ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Thursday, August 19, 2010
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Deadly Samoa-Tonga earthquake concealed two other quakes, seismic sleuths discover (August 19, 2010) -- A magnitude-8.1 earthquake and tsunami that killed 192 people last year in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga was more complicated than initially thought: The 8.1 "great earthquake" concealed and triggered two major quakes of magnitude 7.8, seismologists report. ... > full story
Study shows gene's role in developing and maintaining cells key for a lifetime of memories (August 19, 2010) -- Researchers have shown that a gene named Prox1 is a key player in normal development of a brain structure crucial for learning and memory and remains active throughout life, nurturing the cells vital for making new memories. ... > full story
Why implant coatings detach: Nanocorrosion causes implants to fail (August 19, 2010) -- Extra-hard coatings made from diamond-like carbon (DLC) extend the operating lifetime of tools and components. In artificial joints, however, these coatings often fail because they detach. Swiss researchers found out why – and developed methods to both make the interface between the DLC layer and the metal underneath corrosion-resistant and to predict the lifetime of the implants. ... > full story
How genes hide their function (August 19, 2010) -- Researchers in Japan have illuminated mechanisms underlying the genetic robustness of metabolic effects in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Their findings reveal a key balance between the roles played by duplicate genes and metabolic network connectivity in functional compensation. ... > full story
Forecasting the fate of fertilizer in the Chesapeake Bay watershed (August 19, 2010) -- Reducing the runoff from plant nutrients that can eventually wash into the Chesapeake Bay could someday be as easy as checking the weather forecast. ... > full story
Brain connections break down as we age, study suggests (August 19, 2010) -- It's unavoidable: breakdowns in brain connections slow down our physical response times as we age, a new study suggests. ... > full story
Study explains why Alzheimer's drug is both safe and effective (August 19, 2010) -- The drug memantine improves Alzheimer's disease symptoms by blocking abnormal activity of glutamate, a chemical that transmits messages between nerve cells. In a new study, scientists unravel exactly how memantine helps Alzheimer's patients without causing serious side effects. ... > full story
Kihansi spray toads make historic return to Tanzania (August 19, 2010) -- In a bold effort to save one of the world's rarest amphibians from extinction, one hundred Kihansi spray toads have been flown home to Tanzania after being painstakingly reared at the Bronx Zoo and the Toledo Zoo. ... > full story
Long-term entecavir therapy reverses fibrosis and cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B patients (August 19, 2010) -- Researchers have found that patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection who received at least 3 years of cumulative entecavir (antiviral) therapy achieved substantial histologic improvement and regression of fibrosis or cirrhosis. ... > full story
Smart materials: Fully reversible functionalization of inorganic nanotubes (August 19, 2010) -- Scientists in Germany have devised a tool which allows fully reversible binding of metal oxides to inorganic nanotubes. ... > full story
Antidepressant can help treat major depression during perimenopause, menopause, study shows (August 19, 2010) -- An antidepressant can alleviate symptoms of major depression in women experiencing or about to experience menopause, according to a new study. ... > full story
Cosmic accelerators discovered in our galaxy (August 18, 2010) -- Physicists have discovered evidence of "natural nuclear accelerators" at work in our Milky Way galaxy, based on an analysis of data from the world's largest cosmic ray detector. ... > full story
Choosing healthier protein-rich foods instead of red and processed meats may reduce heart disease (August 18, 2010) -- American women who ate more protein-rich foods instead of red meat had a significantly lower risk of developing heart disease, according to a new study. Eating more fresh red meat, processed red meat and high-fat dairy carried an increased risk of heart disease in the study. Women who had two servings per day of red meat compared to those who had half a serving per day had a 30 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease. ... > full story
How corals fight back (August 18, 2010) -- Researchers are a step closer to understanding the rapid decline of our coral reefs, thanks to a breakthrough study linking coral immunity with its susceptibility to bleaching and disease. ... > full story
Meningitis research breakthrough could save children’s lives (August 18, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a rapid diagnostic test for meningococcal bacteria that can produce results within an hour. The speed of this new test is a vital factor in the treatment of young children with meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia who become very ill over a short period. ... > full story
Screening crop plants for toxins (August 18, 2010) -- Scientists are working on a way to screen crop plants for toxic accumulation. Many plants, in response to predators or herbivores, release hydrogen cyanide to defend themselves. The new genetic screen for plants lacking this ability will be particularly useful for crops grown in tropical and sub-Saharan Africa. ... > full story
Can anthropology solve an economic crisis? (August 18, 2010) -- The field of anthropology is often associated with finding lost tribes, understanding ancient civilizations, and the study of indigenous peoples. However, researchers in Norway argue that anthropology has much more to offer than insights into small-scale societies, traditional cultures or arcane customs. They now argue that anthropology is an indispensable tool to complement others research fields, such as psychology and economics, in solving many diverse problems. ... > full story
