ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

'Living Fossil' Tree Contains Genetic Imprints Of Rain Forests Under Climate Change Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT A "living fossil" tree species is helping a researcher understand how tropical forests responded to past climate change and how they may react to global warming in the future.

High-fat Diet Could Promote Development Of Alzheimer's Disease Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Researchers have shown that the main neurological markers for Alzheimer's disease are exacerbated in the brains of mice fed a diet rich in animal fat and poor in omega-3s. Details of the study -- which suggests that diets typical of most industrialized countries promote the development of Alzheimer's -- are outlined in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.

Grapes May Aid A Bunch Of Heart Risk Factors, Animal Study Finds Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Could eating grapes help fight high blood pressure related to a salty diet? And could grapes calm other factors that are also related to heart diseases such as heart failure? A new study performed in animals suggests so.

Cancer Requires Support From Immune System To Develop Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Tumors that grow around nerves in a rare genetic disease need cooperation from cells from the immune system in order to grow, according to scientists.

Mathematician Cracks Mystery Beatles Chord Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT It's the most famous chord in rock 'n' roll, an instantly recognizable twang rolling through the open strings on George Harrison's 12-string guitar: the opening chord to the Beatles song "A Hard Day's Night." Now, a researcher has used a mathematical calculation known as Fourier transform to solve the Beatles' riddle. The process allowed him to decompose the sound into its original frequencies using computer software and parse out which notes were on the record.

Negative Cues From Appearance Alone Matter For Real Elections Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 PM CDT Brain-imaging studies reveal that voting decisions are more associated with the brain's response to negative aspects of a politician's appearance than to positive ones, says researchers. This appears to be particularly true when voters have little or no information about a politician aside from their physical appearance.

Clues To Planets' Birth Discovered In Meteorites Posted: 31 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT Meteorites that are among the oldest rocks ever found have provided new clues about the conditions that existed at the beginning of the solar system, solving a longstanding mystery and overturning some accepted ideas about the way planets form.

Drinking Milk To Ease Milk Allergy? Oral Immunotherapy Study Shows Promise -- But Do Not Try This At Home Posted: 31 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT Giving children with milk allergies increasingly higher doses of milk over time may ease, and even help them completely overcome, their allergic reactions, according to the results of a new study. However, the researchers emphasize that the findings require further research and advise parents and caregivers not to try oral immunotherapy without medical supervision.

Evidence Of Tsunamis On Indian Ocean Shores Long Before 2004 Posted: 31 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT A quarter-million people were killed when a tsunami inundated Indian Ocean coastlines the day after Christmas in 2004. Now scientists have found evidence that the event was not a first-time occurrence.

Pneumococcal Vaccine Could Prevent Numerous Deaths, Save Costs During A Flu Pandemic, Model Predicts Posted: 31 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT A new predictive model shows that vaccinating infants with 7 valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine -- the current recommendation--not only saves lives and money during a normal flu season by preventing related bacterial infections; it also would prevent more than 357,000 deaths during an influenza pandemic, while saving $7 billion in costs.

Predicting Evolution’s Next Best Move With Simulator Posted: 31 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT Biologists today are doing what Darwin thought impossible. They are studying the process of evolution not through fossils but directly, as it is happening. Now, by modeling the steps evolution takes to build, from scratch, an adaptive biochemical network, biophysicists have gone one step further. Instead of watching evolution in action, they show that they can predict its next best move.

Study In Transsexuals: Significant Genetic Link To Gender Identity Posted: 31 Oct 2008 10:00 AM CDT In the largest ever genetic study of male to female transsexuals, Australian researchers have found a significant genetic link between gender identity and a gene involved in testosterone action.

Ultrafast Lasers Show Snapshot Of Electrons In Action Posted: 31 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT In the quest to slow down and ultimately understand chemistry at the level of atoms and electrons, scientists have found a new way to peer into a molecule that allows them to see how its electrons rearrange as the molecule changes shape.

Key Mechanism Behind Cancer Spread Is Explained Posted: 31 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists have discovered the two key processes that allow cancer cells to change the way they move in order to spread through the body, according to a new study.

Astronauts To Vote From Space Posted: 31 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT In this day and age, people engage in their right to vote from all over the world. But this Nov. 4, few ballots will have traveled as far as those cast by two NASA astronauts.

Engineering Technique Can Identify Disease-causing Genes Posted: 31 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Scientists believe that complex diseases such as schizophrenia, major depression and cancer are not caused by one, but a multitude of dysfunctional genes.

Local Retail Meat Safe From Antibiotic-resistant Organisms, Study Suggests Posted: 31 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Rhode Island Hospital researchers report that findings from a new study of retail meat in the Providence, RI area indicate little to no presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The study, prompted by the identification of such organisms in retail meat in Canada, Europe and Asia, is among the first in this country to look at the possible spread of infection through retail meat.

