ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

---

• Global tropical forests threatened by 2100
• New method for regenerating heart muscle by direct reprogramming
• Potential cure discovered for degenerative vision diseases leading to terminal blindness
• Women don't need to delay getting pregnant after miscarriage, study suggests
• When flowers turn up the heat
• A little adversity bodes well for those with chronic back pain, study suggests
• Artificial bee eye gives insight into insects’ visual world
• Large risk schizophrenia marker revealed
• High levels of carbon dioxide threaten oyster survival
• Solving the mystery of bone loss from drug for epilepsy and bipolar disorder
• Nanofluidic 'multi-tool' separates and sizes nanoparticles
• Eliminating diabetes and depression, and boosting education, most likely to ward off dementia
• Frogs evolution tracks rise of Himalayas and rearrangement of Southeast Asia
• H1N1 flu virus used new biochemical trick to cause pandemic
• Potential prostate cancer marker discovered
• Obesity prevention begins before birth: Excess maternal weight gain increases birth weight after controlling for genetic factors
• Cutting Japanese carbon dioxide emissions
• 'Glass ceiling' may exist for highly cited researchers at research universities
• How viruses jump from hosts: Secrets of rabies transmission in bats discovered
• Novel cause for genetic tooth decay
• Gene brings teeth in shape
• New drug shown safe, effective in treating hereditary angioedema
• Supply and demand: Scientists identify proteins that ensure iron balance
• Social ecology: Lost and found in psychological science
• Quantum networks advance with entanglement of photons, solid-state qubits
• Iron-regulating protein is strong predictor of breast cancer prognosis, study shows
• Computer scientists build 'pedestrian remover'
• New way to boost vaccines
• Coastal creatures may have reduced ability to fight off infections in acidified oceans
• Do we see things at face value? Research looks at how we recognize people's faces
• Ancient Hawaiian glaciers reveal clues to global climate impacts
• Research breakthrough on the question of life expectancy
• Unprecedented look at oxide interfaces reveals unexpected structures on atomic scale
• Chew on this: Six dental myths debunked
• Physicists use offshoot of string theory to describe puzzling behavior of superconductors
• Redefining sexual discrimination
• Seeing a stellar explosion in 3D
• Human embryonic stem cells and reprogrammed cells virtually identical
• Stress hormones help lizards escape from fire ants
• Scientists develop the first model for investigating the origins of testicular cancer in humans
• Travelling by car increases global temperatures more than travelling by plane, but only in the long term
• Humans imitate aspects of speech we see

Global tropical forests threatened by 2100 Posted: 06 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT By 2100 only 18-45 percent of the plants and animals making up ecosystems in global, humid tropical forests may remain as we know them today, according to new research. This is one of the first studies to combine effects from new deforestation and selective logging data with climate-change projections for all humid tropical forest ecosystems. The work will help conservationists be more effective.

New method for regenerating heart muscle by direct reprogramming Posted: 06 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT In heart disease, cardiac muscle gradually dies off and, with little or no way to regenerate those cells, that can ultimately lead the heart to fail. But scientists might have found a way to fix those losses. They've devised a three-ingredient molecular cocktail that transforms fibroblasts -- structural cells that the heart is chock full of -- directly into beating heart cells.

Potential cure discovered for degenerative vision diseases leading to terminal blindness Posted: 06 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT Neurobiologists have discovered a potential cure for degenerative vision diseases leading to terminal blindness. Scientists may have discovered a cure to degenerative vision diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. By manipulating proteins that cause blindness in mice the scientists have successfully restored vision in the light-sensing cells of the retina.

Women don't need to delay getting pregnant after miscarriage, study suggests Posted: 06 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT Women who conceive within six months of an initial miscarriage have the best chance of having a healthy pregnancy with the lowest complication rates, according to new research.

When flowers turn up the heat Posted: 06 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT Could a "hot" flower attract pollinators by serving as a reward in a plant-pollinator mutualism? Many flowering plants produce nectar and pollen as rewards in exchange for pollination services by insects and other animals. Interestingly, however, a few plants have flowers that also produce heat metabolically -- so what is the adaptive function of this flower heating?

