ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Microbes produce fuels directly from biomass
• Blocking key protein in mice helps them resist viral infection
• New insights into allergy-related disorders in children
• Insulin research points way to better diabetes treatments
• Plasma experiments aboard International Space Station yielding better picture of liquids and solids
• His or hers jealousy? New explanation for sex differences in jealousy
• Gecko's lessons transfer well: Dry printing of nanotube patterns to any surface could revolutionize microelectronics
• Scientists find survival factor for keeping nerve cells healthy
• Could generating energy from waste be the answer?
• New therapeutic approach identified for kidney disease associated with lupus
• Ecologists outline necessary actions for mitigating and adapting to a changing climate
• New studies highlight needs of boys in K-12, higher education
• Jupiter's moons: Explanation for the differences between Ganymede and Callisto
• New class of brain-protecting drugs emerging
• Rapamycin may be potential treatment for kidney disease
• New tools and systems may help patients, primary care clinicians manage obesity
• Illuminating protein networks in one step
• How categories and environment create satisfied and well-informed consumers

Microbes produce fuels directly from biomass Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Researchers have developed a microbe that can produce an advanced biofuel fuel directly from biomass. Deploying the tools of synthetic biology, the researchers engineered a strain of E. coli bacteria to produce biodiesel and other important chemicals derived from fatty acids.

Blocking key protein in mice helps them resist viral infection Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Researchers have discovered a potential new way to stimulate the immune system to prevent or clear a viral infection. By blocking the action of a key protein in the mouse immune system, they were able to boost immune "memory" in those mice -- work that may one day help doctors increase the effectiveness of human vaccines designed to prevent viral infections.

New insights into allergy-related disorders in children Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Allergies and asthma are a continuing health problem in most developed countries, but just how do these ailments develop over the course of a childhood? In a population-based study designed to help answer this question, researchers in Norway found that 40 per cent -- or two of five -- of nearly 5,000 two-year-olds had at least one reported allergy-related disorder.

Insulin research points way to better diabetes treatments Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST New research significantly improves our understanding of how insulin interacts with cells in the human body with implications for the treatments of diabetes.

Plasma experiments aboard International Space Station yielding better picture of liquids and solids Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST A series of experiments studying complex plasmas is taking place on board the international space station ISS. Physicists from Germany will use these experiments to study fundamental structure forming processes to better understand what happens in liquids and solids.

His or hers jealousy? New explanation for sex differences in jealousy Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 PM PST Research has documented that most men become much more jealous about sexual infidelity than they do about emotional infidelity. Women are the opposite, and this is true all over the world.

Gecko's lessons transfer well: Dry printing of nanotube patterns to any surface could revolutionize microelectronics Posted: 31 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Scientists have come up with a way to transfer forests of strongly aligned, single-walled carbon nanotubes from one surface to another -- any surface -- in a matter of minutes. The template used to grow the nanotubes, with its catalyst particles still intact, can be used repeatedly to grow more nanotubes, almost like inking a rubber stamp.

Scientists find survival factor for keeping nerve cells healthy Posted: 31 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Scientists have discovered a novel survival factor whose rapid transport along nerve cells is crucial for keeping them alive. The same factor seems likely to be needed to keep our nerves healthy as we age.

Could generating energy from waste be the answer? Posted: 31 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Scientists are helping to find answers to one of the most difficult problems facing the world today: generating energy without accelerating climate change or harming food production. Researchers are investigating biofuels generated from wastes. These are seen by many as the 'green alternative' to using fossil fuels.

New therapeutic approach identified for kidney disease associated with lupus Posted: 31 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Researchers have identified a new disease mechanism and therapeutic approach for a type of advanced kidney disease that is a common cause of complications in patients with lupus.

Ecologists outline necessary actions for mitigating and adapting to a changing climate Posted: 31 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Global warming may impair the ability of ecosystems to perform vital services -- such as providing food, clean water and carbon sequestration -- says the nation's largest organization of ecological scientists. In a statement released Jan. 26, the Ecological Society of America outlines strategies that focus on restoring and maintaining natural ecosystem functions to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

New studies highlight needs of boys in K-12, higher education Posted: 31 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST Boys face high rates of a variety of mental health issues, in addition to lagging behind girls in academic performance and college attendance, according to two new studies. The studies note that boys have higher rates of suicide, conduct disorders, emotional disturbance, premature death and juvenile delinquency than their female peers, as well as lower grades, test scores and college attendance rates.

Jupiter's moons: Explanation for the differences between Ganymede and Callisto Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Differences in the number and speed of cometary impacts onto Jupiter's large moons Ganymede and Callisto some 3.8 billion years ago can explain their vastly different surfaces and interior states, according to new research.

New class of brain-protecting drugs emerging Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST The compound 7,8-dihydroxyflavone mimics BDNF, one of the brain's own growth factors, and can protect brain cells against damage in animal models of seizure, stroke and Parkinson's disease. 7,8-dihydroxyflavone is a member of a family of antioxidant compounds naturally found in foods ranging from cherries to soybeans.

Rapamycin may be potential treatment for kidney disease Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST New research points to the drug rapamycin as a potential treatment for kidney disease. The study builds on past research and shows that studies performed on mice are more likely to translate to humans than previously thought.

New tools and systems may help patients, primary care clinicians manage obesity Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Using combined and intensive treatments and restructuring care to treat obesity like other chronic diseases may help primary care clinicians and patients better address the condition, according to several new studies.

Illuminating protein networks in one step Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST A newly developed assay is capable of examining hundreds of proteins at once and enabling new experiments that could dramatically change our understanding of cancer and other diseases. The new micro-western arrays combine the specificity of the popular "Western blot" protein assay with the large scale of DNA microarrays.

How categories and environment create satisfied and well-informed consumers Posted: 31 Jan 2010 02:00 AM PST Expert consumers like to be surprised by unusual product presentation, while novices crave familiarity, so claims a new study.

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