The EDGE: ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Wednesday, August 15, 2012

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Wednesday, August 15, 2012

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New method to closely model diseases caused by splicing defects (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a new way of making animal models for a broad class of human genetic diseases -- those with pathology caused by errors in the splicing of RNA messages copied from genes. The new modeling approach can provide unique insights into how certain diseases progress and is likely to boost efforts to develop novel treatments. It was tested successfully in mouse analogs of human spinal muscular atrophy. ... > full story

Need an expert? Try the crowd (August 14, 2012) -- Can a crowd be an expert? Apparently, yes. Scientists have created the first-ever crowd-sourced predictive model. ... > full story

Meditation reduces loneliness (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers now report that a simple meditation program lasting just eight weeks reduced loneliness in older adults. Further, knowing that loneliness is associated with an increase in the activity of inflammation-related genes that can promote many different diseases, the researchers report this same form of meditation significantly reduced expression of inflammatory genes. ... > full story

Fish brain development provides new insights into how vascular networks form (August 14, 2012) -- How the intricate network of blood vessels forms within the brain has long fascinated biologists. This network, or vessel vasculature, in the human brain consists of a complex branching network of blood vessels, in total some several hundred miles in length. Abnormalities can lead to various neurological disorders, including strokes, learning difficulties and neurodegeneration. ... > full story

Study demonstrates that one extinction leads to another (August 14, 2012) -- When a carnivore becomes extinct, other predatory species could soon follow, according to new research. Scientists have previously put forward this theory, but now biologists have carried out the first experiment to show it. The study shows how the demise of one carnivore species can indirectly cause another to become extinct. The research team believes any extinction can create a ripple effect across a food web, with far-reaching consequences for many other animals. ... > full story

Blood type may influence heart disease risk (August 14, 2012) -- People with blood type A, B, or AB had a higher risk for coronary heart disease when compared to those with blood type O, according to new research. ... > full story

Widespread local 'extinctions' in tropical forest ‘remnants’ (August 14, 2012) -- The small fragments of tropical forests left behind after deforestation are suffering extensive species extinction, according to new research. ... > full story

Dark chocolate, cocoa compounds, may reduce blood pressure (August 14, 2012) -- Compounds in cocoa may help to reduce blood pressure, according to a new systematic review. The researchers reviewed evidence from short-term trials in which participants were given dark chocolate or cocoa powder daily and found that their blood pressure dropped slightly compared to a control group. ... > full story

Online obesity treatment programmes show promise (August 14, 2012) -- Computer and web-based weight management programs may provide a cost effective way of addressing the growing problem of obesity, according to a recent review. The researcher found that delivering weight loss or weight maintenance programs online or by computer helped overweight and obese patients lose and/or maintain weight. ... > full story

An artificial retina with the capacity to restore normal vision (August 14, 2012) -- For the first time, researchers decipher the retina’s neural code for brain communication to create novel, more effective prosthetic retinal device for blindness. ... > full story

Health consequences of meltdown, damage to Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers report on the psychological status of workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan several months after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, and the amount of internal radiation exposure among residents of a city north of the power plant that experienced a meltdown. ... > full story

Do host cities get an economic 'Olympic bounce'? (August 14, 2012) -- Does the modern model of economic revitalization through hosting the Olympic Games really work for cities? ... > full story

Yo-yo dieting does not thwart weight loss efforts or alter metabolism long term, study finds (August 14, 2012) -- A new study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published online in the journal Metabolism, for the first time has shown that a history of yo-yo dieting does not negatively affect metabolism or the ability to lose weight long term. ... > full story

Deep inside the body, tiny mechanical microscope diagnoses disease (August 14, 2012) -- Tiny space age probes -- those that can see inside single living cells -- are increasingly being used to diagnose illness in hard-to-reach areas of the body. ... > full story

Scientists can now block heroin, morphine addiction (August 14, 2012) -- In a major breakthrough, an international team of scientists has proven that addiction to morphine and heroin can be blocked, while at the same time increasing pain relief. ... > full story

Researchers feed pigs, chickens high-protein fungus grown on ethanol leftovers (August 14, 2012) -- A research team is feeding fungi grown on the leftovers of ethanol production to pigs and chickens. The feed-production process also cleans water used to make ethanol, boosting the amount of water that can be recycled back into biofuels. ... > full story

Orbiter views NASA's new Mars rover in color (August 14, 2012) -- The first color image taken from orbit showing NASA's rover Curiosity on Mars includes details of the layered bedrock on the floor of Gale Crater that the rover is beginning to investigate. ... > full story

