ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Will Our Future Brains Be Smaller? Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT New research has shown that the evolutionary pressures arising from the older, faster, but less accurate, part of the brain may have shaped the more recent development of the slower-acting but more precise cortex, found in humans and higher animals.

Purified Stem Cells Restore Muscle In Mice With Muscular Dystrophy Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that transplanted muscle stem cells can both improve muscle function in animals with a form of muscular dystrophy and replenish the stem cell population for use in the repair of future muscle injuries.

Skyscraper Run-Ups: What It Takes To Be An Extreme Athlete Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Scientists have recently become interested in the biomechanics of a very unusual activity: skyscraper run-ups. Competitors in this extreme sport ascend the steps inside the world's tallest buildings, the winners often scaling thousands of steps in just a few minutes. New research has shed light on the metabolic profile of athletes, as well as having a potential impact on studies of aging.

Mechanism That Explains How Cancer Enzyme Winds Up On Ends Of Chromosomes Found Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers have shown a mechanism that explains how two essential components of human telomerase -- normally active only in early prenatal development but turned back on during cancer growth -- are "recruited" from distinct sites in the cell to the telomere, an area at the end of a chromosome that normally protects it from destruction.

Architect Professor Advocates Best-building Practices For High Wind Regions Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT More than ever before, building design and construction can be significantly improved to reduce wind pressures on building surfaces and to help better resist high winds and hurricanes in residential or commercial construction, said one architecture professor.

Non-parental Care Of Infants Tied To Unfavorable Feeding Practices Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT With more new mothers in the workplace than ever before, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of child care facilities in the United States. At the same time, data from a variety of sources point to a growing prevalence of overweight infants and toddlers. Is there a connection? According to a new study, child care factors and feeding practices may indeed play a role.

New Mode Of Gene Regulation Discovered In Mammals Posted: 13 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers have discovered a type of gene regulation never before observed in mammals -- a "ribozyme" that controls the activity of an important family of genes in several different species.

Prostate Cancer Vaccines More Effective With Hormone Therapy Posted: 13 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Among patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, the addition of hormone therapy following vaccine treatment improved overall survival compared with either treatment alone or when the vaccine followed hormone treatment, according to recent data published in Clinical Cancer Research.

Controlling The Size Of Nanoclusters: First Step In Making New Catalysts To Control Polllution Posted: 13 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers have developed a new instrument that allows them to control the size of nanoclusters -- groups of 10 to 100 atoms -- with atomic precision. They created a model nanocatalyst of molybdenum sulfide, the first step in developing the next generation of materials to be used in hydrodesulfurization, a process that removes sulfur from natural gas and petroleum products to reduce pollution.

Herceptin Targets Breast Cancer Stem Cells Posted: 13 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT A gene that is overexpressed in 20 percent of breast cancers increases the number of cancer stem cells, the cells that fuel a tumor's growth and spread, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Zooming In On Genetic Shuffling Posted: 13 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers have presented the most precise map of genetic recombination yet. A new study sheds light on fundamental questions about genetic shuffling and has implications for the tracking of disease genes and their inheritance.

Alcohol's Impact On Heart And Stroke Risk May Differ For Men, Women Posted: 13 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Heart and stroke risks associated with alcohol use differ among Japanese men and women. Women with light alcohol consumption had a small decrease in heart disease death risk; heavy alcohol users had a much greater increase in risk. Men with heavy alcohol use had a 19 percent lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease than non-drinking men. Heavy alcohol use increased the risk of stroke in men and women.

Understanding Hearing, Molecule By Molecule Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists have for the first time pieced together the three-dimensional structure of one of nature's most exquisite pieces of machinery, a gossamer-like filament of proteins in the inner ear that enables the sense of hearing and balance.

Genes That Control Embryonic Stem Cell Fate Identified Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists have identified about two dozen genes that control embryonic stem cell fate. The genes may either prod or restrain stem cells from drifting into a kind of limbo, they suspect. The limbo lies between the embryonic stage and fully differentiated, or specialized, cells, such as bone, muscle or fat.

