ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Dogs have bigger brains than cats because they are more sociable, research finds
• Cholesterol drug shows benefits for kidney patients, study suggests
• Why are we getting fatter? Seeking a mysterious culprit
• Danger of cancerous tissue development in chromosomal abnormalities
• Scientists re-sequence six corn varieties, find some genes missing
• Sensory stimulation protects against brain damage caused by stroke
• Same face may look male or female, depending on where it appears in a person's field of view
• Fatal blood clot genetic risk identified
• Molecular switch controls neuronal migration in the developing brain
• A decade of refinements in transplantation improves long-term survival of blood cancers
• Quartz crystal microbalances enable new microscale analytic technique
• Pre-injury exercise may mitigate the effects of traumatic brain injury in mice
• Whale sharks use geometry to avoid sinking
• Diabetes drug could work against Alzheimer's, animal study suggests
• Oldest salt mine known to date located in Azerbaijan
• Being faced with gender stereotypes makes women less likely to take financial risks
• Finger-trap tension stabilizes cells' chromosome-separating machinery
• Epilepsy: Women need specific treatment, experts say
• A new electromagnetism can be simulated through a quantum simulator
• Whale-inspired ocean turbine blades: US Naval Academy researchers look to convert tidal energy into electricity
• New knowledge on 're-discovered' switchgrass moth

Dogs have bigger brains than cats because they are more sociable, research finds Posted: 28 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PST Over millions of years dogs have developed bigger brains than cats because highly social species of mammals need more brain power than solitary animals, according to a new study.

Cholesterol drug shows benefits for kidney patients, study suggests Posted: 28 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PST A combination drug that lowers levels of 'bad' cholesterol in the blood can benefit people with chronic kidney disease and is safe, a new study suggests.

Why are we getting fatter? Seeking a mysterious culprit Posted: 28 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PST Researchers suggest there are multiple, still undiscovered causes for obesity, based observations of weight gain in controlled groups of animals that has no single explanation, such as diet or activity level.

Danger of cancerous tissue development in chromosomal abnormalities Posted: 28 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PST New research arouses a cautionary warning in the growing field of the development of stem cells as a means for future treatment of patients through replacement of diseased or damaged tissues by using the patient's own stem cells. The research indicates a possible danger of cancerous tissue development in the use of such cells.

Scientists re-sequence six corn varieties, find some genes missing Posted: 28 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PST Researchers recently re-sequenced and compared six elite inbred corn lines, including the parents of the most productive commercial hybrids in China and found entire genes that were missing from one line to another.

Sensory stimulation protects against brain damage caused by stroke Posted: 28 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PST Mild sensory stimulation given soon after the first symptoms of a stroke can prevent a large area of the brain from becoming damaged, a new animal study shows. If applicable to humans, these findings could potentially help protect vulnerable brain tissue in patients with stroke.

Same face may look male or female, depending on where it appears in a person's field of view Posted: 28 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST Neuroscientists have made the surprising discovery that the brain sees some faces as male when they appear in one area of a person's field of view, but female when they appear in a different location.

Fatal blood clot genetic risk identified Posted: 28 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST Researchers can now better identifying people at risk of developing potentially fatal blood clots that can lead to heart attack.

Molecular switch controls neuronal migration in the developing brain Posted: 28 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST Researchers have identified key components of a signaling pathway that controls the departure of neurons from the brain niche where they form and allows these cells to start migrating to their final destination.

A decade of refinements in transplantation improves long-term survival of blood cancers Posted: 28 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST A decade of refinements in marrow and stem cell transplantation to treat blood cancers significantly reduced the risk of treatment-related complications and death, according to new research.

Quartz crystal microbalances enable new microscale analytic technique Posted: 28 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST A new chemical analysis technique uses the shifting ultrasonic pitch of a small quartz crystal to test the purity of only a few micrograms of material.

