ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Seeing a bionic eye on medicine's horizon
• Chicken antibodies may help prevent H5N1 pandemic
• Alternative turfgrasses show potential for use on golf course fairways
• Vitamin K may protect against developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, say Mayo Clinic researchers
• Laser adds extra dimension to lab-on-chip
• Being naughty or nice may boost willpower, physical endurance
• Global temperatures push March 2010 to hottest March on record
• Body mass index gain throughout adulthood may increase risk of postmenopausal breast cancer
• Carbon nanotubes boost cancer-fighting cells
• Promoting recovery from effects of severe allergic reaction
• To sleep or not to sleep? Math software to help plan astronaut, shift worker schedules
• Why do grotesque fashion ads lure consumers?
• Mystery solved: Why nebulae around massive stars don't disappear
• Increased EGFR levels may be an early marker of breast cancer
• New species of bacterium found in Swedish fjord
• Guillain-Barré Syndrome cases low after 2009 H1N1 vaccine
• Designer threads: New insight into protein fiber assembly
• African-American babies and boys least likely to be adopted, study shows
• Long polymer chains dance the conga: new model of motion of molecules that give cells structure
• New methods identify thousands of new DNA sequences missing from the human genome reference map
• Small molecules mimicking key brain growth factor identified
• 'Vicious circle' offers new acute leukemia treatment target
• Sharing the load: Individual fibrin fibers distribute strain across a network in blood clots
• Uncommon eye injury in autistic children has common cause
• Giant sequoias yield longest fire history from tree rings
• Too much insulin a bad thing for the heart?
• Graphene: What projections and humps can be good for
• First-in-class drug tested in patients with advanced cancer; targets stem-like properties of certain cancer cells
• New material for more ecological, efficient and economic refrigeration systems
• One in ten drinkers plan on consuming more than 40 units of alcohol in a single evening
• How ancient flowering plants grew: Early angiosperms were weedy, fast-growing
• Artificial light at night disrupts cell division, research shows
• Chemotherapy plus synthetic compound provides potent anti-tumor effect in pancreatic cancers
• Amount of physical activity needed to prevent long-term weight gain
• Chemical cocktail affects humans and the environment
• Biofeedback more effective than EGS and massage for chronic rectal pain, study finds
• Dusty experiments aim to solve interstellar water mystery
• Children's cognitive ability can be affected by mother's exposure to urban air pollutants
• Two NASA Satellites Capture Eyjafjallajokull's Ash Plume
• Researchers identify the source of 'noise' in HIV
• US needs new national strategy for era of cyber aggression, researchers urge
• Contraband could hide in plain sight, research shows
• Bone-eating worms 30 million years old
• Remarkable effects of fat loss on the immune system
• Promising new drug target for Alzheimer's disease
• Blood test identifies people at risk for heart attack that other tests miss
• Artificial human skin with biomechanical properties created using tissue engineering
• Psychotropic medications overprescribed to children, study suggests

Seeing a bionic eye on medicine's horizon Posted: 21 Apr 2010 11:00 AM PDT Scientists have foundational research that may give sight to blind eyes, merging retinal nerves with electrodes to stimulate cell growth. Successful so far in animal models, this research may one day lay the groundwork for retinal implants in people.

Chicken antibodies may help prevent H5N1 pandemic Posted: 21 Apr 2010 11:00 AM PDT Scientists have discovered for the first time that antibodies in common eggs laid by hens vaccinated against the H5N1 virus can potentially prevent a possible H5N1 pandemic, raising the possibility that the same principle could be applied to the current H1N1 influenza pandemic.

Alternative turfgrasses show potential for use on golf course fairways Posted: 21 Apr 2010 11:00 AM PDT Burgeoning restrictions on water use, fertilization, and pesticide application are becoming important considerations in golf course design and management. Other factors, including increasing energy costs, human health concerns, and environmental awareness are also prompting turfgrass managers to consider the use of alternative turfgrasses as a lower input, sustainable maintenance practice. Researchers identified four alternative turfgrass species -- two bentgrasses and two fescues -- as promising for use as low-input fairways.

Vitamin K may protect against developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, say Mayo Clinic researchers Posted: 21 Apr 2010 11:00 AM PDT In the first study of vitamin K and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma risk, researchers have found that people who have higher intakes of vitamin K from their diet have a lower risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system and is the most common hematologic malignancy in the United States.

Laser adds extra dimension to lab-on-chip Posted: 21 Apr 2010 11:00 AM PDT A European research project has shown how to build optical sensors directly into the structure of labs-on-chips. The breakthrough paves the way for on-the-spot medical diagnostics.

