ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Odd geometry of bacteria may provide new way to study Earth's oldest fossils
• 'Fountain of youth' steroids could protect against heart disease
• Female damselflies prefer 'hot' males
• Surgical options for female incontinence found to be effective but with different complications
• Large number of public wells in U.S. have potentially harmful contaminants in source water, study finds
• Homeless adults have significant unmet health care needs, study finds
• New analysis reveals clearer picture of brain’s language areas
• Quickly evolving bacteria could improve digestive health
• Why do Earth’s storm tracks differ from those of Jupiter?
• Simple electronic gadget could speed up HIV/AIDS diagnostics
• Supramolecular architecture explains the incredible strength of fibrin blood clots
• The fear of falling
• Synthetic biomaterials mimic cellular membranes: Use in nanomedicine, drug delivery
• Gene therapy may be effective in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Schooling fish offer new ideas for wind farming
• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation reduces muscle atrophy in COPD, researchers find
• Enabling video systems to react intelligently to content
• Arizona's smoking ban reduced hospital visits

Odd geometry of bacteria may provide new way to study Earth's oldest fossils Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 PM PDT Deciphering the few clues about ancient bacterial life that are seen in these poorly preserved rocks has been difficult, but researchers may have found a way to glean new information from the fossils. Specifically, they have linked the even spacing between the thousands of tiny cones that dot the surfaces of stromatolite-forming microbial mats -- a pattern that also appears in cross-sectional slices of stromatolites that are 2.8 billion years old -- to photosynthesis.

'Fountain of youth' steroids could protect against heart disease Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 PM PDT A natural defense mechanism against heart disease could be switched on by steroids sold as health supplements, according to researchers.

Female damselflies prefer 'hot' males Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 PM PDT Researchers have found that female damselflies prefer hot males. Hot male damselflies, who have warmed their bodies in the sun, are more attractive to their female counterparts.

Surgical options for female incontinence found to be effective but with different complications Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 PM PDT Two popular procedures for female stress incontinence were found to be equivalent in efficacy but differed in side effects, according to new data. These surgical techniques, called mid urethral slings, are increasingly common for the treatment of stress incontinence or urine loss from physical activity such as coughing, sneezing or laughing.

Large number of public wells in U.S. have potentially harmful contaminants in source water, study finds Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 PM PDT More than 20 percent of untreated water samples from 932 public wells across the nation contained at least one contaminant at levels of potential health concern, according to a new study. The study focused primarily on source (untreated) water collected from public wells before treatment or blending rather than the finished (treated) drinking water that water utilities deliver to their customers.

Homeless adults have significant unmet health care needs, study finds Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 PM PDT The vast majority of homeless adults surveyed in a national study had trouble accessing at least one type of needed health care service in the preceding year, according to new research that may be the first broad-based national study of factors related to unmet health needs among homeless people.

New analysis reveals clearer picture of brain’s language areas Posted: 23 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT Language is a defining aspect of what makes us human. Although some brain regions are known to be associated with language, neuroscientists have had a surprisingly difficult time using brain imaging technology to understand exactly what these 'language areas' are doing. Neuroscientists now report on a new method to analyze brain imaging data -- one that may paint a clearer picture of how our brain produces and understands language.

Quickly evolving bacteria could improve digestive health Posted: 23 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT When the forces of evolution took over an experimental strain of bacteria, it derailed an experiment that researchers thought they were conducting, but led to something much more profound instead. The researchers used a colony of mice raised in a large plastic bubble, called an isolator, that was completely sterile, lacking even a single bacterium. They introduced a single type of bacteria into the mouse colony, but it mutated quickly into different types, making new bacteria that were hardier inside of the mice than the original bacterium was.

Why do Earth’s storm tracks differ from those of Jupiter? Posted: 23 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT Computer simulations show that both ocean dynamics, such as the Gulf Stream, and mountain ranges influence the pattern of storm tracks on Earth. This also explains why Earth's storm tracks are so different from those on the gas giant Jupiter.

Simple electronic gadget could speed up HIV/AIDS diagnostics Posted: 23 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT A relatively simple electronic gadget could speed up HIV/AIDS diagnostics and improve accuracy particularly in parts of the world with very limited access to health-care workers.

Supramolecular architecture explains the incredible strength of fibrin blood clots Posted: 23 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT A new study unlocks the previously unknown structural features that underlie the incredible elastic resilience of fibrin, the main protein in blood clots. The research provides insight into how the molecular architecture of a fibrin network contributes to its resilience and may help to explain what causes the failure of a clot, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack.

The fear of falling Posted: 23 May 2010 08:00 AM PDT One in four people over the age of 70 suffers from gait disturbance. To prevent falls, specific treatment should be given. In a new study, researchers in Germany describe methods of differential diagnosis and therapy.

Synthetic biomaterials mimic cellular membranes: Use in nanomedicine, drug delivery Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT An international collaboration led by chemists and engineers has prepared a library of synthetic biomaterials that mimic cellular membranes and that show promise in targeted delivery of cancer drugs, gene therapy, proteins, imaging and diagnostic agents and cosmetics safely to the body in the emerging field called nanomedicine.

Gene therapy may be effective in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT Gene therapy has been shown to have positive effects in rat models of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), according to researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Schooling fish offer new ideas for wind farming Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT The quest to derive energy from wind may soon be getting some help from a fluid-dynamics expert -- and a school of fish.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation reduces muscle atrophy in COPD, researchers find Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may reduce muscle atrophy in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to Canadian researchers.

Enabling video systems to react intelligently to content Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT Highly sophisticated video-content analysis now makes possible fast and reliable diagnosis of pulmonary embolisms, automatically detects threatening situations in surveillance scenarios and can provide more enjoyable and customized home entertainment. The systems achieve this by reacting not only to the contents of the data but also to the context. Commercial applications are already developing across Europe.

Arizona's smoking ban reduced hospital visits Posted: 23 May 2010 02:00 AM PDT Since the 2007 state law that bans smoking in public venues took effect, admissions for ailments related to secondhand smoke have declined by as much as 33 percent.

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