Pre-injury exercise may mitigate the effects of traumatic brain injury in mice Posted: 28 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST Being physically fit before a traumatic brain injury (TBI) might improve recovery, preliminary findings suggest. After TBI, mice bred for running behavior exhibited smaller brain lesions and engaged in more extensive post-injury activity than did mice that had been sedentary before the injury.

Whale sharks use geometry to avoid sinking Posted: 27 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PST They are the largest fish species in the ocean, but the majestic gliding motion of the whale shark is, scientists argue, an astonishing feat of mathematics and energy conservation. Marine scientists now reveal how these massive sharks use geometry to enhance their natural negative buoyancy and stay afloat.

Diabetes drug could work against Alzheimer's, animal study suggests Posted: 27 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PST The diabetes drug metformin has an effect against one of the main causes of the Alzheimer's disease, according to new research in animal models.

Oldest salt mine known to date located in Azerbaijan Posted: 27 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PST Archeologists have recently shown that the Duzdagi salt deposits, situated in the Araxes Valley in Azerbaijan, were already being exploited from the second half of the 5th millennium BC. This is the most ancient exploitation of rock salt attested to date. And, to the researchers' surprise, intensive salt production was carried out in this mine at least as early as 3500 BC.

Being faced with gender stereotypes makes women less likely to take financial risks Posted: 27 Nov 2010 11:00 AM PST Last year Nicholas Kristof declared in his New York Times column what banks need to fix their problems: Not just a bailout, but also "women, women, and women." Women are generally thought to be less willing to take risks than men, so he speculated that banks could balance out risky men by employing more women. Stereotypes like this about women actually influence how women make financial decisions, according to a new study.

Finger-trap tension stabilizes cells' chromosome-separating machinery Posted: 27 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST Scientists have discovered an amazingly simple way that cells stabilize their machinery for forcing apart chromosomes.

Epilepsy: Women need specific treatment, experts say Posted: 27 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST Doctors treating female epilepsy patients have to take account of the specific hormonal situation in women. Such an approach can often reduce the limitations imposed by the disease, according to experts.

A new electromagnetism can be simulated through a quantum simulator Posted: 27 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST A quantum simulator is a variant of a quantum computer that allows us to outperform classical computers in the understanding of complex quantum systems.

Whale-inspired ocean turbine blades: US Naval Academy researchers look to convert tidal energy into electricity Posted: 26 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST Lessons learned from the ocean's largest mammals have inspired United States Naval Academy researchers to tackle one of the serious design challenges facing a technology that uses underwater turbines to convert ocean tides into electricity.

New knowledge on 're-discovered' switchgrass moth Posted: 26 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST Scientists are learning more about the life stages and biology of an insect that may compete with humans for the energy crops of the future -- the insect some scientists are calling the switchgrass moth.

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ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Sewage water bacteria fills 'missing link' in early evolution of life on Earth
• By 2050 there will be more elderly than children in the world
• Scientists manage to adapt juvenile blue fin tuna to captivity in land installations
• Large Hadron Collider experiments bring new insight into primordial universe
• Reference database to identify origin of elephant ivory
• Reliable culture of human embryonic stem cells
• Could thermodynamics solve the problem of sustainability?
• Intelligent detector provides real-time information on available parking spaces
• Severe asthma more prevalent than thought, related to pronounced nasal symptoms
• Iron compounds synthesized to combat tuberculosis

Sewage water bacteria fills 'missing link' in early evolution of life on Earth Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST A common group of bacteria found in acid bogs and sewage treatment plants has provided scientists with evidence of a 'missing link' in one of the most important steps in the evolution of life on Earth -- the emergence of cells with a nucleus containing DNA (eukaryotic cells).

By 2050 there will be more elderly than children in the world Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST In the year 2050 there will be more elderly people than children in the world. We face massive challenges ahead of us -- economically, sociologically and culturally.

Scientists manage to adapt juvenile blue fin tuna to captivity in land installations Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST Researchers have taken a new step towards achieving the domestication of bluefin tuna. A dozen juveniles have been adapted to captivity in land based facilities, something that had already been successfully achieved in Japan, Australia and the USA in other species of tuna.

