ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Brown dwarf pair mystifies astronomers
• New human reproductive hormone could lead to novel contraceptives
• Chemistry makes the natural 'wonder fabric' -- wool -- more wonderful
• Deadly infection more common than realized
• New-generation reactors help reduce nuclear waste
• Drug and placebo: Study redefines placebo effect as part of effective treatment
• Fossil shelved for a century reworks carnivore family tree: Limbs changes understanding of early carnivore locomotion
• New, virulent strain of MRSA poses renewed antibiotic resistance concerns
• Bioengineered materials promote the growth of functional vasculature
• Ultrasound-guided cortisone injections may help treat severe hip pain
• List helps computers understand expressions with more than one meaning
• Pot and pop: New research finds stronger link between music and marijuana use among teens
• Modern behavior of early humans found half-million years earlier than previously thought
• Mystery solved: Scientists now know how smallpox kills
• Study finds that 77 percent of European pigs are castrated without anesthetic
• Role for immune cells known as mast cells in atrial fibrillation
• Gravity in Potsdam and a dignified Christmas tree ball
• Poor face greater health burden than smokers or the obese
• Rise in human-made carbon dioxide affects ocean acoustics
• New compounds may control deadly fungal infections
• Formation of the Gulf of Corinth rift, Greece
• New Web tool may help predict risk of second stroke
• Improved recipe for catalysts
• Home-based child care meeting nutritional standards; widespread use of TV a concern
• Story of 4.5-million-year-old whale found in Spain
• Gene for devastating kidney disease discovered
• New insight in nerve cell communication
• Discovery of new gene called Brd2 that regulates obesity and diabetes
• Students reaffirm work of 1920s paleontologist, contrary to later revision
• Medical team's support of terminal cancer patients' spiritual needs improves quality of life
• Attention demands may explain why texting while driving is so dangerous
• Meddling in mosquitoes' sex lives could help stop the spread of malaria
• Novel nanotechnology heals abscesses caused by resistant staph bacteria
• Obesity increases the risk for obstructive sleep apnea in adolescents, but not in younger children
• Hypoxia tends to increase as climate warms, study finds
• Electronic health records: Concerns about potential privacy breaches remain an issue

Brown dwarf pair mystifies astronomers Posted: 23 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Two brown dwarf-sized objects orbiting a giant old star show that planets may assemble around stars more quickly and efficiently than anyone thought possible, according to an international team of astronomers.

New human reproductive hormone could lead to novel contraceptives Posted: 23 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Nearly 10 years after the discovery that birds make a hormone that suppresses reproduction, neuroscientists have established that humans make it too, opening the door to development of a new class of contraceptive and possible treatments for cancer or other diseases. The hormone, gonadotropin inhibitory hormone, puts a brake on the reproductive system and on release of gonadotropin releasing hormone.

Chemistry makes the natural 'wonder fabric' -- wool -- more wonderful Posted: 23 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Scientists in China are reporting an advance that may improve the natural wonders of wool -- already regarded as the "wonder fabric" for its lightness, softness, warmth even when wet, and other qualities. They say the discovery could give wool a "brain," placing it among other "smart" fabrics that shake off wrinkles, shrinkage and "breathe" to release perspiration.

Deadly infection more common than realized Posted: 23 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Staphylococcus aureus causes far more serious infections than previously realized.

New-generation reactors help reduce nuclear waste Posted: 23 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Advanced technologies offer ways of reducing the quantity of nuclear waste. "New types of nuclear power plants can switch to a closed fuel cycle. It means that nuclear waste wouldn't be buried as such; instead, it would be chemically dissolved and the recyclable component re-processed into new fuel. As a result, many of the most long-lived radioactive substances could be used at new types of facilities," says one of the researchers.

Drug and placebo: Study redefines placebo effect as part of effective treatment Posted: 23 Dec 2009 08:00 AM PST Researchers used the placebo effect to successfully treat psoriasis patients with one quarter to one half of their usual dose of a widely used steroid medication, according to a new study. Early results in human patients suggest that the new technique could improve treatment for several chronic diseases that involve mental state or the immune system, including asthma, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.

Fossil shelved for a century reworks carnivore family tree: Limbs changes understanding of early carnivore locomotion Posted: 23 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Now that an early carnivore fossil has been fully removed from its matrix (this after spending over a century on a shelf because of the associated crushed teeth), scientists are able to re-interpret the evolutionary tree of this group of mammals.

