressed Pregnant Women Could Be At Higher Risk For Severe Response To Flu Infection Posted: 28 Oct 2009 08:00 PM PDT Pregnant women with significant symptoms of depression tend to have a stronger biological reaction to the seasonal flu vaccine than do women with lower depression levels, according to a new study. The finding provides an argument in favor of flu vaccination during pregnancy, researchers say, because it suggests that the immune systems in depressed pregnant women are not functioning typically. This immune dysregulation could affect symptom severity among women who become infected with influenza.

Gamma-ray Photon Race Ends In Dead Heat; Einstein Wins This Round Posted: 28 Oct 2009 05:00 PM PDT A pair of gamma-ray photons -- one possessed of a million times the energy of the other -- arrived at virtually the same instant at NASA's orbiting Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, after a 7.3-billion-year race across the universe. Some proponents of alternatives to Einstein's theory of gravity would have predicted that the more energetic would have been much farther behind the less energetic one. They were wrong -- Einstein wins this round.

Patients Starting Dialysis Have Increased Risk Of Death, Study Finds Posted: 28 Oct 2009 05:00 PM PDT Compared to the general population, patients starting dialysis have an increased risk of death that is not attributable to a higher rate of death from cardiovascular causes, as previously thought, according to a new study.

Why Fish Oils Help With Conditions Like Rheumatoid Arthritis How They Could Help Even More Posted: 28 Oct 2009 05:00 PM PDT New research has revealed precisely why taking fish oils can help with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers describe how the body converts an ingredient found in fish oils into another chemical called Resolvin D2 and how this chemical reduces the inflammation that leads to a variety of diseases.

New Technique For Injectable Facial Fillers Improves Comfort, Recovery Posted: 28 Oct 2009 05:00 PM PDT Less pain during injections for wrinkle-fighting facial fillers. Less swelling afterward. Less time in the office waiting for anesthesia to take effect. These and other benefits of a new injection technique that plastic surgeons are pioneering.

EPA's New Green Parking Lot Allows Scientists To Study Permeable Surfaces That May Help The Environment Posted: 28 Oct 2009 05:00 PM PDT The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced a study that will investigate ways to reduce pollution that can run off paved surfaces and improve how water filters back into the ground. EPA is testing a variety of different permeable pavement materials and rain gardens in the parking lot at the agency's Edison, N.J. facility.

Depression Can Lead To Inflated Reports Of Physical Symptoms Posted: 28 Oct 2009 05:00 PM PDT New research shows people who feel depressed tend to recall having more physical symptoms than they actually experienced. The study indicates that depression -- not neuroticism -- is the cause of such over-reporting. Psychologists attribute the findings to depressed individuals recalling experiences differently, tending to ruminate over and exaggerate the bad.

NASA's Ares I-X Rocket Completes Successful Flight Test Posted: 28 Oct 2009 02:00 PM PDT NASA's Ares I-X test rocket lifted off Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a two-minute powered flight. The test flight lasted about six minutes from its launch from the newly-modified Launch Complex 39B until splash down of the rocket's booster stage nearly 150 miles down range. The 327-foot tall Ares I-X test vehicle produced 2.6 million pounds of thrust to accelerate the rocket to nearly 3 g's and Mach 4.76, just shy of hypersonic speed. It capped its easterly flight at a sub-orbital altitude of 150,000 feet after the separation of its first stage, a four-segment solid rocket booster.

Statins Show Dramatic Drug And Cell Dependent Effects In The Brain Posted: 28 Oct 2009 02:00 PM PDT A new study finds that similar statin drugs can have profoundly different effects on brain cells -- both beneficial and detrimental. These findings reinforce the idea that great care should be taken when deciding on the dosage and type of statin given to individuals, particularly the elderly.

Underwater Exploration: Autosub6000 Dives To Depth Of 3.5 Miles Posted: 28 Oct 2009 02:00 PM PDT The United Kingdom's deepest diving Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Autosub6000, has been put through its paces during an extremely successful engineering trials cruise on the RRS Discovery, Sept. 27 to Oct. 17, 2009.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Problems Associated With Low Folate Levels In Pregnant Women Posted: 28 Oct 2009 02:00 PM PDT It has long been suggested that healthy folate levels in expectant mothers goes hand in hand with healthy nervous system development in their children.

Breakthrough In Lab-on-chip For Fast Cancer Detection And Therapy Posted: 28 Oct 2009 02:00 PM PDT European researchers have achieved a major milestone in the development of a lab-on-chip for the detection and therapy evaluation of breast cancer. This is the first time that a lab-on-chip system including many complex sample preparation steps and multiplexed detection was conceived and is being implemented. All modules for sample preprocessing and detection are ready for further miniaturization and integration in a single lab-on-chip platform. The system will be clinically validated in a breast cancer therapy study in Oslo.

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