ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Malagasy Chameleon Spends Most Of Its Short Life In An Egg Posted: 02 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT There is a newly discovered life history among the 28,300 species of known tetrapods. A chameleon from arid southwestern Madagascar spends up to three-quarters of its life in an egg. Even more unusual, life after hatching is a mere 4 to 5 months. No other known four-legged animal has such a rapid growth rate and such a short life span.

Post-exercise Caffeine Helps Muscles Refuel Posted: 02 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT Glycogen, the muscle's primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research shows. Athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66 percent more glycogen in their muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone, according to the study.

An Impossible Coexistence: Transgenic And Organic Agriculture Posted: 02 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT The cultivation of genetically modified maize has caused a drastic reduction in organic cultivations of this grain and is making their coexistence practically impossible. This is the main conclusion reached in one of the first field studies in Europe based on an analysis of the situation in Catalonia and Aragon, Europe's main producers of transgenic foods.

Cancer Cells Revert To Normal At Specific Signal Threshold, Researchers Find Posted: 02 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine report that lowering levels of one cancer signal under a specific threshold reverses this process in mice, returning tumor cells to their normal, healthy state.

Ethanol Coproducts Eyed As Fillers In Plastics Posted: 02 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT A coproduct of ethanol production could be used as a non-petroleum-based filler in plastics, based on preliminary studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their cooperators. The ethanol coproduct, called distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), has a high fiber content and a molecular structure suitable for binding--two attributes that make it a candidate as a filler in plastics

Spiritual Effects Of Hallucinogens Persist, Researchers Report Posted: 02 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT In a follow-up to research showing that psilocybin, a substance contained in "sacred mushrooms," produces substantial spiritual effects, scientists report that those beneficial effects appear to last more than a year.

Super Atoms Turn Periodic Table Upside Down Posted: 02 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Researchers have developed a technique for generating atom clusters made from silver and other metals. Surprisingly enough, these so-called super atoms (clusters of 13 silver atoms, for example) behave in the same way as individual atoms and have opened up a whole new branch of chemistry.

Small Protein May Have Big Role In Making More Bone And Less Fat Posted: 02 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT A small protein may have a big role in helping you make more bone and less fat, researchers say. People can't take GILZ now, but a long-term goal is to develop a GILZ-like pill that would dramatically reduce fat production.

Glomalin Is Key To Locking Up Soil Carbon Posted: 02 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Glomalin, the substance coating this microscopic fungus growing on a corn root, can keep carbon in the soil from decomposing for up to 100 years.

Finding That Could Shed Light On 'Golden Staph,' Candida And Allergies Posted: 02 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Recent scientific findings explain why patients with a rare immunodeficiency disorder are unusually susceptible to certain common infections. By revealing the exact molecular mechanisms involved, they also give us clues as to why some "healthy" people are more prone to these infections than others, and suggest potential treatments.

Exposing The Sensitivity Of Extreme Ultraviolet Photoresists Posted: 02 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Researchers have confirmed that the photoresists used in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing processes now under development are twice as sensitive as previously believed. The finding has attracted considerable interest because of its implications for future electronics manufacturing.

To Sing Like Shakira, Press '1' Now Posted: 02 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists have developed an electronic ear to judge and coach vibrato technique. Vibrato -- the pulsating change of pitch in a singer's voice -- is an important aspect of a singer's expression, used extensively by both classical opera singers and pop stars like Shakira. Usually, the quality of a vibrato can only be judged subjectively by voice experts.

Newcomer In Early Eurafrican Population? Posted: 02 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT A complete mandible of Homo erectus was discovered at the Thomas I quarry in Casablanca by a French-Moroccan team. This mandible is the oldest human fossil uncovered from scientific excavations in Morocco. The discovery will help better define northern Africa's possible role in first populating southern Europe. A Homo erectus half-jaw had already been found at the Thomas I quarry in 1969, but it was a chance discovery and therefore with no archeological context.

Resuscitation Technique After Brain Injury May Do More Harm Than Good Posted: 02 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT The current standard practice of giving infants and children 100 percent oxygen to prevent brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation may actually inflict additional harm, researchers have found.

Fighting A Worldwide Wheat Threat Posted: 02 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT Wheat stockpiles are at a 30-year low and production costs are rising, but what really scares wheat growers is the specter of Ug99, a new rust fungus to which very few of the currently grown varieties of wheat are resistant.

