ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Credit Card-swipe Device To Test For Hundreds Of Diseases Posted: 03 Nov 2008 10:00 AM CST Scientists successfully created a sensitive prototype device that could test for dozens or even hundreds of diseases simultaneously by acting like a credit card-swipe machine to scan a card loaded with microscopic blood, saliva or urine samples. The prototype works on the same principle -- giant magnetoresistance or GMR -- that is used to read data on computer hard drives or listen to tunes on portable digital music players.

Brain Stimulation Improves Dexterity Posted: 03 Nov 2008 10:00 AM CST Applying electrical stimulation to the scalp and the underlying motor regions of the brain could make you more skilled at delicate tasks. Research in the journal BMC Neuroscience shows that a non-invasive brain-stimulation technique, transcranial direct current stimulation, is able to improve the use of a person's non-dominant hand.

Study Rules Out Inbreeding As Cause Of Amphibian Deformities Posted: 03 Nov 2008 10:00 AM CST Although research has linked inbreeding with elevated rates of deformity in a wide variety of animals, a new study finds it plays no part in the high incidence of malformation among salamanders.

Can Your Doctor Correctly Read A Critical Heart Test? Improving Accuracy Of Electrocardiogram Interpretation Posted: 03 Nov 2008 10:00 AM CST Correct interpretation of an electrocardiogram may prompt life-saving, emergency measures; incorrect interpretation may delay care with life-threatening consequences. Currently, there is no uniform way to teach doctors in training how to interpret an ECG or assess their competence in the interpretation. To address the lack of uniformity, a team of physicians from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the American College of Cardiology has developed the first Web-based training and examination program for reading ECGs.

'Superenzymes' Could Streamline Biofuels Refining Posted: 03 Nov 2008 10:00 AM CST Stain removers that make even the most stubborn spots on your clothes vanish in the wash may be powered by molecules known as enzymes. Scientists are in search of similarly strong, fast-acting enzymes. But the ones they want would be put to work not in your laundry room, but instead at biofuels refineries, where the enzymes' job would be to break down the cell walls of bioenergy crops such as switchgrass.

Videoconferencing More Confusing For Decision-makers Than Face-to-face Meetings Posted: 03 Nov 2008 10:00 AM CST Although videoconferencing has become a billion-dollar substitute for flying business people to meetings, it leaves distant participants less likely to make sound judgments about speakers being viewed over a screen, according to a study in a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.

'Ghost Of Mirach' Materializes In Space Telescope Image Posted: 03 Nov 2008 07:00 AM CST NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has lifted the veil off a ghost known to haunt the local universe, providing new insight into the formation and evolution of galaxies. The eerie creature, called NGC 404, is a type of galaxy known as "lenticular." Lenticular galaxies are disk-shaped, with little ongoing star formation and no spiral arms. NGC 404 is the nearest example of a lenticular galaxy, and therefore of great interest. But it lies hidden in the glare from a red giant star called Mirach. For this reason, NGC 404 became known to astronomers as the "Ghost of Mirach."

Key To Aggressive Breast Cancer Discovered Posted: 03 Nov 2008 07:00 AM CST In trying to find out why HER2-positive breast cancer can be more aggressive than other forms of the disease, researchers have surprisingly discovered that HER2 itself is the culprit. HER2 advances tumor growth by shutting down its own suppressor.

World's Rarest Big Cat Gets A Check-up Posted: 03 Nov 2008 07:00 AM CST The world's rarest big cat is alive and well. At least one of them, that is, according to researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society who captured and released a female Far Eastern leopard in Russia last week.

Diabetes Medication May Be Linked To Lower Risk Of Death From Cardiovascular Disease Posted: 03 Nov 2008 07:00 AM CST The diabetes medication metformin may be associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies. No associations were found between other diabetes medications and beneficial or harmful cardiovascular effects, in part because of insufficient data, the authors note.

New Classification Of African Middle Stone Age Posted: 03 Nov 2008 07:00 AM CST Archaeologists have succeeded in dating layers in South Africa that provide information about stone tool innovation on the Middle Stone Age. This archaeological epoch began at the same time as the earliest appearances of humans (homo sapiens sapiens), about 200,000 years ago, in Africa and differs from the European Middle Stone Age chronologically. It is categorized as an era of change and marked by the development of regional stone tool traditions, the appearance of many innovations and the emergence of significant new behavior such as the production of art and jewelery.

Media Coverage Affects How People Perceive Threat Of Disease Posted: 03 Nov 2008 07:00 AM CST Popular media coverage of infectious diseases greatly influences how people perceive those diseases, making them seem more dangerous, according to a new study.

Arctic Sea Ice Is Suddenly Getting Thinner As Well As Receding Posted: 03 Nov 2008 04:00 AM CST Last winter, the thickness of sea ice in large parts of the Arctic fell by nearly half a meter (19 per cent) compared with the average thickness of the previous five winters. This followed the dramatic 2007 summer low when Arctic ice extent dropped to its lowest level since records began.

Simple Chemical Procedure Augments Therapeutic Potential Of Stem Cells Posted: 03 Nov 2008 04:00 AM CST Researchers have developed a simple method for making a certain class of adult stem cells more therapeutically effective. By attaching a molecule called SLeX to the surface of human cells extracted from bone marrow, researchers have altered how the cells travel through vessels. This might enable the cells to more effectively reach sites of injury and replace damaged tissue.

Indonesian Mud Volcano Triggered By Drilling Of Nearby Gas Exploration Well, Scientists Conclude Posted: 03 Nov 2008 04:00 AM CST Two years' of global public debate over the cause of the Java mud volcano, Lusi, has concluded. World scientists conclude that drilling, not an earthquake, was the cause of east Java mud volcano at recent international debate on issue.