U.S. Nicotine Addiction Reaches 15-year High Posted: 31 Oct 2008 07:00 AM CDT Nicotine dependence has reached a 15-year high, with nearly 75 percent of people currently seeking tobacco-dependence treatment categorized as highly nicotine dependent.

Mysterious Bat Disease Decimates Colonies: Newly Identified Fungus Implicated In White-nose Syndrome Posted: 31 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT White-nose syndrome in bats is a disease that is decimating bat populations in the northeast U.S. A previously undescribed, cold-loving fungus has been linked to white-nose syndrome, a condition associated with the deaths of over 100,000 hibernating bats in the northeastern United States.

New Way To Attack Some Forms Of Leukemia Discovered Posted: 31 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT What if a way could be found to reprogram cancerous cells back into normal cells? Researchers believes it may have found a way to do just that. Scientists discovered a way to disrupt the protein switch that is a critical component in the process to create white blood cells.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Locksmiths Posted: 31 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT Computer scientists have built a software program that can perform key duplication without having the key. Instead, the computer scientists only need a photograph of the key.

Anti-seizure Drug Could Be Fatal, New Research Shows Posted: 31 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT New research presented at CHEST 2008 shows that patients treated for their prolonged seizures with the sedative propofol may be at high risk for complications and even death.

Researchers Find New Way Of Measuring 'Reality' Of Virtual Worlds Posted: 31 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT A research team has developed a new way of measuring how "real" online virtual worlds are -- an important advance for the emerging technology that can be used to foster development of new training and collaboration applications by companies around the world.

Difficult To Read Instructions Decrease Motivation Posted: 31 Oct 2008 04:00 AM CDT A new study shows that if directions for a task are presented in a difficult-to-read style, the task will be viewed as being difficult, taking a long time to complete and lead to decreased motivation for completing the task.

One In 17 Men In Mediterranean Basin May Have A Phoenician As Direct Male-line Ancestor Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT The Phoenicians gave the world the alphabet and a love of the color purple, and a new study shows that they left some people their genes as well. The study finds that as many as one in 17 men in the Mediterranean basin may have a Phoenician as a direct male-line ancestor.

Antimalarial Drug Prevents Diabetes In Arthritis Patients, Study Suggests Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT New research sheds light on how an antimalarial drug may prevent the onset of diabetes in some high risk patients.

Marriage Dowry As Major Cause Of Poverty In Bangladesh Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT More than 35 million people in Bangladesh, around a quarter of its population, face acute poverty and hunger. Dowry payments of more than 200 times the daily wage and costly medical expenses are major causes of this chronic poverty says research from the University of Bath.

Gleevec Holds Potential As First Drug To Successfully Treat Neurofibromatosis, Scientists Report Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT The anti-cancer drug gleevec holds out promise to become the first effective treatment for neurofibromatosis, a genetic disease that has resisted treatments until now. The research team is conducting clinical tests of the drug following successful laboratory tests and a "compassionate use" of the drug.

EPA's Stormwater Program Needs Significant Overhaul Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT Radical changes to the US Environmental Protection Agency's stormwater program are necessary to reverse degradation of fresh water resources and ensure progress toward the Clean Water Act's goal of "fishable and swimmable" waters, says a new report. Increased water volume and pollutants from stormwater have degraded water quality and habitats in virtually every urban stream system.

Baby Talk: Roots Of Early Vocabulary In Infants' Learning From Speech Posted: 31 Oct 2008 01:00 AM CDT A new report describes an increasing emphasis among researchers in studying vocabulary development in infants. Recent findings have shown that infants are not only aware of the pieces that make up a word, but they are already aware of the entire word and by one year of age, children are able to recognize mispronunciations of words. In addition, there is a relationship between young children's performance in word recognition and their later language achievement.

Daylight Saving Time: Clock-shifts Affect Risk Of Heart Attack Posted: 30 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT Adjusting the clocks to summer time on the last Sunday in March increases the risk of myocardial infarction in the following week, according to a new Swedish study. In return, putting the clocks back in the autumn reduces the risk, albeit to a lesser extent.

Cancer Drug Resistance: 'New' Estrogen Receptor Found To Be Key Player In Tamoxifen Resistance Posted: 30 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT Researchers have discovered a novel way in which breast cancer cells become resistant to tamoxifen, the world's largest-selling breast cancer prevention and treatment drug. They say the findings could provide a way to identify tamoxifen users who are no longer benefiting from the drug, allowing doctors to try another therapy option sooner.

