ScienceDaily: Latest Science News |
| Posted: 30 Apr 2009 11:00 AM PDT Scientists have set up the microscopic equivalent of the Galapagos Islands -- an artificial ecosystem inside a test tube where molecules evolve to exploit distinct ecological niches, similar to the finches that Charles Darwin famously described in "The Origin of Species" 150 years ago.  |
| Better Targeting Of Stem Cells As Medication: Arteriosclerosis May Soon Be A Thing Of The Past Posted: 30 Apr 2009 11:00 AM PDT Until now, it has been extremely difficult to control stem cells in such a way that they grow into new blood vessels outside the body, or -- when injected into an organ -- lead to the creation of new small blood vessels and tissue repair. New research has resulted in a method whereby the cells can be instructed. This is a great advance towards curing numerous life-threatening diseases.  |
| Indus Script Encodes Language, Reveals New Study Of Ancient Symbols Posted: 30 Apr 2009 11:00 AM PDT Scholars have recently question whether ancient Indus inscriptions code for language. American and Indian scientists used statistics to show that the 4,500-year-old Indus symbols' pattern follows that of other spoken languages.  |
| Men Treated For Localized Prostate Cancer Could Benefit From Pomegranate Juice Consumption Posted: 30 Apr 2009 11:00 AM PDT Pomegranate juice may slow the progression of post-treatment prostate cancer recurrence, according to new long-term research. Researchers found that men who have undergone treatment for localized prostate cancer could benefit from drinking pomegranate juice.  |
| Environmentally Friendly Boat Wash Developed By Swedish Researchers Posted: 30 Apr 2009 11:00 AM PDT Toxic anti-fouling paints from thousands of leisure craft have given rise to a serious environmental problem in the Sannäs Fjord in Bohuslän, Sweden. Scientists have collaborated with municipalities, companies and the county administrative board to develop what may be the most modern boat wash in the world, setting a new Swedish standard for environmentally friendly boating.  |
| Swine Flu: To Panic Or Not -- That Is The Question Posted: 30 Apr 2009 11:00 AM PDT Thanks to the 24-hour media coverage about swine flu, we're all aware that a potential flu pandemic could be high. But before you stock up on face masks and hand sanitizer, it's important to put some things in perspective.  |
| Evidence Of The 'Lost World': Did Dinosaurs Survive The End Cretaceous Extinctions? Posted: 30 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT The idea of isolated communities of dinosaurs surviving the catastrophic extinction event 65 million years ago has stimulated a great deal of literary and cinematic drama. Today the fiction seems just a little closer to reality. New scientific evidence suggests that dinosaurs may have survived in a remote area of what is now New Mexico and Colorado for up to half a million years.  |
| Half A Glass Of Wine A Day May Boost Life Expectancy By Five Years Posted: 30 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Drinking up to half a glass of wine a day may boost life expectancy by five years -- at least in men, suggests new research.  |
| Lake Tahoe Region In U.S. May Be Due For Major Earthquake Posted: 30 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Scientists have developed a more comprehensive analysis of earthquake activity in the Lake Tahoe region, which suggest a magnitude-7 earthquake occurs every 2,000 to 3,000 years in the basin, and that the largest fault in the basin, West Tahoe, appears to have last ruptured between 4,100 and 4,500 years ago.  |
| Certain Ecologic Factors Associated With Greater Risk Of Bladder Cancer Posted: 30 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Persons drinking well water (as opposed to public supply) may be at an increased risk of bladder cancer, according to new research. Researchers have examined data about the relationship between bladder cancer and certain ecologic factors including water source and UV radiation levels.  |
| From Swine Flu To Dengue Fever: Infectious Disease Risks On The Rise Posted: 30 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Global travel and human alterations to the environment, such as rapid urbanization, are helping to fuel some infectious diseases outbreaks, says an expert in the eco-epidemiology of infectious diseases. Deforestation and other human changes to the landscape are other drivers of emerging infectious diseases, according to experts.  |
| Dramatic Growth In Cancer Rates Among US Elderly, Minorities Predicted Posted: 30 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT Over the next 20 years, the number of new cancer cases diagnosed annually in the United States will increase by 45 percent, from 1.6 million in 2010 to 2.3 million in 2030, with a dramatic spike in incidence predicted in the elderly and minority populations, according to new research.  |
| Swine Flu Outbreak Illuminated By Avian Flu Research Posted: 30 Apr 2009 05:00 AM PDT A new study suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about.  |
| New Pill To Treat Multiple Sclerosis Posted: 30 Apr 2009 05:00 AM PDT A new drug for multiple sclerosis can dramatically reduce the chances of a relapse or a deterioration of the condition. The results of a major trial show that taking a course of cladribine tablets just a few times a year can reduce the chances of a relapse by well over 50 per cent. If it becomes available to patients, cladribine will be the first licensed treatment for MS which does not involve regular injections.  |
| Fingerprinting Slow Earthquakes And How They Relate To The Big One Posted: 30 Apr 2009 05:00 AM PDT The most powerful earthquakes happen at the junction of two converging tectonic plates, where one plate is sliding (or subducting) beneath the other. Now scientists have found that an anomalous layer at the top of a subducting plate coincides with the locations of slow earthquakes and non-volcanic tremors. Such a layer in similar settings elsewhere could point to other regions of slow quakes.  |
| Cardiac CT Offers A Better, Cost-effective Approach To Diagnose Low-risk Chest Pain Patients Posted: 30 Apr 2009 05:00 AM PDT Using cardiac CT to diagnose low risk patients with chest pain is significantly cheaper -- 44 percent less than the standard of care -- and can decrease the length of hospital stay up to 20 hours, according to a study performed at the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash.  |
