ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Monday, December 27, 2010
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Learning to read the genome: Most detailed annotation of fruit-fly genome points way to understanding all organisms' genomes (December 27, 2010) -- Scientists have recently made major advances in understanding the complex relationships between the Drosophila genome, as recorded by DNA and RNA base pairs, and the patterns and physical organization of its chromosomes. These insights into reading the genome will apply to many organisms, including human beings. ... > full story
Protein targeted to stop melanoma tumor growth (December 27, 2010) -- Halting the growth of melanoma tumors by targeting the MIC-1 protein that promotes blood vessel development in tumors may lead to better treatment of this invasive and deadly cancer, according to new research. ... > full story
Adapting agriculture to climate change: New global search to save endangered crop wild relatives (December 27, 2010) -- The Global Crop Diversity Trust has announced a major global search to systematically find, gather, catalog, use and save the wild relatives of wheat, rice, beans, potato, barley, lentils, chickpea and other essential food crops, in order to help protect global food supplies against the imminent threat of climate change, and strengthen future food security. ... > full story
Circulating tumor cells predicted recurrence, death in patients with early-stage breast cancer (December 27, 2010) -- The presence of one to four circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of early-stage breast cancer patients almost doubled patient's risk of cancer relapse and death, and five or more CTCs increased recurrence by 400 percent and death by 300 percent, according to Phase III results of the SUCCESS trial. These cells were found in patients after surgery but before chemotherapy treatment. ... > full story
Unlocking the secrets of a plant’s light sensitivity (December 27, 2010) -- Plants are very sensitive to light conditions, in part due to a signal that activates special photoreceptors that regulate growth, metabolism, and physiological development. Scientists believe that these light signals control plant growth and development by activating or inhibiting plant hormones. New research has altered the prevailing theory on how light signals and hormones interact. The findings could have implications for food crop production. ... > full story
Treating women’s depression might help them lose weight (December 27, 2010) -- For many women coping with obesity and depression, new research finds that improving your mood might be the link to losing weight. ... > full story
Global rivers emit three times IPCC estimates of greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (December 27, 2010) -- Biologists have demonstrated that streams and rivers receiving nitrogen from urban and agricultural land uses are a significant source of nitrous oxide to the atmosphere. ... > full story
New rule predicts risk of stroke, death from surgery that prevents it (December 27, 2010) -- It's a medical Catch-22: carotid artery surgery can itself cause stroke, but so can asymptomatic carotid disease if left untreated. Researchers have now developed a clinical risk prediction rule using factors such as sex, race and health history to assess the danger the surgery poses, while a modified version will help patients make a more fully informed choice about whether to have the procedure. ... > full story
Fighting cancer and steering immune reactions: New mechanism for reversible proteasome inhibition (December 27, 2010) -- In their function as cellular recycling plants, proteasomes fulfill a life-sustaining role in all cells -- including cancer cells. When the proteasomes become inhibited, cells suffocate in their own waste. A recently discovered reversible proteasome inhibition may provide the key to more specific anti-cancer drugs and to controlling rejection reactions in transplantations. ... > full story
Poor breast cancer prognosis associated with presence of circulating tumor, cancer stem cells (December 27, 2010) -- Metastatic breast cancer patients whose blood contains circulating tumor cells before or after treatment with high-dose chemotherapy and blood stem cell transplant have shorter survival periods, according to a new study. ... > full story
Breakthrough towards lab-on-chip system for fast detection of single nucleotide variations in DNA (December 27, 2010) -- Scientists have developed critical components of a biomedical lab-on-chip sensor enabling fast detection of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA, such as a miniaturized pump for on-chip generation of high pressures, a micropillar filter optimized for DNA separation achieving world-record resolution, and a SNP detector allowing on-chip detection using very small sample volumes. ... > full story
Recovering from job loss: Most report few long-term psychological effects, study finds (December 27, 2010) -- Losing a job is a profoundly distressing experience, but the unemployed may be more resilient than previously believed -- the vast majority eventually end up as satisfied with life as they were before they lost their jobs, according to a new analysis. ... > full story
Ever-sharp urchin teeth may yield tools that never need honing (December 26, 2010) -- To survive in a tumultuous environment, sea urchins literally eat through stone, using their teeth to carve out nooks where the spiny creatures hide from predators and protect themselves from the crashing surf on the rocky shores and tide pools where they live. The rock-boring behavior is astonishing, scientists agree, but what is truly remarkable is that, despite constant grinding and scraping on stone, urchin teeth never, ever get dull. The secret of their ever-sharp qualities has puzzled scientists for decades, but now a new report by scientists has peeled back the toothy mystery. ... > full story
Part of brain that suppresses instinct identified (December 26, 2010) -- New research is revealing which regions in the brain fire up when we suppress an automatic behavior such as the urge to look at other people in an elevator. Researchers showed -- for the first time -- an increase in signal from the left inferior frontal cortex when study participants were confronted by a conflict between an image and a word superimposed on the image. ... > full story
