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Diamonds May Have Been Life's Best Friend On Primordial Earth Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Diamonds may have been life's best friend. Billions of years ago, the surface of these gems may have provided just the right conditions to foster the chemical reactions believed to have given rise to life on Earth, researchers in Germany report.

New Therapy For HIV Treatment Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Millions of people world-wide who have contracted a highly resistant strain of the HIV virus could benefit from a new drug to treat the infection.

The Buzz Of The Chase: Scientists Test Technique Used To Catch Serial Killers ... On Bumblebees Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Geographic profiling is a technique used by police forces around the world to help them prioritize lists of suspects in investigations of serial crimes. Now researchers, along with the former detective who invented the technique, have used this criminology technique to look at patterns of foraging in bees.

Cerebral Malaria May Be A Major Cause Of Brain Injury In African Children Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers have found that cerebral malaria is related to long-term cognitive impairment in one of four child survivors. The research is published in the journal Pediatrics.

Symbiotic Microbes Induce Profound Genetic Changes In Their Hosts Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Though bacteria are everywhere -- from the air we breathe and the food we eat to our guts and skin -- the vast majority are innocuous or even beneficial, and only a handful pose any threat to us. What distinguishes a welcome microbial guest from an unwanted intruder?

Women End Up Less Happy Than Men Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 PM CDT Less able to achieve their life goals, women end up unhappier than men later in life -- even though they start out happier, reveals new research.

Did Dinosaur Soft Tissues Still Survive? New Research Challenges Notion Posted: 30 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT Paleontologists in 2005 hailed research apparently showing that soft tissues had been recovered from dissolved dinosaur bones, but new research suggests the supposed recovered tissue is really just biofilm -- or slime.

Protein Plays Jekyll And Hyde Role In Lou Gehrig's Disease Posted: 30 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by the death of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord that control muscle movements from walking and swallowing to breathing. Scientists now report key findings about the cause and occurrence of the familial form of ALS.

Could Metals Help Treat Cancer? Posted: 30 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT A collaboration between chemists and biologists has made it possible to identify the effects of a new class of molecules, polyoxometalates, primarily composed of metals and oxygen. These molecules are very powerful inhibitors of a specific protein kinase, CK2, an enzyme that is overactive in a number of cancers. The enzyme's instrumental role in controlling cell proliferation and survival makes it an important target in the search for new medications.

Thyrotropin Levels Associated With Alzheimer's Disease Risk In Women Posted: 30 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT Women with low or high levels of the hormone thyrotropin, which affects thyroid gland function and thyroid hormone levels, appear to have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Being A Control Freak Aids Dividing Cells Posted: 30 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT A dividing cell tags more than 14,000 different sites on its proteins with phosphate, a molecule that typically serves as a signal for a variety of biological processes. This preponderance of signals -- more than twice the number identified by past studies -- suggests that the cell may become a control freak during the division process, regulating each of its parts, no matter how obscure. Understanding how cell division works is essential for understanding a host of diseases and conditions, from cancer to pediatric heart defects.

'Chicken And Chips' Theory Of Pacific Migration Posted: 30 Jul 2008 10:00 AM CDT A new study of DNA from ancient and modern chickens has shed light on the controversy about the extent of prehistoric Polynesian contact with the Americas.

New Disease-fighting Nanoparticles Look Like Miniature Pastries Posted: 30 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Ultra-miniature bialy-shaped particles -- called nanobialys because they resemble tiny versions of the flat, onion-topped rolls popular in New York City -- could soon be carrying medicinal compounds through patients' bloodstreams to tumors or atherosclerotic plaques. The nanobialys answered a need for an alternative to the research group's gadolinium-containing nanoparticles. Recent studies have shown that gadolinium can be harmful to some patients with severe kidney disease.

Statins May Protect Against Memory Loss Posted: 30 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT People at high risk for dementia who took cholesterol-lowering statins are half as likely to develop dementia as those who do not take statins, a new study shows.

Compound That Helps Rice Grow Reduces Nerve, Vascular Damage From Diabetes Posted: 30 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Researchers have found that a compound that helps rice seed grow, springs back into action when brown rice is placed in water overnight before cooking, significantly reducing the nerve and vascular damage that often result from diabetes.

Scientists Announce Mouse Sperm Cryopreservation Breakthrough Posted: 30 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists have figured out a simple, cost-effective process to freeze mouse sperm and get it to achieve high fertilization rates with mouse eggs. The breakthrough will greatly reduce the cost of developing and distributing new mouse models of human disease.

Bacteria Reveal Secret Of Adaptation At Evolution Canyon Posted: 30 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Bacteria living on opposite sides of a canyon have evolved to cope with different temperatures by altering the make-up of their 'skin,' or cell membranes. Scientists have found that bacteria change these complex and important structures to adapt to different temperatures by looking at the appearance of the bacteria as well as their genes. The researchers hope their study, published in the August issue of Microbiology, will start a new trend in research.

Preterm Birth Contributes To Growing Number Of Infant Deaths: More Than 28,000 Infants Died In 2005 Posted: 30 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT Babies born too soon and too small accounted for a growing proportion of infant deaths, 36.5 percent of infant deaths in 2005, up from 34.6 percent in 2000. The nation's infant mortality rate inched up slightly in 2005 to 6.9, from 6.8 percent in 2004, although the change is not statistically significant.