| High Marks For New Technology For Fingerprint Identification Posted: 30 Apr 2009 05:00 AM PDT Overworked crime scene investigators can take heart at the results of recent tests of new technologies that automate the manual portion of latent fingerprint identification.  |
| Repeatedly Working When Ill Boosts Risk Of Long Term Sick Leave Posted: 30 Apr 2009 05:00 AM PDT Repeatedly going to work when ill significantly boosts the chances of having to take long term sick leave later on, reveals new research.  |
| Can Living And Non-living Follow Same Rules? Unifying The Animate And Inanimate Designs Of Nature Posted: 30 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Living beings and inanimate phenomena may have more in common than previously thought. What two researchers believe connects the two worlds is a theory that flow systems -- from animal locomotion to the formation of river deltas -- evolve in time to balance and minimize imperfections.  |
| Smoking And High Blood Pressure Each Account For One In Five Deaths In US Adults Posted: 30 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Smoking, high blood pressure and being overweight are the leading preventable risk factors for premature mortality in the United States, according to a new study.  |
| New Understanding Of Dengue Virus Points Way To Possible Therapies For Dengue Fever Posted: 30 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT By painstakingly silencing genes one at a time, scientists have identified dozens of proteins the dengue fever virus depends upon to grow and spread among mosquitoes and humans. The research opens the door to new ways to potentially prevent or treat the disease, which infects millions of people around the globe every year.  |
| Diabetes, Obesity And Hypertension Increase Mortality In Hepatitis C Patients Posted: 30 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT The specific impact of metabolic syndrome on mortality in hepatitis C patients has been revealed by new research.  |
| Rich Musical Pickings With Easier Access To Archives Posted: 30 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT Digital sound archives offer enormously rich resources but accessing them is currently difficult, and often arbitrary. European researchers believe they have developed a solution, one that offers compelling new functions to digital sound archive access.  |
| No Data Supporting Antipsychotic Drug For Low-IQ Kids With ADHD Posted: 30 Apr 2009 02:00 AM PDT A new review finds no evidence to support the use of risperidone to treat attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in people with intellectual disabilities, even though the review authors say this is a common prescribing pattern.  |
| Ice Sheet Behavior Much More Volatile And Dynamic Than Previously Thought, Tahiti Corals Show Posted: 29 Apr 2009 11:00 PM PDT Fossilized corals from tropical Tahiti show that the behavior of ice sheets is much more volatile and dynamic than previously thought, scientists have found.  |
| Drug Therapy Reduces Neuroblastoma Tumor Growth In Pre-clinical Investigation Posted: 29 Apr 2009 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a new drug combination that significantly hinders tumor growth in neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer.  |
| Why Anti-HIV Antibodies Are Ineffective At Blocking Infection Posted: 29 Apr 2009 11:00 PM PDT Some 25 years after the AIDS epidemic spawned a worldwide search for an effective vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus, progress in the field seems to have effectively become stalled. The reason? According to new findings, it's at least partly due to the fact that our body's natural HIV antibodies simply don't have a long enough reach to effectively neutralize the viruses they are meant to target.  |
| Poor Treatment For Common Vertebral Compression Fractures, Research Suggests Posted: 29 Apr 2009 11:00 PM PDT The advice and treatment given to patients with vertebral compression fractures is not satisfactory. New research shows that the majority of patients still have severe pain one year after the fracture.  |
| Majority Of Ordering Physicians Lack Knowledge Of Radiation Exposure Risks From CT Posted: 29 Apr 2009 11:00 PM PDT Ordering physicians have limited knowledge of CT-related radiation exposure and its associated risks, according to a study performed at the Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Va.  |
| Photographs Of UV Exposure Can Impact Sunburns In Preteens Posted: 29 Apr 2009 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have found that among preteens, the use of photographs to measure ultraviolet (UV) exposure, could motivate them to improve sun protection practices and limit number of sunburns.  |
| Details Of Bacterial 'Injection' System Revealed Posted: 29 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT New details of the composition and structure of a needle-like protein complex on the surface of certain bacteria may help scientists develop new strategies to thwart infection.  |
| WHO Elevates Swine Influenza Pandemic Alert Level To Phase 5 Posted: 29 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT The World Health Organization has raised the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to 5. As of April 29, nine countries have officially reported 148 cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 infection. The United States Government has reported 91 laboratory confirmed human cases, with one death. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed human cases of infection including seven deaths.  |
| New Hope For Biomass Fuels: Breaking The Ties That Bind Posted: 29 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a potential chink in the armor of fibers that make the cell walls of certain inedible plant materials so tough. The insight ultimately could lead to a cost-effective and energy-efficient strategy for turning biomass into alternative fuels.  |
| Vitamin K With Sorafenib Showed Anti-tumor Effects In Pancreas Cancer, Hepatocellular Carcinoma Posted: 29 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT A combination of sorafenib and vitamin K had an effect in vitro on both human pancreas cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma, according to researchers.  |
