ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• New bird fossil hints at more undiscovered Chinese treasures
• Anesthesia increases risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in patients with genetic predisposition, study suggests
• Bathing and showering: Under-appreciated sources of water pollution from medicines
• 'Doublesex' gene key to determining fruit fly gender
• Pesticide chlorpyrifos linked to childhood developmental delays
• Teenagers programmed to take risks
• Plant breeding breakthrough: Offspring with genes from only one parent
• New findings about how cells achieve eternal life
• Guinea pigs not 'dumbed down' by domestication
• Versatility of optogenetics brain-research technique vastly expanded
• Process in big-screen plasma TVs can produce ultra-clean fuel
• Fertility industry offers big money to recruit egg donors with high SAT scores
• New CO₂ 'scrubber' from ingredient in hair conditioners
• Vaccine could delay bowel inflammation and colon cancer
• Summers were wetter in the Middle Ages than they are today
• Diabetes at epidemic proportions in China, study suggests
• On the road to 'sweet' tires made with a more sustainable process
• Study connects workplace turmoil, stress and obesity
• Emotions key to judging others: New piece to puzzle of how human brain constructs morality from study of harmful intent
• New way to attack TB
• Dormant microbes promote diversity, serve environment
• Virtual colonoscopy allows detection of unsuspected cancers beyond colon
• Biofuel mandates would make corn shortfall costly, experts say
• New scale for measuring addiction to work
• Even soil feels the heat: Soils release more carbon dioxide as globe warms
• How weight-loss surgery reverses type 2 diabetes: New study offers explanation
• Pure maple syrup contains medicinally beneficial compounds, pharmacy researcher finds
• Bailout stenting successful treatment for infants with constricted aortas
• Scientists are helping rice farmers in Uruguay stop polluting their waterways
• Healthy food makes consumers feel hungrier when choices are limited
• Great apes know they could be wrong, research suggests
• Newly discovered gene explains mouse embryonic stem cell immortality
• Stretchable electronics device holds promise for treating irregular heart rhythms
• Comprehensive screening test for falling risk developed
• Increasingly threatened loggerheads follow their own paths in travel, eating
• People are living longer and healthier: Now what?
• Researchers create 'handshaking' particles
• Traumatic brain injury causes loss of smell and taste
• Why many surveys of distant galaxies miss 90 percent of their targets
• Scientists in hot pursuit of first new drug for global killer in 50 years
• Warmer summers could create challenges for nesting Arctic seabirds
• Cyber wars
• Pulling power points the way to world's strongest insect -- a dung beetle
• Leptin therapy in animal models shows promise for type 1 diabetes
• New Hubble treasury project to survey first third of cosmic time
• Hair dye and smoking linked to progressive liver disease
• Hard plastics decompose in oceans, releasing endocrine disruptor BPA
• Optimism boosts the immune system

New bird fossil hints at more undiscovered Chinese treasures Posted: 25 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT The study of Mesozoic birds and the dinosaur-bird transition is one of the most exciting and vigorous fields in vertebrate paleontology today. A newly described bird from the Jehol Biota of northeast China suggests that scientists have only tapped a small proportion of the birds and dinosaurs that were living at that time, and that the rocks still have many secrets to reveal.

Anesthesia increases risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in patients with genetic predisposition, study suggests Posted: 25 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT The use of repetitive anesthesia with isoflurane (one of the most common anesthetics by inhalation) increases the risk of developing changes similar to those observed in AD brains in mice with mutations of the amyloid precursor protein.

Bathing and showering: Under-appreciated sources of water pollution from medicines Posted: 25 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT That bracing morning shower and soothing bedtime soak in the tub are potentially important but until now unrecognized sources of the hormones, antibiotics, and other pharmaceuticals that pollute the environment, scientists have reported.

'Doublesex' gene key to determining fruit fly gender Posted: 25 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT The brains of males and females, and how they use them, may be far more different than previously thought, at least in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, according to new research.

Pesticide chlorpyrifos linked to childhood developmental delays Posted: 25 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT Exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos -- which is banned for use in US households but is still widely used throughout the agricultural industry -- is associated with early childhood developmental delays.

Teenagers programmed to take risks Posted: 25 Mar 2010 11:00 AM PDT Risk-taking peaks in adolescence, according to scientists in the UK. In a new study, children, adolescents and adults aged 9-35 years chose between risky and safe options in a computer gambling game. Scientists found that the teenagers took the most risks compared with the other groups, with the most risky behaviour seen in 14-year olds.

Plant breeding breakthrough: Offspring with genes from only one parent Posted: 25 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT A reliable method for producing plants that carry genetic material from only one of their parents has been discovered by plant biologists. The technique could dramatically speed up the breeding of crop plants for desirable traits.

New findings about how cells achieve eternal life Posted: 25 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT Researchers can now show that cells that grow forever get this capacity through gradual changes in the expression of genes that govern the repair of DNA damage and regulate growth and cell death. The research also shows that activation of the enzyme complex telomerase, which is necessary for unlimited growth, occurs late in this process.

Guinea pigs not 'dumbed down' by domestication Posted: 25 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT Despite reductions in brain size, domestication has not reduced the ability of guinea pigs to navigate a water maze. Researchers tested domesticated and wild animals ("cavies") and found that they both performed well at the test, with the domestic animals actually being slightly superior.

Versatility of optogenetics brain-research technique vastly expanded Posted: 25 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT Recently, brain researchers have gained a powerful new way to troubleshoot neural circuits associated with depression, Parkinson's disease and other conditions in small animals such as rats. They use an optogenetics technology that precisely turns select brain cells on or off with flashes of light. Although useful, the optogenetics tool set has been limited. Researchers have now developed major advances that will enable a much wider range of experiments in larger animals.

Process in big-screen plasma TVs can produce ultra-clean fuel Posted: 25 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT The process that lights up big-screen plasma TV displays is getting a new life in producing ultra-clean fuels, according to a new report. It describes a small, low-tech, inexpensive device called a GlidArc reactor that uses electrically-charged clouds of gas called "plasmas" to produce in three steps super-clean fuels from waste materials.

Fertility industry offers big money to recruit egg donors with high SAT scores Posted: 25 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT Many egg donation agencies and private couples routinely exceed compensation recommendation limits for potential donors, a new study finds. From a sample of over 300 college newspapers, findings reveal that almost one-quarter of advertisements offered payment in excess of $10,000, a violation of guidelines issued by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

New CO<sub>2</sub> 'scrubber' from ingredient in hair conditioners Posted: 25 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PDT In an effort to fight global warming, scientists in New York are reporting the first use of a new chemical approach that has the potential to remove 90 percent of carbon dioxide from the flue gas from coal-burning power plants. The new "scrubber" is more efficient and less expensive than current technologies, the scientists say.

Vaccine could delay bowel inflammation and colon cancer Posted: 25 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PDT An experimental vaccine against an abnormal protein found in some tumors has the potential to delay the onset of inflammatory bowel disease and in turn prevent progression to colon cancer, according to researchers.

Summers were wetter in the Middle Ages than they are today Posted: 25 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PDT The annual growth rings of oak trees provide researchers with information on summer droughts from late medieval times to the present.

Diabetes at epidemic proportions in China, study suggests Posted: 25 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PDT A large population-based study of diabetes in China has concluded that the disease has reached epidemic proportions in the adult population of China.

On the road to 'sweet' tires made with a more sustainable process Posted: 25 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PDT Motorists will be driving on the world's first "green" tires within the next five years, scientists have predicted, thanks to a revolutionary new technology that produces a key tire ingredient from renewable feedstocks rather than petroleum-derived feedstocks.

Study connects workplace turmoil, stress and obesity Posted: 25 Mar 2010 05:00 AM PDT A new study that provides a snapshot of a typical American workplace observed that chronic job stress and lack of physical activity are strongly associated with being overweight or obese. Researchers also found that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables did little to offset the effect of chronic job stress on weight gain among the employees, who were mostly sedentary. Instead, exercise seemed to be the key to managing stress and keeping a healthy weight.

