ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• NASA's WISE eye spies near-Earth asteroid
• Low-carb diet effective at lowering blood pressure
• Maximum height of extreme waves up dramatically in Pacific Northwest
• Two-pronged immune response offers hope for effective Salmonella vaccine
• Believing stereotype undermines girls' math performance: Elementary school women teachers transfer their fear of doing math to girls, study finds
• 'Microraptors' shed light on ancient origin of bird flight
• Vaccine approach extends life of metastatic prostate cancer patients
• New sensor could help treat, combat diabetes, other diseases
• 125 million pregnancies globally at risk from malaria every year
• Discovery of algae's toxic hunting habits could help curb fish kills
• Moving through time: Thinking of the past or future causes us to sway backward or forward
• Ozone hole healing could cause further climate warming
• Inflammation 'on switch' also serves as 'off switch'
• Unwanted guests: How herpes simplex virus gets rid of the cell's security guards
• Home is best for cardiac rehabilitation, new study finds
• Novel computational model: How Parkinson's medications affect learning and attention
• Slow breathing reduces pain
• Everybody laughs, everybody cries: Researchers identify universal emotions
• Face masks and hand hygiene can help limit influenza's spread, study finds
• Groovy hills rising from Titan's surface
• Parents should use toothpastes that contain fluoride with a minimum concentration of 1,000 parts per million, study suggests
• Gardeners must unite to save Britain's wildlife, experts urge
• Pregnant women who are overweight put their infants at risk, study finds
• Rare genetic variants create 'synthetic' genome-wide signals of disease risk
• Little pill means big news in the treatment of multiple sclerosis
• Biofuel crop diversity adds value, researchers say
• Gene essential for neuron development and contextual memory
• UK under snow as seen from space
• Three key factors to help children avoid social rejection identified
• Ultrasound plus proteomic blood analyses may help physicians diagnose early-stage ovarian cancer
• New gene involved in autophagy -- the cellular recycling program
• Hypertension: Beta-blockers effective in combination therapies
• Easy-build wireless networks
• Ask the non-experts about autism detection in infants
• Human brain uses a grid to represent space
• Digital mammography delivers significantly less radiation than conventional mammography
• Tobacco plant thwarts caterpillar onslaught by opening flowers in the morning
• Herpes medication does not reduce risk of HIV transmission, study finds
• Engineers find significant environmental impacts with algae-based biofuel
• Making family board games electronic

NASA's WISE eye spies near-Earth asteroid Posted: 26 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, has spotted its first never-before-seen near-Earth asteroid, the first of hundreds it is expected to find during its mission to map the whole sky in infrared light. There is no danger of the newly discovered asteroid hitting Earth.

Low-carb diet effective at lowering blood pressure Posted: 26 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST In a head-to-head comparison, two popular weight loss methods proved equally effective at helping participants lose significant amounts of weight. But, in a surprising twist, a low-carbohydrate diet proved better at lowering blood pressure than the weight-loss drug orlistat, according to researchers.

Maximum height of extreme waves up dramatically in Pacific Northwest Posted: 26 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST A major increase in maximum ocean wave heights off the Pacific Northwest in recent decades has forced scientists to re-evaluate how high a "100-year event" might be, and the new findings raise special concerns for flooding, coastal erosion and structural damage.

Two-pronged immune response offers hope for effective Salmonella vaccine Posted: 26 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST New research renewed hope that an effective vaccine could be developed against non-typhoidal strains of Salmonella. The work suggests that the body's immune system could be primed to tackle even the most resilient of strains.

Believing stereotype undermines girls' math performance: Elementary school women teachers transfer their fear of doing math to girls, study finds Posted: 26 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST Female elementary school teachers who are anxious about math pass on to female students the stereotype that boys, not girls, are good at math. Girls who endorse this belief then do worse at math, research shows. The research found that boys' math performance was not related to their teacher's math anxiety while girls' math achievement was affected.

'Microraptors' shed light on ancient origin of bird flight Posted: 26 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Researchers in the United States and China say that they have settled the long-standing question of how bird flight began.

Vaccine approach extends life of metastatic prostate cancer patients Posted: 26 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST In a newly published clinical trial, patients with metastatic prostate cancer who received a vaccine of harmless poxviruses engineered to spur an immune system attack on prostate tumor cells lived substantially longer than patients who received a placebo vaccine, researchers report.