A little adversity bodes well for those with chronic back pain, study suggests Posted: 06 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT For people with chronic back pain, having a little adversity in your life can be protective and beneficial, according to a new study.

Artificial bee eye gives insight into insects’ visual world Posted: 06 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Despite their tiny brains, bees have remarkable navigation capabilities based on their vision. Now scientists have recreated a light-weight imaging system mimicking a honeybee's field of view, which could change the way we build mobile robots and small flying vehicles.

Large risk schizophrenia marker revealed Posted: 06 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Scientists have identified a genetic variant that substantially increases the risk for developing schizophrenia in Ashkenazi Jewish and other populations. The study associates a deletion on chromosome 3 with increased incidence of schizophrenia.

High levels of carbon dioxide threaten oyster survival Posted: 06 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT It has been widely reported that the build up of carbon dioxide in the air, which is caused by human behavior, will likely lead to climate change and have major implications for life on earth. But less focus has been given to global warming's evil twin, ocean acidification, which occurs when CO2 lowers the pH of water bodies, making them more acidic. This lesser known phenomenon may have catastrophic effects on all sea life.

Solving the mystery of bone loss from drug for epilepsy and bipolar disorder Posted: 06 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Scientists are reporting a possible explanation for the bone loss that may occur following long-term use of a medicine widely used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and other conditions. The drug, valproate, appears to reduce the formation of two key proteins important for bone strength.

Nanofluidic 'multi-tool' separates and sizes nanoparticles Posted: 06 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Researchers have engineered a nanoscale fluidic device that functions as a miniature "multi-tool" for working with nanoparticles-objects whose dimensions are measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter.

Eliminating diabetes and depression, and boosting education, most likely to ward off dementia Posted: 06 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Eliminating diabetes and depression, as well as increasing education and fruit and vegetable consumption, are likely to have the biggest impact on reducing levels of dementia in the coming years, should no effective treatment be found, concludes a new study.

Frogs evolution tracks rise of Himalayas and rearrangement of Southeast Asia Posted: 06 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT Asian spiny frogs are named for the nubby spines on their chests and arms, which they use to grasp females during mating in swift streams. Biologists have conducted a genetic analysis of 24 species of spiny frogs and correlated their diversification with the rise of the Himalayas and Tibet. The findings support a theory that India not only uplifted the mountains, but shoved Southeast Asia toward the Pacific.

H1N1 flu virus used new biochemical trick to cause pandemic Posted: 06 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT In a report in the August 5 PLoS Pathogens, an international team of scientists shows that the recent pandemic-causing H1N1 flu virus used a new biochemical trick to spread efficiently in humans.

Potential prostate cancer marker discovered Posted: 06 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT Studies have revealed a potential marker for prostate cancer. A new analysis technique to create a profile of the lipids, or fats, found in prostate tissue and revealed a molecular compound that appears to be useful in identifying cancerous and precancerous tissue. The profile revealed that cholesterol sulfate is a compound that is absent in healthy prostate tissue, but is a major fat found in prostate cancer tumors.

Obesity prevention begins before birth: Excess maternal weight gain increases birth weight after controlling for genetic factors Posted: 06 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT A large population-based study looks at two or more pregnancies in the same mother and provides evidence that excess maternal weight gain is a strong, independent predictor of high birth weight.

Cutting Japanese carbon dioxide emissions Posted: 06 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT Last year, heat-pump technology cut Japan's CO2 emissions by 1.1 million tons. The savings are about the same as we would gain by permanently parking around half a million modern private cars. The source of these "green" savings is climate-friendly heating of ordinary tapwater.

'Glass ceiling' may exist for highly cited researchers at research universities Posted: 06 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT At a time when great jobs are hard to find, here's good news for the under-qualified: a new article shows that being a highly cited researcher may not be a primary qualification for taking on leading management positions at research institutions.

