ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Friday, August 6, 2010
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Frogs evolution tracks rise of Himalayas and rearrangement of Southeast Asia (August 6, 2010) -- Asian spiny frogs are named for the nubby spines on their chests and arms, which they use to grasp females during mating in swift streams. Biologists have conducted a genetic analysis of 24 species of spiny frogs and correlated their diversification with the rise of the Himalayas and Tibet. The findings support a theory that India not only uplifted the mountains, but shoved Southeast Asia toward the Pacific. ... > full story
H1N1 flu virus used new biochemical trick to cause pandemic (August 6, 2010) -- In a report in the August 5 PLoS Pathogens, an international team of scientists shows that the recent pandemic-causing H1N1 flu virus used a new biochemical trick to spread efficiently in humans. ... > full story
Potential prostate cancer marker discovered (August 6, 2010) -- Studies have revealed a potential marker for prostate cancer. A new analysis technique to create a profile of the lipids, or fats, found in prostate tissue and revealed a molecular compound that appears to be useful in identifying cancerous and precancerous tissue. The profile revealed that cholesterol sulfate is a compound that is absent in healthy prostate tissue, but is a major fat found in prostate cancer tumors. ... > full story
Obesity prevention begins before birth: Excess maternal weight gain increases birth weight after controlling for genetic factors (August 6, 2010) -- A large population-based study looks at two or more pregnancies in the same mother and provides evidence that excess maternal weight gain is a strong, independent predictor of high birth weight. ... > full story
Cutting Japanese carbon dioxide emissions (August 6, 2010) -- Last year, heat-pump technology cut Japan’s CO2 emissions by 1.1 million tons. The savings are about the same as we would gain by permanently parking around half a million modern private cars. The source of these "green" savings is climate-friendly heating of ordinary tapwater. ... > full story
'Glass ceiling' may exist for highly cited researchers at research universities (August 6, 2010) -- At a time when great jobs are hard to find, here's good news for the under-qualified: a new article shows that being a highly cited researcher may not be a primary qualification for taking on leading management positions at research institutions. ... > full story
How viruses jump from hosts: Secrets of rabies transmission in bats discovered (August 6, 2010) -- HIV-AIDS. SARS. Ebola. Bird flu. Swine flu. Rabies. These are emerging infectious diseases where the viruses have jumped from one animal species into another and now infect humans. This is a phenomenon known as cross-species transmission and scientists are working to determine what drives it. ... > full story
Novel cause for genetic tooth decay (August 6, 2010) -- New research implicates a novel peptide in impaired dentin mineralization in rickets. Rickets, the softening of bones in children, is often caused by vitamin D deficiency due to severe malnutrition. Rickets is one of the most frequent childhood diseases in developing countries and is associated with severe bone deformities, including dental ailments due to impaired dentin mineralization. ... > full story
Gene brings teeth in shape (August 6, 2010) -- No healthy teeth will form without this gene: if during tooth formation (odontogenesis) the so-called Jagged2 gene is inactivated, and hence the Notch signaling pathway interrupted, tooth crowns will be malformed and enamel will be lacking. This signaling pathway is involved in the formation of all tissues and organs. ... > full story
New drug shown safe, effective in treating hereditary angioedema (August 6, 2010) -- Clinical trials from two international research teams have shown that icatibant, a new drug that blocks the action of an inflammatory protein known as bradykinin, is safe and effective in treating acute attacks of hereditary angioedema, a potentially life-threatening condition. ... > full story
Supply and demand: Scientists identify proteins that ensure iron balance (August 6, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered that a group of proteins called IRPs ensure that iron balance is kept and as such are essential for cell survival. More specifically, they found that IRPs are required for the functioning of mitochondria, the cell's energy factories. ... > full story
Social ecology: Lost and found in psychological science (August 6, 2010) -- Various aspects of our environment -- including political systems, economic systems and even climate and geography -- can affect our thinking and behavior, a field of study known as socioecological psychology. ... > full story
Quantum networks advance with entanglement of photons, solid-state qubits (August 5, 2010) -- A team of physicists has achieved the first-ever quantum entanglement of photons and solid-state materials. The work marks a key advance toward practical quantum networks, as the first experimental demonstration of a means by which solid-state quantum bits, or "qubits," can communicate with one another over long distances. ... > full story
Iron-regulating protein is strong predictor of breast cancer prognosis, study shows (August 5, 2010) -- A new study may soon help to spare some women with breast cancer from having to undergo invasive and toxic treatments for their disease. Investigators found that low levels of ferroportin, the only known protein to eliminate iron from cells, are associated with the most aggressive and recurring cancers. The finding suggests that testing for ferroportin levels in women with breast cancer may one day help doctors to more accurately predict whether their patients' cancer will return. ... > full story
Computer scientists build 'pedestrian remover' (August 5, 2010) -- Imagine encountering leashed dogs without dog walkers, or shoes filled just with ankles -- when scoping out potential apartments using Google Street View. These are the sorts of visual hiccups that an experimental computer vision system occasionally generates when it automatically removes individual pedestrians from images that populate Google Street View. ... > full story
New way to boost vaccines (August 5, 2010) -- As the medical community searches for better vaccines and ways to deliver them, one scientist believes he has discovered a new approach to boosting the body's response to vaccinations. He found that the same molecules used in drugs that treat diabetes also stimulate B cells in the immune system, pushing them to make antibodies for protection against invading microorganisms. ... > full story
