ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Mutation Found In Dachshund Gene May Help Develop Therapies For Humans With Blindness Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT Cone-rod dystrophies are a group of eye diseases caused by progressive loss of the photoreceptor cells in the retina. In a study published online in Genome Research, researchers have identified a novel mutation in a gene associated with CRD in dogs, raising hopes that potential therapies can be developed for people suffering from these eye disorders.

Cancer-inhibiting Compound Found Under The Sea Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers have discovered a marine compound off the coast of Key Largo that inhibits cancer cell growth in laboratory tests. Largazole, named for its Florida location and structural features, seeks out a family of enzymes called histone deacetylase. Overactivity of certain HDACs has been associated with several cancers such as prostate and colon tumors, and inhibiting HDACs may activate tumor-suppressor genes that have been silenced in these cancers.

Capturing Deer Safely With Minimal Trauma Using New Apparatus Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT A new portable device allows researchers to humanely trap deer and other wildlife as part of field studies to control ticks and other parasites.

Why Gene Therapy Caused Leukemia In Some 'Boy In The Bubble Syndrome' Patients Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), sometimes called 'Boy in the bubble syndrome', is a genetic disorder in which the patient lacks most types of immune cell. Almost 10 years ago, two independent groups used gene therapy to treat a few infants with the most common form of SCID, SCID-X1, which is caused by mutations in the IL2RG gene.

Compressor-free Refrigerator May Loom In The Future Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT Refrigerators and other cooling devices may one day lose their compressors and coils of piping and become solid state, according researchers who are investigating electrically induced heat effects of some ferroelectric polymers.

Red All Over: How The Color Red Affects A Referee's Judgment Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT A new study has found that choosing the color red for a uniform in competitive sports can actually affect the referee's split-second decision-making ability and even promote a scoring bias.

Brown Tree Snake Could Mean Guam Will Lose More Than Its Birds Posted: 10 Aug 2008 01:00 PM CDT Brown tree snakes have come to embody the bad things that can happen when invasive species show up where they have few predators. But new research suggests that indirect impacts might be even farther reaching, possibly changing tree distributions and altering already damaged ecosystems.

Testosterone Key To Disease Transmission Posted: 10 Aug 2008 01:00 PM CDT High levels of testosterone may be a key factor in spreading disease among mice, according to biologists. The findings could help explain why males in a population are often more likely to get infected, and transmit disease.

Fungal Disease Culprits Identified With Molecular Genetics Posted: 10 Aug 2008 01:00 PM CDT A new method rapidly detects the "genetic fingerprints" of fungi responsible for millions of dollars in losses in western wheat.

PSA Screening May Be Biased Against Obese Men, Leading To More Aggressive Cancers Posted: 10 Aug 2008 01:00 PM CDT Testing men for elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen in the blood -- the gold standard screening test for prostate cancer -- may be biased against obese men, whose PSA levels tend to be deceptively low. And this bias may be creating more aggressive cancers in this population by delaying diagnosis, according to a new study.

Large Hadron Collider To Start Up September 10 Posted: 10 Aug 2008 01:00 PM CDT The first attempt to circulate a beam in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be made on 10 September. This news comes as the cool down phase of commissioning CERN's new particle accelerator reaches a successful conclusion. The LHC is the world's most powerful particle accelerator, producing beams seven times more energetic than any previous machine, and around 30 times more intense when it reaches design performance, probably by 2010st attempt to circulate a beam in the Large Hadron Collider will be made on Sept. 10.

Hope: An Overlooked Tool In The Battle Against HIV/AIDS Posted: 10 Aug 2008 01:00 PM CDT The links between HIV transmission and the degree to which people are able to adopt realistic plans to achieve future projects, in other words, hope, have been overlooked in policies to tackle HIV/AIDS. New research argues that hope is a powerful tool in the battle to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

U.S. Swimmers Trim Times At Beijing Olympics Using 'Top Secret' Technology Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Milliseconds can mean the difference between triumph and defeat in the world of Olympic sports, leading more trainers and athletes to look toward technology as a tool to get an edge on the competition. A fluids mechanics professor is using experimental flow measurement techniques to help American swimmers sharpen their strokes, shave seconds from their lap times, and race toward a gold medal in Beijing.

Common Infertility Treatments Are Unlikely To Improve Fertility Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Long-established medical interventions to help couples with infertility problems do not seem to improve fertility, according to a study published.

Test Vaccines Show Promise Against Parasite Of Cattle Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT An effective vaccine against a parasite-borne disease called neosporosis may be a few steps closer to development.

Standardized Evaluation Of Antibody Response To HIV-1 Needed, According to Study Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Researchers have released findings on a study of cross-clade neutralization patterns among HIV-1 strains from six major clades in the journal Virology. Broadly neutralizing antibodies are likely to play a key role in any successful global vaccine for HIV.

Potato Blight Resistant Potatoes Coming Soon Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists have developed a method to more quickly identify and isolate genes that can be used to make potatoes resistant to Phytophthora infestans, the dreaded potato blight. With this method, multiple resistance genes from different species of potatoes can be isolated and possibly used simultaneously. This offers the prospect of achieving sustainable resistance against the pathogen because it is less capable of breaking the resistance of the potato when multiple genes are involved.

Asthma, Outdoor Air Quality And The Olympic Games Posted: 10 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Coinciding with the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games, a review article reminds us that the heat and humidity in the Beijing region will present a formidable challenge to all athletes. Moreover, poor quality of air can also affect all athletes, especially those with asthma.

People With Heart Disease Still Have Trouble Controlling Blood Lipid Levels Posted: 09 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT Despite some improvements to lower "bad" cholesterol levels, people with cardiovascular diseases still need to do a better job controlling overall blood lipid levels.

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