ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Glue, fly, glue: Caddisflies' underwater silk adhesive might suture wounds
• Mosquitoes -- not birds -- may have carried West Nile virus across U.S.
• El Niño and a pathogen, not global warming, killed Costa Rican toad
• MRI: Non-invasive diagnostic tool for diagnosing testicular cancer
• Antifreeze proteins can stop ice melt, new study finds
• Some parents weigh 'hastening death' for children in extreme pain with terminal cancer
• 'Anaconda' meets 'Jurassic Park': Fossil snake from India fed on hatchling dinosaurs
• Age-associated defects in schizophrenia: Gene network-based analysis reveals unexpected results
• Pandemic flu, like seasonal H1N1, shows signs of resisting Tamiflu
• Kidney damage in 12 percent of Chinese children exposed to melamine-contaminated dairy products
• Biologists use mathematics to advance our understanding of health and disease
• Proposed industry effort to reduce salt in food could save lives, money, study shows
• Ancient corals hold new hope for reefs
• Prenatal cocaine exposure not severely damaging to growth, learning, study suggests
• New testing method hints at garlic's cancer-fighting potential
• Does HRT use raise women's cataract risk?
• Artificial neural networks help identify predisposing factors for conversion of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease
• Violent video game play makes more aggressive kids, study shows
• Exotic magnetar has extremely strong magnetic fields
• Researchers fishing for cancer cure discover active DHA derivatives
• Forage plant wards off ruminant gastrointestinal nematode
• Protecting consumers with food allergies should improve with new international guidelines
• Understanding global climate change through new breakthroughs in polar research
• Computer games can teach schools some lessons
• 'Biological clock' could be a key to better health, longer life
• New subtype of breast cancer responds to targeted drug
• Most maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa could be avoided
• Second protective role for tumor-suppressor: DNA damage sensor also responds to oxidative harm outside nucleus
• Can mobile phones help people 'EatWell?'
• Home palliative sedation checklist may ease concerns
• Tiny shelled creatures shed light on extinction and recovery 65 million years ago
• Brain holds early signs of glaucoma
• Mars Express heading for closest flyby of Phobos
• Gene may be among most influential factors in Down syndrome
• Diffusion of a soluble protein through a sensory cilium
• Childhood obesity prevention should begin early in life, possibly before birth
• Pesticide atrazine can turn male frogs into females
• New ways to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's, findings suggest
• Physicist writes a better formula to predict baseball success
• Dietary factors influence ovarian cancer survival rates
• Simple math explains dramatic beak shape variation in Darwin's finches
• Darkness increases dishonest behavior, study shows
• Ancient DNA from rare fossil reveals that polar bears evolved recently and adapted quickly
• Late baby teeth may mean more orthodontic visits: Genes associated with early tooth development identified
• Chile quake occurred in zone of 'increased stress'
• Notch-blocking drugs kill brain cancer stem cells, yet multiple therapies may be needed
• Widening the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
• File-sharing software potential threat to health privacy

Glue, fly, glue: Caddisflies' underwater silk adhesive might suture wounds Posted: 02 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PST Like silkworm moths, butterflies and spiders, caddisfly larvae spin silk, but they do so underwater instead on dry land. Now, researchers have discovered why the fly's silk is sticky when wet and how that may make it valuable as an adhesive tape during surgery.

Mosquitoes -- not birds -- may have carried West Nile virus across U.S. Posted: 02 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PST Mosquitoes -- not birds as suspected-- -- may have a played a primary role in spreading West Nile virus westward across the United States, according to new research. The study is among the first to examine the role of mosquitoes in the dispersion of West Nile virus across the U.S.

El Niño and a pathogen, not global warming, killed Costa Rican toad Posted: 02 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PST Scientists broadly agree that global warming may threaten the survival of many plant and animal species; but global warming did not kill the Monteverde golden toad, an often cited example of climate-triggered extinction, says a new study.

MRI: Non-invasive diagnostic tool for diagnosing testicular cancer Posted: 02 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PST Researchers have found that non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a good diagnostic tool for the evaluation and staging of testicular cancer and may improve patient care by sparing some men unnecessary surgery.

Antifreeze proteins can stop ice melt, new study finds Posted: 02 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PST The same antifreeze proteins that keep organisms from freezing in cold environments also can prevent ice from melting at warmer temperatures, according to a new study.

