The EDGE: ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Friday, August 17, 2012

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Friday, August 17, 2012

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Report card shows Australia's oceans are changing (August 16, 2012) -- The 2012 Marine Climate Change in Australia Report Card shows climate change is having significant impacts on Australia's marine ecosystems. ... > full story

Secrets of 'SuperAger' brains: Elderly super-agers have brains that look and act decades younger than their age (August 16, 2012) -- Scientists for the first time have identified an elite group of elderly people age 80 and older whose memories are as sharp as people 20 to 30 years younger than them. And on 3-D MRI scans, the brains of these "SuperAgers" appear as young -- and one brain region was even bigger -- than the brains of the middle-aged participants. The SuperAger's cortex was astoundingly vital and resembled the cortex of people ages 50 to 65. ... > full story

Virus throws a wrench in the immune system (August 16, 2012) -- The cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of the herpesvirus family. Although most people carry CMV for life, it hardly ever makes them sick. Researchers have now unveiled long term consequences of the ongoing presence of CMV: later in life, more and more cells of the immune system concentrate on CMV, and as a result, the response against other viruses is weakened. ... > full story

Organisms cope with environmental uncertainty by guessing the future (August 16, 2012) -- In uncertain environments, organisms not only react to signals, but also use molecular processes to make guesses about the future, according to a new study. The authors report that if environmental signals are unreliable, organisms are expected to evolve the ability to take random decisions about adapting to cope with adverse situations. ... > full story

Is too much brain activity connected to Alzheimer's disease? (August 16, 2012) -- High baseline levels of neuronal activity in the best connected parts of the brain may play an important role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. ... > full story

High-altitude drop tests Rocket U. engineers (August 16, 2012) -- An experimental payload went 25,000 feet higher than planned during a recent test flight but still performed well and will be the basis for a larger flight test next year. ... > full story

Triage for plants: Scientists develop and test rapid species conservation assessment technique (August 16, 2012) -- Faced with a host of environmental threats, many of the world's plant species are believed to be at risk of extinction. But which species? To answer that question, scientists have developed a streamlined method for assessing the conservation status of large numbers of species. Evaluating the flora of Puerto Rico, they found that 459 species -- 23 percent of the flora -- should be classified as "At Risk." The process could help focus conservation efforts where they are most needed. ... > full story

Pan-fried meat increases risk of prostate cancer, new study finds (August 16, 2012) -- New research indicates that how red meat and chicken are cooked may influence risk of prostate cancer. Men who ate more than 1.5 servings of pan-fried red meat per week increased their risk of advanced prostate cancer by 30 percent. Men who ate more than 2.5 servings of red meat cooked at high temperatures were 40 percent more likely to have advanced prostate cancer. ... > full story

Common parasite may trigger suicide attempts: Inflammation from T. gondii produces brain-damaging metabolites (August 16, 2012) -- A parasite thought to be harmless and found in many people may actually be causing subtle changes in the brain, leading to suicide attempts. New research adds to the growing work linking an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite to suicide attempts. ... > full story

Researchers develop DNA sequencing tests for hereditary diseases (August 16, 2012) -- Researchers have developed new DNA sequencing tests for hereditary diseases. The new work reduces costs and improves effectiveness and turn-around time for diagnosis. ... > full story

Researchers improve soil carbon cycling models (August 16, 2012) -- A new carbon cycling model better accounts for the carbon dioxide-releasing activity of microbes in the ground, improving scientists’ understanding of the role soil will play in future climate change. ... > full story

Combination peptide therapies might offer more effective, less toxic cancer treatment (August 16, 2012) -- Two studies suggest that an experimental peptide vaccine and a peptide therapeutic used either together or individually with a low-dose of a standard chemotherapy drug, might offer more effective cancer therapy than current standard single-drug treatments. The studies, done in breast-cancer models, show that the peptide combinations dramatically delay tumor onset and progression by both inhibiting tumor growth and blocking the formation of new tumor blood vessels. ... > full story

2,4-D resistance found in weeds could limit the herbicide’s future usefulness (August 16, 2012) -- Even as crops resistant to 2,4-D herbicide are being developed, populations of weeds are also developing a resistance. A 2,4-D–resistant variety of the waterhemp weed has been found, and its spread could lessen the impact of an herbicide widely used in grassland and crop production. Despite worldwide use of 2,4-D since the 1940s, only 17 weeds were previously known to be resistant to it. ... > full story

Interest in arts predicts social responsibility (August 16, 2012) -- If you sing, dance, draw, or act -- and especially if you watch others do so -- you probably have an altruistic streak, according to a new study. ... > full story

Sun's almost perfectly round shape baffles scientists (August 16, 2012) -- The sun is nearly the roundest object ever measured. If scaled to the size of a beach ball, it would be so round that the difference between the widest and narrow diameters would be much less than the width of a human hair. ... > full story

Evolutionary increase in size of the human brain explained: Part of a protein linked to rapid change in cognitive ability (August 16, 2012) -- Researchers have found what they believe is the key to understanding why the human brain is larger and more complex than that of other animals. The human brain, with its unequaled cognitive capacity, evolved rapidly and dramatically. Why? research indicates that what drove the evolutionary expansion of the human brain may well be a specific unit within a protein -- called a protein domain -- that is far more numerous in humans than other species. ... > full story

