ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Friday, May 28, 2010
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Bursting 'bubbles' the origin of galactic gas clouds, astronomers find (May 28, 2010) -- Like bubbles bursting on the surface of a glass of champagne, "bubbles" in our galaxy burst and leave flecks of material in the form of clouds of hydrogen gas, researchers using CSIRO's Parkes radio telescope in eastern Australia have found. Their study explains the origin of these clouds for the first time. ... > full story
New bacterial signaling molecule could lead to improved vaccines (May 28, 2010) -- In a 20-year quest to determine why Listeria bacteria produce a uniquely strong immune response in humans, scientists have found part of the answer: an unsuspected signaling molecule that the bacteria pump out and which ramps up production of interferon by the host. Interferon mobilizes the immune system to fight off bacteria and viruses. According to researchers, the finding could help improve vaccines. ... > full story
Scaffold gradients: Finding the right environment for developing cells (May 28, 2010) -- A research team has developed a way to offer cells a 3-D scaffold that varies over a broad range of degrees of stiffness to determine where they develop best. Their technique is a way to rapidly optimize 3-D cell growth media to meet the developmental needs of specific cell types for a wide variety of potential tissue-replacement therapies. ... > full story
Single-lens distance glasses reduce falls in active older people (May 28, 2010) -- Providing single-lens distance glasses to older people who wear multifocal glasses and who regularly take part in outdoor activities is a simple and effective way of preventing falls, concludes a recent study. ... > full story
Computers can effectively detect diabetes-related eye problems, analysis finds (May 28, 2010) -- People with diabetes have an increased risk of blindness, yet nearly half of the approximately 23 million Americans with diabetes do not get an annual eye exam to detect possible problems. But it appears that cost-effective computerized systems to detect early eye problems related to diabetes can help meet the screening need, a new analysis shows. ... > full story
Shark cartilage shows no benefit as a therapeutic agent for lung cancer, study finds (May 28, 2010) -- In the first scientific study of its kind, shark cartilage extract, AE-941 or Neovastat, has shown no benefit as a therapeutic agent when combined with chemotherapy and radiation for patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer. ... > full story
Out of the woods for 'Ardi': Early human habitat was savanna, not forest, scientists argue (May 28, 2010) -- Pre-humans living in East Africa 4.4 million years ago inhabited grassy plains, not forests, a team of researchers has concluded. ... > full story
Milk: Two glasses a day tones muscles, keeps the fat away in women, study shows (May 28, 2010) -- Women who drink two large glasses of milk a day after their weight-lifting routine gained more muscle and lost more fat compared to women who drank sugar-based energy drinks, a study has found. ... > full story
Discovery simplifies view of atmospheric aerosols, a factor in climate change (May 28, 2010) -- The large number of tiny organic aerosols floating in the atmosphere -- emitted from tailpipes and trees alike -- share enough common characteristics as a group that scientists can generalize their makeup and how they change in the atmosphere, according to new research. ... > full story
New left-side heart pump improves right-side heart function, study suggests (May 28, 2010) -- A state-of-the-art heart pump, designed to maintain a continuous flow of blood in end-stage cardiac patients with damage to the left side of the heart, also improves function on the right side of the heart, according to new research. ... > full story
Virulent new strains of Ug99 stem rust, a deadly wheat pathogen (May 28, 2010) -- Four new mutations of Ug99, a strain of a deadly wheat pathogen known as stem rust, have overcome existing sources of genetic resistance developed to safeguard the world's wheat crop. Leading wheat experts say the evolving pathogen may pose an even greater threat to global wheat production than the original Ug99. ... > full story
A stone says more than a thousand runes (May 28, 2010) -- It was not necessary to be literate to be able to access rune carvings in the 11th century. At the same time, those who could read were able to glean much more information from a rune stone than merely what was written in runes. ... > full story
X-51 Waverider makes historic ramjet-powered hypersonic flight (May 27, 2010) -- An X-51A Waverider flight-test vehicle successfully made the longest supersonic combustion ramjet-powered hypersonic flight May 26 off the southern California Pacific coast. ... > full story
Yeast make plant hormone that speeds infection, scientists discover (May 27, 2010) -- Scientists report that yeast produce a hormone previously known to be made by plants, and that the presence of that hormone in sufficient quantity within the yeast's immediate environment triggers the fungal cells to become more infectious. The journal editors called it a "surprising finding." ... > full story
High blood cortisol levels significantly increases death rate in patients with acute coronary syndrome (May 27, 2010) -- Growing evidence suggests that serum cortisol levels are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic heart failure. ... > full story
