ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Gene that allows worms to grow new head and brain discovered
• Scientists sever molecular signals that prolific parasite uses to puppeteer cells
• Starry-eyed Hubble celebrates 20 years of awe and discovery
• Protein plays a critical role in the development of aggressive breast cancer
• Monitoring bridges: Early warning system for rust developed
• Sports stars are no role models, say UK scientists
• Car steered with eyes, computer scientists demonstrate
• Long-term elder care patients and HIV infected patients may carry MRSA in their noses
• Searching for dark energy with the whole world's supernova dataset
• In breasts considered 'healthy,' too much of one protein identifies abnormal growth
• Micro-RNA can move, new evidence in plants shows
• New insights into the implications of autism onset patterns
• IBM Research creates world's smallest 3D map; brings low-cost, ease of use to creation of nanoscale objects
• Singapore scientists make breakthrough findings on early embryonic development
• Student research team sequences genome of bacterium discovered in college garden
• Long-sought protein subunits of a key receptor of the central nervous system discovered
• Machine-learning revolutionizes software development
• Death rates not best judge of hospital quality, researchers say
• Rattlesnakes sound warning on biodiversity and habitat fragmentation
• Potential new test for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis identified
• New near-infrared cameras/spectrographs will allow astronomers to watch stars being born
• Researchers successfully lower radiation dose associated with pediatric chest CT scans, study suggests
• Cloud technology to combat cancer
• Language dysfunction in children may be due to epileptic brain activity
• Long-distance journeys out of fashion? Global warming may be causing evolutionary changes in bird migration
• New carbon composite holds promise for bionics
• Eyjafjallajokull's global fallout: Airports affected are not necessarily the ones you would think
• Chloride channels render nerve cells more excitable: Scientists discover how nerve cells may influence their own activity
• An artificial eye on your driving
• Experts call for accelerated national sodium reduction initiatives

Gene that allows worms to grow new head and brain discovered Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists have discovered the gene that enables an extraordinary worm to regenerate its own body parts after amputation -- including a whole head and brain.

Scientists sever molecular signals that prolific parasite uses to puppeteer cells Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists studying a cunning parasite that has commandeered the cells of almost half the world's human population have begun to zero in on the molecular signals that must be severed to free the organism's cellular hostages.

Starry-eyed Hubble celebrates 20 years of awe and discovery Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT The best recognized, longest-lived and most prolific space observatory zooms past a milestone of 20 years of operation. On April 24, 1990, the Space Shuttle and crew of STS-31 were launched to deploy the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope into a low-Earth orbit. What followed was one of the most remarkable sagas of the space age.

Protein plays a critical role in the development of aggressive breast cancer Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Researchers have identified a potentially significant molecular player in the development of aggressive breast cancer. The team's findings show that a protein called NEDD9 is critical in the formation of breast tumors induced by high levels of the cell-surface receptor HER2/neu in mice. HER2-driven breast cancer is known to be one the most aggressive forms of the disease.

Monitoring bridges: Early warning system for rust developed Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Damage to concrete bridges caused by rust can have fatal consequences, at worst leading to a total collapse. Now, researchers have developed an early-warning system for rust. Sensor-transponders integrated in the concrete allow the extent of corrosion to be measured.

Sports stars are no role models, say UK scientists Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT The loutish and drunken behavior of some of our sporting heroes -- routinely reported in the media -- has little or no effect on the drinking habits of young people, new research in the UK has found.

Car steered with eyes, computer scientists demonstrate Posted: 24 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT "Keep your eyes on the road!" Scientists in Germany have given a completely new meaning to this standard rule for drivers: Using software they developed, they can steer a car with their eyes.

Long-term elder care patients and HIV infected patients may carry MRSA in their noses Posted: 24 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have determined that long-term elder care, HIV-infected and hemodialysis patients are at increased risk of carrying MRSA in their nose. The study also found that patients have vastly different quantities of MRSA in their noses, a potential indicator for their risk of developing an infection after surgery.

Searching for dark energy with the whole world's supernova dataset Posted: 24 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT The Supernova Cosmology Project's Union2 compilation and reanalysis of decades of supernova surveys from the world's leading researchers, with the addition of six high-redshift supernovae, puts new bounds on possible values for the nature of dark energy. Einstein's cosmological constant comfortably fits the data, but there's still plenty of room at the top for dynamical theories.

In breasts considered 'healthy,' too much of one protein identifies abnormal growth Posted: 24 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT By examining tissue removed during breast reduction surgery in healthy women, researchers have found a molecule they say identified women who had atypical hyperplasia, a potentially precancerous condition in which cells are abnormally increased.

Micro-RNA can move, new evidence in plants shows Posted: 24 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT Ever since tiny bits of genetic material known as microRNA were first characterized in the early 1990s, scientists have been discovering just how important they are to regulating the activity of genes within cells. A new study now shows that microRNAs don't just control the activity of genes within a given cell -- they also can move from one cell to another to send signals that influence gene expression on a broader scale.

New insights into the implications of autism onset patterns Posted: 24 Apr 2010 08:00 AM PDT New study results show that when and how autism symptoms appear in the first three years of life has vital implications to a child's developmental, diagnostic, and educational outcomes.

