ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Dinosaur Smelling Skills Open New Angle On Bird Evolution Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Scientists are providing new insight into the sense of smell of carnivorous dinosaurs and primitive birds. Researchers found that Tyrannosaurus rex had the best nose of all meat-eating dinosaurs, and their results tone down the reputation of T. rex as a scavenger.

Pregnant Women Consuming Flaxseed Oil Have High Risk Of Premature Birth Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT The risks of a premature birth quadruple if flaxseed oil is consumed in the last two trimesters of pregnancy, according to a new study.

Flexible, Affordable Light Source Can Printed Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers working in the European ROLLED project have developed a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) element that can be mass produced using roll-to-roll printing technology. The OLED elements can be used to add value to product packages. The new method is considerably cheaper than the traditional manufacturing method.

Scientists Identify Single MicroRNA That Controls How Heart Chambers Form Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT The discovery of the role of a microRNA called miR-138, could offer strategies for the treatment of congenital heart defects.

The Great Cosmic Challenge Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Today cosmologists are challenging the world to solve a compelling statistical problem, to bring us closer to understanding the nature of dark matter and energy which makes up 95 per cent of the 'missing' universe.

Undecided Voters May Already Have Decided, Study Suggests Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Do "undecided" voters actually make their choices before they realize? That is a question one psychology professor is trying to answer. "Many people, especially early in the political process, declare themselves as undecided," he said. "But while they have consciously said that they are undecided, they unconsciously may have already made a choice."

Global Warming Is Killing Frogs And Salamanders In Yellowstone Park, Researchers Say Posted: 29 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT Frogs and salamanders, those amphibious bellwethers of environmental danger, are being killed in Yellowstone National Park. The predator, Stanford researchers say, is global warming. One biology graduate student spent three summers in a remote area of the park searching for frogs and salamanders in ponds that had been surveyed 15 years ago. Almost everywhere she looked, she found a catastrophic decrease in the population.

New Brain Link As Cause Of Schizophrenia Posted: 29 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT A lack of specific brain receptors has been linked with schizophrenia in new research.

New Mass Sensor To Weight Atoms With Unprecedented Resolution Posted: 29 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT Scientists have developed an ultrasensitive mass sensor, which can measure tiny amounts of mass with atomic precision, and with an unprecedented resolution to date.

Statins Show Promise For Blood Clot Prevention Posted: 29 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT New research suggests that the use of statins may be associated with a significant reduction in the occurrence of venous thromboembolism, a condition that includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, in patients with solid organ tumors, including breast, lung and colon cancers.

Role Of Soil Microbes In Global Warming Clarified Posted: 29 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT Current models of global climate change predict warmer temperatures will increase the rate that bacteria and other microbes decompose soil organic matter, a scenario that pumps even more heat-trapping carbon into the atmosphere. But a new study shows that while the rate of decomposition increases for a brief period in response to warmer temperatures, elevated levels of decomposition don't persist.

Pain Automatically Activates Facial Muscle Groups Posted: 29 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT All individuals have a nonverbal mode of communication influenced by culture, education, age, sex. A new study has found that people who facially express pain in a more intense way are not exaggerating if their perception of a painful stimulation is controlled.

Brain's 'Hate Circuit' Identified Posted: 29 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT People who view pictures of someone they hate display activity in distinct areas of the brain that, together, may be thought of as a "hate circuit," according to new research.

MicroRNAs Make For Safer Cancer Treatments Posted: 29 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Viruses -- long regarded solely as disease agents -- now are being used in therapies for cancer. Concerns over the safety of these so-called oncolytic viruses stem from their potential to damage healthy tissues. Now researchers have discovered a way of controlling the viruses behind potential cancer therapeutics.

Light Shortens The Life Of Supermarket Vegetables Posted: 29 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Exposure to light reduces the quality of cauliflower, broccoli, chard, leeks and asparagus, which have been processed for sale. New research shows that the useful life of chard is reduced by 11 days if it is exposed to light instead of keeping it in the dark, even though it has been covered in the best protective wrap.

Osteoporosis Drugs Increase Risk For Heart Problems, Study Shows Posted: 29 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT New research shows that people taking alendronate or zoledronic acid, two common medications to prevent or slow the occurrence of osteoporosis, were significantly more likely to experience serious atrial fibrillation, including hospitalization or death, compared with placebo.

New 3-D Image Systems To Provide Reliable Face Biometrics Posted: 29 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT A novel 3-D face imaging system which will capture detailed images of people's faces as they pass through high security zones.

Consumers And Plastic Surgeons Say Economy Is Cutting Into Cosmetic Procedures Posted: 29 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT While history has taught us that looks matter for everyone from presidential candidates to the person next door, the economic crisis is forcing many consumers to re-evaluate their cosmetic surgery plans. It is very clear the economy is affecting the demand for surgical cosmetic procedures, according to the researchers.

