ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Humans And Mice Express The Same Olfactory Preferences Posted: 22 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Humans and mice are attracted by the same odors. This has been revealed for the first time by a team of French researchers, whose work confirms that olfactory preferences are not solely determined by experience or culture, but also by the structure of the odorant molecule. It will undoubtedly enable a clearer understanding of the neuronal mechanisms coding for olfactory perception. More immediately, it may be possible to predict human olfactory preferences based on those observed in the mouse.

Blocked Protein Prevents Lupus In Mouse Model Posted: 22 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Mice from a strain that ordinarily develops systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but bred with a deficiency in receptor for the protein Interleukin 21, stayed healthy and exhibited none of the symptoms of the disease, researchers report.

New Sperm Shaker Set To Improve IVF Success Rates Posted: 22 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Scientists have developed a ground-breaking method for testing the quality of a sperm before it is used in IVF and increase the chances of conception.

Experimental Topical Microbicide Offers Convenient, Long-lasting Protection Against Genital Herpes, Study Suggests Posted: 22 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST A topical microbicide that silences two genes can safely protect against genital herpes infection for as long as one week, according to a new study.

Electronics Created With Printer Significantly Improved Posted: 22 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Electronic systems designed to perform simple functions, such as monitor the temperature on a yogurt pot, mustn't cost much: This is where printed electronics are at an advantage. Researchers are now significantly improving the properties of printed circuits.

Vision Tests For Older Drivers Not Proven To Prevent Crashes Posted: 22 Jan 2009 11:00 AM PST Recent automobile accidents with tragic results have prompted questions about the eyesight of elderly drivers, but researchers say they are unable to determine whether vision tests actually lead to fewer fatal crashes.

'Super-Neptune' Exoplanet Discovered Posted: 22 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST Astronomers have discovered a planet somewhat larger and more massive than Neptune orbiting a star 120 light-years from Earth. While Neptune has a diameter 3.8 times that of Earth and a mass 17 times Earth's, the new world (named HAT-P-11b) is 4.7 times the size of Earth and has 25 Earth masses.

Growing Years Cut Short For Toddlers From Poor Families Posted: 22 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST Continuous poverty during toddler years can curb the height of children by the time they reach kindergarten, even in industrialized countries, according to new research from the University of Montreal. Regardless of hereditary factors such as maternal height and education level, according to the finding, children from poor families are more likely to be shorter than their peers.

MRSA’s 'Weak Point' Visualized By Scientists Posted: 22 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST An enzyme that lives in MRSA and helps the dangerous bacterium to grow and spread infection through the human body has been visualized for the first time.

Low Glycemic Diets Help Diabetics Control Blood Sugar, Review Suggests Posted: 22 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST Following a low glycemic index diet helps people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes to improve their blood glucose (blood sugar) control significantly, according to a new review.

Coastal Barrier Island Researchers Learn Lessons From Ike Destruction Posted: 22 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST More than 20 coastal barrier island researchers came to Galveston Island in early January -- from New England, the Pacific coast and all points between where ocean meets US soil. Many had never seen the level of destruction wrought by Hurricane Ike. But now they have a goal that will involve research, management and outreach to the public in order to help the nation's barrier islands.

When Less Attention Improves Memory Posted: 22 Jan 2009 08:00 AM PST In confused patients with false memories, memory accuracy improves when attentional resources are reduced. Most cognitive processes supporting adaptive behavior need attentional resources for their operation. Confabulation is a devastating memory disorder consisting in the uncontrolled production of "false memories". Patients often act upon their false memories, with dramatic consequences.

All Earth's Seasons Now Arrive Two Days Earlier, Researchers Report Posted: 22 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Biologists have long noticed that global warming is causing springtime flowering and ice melting to arrive earlier, but a new study shows that the seasonal cycle has also shifted, causing summer's peak temperature and winter's lowest temperature on land to arrive nearly two days earlier than was true 50 years ago. The cause is unknown, but researchers suspect it involves changing wind patterns over land and ocean, or drier soils.

Researchers Discover Three Genes That Increase Risk Of Severe Obesity In Kids And Adults Posted: 22 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST European and Canadian researchers have, for the first time, drawn a map of genetic risk factors that can lead to two forms of severe obesity: early-onset obesity in children, and morbid obesity in adults.

Stretchable Electronics With A Twist Posted: 22 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Electronic systems that can withstand high-strain deformations are of growing importance, because of their ability to make possible biomedical devices and other applications, difficult to develop with conventional technologies. A new mechanical design can be used to build stretchable electronics that function during stretching, compression, bending, twisting and other types of extreme mechanical deformation, without a reduction in electronic performance.

Oral Steroids Ineffective In Treatment Of Preschool Virus-induced Wheezing, Study Suggests Posted: 22 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST A new study has found that a common treatment for wheezing in preschool children is no more effective than a placebo.