Large Hadron Collider experiments bring new insight into primordial universe Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST After less than three weeks of heavy-ion running, the three experiments studying lead ion collisions at CERN's Large Hadron Collider have already brought new insight into matter as it would have existed in the very first instants of the Universe's life.

Reference database to identify origin of elephant ivory Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST A reference database has been established for the identification of the origin of elephant ivory.

Reliable culture of human embryonic stem cells Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST Human embryonic stem cells have enormous potential for use in pharmaceutical development and therapeutics; however, to realize this potential there is a requirement for simple and reproducible cell culture methods that provide adequate numbers of cells of suitable quality.

Could thermodynamics solve the problem of sustainability? Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST Socio-economics, natural capital and other esoteric notions prove themselves to be inadequate again and again when researchers and economists attempt to quantify the degree of sustainability. But, what if consumption of resources by a society or other complex system were simply viewed as a flow of exergy, the useful "work" a system can do? When approached in this way, the concept of sustainability becomes a question of thermodynamics where thresholds can be calculated above or below which a system is either consuming "too much" or "too little" respectively, and so is not in a self-preserving state of equilibrium.

Intelligent detector provides real-time information on available parking spaces Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST Researchers in Spain have designed an intelligent detector designed to provide real-time information on available parking spaces. The device works by first detecting the sudden change in the amount of light reaching the pavement that occurs when a vehicle passes over it. The optical sensor then activates the magnetic sensor to verify that the shadow is being produced by a vehicle. This is done by detecting the slight disturbance in Earth's magnetic field that occurs when a car passes over or stops above the device.

Severe asthma more prevalent than thought, related to pronounced nasal symptoms Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST People with multi-symptom asthma more often have night-time awakenings due to asthma-symptoms, a sign of severe asthma. Researchers have shown that asthma with multiple symptoms is more highly prevalent than previously suggested, comprising 20- 25% of all asthmatics.

Iron compounds synthesized to combat tuberculosis Posted: 25 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST Researchers have synthesized two iron compounds that inhibit the in vitro growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. Due their low level of toxicity in mammal cells, the compounds could be used in the future as therapeutic agents and hospital disinfectants.

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ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Size of mammals exploded after dinosaur extinction, researchers confirm
• Growth-factor gel shows promise as hearing-loss treatment
• Female fish -- and humans? -- lose interest when their male loses a slugfest
• Weather affects children's injury rate: Each 5-degree temperature rise boosts kids' hospital admissions for serious injury by 10 percent
• Erythromycin A produced in E. coli for first time: Biosynthetic breakthrough paves way for other pharmaceuticals
• Tightwads and spendthrifts: A Black Friday tradition
• A high-yield biomass alternative to petroleum for industrial chemicals
• More protein, less refined starch important for dieting, large study shows
• New tool detects Ebola, Marburg quickly, easily
• No link between mold growth and development of asthma and allergy, Scandinavian study finds
• First evidence for magnetic field in protostar jet: Magnetism common to all cosmic jets?
• Gender gap in physics exams reduced by simple writing exercises, study finds
• Pulsating star mystery solved in rare alignment of Cepheid variable and another star
• New insight into the cause of common dementia
• Promising new multiple sclerosis treatment under development
• High BMI in childhood linked to greater heart disease risk in adolescence
• Carbon emission reduction strategies may undermine tropical biodiversity conservation, conservationists warn
• US death rate from congenital heart defects continues to decline
• Do 'traffic lights' in the brain direct our actions? Delayed inhibition between neurons identified as possible basis for decision making
• How cannabis suppresses immune functions: Cannabis compounds found to trigger unique immune cells which promote cancer growth
• Understanding aging by studying reproduction
• Proton-pump inhibitors and birth defects: Some reassurances, but more needed, warns epidemiologist
• When Belgium sneezes, the world catches a cold
• New guidance issued for first responders collecting suspected biothreat agents

Size of mammals exploded after dinosaur extinction, researchers confirm Posted: 26 Nov 2010 08:00 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated that the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago made way for mammals to get bigger -- about a thousand times bigger than they had been, as well as confirming the dramatic growth in mammalian size after the dinosaurs. The study also showed that the ecosystem is able to reset itself relatively quickly.

