ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

---

• Ocean changes may have dire impact on people
• Circadian clock in pancreas directly linked to diabetes
• Coffee or tea: Enjoy both in moderation for heart benefits, Dutch study suggests
• Vitamin D deficiency confirmed as common across a range of rheumatic conditions
• How DNA is copied onto RNA revealed through three-dimensional transcription film
• Children with home computers likely to have lower test scores, study finds
• Fly cells flock together, follow the light
• Awake sedation for brain surgery may shorten hospital stay
• Intelligent 3-D simulation robots to compete in the Robocup 2010
• Rheumatoid arthritis patients face double the risk of suffering heart attack, study finds
• Converting Brownian motion into work: Classical thought experiment brought to life in granular gas
• Anxiety/panic disorder most frequent disabling comorbid disorder in Tourette syndrome patients, study finds
• Constraining the reign of ancient Egypt: Radiocarbon dating helps to nail down the chronology of kings, researchers say
• Experts explore emerging evidence linking diabetes and cancer
• Afghanistan's rich mineral deposits: Aerogeophysical survey provides promising prospects of economic development
• Low calcium intake linked with increased risk of osteoporosis and hypertension in postmenopausal women
• Oceanographers call for more ocean observing in Antarctica
• Heavy metal glass helps light go the distance
• Love ballad leaves women more open to a date

Ocean changes may have dire impact on people Posted: 19 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT The heart and lungs of the planet, the world's oceans, shows worrying signs of ill health, concludes the first comprehensive synthesis of recent research into the effects of climate change on oceans.

Circadian clock in pancreas directly linked to diabetes Posted: 19 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT The pancreas has its own molecular clock. Now, for the first time, a new study has shown this ancient circadian clock regulates the production of insulin. If the clock is faulty, the result is diabetes. The researchers show that insulin-secreting islet cells in the pancreas, called beta-cells, have their own dedicated clock. The clock governs the rhythmic behavior of proteins and genes involved in insulin secretion, with oscillations over a 24-hour cycle.

Coffee or tea: Enjoy both in moderation for heart benefits, Dutch study suggests Posted: 19 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Both high and moderate amounts of tea are linked with reduced heart disease deaths. Moderate amounts of coffee are linked with reduced heart disease risk. Neither coffee nor tea consumption was associated with stroke risk in this Dutch study.

Vitamin D deficiency confirmed as common across a range of rheumatic conditions Posted: 19 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Two separate studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with a range of rheumatic diseases, with over half of all patients having below the "normal" healthy levels of vitamin D (48-145 nmol/L) in their bodies. A further study assessing response to vitamin D supplementation found that taking the recommended daily dose did not normalize vitamin D levels in rheumatic disease patients.

How DNA is copied onto RNA revealed through three-dimensional transcription film Posted: 19 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Research scientists have managed to sequence DNA transcription initiation "image by image" to show how DNA is copied onto RNA. Some of the mechanisms of this crucial stage have now been revealed.

Children with home computers likely to have lower test scores, study finds Posted: 19 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Around the country and throughout the world, politicians and education activists have sought to eliminate the "digital divide" by guaranteeing universal access to home computers, and in some cases to high-speed Internet service. However, according to a new study, these efforts would actually widen the achievement gap in math and reading scores.

Fly cells flock together, follow the light Posted: 19 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Scientists report using a laser beam to activate a protein that makes a cluster of fruit fly cells act like a school of fish turning in social unison, following the lead of the one stimulated with light.

Awake sedation for brain surgery may shorten hospital stay Posted: 19 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT The recovery time and cost of brain-tumor surgery might be reduced if surgery is performed while patients are awake during part of the procedure, according to a new study. Researchers examined the records of 39 patients treated for glioma to learn if surgeries using conscious sedation had outcomes different from those using general anesthesia. The data suggest that conscious sedation can result in shorter hospital stays and lower the direct cost of treatment.

Intelligent 3-D simulation robots to compete in the Robocup 2010 Posted: 19 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have developed a multiagent system and motion capture techniques for graphical animation of soccer playing robots.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients face double the risk of suffering heart attack, study finds Posted: 19 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Rheumatoid arthritis patients face a two-fold increased risk of suffering a myocardial infarction (MI, heart attack) versus the general population, which is comparable to the increased risk of MI seen in diabetes patients, according to results of a new study.

Converting Brownian motion into work: Classical thought experiment brought to life in granular gas Posted: 19 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have for the first time experimentally shown, almost a century later, an idea dating from 1912. In that year the physicist Smoluchowski devised a prototype for an engine at the molecular scale in which he thought he could ingeniously convert Brownian motion into work. The team of scientists have now successfully constructed this device at the much larger scale of a granular gas.

Anxiety/panic disorder most frequent disabling comorbid disorder in Tourette syndrome patients, study finds Posted: 19 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT An assessment of patients with adult Tourette syndrome to identify clinical factors that contribute to psychosocial and occupational disabilities resulting from the vocal or motor tics that define TS found that anxiety/panic disorder may be the most disabling psychiatric condition associated with the disorder.

Constraining the reign of ancient Egypt: Radiocarbon dating helps to nail down the chronology of kings, researchers say Posted: 18 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT For several thousands of years, ancient Egypt dominated the Mediterranean world -- and scholars across the globe have spent more than a century trying to document the reigns of the various rulers of Egypt's Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. Now, a detailed radiocarbon analysis of short-lived plant remains from the region is providing scientists with a long and accurate chronology of ancient Egyptian dynasties that agrees with most previous estimates but also imposes some historic revisions.

Experts explore emerging evidence linking diabetes and cancer Posted: 18 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT A new consensus statement of experts assembled by the American Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society reviews emerging evidence that suggests cancer incidence is associated with diabetes as well as certain diabetes risk factors and treatments.

Afghanistan's rich mineral deposits: Aerogeophysical survey provides promising prospects of economic development Posted: 18 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Data gathered and compiled by NRL and USGS scientists during geophysical survey flights over Afghanistan reveal potentially rich natural resource sediment basins and mineral deposits and provide hydrologic and geospatial referenced imagery to support infrastructure and economic development.

Low calcium intake linked with increased risk of osteoporosis and hypertension in postmenopausal women Posted: 18 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Italian postmenopausal women who have a low calcium intake show a higher risk of developing both osteoporosis and hypertension (a chronic medical condition in which arterial blood pressure is elevated) than those who consume higher levels of calcium, according to new research.

Oceanographers call for more ocean observing in Antarctica Posted: 18 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists argue that ocean-observing systems are the way to understand climate change in Antarctica -- and sooner would be better than later.

Heavy metal glass helps light go the distance Posted: 18 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT The fiber optic cable networks linking the world are an essential part of modern life. To keep up with ever-increasing demands for more bandwidth, scientists are working to improve the optical amplifiers that boost fiber optic signals across long distances. Optical amplifier research is focused on glass fibers doped with rare earth elements. The elements, such as erbium and ytterbium, amplify light signals when excited by a laser.

Love ballad leaves women more open to a date Posted: 18 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT If you're having trouble getting a date, French researchers suggest that picking the right soundtrack could improve the odds. Women were more prepared to give their number to an 'average' young man after listening to romantic background music, according to new research.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Latest Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610