Structure Of TIGAR, A Possible Cancer Flag, Discovered Posted: 22 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists have determined the three-dimensional structure of TIGAR, an enzyme whose presence in the body can warn doctors that cancer may follow.

Industrialization Of China Increases Fragility Of Global Food Supply Posted: 22 Jan 2009 05:00 AM PST Global grain markets are facing breaking point according to new research into the agricultural stability of China. Experts predict that if China's recent urbanization trends continue, and the country imports just 5 percent more of its grain, the entire world's grain export would be swallowed whole.

Women Cannot Control Their Hunger As Well As Men, Study Shows Posted: 22 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST A ground-breaking brain-imaging study shows that men, but not women, are able to control their brain's response to their own favorite foods. The study may help explain why rates of obesity and eating disorders are higher among women than men, and why women typically have more difficulty losing weight.

Americans Owe Five Months Of Their Lives To Cleaner Air Posted: 22 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST Reducing air pollution brings measurable health gains. The average life expectancy in 51 US cities increased nearly three years over recent decades, and approximately five months of that increase came thanks to cleaner air.

Semiconducting Nanotubes Produced In Quantity Posted: 22 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST After announcing last April a method for growing exceptionally long, straight, numerous and well-aligned carbon cylinders only a few atoms thick, a Duke University-led team of chemists has now modified that process to create exclusively semiconducting versions of these single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Progress Made In Understanding Causes And Treatment Of Endometriosis Posted: 22 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST Endometriosis is a poorly understood chronic disease characterized by infertility and chronic pelvic pain during intercourse. It affects between 5 to 10 million women in the US. A researcher who has studied it for 15 years describes the progress his lab has made in identifying the causes of and medical treatment for this disease.

Virtual Reality: Keyhole Surgeons Training Could Help Meet European Working Time Directives Posted: 22 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST Trainee surgeons who add virtual-reality training to standard "apprenticeship" training in key-hole surgery learn more quickly, work with greater accuracy and have less errors than those with no virtual-reality training, and perform as well as those who use additional video training. The finding is important because training surgeons is time-consuming and costly, and surgeons have to develop new skills while working within the hour limits set by European legislation.

Osteoporosis? Look Out For Depression Posted: 22 Jan 2009 02:00 AM PST A review articlee analyzes the relationship between depression and bone metabolism.

New Understanding Of The Origin Of Galaxies Advanced Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST A new theory as to how galaxies were formed in the Universe billions of years ago has been formulated by cosmologists. The theory takes issue with the prevailing view on how the galaxies came to exist.

New Molecular Mechanism Associated With Arrhythmias Discovered: Possible Novel Target For Treating Arrhythmias Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST A new molecular mechanism associated with arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) has been discovered. Scientists report that increased calcium sensitivity of the heart cell's contractile apparatus contributes to arrhythmia susceptibility. The findings could lead to novel arrhythmia treatments.

Novel Forensic Technique To Be Applied To Decade-old Murder Probe Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST A pioneering forensic scientist at Northamptonshire Police and the University of Leicester is being called on by US force officers to tackle a decade-old murder case.

Pre-emptive Treatment Helped Curtail Skin Toxicity With Panitumumab Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST With a pre-emptive, prophylactic skin regimen, patients who receive panitumumab for treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer may be able to avoid some of the skin-associated toxicities.

Global Impact Of Climate Change On Biodiversity Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST When three undergraduates set off on an expedition in 1965 to trap moths on Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, little did they realize that they were establishing the groundwork for a study of the impacts of climate change.

Technology Improves Treatment Options For Drug Users Posted: 21 Jan 2009 11:00 PM PST Australia's leading scientific journal in the substance use area, the Drug and Alcohol Review published by Wiley-Blackwell, has released a special issue on the use of new technologies in the treatment of drug problems. The issue highlights the use of mobile phones, Internet and computers to treat drug use problems.

New Insights Into Convection In Planets And Stars Gleaned From Novel Device That Charts Heat Transfer In Rotational Systems Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 PM PST Planetary scientists have overturned a longstanding scientific tenet and provides new insights into how convection controls much of what we observe on planets and stars.

Early Immune System Exposures Linked To Chronic Disease Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 PM PST Scientists and regulators have a golden opportunity to reduce the health toll from a range of diseases by focusing more attention on identification of environmental factors that can damage the prenatal immune system as well as that of infants and children, according to a new article.

Nile Delta Fishery Grows Dramatically Thanks To Run-off Of Sewage, Fertilizers Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 PM PST While many of the world's fisheries are in serious decline, the coastal Mediterranean fishery off the Nile Delta has expanded dramatically since the 1980s. The surprising cause of this expansion, which followed a collapse of the fishery after completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1965, is run-off of fertilizers and sewage discharges in the region. Considered pollutants in the West, discharges help to feed millions in Egypt.

