ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Biologists Learn Structure, Mechanism Of Powerful 'Molecular Motor' In Virus Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Researchers have discovered the atomic structure of a powerful "molecular motor" that packages DNA into the head segment of some viruses during their assembly, an essential step in their ability to multiply and infect new host organisms.

Redesigned Protein Accelerates Blood Clotting Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Researchers have made several, subtle changes in the structure of a key protein, dramatically increasing its ability to drive blood clotting, according to a new study. The findings have profound implications for the treatment of hemophilia, the inherited blood disorder that causes easy or excessive bleeding in 30,000 Americans.

College Students Find Comfort In Their Pets During Hard Times Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST A new study suggests that college students may handle stressful situations better if they have a pet. Research has already shown that pets can improve the quality of life for people who are aging or those who are chronically ill. But researchers have recently found that many college students may also benefit from owning a cat or a dog.

Chink Found In Armor Of Viral 'Tummy Bug' Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Researchers have moved a step closer to identifying a broad spectrum treatment for the dreaded 'viral tummy bug' or rotavirus.

Bioreactors Might Solve Blood-platelet Supply Problems Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST It might be possible to grow human blood platelets in the laboratory for transfusion, according to a new study. The findings might help end the tight supply of these critical blood components. Platelets are needed by certain cancer patients, bone marrow transplant patients, those needing massive blood transfusions and people with aplastic anemia. But concentrates from donors are expensive and up to 40 percent must be discarded.

We Are Better Able To Detect Racial Tension In Members Of Our Racial Group Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Is it more difficult for members of different races to understand each others' emotions and intentions? A new study in Psychological Science reveals that we are better able to detect anxiety in members of our own racial group than in people of different racial backgrounds. The authors suggest that "race-matched observers appeared to draw upon subtle nonverbal indicators of intergroup anxiety that were undetectable to race-mismatched observers."

NASA Study Links Severe Storm Increases, Global Warming Posted: 28 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST The frequency of extremely high clouds in Earth's tropics -- the type associated with severe storms and rainfall -- is increasing as a result of global warming, according to a study by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Brain Starvation As We Age Appears To Trigger Alzheimer's: Improving Blood Flow To Brain Is Preventive Strategy Posted: 28 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST A slow, chronic starvation of the brain as we age appears to be a major trigger of a biochemical process that causes some forms of Alzheimer's disease. A new study has found when the brain doesn't get enough sugar glucose -- as when cardiovascular disease restricts blood flow to the brain -- a process is launched that produces the sticky clumps of protein that appear to be a cause of Alzheimer's.

Honeybees As Plant 'Bodyguards' Posted: 28 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Honeybees are important to plants for reasons that go beyond pollination, according to a new study in Current Biology. The insects' buzz also defends plants against the caterpillars that would otherwise munch on them undisturbed.

Common Treatment For Chronic Prostatitis Fails To Reduce Symptoms, Study Shows Posted: 28 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Alfuzosin, a drug commonly prescribed for men with chronic prostatitis, a painful disorder of the prostate and surrounding pelvic area, failed to significantly reduce symptoms in recently diagnosed men who had not been previously treated with this drug, according to a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

First Experimental Evidence For Speedy Adaptation To Pesticides By Worm Species Posted: 28 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Scientists in Portugal have shown that populations of the worm Caenhorabditis elegans become resistance to pesticides in 20 generations -- that is, in only 80 days.

How We Make Proper Movements Posted: 28 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST How do we make proper movements? A new study in Psychological Science suggests that when we see an object, a number of motor programs in the brain are involuntarily activated (each with a different potential movement we can make), which all compete with one another. One program emerges as the winner of the competition and is ready to be implemented while the other programs (which would result in erroneous movements) are inhibited.

What Can Swiss Cheese Teach Us About Dark Energy? Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST About 10 years ago, scientists reached the astonishing conclusion that our universe is accelerating apart at ever-increasing speeds, stretching space and time itself like melted cheese. The force that's pushing the universe apart is still a mystery, which is precisely why it was dubbed "dark energy." But is dark energy really real? Is our universe really accelerating?

Newly Found Enzymes May Play Early Role In Cancer Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Researchers have discovered two enzymes that, when combined, could be involved in the earliest stages of cancer. Manipulating these enzymes genetically might lead to targeted therapies aimed at slowing or preventing the onset of tumors.

