ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Biological basis of 'bacterial immune system' discovered
• New device implanted by surgeons help paralyzed patients breathe easier
• Fruit fly sperm makes females do housework after sex
• Bell's palsy: Study calls for rethink of cause and treatment
• Nuclear waste reduction: Polymers designed to mop up radioactive isotopes
• Dispensing prescription drugs in 3-month supplies reduces drug costs by a third
• RNA network seen in live bacterial cells for first time
• Researchers fine-tune diffuse optical tomography for breast cancer screening
• 24-carat gold 'snowflakes' improve graphene's electrical properties
• Biologics for rheumatoid arthritis work, but which is best?
• Ecologists sound out new solution for monitoring cryptic species
• Talking to ourselves: How consumers navigate choices and inner conflict
• Small hairy balls hide foul-tasting healthful enzymes
• New treatment more than doubles survival for high risk childhood leukemia
• Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars mission
• Common herbicides and fibrates block nutrient-sensing receptor found in gut and pancreas
• Control of mosquito vectors of malaria may be enhanced by a new method of biocontrol
• Obese patients' reaction to diet can be predicted, study finds
• With first neutrino events, physicists closer to answering why only matter in universe
• Nano-scale drug delivery developed for chemotherapy
• Study pits man versus machine in piecing together 425-million-year-old jigsaw
• Drug therapy more cost-effective than angioplasty for diabetic patients with heart disease, study suggests
• Plasma-in-a-bag for sterilizing devices
• Comforted by carpet: How do floors and distance affect purchases?
• Mass extinction: Why did half of N. America's large mammals disappear 40,000 to 10,000 years ago?
• Umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant may help lung, heart disorders
• How plants and bacteria 'talk' to thwart disease
• Diabetes cases to double and costs to triple by 2034
• Ecological speciation by sexual selection on good genes
• Building real security with virtual worlds
• Wide heads give hammerhead sharks exceptional stereo view
• Knockouts in human cells point to pathogenic targets
• 3-D software gives doctors, students a view inside the body
• Research sheds light on workings of anti-cancer drug
• New computer virus disguised as social security administration download
• School closure could reduce swine flu transmission by 21 percent, European study finds

Biological basis of 'bacterial immune system' discovered Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Scientists have discovered how the bacterial immune system works, and the finding could lead to new classes of targeted antibiotics, new tools to study gene function in microorganisms and more stable bacterial cultures used by food and biotechnology industries to make products such as yogurt and cheese.

New device implanted by surgeons help paralyzed patients breathe easier Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Physicians will soon begin implanting a new device designed to improve breathing in patients with upper spinal-cord injuries or other diseases that keep them from breathing independently.

Fruit fly sperm makes females do housework after sex Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST The sperm of male fruit flies are coated with a chemical 'sex peptide' which inhibits the female's usual afternoon siesta and compels her into an intense period of foraging activity.

Bell's palsy: Study calls for rethink of cause and treatment Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Drugs widely prescribed to treat facial paralysis in Bell's palsy are ineffective and are based on false notions of the cause of the condition, according to researchers. They say research must now focus on discovering other potential causes and treatments.

Nuclear waste reduction: Polymers designed to mop up radioactive isotopes Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Nuclear power could solve our energy problems but it has rather nasty by-products: radioactive waste. Not only the disposal of the old core rods but also reactor operation results in a large amount of low-level waste, especially contaminated cooling water. Scientists have now developed a new method to reduce the amount of this radioactive waste considerably. They use small beads consisting of a special polymer which "fishes" the radioactivity out of the water.

Dispensing prescription drugs in 3-month supplies reduces drug costs by a third Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to save money. New research quantifies the savings for the first time.

RNA network seen in live bacterial cells for first time Posted: 28 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST New technology has given scientists the first look ever at RNA in a live bacteria cell -- a sight that could offer new information about how the molecule moves and works.

Researchers fine-tune diffuse optical tomography for breast cancer screening Posted: 28 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST Researchers are working to make the physical pain and discomfort of mammograms a thing of the past, while allowing for diagnostic imaging eventually to be done in a home setting.

24-carat gold 'snowflakes' improve graphene's electrical properties Posted: 28 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST In an effort to make graphene more useful in electronics applications, engineers have made a golden discovery -- gold "snowflakes" on graphene.

