The EDGE: ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Thursday, August 23, 2012

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Thursday, August 23, 2012

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Milky Way now has a twin (or two): Astronomers find first group of galaxies just like ours (August 22, 2012) -- Researchers have found the first group of galaxies that is just like ours, a rare sight in the local Universe. The Milky Way is a fairly typical galaxy on its own, but when paired with its close neighbours -- the Magellanic Clouds -- it is very rare, and could have been one of a kind, until a survey of our local Universe found another two examples just like us. ... > full story

Half of the particulate pollution in North America comes from other continents (August 22, 2012) -- Roughly half the aerosols that affect air quality and climate change in North America may be coming from other continents, including Asia, Africa and Europe, according to a new study. ... > full story

Large health gaps found among black, Latino, and white fifth-graders (August 22, 2012) -- Many racial/ethnic disparities were found for harmful health-related issues in 5,000 fifth graders from Alabama, Texas, and California. Black and Latino children were more likely than white children to witness violence, get less exercise, ride without seat belts in cars, etc. All races and ethnicities did better on health indicators with highly educated parents, higher income and advantages of certain schools. When children with similar advantages compared, racial/ethnic differences for most indicators smaller or even absent. ... > full story

Native landscaping in urban areas can help native birds (August 22, 2012) -- The study is one of the first to use quantitative measures and a systematic approach, with 24-hour video monitoring, to assess and compare foraging behavior of common backyard birds in yards in Phoenix, at the northern edge of the Sonoran Desert. ... > full story

Potency of statins linked to muscle side effects (August 22, 2012) -- A new study reports that muscle problems reported by patients taking statins were related to the strength or potency of the given cholesterol-lowering drugs. ... > full story

Parasitic wasps remember better if reward is greater (August 22, 2012) -- Two parasitic wasp species show similar memory consolidation patterns in response to rewards of different quality, providing evidence that the reward value affects the type of memory that is consolidated. ... > full story

Traumatic mating may offer fitness benefits for female sea slugs (August 22, 2012) -- Female sea slugs mate more frequently than required to produce offspring, despite the highly traumatic and biologically costly nature of their copulation. ... > full story

Scientists reveal how river blindness worm thrives (August 22, 2012) -- Scientists have found that the worm which causes River Blindness survives by using a bacterium to provide energy, as well as help 'trick' the body's immune system into thinking it is fighting a different kind of infection. ... > full story

Archived Guthrie cards find a new purpose (August 22, 2012) -- Over the last 50 years, the spotting of newborn's blood onto filter paper for disease screening, called Guthrie cards, has become so routine that since 2000, more than 90% of newborns in the United States have had Guthrie cards created. Researchers have now shown that epigenetic information stored on archived Guthrie cards provides a retrospective view of the epigenome at birth, a powerful new application for the card that could help understand disease and predict future health. ... > full story

Transparent, thin and tough: Why don't insect wings break? (August 22, 2012) -- Researchers have shown that the wings of insects are not as fragile as they might look. The characteristic network of veins found in the wings of grasshoppers helps to capture cracks, similar to watertight compartments in a ship. ... > full story

Children’s body fatness linked to decisions made in the womb (August 22, 2012) -- New born human infants have the largest brains among primates, but also the highest proportion of body fat. Before birth, if the supply of nutrients from the mother through the placenta is limited or unbalanced, the developing baby faces a dilemma: should resources be allocated to brain growth, or to fat deposition for use as an energy reserve during the early months after birth? Scientists have shown that this decision could have an effect on how fat we are as children. ... > full story

Prostate cancer: Six things men should know about tomatoes, fish oil, vitamin supplements, testosterone, PSA tests (August 22, 2012) -- When it comes to prostate cancer, there’s a lot of confusion about how to prevent it, find it early and the best way – or even whether – to treat it. Here are six common prostate cancer myths along with research-based information from scientists to help men separate fact from fiction. ... > full story

Batteries made from world’s thinnest material could power tomorrow’s electric cars (August 22, 2012) -- Engineering researchers have made a sheet of paper from the world’s thinnest material, graphene, and then zapped the paper with a laser or camera flash to blemish it with countless cracks, pores, and other imperfections. The result is a graphene anode material that can be charged or discharged 10 times faster than conventional graphite anodes used in today's lithium-ion batteries. ... > full story

Intentionally unvaccinated students putting other children at risk (August 22, 2012) -- Long thought to be eradicated, measles makes a comeback on the heels of personal belief exemptions from childhood vaccinations. ... > full story

Imaging study sheds new light on alcohol-related birth defects (August 22, 2012) -- The new imaging study in a mouse model for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders could enhance the diagnoses of birth defects caused by alcohol exposure in the womb and it illustrates how the precise timing of that exposure could determine specific kinds of defects. ... > full story

Roots of human self-awareness: New study points to a complex, diffuse patchwork of brain pathways (August 22, 2012) -- A research team has upended current thinking about areas in the human brain responsible for self-awareness. Using a rare patient with damage to areas considered vital to be self-aware, the team learned the patient was not only self-aware, but capable of introspection and self-insight. The researchers propose that self-awareness is a product of a diffuse patchwork of pathways in the brain rather than confined to specific areas. ... > full story