'Strawberry' birthmarks grow rapidly when babies just weeks old (August 14, 2012) -- Strawberry-shaped birthmarks called infantile hemangiomas grow rapidly in infants much earlier than previously thought, researchers have found. Their study suggests that babies with complication-causing hemangiomas should be immediately referred to dermatologists for further evaluation. ... > full story

Seeing sprites: Researchers catch glimpses of electromagnetic bursts high in Earth's atmosphere (August 14, 2012) -- High above the clouds during thunderstorms, some 50 miles above Earth a different kind of lightning dances. Bursts of red and blue light, known as "sprites," flash for a scant one thousandth of a second. They are often only visible to those in flight above a storm, and happen so quickly you might not even see it unless you chance to be looking directly at it. One hard-to-reach place that gets a good view of sprites is the International Space Station. ... > full story

How do they do it? Predictions are in for Arctic sea ice low point (August 14, 2012) -- Each year scientists predict the low point of Arctic Sea ice. The final predictions were released Aug. 13. But how do they do it? Researchers used some new techniques this year in hopes of improving the accuracy of their prediction. ... > full story

Researchers simulate volcanic eruptions: Large-scale experiment to shed light on powerful natural disaster (August 14, 2012) -- A rare large-scale attempt to simulate volcanic eruptions will provide much-needed insight into one of Earth's most powerful and mysterious natural disasters. ... > full story

Overweight and obese women more likely to have large babies (August 14, 2012) -- Women who are overweight or obese are more likely to deliver infants who are large for their gestational age at delivery, regardless of whether they develop gestational diabetes during their pregnancy, according to a new study. ... > full story

Fish are warmer, faster, stronger: Unexpected benefits of living in a changing climate, biologists find (August 14, 2012) -- Biologists suggest that growing up at warmer temperatures helps some aquatic animals cope with climate change, raising questions about the limits of adaptation. They found that when embryos raised in warm water experienced temperature variation as adults, they could swim faster and their muscle was better suited for aerobic exercise. ... > full story

New book explores 'Noah's flood': Says Bible and science can get along (August 14, 2012) -- A geologist, is the author of a new book that explores the long history of religious thinking on matters of geological discovery, particularly flood stories such as the biblical account of Noah's ark. ... > full story

Mass spectrometry opens new frontiers in a single cell (August 14, 2012) -- Pioneering mass spectrometry methods are helping plant biologists get their first glimpses of never-before-seen plant tissue structures. The new method opens up new realms of study, ones that might have long-ranging implications for biofuels research and crop genetics. ... > full story

Renaissance women fought men, and won (August 14, 2012) -- A three-year study into a set of manuscripts compiled and written by one of Britain’s earliest feminist figures has revealed new insights into how women challenged male authority in the 17th century. ... > full story

Plants exhibit a wide range of mechanical properties, engineers find (August 14, 2012) -- From an engineer's perspective, plants such as palm trees, bamboo, maples and even potatoes are examples of precise engineering on a microscopic scale. Like wooden beams reinforcing a house, cell walls make up the structural supports of all plants. Depending on how the cell walls are arranged, and what they are made of, a plant can be as flimsy as a reed, or as sturdy as an oak. ... > full story

Quark matter’s connection with the Higgs: Heavy ion collisions delve deeper into the origin of (visible) mass (August 14, 2012) -- You may think you've heard everything you need to know about the origin of mass. After all, scientists colliding protons at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe recently presented stunning evidence strongly suggesting the existence of a long-sought particle called the Higgs boson, thought to "impart mass to matter." But while the Higgs particle may be responsible for the mass of fundamental particles such as quarks, quarks alone can't account for the mass of most of the visible matter in the universe -- that's everything we see and sense around us. ... > full story

US wind power market riding a wave that is likely to crest in 2012 (August 14, 2012) -- Facing looming policy uncertainty beyond 2012, the US remained one of the fastest-growing wind power markets in the world in 2011 -- second only to China -- according to a new report. Driven by the threat of expiring federal incentives, new wind power installations are widely expected to be substantially higher in 2012 than in 2011, and perhaps even in excess of 2009's record build. ... > full story

Mutation in male moth's antenna lets him find a female at the other end of a football field (August 14, 2012) -- A female moth sitting on a goal post could attract a male moth on the other end of a football field. And even if she switched her scent over time, the male could still find her because of a mutation to a single gene in his antenna. ... > full story

New process doubles production of alternative fuel while slashing costs (August 14, 2012) -- A new discovery should make the alternative fuel butanol more attractive to the biofuel industry. Scientists have found a way around the bottleneck that has frustrated producers in the past and could significantly reduce the cost of the energy involved in making it as well. ... > full story

Remaking history: A new take on how evolution has shaped modern Europeans (August 14, 2012) -- Investigators say that new analytical techniques are changing long-held, simplistic views about the evolutionary history of humans in Europe. Their findings indicate that many cultural, climatic, and demographic events have shaped genetic variation among modern-day European populations and that the variety of those mechanisms is more diverse than previously thought. ... > full story

