ScienceDaily: Latest Science News |
| Insight Into 'Dancing' Atoms: To Make Better MRI Images, Let The Atoms Spin Out Of Control Posted: 28 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST Scientists have made a new theoretical advance in atomic behavior that could lead to sharper magnetic resonance imaging pictures. The discovery could one day help enable the development of portable MRI machines.  |
| Surgeons Perform World's First Pediatric Robotic Bladder Reconstruction Posted: 28 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST A 10-year-old Chicago girl born with an abnormally small bladder that made her incontinent has become the first patient to benefit from a new robotic-assisted bladder-reconstruction procedure. The surgeons have now performed the operation six times, with good results and no significant complications.  |
| Road Emissions Dominate Global Transport Emissions Posted: 28 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST The world's car park is growing. It has become so big that the impact of emissions from today's road traffic on the global temperature in 2100 will be six times greater than that from today's air traffic.  |
| Posted: 28 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST Females with cystic fibrosis have more severe disease than males with cystic fibrosis and have a shorter lifespan. Although many suggestions have been put forward to explain this sex-related difference, a concrete mechanism to explain it has remained elusive.  |
| The Perfect Nanoballoon: How Ultrathin 'Graphene' Carbon Sheets Keep Everything Inside Posted: 28 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST Airtight containers are not always so airtight. As any child will discover the day after a birthday party, even a tightly tied helium balloon will leak its gas out over the course of many hours. Now scientists have come up with a supremely efficient barrier that lets nothing in or out.  |
| Eye Divergence In Children Triples Risk Of Mental Illness Posted: 28 Nov 2008 08:00 AM PST Children whose eyes are misaligned and point outward are at significantly increased risk of developing mental illness by early adulthood, according to findings published in Pediatrics.  |
| Using Invisibility To Increase Visibility Posted: 28 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Research into the development of invisibility devices has spurred two physicists' thought on the behavior of light to overcome the seemingly intractable problem of optical singularities which could soon lead to the manufacturing of a perfect cat's eye.  |
| New Leprosy Bacterium: Scientists Use Genetic Fingerprint To Nail 'Killing Organism' Posted: 28 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST A new species of bacterium that causes leprosy has been identified through intensive genetic analysis of a pair of lethal infections, a research team reports.  |
| Land Iguanas Under Continuing Threat On Galapagos Archipelago Posted: 28 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST The Galapagos Islands, which provided impetus and inspiration for Charles Darwin's seminal work, "On the Origin of Species," are home to unique populations of reptiles. Since the time of man's first visit in the 16th century to this crucial incubator for evolutionary theory, the islands' native plants and animals have faced grave challenges, including severe pressures from introduced species, habitat destruction and predation by man himself.  |
| Helping The Embryo Implant: A New Role For One Type Of Immune Cell Posted: 28 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST One of the most critical stages in establishing a pregnancy is the implantation of the embryo in the wall of the uterus. Although the accumulation of immune cells known as DCs has been observed in the uterus after fertilization and prior to implantation, their function was not known.  |
| Meteorite: 10-ton Rock Responsible For Fireball In Western Canada Posted: 28 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Investigation of the fireball that lit up the skies of Alberta and Saskatchewan on Nov. 20 has determined that an asteroid fragment weighing approximately 10 tons entered the Earth's atmosphere over the prairie provinces last Thursday evening.  |
| Childhood Constipation Just As Serious As Asthma Posted: 28 Nov 2008 05:00 AM PST Family life gets crazy around the holidays, and kids can get out of their bathroom routine. A new study finds childhood constipation is much more than an inconvenience - it's a common, sometimes serious medical problem that costs nearly $4 billion each year to treat. That's equal to major chronic illnesses like asthma and ADHD. We have some important tips for parents to help treat or prevent the problem before it gets serious.  |
| Global Warming Is Changing Organic Matter In Soil: Atmosphere Could Change As A Result Posted: 28 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST New research shows that we should be looking to the ground, not the sky, to see where climate change could have its most perilous impact on life on Earth. Scientists have shown that global warming actually changes the molecular structure of organic matter in soil.  |
| How DNA Is Unwound So That Its Code Can Be Read Posted: 28 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST Researchers have figured out how a macromolecular machine is able to unwind the long and twisted tangles of DNA within a cell's nucleus so that genetic information can be "read" and used to direct the synthesis of proteins, which have many specific functions in the body.  |
| Ocean Acidification In The Caribbean Significant, Yet Variable Posted: 28 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST A new study, which confirms significant ocean acidification across much of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, reports strong natural variations in ocean chemistry in some parts of the Caribbean that could affect the way reefs respond to future ocean acidification.  |
