ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Scientists create cell assembly line: New technology synthesizes cellular structures from simple starting materials
• Neurons with symptoms of Parkinson's disease created from patient's skin cells
• The dusty disc of NGC 247
• Risks of chemical exposure: Scientists call for 'swifter and sounder' testing of chemicals
• Method developed to match police sketch, mug shot: Algorithms and software will match sketches with mugshots in police databases
• Trouble with the latest dance move? GABA might be to blame
• Some Antarctic ice is forming from bottom
• Ibuprofen may reduce risk of developing Parkinson's disease, study suggests
• Sex differences in male and female learning revealed by gibbons
• MRSA danger in gyms may be exaggerated, study suggests
• Ecological adaptation likely to influence impacts of climate change
• Two languages in peaceful coexistence in one society
• New kinds of superconductivity? Physicists demonstrate coveted 'spin-orbit coupling' in atomic gases
• Potential mechanisms for future anti-obesity drugs identified
• Flood-tolerant rice plants can also survive drought
• Obesity may increase risk of triple-negative breast cancer
• Nanofabrication tools may make silicon optical chips more accessible
• Older patients confused about multiple drug dosing
• California islands give up evidence of early seafaring: Numerous artifacts found at late Pleistocene sites on the Channel Islands
• New clue to controlling skin regeneration, as well as skin cancer
• Taking the heat: Silver-diamond composite offers unique capabilities for cooling powerful defense microelectronics
• New findings on drug tolerance in TB suggest ideas for shorter cures
• Ultrasound and algorithms could lead to better breast cancer screening
• Fear of side effects shapes older patients' willingness to take heart medication
• Oldest objects in solar system indicate a turbulent beginning
• Susceptibility factor for bipolar disorder identified
• Easy, accurate way to predict food allergies developed, study suggests
• Cancer patients' partners become ill themselves, Swedish study shows
• Scalable method for making graphene
• Women who miscarry continue to have mental health problems, even after healthy birth
• Liver, not brain, may be origin of Alzheimer’s plaques
• New method allows human embryonic stem cells to avoid immune system rejection
• Solving the puzzle of Henry VIII
• Potassium levels possible key to racial disparity in Type 2 diabetes
• Mapping human vulnerability to climate change
• The more secure you feel, the less you value your stuff
• Human ancestors lived on shaky ground
• New drug regimens cut HIV spread from mother to infant
• New developments in quantum computing
• New findings challenge view of key part of immune defense
• Using artificial, cell-like 'honey pots' to entrap deadly viruses
• Who's the best tennis player of all time? Ranking of top male tennis players produces some surprises
• New observations of the giant planet orbiting beta Pictoris
• How sunlight may reduce the severity of multiple sclerosis
• Turning bacteria into butanol biofuel factories: Transplanted enzyme pathway makes E. coli churn out n-butanol
• Researcher seeks to use electrical stimulation to give voice to stroke patients
• Shrinking tundra, advancing forests: how the Arctic will look by century's end
• Brain's 'autopilot' provides insight into early development of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists create cell assembly line: New technology synthesizes cellular structures from simple starting materials Posted: 04 Mar 2011 08:00 AM PST Borrowing a page from modern manufacturing, scientists have built a microscopic assembly line that mass produces synthetic cell-like compartments.

Neurons with symptoms of Parkinson's disease created from patient's skin cells Posted: 04 Mar 2011 08:00 AM PST Neurons have been derived from the skin of a woman with a genetic form of Parkinson's disease and have been shown to replicate some key features of the condition in a dish, say researchers.

The dusty disc of NGC 247 Posted: 04 Mar 2011 08:00 AM PST A new image of NGC 247 reveals the fine details of this highly inclined spiral galaxy and its rich backdrop. Astronomers say this highly tilted orientation, when viewed from Earth, explains why the distance to this prominent galaxy was previously overestimated.

Risks of chemical exposure: Scientists call for 'swifter and sounder' testing of chemicals Posted: 04 Mar 2011 08:00 AM PST Scientific societies representing 40,000 researchers and clinicians are asking that federal regulators tap a broader range of expertise when evaluating the risks of chemicals to which Americans are being increasingly exposed.

Method developed to match police sketch, mug shot: Algorithms and software will match sketches with mugshots in police databases Posted: 04 Mar 2011 08:00 AM PST Researchers have developed a set of algorithms and created software that will automatically match hand-drawn facial sketches to mug shots that are stored in law enforcement databases.