New, virulent strain of MRSA poses renewed antibiotic resistance concerns Posted: 23 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST The often feared and sometimes deadly infections caused by MRSA -- methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- are now moving out of hospitals and emerging as an even more virulent strain in community settings and on athletic teams, and raising new concerns about antibiotic resistance.

Bioengineered materials promote the growth of functional vasculature Posted: 23 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Scientists have induced significant functional vasculature growth in areas of damaged tissue through the use of synthetic polymers called hydrogels.

Ultrasound-guided cortisone injections may help treat severe hip pain Posted: 23 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Ultrasound-guided cortisone injections may be an effective treatment method for gluteus medius tendinopathy, a common, painful condition caused by an injury to the tendons in the buttocks that typically affects middle-aged to elderly women and young active individuals, according to a new study.

List helps computers understand expressions with more than one meaning Posted: 23 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST List helps computers understand expressions with more than one meaning Computers might well be 'with it', but 'they haven't got a clue' about expressions. Dutch researcher Nicole has come up with a solution to this problem: she has prepared a list of unpredictable word combinations that might, for instance, have a literal as well as a metaphorical meaning. The structuring of this list is such that it can be used by many different computer systems.

Pot and pop: New research finds stronger link between music and marijuana use among teens Posted: 23 Dec 2009 05:00 AM PST Teens who frequently listen to music that contains references to marijuana are more likely to use the drug than their counterparts with less exposure to such lyrics, according to a new study.

Modern behavior of early humans found half-million years earlier than previously thought Posted: 23 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Evidence of sophisticated, human behavior has been discovered by researchers as early as 750,000 years ago -- some half a million years earlier than has previously been estimated by archaeologists.

Mystery solved: Scientists now know how smallpox kills Posted: 23 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Researchers have solved a fundamental mystery about smallpox that has puzzled scientists long after the natural disease was eradicated by vaccination: they know how it kills us. Scientists can now describe how the virus cripples immune systems by attacking molecules made by our bodies to block viral replication.

Study finds that 77 percent of European pigs are castrated without anesthetic Posted: 23 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST The castration of pigs prevents the "boar taint" smell in the meat and allows them to contain more fat. However in practice this can be very different. Now, for the first time, a scientific team has collected information on the conditions of castration on European pigs. The main conclusion of the study is that these animals are castrated directly by the livestock farmers, without anesthetic and in some cases, without respecting the European legislation.

Role for immune cells known as mast cells in atrial fibrillation Posted: 23 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is the most common type of abnormal heart beat. It is characterized by scarring of the atrial region of the heart (a hallmark known as atrial fibrosis). Although atrial fibrosis is thought to perpetuate Afib, exactly how it develops has not been determined. Some research has suggested a role for inflammation in the process. Consistent with this, a team of researchers has now identified a role for immune cells known as mast cells in inducing atrial fibrosis and Afib in a mouse model of the condition.

Gravity in Potsdam and a dignified Christmas tree ball Posted: 23 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST Exactly one hundred years ago the force of gravity was measured for the first time with such accuracy that this measured value was established as a reference value world-wide.

Poor face greater health burden than smokers or the obese Posted: 23 Dec 2009 02:00 AM PST The average low-income person loses 8.2 years of perfect health, the average high school dropout loses 5.1 years, and the obese lose 4.2 years, according to public health researchers. Tobacco control has long been one of the most important public health policies, but the nation's huge high school dropout rate and poverty rates are typically not seen as health problems.

Rise in human-made carbon dioxide affects ocean acoustics Posted: 22 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST Oceanographers have discovered that seawater sound absorption will drop by up to 70 percent this century, due to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide causing ocean acidification. As a result, underwater sound could travel farther, and this could lead to growing noise levels in the oceans. Increasing transparency of the oceans to low-frequency sounds could also enable marine mammals to communicate over longer distances.

New compounds may control deadly fungal infections Posted: 22 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST An estimated 25,000 Americans develop severe fungal infections each year, leading to 10,000 deaths despite the use of anti-fungal drugs. The associated cost to the US health care system has been estimated at $1 billion a year. Now two scientists have developed new brominated furanones that exhibit powerful anti-fungal properties.