| Increased Calcium Sensitivity In The Heart Can Make For An Irregular Heartbeat Posted: 28 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST New mouse studies, by Björn C. Knollmann and colleagues, at Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, have uncovered a potential new molecular mechanism to explain why some individuals suffer irregular heartbeats that can cause sudden death. The results suggest a potential new target for drugs that would be beneficial to those at risk.  |
| Final World Trade Center 7 Investigation Report On September 11, 2001 Collapse Released Posted: 28 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released its final report on the Sept. 11, 2001, collapse of the 47-story World Trade Center 7 in New York City. The study is strengthened by clarifications and supplemental text suggested by comments on the draft WTC 7 report, but the revisions did not alter the investigation team's major findings and recommendations, including identification of fire as the primary cause for the building's failure.  |
| Secret To Workplace Happiness? Remember What You Love About The Job, Study Urges Posted: 28 Nov 2008 02:00 AM PST Urging employees to rethink their jobs was enough to drop absenteeism by 60 percent and turnover by 75 percent, a new study shows.  |
| Bacterial Biofilms As Fossil Makers Posted: 27 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Bacterial decay was once viewed as fossilization's mortal enemy, but new research suggests bacterial biofilms may have actually helped preserve the fossil record's most vulnerable stuff -- animal embryos and soft tissues.  |
| New Type Of Vaccines Deliver Stronger And Faster Immune Response Posted: 27 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST A new vaccine principle is being developed by scientists in Denmark which, if it works to its full expected potential, could help to save millions of lives and revolutionize current vaccine technology. The 'InVacc' platform, as it is known, represents an advance on the original DNA vaccines and generates new vaccines with greatly enhanced properties.  |
| U.S. Winter Outlook Calls For Variability, According To NOAA Posted: 27 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST In announcing the 2008-2009 U.S. Winter Outlook for meteorological winter from December through February, forecasters at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center are calling for warmer-than-normal temperatures for much of the central part of the nation, and a continuation of drier-than-normal conditions across the Southeast.  |
| Posted: 27 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Confusingly, the cellular process autophagy (essentially self-eating) has been implicated in both cancer cell death and survival. New insight into this paradox has now been provided by work which indicates that the context in which the process occurs determines the outcome.  |
| Urban Trees Enhance Water Infiltration Posted: 27 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST The management of stormwater in urban areas is often focused on restoring the hydrologic cycle disrupted by extensive pavement and compacted urban soils, but now a group of researchers have been investigating innovative ways to maximize the potential of trees to address stormwater. The development of structural soil reservoirs may provide new opportunities for meeting engineering, environmental, and greenspace management needs in urban areas.  |
| Fear Of Hypoglycemia A Barrier To Exercise For Type 1 Diabetics Posted: 27 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST According to a new study, published in Diabetes Care, a majority of diabetics avoid physical activity because they worry about exercise-induced hypoglycemia and severe consequences including loss of consciousness.  |
| Jupiter's Rocky Core Bigger And Icier, According To New Simulation Posted: 27 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST When Jupiter formed 4.5 billion years ago, rocks and ice combined to form a rocky core 14-18 times the mass of the Earth, according to a new simulation by UC Berkeley geophysicist Burkhard Militzer. This is twice what previous models predicted. Militzer employed a simulation technique designed to model the properties of semiconductors and now used for nanomaterials. This simulation also predicts few ices throughout the rest of the atmosphere.  |
| Bacterial Decision-making Explained By 'Moving' Theory Posted: 27 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST Biochemists have answered a fundamental question of how important bacterial proteins make life-and-death decisions that allow them to function, a finding that could provide a new target for drugs to disrupt bacterial decision-making processes and related diseases.  |
| Kidney Injury Puts Elderly Individuals At High Risk For Developing Serious Kidney Disease Posted: 27 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST Acute kidney injury, which is often caused by trauma, illness, or surgery, predisposes elderly individuals to the most serious form of chronic kidney disease, known as end stage renal disease, according to a new study. The findings indicate that close medical follow-up is important for maintaining the health of patients who have experienced kidney damage.  |
| Scientists Teach Enzyme To Make Synthetic Heparin In More Varieties Posted: 27 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST Scientists have learned to customize a key human enzyme responsible for producing heparin, opening the door to a more effective synthetic anticoagulant as well as treatments for other conditions.  |