Trouble with the latest dance move? GABA might be to blame Posted: 04 Mar 2011 08:00 AM PST If you tend to have trouble picking up the latest dance moves or learning to play a new piano piece, there might be an explanation. A new study shows that people who are fast to learn a simple sequence of finger motions are also those whose brains show large changes in a particular chemical messenger following electrical stimulation.

Some Antarctic ice is forming from bottom Posted: 04 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST Scientists working in the remotest part of Antarctica have discovered that liquid water locked deep under the continent's coat of ice regularly thaws and refreezes to the bottom, creating as much as half the thickness of the ice in places, and actively modifying its structure. The finding, which turns common perceptions of glacial formation upside down, could reshape scientists' understanding of how the ice sheet expands and moves, and how it might react to warming climate, they say.

Ibuprofen may reduce risk of developing Parkinson's disease, study suggests Posted: 04 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST Adults who regularly take ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, have about one-third less risk of developing Parkinson's disease than non-users, according to a new study.

Sex differences in male and female learning revealed by gibbons Posted: 04 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST Differences in the way male and female learning has evolved have been revealed by new research into gibbons.

MRSA danger in gyms may be exaggerated, study suggests Posted: 04 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST Community gym surfaces do not appear to be reservoirs for MRSA transmission, according to a new study.

Ecological adaptation likely to influence impacts of climate change Posted: 04 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST Animals' capacity to adapt is a factor in how they are likely to respond to changing climate conditions.

Two languages in peaceful coexistence in one society Posted: 04 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST Physicists and mathematicians have shown that two languages can remain stable in one society in the long-term. This research refutes earlier research which sought to show how one of two languages would inevitably die out.

New kinds of superconductivity? Physicists demonstrate coveted 'spin-orbit coupling' in atomic gases Posted: 04 Mar 2011 02:00 AM PST Physicists have for the first time caused a gas of atoms to exhibit an important quantum phenomenon known as spin-orbit coupling. Their technique opens new possibilities for studying and better understanding fundamental physics and has potential applications to quantum computing, next-generation "spintronics" devices and even "atomtronic" devices built from ultracold atoms.

Potential mechanisms for future anti-obesity drugs identified Posted: 04 Mar 2011 02:00 AM PST Scientists have identified the neurological and cellular signaling mechanisms that contribute to satiety -- the sensation of feeling full -- and the subsequent body-weight loss produced by drugs used to treat Type 2 diabetes. More comprehensive knowledge of these mechanisms could form the basis for anti-obesity medications.

Flood-tolerant rice plants can also survive drought Posted: 04 Mar 2011 02:00 AM PST Sensitive to drought due to its high water requirement, rice is particularly vulnerable to how global climate change is altering the frequency and magnitude of floods and droughts. Now plant scientists have made a discovery that can greatly benefit rice growers and consumers everywhere. The researchers have demonstrated in the lab and greenhouse that rice that is flood tolerant is also better able to recover from a drought.

Obesity may increase risk of triple-negative breast cancer Posted: 04 Mar 2011 02:00 AM PST New findings confirm the risk of breast cancer among women who are obese and not physically active, and suggests additional mechanisms beyond estrogen.

Nanofabrication tools may make silicon optical chips more accessible Posted: 04 Mar 2011 02:00 AM PST In an effort to make it easier to build inexpensive, next-generation silicon-based electro-optical chips, which allow computers to move information with light and electricity, scientists are developing design tools and using commercial nanofabrication tools.

Older patients confused about multiple drug dosing Posted: 04 Mar 2011 02:00 AM PST Many older patients, who take an average of seven medicines a day, are so confused by the vague instructions on prescription bottles they don't realize they can combine their medications to take them more efficiently. A new study shows patients thought they had to take seven medicines at least seven and up to 14 separate times a day. Researchers recommend a standardized universal medication drug schedule at morning, noon, evening and bedtime.

California islands give up evidence of early seafaring: Numerous artifacts found at late Pleistocene sites on the Channel Islands Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 PM PST Evidence for a diversified sea-based economy among North American inhabitants dating from 12,200 to 11,400 years ago is emerging from three sites on California's Channel Islands.