Biologics for rheumatoid arthritis work, but which is best? Posted: 28 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST More studies that directly compare the effectiveness of different biologic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis are needed, say researchers who reviewed previous studies assessing the effectiveness of biologic disease-modifying drugs for treatment of RA and found that although all were very effective, there was little data on direct comparisons between the drugs that could help doctors decide which to prescribe.

Ecologists sound out new solution for monitoring cryptic species Posted: 28 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST Ecologists have worked out a way of using recordings of birdsong to accurately measure the size of bird populations. This is the first time sound recordings from a microphone array have been translated into accurate estimates of bird species' populations. The new technique will also work with whale song and could lead to a major advance in our ability to monitor whale and dolphin numbers.

Talking to ourselves: How consumers navigate choices and inner conflict Posted: 28 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST From simple decisions like "Should I eat this brownie?" to bigger questions such as "Should my next car be a hybrid?" consumers are involved in an inner dialogue that reflects thoughts and perspectives of their different selves, according to the authors of a new study.

Small hairy balls hide foul-tasting healthful enzymes Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST A Dutch researcher has discovered a new way to package enzymes by causing charged polymers to form a 'ball of hair' around them. Her approach significantly increases the utility of the enzymes. For example, healthy enzymes with a foul taste can be packaged in such a way that they are released in the stomach without being tasted.

New treatment more than doubles survival for high risk childhood leukemia Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Phase 2 study results show high-dose imatinib plus chemo more than doubled survival for high risk type of childhood leukemia.

Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars mission Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Starting in 2010, an international crew of six will simulate a 520-day round-trip to Mars, including a 30-day stay on the martian surface. In reality, they will live and work in a sealed facility in Moscow, Russia, to investigate the psychological and medical aspects of a long-duration space mission. ESA is looking for European volunteers to take part.

Common herbicides and fibrates block nutrient-sensing receptor found in gut and pancreas Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Certain common herbicides and lipid-lowering fibrate drugs act in humans to block T1R3, a nutrient-sensing taste receptor also present in intestine and pancreas. These compounds were not previously known to act on the receptor, which influences glucose homeostasis and energy metabolism. The effect is specific to humans and not revealed during animal testing.

Control of mosquito vectors of malaria may be enhanced by a new method of biocontrol Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Biopesticides containing a fungus that is pathogenic to mosquitoes may be an effective means of reducing malaria transmission, particularly if used in combination with insecticide-treated bednets, according to a modeling study. Results of the study show that incorporating this novel vector control technique into existing vector management programs may substantially reduce malaria transmission rates and help manage insecticide resistance.

Obese patients' reaction to diet can be predicted, study finds Posted: 28 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST The presence of increased body fat, and therefore higher levels of inflammatory substances in the blood, hinders the loss and maintenance of body weight, as shown by new research from Spain.

With first neutrino events, physicists closer to answering why only matter in universe Posted: 27 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST Physicists have just announced that they have detected the first neutrino events generated by the newly built neutrino beam at the J-PARC accelerator laboratory in Tokai, Japan. Neutrino oscillations, which require neutrinos to have mass and therefore were not allowed in previous theoretical understanding of particle physics, probe new physical laws and are of great interest in the study of the fundamental constituents of matter.

Nano-scale drug delivery developed for chemotherapy Posted: 27 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST Bioengineers have developed a simple and inexpensive method for loading cancer drug payloads into nano-scale delivery vehicles and demonstrated in animal models that this new nanoformulation can eliminate tumors after a single treatment.

Study pits man versus machine in piecing together 425-million-year-old jigsaw Posted: 27 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST Reconstructing ancient fossils from hundreds of thousands of jumbled up pieces can prove challenging. A new study tested the reliability of expert identification versus computer analysis in reconstructing fossils. The investigation, based on fossil teeth from extinct vertebrates, found that the most specialized experts provided the most reliable identifications.

Drug therapy more cost-effective than angioplasty for diabetic patients with heart disease, study suggests Posted: 27 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST Many patients with diabetes should forego angioplasties for heart disease and just take medicine instead, a new study suggests.

