ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Nasa's Fermi telescope peers deep into a 'micro-quasar'
• Scientists create mouse with key features of HIV infection without being infected with HIV
• Brain scan study shows cocaine abusers can control cravings
• Surgeons offering new procedure for acid reflux, GERD
• There are lasers, and then there are compact, multibeam, multi-wavelength lasers
• Patients say 'no thanks' to risky medical treatments
• Bacteria 'invest' wisely to survive uncertain times, scientists report
• Stroke and heart disease trigger revealed
• Hydrogen-powered fuel cell unmanned air vehicle sets 26-hour flight endurance record
• Probiotic found to be effective treatment for colitis in mice
• Evolutionary arms race between bacteria and their viruses in soil
• Beverage can stay-tabs pose swallowing risk
• Naked mole rats may hold clues to surviving stroke
• CPR is successful without mouth-to-mouth, but not without oxygen
• It takes two to infect: Structural biologists shed light on mechanism of invasion protein
• Muscle 'synergies' may be key to stroke treatment
• Action recommended for indoor radon below current guidelines
• Is it right for drug companies to carry out their own clinical trials?
• Glimpse at Earth's crust deep below Atlantic Ocean
• New light shed on epilepsy
• Protein engineering advancing Alzheimer’s research
• Exercise therapy best for knee pain, study finds
• Getting on 'the GABA receptor shuttle' to treat anxiety disorders
• Amphibians as environmental omen disputed
• Two-pronged protein attack could be source of SARS virulence
• Molecular architecture of Treponema pallidum, bacterium that causes syphilis
• New molecule implicated in diabetes-associated blindness
• Climate change in Kuwait Bay: Higher temperatures having profound effects
• PTSD less common than depression and alcohol misuse amongst UK troops
• Black hole caught zapping galaxy into existence?
• New stem cell technology provides rapid healing from complicated bone fractures
• Immune cells that prevent development of asthma identified
• Quarter of a million children in England at risk of skin cancer from sunbeds
• Climate studies to benefit from 12 years of satellite aerosol data
• Hospital noise initiative reduces average peak decibel levels by 20 percent
• Birth control pill for men? Scientists find a hormonal on-and-off switch for male fertility
• First live targeting of tumors with RNA-based technology
• Vibrations key to efficiency of green fluorescent protein
• Lipid assessment in vascular disease can be simplified, without the need to fast, findings suggest
• Texus-46's flight to the weightless world
• Availability of vaccine no guarantee public will want it
• Big freeze plunged Europe into ice age in months
• Early intervention for toddlers with autism highly effective, study finds
• Large Hadron Collider sets new world record as highest energy particle accelerator
• Smart phones allow quick diagnosis of acute appendicitis
• New transparent insulating film could enable energy-efficient displays
• Therapeutic benefits of the human-animal bond

Nasa's Fermi telescope peers deep into a 'micro-quasar' Posted: 01 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has made the first unambiguous detection of high-energy gamma-rays from an enigmatic binary system known as Cygnus X-3. The system pairs a hot, massive star with a compact object -- either a neutron star or a black hole -- that blasts twin radio-emitting jets of matter into space at more than half the speed of light.

Scientists create mouse with key features of HIV infection without being infected with HIV Posted: 01 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST A major obstacle to HIV research is the virus's exquisite specialization for its human host -- meaning that scientists' traditional tools, like the humble lab mouse, can deliver only limited information. Now, a team of researchers has made an ingenious assault on this problem by creating a mouse that has key features of HIV infection without being infected with HIV.

Brain scan study shows cocaine abusers can control cravings Posted: 01 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST A new brain-imaging study shows that active cocaine abusers can suppress drug craving, suggesting new ways to help them quit and avoid relapse.

Surgeons offering new procedure for acid reflux, GERD Posted: 01 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Surgeons are now offering patients an incisionless alternative to laparoscopic and traditional surgery for treatment of acid reflux or GERD.

