ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• New clues suggest wet era on early Mars was global
• Mechanism that may trigger degenerative disease identified
• Chemists find an easier way to synthesize new drug candidates; New method could have a big impact on pharmaceutical business
• Novel radiotracer shines new light on the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients
• Climate change complicates plant diseases of the future
• Pleasing to the eye: Even brooding female birds are sensitive to visual stimulation
• Scientists create 3-D models of whole mouse organs
• Ingredient in red wine may prevent some blinding diseases
• Gene therapy a step closer to mass production
• Detecting eye injury
• Aggressive action to reduce soot emissions needed to meet climate change goals, experts say
• Study identifies couples’ underlying concerns during a fight
• Galaxy encounter fires up quasar
• Virus works with gene to cause Crohn's-like illness
• Four-leaf clover gives up its secrets
• Silencing hepatitis B virus prevents recurrence of liver cancer
• Ecological change in the abyss: The Amperima event
• Tactile sensations influence social judgments and decisions
• More variation in human genome than expected: Surprisingly common transposons or 'jumping genes' are known to cause disease
• Small amount of common preservative increases toxins from harmful bacteria in food, study finds
• NASA radar images show how Mexico quake deformed Earth
• Mysterious cilium functions as cellular communication hub, study shows
• Biomedical scientist concerned about effects of oil spill on human health
• Most concussions deliver 95 g's, neuropsychologist says

New clues suggest wet era on early Mars was global Posted: 26 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Minerals in northern Mars craters seen by two orbiters suggest that a phase in Mars' early history with conditions favorable to life occurred globally, not just in the south.

Mechanism that may trigger degenerative disease identified Posted: 26 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT A mechanism that regulates stem-cell differentiation in mice testes suggests a similar process that may trigger degenerative disease in humans, according to a reproductive physiologist.

Chemists find an easier way to synthesize new drug candidates; New method could have a big impact on pharmaceutical business Posted: 26 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Chemists have designed a new way to attach a trifluoromethyl group to certain compounds, which they believe could allow pharmaceutical companies to create and test new drugs much faster and potentially reduce the cost of drug discovery. The new synthesis could have an immediate impact.

Novel radiotracer shines new light on the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients Posted: 26 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT A trial of a novel radioactive compound readily and safely distinguished the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients from healthy volunteers on brain scans and opens the doors to making such imaging available beyond facilities that can manufacture their own radioactive compounds.

Climate change complicates plant diseases of the future Posted: 26 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Human-driven changes in the earth's atmospheric composition are likely to alter plant diseases of the future. Researchers are studying the impact of elevated carbon dioxide, elevated ozone and higher atmospheric temperatures on plant diseases that could challenge crops in these changing conditions.

Pleasing to the eye: Even brooding female birds are sensitive to visual stimulation Posted: 26 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT In a breeding experiment with Houbara bustards -- a North African bird species with a very distinctive courtship behavior -- scientists have concluded that visual stimulation from attractive males of the same species positively affects brooding females, improving offspring growth.

Scientists create 3-D models of whole mouse organs Posted: 26 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Engineers have for the first time created 3-D models of whole intact mouse organs, a feat they accomplished using fluorescence microscopy.

Ingredient in red wine may prevent some blinding diseases Posted: 26 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Resveratrol -- found in red wine, grapes, blueberries, peanuts and other plants -- stops out-of-control blood vessel growth in the eye, according to vision researchers. The discovery has implications for preserving vision in blinding eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 50.

Gene therapy a step closer to mass production Posted: 26 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Researchers in Latvia and Finland have synthesized and studied a range of organic compounds able to carry genetic material into individual cells where it can remedy the diseases caused by defective genes. Still under development, these compounds are much more readily produced than the viral carriers now in use and avoid their side-effects. Most importantly, they are much more effective than other organic carrier substances developed so far.

Detecting eye injury Posted: 26 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Scientists have developed a noninvasive imaging technique to detect early stages of eye disease.

Aggressive action to reduce soot emissions needed to meet climate change goals, experts say Posted: 26 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT Without aggressive action to reduce soot emissions, the time table for carbon dioxide emission reductions may need to be significantly accelerated in order to achieve international climate policy goals such as those set forth in last December's Copenhagen Accord, according to a new study.

