ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Violent video games may increase aggression in some but not others, says new research
• New way found to attack cancerous cells
• Polymer-based filter successfully cleans water, recovers oil in Gulf of Mexico test
• Molecular imaging reveals origin of acid reflux disease
• No place to hide: New 360-degree video surveillance system uses image stitching technology that is perfectly detailed edge to edge
• About one-tenth of soldiers returning from Iraq may be impaired by mental health problems, study finds
• Crocodiles ride ocean currents for ocean travel
• Protein lets brain repair damage from multiple sclerosis, other disorders
• Chemists report promising advance in fuel-cell technology
• Epigenetic gene silencing may hold key to fatal lung vascular disease
• New yeast can ferment more sugar, make more cellulosic ethanol
• Genetic factors may be linked with development of disordered gambling among women and men
• Gulf oil spill could widen, worsen 'dead zone'
• New molecular imaging agent may help visualize early stages of Alzheimer's disease
• First radio tracking of tropical orchid bees
• Higher oxygen levels improve preterm survival, increase risk for eye condition, studies find
• 'Psychedelic' maize may help increase crop and biofuel yields
• Childhood hardships associated with pregnancy troubles in adulthood
• Secondhand smoke associated with psychiatric distress, illness
• Simple eye test measures damage from multiple sclerosis, researchers find
• Florida ridges' mystery marine fossils tied to rising land, not seas, geologist says
• Gene loss can cause leukemia, researchers find
• Even small patches of urban woods are valuable for migrating birds
• Intimate partner violence against mothers associated with children's obesity
• Bats are keeping an ear out for kin
• Genetic markers could predict prostate cancer in younger men, study finds
• Ironing out inflammation: Substance in iron metabolism displays life-saving potential for inflammatory diseases
• Vaginal gel with integrase inhibitor shows promise in monkeys
• Cyclotrons could alleviate medical isotope shortage
• Racial disparities in asthma exist even among children with equal access to health care
• Synthetic eye prosthesis: Plastic artificial cornea implants may offer hope for blind patients
• Earth and Moon formed later than previously thought, new research suggests
• Monitoring cholesterol increases life expectancy, 25-year study finds
• How mast cells set immune defense on the right track
• New treatment method safe, effective for advanced melanoma patients, study suggests
• New 'microbead' radiotherapy more effective with molecular imaging
• Strangers influence our dating preferences

Violent video games may increase aggression in some but not others, says new research Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT Playing violent video games can make some adolescents more hostile, particularly those who are less agreeable, less conscientious and easily angered. But for others, it may offer opportunities to learn new skills and improve social networking.

New way found to attack cancerous cells Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a new way to target and destroy a type of cancerous cell. The findings may lead to the development of new therapies to treat lymphomas, leukemias and related cancers.

Polymer-based filter successfully cleans water, recovers oil in Gulf of Mexico test Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT In response to the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, an engineering professor has developed a technique for separating oil from water via a cotton filter coated in a chemical polymer that blocks oil while allowing water to pass through. The researcher reports that the filter was successfully tested off the coast of Louisiana and shown to simultaneously clean water and preserve the oil.

Molecular imaging reveals origin of acid reflux disease Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT Molecular imaging has uncovered what may be to blame for acid reflux disease, a painful and potentially dangerous illness that affects a sizeable percentage of the population. A new study provides further evidence that the disease of the digestive system is brought on by a lack of tone, or motility, in the esophageal muscles that clear and keep stomach acids and other gastric contents from backing up into the esophagus.

No place to hide: New 360-degree video surveillance system uses image stitching technology that is perfectly detailed edge to edge Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT The US Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate new Imaging System for Immersive Surveillance is as detailed as 50 full-HDTV movies playing at once, with optical detail to spare.

About one-tenth of soldiers returning from Iraq may be impaired by mental health problems, study finds Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT Between 8.5 percent and 14 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq report serious functional impairment due to either post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, according to a new study.

Crocodiles ride ocean currents for ocean travel Posted: 08 Jun 2010 08:00 AM PDT The mystery of how the world's largest living reptile -- the estuarine crocodile -- has come to occupy so many South Pacific islands separated by huge stretches of ocean despite being a poor swimmer has at last been solved by a group of Australian ecologists. They say that like a surfer catching a wave, the crocodiles ride ocean currents to cross large areas of open sea.

