ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Tiny tongue of a fruit fly could offer big clues in fight against obesity, researcher says
• Low-cost DNA test to pinpoint risk of inherited diseases
• Neuroimaging study may pave way for effective Alzheimer's treatments
• Predicting effectiveness of flu vaccination campaigns
• Enhanced 3D Model of Mars Crater Edge Shows Ups and Downs
• Midday nap markedly boosts the brain's learning capacity
• Evolutionary game of rock-paper-scissors may lead to new species
• Common gene variant may increase risk for a type of cardiac arrhythmia
• Mosquito genes yield secrets to how they survive malaria-causing parasite
• Hypertension may predict dementia in older adults with certain cognitive deficits
• Gold and silver nanowires bond naturally, stay strong
• Music training enhances brainstem sensitivity to speech sounds, neuroscientist says
• Diversity of corals, algae in warm Indian Ocean suggests resilience to future global warming
• High levels of vitamin D in older people can reduce heart disease and diabetes
• Marriage of microfluidics and optics could advance lab-on-a-chip devices
• Few women take tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer
• Great Southern California shakeout results provide new communication strategies
• More alcohol sales sites mean more neighborhood violence, new research finds
• Dolphins' health shed light on human and ocean health
• New strategy produces promising advance in cancer vaccines
• Researchers identify mechanism malaria parasite uses to spread among red blood cells
• Marker of Ewing sarcoma: Potential new drug target?
• Rain, rain, go online
• Immediate risk of suicide and cardiovascular death after a prostate cancer diagnosis
• Strategies to curb urban heat island
• Inadequate access to opioid-based pain relief is a human rights issue for cancer patients
• Will coral reefs disappear?
• Geography of violence: Violent injury among U.S. youth appears to be end result of web of factors
• Marine reserves in the spotlight: Meeting both conservation and fisheries goals
• Where will the next food crisis strike? Extended geographical monitoring using satellite observation

Tiny tongue of a fruit fly could offer big clues in fight against obesity, researcher says Posted: 22 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST The tiny tongue of a fruit fly could provide big answers to questions about human eating habits, possibly even leading to new ways to treat obesity, according to a new study.

Low-cost DNA test to pinpoint risk of inherited diseases Posted: 22 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST An inexpensive, fast accurate DNA test that reveals a person's risk of developing certain diseases is expected to become a reality, thanks to new technology.

Neuroimaging study may pave way for effective Alzheimer's treatments Posted: 22 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Scientists have determined that a new instrument known as PIB-PET is effective in detecting deposits of amyloid-beta protein plaques in the brains of living people, and that these deposits are predictive of who will develop Alzheimer's disease.

Predicting effectiveness of flu vaccination campaigns Posted: 22 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST A new study describes a new method that assesses the impact and cost-effectiveness of a range of vaccination options. The model was applied to the 2009 influenza H1N1 outbreak and predicted accurately in real-time when the epidemic would peak and who should be prioritized for vaccination.

Enhanced 3D Model of Mars Crater Edge Shows Ups and Downs Posted: 22 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST A dramatic 3D Mars view based on terrain modeling from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter data shows "highs and lows" of Mojave Crater.

Midday nap markedly boosts the brain's learning capacity Posted: 22 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST If you see a student dozing in the library or a co-worker catching 40 winks in her cubicle, don't roll your eyes. New research shows that an hour's nap can dramatically boost and restore your brain power. Indeed, the findings suggest that a biphasic sleep schedule not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter.

Evolutionary game of rock-paper-scissors may lead to new species Posted: 22 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Morphologically distinct types are often found within species, and biologists have speculated that these "morphs" could be the raw material for speciation. What were once different types of individuals within the same population could eventually evolve into separate species. A new study supports this idea.

Common gene variant may increase risk for a type of cardiac arrhythmia Posted: 22 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST A common gene variant associated with a form of the irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation has been identified. The investigators describe finding that variations affecting a protein that may help control the heart's electrical activity appear to increase the risk of what is called lone atrial fibrillation, a type seen in younger individuals with no other form of heart disease.

Mosquito genes yield secrets to how they survive malaria-causing parasite Posted: 22 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Researchers are studying the main contributing mosquito species to malaria transmission in Africa. They are characterizing genes specific to mosquito blood cells. The researchers were able to identify genes in the blood cells whose expression changed with malaria infection. This could be used for disease control, ultimately. On a more basic level, the researchers are learning how the immune system works and how it recognizes a parasite and limits the infection.

Hypertension may predict dementia in older adults with certain cognitive deficits Posted: 22 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST High blood pressure appears to predict the progression to dementia in older adults with impaired executive functions (ability to organize thoughts and make decisions) but not in those with memory dysfunction, according to a new study.

Gold and silver nanowires bond naturally, stay strong Posted: 22 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Researchers have discovered that gold wires between three-billionths and 10-billionths of a meter wide weld themselves together quite nicely -- without heat.

Music training enhances brainstem sensitivity to speech sounds, neuroscientist says Posted: 22 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST What is the relationship between music and speech processing? Playing an instrument may help children better process speech in noisy classrooms and more accurately interpret language nuances conveyed by subtle changes in the human voice, says one expert who has studied the links between neural encoding of speech and music in the auditory nervous system for three decades.

