ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Scientists tap into Antarctic octopus venom
• Alcohol reduces the severity of rheumatoid arthritis, study finds
• Engineers prove space pioneer's 25-year-old theory
• Getting a step ahead of pathogens
• Waste fat from frying fuels hydrogen economy
• Relationships improve your odds of survival by 50 percent, research finds
• New drug delivery technique: Nanoblasts from laser-activated nanoparticles move molecules, proteins and DNA into cells
• Genetic risk score associated with breast cancer risk; predictive of type of disease
• Latest 'green' packing material? Mushrooms; Packing foam engineered from mushrooms and agricultural waste
• Many knee and hip replacement patients experience weight decrease after surgery
• Urine: Waste product or future power source?
• Delirium in older patients associated with greater risk of death, dementia and institutionalization
• Can you ask a pig if his glass is half full?
• Late preterm births associated with increased risk of respiratory illnesses
• Protein identified that can result in fragile bones
• Obesity rise linked to disability increase among elderly in Latin America and the Caribbean
• Researchers' 'Posseidon' adventure could save shipping industry millions
• Not as Web savvy as you think? Young people give Google, other top brand search results too much credibility, study finds
• Multifunctional nanoparticle enables new type of biological imaging
• Biomarkers found for postmenopausal cardiovascular disease
• Researchers investigate effects of lightning strikes on aircraft
• Adherence to recommended exercise improves physical function, reduces pain for osteoarthritis patients
• The more frequently you log on, the more weight you can keep off, study finds
• Many people can and do lead because they want to help others, research suggests
• Remembering to forget: The amnesic effect of daydreaming
• Key milestone towards the development of a new clinically useful antibiotic
• Data sorting world record falls: Computer scientists break terabyte sort barrier in 60 seconds
• Body mass index at age 17 within the normal range can predict future risk for hypertension in later life
• Who gives a tweet? Nuanced feedback for microbloggers
• ADHD, conduct disorder and smoking most strongly related to dropping out of high school
• Invention enables people with disabilities communicate and steer a wheelchair by sniffing
• Early predictors of metabolic syndrome in healthy 7-9 year-olds identified
• Promise for nuclear fusion test reactors, findings show
• Many HIV-exposed infants in African countries not receiving medication to help prevent HIV
• Calcium connections: Basic pathway for maintaining cell's fuel stores
• Abusive mothers improve parenting after in-home training, emotional support of therapists
• Native-like spider silk produced in metabolically engineered bacteria
• Experimental obesity drug avoids brain effects that troubled predecessors
• Engineered coral pigment helps scientists to observe protein movement
• New HIV treatment guidelines indicate importance of early, individualized antiretroviral treatment
• More accurate than Heisenberg allows? Uncertainty in the presence of a quantum memory
• Few people are doing it, so why should I? Motivating men to seek cancer screening
• Radical new computer memory? Emergent resistance network suggests mechanism for colossal magnetoresistance
• New proteins that regulate blood pressure, flow discovered
• Ötzi’s secrets about to be revealed
• Extended use of anti-clotting drug helps some bedridden patients
• NASA tests launch abort system at supersonic speeds
• Even in good communities, roaming teens a recipe for violence

Scientists tap into Antarctic octopus venom Posted: 28 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have collected venom from octopuses in Antarctica for the first time, significantly advancing our understanding of the properties of venom as a potential resource for drug development. They also revealed the existence of four new species of octopus.

Alcohol reduces the severity of rheumatoid arthritis, study finds Posted: 28 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT Drinking alcohol may reduce the severity of rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research. It is the first time that this effect has been shown in humans. The study also finds that alcohol consumption reduces the risk of developing the disease, confirming the results of previous studies.

Engineers prove space pioneer's 25-year-old theory Posted: 28 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT When American space pioneer, Dr. Robert L. Forward, proposed in 1984 a way of greatly improving satellite telecommunications using a new family of orbits, some claimed it was impossible. But now engineers in Scotland have proved that Forward was right.

Getting a step ahead of pathogens Posted: 28 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT A recent article examines the possibility of using epistasis to predict the outcome of the evolutionary processes, especially when the evolving units are pathogens such as viruses.

Waste fat from frying fuels hydrogen economy Posted: 28 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT Don't pour that dirty fat from the fryer down the sink -- it could be used to make the fuel of the future.