There are lasers, and then there are compact, multibeam, multi-wavelength lasers Posted: 01 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Scientists have demonstrated compact, multibeam, and multi-wavelength lasers emitting in the invisible part of the light spectrum (infrared). By contrast, typical lasers emit a single light beam of a well-defined wavelength. The innovative multibeam lasers have potential use in applications related to remote chemical sensing pollution monitoring, optical wireless, and interferometry.

Patients say 'no thanks' to risky medical treatments Posted: 01 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST A recent study suggests that increasing patient responsibility for making medical decisions may decrease their willingness to accept risky treatment options.

Bacteria 'invest' wisely to survive uncertain times, scientists report Posted: 01 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Like savvy Wall Street money managers, bacteria hedge their bets to increase their chances of survival in uncertain times, strategically investing their biological resources to weather unpredictable environments. In a new study, researchers describe how bacteria play the market so well.

Stroke and heart disease trigger revealed Posted: 01 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists have identified the trigger that leads to the arteries becoming damaged in the disease atherosclerosis, which causes heart attacks and strokes. The authors of the study say their findings suggest that the condition could potentially be treated by blocking the molecule that triggers the damage. The research also suggests that bacteria may be playing a part in the disease.

Hydrogen-powered fuel cell unmanned air vehicle sets 26-hour flight endurance record Posted: 01 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST The Naval Research Laboratory's Ion Tiger, a hydrogen-powered fuel cell unmanned air vehicle, has flown 26 hours and 1 minute carrying a 5-pound payload, setting another unofficial flight endurance record for a fuel-cell powered flight.

Probiotic found to be effective treatment for colitis in mice Posted: 01 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST The probiotic, Bacillus polyfermenticus, can help mice recover from colitis. Mice treated with B.P. during the non-inflammatory period of the disease had reduced rectal bleeding, their tissues were less inflamed and they gained more weight than mice that did not receive the treatment.

Evolutionary arms race between bacteria and their viruses in soil Posted: 01 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Viruses of soil bacteria (phages) evolve to improve their ability to infect the bacterial hosts that surround them. This is shown in a new study. Phages appear to be better able to infect bacteria from the same small soil sample than bacteria from just a few centimeters away. Evolution can therefore restructure ecosystems on a very small scale.

Beverage can stay-tabs pose swallowing risk Posted: 01 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Three decades ago, a study revealed that beverage can pull-tabs were being swallowed by children, prompting a switch by US manufacturers to stay-tabs. But in a new study, researchers found that the new tabs are still potentially unsafe.

Naked mole rats may hold clues to surviving stroke Posted: 01 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Naked mole-rats can withstand brain oxygen deprivation for more than 30 minutes -- more than any other mammal. The finding may provide clues for developing new brain injury treatments following stroke or heart attack.

CPR is successful without mouth-to-mouth, but not without oxygen Posted: 01 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST People can survive cardiac arrest if they receive only chest compressions during attempts to revive them -- as advised by the current American Heart Association guidelines. But they cannot survive without access to oxygen sometime during the resuscitation effort, research suggests. Scientists tested different scenarios in an animal study of cardiac arrest. Rats received either 100 percent oxygen, 21 percent oxygen -- the equivalent of room air -- or no oxygen (100 percent nitrogen) at the same time they received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

It takes two to infect: Structural biologists shed light on mechanism of invasion protein Posted: 01 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Bacteria are quite creative when infecting the human organism. They invade cells, migrate through the body, avoid an immune response and misuse processes of the host cell for their own purposes. Structural biologists have now elucidated one mechanism of Listeria bacteria.

Muscle 'synergies' may be key to stroke treatment Posted: 01 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Researchers have shown that motor impairments in stroke patients can be understood as impairments in specific combinations of muscle activity, known as synergies.

Action recommended for indoor radon below current guidelines Posted: 01 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST With radon-caused lung cancer deaths averaging 20,000 per year, the Health Physics Society asks the public to consider taking action even at measured levels below current guidelines.

Is it right for drug companies to carry out their own clinical trials? Posted: 01 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST In a new article, two experts debate whether the conflict of interest is unacceptable when drug companies carry out clinical trials on their own medicines. Their views come as new guidance on the standards required for communicating company sponsored medical research is published.

