ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

'Nanonet' Circuits Closer To Making Flexible Electronics Reality Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers have overcome a major obstacle in producing transistors from networks of carbon nanotubes, a technology that could make it possible to print circuits on plastic sheets for applications including flexible displays and an electronic skin to cover an entire aircraft to monitor crack formation.

Lung Inflammation From Influenza And Other Infections Could Be Turned Off Following New Discovery Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT A new discovery could lead to treatments which turn off the inflammation in the lungs caused by influenza and other infections, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Immunology.

Nanoparticles In Sewage Could Escape Into Bodies Of Water Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT In a conventional sewage works, nanoparticles should really be bound in the sludge and should not represent a major problem in the aqueous effluent. This is not true, however, as shown by a new study. An astonishing amount was able to leave an experimental sewage works and thus could possibly enter bodies of water.

Antimicrobial Sutures Reduce Infections In Brain Shunt Surgery, Study Finds Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Using antimicrobial sutures to secure the shunt and close the wound significantly reduces the number of shunt infections arising during the first six months after surgery.

Hurricane Preparedness Survey: Worries About Drinking Water And Medical Care Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT A new survey finds the top worries of respondents threatened or hit by Hurricane Katrina are that they would not have enough fresh water to drink (42 percent very worried) and that they would not be able to get needed medical care (41 percent very worried).

Drug Abuse Accounts For Third Of Deaths Behind Scotland's Higher Mortality Rate, Study Finds Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Drug abuse accounts for a third of the deaths behind Scotland's higher mortality rate, according to a new study. Death rates in Scotland are higher than in England and Wales and the difference between the nations is increasing.

Explosion In Marine Biodiversity Explained By Climate Change Posted: 28 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT A global change in climate could explain the explosion in marine biodiversity that took place 460 million years ago. Researchers have now found evidence of a progressive ocean cooling of about 15°C over a period of 40 million years during the Ordovician. Until now, this geologic period had been associated with a "super greenhouse effect" on our planet.

Gummy Bears That Fight Plaque Posted: 28 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT The tooth-protecting sugar substitute xylitol has been incorporated into gummy bears to produce a sweet snack that may prevent dental problems. Giving children four of the xylitol bears three times a day during school hours results in a decrease in the plaque bacteria that cause tooth decay.

New Membrane Model May Unlock Secrets Of Early-stage Alzheimer's Posted: 28 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT Researchers are using a new laboratory model of the membrane surrounding neurons in the brain to study how a protein long suspected of a role in early-stage Alzheimer's disease actually impairs a neuron's structure and function.

Francisella Tularensis: Stopping A Biological Weapon Posted: 28 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT Scientists hope a vaccine is on the horizon for tularemia, a fatal disease caused by the pathogen Francisella tularensis, an organism of concern as a potential biological warfare agent. Until recently we knew very little about this bacterium. However, according to the August issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology, research on the bacterium has been reinvigorated and rapid progress has been made in understanding how it causes disease.

Paying To Save Tropical Forests Could Be A Way To Reduce Global Carbon Emissions Posted: 28 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT Wealthy nations willing to collectively spend about $1 billion annually could prevent the emission of roughly half a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year for the next 25 years, new research suggests. It would take about that much money to put an end to a tenth of the tropical deforestation in the world, one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, researchers estimate.

Anthropologist Helps Unravel Mummy Mystery Posted: 28 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT Anthropologists are in the process of unraveling a mummy bundle found in Peru's historic Huaura Valley. The mummy is believed to have been an elite member of the Chancay culture, a civilization that thrived in the central coast of Peru from about 1000 to 1400 AD. The territory of the Chancay was later home to the Incas.

Emotional Robots: Software Empowers Robots To Learn When A Person Is Sad, Happy Or Angry Posted: 28 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT A robot with empathy sounds like the stuff of sci-fi movies, but with the aid of neural networks researchers are developing robots in tune with our emotions. Feelix Growing is developing software empowering robots that can learn when a person is sad, happy or angry.

Anti-HIV Therapy Boosts Life Expectancy More Than 13 Years Posted: 28 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT HIV patients taking a cocktail of drugs called combination antiretroviral therapy have seen a 13-year boost in life expectancy, according to a new study. Improved survival has led to a nearly 40 percent drop in AIDS deaths among 43,355 HIV-positive study participants in Europe and North America, bolstering the call for improved anti-HIV efforts worldwide, the study authors said.

Scientists Suspect Omega-3 Fatty Acids Could Slow Acute Wound Healing Posted: 28 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT A recent study shows that popular fish oil supplements have an effect on the healing process of small, acute wounds in human skin. But whether that effect is detrimental, as researchers initially suspected, remains a mystery. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils are widely considered to benefit cardiovascular health and other diseases related to chronic inflammation because of their anti-inflammatory properties. But insufficient inflammation during the initial stage of wound healing may delay the advancement of later stages.

