The EDGE: ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Friday, June 29, 2012

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Friday, June 29, 2012

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New compound holds promise for treating Duchenne MD, other inherited diseases (June 27, 2012) -- Scientistshave identified a new compound that could treat certain types of genetic disorders in muscles. It is a first, big step in what they hope will lead to human clinical trials for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). ... > full story

Palladium-gold nanoparticles clean TCE a billion times faster than iron filings (June 27, 2012) -- In the first side-by-side tests of a half-dozen palladium- and iron-based catalysts for cleaning up the carcinogen TCE, scientists have found that palladium destroys TCE far faster than iron -- up to a billion times faster in some cases. ... > full story

Physics of going viral: Rate of DNA transfer from viruses to bacteria measured (June 27, 2012) -- Researchers have been able, for the first time, to watch viruses infecting individual bacteria by transferring their DNA, and to measure the rate at which that transfer occurs. Shedding light on the early stages of infection by this type of virus -- a bacteriophage -- the scientists have determined that it is the cells targeted for infection, rather than the amount of genetic material within the viruses themselves, that dictate how quickly the bacteriophage's DNA is transferred. ... > full story

New planet-weighing technique found (June 27, 2012) -- Although there have been about 800 extra-solar planets discovered so far in our galaxy, the precise masses of the majority of them are still unknown, as the most-common planet-finding technique provides only a general idea of an object's mass. Previously, the only way to determine a planet's exact mass was if it transits. Astronomers have, for the first time, determined the mass of a non-transiting planet. ... > full story

Successful transplant of patient-derived stem cells into mice with muscular dystrophy (June 27, 2012) -- Stem cells from patients with a rare form of muscular dystrophy have been successfully transplanted into mice affected by the same form of dystrophy, according to a new study. ... > full story

Injecting life-saving oxygen into a vein (June 27, 2012) -- Patients unable to breathe because of acute lung failure or an obstructed airway need another way to get oxygen to their blood -- and fast -- to avoid cardiac arrest and brain injury. Medical researchers have designed tiny, gas-filled microparticles that can be injected directly into the bloodstream to quickly oxygenate the blood. ... > full story

New vaccine for nicotine addiction (June 27, 2012) -- Researchers have developed and successfully tested in mice an innovative vaccine to treat nicotine addiction. A single dose of their novel vaccine protects mice, over their lifetime, against nicotine addiction. The vaccine is designed to use the animal's liver as a factory to continuously produce antibodies that gobble up nicotine the moment it enters the bloodstream, preventing the chemical from reaching the brain and even the heart. ... > full story

Regulation of telomerase in stem cells and cancer cells (June 27, 2012) -- Scientists have gained important insights for stem cell research which are also applicable to human tumors and could lead to the development of new treatments. ... > full story

Immune response to heart attack worsens atherosclerosis, increases future risk (June 27, 2012) -- A heart attack doesn't just damage heart muscle tissue by cutting off its blood supply, it also sets off an inflammatory cascade that worsens underlying atherosclerosis, actively increasing the risk for a future heart attack. These findings suggest an important new therapeutic strategy for preventing heart attacks and strokes, both of which are caused when atherosclerotic plaques rupture and block important blood vessels. ... > full story

New way of probing exoplanet atmospheres (June 27, 2012) -- For the first time a new technique has allowed astronomers to study the atmosphere of an exoplanet in detail -- even though it does not pass in front of its parent star. Astronomers have used ESO's Very Large Telescope to directly catch the faint glow from the planet Tau Boötis b, solving a 15-year-old problem. The team also finds that the planet's atmosphere seems to be cooler higher up, differently from the expected. ... > full story

Scientists measure soot particles in flight (June 27, 2012) -- For the first time, air-polluting soot particles have been imaged in flight down to nanometer resolution. Pioneering a new technique scientists snapped the most detailed images yet of airborne aerosols. ... > full story

Ancient human ancestors had unique diet (June 27, 2012) -- When it came to eating, an upright, 2-million-year-old African hominid had a diet unlike virtually all other known human ancestors, says a new study. ... > full story

Easier way to make new drug compounds (June 27, 2012) -- Scientists have developed a powerful new technique for manipulating the building-block molecules of organic chemistry. The technique enables chemists to add new functional molecules to previously hard-to-reach positions on existing compounds—making it easier for them to generate new drugs and other organic chemicals. ... > full story

Parkinson’s disease gene identified with help of Saskatchewan Mennonite families (June 27, 2012) -- Scientists, with the help of Saskatchewan Mennonite families, have identified an abnormal gene which leads to Parkinson’s disease. ... > full story

Dying trees in Southwest set stage for erosion, water loss in Colorado River (June 27, 2012) -- New research concludes that a one-two punch of drought and mountain pine beetle attacks are the primary forces that have killed more than 2.5 million acres of pinyon pine and juniper trees in the American Southwest during the past 15 years, setting the stage for further ecological disruption -- including more water loss in the Colorado River basin. ... > full story

Brain scans detect early signs of autism in infants (June 27, 2012) -- A new study shows significant differences in brain development in high-risk infants who develop autism starting as early as six months of age. ... > full story