Secrets of a chiral gold nanocluster unveiled (May 27, 2010) -- Researchers have resolved the structural, electronic and optical properties of a chiral gold nanocluster that remained a mystery for 10 years. ... > full story
Young assault victims often involved in subsequent violence (May 27, 2010) -- When adolescents are treated in an emergency department (ED) after being assaulted, they have a significant chance of being involved in another violent encounter soon afterward. ... > full story
Palaeontologists solve mystery of 500 million-year-old squid-like carnivore (May 27, 2010) -- Researchers sheds new light on a previously unclassifiable 500 million-year-old squid-like carnivore known as Nectocaris pteryx. ... > full story
Brief exercise reduces impact of stress on cell aging, study shows (May 27, 2010) -- Exercise can buffer the effects of stress-induced cell aging, according to new research that revealed actual benefits of physical activity at the cellular level. ... > full story
Case study analyzes why, where and when of leading shark attack site (May 27, 2010) -- Shark attacks are most likely to occur on Sunday, in less than 6 feet of water, during a new moon and involve surfers wearing black and white bathing suits, a first of its kind study suggests. ... > full story
Lengthening time a drug remains bound to a target may lead to improving diagnostics, therapy (May 27, 2010) -- Studies indicate that modifications that enhance the time a drug remains bound to its target, or residence time, may lead to better diagnostic and therapeutic agents. ... > full story
Microbes answer more questions collectively (May 27, 2010) -- Studying whole microbial communities rather than individual microorganisms could help scientists answer fundamental questions such as how ecosystems respond to climate change or pollution. ... > full story
An underlying cause for psychopathic behavior? (May 27, 2010) -- Psychopaths are known to be characterized by callousness, diminished capacity for remorse, and lack of empathy. However, the exact cause of these personality traits is an area of scientific debate. The results of a new study show striking similarities between the mental impairments observed in psychopaths and those seen in patients with frontal lobe damage. ... > full story
Compulsive behavior in mice cured by bone marrow transplant (May 27, 2010) -- Scientists earlier found that mice missing one of a group of core developmental genes known as the Hox genes developed an odd and rather unexpected pathology: the mutant animals groomed themselves compulsively to the point that they were removing their own hair and leaving self-inflicted open sores on their skin. ... > full story
Ultrasound could boost tissue implant success (May 27, 2010) -- New research shows low-intensity ultrasound stimulation would be able to enhance the survival of implanted tissue graft, which could vastly increase the rates of success of a broad range of tissue-graft therapies. ... > full story
Indoor tanning to melanoma definitively linked in new study, researchers say (May 27, 2010) -- Researchers say a new study definitively links the use of indoor tanning devices to increased risk of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. ... > full story
Gene mutation linked to lymphatic dysfunction discovered (May 27, 2010) -- A genetic mutation for inherited lymphedema associated with lymphatic function has been discovered that could help create new treatments for the condition, say researchers. ... > full story
Oil spill threatens toothy marine predator that is cultural and historic icon (May 27, 2010) -- The BP oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico threatens the existence of a critically endangered sawfish and its relative that recently has been proposed to join it as the only two marine fish in United States waters to receive such federal protection. ... > full story
Racial bias clouds ability to feel others' pain, study shows (May 27, 2010) -- When people witness or imagine the pain of another person, their nervous system responds in essentially the same way it would if they were feeling that pain themselves. Now, researchers have new evidence to show that that kind of empathy is diminished when people (black or white) who hold racial biases see that pain is being inflicted on those of another race. ... > full story
Retina created from human embryonic stem cells (May 27, 2010) -- Scientists have created an eight-layer, early-stage retina from human embryonic stem cells, the first three-dimensional tissue structure to be made from stem cells. ... > full story
Male sex hormones in ovaries essential for female fertility (May 27, 2010) -- Male sex hormones, such as testosterone, have well defined roles in male reproduction and prostate cancer. What may surprise many is that they also play an important role in female fertility. A new study finds that the presence and activity of male sex hormones in the ovaries helps regulate female fertility, likely by controlling follicle growth and development and preventing deterioration of follicles that contain growing eggs. ... > full story
New role of molecule in the health of body's back-up blood circulation (May 27, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered that the abundance of collateral blood vessels in a healthy individual and their growth or remodeling into "natural bypass vessels" depends on how much of a key signaling molecule, nitric oxide, is present. ... > full story
