ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Chemists create synthetic 'gene-like' crystals for carbon dioxide capture
• Dietary formula that maintains youthful function into old age
• Two years old -- a childhood obesity tipping point?
• Baked rhubarb could help fight cancer
• Seeing the quantum in chemistry: Scientists control chemical reactions of ultracold molecules
• Going for Gold: a physiologist’s view of champion cross-country skiers
• Models of sea level change during ice-age cycles challenged
• Migraine may double risk of heart attack
• Mescal worm test shows DNA leaks into preservative liquids
• New screening system for hepatitis C
• Virus pulls bait and switch on insect vectors
• Face recognition: A face is more than the sum of its parts
• Saturn's aurora offer stunning double show
• Low levels of antibiotics cause multidrug resistance in 'superbugs'
• Nanomaterials may help fight cancer
• Swine Flu vaccination: voluntary system works
• Environmental disaster in southern Spain compared with Cretaceous mass extinction
• Young patients with chronic illnesses find relief in acupuncture
• Can chocolate lower your risk of stroke?
• Single gene mutation induces endometrial cancer
• Moderate fertilizer use could double African banana yields, study shows
• Predicting prognosis and treatment response in a subset of pancreatic cancer patients
• Better weather forecasts with a map showing atmospheric vapor
• Many veterans not getting enough treatment for PTSD
• How brain hears the sound of silence: Separate brain pathways process the start and end of what we hear
• Blood clotting finding may lead to new treatments
• NASA successfully launches a new eye on the sun
• Prepregnancy, obesity and gestational weight gain influence risk of preterm birth
• Resistant wheat goes for the gut to protect against Hessian flies
• Psychosocial problems are common in children with dental fear
• Archaeological 'time machine' greatly improves accuracy of early radiocarbon dating
• First FDA-approved stem cell trial in pediatric cerebral palsy
• Biologist discovers 'stop' signal in honey bee communication
• Common cholesterol drugs, statins, fight cataracts, too
• Electric cars are going places
• Chocoholic mice fear no pain
• 3-D structure of bullet-shaped virus with potential to fight cancer, HIV revealed
• New gene discovery could help to prevent blindness
• New magnetic tuning method enhances data storage
• Short-term radiation therapy successful on breast cancer
• Geographers help map devastation in Haiti
• New clue why autistic people don't want hugs

Chemists create synthetic 'gene-like' crystals for carbon dioxide capture Posted: 12 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Chemists report creating a synthetic "gene," which could capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide contributes to global warming, rising sea levels and increased acidity of oceans.

Dietary formula that maintains youthful function into old age Posted: 12 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Researchers develop dietary formula that maintains youthful function into old age.

Two years old -- a childhood obesity tipping point? Posted: 12 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST While many adults consider a chubby baby healthy, too many plump infants grow up to be obese teens, saddling them with type 2 diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure, according to a new article.

Baked rhubarb could help fight cancer Posted: 12 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Eating rhubarb baked in a crumble is not only tasty it may also be the best way to take advantage of its health benefits, and could lead to the development of new cancer treatments.

Seeing the quantum in chemistry: Scientists control chemical reactions of ultracold molecules Posted: 12 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Physicists have for the first time observed chemical reactions near absolute zero, demonstrating that chemistry is possible at ultralow temperatures and that reaction rates can be controlled using quantum mechanics, the peculiar rules of submicroscopic physics.

Going for Gold: a physiologist’s view of champion cross-country skiers Posted: 12 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Cross-country skiing is one of the most demanding of all Olympic sports, with skiers propelling themselves at speeds that exceed 20-25 km per hour over distances as long as 50 km. Yet the difference between winners and losers in these grueling races can be decided by just the tip of a ski, as a glance at any recent world-class competition will show. So just what gives top racers the advantage?

Models of sea level change during ice-age cycles challenged Posted: 12 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Theories about the rates of ice accumulation and melting during the Quaternary Period -- the time interval ranging from 2.6 million years ago to the present -- may need to be revised, due to new research findings.

Migraine may double risk of heart attack Posted: 12 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Migraine sufferers are twice as likely to have heart attacks as people without migraine, according to a new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

Mescal worm test shows DNA leaks into preservative liquids Posted: 12 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Just because you don't swallow the worm at the bottom of a bottle of mescal doesn't mean you have avoided the essential worminess of the potent Mexican liquor, according to scientists. They have discovered that the liquid itself contains the DNA of the agave butterfly caterpillar -- the famously tasty mescal "worm."

