ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Friday, January 7, 2011
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Longstanding mystery of Sun's hot outer atmosphere solved (January 7, 2011) -- One of the most enduring mysteries in solar physics is why the Sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, is millions of degrees hotter than its surface. Now scientists believe they have discovered a major source of hot gas that replenishes the corona: jets of plasma shooting up from just above the Sun's surface. ... > full story
Routine blood test may identify people with pre-diabetes, cutting later treatment costs (January 7, 2011) -- A simpler form of testing individuals with risk factors for diabetes could improve diabetes prevention efforts by substantially increasing the number of individuals who complete testing and learn whether or not they are likely to develop diabetes, according to a new study. ... > full story
Pain therapy for piglets (January 7, 2011) -- Piglets of different age groups have a unique ability to break down and excrete painkillers, according to new research. Painkilling and anti-inflammatory effect of medicines studied work to varying degrees on piglets. ... > full story
Deaths from anesthesia during childbirth plummet; Better monitoring, new techniques have reduced mortality rates (January 7, 2011) -- A new study shows the number of women dying from complications of anesthesia during childbirth have plummeted nearly 60 percent. ... > full story
Atlantic sturgeon recovery efforts may benefit from new study tracking oceanic migrations (January 7, 2011) -- A first-of-its-kind study that tracked the oceanic migrations of adult Atlantic sturgeon that were caught and tagged in the Hudson River discovered that these fish move vast distances in the Atlantic Ocean, traveling as far south as Georgia and as far north as Nova Scotia, Canada. The findings indicate that recovery of Atlantic sturgeon fisheries will need to address long-range oceanic threats to the species in addition to local measures closer to spawning grounds. ... > full story
Why some cancers become malignant and others don't (January 7, 2011) -- Cancer cells reproduce by dividing in two, but a molecule known as PML limits how many times this can happen, according to researchers. The team showed that malignant cancers have problems with this molecule, meaning that in its absence they can continue to grow and eventually spread to other organs. ... > full story
Solar research instrument 'fills the gap,' views sun's innermost corona (January 7, 2011) -- During a total eclipse of the sun, skywatchers are awed by the shimmering corona -- a faint glow that surrounds the sun like gossamer flower petals. The corona becomes visible only when the sun is blocked, which happens for just a few minutes during an eclipse. Now, an instrument on board NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory is giving unprecedented views of the innermost corona 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ... > full story
New method to quantify protein changes could advance study, treatment of various diseases including cancer (January 7, 2011) -- New research has yielded a novel method of analyzing and quantifying changes in proteins that result from a common chemical process. The findings could provide new insights into the effects of a highly destructive form of stress on proteins in various disease models, particularly cancer. ... > full story
Using cassava to address vitamin A deficiency (January 7, 2011) -- Cassava is an important food source in many poverty-stricken regions of the world, including sub-Saharan Africa, but the low levels of micronutrients in commercial varieties do little to address hidden hunger. New research shows that a single, naturally arising change in one gene leads to high provitamin A levels in cassava roots and opens the door to addressing vitamin A deficiency via biofortified cassava. ... > full story
Digital reminiscence systems: Life-logging assists dementia sufferers, research finds (January 7, 2011) -- Digital reminiscence systems could improve quality of life for people with mild dementia, according to new research. Dementia is on the increase, but for the sake of the quality of life of sufferers and their family and friends finding ways to allow the patient to remain in their own home and to live independently is an issue that must be addressed. At the same time, enabling independent living could also reduce the economic burden. ... > full story
Border collie comprehends over 1,000 object names as verbal referents (January 6, 2011) -- Researchers at Wofford College discovered that a border collie comprehends the names of over 1,000 objects, differentiating between names of objects and orders to fetch them. This research deepens the findings of researchers in Germany, who had discovered a dog that knew the names of a couple of hundred objects. Important questions were left open as to how far a dog could go, and whether the dog really understood that the object names were nouns and not commands to retrieve the object. ... > full story
