ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Friday, November 12, 2010
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Detailed dark matter map yields clues to galaxy cluster growth (November 12, 2010) -- Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took advantage of a giant cosmic magnifying glass to create one of the sharpest and most detailed maps of dark matter in the universe. Dark matter is an invisible and unknown substance that makes up the bulk of the universe's mass. ... > full story
New vaccine hope in fight against pneumonia and meningitis (November 12, 2010) -- A dramatic advance in understanding of how the body fights bacteria paves the way for more effective vaccines. ... > full story
How key drug kills worms in tropical diseases (November 12, 2010) -- Scientists have unlocked how a key anti-parasitic drug kills the worms brought on by the filarial diseases river blindness and elephantitis. Understanding how the drug ivermectin works has the potential to lead to new treatments for the diseases, in which the body is infected with parasitic worms. ... > full story
Scientists unveil mechanisms of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (November 12, 2010) -- Newly published research sheds light on a poorly understood, acute illness called Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome that develops in some HIV-infected individuals soon after they begin antiretroviral therapy. ... > full story
Invading weed threatens devastation to western rangelands (November 12, 2010) -- A new field study confirms that an invasive weed called medusahead has growth advantages over most other grass species, suggesting it will continue to spread across much of the West, disrupt native ecosystems and make millions of acres of grazing land almost worthless. ... > full story
Timely depression diagnosis critical to maintain health of elderly (November 12, 2010) -- Depression affects approximately 40 percent of nursing home residents, but it often goes unrecognized, which can lead to lower quality of life or even suicide. Now, researchers have found a series of indicators, other than changes in mood that are associated with the development of depression in nursing home residents. ... > full story
Mind is a frequent, but not happy, wanderer: People spend nearly half their waking hours thinking about what isn’t going on around them (November 12, 2010) -- People spend 46.9 percent of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they're doing, and this mind-wandering typically makes them unhappy. So says a study that used an iPhone web app to gather 250,000 data points on subjects' thoughts, feelings, and actions as they went about their lives. ... > full story
Menopausal hormone therapy may increase risk of ovarian cancer, research suggests (November 12, 2010) -- Women planning on taking hormone therapy for the treatment of menopausal symptoms should be aware of a possible increased risk for ovarian cancer, according to new research. ... > full story
Young, unsupervised children most at risk for dog bites, study shows; Dogs often target a child's face and eyes (November 12, 2010) -- As dog bites become an increasingly major public health concern, a new study shows that unsupervised children are most at risk for bites, that the culprits are usually family pets and if they bite once, they will bite again with the second attack often more brutal than the first. ... > full story
Use of androgen deprivation therapy increases fracture risk among prostate cancer patients, study finds (November 12, 2010) -- Men with history of fracture and comorbidities are at an increased risk of fracture after long-term use of androgen deprivation therapy, and initiating this therapy should be carefully considered in older men with localized prostate cancer, according to a new study. ... > full story
Softening crystals without heat: Using terahertz pulses to manipulate molecular networks (November 12, 2010) -- As if borrowing from a scene in a science fiction movie, researchers in Japan have successfully developed a kind of tractor beam that can be used to manipulate the network of the molecules. In a new paper, the team has demonstrated a technique using terahertz pulses that could have broad applications in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. ... > full story
Changing family behavior helps schizophrenic patients avoid relapse (November 12, 2010) -- Working to change the behavior of family members may be an effective treatment for people with schizophrenia, according to a new review. The researchers reviewed the most up-to-date evidence on the subject and found that patients whose families received the interventions were less likely to relapse. ... > full story
Extreme global warming in the ancient past (November 11, 2010) -- Variations in atmosphere carbon dioxide around 40 million years ago were tightly coupled to changes in global temperature, according to new findings. ... > full story
