ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Viruses helped shape human genetic variability
• Personalized blood tests for cancer using whole genome sequencing
• Potentially deadly infection linked to frequent cow exposure
• Flu-induced stress response is critical for resistance to secondary infection
• Electric avenue: Electric cars on a two-way street?
• Happiness is ... looking forward to your vacation
• Youngest extra-solar planet discovered around solar-type star
• Genetic link to leukemias with an unknown origin discovered
• Chemical tags likely to affect metabolism, cancer development
• Scientists discover how protein trips up germs
• New algorithm improves video game quality
• In learning, the brain forgets things on purpose
• Life's smallest motor, cargo carrier of the cells, moves like a seesaw
• Phase II HIV gene therapy trial has encouraging results
• Chubby birds get there faster: Heavy migratory birds take shorter breaks and reach their breeding grounds faster
• New endoscopic treatment may spare Barrett's esophagus patients from surgery
• NASA's Stardust Burns for Comet, Less Than a Year Away
• Battlefield camaraderie yields long-term dividends for veterans, study finds
• Scientists image brain at point when vocal learning begins
• Natural compound found in marine sponges inhibits cancer cell migration
• Projection shows water woes likely based on warmer temperatures
• Better prognosis markers for prostate cancer found
• Successful wind tunnel test of controllable rubber trailing edge flap for wind turbine blades
• NIH stem cell guidelines should be modified, researchers urge
• Red dwarf-red giant binary pair of stars found
• Short-term heart disease risks of combination menopausal hormone therapy confirmed
• Cooling inflammation for healthier arteries
• Reversing resistance to sunitinib: Findings may help patients with deadly kidney cancer
• Nuclear downsizing: Report identifies steps to reduce US arsenal, prevent spread of atomic bombs and keep stockpile safe
• 'Main Street' economic conditions misread by GDP, researchers say
• No place to hide: Missing primitive stars outside Milky Way uncovered
• Genomic warfare to counter malaria drug resistance
• Common scents: Honeybees guide neurological discoveries
• Multiple risk factors existed in 78 percent of sudden infant death syndrome cases
• A step towards germanium nanoelectronics
• Studies show marijuana has 'therapeutic value'; research reported to California legislature
• Jets of particles streaming from black holes in far-away galaxies different than previously thought
• Critical step in fly vision discovered; offers clues to treating retinal degeneration in humans
• System unveiled for regulating anaesthesia via computer
• Hazards from secondhand smoke in bars and restaurants
• Everyday grass could provide green fuel
• Study debunks millennia-old claims of systematic infant sacrifice in ancient Carthage
• Photosynthesis: A new source of electrical energy? Biofuel cell works in cactus
• Genomic map spanning over two dozen cancers charted
• Ocean geoengineering scheme no easy fix for global warming
• Promising therapy for relapsing multiple sclerosis
• Fluorescent probes light up cancerous tumors
• Helmets must be part of skiing and snowboarding culture, doctors urge

Viruses helped shape human genetic variability Posted: 19 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST Viruses have played a role in shaping human genetic variability, according to a new study. The researchers used population genetics approaches to identify gene variants that augment susceptibility to viral infections or protect from such infections.

Personalized blood tests for cancer using whole genome sequencing Posted: 19 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST Scientists have used data from the whole genome sequencing of cancer patients to develop individualized blood tests they believe can help physicians tailor patients' treatments. The genome-based blood tests, believed to be the first of their kind, may be used to monitor tumor levels after therapy and determine cancer recurrence.

Potentially deadly infection linked to frequent cow exposure Posted: 19 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST A common bacteria found in many healthy adult females that can cause life-threatening infections when passed to newborns could be introduced to some women through frequent contact with cows, according to a new research. Group B streptococcus could be a zoonotic disease -- transmitted between different species -- which may have significant public health implications.

Flu-induced stress response is critical for resistance to secondary infection Posted: 19 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST A new study reveals how infection with the influenza virus impacts the way that the immune system responds to subsequent infections. The research provides a new understanding of the physiological and pathological consequences of the flu.

Electric avenue: Electric cars on a two-way street? Posted: 19 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST Think of it as the end of cars' slacker days: no more sitting idle for hours in parking lots or garages racking up payments, but instead earning their keep by helping store power for the electricity grid.

Happiness is ... looking forward to your vacation Posted: 19 Feb 2010 11:00 AM PST It takes more than a vacation to make people happy. Indeed, vacationers tend to be happier than non-vacationers in the lead up to their break, but once they are back, there is very little difference between the two groups' levels of happiness.