New clue to controlling skin regeneration, as well as skin cancer Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 PM PST Researchers have now found a regulator of gene activity that tells epidermal stem cells when it's time to grow more skin, as well as a "crowd control" molecule that can sense cell crowding and turn the growth off.

Taking the heat: Silver-diamond composite offers unique capabilities for cooling powerful defense microelectronics Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 PM PST Researchers are developing a solid composite material to help cool small, powerful microelectronics used in defense systems. The material, composed of silver and diamond, promises an exceptional degree of thermal conductivity compared to materials currently used for this application.

New findings on drug tolerance in TB suggest ideas for shorter cures Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 PM PST A study of host-pathogen responses in tuberculosis elucidates molecular mechanisms of antibiotic tolerance in tuberculosis and further suggests a strategy for shortening curative therapy (currently six months) using a class of drugs -- efflux pump inhibitors -- that are already approved for treating high blood pressure and angina, and available for use in people.

Ultrasound and algorithms could lead to better breast cancer screening Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 PM PST New research holds the promise of becoming a powerful new weapon in the fight against breast cancer. His complex computational research has led to a fast, inexpensive new method for using ultrasound and advanced algorithms to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors with a high degree of accuracy.

Fear of side effects shapes older patients' willingness to take heart medication Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 PM PST Faced with the risk of developing side effects, even ones as mild as fatigue, nausea and fuzzy thinking, many older patients are willing to forego medications that provide only average benefit in preventing heart attack, according to a new article.

Oldest objects in solar system indicate a turbulent beginning Posted: 03 Mar 2011 08:00 PM PST Scientists have found that calcium, aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), some of the oldest objects in the solar system, formed far away from our sun and then later fell back into the mid-plane of the solar system. The findings may lead to a greater understanding of how our solar system and possibly other solar systems formed and evolved.

Susceptibility factor for bipolar disorder identified Posted: 03 Mar 2011 08:00 PM PST A new study provides fascinating insight into the genetic basis of bipolar disorder, a highly heritable mood disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of mania and depression. The research identifies a previously unrecognized susceptibility factor for bipolar disorder.

Easy, accurate way to predict food allergies developed, study suggests Posted: 03 Mar 2011 08:00 PM PST An on-line calculator that predicts, within seconds, the presence of the three major food allergies in children has been developed. The new calculator gives 96% accuracy compared to current methods that are 61% -81% accurate.

Cancer patients' partners become ill themselves, Swedish study shows Posted: 03 Mar 2011 08:00 PM PST People who are married to or cohabiting with a cancer patient suffer more illness in the year following their spouse or partner's cancer diagnosis, according to recent research from Sweden.

Scalable method for making graphene Posted: 03 Mar 2011 08:00 PM PST New research demonstrates a more consistent and cost-effective method for making graphene, the atomic-scale material that has promising applications in a variety of fields, and was the subject of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Women who miscarry continue to have mental health problems, even after healthy birth Posted: 03 Mar 2011 08:00 PM PST The depression and anxiety experienced by many women after a miscarriage can continue for years, even after the birth of a healthy child, according to a new study.

Liver, not brain, may be origin of Alzheimer’s plaques Posted: 03 Mar 2011 05:00 PM PST Unexpected results from a new study could completely alter scientists' ideas about Alzheimer's disease -- pointing to the liver instead of the brain as the source of the "amyloid" that deposits as brain plaques associated with this devastating condition. The findings could offer a relatively simple approach for Alzheimer's prevention and treatment.

New method allows human embryonic stem cells to avoid immune system rejection Posted: 03 Mar 2011 05:00 PM PST A short-term treatment with three immune-dampening drugs allowed human embryonic stem cells to survive and thrive in mice.

Solving the puzzle of Henry VIII Posted: 03 Mar 2011 05:00 PM PST The numerous miscarriages suffered by the wives of Henry VIII could be explained if the king's blood carried the Kell antigen. If Henry also suffered from McLeod syndrome, a genetic disorder specific to the Kell blood group, it would finally provide an explanation for his dramatic mid-life shift in both physical form and personality.

Potassium levels possible key to racial disparity in Type 2 diabetes Posted: 03 Mar 2011 05:00 PM PST Lower potassium levels in the blood may help explain why African-Americans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes as whites, according to a new study.

