ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Sunday, January 23, 2011
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Cracking a tooth: 3-D map of atoms sheds light on nanoscale interfaces in teeth, may aid materials design (January 22, 2011) -- Using a highly sophisticated atomic-scale imaging tool on a sea creature's tooth, two researchers have peeled away some of the mystery of organic/inorganic interfaces that are at the heart of tooth and bone structure. They are the first to produce a three-dimensional map of the location and identity of millions of individual atoms in the complex hybrid material that allows the animal to literally chew rock. ... > full story
Genetic code for form of pancreatic cancer cracked (January 22, 2011) -- Scientists have deciphered the genetic code for a type of pancreatic cancer, called neuroendocrine or islet cell tumors. The work shows that patients whose tumors have certain coding "mistakes" live twice as long as those without them. ... > full story
Defense mechanism against bacteria and fungi deciphered (January 22, 2011) -- To defend microbial attacks, the human body naturally produces a group of antibiotics, called defensins. An interdisciplinary team of biochemists and medical scientists has now deciphered the mechanism of action of a defensin, hitherto looked upon as exhibiting only minor activity. Their results might be useful in future drug development for inflammatory and infectious diseases. Nature now presents their findings online ahead of the print publication. ... > full story
Mammograms: Detecting more than breast cancer, may help assess heart risk in kidney disease patients (January 22, 2011) -- Routine mammograms performed for breast cancer screening could serve another purpose as well: detecting calcifications in the blood vessels of patients with advanced kidney disease, according to a new study. ... > full story
Islands in the sky: How isolated are mountain top plant populations? (January 22, 2011) -- Do mountain tops act as sky islands for species that live at high elevations? Are plant populations on these mountain tops isolated from one another because the valleys between them act as barriers, or can pollinators act as bridges allowing genes to flow among distant populations? ... > full story
Gulf grows between research practice and participant preferences in genetic studies (January 22, 2011) -- Obtaining consent for genetic studies can be an opportunity for researchers to foster respectful engagement with participants, not merely to mitigate risk. Participants are interested in research and feel themselves to have an investment in the studies. A policy forum in the journal Science recommends ways to build trusting relationships between researchers and study participants. ... > full story
New device may revolutionize computer memory (January 22, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new device that represents a significant advance for computer memory, making large-scale "server farms" more energy efficient and allowing computers to start more quickly. ... > full story
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes mellitus: Unfolding amyloid secrets (January 22, 2011) -- Scientists have made a fundamental step in the search for therapies for amyloid-related diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes mellitus. By pinpointing the reaction that kick-starts the formation of amyloid fibers, scientists can now seek to further understand how these fibrils develop and cause disease. ... > full story
Montrealers are feeding fish Prozac; Research shows influence on brain activity while long-term consequences are unclear (January 22, 2011) -- Around one in four Montrealers take some kind of anti-depressant, and according to new research, the drugs are passing into the waterways and affecting fish. The findings are internationally significant as the city's sewage treatment system is similar to that in use in other major cities. ... > full story
Cell binding discovery brings hope to those with skin and heart problems (January 22, 2011) -- New research has revealed the mechanism that binds skin cells tightly together. The discovery may lead to new treatments for painful and debilitating skin diseases and also lethal heart defects. ... > full story
With cloud computing, the mathematics of evolution may get easier to learn (January 22, 2011) -- An innovative, educational computing platform hosted by the cloud (remote, high-capacity, scalable servers) is helping university students understand parts of evolutionary biology on an entirely new level. Soon, high-school and middle-school students will benefit from the same tool as well. ... > full story
Intrafamilial medically assisted reproduction (January 22, 2011) -- A new position paper related to intrafamilial medically assisted reproduction has been published. This particular type of assisted reproduction can raise various ethical and controversial issues, due to the involvement of a family member as a third party. ... > full story
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