ScienceDaily: Latest Science News |
| Listening To Dark Matter: New Clues From Lab Deep Underground Posted: 20 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers in Canada have made a bold stride in the struggle to detect dark matter. The PICASSO collaboration has documented the discovery of a significant difference between the acoustic signals induced by neutrons and alpha particles in a detector based on superheated liquids.  |
| Gene Mutation Protects Against Obesity And Diabetes Posted: 20 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT Scientists have identified a natural mutation in the Tbc1d1 gene that keeps mice lean and also protects against diabetes despite a high-fat diet. The researchers were thus able to gain a deep insight into the function of the gene. Further clarification of its function would provide a basis for developing new approaches for prevention and treatment, as this gene could also be linked to obesity and diabetes in humans.  |
| Worms' Nervous System Shown To Alert Immune System Posted: 20 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT The nervous system and the immune system have something in common. Each has evolved to react quickly to environmental cues. Because the nervous system is able to detect some of these cues at a distance, it sometimes can sense trouble earlier than the immune system, which has to wait until the pathogen invades the organism. Now, geneticists have shown that, indeed, the two systems talk to one another.  |
| First Tunable, 'Noiseless' Amplifier May Boost Quantum Computing, Communications Posted: 20 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT Researchers have made the first tunable 'noiseless' amplifier. By significantly reducing the uncertainty in delicate measurements of microwave signals, the new amplifier could boost the speed and precision of quantum computing and communications systems.  |
| Genes That Control Cell Death Fingered In Age-related Hearing Loss Posted: 20 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT Several genes that play a role in how our body's cells normally auto-destruct may play a role in age-related hearing loss, according to new research in a journal devoted to the topic of cell suicide, or programmed cell death.  |
| Alternative Energy: New Sugarcanes To Deliver One-Two Energy Punch Posted: 20 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT New varieties of sugarcane and other crops adapted to the U.S. Gulf Coast region are being developed for use in making ethanol as a cleaner-burning alternative to gasoline.  |
| New Fossil Reveals Primates Lingered In Texas Posted: 20 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT More than 40 million years ago, primates preferred Texas to northern climates that were significantly cooling, according to new fossil evidence.  |
| Bird Flu Vaccine Protects People And Pets Posted: 20 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT A single vaccine could be used to protect chickens, cats and humans against deadly flu pandemics, according to a new article published in the Journal of General Virology. The vaccine protects birds and mammals against different flu strains and can even be given to birds while they are still in their eggs, allowing the mass vaccination of wild birds.  |
| Steroids Aid Recovery From Pneumonia, Researchers Say Posted: 20 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Adding corticosteroids to traditional antimicrobial therapy might help people with pneumonia recover more quickly than with antibiotics alone, scientists have found.  |
| Single-pixel Camera Has Multiple Futures Posted: 20 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT A terahertz version of the single-pixel camera could lead to breakthrough technologies in security, telecom, signal processing and medicine.  |
| Aspirin Does Not Prevent Heart Attacks In Patients With Diabetes, Study Suggests Posted: 20 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Taking regular aspirin and antioxidant supplements does not prevent heart attacks even in high risk groups with diabetes and asymptomatic arterial disease, and aspirin should only be given to patients with established heart disease, stroke or limb arterial disease, according to a new study.  |
| Buckypapers Clarify Electrical, Optical Behavior Of Nanotubes Posted: 20 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Using highly uniform samples of carbon nanotubes, materials scientists have made some of the most precise measurements yet of the concentrations at which delicate mats of nanotubes become transparent, conducting sheets. Their recent experiments point up the importance of using relatively homogeneous nanotubes for making high performance conducting films.  |
| Alternative Theory Of Information Processing In The Cortex Posted: 20 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT With remarkable precision, neurons in the sound-processing part of the brain's cortex fire electrochemical pulses or "spikes" in sync with cues they receive from other neurons. Neuroscientists have demonstrated that "spike timing" in cortical neurons can influence behavior in rats when signals are separated by as little as three milliseconds. This discovery helps make the case for an alternate theory of how neuron-to-neuron messaging is processed in the cortex.  |
| NASA Launches Interstellar Boundary Explorer Mission To Outer Solar System Posted: 20 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer mission, or IBEX, successfully launched from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean Sunday. IBEX will be the first spacecraft to image and map dynamic interactions taking place in the outer solar system.  |
| Promising Gene Target For Neuroblastoma Therapy Identified Posted: 20 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT Researchers have identified a set of previously unknown mutations in a single gene in 8 percent of neuroblastomas, tumors of the nervous system that occur in young children and account for approximately 15 percent of all childhood cancer deaths. The discovery is intriguing because a small "targeted" molecule inhibitor caused neuroblastoma cell lines carrying two of the mutations to die when treated in the laboratory.  |