Growth-factor gel shows promise as hearing-loss treatment Posted: 26 Nov 2010 08:00 AM PST A new treatment has been developed for sudden sensorineural hearing loss, a condition that causes deafness in 40,000 Americans each year, usually in early middle-age. Researchers describe the positive results of a preliminary trial of insulin-like growth factor 1, applied as a topical gel.

Female fish -- and humans? -- lose interest when their male loses a slugfest Posted: 26 Nov 2010 08:00 AM PST If you see your special someone lose a competition, your subconscious may start whispering, "He's a loser," even as you insist your love is unaffected, according to researchers studying African cichlid fish. When female cichlids saw a favored suitor lose a fight with another male, the females showed marked changes in relatively primitive parts of their brains. Humans have those same primitive brain areas, suggesting we may subconsciously react in much the same way.

Weather affects children's injury rate: Each 5-degree temperature rise boosts kids' hospital admissions for serious injury by 10 percent Posted: 26 Nov 2010 08:00 AM PST Every 5 degree Celsius rise in maximum temperature pushes up the rate of hospital admissions for serious injuries among children, reveals one of the largest studies of its kind.

Erythromycin A produced in E. coli for first time: Biosynthetic breakthrough paves way for other pharmaceuticals Posted: 26 Nov 2010 08:00 AM PST For the first time, researchers have made the antibiotic erythromycin A, and two variants, using E. coli as the production host. This is a cost-effective way to make erythromycin A and new drugs to combat antibiotic resistant pathogens. The E. coli host also offers next-generation engineering opportunities for other products with complex biosynthetic pathways.

Tightwads and spendthrifts: A Black Friday tradition Posted: 26 Nov 2010 08:00 AM PST Every year about this time, on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that traditionally begins the holiday shopping season, early-morning consumers stand in long lines eager to purchase some sought after prize. From the outside, it looks as if these holiday shoppers can't wait to plunk down their cash, but researchers say consumers often behave differently than they would ideally like to behave.

A high-yield biomass alternative to petroleum for industrial chemicals Posted: 26 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST Chemical engineers report that they have developed a way to produce high-volume chemical feedstocks including benzene, toluene, xylenes and olefins from pyrolytic bio-oils, the cheapest liquid fuels available today derived from biomass. The new process could reduce or eliminate industry's reliance on fossil fuels to make industrial chemicals worth an estimated $400 billion annually.

More protein, less refined starch important for dieting, large study shows Posted: 26 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST If you want to lose weight or avoid gaining weight, you should cut down on finely refined starch calories such as white bread and white rice and instead eat a diet that is high in proteins with more lean meat, low-fat dairy products and beans, large scale study suggests.

New tool detects Ebola, Marburg quickly, easily Posted: 26 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST Researchers have developed a simple diagnostic tool that can quickly identify dangerous viruses like Ebola and Marburg. The biosensor, which is the size of a quarter and can detect viruses in a blood sample, could be used in developing nations, airports and other places where natural or man-made outbreaks could erupt.

No link between mold growth and development of asthma and allergy, Scandinavian study finds Posted: 26 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST A recent study in Norway shows that there is no link between mold-spore concentrations in the indoor air and development of asthma and allergy among children.

First evidence for magnetic field in protostar jet: Magnetism common to all cosmic jets? Posted: 26 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST Highly-sensitive observations with the Very Large Array show the first-ever evidence for a magnetic field in the jet of a young star. This gives such protostellar jets a common characteristic with jets from quasars and microquasars.

