ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Blinking neurons give thoughts away
• Agents that keep insulin working longer developed
• Molecular data and images from space used to study imperiled coastal dolphins
• Drug now used to treat erectile dysfuncton may enhance delivery of herceptin to certain brain tumors
• Common mosquito repellent no longer repels certain mosquitoes
• Return home from war not always peaceful for young vets
• 'Mouse grimace scale' to help identify pain in humans and animals
• Scientists solve mystery of fragile stem cells; New findings to speed research on potential therapies
• How Darwin's little-known work impacts current schizophrenia and autism treatment
• H1N1 influenza hits older children
• Grapes reduce risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, animal study shows
• Why is late-life depression harder to treat?
• Novel artificial pancreas successfully controls blood sugar more than 24 hours
• Suppressing activity of common intestinal bacteria reduces tumor growth
• Odors classified by networks of neurons
• Researchers quantify benefits of minimally invasive removal of hard-to-reach tumors
• Peruvian tectonic plates move by earthquakes and non-seismic slip
• Exposure to prenatal smoking may lead to psychiatric problems
• Atomic movement during photosynthesis photographed with X-ray flash
• Properties of insulin reduce inflammation caused by obesity, lower risk of type 2 diabetes, research finds
• Global warming threatens plant diversity
• How a tumor suppressor induces senescence and staves off cancer
• Materials research advances reliability of faster 'smart sensors'
• Use of certain anticonvulsant medications may be associated with increased risk of suicide
• Biologists link gut microbial equilibrium to inflammatory bowel disease
• How viruses manipulate host cells by means of molecular mimics
• Quality of a tomato depends more on temperature than on natural light
• New adult malnutrition strategies could improve diagnosis and treatment
• Bugging out: Researchers help track wayward pests through mapping
• Pay-for-performance programs may worsen medical disparities, study finds

Blinking neurons give thoughts away Posted: 10 May 2010 11:00 AM PDT Scientists have used a genetic light source to measure brain signals. Electrical currents are invisible to the naked eye -- at least they are when they flow through metal cables. In nerve cells, however, scientists are able to make electrical signals visible. Scientists have now successfully used a specialized fluorescent protein to visualize electrical activity in neurons of living mice. In a milestone study, scientists are able to apply the method to watch activity in nerve cells during animal behavior.

Agents that keep insulin working longer developed Posted: 10 May 2010 11:00 AM PDT More than half a century after researchers identified a promising way to treat diabetes based on blocking the breakdown of insulin in the body, a research team has developed potent molecules that can do just that.

Molecular data and images from space used to study imperiled coastal dolphins Posted: 10 May 2010 11:00 AM PDT Using DNA samples and images from Earth-orbiting satellites, conservationists are gathering new insights about the franciscana -- a poorly known coastal dolphin species of eastern South America -- in an effort to understand populations and conserve them.

Drug now used to treat erectile dysfuncton may enhance delivery of herceptin to certain brain tumors Posted: 10 May 2010 11:00 AM PDT New research suggests that a drug currently approved to treat erectile dysfunction may significantly enhance the delivery of the anti-cancer drug herceptin to certain hard-to-treat brain tumors. The research could help doctors improve treatments for lung and breast cancers that have metastasized to the brain.

Common mosquito repellent no longer repels certain mosquitoes Posted: 10 May 2010 11:00 AM PDT Mosquitoes can develop a resistance to substances used to repel them. The yellow fever mosquito has developed a resistance to the mosquito repellent DEET.

Return home from war not always peaceful for young vets Posted: 10 May 2010 11:00 AM PDT When young servicemen and women return home from a tour of duty, their family and friends breathe a sigh of relief, knowing their loved ones finally are safe and sound. New research, however, shows that is not always the case. Young veterans are at risk for violent deaths at home, especially suicide.

'Mouse grimace scale' to help identify pain in humans and animals Posted: 10 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT A new study by psychologists in Canada shows that mice, like humans, express pain through facial expressions. The researchers have discovered that when subjected to moderate pain stimuli, mice showed discomfort through facial expressions in the same way humans do.

Scientists solve mystery of fragile stem cells; New findings to speed research on potential therapies Posted: 10 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT Scientists have solved the decade-old mystery of why human embryonic stem cells are so difficult to culture in the laboratory, providing scientists with useful new techniques and moving the field closer to the day when stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes.

How Darwin's little-known work impacts current schizophrenia and autism treatment Posted: 10 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT Historical research reveals more of Charles Darwin's thinking when he completed what may be the first example of a prospective "single-blind" study of human perception of emotional expression. Through scrutiny of Darwin's work, including previously unpublished handwritten notes on his experiments, a scholar explains how this early experiment has direct implications to current work today in the areas of schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders and other neuropsychiatric conditions.

H1N1 influenza hits older children Posted: 10 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT Children hospitalized with pandemic H1N1 influenza in 2009 were older and more likely to have underlying medical conditions than children hospitalized with seasonal influenza during prior flu seasons.

Grapes reduce risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, animal study shows Posted: 10 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT Scientists are teasing out clues to the effect of grapes in reducing risk factors related to cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. The effect is thought to be due to phytochemicals -- naturally occurring antioxidants -- that grapes contain.

Why is late-life depression harder to treat? Posted: 10 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT Scientists have found an important clue in the quest to understand why people who suffer from depression in later life are harder to treat and keep well in the long term. According to a new study, older adults with depression don't respond normally to emotional stimuli, such as when they see happy, sad or neutral faces.

Novel artificial pancreas successfully controls blood sugar more than 24 hours Posted: 10 May 2010 05:00 AM PDT An artificial pancreas system that closely mimics the body's blood sugar control mechanism was able to maintain near-normal glucose levels without causing hypoglycemia in a small group of patients.

