ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Friday, February 5, 2010
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New Hubble maps of Pluto show surface changes (February 5, 2010) -- NASA has released the most detailed set of images ever taken of the distant dwarf planet Pluto. The images taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope show an icy and dark molasses-colored, mottled world that is undergoing seasonal changes in its surface color and brightness. ... > full story
Possible source of beta cell destruction that leads to Type 1 diabetes (February 5, 2010) -- Doctors have been studying the role of the enzyme 12-Lipoxygenase (12-LO) in the development of Type 1 diabetes. They hope that targeting this enzyme will hold the key to reversing the disease. ... > full story
Seabed biodiversity of the Straits of Magellan and Drake Passage (February 5, 2010) -- A study of animals visible to the naked eye and living in and on the seabed -- the "macrobenthos" -- of the Straits of Magellan and Drake Passage will help scientists understand the biodiversity, biogeography and ecology of the Magellanic region. ... > full story
Novel surgery may help young trauma patients avoid total hip replacements (February 5, 2010) -- A novel surgery using transplanted bone and cartilage may help young patients avoid a hip replacement after a specific traumatic injury to the hip joint, according to a new study. ... > full story
Europe seeks alternatives to natural latex from Asia (February 5, 2010) -- Some natural latexes are the main ingredient in the extraction of natural rubber, an indispensable raw material for all kinds of industries and essential for the manufacture of surgical gloves, condoms or tyres. All the latex used in Europe is imported, extracted fundamentally from the the Hevea brasiliensis tree. The largest producers in the world are Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, three Asian countries that have practically the worldwide monopoly of this resource. In order to find alternatives to this commercial dependence and promote the cultivation of latex-producing plant species in the European Union, a research project is being undertaken in which 12 technological centres, universities and companies related to this matter are taking part. ... > full story
New method improves eating skills of dementia patients (February 5, 2010) -- New research has shown for the first time that it is possible to improve the eating skills and nutritional status of older people with dementia. ... > full story
Ancient human teeth show that stress early in development can shorten life span (February 5, 2010) -- Ancient human teeth are telling secrets that may relate to modern-day health: Some stressful events that occurred early in development are linked to shorter lifespans. "Prehistoric remains are providing strong, physical evidence that people who acquired tooth enamel defects while in the womb or early childhood tended to die earlier, even if they survived to adulthood," says anthropologist George Armelagos, who recently published the first summary of prehistoric evidence for the Barker hypothesis. ... > full story
Scientists ID a protein that splices and dices genes (February 5, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered that the protein MRG15, which previously had been known to affect cell growth and aging, also directs the gene-splicing machinery. As people or animals age, this machinery can go awry, producing nonsense proteins. The finding thus has potential implications for therapies to treat both cancer and aging. ... > full story
Fewer honey bee colonies and beekeepers throughout Europe (February 5, 2010) -- The number of bee colonies in Central Europe has decreased over recent decades. In fact, the number of beekeepers has been declining in the whole of Europe since 1985. ... > full story
Cell mechanism leading to diabetic blindness identified (February 5, 2010) -- Scientists have long known that high blood sugar levels from diabetes damage blood vessels in the eye, but they didn't know why or how. Now a Michigan State University scientist has discovered the process that causes retinal cells to die, which could lead to new treatments that halt the damage. ... > full story
New simulation tool could shorten manufacturing design process (February 5, 2010) -- Researchers have demonstrated they were able to speed up SystemC based simulation by factors of 30 to 100 times that of previous performances. SystemC is often used to shorten manufacturing design cycles to improve the time it takes to bring a product to the marketplace. ... > full story
Mandatory policy boosts influenza vaccination rate among health care workers (February 5, 2010) -- A mandatory influenza vaccination policy improves immunization rates among health care workers, according to a recent study of a large health care organization. ... > full story
Potential evolutionary role for same-sex attraction (February 4, 2010) -- Male homosexuality doesn't make complete sense from an evolutionary point of view. One possible explanation is what evolutionary psychologists call the "kin selection hypothesis." What that means is that homosexuality may convey an indirect benefit by enhancing the survival prospects of close relatives. ... > full story
Genes of pregnant women and their fetuses can increase risk of preterm labor (February 4, 2010) -- New evidence that genetics play a significant role in some premature births may help explain why a woman can do everything right and still give birth too soon. Researchers have identified DNA variants in mothers and fetuses that appear to increase the risk for preterm labor and delivery. ... > full story
Enlisting a drug discovery technique in the battle against global warming (February 4, 2010) -- Scientists in Texas are reporting that a technique used in the search for new drugs could also be used in the quest to discover new, environmentally friendly materials for fighting global warming. Such materials could be used to capture the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from industrial smokestacks and other fixed sources before it enters the biosphere. ... > full story
