ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Star shoots out material at close to the speed of light
• Researchers develop new tool for gene delivery
• Birds follow their noses during migration
• Pomegranate extract stimulates uterine contractions
• Research on global 'sun block' needed now, experts argue
• Treating depression by stimulating brain's pleasure center
• Color of dinosaur feathers identified
• Antioxidants aren't always good for you and can impair muscle function, study shows
• Lost Roman law code discovered in London
• Reduced fertility linked to flame retardant exposure
• Wireless optical transmission key to secure, safe and rapid indoor communications
• Music in speech equals empathy in heart?
• Amplification of global warming by carbon-cycle feedback significantly less than thought, study suggests
• Antibiotics might team up to fight deadly staph infections
• Innovative technique can spot errors in key technological systems; early alerts for satellites, weather instruments
• Nationwide outbreak of Salmonella
• Proper vaccine refrigeration vital to putting disease on ice
• Almost half of injured Haitians are likely to be children, pediatric emergency study indicates
• Energy-harvesting rubber chips could power pacemakers, cell phones
• New potential to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Wide variation in calorie content among 'low calorie' pet foods
• Intensive insulin therapy for septic shock patients does not show survival benefit
• New formula helps gauge the winds of change
• Saving endangered languages from being forgotten
• Hungry immune guardians are snappier: Nutrition has a direct influence on the immune system
• Researchers continue 'extraordinary measures' to tackle Pompe disease
• Technology-testing Proba-2 opens new eye on the Sun
• Burning heart tissue with catheter works dramatically better than drug treatments for common heart rhythm disorder
• Safety in numbers: A cloud-based immune system for computers
• Do children need both a mother and a father?
• Diamonds become stronger when squeezed rapidly under extreme conditions
• Vitamin D supplements could fight Crohn's disease
• Design vs. Dyslexia: Innovation promises new hope for children with dyslexia
• Lack of cellular enzyme triggers switch in glucose processing
• Green plant transport mystery solved
• Taller football (soccer) players more likely to be accused of fouls, research indicates
• Universe Is 30 Times More Run Down Than Thought, Astronomers Find
• Human growth hormone: Not a life extender after all?
• Rejuvenating the old immune system
• Blood protein offers help against anemia
• American opinion cools on global warming
• Transplant tourism poses ethical dilemma for US doctors
• Monarch butterflies reveal a novel way in which animals sense Earth's magnetic field
• Early menopause can result in earlier onset dementia
• New vaccine could be lethal weapon against malaria, cholera
• Smooth and integrated movement patterns can help individuals with back pain
• Computers do better than humans at measuring some radiology images
• Babies' brains tuned to sharing attention with others

Star shoots out material at close to the speed of light Posted: 28 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST Astronomers studying a stellar explosion (known as SN 2007gr) have found long-sought evidence that certain types of supernovae produce 'relativistic' jets of particles, traveling at more than half the speed of light.

Researchers develop new tool for gene delivery Posted: 28 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST Researchers have developed a new tool to deliver DNA in gene therapy. DNA delivered to the retina with a peptide called PEG-POD was expressed 215 times more efficiently than delivery of DNA alone. The finding highlights PEG-POD as a tool for non-viral gene therapy treatments for eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

Birds follow their noses during migration Posted: 28 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST Birds largely rely on their sense of smell to navigate on their long migration routes. Indeed, the "third sense" has been shown to be a more important for them than orientation based on the sun and the earth's magnetic field. Exactly how birds navigate on their migration routes has not yet been fully clarified. How does a bird develop an "internal map"? How does it find its way back to last year's nest?

Pomegranate extract stimulates uterine contractions Posted: 28 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST Scientists have found that a naturally occurring steroid, present in pomegranate seed, could be used to stimulate uterine contractions.

Research on global 'sun block' needed now, experts argue Posted: 28 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST Internationally coordinated research and field-testing on "geoengineering" the planet's atmosphere to limit risk of climate change should begin soon along with building international governance, scientists argue.

