The EDGE: ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Wednesday, June 6, 2012

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Wednesday, June 6, 2012

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Between ear and brain, an orderly orchestra of synapses (June 5, 2012) -- A new study finds that the ear delivers sound information to the brain in a surprisingly organized fashion. ... > full story

New plant and fungus species discovered (June 5, 2012) -- In a single year, scientists at The New York Botanical Garden have discovered and described 81 new species of plants and fungi from around the world. Combining work in the field, laboratory research, and painstaking study in plant collections, scientists in 2011 correctly identified the palm species that Vietnamese villagers weave into hats, discovered more than a dozen new lichen species in America's most visited national park, and identified new species in a wide variety of plant families. ... > full story

Molecular matchmaking for drug discovery (June 5, 2012) -- Computational drug discovery allows researchers to target a small group of possible molecules for therapeutic use, saving significant time and money. Scientists have now reported on advances in image reconstruction that allow his group to detect the secondary structures of proteins from single particle cryo-electron microscopy. ... > full story

Dream Chaser flight vehicle scales Rocky Mountain summits (June 5, 2012) -- Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space Systems' Dream Chaser design passed one of its most complex tests to date with a successful captive-carry test conducted near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County, Colo., on May 29. Just like the space shuttle before it, SNC's Dream Chaser will go through extensive testing to prove its wings will work. The company built a full-scale flight vehicle of the Dream Chaser spacecraft to carry out the evaluations. ... > full story

Venus' transit and the search for other worlds (June 5, 2012) -- It's the final opportunity of the century to witness the rare astronomical reunion of the sun, Venus and Earth. On Tuesday, June 5 or 6, 2012, depending on your location, Venus will make its presence in the solar system visible from Earth's day side. Using special eye safety precautions, viewers may see Venus as a small dot slowly drifting across the golden disk of the sun. ... > full story

Noninvasive genetic test for Down syndrome and Edwards syndrome highly accurate (June 5, 2012) -- Current screening strategies for Down syndrome, caused by fetal trisomy 21, and Edwards syndrome, caused by fetal trisomy 18, have false positive rates of 2-3 percent, and false negative rates of 5 percent or higher. Positive screening results must be confirmed by amniocentesis or CVS, carrying a fetal loss rate of approximately 1 in 300 procedures. Now an international, multicenter cohort study finds that a genetic test to screen for trisomy 21 or 18 from a maternal blood sample is almost 100 percent accurate. ... > full story

Nuclear weapon simulations show performance in molecular detail (June 5, 2012) -- US researchers are perfecting simulations that show a nuclear weapon's performance in precise molecular detail, tools that are becoming critical for national defense because international treaties forbid the detonation of nuclear test weapons. ... > full story

Mothers' teen cannabinoid exposure may increase response of offspring to opiate drugs (June 5, 2012) -- A study in rats suggests that mothers who use marijuana during their teen years -- then stop -- may put their eventual offspring at risk of increased sensitivity to opiates. ... > full story

New Firefly technology lights up more precise kidney sparing surgery (June 5, 2012) -- During kidney surgery, Firefly fluorescence used with the da Vinci robot lights up in "firefly green" the blood supply to the kidney and helps differentiate cancerous from healthy tissue. More patients can keep the healthy part of their kidney rather than losing the entire organ. ... > full story

Precise measurement of radiation damage on materials (June 5, 2012) -- Researchers have for the first time simulated and quantified the early stages of radiation damage that will occur in a given material. ... > full story

Latin American and Asian cities lead way in planning for global warming (June 5, 2012) -- The cities that are most active in preparing for climate change are not necessarily the biggest or wealthiest. Instead, they are often places buffeted by natural disasters and increasing changes in temperature or rainfall. ... > full story

Overfed fruit flies develop insulin resistance; Represent new tool to study human diabetes (June 5, 2012) -- Researchers have demonstrated that adult fruit flies fed either high-carb or high-protein diets develop metabolic abnormalities, including insulin resistance, which is a hallmark of type 2 human diabetes. Fruit fly D. melanogaster has been used successfully to investigate multiple human diseases. The new study demonstrates that diet profoundly influences fruit fly physiology and health and that insulin-resistant flies provide a new research tool for investigating the molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance. ... > full story

Milk ingredient does a waistline good (June 5, 2012) -- A natural ingredient found in milk can protect against obesity even as mice continue to enjoy diets that are high in fat. The researchers liken this milk ingredient to a new kind of vitamin. ... > full story

How immune system, inflammation may play role in Lou Gehrig's disease (June 5, 2012) -- In an early study, researchers found that the immune cells of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, may play a role in damaging the neurons in the spinal cord. ALS is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. ... > full story

Keeping up with embryogenesis: New microscope tracks cells as they move and divide (June 5, 2012) -- The transformation of a fertilized egg into a functioning animal requires thousands of cell divisions and intricate rearrangements of those cells. That process is captured with unprecedented speed and precision by a new imaging technology that lets users track each cell in an embryo as it takes shape over hours or days. ... > full story

