ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Jupiter's Moon Europa Does The Wave To Generate Heat Posted: 15 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST One of the moons in our solar system that scientists think has the potential to harbor life may have a far more dynamic ocean than previously thought. If the moon Europa is tilted on its axis even slightly as it orbits the giant planet Jupiter, then Jupiter's gravitational pull could be creating powerful waves in Europa's ocean, according to an oceanographer.

Toothbrushing Can Prevent Hospital-borne Pneumonia Posted: 15 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Toothbrushing can prevent hospital-borne pneumonia. Hospital-borne infections are a serious risk of a long-term hospital stay, and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), a lung infection that develops in about 15% of all people who are ventilated, is among the most dangerous.

Why Climbers Die On Mount Everest Posted: 15 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Researchers have conducted the first detailed analysis of deaths during expeditions to the summit of Mt. Everest. They found that most deaths occur during descents from the summit in the so-called "death zone" above 8,000 meters and also identified factors that appear to be associated with a greater risk of death, particularly symptoms of high-altitude cerebral edema.

Radiation Before Surgery Improves Pancreatic Cancer Outcomes, Study Shows Posted: 15 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest and most difficult to treat cancers. Now, in a major step forward, researchers have shown that administering radiation therapy prior to surgery nearly doubles survival in pancreatic cancer patients with operable tumors.

4,000-year-old Amber Necklace Has Been Unearthed In England Posted: 15 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST The rare find was unearthed from a stone-lined grave -- known as a Cist. It is the first time a necklace of this kind from the early Bronze Age has been found in north west England.

Probing Genetic Underpinnings Of Nicotine Addiction Posted: 15 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Smokers who carry a particular version of a gene for an enzyme that regulates dopamine in the brain may suffer from concentration problems and other cognitive deficits when abstaining from nicotine -- a problem that puts them at risk for relapse during attempts to quit smoking.

Biologist Modifies Theory Of Cells' Engines Posted: 15 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Biologists have known for decades that cells use tiny molecular motors to move chromosomes, mitochondria, and many other organelles within the cell, but no one has been able to understand what "steers" these engines to their destinations. Now, researchers have shed new light on how cells accomplish this feat and the results may eventually lead to new approaches to fighting pathogens and neurological diseases.

Discovery Could Improve The Lives Of Premature Babies Posted: 15 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Scientists have identified a potential new avenue for altering lung development in the embryo which may help to improve the outcome for very premature babies. Researchers have discovered a key player in early lung development which is a potential drug target for treating very premature babies with small, immature lungs.

Mould Toxins More Prevalent And Hazardous Than Thought Posted: 15 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Mould toxins in buildings damaged by moisture are considerably more prevalent than was previously thought, according to new international research. Researchers have analyzed dust and materials samples from buildings damaged by mould. Virtually all of the samples contained toxins from mould.

Proinflammatory Cytokines Could Help Improve Diagnosis And Treatment Of Prostate Cancer Posted: 15 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Researchers have concluded that there could be a link between the high expression of proinflammatory cytokines and high levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) with the progression of prostate cancer.

Mathematical Model Gives Clearer Picture Of Physics Of Cells, Organelles Posted: 15 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Cells are filled with membrane-bound organelles like the nucleus, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticula. Over the years, scientists have made much progress in understanding the biomolecular details of how these organelles function within cells, but understanding the actual physical forces that maintain the structures of these organelles' membranes continues to be a challenge. Mathematicians have recently devised a new mathematical procedure for accurately predicting the 3-D forces involved in creating and maintaining certain organelle membrane structures that could one day shed light on the lifecycle of membrane-bound viruses such as HIV.

Fraud In Science: How Prevalent Is It And What Can Be Done? Posted: 15 Dec 2008 08:00 AM PST Public confidence in the honesty of scientists is being harmed by a small minority of researchers who behave badly, a conference heard last week. European research organizations agreed to work more closely to tackle the problem of fraud and other misconduct in science.

Planet Formation Could Lie In Stellar Storms Rather Than Gravitational Instability Posted: 15 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST New research suggests that turbulence plays a critical role in creating ripe conditions for the birth of planets. The study challenges the prevailing theory of planet formation. Using three-dimensional simulations of the dust and gas that orbits young stars, the study demonstrates that turbulence is a significant obstacle to gravitational instability, the process that scientists have used since the 1970s to explain the early stage of planet formation.

Time Running Out On Coral Reefs As Climate Change Becomes Increasing Threat Posted: 15 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Increasing pressures from climate change will reach a tipping point in less than a decade, triggering a significant decline in the health of the planet's coral reef ecosystems according to the findings in an international report. Coral reefs continue to be threatened from direct human activities of pollution and over-fishing, but now the threat of climate change is being recognized as the major threat to the future of reefs around the world.