Some parents weigh 'hastening death' for children in extreme pain with terminal cancer Posted: 02 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PST A survey of parents who had a child die of cancer found one in eight considered hastening their child's death, a deliberation influenced by the amount of pain the child experienced during the last month of life, researchers report. The study suggests that many parents worry that their children will suffer from uncontrollable pain. The researchers say the findings underscore the importance of managing patients' suffering and communicating with parents about pain management options.

'Anaconda' meets 'Jurassic Park': Fossil snake from India fed on hatchling dinosaurs Posted: 02 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PST Sixty-seven million years ago, when dinosaur hatchlings first scrambled out of their eggs, their first -- and last -- glimpse of the world might have been the open jaws of a 3.5-meter-long snake named Sanajeh indicus, based on the discovery in India of a nearly complete fossilized skeleton of a primitive snake coiled inside a dinosaur nest.

Age-associated defects in schizophrenia: Gene network-based analysis reveals unexpected results Posted: 02 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PST The underlying causes of the debilitating psychiatric disorder schizophrenia remain poorly understood. In a new study, however, scientists report that a powerful gene network analysis has revealed surprising new insights into how gene regulation and age play a role in schizophrenia.

Pandemic flu, like seasonal H1N1, shows signs of resisting Tamiflu Posted: 02 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PST If the behavior of the seasonal form of the H1N1 influenza virus is any indication, scientists say that chances are good that most strains of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus will become resistant to Tamiflu, the main drug stockpiled for use against it. Researchers have traced the evolutionary history of the seasonal H1N1 influenza virus, which first infected humans during the 1918 pandemic. It is one of three seasonal influenza A viruses that commonly infect humans. The others are H1N2 and H3N2.

Kidney damage in 12 percent of Chinese children exposed to melamine-contaminated dairy products Posted: 02 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PST While the majority of children who were affected by consuming toxic melamine-contaminated products in China recovered, kidney abnormalities remained in 12 percent of the affected children, according to a new article.

Biologists use mathematics to advance our understanding of health and disease Posted: 02 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PST Math-based computer models are a powerful tool for discovering the details of complex living systems. A Virginia biologist is creating such models to discover how cells process information and make decisions.

Proposed industry effort to reduce salt in food could save lives, money, study shows Posted: 02 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PST A voluntary effort by the US food service industry to reduce salt in processed foods could have far-reaching implications for the health of the US population, preventing strokes and heart attacks in nearly a million Americans and saving $32.1 billion in medical costs, according to a new study.

Ancient corals hold new hope for reefs Posted: 02 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST Fossil corals, up to half a million years old, are providing fresh hope that coral reefs may be able to withstand the huge stresses imposed on them by today's human activity. Reef ecosystems were able to persist through massive environmental changes imposed by sharply falling sea levels during previous ice ages, an international scientific team has found. This provides new hope for their capacity to endure the increasing human impacts forecast for the 21st century.

Prenatal cocaine exposure not severely damaging to growth, learning, study suggests Posted: 02 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST Children exposed to cocaine in the womb face serious consequences from the drug, but surprisingly not in certain critical physical and cognitive areas such as growth, IQ, academic achievement and learning ability, according to a new comprehensive review of research. The review found that cocaine-exposed, school-aged children suffered deficits in more subtle areas such as sustained attention and self-regulated behavior.

New testing method hints at garlic's cancer-fighting potential Posted: 02 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST Researchers have designed a urine test that can simultaneously measure the extent of a potential carcinogenic process and a marker of garlic consumption in humans. In a small pilot study, the test suggested that the more garlic people consumed, the lower the levels of the potential carcinogenic process were.

Does HRT use raise women's cataract risk? Posted: 02 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST An eight-year prospective study of more than 30,000 postmenopausal Swedish women found that those who were using or had used HRT had significantly higher rates of cataract removal, compared with women who had never used HRT. Alcohol consumption seemed to increase HRT's harmful effect.

Artificial neural networks help identify predisposing factors for conversion of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease Posted: 02 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is often considered an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease. An analysis of genetic risk factors predisposing to MCI is critical for accessing individual predisposition and reliably evaluating the effectiveness of early treatment. In a groundbreaking study, researchers successfully used artificial neural networks to help understand the causal relation between multiple factors and the occurrence of neurodegenerative disorders.