New screening system for hepatitis C Posted: 12 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST A newly designed system of identifying molecules for treating hepatitis C should enable scientists to discover novel and effective therapies for the dangerous and difficult-to-cure disease of the liver, say chemical engineers who helped develop the screening system. The system enables researchers to study the effects of molecules that obstruct all aspects of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle.

Virus pulls bait and switch on insect vectors Posted: 12 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST A common plant virus lures aphids to infected plants by making the plants more attractive, but when the insects taste the plant, they quickly leave for tastier, healthier ones. In the process, the insects rapidly transmit the disease, according to entomologists.

Face recognition: A face is more than the sum of its parts Posted: 12 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Researchers have found that inability to recognize faces is linked to an inability to process faces as a whole, or holistically.

Saturn's aurora offer stunning double show Posted: 12 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Researchers recently took advantage of a rare opportunity to record Saturn when its rings are edge on, resulting in a unique movie featuring both of the giant planet's poles. Saturn is only in this position every 15 years and this favorable orientation has allowed a sustained study of Saturn's almost symmetric northern and southern lights.

Low levels of antibiotics cause multidrug resistance in 'superbugs' Posted: 12 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST A new study by biomedical engineers indicates that treating bacteria with levels of antibiotics insufficient to kill them produces germs that are cross-resistant to a wide range of antibiotics.

Nanomaterials may help fight cancer Posted: 12 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Brain cancer is notoriously difficult to treat with standard cancer-fighting methods, so scientists have been looking outside standard medicine and into nanomaterials as a treatment alternative.

Swine Flu vaccination: voluntary system works Posted: 12 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Social interaction between neighbors, work colleagues and other communities and social groups makes voluntary vaccination programs for epidemics such as swine flu, SARS or bird flu a surprisingly effective method of disease control.

Environmental disaster in southern Spain compared with Cretaceous mass extinction Posted: 12 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Researchers in Spain have compared the disaster caused by the Aznalcóllar spillage in the Doñana National Park in Andalusia 11 years ago with the biggest species extinction known to date. What do these two disasters have in common? The scientists say that carrying out comparisons of this kind will make it possible to find out how ecosystems recover following mass extinctions.

Young patients with chronic illnesses find relief in acupuncture Posted: 12 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Some doctors are now offering pediatric patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses acupuncture therapy to help ease the pain and negative side effects like nausea, fatigue and vomiting caused by chronic health conditions and intensive treatments.

Can chocolate lower your risk of stroke? Posted: 11 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Eating chocolate may lower your risk of having a stroke, according to an analysis of available research. Another study found that eating chocolate may lower the risk of death after suffering a stroke.

Single gene mutation induces endometrial cancer Posted: 11 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST A mutation in a single gene can cause endometrial cancer that is responsive to a specific drug therapy, researchers have found.

Moderate fertilizer use could double African banana yields, study shows Posted: 11 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST A fertilizer-use study by researchers on East African highland bananas showed that moderate application of mineral fertilizers could double the production of the crop. However, the study also found that majority of the banana growers in the region do not use fertilizers, missing out on the opportunity to maximize their crop's food security and economic potentials. Over 70 million people in the East African highlands depend on banana as their primary source of food and income.

Predicting prognosis and treatment response in a subset of pancreatic cancer patients Posted: 11 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Specific chemical modifications to proteins called histones, which are found in the nucleus of cells and act as spools around which DNA is wound, can be used to predict prognosis and response to treatment in subsets patients with pancreatic cancer, a new study has found.

Better weather forecasts with a map showing atmospheric vapor Posted: 11 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Weather forecasts, satellite navigation in cars and the inspection of dikes or natural gas fields: these applications using satellite data would all be even more accurate if we knew more about the distribution of water vapor in the atmosphere, according to researchers.

Many veterans not getting enough treatment for PTSD Posted: 11 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST There are still significant barriers to veterans getting a full course of PTSD treatment, according to new research.

How brain hears the sound of silence: Separate brain pathways process the start and end of what we hear Posted: 11 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Researchers have isolated an independent processing channel of synapses inside the brain's auditory cortex that deals specifically with shutting off sound processing at appropriate times. Such regulation is vital for hearing and for understanding speech.