Nutritious Fast-food Kids' Meals Are Scarce, Researchers Find Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Only three percent of kids' meals served at fast-food restaurants met federal dietary guidelines in the first study to examine the nutrient quality of such meals in a major US metropolitan market. The small percentage of meals that did meet dietary guidelines included fruit as a side dish and milk, and nearly all were deli-sandwich meals.

Better Patient Outcomes With Drug Eluting Stents Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Patients receiving drug eluting stents -- stents coated with medication to prevent narrowing of the artery -- as part of an angioplasty had better outcomes one year later than patients with bare metal stents, according to a new study.

Advancing Knowledge Of Little 'Nano-machines' In Our Body Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST A discovery by Canada-US biophysicists will improve the understanding of ion channels, akin to little "nano-machines" or "nano-valves" in our body, which when they malfunction can cause genetic illnesses that attack muscles, the central nervous system and the heart.

Men, Women Give To Charity Differently, Says New Research Posted: 28 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST To whom would you rather give money: a needy person in your neighborhood or a needy person in a foreign country? If you're a man, you're more likely to give to the person closest to you -- that is, the one in your neighborhood -- if you give at all.

3-D Moon Imaging Inaugurated With NASA Instrument Aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 Spacecraft Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST Different wavelengths of light provide new information about the Orientale Basin region of the moon in a new composite image taken by NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper, a guest instrument aboard the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft.

Cancer Drug Effectively Treats Transplant Rejections Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST Researchers have discovered a new therapy for transplant patients, targeting the antibody-producing plasma cells that can cause organ rejection.

Humans, Oceans Shaped North American Climate Over Past 50 Years, NOAA Report Says Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST Greenhouse gases play an important role in North American climate, but differences in regional ocean temperatures may hold a key to predicting future U.S. regional climate changes, according to a new NOAA-led scientific assessment.

Scientists Attempt Disentanglement Of Right Whale Off Florida Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST Scientists recently attempted a disentanglement of a critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Abrupt Climate Change: Will It Happen this Century? Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST The United States faces the potential for abrupt climate change in the 21st century that could pose clear risks to society in terms of our ability to adapt.

Four Years After Tsunami, Coral Reefs Recovering Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM 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.

New Hope For Diabetes Patients? Signal Pathway Found That May Be Involved In Type 2 Diabetes Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST Researchers have identified a signal pathway that could be involved in the occurrence of Type 2 diabetes. If it is deactivated, it may be possible to delay the illness by many years.

New Model For Nuclear Pore Complex Backed By Structural Study Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST In higher organisms, the genetic material is confined and protected in the cell nucleus. In order for a healthy cell to function, the DNA must send manufacturing orders through the double membrane of the nucleus and into the cell's cytoplasm, where the protein production factories are and where most cellular functions are carried out. The sole portals through which these instructions pass -- nuclear pore complexes -- have a say in what the orders are and how they are conveyed. But these conspicuously large structures have ironically proved all but inscrutable to researchers over the years.

Single Letter In Human Genome Points To Risk For High Cholesterol Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST Write out every letter in the human genome, one A, C, T or G per millimeter, and the text would be 1,800 miles long, roughly the distance from New York to Colorado. Now, in the search for genes that affect how humans synthesize, process and break down cholesterol, scientists have found a single letter among this expanse of code that is associated with elevated LDL cholesterol levels, one of the leading health concerns that has come to dominate the 21st century.

Microbiologist Tests Safety Of Spiked Eggnog Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST With one in every 20,000 eggs contaminated with Salmonella bacteria, drinking homemade eggnog can be something of a gamble. But an experiment designed to test whether the alcohol in spiked eggnog can kill the deadly bugs suggests that, in general, few bacteria survive in a mixture containing both raw eggs and 20 percent rum and bourbon.

Defensive Protein Killed Ancient Primate Retroviruses, Research Suggests Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST Retroviruses are the worst sort of guest. Over eons, these molecular parasites have insinuated themselves into their hosts' DNA and caused a ruckus. The poor hosts can't even be rid of the intruders by killing them, because they stubbornly remain after death.

