ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• How music 'moves' us: Listeners' brains second-guess the composer
• Early immune response needed for hit-and-hide cancer viruses
• Sequencing wasp genome sheds new light on sexual parasite
• Excess DNA damage found in cells of patients with Friedreich's ataxia
• Pink tomato gene
• Objects we want are seen as closer
• Polar bear droppings advance superbug debate
• Studies demonstrate link among Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome and atherosclerosis
• New satellite maps of Haiti coming in
• Trial of new osteoporosis drug beginning
• ESA’s ice mission arrives safely at launch site
• Why we can't always find what we're looking for (and sometimes find what isn't there)
• As the crust turns: Cassini data show Enceladus in motion
• New technique uses zebrafish behavior to screen for useful compounds: Pathways affecting sleep and wakefulness discovered
• Do fish feel pain? Norwegian research suggests they can
• In early heart development, genes work in tandem
• Regulatory network balances stem cell maintenance, differentiation
• One-third of NFL players with Achilles tendon injuries sidelined

How music 'moves' us: Listeners' brains second-guess the composer Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Have you ever accidentally pulled your headphone socket out while listening to music? What happens when the music stops? Psychologists believe that our brains continuously predict what is going to happen next in a piece of music. So, when the music stops, your brain may still have expectations about what should happen next. A new paper predicts that these expectations should be different for people with different musical experience and sheds light on the brain mechanisms involved.

Early immune response needed for hit-and-hide cancer viruses Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Human retroviral infections might be more manageable if the immune system could respond strongly to the virus early, say cancer researchers in a new study. The research examined the retrovirus HTLV-1, which causes adult T-cell leukemia. It indicates that if the immune system could kill virus-infected cells within days of infection, it may inhibit the virus's ability to establish reservoirs of infected cells and make the infection more treatable later.

Sequencing wasp genome sheds new light on sexual parasite Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Sequencing the complete genomes of three species of wasp provides new insights into the methods that the bacterial parasite Wolbachia uses to manipulate the sex lives of its hosts.

Excess DNA damage found in cells of patients with Friedreich's ataxia Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Elevated levels of DNA damage have been found in the mitochondria and nuclei of patients with the inherited, progressive nervous system disease called Friedreich's ataxia. The findings shed light on the molecular abnormalities that lead to the disease, as well as point the way to new therapeutic approaches and the development of biomarker blood tests to track its progression.

Pink tomato gene Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST What makes a particular variety of tomato pink? The gene responsible may help researchers develop new exotic tomatoes.

Objects we want are seen as closer Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST If we really want something, that desire may influence how we view our surroundings.

Polar bear droppings advance superbug debate Posted: 15 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Scientists investigating the spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs have gone the extra mile for their research -- all the way to the Arctic. Researchers found little sign of the microbes in the droppings of polar bears that have had limited or no contact with humans, suggesting that the spread of antibiotic resistance genes seen in other animals may be the result of human influence.

Studies demonstrate link among Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome and atherosclerosis Posted: 15 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Neuroscientists have demonstrated an association among Alzheimer's disease, Down syndrome and atherosclerosis. Their research implicates damage inflicted by the amyloid protein as a shared disease mechanism.

New satellite maps of Haiti coming in Posted: 15 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST As rescue workers scramble to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of people following Haiti's earthquake, Earth observation satellite data continues to provide updated views of the situation on the ground.

Trial of new osteoporosis drug beginning Posted: 15 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Endocrinologists are launching a human trial of a new drug that their research indicates holds great promise for building bones weakened by osteoporosis. An experimental drug called parathyroid hormone-related protein is an anabolic agent that appears to be unique in its ability to stimulate bone formation without simultaneously increasing bone breakdown.

ESA’s ice mission arrives safely at launch site Posted: 15 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST In what might seem rather appropriate weather conditions, the CryoSat-2 Earth Explorer satellite has completed its journey to the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan, where it will be prepared for launch on 25 February. The CryoSat mission is dedicated to precise monitoring of the changes in the thickness of marine ice floating in the polar oceans and variations in the thickness of the vast ice sheets that overlay Greenland and Antarctica.

Why we can't always find what we're looking for (and sometimes find what isn't there) Posted: 15 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST When people look for things that are rare, they aren't all that good at finding them. And it turns out that the reverse is also true: When people look for something common, they will often think they see it even when it isn't there.

As the crust turns: Cassini data show Enceladus in motion Posted: 15 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Blobs of warm ice that periodically rise to the surface and churn the icy crust on Saturn's moon Enceladus explain the quirky heat behavior and intriguing surface of the moon's south polar region, according to a new paper using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

New technique uses zebrafish behavior to screen for useful compounds: Pathways affecting sleep and wakefulness discovered Posted: 15 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST A robust new technique for screening drugs' effects on zebrafish behavior is pointing scientists toward unexpected compounds and pathways that may govern sleep and wakefulness in humans. Among their more intriguing findings: Various anti-inflammatory agents in the immune system, long known to induce sleep during infection, may also shape normal sleep/wake cycles.

Do fish feel pain? Norwegian research suggests they can Posted: 15 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST A Norwegian researcher studying nociception and pain in teleost fish concludes that is that it is very likely the fish can indeed feel pain.

In early heart development, genes work in tandem Posted: 15 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Studying genes that regulate early heart development in animals, scientists have solved a puzzle about one gene's role, finding that it acts in concert with a related gene. Their finding contributes to understanding how the earliest stages of heart development may go awry, resulting in congenital heart defects in humans. Occurring in approximately 1 in 200 children, congenital heart defects represent the most common human birth defect.

Regulatory network balances stem cell maintenance, differentiation Posted: 15 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST While much of the promise of stem cells springs from their ability to develop into any cell type in the body, the biological workings that control that maturation process are still largely unknown.

One-third of NFL players with Achilles tendon injuries sidelined Posted: 15 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST More than a third of National Football League players who sustained an Achilles tendon injury were never able to return to professional play, according to a new study. The injured players who did return to active play averaged a 50 percent reduction in their power ratings.

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