New sensor could help treat, combat diabetes, other diseases Posted: 26 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST A tiny new sensor could provide fresh, inexpensive diagnosis and treatment methods for people suffering from a variety of diseases.

125 million pregnancies globally at risk from malaria every year Posted: 26 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST A new study estimates that more than 125 million pregnancies around the world are at risk from malaria every year. Until now, estimates have only been available for endemic areas in Africa.

Discovery of algae's toxic hunting habits could help curb fish kills Posted: 26 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST A microbe commonly found in the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways emits a poison not just to protect itself but to stun and immobilize the prey it plans to eat.

Moving through time: Thinking of the past or future causes us to sway backward or forward Posted: 26 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Thinking of the past or future causes us to sway backward or forward.

Ozone hole healing could cause further climate warming Posted: 26 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST The hole in the ozone layer is now steadily closing, but its repair could actually increase warming in the southern hemisphere, according to scientists.

Inflammation 'on switch' also serves as 'off switch' Posted: 26 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST In a surprising finding, researchers have discovered the critical importance of a protein previously believed to be a redundant "on switch" for certain immune-system responses.

Unwanted guests: How herpes simplex virus gets rid of the cell's security guards Posted: 26 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST A viral infection is like an uninvited, tenacious houseguest in the cell, using a range of tricks to prevent its eviction. Researchers have identified one of the key proteins allowing herpes simplex virus DNA to fly under the radar of their hosts' involuntary hospitality.

Home is best for cardiac rehabilitation, new study finds Posted: 26 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST In a new study, researchers analyzed 12 studies relating to cardiac rehabilitation and found no difference in health outcomes for patients who receive cardiac rehabilitation in a clinical setting or at home.

Novel computational model: How Parkinson's medications affect learning and attention Posted: 26 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST A new brain-based computational model is helping to understand how Parkinson's disease and dopamine medications -- used to treat motor symptoms caused by the disease -- can affect learning and attention.

Slow breathing reduces pain Posted: 26 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST Controlled breathing at a slowed rate can significantly reduce feelings of pain, according to new research. Chronic pain sufferers, specifically fibromyalgia (FM) patients, also reported less pain while breathing slowly, unless they were overwhelmed by negative feelings, sadness or depression.

Everybody laughs, everybody cries: Researchers identify universal emotions Posted: 26 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Here's a piece of research that might leave you tickled: laughter is a universal language, according to new research. The study, conducted with people from Britain and Namibia, suggests that basic emotions such as amusement, anger, fear and sadness are shared by all humans.

Face masks and hand hygiene can help limit influenza's spread, study finds Posted: 26 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Ordinary face masks and hand hygiene can effectively reduce the transmission of influenza-like illness during flu season, according to a new study. In an influenza pandemic, vaccination may not be initially available, and antiviral prescribing may be limited, which is why scientists need to understand how effective other measures are in preventing influenza.

Groovy hills rising from Titan's surface Posted: 26 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Hills with a wrinkly radial pattern stand out in a new radar image of Saturn's moon Titan captured by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on Dec. 28, 2009.

Parents should use toothpastes that contain fluoride with a minimum concentration of 1,000 parts per million, study suggests Posted: 26 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Parents should use toothpastes that contain fluoride with a minimum concentration of 1,000 parts per million to prevent tooth decay in their children, says a new report. Preventing tooth decay can help reduce the need for extensive and costly dental treatments, including extractions.

Gardeners must unite to save Britain's wildlife, experts urge Posted: 26 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Householders in the UK should be looking beyond their own garden fence to protect vulnerable British wildlife, according to scientists.

Pregnant women who are overweight put their infants at risk, study finds Posted: 26 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Obesity in pregnant women is associated with pregnancy complications, birth defects, as well as a greater risk of childhood and adult obesity in infants born to obese mothers, new research shows.

Rare genetic variants create 'synthetic' genome-wide signals of disease risk Posted: 25 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST Scientists say they are now convinced that rare genetic variants -- as opposed to more common ones -- lie at the heart of the genetic component of most common diseases. The finding, stemming from a series of simulation studies, challenges common interpretations of a multitude of genome-wide association studies that have identified thousands of single-DNA letter changes associated with greater risk of common diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Little pill means big news in the treatment of multiple sclerosis Posted: 25 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST A new drug for multiple sclerosis promises to change the lives of the 100,000 people in the UK who have the condition, say researchers. A major trial of the oral drug Cladribine has shown that it significantly reduces relapse and deterioration of the disease, and goes a long way to eliminating the unpleasant side effects associated with existing therapies.

