ScienceDaily: Latest Science News |
| Possible Mechanism For Creating 'Handedness' In Biological Molecules Posted: 02 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST The basic molecules that make up all living things have a predetermined chirality or "handedness," similar to the way people are right or left handed. This chirality has a profound influence on the chemistry and molecular interactions of living organisms. Scientists have discovered a way to induce this handedness in pre-biological molecules.  |
| Lack Of Vitamin D Could Spell Heart Trouble Posted: 02 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Vitamin D deficiency -- which is traditionally associated with bone and muscle weakness -- may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. A growing body of evidence links low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to common CVD risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes, as well as major cardiovascular events including stroke and congestive heart failure.  |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST The accelerated melting of continental icepacks is the major reason for the rise in sea level over the 2003 to 2008 period, something which has minimized the effect of thermal expansion of seawater, according to new research.  |
| Key To Keeping Killer T Cells In Prime Shape For Fighting Infection, Cancer Posted: 02 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Researchers have found multiple receptors on the outside of the body's killer immune system cells which they believe can be selectively targeted to keep the cells in superb infection and disease-fighting condition. In a study published in Nature Immunology, the researchers describe their discovery of seven different receptors on T cells that can tamp down immune responses during a prolonged battle with an infectious pathogen or against developing cancer.  |
| Symptoms Of Depression Associated With Increase In Abdominal Fat Posted: 02 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Older adults with symptoms of depression appear more likely to gain abdominal fat, but not overall fat, over a five-year period.  |
| Can You Hear Me Now? How The Inner Ear's Sensors Are Made Posted: 02 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST A new study shows for the first time how microscopic crystals form sound and gravity sensors inside the inner ear. Located at the ends of cilia -- tiny cellular hairs in the ear that move and transmit signals -- the crystals play an important role in detecting sound, maintaining balance and regulating movement. The findings suggest a potential gene target for the treatment of people suffering from vertigo and common hearing problems related to cilia disorders.  |
| Viral DNA In Bacterial Genome Could Hold Key To Novel Cystic Fibrosis Treatments Posted: 02 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is well known for its environmental versatility, ability to cause infection in humans, and antibiotic resistance. P. aeruginosa is the most common cause of lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients. Researchers have now used genomic techniques to study a particularly virulent strain of P. aeruginosa, uncovering genetic clues to its success that will aid in the design of novel therapeutic strategies.  |
| Influence Of Climate Warming On The Increase In Tick-borne Diseases Posted: 02 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Rises in the ambient temperature modify the behavior of dog ticks and increase their affinity for humans. There is thus a risk that episodes of global warming may be associated with epidemics of tick-borne diseases.  |
| New Model Predicts Hot Spots For Mercury In Fish Posted: 02 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Mercury levels in fish are prompting widespread consumption advisories and uncertainty among consumers over which species are safe to eat. Now researchers have developed a model that will help scientists and regulators around the country predict which areas are likely to have fish with high mercury levels -- a breakthrough that should help officials address public uncertainty by developing health advisories for specific water bodies and fish species.  |
| Flu Vaccine Linked To Reduced Illness, Impairment Of Academic Performance Among College Students Posted: 02 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST College students who are vaccinated against influenza appear less likely to develop flu-like illnesses, require related health care visits or experience impairments in academic performance during flu season, according to a new report.  |
| Rare Mineral Can Track Ancient Climates, And Foretells Major Meltdown Posted: 02 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST By discovering the meaning of a rare mineral that can be used to track ancient climates, geologists are helping climatologists to better understand what we're probably in for over the next century or two as global warming begins to crank up the heat and, ultimately, to change life as we know it.  |
| Young Gymnasts Suffering New Types of Injuries, MRI Shows Posted: 02 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Adolescent gymnasts are developing a wide variety of arm, wrist and hand injuries that are beyond the scope of previously described gymnastic-related trauma. Researchers noted that some gymnasts had necrosis, or "early death," of the bones of their knuckles.  |
| Is An Anchor Responsible For Mad Cow Disease (BSE) Infections? Posted: 02 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Chemists are providing prion researchers with a new tool to elucidate the role played by specific anchor molecules. These complicated anchor compounds are suspected of promoting infections with BSE or Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease.  |
| New RNA Processing Mechanism And New Class Of Small RNAs Posted: 02 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Scientists report their discoveries of a previously unknown mechanism in the nucleus that processes non-coding RNA molecules to generate what might be a new class of small RNAs.  |