Myostatin Inhibitors May Improve Recovery Of Wartime Limb Injuries Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Inhibiting a growth factor that keeps muscles from getting too big may optimize recovery of injured soldiers, researchers say. Bone biologists are studying two myostatin inhibitors in mice with limb injuries, first to see which works best and then to identify the best delivery mechanism.

Not The Protein, But Its Location In The Cell, Determines The Onset Of Leukemia Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists are still searching for the cause of many forms of Leukemia, including T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Researchers have now discovered that the carcinogenic property of the fusion protein NUP214-ABL1 largely depends on its location in the cell. Casting new light on the biological processes behind T-ALL, this finding is important in the search for new targeted therapies that are less toxic than chemotherapy.

RNA Emerges From DNA's Shadow Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT RNA, the transporter of genetic information within the cell, has emerged from the shadow of DNA to become one of the hottest research areas of molecular biology, with implications for many diseases as well as understanding of evolution. But the field is complex, requiring access to the latest equipment and techniques of imaging, gene expression analysis and bioinformatics, as well as cross-pollination between multiple scientific disciplines.

Scientists Generally Happy With Their Media Interaction Posted: 13 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists and journalists get along much better than the anecdotal 'horror stories' would lead us to believe, according to new research published in the journal Science, which has found that 57 percent of researchers were 'mostly pleased' with their media interaction, while only 6 percent were 'mostly dissatisfied.'

Identifying Areas At Risk For Arsenic Contamination Posted: 11 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT The contamination of groundwater with arsenic poses a risk to the health of millions of people, especially in the densely populated river deltas of Southeast Asia. To date, no method has been available for identifying high-risk areas without conducting costly sampling campaigns. Now, scientists have developed a model that allows vulnerable areas to be pinpointed using existing data on geology and soil properties.

Over 100 Species Of Bats Found Within Several Acres Of Rainforest In Ecuador Posted: 11 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT Bats are a remarkable evolutionary success story representing the second largest group of mammals, outnumbered only by rodents in number of species. Now, researchers have discovered the place that harbors the highest number of bat species ever recorded. In several acres of rainforest in the Amazon basin of eastern Ecuador, the authors have found more than 100 species of bats.

Allergy To Road Traffic: Exposure To Traffic-related Air Pollution Linked To Onset Of Allergic Diseases In Children Posted: 11 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT Allergic diseases appear more often in children who grow up near busy roads according to a new study involving several thousand children. It was shown that an escalation of asthmatic bronchitis and allergic sensitization to pollen and other common allergens occurred with increasing exposure to fine dust. Increased exposure to nitric oxide was linked to increases in eczema.

Pathogen Genes Targeted In Studies To Protect Salad Veggies Posted: 11 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT No one knows exactly how microbes like Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella enterica can attach themselves to the bumpy leaves of a cabbage or the ultra-fine root hairs of a tender young alfalfa sprout.

Scientists Test Method For Sanitizing Leafy Produce Posted: 11 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT Scientists are studying new sanitizing methods to enhance the safety of leafy greens --- technology that may result in safer salads. That's good news for health-conscious consumers. Today, sales of fresh cut lettuce and leafy greens have reached $3 billion annually, according to industry experts, and the demand is increasing.

Ethanol Byproduct Could Be Useful As Fertilizer And For Weed Control Posted: 11 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT Scientists have shown that dried distiller's grains (DDGs) --- coproducts of corn ethanol production --- have potential as an organic fertilizer and for weed control. But some ethanol producers are adopting new corn-grinding methods that may affect the DDGs' usefulness.

Modeling Erosion Damage From Ephemeral Gullies Posted: 11 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT Ephemeral gullies are common features on agricultural landscapes. Concentrated water flows can erode cropland soils and carve out these small drainage ditches, which then transport field runoff laden with eroded sediments into nearby streams. In fact, these gullies may lead to soil losses that exceed soil losses from sheet or rill erosion.

'Tommy John' Surgery For Elbow Reconstruction Effective, But Number Of Baseball Players Requiring It Alarming Posted: 11 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT According to a new study, 83 percent of athletes who had "Tommy John" elbow reconstruction surgery were able to return to the same or better level of play. While reassuring to athletes, the study authors find the trend of more and more young athletes requiring the surgery, alarming.

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