Mapping human vulnerability to climate change Posted: 03 Mar 2011 05:00 PM PST Researchers already study how various species of plants and animals migrate in response to climate change. Now, a researcher has taken the innovative step of using the same analytic tools to measure the impact of climate change on human populations. They found that if populations continue to increase at the expected rates, those who are likely to be the most vulnerable to climate change are the people living in low-latitude, hot regions of the world.

The more secure you feel, the less you value your stuff Posted: 03 Mar 2011 05:00 PM PST People who feel more secure in receiving love and acceptance from others place less monetary value on their possessions, according to new research.

Human ancestors lived on shaky ground Posted: 03 Mar 2011 02:00 PM PST Our earliest ancestors preferred to settle in locations that have something in common with cities such as San Francisco, Naples and Istanbul -- they are often on active tectonic faults in areas that have an earthquake risk or volcanoes, or both. An international team of scientists has established a link between the shape of the landscape and the habitats preferred by our earliest ancestors.

New drug regimens cut HIV spread from mother to infant Posted: 03 Mar 2011 02:00 PM PST Pregnant women who are unaware that they have HIV miss the chance for drug treatment that can benefit not only their own health, but could also prevent them from transmitting the virus to their infants. When HIV is not diagnosed until women go into labor, their infants are usually treated soon after birth with the anti-HIV drug zidovudine, to prevent the infants from becoming infected with the virus.

New developments in quantum computing Posted: 03 Mar 2011 02:00 PM PST Quantum computers are computers that exploit the weird properties of matter at extremely small scales. Many experts believe that a full-blown quantum computer could perform calculations that would be hopelessly time consuming on classical computers, but so far, quantum computers have proven hard to build. Researchers have planned an experiment that, if it worked, would offer strong evidence that quantum computers can do things that classical computers can't. Although building the experimental apparatus would be difficult, it shouldn't be as difficult as building a fully functional quantum computer.

New findings challenge view of key part of immune defense Posted: 03 Mar 2011 02:00 PM PST The natural killer cells of our immune defense are activated for an extended period after the acute infection, which challenges the prevailing view that the elevation and activation of cells quickly pass. This is shown in a study regarding vole fever.

Using artificial, cell-like 'honey pots' to entrap deadly viruses Posted: 03 Mar 2011 02:00 PM PST Researchers have designed artificial "protocells" that can lure, entrap and inactivate a class of deadly human viruses -- think decoys with teeth.

Who's the best tennis player of all time? Ranking of top male tennis players produces some surprises Posted: 03 Mar 2011 02:00 PM PST Fans may think of Jimmy Connors as an "old school" tennis player, but according to a new ranking system developed using network analysis, Connors is best player in the history of the game.

New observations of the giant planet orbiting beta Pictoris Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 AM PST New observations have been made of the giant planet around beta Pictoris. Discovered in 2009, this planet, called beta Pictoris b, has now been detected again with the NaCo instrument on the VLT. Astronomers find that the planet is moving around the star. They have also measured the mass and the effective temperature of beta Pic b.

How sunlight may reduce the severity of multiple sclerosis Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 AM PST New research into the neurodegenerative disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) offers new insight into the link between sunlight, vitamin D3, and MS risk and severity. The research studies the relationship between the sunlight-dependent vitamin D3 hormone, immune cells, and the risk and severity of autoimmunity in an experimental model.

Turning bacteria into butanol biofuel factories: Transplanted enzyme pathway makes E. coli churn out n-butanol Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 AM PST While ethanol is today's major biofuel, researchers aim to produce fuels more like gasoline. Butanol is the primary candidate, now produced primarily by Clostridium bacteria. Chemists have now transplanted the enzyme pathway from Clostridium into E. coli, replaced two of five genes with enzymes from other microbes, and gotten the bacteria to churn out 10 times more n-butanol than competing microbes, close to the level needed for industrial scale production.

Researcher seeks to use electrical stimulation to give voice to stroke patients Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 AM PST A researcher is seeking a new way to help those who are unable to speak to find their voice. He wants to help bring back the voice of stroke patients and others who have suffered paralysis of the vocal folds, through electrical stimulation.

Shrinking tundra, advancing forests: how the Arctic will look by century's end Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 AM PST A shifting of climate types in the Arctic will mean tundra in Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Asia giving way to trees and plants typical of more southerly climates, according to climatologists.

Brain's 'autopilot' provides insight into early development of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 03 Mar 2011 11:00 AM PST Watching the brain's "autopilot" network in real time may help determine the onset of cognitive decline and potentially aid in making an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers.

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