Noninvasive brain stimulation helps improve motor function in stroke patients (November 11, 2010) -- A non-invasive electric stimulation technique administered to both sides of the brain can help stroke patients who have lost motor skills in their hands and arms, according to a new study. ... > full story
Graphene's strength lies in its defects (November 11, 2010) -- Materials engineers have found that the juncture at which graphene sheets meet does not compromise the material's strength. These so-called grain boundaries are so strong, in fact, that the sheets are nearly as strong as pure graphene. The trick lies in the angles at which the individual sheets are stitched together. ... > full story
More intensive cholesterol treatment reduces heart risk further, study suggests (November 11, 2010) -- More intensive treatment using statin drugs to lower levels of bad cholesterol leads to even greater reductions in the risk of a heart attack or stroke than with regular statin doses, according to new research. ... > full story
Step by step towards tomorrow’s nanomaterial: Swiss researchers fabricate graphene-like materials using surface chemical route (November 11, 2010) -- Graphene is a promising material for tomorrow's nanoelectronics devices. Precise and upscaleable methods to fabricate graphene and derived materials with desired electronic properties are however still searched after. To overcome the current limitations, Swiss researchers have fabricated graphene-like materials using a surface chemical route and clarified in detail the corresponding reaction pathway. ... > full story
Supercomputer warfare: New research provides effective battle planning (November 11, 2010) -- New research from the UK, to be presented at the world’s largest supercomputing conference, pits China’s new No. 1 supercomputer against alternative US designs. The work provides crucial new analysis that will benefit the battle plans of both sides, in an escalating war between two competing technologies. ... > full story
Deaf adults see better than hearing people, new study finds (November 11, 2010) -- Adults born deaf react more quickly to objects at the edge of their visual field than hearing people, according to groundbreaking new research. For the first time ever, scientists have tested how peripheral vision develops in deaf people from childhood to adulthood. ... > full story
Stress takes its toll in Parkinson's disease (November 11, 2010) -- A stressful lifestyle could lead to the premature death of a group of neurons, whose loss triggers the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, according to a new study. Isradipine, a drug already approved for human use by the FDA, has been shown in preclinical studies to reduce the stress on these neurons and rejuvenate them. Scientists currently are conducting a clinical trial to find out if isradipine can be used safely and is tolerated by patients with Parkinson's. ... > full story
Nerve cells in the eyes of flies and vertebrates use similar process to split up optical information (November 11, 2010) -- The eye is not just a lens that takes pictures and converts them into electrical signals. As with all vertebrates, nerve cells in the human eye separate an image into different image channels once it has been projected onto the retina. This pre-sorted information is then transmitted to the brain as parallel image sequences. Scientists have now discovered that fruit flies process optical information in a similar way. The evidence suggests that this type of wiring is an effective energy-saving mechanism and is therefore deployed by a diverse range of animal species. ... > full story
New mechanism regulating daily biological rhythms: Findings offer novel target for treatment of sleep disorders, diabetes, and cancer (November 11, 2010) -- Scientists have identified for the first time a novel mechanism that regulates circadian rhythm, the master clock that controls the body's natural 24-hour physiological cycle. These new findings could provide a new target not only for jet lag, shift work, and sleep disturbances, but also for disorders that result from circadian rhythm disruption, including diabetes and obesity as well as some types of cancer. ... > full story
Sugar and slice make graphene real nice: Table sugar, metallic sheets produce pristine graphene in one step (November 11, 2010) -- Rice researchers have learned to make pristine sheets of graphene, the one-atom-thick form of carbon, from plain table sugar and other carbon-based substances. They do so in a one-step process at temperatures low enough to make graphene easy to manufacture. ... > full story
Genetics has a big impact on how a person operates in a social group (November 11, 2010) -- How well a person performs in a coalition is partly hereditary, according to a recent study. Researchers found that how successfully an individual operates in a group is as much down to having the right genetic make-up as it is to having common cultural ties with fellow group members. After assessing nearly 1,000 pairs of adult twins, researchers found that strong genetic influences have a major influence on how loyal a person feels to their social group. ... > full story
