ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Thursday, June 21, 2012
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Children exposed to HIV in the womb at increased risk for hearing loss (June 20, 2012) -- Children exposed to HIV in the womb may be more likely to experience hearing loss by age 16 than are their unexposed peers. ... > full story
Role of cellular protein demonstrated in regulation of binge eating (June 20, 2012) -- Researchers have demonstrated in experimental models that blocking the Sigma-1 receptor, a cellular protein, reduced binge eating and caused binge eaters to eat more slowly. ... > full story
'Master molecule' may improve stem cell treatment of heart attacks (June 20, 2012) -- A single protein molecule may hold the key to turning cardiac stem cells into blood vessels or muscle tissue, a finding that may lead to better ways to treat heart attack patients. ... > full story
Muscular dystrophy: MG53 protein is shown to repair cell and tissue damage (June 20, 2012) -- Throughout the lifecycle, injury to the body’s cells occurs naturally, as well as through trauma. Cells have the ability to repair and regenerate themselves, but a defect in the repair process can lead to cardiovascular, neurological, muscular or pulmonary diseases. Recent discoveries of key genes that control cell repair have advanced the often painstaking search for ways to enhance the repair process. A new study reports that the protein MG53, previously shown to be the key initiator in the cell membrane repair process, has the potential to be used directly as a therapeutic approach to treating traumatic tissue damage. ... > full story
Asymmetry may provide clue to superconductivity (June 20, 2012) -- Physicists are reporting intriguing new details regarding the quirky electronic properties of high-temperature superconductors (HTS). They discovered an asymmetric electronic order that extends into the superconducting temperature range in a recently discovered iron-based HTS. The asymmetric feature also bears a striking resemblance to the "pseudogap" order found in copper-based HTSs. ... > full story
What motivates generosity? Researchers study Muslims and Catholics (June 20, 2012) -- Generosity is accepted and encouraged as a practice, but the reasons behind the behavior are not well understood. Researchers are exploring what motivates people to be generous and how religion influences their actions. ... > full story
Structure of RNAi complex now crystal clear (June 20, 2012) -- Researchers have determined and analyzed the crystal structure of a yeast Argonaute protein bound to RNA, which plays a key role in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway that silences genes. ... > full story
Researchers estimate ice content of crater at moon's south pole (June 20, 2012) -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has returned data that indicate ice may make up as much as 22 percent of the surface material in a crater located on the moon's south pole. The team of NASA and university scientists using laser light from LRO's laser altimeter examined the floor of Shackleton crater. They found the crater's floor is brighter than those of other nearby craters, which is consistent with the presence of small amounts of ice. This information will help researchers understand crater formation and study other uncharted areas of the moon. ... > full story
Trouble on the horizon for genetically modified crops? (June 20, 2012) -- Pests are adapting to genetically modified crops in unexpected ways, including dominant resistance not previously observed in the lab, researchers have discovered. The findings underscore the importance of closely monitoring and countering pest resistance to biotech crops. ... > full story
Healthy muscle mass linked to healthy bones, but there are gender differences (June 20, 2012) -- A new study looked at skeletal muscle mass and bone health across the life span and discovered distinct differences in how muscle affects the two layers of bone in men and women. ... > full story
Soon after the Big Bang, heavier elements emerge: Tin-100, a doubly magic nucleus (June 20, 2012) -- A few minutes after the Big Bang the universe contained no other elements than hydrogen and helium. Physicists have now succeeded in producing tin-100, a very unstable yet important element for understanding the formation of heavier elements. ... > full story
New drugs, new ways to target androgens in prostate cancer therapy (June 20, 2012) -- Prostate cancer cells require androgens including testosterone to grow. A recent review describes new classes of drugs that target androgens in novel ways, providing alternatives to the traditional methods that frequently carry high side effects. ... > full story
Respect matters more than money for happiness in life (June 20, 2012) -- New research suggests that overall happiness in life is more related to how much you are respected and admired by those around you, not to the status that comes from how much money you have stashed in your bank account. ... > full story
Online weight loss programs that feature successful dieters may help (June 20, 2012) -- A Web-based program featuring successful strategies of others who have lost weight may be an effective strategy for weight loss, according to researchers. ... > full story
All things big and small: The brain's discerning taste for size (June 20, 2012) -- The brain organizes objects based on their physical size, with a specific region of the brain reserved for recognizing large objects and another reserved for small objects, according to a new article. These findings could have major implications for fields like robotics, and could lead to a greater understanding of how the brain organizes and maps information. ... > full story