Violent video game play makes more aggressive kids, study shows Posted: 02 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PST Exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive thoughts and behavior, and decreased empathy and prosocial behavior in youths, a new study finds.

Exotic magnetar has extremely strong magnetic fields Posted: 02 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PST Astronomers have observed an uncommon neutron star. Classified as magnetar, its nature is as peculiar as its official name: SGR 0418+5729. The observations reached an unprecedented depth at optical wavelengths for this kind of sources, helping in constraining the physical properties of this celestial body characterized by extremely strong magnetic fields.

Researchers fishing for cancer cure discover active DHA derivatives Posted: 02 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PST The next treatment for cancer might come from fish says new research. In the study, scientists show that the omega-3 fatty acid, "docosahexaenoic acid" or "DHA," and its derivatives in the body kill neuroblastoma cancer cells. This discovery could lead to new treatments for a wide range of cancers, including neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, colon, breast and prostate cancers, among others.

Forage plant wards off ruminant gastrointestinal nematode Posted: 02 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PST A common pasture plant could help foraging ruminants ward off damaging gastrointestinal nematodes that can cause illness and death, scientists report.

Protecting consumers with food allergies should improve with new international guidelines Posted: 02 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PST New international guidelines should better protect consumers from allergens in food by promoting the harmonized, accurate and reliable testing of potentially lethal food allergens by analytical laboratories worldwide.

Understanding global climate change through new breakthroughs in polar research Posted: 02 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PST Scientists have investigated the distribution and abundance of Antarctica's vast marine biodiversity with the Census of Antarctic Marine Life.

Computer games can teach schools some lessons Posted: 02 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PST If schools adopted some of the strategies that video games use, they could educate children more effectively, according to experts.

'Biological clock' could be a key to better health, longer life Posted: 01 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PST If you aren't getting a good, consistent and regular night's sleep, a new study suggests it could reduce your ability to handle oxidative stress, cause impacts to your health, increase motor and neurological deterioration, speed aging and ultimately cut short your life. That is, if your "biological clock" genes work the same way as those of a fruit fly. And they probably do.

New subtype of breast cancer responds to targeted drug Posted: 01 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PST A newly identified cancer biomarker could define a new subtype of breast cancer as well as offer a potential way to treat it, say researchers.

Most maternal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa could be avoided Posted: 01 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PST More than 500,000 women die each year worldwide due to complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth. Half of these women live in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers say these women are not dying as a result of any illness, but rather from a lack of basic healthcare measures.

Second protective role for tumor-suppressor: DNA damage sensor also responds to oxidative harm outside nucleus Posted: 01 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PST ATM, a protein that reacts to DNA damage by ordering repairs or the suicide of the defective cell, plays a similar, previously unknown role in response to oxidative damage outside of the nucleus, researchers report.

Can mobile phones help people 'EatWell?' Posted: 01 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PST Most people know the rules of healthy eating, but most of us might eat a little healthier if we were reminded. Now a researcher is testing using a mobile phone to help community members steer themselves away from that chocolate cake and toward the fruits and veggies.

Home palliative sedation checklist may ease concerns Posted: 01 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PST Can patients near death safely receive sedation at home, fully respecting their own and their families' wishes? This practice, which is on the rise, is coming under increasing scrutiny and debate by palliative care researchers and practitioners. Now palliative care specialists from a team based in Spain have documented their experiences and data, and developed a standard checklist to help other clinicians.

Tiny shelled creatures shed light on extinction and recovery 65 million years ago Posted: 01 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PST An asteroid strike may not only account for the demise of ocean and land life 65 million years ago, but the fireball's path and the resulting dust, darkness and toxic metal contamination may explain the geographic unevenness of extinctions and recovery, according to geoscientists.

Brain holds early signs of glaucoma Posted: 01 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PST Researchers are now a step closer to deciphering a leading cause of blindness in the United States -- glaucoma. They found that the first sign of injury in glaucoma actually occurs in the brain. The findings show that glaucoma is very much like other neurodegenerative central nervous system diseases.

Mars Express heading for closest flyby of Phobos Posted: 01 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PST ESA's Mars Express will skim the surface of Mars' largest moon Phobos on March 3. Passing by at an altitude of 67 km, precise radio tracking will allow researchers to peer inside the mysterious moon.

Gene may be among most influential factors in Down syndrome Posted: 01 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PST Research undertaken in recent years on Down syndrome has focused on the DYRK1A gene. The super-expression of this gene affects transmission in the neurons, according to a new study.