How viruses jump from hosts: Secrets of rabies transmission in bats discovered Posted: 05 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT HIV-AIDS. SARS. Ebola. Bird flu. Swine flu. Rabies. These are emerging infectious diseases where the viruses have jumped from one animal species into another and now infect humans. This is a phenomenon known as cross-species transmission and scientists are working to determine what drives it.

Novel cause for genetic tooth decay Posted: 05 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT New research implicates a novel peptide in impaired dentin mineralization in rickets. Rickets, the softening of bones in children, is often caused by vitamin D deficiency due to severe malnutrition. Rickets is one of the most frequent childhood diseases in developing countries and is associated with severe bone deformities, including dental ailments due to impaired dentin mineralization.

Gene brings teeth in shape Posted: 05 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT No healthy teeth will form without this gene: if during tooth formation (odontogenesis) the so-called Jagged2 gene is inactivated, and hence the Notch signaling pathway interrupted, tooth crowns will be malformed and enamel will be lacking. This signaling pathway is involved in the formation of all tissues and organs.

New drug shown safe, effective in treating hereditary angioedema Posted: 05 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT Clinical trials from two international research teams have shown that icatibant, a new drug that blocks the action of an inflammatory protein known as bradykinin, is safe and effective in treating acute attacks of hereditary angioedema, a potentially life-threatening condition.

Supply and demand: Scientists identify proteins that ensure iron balance Posted: 05 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT Scientists have discovered that a group of proteins called IRPs ensure that iron balance is kept and as such are essential for cell survival. More specifically, they found that IRPs are required for the functioning of mitochondria, the cell's energy factories.

Social ecology: Lost and found in psychological science Posted: 05 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT Various aspects of our environment -- including political systems, economic systems and even climate and geography -- can affect our thinking and behavior, a field of study known as socioecological psychology.

Quantum networks advance with entanglement of photons, solid-state qubits Posted: 05 Aug 2010 08:00 PM PDT A team of physicists has achieved the first-ever quantum entanglement of photons and solid-state materials. The work marks a key advance toward practical quantum networks, as the first experimental demonstration of a means by which solid-state quantum bits, or "qubits," can communicate with one another over long distances.

Iron-regulating protein is strong predictor of breast cancer prognosis, study shows Posted: 05 Aug 2010 08:00 PM PDT A new study may soon help to spare some women with breast cancer from having to undergo invasive and toxic treatments for their disease. Investigators found that low levels of ferroportin, the only known protein to eliminate iron from cells, are associated with the most aggressive and recurring cancers. The finding suggests that testing for ferroportin levels in women with breast cancer may one day help doctors to more accurately predict whether their patients' cancer will return.

Computer scientists build 'pedestrian remover' Posted: 05 Aug 2010 08:00 PM PDT Imagine encountering leashed dogs without dog walkers, or shoes filled just with ankles -- when scoping out potential apartments using Google Street View. These are the sorts of visual hiccups that an experimental computer vision system occasionally generates when it automatically removes individual pedestrians from images that populate Google Street View.

New way to boost vaccines Posted: 05 Aug 2010 08:00 PM PDT As the medical community searches for better vaccines and ways to deliver them, one scientist believes he has discovered a new approach to boosting the body's response to vaccinations. He found that the same molecules used in drugs that treat diabetes also stimulate B cells in the immune system, pushing them to make antibodies for protection against invading microorganisms.

Coastal creatures may have reduced ability to fight off infections in acidified oceans Posted: 05 Aug 2010 08:00 PM PDT The ocean is filled with a soup of bacteria and viruses. Animals living in these environments are constantly under assault by pathogens and need to be able to mount an immune response to protect themselves from infection, especially if they have an injury or wound that is openly exposed to the water. Researchers are studying the effects of low oxygen and high carbon dioxide on these organisms' immune systems.

Do we see things at face value? Research looks at how we recognize people's faces Posted: 05 Aug 2010 08:00 PM PDT Most people find it much harder to recognise faces of people from other races than their own. Why is this? And does it matter? These questions are being tackled in a new research project.