Ethical dilemmas contribute to 'critical weaknesses' in FDA postmarket oversight, experts say (August 22, 2012) -- Ethical challenges are central to persistent “critical weaknesses” in the national system for ensuring drug safety, according to a commentary by former Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee members published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. ... > full story

New device monitors schoolroom air for carbon dioxide levels that may make kids drowsy (August 22, 2012) -- With nearly 55 million students, teachers and school staff about to return to elementary and secondary school classrooms, scientists have developed a new hand-held sensor - practical enough for wide use - that could keep classroom air fresher and kids more alert for learning. ... > full story

Scientists create chemical 'brain': Giant network links all known compounds and reactions (August 22, 2012) -- Scientists have connected 250 years of organic chemical knowledge into one giant computer network -- a chemical Google on steroids. This "immortal chemist" will never retire and take away its knowledge but instead will continue to learn, grow and share. The software optimizes syntheses of drug molecules and other important compounds, combines long (and expensive) syntheses of compounds into shorter and more economical routes and identifies suspicious chemical recipes that could lead to chemical weapons. ... > full story

Elusive metal discovered: Nickel oxide turned into an electricity-conducting metal (August 22, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered the conditions under which nickel oxide can turn into an electricity-conducting metal. Nickel oxide is one of the first compounds to be studied for its electronic properties, but until now scientists have not been able to induce a metallic state. The compound becomes metallic at enormous pressures of 2.4 million times the atmospheric pressure (240 gigapascals). ... > full story

Targeting inflammation to prevent, treat cancers (August 22, 2012) -- Researchers have identified a gene that disrupts the inflammatory process implicated in liver cancer. ... > full story

Video shows the traffic inside a brain cell: New imaging technique reveals the brain's continuous renovation (August 22, 2012) -- Using bioluminescent proteins from a jellyfish, a team of scientists has lit up the inside of a neuron, capturing spectacular video footage that shows the movement of proteins throughout the cell. ... > full story

Gene mutation may signal recurrence of fibromatosis in children (August 22, 2012) -- In the case of aggressive fibromatosis, the good news is that it is a slow-growing benign tumor. The bad news is that this abdominal tumor often recurs after surgical removal. This is particularly true among children. While headway has been made in isolating causes of this recurrence in adults, it is less clear in children. ... > full story

New research shows discrepancies in quality of care, mortality among women and men who suffer heart attacks (August 22, 2012) -- A new study found there was significantly lower quality of care and worse outcomes in women compared to men – particularly young women under age 35 who had heart attack symptoms. ... > full story

Researchers probe invisible vacancies in fuel cell materials (August 22, 2012) -- Knowing the position of missing oxygen atoms could be the key to cheaper solid oxide fuel cells with longer lifetimes. New microscopy research is enabling scientists to map these vacancies at an atomic scale. ... > full story

Mars rover Curiosity begins driving at Bradbury landing (August 22, 2012) -- NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has begun driving from its landing site, which scientists announced Aug. 22 they have named for the late author Ray Bradbury. Making its first movement on the Martian surface, Curiosity's drive combined forward, turn and reverse segments. This placed the rover roughly 20 feet (6 meters) from the spot where it landed 16 days ago. ... > full story

Analysis of election factors points to Romney win in U.S. election (August 22, 2012) -- A new analysis of state-by-state factors leading to the Electoral College selection of every U.S. president since 1980 forecasts that the 2012 winner will be Mitt Romney. ... > full story

Tracking infectious outbreaks by their genomes (August 22, 2012) -- A New York City patient carrying a multi-drug-resistant strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae, a microbe frequently associated with hospital-borne infections, introduced the dangerous bacteria into the 243-bed research hospital while participating in a clinical study in the summer of 2011. To get the outbreak under control, medical researchers used genome sequencing in the middle of this active hospital epidemic to learn how the microbe spread. ... > full story

Biorefinery makes use of every bit of a soybean (August 22, 2012) -- Scientists have unveiled new technology intended to move soybeans, second only to corn as the top food crop in the U.S., along the same use-to-all path of corn and crude oil as a raw material for a wider portfolio of products. ... > full story

Toward medicines that recruit the body's natural disease-fighting proteins (August 22, 2012) -- Like recruiters pitching military service to a throng of people, scientists are developing drugs to recruit disease-fighting proteins present naturally in everyone’s blood in medicine’s war on infections, cancer and a range of other diseases. ... > full story

Super-strong, high-tech material found to be toxic to aquatic animals (August 22, 2012) -- Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have potential uses in everything from medicine to electronics to construction. However, CNTs are not without risks. A new study found that they can be toxic to aquatic animals. The researchers urge that care be taken to prevent the release of CNTs into the environment as the materials enter mass production. ... > full story

