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Superfast Vocal Muscles In Songbirds: Hundred Times Faster Than Blink Of An Eye Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Certain songbirds can contract their vocal muscles 100 times faster than humans can blink an eye -- placing the birds with a handful of animals that have evolved superfast muscles, researchers found.

Detecting Early Forms Of Cancer By Analyzing Structure of Specific Sugar Molecules Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Scientists have developed a system which can pinpoint potential "biomarkers" of early forms of cancer, by looking at structures of specific sugar molecules which are attached either to proteins of cancerous cells or to proteins involved in the host response. The availability of such cancer biomarkers could also allow disease progression and response to therapy to be monitored more easily and accurately than is currently possible.

Decadent, Convenient Banana Dessert Débuted At Food Expo Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Who doesn't like a banana split? Fresh fruit, three flavors of ice cream and chocolate syrup. Yum. That vision was the subjective basis for a new product developed by a team of Virginia Tech students -- frozen bite-sized slices of banana filled with creamy chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry non-fat frozen yogurt and enrobed in dark chocolate. Called "Banana Splitters," the new confection is packaged as nine individual pieces -- three of each flavor -- in a sleeve, six sleeves in a package to be available next to the ice cream and other frozen goodies.

Cool, Air Blown Under Football Shoulder Pads Reduces Body Temperature And Heart Rate, Research Finds Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Cool, dry air flowing between the athlete and their football pads reduces core body temperature and heart rate dramatically, thereby reducing the likelihood of heat-related illness, a new study shows. The study found that air forced under the uniform, rather than misted, cool air blown on to the uniform, could be a helpful measure to avoid heat-related illness in football players.

Coal-generated Carbon Dioxide Captured In Australia -- A First Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT In a first for Australia, carbon dioxide has been captured from power station flue gases in a post-combustion-capture pilot plant at Loy Yang Power Station in Victoria's Latrobe Valley.

Learning Suffers If Brain Transcript Isn't Transported Far Out To End Of Neurons Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Neuroscientists have solved a mystery that lies at the heart of human learning, and they say the solution may help explain some forms of mental retardation as well as provide clues to overall brain functioning.

Model For Automated, Wearable Artificial Kidney Designed Posted: 12 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Two researchers have developed a design for an automated, wearable artificial kidney, or AWAK, that avoids the complications patients often suffer with traditional dialysis. The peritoneal-based artificial kidney is "bloodless" and reduces or even eliminates protein loss and other dialysis-related problems.

Unsuspected Gene Mutation Found For Atrial Fibrillation Posted: 12 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers have found a gene mutation linked to one family's hereditary form of atrial fibrillation. The study was based on a large family with an inherited form of atrial fibrillation in 11 relatives. Investigators discovered the defective gene by scanning the entire human genome, comprised of more than 30,000 genes.

Insect Warning Colors Aid Cancer And Tropical Disease Drug Discovery Posted: 12 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Brightly colored beetles or butterfly larvae nibbling on a plant may signal the presence of chemical compounds active against cancer cell lines and tropical parasitic diseases, according to researchers. Such clues could speed drug discovery and provide insight into the ecological relationships between tropical-forest plants and insects that feed on them.

Cadaver Tissue Fails Nearly 25 Percent Of The Time In Young ACL Reconstructions Posted: 12 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Choosing the best replacement ligament for surgery is one key to ACL reconstruction success. A new study found that with a failure rate of almost 24 percent, the use of cadaver replacement ligaments may not be the best choice for young, athletic patients.

Molecular Motor Works By Detecting Minute Changes In Force Posted: 12 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers discovered that the activity of a specific family of nanometer-sized molecular motors called myosin-I is regulated by force. The motor puts tension on cellular springs that allow vibrations to be detected within the body. This finely tuned regulation has important implications for understanding a wide variety of basic cellular processes.

Researchers Detect Fake Art From Originals Posted: 12 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT As museums continue to digitize their art collections, it becomes increasingly easier for paintings to be forged. Scientists are now working on a digital system to help detect original works from counterfeit ones.