Study identifies couples’ underlying concerns during a fight Posted: 26 Jun 2010 05:00 AM PDT A new study has found that there are two fundamental underlying concerns when partners in a committed relationship fight. Researchers have identified the first type of underlying concern as perceived threat, which involves a perception that one's partner is being hostile, critical, blaming or controlling. The second type of concern is called perceived neglect, which involves a perception that one's partner is failing to make a desired contribution or failing to demonstrate an ideal level of commitment or investment in the relationship.

Galaxy encounter fires up quasar Posted: 25 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Using two of the world's largest telescopes, astronomers have found evidence of a collision between galaxies driving intense activity in a highly luminous quasar. The scientists used the Very Large Telescope in Chile and the Gran Telescopio Canarias on La Palma in the Canary Islands, to study activity from the quasar SDSS J0123+00.

Virus works with gene to cause Crohn's-like illness Posted: 25 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists have shown that a specific virus can interact with a mutation in the host's genes to trigger disease. The observation may help explain why many people with disease risk genes do not actually develop disease.

Four-leaf clover gives up its secrets Posted: 25 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Ending a period of "bad luck" for clover researchers, scientists report finding the gene that turns ordinary three-leaf clovers into the coveted four-leaf types. Masked by the three-leaf gene and strongly influenced by environmental condition, molecular markers now make it possible to detect the presence of the gene for four-leaves and for breeders to work with it.

Silencing hepatitis B virus prevents recurrence of liver cancer Posted: 25 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Previous studies have shown that antiviral treatment reduces the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B. But now, researchers are reporting that the antiviral therapy also prevents recurrence of HCC and extends patients' lives.

Ecological change in the abyss: The Amperima event Posted: 25 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Even in the dark abyss of the deep ocean animal communities can undergo rapid, widespread and radical changes. Scientists are monitoring these changes and understanding the mechanisms responsible.

Tactile sensations influence social judgments and decisions Posted: 25 Jun 2010 02:00 PM PDT Psychologists report that interpersonal interactions can be shaped, profoundly yet unconsciously, by the physical attributes of incidental objects: Resumes reviewed on a heavy clipboard are judged to be more substantive, while a negotiator seated in a soft chair is less likely to drive a hard bargain. The work suggests physical touch -- the first of our senses to develop -- may continue throughout life as a scaffold upon which we build our social judgments and decisions.

More variation in human genome than expected: Surprisingly common transposons or 'jumping genes' are known to cause disease Posted: 25 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT Scientists are finding more variation in the human genome than they had expected, according to new research. The study is one of the first to take an in-depth look at transposons, segments of DNA that can replicate themselves and move to new sites in each individual's genome. The researchers found that new occurrences of transposons were surprisingly prevalent in human and in lung cancer genomes.

Small amount of common preservative increases toxins from harmful bacteria in food, study finds Posted: 25 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT In response to consumer demand for more natural food, the food industry has reduced the amount of preservatives in food over recent years. A common preservative is acetic acid, which is used to stop bacterial growth in dressings, sauces, cheese and pickles. However, new research shows that a small amount of acetic acid does not have the intended effect, but rather the opposite -- it increases the amount of toxin from the harmful bacteria in the food.

NASA radar images show how Mexico quake deformed Earth Posted: 25 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT Minerals in northern Mars craters seen by two orbiters suggest that a phase in Mars' early history with conditions favorable to life occurred globally, not just in the south.

Mysterious cilium functions as cellular communication hub, study shows Posted: 25 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT Researchers have pinpointed the molecular cause of a rare genetic disease in humans called Bardet-Biedl syndrome, or BBS. People with the disorder suffer from obesity, retinal degeneration, kidney cysts and polydactyly (having extra fingers or toes). Specifically, the researchers have discovered that genetic mutations associated with the disease affect a protein complex that ferries receptors and other proteins from the cell's membrane to the surface of the primary cilium.

Biomedical scientist concerned about effects of oil spill on human health Posted: 25 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT A biomedical researcher says that some of the same chemicals found in diesel fumes and cigarette smoke are also found in the tar balls produced as a result of the oil spill, and he is worried about the effect they will have on the health of clean-up workers and wildlife.

Most concussions deliver 95 g's, neuropsychologist says Posted: 25 Jun 2010 11:00 AM PDT A head injury expert says that most concussions deliver 95 g's to the human body upon impact. G-force is a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity. In addition, the average football player receives 103 g's when hit during a game. In comparison, the average g-force experienced by military fighter pilots is nine g's.

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