Monday, February 01, 2010

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Barefoot running: How humans ran comfortably and safely before the invention of shoes

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST

Scientists have found that those who run barefoot, or in minimal footwear, tend to avoid "heel-striking," and instead land on the ball of the foot or the middle of the foot. In so doing, these runners use the architecture of the foot and leg and some clever Newtonian physics to avoid hurtful and potentially damaging impacts, equivalent to two to three times body weight, that shod heel-strikers repeatedly experience.

How blood flow force protects blood vessels

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST

Most people know that exercise protects against heart attack and stroke, but researchers have spent 30 years unraveling the biochemistry behind the idea. Researchers have now revealed new details of how athletic hearts push blood through arteries with greater force and the force-sensitive chain reaction that protects arteries.

'Squeaker' catfish communicate across generations

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST

It has been thought that young fish, lacking well-developed hearing organs, could not perceive the sounds made by their larger, older relatives. Now, researchers have used a combined fish tank and sound-proof chamber to show for the first time that catfish of all ages can communicate with one another.

Biochemical profile may help diagnose, determine aggressiveness of prostate cancer

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy -- which analyzes the biochemistry rather than the structure of tissues -- may someday be able both to pinpoint the precise location of prostate cancer and to determine the tumor's aggressiveness, information that could help guide treatment planning. Researchers report how spectroscopic analysis of the biochemical makeup of prostate glands accurately identified the location of tissue confirmed to be malignant by conventional pathology.

Beyond sunglasses and baseball caps

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST

A new study found that UV-blocking contact lenses can reduce or eliminate the effects of the sun's harmful UV radiation.

Prayer increases forgiveness, study shows

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST

Is it possible that directed prayer might spark forgiveness in those doing the praying -- and in the process preserve relationships?

Rotting fish heads: Novel studies of decomposition shed new light on our earliest fossil ancestry

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST

Decaying corpses are usually the domain of forensic scientists, but palaeontologists have discovered that studying rotting fish sheds new light on our earliest ancestry.

Fat tissue may be a source of valuable blood stem cells, study says

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST

Bone marrow is a leading source of adult stem cells, which are increasingly used for research and therapeutic interventions, but extracting the cells is an arduous and often painful process. Now, researchers have found evidence that fat tissue, known as adipose tissue, may be a promising new source of valuable and easy-to-obtain regenerative cells called hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

First evidence that the brain’s native dendritic cells can muster an immune response

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST

The human brain is a delicate organ, robustly defended. A thick skull shields it from any direct exposure to the outside world, and the blood-brain barrier keeps out any foreign substances that are circulating within. New research shows that the brain may have its own specialized immune defenses, too.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease associated with high mortality rates

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST

Researchers have determined that patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease have a higher overall mortality rate compared with the general population.

Converting waste heat into electricity? Mismatched alloys are a good match for thermoelectrics

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST

Researchers have demonstrated that the semiconductors known as highly mismatched alloys hold great promise for the future development of high performance thermoelectric devices. Thermoelectrics could play a key role in green energy production because of their ability to convert heat into electricity.

Who is most likely to take precautions during a pandemic?

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST

A study that looked at how people behave during pandemics has identified key demographic and psychological factors that may predict protective behaviors.

Superconducting hydrogen? Researchers model three hydrogen-dense metal alloys

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST

Physicists have long wondered whether hydrogen could be transformed into a metal or a superconductor -- the elusive state in which electrons can flow without resistance. They have speculated that certain pressure and temperature conditions could achieve these goals. Now high-pressure researchers have modeled three hydrogen-dense metal alloys and found pressure and temperature trends associated with the superconducting state -- a huge boost in understanding how this abundant material could be harnessed.

Brain responses during anesthesia mimic those during natural deep sleep

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST

The brains of people under anesthesia respond to stimuli as they do in the deepest part of sleep -- lending credence to a developing theory of consciousness and suggesting a new method to assess loss of consciousness in conditions such as coma.

Lopsided fish show that symmetry is only skin deep

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST

Putting function before form, members of the Perissodinus genus of fish have developed a hugely lopsided jaw that provides a distinct feeding advantage. Researchers describe how these scale-eating fish, called cichlids, develop mouths directed either to the left or the right -- enabling them to feed on the opposite side of their prey.

Researchers studying deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST

A multi-disciplinary team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, neurophysiologist, neuropsychologists and a movement disorders specialist are offering hope to some Parkinson's patients with a treatment called deep brain simulation.

Effects of forest fire on carbon emissions, climate impacts often overestimated

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST

A recent study at Oregon State University indicates that some past approaches to calculating the impacts of forest fires have grossly overestimated the number of live trees that burn up and the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result.

Sexual minority youth bullied more than heterosexual youth

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST

The act and victimization of bullying continues to be a problem among today's youth. While many children are experiencing this form of violence, it is more prevalent in children that are different from the social norm. As medical professionals continue to further their understanding of bullying, research shows a high rate of sexual minority youth who experience this harmful activity.

Stratospheric Water Vapor is a Global Warming Wild Card

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST

A 10 percent drop in water vapor ten miles above Earth's surface has had a big impact on global warming, say researchers. The findings might help explain why global surface temperatures have not risen as fast in the last ten years as they did in the 1980s and 1990s.

New 'suicide' molecule halts rheumatoid arthritis

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST

Scientists have invented a novel way to halt and even reverse rheumatoid arthritis. They have developed an imitation of a suicide molecule that floats undetected into overactive immune cells responsible for the disease. Referred to as Casper the Ghost, the stealthy molecule causes the immune cells to self-destruct. The approach doesn't carry the health risks of current treatments. The new therapy, tested on mice, stopped the disease cold in 75 percent of the animals.

