ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Biology may not be so complex after all, physicist finds
• Stress during pregnancy may increase offspring's risk of asthma
• In search of key blue ingredient in ancient Egyptian pottery
• Young men and elderly women at biggest risk for shoulder dislocations
• Cows like leaves their tongues can wrap around easily
• Some bullies are just the shy type: New research shows a darker side to social anxiety disorder
• Songbirds yield insight into speech production
• Women with swine flu 13 times more likely to suffer critical illness if they are pregnant, study finds
• Stem cells used to model infant birth defect
• Tool to measure severity of chronic graft-vs.-host disease symptoms
• Supermarket lighting enhances nutrient level of fresh spinach
• Environment may impact apes' ability to understand declarative communication, study suggests
• 'Flying vaccinator': Can genetically engineered mosquitoes provide a new strategy against malaria?
• Light twists rigid structures in unexpected nanotech finding
• Extreme obesity affecting more children at younger ages
• Mineral studies advance antibacterial alternatives
• Feeling lonely adds to rate of blood pressure increase in people 50 years old and older
• Students discover new species of raptor dinosaur in Inner Mongolia
• Designer nanomaterials on demand: Scientists report universal method for creating nanoscale composites
• Causes found for stiff skin conditions
• Brain Waves and Mediation
• Molecular brake for the bacterial flagellar nano-motor
• Stem Cell Networks in Zebrafish
• Ability to tolerate enemies influences coevolution

Biology may not be so complex after all, physicist finds Posted: 19 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT Centuries ago, scientists began reducing the physics of the universe into key laws described by a handful of parameters. Such simple descriptions have remained elusive for complex biological systems -- until now. A biophysicist has identified parameters for several biochemical networks that distill the entire behavior of these systems into simple equivalent dynamics. The discovery may hold the potential to streamline the development of drugs and diagnostic tools, by simplifying the research models.

Stress during pregnancy may increase offspring's risk of asthma Posted: 19 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT Stress during pregnancy may raise the risk of asthma in offspring, according to researchers. The researchers investigated differences in immune function markers in cord blood between infants born to mothers in high stress environments and those born to mothers with lower stress and found marked differences in patterns that may be associated with asthma risk later in life.

In search of key blue ingredient in ancient Egyptian pottery Posted: 19 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT As one of the "generic geologists" on a dig called the Dakhleh Oasis Project, associate professor Jennifer Smith was asked to sample the alum from ancient mines and to determine whether it could be the source of the blue in the "blue painted pottery" found at sites dating from the New Kingdom. It was a small question but an intriguing one.

Young men and elderly women at biggest risk for shoulder dislocations Posted: 19 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body and consequently one of the most commonly dislocated joints.

Cows like leaves their tongues can wrap around easily Posted: 19 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT Lots of leaves growing in easy reach of a cow's tongue means less time and less land needed to raise beef cattle.

Some bullies are just the shy type: New research shows a darker side to social anxiety disorder Posted: 19 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT When you think of people suffering from social anxiety, you probably characterize them as shy, inhibited and submissive. However, new research from psychologists suggests that there is a subset of socially anxious people who act out in aggressive, risky ways -- and that their behavior patterns are often misunderstood.

Songbirds yield insight into speech production Posted: 19 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT With the help of a little singing bird, physicists are gaining insight into how the human brain functions, which may lead to a better understanding of complex vocal behavior, human speech production and ultimately, speech disorders and related diseases.

Women with swine flu 13 times more likely to suffer critical illness if they are pregnant, study finds Posted: 19 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Pregnant women in Australia and New Zealand who had swine flu were 13 times more likely to be admitted to hospital with a critical illness, according to new research.

Stem cells used to model infant birth defect Posted: 19 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Researchers recently discovered that infantile hemangiomas originate from stem cells, and have used these stem cells to better understand this tumor in the laboratory. They show that steroids target hemangioma stem cells specifically, reveal their mechanism of their action and suggest other possible ways to halt and shrink hemangiomas.

Tool to measure severity of chronic graft-vs.-host disease symptoms Posted: 19 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new assessment tool to measure the severity of symptoms that can complicate stem cell transplantation. The tool assesses symptoms resulting from chronic graft-vs.-host disease (cGVHD).

Supermarket lighting enhances nutrient level of fresh spinach Posted: 19 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Far from being a food spoiler, the fluorescent lighting in supermarkets actually can boost the nutritional value of fresh spinach, scientists are reporting. The finding could lead to improved ways of preserving and enhancing the nutritional value of spinach and perhaps other veggies, they suggest.

