Friday, December 31, 2010

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


What triggers mass extinctions? Study shows how invasive species stop new life

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

An influx of invasive species can stop the dominant natural process of new species formation and trigger mass extinction events, according to new research. The study of the collapse of Earth's marine life 378 to 375 million years ago suggests that the planet's current ecosystems, which are struggling with biodiversity loss, could meet a similar fate.

Alzheimer's: Therapy for brain disease could target blood

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

The aggregated proteins strewn about the brain are the hallmark of one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders: Alzheimer's disease. But while these irregular, gunky proteins, called amyloid-beta, are believed to contribute to the deterioration of memory and cognitive ability in Alzheimer's patients, no one knows how they lead to these symptoms. New experiments show how amyloid-beta interacts with a clotting agent in the blood, increasing blood clots that are harder than usual to break down and starving neurons of their regular supply of oxygen. The research suggests that the effects of amyloid-beta on the blood vessels feeding the brain could be an important aspect of the havoc they wreak on the brain.

New cognitive robotics lab tests theories of human thought

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

Researchers are exploring how human thought outwits brute force computing in the real world. Twenty programmable robots allow students to test the real-world performance of computer models that mimic human thought.

Strict heart rate control provides no advantage over lenient approach, study finds

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

Strict heart rate control in atrial fibrillation patients is not beneficial over lenient control, according to new research. The antiplatelet drug clopidogrel, plus aspirin, might be considered to reduce the risk of major vascular events, including stroke in patients who are poor candidates for the anticoagulant drug warfarin. Catheter ablation is useful to maintain normal sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Demise of large satellite may have led to the formation of Saturn’s rings and inner moons

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

Simulations may explain how Saturn's majestic rings and icy inner moons formed following the collision of a Titan-sized satellite with the planet, according to a new article.

Lower levels of education are associated with increased risks of heart failure

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

Results from a large European study suggest that poorly educated people are more likely to be admitted to hospital with chronic heart failure than the better educated, even after differences in lifestyle have been taken into account.

Was Israel the birthplace of modern humans?

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Archaeologists have discovered evidence that places Homo sapiens in Israel as early as 400,000 years ago -- the earliest evidence for the existence of modern humans anywhere in the world.

Consistent exercise associated with lower risk of colon cancer death

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Consistent exercise is associated with a lower risk of dying from colon cancer, according to a new study. The study is among the first to show that physical activity can make the disease less deadly.

New technology to speed cleanup of nuclear contaminated sites

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Engineers have invented a new type of radiation detection and measurement device that will be particularly useful for cleanup of sites with radioactive contamination, making the process faster, more accurate and less expensive.

Key role for a protein in cell division described

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Just before a cell divides into two -- the basic act of reproducing life -- the cellular environment must be exquisitely prepared. The exact timing and localization of the vast array of molecules and processes involved in duplicating chromosomes and separating the offspring from the parent is one of the basic wonders of biology and is at the core of both healthy living and diseases such as cancer, which arise when the process goes awry. Now scientists have detailed the role of one protein, PRC1, that acts in the penultimate stage of cell division, helping to form the architectural structures, called central spindles, needed before the cell splits in two.

System for detecting noise pollution in the sea and its impact on cetaceans

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Researchers have developed the first system equipped with hydrophones able to record sounds on the seafloor in real time over the Internet. The system detects the presence of cetaceans and makes it possible to analyze how noise caused by human activity can affect the natural habitat of these animals and the natural balance of oceans. A new EU directive on the sea has ruled that all member states must comply with a set of indicators for measuring marine noise pollution before 2012.

Home health care could help sustain health care systems, study finds

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Home health care technology may provide one important solution to global concerns about how to sustain health care systems threatened by rising costs and manpower shortages, but such a change faces multiple obstacles to adoption, according to a new study.

What makes a face look alive? Study says it's in the eyes

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

The face of a doll is clearly not human; the face of a human clearly is. Telling the difference allows us to pay attention to living things, which are capable of interacting with us. But where is the line at which a face appears to be alive? A new study finds that a face has to be quite similar to a human face to appear alive, and that the cues are mainly in the eyes.

Risk for alcoholism linked to risk for obesity

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

Addiction researchers have found that a risk for alcoholism also may put individuals at risk for obesity, and the association between a family history of alcoholism and obesity risk has become more pronounced in recent years.

When their tools get dull, leaf-cutters switch jobs

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

When their razor-sharp mandibles wear out, leaf-cutter ants change jobs, remaining productive while letting their more efficient sisters take over cutting, say researchers. Their study provides a glimpse of nature's way of providing for its displaced workers.

Expansion of HIV screening cost-effective in reducing spread of AIDS, study shows

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

An expanded US program of HIV screening and treatment could prevent as many as 212,000 new infections over the next 20 years and prove to be very cost-effective, according to a new study.