Children Are Naturally Prone To Be Empathic And Moral Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Children between the ages of seven and 12 appear to be naturally inclined to feel empathy for others in pain, according to researchers who used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans to study responses in children. Researchers found that children, like adults, show responses to pain in the same areas of their brains. The research also found additional aspects of the brain activated in children, when youngsters saw another person intentionally hurt by another individual.

Biological Marker For Alzheimer's Holds Promise For Earlier Diagnosis And Treatment Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Researchers have found clear evidence that increases in the size of the brain ventricles are directly associated with cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Ventricles are fluid-filled cavities in the brain. The research shows the volume of the brain ventricles expands as surrounding tissue dies.

Coming Epidemic Of Type 2 Diabetes In Young Adults Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT How will the epidemic of childhood obesity today affect the future health of Americans? As concern about children's health grows along with their waistlines, medical experts fear that the childhood obesity epidemic could lead to large numbers of younger adults developing type 2 diabetes, causing serious and lasting health complications for future generations of Americans.

Problems Of Predicting Birthweights In Obese Mothers Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Obesity is a risk to mother and baby, but American researchers have found a method that tackles the problem of predicting birth weights when mothers have a BMI of more than 30, making ultrasound measurements difficult at full term. They looked at 357 women with BMIs of up to 58 and compared them with 1,025 women who were not overweight. The results showed accurate and comparable results in all but the most obese mothers-to-be.

Pressured Proteins: A Little Pressure In Proteomics Squeezes 4-hour Step Into A Minute Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Many coaches inspire better performance by pressuring their teams. Now, proteomics researchers are using pressure to improve the performance of their analyses. In a simple solution to a time-consuming problem, the researchers have found that adding pressure early in their protocol squeezes four hours of waiting -- often allowed to last overnight for convenence -- into a minute. The result brings researchers closer to "proteomics on the fly."

Age-old Money Matters: Positivity In Older Adults Leads To Balanced Investments Posted: 12 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT The economic and psychological term known as "sunk-cost fallacy" is a bias that leads someone to make a decision based solely on a previous financial investment. For example, a baseball fan might attend every game of the season only because he already purchased the tickets. So who is more likely to commit or avoid the sunk-cost fallacy and why?

Scientists Identify Genetic Basis For The Black Sheep Of The Family Posted: 11 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Coat color of wild and domestic animals is a critical trait that has significant biological and economic impact. In a study published online in Genome Research, researchers have identified the genetic basis for black coat color, and white, in a breed of domestic sheep.

Scientists Learn How Food Affects The Brain: Omega 3 Especially Important Posted: 11 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT In addition to helping protect us from heart disease and cancer, a balanced diet and regular exercise can also protect the brain, and ward off mental disorders. Changes in diet are a viable strategy for enhancing cognitive abilities, protecting the brain from damage, and counteracting the effects of aging, according to a professor of neurosurgery and physiological science, who has spent years studying the effects of food and exercise on the brain.

From Foe To Friend: Researchers Use Salmonella As A Way To Administer Vaccines In The Body Posted: 11 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers have made a major step forward in their work to develop a biologically engineered organism that can effectively deliver an antigen in the body. The researchers report that they have been able to use live salmonella bacterium as the containment/delivery method for an antigen.

Structure Of Critical Protein From Ebola Virus Determined Posted: 11 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Scientists have determined the structure of a critical protein from the ebola virus, which, though rare, is one of the deadliest viruses on the planet killing between 50 and 90 percent of those infected.

Ground Cover Can Reduce Impact Of Biomass Harvest Posted: 11 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Iowa State University researchers are looking at ways to use ground cover, a living grass planted between the rows of corn, in production farming.

Verbally Aggressive Mothers Direct Their Children's Behavior Posted: 11 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Verbally aggressive mothers tend to control their children's choice of activities as well as use physical negative touch, along with directives, when trying to alter their child's actions.