Mom's emotional health during child's early years linked to teen's oral health (August 22, 2012) -- A mother's emotional health and education level during her child's earliest years influence oral health at age 14, according to a new study. ... > full story

Nematodes with pest-fighting potential identified (August 22, 2012) -- Formosan subterranean termites could be in for a real headache. Scientists have identified species of roundworms, or "nematodes," that invade the termite brains and offer a potential bio-based approach to controlling them. ... > full story

Future memory: Ferroelectric materials could bring down cost of cloud computing and electronic devices (August 22, 2012) -- A new class of organic materials boasts an attractive but elusive property: Ferroelectricity. The crystalline materials also have a great memory, which could be very useful in computer and cellphone memory applications, including cloud computing. The very long crystals with desirable properties are made using just two small organic molecules that are extremely attracted to each other. The starting compounds are simple and inexpensive, making the lightweight materials scalable for technology applications. ... > full story

New climate history adds to understanding of recent Antarctic Peninsula warming (August 22, 2012) -- A recent study adds a new dimension to our understanding of Antarctic Peninsula climate change and the likely causes of the break-up of its ice shelves. ... > full story

Low-dose sedative alleviates autistic-like behavior in mice with Dravet syndrome mutation (August 22, 2012) -- A low dose of the sedative clonazepam alleviated autistic-like behavior in mice with a mutation that causes Dravet syndrome in humans. The mutation results in defective sodium ion channels. Affected brain cells cannot relay "hush" signals. An excess of excitatory signals results. Mice with this defect have seizures, impaired social interactions, learning difficulties, and freeze when confronting new mice or smells. Researchers overcame decreased sodium channel activity in mouse brain cells by increasing the strength of inhibitory signals with a common sedative. ... > full story

Sky-high methane mystery closer to being solved (August 22, 2012) -- Increased capture of natural gas from oil fields probably accounts for up to 70 percent of the dramatic leveling off seen in atmospheric methane at the end of the 20th century, according to new research. ... > full story

Ready. Get set. Repress! How genes are faithfully copied (August 22, 2012) -- Scientists have manipulated the Set2 pathway to show how genes are faithfully copied. ... > full story

Early exposure to antibiotics may impact development, obesity (August 22, 2012) -- Researchers have made a novel discovery that could have widespread clinical implications, potentially affecting everything from nutrient metabolism to obesity in children. ... > full story

Intense prep for law school admission test alters brain structure (August 22, 2012) -- Intense prep courses for the Law School Admission Test are popular for good reason: They can improve scores significantly. Now neuroscientists have revealed the underlying impact of such preparation: The brain's neural connections change measurably, suggesting a bolstering of physical interconnections among reasoning areas of the brain. Diffusion tensor imaging scans of students before and after an intense three-month prep course showed increased connections between verbal and spatial reasoning areas of the brain. ... > full story

Rewired visual input to sound-processing part of the brain leads to compromised hearing (August 22, 2012) -- Scientists have found that the ability to hear is lessened when, as a result of injury, a region of the brain responsible for processing sounds receives both visual and auditory inputs. ... > full story

Close contact with young people at risk of suicide has no effect, study suggests (August 22, 2012) -- Researchers, doctors and patients tend to agree that during the high-risk period after an attempted suicide, the treatment of choice is close contact, follow-up and personal interaction in order to prevent a tragic repeat. Now, however, new research shows that this strategy does not work. ... > full story

Microbiologists find new approach to fighting viral illnesses (August 22, 2012) -- By discovering how certain viruses use their host cells to replicate, microbiologists have identified a new approach to the development of universal treatments for viral illnesses such as meningitis, encephalitis, hepatitis and possibly the common cold. ... > full story

Ancient fossils reveal how the mollusc got its teeth (August 22, 2012) -- The radula sounds like something from a horror movie -- a conveyor belt lined with hundreds of rows of interlocking teeth. In fact, radulas are found in the mouths of most molluscs, from the giant squid to the garden snail. Now, a "prototype" radula found in 500-million-year-old fossils shows that the earliest radula was not a flesh-rasping terror, but a tool for humbly scooping food from the muddy sea floor. ... > full story

Long-standing chemistry mystery cracked (August 22, 2012) -- Chemists have answered a key question concerning the widely-used Fenton reaction – important in wastewater treatment to destroy hazardous organic chemicals and decontaminate bacterial pathogens and in industrial chemical production. ... > full story

Nutrient behind fresh water algae blooms pinpointed (August 22, 2012) -- Ecologists have reviewed data from studies of controlling human-caused algae blooms in lakes and says controlling the input of the nutrient phosphorus is the key to fighting the problem. ... > full story

Income, 'screen time' affect soda, junk food consumption (August 22, 2012) -- Researchers survey dietary habits of 1,800 Edmonton-area preschoolers. ... > full story

30 minutes of daily exercise does the trick: Same effect in half the time (August 22, 2012) -- Same effect in half the time: Researchers have shown that 30 minutes of daily training provide an equally effective loss of weight and body mass as 60 minutes. ... > full story

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