ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Smart Contact Lenses Dispense Medication Posted: 04 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT "Smart" contact lenses that measure pressure within the eye and dispense medication accordingly could be made possible using a new material developed by biomedical engineers at UC Davis.

Methadone Breaks Resistance In Untreatable Forms Of Leukemia Posted: 04 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT Researchers have discovered that methadone, an agent used to break addiction to opioid drugs, has surprising killing power against leukemia cells, including treatment resistant forms of the cancer.

Plant Parasite 'Wiretaps' Host Posted: 04 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT A parasitic plant that sucks water and nutrients from its plant host also taps into its communications traffic, a new report finds. The research could lead to new ways to combat parasites that attack crop plants.

Turned-off Cannabinoid Receptor Turns On Colorectal Tumor Growth Posted: 04 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT New preclinical research shows that cannabinoid cell surface receptor CB1 plays a tumor-suppressing role in human colorectal cancer, scientists report in the Aug. 1 edition of the journal Cancer Research.

China Becomes A Physics Powerhouse Posted: 04 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT Judged by the astonishing increase in journal papers written by scientists in China, there can be little doubt that China is finding its place as one of the world's scientific power houses. Michael Banks, Physics World's news editor, quantifies this surge in scientific output from China and asks whether quality matches quantity in August's Physics World.

Fungi Expert Finds New Species In Aberdeen City Centre, Scotland Posted: 04 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT A leading fungi expert has accidentally stumbled upon a new species in Scotland – as he walked home from work.

Genetically Modified Root Systems Result In Plants That Survive With Little Water Posted: 04 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT A part of the global food crisis is the inefficiency of current irrigation methods. More irrigated water evaporates than reaches the roots of crops, amounting to an enormous waste of water and energy. A new solution addresses the problem of water loss and promises farmers "more crop per drop."

Flu Vaccine May Not Protect Seniors Well Posted: 04 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT A new study adds fuel to the growing controversy over how well the flu vaccine protects the elderly. The study of more than 3,500 Group Health patients, ages 65 to 94, found no link between flu vaccination and risk of pneumonia during three flu seasons.

Cellular Symmetry: What Cues Tell A Cell To Divide At The Center Posted: 04 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Cells are intrinsically artistic. When the right signals tell a cell to divide, it usually splits down the middle, resulting in two identical daughter cells. (Stem cells are the exception to the rule.) This natural symmetry is visible on the macroscopic scale as well. All living creatures, be they mushrooms or humans, are visibly symmetric, a product of our cells' preference for equilibrium.

Multiple Sclerosis: New MRI Contrast Medium Enables Early Diagnosis In Animal Model Posted: 04 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT In an animal model of multiple sclerosis, neurologists have been able to visualize inflammatory tissue damage, most of which had remained unrecognized up to now, with the aid of a new contrast medium, Gadofluorine M, in magnetic resonance imaging.

Predicting Outbreaks Of Plague With The Help Of Satellite Images Posted: 04 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Normally percolation theory is used to describe the movement of liquid through porous material. A good example of percolation is when hot water is forced through ground coffee in an espresso machine. By moving through the coffee via the empty spaces between the ground coffee particles, the water picks up the flavor of the coffee. Scientists now report in Nature that the spread of the bubonic plague bacteria in Central Asia by gerbils, works much the same way.

Physicians Ask EPA, 'Antibiotics To Cure Sick Apples, Or Sick Children?' Posted: 04 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT A U.S. federal decision to permit the State of Michigan to spray the state's apple orchards with gentamicin risks undermining the value of this important antibiotic to treat blood infections in newborns and other serious human infections, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Low-gravity Training Machine Reduces Joint, Muscle Impacts, Says Study Posted: 04 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT A new study of a space-age, low-gravity training machine used by several 2008 Olympic runners showed it reduced impacts on muscles and joints by nearly half when subjects ran at the equivalent of 50 percent of their body weight.

New Male Circumcision Device For HIV Prevention Posted: 04 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT With the recent endorsement by the World Health Organization and scientists worldwide of adult male circumcision as an important strategy for HIV prevention, there is increased urgency to develop safe and cost-effective circumcision services. This is especially the case in Africa where HIV/AIDS continues to spread at an epidemic rate.

Prelude To The Higgs: A Work For 2 Bosons In The Key Of Z Posted: 04 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT Scientists have announced the observation of pairs of Z bosons, force-carrying particles produced in proton-antiproton collisions at the Tevatron, the world's highest-energy particle accelerator. The properties of the ZZ diboson make its discovery an essential prelude to finding or excluding the Higgs boson at the Tevatron.

Same Dose Of Anthracycline Is Not Safe For Everyone, Study Finds Posted: 04 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT Not all patients can tolerate the currently recommended cumulative dose of epirubicin. New models can help physicians calculate the epirubicin dose associated with a 5 percent risk of cardiotoxicity for individual patients.

Spotting Tomorrow’s Forest Fires Posted: 04 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT A WiMAX-based connection to the internet enables fire-monitoring efforts in remote and mountainous regions. A forest fire remote monitoring system has been successfully tested in Portugal that could prevent the destruction of millions of hectares, as well as save lives.

Doctors Must Be Held Accountable For Complying With Torture, Experts Argue Posted: 04 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT Doctors who assist in torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment should face prosecution and licensing punishments, says a new editorial.

Giant Grass Miscanthus Can Meet US Biofuels Goal Using Less Land Than Corn Or Switchgrass Posted: 04 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT In the largest field trial of its kind in the United States, researchers have determined that the giant perennial grass Miscanthus x giganteus outperforms current biofuels sources -- by a lot. Using Miscanthus as a feedstock for ethanol production in the U.S. could significantly reduce the acreage dedicated to biofuels while meeting government biofuels production goals, the researchers report.

Schizophrenia Researchers Welcome New Blood Posted: 04 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT Researchers from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute are set to conduct a world-first trial into the link between prenatal vitamin D levels and schizophrenia prevalence.

Visualizing Open Source Software Development Posted: 04 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT With dancing points of light, rings of color and a soundtrack, the Code_swarm animations show how software such as the Python scripting language and the Apache Web server have developed from the contributions of different programmers.

Lapatinib Reduces Brain Metastases In Mouse Model Of Metastatic Breast Cancer Posted: 04 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT Lapatinib reduces the number of large brain metastases in a mouse model of metastatic breast cancer, relative to untreated mice, researchers report.

Spanish Researchers Discover Significant Leatherback Turtle Nesting Beaches In The Caribbean Posted: 04 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT Spanish researchers recently explored around 100 kilometers of practically uncharted Atlantic beach in the north of Colombia and south of Panama between the years 2006 and 2007. In the course of their work, they came across extensive nesting grounds that bring new hope for the survival of the leatherback turtle. This species suffered a grave decline in the twentieth century and is among those considered by the World Conservation Union to be in critical danger of extinction.

Travel Industry Should Inform Travelers About Malaria, Say Doctors Posted: 04 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT Tour operators and airlines are wasting an ideal opportunity to warn travelers about the risk of contracting malaria in specific countries, say infectious disease experts.

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