ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Friday, September 17, 2010
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Scientists document fate of deep hydrocarbon plumes in Gulf oil spill (September 17, 2010) -- In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists embarked on a research cruise with an urgent mission: determining the fate and impact of hydrocarbon gases escaping from a deep-water oil spill. What they found was surprising: Three specific hydrocarbon gases -- ethane, propane and butane -- were responsible for most of the respiration and oxygen loss observed in the deep plumes. They further identified the dominant bacteria present in the plumes and suggested some of the organisms were targeting the natural gases. ... > full story
Scientists develop test providing new pathway for identifying obesity, diabetes drugs (September 17, 2010) -- Scientists have designed a new molecular test that will allow researchers to look for potential drugs targeting a human metabolic enzyme believed to stimulate the appetite and play a role in diabetes. ... > full story
Surprisingly complicated molecule found in outer space (September 17, 2010) -- In interstellar clouds of extremely small density scientists have managed to find a molecule that has an unexpectedly complicated structure. The discovery will force a change in the way of thinking about chemical processes occurring in the apparently empty areas of the galaxy. ... > full story
Neuroimaging identifies patients with REM sleep disturbances who will suffer Parkinson's disease (September 17, 2010) -- In 2006, and after 5 years of follow-up, researchers showed that one-half of all patients with REM sleep disturbances develop a neurodegenerative disorder such as Parkinson's disease. A new study by the same group uses SPECT and transcranial ultrasound neuroimaging techniques to identify those patients at greatest risk of developing neurodegenerative disease. ... > full story
Getting the news out: Disease transmission model says media coverage cuts infection rate and pandemic extent (September 17, 2010) -- Public health officials have long believed that notifying the public about outbreaks of infectious disease could help reduce transmission rates and the overall impact of a pandemic. Now, researchers have modified the most widely used infectious disease model to account for the impact of media coverage. ... > full story
Acamprosate prevents relapse to drinking in alcoholism, review finds (September 17, 2010) -- Acamprosate reduces the number of patients being treated for alcoholism who return to drinking, according to a new review. The drug showed moderate benefits in trials when used in addition to non-drug treatments. ... > full story
Optical chip enables new approach to quantum computing (September 17, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a new approach to quantum computing that could soon be used to perform complex calculations that cannot be done by today's computers. ... > full story
Significant weight-loss from surgery decreases risk for cardiovascular disease in women (September 17, 2010) -- Bariatric surgery is emerging as a valuable procedure to help morbidly obese individuals lose weight, as studies have shown; it can improve many health profiles and lower mortality. Now, researchers have found another positive impact of significant weight loss after bariatric surgery: it can significantly improve the lipoprotein profiles of women within a year following surgery. ... > full story
'Goddess of fortune' found near shores of Sea of Galilee (September 17, 2010) -- A wall painting (fresco) of Tyche, the Greek goddess of fortune, was exposed during the 11th season of excavation at the Sussita site, on the east shore of the Sea of Galilee. Another female figure was found during this season, of a maenad, one of the companions of the wine god Dionysus. ... > full story
Beating blood clots: Reducing your risk before hip replacement surgery (September 17, 2010) -- Risk factors for venous thromboembolism after total hip replacement surgery were identified in a new study. While the rate of thromboembolism has been significantly reduced through medication, understanding the risk factors could further reduce the likelihood of patients developing this potentially fatal complication. ... > full story
Global initiative underway to preserve yam biodiversity (September 17, 2010) -- Farmers and crop scientists worldwide are engaged in an ambitious new effort to add 3,000 yam samples to international gene banks with the aim of saving the diversity of a crop that is consumed by 60 million people on a daily basis in Africa alone. ... > full story
Death at home less distressing for cancer patients and families, study finds (September 17, 2010) -- Cancer patients who die in the hospital or an intensive care unit have worse quality of life at the end-of-life, compared to patients who die at home with hospice services, and their caregivers are at higher risk for developing psychiatric illnesses during bereavement, according to a new study. ... > full story