Prolactin blocks oncogene associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer (February 4, 2010) -- Researchers have found a mechanism by which a hormone responsible for milk production blocks an oncogene that makes breast cancer more aggressive. ... > full story
New computational tool for cancer treatment (February 4, 2010) -- Researchers have developed an approach for creating new IDO inhibitors by computer-assisted structure-based drug design. ... > full story
From music to sports: Autonomy fosters passion among kids (February 4, 2010) -- Parents take heed: children and young adults are more likely to pursue sports, music or other pastimes when given an opportunity to nurture their own passion. According to a new study, parental control can predict whether a child develops a harmonious or obsessive passion for a hobby. ... > full story
Water movements can shape fish evolution (February 4, 2010) -- Researchers have found that the hydrodynamic environment of fish can shape their physical form and swimming style. ... > full story
Use of acetaminophen in pregnancy associated with increased asthma symptoms in children (February 4, 2010) -- Children who were exposed to acetaminophen prenatally were more likely to have asthma symptoms at age five in a study of 300 African-American and Dominican Republic children living in New York City. This is the first study to demonstrate a direct link between asthma and an ability to detoxify foreign substances in the body. ... > full story
Imaging method for eye disease used to eye art forgeries (February 4, 2010) -- Scientists in Poland are describing how a medical imaging technique has taken on a second life in revealing forgery of an artist's signature and changes in inscriptions on paintings that are hundreds of years old. ... > full story
Three brain diseases linked by toxic form of same neural protein (February 4, 2010) -- Researchers have found that three different degenerative brain disorders are linked by a toxic form of the same protein. Elk-1 was found in clumps of misshaped proteins that are the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Huntington's disease. This suggests a molecular link between the presence of inclusions and neuronal loss that is shared across a spectrum of neurodegenerative disease. Identifying these links could open up novel avenues for therapeutic intervention. ... > full story
Bionanomotors may be able to transport and manipulate molecules (February 4, 2010) -- Scientists are conducting research that may lead to new ways to move or position single molecules -- a necessary step if man someday hopes to build molecular machines or other devices capable of working at very small scales. They have shown how bionanomotors can be used some day to move and manipulate molecules at the nanoscale. ... > full story
Acupuncture found effective against depression during pregnancy (February 4, 2010) -- Researchers have shown that acupuncture may be an effective treatment for depression during pregnancy. ... > full story
Spherical cows help to dump metabolism law (February 4, 2010) -- Apparently, the mysterious "3/4 law of metabolism" -- proposed by Max Kleiber in 1932, printed in biology textbooks for decades, and described as "extended to all life forms" from bacteria to whales -- is just plain wrong. "Actually, it's two-thirds," says University of Vermont mathematician Peter Dodds. A new paper of his helps overturn almost 80 years of near-mystical belief in a 3/4 exponent used to describe the relationship between the size of animals and their resting metabolism. ... > full story
Scientists map epigenome of human stem cells during development (February 4, 2010) -- Singapore and US scientists have mapped major components of the epigenome and DNA methylation for the entire human DNA sequence, and compared three cell types representing three stages of human development. ... > full story
Baker's yeast: A promising, natural therapy for cancer? (February 4, 2010) -- Researchers are investigating the potential use of nonpathogenic baker's yeast as a promising, natural therapy for cancer. ... > full story
Link between human birth defect syndrome, cancer metastasis explored (February 4, 2010) -- Some cells are natural rule-breakers. Neural crest cells for example, not only migrate throughout the body during development (most cells are more selective in their wandering), they are also more developmentally flexible than their predecessors (a no-no for nearly all cell types). Now researchers have shown that a protein that controls DNA accessibility is responsible for the cells' unruly ways. ... > full story
Learning from climate's sedimental journey (February 4, 2010) -- By analyzing sediments up to 4,000 years old, an environmental scientist is hoping to provide a tool to help predict future climate change. Ancient records of what was happening with climate conditions can be used with regional climate models to tell a story of what happened in the past and to correlate it to the present and the future. Current models typically use data only for the last 100 years or less and may miss wet and dry periods from past millennia. ... > full story
Pay it forward: Elevation leads to altruistic behavior (February 4, 2010) -- Seeing someone perform a virtuous deed (especially if they are helping another person), makes us feel good -- a positive, uplifting emotion, known as "elevation." New findings suggest that elevation may lead to helping behavior: participants who viewed an uplifting TV clip spent almost twice as long helping a research assistant than participants who saw a neutral TV clip or a comedy clip. ... > full story
Magnetic nanoparticles show promise for combating human cancer (February 4, 2010) -- Scientists at Georgia Tech and the Ovarian Cancer Institute have further developed a potential new treatment against cancer that uses magnetic nanoparticles to attach to cancer cells, removing them from the body. The treatment, tested in mice in 2008, has now been tested using samples from human cancer patients. ... > full story
Scientists find ideal target for malaria therapy (February 4, 2010) -- Scientists have identified a protein made by the malaria parasite that is essential to its ability to take over human red blood cells. ... > full story
