ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• New dinosaur discovered head first, for a change
• Damaged protein identified as early diagnostic biomarker for Alzheimer's disease in healthy adults
• Stitching together 'lab-on-a-chip' devices with cotton thread and sewing needles
• Arsenic exposure activates an oncogenic signaling pathway; leads to increased cancer risk
• Quantum leap for phonon lasers
• Belief in a caring god improves response to medical treatment for depression, study finds
• Cassini finds plethora of plumes, hotspots on Saturn's moon Enceladus
• Virus hybridization could create pandemic bird flu
• Crickets 'forewarn' unborn babies about spiders
• Changes during menopause increases risk of heart disease and stroke
• Geologists look for answers in Antarctica: Did ice exist at equator some 300 million years ago?
• Stress hormone, depression trigger obesity in girls, study finds
• Scientists create tiny RNA molecule with big implications for life's origins
• Oral cancer study shows full tumor genome; novel method speeds analysis for individualized medicine
• Fungal fumes clear out crop pests
• Overweight middle-aged adults at greater risk for cognitive decline in later life
• Americans favor conservation, but few practice it
• Strategies help clinicians say 'no' to inappropriate treatment requests
• DNA sequencing unlocks evolutionary origins, relationships among flowering plants
• What it might take to unravel the 'lean mean machine' that is cancer
• Barents Sea: An effective ocean cooler
• Enzyme deficiency protects hepatitis C patients from treatment-related anemia
• World-class protection boosts Australia's Great Barrier Reef
• Lower-cost hospital care is not always lower in quality
• Protein study shows evolutionary link between plants, humans
• Remember magnesium if you want to remember: Synthetic supplement improves memory and staves off age-related memory loss
• Engineer creates unique software that predicts stem cell fate
• Benefit of HPV vaccination, frequent screening for women over 41 is likely to be low, study suggests
• Neighborhood grids promise energy gains
• In schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, life is not black and white
• Grizzly bears move into polar bear habitat in Manitoba, Canada
• Protecting the brain from Huntington's disease
• Better snowfall forecasting
• Dermatology: Watching immune cell movement to and from the skin
• Material tested could guarantee body protheses for more than 150 years
• Science of Hollywood blockbusters
• New photonic material may facilitate all-optical switching and computing
• Bitter melon extract decreased breast cancer cell growth
• Seamount scientists offer new comprehensive view of deep-sea mountains
• Startling new childhood asthma data
• Killing in the name of conservation
• Do recreational drugs make us fail to remember?

New dinosaur discovered head first, for a change Posted: 24 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Paleontologists have discovered a new dinosaur species that they've named Abydosaurus. The discovery includes the rare recovery of four sauropod skulls.

Damaged protein identified as early diagnostic biomarker for Alzheimer's disease in healthy adults Posted: 24 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Researchers have found that elevated cerebrospinal fluid levels of phosphorylated tau231, a damaged tau protein found in patients with Alzheimer's disease, may be an early diagnostic biomarker for Alzheimer's disease in healthy adults.

Stitching together 'lab-on-a-chip' devices with cotton thread and sewing needles Posted: 24 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Scientists are reporting the first use of ordinary cotton thread and sewing needles to literally stitch together a microfluidic analytical device -- microscopic technology that can transport fluids for medical tests and other purposes in a lab-on-a-chip. The chips shrink room-sized diagnostic testing equipment down to the size of a postage stamp, and promise revolutionary applications in medicine, environmental sensing, and other areas.

Arsenic exposure activates an oncogenic signaling pathway; leads to increased cancer risk Posted: 24 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Researchers have found a new oncogenic signaling pathway by which the environmental toxin arsenic may lead to adverse health effects, including bladder cancer.

Quantum leap for phonon lasers Posted: 24 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST Physicists have taken major step forward in the development of practical phonon lasers, which emit sound in much the same way that optical lasers emit light. The development should lead to new, high-resolution imaging devices and medical applications. Just as optical lasers have been incorporated into countless, ubiquitous devices, a phonon laser is likely to be critical to a host of as yet unimaginable applications.

Belief in a caring god improves response to medical treatment for depression, study finds Posted: 24 Feb 2010 08:00 AM PST In patients diagnosed with clinical depression, belief in a concerned god can improve response to medical treatment, according to a new paper.

Cassini finds plethora of plumes, hotspots on Saturn's moon Enceladus Posted: 24 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Newly released images from last November's swoop over Saturn's icy moon Enceladus by NASA's Cassini spacecraft reveal a forest of new jets spraying from prominent fractures crossing the south polar region and yield the most detailed temperature map to date of one fracture.