Blood clotting finding may lead to new treatments Posted: 11 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST A key protein that causes the blood to clot is produced by blood vessels in the lungs and not just the liver, according to new research. The findings may ultimately help scientists to develop better treatments for conditions where the blood's ability to clot is impaired, including deep vein thrombosis, where dangerous blood clots form inside the body, and haemophilia A, where the blood cannot clot sufficiently well.

NASA successfully launches a new eye on the sun Posted: 11 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, has lifted off on a first-of-a-kind mission to reveal the sun's inner workings in unprecedented detail. The most technologically advanced of NASA's heliophysics spacecraft, SDO will take images of the sun every 0.75 seconds and daily send back about 1.5 terabytes of data to Earth -- the equivalent of streaming 380 full-length movies.

Prepregnancy, obesity and gestational weight gain influence risk of preterm birth Posted: 11 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Researchers have found that prepregnancy obesity and gestational weight gain are associated with an increased risk of preterm birth in African-American participants from the Black Women's Health Study.

Resistant wheat goes for the gut to protect against Hessian flies Posted: 11 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Resistant wheat plants stave off attacks by Hessian fly larvae by essentially destroying the fly's midgut and its ability to absorb nutrients, according to a new study.

Psychosocial problems are common in children with dental fear Posted: 11 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Children and adolescents with severe dental fear often come from families with a turbulent background. It is also more common that they have had counseling contact with a psychologist.

Archaeological 'time machine' greatly improves accuracy of early radiocarbon dating Posted: 11 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Researchers have produced a new archaeological tool which could answer key questions in human evolution. The new calibration curve, which extends back 50,000 years, is a major landmark in radiocarbon dating -- the method used by archaeologists and geoscientists to establish the age of carbon-based materials.

First FDA-approved stem cell trial in pediatric cerebral palsy Posted: 11 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Researchers are conducting the first FDA-approved clinical trial to determine whether an infusion of stem cells from umbilical cord blood can improve the quality of life for children with cerebral palsy.

Biologist discovers 'stop' signal in honey bee communication Posted: 11 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Honey bees warn their nest mates about dangers they encounter while feeding with a special signal that's akin to a "stop" sign for bees. When foragers were attacked by competitors from nearby colonies fighting for food at an experimental feeder, they produced a specific signal to stop nest mates from recruiting others to the dangerous location.

Common cholesterol drugs, statins, fight cataracts, too Posted: 11 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST A broad new study confirms that statins, often prescribed to lower cholesterol levels, also cut the risks of cataracts in men by almost 40 percent.

Electric cars are going places Posted: 11 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Electric cars have many merits: They are quieter and require less maintenance than cars with internal combustion engines. A network of smartly located charging stations covering the entire Harz region in Germany is bound to make electric cars a regional feature.

Chocoholic mice fear no pain Posted: 11 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Ever get a buzz from eating chocolate? Scientists have shown that chocolate-craving mice are ready to tolerate electric shocks to get their fix.

3-D structure of bullet-shaped virus with potential to fight cancer, HIV revealed Posted: 11 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST A recent study demonstrates that with advanced imaging technique, the vesicular stomatitis virus can be modified to serve as an anti-cancer agent because it displays high selectivity in killing cancer cells while sparing normal cells. It can also be engineered as a potent vaccine against HIV/AIDS.

New gene discovery could help to prevent blindness Posted: 11 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Scientists have uncovered a new gene that could help save the sight of patients with a type of inherited blindness.

New magnetic tuning method enhances data storage Posted: 11 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Researchers have developed a method for controlling the properties of magnets that could be used to improve the storage capacity of next-generation computer hard drives.

Short-term radiation therapy successful on breast cancer Posted: 11 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST An intense three-week course of radiation therapy is just as effective as the standard five-week regimen for women with early stage breast cancer.

Geographers help map devastation in Haiti Posted: 11 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, geography students are participating in a global effort to enhance the international response and recovery effort by helping to assess damage, using images hosted by Google Earth and the Virtual Disaster Viewer, which shares imagery of disasters from various sources.

New clue why autistic people don't want hugs Posted: 11 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Why do people with fragile X syndrome, a genetic defect that is the best-known cause of autism and inherited mental retardation, recoil from hugs and physical touch? New research has found in fragile X syndrome there is delayed development of the sensory cortex, the part of the brain that responds to touch, according to a study from Northwestern University. This delay may trigger a domino effect and cause further problems with wiring of the brain.

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