Neural stem cells maintain high levels of reactive oxygen species, study finds (January 6, 2011) -- For years, the majority of research on reactive oxygen species (ROS) -- ions or very small molecules that include free radicals -- has focused on how they damage cell structure and their potential link to stroke, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. However, researchers have shown for the first time that neural stem cells, the cells that give rise to neurons, maintain high levels of ROS to help regulate normal self-renewal and differentiation. ... > full story
Hidden literary references discovered in the Mona Lisa (January 6, 2011) -- The Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, incorporates images inspired by the Roman poet Horace and Florentine poet Petrarch, according to one expert. ... > full story
Carbon swap bank to beat climate change, Australian researchers propose (January 6, 2011) -- Australian researchers have suggested that nations should abandon the concept of carbon emissions trading in favor of a carbon swap bank that might lead to genuine reductions in the amount of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas entering the atmosphere and so provide a mechanism for reducing climate change. ... > full story
Is your convertible damaging your hearing? (January 6, 2011) -- Driving convertible cars with the top open at speeds exceeding 88.5 kilometres per hour (55 miles per hour) may put drivers at increased risk of noise-induced hearing loss, according to new research. ... > full story
Major advance in MRI allows much faster brain scans (January 6, 2011) -- Physicists and physicians have combined two new MRI techniques to reduce the time for a brain scan by a factor of 7 to 10. Faster functional and diffusion MRI scans will boost the national effort to map the brain's wiring, called the Human Connectome Project. ... > full story
Genetic abnormalities identified in pluripotent stem cell lines (January 6, 2011) -- A multinational team of researchers has documented specific genetic abnormalities that occur in human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell lines. The published findings highlight the need for frequent genomic monitoring of pluripotent stem cells to assure their stability and clinical safety. ... > full story
Telescope calibration may help explain mystery of universe's expansion (January 6, 2011) -- Is the expansion of the universe accelerating for some unknown reason? A telescope newly calibrated by scientists can be more certain of one day obtaining an accurate answer. ... > full story
Metabolic syndrome found in 52 percent of patients after liver transplantation (January 6, 2011) -- Researchers from Israel have determined that more than half of liver transplant recipients develop post-transplantation metabolic syndrome (PTMS), placing them at greater risk for cardiovascular disease. Prior to transplantation only 5 percent of the patients were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, but rates of obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, and diabetes were significantly higher post transplantation. ... > full story
Functionally graded shape memory polymers developed (January 6, 2011) -- Scientists have succeeded in applying the concept of functionally graded materials to shape memory polymers. ... > full story
British Medical Journal declares MMR study 'an elaborate fraud' -- autism claims likened to 'Piltdown man' hoax (January 6, 2011) -- The British Medical Journal has declared the 1998 Lancet paper that implied a link between the MMR vaccine and autism "an elaborate fraud." Dr. Fiona Godlee, BMJ Editor in Chief, says "the MMR scare was based not on bad science but on a deliberate fraud" and that such "clear evidence of falsification of data should now close the door on this damaging vaccine scare." ... > full story
Newly developed cloak hides underwater objects from sonar (January 6, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated an acoustic cloak, a technology that renders underwater objects invisible to sonar and other ultrasound waves. They have developed a working prototype, metamaterial capable of hiding an object from a broad range of sound waves. Sixteen layers of specially structured acoustic circuits bend sound waves to wrap them around the outer layers of the cloak. ... > full story
Bacteria eyed for possible role in atherosclerosis (January 6, 2011) -- Scientists have identified specific bacteria that may have a key role in vascular pathogenesis, specifically atherosclerosis, or what is commonly referred to as "hardening of the arteries" -- the number one cause of death in the United States. ... > full story