Treating depression by stimulating brain's pleasure center Posted: 28 Jan 2010 11:00 AM PST Even with the best of available treatments, over a third of patients with depression may not achieve a satisfactory antidepressant response. Deep brain stimulation (DBS), a form of targeted electrical stimulation in the brain via implanted electrodes, is now undergoing careful testing to determine whether it could play a role in the treatment of patients who have not sufficiently improved during more traditional forms of treatment.

Color of dinosaur feathers identified Posted: 28 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST The color of some feathers on dinosaurs and early birds has been identified for the first time. The research found that the theropod dinosaur Sinosauropteryx had simple bristles -- precursors of feathers -- in alternate orange and white rings down its tail, and that the early bird Confuciusornis had patches of white, black and orange-brown colouring. Future work will allow precise mapping of colours and patterns across the whole bird.

Antioxidants aren't always good for you and can impair muscle function, study shows Posted: 28 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Antioxidants increasingly have been praised for their benefits against disease and aging, but recent studies show that they also can cause harm. Researchers have been studying how to improve oxygen delivery to the skeletal muscle during physical activity by using antioxidants. Their findings show that sometimes antioxidants can impair muscle function.

Lost Roman law code discovered in London Posted: 28 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Part of an ancient Roman law code previously thought to have been lost forever has been discovered. The breakthrough was made after piecing together 17 fragments of previously incomprehensible parchment.

Reduced fertility linked to flame retardant exposure Posted: 28 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST A new study finds that women with higher blood levels of PBDEs, a common type of flame retardant, took longer to get pregnant. The flame retardants are used in foam furniture, electronics, fabrics, carpets, plastics and other common items in the home.

Wireless optical transmission key to secure, safe and rapid indoor communications Posted: 28 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Light is better than radio waves when it comes to some wireless communications, according to a group of engineers. Optical communications systems could provide faster, more secure communications with wider bandwidth and would be suitable for restricted areas like hospitals, aircraft and factories.

Music in speech equals empathy in heart? Posted: 28 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Brain circuits involved in prosody seem to operate on a mirror neuron system, according to neuroscientists. A new study also finds correlation between empathy and prosodic ability.

Amplification of global warming by carbon-cycle feedback significantly less than thought, study suggests Posted: 28 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST A new estimate of the feedback between temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has been derived from a comprehensive comparison of temperature and CO2 records spanning the past millennium. The result, which is based on more than 200,000 individual comparisons, implies that the amplification of current global warming by carbon-cycle feedback will be significantly less than recent work has suggested.

Antibiotics might team up to fight deadly staph infections Posted: 28 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST Researchers have found that two antibiotics working together might be more effective in fighting pathogenic bacteria than either drug on its own.

Innovative technique can spot errors in key technological systems; early alerts for satellites, weather instruments Posted: 28 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST An innovative computational technique that draws on statistics, imaging and other disciplines has the capability to detect errors in sensitive technological systems ranging from satellites to weather instruments.

Nationwide outbreak of Salmonella Posted: 28 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service are investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo. Testing confirmed on Jan. 25, that this strain of salmonella is linked to the outbreak that has sickened 187 people in 39 states since July 1, 2009. No deaths have been reported. Thirty-five people have been hospitalized.

Proper vaccine refrigeration vital to putting disease on ice Posted: 28 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST Researchers have completed the first of a series of tests to determine best practices for properly storing and monitoring the temperature of refrigerated vaccines.

Almost half of injured Haitians are likely to be children, pediatric emergency study indicates Posted: 28 Jan 2010 05:00 AM PST A new study indicates that the victims of the January 12 quake include an extraordinarily high number of children -- more than 110,000, nearly half of the estimated total.

Energy-harvesting rubber chips could power pacemakers, cell phones Posted: 28 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Power-generating rubber films developed by engineers could harness natural body movements such as breathing and walking to power pacemakers, mobile phones and other electronic devices.