Virus hybridization could create pandemic bird flu Posted: 24 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Genetic interactions between avian H5N1 influenza and human seasonal influenza viruses have the potential to create hybrid strains combining the virulence of bird flu with the pandemic ability of H1N1, according to a new study.

Crickets 'forewarn' unborn babies about spiders Posted: 24 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Just because cricket moms abandon their eggs before they hatch doesn't mean they don't pass wisdom along to their babies. New research shows that crickets can warn their unborn babies about potential predator threats.

Changes during menopause increases risk of heart disease and stroke Posted: 24 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Around the time of menopause, studies have shown the threat for heart disease intensifies drastically and detecting cardiovascular disease in women is very difficult.

Geologists look for answers in Antarctica: Did ice exist at equator some 300 million years ago? Posted: 24 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Focusing on a controversial hypothesis that ice existed at the equator some 300 million years ago during the late Paleozoic Period, researchers have begun a project in search of clues to Earth's climate system.

Stress hormone, depression trigger obesity in girls, study finds Posted: 24 Feb 2010 05:00 AM PST Depression raises stress hormone levels in adolescent boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls, according to researchers. Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity -- a major health issue.

Scientists create tiny RNA molecule with big implications for life's origins Posted: 24 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST An extremely small RNA molecule created by scientists can catalyze a key reaction needed to synthesize proteins, the building blocks of life. The findings could be a substantial step toward understanding "the very origin of earthly life," the lead researcher contends.

Oral cancer study shows full tumor genome; novel method speeds analysis for individualized medicine Posted: 24 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Researchers are reporting on the application of a new approach for sequencing RNA to study cancer tumors.

Fungal fumes clear out crop pests Posted: 24 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST A cocktail of compounds emitted by the beneficial fungus Muscodor albus may offer a biologically based way to fumigate certain crops and rid them of destructive pests.

Overweight middle-aged adults at greater risk for cognitive decline in later life Posted: 24 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST The adverse affects of being overweight are not limited to physical function but also extend to neurological function, according to new research.

Americans favor conservation, but few practice it Posted: 24 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Most Americans like the idea of conservation, but few practice it in their everyday lives, according to the results of a national survey.

Strategies help clinicians say 'no' to inappropriate treatment requests Posted: 24 Feb 2010 02:00 AM PST Clinicians may use one of several approaches to deny patient requests for an inappropriate treatment while preserving the physician-patient relationship, according to a new report.

DNA sequencing unlocks evolutionary origins, relationships among flowering plants Posted: 23 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST The origins of flowering plants from peas to oak trees are now in clearer focus. A new study unravels 100 million years of evolution through an extensive analysis of plant genomes. It targets one of the major moments in plant evolution, when the ancestors of most of the world's flowering plants split into two major groups.

What it might take to unravel the 'lean mean machine' that is cancer Posted: 23 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Scientists in Australia have published a new paper describing gene expression in a prostate cancer cell: more sweeping, more targeted and more complex than we could ever have imagined, even five years ago. The study shows that changes within the prostate cancer cell "epigenome" (biochemical processes that target DNA and affect gene expression) alter the expression of many genes, silencing their expression within large regions of DNA -- nearly 3 percent of the cell's genome.

Barents Sea: An effective ocean cooler Posted: 23 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Stronger ocean currents have transported more heat to the Barents Sea over the last years. Despite this extra heat, the mean temperature has only increased modestly. The reason is a stronger heat loss caused by more open water during wintertime.

Enzyme deficiency protects hepatitis C patients from treatment-related anemia Posted: 23 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Many people who undergo treatment for hepatitis C develop hemolytic anemia, a disorder that destroys red blood cells. In some cases, it is so severe they have to reduce their medication or stop therapy altogether. But now, scientists have discovered two genetic alterations linked to a benign enzyme condition that keep some patients anemia-free.

World-class protection boosts Australia's Great Barrier Reef Posted: 23 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST Australia's Great Barrier Reef is showing an extraordinary range of benefits from the network of protected marine reserves introduced there five years ago, according to a comprehensive new study published.

Lower-cost hospital care is not always lower in quality Posted: 23 Feb 2010 11:00 PM PST The costs that hospitals incur in treating patients vary widely and do not appear to be strongly associated either with the quality of care patients receive or their risk of dying within 30 days, according to a new report.

Protein study shows evolutionary link between plants, humans Posted: 23 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Inserting a human protein important in cancer development was able to revive dying plants, showing an evolutionary link between plants and humans and possibly making it easier to study the protein's function in cancer development, a new study has shown.

Remember magnesium if you want to remember: Synthetic supplement improves memory and staves off age-related memory loss Posted: 23 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Researchers have found that a new synthetic magnesium compound works on both young and aging animals to enhance memory or prevent its impairment. Their study was carried out over a five-year period and has significant implications for the use of over-the-counter magnesium supplements.