Searching For Shut Eye: Possible 'Sleep Gene' Identified Posted: 30 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT While scientists and physicians know what happens if you don't get six to eight hours of shut-eye a night, investigators have long been puzzled about what controls the actual need for sleep. Researchers might have an answer, at least in fruit flies. In a recent study of fruit flies, they identified a gene that controls sleep.

Modified Salmonella Slows Tumor Growth Posted: 30 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT Attenuated Salmonella bacteria engineered to express the Fas ligand (FasL) accumulate in tumors and reduce their growth.

Defining DNA Differences To Track And Tackle Typhoid Posted: 30 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT For the first time, next-generation DNA sequencing technologies have been turned on typhoid fever -- a disease that kills 600,000 people each year. The study sets a new standard for analyzing the evolution and spread of a disease-causing bacterium: it is the first study of multiple samples of any bacterial pathogen at this level of detail. The results will help to improve diagnosis, tracking the disease and could help to design new strategies for vaccination.

Study Links Soft Drinks And Fruit Drinks With Risk For Diabetes In African-American Women Posted: 30 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have found that regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes in African-American women. These findings appear in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Soil's Carbon Storage Capacity Investigated Posted: 30 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT Three new studies explore the potential roles of soils as a carbon sink in different regions in the Western Hemisphere. Scientists have investigated soil carbon balance in distinct agroecosystems under different management practices including soil tillage, nitrogen fertilization, elimination of fallow and establishment of grass.

China's Export Trade Impacts Climate Posted: 30 Jul 2008 04:00 AM CDT Researchers argue that China's new title as the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter is at least partly due to consumption of Chinese good in the West.

Lost An Appendage? Grow Another Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT Cut off one finger from a salamander and one will grow back. Cut off two and two will grow back. It sounds logical, but how the salamander always regenerates the right number of fingers is still a biological mystery.

New Treatment For Advanced Prostate Cancer Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed a novel approach to treating advanced prostate cancer that could be more effective with fewer side effects.

New Species Of Predatory Bagworm From Panama's Tropical Forest Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT University of Panama and Smithsonian researchers report the discovery of a new bagworm moth species, in the Annals of the Entomology Society of America. Unlike nearly all other bagworms, Perisceptis carnivora have predatory larvae. Strangest of all, according to Annette Aiello, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the adult moths wrap their eggs individually in beautiful cases fashioned from golden abdominal hairs called setae, a behavior unique among insects.

Accelerated Bone Turnover Remains After Weight Loss Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT When a person is losing a significant amount of weight, they expect to notice changes in their body. However, they may overlook changes happening in their bones. In a new study, a University of Missouri researcher and collaborators at the University of Kansas found that the potentially harmful effects of weight loss on bone persist during weight maintenance following moderate weight loss.

Local Officials in U.S. Move Toward Monitoring Nanotechnologies Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT State and local officials have taken steps to begin monitoring the manufacture and storage of nanomaterials, a major step for a cutting-edge technology that has yet to be regulated by the federal government.

Gaining Advantages From Childhood Experience Posted: 30 Jul 2008 01:00 AM CDT It often seems that certain aspects of our personalities are influenced by events that occurred in our childhoods. A recent study examined how early life experience influences social skills and ability to handle stressful situations using a rat model.

New Biomarker For Early Cancer Detection? Research Reveals That 'MicroRNA' May Fit The Bill Posted: 29 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have discovered that microRNAs -- molecular workhorses that regulate gene expression -- are released by cancer cells and circulate in the blood, which gives them the potential to become a new class of biomarkers to detect cancer at its earliest stages.

Climate Change: Secret Life Cycles Of Atmospheric Aerosols Can Be Illuminated With New Technology Posted: 29 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT For scientists looking at climate change, a large area of uncertainty has to do with the effects of airborne particles -- such as carbon-laden soot -- but new technology is now helping researchers unveil secrets about the life cycles of atmospheric aerosols.

Women With Gestational Diabetes At Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes Posted: 29 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT Women with gestational diabetes are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with almost 20 percent of women developing the condition within 9 years of pregnancy, found a large, population-based study of 659,000 women published in CMAJ.

Researchers Demonstrate A Flexible, One-step Assembly Of Nanoscale Structures Posted: 29 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT Scientists have created a one-step, repeatable method for the production of functional nanoscale patterns or motifs with adjustable features, size and shape using a single master "plate."

This Old Healthy House: Obesity Linked To Newer, Less Walkable Neighborhoods Posted: 29 Jul 2008 10:00 PM CDT The age of your neighborhood may influence your risk of obesity, according to a new study. Residents were at less risk of being obese or overweight if they lived in older, walkable neighborhoods -- those that are more densely populated, designed to be pedestrian friendly and have a range of destinations.

Electrical Activity On Saturn's Moon Titan Confirmed By Spanish Scientists Posted: 29 Jul 2008 07:00 PM CDT Physicists from the University of Granada and University of Valencia have developed a procedure for analysing specific data sent by the Huygens probe from Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons, "unequivocally" proving that there is natural electrical activity in its atmosphere. The scientific community believe that the probability of organic molecules, precursors of life, being formed is higher on planets or moons which have an atmosphere with electrical storms.

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