New potential to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Posted: 28 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) makes it difficult to breath and there is currently no cure. COPD is characterized by emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which usually stems from smoking, toxin or allergen exposure and certain genetic abnormalities. New research shows that inactivating a naturally occurring antioxidant protein in mice can block many of the debilitating side effects that are characteristic of COPD.

Wide variation in calorie content among 'low calorie' pet foods Posted: 28 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Dog and cat owners buying weight-control diets for their overweight pets are faced with a confusing two-fold variation in calorie density, recommended intake, and wide range cost of low-calorie pet foods, according to a study.

Intensive insulin therapy for septic shock patients does not show survival benefit Posted: 28 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Treating adults with septic shock with intensive insulin therapy to counter elevated blood glucose levels associated with corticosteroid therapy did not result in a reduced risk of in-hospital death, compared to patients who received conventional insulin therapy, according to a study. The researchers also found that adding a 2nd corticosteroid to treatment did not significantly reduce the risk of death within the hospital.

New formula helps gauge the winds of change Posted: 28 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Researchers devise formula to examine just what types of change occur over time among complex and integrated structures.

Saving endangered languages from being forgotten Posted: 28 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST With only 3.000 speakers in Northwest Siberia the Ob-Ugrian language Mansi is on the verge of extinction. Predictions say it will be extinct in ten to twenty years at the latest. The same holds true for Khanti, a member of the same language family. It is for this reason that extensive documentation is so important.

Hungry immune guardians are snappier: Nutrition has a direct influence on the immune system Posted: 27 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST Researchers have discovered an elementary mechanism which regulates vital immune functions in healthy people. In situations of hunger which mean stress for the body's cells, the body releases more antimicrobial peptides in order to protect itself.

Researchers continue 'extraordinary measures' to tackle Pompe disease Posted: 27 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST Researchers are hopeful that gene therapy will help patients in the late stages of Pompe disease breathe on their own. Efforts to find a treatment for Pompe disease are depicted in the film "Extraordinary Measures" starring Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser, now playing in theaters.

Technology-testing Proba-2 opens new eye on the Sun Posted: 27 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST Packed with novel devices and science instruments, Proba-2 is demonstrating technologies for future ESA missions while providing new views of our Sun.

Burning heart tissue with catheter works dramatically better than drug treatments for common heart rhythm disorder Posted: 27 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST Treating a common heart rhythm disorder by burning heart tissue with a catheter works dramatically better than drug treatments, according to a new study.

Safety in numbers: A cloud-based immune system for computers Posted: 27 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST A new approach for managing bugs in computer software has been developed by researchers in Switzerland. The latest version of Dimmunix, available for free download, enables entire networks of computers to cooperate in order to collectively avoid the manifestations of bugs in software.

Do children need both a mother and a father? Posted: 27 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST A recent study focused on the importance of gender-specific parents for child rearing.

Diamonds become stronger when squeezed rapidly under extreme conditions Posted: 27 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST Most people know that diamond is one of the hardest solids on Earth, so strong that it can easily cut through glass and steel. Surprisingly, very little is known about the strength of diamond at extreme conditions. But new research shows that diamond becomes even stronger during rapid compression.

Vitamin D supplements could fight Crohn's disease Posted: 27 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST A new study has found that Vitamin D, readily available in supplements or cod liver oil, can counter the effects of Crohn's disease.

Design vs. Dyslexia: Innovation promises new hope for children with dyslexia Posted: 27 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST Researchers are designing a 21st century electronic toolkit to speed learning for children with dyslexia.

Lack of cellular enzyme triggers switch in glucose processing Posted: 27 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST A study investigating how a cellular enzyme affects blood glucose levels in mice provides clues to pathways that may be involved in processes including the regulation of longevity and the proliferation of tumor cells. Researchers have described the mechanism by which absence of the enzyme SIRT6 induces a fatal drop in blood sugar in mice by triggering a switch between two critical cellular processes.

Green plant transport mystery solved Posted: 27 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST Contrary to prevailing wisdom, plant biologists have shown that proteins of the Hsp70 family do indeed chaperone proteins across the membranes of chloroplasts, just as they do for other cellular structures.