Amateur Sports Can Lead to Unexpected Health Problems Later in Life Posted: 30 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT Taking up bowling or tennis is an excellent way to stay fit. But if you're not careful, you might find that these amateur sports can have unexpected long-term health risks.

Open-heart Surgery Should Remain Viable Treatment Option For People In Their 80s, According To Experts Posted: 30 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT Patients 80 years and older who are in overall good health are perfectly able to withstand open-heart surgery, according to a new study.

Probing Antarctic Glaciers For Clues To Past And Future Sea Level Posted: 30 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT Scientists believe the barely observed Aurora Subglacial Basin, which lies in East Antarctica, could represent the weak underbelly of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, the largest remaining body of ice on Earth, holding clues about how Earth's climate changed in the past and how future climate change will affect global sea level.

Office Workers Given Blue Light To Help Alertness Posted: 30 Oct 2008 10:00 PM CDT Changing traditional white-light lighting to blue-enriched white light helped office workers stay more alert and less sleepy during the day, in a new study. The research also showed improvements in subjective measures of positive moods, work performance, fatigue in the evening, irritability, ability to concentrate and focus and eye strain. Furthermore the workers reported improved sleep at night.

Eating Red Meat Sets Up Target For Disease-causing Bacteria, Study Finds Posted: 30 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Offering another reason why eating red meat could be bad for you, researchers have uncovered the first example of a bacterium that causes food poisoning in humans when it targets a non-human molecule absorbed into the body through red meats such as lamb, pork and beef.

Prostate Cancer Prevention: No Benefit For Use Of Selenium And Vitamin E Supplements, Study Shows Posted: 30 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Initial, independent review of study data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) shows that selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, did not prevent prostate cancer.

Do Dams Make A Difference? Similar Survival Rates For Pacific Salmon In Fraser And Columbia Rivers Posted: 30 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Canadian and US researchers have made a surprising discovery that some endangered Pacific salmon stocks are surviving in rivers with hydroelectric dams as well as or better than in rivers without dams.

Well-known Drug (AAT) Could Overcome Obstacles To Islet Transplantation, Study Suggests Posted: 30 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Researchers have demonstrated that treating diabetic animals with alpha-1-antitrypsin following an islet transplantation procedure eliminates the inflammation that causes islet transplants to fail.

Hazardous Levels Of Metal Ions Found In Many Commercial Table Wines, Study Suggests Posted: 30 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Potentially hazardous levels of metal ions are present in many commercially available wines. An analysis of reported levels of metals in wines from 16 different countries found that only those from Argentina, Brazil and Italy did not pose a potential health risk owing to metals.

Night-time Driving Over Long Periods Increases Risk Of Accidents Posted: 30 Oct 2008 07:00 PM CDT Does driving at night affect the risk of accidents? Drowsiness resulting from a lack of sleep is a recognized risk factor which causes traffic accidents. But what happens if drivers combine extended driving and sleep deprivation?

Searching For Primordial Antimatter Posted: 30 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Scientists are on the hunt for evidence of antimatter -- matter's arch nemesis -- left over from the very early Universe. New results using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and Compton Gamma Ray Observatory suggest the search may have just become even more difficult.

Artificial Pancreas Could Revolutionize Treatment Of Type 1 Diabetes Posted: 30 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Researchers across the globe are testing a computerized, subcutaneous system that could one day transform the way Type 1 diabetics manage their disease.

Significant Fossil Discovery In Utah Shows Land Plants Of 200 Million Years Ago Posted: 30 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT The importance of a new archeological site in St George, Utah, U.S. was recently highlighted. The site is significant because it is the only early Jurassic land flora known in the western United States.  It provides evidence that a variety of land plants were present in the area about 200 million years ago.

Aggressive Phototherapy Can Improve Neurodevelopmental Outcomes In Some Preemies Posted: 30 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Researchers say the use of aggressive phototherapy reduces the odds that tiny premature infants will develop neurodevelopmental impairment such as cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness or physical or mental challenges.

Powered By Olive Stones? Turning Waste Stones Into Fuel Posted: 30 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Olive stones can be turned into bioethanol, a renewable fuel that can be produced from plant matter and used as an alternative to petrol or diesel. This gives the olive processing industry an opportunity to make valuable use of 4 million tons of waste in olive stones it generates every year and sets a precedent for the recycling of waste products as fuels.

Our Cheatin' Brain: The Brain's Clever Way Of Showing Us The World As A Whole Posted: 30 Oct 2008 04:00 PM CDT Boundary extension is a mistake that we often make when recalling a view of a scene -- we will insist that the boundaries of an image stretched out farther than what we actually saw. Results of a new study indicate that boundary extension occurs when a scene is interrupted for as little as 42 milliseconds (quicker than an eye blink!) and even when volunteers know exactly what is being tested.

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