'Soft robots' could camouflage themselves one minute, and stand out, the next (August 16, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a system -- inspired by nature -- that allows soft robots to either camouflage themselves against a background, or to make bold color displays. Such a "dynamic coloration" system could one day have a host of uses, ranging from helping doctors plan complex surgeries to acting as a visual marker to help search crews following a disaster. ... > full story

Democracy works for Endangered Species Act, study finds; Citizen involvement key in protecting and saving threatened species (August 16, 2012) -- In protecting endangered species, the power of the people is key, an analysis of listings under the US Endangered Species Act finds. The analysis compares listings of "endangered" and "threatened" species initiated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency that administers the Endangered Species Act, to those initiated by citizen petition. Researchers found that citizens, on average, do a better job of picking species that are threatened than does the FWS. ... > full story

New form of carbon can put a dent in a diamond (August 16, 2012) -- Scientists have observed a new form of very hard carbon clusters, which are unusual in their mix of crystalline and disordered structure. The material is capable of indenting diamond. This finding has potential applications for a range of mechanical, electronic, and electrochemical uses. ... > full story

Clear links found between inflammation, bacterial communities and cancer (August 16, 2012) -- In a study with inflammation-prone mice, researchers have found a mechanism for the development of colorectal cancer wherein inflammation fosters a change in the gut microbiome including reduced bacterial diversity but also the increased presence of E. coli and related pathogens. Further mouse studies show genes carried by an E. coli variant can cause cancer development. The suspect bacterial genes are found in a high percentage of human colorectal cancer patients. ... > full story

Mineral can reduce pollution from diesel engines by almost half (August 16, 2012) -- A catalyst that can replace platinum in diesel engines has been shown to reduce pollution by up to 45 percent. The catalyst, mullite, is from the family of minerals known as oxides. The finding opens new possibilities to create renewable, clean energy technology without precious metals. ... > full story

Bioremediation of toxic metals using worms: Earthworms soak up heavy metal (August 16, 2012) -- Earthworms could be used to extract toxic heavy metals, including cadmium and lead, from solid waste from domestic refuse collection and waste from vegetable and flower markets, according to researchers. ... > full story

Polar bears dying in zoo from virus that jumped from zebras (August 16, 2012) -- Zoos bring together different animal species that would never encounter each other in the wild. On occasion, this can have unforeseen consequences. When in 2010 at the Wuppertal Zoo one polar bear died and another fell severely ill, zoo veterinarians were at a loss as to the cause of the symptoms. It has now been shown that the bears were infected with a recombinant zebra-derived virus that had jumped into other species. ... > full story

Metabolic protein wields phosphate group to activate cancer-promoting genes (August 16, 2012) -- A metabolic protein that nourishes cancer cells also activates tumor-promoting genes by loosening part of the packaging that entwines DNA to make up chromosomes, according to scientists. ... > full story

NASA is tracking electron beams from the sun (August 16, 2012) -- In the quest to understand how the world's weather moves around the globe, scientists have had to tease apart different kinds of atmospheric movement, such as the great jet streams that can move across a whole hemisphere versus more intricate, localized flows. Much the same must currently be done to understand the various motions at work in the great space weather system that links the sun and Earth as the sun shoots material out in all directions, creating its own version of a particle sea to fill up the solar system. ... > full story

Hubble watches star clusters on a collision course (August 16, 2012) -- Astronomers have caught two clusters full of massive stars that may be in the early stages of merging. The clusters are 170,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy to our Milky Way. ... > full story

Turmeric stopped potentially deadly Rift Valley fever virus from multiplying in infected cells (August 16, 2012) -- Curcumin, found in the popular spice turmeric, stopped the potentially deadly Rift Valley Fever virus from multiplying in infected cells, a new study shows. ... > full story

Discovery of immune cells that protect against multiple sclerosis offers hope for new treatment (August 16, 2012) -- Immune cells called dendritic cells, which were previously thought to contribute to the onset and development of multiple sclerosis, actually protect against the disease in a mouse model, according to a new study. These new insights change our fundamental understanding of the origins of multiple sclerosis and could lead to the development of more effective treatments for the disease. ... > full story

Brain scans don't lie about age (August 16, 2012) -- It isn't uncommon for people to pass for ages much older or younger than their years, but researchers have now found that this feature doesn't apply to our brains. The findings show that sophisticated brain scans can be used to accurately predict age, give or take a year. ... > full story

Finally, the promise of male birth control in a pill: Compound makes mice reversibly infertile (August 16, 2012) -- Researchers have finally found a compound that may offer the first effective and hormone-free birth control pill for men. The study shows that the small molecule makes male mice reversibly infertile without putting a damper on their sex drive. When the animals stop taking this new form of birth control, their sperm rebound and they are again able to sire perfectly healthy offspring. ... > full story