Relationships improve your odds of survival by 50 percent, research finds Posted: 28 Jul 2010 08:00 AM PDT In a new study, researchers report that social connections -- friends, family, neighbors or colleagues -- improve our odds of survival by 50 percent.

New drug delivery technique: Nanoblasts from laser-activated nanoparticles move molecules, proteins and DNA into cells Posted: 28 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Using chemical "nanoblasts" that punch tiny holes in the protective membranes of cells, researchers have demonstrated a new technique for getting therapeutic small molecules, proteins and DNA directly into living cells.

Genetic risk score associated with breast cancer risk; predictive of type of disease Posted: 28 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Women with higher risk scores that consisted of having certain genetic variants most strongly linked to breast cancer had an associated higher risk of breast cancer, with these scores also highly predictive of estrogen receptor-positive disease, according to a new study.

Latest 'green' packing material? Mushrooms; Packing foam engineered from mushrooms and agricultural waste Posted: 28 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT A new packing material that grows itself is now appearing in shipped products across the country. The composite of inedible agricultural waste and mushroom roots is called Mycobond, and its manufacture requires just one eighth the energy and one tenth the carbon dioxide of traditional foam packing material.

Many knee and hip replacement patients experience weight decrease after surgery Posted: 28 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Patients often exhibit a significant decrease in weight and body mass index (BMI) after undergoing knee or hip replacement surgery (arthroplasty).

Urine: Waste product or future power source? Posted: 28 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT Researchers in the UK are looking into the use of urine as the 'fuel' for microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use bacterial cultures to break down 'food' to create power. MFCs are a developing technology used to power autonomous robots.

Delirium in older patients associated with greater risk of death, dementia and institutionalization Posted: 28 Jul 2010 05:00 AM PDT A review and analysis of previous research indicates that delirium in elderly patients is associated with an increased risk of death, dementia, and institutionalization, independent of age, co-existing illnesses or illness severity, according to a new study.

Can you ask a pig if his glass is half full? Posted: 28 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Experts in the UK have shown for the first time that a pig's mood mirrors how content he is, highlighting that pigs are capable of complex emotions which are directly influenced by their living conditions.

Late preterm births associated with increased risk of respiratory illnesses Posted: 28 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT An analysis of more than 200,000 deliveries finds that compared to infants born at full term, those born between 34 weeks and 37 weeks are more likely to have severe respiratory illness, and this risk decreases with each added week of gestational age during the late preterm period, according to a new study.

Protein identified that can result in fragile bones Posted: 28 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Too little of a protein called neogenin results in a smaller skeleton during development and sets the stage for a more fragile bone framework lifelong, researchers report.

Obesity rise linked to disability increase among elderly in Latin America and the Caribbean Posted: 28 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT According to a new study, rising obesity rates in Latin America and the Caribbean are making elderly people there more likely to suffer from disabilities.

Researchers' 'Posseidon' adventure could save shipping industry millions Posted: 28 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers could save the world's shipping industry millions of pounds in repairs to broken down vessels after developing a computerized warning system which keeps the 'lifeblood' of a ship flowing. The Posseidon system, a new sensor-based processing unit, can continuously monitor the ship's lubricated system, allowing crews on board to predict any deterioration or contamination in the oil, anticipate problems, allowing them to take action before damage and failure occurs.

Not as Web savvy as you think? Young people give Google, other top brand search results too much credibility, study finds Posted: 28 Jul 2010 02:00 AM PDT College students trust Google so much that a study has found many students only click on websites that turn up at the top of Google searches to complete assigned tasks. If they don't use Google, researchers found that students trust other brand-name search engines and brand-name websites to lead them to information.

Multifunctional nanoparticle enables new type of biological imaging Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT By combining a nanoparticle's magnetic and thermal properties, researchers have created a new technique that virtually eliminates the background noise from non-radioactive medical imaging.

Biomarkers found for postmenopausal cardiovascular disease Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Analysis of blood protein data from the Women's Health Initiative cohorts has revealed new biomarkers for stroke and coronary heart disease. Research found that beta-2 microglobulin levels were significantly elevated in postmenopausal women with CHD, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 was strongly associated with stroke.

