ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Now you see it, now you don't: An infrared invisibility cloak made of glass
• Toxic trio identified as the basis of celiac disease
• Gulf oil dispersants unlikely to be endocrine disruptors and have relatively low cell toxicity, tests find
• Genetic mismatch keeps yeast species distinct
• Engineering researchers simplify process to make world's tiniest wires
• 'Runaway' development implicated in loss of function of the aging brain
• Evidence of water in lunar rocks: Water on moon may be widespread, similar to Earth's
• Novel anti-diabetes mechanism uncovered: Findings could lead to next generation of improved therapies
• Recreational pool disinfectants linked to health problems
• Quitting smoking may minimize harmful bacteria and replenish healthy bacteria
• Nanotech coatings produce 20 times more electricity from sewage
• Brain scans may help guide career choice
• Black hole jerked around twice
• Stem cells for eating and sex pinpointed
• Quantum entanglement in photosynthesis and evolution
• Subtle thyroid problem triples the risk of placental separation in birth, study finds
• Temperature constancy appears key to tropical biodiversity
• Summer reading is key to maintaining or improving students' reading skills
• Climate change causes larger, more plentiful marmots, study shows; Implications for many creatures that hibernate
• Muscular heart failure patients may have a better chance at survival, study suggests
• Students design early labor detector aimed to prevent premature births
• HIV vaccines may induce HIV antibodies in trial participants, can cause false-positive test result
• Video game processors help lower CT scan radiation
• Marriage patterns drive fertility decline
• What causes hybrid vigor? Researchers find genetic 'noise' caused by surprising variation in gene activity
• Valproic acid shown to halt vision loss in patients with retinitis pigmentosa
• Nanoribbons for graphene transistors: Materials for tomorrow's nanoelectronics
• Studies gauge techniques for measuring breast density -- a predictor of cancer
• Military greenhouse gas emissions: EPA should recognize environmental impact of protecting foreign oil, researchers urge
• New code of conduct for researchers
• Cometary impact on Neptune: Herschel data point to collision about two centuries ago
• First stages of tissue production in human embryonic stem cells isolated
• Need for protection against ticks that carry Lyme disease confirmed by new research
• New genomics-based approach to understand origin of cancer subgroups
• Stormwater model to inform regulators on future development projects
• Children of older women appear vulnerable to the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure
• Finding frugal aliens: 'Benford beacons' concept could refocus search for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life
• Engineered stem cells may limit heart attack damage, improve function
• CSI at the service of cellulose synthesis: Plant researchers identify protein involved in formation of cellulose
• Sepsis and septic shock more common than heart attacks or pulmonary blood clots after general surgery, study finds
• International law failing to protect coral reefs and tropical fish, experts argue
• Afraid of a broken heart? Feeling insecure in relationships may predispose people to later cardiovascular problems, says research
• Primitive frogs do a belly flop: Study shows that frogs evolved jumping before they refined landing
• Do cleaning products cause breast cancer?
• New methodology improves winter climate forecasting
• Trauma patients undergoing emergency operations may receive transfusions of their own blood
• Poplar tree protein can be used to shrink memory elements and increase computer memory density
• Nasal zinc gels may be associated with loss of sense of smell, study finds

Now you see it, now you don't: An infrared invisibility cloak made of glass Posted: 22 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT From Star Trek's Romulans, who could cloak their spaceships, to Harry Potter's magical garment, the power to turn someone or something invisible has intrigued mankind. Now one researcher is doing it for real. She has found ways to use magnetic resonance to capture rays of visible light and route them around objects, rendering those objects invisible to the human eye.

Toxic trio identified as the basis of celiac disease Posted: 22 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Scientists have identified the three protein fragments that make gluten -- the main protein in wheat, rye and barley -- toxic to people with celiac disease.

Gulf oil dispersants unlikely to be endocrine disruptors and have relatively low cell toxicity, tests find Posted: 22 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Government scientists are reporting that eight of the most commonly used oil dispersants used to fight oil spills, such as the massive episode in the Gulf of Mexico, appear unlikely to act as endocrine disruptors -- hormone-like substances that can interfere with reproduction, development, and other biological processes. The tested dispersants also had a relatively low potential for cytotoxicity (cell death), with JD-2000 and SAF-RON GOLD showing the least potential.

