ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Meteorites From Inner Solar System Match Up To Earth's Platinum Standard Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Some of the world's rarest and most precious metals, including platinum and iridium, could owe their presence in the Earth's crust to iron and stony-iron meteorites, fragments of a large number of asteroids that underwent significant geological processing in the early Solar System.

Making Metabolism More Inefficient Can Reduce Obesity Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT In a discovery that counters prevailing thought, a study in mice has found that inactivating a pair of key genes involved in "fat-burning" can actually increase energy expenditure and help lower diet-induced obesity.

Scientists Design A Chip To Measure The Wind On Mars Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT A new chip will be used to measure the wind on Mars. This chip is the key piece of the anemometer on a weather monitoring station run by Spanish scientists for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover, whose launch is planned for fall 2009.

Parents Still Fear Autism Could Be Linked To Vaccines, Poll Shows Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Scientists say there is no evidence linking vaccines and autism, but the lingering fear is leading to fewer parents having their children vaccinated and a growing number of measles infections. The first national survey of attitudes toward autism reveals that a small but significant percentage of people still believe the disease is caused by childhood vaccines. The poll results help explain growing number of measles infections.

Study On Properties Of Carbon Nanotubes, Water Could Have Wide-ranging Implications Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT A fresh discovery about the way water behaves inside carbon nanotubes could have implications in fields ranging from the function of ultra-tiny high-tech devices to scientists' understanding of biological processes, according to new research.

Where You Live Matters When You're Seriously Ill: Three U.S. States Earn 'A' Grade, Three An 'F' Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT America does a mediocre job caring for its sickest people. The nation, says a new report, gets a C. Only Vermont, Montana and New Hampshire earned an A, according to America's Care of Serious Illness: A State-by-State Report Card on Access to Palliative Care in Our Nation's Hospitals, a report based on a study in the October issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine.

Gas From The Past Gives Scientists New Insights Into Climate And The Oceans Posted: 04 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT In recent years, public discussion of climate change has included concerns that increased levels of carbon dioxide will contribute to global warming, which in turn may change the circulation in the Earth's oceans, with potentially disastrous consequences. Ice core and ocean deposit comparisons show complex links between carbon dioxide levels, ocean currents and climate, which may help explain past, present and future climate trends.

Discovery Of Natural Compounds That Could Slow Blood Vessel Growth Posted: 04 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Using computer models and live cell experiments, biomedical engineers have discovered more than 100 human protein fragments that can slow or stop the growth of cells that make up new blood vessels.

Navy Confirms Sunken Submarine Is Grunion Posted: 04 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT A sunken vessel discovered off the coast of the Aleutian Islands is in fact the World War II submarine USS Grunion (SS 216). The submarine Grunion arrived at Pearl Harbor on June 20, 1942.

Researchers Propose Minocycline As A Promising Drug For Patients With Fragile X Syndrome Posted: 04 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Biomedical scientists have found that a readily available drug called minocycline, used widely to treat acne and skin infections, can be used to treat Fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of mental impairment and the most common cause of autism. The study's findings have already impacted future therapies, with the approval of a new clinical trial in Toronto, Canada, that will test minocycline in patients with Fragile X.

World's Biggest Computing Grid Launched Posted: 04 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT The world's largest computing grid is ready to tackle mankind's biggest data challenge from the earth's most powerful accelerator. The Worldwide LHC Computing Grid combines the power of more than 140 computer centers from 33 countries to analyze and manage more than 15 million gigabytes of LHC data every year.

Should Companies With Unhealthy Products Be Regulated To Protect Health? Posted: 04 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Should businesses that sell products which are responsible for a huge numbers of deaths, illness and injury, such as tobacco and junk food, be held accountable and made to improve public health? Two experts debate the issue.

Obesity Clue: Newly Identified Cells Make Fat Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT The discovery of an important fat precursor cell may explain how changes in the numbers of fat cells might increase and lead to obesity.

DNA Of Good Bacteria Drives Intestinal Response To Infection Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT A new study shows that the DNA of so-called "good bacteria" that normally live in the intestines may help defend the body against infection.

Arctic Sea Ice Annual Freeze-up Underway Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT After reaching the second-lowest extent ever recorded last month, sea ice in the Arctic has begun to refreeze in the face of autumn temperatures, closing both the Northern Sea Route and the direct route through the Northwest Passage.