Graphene is a tunable plasmonic medium (June 20, 2012) -- With a beam of infrared light, scientists have sent ripples of electrons along the surface of graphene and demonstrated that they can control the length and height of these oscillations, called plasmons, using a simple electrical circuit. This is the first time anyone has observed plasmons on graphene, sheets of carbon just one atom thick, and an important step toward using plasmons to process and transmit information in spaces too tight to use light. ... > full story
Chemical analysis of pottery reveals first dairying in Saharan Africa nearly 7,000 years ago (June 20, 2012) -- The first unequivocal evidence that humans in prehistoric Saharan Africa used cattle for their milk nearly 7,000 years ago is described in new research. ... > full story
Megapixel camera? Try gigapixel (June 20, 2012) -- By synchronizing 98 tiny cameras in a single device, electrical engineers have developed a prototype camera that can create images with unprecedented detail. The camera's resolution is five times better than 20/20 human vision over a 120 degree horizontal field. The new camera has the potential to capture up to 50 gigapixels of data, which is 50,000 megapixels. By comparison, most consumer cameras are capable of taking photographs with sizes ranging from 8 to 40 megapixels. ... > full story
Taming light with graphene (June 20, 2012) -- Scientists have visualized the trapping and confinement of light on graphene, making a sheet of carbon atoms the most promising candidate for optical information processing on the nano-scale, optical detection, and ultrafast optoelectronics. ... > full story
Poor role models: Children say two-thirds of parents do 'almost no physical activity' (June 20, 2012) -- Children who said their parents do almost no physical activity have a 50 per cent greater risk of being unfit than children with more physically active parents, according to new research. ... > full story
Molecule thought cancer foe actually helps thyroid tumors grow (June 20, 2012) -- A molecule widely believed to fight many forms of cancer actually helps deadly thyroid tumors grow, and cancer therapies now being tested in humans might boost the activity of this newly revealed bad guy, researchers say. ... > full story
Scientists identify protein required to regrow injured nerves in limbs (June 20, 2012) -- A protein required to regrow injured peripheral nerves has been identified. The finding, in mice, has implications for improving recovery after nerve injury in the extremities. It also opens new avenues of investigation toward triggering nerve regeneration in the central nervous system, notorious for its inability to heal. ... > full story
Proposed drug may reverse Huntington's disease symptoms: Single treatment gives long-term improvement in animals (June 20, 2012) -- With a single drug treatment, researchers can silence the mutated gene responsible for Huntington’s disease, slowing and partially reversing progression of the fatal neurodegenerative disorder in animal models. ... > full story
Melting sea ice threatens emperor penguins (June 20, 2012) -- At nearly four feet tall, the Emperor penguin is Antarctica's largest sea bird -- and thanks to films like "March of the Penguins" and "Happy Feet," it's also one of the continent's most iconic. If global temperatures continue to rise, however, the Emperor penguins in Terre Adélie, in East Antarctica may eventually disappear, according to a new study. ... > full story
Preserved frogs hold clues to deadly pathogen (June 20, 2012) -- A graduate student has developed a novel means for charting the history of a pathogen deadly to amphibians worldwide. ... > full story
Gold nanoparticles capable of 'unzipping' DNA (June 20, 2012) -- Gold nanoparticles with a slight positive charge work collectively to unravel DNA's double helix. This finding has ramifications for gene therapy research and the emerging field of DNA-based electronics. ... > full story
Nano-pesticides: Solution or threat for a cleaner and greener agriculture? (June 20, 2012) -- Research is urgently needed to evaluate the risks and benefits of nano-pesticides to human and environmental health. Scientists recently performed an extensive analysis of this emerging field of research. The study presents the current scientific state of art on nano-pesticides and identifies direction priorities for future research. ... > full story
Stars, jets and batteries: Multi-faceted magnetic phenomenon confirmed in the laboratory for the first time (June 20, 2012) -- Magnetic instabilities play a crucial role in the emergence of black holes and other cosmic phenomena. The confirmation of such a magnetic instability – the Tayler instability – was successfully achieved for the first time. The findings should be able to facilitate construction of large liquid-metal batteries, which are under discussion as cheap storage facilities for renewable energy. ... > full story
Earliest record of mating fossil vertebrates: Nine pairs of fossilized turtles died while mating 47 million years ago (June 20, 2012) -- The fossil record consists mostly of the fragmentary remains of ancient animals and plants. But some finds can provide spectacular insights into the life and environment of ancient organisms. Scientists have just discovered nine pairs of fossilized turtles that perished in the act of mating. ... > full story
Health check for European streams (June 20, 2012) -- In a unique field experiment, ten research groups from nine different countries have studied the ecological status of 100 streams across Europe. This was the first study to make extensive use of leaf-litter breakdown as an assessment method. ... > full story