Genetic mismatch keeps yeast species distinct Posted: 22 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT How species form and what keeps them distinct from each other, even though they can interbreed, is a key question in evolution. Researchers have recently identified genes in three closely related yeast species that cause sterility, increasing our understanding of how species can remain distinct.

Engineering researchers simplify process to make world's tiniest wires Posted: 22 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Surface tension isn't a very powerful force, but it matters for small things -- water bugs, paint, and, it turns out, nanowires.

'Runaway' development implicated in loss of function of the aging brain Posted: 22 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT The brain undergoes rapid growth and development in the early years of life and then degenerates as we progress into old age, yet little is known about the biological processes that distinguish brain development and aging. In a new study, researchers have identified a gene regulatory link between changes in the young and aging brain, describing "runaway" development as a potentially significant factor in age-related loss of function.

Evidence of water in lunar rocks: Water on moon may be widespread, similar to Earth's Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT That dry, dusty moon overhead? Seems it isn't quite as dry as it's long been thought to be. Although you won't find oceans, lakes, or even a shallow puddle on its surface, a team of geologists has found structurally bound hydroxyl groups (i.e., water) in a mineral in a lunar rock returned to Earth by the Apollo program.

Novel anti-diabetes mechanism uncovered: Findings could lead to next generation of improved therapies Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT Scientists have uncovered a novel mechanism that dramatically increases insulin sensitivity and reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Recreational pool disinfectants linked to health problems Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT Splashing around in a swimming pool on a hot summer day may not be as safe as you think. A recent study links the application of disinfectants in recreational pools to previously published adverse health outcomes such as asthma and bladder cancer.

Quitting smoking may minimize harmful bacteria and replenish healthy bacteria Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT Patients with chronic gum disease who quit smoking in addition to undergoing nonsurgical therapy not only demonstrated a lower abundance of harmful oral pathogens, but also an increase in health-associated bacteria.

Nanotech coatings produce 20 times more electricity from sewage Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT Engineers have made a significant advance toward producing electricity from sewage, by the use of new coatings on the anodes of microbial electrochemical cells that increased the electricity production about 20 times. The findings bring the researchers one step closer to technology that could clean biowaste at the same time it produces useful levels of electricity -- a promising new innovation in wastewater treatment and renewable energy.

Brain scans may help guide career choice Posted: 22 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT General aptitude tests and specific mental ability tests are important tools for vocational guidance. Researchers are now asking whether performance on such tests is based on differences in brain structure, and if so, can brain scans be helpful in choosing a career? In a first step, researchers have investigated how well eight tests used in vocational guidance correlate to gray matter in areas throughout the brain.

Black hole jerked around twice Posted: 22 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Scientists have found evidence that a giant black hole has been jerked around twice, causing its spin axis to point in a different direction from before. This discovery, made with new data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, might explain several mysterious-looking objects found throughout the Universe.

Stem cells for eating and sex pinpointed Posted: 22 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT New research has identified the stem cells that generate three critical classes of nerve cells -- olfactory receptors, vomeronasal and gonadotropin releasing hormone neurons -- that are responsible for enabling animals and humans, to eat, interact socially and reproduce.

Quantum entanglement in photosynthesis and evolution Posted: 22 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Recently, academic debate has been swirling around the existence of unusual quantum mechanical effects in the most ubiquitous of phenomena, including photosynthesis, the process by which organisms convert light into chemical energy. In a new paper, these ideas are put to the test.

Subtle thyroid problem triples the risk of placental separation in birth, study finds Posted: 22 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Pregnant women with antibodies that can indicate early thyroid disease are three times as likely to have placental separation during labor, researchers have found in a study of more than 17,000 women.

Temperature constancy appears key to tropical biodiversity Posted: 22 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT The tropics owe their stunning biodiversity to consistent year-round temperatures, not higher temperatures or more sunlight, according to a novel survey of insect diversity at different latitudes and at different points in the planet's history. The finding may finally answer a question that has dogged scientists for centuries.

Summer reading is key to maintaining or improving students' reading skills Posted: 22 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have completed a three-year study showing a significantly higher level of reading achievement in students who received books for summer reading at home.

