ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• 'Nanodragster' races toward the future of molecular machines
• New method fixes broken proteins to treat genetic diseases
• Gender-biased heart damage
• Gastroenterologists study mind-body techniques for treating celiac disease
• New computer vision system for the analysis of human behavior
• Scientists map brain pathway for vocal learning
• Higher temperatures can worsen climate change, methane measurements from space reveal
• Effectiveness of asthma relief inhalers: Discovery opens new avenues for treatment of poorly controlled asthma
• Dual role for immune cells in the brain
• Program may prevent knee injuries in young female soccer players
• Faster, easier way to access audiovisual assets
• Parkinson's patients shed light on role of reward bias in compulsive behaviors
• Wild crows reveal tool skills
• Being pear shaped protects against heart disease
• Tipping Point? West Antarctic Ice Sheet could become unstable as world warms
• Best way to reduce emissions is to make cars smaller

'Nanodragster' races toward the future of molecular machines Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Scientists in Texas are reporting the development of a "nanodragster" that may speed the course toward development of a new generation of futuristic molecular machines. The vehicle -- only 1/50,000th the width of a human hair -- resembles a hot-rod in shape and can outperform previous nano-sized vehicles.

New method fixes broken proteins to treat genetic diseases Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Researchers have demonstrated how it could be possible to treat genetic diseases by enhancing the natural ability of cells to restore their own mutant proteins. In particular, they found that drugs called proteosome inhibitors could provide one way of manipulating cells into producing more of a so-called chaperone protein, named Hsp70, which helps amino acid chains fold into their proper protein form.

Gender-biased heart damage Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST A man's male hormones may ward off heart damage by helping vessels around the heart regenerate, suggest Australian researchers.

Gastroenterologists study mind-body techniques for treating celiac disease Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST For adults and children diagnosed with celiac disease, the only treatment is a gluten-free diet, which can be very challenging. Gastroenterologists are conducting a new study to see if mind/body techniques could help patients with celiac disease adhere to the very strict diet.

New computer vision system for the analysis of human behavior Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Scientists have developed a cognitive computational system consisting of video cameras and software able to recognize and predict human behavior, as well as describe it in natural language. The applications of this project, called the Hermes project, are numerous and can be used in the fields of intelligent surveillance, protection of accidents, marketing, psychology, etc.

Scientists map brain pathway for vocal learning Posted: 16 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Scientists have identified neurons in the songbird brain that convey the auditory feedback needed to learn a song. Their research lays the foundation for improving human speech, for example, in people whose auditory nerves are damaged and who must learn to speak without the benefit of hearing their own voices. This work is the first study to identify an auditory feedback pathway in the brain that is harnessed for learned vocal control.

Higher temperatures can worsen climate change, methane measurements from space reveal Posted: 16 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Higher temperatures on the earth's surface at higher latitudes cause an increase in the emission of methane, a greenhouse gas that plays an important role in global warming. Therefore, higher temperatures are not just a consequence of climate change but can also worsen it, conclude climate researchers in a new study. During their research, the researchers determined methane concentration measurements from the Dutch-German space instrument SCIAMACHY, on board the European Space Agency's environmental satellite Envisat.

Effectiveness of asthma relief inhalers: Discovery opens new avenues for treatment of poorly controlled asthma Posted: 16 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST A new study is probing why asthma relief inhalers might actually make asthma worse -- and what can be done about it.

Dual role for immune cells in the brain Posted: 16 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST We all have at one time or another experienced the typical signs of an infection: the fever, the listlessness, the lack of appetite. They are orchestrated by the brain in response to circulating cytokines, the signaling molecules of the immune system. But just how cytokines' reach extends beyond the almost impenetrable blood-brain barrier has been the topic of much dispute.

Program may prevent knee injuries in young female soccer players Posted: 16 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST A soccer-specific exercise program that includes individual instruction of athletes appears to reduce the risk of knee injuries in young female players, according to a new study.

Faster, easier way to access audiovisual assets Posted: 16 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Millions of hours of old shows sit collecting dust in the basements of TV and radio broadcasters. Digging through these audiovisual treasure troves is becoming faster and easier thanks to software developed by European researchers.

Parkinson's patients shed light on role of reward bias in compulsive behaviors Posted: 16 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST New research unravels the brain mechanisms that underlie the ability of a standard drug treatment for Parkinson's to elicit compulsive behaviors in some patients with the disease. The study provides fascinating new insight into the brain mechanisms that underlie a predisposition to behavioral addictions, such as pathological gambling and shopping.

Wild crows reveal tool skills Posted: 15 Jan 2010 09:00 PM PST A new study using motion sensitive video cameras has revealed how New Caledonian crows use tools in the wild.

Being pear shaped protects against heart disease Posted: 15 Jan 2010 09:00 PM PST If you're prone to worrying whether your 'bum looks big in this', particularly after the Christmas period, you can take comfort that there may be health benefits.

Tipping Point? West Antarctic Ice Sheet could become unstable as world warms Posted: 15 Jan 2010 09:00 PM PST A new study examines how ice sheets, such as the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, could become unstable as the world warms.

Best way to reduce emissions is to make cars smaller Posted: 15 Jan 2010 09:00 PM PST A new study says the best way to reduce emissions in the short term is a 'drastic downscaling of both size and weight' of conventional gasoline and diesel cars.

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