Emergency Physicians Have Good First Instincts In Diagnosing Heart Attacks Posted: 28 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Emergency room doctors are correctly identifying patients who are having a heart attack, even when laboratory tests haven't yet confirmed it.

New Piece Of Climate Change Puzzle Found In Ancient Sedimentary Rocks Posted: 28 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Researchers have added a new source of carbon dioxide to the complex climate change puzzle by showing that ancient rocks can release substantial amounts of organic matter into Earth's rivers and oceans, and that this organic matter is easily converted by bacteria to carbon dioxide, which enters the atmosphere and contributes to climate change.

Prevalence Of Dementia In The Developing World Underestimated Posted: 28 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Previous estimates of levels of dementia in the developing world may have substantially underestimated the problem, according to research published today. The findings suggest that policymakers in low-income and middle-income countries may need to re-examine the burden and impact that dementia places on their health services.

Typhoons Bury Tons Of Carbon In The Oceans Posted: 28 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT A single typhoon in Taiwan buries as much carbon in the ocean -- in the form of sediment -- as all the other rains in that country all year long combined.

Researchers Disprove Long-standing Belief About HIV Treatment Posted: 28 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT Researchers have disproved a long-standing clinical belief that the hepatitis C virus slows or stunts the immune system's ability to restore itself after HIV patients are treated with a combination of drugs known as the "cocktail."

Limiting Fructose May Boost Weight Loss, Researcher Reports Posted: 28 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT One of the reasons people on low-carbohydrate diets may lose weight is that they reduce their intake of fructose, a type of sugar that can be made into body fat quickly. Fructose is perhaps best known for its presence in the sweetener called high-fructose corn syrup or HFCS, which is typically 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose, similar to the mix that can be found in fruits.

Internal Medicine Residents May Benefit Most From Time In Clinic Posted: 28 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT A new approach to internal medicine residency training could improve patient care and physician-patient relationships. Research has shown that residents who spent increased time in outpatient settings as opposed to the hospital delivered a higher quality of care and had more satisfaction in their duties.

Region Hit Hard By 1993 Floods Showed Economic Resiliency, Study Indicates Posted: 28 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT With the first wave of clean-up efforts behind them, residents of communities affected by this year's Midwest floods may find hope in a new study on the economic impact of the 1993 flood that devastated much of the same region.

Population Policy Needed In Order To Combat Climate Change, Experts Argue Posted: 28 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT The biggest contribution UK couples can make to combating climate change would be to have only two children or at least have one less than they first intended, argues an editorial in the British Medical Journal.

Plant Steroids Offer New Paradigm For How Hormones Work Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT Steroids bulk up plants just as they do human athletes, but the molecular signals that tell the genes to boost growth and development in plant cells is far more complicated than in human and animal cells. Understanding how these plant hormones activate genes could lead not only to enhanced harvests but also to new insights into how steroids regulate growth in both plant and animal cells.

New Research On Pre-eclampsia In Mice May Have Important Implications For Humans Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT Researchers studying pre-eclampsia, a serious and potentially deadly disorder that affects about 5 percent of pregnancies, report new findings in mice that may have important implications for diagnosis and treatment in humans.

Measuring Stress In Plants To Select Best Species For Reforestation Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT Plants undergo stress because of lack of water, due to the heat or the cold or to excess of light. Researchers have analyzed the substances that are triggered in plants to protect themselves, with the goal of choosing the species that is best suited to the environment during reforestation under adverse environmental conditions.

Little Evidence That Treating Varicoceles In Men Boosts Pregnancy Rates Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT A recent review of studies from the Netherlands finds no evidence that treating varicoceles -- a somewhat common condition in men with fertility problems -- improves a couple's chances of conceiving a baby.

Landscape Study May Offer Solutions For Fire Managers Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT A fire is currently burning through a study area where projections were made about fire behavior about two years ago. Managers used data and analysis from the Gotchen Late-Successional Reserve study in the planning, analysis and implementation of treatments near where the Cold Springs fire is now active.

Daughters-in-law Help Reduce Depression Among Chinese Elders, But Help From Own Kids Can Increase Depression, Study Finds Posted: 28 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT In a new twist on the Confucian ideal of filial piety, a study finds that the assistance of daughters-in-law -- but not their own children -- helps mitigate depression among older people in China. Almost two-thirds of the older population in China lives in rural areas, making it the largest concentration of older adults in the world.

New Human Tissue Bank 'A Tremendous Research Resource' Posted: 27 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT The University of Bradford has unveiled a new facility to provide UK biomedical researchers access to a wide range of human tissue and tissue products.

England And Wales Lead Reduction In Cancer Deaths And Increase In Cancer Spending Posted: 27 Jul 2008 11:00 PM CDT A new comprehensive analysis has detailed how cancer death rates in developed countries have fallen substantially in the last 20 years, despite a general increase in the prevalence of cancer.

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