| Gold Nanostars Outshine The Competition Posted: 20 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT Scientists used surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to demonstrate that gold nanostars exhibit optical qualities that make them superior for chemical and biological sensing and imaging. These uniquely shaped nanoparticles may one day be used in a range of applications from disease diagnostics to contraband identification.  |
| Posted: 20 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT In a randomized controlled trial called the "Evaluate the Clinical use of vitamin K Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia" trial, Angela Cheung and colleagues at the University of Toronto found that a high dose daily vitamin K1 supplement did not protect against age-related bone mineral density decline.  |
| Posted: 20 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT Schoolchildren, families and citizen scientists around the world will gaze skyward after dark from Oct. 20 to Nov. 3, 2008, looking for specific constellations and then sharing their observations through the Internet.  |
| Providing Toilets, Safe Water Is Top Route To Reducing World Poverty Posted: 20 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT Simply installing toilets where needed throughout the world and ensuring safe water supplies would do more to end crippling poverty and improve world health than any other possible measure, according to an analysis released by the United Nations University.  |
| Finding Hidden Tomb Of Genghis Khan Using Non-Invasive Technologies Posted: 20 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT According to legend, Genghis Khan lies buried somewhere beneath the dusty steppe of Northeastern Mongolia, entombed in a spot so secretive that anyone who made the mistake of encountering his funeral procession was executed on the spot. Once he was below ground, his men brought in horses to trample evidence of his grave, and just to be absolutely sure he would never be found, they diverted a river to flow over their leader's final resting place.  |
| Genetic Switch Critical For Cell Survival In Hypoxia Identified Posted: 20 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT Researchers have identified a critical metabolic "switch" in fruit flies that helps oxygen-deprived cells survive.  |
| Mathematicians Put Forward Model For Studying Submarine Avalanches And Tsunamis Posted: 20 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT A team of Andalucian and French scientists has put forward a mathematical model that enables submarine avalanches and certain types of tsunamis to be studied using equations, according to a recent article in the Journal of Computational Physics. Mathematicians are already applying the model to analyse landslides on the island of Alborón (Almería).  |
| Posted: 20 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT A blunt traumatic injury to the aorta is one of the leading causes of death following a vehicle crash. University of Maryland Medical Center surgeons have published a review of treatments for this devastating injury in the the New England Journal of Medicine. The physicians have had success with a minimally invasive technique, which spares patients the trauma of a traditional operation, which involves a large incision in the chest.  |
| Posted: 20 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT A new article details methods of determining a soil's texture by feel, an important skill for students of soil science. Soil texture strongly influences the nutrient holding ability of a soil, the amount of water the soil can store, as well as many other properties.  |
| 'Water Footprint' Promotes Sustainable And Fair Use Of Water Resources Posted: 20 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT Researchers have proposed the concept of a 'water footprint,' which gives a detailed insight into the water consumption of individuals, companies and countries, in an international effort to promote sustainable, fair and efficient use of water on a global scale.  |
| Drug-embedded Microparticles Bolster Heart Function In Animal Studies Posted: 18 Oct 2008 11:00 PM CDT Tiny polymer beads embedded with anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce damage to the heart when injected into rats' hearts after a simulated heart attack. The beads (average size: 1/50 of a millimeter wide) are made of a "polyketal" material that breaks down over a few weeks in the body. Because polyketals are less inherently inflammatory than other biodegradable polymers, they could be used to treat several inflammatory diseases.  |
| Achilles Heel Of Common Childhood Tumor Identified Posted: 18 Oct 2008 11:00 PM CDT Researchers have, for the first time, found a mechanism for the rapid growth of the benign blood vessel tumor known as infantile hemangiomas, the most common tumor found in children. The findings implicate gene mutations that facilitate the abnormal activity of a hormone called VEGF, and suggest that anti-VEGF therapies -- already approved for other conditions -- may be an effective treatment.  |
| 4 In 10 Parents Wrong On Whether Their Child Is Under Or Overweight Posted: 18 Oct 2008 11:00 PM CDT More than four in 10 parents with underweight and overweight children mistakenly believe their children are in the average weight range, according to University of Melbourne research.  |
| Swamping Bad Cells With Good In ALS Animal Models Helps Sustain Breathing Posted: 18 Oct 2008 11:00 PM CDT In a disease like ALS -- one that's always fatal and that has a long history of research-resistant biology -- finding a proof of principle in animal models is significant.  |
| Role Of Fatty Acids In Alzheimer's Disease Identified Posted: 18 Oct 2008 11:00 PM CDT Scientists have found that complete or partial removal of an enzyme that regulates fatty acid levels improves cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. A large-scale analysis of brain lipids identifies a potential therapeutic strategy.  |
| 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 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment