Sunday, March 28, 2010

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Individual light atoms, such as carbon and oxygen, identified with new microscope

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Using the latest in aberration-corrected electron microscopy, researchers have obtained the first images that distinguish individual light atoms such as boron, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen.

Possible new treatment for pancreatic cancer?

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT

A new technique will deliver cancer treatments directly to certain tumors. One of the cancers this could have particular benefit in targeting is pancreatic cancer, which is currently very difficult to treat.

Rodeo bull goes head-to-head with zoo dolphins in a study of balance

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Dolphins, whales and porpoises have extraordinarily small balance organs, and scientists have long wondered why. Now a study has contradicted a leading theory, which held that the animals moved their heads so vigorously that they had to have smaller, less responsive balance organs to avoid overwhelming their senses.

New animal model developed to study craniofacial pain by manipulating genes

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Using a novel animal model to study craniofacial pain, researchers have discovered that when tissues are inflamed, the nerve cells carrying pain information from the head to the brain produce in large quantities a protein involved in pain signaling.

Structure of insulin's docking point identified

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Scientists have determined the structure of a previously unseen part of the insulin receptor, making possible new treatments for diabetes.

Motherhood appears to protect against suicide, study finds

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Motherhood appears to protect against suicide, with increasing numbers of children associated with decreasing rates of death from suicide, found a new article.

Colonies of bacteria fight for resources with lethal protein

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT

Rival colonies of bacteria can produce a lethal chemical that keeps competitors at bay, scientists report this week. By halting the growth of nearby colonies and even killing some of the cells, groups of bacteria preserve scarce resources for themselves, even when the encroaching colony is closely related.

When memory-related neurons fire in sync with certain brain waves, memories last

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT

They say there's only one chance to make a first impression, but what makes that memory last? Research scientists now suggest that when memory-related neurons in the brain fire in sync with certain brain waves, the resulting image recognition and memories are stronger than if this synchronization does not occur.

Zebrafish study with human heart implications: Cellular grown-ups outperform stem cells in cardiac repair

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT

Bony fish like the tiny zebrafish have a remarkable ability that mammals can only dream of: if you lop off a chunk of their heart they swim sluggishly for a few days but within a month appear perfectly normal. How they accomplish this -- or, more importantly, why we can't -- is one of the significant questions in regenerative medicine today.

New studies on surgical options in inherited breast cancer show drastic treatment is not always best

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT

Two new studies shed light on the treatment options facing women carrying the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations. Researchers found that prophylactic mastectomy does not improve disease-free or overall survival, and the first multi-institutional systematic comparison of treatment outcomes from breast conserving therapy versus mastectomy found more recurrences in the breast with BCT compared to recurrences at the chest wall following mastectomy, but similar rates of recurrence when BCT patients also received chemotherapy.

Made easy with light: How lasers can make manufacturing structures out of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics efficient

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT

Lightweight, sturdy and non-corrosive: fiber-reinforced thermoplastics are an ideal material for making boats and cars, and for aerospace engineering. But up to now, processing the raw materials was considered laborious and costly. Researchers have now demonstrated how lasers can make the manufacturing of structures out of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics efficient, clean, reliable and automatic.

Hand and feet massages provide consolation for bereaved relatives

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 08:00 AM PDT

Receiving soothing massages for eight weeks after the death of a loved one can provide much-needed consolation during an intense, stressful period of grieving. Eighteen people, aged from 34-78, who had lost a relative to cancer took part in the study. They all said the massages provided consolation, helping them to balance the need to grieve and the need to adapt to life after the loss of their relative.

Cyclone Oli deals major blow to French Polynesia's coral reefs

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT

On February 3-4, 2010, tropical cyclone Oli hit western French Polynesia. Scientists were soon to discover the extent of the damage: the coral reef, which had already been made vulnerable by the invasion of a starfish that is a coral predator, had been almost completely destroyed.

Kidney disease hides in people with undiagnosed diabetes

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT

Millions of Americans may have chronic kidney disease and not know it, according to a new study.

In search of the magnetic monopole: Large Hadron Collider experiment could rewrite laws of physics

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT

An experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN could dramatically change our concepts of basic physics, revolutionize our understanding of the universe and could eventually lead to technologies in future generations that right now only exist in science fiction. Physicists will use ultra high energy proton collisions in search for a hypothetical particle -- the magnetic monopole.

Survival in metastatic breast cancer patients is improving: targeted therapies have contributed

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT

Survival is improving in patients with metastatic breast cancer, especially in those patients whose tumors are described as being HER2 positive, according to new research. Median survival times for five-year intervals of 557 metastatic breast cancer patients increased steadily, from 10 months for the 1985 to 1990 period, to 22 months for the 2000 to 2004 period. The researchers attribute this to the advent of targeted treatment.

Cheap and green: Spin-off to revolutionize sustainable energy

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT

A new spin-off company from The University of Nottingham is aiming to prove that one new form of green energy could be in widespread use within 15 years and at a fraction of the cost of its nearest competitor.

Widely used screening scale may misidentify borderline personality disorder as bipolar disorder

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 02:00 AM PDT

A widely-used screening tool for bipolar disorder may incorrectly indicate borderline personality disorder rather than bipolar disorder. Researchers question the effectiveness of the Mood Disorder Questionnaire.

Nanosatellite To Clear Dangerous Debris From Space

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 09:00 PM PDT

New UK technology is set to play a major part in clearing dangerous clouds of debris hurtling around the Earth's lower orbit. Scientists have devised a miniature satellite or nanosatellite fitted with a solar sail. "CubeSail" is a device which can be fitted to satellites or launch vehicle upper stages that are sent into orbit and then can be deployed to successfully de-orbit equipment that has reached the end of its mission.

Aquatic ecosystems threatened by the size of non-native fish

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 09:00 PM PDT

Fish introduced into rivers by human intervention over the past 150 years have modified the average body size of fish assemblages in many areas of the world. A new study shows that non-native fish are larger than native species by an average of 12 cm.

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