Being naughty or nice may boost willpower, physical endurance Posted: 21 Apr 2010 11:00 AM PDT Moral actions may increase our capacity for willpower and physical endurance. Study participants who did good deeds -- or even just imagined themselves helping others -- were better able to perform a subsequent task of physical endurance.

Global temperatures push March 2010 to hottest March on record Posted: 21 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT The world's combined global land and ocean surface temperature made last month the warmest March on record. Taken separately, average ocean temperatures were the warmest for any March and the global land surface was the fourth warmest for any March on record. Additionally, the planet has seen the fourth warmest January -- March period on record.

Body mass index gain throughout adulthood may increase risk of postmenopausal breast cancer Posted: 21 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT Reported mid-life increase in body mass index (BMI) may lead to substantially higher risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, according to results of a prospective cohort study.

Carbon nanotubes boost cancer-fighting cells Posted: 21 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT Engineers have found that the defects in carbon nanotubes cause T cell antigens to cluster in the blood and stimulate the body's natural immune response. Their findings could improve current adoptive immunotherapy, a treatment used to boost the body's ability to fight cancer.

Promoting recovery from effects of severe allergic reaction Posted: 21 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT One of the life-threatening consequences of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that affects the function of multiple organ systems, is the widening of blood vessels that leads to a dramatic drop in blood pressure. New research in mice, has determined that drugs that trigger the protein S1PR2 might counteract the widening of blood vessels associated with anaphylaxis, thereby promoting recovery.

To sleep or not to sleep? Math software to help plan astronaut, shift worker schedules Posted: 21 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT Sleep. Humans need it in order to perform well on the job, in space and on the ground. Space researchers have developed software that uses mathematical models to help astronauts better adjust to shifting work and sleep schedules. On Earth, the software could help people who do shift or night work or who experience jet lag due to travel across time zones.

Why do grotesque fashion ads lure consumers? Posted: 21 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT Women's fashion magazines are chock full of ads, some featuring bizarre and grotesque images. According to a new study these ads are effective at grabbing consumers' attention.

Mystery solved: Why nebulae around massive stars don't disappear Posted: 21 Apr 2010 05:00 AM PDT The birth of the most massive stars -- those ten to a hundred times the mass of the Sun -- has posed an astrophysical riddle for decades. Massive stars are dense enough to fuse hydrogen while they're still gathering material from the gas cloud, so it was a mystery why their brilliant radiation does not heat the infalling gas and blow it away. New simulations show that as the gas cloud surrounding a massive star collapses, it forms dense filamentary structures that absorb the star's radiation when it passes through them. This makes heated nebulae flicker like a candle flame.

Increased EGFR levels may be an early marker of breast cancer Posted: 21 Apr 2010 05:00 AM PDT Levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) may be elevated in the blood of women within 17 months prior to their breast cancer diagnosis, according to new findings.

New species of bacterium found in Swedish fjord Posted: 21 Apr 2010 05:00 AM PDT Researchers in Sweden have discovered a brand new species of bacterium found only in the Gullmarsfjord north of Gothenburg. The bacterium has been named Endoxenoturbella lovénii, an endosymbiotic prokaryote living in the gut of a marine worm called Xenoturbella, a creature also unique to the Gullmarsfjord.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome cases low after 2009 H1N1 vaccine Posted: 21 Apr 2010 05:00 AM PDT A new study finds that reports of a neurologic disease called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) have been low after 2009 H1N1 vaccination.

Designer threads: New insight into protein fiber assembly Posted: 21 Apr 2010 05:00 AM PDT Understanding how mixtures of proteins assemble and how to manipulate them in the laboratory has many exciting biomedical applications, such as providing scaffolds for the engineering of tissues that can replace diseased or damaged human tissues. Now, research reveals new information about the kinetics of protein assembly and demonstrates how to manipulate conditions in order to provide different distributions of protein fiber lengths.

African-American babies and boys least likely to be adopted, study shows Posted: 21 Apr 2010 05:00 AM PDT Parents pursuing adoption within the United States have strong preferences regarding the types of babies they will apply for, tending to choose non-African-American girls, and favoring babies who are close to being born as opposed to those who have already been born or who are early in gestation. These preferences are significant and can be quantified in terms of the amount of money the potential adoptive parents are willing to pay in finalizing their adoption.

Long polymer chains dance the conga: new model of motion of molecules that give cells structure Posted: 21 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated a new model for the motion of actin filaments, the molecules that give a cell its structure. Researchers have long assumed that actin filaments could move anywhere within a confined cylinder of space, like a snake slithering through a pipe. However, this study shows that a filament moves more like a conga line on a crowded dance floor: sometimes it's a tight squeeze.