Menopausal women could 'work out' their hot flashes (June 27, 2012) -- Menopausal women who exercise may experience fewer hot flashes in the 24 hours following physical activity, according to health researchers. ... > full story

Diabetes reversed in mice using stem cells (June 27, 2012) -- Scientists have reversed diabetes in mice using stem cells. Scientists have shown that human stem cell transplants can successfully restore insulin production and reverse diabetes in mice. Crucially, they re-created the "feedback loop" that enables insulin levels to automatically rise or fall based on blood glucose levels. ... > full story

ALMA reveals constituent of a galaxy at 12.4 billion light-years away (June 27, 2012) -- How and when did galaxies with hundreds of billions of stars form and evolve? The sun, which is the center of the solar system in which we live, is also only one of the countless stars contained within a galaxy. In brief, it can be said that we need to understand the evolution of galaxies to understand the world we live in. ... > full story

New drug dramatically improves survival in Hodgkin lymphoma patients (June 27, 2012) -- A new cancer drug with remarkably few side effects is dramatically improving survival in Hodgkin lymphoma patients who fail other treatments and are nearly out of options. ... > full story

Happy accident answers cell signal controversy (June 27, 2012) -- Using a new tool allowing proteins in a living cell to be manipulated in real time, researchers have stumbled across the answer to a longstanding debate about where and how a certain protein is turned on in the cell. Scientists show that protein kinase A is also activated in the nucleus rather than inside the cell’s body, a challenge to traditional beliefs. ... > full story

Kids who cook are hungrier for healthy food choices (June 27, 2012) -- Children who help cook at home are more likely to enjoy fruits and veggies than kids who don't cook, according to a new study. ... > full story

A step toward minute factories that produce medicine inside the body (June 27, 2012) -- Scientists are reporting an advance toward treating disease with minute capsules containing not drugs -- but the DNA and other biological machinery for making the drug. They describe engineering micro- and nano-sized capsules that contain the genetically coded instructions, plus the read-out gear and assembly line for protein synthesis that can be switched on with an external signal. ... > full story

One step closer to Parkinson's drug (June 27, 2012) -- A new study details how Parkinson's disease spreads through the brain. Experiments in rat models uncover a process previously used to explain mad cow disease, in which misfolded proteins travel from sick to healthy cells. This model has never before been identified so clearly in a living organism, and the breakthrough brings researchers one step closer to a disease-modifying drug for Parkinson's. ... > full story

Ability to estimate quantity increases in first 30 years of life (June 27, 2012) -- One of the basic elements of cognition -- the ability to estimate quantities -- grows more precise across the first 30 years or more of a person's life, according to researchers. This intuitive grasp of numbers, also called an approximate number sense, or ANS, is tied to concrete math skills at every stage of life, the researchers found. ... > full story

Most new pesticides have roots in natural substances (June 27, 2012) -- Scientists who search for new pesticides for use in humanity's battle of the bugs and other threats to the food supply have been learning lessons from Mother Nature, according to a new analysis. It concludes that more than two out of every three new pesticide active ingredients approved in recent years had roots in natural substances produced in plants or animals. ... > full story

New technique controls crystalline structure of titanium dioxide (June 27, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a new technique for controlling the crystalline structure of titanium dioxide at room temperature. The development should make titanium dioxide more efficient in a range of applications, including photovoltaic cells, hydrogen production, antimicrobial coatings, smart sensors and optical communication technologies. ... > full story

'Broken heart syndrome' protects the heart from adrenaline overload (June 27, 2012) -- A condition that temporarily causes heart failure in people who experience severe stress might actually protect the heart from very high levels of adrenaline, according to a new study. ... > full story

First 3-D nanoscale optical cavities from metamaterials: Hold promise for nanolasers, LEDs, optical sensors (June 27, 2012) -- Researchers have created the world's smallest three-dimensional optical cavities with the potential to generate the world's most intense nanolaser beams. In addition to nanolasers, these unique optical cavities should be applicable to a broad range of other technologies, including LEDs, optical sensing, nonlinear optics, quantum optics and photonic integrated circuits. ... > full story

Role of urban greenery in CO<sub>2</sub> exchange demonstrated (June 27, 2012) -- In what might be the first study to report continuous measurements of net CO2 exchange of urban vegetation and soils over a full year or more, scientists conclude that not only is vegetation important in the uptake of the greenhouse gas, but also that different types of vegetation play different roles. ... > full story

Significant cardiovascular risk with low carbohydrate-high protein diets, experts warn (June 27, 2012) -- Women who regularly eat a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease (such as heart disease and stroke) than those who do not, a new study suggests. ... > full story

Women with a fear of childbirth endure a longer labor, finds new research (June 27, 2012) -- Women who have a fear of childbirth spend longer in labor than women who have no such fear, suggests new research. ... > full story

Evidence of oceanic 'green rust' offers hope for the future (June 27, 2012) -- "Green rust" played a key role in making the Earth habitable and may now have an equally important role to play in cleaning it up for the future. Green rust is a highly reactive iron mineral which experts hope could be used to clean up metal pollution and even radioactive waste. ... > full story