Understanding behavioral patterns: Why bird flocks move in unison (September 16, 2010) -- Animal flocks, be it honeybees, fish, ants or birds, often move in surprising synchronicity and seemingly make unanimous decisions at a moment's notice, a phenomenon which has remained puzzling to many researchers. ... > full story
Discovery of key pathway interaction may lead to therapies that aid brain growth and repair (September 16, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered that the two major types of signaling pathways activated during brain cell development operate together to determine how many and which types of brain cells are created during growth and repair in developing and adult brains. ... > full story
Shape-shifting robot plane offers safer alternative for maritime rescue (September 16, 2010) -- Use of morphing flight control surfaces has enabled the development of a cost effective unmanned air-sea rescue plane that can operate in extreme weather conditions despite its light weight and small size. State-of-the-art avionics and cameras onboard the seaplane ensure a smooth flight for extended rescue and surveillance missions, while reducing risks to material and crews. ... > full story
Asthma and cavities both common in kids but not linked, study finds (September 16, 2010) -- There is no apparent link between asthma and tooth decay, according to a new study. The large number of variables involved, including severity of asthma symptoms and the variety of types of treatment for the disease, has made it difficult to unequivocally determine whether there is a causal link between the two. ... > full story
Optimizing climate change reduction (September 16, 2010) -- Scientists have taken a new approach on examining a proposal to fix the warming planet by injecting stratospheric aerosols of sulfates to shade the Earth. Past approaches modeled how the aerosols might affect Earth's climate and chemistry. These researchers began with climate goals and modeled the aerosol distribution pattern that would come closest to achieving their idealized climate. This is the first attempt to determine the optimal way of achieving defined climate goals. ... > full story
Depression and heart disease combo more lethal than either one alone, study suggests (September 16, 2010) -- The combination of depression and heart disease seems to be far more lethal than having either one of these conditions in isolation, new research suggests. ... > full story
3-D computer simulations help envision supernovae explosions (September 16, 2010) -- For a brief burst of time, supernovae can radiate more energy than the sun will emit in its lifetime. Now, scientists have found a way to make computer simulations of supernovae exploding in three dimensions, which may lead to new scientific insights. ... > full story
Increased brain protein levels linked to Alzheimer's disease (September 16, 2010) -- Elevated levels of a growth protein in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients is linked to impaired neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons are generated, say researchers. ... > full story
Arctic sea ice reaches lowest 2010 extent, third lowest in satellite record (September 16, 2010) -- The Arctic sea ice cover appears to have reached its minimum extent for the year, the third-lowest recorded since satellites began measuring sea ice extent in 1979, according to researchers. ... > full story
How bacteria acquire immunity: First theoretical description of bacterial system to silence viral genes (September 16, 2010) -- In a new study, scientists have brought the latest tools of computational biology to bear in examining how the processes of natural selection and evolution influence the way bacteria acquire immunity from disease. The study builds upon one of the major discoveries made possible by molecular genetics in the past decade -- the revelation that bacteria and similar single-celled organisms have an acquired immune system. ... > full story
Home's electrical wiring acts as antenna to receive low-power sensor data (September 16, 2010) -- Using a home's electrical wiring as a giant copper antenna allows for wireless sensors that can communicate over a whole house and run for decades on a single watch battery. The device could be used for low-cost medical monitoring or home sensing systems. ... > full story
Restricting pub closing times reduces assaults, Australia study finds (September 16, 2010) -- A new study reveals that restrictions on pub closing times imposed in 2008 within the Australian city of Newcastle have reduced the assault rate by 37 percent. ... > full story
Children's brain development is linked to physical fitness, research finds (September 16, 2010) -- Researchers have found an association between physical fitness and the brain in 9- and 10-year-old children: Those who are more fit tend to have a bigger hippocampus and perform better on a test of memory than their less-fit peers. ... > full story
