ScienceDaily: Latest Science News |
| Sex Life Of Killer Fungus Finally Revealed Posted: 01 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Biologists have announced a major breakthrough in our understanding of the sex life of a microscopic fungus which is a major cause of death in immune deficient patients and also a cause of severe asthma.  |
| Why Are So Many Infectious Diseases Jumping From Animals To Humans? Posted: 01 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST The first trench-to-bench field guide for tracking wild primate infectious diseases provides integrated information that could help scientists identify infection patterns and prevent epidemics.  |
| Melatonin May Save Eyesight In Inflammatory Disease, Study Suggests Posted: 01 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Current research suggests that melatonin therapy may help treat uveitis, a common inflammatory eye disease.  |
| Better Golf Ball Dimples Result in Less Drag and Balls That Fly Farther Posted: 01 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Scientists may soon give avid golfers another way to improve their game -- better balls that fly farther. Up to now, dimple design has been more of an art than a science. For many years, sporting goods companies would design their dimple patterns by simple trial and error, testing prototype after prototype against one another.  |
| How Many Meteorites Have Landed In Western Canada? Prospects For The Missing Holocene Impact Record Posted: 01 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Based on the amount and frequency of meteorite falls and the formation of impact craters on the Earth, there should be over 20 impact craters in the <100 m size range that formed within the past 10,000 years, yet only five such craters are known worldwide.  |
| Genetic Variants Giving Rise To Differences In Metabolism Identified Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Common genetic polymorphisms induce major differentiations in the metabolic make-up of the human population, according to an article in PLoS Genetics. Scientists have conducted a genome-wide association study with metabolomics, identifying genetic variants in genes involved in the breakdown of fats. The resulting differences in metabolic capacity can affect individuals' susceptibility to complex diseases such as diabetes and hyperactivity.  |
| Cancer Cell 'Bodyguard' Turned Into Killer Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST If you're a cancer cell, you want a protein called Bcl-2 on your side because it decides if you live or die. It's usually a trusted bodyguard, protecting cancer cells from programmed death and allowing them to grow and form tumors. But sometimes it turns into their assassin. Scientists knew it happened, but they didn't know how to actually cause such a betrayal. Now they do and it may lead to the development of new cancer-fighting drugs.  |
| Blocking A Neuropeptide Receptor Decreases Nicotine Addiction Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Scientists have found that blocking the receptor for a specific neuropeptide, short chains of amino acids found in nerve tissue, significantly decreases the desire for nicotine in animal models. In addition, these data may explain intriguing findings from human smokers who spontaneously quit smoking when they suffer brain damage restricted to a small portion of their frontal cortex.  |
| Scientists Invent Machine That Sorts Pomegranate Seeds Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST A team of investigators from Valencia has developed a machine that separates automatically the seeds from the rind and pith of the pomegranate. The mechanism uses a computer vision system to distinguish and sort the different parts of this fruit, according to a study published on-line by the Journal of Food Engineering.  |
| People Wasting Billions Of Dollars On 'Quack' Health Food And Weight Loss Products, Expert Says Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Globally every year, obese people waste billions of dollars on food products that "imply" that they aid weight loss, but are totally ineffective, says a nutritional expert on the British Medical Journal website.  |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Scientists report that small RNA molecules called piRNAs can be passed directly from one generation to the next in fruit flies, thereby passing the trait of fertility from the mother to progeny. This process occurs independently of genomic DNA via direct deposits of maternal piRNAs into developing oocytes. The piRNAs suppress the expression of DNA sequences called "transposons" that would otherwise lead to infertility in the progeny fruit flies.  |
| Memory Mission Explores New Territory In Neuroscience Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Astrophysicists peer into the far corners of deep space for dark matter, but for neuroscientists are exploring the unknown is much closer to home.  |
| Potassium Loss From Blood Pressure Drugs May Explain Higher Risk Of Adult Diabetes Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Researchers have discovered that a drop in blood potassium levels caused by diuretics commonly prescribed for high blood pressure could be the reason why people on those drugs are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The drugs helpfully accelerate loss of fluids, but also deplete important chemicals, including potassium, so that those who take them are generally advised to eat bananas and other potassium-rich foods to counteract the effect.  |