Protein lets brain repair damage from multiple sclerosis, other disorders Posted: 08 Jun 2010 08:00 AM PDT A protein that helps build the brain in infants and children may aid efforts to restore damage from multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases, researchers have found.

Chemists report promising advance in fuel-cell technology Posted: 08 Jun 2010 08:00 AM PDT Chemists have come up with a promising advance in fuel-cell technology. The team has demonstrated that a nanoparticle with a palladium core and an iron-platinum shell outperforms commercially available pure-platinum catalysts and lasts longer. The finding could move fuel cells a step closer to reality.

Epigenetic gene silencing may hold key to fatal lung vascular disease Posted: 08 Jun 2010 08:00 AM PDT A rare but fatal disease of blood vessels in the lung may be caused in part by aberrant silencing of genes rather than genetic mutation. Pulmonary arterial hypertension has been linked to genetic causes in a small percentage of patients. But researchers have now found that a form of epigenetics -- the modification of gene expression -- causes the disease in an animal model and could contribute to the disease in humans.

New yeast can ferment more sugar, make more cellulosic ethanol Posted: 08 Jun 2010 08:00 AM PDT Scientists have improved a strain of yeast that can produce more biofuel from cellulosic plant material by fermenting all five types of the plant's sugars.

Genetic factors may be linked with development of disordered gambling among women and men Posted: 08 Jun 2010 08:00 AM PDT Genetic influences appear important in the development of gambling disorders in both women and men, according to a new study.

Gulf oil spill could widen, worsen 'dead zone' Posted: 08 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT While an out-of-control gusher deep in the Gulf of Mexico fouls beaches and chokes marshland habitat, another threat could be growing below the oil-slicked surface. The nation's worst oil spill could worsen and expand the oxygen-starved region of the Gulf labeled "the dead zone" for its inhospitality to marine life, suggest scientists.

New molecular imaging agent may help visualize early stages of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 08 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT A multinational clinical trial presents a novel imaging agent that could be the next major breakthrough for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease -- a slow but fatal neurodegenerative disease.

First radio tracking of tropical orchid bees Posted: 08 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT For the first time, researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute track unique signals from tiny transmitters glued to individual orchid bees, yielding new insight into the role of bees in tropical forest ecosystems.

Higher oxygen levels improve preterm survival, increase risk for eye condition, studies find Posted: 08 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Two findings provide new information on how much oxygen very preterm infants should receive starting at birth and the most effective means to deliver it to them. One finding is that higher oxygen levels improve survival but increase the risk for a serious eye condition. The other is that a treatment typically used for adults with sleep apnea is as effective for preemies as a ventilator, but with fewer complications.

'Psychedelic' maize may help increase crop and biofuel yields Posted: 08 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Scientists have identified new genes in maize which promote carbohydrate export from leaves. These genes are called psychedelic because of the yellow and green streaks they cause in the plant's leaves. Manipulating these genes may increase crop yields and the amount of biofuel that can be derived from each plant.

Childhood hardships associated with pregnancy troubles in adulthood Posted: 08 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Childhood hardships may be related to future pregnancy outcomes, in part through their association with smoking during pregnancy and adult socioeconomic position, according to a new report.

Secondhand smoke associated with psychiatric distress, illness Posted: 08 Jun 2010 02:00 AM PDT Exposure to secondhand smoke appears to be associated with psychological distress and the risk of future psychiatric hospitalization among healthy adults, according to a new report.

Simple eye test measures damage from multiple sclerosis, researchers find Posted: 08 Jun 2010 02:00 AM PDT A quick, painless eye measurement shows promise as a way to diagnose multiple sclerosis in its very early stages, and to track the effectiveness of treatments, researchers have found in a multicenter study.

Florida ridges' mystery marine fossils tied to rising land, not seas, geologist says Posted: 08 Jun 2010 02:00 AM PDT Sea level has not been as high as the distinctive ridges that run down the length of Florida for millions of years. Yet recently deposited marine fossils abound in the ridges' sands. Now, a geologist may have helped crack that mystery.

Gene loss can cause leukemia, researchers find Posted: 08 Jun 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers in Belgium have discovered a new factor in the development of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a disease that mainly affects children. In the cells of the patients, the specific gene PTPN2 ceases to function, causing the cancer cells to survive longer and grow faster. The study provides genetic and functional evidence for a tumor suppressor role of PTPN2.