Glimpse at Earth's crust deep below Atlantic Ocean Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST Long-term variations in volcanism help explain the birth, evolution and death of striking geological features called oceanic core complexes on the ocean floor, says a geologist.

New light shed on epilepsy Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST Neuroscientists move a step closer to finding new treatments for epilepsy.

Protein engineering advancing Alzheimer’s research Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST No one has yet found a cure or a way to prevent people from developing Alzheimer's disease. Researchers are breaking new ground in biotechnology to find new tools that can help provide new solutions. A newly constructed protein has yielded experimental results that are promising when it comes to stopping the disease. And for the first time, using protein engineering, it seems researchers have successfully created the oligomer that is believed to trigger the disorder.

Exercise therapy best for knee pain, study finds Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST For patients with severe knee pain, supervised exercise therapy is more effective at reducing pain and improving function than usual care, a study finds.

Getting on 'the GABA receptor shuttle' to treat anxiety disorders Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 PM PST There are increasingly precise molecular insights into ways that stress exposure leads to fear and through which fear extinction resolves these fear states. Extinction is generally regarded as new inhibitory learning, but where the inhibition originates from remains to be determined. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the primary inhibitory chemical messenger in the brain, seems to be very important to these processes.

Amphibians as environmental omen disputed Posted: 30 Nov 2009 08:00 PM PST Amphibians, for years considered a leading indicator of environmental degradation, are not uniquely susceptible to pollution, according to a new meta-analysis.

Two-pronged protein attack could be source of SARS virulence Posted: 30 Nov 2009 08:00 PM PST Researchers have uncovered what they believe could be the major factor contributing to the SARS virus' virulence: the pathogen's use of a single viral protein to weaken host cell defenses by launching a "two-pronged" attack on cellular protein-synthesis machinery.

Molecular architecture of Treponema pallidum, bacterium that causes syphilis Posted: 30 Nov 2009 08:00 PM PST A team of scientists has used state-of-the-art technology to elucidate the molecular architecture of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium which causes syphilis. The previously unknown detailed structure of the bacteria can now be shown in three dimensions. This provides the first real image of the pathogen and reveals previously unknown features, which may help fight the spread of syphilis.

New molecule implicated in diabetes-associated blindness Posted: 30 Nov 2009 08:00 PM PST Scientists have demonstrated that the Wnt signaling pathway plays a role in diabetic retinopathy.

Climate change in Kuwait Bay: Higher temperatures having profound effects Posted: 30 Nov 2009 08:00 PM PST Since 1985, seawater temperature in Kuwait Bay, northern Arabian Gulf, has increased on average 0.6 degrees Celsius per decade. This is about three times faster than the global average rate reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Differences are due to regional and local effects. Increased temperatures are having profound effects on key habitats and on power generation the Arabian Gulf.

PTSD less common than depression and alcohol misuse amongst UK troops Posted: 30 Nov 2009 08:00 PM PST Common mental disorders, such as depression and alcohol misuse, are the top psychological problems amongst UK troops post-deployment and not post traumatic stress disorder as is widely believed. A new study also finds that reservists remain at special risk of operational stress injury.

Black hole caught zapping galaxy into existence? Posted: 30 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST Which come first, the supermassive black holes that frantically devour matter or the enormous galaxies where they reside? A brand new scenario has emerged from a recent set of outstanding observations of a black hole without a home: black holes may be "building" their own host galaxy. This could be the long-sought missing link to understanding why the masses of black holes are larger in galaxies that contain more stars.

New stem cell technology provides rapid healing from complicated bone fractures Posted: 30 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST A novel technology involving use of stem cells has been applied to provide better and rapid healing for patients suffering from complicated bone fractures.

Immune cells that prevent development of asthma identified Posted: 30 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST Asthma is inhibited by regulatory macrophages, a cell population never previously described.

Quarter of a million children in England at risk of skin cancer from sunbeds Posted: 30 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST An estimated quarter of a million 11- to 17-year-olds in England are being put at increased risk of developing malignant melanoma by using sunbeds, warn researchers.