Mammalian aging process linked to overactive cellular pathway (December 26, 2010) -- Researchers have linked hyperactivity in the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 cellular pathway to reduced ketone production in the liver, which is a well-defined physiological trait of aging in mice. During sleep or other times of low carbohydrate intake, the liver converts fatty acids to ketones, which are vital sources of energy during fasting, especially for the heart and brain. As animals age, their ability to produce ketones in response to fasting declines. ... > full story
Powerful new defibrillator: Minimally invasive surgeries mean smaller scars, quicker recovery (December 26, 2010) -- St. Michael's Hospital has become the first in Ontario to implant a small but powerful new defibrillator into a patient's chest. The defibrillator – about the size of a Zippo lighter – is the smallest available in terms of surface area and can deliver the highest level of energy, 40 joules. ... > full story
Affordable alternative to mega-laser X-FEL (December 26, 2010) -- Stanford University has an X-FEL (X-ray free electron laser) with a price tag of hundreds of millions. It provides images of "molecules in action," using a kilometer-long electron accelerator. Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology have developed an alternative that can do many of the same things. However, this alternative fits on a tabletop, and costs around half a million euros. The researchers have jokingly called it "the poor man's X-FEL." ... > full story
Sovereign's head identified after more than four centuries (December 26, 2010) -- The skeletons of kings and queens lying in mass graves in the Royal Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris could finally have the solemn funeral ceremonies they deserve, say experts. ... > full story
Drifting fish larvae allow marine reserves to rebuild fisheries (December 26, 2010) -- Marine ecologists have shown for the first time that tiny fish larvae can drift with ocean currents and "re-seed" fish stocks significant distances away -- more than 100 miles in a new study from Hawaii. ... > full story
Robotic surgery for head and neck cancer shows promise (December 26, 2010) -- Less-invasive robotic surgery for upper airway and digestive track malignant tumors is as effective as other minimally invasive surgical techniques based on patient function and survival, according to researchers. ... > full story
Potential target for breast cancer therapy (December 26, 2010) -- Overexpression or hyperactivation of ErbB cell-surface receptors drives the growth of many breast cancers. Drugs, like Herceptin, that block the receptors' signals halt tumor progression in some patients. However, not all patients' tumors respond, with some becoming resistant over time. Researchers found a protein called P-Rex1 is crucial for signal transmission from ErbB receptors and is overexpressed in nearly 60 percent of breast cancer samples tested. ... > full story
Which comes first: Exercise-induced asthma or obesity? (December 26, 2010) -- Obese people are more likely to report exercise as a trigger for asthma. Of 673 people evaluated in a new study, 71 percent of participants reported exercise-induced asthma. ... > full story
Stellar success for unprecedented close-up image of the Sun's fiery atmosphere (December 26, 2010) -- Astrophysicists have captured an unprecedented close-up image of the Sun's fiery atmosphere -- and, in doing so, have won a major new global award. ... > full story
Imagine your future self: Will it help you save money? (December 26, 2010) -- Why do people choose present consumption over their long-term financial interests? A new study finds that consumers have trouble feeling connected to their future selves. ... > full story
Preplay: How past experiences subconsciously influence behavior (December 24, 2010) -- Researchers report for the first time how animals' knowledge obtained through past experiences can subconsciously influence their behavior in new situations. ... > full story
Arsenic agent shuts down two hard-to-treat cancers in animal experiments (December 24, 2010) -- Researchers have found that an arsenic-based agent already FDA-approved for a type of leukemia may be helpful in another hard-to-treat cancer, Ewing's Sarcoma (ES). The research, based on animal studies, also suggests the drug might be beneficial in treating medulloblastoma, a highly malignant pediatric brain cancer. ... > full story
NASA's next Mars rover to zap rocks with laser (December 24, 2010) -- A rock-zapping laser instrument on NASA's next Mars rover has roots in a demonstration that Roger Wiens saw 13 years ago in a colleague's room at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. The Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on the rover Curiosity can hit rocks with a laser powerful enough to excite a pinhead-size spot into a glowing, ionized gas. ChemCam then observes the flash through a telescope and analyzes the spectrum of light to identify the chemical elements in the target. ... > full story
Emerging drug class may enhance red blood cell production in anemic patients (December 24, 2010) -- By determining how corticosteroids act to increase production of red blood cell progenitors, researchers have identified a class of drugs that may be beneficial in treating some erythropoietin-resistant anemias. One such anemia is Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA), which is frequently treated with corticosteroids, despite their severe side-effects. The identified class of drugs may be able to treat other anemias, including those resulting from trauma, sepsis, malaria, kidney dialysis and chemotherapy. ... > full story
Heat shock protein drives yeast evolution (December 24, 2010) -- Researchers have determined that heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) can create diverse heritable traits in brewer's yeast by affecting a large portion of the yeast genome. The finding has led the researchers to conclude that Hsp90 has played a key role in shaping the evolutionary history of the yeast genome, and likely others as well. ... > full story
Most challenging Christmas plastic wrapping could be recycled with new technology (December 24, 2010) -- On average we each consume 120 grams of plastic wrapping on Christmas gifts most of which is of a type which almost impossible to recycle. Now researchers have devised a new technique which could process 100% of Christmas and other household plastic instead of the tiny fraction that currently actually gets processed. ... > full story