Drilling Holes Through Deadly Bacteria's Kevlar-like Hide Posted: 26 Dec 2008 09:00 PM PST To protect themselves from human defenses, disease-causing bacteria have evolved a cell wall made from a nearly impenetrable tangle of tightly woven strands. That's made it difficult for scientists to see what goes on inside these potentially deadly organisms. But that era is now over. Researchers have now figured out how to drill holes through the Kevlar-like hide of gram-positive bacteria without obliterating them, and in doing so, they've made it possible to study, from the inside out, most of the known bacteria on the planet.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Latest Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ScienceDaily: Latest Science News in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Business partnership

Dear Friend

 

This letter must come to you as a big surprise, but I believe it is only a day that people meet and become great friends and business partners. I am Mr. Abdullah Saif, currently Head of Corporate affairs with a reputable bank here . I write you this proposal in good faith, believing that I can trust you with the information I am about to reveal to you.

 

I have an urgent and very confidential business proposition for you. On November 6, 2003, an Iraqi Foreign Oil consultant/contractor with the CHEVRON PETROLEUM CORPORATION, MR. Haider Hanoon made a (Fixed deposit) for 36 calendar months, valued at US$17,500,000.00 (Seventeen Million Five hundred Thousand Dollars only) in my bank and I happen to be his account officer before I was moved to my present position recently. Upon maturity in 2005, as his account officer and as well the bank manger, it is my duty to notify him on the maturity date so I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but the letter was returned undelivered.

 

After sometime, I tried sending back the letter, but it was again returned and finally I discovered from his contract employers, Chevron Petroleum Corporation that Mr. Haider Hanoon died as a result of torture in the hand of Saddam Hussein (former Iraqi President) during one of his trips to his country Iraq, as he was accused of leaking information to the Americans.

 

On further investigation, I discovered that MR.Haider Hanoon . family wife and two sons died during the Gulf War in Iraq and was the reason why he did not declare any next of kin or relation in all his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank and did not leave any WILL.

 

This sum of US$17,500,000.00 have been floating and placed under dormant/unserviceable account by my bank management since no one have heard from the owner since 2005. I wish to let you know that all the investigation I have made so far, my bank management is not aware of it, I am the only one that have the information.

 

With the recent change of government in my country and with their efforts to support the United Nations in check mating terrorism aid , the government will pass a new financial control law which will give the government authority to interrogate account owners of above $5.000. to explain the source of the funds, making sure it is not for terrorism support. If I do not move this money out of the country immediately, the government will definitely

confiscate the money, because my bank cannot provide the account owner to explain the source of the money.

 

I cannot directly transfer out this money without the help of a foreigner and that is why I am contacting you for an assistance. As the Account Officer to late MR.Haider Hanoon , coupled with my present position and status in the bank as Head of Retail Banking Group, I have the power to influence the release of the funds to any foreigner that comes up as the next of kin to the account, with the correct information concerning the account, which I shall give you.

 

All documents to enable you claim this fund will be carefully worked out and there is practically no risk involved, the transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law,

If you accept to work with me, I want you to state how you wish us to share the funds in percentage, so that both parties will be satisfied. If you are interested, contact me as soon as you receive this message so we can go over the details. Thanking you in advance and may God bless you.

 

Regards
Mr. Abdullah Saif

 

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Real-time Gene Monitoring Developed Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Imagine having GeneVision: the uncanny ability to view the activity of any chosen gene in real time through a specially modified camera. With GeneVision, military commanders could compare gene expression in victorious and defeated troops. Retailers could track genes related to craving as shoppers moved about a store. "The Bachelor" would enjoy yet one more secret advantage over his love-struck dates. A new study correlates real-time gene expression with movement and behavior for the first time.

New Anti-cancer Components Of Extra-virgin Olive Oil Revealed Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Good quality extra-virgin olive oil contains health-relevant chemicals, 'phytochemicals', that can trigger cancer cell death. New research sheds more light on the suspected association between olive oil-rich Mediterranean diets and reductions in breast cancer risk.

Ecosystem Changes In Temperate Lakes Linked To Climate Warming Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Unparalleled warming over the last few decades has triggered widespread ecosystem changes in many temperate North American and Western European lakes, say researchers.

Breathing Problems During Sleep Associated With Calories Burned At Rest Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Individuals with sleep-related breathing disorders appear to burn more calories when resting as their conditions become more severe, according to a new report.