Tropical forest diversity increased during ancient global warming event (November 11, 2010) -- Nearly 60 million years ago, rainforests prospered at temperatures that were 3-5 degrees higher and at atmospheric carbon dioxide levels 2.5 times today's levels, researchers report. Contrary to speculation that tropical forests could be devastated under these conditions, forest diversity increased rapidly during this warming event. New plant species evolved much faster than old species became extinct. Pollen from the passionflower plant family and the chocolate family, among others, were found for the first time. ... > full story
Depression linked to altered activity of circadian rhythm gene (November 11, 2010) -- Depression appears to be associated with a molecular-level disturbance in the body's 24-hour clock, new research suggests. Scientists examined genes that regulate circadian rhythm in people with and without a history of depression. As a group, those with a history of depression had a higher level of activity of the so-called Clock gene, which has a role in regulating circadian rhythm, than did people with no mood disorders. ... > full story
Oil spill vacuum cleaner uses bark for spills (November 11, 2010) -- Cleaning up oil spills is a time consuming, difficult process. But a novel approach developed by researchers in Norway uses a new kind of vacuum cleaner that blows bark or other absorbent material onto oil spills, and then sucks the material up again. ... > full story
Low birth weight may cause lifelong problems processing medications (November 11, 2010) -- New research has found that a mother's poor nutrition during pregnancy and nursing can cause problems for her offspring's ability to process medications, even well into adulthood. ... > full story
Leaking underground CO<sub>2</sub> storage could contaminate drinking water, study finds (November 11, 2010) -- Leaks from carbon dioxide injected deep underground to help fight climate change could bubble up into drinking water aquifers near the surface, driving up levels of contaminants in the water tenfold or more in some places, according to a new study. ... > full story
Alcohol can damage much more than just the liver (November 11, 2010) -- Alcohol can do much more harm to the body than just damaging the liver. Drinking also can weaken the immune system, slow healing, impair bone formation, increase the risk of HIV transmission and hinder recovery from burns, trauma, bleeding and surgery. ... > full story
Primordial dry ice fuels comet jets (November 11, 2010) -- One of the biggest comet findings coming out of the amazing images and data taken by the EPOXI mission as it zipped past comet Hartley 2 last week is that dry ice is the 'jet' fuel for this comet and perhaps many others. ... > full story
Evidence of link between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and childhood asthma, researchers say (November 11, 2010) -- Evidence suggesting that the risk of childhood asthma associated with prenatal acetaminophen exposure may depend on antioxidant genes in the mother has been found by a team of UK scientists. The results of their study strengthen the argument for a causal link between acetaminophen exposure in early life and later childhood asthma. ... > full story
Out-sniffing bomb-sniffing dogs (November 11, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a small, portable sensor based on recent advances in nanotechnology that's more sensitive and reliable at detecting explosives than any sniffer dog. In the future it may also be used to detect toxins and other biological threats, such as anthrax, cholera or botulinum, the team reports. ... > full story
Molecular program for brain repair following stroke identified (November 11, 2010) -- Researchers have, for the first time, identified in the mouse the molecular cascade that drives the process of reconnection or sprouting in the adult brain after stroke. ... > full story
Hope for Borneo's threatened biodiversity (November 11, 2010) -- To tackle species loss, representatives of the Rhino and Forest Fund (RFF) and of the Forestry Department of Sabah / Malaysia launched a long-term reforestation project to restore forest in Borneo. Borneo's unique biodiversity is threatened by deforestation and habitat fragmentation. To save endangered species like the Sabah rhino, the clouded leopard, or the orangutan, it is necessary to restore and reconnect degraded and fragmented forest land. ... > full story
Team colors on cans change perceptions of alcohol risks, study finds (November 11, 2010) -- Psychologists have found that students who viewed images of beer cans packaged and displayed in university colors believed that drinking beer was less dangerous than those students who saw images of regular beer cans. ... > full story
Delicate balance in the brain controls fear (November 11, 2010) -- Scientists have taken an important step toward understanding the neural circuitry of fear. They describe a microcircuit in the amygdala that controls, or "gates," the outflow of fear from that region of the brain. ... > full story