Engineer creates unique software that predicts stem cell fate Posted: 23 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST A completely novel approach to analyzing time-lapse images of live stem cell behaviors has yielded a tool for successfully predicting outcomes of stem and progenitor cells. It will allow scientists to search for mechanisms that control stem cell specialization, the main obstacle in advancing the use of stem cell therapy for treatment of disease.

Benefit of HPV vaccination, frequent screening for women over 41 is likely to be low, study suggests Posted: 23 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST The overall potential benefits of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations or frequent HPV screenings for women over the age of 41 are low, concludes a new study. The study found that the rate of new infections preventable by vaccination declines with age. Furthermore, new infections among women at any age typically do not progress to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN 2) or CIN 3, the precursors for cervical cancer.

Neighborhood grids promise energy gains Posted: 23 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Researchers are creating technology that will treat neighborhoods like a miniature power grid, sharing energy generated at each house according to need. Allied to a host of other developments, the concept promises huge energy savings.

In schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, life is not black and white Posted: 23 Feb 2010 08:00 PM PST Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder affect 10s of millions of individuals around the world. These disorders have a typical onset in the early 20s and in most cases have a chronic or recurring course. Neither disorder has an objective biological marker than can be used to make diagnoses or to guide treatment.

Grizzly bears move into polar bear habitat in Manitoba, Canada Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Grizzly bears are moving into an area along the Hudson Bay that is traditionally inhabited by polar bears, and the sightings of grizzly bears are increasing in frequency.

Protecting the brain from Huntington's disease Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Huntington's disease (HD) is a cruel, hereditary condition that leads to physical and mental deterioration and eventually, death. HD sufferers are born with the disease although they don't show symptoms until late in life. In a new study, researchers identified a protective pathway in the brain that may explain why symptoms take so long to appear.

Better snowfall forecasting Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Scientists have developed an easier way for meteorologists to predict snowfall amounts and density -- fluffy powder or wet cement. The method has been adopted by the National Weather Service for use throughout Utah -- and could be adjusted for use anywhere.

Dermatology: Watching immune cell movement to and from the skin Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Immune cells known as Tregs have an important role in preventing other immune cells from attacking the cells of our body and causing autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. A team of researchers in Japan has now used mice engineered to express the photoconvertible fluorescence protein Kaede, which changes from green to red when exposed to violet light, to track Treg movement under physiologic conditions and during immune responses in the skin.

Material tested could guarantee body protheses for more than 150 years Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST Current body prostheses do not last more than 10-15 years. After this time, the operation has to be repeated in order to change prosthesis. It is usually problematic as, in general, it is elderly people that use the procedure. New research from Spain may well mean the first step to solving this problem.

Science of Hollywood blockbusters Posted: 23 Feb 2010 05:00 PM PST There is something about the rhythm and texture of early cinema that has a very different "feel" than modern films. But it's hard to put one's finger on just what that something is. New research may help explain this elusive quality.

New photonic material may facilitate all-optical switching and computing Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST A class of molecules whose size, structure and chemical composition have been optimized for photonic use could provide the demanding combination of properties needed to serve as the foundation for low-power, high-speed all-optical signal processing.

Bitter melon extract decreased breast cancer cell growth Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Bitter melon extract, a common dietary supplement, exerts a significant effect against breast cancer cell growth and may eventually become a chemopreventive agent against this form of cancer, according to results of a recent study.

Seamount scientists offer new comprehensive view of deep-sea mountains Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Lying beneath the ocean is spectacular terrain ranging from endless chains of mountains and isolated peaks to fiery volcanoes and black smokers exploding with magma and other minerals from below Earth's surface. This mountainous landscape, some of which surpasses Mt. Everest heights and the marine life it supports, is the spotlight of a special edition of the research journal Oceanography.

Startling new childhood asthma data Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Researchers report that asthma, a largely manageable and chronic disease, is on the rise in America. Newly released data reveal the magnitude of the asthma crisis, the surging cost of treatment, and the more than 1 million children with asthma who are uninsured.

Killing in the name of conservation Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Thanks to the introduction of various non-native species to Australia throughout history, the country is overrun with feral animals. A new application developed by ecologists aims to improve the success of wildlife managers tasked with eradicating such problems.

Do recreational drugs make us fail to remember? Posted: 23 Feb 2010 02:00 PM PST Have you ever forgotten to post an important letter or let an appointment slip your mind? A new study from UK researchers suggests that for those who regularly use ecstasy or other recreational drugs, this kind of memory lapse is more common. Their research uncovered potential links between memory deficits and cocaine for the first time.

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