Ancient Hawaiian glaciers reveal clues to global climate impacts Posted: 05 Aug 2010 05:00 PM PDT Boulders deposited by an ancient glacier that once covered the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii have provided more evidence of the extraordinary power and reach of global change, particularly the slowdown of a North Atlantic Ocean current system that could happen again and continues to be a concern to climate scientists.

Research breakthrough on the question of life expectancy Posted: 05 Aug 2010 05:00 PM PDT Why do we grow old and what can we do to stop it? This is the question asked by many, but it appears that we are now closer to an answer thanks to the discovery of a small set of genes in mitochondria (a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryotic cells), passed only from mothers to offspring.

Unprecedented look at oxide interfaces reveals unexpected structures on atomic scale Posted: 05 Aug 2010 05:00 PM PDT Thin layers of oxide materials and their interfaces have been observed in atomic resolution during growth for the first time by researchers, providing new insight into the complicated link between their structure and properties.

Chew on this: Six dental myths debunked Posted: 05 Aug 2010 05:00 PM PDT Your teeth need more than daily brushing and flossing. Researchers debunk six dental myths and discuss the role nutrition plays in oral health.

Physicists use offshoot of string theory to describe puzzling behavior of superconductors Posted: 05 Aug 2010 05:00 PM PDT Physicists have now used the connection between quantum and gravitational mechanics, known as gauge/gravity duality to describe a specific physical phenomenon -- the behavior of a type of high-temperature superconductor, or a material that conducts electricity with no resistance.

Redefining sexual discrimination Posted: 05 Aug 2010 05:00 PM PDT Gender harassment -- verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey insulting, hostile and degrading attitudes to women -- is just as distressing for women victims as sexual advances in the workplace. Gender harassment leads to negative personal and professional outcomes too and, as such, is a serious form of sex discrimination, according to experts.

Seeing a stellar explosion in 3D Posted: 05 Aug 2010 02:00 PM PDT Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have for the first time obtained a three-dimensional view of the distribution of the innermost material expelled by a recently exploded star. The original blast was not only powerful, according to the new results. It was also more concentrated in one particular direction. This is a strong indication that the supernova must have been very turbulent, supporting the most recent computer models.

Human embryonic stem cells and reprogrammed cells virtually identical Posted: 05 Aug 2010 02:00 PM PDT Human embryonic stem cells and adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state -- so-called induced pluripotent stem or iPS cells -- exhibit very few differences in their gene expression signatures and are nearly indistinguishable in their chromatin state, according to researchers. Contrary to some recent research, the current findings rekindling hopes that, under the proper circumstances, iPS cells may hold the clinical promise ascribed to them earlier.

Stress hormones help lizards escape from fire ants Posted: 05 Aug 2010 02:00 PM PDT When some fence lizards are attacked by fire ants they "stress out" with elevated levels of stress hormones -- a response that helps the species to flee quickly and survive. The discovery is helping scientists to understand the impact of invasive species on native populations.

Scientists develop the first model for investigating the origins of testicular cancer in humans Posted: 05 Aug 2010 02:00 PM PDT Scientists have developed a model that will enable them to investigate, for the first time, how human testes develop in baby boys while they are in the womb. Until now it has been impossible to study testicular development during pregnancy in humans and this discovery will enable researchers to understand the processes that can lead to the onset of testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) in young adult life, and how factors, such as common environmental chemicals, might play a role. The research is published in Human Reproduction journal on Wednesday 4 August.

Travelling by car increases global temperatures more than travelling by plane, but only in the long term Posted: 05 Aug 2010 02:00 PM PDT Driving alone in a car increases global temperatures in the long run more than making the same long-distance journey by air according to a new study. However, in the short run traveling by air has a larger adverse climate impact because airplanes strongly affect short-lived warming processes at high altitudes.

Humans imitate aspects of speech we see Posted: 05 Aug 2010 02:00 PM PDT New research shows that unintentional speech imitation can make us sound like people whose voices we never hear.

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