Climate change causes larger, more plentiful marmots, study shows; Implications for many creatures that hibernate Posted: 22 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that changes in seasonal timing can increase body weight and population size simultaneously in a species -- findings likely to have implications for a host of other creatures, especially those that hibernate.

Muscular heart failure patients may have a better chance at survival, study suggests Posted: 22 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Heart failure patients with more muscle have the potential to increase their length of life, new research has found.

Students design early labor detector aimed to prevent premature births Posted: 22 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT A team of graduate students and their faculty adviser have invented a system to pick up very early signs that a woman is going into labor too soon.

HIV vaccines may induce HIV antibodies in trial participants, can cause false-positive test result Posted: 22 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT During trials of preventive HIV vaccines, trial participants may develop HIV-related antibody responses that could lead to a positive HIV test by routine antibody detection methods (called vaccine-induced seropositivity/reactivity [VISP]), and the potential for false-positive test results and an incorrect HIV diagnosis, according to a new study.

Video game processors help lower CT scan radiation Posted: 22 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT A new approach to processing X-ray data could lower by a factor of ten or more the amount of radiation patients receive during cone beam CT scans, researchers report.

Marriage patterns drive fertility decline Posted: 22 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have applied an evolutionary "use it or lose it" principle when studying past marriage patterns, to show that marriage can influence the evolution of age-patterns of fertility.

What causes hybrid vigor? Researchers find genetic 'noise' caused by surprising variation in gene activity Posted: 21 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Plant scientists have provided a new solution to an old debate on why species hybrids can be more vigorous than their parents. The researchers found a type of genetic "noise" caused by a surprising degree of variation in gene activity even for highly similar traits in closely related species. They found that when species hybridize, some of the variation in gene activity may be canceled out, leading to greater vigor.

Valproic acid shown to halt vision loss in patients with retinitis pigmentosa Posted: 21 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a potential new therapeutic link between valproic acid and retinitis pigmentosa, which could have tremendous benefits for patients suffering from the disease.

Nanoribbons for graphene transistors: Materials for tomorrow's nanoelectronics Posted: 21 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Scientists have managed for the first time to grow graphene ribbons that are just a few nanometers wide using a simple surface-based chemical method. Graphene ribbons are considered to be "hot candidates" for future electronics applications as their properties can be adjusted through width and edge shape.

Studies gauge techniques for measuring breast density -- a predictor of cancer Posted: 21 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Two new studies have tested three different methods for accurately measuring breast density -- the relative portion of tissue to fat in a woman's breasts and a strong indicator of breast cancer risk.

Military greenhouse gas emissions: EPA should recognize environmental impact of protecting foreign oil, researchers urge Posted: 21 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT US military operations to protect oil imports coming from the Middle East are creating larger amounts of greenhouse gas emissions than once thought, new research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows.

New code of conduct for researchers Posted: 21 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT A new European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity has been presented by the European Science Foundation at the World Conference on Research Integrity. The code addresses good practice and bad conduct in science, offering a basis for trust and integrity across national borders.

Cometary impact on Neptune: Herschel data point to collision about two centuries ago Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT A comet may have hit the planet Neptune about two centuries ago. This is indicated by the distribution of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere of the gas giant that researchers have now studied. The scientists analyzed data taken by the research satellite Herschel, that has been orbiting the Sun in a distance of approximately 1.5 million kilometers since May 2009.

First stages of tissue production in human embryonic stem cells isolated Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Scientists have described a population of cells that mark the very first stage of differentiation of human embryonic stem cells as they enter a developmental pathway that leads to production of blood, heart muscle, blood vessels and bone.

Need for protection against ticks that carry Lyme disease confirmed by new research Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Research on the population of black-legged ticks, which can transmit Lyme disease from host animals to humans, reinforces that it is important to take preventative measures when spending time outdoors.

New genomics-based approach to understand origin of cancer subgroups Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Scientists have long recognized that cancers may look the same under the microscope, but carry different mutations, respond differently to treatment and result in vastly different outcomes for patients. Now researchers have developed a new approach that uses genomic information from different species to understand the biology that drives the formation of these different cancer subtypes.