Roller coaster superconductivity discovered (August 18, 2010) -- Superconductors are more than 150 times more efficient at carrying electricity than copper wires. But these materials have to be cooled below an extremely low, so-called transition temperature for electrical resistance to disappear. Researchers have unexpectedly found that the transition temperature can be induced under two different intense pressures in a three-layered bismuth oxide crystal. They believe this unusual two-step phenomena comes from competition of electronic behavior in different layers. ... > full story
Scientists closer to finding what causes the birth of a fat cell (August 18, 2010) -- Just what causes the birth of a human fat cell is a mystery, but scientists using mathematics to tackle the question have come up with a few predictions about the proteins that influence this process. The research is intended to increase understanding of how and why preadipocytes, or pre-fat cells, either lie dormant, copy themselves or turn into fat. ... > full story
Paving 'slabs' that clean the air (August 18, 2010) -- The concentrations of toxic nitrogen oxide that are present in German cities regularly exceed the maximum permitted levels. That's now about to change, as innovative paving slabs that will help protect the environment are being introduced. Coated in titanium dioxide nanoparticles, they reduce the amount of nitrogen oxide in the air. ... > full story
Women with osteoporosis suffer more if they have previously broken a bone, say scientists (August 18, 2010) -- An international study of more than 60,000 women has drawn new light on the relationship between osteoporosis and fractures. Scientists call for more to be done to identify and treat patients at the highest risk of fractures. Osteoporosis is more common in women who have fractured bones when they were younger - and they experience a similar loss in health-related quality of life as those with arthritis, lung disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases. ... > full story
Future air travel: Quieter, cleaner and more environmentally friendly? (August 18, 2010) -- Less noise, less exhaust, less refuse - air travel of the future is expected to be quieter, cleaner and more environmentally friendly. To achieve this goal, new structural concepts and aerodynamic profiles have to be engineered, along with better drive concepts as well as adapted logistical designs, and then put to use. In the European project Clean Sky, researchers want to make their contribution to solving this Herculean task. ... > full story
Early life influences risk for psychiatric disorders (August 18, 2010) -- For more than a century, clinical investigators have focused on early life as a source of adult psychopathology. Although the hypothesized mechanisms have evolved, a central notion remains: early life is a period of unique sensitivity during which experience confers enduring effects. ... > full story
Fossil reveals 48-million-year history of zombie ants (August 18, 2010) -- A 48-million-year-old fossilized leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature -- parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies. ... > full story
Vitamin D may treat or prevent allergy to common mold (August 18, 2010) -- Vitamin D may be an effective therapeutic agent to treat or prevent allergy to a common mold that can complicate asthma and frequently affects patients with cystic fibrosis. ... > full story
Breakthrough gene therapy prevents retinal degeneration (August 18, 2010) -- In one of only two studies of its kind, scientists demonstrate that non-viral gene therapy can delay the onset of some forms of eye disease and preserve vision. The team developed nanoparticles to deliver therapeutic genes to the retina and found that treated mice temporarily retained more eyesight than controls. The study brings researchers closer to a non-viral gene therapy treatment for degenerative eye disorders. ... > full story
SSRIs may pack more punch at the cellular level than believed (August 18, 2010) -- A new discovery about selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors suggests that these drugs, used to treat mental health disorders like depression and anxiety, have multiple effects on our cells. Researchers used yeast cells to identify secondary drug targets or pathways affected by SSRIs. Such secondary pathways could help explain why different people taking the same drug can experience different effects, and could also lead to new types of drugs altogether. ... > full story
New probe technology illuminates the activation of light-sensing cells (August 18, 2010) -- Ultimately, Charles Darwin's "endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful" can be boiled down to a scant 20 or so amino acids, the basic building blocks of life. From this parsimonious palette, nature paints the proteins that make up the wild diversity of life on earth, from the simplest bacteria to the most complicated structure in the known universe -- the human brain. Now, research reveals a new technique for tagging proteins with non-natural amino acids to scrutinize details about how they function. ... > full story
Men more likely to cheat if they are economically dependent on their female partners, study finds (August 18, 2010) -- The more economically dependent a man is on his female partner, the more likely he is to cheat on her, according to new research. ... > full story
Eclipsing pulsar promises clues to crushed matter (August 18, 2010) -- Astronomers have found the first fast X-ray pulsar to be eclipsed by its companion star. Further studies of this unique stellar system will shed light on some of the most compressed matter in the universe and test a key prediction of Einstein's relativity theory. ... > full story
Acupuncture not superior to sham acupuncture in knee osteoarthritis, study finds (August 18, 2010) -- Researchers have determined that patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee who are treated with traditional Chinese acupuncture (TCA) do not experience any more benefit than those receiving sham acupuncture (placebo). The team did find that the communication style of the acupuncturist could have a significant effect on pain reduction and satisfaction in patients. ... > full story
Smokers trying to give up: Don't stop thinking about cigarettes (August 18, 2010) -- Blocking thoughts of cigarettes helps reduce smokers' intake at first, but means they smoke more than usual when they stop suppressing, according to new research. ... > full story