Diversity of corals, algae in warm Indian Ocean suggests resilience to future global warming Posted: 22 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Corals that harbor unusual species of symbiotic algae have been discovered thriving in water that is too warm for most other corals. The discovery gives hope that coral reefs and the ecosystems they support may persist -- at least in some places -- in the face of global warming.

High levels of vitamin D in older people can reduce heart disease and diabetes Posted: 22 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Middle aged and elderly people with high levels of vitamin D could reduce their chances of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43 percent, according to researchers.

Marriage of microfluidics and optics could advance lab-on-a-chip devices Posted: 22 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST With a silicone rubber "stick-on" sheet containing dozens of miniature, powerful lenses, engineers are one step closer to putting the capacity of a large laboratory into a micro-sized package. The marriage of high performance optics with microfluidics could prove the perfect match for making lab-on-a-chip technologies more practical.

Few women take tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer Posted: 22 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Less than a quarter of one percent of women took tamoxifen in 2000 and 2005 to prevent breast cancer. Further research is recommended to explore explanations for the drug's low use.

Great Southern California shakeout results provide new communication strategies Posted: 22 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Researchers who devised the largest earthquake preparedness event ever undertaken in the United States say one of the biggest challenges was translating devastation projections from a hypothetical magnitude 7.8 San Andreas Fault temblor into timely, usable information to the more than 5 million California participants in 2008.

More alcohol sales sites mean more neighborhood violence, new research finds Posted: 22 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST More alcohol sales sites in a neighborhood equates to more violence, and the highest assault rates are associated with carry-out sites selling alcohol for off-premise consumption, according to new research.

Dolphins' health shed light on human and ocean health Posted: 21 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST New research suggests that diseases found in dolphins are similar to human diseases and can provide clues into how human health might be affected by exposure to contaminated coastal water or seafood.

New strategy produces promising advance in cancer vaccines Posted: 21 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Researchers have used a new strategy to develop cancer vaccines that are remarkably effective in mice. The scientists report that 100 percent of the mice vaccinated with a peptide they developed remained alive and tumor-free for at least 60 days after inoculation with colon cancer cells. The research suggests a method for developing vaccines against a wide variety of cancers.

Researchers identify mechanism malaria parasite uses to spread among red blood cells Posted: 21 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Malaria remains one of the most deadly infectious diseases. Yet, how Plasmodium, the malaria parasite, regulates its infectious cycle has remained an enigma despite decades of rigorous research. Now a research team has identified a mechanism by which Plasmodium intensively replicates itself in human blood to spread the disease. The discovery could lead to new drugs for combating the disease.

Marker of Ewing sarcoma: Potential new drug target? Posted: 21 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Ewing sarcoma (EWS) is a bone tumor that affects children and young adults. The protein CD99 is highly expressed in most cases of EWS, but its function in the disease is unknown. Now, researchers have identified a crucial role for CD99 in the development of EWS and suggest that targeting CD99 or its downstream molecular pathway may be a new therapeutic approach for EWS.

Rain, rain, go online Posted: 21 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST A new webcam at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is keeping an eye on debris and water flows that could course down nearby wildfire-stripped hillsides during a rainstorm.

Immediate risk of suicide and cardiovascular death after a prostate cancer diagnosis Posted: 21 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Being diagnosed with prostate cancer may increase a man's risk of suicide or cardiovascular death, especially right after diagnosis, according to a new study.

Strategies to curb urban heat island Posted: 20 Feb 2010 09:00 PM PST Protect yourself from the summer sun is good advice to children who want to play outside on a hot summer day and it is good advice to cities as a way to mitigate the phenomenon known as urban heat island, according to experts.

Inadequate access to opioid-based pain relief is a human rights issue for cancer patients Posted: 20 Feb 2010 09:00 PM PST Many cancer patients in Europe are being denied access to adequate pain relief because of over-zealous regulations restricting the availability and accessibility of opioid-based drugs such as morphine, experts say.

Will coral reefs disappear? Posted: 20 Feb 2010 09:00 PM PST How vulnerable are coral reefs to climate change due to higher ocean temperatures?

Geography of violence: Violent injury among U.S. youth appears to be end result of web of factors Posted: 20 Feb 2010 09:00 PM PST Violent injury, the second leading cause of death among US youth, appears to be the end result of a web of factors including alcohol, weapons, and dangerous urban environments. Researchers in Pennsylvania are investigating how the nature and whereabouts of daily activities relate to the likelihood of violent injury among youth.

Marine reserves in the spotlight: Meeting both conservation and fisheries goals Posted: 20 Feb 2010 09:00 PM PST Marine reserves are known to be effective conservation tools when they are placed and designed properly. This week, a special issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is dedicated to the latest science on marine reserves, with a focus on where and how reserves can most effectively help to meet both conservation and fisheries goals.

Where will the next food crisis strike? Extended geographical monitoring using satellite observation Posted: 20 Feb 2010 09:00 PM PST Satellite observation is the key instrument that will allow to double in 2010 the number of countries monitored in real time for detecting first indications of adverse agricultural outcomes. The new Integrated Phase Classification system facilitates and accelerates the reaction time to food security crises by allowing a common and internationally recognized classification of their severity.

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