ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Champagne is good for your heart, study suggests -- but only in moderation
• Putting limits on vitamin E
• Looking back in time 12 billion years with new instruments on Herschel Space Observatory
• Treating alcohol-use disorders and tuberculosis together
• Moving video to 'captcha' robot hackers
• Young hunters most likely to be injured using tree stands
• Children more likely to catch swine flu, says new research
• Short-term school closures may worsen flu pandemics
• Chinese-American and Korean-American women at highest risk for diabetes in pregnancy
• Engineered tobacco plants have more potential as a biofuel
• Scientists develop technique to determine ethnic origin of stem cell lines
• Marseillevirus -- a new member of the giant viruses
• Small molecules found to protect cells in multiple models of Parkinson's disease
• New RNA interference technique can silence up to five genes
• Weakened Plasmodium generates protective immunity
• Permafrost thaw may accelerate Arctic groundwater runoff
• Secrets of duck sex revealed: It's all screwed up
• No rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide fraction in past 160 years, new research finds
• New tool in the fight against mosquito-borne disease: A microbial 'mosquito net'
• Body's own veins provide superior material for aortic grafts
• Imaging tests identify role of allergies in chronic sinus disease
• How much ice needed to create Martian land formations?
• Addictive effects of caffeine on kids being studied
• Natural variability led to extra-cold 2008, research finds
• Gene increases effectiveness of drugs used to fight cancer and allows reduction in dosage
• New video reveals secrets of Webb Telescope's MIRI
• Widely used device for pain therapy not recommended for chronic low back pain
• Saturn's auroral hiss is asymmetrical
• Consumers choose locally grown and environmentally friendly apples
• Severity of H1N1 influenza linked to presence of Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Discovery of new function of prion protein improves understanding of epilepsy
• Handful of iron beads offer clues to solve mystery of ancient iron forges
• Why diseased heart muscle cells don't communicate properly
• Continental roots stress Earth's surface
• Children who lack continuity with a regular health care provider miss needed services

Champagne is good for your heart, study suggests -- but only in moderation Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Research from the UK suggests that two glasses of champagne a day may be good for your heart and circulation. The researchers have found that drinking champagne wine daily in moderate amounts causes improvements in the way blood vessels function.

Putting limits on vitamin E Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Scientists have done the most comprehensive and accurate study of clinical data on vitamin E use and heart disease to date, and it warns that indiscriminate use of high-dose vitamin E supplementation does more harm than good.

Looking back in time 12 billion years with new instruments on Herschel Space Observatory Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Astronomers have made the most detailed views yet of space up to 12 billion years back in time.

Treating alcohol-use disorders and tuberculosis together Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Treatment for alcohol use disorders and tuberculosis (TB) is rarely integrated, even though the two diseases have a high co-occurrence. American and Russian researchers have jointly designed and are monitoring an innovative program that will deliver alcohol treatment as part of routine TB care. The trial study is continuing.

Moving video to 'captcha' robot hackers Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Researchers have developed a synthesis technique that generates moving pictures of 3-D objects which will allow security developers to generate an infinite number of "emergence" images virtually impossible for any computer algorithm to decode.

Young hunters most likely to be injured using tree stands Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Young hunters between the ages of 15 and 34 are the most likely to suffer serious injuries in tree stand-related incidents, say researchers. The same researchers' findings, though, suggest that such injuries are preventable.

Children more likely to catch swine flu, says new research Posted: 31 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST Young people aged under 18 years are more likely than adults to catch swine flu from an infected person in their household, according to a new study. However, the research also shows that young people are no more likely than adults to infect others with the pandemic H1N1 virus.

Short-term school closures may worsen flu pandemics Posted: 31 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST Closing schools for less than two weeks during a flu pandemic may increase infection rates and prolong an epidemic. The findings, developed from a series of computer simulations based on U.S. census data, indicate that schools may need to be closed for at least eight weeks in order to significantly decrease the spread of infection.

Chinese-American and Korean-American women at highest risk for diabetes in pregnancy Posted: 31 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST A new study found more than 10 percent of women of Chinese and Korean heritage may be at risk for developing diabetes during pregnancy. The first of its kind, the 10-year study of 16,757 women and 22,110 pregnancies in Hawaii found that Chinese-American and Korean-American women's gestational diabetes risk is one-third higher than average -- and more than double that of Caucasian and African-American women.