Coastal creatures may have reduced ability to fight off infections in acidified oceans (August 5, 2010) -- The ocean is filled with a soup of bacteria and viruses. Animals living in these environments are constantly under assault by pathogens and need to be able to mount an immune response to protect themselves from infection, especially if they have an injury or wound that is openly exposed to the water. Researchers are studying the effects of low oxygen and high carbon dioxide on these organisms' immune systems. ... > full story
Do we see things at face value? Research looks at how we recognize people's faces (August 5, 2010) -- Most people find it much harder to recognise faces of people from other races than their own. Why is this? And does it matter? These questions are being tackled in a new research project. ... > full story
Ancient Hawaiian glaciers reveal clues to global climate impacts (August 5, 2010) -- Boulders deposited by an ancient glacier that once covered the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii have provided more evidence of the extraordinary power and reach of global change, particularly the slowdown of a North Atlantic Ocean current system that could happen again and continues to be a concern to climate scientists. ... > full story
Research breakthrough on the question of life expectancy (August 5, 2010) -- Why do we grow old and what can we do to stop it? This is the question asked by many, but it appears that we are now closer to an answer thanks to the discovery of a small set of genes in mitochondria (a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryotic cells), passed only from mothers to offspring. ... > full story
Unprecedented look at oxide interfaces reveals unexpected structures on atomic scale (August 5, 2010) -- Thin layers of oxide materials and their interfaces have been observed in atomic resolution during growth for the first time by researchers, providing new insight into the complicated link between their structure and properties. ... > full story
Chew on this: Six dental myths debunked (August 5, 2010) -- Your teeth need more than daily brushing and flossing. Researchers debunk six dental myths and discuss the role nutrition plays in oral health. ... > full story
Physicists use offshoot of string theory to describe puzzling behavior of superconductors (August 5, 2010) -- Physicists have now used the connection between quantum and gravitational mechanics, known as gauge/gravity duality to describe a specific physical phenomenon -- the behavior of a type of high-temperature superconductor, or a material that conducts electricity with no resistance. ... > full story
Redefining sexual discrimination (August 5, 2010) -- Gender harassment -- verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey insulting, hostile and degrading attitudes to women -- is just as distressing for women victims as sexual advances in the workplace. Gender harassment leads to negative personal and professional outcomes too and, as such, is a serious form of sex discrimination, according to experts. ... > full story
Seeing a stellar explosion in 3D (August 5, 2010) -- Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have for the first time obtained a three-dimensional view of the distribution of the innermost material expelled by a recently exploded star. The original blast was not only powerful, according to the new results. It was also more concentrated in one particular direction. This is a strong indication that the supernova must have been very turbulent, supporting the most recent computer models. ... > full story
Human embryonic stem cells and reprogrammed cells virtually identical (August 5, 2010) -- Human embryonic stem cells and adult cells reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state -- so-called induced pluripotent stem or iPS cells -- exhibit very few differences in their gene expression signatures and are nearly indistinguishable in their chromatin state, according to researchers. Contrary to some recent research, the current findings rekindling hopes that, under the proper circumstances, iPS cells may hold the clinical promise ascribed to them earlier. ... > full story
Stress hormones help lizards escape from fire ants (August 5, 2010) -- When some fence lizards are attacked by fire ants they "stress out" with elevated levels of stress hormones -- a response that helps the species to flee quickly and survive. The discovery is helping scientists to understand the impact of invasive species on native populations. ... > full story
Scientists develop the first model for investigating the origins of testicular cancer in humans (August 5, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a model that will enable them to investigate, for the first time, how human testes develop in baby boys while they are in the womb. Until now it has been impossible to study testicular development during pregnancy in humans and this discovery will enable researchers to understand the processes that can lead to the onset of testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) in young adult life, and how factors, such as common environmental chemicals, might play a role. The research is published in Human Reproduction journal on Wednesday 4 August. ... > full story
Travelling by car increases global temperatures more than travelling by plane, but only in the long term (August 5, 2010) -- Driving alone in a car increases global temperatures in the long run more than making the same long-distance journey by air according to a new study. However, in the short run traveling by air has a larger adverse climate impact because airplanes strongly affect short-lived warming processes at high altitudes. ... > full story
Humans imitate aspects of speech we see (August 5, 2010) -- New research shows that unintentional speech imitation can make us sound like people whose voices we never hear. ... > full story
Invisibility cloak advance: New findings promising for 'transformation optics' (August 5, 2010) -- Researchers have overcome a fundamental obstacle in using new "metamaterials" for radical advances in optical technologies, including ultra-powerful microscopes and computers and a possible invisibility cloak. ... > full story