Hospital scanner could curb nuclear waste threat

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST

Medical equipment used for diagnosis of patients with heart disease and cancer could be a key weapon in stopping nuclear waste seeping into the environment, according to new research.

Common antidepressant drugs linked to lactation difficulties in moms

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST

According to a new study, women taking commonly used forms of antidepressant drugs may experience delayed lactation after giving birth and may need additional support to achieve their breastfeeding goals.

Natural gas supplies could be augmented with methane hydrate

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST

Naturally occurring methane hydrate may represent an enormous source of methane, the main component of natural gas, and could ultimately augment conventional natural gas supplies.

Hidden cost of schizophrenia

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST

People being treated for schizophrenia are more likely than the general population to have encounters with the criminal justice system in the US. A new study has shown that schizophrenia patients' involvement with the criminal justice system is primarily driven by their being victims of crime and that the average annual per-patient cost of involvement with the criminal justice system was $1429.

Astronomers discover coolest sub-stellar body outside our solar system

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST

Astronomers have discovered what may be the coolest sub-stellar body ever found outside our own solar system.

Discovery of mechanism in brain cell injury in Huntington's offers new treatment approaches

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST

Scientists have uncovered a key cellular mechanism that alters brain cell function in Huntington's disease, and identified a possible treatment for the disease.

The secret life of smoke in fostering rebirth and renewal of burned landscape

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST

The innermost secrets of fire's role in the rebirth and renewal of forests and grasslands are being revealed in research that has identified plant growth promoters and inhibitors in smoke. In the latest discovery about smoke's secret life, scientists are reporting discovery of a plant growth inhibitor in smoke.

Gene family found to play key role in early stages of development

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST

Scientists have identified a gene family that plays a key role in one of the earliest stages of development in which an embryo distinguishes its left side from the right and determines how organs should be positioned within the body. The finding in mice likely will lead to a better understanding of how certain birth defects occur in humans.

Data on Haitian Creole released hasten development of translation tools

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST

In response to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, scientists have publicly released spoken and textual data they've compiled on Haitian Creole so that translation tools desperately needed by doctors, nurses and other relief workers on the earthquake-ravaged island can be rapidly developed.

Fatality Rates Among Young Drug Users A Cause For Concern

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST

Ecstasy-related death rates in young users is a cause for concern, researchers report.

Gene function discovery: New computation model predicts gene function

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST

Scientists have created a new computational model that can be used to predict gene function of uncharacterized plant genes with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The network, dubbed AraNet, has over 19,600 genes associated to each other by over 1 million links and can increase the discovery rate of new genes affiliated with a given trait tenfold. It is a huge boost to fundamental plant biology and agricultural research.

Immune memory formation seen in early stages of viral infection

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST

In an acute viral infection, most T cells differentiate into cells that fight the virus and die off in the process. But a few T cells survive and become memory cells, ensuring the immune system can respond better the next time. Scientists have identified a molecule that defines which cells are destined to become memory T cells just a few days after a viral infection begins. The finding could guide the development of more effective vaccines for infections and also cancer.

Sea level in Israel has been rising and falling over the last 2,500 years

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST

The sea level in Israel has been rising and falling over the past 2,500 years, with a one-meter difference between the highest and lowest levels, most of the time below the present-day level, according to new research

Vaccine design: Three is better than two when boosting vaccine effectiveness

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST

To boost vaccine effectiveness molecules known as adjuvants are often included in the vaccine formulation. Adjuvants are most commonly used to increase the magnitude of vaccine-induced immune responses, specifically T cell immune responses. However, the quality of a T cell response can be more important than its quantity, and a team of researchers has now identified a way to increase the quality but not the quantity of a vaccine-induced T cell response in mice.

New knowledge about the deformation of nanocrystals offers new tools for nanotechnology

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST

With new, advanced equipment, scientists have shown that materials to produce micro-and nanocomponents react very differently depending on whether crystals are large or small. This research creates important knowledge that can be used to develop technologies aimed at the nanoproduction of micro-electro-mechanical systems such as digital microphones in mobile phones, miniature pressure sensors in water pumps and acceleration sensors in airbags.

No role for mental health professionals in the practice of torture

Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST

Psychologists and psychiatrists should not be expected to participate in torture as they do not have the expertise to assess individual pain or the long-term effects of interrogation, say experts.

Emissions of Potent Greenhouse Gas Increase Despite Reduction Efforts

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST

Despite a decade of efforts worldwide to curb its release into the atmosphere, scientists have measured increased emissions of a greenhouse gas that is thousands of times more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide and persists in the atmosphere for nearly 300 years.

Discovery points way for new treatment for aneurysms

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST

New research may lead to new treatment options for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) -- a potentially fatal disease that currently has no pharmacological treatments.

National Ignition Facility achieves unprecedented 1 megajoule laser shot

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST

Scientists at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have successfully delivered an historic level of laser energy -- more than 1 megajoule -- to a target in a few billionths of a second and demonstrated the target drive conditions required to achieve fusion ignition.

Virtual colonoscopy an effective colorectal cancer screening exam in Medicare age patients

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST

Computed tomographic colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, remains effective in screening older patients for colorectal cancer (CRC), produces low referral for colonoscopy rates similar to other screening exams now covered by Medicare, and does not result in unreasonable levels of additional testing resulting from extracolonic findings, according to a study.

Theoretical model clarifies the low-temperature phase behavior of liquid water

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST

A theoretical study of the phase behavior of liquid water at temperatures close to -100ÂșC has shown that the four possible scenarios identified to date are in fact specific cases in a more general model.

New guidance on data sharing will minimize risks to patient privacy

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 11:00 PM PST

New guidance sets out how personal information from clinical trials should be shared to help minimize risks to patient privacy.

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