Youngest extra-solar planet discovered around solar-type star Posted: 19 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Astronomers have discovered the youngest extra-solar planet around a solar-type star, named BD+20 1790b.

Genetic link to leukemias with an unknown origin discovered Posted: 19 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Although leukemia is one of the best studied cancers, the cause of some types is still poorly understood. Now, a newly found mutation in acute myeloid leukemia patients could account for half of the remaining cases of adult acute leukemia with an unknown origin.

Chemical tags likely to affect metabolism, cancer development Posted: 19 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST New research suggests that the addition or removal of a certain type of chemical tag -- called an acetyl group -- onto metabolic enzymes plays a key role in how cellular metabolism is regulated. The finding gives researchers vital clues to understand how normal cells respond to nutrient changes and how the process by which normal cells turn cancerous, and could one day lead to new drugs that starve cancer cells into submission.

Scientists discover how protein trips up germs Posted: 19 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST If bad bacteria lurk in your system, chances are they will bump into the immune system's protective cells whose job is gobbling germs. The catch is that these do-gooders, known as macrophages, ingest and destroy only those infectious invaders that they can securely hook and reel in. Now, scientists have shown that a healthy immune response depends on a protein called TRPV2 which, they discovered, is the means by which macrophages capitalize on brief and accidental encounters with nasty bugs.

New algorithm improves video game quality Posted: 19 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST A new algorithm improve computer graphics for video games.

In learning, the brain forgets things on purpose Posted: 19 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Scientists have known that newly acquired, short-term memories are often fleeting. But a new study in flies suggests that kind of forgetfulness doesn't just happen. Rather, an active process of erasing memories may in some ways be as important as the ability to lay down new memories.

Life's smallest motor, cargo carrier of the cells, moves like a seesaw Posted: 19 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Life's smallest motor -- a protein that shuttles cargo within cells and helps cells divide -- does so by rocking up and down like a seesaw according to new high-resolution snapshots of a protein called kinesin. The result is the closest look yet at the structural changes kinesin proteins undergo as they ferry molecules.

Phase II HIV gene therapy trial has encouraging results Posted: 19 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST In a new phase II study using gene therapy to combat HIV, seven of eight subjects experienced a decrease in viral load set point and one subject experienced prolonged, complete control of HIV viremia for more than 14 weeks in the absence of HAART. The study looked at Lexgenleucel-T infusions in HIV-1 infected individuals prior to being taken off their antiretroviral treatment regimens as part of the study design's scheduled treatment interruption.

Chubby birds get there faster: Heavy migratory birds take shorter breaks and reach their breeding grounds faster Posted: 19 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST When small migratory birds have crossed extensive ecological barriers, such as deserts or oceans, they must land to replenish their fat reserves. Researchers measured the duration of the stopovers made by garden warblers on an island off the Italian coast. There they observed that fat birds usually move on the night of their arrival, while lean birds interrupt their journey for an average of almost two days.

New endoscopic treatment may spare Barrett's esophagus patients from surgery Posted: 19 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Early tumor formation in Barrett's esophagus can be effectively and safely treated with radiofrequency ablation, in combination with prior endoscopic removal of visible lesions, study suggests.

NASA's Stardust Burns for Comet, Less Than a Year Away Posted: 19 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Just three days shy of one year before its planned flyby of comet Tempel 1, NASA's Stardust spacecraft has successfully performed a maneuver to adjust the time of its encounter by eight hours and 20 minutes. The delay maximizes the probability of the spacecraft capturing high-resolution images of the desired surface features of the 2.99-kilometer-wide (1.86 mile) potato-shaped mass of ice and dust.

Battlefield camaraderie yields long-term dividends for veterans, study finds Posted: 19 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Civil War veterans who served in military units characterized by camaraderie were much less likely decades later to die of a stroke or a heart condition than veterans from less cohesive companies, researchers have found.

Scientists image brain at point when vocal learning begins Posted: 19 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Scientists have imaged living juvenile songbird brains at the moment the brains heard a tutor's mating song. Instead of staying plastic and dynamic after hearing the song, the bird's neurons snapped into a framework nearly immediately, surprising the researchers. Some birds were unable to learn or learn it well, indicating they were past their prime learning window.

Natural compound found in marine sponges inhibits cancer cell migration Posted: 19 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Investigators have discovered that the natural compound sceptrin, which is found in marine sponges, reduces cancer cell motility (movement) and has very low toxicity.