One high-fat diet, two different outcomes: The path to obesity becomes clearer (August 5, 2010) -- Why is it that two people can consume the same high fat, high-calorie Western diet and one becomes obese and prone to diabetes while the other maintains a slim frame? This question has long baffled scientists, but a new study provides a simple explanation: weight is set before birth in the developing brain. ... > full story
A hop from South America: Tracking Australian marsupials (August 5, 2010) -- Debates have raged for decades about how to arrange the Australian and South American branches of the marsupial family tree. While marsupials like the Australian tammar wallaby and the South American opossum seem to be quite different, new research shows otherwise. ... > full story
'Guardian of the genome': Protein helps prevent damaged DNA in yeast (August 5, 2010) -- Like a scout that runs ahead to spot signs of damage or danger, a protein in yeast safeguards the yeast cells' genome during replication -- a process vulnerable to errors when DNA is copied, according to new research. ... > full story
Homes of the poor and the affluent both have high levels of endocrine disruptors (August 5, 2010) -- Homes in low-income and affluent communities in California both had similarly high levels of endocrine disruptors, and the levels were higher in indoor air than outdoor air, according to a new study believed to be the first that paired indoor and outdoor air samples for such wide range of these substances. ... > full story
Ovulating women unconsciously buy sexier clothing to outdo attractive women (August 5, 2010) -- Ovulating women unconsciously buy sexier clothes, says new research. The study finds that ovulating women unconsciously dress to impress -- doing so not to impress men, but to outdo rival women during the handful of days each month when they are ovulating. ... > full story
Taking the twinkle out of the night sky: Breakthrough in adaptive optics (August 5, 2010) -- A team of astronomers has developed a technique that allows them to switch off star twinkling over a wide field of view, enabling Earth-based telescopes to obtain images as crisp as those taken with the Hubble Space Telescope -- and much more quickly. ... > full story
Malfunction of a protein has been linked to form of mental retardation that affects one in 500 males (August 5, 2010) -- Malfunction of a protein has been linked to a form of mental retardation that affects up to one out of every 500 males, according to new research. ... > full story
New light on speciation and biodiversity of marine microorganisms (August 5, 2010) -- The world’s oceans are host to an enormous diversity of drifting, microscopic organisms, known as plankton. How this biodiversity has arisen has puzzled biologists for decades. An international team of researchers has now succeeded in elucidating how new planktonic species are formed, providing an explanation for the large biodiversity seen today. ... > full story
New imaging technique could help physicians ease the aftermath of breast cancer (August 5, 2010) -- A new study of breast cancer survivors may help physicians ease a common side effect of cancer treatments. The research could bring relief to millions. ... > full story
Fast forensic test can match suspects' DNA with crime samples in four hours (August 5, 2010) -- A newly developed test could make checking DNA from people arrested for crimes with DNA samples from crime scenes stored in forensic databases almost as easy as matching fingerprints. With the test, police could check on whether a person's DNA matches that found at past crime scenes while suspects are still being processed and before a decision on whether to release them on bail. ... > full story
Childhood personality traits predict adult behavior: We remain recognizably the same person, study suggests (August 5, 2010) -- Personality traits observed in childhood are a strong predictor of adult behavior, new research suggests. ... > full story
Genome of ancient sponge reveals origins of first animals, cancer (August 5, 2010) -- A team of researchers has published a draft genome sequence of the sea sponge, an organism that wasn't recognized as an animal until the 19th century. The genome gives insight into the origins of multicellular animals and of cancer. ... > full story
Pancreatic cancers use fructose, common in the Western diet, to fuel their growth (August 5, 2010) -- Pancreatic cancers use the sugar fructose, very common in the Western diet, to activate a key cellular pathway that drives cell division, helping the cancer to grow more quickly, a study has found. ... > full story
Gaming for a cure: Computer gamers tackle protein folding (August 5, 2010) -- Computer scientists and biochemists two years ago launched an ambitious project harnessing the brainpower of computer gamers to solve medical problems. Results now show more than 55,000 players have played protein-folding Tetris, and beat the world's most powerful computers on problems that required radical moves, risks and long-term vision. ... > full story
Oral contraceptive use associated with increased risk of breast cancer in African-American women, study finds (August 5, 2010) -- Researchers have reported that African-American women who use oral contraceptives have a greater likelihood of developing breast cancer than nonusers. The study results were based on data from the Black Women's Health Study, a large follow-up study of 59,000 African-American women from across the US conducted by investigators at the Slone Epidemiology Center since 1995. ... > full story
First nearshore survey of Antarctic krill reveals high density, stable population in shallow waters (August 5, 2010) -- Using smaller vessels that allow access to shallow, nearshore waters, researchers conducted the first multi-year survey of the population of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in coastal waters and discovered that nearshore waters had significantly higher krill biomass density than offshore waters. They also found that the nearshore waters had less interannual variation than offshore waters. ... > full story
Quality-adjusted life years lost to US adults due to obesity more than doubles from 1993-2008 (August 5, 2010) -- Although the prevalence of obesity and obesity-attributable deaths has steadily increased, the resultant burden of disease associated with obesity has not been well understood. A new study indicates that quality-adjusted life years lost to US adults due to morbidity and mortality from obesity have more than doubled from 1993-2008 and the prevalence of obesity has increased 89.9 percent during the same period. ... > full story
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