Molecular Manual For Hundreds Of Inherited Diseases Developed Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Researchers have created a catalogue of tissue-specific processes involved in hundreds of inherited diseases. These results could help treat diseases such as breast cancer, Parkinson disease, heart diseases and autism.

Head And Neck Injury Risks In Heavy Metal: Head Bangers Stuck Between Rock And A Hard Bass Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 PM PST Head banging increases the risk of head and neck injury, but the effects may be lessened with reduced head and neck motion, head banging to lower tempo songs or to every second beat, and using protective equipment such as neck braces, finds a new study.

Humans And Chimps Register Faces By Using Similar Brain Regions Posted: 27 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Chimpanzees recognize their pals by using some of the same brain regions that switch on when humans register a familiar face. The study -- the first to examine brain activity in chimpanzees after they attempt to match fellow chimps' faces -- offers new insight into the origin of face recognition in humans, the researchers said.

Killer Peptide May Offer New Therapy Against Influenza A Virus Posted: 27 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST In a new study researchers identified what appears to be the first antibody-derived peptide that inhibits the activities of harmful microbes such as influenza A virus and HIV-1.

Warmer Temperatures Could Lead To A Boom In Corn Pests Posted: 27 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Climate change could provide the warmer weather pests prefer, leading to an increase in populations that feed on corn and other crops, according to a new study. Warmer growing season temperatures and milder winters could allow some of these insects to expand.

New Insight Into Birth Defect Characterized By Digit Duplication And Fusion Posted: 27 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST Birth defects characterized by malformation of the limbs are relatively common. New insight into one form of the birth defect synpolydactyly, where individuals have 1 or more digit (finger or toe) duplicated and 2 or more digits fused together, has now been provided researchers in Germany who studied a mouse model of the condition.

Gesture Recognition Will Allow People With Disabilities To Interact More Easily With Computers Posted: 27 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST A system that can recognize human gestures could provide a new way for people with physical disabilities to interact with computers. A related system for the able bodied could also be used to make virtual worlds more realistic.

Researchers Revisit Male Bisexuality Posted: 27 Dec 2008 11:00 AM PST While the Kinsey Scale has become a fixture in sexuality textbooks and even popular culture, the rating system and Alfred Kinsey's findings regarding male bisexuality and cultural influences on male sexuality in general have largely been overlooked by today's sex researchers.

New Titanium-glass Alloys Are Tough, Cheap And Light-weight Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Scientists have created a range of structural metallic-glass composites, based in titanium, that are lighter and less expensive than any the group had previously created, while still maintaining their toughness and ductility -- the ability to be deformed without breaking.

Phosphorus-lowering Drugs Linked To Lower Mortality In Dialysis Patients Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST For patients on dialysis, taking medications to reduce levels of the mineral phosphorus in the blood may reduce the risk of death by 25 to 30 percent, reports a new study.

Just A Little Squeeze Lets Proteins Assess DNA Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST To find its target, all a protein needs to do is give quick squeezes as it moves along the DNA strand, suggests new research. Scientists had thought DNA-binding proteins primarily used full-body hugs for accurate readings of the information coded in the DNA's sequence. Doing the quick squeezes that scientists call indirect readout probably works faster, the researchers said. The finding has implications for the development of designer drugs.

Colonoscopy Significantly Reduces Death From Left-sided Colon Cancer But Not From Right-sided Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST A new study finds that colonoscopy is strongly associated with fewer deaths from colorectal cancer. However, the risk reduction appears to be entirely due to a reduction in deaths from left-sided cancers. According to the study, colonoscopy shows almost no mortality prevention benefit for cancer that develops in the right side of the colon.

No Quick Or Easy Technological Fix For Climate Change, Researchers Say Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST Global warming can be reversed, some are arguing, with a "geoengineering" fix, such as flying a giant blimp and spraying liquefied sulfur dioxide in the stratosphere. But a professor in the UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences sees no evidence there is any quick or easy technological fix.

Fears Of Promiscuity Pose Barrier To Cervical Cancer Vaccinations Posted: 27 Dec 2008 05:00 AM PST The public's concerns about costs and increased promiscuity among teenagers appear to be hindering use of a vaccine against the human papilloma virus to prevent life-threatening diseases, according to a new study.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Latest Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of ScienceDaily: Latest Science News in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News, c/o Google, 20 W Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610