Household sewage: Not waste, but a vast new energy resource (January 6, 2011) -- In a finding that gives new meaning to the adage, "waste not, want not," scientists are reporting that household sewage has far more potential as an alternative energy source than previously thought. They say the discovery, which increases the estimated potential energy in wastewater by almost 20 percent, could spur efforts to extract methane, hydrogen and other fuels from this vast and, as yet, untapped resource. ... > full story
Women with multiple sclerosis more likely to have MS-related gene than men (January 6, 2011) -- Women who have multiple sclerosis are more likely to have a gene associated with multiple sclerosis than men with the disease and it is this gene region where environment interacts with the genetics, according to a new study. ... > full story
How to soften a diamond (January 6, 2011) -- After hundreds of years, researchers have managed to decode the atomic mechanism behind diamond grinding. ... > full story
How to look younger without plastic surgery (January 6, 2011) -- Psychologists were able to prove that volunteer testers were systematically wrong at estimating other people's age after having adapted to the faces of people of a specific age group by intensely looking at them. ... > full story
Widespread, persistent oxygen-poor conditions in Earth's ancient oceans impacted early evolution of animals (January 6, 2011) -- Researchers report that the transition from a generally oxygen-rich ocean during the Cambrian to the fully oxygenated ocean we have today was not a simple turn of the switch, as has been widely accepted. Their work shows the ocean fluctuated between oxygenation states 499 million years ago; such fluctuations, they say, played a major, perhaps dominant, role in shaping the early evolution of animals on the planet. ... > full story
Vitamin D accelerates recovery from tuberculosis (January 6, 2011) -- Vitamin D can speed up antibiotic treatment of tuberculosis, according to new research. The study gives fresh insight into how vitamin D may affect the immune response. ... > full story
Mother’s milk improves physical condition of future adolescents, study finds (January 6, 2011) -- Breast feeding new born babies has lots of advantages in the short and in the long-term for babies. A study has confirmed the recently discovered benefits, which had not been researched until now. Adolescents who are breast fed at birth have stronger leg muscles than those who received artificial milk. ... > full story
Exercise may lower risk of death for men with prostate cancer (January 6, 2011) -- A new study of men with prostate cancer finds that physical activity is associated with a lower risk of overall mortality and of death due to prostate cancer. ... > full story
How studded winter tires may damage public health, as well as pavement (January 6, 2011) -- Scientists are reporting new evidence on how studded tires -- wintertime fixtures in some areas but banned in others for causing damage to pavement -- may also damage the health of motorists and people living near highways. Studded tires have small metal protrusions from the rubber tread that improve traction on icy or snow-covered roads. ... > full story
First screening tool for war veterans to assess traumatic brain injury (January 6, 2011) -- A team of researchers has developed the first web-based screening tool for traumatic Bbain injury (TBI). This instrument has recently been used by soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who participated in the Sixth Annual Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute in Orlando to determine if they sustained a TBI. ... > full story
Is the hornet our key to renewable energy? Physicist discovers that hornet's outer shell can harvest solar power (January 6, 2011) -- The brown and yellow parts of the Oriental hornet's body are able to harvest solar energy, and if that function can be mimicked, a novel way of achieving high-efficiency solar energy collection might be just around the corner, says a physicist who has demonstrated that the brown and yellow stripes on the insect's abdomen can absorb the sun's radiation, and the yellow pigment transforms that radiation into electric power. ... > full story
Antibiotic treatment effective in treating irritable bowel syndrome (January 6, 2011) -- A ground-breaking antibiotic therapy is the first potential drug treatment to provide irritable bowel syndrome patients with long-lasting relief of their symptoms even after they stop taking the medication, according to a new study. ... > full story
Protective properties of green tea uncovered (January 6, 2011) -- When green tea is digested it is even more effective at protecting the body against Alzheimer's and cancer than was previously thought. ... > full story
Thermostatic mixer valves could significantly reduce the risk of scalding in children, study finds (January 6, 2011) -- Using a thermostatic mixer valve to control the maximum temperature of children's bath water can significantly reduce the temperature of hot bath water and should reduce the risk of scalding, according to researchers. ... > full story