Traits Produced By Melanin May Signal The Bearer's Capacity To Combat Free Radicals Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Some animal species have developed conspicuous traits produced by melanin pigments (for instance, dark manes in lions, black stripes in some birds and fishes). These traits are used as signals during contests for resources and/or contribute to increase the mating opportunities. However, the efficiency of these traits as signals depends on the fact that they transmit honest information about the quality of the bearer. Scientists have now proposed a novel hypothesis suggesting that melanin-produced traits could indicate the ability of the bearer in fighting free radicals and oxidative damage.

Tiny Dust Particles From Sahara Could Help Scientists Study Climate Change Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists in Spain have discovered and characterized a new type of atmospheric aerosols named "iberulites," which could be useful for the study of relevant atmospheric reactions from Earth. The researchers have been carrying out weekly samples collecting atmospheric dust since 1999, and they have determined through satellite images the route followed by these particles in their atmospheric journey.

Female Medical Students Underestimate Their Abilities And Males Tend To Overestimate Theirs Posted: 04 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Despite performing equally to their male peers in the classroom and the clinic, female medical students consistently report decreased self-confidence and increased anxiety, particularly over issues related to their competency.

Artificial Cells: Models Of Eel Cells Suggest Electrifying Possibilities Posted: 03 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers have applied modern engineering design tools to one of the basic units of life. They say that artificial cells could be built that not only replicate the electrical behavior of electric eel cells but in fact improve on them, possibly driving future implantable medical devices.

Direct Recording Shows Brain Signal Persists Even In Dreamless Sleep Posted: 03 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Neuroscientists have taken one of the first direct looks at one of the human brain's most fundamental "foundations:" a brain signal that never switches off and may support many cognitive functions.

Why Does Lederhosen Conquer The Oktoberfest In Munich? Posted: 03 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT The beer's tapped and suddenly it seems the whole city is intoxicated: dirndls and lederhosen are becoming the ever more popular choice of outfit for going to the Oktoberfest -- and not only among the born-and-bred Munich inhabitants. Traditional garb is more popular than ever, especially among young visitors. But why are dirndls, lederhosen and other fancy dress outfits so highly in demand now, at the beginning of the 21st Century?

Second Lumpectomy For Breast Cancer Reduces Survival Rates Posted: 03 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT A majority of women with breast cancer today are candidates for lumpectomy, allowing for conservation of most of their breast tissue. Results of a new study, however, show that a number of women whose cancer recurs in the same breast are treated with a second lumpectomy rather than a mastectomy, defying current treatment recommendations and cutting the number of years those women survive in half.

Small Fly Has Receptor For Painful Heat Posted: 03 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Scientists have found that a small fly, drosophila, has a receptor for noxious heat.

Whether Combat Or Peacekeeping, PTSD Impacts Veterans' Well-being Posted: 03 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Deployed peacekeeping veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have significant impairments in health-related quality of life according to new research. The stud found anxiety disorders such as PTSD are associated with impaired emotional well-being, and this applies just as much to peacekeeping veterans as to combat veterans.

Don't Stress! Bacterial Cell's 'Crisis Command Center' Revealed Posted: 03 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT A bacterial cell's 'crisis command center' has been observed for the first time swinging into action to protect the cell from external stress and danger, according to new research.

Epstein-Barr Virus Protein Contributes To Cancer Posted: 03 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Researchers have shown that the EBNA1 protein of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) disrupts structures in the nucleus of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, thereby interfering with cellular processes that normally prevent cancer development. The study, published in PLoS Pathogens, describes a novel mechanism by which viral proteins contribute to carcinogenesis.

Anabolic Steroids Provide A Competitive Edge In Power Lifting Years After Doping Has Ended Posted: 03 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Steroid use has been suspected in sports where building muscle strength, rather than endurance, is paramount. Power lifting is such a sport. Researchers have examined the impact of anabolic steroid use in power lifters years after the athletes ceased taking the drugs. They have found that while physical traces of the drug no longer remained, changes in the shoulder and quadriceps still gave lifters an edge.

Beta-blockers Reduce Mortality In Patients With COPD After Vascular Surgery Posted: 03 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT In the first study to directly examine the effects of beta-blockers on surgical patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers have found that, contrary to previous thought, beta-blockers significantly reduce mortality in COPD patients.

Taking A SMART Sidelong Look At Lunar Peak Of Eternal Light Posted: 03 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Three-dimensional views of the mountainous terrain surrounding a "peak of eternal light" near the Moon's south pole have been released by the European Space Agency.

Smoking Increases Depression In Women, Australian Study Reveals Posted: 03 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT A new Australian study reveals that women who smoke are at greater risk of developing major depressive disorder.

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