ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Pterodactyl-inspired Robot To Master Air, Ground And Sea Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Scientists have reached back in time 115 million years to one of the most successful flying creatures in Earth's history -- the pterodactyl -- to conjure a robotic spy plane with next-generation capabilities.

Breast Cancer Cells Recycle To Escape Death By Hormonal Therapy Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Many breast cancer cells facing potentially lethal antiestrogen therapy recycle to survive, researchers say.

Ultra-Endurance Competitors: Lessons From Sled Dogs In The Iditarod Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Racing sled dogs are best known for their "mushing" each March during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, the world's longest sled race. They are the premier ultra-endurance competitors, covering 1,100 miles from Anchorage to Nome, AK, sometimes in just nine days. It is unclear how they can keep running despite heavy blizzards, temperatures as low as 40°F, and winds up to 60 mph. An expert explains what he has discovered thus far.

Learning To Shape Your Brain Activity Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT A new study shows that the successful manipulation of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) amplitude by instrumental SMR conditioning (ISC) improved sleep quality as well as declarative learning. ISC might thus be considered a promising nonpharmacological treatment for primary insomnia.

Immune System For Electronics? Electronics That Can Diagnose And Heal Themselves Under Development Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers are working to create electronic systems that can diagnose and heal their own faults in ways similar to the human immune system. The project is called SABRE (Self-healing cellular Architectures for Biologically-inspired highly Reliable Electronic systems).

Reason For Sickness Absence Can Predict Employee Deaths Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Employees who take long spells of sick leave more than once in three years are at a higher risk of death than their colleagues who take no such absence, particularly if their absence is due to circulatory or psychiatric problems or for surgery, concludes a new study.

Saturn’s Radio Broadcasters Mapped In 3D For First Time Posted: 05 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Observations from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have been used to build, for the first time, a 3-D picture of the sources of intense radio emissions in Saturn's magnetic field, known as the Saturn Kilometric Radiation.

DNA-based Vaccine Shows Promise Against Avian Flu Posted: 05 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Though it has fallen from the headlines, a global pandemic caused by bird flu still has the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on high alert. Yet, to date, the only vaccines that have proven even semi-effective are produced in chicken eggs, take five to six months to prepare and act against a single variant of the H5N1 virus, which mutates incredibly quickly.

Advance Offers Revolution In Food Safety Testing Posted: 05 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Microbiologists have developed a new technology to detect illness-causing bacteria -- an advance that could revolutionize the food industry, improving the actual protection to consumers while avoiding the costly waste and massive recalls of products that are suspected of bacterial contamination but are perfectly safe.

Proper Use and Care More Important than New Lens Types for Contact Lens Infection Prevention Posted: 05 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Contact lenses are a good alternative to eyeglasses, but are not entirely risk free. Even with today's improved designs, a small but significant number of contact lens wearers develop painful microbial infections of the cornea (microbial keratitis, or MK) that can cause vision loss.

The Earth After Us: What Legacy Will Humans Leave In The Rocks? Posted: 05 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT What will be the lasting impression made by mankind - 100 million years hence? "From the perspective of 100 million years in the future --- a geologist's view --- the reign of humans on Earth would seem very short: we would almost certainly have died out long before then. What footprint will we leave in the rocks? What would have become of our great cities, our roads and tunnels, our cars, our plastic cups in the far distant future? What fossils would we leave behind?

Adolescent Insomnia Linked To Depression And Substance Abuse During Adolescence And Young Adulthood Posted: 05 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT A new study shows that adolescent insomnia symptoms are associated with depression, suicide ideation and attempts, and the use of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs such as cocaine.

Antisocial Behavior May Be Caused By Low Stress Hormone Levels Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT A link between reduced levels of the "stress hormone" cortisol and antisocial behavior in male adolescents has been discovered. Levels of cortisol in the body usually increase when people undergo a stressful experience, such as public speaking, sitting an exam, or having surgery.

Variations In Key Genes Increase Caucasians’ Risk Of Heroin Addiction Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Sometimes, small changes do add up. In the case of addictive diseases, tiny variations in a few genes can increase or decrease the likelihood of some people developing a dependency on heroin. Now, by examining a select group of genetic variants in more than 400 former severe heroin addicts, Rockefeller University researchers have identified several genetic variations in American and Israeli Caucasians that influence the risk for becoming addicted to one of the world's most powerful substances.

Bio-imaging Mass Spectrometry Techniques Reveal Molecular Details About Complex Systems Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Georgia Tech's new Center for Bio-Imaging Mass Spectrometry allows researchers to visualize the spatial arrangement and relative abundance of specific molecules -- from simple metabolites to peptides and proteins -- in biological samples. The center includes biologists, chemists and engineers whose goal is to unravel the molecular complexities of biological systems.

Hay Fever May Be Best Treated With Self-adjusted Dosing Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Hay fever, the often seasonal allergy that affects between 10 and 20 percent of the American population, is best controlled through a course of patient-adjusted dosing, according to new research published in the September 2008 edition of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery.

Topsoil's Limited Turnover: A Crisis In Time Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Topsoil does not last forever. Records show that topsoil erosion, accelerated by human civilization and conventional agricultural practices, has outpaced long-term soil production. Earth's continents are losing prime agricultural soils even as population growth and increased demand for biofuels claim more from this basic resource.

Palliative Care Access Varies Widely In U.S., Study Says Posted: 05 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT There has been rapid growth of new, innovative palliative care consultation services in the nation's hospitals. More than half of larger hospitals in the US offer palliative care services to ease pain and suffering for seriously ill patients and their families. However, the availability of these services varies widely across geographic regions, according to a new study.

Reading Novel Can Help Obese Kids Lose Weight, Study Shows Posted: 03 Oct 2008 11:00 PM CDT It's no secret that reading is beneficial. But can it help kids lose weight? In the first study to look at the impact of literature on obese adolescents, researchers discovered that reading the right type of novel may make a difference.

How Much Are You Really Exercising? Obese Women Know Better Than Normal Weight Women Posted: 03 Oct 2008 11:00 PM CDT People struggling with obesity often underestimate how many calories they are actually consuming, which can hinder weight loss efforts. It should follow that the same person would overestimate the amount of exercise they're doing, right? Researchers have found that obese women actually reported their activity levels most accurately, when compared to overweight and normal weight women.

Corner Stores Capture Kids On Morning Commute Posted: 03 Oct 2008 11:00 PM CDT Researchers recently examined the eating habits of urban children before and after school as part of a larger project to make corner store snacks healthier.

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