ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

---

• Cassini sees moon building giant snowballs in Saturn ring
• Bone cells' branches sense stimulation, when to make new bone
• By 'putting a ring on it,' microparticles can be captured
• Children have a negative impact on physical activity among individuals with heart disease, study finds
• Nanotechnology: Scientists construct molecular 'knots'
• Getting angry can help negotiations in some cultures, hurt it in others
• Drilling down to the nanometer depths of leaves for biofuels
• New way to target viruses could make antiviral drugs more effective
• Expedition to Mid-Cayman Rise identifies unusual variety of deep sea vents
• New genetic marker of ovarian cancer risk discovered
• Video camera will show Mars rover's touchdown
• Practice makes perfect? Consumers overestimate their ability to learn prior to purchase
• First-of-its-kind map details the height of the globe's forests
• HPV vaccine gives prolonged protection against genital warts and low-grade pre-cancerous growths
• Computer program predicts MRSA bacteria's next move
• Key pathway in end-stage prostate cancer tumor progression blocked
• Rapid losses of Africa's native livestock threaten continent's food supply, experts warn
• No pain, no gain? Concrete thinking increases consumer confidence
• Rapid growth in adolescence leads to fewer offspring, biologists find
• Probiotics use in mothers limits eczema in their babies, study finds
• Cells' grouping tactic points to new cancer treatments
• Scientists identify key molecular regulator of cardiac hypertrophy
• NOAA ship Fairweather maps aid shipping through Bering Straits
• Consumers love underdogs
• Why some plants flower in spring, autumn and some in summer
• Prolonged mobile phone use may be linked to tinnitus
• Engineers work on rocket demonstrator for Mars missions
• Preterm births higher among overweight and obese mothers, study finds
• Data presentation and consumer confidence
• Healthy families, religious involvement buffer youth against risk factors related to drug abuse
• How music training primes nervous system and boosts learning
• Asthma and eczema sufferers have a lower risk of developing a cancer, study finds
• Next generation surgical robots: Where's the doctor?
• Obesity in early adulthood associated with increased risk of psoriatic arthritis
• New method developed for synchronizing clocks
• Children's school performance tied to family 'type'
• Animal connection: New hypothesis for human evolution and human nature
• Widely used chemicals linked to ADHD in children
• Underwater sponges and worms may hold key to cure for malaria
• Image-processing algorithm reduces CT radiation dose by as much as 95 percent
• Uncovering behavior of long-dead insects
• ‘The friend of my enemy is my enemy’: Virtual universe study proves 80-year-old theory on how humans interact
• Fourth property of electrons? Electric dipole moment would explain creation of universe
• Brain training reverses age-related cognitive decline
• Beach umbrellas do not block out all solar radiation, study shows
• Air travel no 'significant threat' to cardiovascular health, says new guidance
• Health impacts of Deepwater Horizon disaster on coastal Louisiana residents surveyed
• Foreign accents make speakers seem less truthful to listeners, study finds

Cassini sees moon building giant snowballs in Saturn ring Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT While orbiting Saturn for the last six years, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has kept a close eye on the collisions and disturbances in the gas giant's rings. They provide the only nearby natural laboratory for scientists to see the processes that must have occurred in our early solar system, as planets and moons coalesced out of disks of debris.

Bone cells' branches sense stimulation, when to make new bone Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT Research of bone cells shows, for the first time, the part of the cells that sense mechanical stimulation and signal the release of bone-growth factors.

By 'putting a ring on it,' microparticles can be captured Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT To trap and hold tiny microparticles, engineers have "put a ring on it," using a silicon-based circular resonator to confine particles stably for up to several minutes. The advance could one day lead to the ability to direct, deliver, and store nanoparticles and biomolecules on all-optical chips.