Diffusion of a soluble protein through a sensory cilium Posted: 01 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PST Scientists have, for the first time, measured the diffusion coefficient of a protein in a primary cilium and in other major compartments of a highly polarized cell.

Childhood obesity prevention should begin early in life, possibly before birth Posted: 01 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PST Risk factors for childhood obesity may be evident before birth and are more likely to occur in African-American and Hispanic children than in Caucasian children. Researchers studied 1,826 mother-child pairs from pregnancy through the child's first five years of life.

Pesticide atrazine can turn male frogs into females Posted: 01 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PST The herbicide atrazine, one of the world's most widely used pesticides, wreaks havoc with the sex lives of adult male frogs, emasculating three-quarters of them and turning one in 10 into females, according to a new study. These changes occur at atrazine levels below what the EPA considers safe for drinking water. The changes skew sex ratios in the frog population and could be a major cause of amphibian decline worldwide.

New ways to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's, findings suggest Posted: 01 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PST Researchers have found a new mechanism by which a key protein associated with Alzheimer's disease can spread within the human brain. The study provideas a new explanation of how the protein tau, a normal human protein that becomes toxic in Alzheimer's patients, can appear in their cerebrospinal fluid.

Physicist writes a better formula to predict baseball success Posted: 01 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PST A physicist has developed a new formula to predict baseball success. The basic formula, which has been tweaked over the years, uses the number of runs scored per game (RPG) and runs given up per game to estimate a team's winning percentage.

Dietary factors influence ovarian cancer survival rates Posted: 01 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PST Often diagnosed in late stages, ovarian cancer has an asymptomatic onset and a relatively low five-year survival rate of about 45 percent. Consequently investigation linked to survivorship is critical. Researchers have now evaluated possible diet associations with ovarian cancer survival. They determined that there is a strong relationship between healthy eating and prolonged survival.

Simple math explains dramatic beak shape variation in Darwin's finches Posted: 01 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PST In a new study, researchers demonstrate that simple changes in beak length and depth can explain the important morphological diversity of all beak shapes within Darwin's famous finches. Broadly, the work suggests that a few, simple mathematical rules may be responsible for complicated biological adaptations.

Darkness increases dishonest behavior, study shows Posted: 01 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PST New research shows that darkness may induce a psychological feeling of illusory anonymity, just as children playing "hide and seek" will close their eyes and believe that other cannot see them, the experience of darkness, even one as subtle as wearing a pair of sunglasses, triggers the belief that we are warded from others' attention and inspections.

Ancient DNA from rare fossil reveals that polar bears evolved recently and adapted quickly Posted: 01 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PST DNA from a rare, ancient polar bear fossil is yielding information about the response of the species to the devastation wrought by past climate changes. Analyses of the fossil's DNA reveals key pieces of the evolutionary history of both polar bears and brown bears. The fossil's DNA is, by far, the oldest mammal mitochondrial genome to be sequenced -- about twice the age of the oldest genome sequence from a woolly mammoth.

Late baby teeth may mean more orthodontic visits: Genes associated with early tooth development identified Posted: 01 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PST Several genes affect tooth development in the first year of life, according to a new study. The research shows that the teeth of babies with certain genetic variants tend to appear later and that these children have a lower number of teeth by age one. Additionally, those children whose teeth develop later are more likely to need orthodontic treatment.

Chile quake occurred in zone of 'increased stress' Posted: 01 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PST The massive, 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile Feb. 27 occurred in an offshore zone that was under increased stress caused by a 1960 quake of magnitude 9.5, according to geologists.

Notch-blocking drugs kill brain cancer stem cells, yet multiple therapies may be needed Posted: 01 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PST Working with mice, scientists who tested drugs intended to halt growth of brain cancer stem cells -- a small population of cells within tumors that perpetuate cancer growth -- conclude that blocking these cells may be somewhat effective, but more than one targeted drug attack may be needed to get the job done.

Widening the search for extraterrestrial intelligence Posted: 01 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PST The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has been dominated for its first half century by a hunt for unusual radio signals. But bold new innovations are required if we are ever to hear from our cosmic neighbors, says a leading expert.

File-sharing software potential threat to health privacy Posted: 01 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PST The personal health and financial information stored in thousands of North American home computers may be vulnerable to theft through file-sharing software, according to a new study.

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