ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Fog discovered on Saturn's largest moon, Titan
• Antimicrobial peptide from ancient organism may be effective against multiresistant human pathogens including MRSA
• Cannabis damages young brains more than originally thought, study finds
• Intensive therapy for narrowed arteries linked to fewer heart events
• Warming climate chills Sonoran Desert's spring flowers
• Fear of lawsuits may prompt some doctors to overprescribe antibiotics
• Colliding auroras produce an explosion of light
• Skull bone may hold the key to tackling osteoporosis
• Tropical birds waited for land crossing between North and South America, study finds
• How cancer cells protect themselves from low levels of oxygen
• Nocturnal wind maximum mapped for first time
• Alzheimer's detection: What's his name again? How celebrity monikers can help us remember
• Hubble's festive view of a grand star-forming region
• New nasal vaccine blocks parasite transmission to mosquitoes
• Food-borne illness: Researchers redefine the invasion mechanism of Salmonella
• Further spread of Rhodesian sleeping sickness in Uganda likely due to livestock movements
• Type of cell proves to be highly significant in genetic studies
• Disordered eating may affect 10 to 15 percent of women
• New filling, cooling and storage system may prevent bacterial growth and prolong shelf life of orange juice
• Ancient koalas may have been loud and lazy but they didn't chew gum

Fog discovered on Saturn's largest moon, Titan Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Saturn's largest moon, Titan, looks to be the only place in the solar system -- aside from our home planet, Earth -- with copious quantities of liquid (largely, liquid methane and ethane) sitting on its surface. According to a planetary astronomer Earth and Titan share yet another feature, which is inextricably linked with that surface liquid: common fog.

Antimicrobial peptide from ancient organism may be effective against multiresistant human pathogens including MRSA Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Researchers in Germany have identified a new antimicrobial peptide that demonstrates significant activity against a variety of bacteria, including multiresistant human strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). The discovery was made while investigating the ancient metazoan organism Hydra magnipapillata.

Cannabis damages young brains more than originally thought, study finds Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST The damaging effects of the illicit drug Cannabis on young brains are worse than originally thought, according to a psychiatric researcher. A new study suggests that daily consumption of cannabis in teens can cause depression and anxiety, and have an irreversible long-term effect on the brain.

Intensive therapy for narrowed arteries linked to fewer heart events Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Intensive medical therapy, including aggressive control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, for patients with asymptomatic plaque buildup in their carotid arteries (which supply blood to the brain) appears to be associated with reduced rates of cardiovascular events and reduced risk of microemboli (microscopic-sized blood clots) in the brain arteries, according to a new study.

Warming climate chills Sonoran Desert's spring flowers Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Global warming is giving a boost to Sonoran Desert plants that have an edge during cold weather, according to new research. Although overall numbers of winter annuals have declined since 1982, species that germinate and grow better at low temperatures are becoming more common. As a result, the composition of the desert's spring wildflower display is changing, according to new research.

Fear of lawsuits may prompt some doctors to overprescribe antibiotics Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 PM PST Investigators surveyed 162 health-care providers to determine whether medical liability concerns were as important as antibiotic cost and formulary restrictions in selecting treatment regimens. They found a strong correlation between the prevalence of methicillin resistance and density of attorneys in countries in Europe and North America.

Colliding auroras produce an explosion of light Posted: 20 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST A network of cameras deployed around the Arctic in support of NASA's THEMIS mission has made a startling discovery about the Northern Lights. Sometimes, vast curtains of aurora borealis collide, producing spectacular outbursts of light.

Skull bone may hold the key to tackling osteoporosis Posted: 20 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Scientists have uncovered fundamental differences between the bone which makes up the skull and the bones in our limbs, which they believe could hold the key to tackling bone weakness and fractures.

Tropical birds waited for land crossing between North and South America, study finds Posted: 20 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Despite their ability to fly, tropical birds waited until the formation of the land bridge between North and South America to move northward, according to a new study.

How cancer cells protect themselves from low levels of oxygen Posted: 20 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Not all regions of a tumor are equal in terms of their oxygen levels. One clinically important implication of this is that tumors with large areas with low levels of oxygen (areas known as hypoxic regions) are associated with poor prognosis and treatment response. Researchers have determined that a cellular response pathway known as the unfolded protein response pathway helps protect human tumor cells from hypoxia and anticancer irradiation treatment.

Nocturnal wind maximum mapped for first time Posted: 20 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST On beautiful, sunny days with quiet weather conditions a strong wind develops in the evening at a height of about 200 meters. Scientists have now mapped how such a powerful wind develops high in the air.

Alzheimer's detection: What's his name again? How celebrity monikers can help us remember Posted: 20 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Famous mugs do more than prompt us into buying magazines, according to new research. Scientists explain how the ability to name famous faces or access biographical knowledge about celebrities holds clues that could help in early Alzheimer's detection.

Hubble's festive view of a grand star-forming region Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Just in time for the holidays: a Hubble Space Telescope picture postcard of hundreds of brilliant blue stars wreathed by warm, glowing clouds. The festive portrait is the most detailed view of the largest stellar nursery in our local galactic neighborhood.

New nasal vaccine blocks parasite transmission to mosquitoes Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST An experimental nasally administered malaria vaccine prevented parasite transmission from infected mice to mosquitoes and could play an important role in the fight against human malaria.

Food-borne illness: Researchers redefine the invasion mechanism of Salmonella Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Bacteria of the genus Salmonella cause most food-borne illnesses. The bacteria attach to cells of the intestinal wall and induce their own ingestion by cells of the intestinal epithelium. Up till now, researchers assumed that Salmonella have to induce the formation of distinctive membrane waves in order to invade these gut cells. Researchers in Germany have now refuted this common doctrine.

Further spread of Rhodesian sleeping sickness in Uganda likely due to livestock movements Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST The northwards spread of human Rhodesian sleeping sickness in Uganda is likely due to the movement of infected livestock, according to new findings.

Type of cell proves to be highly significant in genetic studies Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Choosing the right cell type is particularly important in genetic studies. Researchers have now shown how variations in the genome can influence the activity of genes. This effect was found to be strongly dependent on the cell type in which these genes were active.

Disordered eating may affect 10 to 15 percent of women Posted: 20 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Several maladaptive eating behaviors, beyond anorexia, can affect women. Indeed, some 10 to 15 percent of women have maladaptive eating behaviors and attitudes according to new study.

New filling, cooling and storage system may prevent bacterial growth and prolong shelf life of orange juice Posted: 18 Dec 2009 09:00 PM PST Researchers in Brazil have estimated the growth timeline of a bacterium that causes orange juice spoilage during shelf life (approximately 6 months) and developed a safe and inexpensive filling, cooling, and storage protocol that inhibits bacterial growth and offers an alternative to other proposed treatments.

Ancient koalas may have been loud and lazy but they didn't chew gum Posted: 18 Dec 2009 09:00 PM PST Skull fragments of prehistoric koalas from the Riversleigh rainforests of millions of year ago suggest they shared the modern koala's "lazy" lifestyle and ability to produce loud "bellowing" calls to attract mates and provide warnings about predators. However, the new findings suggest that the two species of koalas from the Miocene did not share the uniquely specialized eucalyptus leaf diet of the modern koala.

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