| Upside-down World: DNA Protecting Protein Helps Cancer Drug To Kill Cells Posted: 29 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT Some DNA repair enzymes can become double-edged swords -- If they work too slowly, they can block necessary cell maintenance and contribute to cell death. This could explain the success of the cancer drug 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) and help clinicians to predict patient's response to chemotherapy. The work reports that 5FU keeps the DNA-repair enzyme TDG too busy to perform properly in cancer cells, thereby promoting tumor death.  |
| Mental Health Problems More Common In Kids Who Feel Racial Discrimination Posted: 29 Apr 2009 08:00 PM PDT Perceived racial or ethnic discrimination is not an uncommon experience among fifth-grade students and that it may have a negative effect on their mental health.  |
| Swine Flu: Statistical Model Predicts 1,000 Cases In U.S. Within Three Weeks Posted: 29 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT An expert on the statistical analysis and computer modeling of epidemics, said two different swine influenza infection models generated on April 27 both predict about 1,000 cases in the United States within three weeks.  |
| Remembrance Of Things Past Influences How Female Field Crickets Select Mates Posted: 29 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT Biologists researching the behavior of field crickets have found that female crickets remember attractive males based on the latter's song, and use this information when choosing mates. The researchers found that female crickets compare information about the attractiveness of available males around them with other incoming signals when selecting attractive males for mating. The finding shows that social learning has profound impacts on insect behavior and may act as a linchpin in evolution.  |
| How Cells Function: Missing Target For Calcium Signaling Identified Posted: 29 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT Researchers can now describe one of the missing triggers that controls calcium inside cells, a process important for muscle contraction, nerve-cell transmission, insulin release and other essential functions. The researchers believe the findings will enhance the understanding of how calcium signals are regulated in cells and shed light on new ways to treat many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, immune diseases, metabolic diseases, cancer and brain disorders.  |
| Google Earth Aids Discovery Of Early African Mammal Fossils Posted: 29 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT A limestone countertop, a practiced eye and Google Earth all played roles in the discovery of a trove of fossils that may shed light on the origins of African wildlife.  |
| Why Are Some Young Victims Of Domestic Violence Resilient? Posted: 29 Apr 2009 05:00 PM PDT A longitudinal study of American children finds that children who witnessed domestic violence against their mothers were almost four times more likely than other children to develop emotional or behavioral problems. The study also finds that more than half of the children exposed to violence adapted well, at least in part because of their easy-going natures and the mental health of their mothers.  |
| Native Americans Descended From A Single Ancestral Group, DNA Study Confirms Posted: 29 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT For two decades, researchers have been using a growing volume of genetic data to debate whether ancestors of Native Americans emigrated to the New World in one wave or successive waves, or from one ancestral Asian population or a number of different populations. Now, after painstakingly comparing DNA samples from people in dozens of modern-day Native American and Eurasian groups, an international team of scientists thinks it can put the matter to rest: virtually without exception, the new evidence supports the single ancestral population theory.  |
| Topical Cream Studied As Way To Treat Skin Cancer Without The Knife Posted: 29 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Researchers have found that a topical drug shows promise in treating some types of skin cancer, potentially reducing the area needing surgery, managing the cancer and minimizing its recurrence.  |
| Continent-sized Radio Telescope Takes Close-ups Of Fermi Active Galaxies Posted: 29 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT An international team of astronomers has used the world's biggest radio telescope to look deep into the brightest galaxies that NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope can see. The study solidifies the link between an active galaxy's gamma-ray emissions and its powerful radio-emitting jets.  |
| German Researchers Make Significant Strides In Identifying Cause Of Bacterial Infections Posted: 29 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT Several bacterial pathogens use toxins to manipulate human host cells, ultimately disturbing cellular signal transduction. Until now, however, scientists have been able to track down only a few of the proteins that interact with bacterial toxins in infected human cells. Now, researchers in Germany have identified 39 interaction partners of these toxins, using novel technology which allowed them to screen for large numbers of proteins simultaneously.  |
| Fish That Live In The Dark Have The Best Ears Posted: 29 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT All fish have ears buried inside their heads. But fish that live in the deepest, darkest waters of the ocean may have particularly sensitive ears. Researchers have gathered the first anatomical evidence suggesting that some deep-sea fish have specialized structures to heighten their hearing.  |
| Young Children Think Gender-related Behavior Is Inborn Posted: 29 Apr 2009 02:00 PM PDT A new study surveying more than 450 Americans ages 5-20 confirms that young children think about gender in the same way they think about species. The study also finds that it is not until the age of 10 that children treat gender and species concepts differently. These findings have important implications for how children think about activities that are culturally associated with the other gender (e.g., how girls think about math and science).  |
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