ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Acidifying Oceans Add Urgency To Carbon Dioxide Cuts Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT It's not just about climate change anymore. Besides loading the atmosphere with heat-trapping greenhouse gases, human emissions of carbon dioxide have also begun to alter the chemistry of the ocean. The ecological and economic consequences are difficult to predict but possibly calamitous, warn a team of chemical oceanographers, and halting the changes already underway will likely require even steeper cuts in carbon emissions than those currently proposed to curb climate change.

Looking For The Founatain Of Youth? Cut Your Calories, Research Suggests Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT In addition to reducing one's risk for many common diseases, new research found that calorie restriction may slow the aging process. Calorie restriction has long been shown to slow the aging process in rats and mice. Calorie restriction - cutting approximately 300 to 500 calories per day - had a similar biological effect in humans, and, therefore, may slow the aging process.

Rocketing Through Water: Space-age Swimsuit Being Tested At NASA Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Swimmers around the world are breaking records this year like never before, including at this week's U.S. Olympic trials. Some attribute it to extensive training as athletes prepare to compete at this summer's games in Beijing. Others say one factor may be a new swimsuit -- a space-age swimsuit made of fabric tested at NASA.

Calpain Inhibitors Never Forget: Improving Memory In Alzheimer's Disease Mice Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Overactivation of proteins known as calpains, which are involved in memory formation, has been linked to Alzheimer disease. Researchers have now shown that two different drugs that inhibit calpains can improve memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, leading them to suggest drugs that target calpains might stop or slow down the memory loss that occurs as Alzheimer's disease progresses.

Rare Plants And Endangered Species Such As Tigers At Risk From Traditional Medicine Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Two reports from TRAFFIC, the world's largest wildlife trade monitoring network, on traditional medicine systems in Cambodia and Vietnam suggest that illegal wildlife trade, including entire tiger skeletons, and unsustainable harvesting is depleting the region's rich and varied biodiversity and putting the primary health care resource of millions at risk.

Woman Aquires New Accent After Stroke Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT A woman in southern Ontario is one of the first cases in Canada of a rare neurological syndrome in which a person starts speaking with a different accent, researchers reported in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences.

Wild Orangutans Declining More Sharply In Sumatra And Borneo Than Thought Posted: 06 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Endangered wild orangutan populations are declining more sharply in Sumatra and Borneo than previously estimated, according to new findings. Although other threats to orangutan survival exist, such as hunting in agricultural areas where human-orangutan conflicts exist, the biggest by far is forest destruction associated with the burgeoning palm oil industry in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Statins Have Unexpected Effect On Pool Of Powerful Brain Cells Posted: 06 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins have a profound effect on an elite group of cells known as glial progenitor cells that are important to brain health as we age, scientists have found. The new findings shed light on a long-debated potential role for statins in the area of dementia.

Bee Disease Still A Mystery, Despite New Advances In Undersanding Common Virus Posted: 06 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Scientists are one step closer to understanding the recent demise of billions of honey bees after making an important discovery about the transmission of a common bee virus. Deformed wing virus is passed between adult bees and to their developing brood by a parasitic mite called Varroa destructor when it feeds. However, new research suggests that the virus does not replicate in Varroa, highlighting the need for further investigation.

Endocrinology: Understanding The Genetics Of Congenital Hyperinsulinism Posted: 06 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT A number of congenital disorders characterized by low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) as a result of excessive secretion of the hormone insulin are collectively known as congenital hyperinsulinism.

New Technique Produces Genetically Identical Stem Cells Posted: 06 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Cells from mice created using genetically reprogrammed cells can be triggered via drug administration to enter an embryonic-stem-cell-like state without the need for further direct genetic manipulation. This technical advancement enables creation of large numbers of genetically identical cells that can be reprogrammed to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state simply by exposure to a drug. Researchers can exploit such cells to decipher and improve the reprogramming process.

Don't Count On Long-term Success In Climate Policy, Warns Paper In Decision Analysis Posted: 06 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Long-term climate change policy in the US and abroad is likely to change very slowly, warns a researcher who calls for stronger short-term goals to reduce carbon emissions. Although staging climate change policy decisions over time would seem to make sense, researchers point out that the tendency of U.S. and international policy to change extremely slowly requires front-loading the painful decisions.

Mining For Molecules In The Milky Way Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists are prospecting in a rich molecular cloud in our Milky Way Galaxy. They seek to discover new, complex molecules in interstellar space that may be precursors to life. As molecules rotate and vibrate, they emit radio waves at specific frequencies. Each molecule has a unique pattern of such frequencies, called spectral lines, that constitutes a "fingerprint" identifying that molecule. Laboratory tests can determine the pattern of spectral lines that identifies a specific molecule.

Blood Vessel Inhibitor Shows Promise Against Metastatic Thyroid Cancer Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Thyroid cancer that has spread to distant sites has a poor prognosis, but an experimental drug that inhibits tumor blood vessel formation can slow disease progression in some patients, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Volcanic Activity Shaped Mercury After All Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Planetary geologists have determined that volcanism played a central role in forming Mercury's surface. The evidence of volcanic activity, published in Science, lends important insights into Mercury's geologic history.

Bringing Stability To The Protein Defective In Phenylketonuria Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Phenylketonuria is an inherited disease characterized by progressive mental retardation and seizures because the individual is deficient in the protein PAH. Most of the genetic mutations that cause PKU do so because the PAH protein that is generated by the mutated gene is not stable enough to function. New data now suggest that it might be possible to stabilize the mutated PAH protein in individuals with PKU such that it can function normally.

Insights Into Tissue Only Micromillimeters Thick With Help From New High-Tech Robot Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT "TIGA," the new high-tech imaging center at the University of Heidelberg provides deep insights: a high-tech robot makes it possible for the first time to automatically reproduce and evaluate tissue slices only micromillimeters thick -- an important aid for researchers in understanding cancer or in following in detail the effect of treatment on cells and tissue.

Clinicians Should Consider Economic Impact Of New Interventions, According To New Report Posted: 06 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Cancer clinicians should understand and consider the economic impact of new interventions, which often have substantial costs, according to a new report.

Families With Children Without A Genetic Or Gestational Link To Their Parents Are Functioning Well Posted: 04 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT The emotional well-being of families where children lack a genetic or gestational link to one or both of their parents -- where the children have been conceived through surrogacy, egg donation or donor insemination -- has long been a subject of debate. Now, scientists have shown that relationships within such families appear to be functioning well, and that there are few differences between them and families in whom children were conceived naturally.

Want To Fly? Don't Copy The Birds And The Bees Posted: 04 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT There is little comparison between the appearance of any winged creatures and that of modern helicopters or jets, despite similar flight patterns. In an era in which engineers are increasingly exploiting designs from nature, understanding this paradox is becoming ever more important. Researchers have studied the reasons behind these differences in aerodynamics and concluded that scientists should, in this instance, be more hesitant before imitating nature.

Topical Oral Syrup Prevents Early Childhood Caries, Study Shows Posted: 04 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT Dental researchers have reported a significant reduction of tooth decay in toddlers who were treated with the topical syrup xylitol, a naturally occurring non-cavity-causing sweetener.

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