ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Neuron connections seen in 3-D
• HIV infection prematurely ages the brain
• Mussel-inspired 'glue' for fetal membrane repair
• Cervical cancer: Combined drug and radiotherapy improves survival
• Ice is 'rotten' in the Beaufort Sea
• Malnutrition higher in children born to child brides
• Spectacular X-ray tails surprise astronomers
• Stress peptide and receptor may have role in diabetes
• Soccer injuries: Cleat-natural grass combination may be less likely to result in anterior cruciate ligament injury
• Simple steps prevent life-threatening bloodstream infections in children
• Worldwide nitrogen deficit constrains carbon dioxide uptake by plants
• Leading cause of medical evacuation out of war zones: It's not combat injury
• Water hits and sticks: Findings challenge a century of assumptions about soil hydrology
• Common heart medications may also protect against Parkinson's disease, study finds
• Can modern-day plants trace their New Zealand ancestry?
• Brazil's Northeast under the vagaries of the oceans
• Consumers have mixed reactions to puffery in advertising
• Human running speeds of 35 to 40 mph may be biologically possible
• First oral bacteria found linking a mother and her stillborn baby
• Bubble physicist counts bubbles in ocean to answer questions about climate, sound, light
• US birth weights on the decline
• A computer per student leads to higher performance than traditional classroom settings
• How to live your life twice: Psychologist busts a myth and offers tips to counter a mid-life crisis

Neuron connections seen in 3-D Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Scientists have managed to obtain 3-D images of the vesicles and filaments involved in communication between neurons. The method is based on a novel technique in electron microscopy, which cools cells so quickly that their biological structures can be frozen while fully active.

HIV infection prematurely ages the brain Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST HIV infection or the treatments used to control it are prematurely aging the brain, researchers have found. Blood flow in the brains of HIV patients is reduced to levels normally seen in uninfected patients 15 to 20 years older.

Mussel-inspired 'glue' for fetal membrane repair Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST A sealant inspired by mussels' ability to stick to surfaces under wet conditions has shown promise in the repair of defects in human fetal membranes, according to a new study. During a pregnancy, such defects -- ruptures or holes -- can lead to the leakage of amniotic fluid, resulting in premature labor or termination of the pregnancy. In tests, the new sealant was found to be biocompatible and effective at sealing the tiny holes.

Cervical cancer: Combined drug and radiotherapy improves survival Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Combining drugs and radiotherapy improves the survival chances of women receiving treatment for cervical cancer. These are the conclusions of researchers who carried out the most comprehensive study of the effects of combined drug and radiotherapy in cervical cancer treatment to date.

Ice is 'rotten' in the Beaufort Sea Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Recent observations show that Beaufort Sea ice was not as it appeared in the summer of 2009. Sea ice cover serves as an indication of climate and has implications for marine and terrestrial ecosystems. In early September 2009, satellite measurements implied that most of the ice in the Beaufort Sea either was thick ice that had been there for multiple years or was thick, first-year ice. However, in situ observations made in September 2009 show that much of the ice was in fact "rotten" ice -- ice that is thinner, heavily decayed, and structurally weak due to a uniform temperature throughout.

Malnutrition higher in children born to child brides Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Infants born to child brides in India (married before the age of 18) have a higher risk of malnutrition than children born to older mothers, according to new research.

Spectacular X-ray tails surprise astronomers Posted: 23 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Astronomer were surprised to find two distinct "tails" found on a long tail of gas that is believed to be forming stars where few stars have been formed before. What is also unusual is the gas tail, which is more than 200,000 light years in length, extends well outside any galaxy.

Stress peptide and receptor may have role in diabetes Posted: 23 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST The neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) makes cameo appearances throughout the body, but its leading role is as the opening act in the stress response, jump-starting the process along the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Researchers have found that CRF also plays a part in the pancreas, where it increases insulin secretion and promotes the division of the insulin-producing beta cells.

Soccer injuries: Cleat-natural grass combination may be less likely to result in anterior cruciate ligament injury Posted: 23 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Athletes put less strain on their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while making a cut on a natural grass surface while wearing a cleat. This is the conclusion from a study that tested the strain placed on the ACL of four different shoe-surface interactions: Astroturf/turf shoe, modern playing turf/turf shoe, modern turf/cleat, and natural grass/cleat.