Emotions key to judging others: New piece to puzzle of how human brain constructs morality from study of harmful intent Posted: 25 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT A new study by neuroscientists suggests that our ability to respond appropriately to intended harms -- that is, with outrage toward the perpetrator -- is seated in a brain region associated with regulating emotions.

New way to attack TB Posted: 25 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT Suspecting that a particular protein in tuberculosis was likely to be vital to the bacteria's survival, scientists screened 175,000 small chemical compounds and identified a potent class of compounds that selectively slows down this protein's activity and, in a test tube, blocks TB growth, demonstrating that the protein is indeed a vulnerable target.

Dormant microbes promote diversity, serve environment Posted: 25 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT Scientists have developed a mathematical model and molecular tools to study how dormancy affects the biodiversity of natural microbial communities, especially in lakes.

Virtual colonoscopy allows detection of unsuspected cancers beyond colon Posted: 25 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT A new, large-scale study of more than 10,000 adults found that more than one in every 200 asymptomatic people screened with CT colonography, or virtual colonoscopy, had clinically unsuspected malignant cancer and more than half of the cancers were located outside the colon.

Biofuel mandates would make corn shortfall costly, experts say Posted: 25 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT Grocery shoppers face hefty price increases if bad weather withers a US corn crop that is now tethered to grain-intensive renewable fuel mandates, a new study warns.

New scale for measuring addiction to work Posted: 25 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have proven the usefulness of DUWAS, a new scale for measuring addiction to work, a disorder that affects around 12 percent of all working people in Spain. The experts say that 8 percent of the working population in Spain devotes more than 12 hours per day to their job.

Even soil feels the heat: Soils release more carbon dioxide as globe warms Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PDT Twenty years of field studies reveal that as the Earth has gotten warmer, plants and microbes in the soil have given off more carbon dioxide. So-called soil respiration has increased about one-tenth of 1 percent per year since 1989, according to an analysis of past studies.

How weight-loss surgery reverses type 2 diabetes: New study offers explanation Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have shown for the first time that a surgical procedure in rats that is similar to bariatric surgery in humans can delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. The researchers also have identified biochemical changes caused by the surgeries that may be responsible for that delay.

Pure maple syrup contains medicinally beneficial compounds, pharmacy researcher finds Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PDT An expert in medicinal plant research has found more than 20 compounds in maple syrup from Canada that have been linked to human health, 13 of which are newly discovered in maple syrup. In addition, eight of the compounds have been found in the Acer (maple) family for the first time.

Bailout stenting successful treatment for infants with constricted aortas Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PDT Cardiac interventionalists and surgeons have achieved successful stent implantation and follow-up coarctectomy in premature infants suffering from aortic coarctation.

Scientists are helping rice farmers in Uruguay stop polluting their waterways Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PDT Scientists are helping rice farmers in Uruguay stop polluting their waterways -- including drinking-water sources and a globally valuable nature reserve.

Healthy food makes consumers feel hungrier when choices are limited Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:00 PM PDT If we don't have a choice in the matter, eating something that's considered healthy might simply lead us to feel hungry and eat something else, according to a new study.

Great apes know they could be wrong, research suggests Posted: 24 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PDT Great apes -- orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas -- realize that they can be wrong when making choices, according to new research.

Newly discovered gene explains mouse embryonic stem cell immortality Posted: 24 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a key to embryonic stem cell rejuvenation in a gene -- Zscan4. This breakthrough finding could have major implications for aging research, stem cell biology, regenerative medicine and cancer biology.

Stretchable electronics device holds promise for treating irregular heart rhythms Posted: 24 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PDT The electronics can bend, stretch and twist. Now the flexible and stretchable electronics can map waves of electrical activity in the heart with better resolution and speed than that of conventional cardiac monitoring technology. Researchers from three institutions are the first to demonstrate a flexible silicon electronics device used for a medical application. The thin device produced high-density maps of a beating heart's electrical activity, providing potential means to localize and treat abnormal heart rhythms.

