ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Vampires and collisions rejuvenate stars
• Further progress toward AIDS vaccine: Rabies-virus vaccine protects monkeys
• How the daisy got its spot: Insect mimicry
• Physical activity associated with lower risk of mortality in men with history of colon cancer
• Magnetic field measurements of the human heart at room temperature
• Half of urban teen girls acquire STIs within two years of first sexual activity
• Calorie restriction: Scientists take important step toward 'fountain of youth'
• Genomic toggle switches divide autoimmune diseases into distinct clusters
• Tourists in Antarctica cause of major concern
• Signaling decreases blood pressure, study finds
• Certain genes boost chances for distributing variety of traits, drive evolution
• Do consumers always approach pleasure and avoid pain? New study suggests an alternative
• The past matters to plants
• Antibody-guided drug shows encouraging activity in metastatic breast cancer
• New warning system warns of driver drowsiness and distraction
• Bone control of glucose levels
• Low-cost temperature sensors: Tennis balls to monitor mountain snowpack
• Who gets expensive cancer drugs? A tale of two nations

Vampires and collisions rejuvenate stars Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have uncovered two distinct kinds of "rejuvenated" stars in the globular cluster Messier 30. A new study shows that both stellar collisions and a process sometimes called vampirism are behind this cosmic "face lift." The scientists also uncover evidence that both sorts of blue stragglers were produced during a critical dynamical event (known as "core collapse") that occurred in Messier 30 a few billion years ago.

Further progress toward AIDS vaccine: Rabies-virus vaccine protects monkeys Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Researchers are one step closer to developing a vaccine against the AIDS disease. They have found that a rabies virus-based vaccine administered to monkeys protected against the simian equivalent of the HIV virus (SIV).

How the daisy got its spot: Insect mimicry Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Dark spots on flower petals are common across many angiosperm plant families and occur on flowers such as some lilies, orchids, and daisies. Much research has been done on the physiological and behavioral mechanisms for how these spots attract pollinators. But have you ever wondered what these spots are composed of, how they develop, or how they only appear on some but not all of the ray florets?

Physical activity associated with lower risk of mortality in men with history of colon cancer Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Increased physical activity appears to be associated with a lower risk of cancer-specific and overall death in men with a history of colorectal cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body, according to a new study.

Magnetic field measurements of the human heart at room temperature Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST A new optical sensor was successfully tested in the "magnetically best shielded room on Earth." The sensor does not need advanced cooling and is very small. Its suitability was proven for biomagnetic measurements in the picotesla range. So, magnetocardiographic measurement devices -- to be used as a supplement or an alternative to the ECG -- could become simpler and less expensive.

Half of urban teen girls acquire STIs within two years of first sexual activity Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Half of urban teenage girls may acquire at least one of three common sexually transmitted infections within two years of becoming sexually active, according to a new study.

Calorie restriction: Scientists take important step toward 'fountain of youth' Posted: 26 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Going back for a second dessert after your holiday meal might not be the best strategy for living a long, cancer-free life say researchers. That's because they've shown exactly how restricted calorie diets -- specifically in the form of restricted glucose -- help human cells live longer.

Genomic toggle switches divide autoimmune diseases into distinct clusters Posted: 26 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Genomic switches can predispose an individual to one set of autoimmune disorders but protect the same person against another set of them, scientists have found.

Tourists in Antarctica cause of major concern Posted: 26 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST The 40,000 'eco-tourists' who visit the South Pole every year cause enormous greenhouse gas emissions. The visitors to the snow-covered landmass are endangering not just the Antarctic region by their actions, but also the rest of the world. Scientists have investigated the impacts of increased tourism on Antarctica and how this impact could be curbed.

Signaling decreases blood pressure, study finds Posted: 26 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Blood pressure is controlled in part by changes in the radius of blood vessels; when the smooth muscle cells in the wall of a blood vessel contract, the radius of the blood vessel decreases and blood pressure increases. Researchers have now identified in mice a new signaling pathway that contributes to relaxation of smooth muscle cells in blood vessel walls triggered by the molecule NO and thereby decreases blood pressure.

Certain genes boost chances for distributing variety of traits, drive evolution Posted: 26 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Genes that don't themselves directly affect the inherited characteristics of an organism but leave them increasingly open to variation may be a significant driving force of evolution, say scientists.

Do consumers always approach pleasure and avoid pain? New study suggests an alternative Posted: 26 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Whether it's doing sit-ups or eating steamed veggies instead of fries, it's often difficult to get ourselves to do something we know is beneficial. A new study says we can trick ourselves into more favorable evaluations of certain products and behaviors.

The past matters to plants Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST It's commonly known that plants interact with each other on an everyday basis: they shade each other out or take up nutrients from the soil before neighboring plants can get them. Now, researchers have learned that plants also respond to the past.

Antibody-guided drug shows encouraging activity in metastatic breast cancer Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST A new antibody-drug compound shrank or halted the growth of metastatic breast tumors in almost half of a group of patients whose HER2-positive cancer had become resistant to standard therapies, according to early data.

New warning system warns of driver drowsiness and distraction Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Scientists have developed the latest version of a driving assistance system which controls the driver's attention level and helps to avoid accidents caused by drowsiness or distractions at the wheel.

Bone control of glucose levels Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Bone cells known as osteoblasts were recently shown to have a role in controlling the biochemical reactions that generate energy via secretion of the molecule osteocalcin. Researchers have now determined that the protein FoxO1 regulates this function of osteoblasts in mice.

Low-cost temperature sensors: Tennis balls to monitor mountain snowpack Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Dime-sized temperature sensors, first built for the refrigerated food industry, have been adapted to sense mountain microclimates.

Who gets expensive cancer drugs? A tale of two nations Posted: 26 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST The well-worn notion that patients in the United States have unfettered access to the most expensive cancer drugs while the United Kingdom's nationalized health care system regularly denies access to some high-cost treatments needs rethinking, a team of bioethicists and health policy experts says in a new report.

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