ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

'Virtual Archaeologist' Reconnects Fragments Of An Ancient Civilization Posted: 17 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Computer scientists working with archaeologists in Greece has developed a new technology that has the potential to change the way people do archaeology.

By Amplifying Cell Death Signals, Scientists Make Precancerous Cells Self-destruct Posted: 17 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT On the cellular level, death signals can actually be life saving -- by killing off abnormally dividing cells before they turn cancerous. Now, Rockefeller University researchers have found a way to amplify these signals by turning a life affirming protein into a killer. The findings not only mark a breakthrough in the field but also open the door to a new line of drugs for cancer therapeutics.

Surprising Details Of Evolution Of Protein Translation Revealed Posted: 17 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT A new study of transfer RNA, a molecule that delivers amino acids to the protein-building machinery of the cell, challenges long-held ideas about the evolutionary history of protein synthesis.

Helping Tumor Cells Not To Stick To The Wound During Surgical Removal Posted: 17 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Sometimes during surgery to remove a tumor, cells become detached from the bulk of the tumor. In a small number of cases, these tumor cells stick to cells at the site of the surgical wound and go on to form a secondary tumor, having an enormous negative impact on the survival and quality of life of the patient.

Old Growth Giants Limited By Water-pulling Ability Posted: 17 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT The Douglas-fir, state tree of Oregon, towering king of old-growth forests and one of the tallest tree species on Earth, finally stops growing taller because it just can't pull water any higher, a new study concludes.

Parents' Expectations, Styles Can Harm College Students' Self-esteem Posted: 17 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT College students want to please their parents but often stress out about meeting goals far tougher than what their parents have in mind, psychologists have found. Scientists have examined the effects of parenting styles on how students adjust to college. Students reported making smoother transitions if they have at least one parent whose style combines warmth, a demanding nature and democracy.

Personalized Immunotherapy To Fight HIV/AIDS Posted: 17 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT The main obstacle to creating an AIDS vaccine has been the high genetic variability of the HIV virus. Scientists have overcome this difficulty by designing a personalized immunotherapy for HIV-infected patients.

Dying Frogs Sign Of A Biodiversity Crisis Posted: 17 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Devastating declines of amphibian species around the world are a sign of a biodiversity disaster larger than just frogs, salamanders and their ilk, according to researchers from the University of California, Berkeley. The researchers argue that substantial die-offs of amphibians and other plant and animal species add up to a new mass extinction facing the planet.

New Mushroom Study Shows The Power Of Energy Density Posted: 17 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Preliminary research suggests increasing intake of low-energy density foods, specifically mushrooms, in place of high-energy-density foods, like lean ground beef, is a strategy for preventing or treating obesity. This is good news for the more than one-third of US adults age 20 and older who are obese, according to the Center for Disease Control.

Images For 3-D Video Games Without High Price Tags Or Stretch Marks From UC San Diego Posted: 17 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT The images of rocks, clouds, marble and other textures that serve as background images and details for 3-D video games are often hand painted and thus costly to generate. A breakthrough from a computer science undergraduate now offers video game developers the possibility of high quality yet lightweight images for 3-D video games that are generated "on the fly," and are free of stretch marks, flickering and other artifacts.

Young Children's 'Theory Of Mind' Linked To Subsequent Metacognitive Development In Adolescence Posted: 17 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT A new study detects a systematic link between children's "theory of mind" as assessed in kindergarten and their metacognitive knowledge in elementary school.

Potatoes May Hold Key To Alzheimer's Treatment Posted: 16 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT A virus that commonly infects potatoes bears a striking resemblance to one of the key proteins implicated in Alzheimer's disease, and researchers have used that to develop antibodies that may slow or prevent the onset of AD.

Mechanism Behind Cocaine Craving Identified Posted: 16 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT A possible future way to prevent relapses into drug dependence has been discovered. The target is the dopamine-producing nerve cells in the midbrain.

Resistant Prions: Can They Be Transmitted By Environment As Well As Direct Contact? Posted: 16 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Prions, the pathogens that cause scrapie in sheep, can survive in the ground for several years, as researchers have discovered. Animals can become infected via contaminated pastures. It is not yet known whether the pathogens that cause BSE and CWD are equally resistant.

Asthma In Boys May Be Just A Phase, But For Girls It May Be There To Stay Posted: 16 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Boys may be more apt than girls to have childhood asthma, but, when compared to girls, they are also more likely to grow out of it in adolescence and have a decreased incidence of asthma in the post-pubertal years.

Virtual Applications Reach Out To Real World Posted: 16 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Researchers have developed a series of very clever tools to break through the bottlenecks stalling the widespread adoption of virtual reality. But the compelling applications designed for the system are the real stars.

Americans Spending, Gambling, Saving: Who's Happiest, Who's Most At Risk? Posted: 16 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT For some, spending in today's tumultuous economy is not a problem, especially for those who don't care what everyone else has. But for others, casino splurges, not saving enough or buying the latest iPhone on impulse can lead to emotional turmoil or financial troubles, according to several new studies on consumer behavior.

New Bird Species Discovered In Gabon, Africa Posted: 16 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists have discovered a new species of bird in Gabon, Africa, that was, until now, unknown to the scientific community. The newly found olive-backed forest robin (Stiphrornis pyrrholaemus) was named by the scientists for its distinctive olive back and rump. Adult birds measure 4.5 inches in length and average 18 grams in weight.

Hope For Patients With COPD Posted: 16 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT For the first time, a drug therapy appears to reduce lung function loss in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 42 countries.

Synthetic Biology Is Bearing Fruit: Blockers Against Blockers Posted: 16 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Synthetic Biology is bearing fruit: the tuberculosis pathogen can be fooled by a widely used food additive. The WHO records around nine million new cases of the disease each year, and about 50 million people are infected with a strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is resistant to the antibiotics Isoniazid and Rifampicin.

Surgical Weight Loss Does Not Eliminate Obstructive Sleep Apnea Posted: 16 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT A study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that surgical weight loss results in an improvement of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but most patients continue to have moderate to severe OSA one year after undergoing bariatric surgery. Results of this study suggest that it is the severity of the condition, rather than a patient's presurgical weight, that determines if OSA will be resolved.

Studying Volcanoes With Balloons Posted: 16 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT People do all kinds of crazy things in Hawaii, but flying balloons over a volcano usually isn't one of them. Unless you're Adam Durant, that is.

English Health-care System Failing To Provide Basic Care, Shows Major Survey Posted: 16 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT The NHS and private health care are not providing good enough basic care to a large portion of the population in England, especially older and frailer people, according to a new study. Overall, only 62 percent of the care recommended for older adults is actually received, conclude the authors.

Stone Age Graveyard Reveals Lifestyles Of A 'Green Sahara' Posted: 15 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT The largest Stone Age graveyard found in the Sahara, which provides an unparalleled record of life when the region was green, has been discovered in Niger by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and University of Chicago Professor Paul Sereno, whose team first happened on the site during a dinosaur-hunting expedition.

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