Stormwater model to inform regulators on future development projects Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Researchers have developed a computer model that will accurately predict stormwater pollution impacts from proposed real-estate developments -- allowing regulators to make informed decisions about which development projects can be approved without endangering water quality. The model could serve as a blueprint for similar efforts across the United States.

Children of older women appear vulnerable to the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure Posted: 21 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT The presence and severity of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are influenced by factors beyond alcohol consumption, such as maternal age. New findings have shown that the damaging effects of maternal binge drinking during pregnancy on attention are greater among children born to older drinking mothers.

Finding frugal aliens: 'Benford beacons' concept could refocus search for signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT By looking at the point-of-view of ET civilizations sending beacons, an astrophysicist and microwave-expert brother advocate new approach for SETI to find signals of intelligent alien life.

Engineered stem cells may limit heart attack damage, improve function Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Implanting tiny plastic scaffolds seeded with genetically engineered stem cells reduced organ damage and led to better cardiac function after a heart attack, according to new research.

CSI at the service of cellulose synthesis: Plant researchers identify protein involved in formation of cellulose Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Grains, vegetables and fruit taste delicious and are important sources of energy. However, humans cannot digest the main component of plants - the cellulose in the cell wall. Even in ruminants, animals that can metabolize cellulose, the digestibility of the cell wall plays a crucial role in feed utilization. Scientists are therefore looking for ways of increasing the digestibility of animal feed, and of utilizing plant cell walls to generate energy. To do this they must first understand how plant cells develop their cell walls from cellulose and identify the genes and proteins involved. Scientists have now discovered a hitherto unknown protein required for cellulose production.

Sepsis and septic shock more common than heart attacks or pulmonary blood clots after general surgery, study finds Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Sepsis and septic shock appear to be more common than heart attacks or pulmonary blood clots among patients having general surgery, and the death rate for patients with septic shock is approximately 34 percent within 30 days of operation, according to a new study.

International law failing to protect coral reefs and tropical fish, experts argue Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT International law has failed to protect coral reefs and tropical fish from being decimated by a growing collectors market, but US reforms can lead the way towards making the trade more responsible, ecologically sustainable and humane, according to a group of 18 experts.

Afraid of a broken heart? Feeling insecure in relationships may predispose people to later cardiovascular problems, says research Posted: 21 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT People who feel insecure about their attachments to others might be at higher risk for cardiovascular problems than those who feel secure in their relationships, according to a new study.

Primitive frogs do a belly flop: Study shows that frogs evolved jumping before they refined landing Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT Sometimes divers, to their own painful dismay, do belly flops. But did you ever see a frog belly flop? That's just what primitive living frogs do, according to a new study looking at the evolution of frog jumping and landing. They found that frogs became proficient at jumping before they perfected landing. This evolutionary split, characterized by an inability to rapidly rotate the limbs forward during flight in order to land front legs first, might also explain why primitive frogs' back legs are out-of-phase with one another when they swim.

Do cleaning products cause breast cancer? Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT Women who report greater use of cleaning products may be at higher breast cancer risk than those who say they use them sparingly. Researchers asked more than 1500 women about their cleaning product usage and found that women who reported using more air fresheners and products for mold and mildew control had a higher incidence of breast cancer.

New methodology improves winter climate forecasting Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT It's hot out right now, but new research will help us know what to expect when the weather turns cold. Researchers have developed a new methodology that improves the accuracy of winter precipitation and temperature forecasts. The tool should be valuable for government and utility officials, since it provides key information for use in predicting energy consumption and water availability.

Trauma patients undergoing emergency operations may receive transfusions of their own blood Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT Transfusion with a trauma patient's own blood may offer a cost-effective alternative to transfusion with blood from another individual as a resuscitation method during surgery, according to a new study.

Poplar tree protein can be used to shrink memory elements and increase computer memory density Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists in Israel have succeeded in showing how it is possible to greatly expand the memory capacity of future computers through the use of memory units based on silica nanoparticles combined with protein molecules obtained from the poplar tree.

Nasal zinc gels may be associated with loss of sense of smell, study finds Posted: 21 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT An evaluation of 25 patients and a review of reports of clinical, biological and experimental data suggest that over-the-counter, homeopathic nasal zinc therapies may be associated with a reduced sense of smell, according to a new study.

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