ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Insects Trained In Quest For Artificial Nose Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers have discovered that when training insects, the process of building associations is not a simple matter of strengthening connections through reinforcement. Understanding how associations are built between stimuli and behavior gives insight into the nature of learning and could inform the design of artificial "noses," sensor arrays that can detect chemicals in the air.

Fat-regenerating 'Stem Cells' Found In Mice Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers have identified stem cells with the capacity to build fat. Although they have yet to show that the cells can renew themselves, transplants of the progenitor cells isolated from the fat tissue of normal mice can restore normal fat tissue in animals that are otherwise lacking it. The findings may yield insight into the causes of obesity, a condition characterized by an increase in both the size and number of fat cells.

Preserved By Ice: Glacial Dams Helped Prevent Erosion Of Tibetan Plateau Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT New research suggests that the edge of the Tibetan plateau might have been preserved for thousands of years by ice and glacial debris at the mouth of many tributaries to the Tsangpo River. Those deposits appear to have acted as dams that prevented the rapidly traveling Tsangpo from carving upstream into the plateau.

Pollution From Livestock Farming Affects Infant Health Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT A new study finds that pollution from livestock facilities is associated with an increase in infant mortality.

Gut Reaction To Arsenic Exposure Simulated Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT A simulated gastrointestinal system is helping scientists test contaminated soil for its potential to harm humans. The method is likely to save time and money for people hoping to repurpose land with an industrial past. Most testing for potential arsenic exposure is conducted in recognition of a dirty little secret of modern life: Humans unknowingly eat a little bit of soil each day. For children who might play on contaminated soil and ingest dirt, the testing is considered particularly important.

Babies And Beethoven: Infants Can Tell Happy Songs From Sad Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT A new study shows that 5-month-old babies can distinguish an upbeat tune, such as "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, from a lineup of gloomier compositions. By age 9 months, babies can do the opposite and pick out the sorrowful sound of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony from a pack of happy pieces.

Brainy Genes, Not Brawn, Key To Success On Mussel Beach Posted: 12 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Scientists have found that mussels in their natural habitat express their genes in cyclic waves, in what appears to be a survival strategy akin to the circadian rhythms that govern sleep. In addition, two sets of genes used to cope with heat stress are identified, in the first real-time molecular sampling of two mussel communities.

Important Clue To Learning Deficit In Children With Autism Posted: 12 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT An important clue to why children with autism spectrum disorders have trouble imitating others has been discovered: they spend less time looking at the faces of people who are modeling new skills.

RNA Molecules, Delivery System Improve Vaccine Responses, Effectiveness Posted: 12 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT A novel delivery system that could lead to more efficient and more disease-specific vaccines against infectious diseases has been developed by biomedical engineers.

Tamoxifen Chemoprevention Tied To Early Detection Of Breast Cancer Posted: 12 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT The drug tamoxifen does not prevent or treat estrogen receptor negative breast cancer, but it can make the disease easier to find, researchers report in the Oct. 1 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Scientists Explore Putting Electric Cars On A Two-way Power Street Posted: 12 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Think of it as the end of cars' slacker days: No more sitting idle for hours in parking lots or garages racking up payments, but instead earning their keep by providing power to the electricity grid. Scientists are exploring plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that not only use grid electricity to meet their power needs, but return it to the grid, earning money for the owner.

Does It Matter If Black Plus White Equals Black Or Multiracial? Posted: 12 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT "Is Barack Obama Black or Biracial?" a recent CNN.com headline asks. Should such racial characterizations of people like Obama -- who have one black parent and one white parent -- really matter? According to a new study, they do matter. When study participants knew of a person's black-white ancestry, in comparison to not knowing of the parentage, they quickly adhered to the simplistic characterization of biracial people as black.

How Dust Rings Point To Exo-Earths With Supercomputer's Help Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Supercomputer simulations of dusty disks around sunlike stars show that planets nearly as small as Mars can create patterns that future telescopes may be able to detect. The research points to a new avenue in the search for habitable planets.

Eliminating Viral Vector In Stem Cell Reprogramming Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists have eliminated the need for a viral vector in the stem cell reprogramming process In a report in Science, they showed the ability to reprogram adult cells into iPS cells without viral integration into the genome which lays to rest concerns that the reprogramming event might be dependent upon viral integration into specific genomic loci that could mediate the genetic switch.

Future Risk Of Hurricanes: The Role Of Climate Change Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Researchers are homing in on the hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to assess the likely changes, between now and the middle of the century, in the frequency, intensity, and tracks of these powerful storms. Initial results are expected early next year.

Hodgkin Lymphoma: New Characteristics Discovered; Cytokines Help Tumor Cells Evade Immune System Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Researchers are still discovering new characteristics of Hodgkin lymphoma, a common form of cancer of the lymphatic system. Researchers in Germany have now demonstrated the production of interleukin 21 in the tumor cells of Hodgkin lymphoma. IL-21 promotes the growth of cancer cells and helps them evade immune system detection.

New Tool Probes Function Of Rice Genes Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Researchers have developed a new tool for investigating the rice genome. The inexpensive, publicly-available rice DNA microarray covers nearly all the 45,000 genes in the rice genome.

Religiosity Curbs Teen Marijuana Use By Half, National Study Finds Posted: 12 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT While many congregations of different faiths preach against drug abuse, it has been unclear whether a youth's religious involvement has any effect on his risk of drug abuse. Now a new national study finds that religious involvement makes teens half as likely to use marijuana.

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