Projection shows water woes likely based on warmer temperatures Posted: 19 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Several Midwestern states could be facing increased winter and spring flooding, as well as difficult growing conditions on farms, if average temperatures rise. Scientists ran simulations that show Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan could see as much as 28 percent more precipitation by the year 2070, with much of that coming in the winter and spring. The projections also show drier summer and fall seasons.

Better prognosis markers for prostate cancer found Posted: 19 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Measuring levels of the active form of the protein EGFR in the tumor and its vicinity can provide a more reliable prognosis for individuals with prostate cancer, according to new research.

Successful wind tunnel test of controllable rubber trailing edge flap for wind turbine blades Posted: 19 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST For some years, the Wind Energy Division at Risø DTU in Denmark has been working to develop a method for controlling the loads on large wind turbine blades using a flexible trailing edge made of an elastic material which can be controlled by means of compressed air or hydraulics. Now, the invention, which has been called CRTEF (Controllable Rubber Trailing Edge Flap), has been tested in a wind tunnel with promising results.

NIH stem cell guidelines should be modified, researchers urge Posted: 19 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST A group of scientists recommends that the National Institutes of Health ethics guidelines for embryonic stem cell research be modified to better protect the rights of individuals donating egg or sperm to patients undergoing in vitro fertilization.

Red dwarf-red giant binary pair of stars found Posted: 18 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST A binary pair of red stars -- one giant, one dwarf -- has been discovered by a collaboration of astrophysicists from the UK and China.

Short-term heart disease risks of combination menopausal hormone therapy confirmed Posted: 18 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST New analyses from the Women's Health Initiative confirm that combination hormone therapy increases the risk of heart disease in healthy postmenopausal women. Researchers report a trend toward an increased risk of heart disease during the first two years of hormone therapy among women who began therapy within 10 years of menopause, and a more marked elevation of risk among women who began hormone therapy more than 10 years after menopause.

Cooling inflammation for healthier arteries Posted: 18 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Scientists have reported new reasons for choosing "heart healthy" oats at the grocery store.

Reversing resistance to sunitinib: Findings may help patients with deadly kidney cancer Posted: 18 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Researchers have found a way to reverse resistance to sunitinib, a treatment that is currently the first line of defense against clear cell renal cell carcinoma, a deadly form of kidney cancer. Most patients who show a positive response to sunitinib develop a resistance to the drug after one year of treatment.

Nuclear downsizing: Report identifies steps to reduce US arsenal, prevent spread of atomic bombs and keep stockpile safe Posted: 18 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST The American Physical Society, the world's leading organization of physicists, has released a report identifying technical steps that will help the US achieve its goals to downsize the nuclear arsenal, prevent the spread of atomic bombs and keep the stockpile safe and secure.

'Main Street' economic conditions misread by GDP, researchers say Posted: 18 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST The GDP severely overstates the standard of living as experienced on Main Street, say researchers who worked with state officials in Maryland to adopt a more accurate, index, the GPI, or Genuine Progress Indicator.

No place to hide: Missing primitive stars outside Milky Way uncovered Posted: 18 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST After years of successful concealment, the most primitive stars outside our Milky Way galaxy have finally been unmasked. New observations using ESO's Very Large Telescope have been used to solve an important astrophysical puzzle concerning the oldest stars in our galactic neighborhood -- which is crucial for our understanding of the earliest stars in the universe.

Genomic warfare to counter malaria drug resistance Posted: 18 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Scientists battling malaria have earned a major victory. According to a new study, an international group of researchers has used genomics to decode the blueprint of Plasmodium falciparum -- a strain of malaria most resistant to drugs that causes the most deaths around the world. The discovery may lead to advanced pharmaceuticals to fight the disease and prevent drug resistance among the 250 million people infected by malaria each year.

Common scents: Honeybees guide neurological discoveries Posted: 18 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Every moment of every day the brain is forced to process thousands of separate odorants from the world around us. Through a new study of honeybees, scientists have discovered the brain has an advanced ability to isolate specific odors and recollect smells.

Multiple risk factors existed in 78 percent of sudden infant death syndrome cases Posted: 18 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) continues to be the third leading cause of infant death, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), despite a decline in SIDS that is associated with a rise in safe-sleep practices for newborns and infants. Researchers have identified that more than 96 percent of infants who died of SIDS were exposed to known risk factors, among them sleeping on their side or stomach, or exposure to tobacco smoke, and that 78 percent of SIDS cases contained multiple risk factors.