Gender gap in physics exams reduced by simple writing exercises, study finds Posted: 26 Nov 2010 05:00 AM PST Women are underrepresented and on average perform more poorly than men in introductory physics. But a recent study finds that this gap arises predominantly from differential preparation prior to college and psychological factors, rather than differences in ability.

Pulsating star mystery solved in rare alignment of Cepheid variable and another star Posted: 26 Nov 2010 02:00 AM PST By discovering the first double star where a pulsating Cepheid variable and another star pass in front of one another, an international team of astronomers has solved a decades-old mystery. The rare alignment of the orbits of the two stars in the double star system has allowed a measurement of the Cepheid mass with unprecedented accuracy. The new result shows that the prediction from stellar pulsation theory is spot on, while the prediction from stellar evolution theory is at odds with the new observations.

New insight into the cause of common dementia Posted: 26 Nov 2010 02:00 AM PST Researchers have found a clue as to how some people develop a form of dementia that affects the brain areas associated with personality, behavior and language.

Promising new multiple sclerosis treatment under development Posted: 26 Nov 2010 02:00 AM PST Successfully treating and reversing the effects of multiple sclerosis, or MS, may one day be possible using a drug originally developed to treat chronic pain, according to experts.

High BMI in childhood linked to greater heart disease risk in adolescence Posted: 26 Nov 2010 02:00 AM PST Children who have a high body mass index (BMI) between 9 and 12 years of age are more likely to have high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood insulin levels (all risk factors for developing heart disease) by the time they reach adolescence, according to a new study.

Carbon emission reduction strategies may undermine tropical biodiversity conservation, conservationists warn Posted: 26 Nov 2010 02:00 AM PST Conservationists have warned that carbon emission reduction strategies such as REDD may undermine, not enhance, long-term prospects for biodiversity conservation in the tropics. Their warning comes only days ahead of the Cancun COP 16 climate change talks.

US death rate from congenital heart defects continues to decline Posted: 26 Nov 2010 02:00 AM PST Deaths from congenital heart defects continue a decades-long decline in the United States. The rates of death were consistently higher among blacks compared to whites.

Do 'traffic lights' in the brain direct our actions? Delayed inhibition between neurons identified as possible basis for decision making Posted: 25 Nov 2010 11:00 PM PST In every waking minute, we have to make decisions -- sometimes within a split second. Neuroscientists in Germany have now discovered a possible explanation how the brain chooses between alternative options. The key lies in extremely fast changes in the communication between single nerve cells.

How cannabis suppresses immune functions: Cannabis compounds found to trigger unique immune cells which promote cancer growth Posted: 25 Nov 2010 11:00 PM PST Immunologists studying the effects of cannabis have discovered how smoking marijuana can trigger a suppression of the body's immune functions. The research reveals why cannabis users are more susceptible to certain types of cancers and infections.

Understanding aging by studying reproduction Posted: 25 Nov 2010 11:00 PM PST Do examples of rejuvenation exist in nature? Yes, during reproduction! For the first time, scientists have managed to visualize, in the model organism C. elegans, the sudden "rejuvenation" of oocytes just before fertilization. This work opens new avenues for understanding aging and the diseases that are associated with it.

Proton-pump inhibitors and birth defects: Some reassurances, but more needed, warns epidemiologist Posted: 25 Nov 2010 11:00 PM PST Despite the reassurances about the use of proton-pump inhibitors during pregnancy based on a new study, an epidemiologist believes that further studies are needed.

When Belgium sneezes, the world catches a cold Posted: 25 Nov 2010 11:00 PM PST As the Eurozone continues to wobble, a new analysis of countries' economic interconnectedness finds that some of the countries with the greatest potential to cause a global crash have surprisingly small gross domestic production.

New guidance issued for first responders collecting suspected biothreat agents Posted: 25 Nov 2010 11:00 PM PST The US National Institute of Standards and Technology and a coalition of federal, state and local agencies and other organizations have updated a standard and provided overall guidance and recommendations to help the nation's first responders and law enforcement agencies deal with collecting and managing samples of suspicious powders.

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