Air pollution linked to chronic heart disease (June 5, 2012) -- Cardiac patients living in high pollution areas were found to be over 40 percent more likely to have a second heart attack when compared to patients living in low pollution areas, according to a new study. ... > full story

Type 2 diabetes linked to increased blood cancer risk (June 5, 2012) -- A new meta-analysis reveals patients with type 2 diabetes have a 20 percent increased risk of developing blood cancers. ... > full story

Halogen bonding helps design new drugs (June 5, 2012) -- Halogens particularly chlorine, bromine, and iodine – have a unique quality which allows them to positively influence the interaction between molecules. This “halogen bonding” has been employed in the area of materials science for some time, but is only now finding applications in the life sciences. ... > full story

Weak bridges identified in Texas (June 5, 2012) -- More than a dozen Gulf Coast bridges in or near Galveston, Texas, would likely suffer severe damage if subjected to a hurricane with a similar landfall as Hurricane Ike but with 30 percent stronger winds, according to researchers. ... > full story

How estrogens persist in dairy wastewater (June 5, 2012) -- Wastewater from large dairy farms contains significant concentrations of estrogenic hormones that can persist for months or even years, researchers report in a new study. In the absence of oxygen, the estrogens rapidly convert from one form to another; This stalls their biodegradation and complicates efforts to detect them, the researchers found. ... > full story

Anxious girls' brains work harder (June 5, 2012) -- In a discovery that could help in the identification and treatment of anxiety disorders, scientists say the brains of anxious girls work much harder than those of boys. ... > full story

Divided public: Climate survey shows skepticism and alarm rising over the past decade (June 5, 2012) -- Two analyses highlight the growing polarization of public attitudes toward climate change, as well as the role “psychological distance” plays in levels of concern. ... > full story

Bigger refuges needed to delay pest resistance to biotech corn (June 5, 2012) -- To slow resistance of western corn rootworm beetles to genetically protected crops, much larger "refuge" acreages of conventional crops have to be planted, two experts – including one from the University of Arizona – warn in a paper published in the Journal of Economic Ecology. ... > full story

Protein knots gain new evolutionary significance (June 5, 2012) -- A new study suggests that protein knots, a structure whose formation remains a mystery, may have specific functional advantages that depend on the nature of the protein's architecture. ... > full story

Faster, more sensitive photodetector created by tricking graphene (June 5, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a highly sensitive detector of infrared light that can be used in applications ranging from detection of chemical and biochemical weapons from a distance and better airport body scanners to chemical analysis in the laboratory and studying the structure of the universe through new telescopes. ... > full story

Splitting the unsplittable: Physicists split an atom using quantum mechanics precision (June 5, 2012) -- Researchers have just shown how a single atom can be split into its two halves, pulled apart and put back together again. While the word "atom" literally means "indivisible," the laws of quantum mechanics allow dividing atoms -- similarly to light rays -- and reuniting them. The researchers want to build quantum mechanics bridges by letting the atom touch adjacent atoms while it is being pulled apart so that it works like a bridge span between two pillars. ... > full story

Exceptional rise in ancient sea levels revealed (June 5, 2012) -- Since the end of the last ice age 21,000 years ago, our planet has seen ocean levels rise by 120 meters to reach their current levels. This increase has not been constant, rather punctuated by rapid accelerations, linked to massive outburst floods from the ice caps. The largest increase, known by paleoclimatologists as 'Melt-Water Pulse 1A', proved to be enigmatic in many respects. A study recently revealed the mysteries of this event, without doubt one of the most important in the last deglaciation. ... > full story

Retreating glaciers are a threat to biodiversity (June 5, 2012) -- The projected disappearance of small glaciers worldwide threatens to eliminate the water supply for numerous towns in valleys, such as the Ecuadorian capital Quito, fed by the rivers that flow down from the surrounding mountains. But retreating ice is also a threat to freshwater fauna. According to a new study the local and regional diversity of mountain aquatic fauna will be reduced considerably if predictions are realized. ... > full story

Rattlesnakes strike again, bites more toxic (June 5, 2012) -- Each year, approximately 8,000 Americans are bitten by venomous snakes. On average, 800 or so bites occur annually in California, home to an abundance of snake species, but only one family is native and venomous: rattlesnakes. In San Diego County, the number of rattlesnake bites is increasing as well as the toxicity of the attack. ... > full story

Higher taxes, smoke-free policies are reducing smoking in moms-to-be (June 5, 2012) -- It's estimated that almost 23 percent of women enter pregnancy as smokers and more than half continue to smoke during pregnancy, leading to excess health-care costs at delivery and beyond. In one of the first studies to assess smoking bans and taxes on cigarettes, along with the level of tobacco control spending, researchers have found that state tobacco control policies can be effective in curbing smoking during pregnancy, and in preventing a return to smoking within four months on average, after delivery. ... > full story

Chiral asymmetry can emerge from maximal symmetry (June 5, 2012) -- Maximally symmetric systems of particles can spontaneously produce two different patterns, which are mirror images of each other, new research shows. The research group is working towards a mathematical design of self-assembling nanomaterials. ... > full story