Engineered tobacco plants have more potential as a biofuel Posted: 31 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST Researchers have identified a way to increase the oil in tobacco plant leaves, which may be the next step in using the plants for biofuel.

Scientists develop technique to determine ethnic origin of stem cell lines Posted: 31 Dec 2009 11:00 AM PST Scientists have developed a straightforward technique to determine the ethnic origin of stem cells. The team's analysis of a variety of human embryonic stem cell lines currently in use in research laboratories around the world found that these cells originated largely from Caucasian and East Asian populations, with little representation from populations originating in Africa.

Marseillevirus -- a new member of the giant viruses Posted: 31 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST After Mimivirus, Mamavirus and the virophage, the group of giant viruses now has a new member called Marseillevirus. The new virus was discovered in an amoeba by a team of French researchers. Their findings suggest the exchange of genes in amoebae that may lead to the constitution of different gene repertoires that could be a source of new pathogens.

Small molecules found to protect cells in multiple models of Parkinson's disease Posted: 31 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Several structurally similar small molecules appear capable of protecting cells from alpha-synuclein toxicity, a hallmark of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremors, muscle rigidity, and slowed movements. There is currently no cure for the disease, and current Parkinson's therapies only address disease symptoms, not the disease's cellular cause.

New RNA interference technique can silence up to five genes Posted: 31 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Researchers report that they have successfully used RNA interference to turn off multiple genes in the livers of mice, an advance that could lead to new treatments for diseases of the liver and other organs.

Weakened Plasmodium generates protective immunity Posted: 31 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Researchers have found that weakened Plasmodium elicits a protective immune response.

Permafrost thaw may accelerate Arctic groundwater runoff Posted: 31 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST As the Arctic warms, permafrost will degrade, potentially resulting in increased groundwater runoff as frozen ground that had blocked the flow of water melts. To investigate how groundwater systems will evolve as surface temperatures rise, researchers have developed a model to simulate an idealized aquifer covered by a layer of permafrost.

Secrets of duck sex revealed: It's all screwed up Posted: 31 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Female ducks have evolved an intriguing way to avoid becoming impregnated by undesirable but aggressive males endowed with large corkscrew-shaped penises: vaginas with clockwise spirals that thwart oppositely spiraled males.

No rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide fraction in past 160 years, new research finds Posted: 31 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Most of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activity does not remain in the atmosphere, but is instead absorbed by the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems. However, some studies have suggested that the ability of oceans and plants to absorb carbon dioxide recently may have begun to decline and that the airborne fraction of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions is therefore beginning to increase. In contradiction to those studies, new research finds that the airborne fraction of carbon dioxide has not increased either during the past 150 years or during the most recent five decades.

New tool in the fight against mosquito-borne disease: A microbial 'mosquito net' Posted: 31 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Earlier this year, researchers showed that they could cut the lives of disease-carrying mosquitoes in half by infecting them with a bacterium they took from fruit flies. Now, a new report suggests that their strategy might do one better: The Wolbachia bacteria also makes the mosquitoes more resistant to infection by viruses that are a growing threat to humans, including those responsible for dengue fever and Chikungunya.

Body's own veins provide superior material for aortic grafts Posted: 31 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST A vascular surgical technique designed to replace infected aortic grafts with the body's own veins has proved more durable and less prone to new infection than similar procedures using synthetic and cadaver grafts.

Imaging tests identify role of allergies in chronic sinus disease Posted: 31 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Exposing patients with chronic sinus disease to allergens and then obtaining repeated images by X-ray or ultrasound reveals that nasal allergies may be involved in some cases of chronic sinus disease, according to a new study.

How much ice needed to create Martian land formations? Posted: 31 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Some land formations on Mars suggest the presence of water ice. These features could have been created by viscous creep of ice below the surface in Martian permafrost. To determine how much ice would be needed to form the observed topography on Mars, researchers conducted laboratory experiments to simulate the frozen Martian sand.

Addictive effects of caffeine on kids being studied Posted: 31 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Caffeine is a stimulant drug, although legal, and adults use it widely to perk themselves up: Being "addicted" to caffeine is considered perfectly normal. But how strong is caffeine's appeal in young people who consume an abundance of soft drinks? What impact does acute and chronic caffeine consumption have on their blood pressure, heart rate and hand tremor? Furthermore, does consuming caffeinated drinks during adolescence contribute to later use of legal or illicit drugs?