Study classifies and uses artificial proteins to analyze protein-protein interfaces

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

A new study suggests that there may be roughly a thousand structurally distinct protein-protein interfaces -- and that their structures depend largely on the simple physics of the proteins.

George Clooney Effect? High-earning women want older, more attractive partners, research finds

Posted: 31 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

Psychologists have found that George Clooney may be even luckier than previously thought. New research has discovered that as women become more financially independent, they want an older, more attractive male partner.

Your genome in minutes: New technology could slash sequencing time

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

Scientists are developing technology that could ultimately sequence a person's genome in mere minutes, at a fraction of the cost of current commercial techniques.

New test for major killer of lung transplant patients: High stem cell count after transplant predicts debilitating syndrome

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

A lung transplant can mean a new chance at life. But many who receive one develop a debilitating, fatal condition that causes scar tissue to build up in the lungs and chokes off the ability to breathe. Researchers hope a new diagnostic tool they developed to predict bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome will allow doctors to intervene earlier and, ultimately, to provide life-saving treatments.

Evolutionary arms race between smut fungi and maize plants

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

Fungi are a major cause of plant diseases and are responsible for large-scale harvest failure in crops like maize and other cereals all over the world. Scientists have now analyzed the genetic make-up of Sporisorium reilianum, an important maize parasite.

Why does dialysis fail?

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

A protein implicated in the development of vascular diseases may also contribute to the failure of arteriovenous (AV) fistulas created for vascular access in dialysis patients, according to a new study.

Crops: Improving nitrogen use efficiency lessens environmental impact

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

Most agricultural crops require large quantities of nitrate-rich fertilizer to realize optimal yields. Increased interest in environmentally beneficial "low-input" approaches is challenging researchers to identify genotypes that have a characteristic called "high nutrient use efficiency", or NUE. Using vegetable types with high NUE could help growers lessen environmental impacts while maintaining high crop yields. A new study reported on improved NUE traits that resulted from grafting melon plants onto commercial rootstocks.

Depressed smokers less likely to stay tobacco free

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

Depressed smokers want to quit the nicotine habit just as much as non-depressed smokers, but a new study suggests that depression can put a kink in their success.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Light dawns on dark gamma-ray bursts

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

Gamma-ray bursts are among the most energetic events in the Universe, but some appear curiously faint in visible light. The biggest study to date of these so-called dark gamma-ray bursts, using the 2.2-meter MPG/ESO telescope at La Silla in Chile, has found that these explosions don't require exotic explanations. Their faintness is now explained by a combination of causes, the most important of which is the presence of dust between the Earth and the explosion.

Gene protects against dementia in high-risk individuals, study finds

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

Neuroscientists had assumed that a mutation in the progranulin gene, which makes the progranulin protein and supports brain neurons, was sufficient to produce a kind of dementia known as frontotemporal lobar degeneration. But now an international team of scientists has found another genetic factor they say appears to protect against the disorder in progranulin mutation carriers.

New imaging advance illuminates immune response in breathing lung

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

In a recent study in mice, researchers developed a method to stabilize living lung tissue for imaging without disrupting the normal function of the organ. The method allowed the team to observe, for the first time, both the live interaction of living cells in the context of their environment and the unfolding of events in the immune response to lung injury.

Trace amounts of microbe-killing molecules predict chronic granulomatous disease survival

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

Investigators have observed that the survival rate of people with a rare immunodeficiency disease called chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is greatly improved when even very low levels of microbe-killing molecules are present. Because production of these molecules, made by an enzyme called NADPH oxidase, can be predicted from genetic analysis, a patient's risk for severe CGD could be assessed very early in life, allowing for more personalized treatment, say the researchers.

Link between ancient lizard fossil in Africa and today's Komodo dragon in Indonesia

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

Researchers have unearthed a mysterious link between bones of an ancient lizard found in Africa and the biggest, baddest modern-day lizard of them all, the Komodo dragon, half a world away in Indonesia.

Visual skills required for independence are impaired in children with autism, research finds

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 08:00 AM PST

The ability to find shoes in the bedroom, apples in a supermarket, or a favorite animal at the zoo is impaired among children with autism, according to new research from the UK. They are unable to search effectively for objects in real-life situations -- a skill that is essential for achieving independence in adulthood.

Bacteria provide example of one of nature's first immune systems, research shows

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Scientists are uncovering the secrets of one of nature's most primitive immune systems through studying how bacteria incorporate foreign DNA from invading viruses into their own regulatory processes.

Link between light signal and circadian rhythms pinpointed

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Scientists have taken an important step in understanding the underlying molecular signals that influence a broad array of biological processes ranging from the sleep-wake cycle to cancer growth and development.