NASA Orbiter Reveals Details Of A Wetter Mars Posted: 29 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has observed a new category of minerals spread across large regions of Mars. This discovery suggests that liquid water remained on the planet's surface a billion years later than scientists believed, and it played an important role in shaping the planet's surface and possibly hosting life.

Stress During Pregnancy Has Detrimental Effect On Offspring Posted: 29 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT That stress during a mother's pregnancy can cause developmental and emotional problems for offspring has long been observed by behavioral and biological researchers, but the objective measuring and timing of that stress and its results are difficult to prove objectively in humans. New experimental work has demonstrated the relationship between maternal stress and impairment of offspring in rats.

Mapping The Boreal Forest Posted: 29 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT How best to map 'boreal' or northern forest with space-borne radar is the focus of an ESA campaign currently underway in northern Sweden. Covering about 15% of the Earth's land surface, boreal forest plays an important role in the global cycling of energy, carbon and water.

How Women With Lupus Can Increase Chance For Healthy Pregnancies Posted: 29 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT In the not so distant past, women with systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease, were advised not to have children, and if they became pregnant, to have therapeutic abortions to prevent severe flares of their lupus. Research by rheumatologists at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, in patients with lupus who have had successful pregnancies is yielding insights that support a reversal of that thinking.

Laser Flashes Without Bounds Posted: 29 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT Researchers have developed a novel optical fiber that enables transmission of ultrashort light pulses with an unprecedented low degree of distortions. The researchers transmitted light pulses of 13 fs duration (1 fs = 1 millionth billionth of a second) over one meter distance, with the pulses only stretching to about double of the initial duration. "Currently, no other fiber-based technique is capable of such little distortion", says one of the researchers.

Groups of Dangerous Drivers Identified Posted: 29 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT Young drivers, elderly drivers and motorcyclists are stigmatized by society, according to one professor. He's researching who the dangerous drivers really are.

New Cell Division Mechanism Discovered Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT A novel cell division mechanism has been discovered in a microorganism that thrives in hot acid. The finding may also result in insights into key processes in human cells, and in a better understanding of the main evolutionary lineages of life on Earth.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Rising Among Women Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT After four decades on the decline, rheumatoid arthritis is on the upswing among women in the United States. Compared to the previous decade when approximately 36 women out of every 100,000 developed rheumatoid arthritis each year, the new study showed a jump to 54 women in the more recent decade.

Neighborhood Greenness Has Long Term Positive Impact On Kids' Health Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT In the first study to look at the effect of neighborhood greenness on inner city children's weight over time, researchers report that higher neighborhood greenness is associated with slower increases in children's body mass over a two year period, regardless of residential density.

Increasing Number Of People Vaccinated Against Influenza Can Decrease Burden Of Disease Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT Two new studies published in the journal PLoS Medicine show that increasing the number of people vaccinated against influenza can decrease the burden of the disease, and not just in the individuals receiving the vaccine.

Nitrous Oxide Emissions Respond Differently To No-till Depending On The Soil Type Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT The practice of no-till has gained in popularity as it creates a soil less prone to erosion and more rich in organic matter, but a new study raises questions about its influence on net greenhouse gas emissions. While scientists have been documenting the benefits of carbon sequestration in no-till crops, researchers have found that an increased amount of nitrous oxide emissions may offset the benefits of the carbon dioxide sink created, depending on soil type.

Improved Poverty Analysis: Early Warning System For Food Shortages Posted: 29 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT In areas of extreme poverty it is often difficult to determine the standard of living. During her doctoral research in Uganda, Nicky Pouw developed a method to analyze relatively simple material and immaterial possessions that can serve, for example, as an early warning system for food shortages.

Soybeans No Longer 'A Musical Fruit?' Posted: 28 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT Soybeans may drop off the list of musical fruit. Scientists in Singapore are reporting victory over some consumers' No. 1 complaint about soy products -- the "flatulence factor" caused by indigestible sugars found in soy.

Exploring Use Of Fat Cells As Heart Attack Therapy Posted: 28 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT For those of us trained to read nutrition labels, conventional wisdom tells us that fat isn't good for the heart. But a team researchers has set out to use fat cells to beef up heart muscles damaged by heart attack -- and they're using an out-of-this-world device to do it.

Revolutionary Operation Performed Live For Heart Rhythm Congress Posted: 28 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT A revolutionary heart operation technique using cutting edge technology is being performed live to delegates at the Heart Rhythm Congress 2008. The procedure to tackle heart rhythm disorder will be performed using technology that allows rapid and accurate location of the origin of the heart rhythm disturbance in a 3-dimensional geometry of the heart chambers and guides successful treatment with the use of catheter ablation.

