ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

---

• 'Cosmic fruit machine' matches galactic collisions
• New therapy may be effective against bacterial infections and sepsis
• Tough yet stiff deer antler is materials scientist's dream
• New findings suggest strategy to help generate HIV-neutralizing antibodies
• Peat fires drive temperatures up: Burning rainforests release huge amounts of greenhouse gases
• Client-directed therapy technique drastically reduces rates of divorce or separation
• Solar power from your windows, awnings, even clothing?
• Clue to mystery of how biological clock operates on 24-hour cycle
• Rare woodland plant uses 'cryptic coloration' to hide from predators
• How HIV is assembled and released from infected cells
• Academic questions 'green' initiatives on cutting carbon footprint
• Free e-samples of prescription drugs: At what cost?
• 'Glow-in-the-dark' red blood cells made from human stem cells
• Forming new brain cells: Key regulatory peptide discovered
• Oceanic crust formation is dynamic after all
• Measuring and modeling blood flow in malaria
• New nanocrystalline diamond probes overcome wear
• Motivational 'women-only' cardiac rehab improves symptoms of depression
• Over-the-counter eye drops raise concern over antibiotic resistance

'Cosmic fruit machine' matches galactic collisions Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST A new website will give everyone the chance to contribute to science by playing a 'cosmic fruit machine' and compare images of colliding galaxies with millions of simulated images of galactic pile-ups.

New therapy may be effective against bacterial infections and sepsis Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST A new study found that certain immune cells primarily associated with asthma and allergies may enhance innate immunity and improve clearance of bacterial infections and may be an effective new therapy against bacterial infections and sepsis in humans.

Tough yet stiff deer antler is materials scientist's dream Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST It is almost impossible to make materials that are tough yet stiff: stiff materials tend to break easily and cannot absorb impacts. But not so dry deer antlers. Surviving impacts that are six times greater than crashes that shatter wet femur, deer antler is stiff enough to endure the dueling animals' pushing contests and could teach us how to make stiff, yet tough, materials.

New findings suggest strategy to help generate HIV-neutralizing antibodies Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST New discoveries about anti-HIV antibodies may bring researchers a step closer to creating an effective HIV vaccine, according to a new paper.

Peat fires drive temperatures up: Burning rainforests release huge amounts of greenhouse gases Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST The forested peatlands of the tropics store vast amounts of carbon. Forest fires convert this into the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Scientists have now quantified these emissions and shown that peatland fires contribute significantly to global warming.

Client-directed therapy technique drastically reduces rates of divorce or separation Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Using four simple questions to generate client-directed feedback can greatly increase the chances that struggling couples will stay together, according to a recently published study. Couples that had systematic client feedback incorporated into their sessions were 46.2 percent less likely to wind up divorced or separated.

Solar power from your windows, awnings, even clothing? Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST New research could one day lead to photovoltaic materials thin enough, flexible enough and inexpensive enough to go not only on rooftops but in windows, outdoor awnings and even clothing.

Clue to mystery of how biological clock operates on 24-hour cycle Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST How does our biological system know that it is supposed to operate on a 24-hour cycle? Scientists have discovered that a tiny molecule holds the clue to the mystery.

Rare woodland plant uses 'cryptic coloration' to hide from predators Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST It is well known that some animal species use camouflage to hide from predators. Individuals that are able to blend in to their surroundings and avoid being eaten are able to survive longer, reproduce, and thus increase their fitness (pass along their genes to the next generation) compared to those who stand out more. This may seem like a good strategy, and fairly common in the animal kingdom, but who ever heard of a plant doing the same thing?

How HIV is assembled and released from infected cells Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST The HIV/AIDS virus continues to ravage populations worldwide. Using a novel combination of optical techniques, researchers visualize how virus particles assemble and are released from infected cells to find new victims -- knowledge which could lead to new technologies for inhibiting this process.

Academic questions 'green' initiatives on cutting carbon footprint Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST Global carbon markets may well have been hailed as the savior of the planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but in many ways they are doing more harm than good, according to new evidence.

Free e-samples of prescription drugs: At what cost? Posted: 29 Nov 2009 08:00 AM PST An analysis of Web coupons and vouchers for free or discounted prescription medications found the value of such introductory offers is low compared to costs to continue to take the medication. Many such Web sites also de-emphasize risks and provide little quantitative data on indications for use and effectiveness. Many sites also collect personal information as a condition of the free offer.

'Glow-in-the-dark' red blood cells made from human stem cells Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Stem cell scientists have modified a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line to glow red when the stem cells become red blood cells. The modified hESC line, ErythRED, represents a major step forward to the eventual aim of generating mature, fully functional red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells.

Forming new brain cells: Key regulatory peptide discovered Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST The generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a peptide known as C3a, which directly affects the stem cells' maturation into nerve cells and is also important for the migration of new nerve cells through the brain tissue.

Oceanic crust formation is dynamic after all Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Earth scientists have found strong evidence that the geological processes that lead to the formation of oceanic crust are not as uniformly passive as believed. They found centers of dynamic upwelling in the shallow mantle beneath spreading centers on the seafloor.

Measuring and modeling blood flow in malaria Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST When people have malaria, they are infected with Plasmodium parasites, which enter the body from the saliva of a mosquito, infect cells in the liver, and then spread to red blood cells. Inside the blood cells, the parasites replicate and also begin to expose adhesive proteins on the cell surface that change the physical nature of the cells in the bloodstream.

New nanocrystalline diamond probes overcome wear Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Researchers have developed, characterized, and modeled a new kind of probe used in atomic force microscopy, which images, measures, and manipulates matter at the nanoscale. Using diamond, researchers made a much more durable probe than the commercially available silicon nitride probes, which are typically used in AFM to gather information from a material, but can wear down after several uses.

Motivational 'women-only' cardiac rehab improves symptoms of depression Posted: 29 Nov 2009 02:00 AM PST Women who participated in a motivational cardiac rehab program designed for women experienced less symptoms of depression. The positive impact of the women-centered program remained six months after the 12-week study ended. Other research shows that positive emotions in men and women may protect from heart disease.

Over-the-counter eye drops raise concern over antibiotic resistance Posted: 27 Nov 2009 09:00 PM PST The use of antibiotic eye drops for conjunctivitis has increased by almost half since they became available over the counter at U.K. pharmacies in 2005.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Latest Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610