ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Longstanding Theory Of Origin Of Species In Oceans Challenged Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST New evidence uncovered by oceanographers challenges one of the most long-standing theories about how species evolve in the oceans. Researchers propose that it was the climate, and its role in determining the availability of favorable oceanic habitat, that restricted the distribution of the species they studied rather than the presence of physical ocean barriers. In this new view, plankton are freely dispersed throughout the ocean but local conditions determine whether or not the species can 'take hold' and thrive.

Potential Therapy For Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Current research suggests laminin, a protein that helps cells stick together, may lead to enhanced muscle repair in muscular dystrophy.

Religion May Have Evolved Because Of Its Ability To Help People Exercise Self-control Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Psychologists reveal that religion facilitates the exercise of self-control and attainment of long-term goals. A psychology professor has found a strong correlation between religion and self-control, or self-regulation. He explains that religious people may have at their disposal a set of unique resources that makes them better suited to adhering to long term goals.

How Chromosomes Meet In The Dark: Switch That Turns On X Chromosome Matchmaking Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST A research group lead by scientists at the University of Warwick has discovered the trigger that pulls together X chromosomes in female cells at a crucial stage of embryo development. This is an important mechanism as the binding together of too many of too few of a particular chromosome can cause a number of medical conditions such as Down Syndrome.

Crystallographers Use Computers To Find New Superconductor Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST New calculations predict that germanium hydride will be superconducting at relatively high temperatures, but will be easier to process than the high-temperature superconductors known up to now.

Weakness In Internet Security Uncovered Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Independent security researchers have found a weakness in the Internet digital certificate infrastructure that allows attackers to forge certificates that are fully trusted by all commonly used web browsers.

Four Years After Tsunami, Coral Reefs Recovering Posted: 01 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Scientists have reported a rapid recovery of coral reefs in areas of Indonesia, following the tsunami that devastated coastal regions throughout the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004.

Grape-seed Extract Kills Laboratory Leukemia Cells, Proving Value Of Natural Compounds Posted: 01 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST An extract from grape seeds forces laboratory leukemia cells to commit cell suicide. Researchers found that within 24 hours, 76 percent of leukemia cells had died after being exposed to the extract.

Killer Mice Bring Albatross Population Closer To Extinction Posted: 01 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST The critically endangered Tristan albatross has suffered its worst breeding season ever. The number of chicks making it through to fledging has decreased rapidly, and it is now five times lower than it should be because introduced predatory mice are eating the chicks alive on Gough island -- the bird's only home and a South Atlantic territory of the United Kingdom.

Evidence For Protective Effect Of Fish Oil Not Conclusive Posted: 01 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Fish oil protects against deaths from heart problems, but doesn't provide a clear benefit in heart rhythm problems, according a new study.

Structure Of Virulent Pathogen Revealed Posted: 01 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Like high-profile politicians, pathogenic bacteria dispatch advance teams to make way for their arrival. But these bacterial agents don't just secure a safe passage, as a Secret Service detail might do. Rather they are teams of molecules that bacteria inject into cells they want to colonize, sent to hijack their hosts' biochemistry to serve their master's microbial needs. These molecules -- called virulence factors -- co-opt essential cell functions including the reproduction cycle and cell structure assembly, suppressing the cells' defenses against bacterial invasion and causing disease.

Errors Involving Medications Common In Outpatient Cancer Treatment Posted: 01 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Seven percent of adults and 19 percent of children taking chemotherapy drugs in outpatient clinics or at home were given the wrong dose or experienced other mistakes involving their medications, according to a new study.

How The Spider Spun Its Web: ‘Missing Link’ In Spider Evolution Discovered Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST New interpretations of fossils have revealed an ancient missing link between today's spiders and their long-extinct ancestors. The research by scientists at the University of Kansas and Virginia's Hampden-Sydney College may help explain how spiders came to weave webs.

Type 1 Diabetes: Pancreatic Cell Transplants Engineered To Evade Immune Response Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST In a finding that could significantly influence the way type 1 diabetes is treated, researchers have developed a technique for transplanting insulin-producing pancreatic cells that causes only a minimal immune response in recipients.

Link To Severe Staph Infections Found Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Researchers recently described studies that support the link between the severity of community-acquired antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections and the Panton Valentine leukocidin.

Quadrantid Meteor Shower Expected 2nd-3rd January, 2009 Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST This year the Quadrantid meteor shower reaches its sharp peak of activity around midday on 3rd January in the UK (early morning in the US) . From the UK the best time to see them is in the last part of the night, before dawn on the morning of the 3rd, when perhaps a few tens of meteors will be visible each hour.

Epileptics In Stressful Jobs Can Handle The Pressure, Study Suggests Posted: 01 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Subject to sudden unexpected seizures, epileptics are often a subject of discrimination in the workforce. Many employers are hesitant to hire epileptics, fearing that stressful workplace situations might bring on an attack. But a new study suggests these fears are groundless. Researchers find epileptics in stressful jobs can handle the pressure.

The Culture Of Medicine Posted: 30 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST Everybody is familiar with the stereotypes of medical education from the student perspective: grueling hours, little recognition, and even less glory. A new study pulls back the curtain on the dominant environment of academic medicine from the perspective of faculty, the providers of medical education in medical schools. The study raises questions about how the prevailing culture of academic medicine shapes the delivery of health care.

New Breeding Ground For Endangered Whales? High Numbers Of Right Whales Seen In Gulf Of Maine Posted: 30 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST A large number of North Atlantic right whales have been seen in the Gulf of Maine in recent days, leading right whale researchers to believe they have identified a wintering ground and potentially a breeding ground for this endangered species.

Smokers With Stroke In Family 6 Times More Likely To Have Stroke Too Posted: 30 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST A new study shows that people who are smokers and have a family history of brain aneurysm appear to be significantly more likely to suffer a stroke from a brain aneurysm themselves.

Fewer Deaths With Preventive Antibiotic Use Posted: 30 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST Administering antibiotics as a preventive measure to patients in intensive care units increases their chances of survival. This has emerged from a study involving nearly six thousand Dutch patients in thirteen hospitals.

New Visualization Techniques Yield Star Formation Insights: Gravity Plays Larger Role Than Thought Posted: 30 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST New computer visualization technology developed by the Harvard Initiative in Innovative Computing has helped astrophysicists understand that gravity plays a larger role than previously thought in deep space's vast, star-forming molecular clouds.

Bright Lights, Not-so-big Pupils Posted: 30 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST Neuroscientists have worked out how some newly discovered light sensors in the eye detect light and communicate with the brain.

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