Normal human genetics may influence cancer growth, too (November 11, 2010) -- New research suggests that the genes we are born with might influence the changes that occur when we develop cancer. It found that the genetic variations we inherit contribute to the kinds of DNA changes that occur in tumor cells. The findings may offer a new way to identify individuals at greater risk for developing cancer, the researchers say. ... > full story
Tetris effect: Classic computer game may have special ability to reduce flashbacks after viewing traumatic images (November 11, 2010) -- The computer game Tetris may have a special ability to reduce flashbacks after viewing traumatic images not shared by other types of computer game, scientists have discovered in a series of experiments. ... > full story
New indicator found for rapidly progressing form of deadly lung disease (November 11, 2010) -- Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a little-known disease that kills as many people each year as breast cancer. Researchers have found an new indicator for the more aggressive form of IPF and they hope targeting it may help develop new treatments. ... > full story
Trojan Horse ploy to sneak protective drug into brains of stroke patients (November 11, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting development of a long-sought method with the potential for getting medication through a biological barrier that surrounds the brain, where it may limit the brain damage caused by stroke. Their approach for sneaking the nerve-protective drug erythropoietin into the brain is medicine's version of the Trojan Horse ploy straight out of ancient Greek legend. It could help people with traumatic head injuries, Parkinson's disease, and other chronic brain disorders. ... > full story
Multiple fathers prevalent in Amazonian cultures, study finds (November 11, 2010) -- In modern culture, it is not considered socially acceptable for married people to have extramarital sexual partners. However, in some Amazonian cultures, extramarital sexual affairs were common, and people believed that when a woman became pregnant, each of her sexual partners would be considered part-biological father. Now, a new study has found that up to 70 percent of Amazonian cultures may have believed in the principle of multiple paternity. ... > full story
Novel type of magnetic wave discovered: Findings could improve wiring in national electrical grid systems (November 11, 2010) -- A team of international researchers has made a significant breakthrough in an effort to understand the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity in complex copper oxides. ... > full story
Dietary intervention in infancy can prevent the disease process leading to Type 1 diabetes, Finnish study finds (November 11, 2010) -- A Finnish study shows for the first time that dietary intervention in infancy can prevent the initiation of the disease process leading to Type 1 diabetes among high-risk children. This study confirms the hypothesis that infant feeding plays a role in the initiation of the disease process leading to Type 1 diabetes in children carrying increased genetic disease risk. ... > full story
Atoms-for-Peace: A galactic collision in action (November 11, 2010) -- European Southern Observatory astronomers have produced a spectacular new image of the famous Atoms-for-Peace galaxy. This galactic pile-up, formed by the collision of two galaxies, provides an excellent opportunity for astronomers to study how mergers affect the evolution of the universe. ... > full story
Prescribed bed rest has down side for pregnant women, nursing researcher finds (November 11, 2010) -- Despite lack of evidence about bed rest's effectiveness, doctors annually prescribe it for roughly 1 million pregnant women to delay preterm births. In a new report, a nursing researcher says a comprehensive review of more than 70 evidence-based research articles challenges whether this is healthy for mothers -- or their babies. ... > full story
Grasses have potential as alternate ethanol crop, study finds (November 11, 2010) -- Money may not grow on trees, but energy could grow in grass. Researchers have completed the first extensive geographic yield and economic analysis of potential bioenergy grass crops in the Midwestern United States. The study found that miscanthus and switchgrass could be viable biofuel crops in the US in areas where the prospective grass yield is greater than current corn and soybean production. ... > full story
Citywide smoking ban contributes to significant decrease in maternal smoking, pre-term births (November 11, 2010) -- New research takes a look at birth outcomes and maternal smoking, building urgency for more states and cities to join the nationwide smoke-free trend that has accelerated in recent years. According to the new data, strong smoke-free policies can improve fetal outcomes by significantly reducing the prevalence of maternal smoking. ... > full story
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