ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Manes, Trains And Antlers Explained: How Showy Male Traits Evolved Posted: 22 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT For Charles Darwin, the problem of the peacock's tail, in light of his theory of natural selection, was vexing in the extreme. A team of Wisconsin scientists has turned from the question of why such male traits exist to precisely how they evolved. They have worked out the molecular details of how a simple genetic switch controls decorative traits in male fruit flies and how that switch evolved.

Killer Carbs: Scientist Finds Key To Overeating As We Age Posted: 22 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT Scientist has discovered key appetite control cells in the human brain degenerate over time, causing increased hunger and, potentially, weight gain as we grow older.

Continued Breakup Of Two Of Greenland's Largest Glaciers Shown In Satellite Images Posted: 22 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT Researchers monitoring daily satellite images of Greenland's glaciers have discovered break-ups at two of the largest glaciers in the last month. They expect that part of the Northern hemisphere's longest floating glacier will continue to disintegrate within the next year.

Radioactive Waste Recycling No Longer A Pain In The Ash Posted: 22 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT A new recycling plant will soon recover uranium from the ashes of radioactive garbage to be recycled back into nuclear fuel using an efficient, environmentally friendly technology inspired by decaffeinated coffee. The technique's future may even hold the key to recycling the most dangerous forms of radioactive waste.

Tracing Origins Of Critical Step In Animal Evolution: The Development Of Nerves Posted: 22 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT Researchers have traced the origins of one of the most important steps in animal evolution -- the development of nerves.

Tobacco Industry's Marketing Linked To Youth Smoking Posted: 22 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT The National Cancer Institute has released a report that reaches the government's strongest conclusion to date that tobacco marketing and depictions of smoking in movies promote youth smoking.

Mystery Of Young Stars Near Black Holes Solved Posted: 22 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT The mystery of how young stars can form within the deep gravity of black holes has been solved by astrophysicists. Until now, scientists have puzzled over how stars could form around a black hole, since molecular clouds - the normal birth places of stars - would be ripped apart by the black hole's immense gravitational pull.

Pinpointing Alzheimer's Structures Posted: 22 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT MIT engineers report a new approach to identifying protein structures key to Alzheimer's disease, an important step toward the development of new drugs that could prevent such structures from forming.

Molecule That Keeps Pathogens Like Salmonella In Check Uncovered Posted: 22 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists have found a potential new way to stop the bacteria that cause gastroenteritis, tularemia and severe diarrhea from making people sick.

Dietary Supplements For Horses, Dogs And Cats Need Better Regulation, New Report Says Posted: 22 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT The growing use of animal dietary supplements has raised several concerns, including the safety of specific supplements and the approaches taken to determine their safeness.

Coatings To Help Medical Implants Connect With Neurons Posted: 22 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Plastic coatings could someday help neural implants treat conditions as diverse as Parkinson's disease and macular degeneration. The coatings encourage neurons in the body to grow and connect with the electrodes that provide treatment.

Kids With Pets Grow Up To Be Snorers Posted: 22 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT A predisposition to adult snoring can be established very early in life. New research describes possible childhood risk factors, including exposure to animals, early respiratory or ear infections and growing up in a large family.

Face Recognition: Nurture Not Nature Posted: 22 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT Researchers have discovered that our society can influence the way we recognize other people's faces.

MRI Technology Developed That Non-invasively Locates, Quantifies Specific Cells In The Body Posted: 22 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT MRI isn't just for capturing detailed images of the body's anatomy. Thanks to new imaging reagents and technology, MRI can be used to visualize -- with "exquisite" specificity -- cell populations in the living body. The ability to non-invasively locate and track cells, will greatly aid the study and treatment of cancer, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases, as well as provide a tool for advancing clinical translation of cellular regenerative medicine.

Trees Kill Odors And Other Emissions From Poultry Farms Posted: 22 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT Trees aren't just for wood and decoration -- they may also destroy odors. Scientists are reporting data showing that just three rows of trees planted around poultry farms can cut nuisance emissions of dust, ammonia and odors from poultry houses.