Children have a negative impact on physical activity among individuals with heart disease, study finds Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT A study conducted at the Montreal Heart Institute has shown unexpectedly that living with children is linked to a reduction in physical activity. Carried out with 756 participants, the study assessed the impact of social networks on exercise, revealing that people with heart disease who live with children exercise less than those people who do not live with children.

Nanotechnology: Scientists construct molecular 'knots' Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT Scientists have constructed molecular "knots" with dimensions of around two nanometers -- around 30,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.

Getting angry can help negotiations in some cultures, hurt it in others Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT Getting angry might help you get your way if you're negotiating with European-Americans, but watch out -- in negotiations with East Asians, getting angry may actually hurt your cause. That's the conclusion of a new study on how people from different cultures react to anger in negotiations.

Drilling down to the nanometer depths of leaves for biofuels Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT By imaging the cell walls of a zinnia leaf down to the nanometer scale, energy researchers have a better idea about how to turn plants into biofuels. A team has used four different imaging techniques to systematically drill down deep into the cells of Zinnia elegans.

New way to target viruses could make antiviral drugs more effective Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Scientists have developed a new way to target viruses which could increase the effectiveness of antiviral drugs. Instead of attacking the virus itself, the method developed at the University of Edinburgh alters the conditions which viruses need to survive and multiply.

Expedition to Mid-Cayman Rise identifies unusual variety of deep sea vents Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT The first expedition to search for deep-sea hydrothermal vents along the Mid-Cayman Rise has turned up three distinct types of hydrothermal venting, report marine biologists. The work was conducted to search extreme environments for geologic, biologic, and chemical clues to the origins and evolution of life.

New genetic marker of ovarian cancer risk discovered Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have identified a genetic marker that can help predict the risk of developing ovarian cancer, a hard to detect and often deadly form of cancer.

Video camera will show Mars rover's touchdown Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT A downward-pointing camera on the front-left side of NASA's Curiosity rover will give adventure fans worldwide an unprecedented sense of riding a spacecraft to a landing on Mars.

Practice makes perfect? Consumers overestimate their ability to learn prior to purchase Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Consumers give up on using products because they underestimate their learning abilities, according to a new study.

First-of-its-kind map details the height of the globe's forests Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Using satellite data, scientists have produced a first-of-its kind map that details the height of the world's forests. Although there are other local- and regional-scale forest canopy maps, the new map is the first that spans the entire globe based on one uniform method.

HPV vaccine gives prolonged protection against genital warts and low-grade pre-cancerous growths Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Vaccination against certain types of human papillomavirus gives strong and sustained protection against genital warts and pre-cancerous growths of the cervix, according to a new study.

Computer program predicts MRSA bacteria's next move Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers are using computers to identify how one strain of dangerous bacteria might mutate in the same way a champion chess player tries to anticipate an opponent's strategies. The predictive software could result in better drug design to beat antibiotic-resistant mutations.

Key pathway in end-stage prostate cancer tumor progression blocked Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have found that blocking one of the enzymatic steps that allow a prostate tumor to produce androgens could be the key in halting a tumor's growth.

Rapid losses of Africa's native livestock threaten continent's food supply, experts warn Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Urgent action is needed to stop the rapid and alarming loss of genetic diversity of African livestock that provide food and income to 70 percent of rural Africans and include a treasure-trove of drought- and disease-resistant animals, according to a new analysis presented at a major gathering of African scientists and development experts.

No pain, no gain? Concrete thinking increases consumer confidence Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT The confidence you feel when making a choice might depend on whether you're thinking concretely or abstractly, according to a new study.

Rapid growth in adolescence leads to fewer offspring, biologists find Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Biologists working on guppies report that rapid growth responses to increased food availability after a period of growth restriction early in life have repercussions in adulthood. Based on their experiments, the biologists found that female guppies that grew rapidly as juveniles produced fewer offspring than usual. The research sheds light on how organisms, including humans, respond to changes in their environment, such as food availability.

Probiotics use in mothers limits eczema in their babies, study finds Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Women who drank milk with a probiotic supplement during and after their pregnancy cut the incidence of eczema in their children by almost half compared to mothers who drank a placebo, researchers have shown.