Surgery 'Reanimates' smile in patients with facial paralysis (June 20, 2012) -- A surgical technique using a muscle flap from the thigh restores facial motion —- and the ability to smile —- in patients with facial nerve paralysis resulting from neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), reports a new study. ... > full story
What's your name again? Lack of interest, not brain's ability, may be why we forget (June 20, 2012) -- We’ve all been there: Meeting someone new and seconds later forgetting his or her name. According to an expert, it’s not necessarily your brain that determines how well we remember names, but rather our level of interest. ... > full story
Confusion can be beneficial for learning (June 20, 2012) -- Most of us assume that confidence and certainty are preferred over uncertainty and bewilderment when it comes to learning complex information. But a new study shows that confusion when learning can be beneficial if it is properly induced, effectively regulated and ultimately resolved. ... > full story
Understanding of spinal muscular atrophy improved with use of stem cells (June 20, 2012) -- Scientists have pioneered research on how motor-neuron cell-death occurs in patients with spinal muscular atrophy, offering an important clue in identifying potential medicines to treat this leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers. ... > full story
Solar nanowire array may increase percentage of sun's frequencies available for energy conversion (June 20, 2012) -- Using a nanowire substrate to anchor advanced photovoltaic materials, researchers are able to alleviate strains between materials that otherwise would shorten life spans for photovoltaic products. ... > full story
Sorghum should be in the biofuel crop mix, experts say (June 20, 2012) -- Sweet and biomass sorghum would meet the need for next-generation biofuels to be environmentally sustainable, easily adopted by producers and take advantage of existing agricultural infrastructure. ... > full story
New clue to unexplained excited delirium deaths (June 20, 2012) -- Research sheds light on unexpected deaths that may be caused by an abnormal cardiac condition called Long QT Syndrome, compounded by a situation of Excited Delirium (ExD) Syndrome. ... > full story
Very Large Telescope takes a close look at the War and Peace Nebula (June 20, 2012) -- ESO's Very Large Telescope has taken the most detailed image so far of a spectacular part of the stellar nursery called the War and Peace Nebula. The view shows many hot young stars, glowing clouds of gas and weird dust formations sculpted by ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds. ... > full story
Why the vibrant city of Palmyra was located in the middle of what is now the Syrian Desert (June 20, 2012) -- Norwegian archaeologists have solved one of the great puzzles of the Roman Empire: Why was the vibrant city of Palmyra located in the middle of the Syrian Desert? ... > full story
Restoring streamside forests helps songbirds survive the winter in California's Central Valley (June 19, 2012) -- Restoring floodplain forests in the Central Valley of California helps songbirds survive through the winter, a finding previously substantiated only for summer nesting birds. ... > full story
Study: No-fat, low-fat dressings don't get most nutrients out of salads (June 19, 2012) -- The vegetables in salads are chock-full of important vitamins and nutrients, but you won't get much benefit without the right type and amount of salad dressing, a new study shows. ... > full story
Paddle vs. propeller: Which competitive swimming stroke is superior? (June 19, 2012) -- In time for the US Olympic Trials, engineers settle the argument over which swim stroke technique -- deep catch or sculling -- is faster. ... > full story
Specific bacteria linked to indoor water-damage and mold identified (June 19, 2012) -- Bacterial contamination in water-damaged buildings has been identified as a potential cause of health problems, including infection and respiratory conditions like asthma. An environmental health research team found evidence linking two specific strains of bacteria -- Stenotrophomonas and Mycobacterium -- to indoor mold from water damage. ... > full story
Assessing Olympic terrorism threats (June 19, 2012) -- Experts say that the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London in July and August represent a potential terrorist threat as the successor to the late Osama bin Laden and a medical doctor himself, struggles to regain "face" amongst extremists opposing the West. ... > full story
Hulk smash? Maybe not anymore: Scientists block excess aggression in mice (June 19, 2012) -- Pathological rage can be blocked in mice, researchers have found, suggesting potential new treatments for severe aggression, a widespread trait characterized by sudden violence, explosive outbursts and hostile overreactions to stress. ... > full story
Does background noise make consumers buy more innovative products? (June 19, 2012) -- Moderate background noise enhances creativity and makes consumers more likely to buy new and innovative products, according to a new study. ... > full story
Retail therapy: Shopping to cope with future challenges (June 19, 2012) -- Consumers often shop to cope with stressful situations but they are much more selective when it comes to shopping as a way to cope with future challenges, according to a new study. ... > full story
Should consumers trust their feelings as information? (June 19, 2012) -- Consumers who trust their feelings are more likely to make choices based on what "feels right" even when feelings are irrelevant to their decision, according to a new study. ... > full story
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