| Speed Matters For Ice-shelf Breaking Posted: 02 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST It won't help the Titanic, but a newly derived, simple law may help scientists improve their climate models and glaciologists predict where icebergs will calve off from their parent ice sheets.  |
| Place Of Birth Contributes To Asthma Disparity Posted: 02 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Public health researchers report the possible role of nativity (place of birth) on asthma prevalence in a black population in the United States. The findings emerged unexpectedly from a community-based participatory survey related to asthma conducted in Dorchester, Mass.  |
| Discovery Of Virus In Lemur Could Shed Light On AIDS Posted: 01 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST The genome of a squirrel-sized, saucer-eyed lemur from Madagascar may help scientists understand how HIV-like viruses co-evolved with primates, according to new research.  |
| Bariatric Surgery May Resolve Liver Disease Posted: 01 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST A recent study reports bariatric surgery results in improvement of histopathological features of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Complications of NAFLD, including steatosis, steatohepatitis and fibrosis appeared to improve or completely resolve in a majority of patients after bariatric surgery-induced weight loss, according to new results.  |
| Boll Weevil Feeding Habits Now Better Understood Posted: 01 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST Boll weevils don't hibernate during winter in the subtropics but actually remain active, feeding on orange, grapefruit and other plants, according to a scientist studying this infamous cotton pest.  |
| Arthritis Research Shows Better Management More Important Than New Drugs Posted: 01 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST Although there has been an increase in the number of new arthritis treatments in recent years, the best results will come from more effective use of the drugs we have. Research published in Arthritis Research and Therapy investigates the effectiveness of available arthritis drugs and concludes that better management is the most important factor.  |
| Fragments Of 10-tonne Space Rock Located In Canada From Nov. 20 Fireball Posted: 01 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST The remains of a 10-tonne asteroid that exploded in the sky near the Alberta/Saskatchewan border on November 20, 2008 have been located in a rural area near the city of Lloydminster.  |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST As the connection between second-hand smoke and coronary heart disease (CHD) became clearer and legislation was passed to reduce such passive smoking, exposures have been reduced. Researchers have recalibrated the CHD Policy Model to better predict future trends in CHD.  |
| Cells Reorganize Shape To Fit The Situation, Scientists Discover Posted: 01 Dec 2008 08:00 PM PST Flip open any biology textbook and you're bound to see a complicated diagram of the inner workings of a cell, with its internal scaffolding, the cytoskeleton, and how it maintains a cell's shape. Yet the fundamental question remains, which came first: the shape, or the skeleton? Now a research team has the answer: both.  |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2008 08:00 PM PST Researchers have designed a music system that will allow users to compose and perform in the same few milliseconds, with an infinite number of variations on a single theme. Imagine a concert hall and a stage, with a symphony orchestra that has performed Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth symphony, with the addition of electric instruments and loudspeakers. Imagine the composer who strolls around between the orchestra members on the stage, while they start on the fourth movement.  |
| New Approaches Make Retinal Detachment Highly Treatable Posted: 01 Dec 2008 08:00 PM PST In a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading ophthalmologist writes that a high probability of reattachment and visual improvement is possible by using one of three currently available surgical techniques.  |
| Biocontrol Scores Knockout Punch On Birch Tree Pest Posted: 01 Dec 2008 08:00 PM PST The birch leafminer, an insect pest that regularly disfigures birch trees, has been virtually eradicated in the Northeast. The credit goes to entomologists who successfully introduced a biological control agent.  |
| Test-tube Babies Profitable Business For The State, Swedish Study Shows Posted: 01 Dec 2008 08:00 PM PST Increased financial support for IVF fertilization would be downright profitable for the state according to Swedish research. Test-tube babies are an investment for the future, not an expense.  |
| Brain's Magnetic Fields Reveal Language Delays In Autism Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Faint magnetic signals from brain activity in children with autism show that those children process sound and language differently from nonautistic children. Identifying and classifying these brain response patterns may allow researchers to more accurately diagnose autism and possibly aid in developing more effective treatments for the developmental disorder. Pediatric researchers used magnetocephalography to detect magnetic fields in the brain.  |
| Vitamin K Linked To Insulin Resistance In Older Men Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST A study of 355 non-diabetic elderly men and women found men who took a vitamin K supplement had less progression of insulin resistance over a period of three years compared to men not receiving vitamin K. Vitamin K did not appear to protect supplemented women from age-related increases in insulin resistance.  |
| Where There's Wildfire Smoke, There's Toxicity Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Detailed particulate analysis of the smoke produced by previous California wild fires indicates that the composition posed more serious potential threats to health than is generally realized, according to a new paper analyzing particulate matter from wildfires in Southern California.  |