Even small patches of urban woods are valuable for migrating birds Posted: 08 Jun 2010 02:00 AM PDT Even tiny patches of woods in urban areas seem to provide adequate food and protection for some species of migrating birds as they fly between wintering and breeding grounds, new research has found. The results are important because, with the expansion of cities worldwide, migrating land birds increasingly must pass through vast urban areas which offer very little of the forest habitats on which many species rely.

Intimate partner violence against mothers associated with children's obesity Posted: 08 Jun 2010 02:00 AM PDT Children whose mothers report being abused by their partners appear more likely to be obese at age 5, according to a new report.

Bats are keeping an ear out for kin Posted: 07 Jun 2010 11:00 PM PDT Bats can distinguish between the calls of their own and different species with their echolocation calls, report scientists.

Genetic markers could predict prostate cancer in younger men, study finds Posted: 07 Jun 2010 11:00 PM PDT Prostate cancer has become more common in younger men, and it's often more aggressive in these men. A new study has found that a series of genetic mutations could help detect this early onset prostate cancer.

Ironing out inflammation: Substance in iron metabolism displays life-saving potential for inflammatory diseases Posted: 07 Jun 2010 11:00 PM PDT In a surprising discovery that someday may lead to new treatments for many inflammatory diseases, scientists found that a hormone involved in iron metabolism can save mice from deadly acute inflammation.

Vaginal gel with integrase inhibitor shows promise in monkeys Posted: 07 Jun 2010 11:00 PM PDT Researchers testing a vaginal microbicide based on a new type of anti-HIV drug found it provided monkeys significant protection against infection with a virus similar to HIV. The study is the first of a gel with an integrase inhibitor, one of the latest additions to the arsenal of drugs for the treatment of HIV but just one of the many compounds researchers hope will be a stronghold for HIV prevention.

Cyclotrons could alleviate medical isotope shortage Posted: 07 Jun 2010 11:00 PM PDT The most widely used medical radioisotope, Technetium-99m (Tc-99m), is essential for an estimated 70,000 medical imaging procedures that take place daily around the world. Aging reactors, production intermittencies and threats of permanent reactor closures have researchers striving to develop alternative methods of supply. In a comparative study, researchers show that medical cyclotrons could be capable of producing this medical isotope.

Racial disparities in asthma exist even among children with equal access to health care Posted: 07 Jun 2010 11:00 PM PDT Within a comprehensive health insurance system, black and Hispanic children appear more likely than white children to have asthma and their outcomes are often worse, according to a new study.

Synthetic eye prosthesis: Plastic artificial cornea implants may offer hope for blind patients Posted: 07 Jun 2010 09:00 PM PDT Donor corneas are a rarity, but a newly developed implant made of plastic may soon offer patients the chance to see again.

Earth and Moon formed later than previously thought, new research suggests Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Astronomers have theorized that the planet Earth and the Moon were created as the result of a giant collision between two planets the size of Mars and Venus. Until now, the collision was thought to have happened when the solar system was 30 million years old, or approximately 4,537 million years ago. But new research shows that Earth and the Moon must have formed much later -- perhaps up to 150 million years after the formation of the solar system.

Monitoring cholesterol increases life expectancy, 25-year study finds Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT A new study definitively shows that those with decreased LDL cholesterol levels can count on an increased life expectancy.

How mast cells set immune defense on the right track Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Researchers in Germany have now been able to show that previously underrated immune cells, so-called mast cells, decide at a very early stage of an infection which way the defense has to go. They only produce the crucial messenger substance beta-interferon during a viral infection, not during a bacterial infection.

New treatment method safe, effective for advanced melanoma patients, study suggests Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Patients undergoing treatment for melanoma that has spread to the liver may respond well to chemotherapy delivered directly to the liver's blood vessels, according to a new study.

New 'microbead' radiotherapy more effective with molecular imaging Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Research may change the way that a novel form of radiotherapy is set up and tested prior to treatment. This technique, known as radiomicrosphere therapy, involves the injection of tiny highly radioactive beads that "nestle up" with cancerous tumors and destroy them with precision.

Strangers influence our dating preferences Posted: 07 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Many people think they have discriminating tastes when it comes to romance. A new study found that men and women are greatly influenced by what their friends and strangers think of their potential fling or partner.

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