Taller football (soccer) players more likely to be accused of fouls, research indicates Posted: 27 Jan 2010 08:00 PM PST In this World Cup year, when football (soccer) passions are running high, supporters might be forgiven for objecting to every decision to award a foul against their team, made by referees. But they might also have a point. Researchers have researched all recorded fouls in three major football competitions over seven years. They discovered an ambiguous foul is more likely to be attributed to the taller of two players.

Universe Is 30 Times More Run Down Than Thought, Astronomers Find Posted: 27 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Cars run out of petrol, stars run out of fuel and galaxies collapse into black holes. As they do, the universe and everything in it is gradually running down. But how run down is it? Researchers from Australia have found that the universe is 30 times more run down than previously thought.

Human growth hormone: Not a life extender after all? Posted: 27 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST People profoundly deficient in human growth hormone (HGH) due to a genetic mutation appear to live just as long as people who make normal amounts of the hormone, a new study shows. The findings suggest that HGH may not be the "fountain of youth" that some researchers have suggested.

Rejuvenating the old immune system Posted: 27 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Thanks to the progress in health care and improved living conditions, we live longer. The price we pay: Our immune system loses functionality as we age and and the susceptibility to infections increases. Researchers in Germany are now investigating this aspect of aging using a mouse model that mimics the susceptibility to infection observed in elderly humans.

Blood protein offers help against anemia Posted: 27 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST A new study shows that a protein found in blood alleviates anemia, a condition in which the body's tissues don't get enough oxygen from the blood. In this animal study, injections of the protein, known as transferrin, also protected against potentially fatal iron overload in mice with thalassemia, a type of inherited anemia that affects millions of people worldwide.

American opinion cools on global warming Posted: 27 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Public concern about global warming has dropped sharply since the fall of 2008, according to the results of a national survey. Only 50 percent of Americans now say they are "somewhat" or "very worried" about global warming, a 13-point decrease.

Transplant tourism poses ethical dilemma for US doctors Posted: 27 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST Doctors have examined the ethical issues posed by transplant tourism, an offshoot of medical tourism, which focuses solely on transplantation surgery. These transplant tourists may be subject to sub-standard surgical techniques, poor organ matching, unhealthy donors, and post transplant infections, prompting US health care institutions to refuse treatment of these patients upon return to the US.

Monarch butterflies reveal a novel way in which animals sense Earth's magnetic field Posted: 27 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Building on prior investigation into the biological mechanisms through which monarch butterflies are able to migrate up to 2,000 miles from eastern North America to a particular forest in Mexico each year, neurobiologists have linked two related photoreceptor proteins found in butterflies to animal navigation using the Earth's magnetic field.

Early menopause can result in earlier onset dementia Posted: 27 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Women experiencing an early onset of menopause could develop dementia at a younger age. Researchers studied women with Down Syndrome, who are known to have an early onset of menopause. The results of her research can be translated to apply to the general population.

New vaccine could be lethal weapon against malaria, cholera Posted: 27 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Mankind may finally have a weapon to fight two of the world's deadliest diseases. A biomedical researcher has developed what promises to be the first low-cost dual vaccine against malaria and cholera.

Smooth and integrated movement patterns can help individuals with back pain Posted: 27 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Many people with back pain do not know what is causing it and they do not receive effective treatment, but learning to move in a more integrated way makes a big difference, reveals new research from Sweden.

Computers do better than humans at measuring some radiology images Posted: 27 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Scientists have automated the measurement of a vital part of the knee in images with a computer program that performs much faster and just as reliably as humans who interpret the same images. Having more precise information about wear and tear on this portion of the knee -- a blend of fibrous tissue and cartilage called the meniscus -- could lead to its use as a biomarker in predicting who is at risk for developing osteoarthritis.

Babies' brains tuned to sharing attention with others Posted: 27 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Children as young as five months old will follow the gaze of an adult towards an object and engage in joint attention, according to new research. The findings suggest that the human brain develops this important social skill surprisingly early in infancy.

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