Discovery highlights promise of new immune system-based therapies (September 16, 2010) -- A new focus on the immune system's ability to both unleash and restrain its attack on disease has led scientists to identify cells in mice that prevent the immune system from attacking the animals' own cells, protecting them from autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and lupus. ... > full story
Discovery of the secrets that enable plants near Chernobyl to shrug off radiation (September 16, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting discovery of the biological secrets that enable plants growing near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to adapt and flourish in highly radioactive soil -- legacy of the 1986 nuclear disaster in the Ukraine. Their study helps solve a long-standing mystery. ... > full story
Molecule involved in heart failure now implicated in heart attack damage (September 16, 2010) -- A molecule known to be involved in progressive heart failure has now been shown to also lead to permanent damage after a heart attack, according to researchers. ... > full story
NASA's lunar spacecraft completes exploration mission phase (September 16, 2010) -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, completes the exploration phase of its mission on Sept. 16, after a number of successes that transformed our understanding of Earth's nearest neighbor. LRO completed a one-year exploration mission in a polar orbit approximately 31 miles above the moon's surface. It produced a comprehensive map of the lunar surface in unprecedented detail; searched for resources and safe landing sites for potential future missions to the moon; and measured lunar temperatures and radiation levels. ... > full story
Intensive care diaries protect patients from PTSD, researchers find (September 16, 2010) -- Some intensive care patients develop post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) after the trauma of a difficult hospital stay, and this is thought to be exacerbated by delusional or fragmentary memories of their time in the intensive care unit. Now researchers have found that if staff and close relatives make a diary for patients, featuring information about their stay and accompanied by photographs, PTSD rates can be significantly reduced. ... > full story
Planck's first glimpse at galaxy clusters uncovers a new supercluster (September 16, 2010) -- Surveying the microwave sky, Planck has obtained its very first images of galaxy clusters, amongst the largest objects in the Universe, by means of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, a characteristic signature they imprint on the Cosmic Microwave Background. Joining forces in a fruitful collaboration between ESA missions, XMM-Newton followed up Planck's detections and revealed that one of them is a previously unknown supercluster of galaxies. ... > full story
Genes related to body mass discovered (September 16, 2010) -- Scientists who specialize in unconventional hunts for genetic information outside nuclear DNA sequences have bagged a weighty quarry -- 13 genes linked to human body mass. The experiments screened the so-called epigenome for key information that cells remember other than the DNA code itself and may have serious implications for preventing and treating obesity, the investigators say. ... > full story
Toward resolving Darwin's 'abominable mystery': Patterns of flower biodiversity point to the importance of having 'room to grow' (September 16, 2010) -- Biologists in Canada have found through extensive statistical analysis that the size of the geographical area is the most important factor when it comes to biodiversity of a particular flowering plant family. ... > full story
New investigational compound targets pancreatic cancer cells (September 16, 2010) -- A new investigational drug designed to penetrate and attack pancreatic cancer cells has been administered to the world's first patient. The investigational compound uses a monoclonal antibody against a target which is found in more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancer patients. The monoclonal antibody delivers a highly potent molecule called monomethyl auristatin E to selectively kill the pancreatic cancer cells. ... > full story
Growing La Nina chills out the Pacific (September 16, 2010) -- The tropical Pacific Ocean has transitioned from last winter's El Niño conditions to a cool La Niña, as shown by new data about sea surface heights, collected by the U.S-French Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason-2 oceanography satellite. ... > full story
Why the craving for cocaine won’t go away (September 16, 2010) -- People who have used cocaine run a great risk of becoming addicted, even after long drug-free periods. Now researchers in Sweden and their colleagues can point to a specific molecule in the brain as a possible target for treatment to prevent relapses. ... > full story
New supercomputer 'sees' well enough to drive a car someday (September 16, 2010) -- Visually interpreting our environment as quickly as we do is an astonishing feat requiring an enormous number of computations -- which is just one reason that coming up with a computer-driven system that can mimic the human brain in visually recognizing objects has proven so difficult. Now a supercomputer based on the human visual system has been developed, operating much more quickly and efficiently than ever before. ... > full story