Brain Cells Related To Fear Identified, Paving The Way For More Effective Treatment Of Post-Traumatic Stress And Other Anxiety Disorders Posted: 11 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT Potentially paving the way for more effective treatments of anxiety disorders, a recent Nature report has identified a critical component of the amygdala's neural network normally involved in the extinction, or elimination, of fear memories.

New Tinnitus Treatment: Potential To Greatly Diminish Ringing In The Ears Posted: 11 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT A new study has shown potential to markedly improve tinnitus, commonly known as "ringing in the ears." Results of the initial case were published in The Laryngoscope in which a single patient was tested to examine the safety and feasibility of using maintenance sessions of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to reduce tinnitus loudness and prevent its return over time.

Could Pond Scum Undo Pollution, Fight Global Warming And Alleviate World Hunger? Posted: 11 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT Three plant biologists at Rutgers' Waksman Institute of Microbiology are obsessed with duckweed, a tiny aquatic plant with an unassuming name. Now they have convinced the federal government to focus its attention on duckweed's tremendous potential for cleaning up pollution, combating global warming and feeding the world. The Department of Energy's national laboratories will sequence the duckweed genome.

Flu-infected Fly Cells Reveal Dependencies Of The Virus Posted: 11 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT By giving fly cells the flu, scientists have identified scores of host genes the pathogen requires for successful infection, revealing a raft of potential new pressure points to thwart the virus.

Individual Bone Implants Whose Structure Resembles That Of The Natural Bone Can Now Be Produced Easily Posted: 11 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT Individual bone implants whose structure resembles that of the natural bone can now be produced quite easily. First, a simulation program calculates the bone's internal structure and porosity, then a rapid prototyping machine "bakes" the implant from metal powder.

Gene Therapy Research In Developing World Raises Ethical Red Flags Posted: 11 Jul 2008 04:00 PM CDT Early stage gene therapy clinical trials are recruiting patients from the developing world, providing medically deprived populations access to interventions that show promise but have largely unknown effects in humans. The practice may be inconsistent with international ethics guidelines on justice say ethicists.

What's My Age? Mystery Star Cluster Has 3 Different Birthdays Posted: 11 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Imagine having three clocks in your house, each chiming at a different time. Astronomers have found the equivalent of three out-of-sync "clocks" in the ancient open star cluster NGC 6791. The dilemma may fundamentally challenge the way astronomers estimate cluster ages, researchers said.

Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Transport Anti-Cancer Drugs Directly To Tumors Posted: 11 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers are working on a method of delivering cancer drugs that promises to be more efficient and reduce the side effects patients have to deal with. "Although chemotherapy has saved many lives, it often has undesirable side effects," said one of the researchers. "The people most excited about this research are people who have gone through chemo, because our approach may circumvent many of those side effects."

Solar Spin Put On Asteroid Moon Formation Posted: 11 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Asteroids with moons, which scientists call binary asteroids, are common in the solar system. A longstanding question has been how most such moons are formed. In the journal Nature, a trio of astronomers say the surprising answer is sunlight, which can increase or decrease the spin rate of an asteroid. Their findings match observations and give information important for deflecting threatening asteroids away from Earth.

Most Effective Dental Braces Are Least Attractive Posted: 11 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT When it comes to the attractiveness of orthodontic braces, less metal is better, according to a recent survey. The study of the public's attitude about the attractiveness of various styles of braces indicates that the types of dental appliances with no visible metal were considered the most attractive. Braces that combine clear ceramic brackets with thin metal or clear wires were a less desirable option, and braces with metal brackets and metal wires were rated as the least aesthetic combination.

Large Cargo Ships Emit Double Amount of Soot Previously Estimated Posted: 11 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Tugboats puff out more soot for the amount of fuel used than other commercial vessels, and large cargo ships emit more than twice as much soot as previously estimated, according to the first extensive study of commercial vessel soot emissions. In the Arctic, an increase in soot may contribute to climate change if shipping routes expand, according to the study.

Gender, Time Of Day Affect Response To Vaccination Posted: 11 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT A new study in the journal Psychophysiology reveals that men, but not women, vaccinated in the morning produced a better peak antibody response to both hepatitis A and the influenza strain.

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