Biofuel crop diversity adds value, researchers say Posted: 25 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST Diverse biofuel plantings such as native prairie attract more beneficial insects than do single crops such as corn, scientists find. Therefore, biofuel policies should take such added value into account, they urge, based on their pioneering studies of beneficial insects in biofuel crops.

Gene essential for neuron development and contextual memory Posted: 25 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST New research demonstrates the essential function of the gene PC3/Tis21/BTG2 in the maturation of the neuron, and how this plays an important role in the integration of the neuron into memory circuits.

UK under snow as seen from space Posted: 25 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST Scientists have released images of the UK under snow and they are exploring the possible causes of this recent extreme weather.

Three key factors to help children avoid social rejection identified Posted: 25 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST Neurobehavioral researchers have found three key factors in a child's behavior that can lead to social rejection. The studies are a crucial step in developing scientifically sound screening tests and treatment planning for social-emotional learning difficulties.

Ultrasound plus proteomic blood analyses may help physicians diagnose early-stage ovarian cancer Posted: 25 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST Noninvasive contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, combined with proteomic analyses of blood samples may help physicians identify early-stage ovarian cancer and save the lives of many women, according to a new article.

New gene involved in autophagy -- the cellular recycling program Posted: 25 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST All cells are equipped with a recycling program to collect and remove unnecessary cellular components. Autophagy sequesters and digests aged organelles, damaged proteins and other components, which, if not disintegrated and recycled, threaten cell viability. Researchers have identified a new gene that favours cell autophagy.

Hypertension: Beta-blockers effective in combination therapies Posted: 25 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST Using beta-blockers as a second-line therapy in combination with certain anti-hypertensive drugs significantly lowers blood pressure in patients with hypertension, according to a new review. This review also goes some way to explaining the differences in the way that patients respond to beta-blockers and other classes of blood pressure lowering drugs.

Easy-build wireless networks Posted: 25 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST Networks that monitor life-threatening situations or improve environmental efficiencies will be easier and cheaper to develop and operate, following the creation of a single middleware solution for the entire spectrum of wireless standards.

Ask the non-experts about autism detection in infants Posted: 25 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST In a research project about early autism detection in infants, psychologists are working with non-expert coders to observe and provide data during experiments. The project shows that non-experts can effectively gain similar outcomes to the coders who have gone through extensive training, thus simplifying the research process without compromising the results.

Human brain uses a grid to represent space Posted: 25 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST "Grid cells" that act like a spatial map in the brain have been identified for the first time in humans, which may help to explain how we create internal maps of new environments.

Digital mammography delivers significantly less radiation than conventional mammography Posted: 25 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Data from one of the largest mammography trials in history demonstrates that overall the radiation dose associated with digital mammography is significantly lower (averaging 22 percent lower) than that of conventional film mammography and that the reduction could be greater in women with larger and denser breasts, according to a study.

Tobacco plant thwarts caterpillar onslaught by opening flowers in the morning Posted: 25 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Plants attract insect pollinators to ensure reproduction. However, female moths are also threatening to the plant: attracted by the flower's scent, they lay eggs on the leaves, and voracious caterpillars hatch. Scientists have now discovered how tobacco plants solve this dilemma. They found that herbivory changed the opening time of the flower buds from dusk to dawn, attracting day-active hummingbirds which are also able to transfer pollen.

Herpes medication does not reduce risk of HIV transmission, study finds Posted: 25 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST A five-year international multi-center clinical trial has found that acyclovir, a drug widely used as a safe and effective treatment to suppress herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), the most common cause of genital herpes, does not reduce the risk of HIV transmission when taken by people infected with both HIV and HSV-2.

Engineers find significant environmental impacts with algae-based biofuel Posted: 25 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST With many companies investing heavily in algae-based biofuels, researchers have found there are significant environmental hurdles to overcome before fuel production ramps up. They propose using wastewater as a solution to some of these challenges.

Making family board games electronic Posted: 25 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST A groundbreaking technology may make traditional board games a thing of the past. The technology allows groups of friends or family members to play electronic games like they used to do board games: in a sociable and physical setting, placed together around a table. It also eases game controls by using affordances of regular cardboard pieces.

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