Suppressing activity of common intestinal bacteria reduces tumor growth Posted: 10 May 2010 05:00 AM PDT Common intestinal bacteria appear to promote tumor growths in genetically susceptible mice, but tumorigenesis can be suppressed if the mice are exposed to an inhibiting protein enzyme, researchers has discovered. The research could portend an eventual new form of treatment for people with familial adenomatous polyposis or FAP, an inherited condition in which numerous initially benign polyps form in the large intestine, eventually transforming into malignant colon cancer.

Odors classified by networks of neurons Posted: 10 May 2010 05:00 AM PDT Scientists in Switzerland are unraveling how odors are processed by the brain. As they report in a new study, odors in the olfactory brain are classified into groups represented by discrete activity states of neuronal circuits. Using advanced optical methods, they discovered that gradual variations in odors result in abrupt transitions between patterns of neuronal activity. These findings provide fundamental insights into the brain's information-processing mechanisms.

Researchers quantify benefits of minimally invasive removal of hard-to-reach tumors Posted: 10 May 2010 05:00 AM PDT A minimally invasive endoscopic procedure holds promise for safely removing large brain tumors from an area at the bottom of the skull, near the sinus cavities, clinical researchers have found.

Peruvian tectonic plates move by earthquakes and non-seismic slip Posted: 10 May 2010 05:00 AM PDT Just a few years ago, Dan Farber happened to be doing field work in Peru with students when the 8.0 Pisco earthquake struck. As a scientist working in the active tectonics of the Peruvian Andes Farber was asked by colleagues if he could participate in a rapid response team to map the damage of the seismic deformation and install a system of geodetic stations.

Exposure to prenatal smoking may lead to psychiatric problems Posted: 10 May 2010 05:00 AM PDT New research shows that prenatal smoking can lead to psychiatric problems and increase the need for psychotropic medications in childhood and young adulthood.

Atomic movement during photosynthesis photographed with X-ray flash Posted: 10 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers in Sweden have managed, with the help of an advanced X-ray flash, to photograph the movement of atoms during photosynthesis. The achievement could be used in the solar panels of the future, where researchers hope to be able to imitate the sophisticated energy conversion of photosynthesis.

Properties of insulin reduce inflammation caused by obesity, lower risk of type 2 diabetes, research finds Posted: 10 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT Recent decades have seen a huge increase in type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This is a result of people being less active and eating fattier diets, which can lead to obesity and, in turn, diabetes. Researchers in Sweden have discovered properties of insulin which reduce inflammation caused by obesity and can therefore lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Global warming threatens plant diversity Posted: 10 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT In the coming decades, climate change is set to produce worldwide changes in the living conditions for plants. Thus today's cool, moist regions could in future provide habitats for additional species, and in arid and hot regions the climatic prerequisites for a high degree of plant diversity will deteriorate.

How a tumor suppressor induces senescence and staves off cancer Posted: 10 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT The retinoblastoma (RB) gene controls a vast and potent tumor suppression pathway, which is disabled in virtually all tumor cells because of mutations in the gene. RB gene mutations are some of the most frequently found in a variety of human cancers. Scientists have now found that a key function of RB in suppressing cancer stems from its ability to induce cellular senescence, a stage of growth arrest in which cells no longer divide.

Materials research advances reliability of faster 'smart sensors' Posted: 10 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT In military and security situations, a split second can make the difference between life and death, so the development of new "smart sensors" that allow for faster response times from military applications is important. Equally important is new research that will help ensure those sensors will operate under extreme conditions -- like those faced in Afghanistan or elsewhere.

Use of certain anticonvulsant medications may be associated with increased risk of suicide Posted: 10 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT An analysis of prescription and clinical claims data suggests that the use of certain anticonvulsant medications may be associated with an increased risk of suicide, attempted suicide or violent death, according to a new study.

Biologists link gut microbial equilibrium to inflammatory bowel disease Posted: 09 May 2010 11:00 PM PDT We are not alone -- even in our own bodies. The human gut houses 100 trillion bacteria, which have co-evolved with our digestive and immune systems. Most people consider bacteria harmful pathogens causing infections and disease, but other microbes, taking a different evolutionary path, have established beneficial relationships with their hosts. Still others may be perched in between, according to new research that offers new insight into the causes of inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.

How viruses manipulate host cells by means of molecular mimics Posted: 09 May 2010 11:00 PM PDT Viruses can hide from the immune system by using small RNAs to silence the expression of cellular genes. Scientists have now identified the human genes targeted by herpes viruses that cause cancer. This represents a significant first step towards the development of new antiviral therapies.

Quality of a tomato depends more on temperature than on natural light Posted: 09 May 2010 11:00 PM PDT Researchers questioned the generally held belief that the quality of tomatoes depends primarily on their exposure to natural light and states that the most determining factor is temperature.

New adult malnutrition strategies could improve diagnosis and treatment Posted: 09 May 2010 11:00 PM PDT A new consensus statement on adult malnutrition suggests classifying patients in three categories related to the cause of malnutrition, according to an international committee of nutrition researchers. This approach could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition.

Bugging out: Researchers help track wayward pests through mapping Posted: 09 May 2010 11:00 PM PDT Tracking invasive pests around the world is the job of an international team of researchers, who are working to improve pest-risk mapping to better inform decision makers on where and how to best combat pests.

Pay-for-performance programs may worsen medical disparities, study finds Posted: 09 May 2010 11:00 PM PDT Rewarding primary care physicians for providing better care to patients could end up widening medical disparities experienced by poorer people and those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, according to a new study. Researchers found that under a typical pay-for-performance program medical practices that serve vulnerable populations would likely receive lower payments than other practices.

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