Climate studies to benefit from 12 years of satellite aerosol data Posted: 30 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST Aerosols, very small particles suspended in the air, play an important role in the global climate balance and in regulating climate change. They are one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in climate change models. ESA's GlobAerosol project has been making the most of European satellite capabilities to monitor them.

Hospital noise initiative reduces average peak decibel levels by 20 percent Posted: 30 Nov 2009 05:00 PM PST Getting medical staff to adopt some simple measures on three hospital wards reduced noise levels by just under 20 percent -- from 96.48 decibels to 77.52 decibels. Hospitals can be very noisy places. Dropping a stainless steel bowl creates 108 decibels, more than the 100 decibels from a nearby car horn or chainsaw. Even opening a packet of rubber gloves creates 86 decibels, louder than heavy traffic at 80 decibels.

Birth control pill for men? Scientists find a hormonal on-and-off switch for male fertility Posted: 30 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Scientists have found how and where androgenic hormones work in the testis to control normal sperm production and male fertility. This opens a promising avenue for the development of "the pill" for men. The discovery also offers hope to those who cannot have children because of low sperm counts.

First live targeting of tumors with RNA-based technology Posted: 30 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Researchers have devised a way they might deliver the right therapy directly to tumors using special molecules, called aptamers, which specifically bind to living tumor tissue. They screened a large pool of aptamers in a rodent with liver cancer until they found the best molecule to bind to a tumor protein.

Vibrations key to efficiency of green fluorescent protein Posted: 30 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Green fluorescent protein has invaded thousands of research labs around the world, thanks to its versatility in labeling cells and organisms. Now, chemists have discovered why GFP is such an efficient emitter of green light. A new technique, femtosecond stimulated Ramon spectroscopy, could provide snapshots of reactions in other light-capturing molecules and allow redesign for improved photon absorption in solar cells.

Lipid assessment in vascular disease can be simplified, without the need to fast, findings suggest Posted: 30 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Lipid assessment in vascular disease can be simplified by measuring either total and HDL cholesterol levels or apolipoproteins, without the need to fast and without regard to triglyceride levels, according to a new study.

Texus-46's flight to the weightless world Posted: 30 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST The Texus-46 sounding rocket was launched on Nov. 22 from the Esrange space center in Swedish Lapland to provide 388 seconds of microgravity for its two experiment payloads.

Availability of vaccine no guarantee public will want it Posted: 30 Nov 2009 02:00 PM PST Just because a vaccine is available doesn't mean people will choose to be inoculated, according to new research published amid widespread public confusion around the merit of H1N1 flu shots.

Big freeze plunged Europe into ice age in months Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST In the film "The Day After Tomorrow," the world enters the icy grip of a new glacial period within the space of just a few weeks. New research shows this scenario may not be so far from the truth after all.

Early intervention for toddlers with autism highly effective, study finds Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST A novel early intervention program for very young children with autism -- some as young as 18 months -- is effective for improving IQ, language ability and social interaction, a comprehensive new study has found.

Large Hadron Collider sets new world record as highest energy particle accelerator Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST CERN's Large Hadron Collider has become the world's highest energy particle accelerator, having accelerated its twin beams of protons to an energy of 1.18 TeV in the early hours of the morning. This exceeds the previous world record of 0.98 TeV, which had been held by the US Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory's Tevatron collider since 2001. It marks another important milestone on the road to first physics at the LHC in 2010.

Smart phones allow quick diagnosis of acute appendicitis Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST Radiologists can accurately diagnose acute appendicitis from a remote location with the use of a hand-held device or mobile phone equipped with special software, according to a new study.

New transparent insulating film could enable energy-efficient displays Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST Materials scientists have found a way to transform a chemical long used as an electrical conductor a thin film insulator potentially useful in transistor technology and in devices such as electronic books.

Therapeutic benefits of the human-animal bond Posted: 30 Nov 2009 11:00 AM PST A pet owner knows the enormous joy and comfort that an animal can provide, especially in troubled times. Most pets are considered important members of the family and irreplaceable companions. A growing body of research now documents the value of the human-animal bond in child development, elderly care, mental illness, physical impairment, dementia, abuse and trauma recovery, and the rehabilitation of incarcerated youth and adults.

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