Hope For The Treatment Of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Posted: 15 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Systemic lupus erythematosus is an chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory disease that progressively damages numerous organs in the body. Treatments are available, but none is specific to the disease, and they can have severe adverse effects. Scientists have now discovered a protein fragment, the P140 peptide, that is capable of treating lupus-affected mice.

The Crash Of 2008: A Mathematician's View Posted: 15 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Markets need regulation to stay stable. We have had thirty years of financial deregulation. Now we are seeing chickens coming home to roost. This is the key argument of a mathematician at Imperial College London, in an article just published in Significance, the magazine of the Royal Statistical Society.

Confusion, Not Decay, Most Important In Forgetting Over Short Term Posted: 15 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Theories suggest that we forget when information simply decays from our memory (when too much time has passed) or when we confuse an item with other items that we have previously encountered (also known as temporal confusability). Psychologists investigated the two theories to pinpoint the main cause of forgetfulness over the short term. The results, reported in Psychological Science, reveal that temporal confusability, and not decay, is important for forgetting over the short term.

Waste Coffee Grounds Offer New Source Of Biodiesel Fuel Posted: 15 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Researchers in Nevada are reporting that waste coffee grounds can provide a cheap, abundant, and environmentally friendly source of biodiesel fuel for powering automobiles and industries.

Childhood Obesity Linked To Asthma Posted: 15 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST A new study that found that healthy children with higher levels of body fat and lower levels of physical activity had greater amounts of airway narrowing after exercise. These findings may point to the increase over the past several decades in asthma prevalence as well as obesity prevalence, the researcher said.

Radiologists Diagnose And Treat Self-embedding Disorder In Teens Posted: 15 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Minimally invasive, image-guided treatment is a safe and precise method for removal of self-inflicted foreign objects from the body, according to the first report on "self-embedding disorder," or self-injury and self-inflicted foreign body insertion in adolescents.

Key Step In Maturation Pathway Of Telomerase Identified Posted: 15 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Scientists have discovered an important step in the maturation pathway of telomerase, the enzyme that replenishes the sequences that are lost at chromosome ends with every cell division. The findings were published in Nature.

Safer, Better, Faster: Addressing Cryptography’s Big Challenges Posted: 15 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Every time you use a credit card, access your bank account online or send secure email cryptography comes into play. But as computers become more powerful, network speeds increase and data storage grows, the current methods of protecting information are being challenged.

Use Of Rapid Response Team In Hospital Not Linked With Reduction In Cardio Arrests Or Deaths Posted: 15 Dec 2008 02:00 AM PST Although there is an effort to implement rapid response teams in hospitals throughout the country, new research suggests that they do not result in a reduced rate of cardiopulmonary arrests or deaths, according to a new study.

Hottest White Dwarf In Its Class Posted: 14 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST Astronomers have identified a white dwarf that is among the hottest stars known so far, with a temperature of 200,000 K at its surface. It is so hot that its photosphere exhibits emission lines in the ultraviolet spectrum, a phenomenon that has never been seen before.

Ultrasound Screening Helps Prevent Stroke In Children With Sickle Cell Disease Posted: 14 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST Screening with an ultrasound machine has proved highly successful in preventing stroke among children with sickle cell disease, by identifying children who are then preventively treated with blood transfusions. Over an eight-year period at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, researchers found that the technique, transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, along with regular transfusions for children found to be at high risk, reduced stroke to one-tenth of the incidence found before TCD was introduced.

Innovative MRI-based Technique Posted: 14 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST A new approach to the early prediction of the evolution of cerebral infarcts caused by stroke has just been evaluated on nearly 100 patients. The NEURiNFARCT technique yields an estimate of the final extent of brain tissues at risk of infarction for acute stroke patients. This new technique is derived from unprecedented analysis of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data.

Understanding Of Bone Marrow Stem Cell Niche Expanded Posted: 14 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST Scientists have identified the precise location of the bone marrow stem cell niche. The findings were published in Nature.

Dune And Dirty: Hurricane Teaches Lessons Through Ecosystem Research Posted: 14 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST Dr. Rusty Feagin was managing several ecosystem research projects on Galveston Island when the 2008 hurricane season began. Then he got an unexpected visit from a research assistant named Ike. "Ike reconfirmed the basic idea I've had for several years," said Feagin, ecosystem scientist with Texas AgriLife Research. "The plants on sand dunes and in marshes build an island's elevation, so we shouldn't compromise that."

Contraceptive Methods Shape Women's Sexual Pleasure And Satisfaction Posted: 14 Dec 2008 11:00 PM PST Many women think condoms undermine sexual pleasure, but those who use both hormonal contraception and condoms also reported higher overall sexual satisfaction.

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