Researchers investigate effects of lightning strikes on aircraft Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Scientists in the UK are researching the potential for damage posed by lightning for carbon fibre composites (CFCs), which are increasingly being used in aircraft manufacture, with a view to reducing damage and minimizing repair costs.

Adherence to recommended exercise improves physical function, reduces pain for osteoarthritis patients Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT Patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee or hip who adhere to the recommended home physical therapy exercises and physically active lifestyle experience more improvement in pain, physical function, and self-perceived effect according to a study from researchers in The Netherlands. Research also shows that maintenance of exercise behavior and physically active lifestyle after discharge of physical therapy improves the long-term effectiveness of exercise therapy in patients with knee or hip OA.

The more frequently you log on, the more weight you can keep off, study finds Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT The more people used an interactive weight management website, the more weight loss they maintained, according to a new study.

Many people can and do lead because they want to help others, research suggests Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 PM PDT In an era when the motives and ambitions of leaders such as Barack Obama, Nicolas Sarkozy and David Cameron are under constant public and media scrutiny, new research conducted in the UK has suggested that many people can and do lead because they want to help others.

Remembering to forget: The amnesic effect of daydreaming Posted: 27 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT When your mind drifts, it's hard to remember what was going on before you stopped paying attention. Now a new study has found that the effect is stronger when your mind drifts farther -- to memories of an overseas vacation instead of a domestic trip, for example, or a memory in the more distant past.

Key milestone towards the development of a new clinically useful antibiotic Posted: 27 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Scientists have identified the genes necessary for making a highly potent and clinically unexploited antibiotic in the fight against multi-resistant pathogens.

Data sorting world record falls: Computer scientists break terabyte sort barrier in 60 seconds Posted: 27 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Computer scientists from the University of California, San Diego broke "the terabyte barrier" -- and a world record -- when they sorted more than one terabyte of data (1,000 gigabytes or 1 million megabytes) in just 60 seconds. During this 2010 "Sort Benchmark" competition -- the "World Cup of data sorting" -- the computer scientists from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering also tied a world record for fastest data sorting rate.

Body mass index at age 17 within the normal range can predict future risk for hypertension in later life Posted: 27 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT How might teenage boys and girls with normal blood pressure might progress into becoming young adults with hypertension? Boys are three to four times more likely to develop hypertension as young adults and the higher the blood pressure value, even within the normal range, the higher is the risk for becoming hypertensive adults, according to new research.

Who gives a tweet? Nuanced feedback for microbloggers Posted: 27 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Researchers are launching a study to understand what aspects of Twitter content are considered valuable, and how that impacts presentation and perception of online identity.

ADHD, conduct disorder and smoking most strongly related to dropping out of high school Posted: 27 Jul 2010 08:00 PM PDT Teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) -- the most common childhood psychiatric condition in the United States -- are less likely to finish high school on time than students with other mental-health disorders that often are considered more serious, a large national study has found.

Invention enables people with disabilities communicate and steer a wheelchair by sniffing Posted: 27 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Neurobiologists and electrical engineers have invented a new technology that lets the severely disabled communicate or steer a wheelchair by sniffing. Sniffing is a precise motor skill that is controlled, in part, by the soft palate -- the flexible divider that moves to direct air in or out through the mouth or nose.

Early predictors of metabolic syndrome in healthy 7-9 year-olds identified Posted: 27 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT New research finds evidence supporting relationships seen in adolescents between insulin sensitivity and fatty liver, belly fat, and total body fat and identifies additional potential early markers of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in healthy 7-9 year-olds, including fat in muscle cells, blood pressure, physical activity, and birth weight.

Promise for nuclear fusion test reactors, findings show Posted: 27 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Researchers have discovered mechanisms critical to interactions between hot plasma and surfaces facing the plasma inside a thermonuclear fusion reactor, part of work aimed at developing coatings capable of withstanding the grueling conditions inside the reactors.

Many HIV-exposed infants in African countries not receiving medication to help prevent HIV Posted: 27 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Only about half of infants born to HIV-infected mothers in some African countries receive a minimum preventive dose of the drug nevirapine to help reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission, according to a new study.