New method for making large quantities of deuterium-depleted drinking water (January 6, 2011) -- Scientists in China are reporting development of a less expensive, more eco-friendly method for making deuterium-depleted drinking water, citing studies suggesting that it may be a more healthful form of water. ... > full story
Consumers prefer products with few, and mostly matching, colors (January 6, 2011) -- Most people like to play it safe when combining colors for an article of clothing or outfit, a new study suggests. When consumers were asked to choose colors for seven different parts of an athletic shoe, they tended to pick identical or similar colors for nearly every element. They usually avoided contrasting or even moderately different color combinations. ... > full story
Identity parade clears cosmic collisions of the suspicion of promoting black hole growth (January 6, 2011) -- What happens when galaxies crash together? For years, these cosmic collisions have been blamed for triggering violent outbursts at the hearts of galaxies. Now, a remarkable piece of detective work has given a verdict: galactic mergers do not usually whet the appetite of the black holes that power these active galactic nuclei -- meaning other, less dramatic phenomena are responsible. ... > full story
Malfunctioning gene associated with Lou Gehrig's disease leads to nerve-cell death in mice (January 6, 2011) -- Researchers describe the first direct evidence of how mutated TDP-43 prtein can cause neurons to die. ... > full story
Helicopter transport increases survival for seriously injured patients, study finds (January 6, 2011) -- Severely injured patients transported by helicopter from the scene of an accident are more likely to survive than patients brought to trauma centers by ground ambulance, according to a new study. The study is the first to examine the role of helicopter transport on a national level and includes the largest number of helicopter-transport patients in a single analysis. ... > full story
Where MRSA colonizes on the human body: Study identifies quantity and locations of MRSA colonization (January 6, 2011) -- When methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is carried in the nares, it is a risk factor for an invasive infection, including a surgical site infection. Some studies have found that the heavier the carriage of MRSA in the nose, the greater the risk of transmission to others and the greater risk of infection to the patient. A new study now sheds light on both the quantity of MRSA at different body sites and the relationship between the quantities. ... > full story
Filtering kitchen wastewater for plants (January 6, 2011) -- Water is a precious commodity, so finding ways to re-use waste water, especially in arid regions is essential to sustainability. Researchers in India have now carried out a study of various waste-water filtration systems for kitchen wastewater and found that even the most poorly performing can produce water clean enough for horticultural or agricultural use. ... > full story
Call for truth in trans fats labeling by US FDA: Study shows how deceptive food labels lead to increased risk of deadly diseases (January 6, 2011) -- A new article reveals that misleading labeling practices can result in medically significant intake of harmful trans fat, despite what you read on U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved labels. ... > full story
Male pattern balding may be due to stem cell inactivation (January 6, 2011) -- Using cell samples from men undergoing hair transplants, researchers compared follicles from bald scalp and non-bald scalp, and found that bald areas had the same number of stem cells as normal scalp in the same person. However, they did find that another, more mature cell type called a progenitor cell was markedly depleted in the follicles of bald scalp. ... > full story
Advancements in fertility preservation provide oncology patients new options (January 6, 2011) -- Many young people who've just learned that they have cancer also are told that the therapies that may save their lives could rob them of their ability ever to have children. Infertility caused by chemotherapy and radiation affects a sizable population: Of the 1.5 million people diagnosed with cancer in 2009, nearly 10 percent were still in their reproductive years. The good news, according to a new article, is that techniques to harvest and store reproductive cells have vastly improved in the last several years. ... > full story
Time running out to save climate record held in unique eastern European Alps glacier (January 6, 2011) -- A preliminary look at an ice field atop the highest mountain in the eastern European Alps suggests that the glacier may hold records of ancient climate extending back as much as a thousand years. Researchers warn, however, that the record may soon be lost as global warming takes its toll on these high-altitude sites. ... > full story
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