Less Severe First Heart Attacks Linked To Heart Disease Death Reductions Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 PM PST The severity of first heart attacks dropped significantly over 15 years among 10,285 hospitalized Americans which may help to explain the decline in death from coronary heart disease. Prevention efforts as well as improvements in hospital care appear to have contributed to the decline in severity.

Robo-surgery: As Safe And Capable As Human Assistant In Key-hole Gallbladder Removal Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 PM PST Using a robotic assistant to remove a patient's gallbladder by key-hole surgery (laparoscopic cholecystectomy) is as safe as working with a human assistant, a Cochrane Review has concluded. Comparisons between robot- and human-assisted surgery showed that there were no differences in terms of morbidity, the need to switch to open surgery, total operating time, or length of stay in hospital.

Breast Cancer Survivors Call For More 'Survivorship Care' From Primary Care Physicians Posted: 21 Jan 2009 08:00 PM PST Many breast cancer patients give low marks to the post-cancer care they receive from their primary care physicians, who generally serve as a patient's main health care provider after they're released from active treatment with their oncologists, according to a new study.

Frogs Are Being Eaten To Extinction, Experts Say Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST The global trade in frog legs for human consumption is threatening their extinction, according to a new study. The researchers say the global pattern of harvesting and decline of wild populations of frogs appears to be following the same path set by overexploitation of the seas and subsequent "chain reaction" of fisheries collapses around the world.

Plant DNA Finding Sheds Light On Human Neurological Genetic Diseases Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST A cure for debilitating genetic diseases such as Huntington's disease, Friedreich's ataxia and Fragile X syndrome is a step closer, thanks to a recent finding in plant DNA that has similarities to certain genetic abnormalities in humans.

Magnesium Sulphate Protects Babies Against Cerebral Palsy, Review Shows Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Giving pregnant mothers magnesium sulphate when they are at risk of very preterm birth can help protect their babies from cerebral palsy, according to an international review of research.

Genetic Fingerprint of Prostate Cancer Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST One in six American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer within their lifetime and 186,000 will be diagnosed this year. For most men, their disease is confined to the prostate gland, making it easier to treat and less lethal. However, some unfortunate patients suffer from a more aggressive cancer that metastasizes, or spreads beyond the boundaries of the prostate gland.

New Development in Spintronics: Spin-polarized Electrons On Demand, With A Single Electron Pump Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Many hopes are pinned on spintronics. In the future it could replace electronics, which in the race to produce increasingly rapid computer components, must at sometime reach its limits. Different from electronics, where whole electrons are moved (the digital "one" means "an electron is present on the component", zero means "no electron present"), here it is a matter of manipulating a certain property of the electron, its spin.

Vulnerable Children Fare Well With Relatives, Study Finds Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:00 PM PST Placing vulnerable children with relatives is a viable option, a new study by Cochrane Researchers suggests. In view of several recent high profile child abuse cases, the study may have important policy implications.

Smoking Linked To Most Male Cancer Deaths Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST The association between tobacco smoke and cancer deaths -- beyond lung cancer deaths -- has been strengthened by a recent study. The analysis linked smoking to more than 70 percent of the cancer death burden among Massachusetts men in 2003. This percentage is much higher than the previous estimate of 34 percent in 2001.

Engineered Virus Targets And Kills Apparent Cancer Stem Cells In Neuroblastoma Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST After identifying an apparent population of cancer stem cells for neuroblastoma, researchers successfully used a reprogrammed herpes virus to block tumor formation in mice by targeting and killing the cells. The study adds to evidence suggesting early stage cancer precursor cells with stem-cell-like properties may explain how some cancers form, are treatment resistant and prone to relapse.

Orphaned Elephants Forced To Forge New Bonds Decades After Ivory Ban Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST An African elephant never forgets -- especially when it comes to the loss of its kin, according to researchers. New findings reveal that the negative effects of poaching persist for decades after the killing has ended.

Kidney Transplant Survival Can Be Long-term For People With HIV Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST HIV-positive kidney transplant recipients could have the same one-year survival rates for themselves and their donor organs as those without HIV, provided certain risk factors for transplant failure are recognized and tightly managed.

Pathogenic Soil Bacterium Is Influenced By Land Management Practices Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST Researchers have found that the soil bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, which causes the emerging infectious disease melioidosis in humans and animals, is associated with land management changes such as livestock husbandry or residential gardening. The study sheds light on the environmental occurrence of this bacterium in the soil.

Clinical Trials: Unfavourable Results Often Go Unpublished Posted: 21 Jan 2009 02:00 PM PST Trials showing a positive treatment effect, or those with important or striking findings, were much more likely to be published in scientific journals than those with negative findings, a new review from the Cochrane Library has found.

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