Comprehensive screening test for falling risk developed Posted: 24 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PDT A new study has found that falls are not just a problem for older adults. Researchers have found that people in their 20s and 30s have significant issues affecting their balance, indicating an increased risk for falling. A researcher has now developed a screening test that could quickly diagnose an individual's risk of falling at any age.

Increasingly threatened loggerheads follow their own paths in travel, eating Posted: 24 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PDT With loggerhead sea turtle nests in dramatic decline, researchers would love to know more about where the turtles go, and what they eat, so they can better protect the creatures' habitat.

People are living longer and healthier: Now what? Posted: 24 Mar 2010 08:00 PM PDT People in developed nations are living in good health as much as a decade longer than their parents did, not because aging has been slowed or reversed, but because they are staying healthy to a more advanced age.

Researchers create 'handshaking' particles Posted: 24 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT Physicists have created "handshaking" particles that link together based on their shape rather than randomly. Their work marks the first time scientists have succeeded in "programming" particles to join in this manner and offers a type of architecture that could enhance the creation of synthetic materials.

Traumatic brain injury causes loss of smell and taste Posted: 24 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT The ability to taste and smell can be lost or impaired after a head injury, according to a new study. The research established that mild to severe traumatic brain injury could cause olfactory loss.

Why many surveys of distant galaxies miss 90 percent of their targets Posted: 24 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT Astronomers have long known that in many surveys of the very distant Universe, a large fraction of the total intrinsic light was not being observed. Now, thanks to an extremely deep survey using two of the four giant 8.2-m telescopes that make up ESO's Very Large Telescope and a unique custom-built filter, astronomers have determined that a large fraction of galaxies whose light took 10 billion years to reach us have gone undiscovered.

Scientists in hot pursuit of first new drug for global killer in 50 years Posted: 24 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT This World TB Day, researchers in Australia have announced they have made an important discovery that could lead to the first new drug for tuberculosis in almost 50 years. The scientists are looking at the genetics of TB in the hope they will reveal a way to reduce the impact of one of the deadliest diseases in the world.

Warmer summers could create challenges for nesting Arctic seabirds Posted: 24 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT In tropical regions, seabird deaths are often due to introduced predators, ecto-parasites or fishery collapse. In the Arctic, however, causes of bird deaths are a bit unusual. For example, birds can crash into each other or cliffs during heavy fogs, they can be smashed into the water by Katabatic winds, or they can die in rock slides. Three northern biologists suggest that warmer temperatures could also create survival challenges for nesting Arctic seabirds.

Cyber wars Posted: 24 Mar 2010 05:00 PM PDT As cyberspace has become the arena for political activism, governments are growing more sophisticated in controlling free expression online -- from surveillance to filtering. And it's now becoming harder than ever for human rights activists to outwit the authorities.

Pulling power points the way to world's strongest insect -- a dung beetle Posted: 24 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Following months of grueling tests and trials, scientists now reveal the world's strongest insect to be a species of dung beetle called Onthophagus taurus.

Leptin therapy in animal models shows promise for type 1 diabetes Posted: 24 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Using leptin alone in place of standard insulin therapy shows promise in abating symptoms of type 1 diabetes, researchers report.

New Hubble treasury project to survey first third of cosmic time Posted: 24 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Astronomers will peer deep into the universe in five directions to document the early history of star formation and galaxy evolution in an ambitious new project requiring an unprecedented amount of time on the Hubble Space Telescope.

Hair dye and smoking linked to progressive liver disease Posted: 24 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Hair dye and smoking both increase the risk of progressive liver disease, suggests new research. Primary biliary cirrhosis, which is an early form of liver cirrhosis, is a long term progressive autoimmune disease, in which environmental factors are thought to play a part.

Hard plastics decompose in oceans, releasing endocrine disruptor BPA Posted: 24 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists have reported widespread global contamination of sea sand and sea water with the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) and said that the BPA probably originated from a surprising source: Hard plastic trash discarded in the oceans and the epoxy plastic paint used to seal the hulls of ships.

Optimism boosts the immune system Posted: 24 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT Feeling better about the future might help you feel better for real. In a new study, psychological scientists studied how law students' expectations about the future affected their immune response. Their conclusions: optimism may be good for your health.

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