New methods identify thousands of new DNA sequences missing from the human genome reference map Posted: 21 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT New approaches enabled researchers to discover 2,363 new DNA sequences on the human genome. The sequences represent areas not charted in the human genome reference map. The extent of human genetic variation suggested to the scientist that there must be portions of the human genome where DNA sequences had yet to be discovered, annotated and characterized.

Small molecules mimicking key brain growth factor identified Posted: 21 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have identified several small molecules that mimic a key but cumbersome protein in the brain, a discovery that could open the door to new therapies for a variety of brain disorders. The protein, designated by the acronym BDNF, is known to be involved in important brain functions that include memory and learning.

'Vicious circle' offers new acute leukemia treatment target Posted: 21 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a network of protein and microRNA molecules that, when imbalanced, contributes to abnormally high levels of a protein called KIT and favors the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The researchers therapeutically targeted this network in mice and forced the disease into remission. They believe that targeting this mechanism and reducing the amount of KIT protein will prove to be a more effective therapy for AML than the current standard of care.

Sharing the load: Individual fibrin fibers distribute strain across a network in blood clots Posted: 21 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT A new study shows that when it comes to networks of protein fibers, individual fibers play a substantial role in effectively strengthening an entire network of fibers in blood clots. The research describes a mechanism that explains how individual fibrin fibers subjected to significant strain can respond by stiffening to resist stretch and helping to equitably distribute the strain load across the network.

Uncommon eye injury in autistic children has common cause Posted: 21 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT The presence of metallic foreign bodies in the eye is an uncommon injury in children, so much so that two children with autism presenting with this injury led to detective work by two physicians that found the common cause. They discovered that therapeutic swings, commonly used for patients with autism-spectrum disorders, were shedding metallic particles directly into the eyes of the children.

Giant sequoias yield longest fire history from tree rings Posted: 20 Apr 2010 11:00 PM PDT A 3,000-year record from 52 of the world's oldest trees shows that California's western Sierra Nevada was droughty and often fiery from 800 to 1300, according to new research. Scientists reconstructed the region's history of fire by dating fire scars on ancient giant sequoia trees, Sequoiadendron giganteum, in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park. Individual giant sequoias can live more than 3,000 years and are considered the world's largest trees by volume.

Too much insulin a bad thing for the heart? Posted: 20 Apr 2010 11:00 PM PDT A team of researchers in Japan has generated data in mice that suggest that using insulin to treat diabetes could be harmful if the patient has chronic high blood pressure.

Graphene: What projections and humps can be good for Posted: 20 Apr 2010 11:00 PM PDT Scientists in Germany have investigated how a rough base affects the electronic properties of graphene. Their results suggest that it will soon be possible to control plasmons -- collective oscillations of electrons -- purposefully in graphene, by virtually establishing a lane composed of projections and humps.

First-in-class drug tested in patients with advanced cancer; targets stem-like properties of certain cancer cells Posted: 20 Apr 2010 11:00 PM PDT Researchers are working to develop a novel first-in-class cancer drug that works by targeting the stem-like properties of some cancer cells, and so far, results of an ongoing Phase I clinical trial demonstrate early signs of a strong safety profile and clinical activity.

New material for more ecological, efficient and economic refrigeration systems Posted: 20 Apr 2010 11:00 PM PDT Researchers in Spain and Germany have developed a new solid material that produces a caloric effect under hydrostatic pressure (solid-state barocaloric effect). The work was carried out using a high-pressure system. The research was inspired by guidelines in the Kyoto protocol on renewing current refrigeration systems based on the compression of harmful gases.

One in ten drinkers plan on consuming more than 40 units of alcohol in a single evening Posted: 20 Apr 2010 11:00 PM PDT Using measures of blood alcohol concentration, self-assessed and observer-assessed drunkenness, a study in the North West of England has confirmed the overwhelming prevalence of extreme alcohol consumption in UK nightlife. Researchers interviewed and "breathalyzed" revelers, finding that one in ten intended to drink more than 40 units by home time, with those using extended licensing hours having the most extreme alcoholic intentions.

How ancient flowering plants grew: Early angiosperms were weedy, fast-growing Posted: 20 Apr 2010 08:00 PM PDT Fossils of angiosperms first appear in the fossil record about 140 million years ago. Based on the material in which these fossils are deposited, early angiosperms must have been weedy, fast-growing shrubs and herbs found in highly disturbed riparian stream channels and crevasses. New research looks into whether aspects of a fossil plant's life history could be determined from its morphology -- could this technique corroborate the idea that these ancient plants were fast-growing species?

Artificial light at night disrupts cell division, research shows Posted: 20 Apr 2010 08:00 PM PDT Just one "pulse" of artificial light at night disrupts circadian cell division, reveals a new study.

