ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Sunday, March 6, 2011
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Has Earth's sixth mass extinction already arrived? (March 5, 2011) -- Researchers have delved into the fossil record to compare past animal extinctions, in particular the five "mass extinctions" that occurred within the past 540 million years, with today's extinctions. They find that, while the rate of extinctions today is higher than during past mass extinctions, we haven't yet lost too many animal species. Efforts to conserve threatened species could avoid the tipping point toward a sixth mass extinction. ... > full story
Jekyll and Hyde: Cells' executioner can also stave off death (March 5, 2011) -- An enzyme viewed as an executioner, because it can push cells to commit suicide, may actually short circuit a second form of cell death, researchers have discovered. The finding could shift drug discovery efforts, by leading scientists to rethink how proposed anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drugs that target the enzyme, called caspase 8, are supposed to work. ... > full story
Reviving 100-year-old resting spores of diatoms (March 5, 2011) -- Diatoms account for a large proportion of the phytoplankton found in the water, and live both in the open sea and in freshwater lakes. By reviving 100-year-old spores that had laid buried and inactive in bottom sediment, researchers have shown that diatoms are also genetically stable and survival artists. ... > full story
Decline in cerebral palsy diagnoses in premature infants suggests improvements in perinatal care (March 5, 2011) -- Cerebral palsy is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects motor function, more often in children born prematurely. Because cerebral palsy is a result of brain injury received shortly before, during, or soon after birth, the number of infants being diagnosed with the condition is a good indicator of the quality of perinatal and neonatal care. Rates of cerebral palsy have declined dramatically in the past 15 years. ... > full story
Invasive species widespread, but not more than at home range (March 5, 2011) -- Invasive plant species have long had a reputation as being bad for a new ecosystem when they are introduced. As it turns out, they aren't any more abundant away from home than they are at home. ... > full story
Mean girls and queen bees: Females threatened by social exclusion will reject others first (March 5, 2011) -- Many studies have suggested that males tend to be more physically and verbally aggressive than females. According to a new study, it may not be the case that women are less competitive than men -- they may just be using a different strategy to come out ahead. Specifically, women may rely more on indirect forms of aggression, such as social exclusion. ... > full story
Mutations found in human induced pluripotent stem cells (March 5, 2011) -- Ordinary human cells reprogrammed as induced pluripotent stem cells may revolutionize personalized medicine by creating new and diverse therapies unique to individual patients. But important and unanswered questions have persisted about the safety of these cells, in particular whether their genetic material is altered during the reprogramming process. A new study finds that the genetic material of reprogrammed cells may in fact be compromised, and suggests that extensive genetic screening of hiPSCs become standard practice. ... > full story
Prostate cancer: Targeted therapy shrank tumors up to 74 percent in cells in mice (March 5, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a potential target to treat an aggressive type of prostate cancer. The target, a gene called SPINK1, could be to prostate cancer what HER2 has become for breast cancer. ... > full story
Clean fuel worsens climate impacts for some vehicle engines (March 5, 2011) -- A pioneering program by one of the world's largest cities to switch its vehicle fleet to clean fuel has not significantly improved harmful vehicle emissions in more than 5,000 vehicles -- and worsened some vehicles' climate impacts -- a new study finds. ... > full story
To bring effective therapies to patients quicker, use the team approach (March 5, 2011) -- The current clinical trial process in the US is on shaky ground. In this era of personalized medicine, patient populations for new therapies grow smaller and smaller. Coupled with skyrocketing costs and expanding regulatory requirements, the completion of trials is extremely difficult. Researchers propose a new model to ensure effective treatments become available more quickly and at a lower cost -- collaborative clinical trials, in which companies team up and share costs to test new therapies. ... > full story
Simulating breaking waves (March 5, 2011) -- The SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) wave prediction model predicts the distribution of wave heights close to the shore. It was recently expanded to include the SWASH (Simulating WAves till SHore) model, which enables the modeling of wave behavior right up to the shore, including how they break and overflow. ... > full story
Certain parts of the brain activated in people who heard tailored health messages and quit smoking (March 5, 2011) -- People who demonstrated a stronger brain response to certain brain regions when receiving individually tailored smoking cessation messages were more likely to quit smoking four months after, a new study found. ... > full story
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