Half of inhaled soot particles from diesel exhaust, fires gets stuck in the lungs (June 27, 2012) -- The exhaust from diesel-fueled vehicles, wood fires and coal-driven power stations contains small particles of soot that flow out into the atmosphere. The soot is a scourge for the climate but also for human health. Now for the first time, researchers have studied in detail how diesel soot gets stuck in the lungs. The results show that more than half of all inhaled soot particles remain in the body. ... > full story

Plasma fingers point to the taming of the edge localized modes (June 27, 2012) -- New images from the MAST device at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy could find a solution to one of the biggest plasma physics problems standing in the way of the development of fusion power. ... > full story

Positive at last: A pure phosphorus cation (June 27, 2012) -- Ever since Hennig Brand's discovery in 1669, elementary phosphorus has fascinated chemists around the world. It is industrially produced by the ton and its compounds have numerous applications in materials science and the life sciences. The main known forms of the element are white, red, and black phosphorus. Chemists have now succeeded in creating a positively charged pure phosphorus compound. ... > full story

Self-healing dynamic membrane (June 27, 2012) -- The market for membranes, porous materials used mainly to filter liquids, is booming. However, their design leaves room for improvement. Taking their inspiration from cellular membranes, researchers have developed the first dynamic membrane for water filtration which, depending on the water pressure, can adjust the size of its pores in an autonomous manner. ... > full story

Nanoscopic look at an estuary's green algae (June 27, 2012) -- The pico is a very small unit, even smaller than the nano as it is the equivalent of 10-12. A biologists has been studying green algae of this imperceptible size in the Bilbao estuary, paying particular attention to the area beyond the Nervión estuary. This has enabled him to identify six genera and eleven nano- and picoplanktonic species that until now had not been catalogued in these waters. ... > full story

How much would our health benefit from leaving the car at home? (June 27, 2012) -- Walking to get around is considered a moderate physical activity and meets WHO exercise recommendations. A new study confirms that doing short journeys on foot rather than taking the car or motorbike would avoid the death of 108 men and 79 women a year in Catalonia alone. This would imply annual savings of more than 200 million euros. ... > full story

New mechanism of bacterial pathogenesis discovered (June 27, 2012) -- Scientists have identified a new mechanism of bacterial pathogenesis. Bacteria that cause chronic infections have an amazing but yet poorly known ability to subvert immune response, live and produce offspring, enter and wake up from a dormant phase to cause, in some instances, deadly complications. ... > full story

Progress in quest to reduce use of radiation in treatment of pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (June 27, 2012) -- A multicenter trial showed that nearly half of young patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma can be cured without undergoing either irradiation or intensive chemotherapy that would leave them at risk for second cancers, infertility, heart and other problems later. ... > full story

Post-anesthesia dementia, like Alzheimer's, looks micro-'tubular' (June 27, 2012) -- Modern anesthesia is extremely safe. But as risks to heart, lungs and other organs have waned, another problem has emerged in the elderly: post-operative cognitive dysfunction. Mentally, some patients “just aren’t the same” for months or longer after surgery. Other factors play a role, but a small number of patients deteriorate mentally due to anesthesia per se. Those with Alzheimer’s disease suffer exacerbations, and those without the diagnosis may have it unmasked by anesthesia, suggesting some relationship. ... > full story

Mars rover Curiosity on track for early August landing (June 26, 2012) -- A maneuver on Tuesday (June 26, 2012) adjusted the flight path of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft for delivering the rover Curiosity to a landing target beside a Martian mountain. ... > full story

DVDs and computer games rated for adult use may damage children's mental health (June 26, 2012) -- Media violence does have an effect on children's behavior and a concerted public health response involving parents, professionals, the media and policymakers is needed to reduce its effects, experts say. ... > full story

Marine energy doubled by predicting wave power (June 26, 2012) -- The energy generated from our oceans could be doubled using new methods for predicting wave power. New research could pave the way for significant advancements in marine renewable energy, making it a more viable source of power. The researchers devised a means of accurately predicting the power of the next wave in order to make the technology far more efficient, extracting twice as much energy as is currently possible. ... > full story

Alzheimer's spread through the brain mapped: Infects from neuron to neuron (June 26, 2012) -- The inexorable spread of Alzheimer's disease through the brain leaves dead neurons and forgotten thoughts in its wake. Researchers have now shown how toxic proteins are transferred from neuron to neuron. ... > full story

Mind reading from brain recordings? 'Neural fingerprints' of memory associations decoded (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers have begun to show that it is possible to use brain recordings to reconstruct aspects of an image or movie clip someone is viewing, a sound someone is hearing or even the text someone is reading. A new study brings this work one step closer to actual mind reading by using brain recordings to infer the way people organize associations between words in their memories. ... > full story

New role for RNAi discovered: Epigenetic memory may pass RNA silencing from one generation to the next (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers have identified a mechanism related to RNAi that scans for intruders not by recognizing dsRNA or some other aberrant feature of the foreign sequence, but rather by comparing the foreign sequences to a memory of previously expressed native RNA. Once identified, an "epigenetic memory" of the foreign DNA fragments is created and can be passed on from one generation to the next, permanently silencing the gene. ... > full story

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