Blood test accurately predicts death from prostate cancer up to 25 years in advance (September 16, 2010) -- A blood test at the age of 60 can accurately predict the risk that a man will die from prostate cancer within the next 25 years, according to researchers. The findings could have important implications for determining which men should be screened after the age of 60 and which may not benefit substantially from continued prostate cancer screening. ... > full story
Facial recognition technology aimed at spotting terrorists (September 16, 2010) -- Rapid improvements in facial-recognition software mean airport security workers might one day know with near certainty whether they're looking at a stressed-out tourist or staring a terrorist in the eye. Researchers are evaluating how well these rapidly evolving recognition programs work. The researchers are comparing the rates of success for the software to the rates for non-technological, but presumably "expert" human evaluation. ... > full story
Fuzzy thinking could spot heart disease risk (September 16, 2010) -- A new approach to evaluating a person's risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, or heart failure has been developed. The technique uses fuzzy logic to teach a neural network computer program to analyze patient data and spot correlations that can be translated into a risk factor for an individual. ... > full story
Low carbon hemp house put to the test (September 16, 2010) -- A consortium in the UK has constructed a small building on a university campus out of hemp-lime to test its properties as a building material. Called the "HemPod", this one-storey building has highly insulating walls made from the chopped woody core, or shiv, of the industrial hemp plant mixed with a specially developed lime-based binder. ... > full story
Children under four and children with autism don't yawn contagiously (September 16, 2010) -- A new study found that most children don't yawn contagiously until about age 4, and that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are less likely to yawn in response to another person yawning that children without autism. ... > full story
'Friendship paradox' may help predict spread of infectious disease (September 16, 2010) -- Researchers used a basic feature of social networks to study the 2009 flu epidemic. The findings, they say, point to a novel method for early detection of contagious outbreaks. ... > full story
Link to autism in boys found in missing DNA (September 16, 2010) -- New research provides further clues as to why Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects four times more males than females. Scientists discovered that males who carry specific alterations of DNA on the sole X-chromosome they carry are at high risk of developing ASD. ... > full story
Robotic catheter could improve treatment of heart condition (September 16, 2010) -- Atrial fibrillation is a heart disorder that affects more than two million Americans, and is considered a key contributor to blood clots and stroke. Now researchers are developing a new computerized catheter that could make the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation faster, cheaper and more effective -- while significantly decreasing radiation exposure related to the treatment. ... > full story
White Americans living longer with muscular dystrophy than African-Americans (September 16, 2010) -- A new study shows that white men and boys are living longer with muscular dystrophy due to technological advances in recent years, but that the lives of African-American men and boys with muscular dystrophy have not been extended at the same rate. ... > full story
Carbon nanotubes twice as strong as once thought (September 16, 2010) -- Carbon nanotubes -- those tiny particles poised to revolutionize electronics, medicine, and other areas -- are much bigger in the strength department than anyone ever thought, scientists are reporting. New studies on the strength of these submicroscopic cylinders of carbon indicate that on an ounce-for-ounce basis they are at least 117 times stronger than steel and 30 times stronger than Kevlar, the material used in bulletproof vests and other products. The findings appear in the monthly journal ACS Nano. ... > full story
Gender gap in spatial ability can be reduced through training (September 16, 2010) -- A new study describes an intervention that is effective in eliminating the gender gap in spatial abilities. While the research doesn't yet show that the intervention leads to better achievement in science, math, and engineering for girls, this is a promising direction for supporting girls' achievement and eventual contributions in these areas. The study involved roughly 100 first graders, with half receiving the intervention and half not receiving it. ... > full story
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