Plasma-in-a-bag for sterilizing devices Posted: 27 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST The practice of sterilizing medical tools and devices helped revolutionize health care in the 19th century because it dramatically reduced infections associated with surgery. Through the years, numerous ways of sterilization techniques have been developed, but the old mainstay remains a 130-year-old device called an autoclave, which is something like a pressure steamer. Now researchers in the Netherlands are developing a new way to sterilize medical devices by sealing them inside plastic bags and then using electromagnetic fields to create plasmas -- partially ionized gasses that contain free electrons and reactive ions.

Comforted by carpet: How do floors and distance affect purchases? Posted: 27 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST Consumers who stand on carpeted flooring feel comforted, but they judge products close to them to be less comforting, according to a new study.

Mass extinction: Why did half of N. America's large mammals disappear 40,000 to 10,000 years ago? Posted: 27 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Years of scientific debate over the extinction of ancient species in North America have yielded many theories. However, new findings reveal that a mass extinction occurred in a geological instant.

Umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant may help lung, heart disorders Posted: 27 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Two recent studies investigating the use of human umbilical cord blood stem cell (UCB) transplants for lung and heart disorders in animal models found beneficial results. When human UCB-derived mensenchymal cells were transplanted into newborn laboratory rats with induced oxygen-deprived injury, the effects of the injury lessened. A second study found that UCB mononuclear cells transplanted into sheep with a right ventricular malfunction beneficially altered the malfunction and enhanced diastolic function.

How plants and bacteria 'talk' to thwart disease Posted: 27 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Unwrapping some of the mystery from how plants and bacteria communicate to trigger an innate immune response, scientists have identified the bacterial signaling molecule that matches up with a specific receptor in rice plants to ward off a devastating disease known as bacterial blight of rice.

Diabetes cases to double and costs to triple by 2034 Posted: 27 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST In the next 25 years, the number of Americans living with diabetes will double and spending on diabetes will triple, rising from $113 billion to $336 billion. This will add to the existing strains on an overburdened health care system, according to a new study.

Ecological speciation by sexual selection on good genes Posted: 27 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Darwin suggested that the action of natural selection can produce new species, but 150 years after the publication of "On the Origin of Species" debate continues on the mechanisms of speciation. New research finds sexual selection to greatly enlarge the scope for adaptive speciation by triggering a positive feedback between mate choice and ecological diversification that can eventually eliminate gene flow between species.

Building real security with virtual worlds Posted: 27 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Advances in computerized modeling and prediction of group behavior, together with improvements in video game graphics, are making possible virtual worlds in which defense analysts can explore and predict results of possible military and policy actions, say computer science researchers.

Wide heads give hammerhead sharks exceptional stereo view Posted: 27 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST Why hammerhead sharks have their distinctively shaped heads has puzzled scientists for generations, but now researchers have discovered that hammerheads' wide heads give them an impressive stereo view.

Knockouts in human cells point to pathogenic targets Posted: 27 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST Researchers have developed a new approach for genetics in human cells and used this technique to identify specific genes and proteins required for pathogens. With the ability to generate knockout cells for most human genes, the authors were able to find genes used by pathogens to enter and kill human cells. The identification of such factors could aid the future development of new therapeutics to combat infectious disease.

3-D software gives doctors, students a view inside the body Posted: 27 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST Researchers have developed technology that turns flat medical scans into vibrant 3-D images that can be shifted, adjusted, zoomed and replayed at will.

Research sheds light on workings of anti-cancer drug Posted: 27 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST The copper sequestering drug tetrathiomolybdate (TM) has been shown in studies to be effective in the treatment of Wilson disease, a disease caused by an overload of copper, and certain metastatic cancers. That much is known. Very little, however, is known about how the drug works at the molecular level. A new study now has provided an invaluable clue: the three-dimensional structure of TM bound to copper-loaded metallochaperones.

New computer virus disguised as social security administration download Posted: 27 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST A new spam campaign using false e-mails made to look like messages from the Social Security Administration is capable of stealing Social Security numbers and downloading malware onto victims' home computers, says a computer forensics expert.

School closure could reduce swine flu transmission by 21 percent, European study finds Posted: 27 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST A survey carried out in eight European countries has shown that closing schools in the event of an infectious disease pandemic could have a significant role in reducing illness transmission. Researchers compared opportunities for infection on school days and weekends/holidays, finding that they were reduced when schools are shut.

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