Diabetes Treatment Becomes More Complex, Costly Posted: 03 Nov 2008 04:00 AM CST Because of the increased number of patients, growing reliance on multiple medications and the shift toward more expensive new medicines, the annual cost of diabetes drugs nearly doubled in only six years, rising from $6.7 billion in 2001 to $12.5 billion in 2007. The single greatest contributor was the use of newer, more expensive medications.

NASA-enhanced Dust Storm Predictions To Aid Health Community Posted: 03 Nov 2008 04:00 AM CST NASA satellite data can improve forecasts of dust storms in the American Southwest in ways that can benefit public health managers.

Birth Control Pill Does Not Deserve Its Reputation For Causing Weight Gain Posted: 03 Nov 2008 04:00 AM CST Research has not proven that the pill causes weight gain. But many women are put off using contraceptive pills because this has been listed as one of their adverse effects. Their concern may be narrowing their contraceptive choices without good reason, according to new research.

'Opt Out' System Could Solve Donor Organ Shortage, Says Researcher Posted: 03 Nov 2008 01:00 AM CST A system of presumed consent for organ donation -- where people have to opt out of donating their organs when they die -- is the best way to tackle a growing waiting list for transplant, says an expert in organ donation and the illegal trade of body parts.

Genetic Differences That Cause Childhood Eye Disease Posted: 03 Nov 2008 01:00 AM CST Medical researchers have unlocked part of the mystery underlying a childhood eye disease. New research shows how children with some types of glaucoma end up with missing or extra pieces of DNA.

Coral Bleaching Disturbs Structure Of Fish Communities Posted: 03 Nov 2008 01:00 AM CST There is no longer any shadow of a doubt about the impact of global warming on coral reefs. A rise of a few degrees in sea surface temperature induces the expulsion of essential microscopic algae which live in symbiosis with the coral. This process is the cause of coral bleaching and is well known to scientists, but few large-scale studies have dealt with its effects on the structure of communities of hundreds of species of reef-colonizing fish.

African-American Canadians Who Receive Kidney Transplants Fare Better Than Those In US Posted: 03 Nov 2008 01:00 AM CST African American kidney disease patients in both Canada and the United States are less likely than Caucasian Americans to have access to kidney transplants, but only African-Americans in the United States have worse health outcomes than Caucasians after a transplant is performed, according to a new study. The results could further open the debate about what has driven the disparities seen only in the United States.

Systems Biology And Glycomics Applied To Study Of Human Inflammatory Diseases Posted: 03 Nov 2008 01:00 AM CST An innovative systems biology approach to understanding the carbohydrate structures in cells is leading to new ways to understand how inflammatory illnesses and cardiovascular disease develop in humans.

Patients Give Low Scores To Hospitals In First National Survey Posted: 03 Nov 2008 01:00 AM CST Researchers analyzed the first national data on patients' experiences in hospital settings and found that though patients are generally satisfied with their care, there is substantial room for improvement in a number of key areas, including pain management and discharge instructions.

Sea Level Monitoring Enters New Era Posted: 01 Nov 2008 11:00 PM CDT After four months of tests and qualification of the entire satellite and the ground segment by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, command and control operations for the Jason-2 ocean altimetry satellite were handed over to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on 29 October.

Bacteria Shown To Cause Blood Clots: Bacterial Clotting Depends On Clustering Posted: 01 Nov 2008 11:00 PM CDT Bacteria can directly cause human blood and plasma to clot -- a process previously thought to have been lost during vertebrate evolution. The discovery may lead to new clinical methods for treating serious medical conditions such as sepsis and anthrax. The key to clot formation is the location of the bacteria, rather than the total number of bacteria or their concentration. Coagulation occurs only when a cluster of bacteria forms.

Detecting Tiny Twists With A Nanomachine Posted: 01 Nov 2008 11:00 PM CDT Scientists have developed a nanoscale spin-torsion oscillator that can measure miniscule amounts of twisting or torque in a metallic nanowire. The device can be used to uncover spin-dependent fundamental forces in particle physics and have applications in spintronics, chemistry, biology and fundamental physics.

Skin Cancer: Designer Molecule Tackles Malignant Cells By Two Completely Different Routes Posted: 01 Nov 2008 11:00 PM CDT By playing it safe and using a two-pronged attack, a novel designer molecule fights malignant melanoma. The substance is similar to components of viruses and in this way alerts the immune system. The body's own defenses are also strengthened against cancer cells in this process. At the same time, the novel molecule also puts pressure on the tumor in a different way. It switches off a specific gene in the malignant cells, thus driving them to suicide. With mice suffering from cancer, the researchers have thus been able to fight metastases in the lung.

New Method Provides Panoramic View Of Protein-RNA Interactions In Living Cells Posted: 01 Nov 2008 11:00 PM CDT Scientists have developed a genome-wide platform to study how specialized proteins regulate RNA in living, intact cells. The platform allows researchers to identify, in a single experiment, every sequence within every strand of RNA to which proteins bind. The result is an unbiased and unprecedented look at how differences in RNA can explain how a worm and a human can each have 25,000 genes yet be so different.

Persistent Bacterial Infection Exploits Killing Machinery Of Immune Cells Posted: 01 Nov 2008 11:00 PM CDT A new study reveals an important and newly discovered pathway used by disease-causing bacteria to evade the host immune system and survive and grow within the very cells meant to destroy them. This discovery may lead to new treatments and vaccines for tuberculosis and certain other chronic bacterial and parasitic infections.

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