New link found between inflammation and cancer (August 18, 2010) -- Researchers have uncovered a new link between chronic inflammation and cancer. Although cancers do not always cause inflammation, chronic inflammation is known to help tumor cells grow. ... > full story
High definition diagnostic ultrasonics on the nanoscale (August 18, 2010) -- Scientists have built the world's smallest ultrasonic transducers capable of generating and detecting ultrasound. ... > full story
Why drunk drivers may get behind the wheel (August 18, 2010) -- A new study shows the impact of alcohol intoxication on reasoning and problem-solving abilities and may explain why some people feel they have recovered enough to drive after drinking. The research is the first to explore how cognitive abilities are impacted during both rising and declining blood alcohol concentrations, and how self-evaluation of recovery differs from actual recovery from impairment. ... > full story
Dwindling green pastures, not hunting, may have killed off the mammoth (August 18, 2010) -- A massive reduction in grasslands and the spread of forests may have been the primary cause of the decline of mammals such as the woolly mammoth, woolly rhino and cave lion, according to scientists. ... > full story
Novel diabetes hope comes from Chinese herbs (August 18, 2010) -- Emodin, a natural product that can be extracted from various Chinese herbs including Rheum palmatum and Polygonum cuspidatum, shows promise as an agent that could reduce the impact of type 2 diabetes. New findings show that giving emodin to mice with diet-induced obesity lowered blood glucose and serum insulin, improved insulin resistance and lead to more healthy levels of lipid in the blood. It also decreased body weight and reduced central fat mass. ... > full story
Clothing to power personal computers (August 18, 2010) -- Scientists in the UK are developing technology that may enable people to power MP3 players and other devices through their clothes and the carpets they walk on. ... > full story
Women who drink beer more likely to develop psoriasis (August 18, 2010) -- Regular beer -- but not light beer or other types of alcohol -- appears to be associated with an increased risk of developing psoriasis, according to a new study. ... > full story
Deaf, hard-of-hearing students perform first test of sign language by cell phone (August 18, 2010) -- Engineers are developing the first device able to transmit American Sign Language over US cellular networks. The tool is just completing its initial field test by participants in a summer program for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. ... > full story
People who cannot escape a system are likely to defend the status quo, study finds (August 18, 2010) -- The freedom of emigration at will is internationally recognized as a human right. But, in practice, emigration is often restricted, whether by policy or by poverty. A new study finds that people who are told that their right to emigrate will be restricted have what could be considered a strange reaction: they respond by defending their country's system. ... > full story
Astronaut muscles waste in space: Safety for future Mars missions questioned (August 18, 2010) -- Astronaut muscles waste away on long space flights, reducing their capacity for physical work by more than 40 percent, according to new research. This is the equivalent of a 30- to 50-year-old crew member's muscles deteriorating to that of an 80-year-old. The destructive effects of extended weightlessness to skeletal muscle -- despite in-flight exercise -- pose a significant safety risk for future human missions to Mars and elsewhere in the universe. ... > full story
Repairing spinal cord injury with manipulated neural stem cells (August 18, 2010) -- One of the most common causes of disability in young adults is spinal cord injury. Currently, there is no proven reparative treatment. However, hope that neural stem cells might be of benefit to individuals with severe spinal cord injury has now been provided new research using a mouse model of this devastating condition. ... > full story
Integrative body-mind training (IBMT) meditation found to boost brain connectivity (August 18, 2010) -- Just 11 hours of learning a meditation technique induces positive structural changes in brain connectivity by boosting efficiency in a part of the brain that helps a person regulate behavior in accordance with their goals, researchers report. The technique -- integrative body-mind training (IBMT) -- has been the focus of intense scrutiny by a team of Chinese researchers. ... > full story
Cause of immune system avoidance of certain pathogens discovered (August 18, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered that a special set of sugars found on some disease-causing pathogens helps those pathogens fight the body's natural defenses as well as vaccines. This discovery may be a first step in understanding a disease family that includes tuberculosis for which there are currently no good vaccines or cures. ... > full story
Human activity eclipses Brazos River's native carbon cycle (August 18, 2010) -- Geochemists have found that damming and other human activity has completely obscured the natural carbon dioxide cycling process in Texas' longest river, the Brazos. The study is the first to document such an overwhelming influence of human activity on carbon dioxide in a major river. ... > full story
Antagonistic people may increase heart attack, stroke risk (August 18, 2010) -- Antagonistic people have greater thickening of neck artery walls than agreeable people, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Those deemed the least agreeable had a 40 percent increased risk of artery narrowing compared to those who were the most agreeable, according to a new study. ... > full story
Can cloned plants live forever? (August 18, 2010) -- Despite the many cosmetic products, surgical treatments, food supplements, and drugs designed specifically to reverse the biological effects of aging in humans, long-lived aspen clones aren't so lucky. Researchers have shown that as long-lived male aspen clones age, their sexual performance declines. ... > full story
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