A step towards germanium nanoelectronics Posted: 18 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST The use of germanium instead of silicon as basic material of transistors would enable faster chips containing smaller transistors. However, a number of problems still have to be solved. Transistors are produced using foreign atoms that are implanted into the semiconductor material so that it becomes partly conducting. As this production step damages the material, it has to be repaired by subsequent annealing. So far it has not been possible to produce large-scale integrated transistors of a specific type (NMOS) using germanium. The reason: phosphorus atoms are strongly redistributed within the material during annealing. Two novel techniques can now overcome this dilemma.

Studies show marijuana has 'therapeutic value'; research reported to California legislature Posted: 18 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Researchers in California have found "reasonable evidence that cannabis is a promising treatment" for some specific, pain-related medical conditions.

Jets of particles streaming from black holes in far-away galaxies different than previously thought Posted: 18 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Jets of particles streaming from black holes in far-away galaxies operate differently than previously thought, according to a new study. The new study reveals that most of the jet's light -- gamma rays, the universe's most energetic form of light -- is created much farther from the black hole than expected and suggests a more complex shape for the jet.

Critical step in fly vision discovered; offers clues to treating retinal degeneration in humans Posted: 18 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Research by sensory biologists studying fruit flies has revealed a critical step in fly vision. Humans with problems in this same step suffer retinal dystrophies, which manifest as visual defects ranging from mild visual impairments to complete blindness. The article paves the way for using the fruit fly to screen for therapies to treat human retinal degeneration.

System unveiled for regulating anaesthesia via computer Posted: 18 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Medical researchers have developed a technique for automatically controlling anaesthesia during surgical operations. The new system detects the hypnotic state of the patient at all times and supplies the most appropriate dose of anaesthetic.

Hazards from secondhand smoke in bars and restaurants Posted: 18 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST New research shows that concentrations of secondhand tobacco smoke inhaled in smoking rooms of restaurants and bars are exceptionally high and hazardous to health.

Everyday grass could provide green fuel Posted: 18 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST A five-year research project has come up with a way of generating green energy from a humble everyday grass.

Study debunks millennia-old claims of systematic infant sacrifice in ancient Carthage Posted: 18 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST A new study may finally lay to rest the millennia-old conjecture that the ancient empire of Carthage regularly sacrificed its youngest citizens. An examination of the remains of Carthaginian children revealed that most infants perished prenatally or very shortly after birth and were unlikely to have lived long enough to be sacrificed.

Photosynthesis: A new source of electrical energy? Biofuel cell works in cactus Posted: 18 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Scientists in France have transformed the chemical energy generated by photosynthesis into electrical energy by developing a novel biofuel cell. The advance offers a new strategy to convert solar energy into electrical energy in an environmentally-friendly and renewable manner. In addition, the biofuel cell could have important medical applications.

Genomic map spanning over two dozen cancers charted Posted: 18 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Researchers have created a genome-scale map of 26 different cancers, revealing more than 100 genomic sites where DNA from tumors is either missing or abnormally duplicated compared to normal tissues. The study, the largest of its kind, finds that most of these genetic abnormalities are not unique to one form of cancer, but are shared across multiple cancers.

Ocean geoengineering scheme no easy fix for global warming Posted: 18 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Pumping nutrient-rich water up from the deep ocean to boost algal growth in sunlit surface waters and draw carbon dioxide down from the atmosphere has been touted as a way of ameliorating global warming. However, a new study points out the difficulties with such an approach.

Promising therapy for relapsing multiple sclerosis Posted: 18 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Scientists have found that adding a humanized monoclonal antibody called daclizumab to standard treatment reduces the number of new or enlarged brain lesions in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Fluorescent probes light up cancerous tumors Posted: 18 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Building on Nobel Prize-winning work creating fluorescent proteins that light up the inner workings of cells, a team of researchers has developed biological probes that can stick to and light up tumors in mice. The scientists were able to spot and remove more cancerous tissue in mice injected with the fluorescent probes than in those mice without the fluorescent probes, upping survival five-fold.

Helmets must be part of skiing and snowboarding culture, doctors urge Posted: 18 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST While the world's best skiers and snowboarders at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games compete with helmets on, many other skiers and snowboarders are choosing to forgo this important piece of safety equipment. In fact, many skiers and snowboarders place fashion before safety, according to doctors.

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