Dead men do tell tales: Sociologist used 100 years of obituaries as cultural barometer (August 14, 2012) -- You know you're living in a culture of celebrity when the Twitter for the president of the United States ranks No. 6, trailing behind rock stars Justin Bieber and Katy Perry by millions of followers. But have celebrities always trumped achievers for public attention? A sociologist has used 100 years of New York Times obituaries as a cultural barometer. ... > full story

Engineers assess Dawn spacecraft's reaction wheel (August 14, 2012) -- Engineers working on NASA's Dawn spacecraft are assessing the status of a reaction wheel -- part of a system that helps the spacecraft point precisely -- after onboard software powered it off on Aug. 8. Dawn's mission is to study the geology and geochemistry of the giant asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, the two most massive objects in the main asteroid belt. Dawn is now using its thrusters to point at Earth for communications. The rest of the spacecraft is otherwise healthy. ... > full story

Success of engineered tissue depends on where it's grown (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers have now shown that implanted cells' therapeutic properties depend on their shape, which is determined by the type of scaffold on which they are grown. The work could allow scientists to develop even more effective implants and also target many other diseases, including cancer. ... > full story

Scientists devise new strategy to destroy multiple myeloma (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers are reporting promising results from laboratory and animal experiments involving a new combination therapy for multiple myeloma, the second most common form of blood cancer. ... > full story

Impulsive micromanager microbes help plants adapt, survive (August 14, 2012) -- Soil microbes are impulsive. So much so that they help plants face the challenges of a rapidly changing climate. Biologists have studied how plants and microbes work together to help plants survive the effects of global changes. ... > full story

Closing in on the border between primordial plasma and ordinary matter (August 14, 2012) -- Scientists have observed first glimpses of a possible boundary separating ordinary nuclear matter, composed of protons and neutrons, from the seething soup of their constituent quarks and gluons that permeated the early universe. ... > full story

Studies seek better understanding and treatment of depression (August 14, 2012) -- Connecting the dots between two molecules whose levels are decreased in depression and increased by current antidepressants could yield new therapies, researchers say. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that enables brain cells to communicate and brain-derived neurotropic factor, or BDNF, is a brain-nourishing molecule that also aids connectivity. Popular antidepressants such as Prozac, developed to increase levels of serotonin, have recently been found to also increase BDNF levels. ... > full story

Social behavior of cancer cells leads experts to suggest launching 'social networking war' against cancer (August 14, 2012) -- A researcher says that cancer scientists should look to cyber-warfare tactics to fight the body's deadly enemy. ... > full story

Hearing the telltale sounds of dangerous chemicals (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a new chemical sensor that can simultaneously identify multiple nerve agents. ... > full story

Nearly 1,000 earthquakes recorded in Arizona over three years (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers have used EarthScope data to build the first comprehensive earthquake catalog for Arizona. ... > full story

New research promises quiet cars -- even when hitting unexpected bumps in the road (August 14, 2012) -- New research featuring a mathematical model for quick-response, noise-cancellation designed to minimize sudden and unexpected noise caused by road hazards -- bumps or potholes for example -- has just been developed. ... > full story

Scientists decode TREX which could see new treatments for cancer realized (August 14, 2012) -- Scientists have decoded the processes which create proteins in all forms of life which - for the first time - opens the door to fixing these problems which can cause fatal health problems like motor neuron disease, myotonic dystrophy and cancer. ... > full story

Engineered pancreatic tissues could lead to better transplants for diabetics (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers have built pancreatic tissue with insulin-secreting cells, surrounded by a three-dimensional network of blood vessels. When they transplanted the tissue into diabetic mice, the cells began functioning well enough to lower blood sugar levels in the mice. The engineered tissue could pave the way for improved tissue transplants to treat diabetes. ... > full story

Seeds of hope amidst Philippine floods: Rice that can survive underwater (August 14, 2012) -- Amidst horrendous flooding around Manila and major rice-growing across Luzon in the Philippines, some good news has emerged for rice farmers -- Submarino rice -- rice that can survive around two weeks of being under water. ... > full story

Graphene's behavior depends on where it sits: Materials beneath determine how it react chemically and electrically (August 14, 2012) -- Surprising new experiments show that a one-atom-thick material called graphene, a form of pure carbon whose atoms are joined in a chicken-wire-like lattice, behaves quite differently depending on the nature of material it's wrapped around. ... > full story

Feedback can have a negative impact on performance (August 14, 2012) -- When people receive feedback during complex decision-making tasks, their performance gets worse according to a new study. ... > full story

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