Population-based Approach Needed To Reduce Obesity In United States Posted: 02 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT Population-wide approaches are key for preventing obesity. Preventing excess weight gain needs to be easier, more socially acceptable and personally rewarding for the average person. A broad range of policy and environmental change strategies must target the spectrum of influences on food access and intake and physical activity.

Plastic Electronics Have A Bright Future In Flexible Laptops Posted: 02 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT With market analysts predicting a ten fold increase in the value of the organic light emitting display industry it is no wonder that scientists and governments alike are keen to advance research into "plastic electronics". For a long time, plastic was thought of as an insulating material that could not conduct electricity, but ground-breaking research in the 1970s proved that some plastics could do so.

Violence Declines With Medication Use In Some With Schizophrenia Posted: 02 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT Some schizophrenia patients become less prone to violence when taking medication, but those with a history of childhood conduct problems continue to pose a higher risk even with treatment, according to a new study.

Archaeologists Find Silos And Administration Center From Early Egyptian City Posted: 02 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT An expedition at Tell Edfu in southern Egypt has unearthed a large administration building and silos that provide fresh clues about the emergence of urban life. The discovery provides new information about a little understood aspect of ancient Egypt -- the development of cities in a culture that is largely famous for its monumental architecture.

Life-extending Protein Can Also Have Damaging Effects On Brain Cells Posted: 02 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT Proteins widely believed to protect against aging can actually cause oxidative damage in mammalian brain cells, according to a new report in Cell Metabolism. The findings suggest that the proteins can have both proaging and protective functions, depending on the circumstances, the researchers said.

New Silverleaf Whitefly Resistant To Many Pesticides Posted: 02 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT A devastating tropical and subtropical pest that's already considered one of the world's top invasive species just got a bit more troublesome. The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) threatens a wide range of crops. Of the more than 20 known biotypes of this species, two of the most devastating are the B and Q biotypes. The Q biotype, newly arrived in the U.S., is less susceptible to many pesticide types.

Integrins As Receptors Give Insight Into Rotavirus And Diarrhea Posted: 02 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT Eleven years ago, scientists discovered the first viral enterotoxin, rotavirus NSP4, a toxic protein that affects the intestines, causing diarrhea. The next step was to find the cellular receptor on intestinal cells through which the enterotoxin interacts to cause diarrhea.

New Efficiency Benchmark For Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Posted: 02 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT Scientists have achieved a record light conversion efficiency of 8.2 percent in solvent-free dye-sensitized solar cells. This breakthrough in efficiency without the use of volatile organic solvents will make it possible to pursue large scale, outdoor practical application of lightweight, inexpensive, flexible dye-sensitized solar films that are stable over long periods of light and heat exposure.

Toys And Technology For Rehabilitation In Cerebral Palsy Patients Posted: 02 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT What began as a college course project to design therapeutic toys has resulted in the first toys of their kind, designed as therapy for children with cerebral palsy.

Penguins Setting Off Sirens Over Health Of World's Oceans Posted: 01 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT Like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, penguins are sounding the alarm for potentially catastrophic changes in the world's oceans, and the culprit isn't only climate change, says a conservation biologist.

Flaws Found In Hospital Barcoded Technology May Lead To Errors With Patient Medication Posted: 01 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT In the first study of its kind, researchers studied how hospital nurses actually use bar-coded technology that matches the right patient with the right dose of the right medication. The surprising result is that the design and implementation of the technology, which is often relied upon as a "cure-all" for medication administration errors, is flawed, and can increase the probabilities of certain errors. Hospital patients, on average, are subject to one medication administration error a day.

Evolution Of Fruit Size In Tomato Posted: 01 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT In general, domesticated food plants have larger fruits, heads of grain, tubers, etc, because this is one of the characteristics that early hunter-gatherers chose when foraging for food. In addition to size, tomatoes have been bred for shape, texture, flavor, shelf-life, and nutrient composition, but it has been difficult to study these traits in tomatoes, because many of them are the result of many genes acting together.

Delaying Childbirth Is Associated With Impaired Contraction Of The Uterus And Rising Rates Of Cesarean Section Posted: 01 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT Impaired contraction of the uterus (womb) may play a part in the association of advancing maternal age with increased cesarean rates. Researchers analyzed a large Scottish data base to characterize the association between maternal age and outcome of labor, specifically looking at what proportion of the increase in primary cesarean rates could be attributed to changes in maternal age distribution.

Mate Choice In Plants Posted: 01 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT Understanding the molecular mechanisms of pollen recognition is important for designing novel plant breeding systems as well as ensuring safeguards against unwanted pollination by genetically modified crops.