| Older People Should Have The Flu Jab This Winter, Experts Urge Posted: 27 Nov 2008 08:00 PM PST Despite recent doubts about its effectiveness, the influenza vaccine does give valuable protection against illness, hospital admission and death caused by influenza, and people over 65 should have the flu jab this winter, say experts.  |
| Social Amoeba Seek Kin Association Posted: 27 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Starving "social amoebae" called Dictyostelium discoideum seek the support of "kin" when they form multi-cellular organisms made up of dead stalks and living spores, researchers report.  |
| Brain Sense Fatty Food: Molecule Shuts Down Food Intake And Turns On 'Siesta Mode' Posted: 27 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Researchers have identified a molecule that tells your brain when it's time to push back from the Thanksgiving table. In studies with mice and rats, researchers found that a chemical messenger called NAPE is made in the small intestine after a greasy meal, then travels to the brain, where it quashes hunger signals. Rats treated with extra NAPE ate less and lost weight.  |
| Humpback Whales' Dining Habits And Energy Costs Of Feasting On Tiny Prey, Revealed Posted: 27 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST As most American families sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, a University of British Columbia researcher is revealing how one of the largest animals on earth feasts on the smallest of prey -- and at what cost.  |
| Scientists Identify 13 New Tumor-suppressor Genes In Liver Cancer Posted: 27 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Researchers have developed a means of speeding up the discovery of cancer-related genes and validating their function in living animals. A collaborative effort yielded a large-scale, rapid, cost-effective genetic screen that in a preliminary test succeeded in uncovering 13 new tumor suppressors in human liver cancer, many of which have not been linked to cancer before.  |
| Track Your Fitness, Environmental Impact With New Cell Phone Applications Posted: 27 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Planning on gobbling a few extra treats this holiday season? Soon, your cell phone may be able to help you maintain your exercise routine and keep the pounds off over winter months, without your having to lift a finger to keep track.  |
| Want To Be Happier? Be More Grateful Posted: 27 Nov 2008 05:00 PM PST Want to quickly improve your happiness and satisfaction with life? Then the pen may be a mighty weapon. Researchers recruited students from six courses to explore the effects of writing letters of gratitude to people who had positively impacted the students' lives. Over the course of a six-week period, students wrote one letter every two weeks with the simple ground rules that it had to be positively expressive, required some insight and reflection, were nontrivial and contained a high level of appreciation or gratitude. "I saw their happiness increase after each letter, meaning the more they wrote, the better they felt," says the lead researcher.  |
| Adult Brain Neurons Can Remodel Connections Posted: 27 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST Overturning a century of prevailing thought, scientists are finding that neurons in the adult brain can remodel their connections.  |
| Sealing Off Portion Of Intestinal Lining Treats Obesity, Resolves Diabetes In Animal Model Posted: 27 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST Lining the upper portion of the small intestine with an impermeable sleeve led to both weight loss and restoration of normal glucose metabolism in an animal model of obesity-induced diabetes. Researchers report that the procedure reproducing several aspects of gastric bypass surgery led to a significant reduction in the animals' food intake and a resolution of diabetes symptoms.  |
| NASA Prepares For New Juno Mission To Jupiter Posted: 27 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST NASA is officially moving forward on a mission to conduct an unprecedented, in-depth study of Jupiter. Called Juno, the mission will be the first in which a spacecraft is placed in a highly elliptical polar orbit around the giant planet to understand its formation, evolution and structure. Underneath its dense cloud cover, Jupiter safeguards secrets to the fundamental processes and conditions that governed our early solar system.  |
| New CT Technology Shows Anorexia Impairs Adolescent Bone Development Posted: 27 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST Children and teenagers with even mild cases of anorexia exhibit abnormal bone structure, according to a new study.  |
| Computers Determine When To Stop Searches For Missing People At Sea Posted: 27 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST British researchers are developing a new computer model to predict how long someone will survive when lost at sea, which will in turn determine when a search and rescue operation may be stopped.  |
| In Sickness And Health: Caring For Ailing Spouse May Prolong Your Life Posted: 27 Nov 2008 02:00 PM PST Older people who spent at least 14 hours a week taking care of a disabled spouse lived longer than others. This unexpected finding is published in Psychological Science.  |
| Declines In U.S. Cancer Incidence And Death Rates According to Annual Report Posted: 27 Nov 2008 11:00 AM PST A new report from the nation's leading cancer organizations shows that, for the first time, both incidence and death rates for all cancers combined are decreasing, driven largely by declines in some of the most common types of cancer. The report notes that, although the decreases in overall cancer incidence and death rates are encouraging, large state and regional differences in lung cancer trends among women underscore the need to strengthen tobacco control programs.  |
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