ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

---

• Researchers synchronize blinking 'genetic clocks' -- genetically engineered bacteria that keep track of time
• Brain abnormalities in Parkinson's patients develop before symptoms occur
• Watching crystals grow provides clues to making smoother, defect-free thin films
• Nlp: all new tumor-forming protein
• Learning the art of creating computer games can boot student skills
• Mind Reading, Brain Fingerprinting and the Law
• Stunning new image of Cat's Paw Nebula
• Fertility drugs contribute heavily to multiple births
• Scientists capture Haiti disaster with high-tech imaging system
• Vitamin D supplementation can reduce falls in nursing care facilities
• Useless online student quizzes
• Choice doesn't always mean well-being for everyone
• Neurons developed from stem cells successfully wired with other brain regions in animals
• By measuring magnetic fields in brain, researchers identify post-traumatic stress disorder biomarker
• Congo receives help from space after volcano eruption
• NSAIDs may be more effective than paracetamol for period pain
• Scientists using X-ray vision to produce more nutritious flour
• Rice responsible for Asians' alcohol flush reaction, research finds

Researchers synchronize blinking 'genetic clocks' -- genetically engineered bacteria that keep track of time Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Researchers who last year genetically engineered bacteria to keep track of time by turning on and off fluorescent proteins within their cells have taken another step toward the construction of a programmable genetic sensor. The scientists recently synchronized these bacterial "genetic clocks" to blink in unison and engineered the bacterial genes to alter their blinking rates when environmental conditions change.

Brain abnormalities in Parkinson's patients develop before symptoms occur Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Scientists who have identified brain networks damaged in Parkinson's disease have new evidence that these systems become abnormal a few years before symptoms appear. And what's more, parts of the network appear to respond in a last ditch attempt to rescue the brain.

Watching crystals grow provides clues to making smoother, defect-free thin films Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST To make thin films for semiconductors in electronic devices, layers of atoms must be grown in neat, crystalline sheets. But while some materials grow smooth crystals, others tend to develop bumps and defects -- a serious problem for thin-film manufacturing. Physicists shed new light on how atoms arrange themselves into thin films.

Nlp: all new tumor-forming protein Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Proteins that when expressed out of context cause a cell to become cancerous are known as oncogenic proteins. Researchers have now identified in mice a new oncogenic protein that is also expressed at elevated levels in human breast cancers and lung carcinomas.

Learning the art of creating computer games can boot student skills Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Computer games have a broad appeal that transcends gender, culture, age and socioeconomic status. Now, computer scientists think that creating computer games, rather than just playing them could boost students' critical and creative thinking skills as well as broaden their participation in computing.

Mind Reading, Brain Fingerprinting and the Law Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST What if a jury could decide a man's guilt through mind reading? What if reading a defendant's memory could betray their guilt? And what constitutes 'intent' to commit murder?

Stunning new image of Cat's Paw Nebula Posted: 24 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Astronomers have just released a stunning new image of the vast cloud known as the Cat's Paw Nebula or NGC 6334. This complex region of gas and dust, where numerous massive stars are born, lies near the heart of the Milky Way galaxy, and is heavily obscured by intervening dust clouds.

Fertility drugs contribute heavily to multiple births Posted: 24 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Drugs that stimulate a woman's ovaries to speed the maturity and multiply the production of eggs accounts for four times more live births than assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization. These drugs are responsible for 20 percent of multiple births. Multiple birth is a risk factor for preterm birth and infants born too soon face lifelong health problems such as breathing problems, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, vision and hearing loss, and even death.

Scientists capture Haiti disaster with high-tech imaging system Posted: 24 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Scientists are surveying the damage in Haiti with high-tech sensors integrated into a small aircraft. They are using the data to produce information maps for relief and recovery agencies.

Vitamin D supplementation can reduce falls in nursing care facilities Posted: 24 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Giving people living in nursing facilities vitamin D can reduce the rate of falls, according to a new review. This finding comes from a study of many different interventions used in different situations. In hospitals, multifactorial interventions and supervised exercise programs also showed benefit.

Useless online student quizzes Posted: 24 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Online quizzes are not helping students learn their subject, according to a new study.

Choice doesn't always mean well-being for everyone Posted: 24 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST American culture venerates choice, but choice may not be the key to happiness and health, according to a new study.

Neurons developed from stem cells successfully wired with other brain regions in animals Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Transplanted neurons grown from embryonic stem cells can fully integrate into the brains of young animals, according to new research. Healthy brains have stable and precise connections between cells that are necessary for normal behavior. This new finding is the first to show that stem cells can be directed not only to become specific brain cells, but to link correctly.

By measuring magnetic fields in brain, researchers identify post-traumatic stress disorder biomarker Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Researchers have identified a biological marker in the brains of those exhibiting post-traumatic stress disorder. A group of 74 United States veterans were involved in the study, which for the first time objectively diagnoses PTSD using magnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive measurement of magnetic fields in the brain. It's something conventional brain scans such as an X-ray, CT, or MRI have failed to do.

Congo receives help from space after volcano eruption Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST On Jan. 2, Mount Nyamulagira in the Democratic Republic of Congo erupted, spewing lava from its southern flank and raising concerns that the 100,000 people in the town of Sake could be under threat. Fears were also triggered in Goma as rumors circulated that an eruption was imminent at the nearby Nyiragongo volcano, which devastated the city in 2002.

NSAIDs may be more effective than paracetamol for period pain Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen may be more effective for relieving period pain than paracetamol, according to a new review. However, it remains unclear whether any one NSAID is safer or more effective than others.

Scientists using X-ray vision to produce more nutritious flour Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Pioneering research combining plant breeding and high-intensity x-rays is being used to explore the possibility of developing wheat which could be used to make potentially life-saving mineral enriched flour.

Rice responsible for Asians' alcohol flush reaction, research finds Posted: 24 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST The mutation responsible for the alcohol flush reaction, an unpleasant response to alcohol that is relatively common in people of Asian descent, may have occurred following the domestication of rice. Researchers traced the history of the version of the gene responsible, finding that the ADH1B*47His allele appeared around the same time that rice was first cultivated in southern China.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Latest Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610