Formation of the Gulf of Corinth rift, Greece Posted: 22 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST A study of the structure and evolution of the Gulf of Corinth rift in central Greece will increase scientific understanding of rifted margin development and the tectonic mechanisms underlying seafloor spreading and deformation of the Earth's crust.

New Web tool may help predict risk of second stroke Posted: 22 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST Scientists have developed a new web-based tool that may better predict whether a person will suffer a second stroke within 90 days of a first stroke.

Improved recipe for catalysts Posted: 22 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST Baking the perfect soufflé depends on timing, good ingredients and the right proportions. Exactly the same thing applies to catalysts - the materials that make a chemical reaction work faster or better. Researchers now know how to make a perfect catalyst, thanks to new techniques.

Home-based child care meeting nutritional standards; widespread use of TV a concern Posted: 22 Dec 2009 11:00 PM PST A large study of family child care providers shows that while nutrition standards are often met, most children ages 2 to 5 are not getting enough physical activity and are exposed to the television for most of the day.

Story of 4.5-million-year-old whale found in Spain Posted: 22 Dec 2009 08:00 PM PST In 2006, researchers found the fossil remains of a whale, 4.5 million years old, in Spain. Now they have published, for the first time, the results of the decay and fossilization process that started with the death of the young cetacean, possibly a baleen whale from the Mysticeti group.

Gene for devastating kidney disease discovered Posted: 22 Dec 2009 08:00 PM PST A genetic discovery offers new hope for a better treatment for a mysterious, devastating kidney disease that's the second leading cause of kidney failure in children. The disease forces children and young adults onto dialysis and, all too often, kidney transplant -- only to see the disease recur in the transplanted kidney, sometimes within hours.

New insight in nerve cell communication Posted: 22 Dec 2009 08:00 PM PST New nano research gives important insights in nerve cell communication that will help the fight against nerve pain following amputation and diabetes. Researchers have studied, with nanotechnology techniques, the way proteins recognize the small membrane vesicles that transmit signaling molecules from one nerve cell to another.

Discovery of new gene called Brd2 that regulates obesity and diabetes Posted: 22 Dec 2009 08:00 PM PST The chance discovery of a genetic mutation that makes mice enormously fat but protects them from diabetes has given researchers new insights into the cellular mechanisms that link obesity to type 2 diabetes.

Students reaffirm work of 1920s paleontologist, contrary to later revision Posted: 22 Dec 2009 08:00 PM PST Three paleontology graduate students blew the dust off an 85-year-old dinosaur find to discover the original researcher had it right and a 1970s revision of his work was wrong.

Medical team's support of terminal cancer patients' spiritual needs improves quality of life Posted: 22 Dec 2009 08:00 PM PST In a new study of terminally ill cancer patients, researchers found support of patients' spiritual needs by the medical team is associated with greater use of hospice, less aggressive care, and greater quality of life near death.

Attention demands may explain why texting while driving is so dangerous Posted: 22 Dec 2009 05:00 PM PST A timely new study suggests why texting while driving is riskier than talking on a cell phone or with another passenger.

Meddling in mosquitoes' sex lives could help stop the spread of malaria Posted: 22 Dec 2009 05:00 PM PST Stopping male mosquitoes from sealing their sperm inside females with a 'mating plug' could prevent mosquitoes from reproducing, and offer a potential new way to combat malaria.

Novel nanotechnology heals abscesses caused by resistant staph bacteria Posted: 22 Dec 2009 05:00 PM PST Researchers have developed a new approach for treating and healing skin abscesses caused by bacteria resistant to most antibiotics.

Obesity increases the risk for obstructive sleep apnea in adolescents, but not in younger children Posted: 22 Dec 2009 05:00 PM PST A new study shows that being overweight or obese increases the risk for developing obstructive sleep apnea in adolescents but not in younger children.

Hypoxia tends to increase as climate warms, study finds Posted: 22 Dec 2009 05:00 PM PST A new study of Pacific Ocean sediments off the coast of Chile has found that offshore waters experienced systematic oxygen depletion during the rapid warming of the Antarctic following the last "glacial maximum" period 20,000 years ago.

Electronic health records: Concerns about potential privacy breaches remain an issue Posted: 22 Dec 2009 05:00 PM PST New research studies cite pervasive concern among US physicians about privacy issues related to electronic health records, despite recognized benefits of using them.

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