Calcium connections: Basic pathway for maintaining cell's fuel stores Posted: 27 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Investigators have described a previously unknown biological mechanism in cells that prevents them from cannibalizing themselves for fuel. The mechanism involves the fuel used by cells under normal conditions and relies on an ongoing transfer of calcium between two cell components via an ion channel. Without this transfer, cells start consuming themselves as a way of to get enough energy.

Abusive mothers improve parenting after in-home training, emotional support of therapists Posted: 27 Jul 2010 05:00 PM PDT Each year, US child welfare agencies log more than 3 million reports of child abuse and neglect. Many services aim to address child abuse but there's very little scientific data about whether the services actually work, say psychologists. A new study finds that women in families reported previously for child abuse improved their parenting after intensive, weekly, in-home, hands-on training by mental health service providers.

Native-like spider silk produced in metabolically engineered bacteria Posted: 27 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT Biomolecular engineers have developed technology to artificially create spider dragline silk proteins that can be used to make ultra-strong synthetic fibers and bulletproof vests.

Experimental obesity drug avoids brain effects that troubled predecessors Posted: 27 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT A second-generation experimental anti-obesity and diabetes drug has shown promise in reducing body weight in rodents just as effectively as the predecessor rimonabant while avoiding the risk of psychiatric side effects that led to the withdrawal of rimonabant from the market and stopped further development of other brain-penetrating drugs of its type.

Engineered coral pigment helps scientists to observe protein movement Posted: 27 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists have shown that a variant form of a fluorescent protein originally isolated from a reef coral has excellent properties as a marker protein for super-resolution microscopy in live cells.

New HIV treatment guidelines indicate importance of early, individualized antiretroviral treatment Posted: 27 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT Advances in antiretroviral treatment have shown that the progressive immune system destruction caused by HIV infection, including AIDS, can be prevented, indicating the importance of beginning ART early, when a person with HIV infection is without symptoms, according to the 2010 recommendations of the International AIDS Society-USA Panel.

More accurate than Heisenberg allows? Uncertainty in the presence of a quantum memory Posted: 27 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT Quantum cryptography is the safest way to encrypt data. It utilizes the fact that transmitted information can only be measured with a strictly limited degree of precision. Scientists have now discovered how the use of a quantum memory affects this uncertainty.

Few people are doing it, so why should I? Motivating men to seek cancer screening Posted: 27 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT In Germany, several national health campaigns promote cancer screening by announcing that only one in five German men gets screened. This is supposed to motivate men to have an examination. But a new study finds that this well-meaning message has the exact opposite effect: it makes men less likely to choose to get screened.

Radical new computer memory? Emergent resistance network suggests mechanism for colossal magnetoresistance Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Research has revealed new clues on the microscopic processes by which resistance in certain materials is dramatically altered by the presence of magnetic fields. The discovery provides fundamental insights toward the development of radically new memory and switching devices.

New proteins that regulate blood pressure, flow discovered Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Researchers have identified key players in a little-known biochemical pathway that appears to regulate blood pressure. The findings could lead to a better understanding of who will get high blood pressure and why, as well as allow us to develop better drugs to treat these patients.

Ötzi’s secrets about to be revealed Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Using the latest technologies, scientists in Europe have reached a new milestone in their study of the iceman known as Ötzi. For the first time since his discovery almost 20 years ago, scientists now have access to the complete genetic profile of this world-famous mummy.

Extended use of anti-clotting drug helps some bedridden patients Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT A treatment plan used to prevent potentially dangerous blood clots in recovering surgical patients can also benefit some patients immobilized by acute medical illness, doctors have found in a multi-institutional study.

NASA tests launch abort system at supersonic speeds Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Aerospace engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center are conducting a series of wind tunnel tests to develop technology for future human space exploration. Using a six percent scale Orion model, featuring complex moving parts, engineers are simulating various launch abort conditions the spacecraft might encounter during ascent to characterize the effects of launch abort and control motor plumes on the aerodynamics of the Orion spacecraft.

Even in good communities, roaming teens a recipe for violence Posted: 27 Jul 2010 11:00 AM PDT Even in better neighborhoods, parents should be wary about letting teens gather with nothing to do and with no adult supervision, a new study suggests. In a long-term study of Chicago neighborhoods, researchers found that informal teen gatherings significantly increased the likelihood of violent behavior by the adolescents.

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