Cells' grouping tactic points to new cancer treatments Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT The mechanism that cells use to group together and move around the body has been discovered by scientists at in the UK -- a finding that has implications for the development of new cancer treatments.

Scientists identify key molecular regulator of cardiac hypertrophy Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Scientists have identified a key molecular regulator of cardiac hypertrophy (enlargement of the heart) that may provide a therapeutic target for a major risk factor of heart failure and early death. The researchers report in an upcoming edition of Nature Medicine that over-expression of the protein CIB1 (also called calmyrin) triggers biochemical processes that lead to cardiac hypertrophy. The study was posted online July 18 in advance of publication.

NOAA ship Fairweather maps aid shipping through Bering Straits Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT As Arctic ice recedes, countries are looking forward to faster, safer and more efficient sea routes across the top of the world. Responding to a request from the US Navy, US Coast Guard, Alaska Maritime Pilots and the commercial shipping industry, NOAA sent one of its premier surveying vessels, NOAA Ship Fairweather, to detect navigational dangers in critical Arctic waters that have not been charted for more than 50 years.

Consumers love underdogs Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Consumers strongly relate to brands that they perceive as underdogs, according to a new study.

Why some plants flower in spring, autumn and some in summer Posted: 20 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Scientists have uncovered a new piece in the puzzle about why some plants flower in spring/autumn and some in summer. They have isolated a gene responsible for regulating the expression of CONSTANS, an important inducer of flowering, in Arabidopsis. This knowledge will enable more predictable flowering, better scheduling and reduced wastage of crops.

Prolonged mobile phone use may be linked to tinnitus Posted: 20 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Regularly using a mobile phone for at least four years seems to be associated with a doubling in the risk of developing chronic tinnitus (persistent ringing/roaring/hissing in the ear), indicates a small study.

Engineers work on rocket demonstrator for Mars missions Posted: 20 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Engineers in the UK are working on a dual fuel rocket which could provide technology suitable for a rocket for Mars and will have a negative carbon footprint.

Preterm births higher among overweight and obese mothers, study finds Posted: 20 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Overweight and obese women are at greater risk of giving birth to a preterm baby compared with normal weight women, a new study finds.

Data presentation and consumer confidence Posted: 20 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Is it better to present data in percentages (80% of 70) or as a frequency (56 out of 70 times)? According to a new study, data presented in the frequency format leads to more accurate judgments.

Healthy families, religious involvement buffer youth against risk factors related to drug abuse Posted: 20 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT American-Indian adolescents continue to have the highest rates of illicit drug use among all ethnic groups. Recent findings reveal that positive family relationships and religious affiliation can counteract risk factors -- including addicted family members, exposure to violence and deviant peers -- associated with drug use.

How music training primes nervous system and boosts learning Posted: 20 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT A data-driven review pulls together converging research from the scientific literature linking musical training to learning that spills over to skills including language, speech, memory, attention and even vocal emotion. The science covered comes from labs all over the world, from scientists of varying scientific philosophies, using a wide range of research methods.

Asthma and eczema sufferers have a lower risk of developing a cancer, study finds Posted: 20 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Men who had a history of asthma or eczema generally had a lower risk of developing cancer, according to a new study.

Next generation surgical robots: Where's the doctor? Posted: 20 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Feasibility studies conducted by bioengineers have demonstrated that a robot -- without any human assistance -- can locate a man-made, or phantom, lesion in simulated human organs, guide a device to the lesion and take multiple samples during a single session.

Obesity in early adulthood associated with increased risk of psoriatic arthritis Posted: 20 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Among persons with psoriasis, those who reported being obese at age 18 had an increased risk of developing psoriatic arthritis, according to a report in the July 19 issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

New method developed for synchronizing clocks Posted: 20 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Researchers report on a new way to accurately synchronize clocks. The new method uses both GPS and the Internet to set clocks within 10 nanoseconds of a reference clock located anywhere on Earth.