3-D movies in your living room, without the glasses (August 16, 2012) -- New television screens will make it possible for viewers to enjoy three-dimensional television programming without those bothersome 3-D glasses. Still, the content has been rather lacking – until now. A new technology will soon be adapting conventional 3-D films to the new displays in real time. ... > full story

Exoplanet-hosting stars give further insights on planet formation (August 16, 2012) -- Astronomers propose that metals like magnesium might have an important role in the formation of low mass planets. ... > full story

Scientists find an important molecular trigger for wound-healing (August 16, 2012) -- Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding a class of cells that help wounds in skin and other epithelial tissues heal, uncovering a molecular mechanism that pushes the body into wound-repair mode. ... > full story

Why are elderly duped? Area in brain where doubt arises changes with age (August 16, 2012) -- Researchers have pinpointed for the first time the area in the human brain where doubt arises. The finding helps explain why older people, as well as others with damage to a specific brain region, are more prone to fall victim to deception and scams. ... > full story

Poxviruses defeat antiviral defenses by duplicating a gene (August 16, 2012) -- Poxviruses, which are responsible for smallpox and other diseases, can adapt to defeat different host antiviral defenses by quickly and temporarily producing multiple copies of a gene that helps the viruses to counter host immunity. ... > full story

Psychopaths get a break from biology: Judges reduce sentences if genetics, neurobiology are blamed (August 16, 2012) -- A survey of judges in 19 states found that if a convicted criminal is a psychopath, judges consider it an aggravating factor in sentencing, but if judges also hear biological explanations for the disorder, they reduce the sentence by about a year on average. ... > full story

Climate and drought lessons from ancient Egypt (August 16, 2012) -- Ancient pollen and charcoal preserved in deeply buried sediments in Egypt's Nile Delta document the region's ancient droughts and fires, including a huge drought 4,200 years ago associated with the demise of Egypt's Old Kingdom, the era known as the pyramid-building time. ... > full story

Bird louse study shows how evolution sometimes repeats itself (August 16, 2012) -- Birds of a feather flock together and -- according to a new analysis -- so do their lice. A study of the genetic heritage of avian feather lice indicates that their louse ancestors first colonized a particular group of birds (ducks or songbirds, for example) and then "radiated" to different habitats on those birds -- to the wings or heads, for instance, where they evolved into different species. ... > full story

Could Faststitch device be the future of suture? (August 16, 2012) -- To cut down postoperative complications, engineers have invented a disposable suturing tool to guide the placement of stitches and guard against accidental puncture of internal organs. ... > full story

A GPS in your DNA (August 16, 2012) -- Scientists have devised a method for more precisely determining the geographical location of a person's ancestral origins based on a model of genetic traits for every coordinate on the globe. He says that the method also has the potential to reveal new information about the migration patterns of many different human and animal populations. ... > full story

B cell survival holds key to chronic graft vs. host disease (August 16, 2012) -- B cells, which produce proteins called antibodies, are one type of immune cell involved in GVHD. A new article shows in the laboratory that B cells from patients with chronic GVHD are much more active than cells from patients without the disease. Researchers also outlines the cell signaling pathways that contribute to this increased activity -- identifying a promising target for developing new therapies for the diseases. ... > full story

Tibetan Plateau may be older than previously thought (August 16, 2012) -- The growth of high topography on the Tibetan Plateau in Sichuan, China, began much earlier than previously thought, according to an international team of geologists who looked at mountain ranges along the eastern edge of the plateau. ... > full story

Sunflowers inspire more efficient solar power system (August 16, 2012) -- A field of young sunflowers will slowly rotate from east to west during the course of a sunny day, each leaf seeking out as much sunlight as possible as the sun moves across the sky through an adaptation called heliotropism. It’s a clever bit of natural engineering that inspired imitation from an electrical and computer engineer, who has found a way to mimic the passive heliotropism seen in sunflowers for use in the next crop of solar power systems. ... > full story

'Dinosaur bends' caused by prolonged diving (August 16, 2012) -- Dinosaur-like creatures may have injured themselves during leisurely deep-sea diving trips and not from resurfacing too quickly, as previously thought. ... > full story

Invasive brittle star species hits Atlantic Ocean (August 16, 2012) -- Coral Reefs has published online a study about an invasive species of brittle star. The species was previously restricted to Pacific waters, but surprisingly, growing populations have established themselves at distant points in the Atlantic. Its presence near Brazilian and Caribbean ports indicates that O. mirabilis could have been spread by shipping. ... > full story

Finding the nano-needle in the haystack: Radioactivity used to trace nanoparticles in the environment (August 16, 2012) -- Scientists have used radioactivity to trace nanoparticles in experimental animals and the soil. Their findings have made it easier to identify any negative environmental impact of nanoparticles, which are found in an increasing number of products. ... > full story

New research fuels greater understanding of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis in children and adolescents (August 16, 2012) -- A new understanding of skin conditions in children and teens is helping to better manage and potentially prevent medical conditions associated with both atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. ... > full story

Lip augmentation 'enhances the natural smile' (August 16, 2012) -- Dermatologists are using injectable hyaluronic acid fillers to not only add volume to the lips, but also to reduce the fine lines and common signs of aging around the mouth, enhancing the natural smile. ... > full story

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