Understanding Atlantic and Pacific jet stream fluctuations (June 5, 2012) -- A recent study demonstrates the link between observed fluctuations of atmospheric jet streams and the theoretical concepts that describe why jet streams exist. Atmospheric jet streams are fast-flowing currents of air found approximately 10 km above sea level in the extratropical regions of both hemispheres. Because these jets influence regional weather patterns, there is great interest in understanding the factors that control their path, their strength and variations in both. ... > full story

Magnetic stimulation to improve visual perception (June 5, 2012) -- Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), an international team has succeeded in enhancing the visual abilities of a group of healthy subjects. Following stimulation of an area of the brain’s right hemisphere involved in perceptual awareness and in orienting spatial attention, the subjects appeared more likely to perceive a target appearing on a screen. ... > full story

Practical tool can 'take pulse' of blue-green algae status in lakes (June 4, 2012) -- Scientists have designed a screening tool that provides a fast, easy and relatively inexpensive way to predict levels of a specific toxin in lakes that are prone to blue-green algal blooms. ... > full story

The mysterious arc of Venus (June 4, 2012) -- When Venus transits the sun on June 5-6, an armada of spacecraft and ground-based telescopes will be on the lookout for something elusive and, until recently, unexpected: the arc of Venus. ... > full story

RHESSI will use Venus transit to improve measurements of the sun's diameter (June 4, 2012) -- With the new data obtained during the Venus transit on June 5-6, 2012, the RHESSI team hopes to improve the knowledge of the exact shape of the sun and provide a more accurate measure of the diameter than has previously been obtained. ... > full story

How religion promotes confidence about paternity (June 4, 2012) -- Religious practices that strongly control female sexuality are more successful at promoting certainty about paternity, according to a new study. ... > full story

Investigational diabetes drug may have fewer side effects (June 4, 2012) -- Drugs for Type 2 diabetes can contribute to unwanted side effects, but researchers have found that in mice, an investigational drug appears to improve insulin sensitivity without side effects. The medicine works through a different pathway, which could provide additional targets for treating insulin resistance and diabetes. ... > full story

Energy-dense biofuel from cellulose close to being economical (June 4, 2012) -- A new process for creating biofuels has shown potential to be cost-effective for production scale, opening the door for moving beyond the laboratory setting. ... > full story

Brain scans support Freud: Guilt plays key role in depression (June 4, 2012) -- Scientists have shown that the brains of people with depression respond differently to feelings of guilt -- even after their symptoms have subsided. ... > full story

Little cognitive benefit from soy supplements for older women (June 4, 2012) -- In a new study of the effects of soy supplements for postmenopausal women, researchers found no significant differences -- positive or negative -- in overall mental abilities between those who took supplements and those who didn't. ... > full story

Families of kids with staph infections have high rate of drug-resistant germ (June 4, 2012) -- Family members of children with a staph infection often harbor a drug-resistant form of the germ, although they don’t show symptoms, a team of researchers has found. ... > full story

Early childhood neglect may raise risk of adult skin cancer (June 4, 2012) -- Skin cancer patients whose childhood included periods of neglect or maltreatment are at a much greater risk for their cancers to return when they face a major stressful event, new research suggests. ... > full story

Cancer drugs: Better, cheaper (June 4, 2012) -- Cancer drug development is known to be too slow, costly and fraught with failure. Now the US Food and Drug Administration is issuing recommendations for breast cancer trials that would substantially accelerate patient access to new medications while lowering the time and cost of drug development. ... > full story

Depression treatment can prevent adolescent drug abuse (June 4, 2012) -- Treating adolescents for major depression can also reduce their chances of abusing drugs later on, a secondary benefit found in a five-year study of nearly 200 youths at 11 sites across the United States. ... > full story

Neuroscientists show how brain responds to sensual caress (June 4, 2012) -- A nuzzle of the neck, a brush of the knee -- these caresses often signal a loving touch, but can also feel highly aversive, depending on who is delivering the touch, and to whom. Interested in how the brain makes connections between touch and emotion, neuroscientists have discovered that the association begins in the brain's primary somatosensory cortex, a region that was thought only to respond to basic touch. ... > full story

Fossil discovery: More evidence for Asia, not Africa, as the source of earliest anthropoid primates (June 4, 2012) -- A new fossil primate from Myanmar illuminates a critical step in the evolution of early anthropoids. Afrasia closely resembles another early anthropoid, Afrotarsius libycus. The close similarity indicates that early anthropoids colonized Africa only shortly before the time when these animals lived. This was a pivotal step in primate and human evolution, because it set the stage for the later evolution of more advanced apes and humans there. ... > full story

Reign of the giant insects ended with the evolution of birds (June 4, 2012) -- Giant insects ruled the prehistoric skies during periods when Earth's atmosphere was rich in oxygen. Then came the birds. After the evolution of birds about 150 million years ago, insects got smaller despite rising oxygen levels, according to a new study. ... > full story