Indoor plant intervention: New answers for health care design?

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Could a plant "intervention" improve the well-being of patients in a difficult rehab process? Scientists have found that patients' overall physical and mental health improved during the program, but the presence of new plants did not increase the degree of improvement. However, pulmonary patients in the "plant intervention group" reported a larger increase in well-being during their rehabilitation program more often than lung patients from the "no-plant" control group.

New regulator plays critical role in development B cells

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Researchers have identified a new regulator playing a critical role in the development B cells, which produce antibodies -- a transcription factor called Miz-1, which is needed for the proper development and maturation of B cells in the bone marrow.

Gatekeeper for tomato pollination identified

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Having identified a tomato pollen gene associated with blocking self-pollination in petunias and cross-species fertilization in tomatoes, researchers conclude that tomato plants use similar biochemical mechanisms to guard against inbreeding and cross-species hybridization.

Wake up, Mom: Gender differences in accepting sleep interruptions

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 05:00 AM PST

Working mothers are two-and-a-half times as likely as working fathers to interrupt their sleep to take care of others.

98.6 degrees Fahrenheit ideal temperature for keeping fungi away and food at bay

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

Two researchers have found that our 98.6 F (37 C) body temperature strikes a perfect balance: warm enough to ward off fungal infection but not so hot that we need to eat nonstop to maintain our metabolism.

Coma and general anesthesia demonstrate important similarities

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

The brain under general anesthesia isn't "asleep" as surgery patients are often told -- it is placed into a state that is a reversible coma, according to three neuroscientists who have recently published an extensive review of general anesthesia, sleep and coma. This insight and others reported in their review article could eventually lead to new approaches to general anesthesia and improved diagnosis and treatment for sleep abnormalities and emergence from coma.

Mariana crow will go extinct in 75 years, study suggests

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

Researchers say the Mariana crow, a forest crow living on Rota Island in the western Pacific Ocean, will go extinct in 75 years. The extinction could happen almost twice as soon as previously believed.

Diabetes: Poor response to anti-anemia drug predicts higher risk of heart disease or death

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

Patients with diabetes, kidney disease and anemia who don't respond to treatment with an anti-anemia drug have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease or death, researchers have found.

Catching video pirates: Invisible DNA-like fingerprint on video assist law enforcement

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

Scientists are applying an invisible DNA-like fingerprint to film, turning the footage into a series of numbers. When the film is then bootlegged onto the Internet, the invisible fingerprint goes with it, so that it can be traced over the Web -- back to the original video pirate, who can then be tracked and arrested.

Doctors should be required to disclose sleep deprived status to patients before elective surgeries, experts urge

Posted: 30 Dec 2010 02:00 AM PST

While regulations have been put in place to restrict the work hours of doctors in training, no such regulations exist for fully trained physicians. An editorial argues that sleep-deprived physicians should not be permitted to proceed with an elective surgery without a patient's informed, written consent.

MRI scans reveal brain changes in people at genetic risk for Alzheimer's

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

People with a known, high risk for Alzheimer's disease develop abnormal brain function even before the appearance of telltale, amyloid plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. The findings suggest that a gene variant affects brain function long before the brain begins accumulating the amyloid that will eventually lead to dementia.

Protein involved in cystic fibrosis also plays role in emphysema, chronic lung disease

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

Researchers have discovered that a protein involved in cystic fibrosis also regulates inflammation and cell death in emphysema and may be responsible for other chronic lung diseases. The findings pave the way toward new treatments to prevent lung damage caused by infections or cigarette smoke in emphysema.

Back to the Dead Sea: Climate change study digs into half a million years of history

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

A new study is digging underneath the Dead Sea to reveal the historical health of the planet through the last 500,000 years -- and to learn more about what climate change may hold in store for our planet.

African-Americans with liver cancer more likely to die, study finds

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

African-Americans with early stage liver cancer were more likely than white patients to die from their disease, according to a new study. Five years after diagnosis, 18 percent of white liver cancer patients were alive but only 15 percent of Hispanic patients and 12 percent of black patients were. Median survival times ranged from 10 months for whites and Hispanics to 8 months for blacks. The researchers also found racial and ethnic disparities in how often patients received treatment, with black and Hispanic patients less likely than whites to have any kind of treatment.

Vertical search across the educational horizon: New search tools could facilitate access to online educational resources

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

General search engines, while very effective at tracking down information, are nevertheless unstructured, which limits the user's ability to further automate the processing of the search results, researchers point out in a new article.

Mortality rates are an unreliable metric for assessing hospital quality, study finds

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 11:00 PM PST

A comparative analysis found wide disparities in the results of four common measures of hospital-wide mortality rates, with competing methods yielding both higher- and lower-than-expected rates for the same Massachusetts hospitals during the same year.