| Mercury Tarnishes Louisiana Fish Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Researchers are fighting to remove mercury from the environment. Mercury-containing pressure gauges in the natural gas fields, coal-fired power plants and chlorine plants are among the sources of mercury that concern scientists.  |
| Life Is A Highway: Study Confirms Cars Have Personality Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST No one needs to tell Disney, which brought the likes of Herbie the Love Bug and Lightning McQueen to the big screen, that cars have personality. "Cars seem to have consistent personality traits associated with them, and ... this is similar to the way people perceive facial expressions," said one of the researchers.  |
| Want Sustainable Fishing? Keep Only Small Fish, And Let The Big Ones Go Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Scientists analyzed fisheries data to determine the effect of the "keep the large ones" policy that is typical of fisheries. What they found is that the effect of this policy is an unsustainable fishery.  |
| Genomic Causes Of Certain Type Of Leukemia Relapse Identified Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Scientists have identified distinctive genetic changes in the cancer cells of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia that cause relapse.  |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Whether in oil pipelines or city water mains -- scientists have discovered that turbulent flow is not stable.  |
| Diabetes Medications In Same Class Carry Different Risks Of Heart Failure, Death Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Older adults who take the diabetes medication rosiglitazone appear to have a higher risk of death and heart failure than those taking the related medication pioglitazone, according to a new report.  |
| From Deep In Lake Ontario, Comes A Natural Coolant Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST Cold, clean water from Lake Ontario has the potential to act as a natural coolant for buildings 30 miles away in Syracuse, N.Y., while reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses, substantially cutting energy costs, and aiding in the restoration of the long-polluted Onondaga Lake, according to a team of scientists.  |
| Children With Sickle Cell Disease Receiving Inadequate Care, Study Finds Posted: 30 Nov 2008 11:00 PM PST A new study finds that youth populations with sickle cell disease are receiving inadequate health care, and thus may fail to benefit from scientific advances. The study finds that the patients, mostly African-Americans, often lack insurance or access to specialized sickle cell centers for treatment.  |
| Combining Targeted Therapy Drugs May Treat Previously Resistant Tumors Posted: 29 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST Cancer researchers have discovered a potential treatment for a group of tumors that have resisted previous targeted therapy approaches. They found that blocking 2 cell signaling pathways leads to a dramatic shrinkage of K-Ras-mutated tumors in an animal model.  |
| Bio-inspired Wing Design To Revolutionize Aircraft Flight Posted: 29 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... both! While aircraft have always borne a resemblance to their feathered counterparts in the sky, new research is bringing the two even closer together.  |
| Volcanic Eruption Signals Simulated In Lab For First Time Posted: 29 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST For the first time, seismic signals that precede a volcanic eruption have been simulated and visualized in 3-D under controlled pressure conditions in a laboratory. The ability to conduct such simulations will better equip municipal authorities in volcanic hot spots around the world in knowing when to alert people who live near volcanoes of an impending eruption.  |
| Posted: 29 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST Research shows for the first time that a group-based psychological treatment, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, could be a viable alternative to prescription drugs for people suffering from long-term depression. In this study, MBCT proved as effective as maintenance anti-depressants in preventing a relapse and more effective in enhancing peoples' quality of life. The study also showed MBCT to be as cost-effective as prescription drugs in helping people with a history of depression stay well in the longer-term.  |
| Smallpox Vaccination Effective For Decades, Study Suggests Posted: 29 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST There is concern that bioterrorists might obtain smallpox from a laboratory and release it into the population. However researchers found that lifetime protection is obtained from just one vaccination, even when that vaccination occurred as much as 88 years ago. They conclude that in the event of a smallpox bioterrorist attack, vaccinia smallpox vaccine should be used first on individuals who have not been vaccinated previously.  |
| Scientists Developing Safer Food Allergy Treatment Posted: 29 Nov 2008 09:00 PM PST A European team of scientists are embarking on new research to develop food allergy treatments. Classical treatment with allergen-specific immunotherapy, where a patient received monthly injections with an allergen extract for three to five years, is effective but dangerous due to anaphylactic side-effects. In the FAST project, scientists will use modified variants of allergic proteins that are hypoallergenic and therefore safer. The proteins will be purified to increase effectiveness and dosage control easier.  |
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