Natural variability led to extra-cold 2008, research finds Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST An especially cold year in North America in 2008 led some members of the public and the media to question the scientific consensus on human-induced global warming. In addition, the cool global temperatures during the past decade may appear to contrast with the warming expected due to human influence. New research finds that the anthropogenic forcing in 2008 did contribute to temperatures warmer than would otherwise have occurred but that those human-induced effects were overwhelmed by a particularly strong bout of natural cooling.

Gene increases effectiveness of drugs used to fight cancer and allows reduction in dosage Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST The gene in question is a suicide gene, called "gene E," which leads to the death of tumor cells derived from breast, lung and colon cancer, and prevents their growth. Chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery show "limited" results in advanced stages of cancer, so the kind of gene therapy proposed by the scientists of the UGR is a huge breakthrough in cancer treatment.

New video reveals secrets of Webb Telescope's MIRI Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST It's going to take infrared eyes to see farther back in time than even the Hubble Space Telescope, and that's what the James Webb Space Telescope's MIRI or Mid-Infrared Instrument detectors will do.

Widely used device for pain therapy not recommended for chronic low back pain Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST A new guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology finds that transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation, a widely used pain therapy involving a portable device, is not recommended to treat chronic low-back pain -- pain that has persisted for three months or longer -- because research shows it is not effective.

Saturn's auroral hiss is asymmetrical Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Saturn emits "auroral hiss," a whistler-mode electromagnetic emission observed in the magnetosphere at high latitudes. This emission is similar to auroral hiss emitted by Earth. However, unlike Earth's auroral hiss, researchers have found that Saturn rotates in a beam-like matter around the planet.

Consumers choose locally grown and environmentally friendly apples Posted: 31 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST When asked to compare apples to apples, consumers said they would pay more for locally grown apples than genetically modified (GMO) apples. But in a second questionnaire consumers preferred GMO apples -- that is, when they were described, not as GMO, but as having a Reduced Environmental Impact. The research demonstrated that product labeling makes a difference when it comes to consumer acceptance.

Severity of H1N1 influenza linked to presence of Streptococcus pneumoniae Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST The presence of the Streptococcus pneumoniae in samples that can be easily obtained in clinics and emergency rooms may predict risk of severe disease in H1N1 pandemic influenza. Reports that H1N1 pandemic influenza in Argentina was associated with higher morbidity and mortality than in other countries led investigators in the Center for Infection and Immunity at the Mailman School of Public Health to look for viral mutations indicative of increased virulence and for co-infections that could contribute to disease.

Discovery of new function of prion protein improves understanding of epilepsy Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST Cellular prion protein (PrPc) plays an essential role in maintaining neurotransmitter homeostasis in the central nervous system. This discovery has been made possible by the observation that both a deficiency and an excess of the protein have a considerable effect on this homeostasis. Surprisingly, in both cases, the central nervous excitability threshold is altered to such an extent that an epileptic seizure may result. Thanks to this discovery, researchers now have more tools at our disposal that can help deepen our basic understanding of epilepsy.

Handful of iron beads offer clues to solve mystery of ancient iron forges Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST When archaeologist Ruth Iren Øien noticed a cluster of tiny iron beads in the ground, she knew she was onto something. She did not know, however, that her team had stumbled upon Scandinavia's oldest and most complex group of iron forges.

Why diseased heart muscle cells don't communicate properly Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST The heartbeat is controlled by rapid conduction of an electrical current between heart muscle cells. Central to passage of the electrical current are structures known as gap junctions, low resistance conduits that link heart muscle cells and consist of proteins known as connexins.

Continental roots stress Earth's surface Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST The Earth's rigid lithosphere varies laterally in thickness and strength. Areas of thicker, older lithosphere known as continental roots penetrate deeper into the mantle in some places under continents. Because these continental roots are in contact with deeper, more viscous mantle, the shear traction at the base of the lithosphere in those areas is increased by up to a factor of 4 compared with a model lithosphere without continental roots.

Children who lack continuity with a regular health care provider miss needed services Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST Low-income children who don't access health care from the same place or provider over the long term are significantly more likely to have unmet health care needs compared with those do, according to a new study.

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