Pterygotid sea scorpions: No terror of the ancient seas? (December 24, 2010) -- New experiments have generated evidence that questions the common belief that the pterygotid eurypterids ("sea scorpions") were high-level predators in the Paleozoic oceans. ... > full story
Site in brain where leptin may trigger puberty identified (December 24, 2010) -- Researchers have pinpointed a tiny site in the brain where the hormone leptin may help trigger the onset of puberty. ... > full story
Fast sepsis test can save lives (December 24, 2010) -- Blood poisoning can be fatal. If you suffer from sepsis, you used to have to wait as much as 48 hours for laboratory findings. A new diagnostic platform as big as a credit card will now supply the analysis after as little as an hour. This system is based on nanoparticles that are automatically guided by magnetic forces. ... > full story
Alzheimer's: Tau disrupts neural communication prior to neurodegeneration (December 24, 2010) -- A new study is unraveling the earliest events associated with neurodegenerative diseases characterized by abnormal accumulation of tau protein. The research reveals how tau disrupts neuronal communication at synapses and may help to guide development of therapeutic strategies that precede irreversible neuronal degeneration. ... > full story
Six years after the 2004 tsunami disaster, technical setup of the early warning sysem completed (December 24, 2010) -- Six years after the tsunami disaster of Dec. 26, 2004, the set-up of the German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System for the Indian Ocean (GITEWS) has been completed. ... > full story
How to delay Christmas tree needle loss (December 24, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered what causes Christmas tree needles to drop off, and how to double the lifespan of Christmas trees in homes. ... > full story
First high-temp spin-field-effect transistor created (December 24, 2010) -- Physicists have announced a breakthrough that gives a new spin to semiconductor nanoelectronics and the world of information technology. ... > full story
You are what your father ate, too: Paternal diet affects lipid metabolizing genes in offspring, research suggests (December 24, 2010) -- We aren't just what we eat; we are what our parents ate, too. That's an emerging idea that is bolstered by a new study showing that mice sired by fathers fed on a low-protein diet show distinct and reproducible changes in the activity of key metabolic genes in their livers. Those changes occurred despite the fact that the fathers never saw their offspring. ... > full story
Mars movie: I'm dreaming of a blue sunset (December 24, 2010) -- A new Mars movie clip gives us a rover's-eye view of a bluish Martian sunset, while another clip shows the silhouette of the moon Phobos passing in front of the sun. ... > full story
Protein involved in early steps of melanoma development revealed (December 24, 2010) -- A protein required for early stages of melanoma development can also predict melanoma outcome, according to new research. ... > full story
Weird and wonderful plant and fungal discoveries of 2010 (December 24, 2010) -- Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew are celebrating the diversity of the planet's plant and fungal life by highlighting some of the weird, wonderful and stunning discoveries they've made this year from the rainforests of Cameroon to the UK's North Pennines. But it's not just about the new -- in some cases species long thought to be extinct in the wild have been rediscovered. ... > full story
Learning from leftovers: A history drawn from turkey bones (December 24, 2010) -- Brooklynne Fothergill will have a very different view of Christmas dinner from most people, because the doctoral student is researching the history of turkey domestication by examining old turkey bones. ... > full story
Growing hypoxic zones reduce habitat for billfish and tuna (December 23, 2010) -- Billfish and tuna, important commercial and recreational fish species, may be more vulnerable to fishing pressure because of shrinking habitat, according to a new study. An expanding zone of low oxygen, known as a hypoxic zone, in the Atlantic Ocean is encroaching upon these species' preferred oxygen-abundant habitat, forcing them into shallower waters where they are more likely to be caught. ... > full story
Designer probiotics could reduce obesity (December 23, 2010) -- Specially designed probiotics can modulate the physiology of host fat cells say scientists. The findings could lead to specialized probiotics that have a role in the prevention or treatment of conditions such as obesity. ... > full story
How cells running on empty trigger fuel recycling (December 23, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered how AMPK, a metabolic master switch that springs into gear when cells run low on energy, revs up a cellular recycling program to free up essential molecular building blocks in times of need. ... > full story
Simple screen can help isolate virulent parts of pathogenic bacteria gene structures (December 23, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new approach to studying potentially deadly disease-causing bacteria which could help speed up the process of finding vaccines. The scientists have pioneered a simple screen which can help isolate the virulent parts of the gene structures of pathogenic bacteria. The screen allows researchers to simultaneously run thousands of tests where genes from the pathogen are pitted against the human blood cells that normally attack them. ... > full story
Contract marks new generation for Deep Space Network (December 23, 2010) -- NASA has taken the next step toward a new generation of Deep Space Network antennas. A .7 million contract with General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies, San Jose, Calif., covers implementation of two additional 34-meter (112-foot) antennas at Canberra, Australia. This is part of Phase I of a plan to eventually retire the network's aging 70-meter-wide (230-foot-wide) antennas. ... > full story
Shouldering family demands and worries bumps up angina risk (December 23, 2010) -- Shouldering family demands and worries seems to increase the risk of angina, the precursor to coronary artery disease, reveals new research. ... > full story
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