BRAF Mutations In Colorectal Cancer Cause Resistance To Anti-EGFR Therapy, Study Finds Posted: 28 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT European researchers have found that metastatic colorectal cancer patients with a mutation in the BRAF gene do not respond to anti-EGFR therapy with cetuximab and panitumumab. The finding could help doctors better identify which patients are likely to benefit from such treatment, which is commonly used as last-effort therapy but only works in a fraction of patients.

Nanoscale Coating Protects Products And The Economy Posted: 28 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT A professor's unique nanolaminate coatings adjust to protect products from a wide range of adverse conditions. Her work has applications in industries such as manufacturing, optical products and biomedical devices.

Credit Crunch Threatens New Medicines Posted: 28 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT The global financial crisis could seriously delay the discovery and production of many new life-saving medicines, warns a major international conference.

Red Enhances Men's Attraction To Women, Psychological Study Reveals Posted: 28 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Psychologists have added color -- literally and figuratively -- to the age-old question of what attracts men to women. Psychologists have demonstrated that the color red makes men feel more amorous toward women. And men are unaware of the role the color plays in their attraction.

Sensitive Ultrasound To Spot Early-stage Cancer Posted: 28 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers have developed highly sensitive ultrasound equipment that can detect tiny quantities of reflective microbubbles engineered to stick to specific tumor cells. The technique should pick up tumors early and improve patients' chances of survival.

DNA Research Taking Guesswork Out Of Finding The 'Therapeutic Window' Posted: 28 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers are using DNA to "custom fit" your drug prescriptions, before you even take one dose. The quest to personalize medicine is underway as researchers target warfarin, a drug often associated with adverse drug reactions.

Anti-Inflammatory Medications May Become A Treatment For Schizophrenia Posted: 28 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Many of the structural and neurochemical features of schizophrenia are present long before the full syndrome of schizophrenia develops. What processes tip the balance between the ultra-high risk states and the development of schizophrenia? One candidate mechanism is cerebral inflammation, according to an article in Biological Psychiatry.

Robotic Technology Takes Inspiration From Service Dogs Posted: 28 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Service dogs, invaluable companions providing assistance to physically impaired individuals, are an elite and desired breed. Their presence in a home can make everyday tasks that are difficult - if not impossible - achievable, enhancing the quality of life for the disabled. Yet with a cost averaging $16,000 per dog -- not to mention the two years of training required to hone these skills -- the demand for these canines' exceeds their availability.

Can You Recognize People By Their Voices? Case Study Of Phonagnosic Posted: 28 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT The first known case of someone born without the ability to recognize voices has been reported. The rare condition is known as phonagnosia. Phonagnosia has only been documented so far in people with brain lesions in the right hemisphere following a stroke or brain damage, and the mechanisms behind it are not well understood. In this newly documented case, a MRI brain scan showed no evidence of brain damage in regions associated with voice or auditory perception, and her hearing abilities were found to be normal.

Undressing The Human Body: Program Created To Calculate Body Shape Under Clothing Posted: 28 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Imagine you are a police detective trying to identify a suspect wearing a trench coat, baggy pants and a baseball cap pulled low. Or imagine you are a fashion industry executive who wants to market virtual clothing that customers of all shapes and sizes can try online before they purchase. Computer scientists have now created a computer program that for the first time can accurately estimate the human body's shape from digital images or video.

Stem-cell Sentry Sounds The Alarm To Maintain Balance Between Cancer And Aging, Researchers Find Posted: 28 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Like a sentry guarding the castle walls, a molecular messenger inside adult stem cells sounds the alarm when it senses hazards that could allow the invasion of an insidious enemy: Cancer.

Snakes, Salamanders And Other Creatures Thrive In Areas With Higher Deer Populations Posted: 28 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Reducing the number of deer in forests and parks may unexpectedly reduce the number of reptiles, amphibians and insects in that area, new research suggests. A recent study found that higher deer activity is modifying forest ecosystems in unexpected ways. Out of several species of snakes, salamanders, and invertebrates studied, a greater diversity of animals were found in areas with deer populations than were in areas with no deer activity.

Novel Genetic Screens Provide Panoramic Views Of Cellular Systems Posted: 28 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Researchers often use the technique of RNA interference to identify genes involved in particular biological processes by knocking them down, one at a time, and observing the result. But this approach fails to capture some key players because many genes are redundant. Thus, cells can mask their distress when they lose a single gene by turning to fail-safes with the same function. A team has now overcome this obstacle, using RNAi to systematically knock down pairs of genes in fruit fly cells.

Removal Of 'Super-polluters' Could Reduce Pollution From Nanoparticles By 25% Posted: 28 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT If the "super-polluters", the high-polluting vehicles, such as certain buses and transport trucks in a poor condition, were removed, pollution from nanoparticles could be reduced by up to 25% and 48%, depending on the parameter analyzed. These minute particles may cause serious health problems.

Stress May Make You Itch Posted: 28 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Current research suggests that stress may activate immune cells in your skin, resulting in inflammatory skin disease.

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