New 'Everyday Cognition' Scale Tracks How Older Adults Function In Daily Life Posted: 01 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT As more adults age into the high-risk period for cognitive impairment, clinicians need simple and reliable methods to identify where they may have problems in everyday life that reveal underlying changes in the brain. A new, carefully validated questionnaire called Everyday Cognition, when filled out by someone who knows an older adult well, can sensitively evaluate the performance of everyday activities that reflect basic mental functioning, according to a report in Neuropsychology.

Sunburn Alert: UVB Does More Damage To DNA Than UVA Posted: 01 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT As bombs burst in air this July 4, chances are that sunburn will be the red glare that most folks see -- and feel. But unfortunately, even when there is no burn, the effects of the sun's ultraviolet rays can have deadly consequences. Thanks to new research scientists now know why UVB light is more likely to cause skin cancer than UVA light.

Ancient Olympics: ‘Like Vince Lombardi On The PGA Circuit’ Posted: 01 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT The modern Olympic ideals differ dramatically from the way the games were actually played in ancient Greece, says a classicist who has heavily researched the Olympic past. The ancient games featured professionals with a "winning is everything" philosophy.

Experts Examine Challenges Of Split Liver Transplantation Posted: 01 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Can split liver transplantation reliably yield grafts for two adults? Experts consider this question alongside new findings about the procedure.

Oxygen Ions For Fuel Cells Get Loose At Low(er) Temperatures Posted: 01 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Seeking to understand a new fuel cell material, a research team has uncovered a novel structure that moves oxygen ions through the cell at substantially lower temperatures than previously thought possible.

Love Thy Neighbor? States That Lower Drinking Age Hurt Others Posted: 01 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT States currently considering reducing the drinking age aren't doing their neighbors any favors. While opponents contend that dropping the minimum legal drinking age from 21 to 18 or 19 will lead to more alcohol-related teen traffic deaths in those affected states, a University of Michigan researcher says that lowering the age requirement will cause fatal crash rates to increase in neighboring states, as well.

Carbon Hoofprint: Cows Supplemented With RbST Reduce Agriculture's Environmental Impact Posted: 01 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT Milk goes green: Cows that receive recombinant Bovine Somatotropin make more milk, all the while easing natural resource pressure and substantially reducing environmental impact, according to new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

More Severe Bone Infections, Health Complications In Children Linked To MRSA, Researchers Find Posted: 01 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as a major pathogen has led to more complications and longer hospital stays for children with acute bone infections.

Shiitake Mushrooms May Improve Human Immune Function, Especially If Grown On Old Oak Logs Posted: 01 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mushrooms are good for you--and shiitake byproducts can be good for other crops. These mushrooms contain high-molecular-weight polysaccharides (HMWP), which some studies suggest may improve human immune function.

Scientists Unravel Early Infectious Process Of Respiratory Pathogen And Bioterrorism Agent Posted: 01 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT Scientists have identified a cell type believed to play a role in controlling the early infectious process against Francisella tularensis, a respiratory pathogen and bioterrorism agent that is the cause of tularemia. The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Mercury-absorbent Container Linings Developed For Broken Compact Fluorescent Lamps Posted: 01 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT Researchers have discovered a nanomaterial that can absorb the mercury emitted from a broken compact fluorescent lamp. The researchers have created a mercury-absorbent container lining that can be used commercially. The packaging invention would relieve a major concern with CFL use and comes as CFL sales are projected to skyrocket.

Toward Perfumed-clothing: Fabric-friendly 'Microcapsules' Hide Unpleasant Body Odors Posted: 01 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT Researchers in Portugal are reporting development of a new type of "microcapsule" filled with perfume and embedded in fabric for production of scented suits, socks, undergarments and other clothing. The same technology can be used in many other applications, such as to mask unpleasant body odors when using textile products.

What Hit Siberia 100 Years Ago? Tunguska Event Still Puzzles Scientists Posted: 01 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT The year is 1908, and it's just after seven in the morning. A man is sitting on the front porch of a trading post at Vanavara in Siberia. Little does he know, in a few moments, he will be hurled from his chair and the heat will be so intense he will feel as though his shirt is on fire. That's how the Tunguska event felt 40 miles from ground zero.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Latest Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email Delivery powered by FeedBurner
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ScienceDaily: Latest Science News in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News, c/o FeedBurner, 20 W Kinzie, 9th Floor, Chicago IL USA 60610