Chemotherapy plus synthetic compound provides potent anti-tumor effect in pancreatic cancers Posted: 20 Apr 2010 08:00 PM PDT Human pancreatic cancer cells dramatically regress when treated with chemotherapy in combination with a synthetic compound that mimics the action of a naturally occurring "death-promoting" protein found in cells, researchers have found.

Amount of physical activity needed to prevent long-term weight gain Posted: 20 Apr 2010 08:00 PM PDT Among women consuming a usual diet, physical activity was associated with less weight gain over 13 years only among women of normal weight, according to a new study. The researchers also found that women successful in maintaining normal weight averaged approximately 60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity activity throughout the study.

Chemical cocktail affects humans and the environment Posted: 20 Apr 2010 08:00 PM PDT Throughout our lives we are exposed to an enormous range of man-made chemicals, from food, water, medicines, cosmetics, clothes, shoes and the air we breathe. At the request of the EU, researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have looked at the risk of "chemical cocktails" and have proposed a number of measures that need to be implemented in the current practice of chemical risk assessment.

Biofeedback more effective than EGS and massage for chronic rectal pain, study finds Posted: 20 Apr 2010 08:00 PM PDT Biofeedback is more effective than two other treatments for a type of chronic rectal pain called levator ani syndrome, according to a new study.

Dusty experiments aim to solve interstellar water mystery Posted: 20 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT Dust may be a nuisance around the house but it plays a vital role in the formation of the key ingredient for life on Earth -- water. A pioneering experiment aims to solve one of the mysteries of the interstellar space: "Where did all the water come from?"

Children's cognitive ability can be affected by mother's exposure to urban air pollutants Posted: 20 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT A European study shows that prenatal exposure to pollutants can adversely affect children's cognitive development at age 5, confirming previous findings from New York City. Researchers report that children exposed to high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Krakow, Poland had a significant reduction in scores on a standardized test of reasoning ability and intelligence at age 5.

Two NASA Satellites Capture Eyjafjallajokull's Ash Plume Posted: 20 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites fly around the world every day capturing images of weather, ice and land changes. Over the last three days these satellites have provided visible and infrared imagery of the ash plume from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland.

Researchers identify the source of 'noise' in HIV Posted: 20 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT New research identifies a molecular mechanism that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) appears to utilize for generating random fluctuations called "noise" in its gene expression. The study pinpoints the likely source of HIV gene-expression noise and provides intriguing insight into the role of this noise in driving HIV's fate decision between active replication and latency.

US needs new national strategy for era of cyber aggression, researchers urge Posted: 20 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT Deterrence won't work as a posture for protecting the United States from those who seek to use cyber aggression to damage the country. So says a new article, which suggests that to remain safe in cyberspace, the US must be much more prepared to go on the offensive.

Contraband could hide in plain sight, research shows Posted: 20 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT As airport security employees scan luggage for a large variety of banned items, they may miss a deadly box cutter if they find a water bottle first. According to new research, identifying an easy-to-spot prohibited item such as a water bottle may hinder the discovery of other, harder-to-spot items in the same scan.

Bone-eating worms 30 million years old Posted: 20 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists have found the first fossil boreholes of the worm, Osedax, that consumes whale bones on the deep-sea floor. They conclude that "boneworms" are at least 30 million years old.

Remarkable effects of fat loss on the immune system Posted: 20 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists have shown for the first time that even modest weight loss reverses many of the damaging changes often seen in the immune cells of obese people, particularly those with Type 2 diabetes.

Promising new drug target for Alzheimer's disease Posted: 20 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Researchers have identified a potential drug target for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a receptor that is embedded in the membrane of neurons and other cells. A protein fragment associated with Alzheimer's disease activates this receptor, sparking increased activity in the affected neurons, eventually leading to cell death, researchers report.

Blood test identifies people at risk for heart attack that other tests miss Posted: 20 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT A simple blood test can identify people who are at risk for a heart attack, including thousands who don't have high cholesterol. The new test measures gamma-prime fibrinogen, a component of the blood's clotting mechanism. Elevated levels indicate greater likelihood of a heart attack, even when other signs don't point to cardiovascular trouble, say researchers.

Artificial human skin with biomechanical properties created using tissue engineering Posted: 20 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT A biomaterial fibrin-agarose complex was used to generate the artificial skin that was later grafted onto athymic nude mice. Optimal skin development, maturation and functionality results were obtained. This finding could be useful in developing new treatment approaches for dermatological pathologies.

Psychotropic medications overprescribed to children, study suggests Posted: 20 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT A new study cautions the use of psychotropic medications for children.

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