Using fish to illuminate the architecture of inherited disease (May 27, 2010) -- A research team has developed a way to simultaneously look at the effects of 125 mutations occurring on 14 different genes. They used zebrafish as a model to analyze the function of every known mutation in an inherited syndrome called BBS, Bardet-Biedl syndrome. ... > full story
Electron ‘spin’ in silicon will lead to revolutionary quantum chips (May 27, 2010) -- A silicon-based nanoscale system which aims to harness the 'spin' of electrons to boost the processing power of future computer systems is being developed. ... > full story
Macho men a liability on roads, study finds (May 27, 2010) -- "Catch that car!" was the instruction given to 22 men sitting in a driving simulator. The more "macho" the man, the more risks he took on the road, according to a new study. ... > full story
Astronomers discover new star-forming regions in Milky Way (May 27, 2010) -- Newly-discovered star-forming regions are revealing new view of Milky Way's structure and promise new clues about the Galaxy's chemical composition ... > full story
First common gene found for congenital heart disease; Acting very early in development, tied to most common birth defect (May 27, 2010) -- Although congenital heart disease represents the most common major birth defect, scientists have not previously identified the genes that give rise to it. Now genetics and cardiology researchers, two of them brothers, have discovered a genetic variant on chromosome 5 that strongly raises the risk of congenital heart disease. ... > full story
Household detergents, shampoos may form harmful substance in wastewater (May 27, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting evidence that certain ingredients in shampoo, detergents and other household cleaning agents may be a source of precursor materials for formation of a suspected cancer-causing contaminant in water supplies that receive water from sewage treatment plants. The study sheds new light on possible environmental sources of this poorly understood water contaminant, called NDMA, which is of ongoing concern to health officials. ... > full story
Rheumatoid arthritis incidence on the rise in women (May 27, 2010) -- The incidence of rheumatoid arthritis in women has risen during the period of 1995 to 2007, according to a newly published study. The study suggests that environmental factors may be the cause of the increase. ... > full story
Graphane yields new potential: Physicists dig theoretical wells to mine quantum dots (May 27, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered the strategic extraction of hydrogen atoms from a 2-D sheet of graphane naturally opens up spaces of pure graphene that look -- and act -- like quantum dots. ... > full story
Hey Jude: Get that song out my head! (May 27, 2010) -- Some 98-99 percent of the population has, at some point, been "infected" with a song they just can't seem to shake off. This common phenomenon has rarely been researched, until now. ... > full story
Ancient jaw bones discovered in Sahara help scientists identify new pterodactyl (May 27, 2010) -- With the help of ancient fossils unearthed in the Sahara desert, scientists have identified a new type of pterosaur (giant flying reptile or pterodactyl) that existed about 95 million years ago. ... > full story
Blocking tumor's 'death switch' paradoxically stops tumor growth (May 27, 2010) -- Every cell contains machinery for self-destruction, used to induce death when damaged or sick. But according to a new research study, a receptor thought to mediate cell suicide in normal cells may actually be responsible for the unrestrained growth of cancerous tumors. Blocking the activity of this "death receptor" can stop and even reverse the growth of tumors in human tissue culture and mice, scientists report. ... > full story
WISE telescope has Heart and Soul (May 27, 2010) -- NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, has captured a huge mosaic of two bubbling clouds in space, known as the Heart and Soul nebulae. The space telescope, which has completed about three-fourths of its infrared survey of the entire sky, has already captured nearly one million frames like the ones making up this newly released mosaic. ... > full story
Some statins have unintended effects and warrant closer monitoring, study finds (May 27, 2010) -- The type and dosage of statin drugs given to patients to treat heart disease should be proactively monitored as they can have unintended adverse effects, concludes a new study. ... > full story
Outstanding in their field effect: Researchers print field-effect transistors with nano-infused ink (May 27, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered thin films of nanotubes created with ink-jet printers offer a new way to make field-effect transistors, the basic element in integrated circuits. ... > full story
Learning strategies are associated with distinct neural signatures (May 27, 2010) -- The process of learning requires the sophisticated ability to constantly update our expectations of future rewards so we may make accurate predictions about those rewards in the face of a changing environment. Although exactly how the brain orchestrates this process remains unclear, a new study suggests that a combination of two distinct learning strategies guides our behavior. ... > full story
NASA's Swift Survey finds 'smoking gun' of black hole activation (May 27, 2010) -- Data from an ongoing survey by NASA's Swift satellite have helped astronomers solve a decades-long mystery about why a small percentage of black holes emit vast amounts of energy. ... > full story
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