Oil, Gas Seismic Work Not Affecting Gulf Sperm Whales, Study Shows Posted: 22 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT In recent years, there has been concern that man-made noise may be a cause of stress for dolphins, whales and other marine mammals, but the results of a five-year study show that noise pollution seems to have minimal effect on endangered sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico, say researchers from Texas A&M University who led the project and released their 323-page report today at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Measuring Calcium In Serpentine Soils Posted: 22 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT Serpentine soils contain highly variable amounts of calcium, making them marginal lands for farming. Successful management of serpentine soils requires accurate measurement of the calcium they hold. Research published this month in the Soil Science Society of America Journal shows that multiple measurement techniques are needed to accurately measure calcium content in serpentine soils.

Obesity In Elderly A Ticking Time Bomb For Health Services Posted: 22 Aug 2008 04:00 AM CDT Obesity in later life does not make a substantial difference to risks of death among older people but it is a major contributor to increased disability in later life -- creating a ticking time bomb for health services in developed countries, new research shows.

Shipwrecks On Coral Reefs Harbor Unwanted Species Posted: 22 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT Shipwrecks on coral reefs may increase invasion of unwanted species, according to a recent US Geological Survey study. These unwanted species can completely overtake the reef and eliminate all the native coral, dramatically decreasing the diversity of marine organisms on the reef. This study documents for the first time that a rapid change in the dominant biota on a coral reef is unambiguously associated with man-made structures.

Protecting Brain Cells From Diseases Like Alzheimer's Using New Method Posted: 22 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT New research provides evidence that one of the only naturally occurring fatty acids in the brain can help to protect brain cells from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Space Age Engineers To Verify Control Software For Future Robotic Inter-planetary Missions Posted: 22 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT An international team of engineers is to develop mission-critical control software for future European robotic space missions, it has been announced.

New Clues To Air Circulation In The Atmosphere Posted: 22 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT Air circulates above the Earth in four distinct cells, with two either side of the equator, say researchers. A new observational study describes how air rises and falls in the atmosphere above the Earth's surface, creating the world's weather. This process of atmospheric circulation creates weather patterns and influences the climate of the planet. It is important to understand these processes in order to predict weather events, and to improve and test climate models.

Optical Computing Closer To Reality Posted: 22 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT Scientists have theorized a way to increase the speed of pulses of light that bound across chains of tiny metal particles to past the speed of light by altering the particle shape. Application of this theory would use nanosized metal chains as building blocks for novel optoelectronic and optical devices.

China Sees Spike In Rabies Cases Posted: 22 Aug 2008 01:00 AM CDT A new Chinese study has reported a dramatic spike in rabies infections. The research shows that in some provinces of China the number of human rabies cases has jumped dramatically since the new millennium.

Genetics Reveals Big Fish That Almost Got Away Posted: 21 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT A new species of fish has been discovered -- a grouper that reaches more than six feet in length and can weigh nearly 1,000 pounds. This newly discovered species can be found roaming the tropical reefs of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Chemists Synthesize Promising Anti-cancer Product Posted: 21 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT Chemists have patented an efficient technique for synthesizing a marine algae extract in sufficient quantities to now test its ability to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells while leaving normal cells unaffected.

Helping The Medicine Go Down Posted: 21 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT Children's refusal to swallow liquid medication is an important public health problem that means longer or more serious illness for thousands of kids each year. Researchers are reporting how knowledge from basic research on the chemical senses explains why a child's rejection of bitter medicine and nutritious but bitter-tasting foods like spinach and other green vegetables is a reflection of their basic biology.

Genes That Cause Hereditary Disease PCH Discovered Posted: 21 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT Scientists from Cologne and Amsterdam have discovered the mutations in humans that cause the hereditary disease ponto cerebellar hypoplasia (PCH), types 2 and 4.

True Properties Of Carbon Nanotubes Measured Posted: 21 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT Carbon nanotubes' atomic structure should, in theory, give them mechanical and electrical properties far superior to most common materials. Unfortunately, theory and experiments have failed to converge on the true mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. Researchers recently made the first experimental measurements of the mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes that directly correspond to the theoretical predictions. They used a nanoscale material testing system based on MEMS technology.