Children's school performance tied to family 'type' Posted: 20 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT The way a family interacts can have more of an impact on a child's predicted school success than reading, writing or arithmetic, according to a new study.

Animal connection: New hypothesis for human evolution and human nature Posted: 20 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT It's no secret to any dog-lover or cat-lover that humans have a special connection with animals. But in new research, a paleoanthropologist argues that this human-animal connection goes well beyond simple affection. He proposes that the interdependency of ancestral humans with other animal species -- "the animal connection" -- played a crucial and beneficial role in human evolution over the last 2.6 million years.

Widely used chemicals linked to ADHD in children Posted: 20 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT Researchers suggests a link between polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs), industrial compounds which are widely used in many consumer products, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. PFCs are highly stable compounds used in industrial and commercial products like stain-resistance coatings, food packaging, and fire-fighting foams.

Underwater sponges and worms may hold key to cure for malaria Posted: 20 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT Healing powers for one of the world's deadliest diseases may lie within sponges, sea worms and other underwater creatures. A scientist is analyzing more than 2,500 samples from marine organisms collected off deep sea near Florida's coast. Some of them could hold the key to developing drugs to fight malaria, a mosquito-borne illness that kills more than 1 million people worldwide annually.

Image-processing algorithm reduces CT radiation dose by as much as 95 percent Posted: 20 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT In the wake of recent radiation overdoses, researchers excited by CT perfusion's promise for diagnosing stroke, cancer, and possibly heart disease have developed a way to reduce the amount of radiation involved in the procedure -- which, when done properly, already involves very little risk.

Uncovering behavior of long-dead insects Posted: 20 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT What can you learn from the 120-year-old body of a parasitoid wasp? Using material from museum collections, researchers report that they can tell how males wasps court their females, based on dead specimens.

‘The friend of my enemy is my enemy’: Virtual universe study proves 80-year-old theory on how humans interact Posted: 20 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT A new study analyzing interactions between players in a virtual universe game has for the first time provided large-scale evidence to prove an 80-year-old psychological theory called Structural Balance Theory. The research shows that individuals tend to avoid stress-causing relationships when they develop a society, resulting in more stable social networks.

Fourth property of electrons? Electric dipole moment would explain creation of universe Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Do electrons have a fourth property in addition to mass, charge and spin, as popular physics theories such as supersymmetry predict? Researchers from Germany, the Czech Republic and the United States want to find the answer to this fundamental question of physics. In order to improve the precision of previous measurements, they have created a new material with the aid of the Juelich supercomputer JUROPA.

Brain training reverses age-related cognitive decline Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Specialized brain training targeted at the regions of a rat's brain that process sound reversed many aspects of normal, age-related cognitive decline and improved the health of the brain cells, according to a new study.

Beach umbrellas do not block out all solar radiation, study shows Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT A team of researchers from Spain has found that 34% of ultraviolet radiation filters through under beach umbrellas. According to the study, umbrellas intercept the full direct flow that comes from the Sun, but not the diffused radiation that penetrates through from the sides.

Air travel no 'significant threat' to cardiovascular health, says new guidance Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Air travel poses no "significant threat" to cardiovascular health, with few conditions likely to warrant restrictions, concludes new guidance.

Health impacts of Deepwater Horizon disaster on coastal Louisiana residents surveyed Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Researchers have conducted a survey to gain an understanding of the health impacts the ongoing Deepwater Horizon disaster is having on people living in Louisiana's coastal communities.

Foreign accents make speakers seem less truthful to listeners, study finds Posted: 20 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT A foreign accent undermines a person's credibility in ways that the speaker and the listener don't consciously realize, new research shows. Because an accent makes a person harder to understand, listeners are less likely to find what the person says as truthful, researchers found. The problem of credibility increases with the severity of the accent.

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