Laboratory 'gunfights' show that movement is swiftest in response to events in the environment (February 4, 2010) -- Scientists have carried out "laboratory gunfights" to show that we move faster when we react to something in our environment than we do when we initiate the action ourselves -- an idea inspired by cowboy movies but in reality more useful for avoiding oncoming traffic. ... > full story
Immune protein fends off exotic virus (February 4, 2010) -- A study shows that antiviral proteins called type I interferons (IFNs) are needed to fend off infection with an exotic mosquito-borne virus called Chikungunya virus. This pathogen, which causes high fevers and severe joint pain, triggered a recent epidemic in Southeast Asia, infecting more than 30 percent of the population in some areas. ... > full story
Code defends against 'stealthy' computer worms (February 4, 2010) -- Self-propagating worms are malicious computer programs, which, after being released, can spread throughout networks without human control, stealing or erasing hard drive data, interfering with pre-installed programs and slowing, even crashing, home and work computers. Now a new code, or algorithm, created by researchers targets the "stealthiest" of these worms, containing them before an outbreak can occur. ... > full story
Shark virgin birth study shows offspring can survive long term (February 4, 2010) -- Shark pups born to virgin mothers can survive over the long-term, according to new research. The study shows for the first time that some virgin births can result in viable offspring. ... > full story
Quantum mechanics at work in photosynthesis: Algae familiar with these processes for nearly two billion years (February 4, 2010) -- Chemists have made a major contribution to the emerging field of quantum biology, observing quantum mechanics at work in photosynthesis in marine algae. ... > full story
New class of AIDS drug? Two compounds lay foundation, help combat drug-resistant virus strains (February 4, 2010) -- A team of scientists has identified two compounds that act on novel binding sites for an enzyme used by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. The discovery lays the foundation for the development of a new class of anti-HIV drugs to enhance existing therapies, treat drug-resistant strains of the disease, and slow the evolution of drug resistance in the virus. ... > full story
Chemists discover how antiviral drugs bind to and block flu virus (February 4, 2010) -- Researchers have determined where an antiviral drug binds to and blocks a channel necessary for the flu virus to spread. The team also discovered that the drug spins in the channel, meaning there could be room for developing drugs that do a better job blocking the channel and stopping the flu. ... > full story
Cord blood-derived CD133+ cells improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction (February 4, 2010) -- Researchers have evaluated the therapeutic potential of purified and expanded CD133+ cells human umbilical cord blood (HUCB)-derived in treating myocardial infarction by intramyocardially injecting them into a rat model. Patients who have high cardiovascular risks have fewer endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and their EPCs exhibit greater in vitro senescence. ... > full story
Optical refrigeration expected to enhance airborne and spaceborne applications (February 4, 2010) -- Researchers have created the first-ever all-solid-state cryocooler that can be applied to airborne and spaceborne sensors. ... > full story
Excessive Internet use is linked to depression (February 4, 2010) -- People who spend a lot of time browsing the 'Net' are more likely to show depressive symptoms, according to the first large-scale study of its kind. ... > full story
Merging galaxies create a binary quasar (February 4, 2010) -- Astronomers have found the first clear evidence of a binary quasar within a pair of actively merging galaxies. Binary quasars, like other quasars, are thought to be the product of galaxy mergers. Until now, however, binary quasars have not been seen in galaxies unambiguously in the act of merging. But images the Magellan telescope in Chile show two distinct galaxies with "tails" produced by their mutual gravitational attraction. ... > full story
Mother's exposure to bisphenol A may increase children's chances of asthma (February 4, 2010) -- Mouse experiments have produced evidence that a mother's exposure to bisphenol A may increase the odds that her children will develop asthma. ... > full story
Bad news for mosquitoes: Scent receptor research may lead to better traps, repellents (February 4, 2010) -- Researchers have found more than two dozen scent receptors in malaria-transmitting mosquitoes that detect compounds in human sweat, a finding that may help scientists to develop new ways to combat a disease that kills 1 million people annually. ... > full story
Curing more cervical cancer cases may be in the math (February 4, 2010) -- A third of cervical cancer cases respond poorly to standard therapy or experience recurrence, making cure difficult. A new mathematical model using information gathered by magnetic resonance imaging scans may make it possible to identify patients with non-responding tumors much sooner. These patients could then be offered aggressive or experimental therapy midway through treatment, something not possible now. ... > full story
Suicides by mental health patients preventable, says report (February 4, 2010) -- Preventing patients from leaving psychiatric wards without staff agreement could avoid up to 50 suicide deaths every year, say University of Manchester researchers. ... > full story
Some morbidly obese people are missing genes, shows new research (February 4, 2010) -- A small but significant proportion of morbidly obese people are missing a section of their DNA, according to new research. The authors of the study say that missing DNA such as that identified in this research may be having a dramatic effect on some people's weight. ... > full story
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