Relearning Process Not Always A 'Free Lunch' Posted: 21 Aug 2008 10:00 PM CDT Researchers have helped determine why relearning a few pieces of information may or may not easily cause a recollection of other associated, previously learned information. The key, they find, is in the way in which the learned information is forgotten.

Earthquakes May Endanger New York More Than Thought; Nuclear Power Plant Seen As Particular Risk Posted: 21 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT Seismologists suggests that a pattern of subtle but active faults make the risk of earthquakes to the New York City area substantially greater than formerly believed. Among other things, they say that the controversial Indian Point nuclear power plants, 24 miles north of the city, sit astride the previously unidentified intersection of two active seismic zones.

Accumulated Bits Of A Cell's Own DNA Can Trigger Autoimmune Disease Posted: 21 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT A security system wired within every cell to detect the presence of rogue viral DNA can sometimes go awry, triggering an autoimmune response to single-stranded bits of the cell's own DNA.

Eco-architecture Could Produce 'Grow Your Own' Homes Posted: 21 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT A bus stop that grows its own foliage as shade? A children's playground, made entirely from trees? A shelter made from living tree roots that could provide natural protection against earthquakes in California? "Eco-architecture" may sound like a Buck Rogers vision of an ecologically-sustainable future, but that future is now thanks to the guidance of Tel Aviv University Professors Yoav Waisel and Amram Eshel.

Breaking The 'Mucus Barrier' With A New Drug Delivery System Posted: 21 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT Chemical engineers have broken the "mucus barrier," engineering the first drug-delivery particles capable of passing through human mucus -- regarded by many as nearly impenetrable -- and carrying medication that could treat a range of diseases. Those conditions include lung cancer, cervical cancer and cystic fibrosis, the research say.

Biodiesel Byproduct Converted Into Omega-3 Fatty Acids Posted: 21 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT The typical American diet often lacks omega-3 fatty acids despite clinical research that shows their potential human health benefits. Now researchers have found a way to grow these compounds using a byproduct of the emerging biodiesel industry.

Research Shows Pollsters How The Undecided Will Vote Posted: 21 Aug 2008 07:00 PM CDT As the American Presidential election approaches, pollsters are scrambling to predict who will win. A new study may give pollsters a new way to determine how the undecided will vote, even before the voters know themselves.

FBI Unveils Science Of Anthrax Investigation Posted: 21 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Sandia researchers identified that the form of bacillus anthracis mailed in the fall of 2001 to several news media offices and to two US senators was a non-weaponized form of the spores. Five people were killed. Sandia's information was crucial in ruling out state-sponsored terrorism.

Bone Marrow Stem Cells May Help Control Inflammatory Bowel Disease Posted: 21 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Investigators have found that infusions of a particular bone marrow stem cell appeared to protect gastrointestinal tissue from autoimmune attack in a mouse model.

Catalyst Mystery Unlocked Posted: 21 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Different keys are not supposed to fit the same lock, but in biological systems multiple versions of a catalyst all make a reaction go, according to a new study that explains the phenomenon. The study challenges entrenched ideas about the workings of catalysts. A new model brings chemists closer to 'holy grail' of catalyst design.

Molecular Clues To Wilson Disease: How Mutation Alters Key Protein Posted: 21 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Using computer simulations and lab experiments, physical biochemists have discovered how a small genetic mutation that's known to cause Wilson disease subtly changes the structure of a large, complex protein the body uses to keep copper from building up to toxic levels. The new study is available online from the Journal of Molecular Biology. Wilson disease, which affects about 150,000 people worldwide, is a genetic disorder that alters the copper-regulating protein.

Hydrogels Provide Scaffolding For Growth Of Bone Cells Posted: 21 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Hyaluronic hydrogels may provide a suitable scaffolding to enable bone regeneration. The hydrogels have proven to encourage the growth of preosteoblast cells, cells that aid the growth and development of bone.

Acute Maternal Stress During Pregnancy Linked To Development Of Schizophrenia Posted: 21 Aug 2008 04:00 PM CDT Pregnant women who endure the psychological stress of being in a war zone are more likely to give birth to a child who develops schizophrenia. Research published in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry supports a growing body of literature that attributes maternal exposure to severe stress during the early months of pregnancy to an increased susceptibility to schizophrenia in the offspring.

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