| Kidney Function Discovery Sheds Light On Genetic Complexity Of Disease Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST To find a cure for cancer, hemophilia and other diseases, researchers need to be looking for complex, interacting genetic factors, according to the authors of a new study.  |
| Beetles May Be Source Of Food-Borne Pathogens In Broiler Flocks Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST A new study suggests that darkling beetles and their larvae can transmit harmful food-borne pathogens to chicks in broiler houses in successive rearing cycles.  |
| Using Challenging Concepts To Learn Promotes Understanding Of New Material Posted: 01 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Although conventional wisdom suggests that the best way to learn a difficult skill is to progress from easier problems to more difficult ones, research examining this issue has resulted in mixed outcomes. Psychologists wanted to pinpoint the best strategies for learning new information and found that the effects of the different training methods depended on the type of categories that the participants were learning.  |
| Antarctica Has More Species Than Galapagos, First Comprehensive Inventory Of Antarctic Life Shows Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 PM PST The first comprehensive "inventory" of sea and land animals around a group of Antarctic islands reveals a region that is rich in biodiversity and has more species than the Galapagos. The study provides an important benchmark to monitor how they will respond to future environmental change.  |
| It Takes Guts To Build Bone, Scientists Discover Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 PM PST Bone growth is controlled in the gut through serotonin, the same naturally present chemical used by the brain to influence mood, appetite and sleep, according to a new discovery. Until now, the skeleton was thought to control bone growth and serotonin was known as a neurotransmitter acting in the brain. This insight could transform how osteoporosis is treated by giving doctors a way to increase bone mass, not just slow its loss.  |
| Drivers Distracted More By Cell Phones Than By Passengers Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 PM PST Drivers are far more distracted by talking on a cellular phone than by conversing with a passenger in an automobile, according to a new study. The study, which used a sophisticated driving simulator, found that when drivers talk on a cell phone, they drift out of their lanes and missed exits more frequently than drivers conversing with a passenger. Passengers react to traffic, unlike a person at the other end of a cell phone conversation.  |
| New Vaccines Protect Against Asian H5N1 Influenza A Viruses In Domestic Ducks Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 PM PST Scientists are looking at a novel strategy to prevent the spread of pandemic avian influenza. They have developed a vaccine that protects ducks, a known natural reservoir for the virus.  |
| Antarctica: Wilkins Ice Shelf Under Threat Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 PM PST New rifts have developed on the Wilkins Ice Shelf that could lead to the opening of the ice bridge that has been preventing the ice shelf from disintegrating and breaking away from the Antarctic Peninsula.  |
| Lower Childhood IQ Associated With Higher Risk Of Adult Mental Disorders Posted: 01 Dec 2008 02:00 PM PST In a new, long-term study covering more than three decades, researchers found that children with lower IQs showed an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders as adults, including schizophrenia, depression and generalized anxiety disorder.  |
| Cleanliness Makes People Less Severe In Moral Judgments Posted: 01 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST New research in Psychological Science has found that the physical notion of cleanliness significantly reduces the severity of moral judgments, showing that intuition, rather than deliberate reasoning can influence our perception of what is right and wrong. "Take for example the situation of a jury member or voting in an election - if the jury member had washes their hands prior to delivering their verdict, they may judge the crime less harshly," according to one of the researchers.  |
| Insights Into Adaptive Ability Of Cells May Help Explain How Cancer Eludes Body's Natural Defense Posted: 01 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Scientists have shed light on the ability of cells to adapt to disruptions to their basic division machineries -- a finding that may help explain how cancer cells elude the body's natural defense mechanisms or chemotherapy treatment.  |
| Ocean Currents Off South Africa Influence Gulf Stream Posted: 01 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Variations in the strength of the Gulf Stream can in part attributed to currents off South Africa. Oceanographers developed a computer model to study the currents systems in unsurpassed detail. To their surprise, they found the impact of small-scale fluctuations of the Agulhas Current south of Africa is detectable all the way into the North Atlantic Ocean.  |
| 'Deranged Calcium Signaling' Contributes To Neurological Disorder Posted: 01 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Defective calcium metabolism in nerve cells may play a major role in a fatal genetic neurological disorder that resembles Huntington's disease, researchers have found in a mouse study.  |
| Polymer Solar Cells With Higher Efficiency Levels Created Posted: 01 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Currently solar cells are difficult to handle, expensive to purchase and complicated to install. The hope is that consumers will one day be able to buy solar cells from their local hardware store and simply hang them like posters on a wall. A recent study has shown that the dream is one step closer to reality.  |
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