Simple steps prevent life-threatening bloodstream infections in children Posted: 23 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Pediatric hospitals can significantly decrease the number of bloodstream infections from central venous catheters by following some low-tech rules: insert the catheter correctly and, above all, keep everything squeaky clean after that.

Worldwide nitrogen deficit constrains carbon dioxide uptake by plants Posted: 23 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants; limits on available nitrogen constrain how much plants can grow. This in turn affects the amount of carbon dioxide plants can absorb, which affects the global climate. Using a framework that considers interactions of carbon and nutrients, researchers have developed a new global estimate of nitrogen fixation rates.

Leading cause of medical evacuation out of war zones: It's not combat injury Posted: 23 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST The most common reasons for medical evacuation of military personnel from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years have been fractures, tendinitis and other musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders, not combat injuries, according to new results.

Water hits and sticks: Findings challenge a century of assumptions about soil hydrology Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Researchers have discovered that some of the most fundamental assumptions about how water moves through soil in a seasonally dry climate such as the Pacific Northwest are incorrect -- and that a century of research based on those assumptions will have to be reconsidered.

Common heart medications may also protect against Parkinson's disease, study finds Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST In the first large-scale population-based study of its kind, researchers have found that a specific type of medication used to treat such cardiovascular conditions as hypertension, angina and abnormal heart rhythms, may also decrease the risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

Can modern-day plants trace their New Zealand ancestry? Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Is the current flora of New Zealand derived from plants that grew on the supercontinent Gondwana before its breakup, or derived from plants that more recently dispersed to New Zealand? Discovery of new macrofossils and/or detailed examinations of fossil pollen combined with evolutionary analyses may help to answer questions of whether the ancestors of current plants coexisted with dinosaurs in New Zealand.

Brazil's Northeast under the vagaries of the oceans Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Brazil's Nordeste region, an extensive steppe called the "Sertão", is home to over 50 million, 28% of the country's population living on 12% of its surface area, and is one of the world's most heavily populated semi-arid zones. The inter-annual variability in rainfall is mainly controlled by the sea-surface temperatures of the tropical Pacific and Atlantic. Aiming to assess the impact of these temperatures on production of maize and beans in this Northeast region, researchers compared the trends in these two variables between 1952 and 2000. Their findings are useful for building prediction scenarios for annual yield at the onset of each rainy season.

Consumers have mixed reactions to puffery in advertising Posted: 23 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Consumers don't always react positively to persuasion tactics that have nothing to do with the product (what the authors refer to as "puffery").

Human running speeds of 35 to 40 mph may be biologically possible Posted: 22 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST A new study offers intriguing insights into the biology of human running speed. The study identifies the critical variable imposing the biological limit to running speed, and projects how the biological limits might be pushed beyond speeds achieved by Usain Bolt to perhaps 35 or even 40 miles per hour, said study authors.

First oral bacteria found linking a mother and her stillborn baby Posted: 22 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Researchers report the first documented link between a mother with pregnancy-associated gum disease to the death of her fetus.

Bubble physicist counts bubbles in ocean to answer questions about climate, sound, light Posted: 22 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST A bubble scientist is studying how to detect and count ocean bubbles of different sizes to help scientists in other disciplines create more accurate models. Ocean bubbles play a role in cloud formation and climate change, and they are important when studying ocean acoustics.

US birth weights on the decline Posted: 22 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST A study that analyzed data from 36,827,828 US babies born at full-term between 1990 and 2005 has found that birth weights decreased by up to 79 grams (2.78 ounces) during that time frame. The decreases could not be explained by changes in maternal or neonatal characteristics or trends in obstetric care practices such as cesarean sections or induced delivery.

A computer per student leads to higher performance than traditional classroom settings Posted: 22 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Providing every student and teacher with a laptop computer can produce improved student performance in some subjects, when compared to traditional classroom settings.

How to live your life twice: Psychologist busts a myth and offers tips to counter a mid-life crisis Posted: 22 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST The myth of the mid-life crisis has been disproved by recent empirical studies and field research, according to one psychologist.

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