Environment may impact apes' ability to understand declarative communication, study suggests Posted: 19 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Bonobos and chimpanzees that had been reared in socio-linguistically rich environments (i.e., lots of opportunities for complex communicative interactions with humans) performed significantly better in the pointing, vocalizing, and pointing-and-vocalizing conditions of an object-choice task than did chimpanzees that had been reared in standard laboratory settings. These results indicate that apes may have the potential for understanding declarative communication and this potential may be achieved in specific environments.

'Flying vaccinator': Can genetically engineered mosquitoes provide a new strategy against malaria? Posted: 19 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT Mosquitoes transmit infectious diseases to millions of people every year, including malaria for which there is no effective vaccine. New research reveals that mosquito genetic engineering may turn the transmitter into a natural "flying vaccinator," providing a new strategy for biological control over the disease.

Light twists rigid structures in unexpected nanotech finding Posted: 19 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT In findings that took the experimenters three years to believe, engineers have demonstrated that light itself can twist ribbons of nanoparticles.

Extreme obesity affecting more children at younger ages Posted: 19 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT Extreme obesity is affecting more children at younger ages, with 12 percent of black teenage girls, 11.2 percent of Hispanic teenage boys, 7.3 percent of boys and 5.5 percent of girls now classified as extremely obese, according to a study of 710,949 children and teens.

Mineral studies advance antibacterial alternatives Posted: 19 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT Alternative approaches to medicine are stock-in-trade in the Arizona State University laboratory of microbiologist Shelley Haydel. So when ASU senior Jenny Koehl joined Haydel's investigative team seeking firsthand knowledge of how basic research is done, how drugs are tested and potential cures produced, she found it and much more.

Feeling lonely adds to rate of blood pressure increase in people 50 years old and older Posted: 19 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT Chronic feelings of loneliness take a toll on blood pressure over time, causing a marked increase after four years. A new study shows, for the first time, a direct relation between loneliness and larger increases in blood pressure four years later -- a link that is independent of age and other factors that could cause blood pressure to rise, including body-mass index, smoking, alcohol use and demographic differences such as race and income.

Students discover new species of raptor dinosaur in Inner Mongolia Posted: 19 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT A new species of dinosaur, a relative of the famous Velociraptor, has been discovered in Inner Mongolia by two Ph.D. students. The exceptionally well preserved dinosaur, named Linheraptor exquisitus, is the first near complete skeleton of its kind to be found in the Gobi desert since 1972, and will help scientists work out the appearance of other closely related dinosaur species.

Designer nanomaterials on demand: Scientists report universal method for creating nanoscale composites Posted: 18 Mar 2010 09:00 PM PDT Researchers have developed a universal method by which designer nanomaterials can be created on demand. This scheme can be used to create materials for battery electrodes, photovoltaics and electronic data storage among a great many other possible applications.

Causes found for stiff skin conditions Posted: 18 Mar 2010 09:00 PM PDT By studying the genetics of a rare inherited disorder called stiff skin syndrome, researchers have learned more about scleroderma, a condition affecting about one in 5,000 people that leads to hardening of the skin as well as other debilitating and often life-threatening problems. The findings, which appear this week in Science Translational Medicine, open doors to testing new treatments.

Brain Waves and Mediation Posted: 18 Mar 2010 09:00 PM PDT We all know that mediation helps relax people, but what exactly happens in the brain during mediation? A new study suggests that nondirective meditation yields more marked changes in electrical brain wave activity associated with wakeful, relaxed attention than just resting without any specific mental technique.

Molecular brake for the bacterial flagellar nano-motor Posted: 18 Mar 2010 09:00 PM PDT Researchers have now discovered that Escherichia coli bacteria harness a sophisticated chemosensory and signal transduction machinery that allows them to accurately control motor rotation, thereby adjusting their swimming velocity in response to changing environments. The research may foster the development of novel strategies to fight persistent infections.

Stem Cell Networks in Zebrafish Posted: 18 Mar 2010 09:00 PM PDT Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) have invaluable potential for regenerative medicine. Scientists are only just beginning to understand the diverse developmental possibilities ("pluripotency") of ES cells. The Pou5f1/Oct4 protein is one of the most important stem cell factors. However, in contrast to Pou5f1/Oct4 itself, little is known about the structure and function of the regulatory network it controls.

Ability to tolerate enemies influences coevolution Posted: 18 Mar 2010 09:00 PM PDT Stay and fight, or flee? These are usually the alternatives facing a victim when it is attacked by an enemy. Two researchers have now collected and discussed various examples from the animal world where the victim makes use of another possibility.

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