IBM Research creates world's smallest 3D map; brings low-cost, ease of use to creation of nanoscale objects Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT IBM scientists have created a 3D map of the earth so small that 1,000 of them could fit on one grain of salt. The scientists accomplished this through a new, breakthrough technique that uses a tiny, silicon tip with a sharp apex -- 100,000 times smaller than a sharpened pencil -- to create patterns and structures as small as 15 nanometers at greatly reduced cost and complexity. This patterning technique opens new prospects for developing nanosized objects in fields such as electronics, future chip technology, medicine, life sciences, and optoelectronics.

Singapore scientists make breakthrough findings on early embryonic development Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT Scientists in Singapore have recently generated significant single cell expression data crucial for a detailed molecular understanding of mammalian development from fertilization to embryo implantation, a process known as the preimplantation period. The knowledge gained has a direct impact on clinical applications in the areas of regenerative medicine and assisted reproduction.

Student research team sequences genome of bacterium discovered in college garden Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT Under the supervision of a plant pathologist, a group of high school, undergraduate, and graduate students isolated and characterized a formerly unknown group of bacteria.

Long-sought protein subunits of a key receptor of the central nervous system discovered Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers in Germany have discovered previously unknown subunits of the GABAB receptors in the central nervous system. GABAB receptors are transmembrane proteins in nerve cells which are of fundamental significance for the functioning of the brain and have great therapeutical and pharmaceutical importance.

Machine-learning revolutionizes software development Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT Automation technology has revolutionized the fine-tuning needed to maximize software performance on devices such as mobile phones.

Death rates not best judge of hospital quality, researchers say Posted: 24 Apr 2010 02:00 AM PDT Inpatient mortality rates, used by organizations to issue "report cards" on the quality of individual US hospitals, are a poor gauge of how well hospitals actually perform and should be abandoned in favor of measures that more accurately assess patient harms and the care being provided, argue patient safety experts in a new paper.

Rattlesnakes sound warning on biodiversity and habitat fragmentation Posted: 23 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that fragmentation of natural habitats by roads -- even smaller, low-traffic highways -- has had a significant effect on genetic structure of timber rattlesnakes. The work reinforces similar research conducted on other species and underlines the grave danger habitat fragmentation poses to wildlife populations.

Potential new test for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis identified Posted: 23 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT Researchers have discovered new ways of measuring biological markers in the blood which could be used to diagnose osteoarthritis earlier. The new biochemical test called metabolomics allows the scientists to test for 163 chemical signals at the same time from a single blood sample.

New near-infrared cameras/spectrographs will allow astronomers to watch stars being born Posted: 23 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT A new instrument, dubbed LUCIFER 1, provides a powerful tool to gain spectacular insights into the universe. It will allow astronomers to observe the faintest and most distant objects in the universe.

Researchers successfully lower radiation dose associated with pediatric chest CT scans, study suggests Posted: 23 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT Adjusting the radiation dose based upon a child's weight can significantly lower the radiation dose associated with pediatric chest computed tomography (CT) scans, according to a new study. CT scanning combines special X-ray equipment with sophisticated computers to produce multiple images or pictures of the inside of the body.

Cloud technology to combat cancer Posted: 23 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT Cloud services provided over grid technology are helping to treat cancer patients, thanks to an enormous effort by European researchers working closely with industry.

Language dysfunction in children may be due to epileptic brain activity Posted: 23 Apr 2010 05:00 PM PDT Epileptic activity in the brain can affect language development in children, and EEG registrations should therefore be carried out more frequently on children with severe language impairment to identify more readily those who may need medical treatment, reveals new research.

Long-distance journeys out of fashion? Global warming may be causing evolutionary changes in bird migration Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT The results of genetic studies on migratory birds substantiate the theory that in the case of a continued global warming, and within only a few generations, migratory birds will -- subject to strong selection and microevolution -- at first begin to fly shorter distances and at a later stage, stop migrating, and will thus become so-called "residents."

New carbon composite holds promise for bionics Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Mimicking the human nervous system for bionic applications could become a reality with the help of a method developed to process carbon nanotubes.

Eyjafjallajokull's global fallout: Airports affected are not necessarily the ones you would think Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT To gauge Eyjafjallajokull's global impact, researchers studied the worldwide air transportation network before and after 27 major European airports were closed. They found mobility patterns in places far from Europe -- including the United States, India and southeast Asia -- were significantly affected by the European disruption, to the surprise of the team. At the top of the list of most affected airports still operating were Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing.

Chloride channels render nerve cells more excitable: Scientists discover how nerve cells may influence their own activity Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Nerve cells communicate with each other by means of electrical impulses. To create such an impulse, the cells exchange charged ions with their environment. However, the role played by the ever-present chloride channels remained obscure, although some theories predicted a relation between the chloride channel ClC-2 and epilepsy. Scientists are now able to confirm a number of assumptions about the ClC-2 channel and could at last explain why the anticipated epileptic seizures do not occur when nerve cells lack the ClC-2 channels in mice. The results also provide a completely new understanding of how nerve cells may actively influence the exchange of information.

An artificial eye on your driving Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists are working with GM to develop advanced algorithms that will help cameras mounted on cars detect threats, alerting drivers to make split-second decisions.

Experts call for accelerated national sodium reduction initiatives Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT Responding to the health threat posed by Americans' over-consumption of sodium, nutrition experts are calling for sodium reduction strategies that are strong and effective -- and that maximize the enjoyment people derive from food.

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