ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Friday, March 25, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Friday, March 25, 2011

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Acupuncture for pain no better than placebo -- and not without harm, study finds (March 25, 2011) -- Although acupuncture is commonly used for pain control, doubts about its effectiveness and safety remain. Researchers in the UK and Korea critically evaluated systematic reviews of acupuncture as a treatment of pain in order to explore this question. The scientists conclude that numerous systematic reviews have generated little truly convincing evidence that acupuncture is effective in reducing pain, and serious adverse effects continue to be reported. ... > full story

Mini-stroke doubles risk of heart attack (March 25, 2011) -- Patients who have had temporary stroke symptoms known as a transient-ischemic attack (TIA) have twice the risk of heart attack as the general population, a new study has found. TIA patients who had a subsequent heart attack were three times more likely to die during the 20-year study than those who did not have a heart attack. These findings signify the importance of screening TIA patients for signs of heart disease, researchers say. ... > full story

Against the tide: Currents keep dolphins apart; Study finds invisible oceanographic factors that keep populations separate (March 25, 2011) -- Conservationists have discovered that groups of dolphins in the western Indian Ocean do not mix freely with one another. In fact, dolphin populations are kept separate by currents and other unseen factors. ... > full story

Crucial hour to prevent fatal bleeding (March 25, 2011) -- An hour can make the difference between life and death when using tranexamic acid to treat injured patients with severe bleeding, a new study suggests. ... > full story

Beetle explorers name new species for Roosevelt (March 25, 2011) -- A new species of a rugged and dashing darkling beetle was named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt on the 100th anniversary of a speech he gave at Tempe Normal School, now Arizona State University. ... > full story

Losing a parent can be fatal (March 25, 2011) -- The death of parents entails an increase in their children’s risk of dying, according to researchers in Sweden and Finland. Those especially affected are younger children, and primarily if they lose their mother. ... > full story

Cutting carbon dioxide could help prevent droughts, new research shows (March 25, 2011) -- Recent climate modeling has shown that reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would give the Earth a wetter climate in the short term. New research offers a novel explanation for why climates are wetter when atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are decreasing. Their findings show that cutting carbon dioxide concentrations could help prevent droughts caused by global warming. ... > full story

Statins make radiation more effective at curing prostate cancer, study suggests (March 25, 2011) -- Men with high-risk prostate cancer who take statin drugs commonly used to lower cholesterol while receiving radiation therapy are less likely to have their cancer return than patients who do not take these medications, according to a new study. ... > full story

Biofilm reorganization: Microcinematic image analysis finds existing theories of bacterial self-organization are lacking (March 25, 2011) -- In a surprising new study, researchers using image-analysis methods similar to those employed in facial-recognition software have made a startling discovery that rules out the two main theories scientists had created to explain how bacteria self-organize into multicellular aggregate mounds. ... > full story

Telomerase inhibitor PinX1 is a key tumor suppressor, research shows (March 25, 2011) -- The discovery of a vitally important new function for this telomerase inhibitor suggests a novel option for treating cancers of the breast, lung, liver and GI system. ... > full story

Research brings habitat models into the future (March 25, 2011) -- Time marches on, and thanks to new research, models of wildlife habitat now can monitor changes over time more accurately and more easily. Researchers are combining habitat modeling and remote sensing technology, then gain the ability to use one model to monitor various changes over time. ... > full story

Suzaku shows clearest picture yet of Perseus Galaxy Cluster (March 24, 2011) -- X-ray observations made by the Suzaku observatory provide the clearest picture to date of the size, mass and chemical content of a nearby cluster of galaxies. The study also provides the first direct evidence that million-degree gas clouds are tightly gathered in the cluster's outskirts. ... > full story

Mouse cancer genome unveils genetic errors in human cancers (March 24, 2011) -- By sequencing the genome of a mouse with cancer, researchers have uncovered mutations that also drive cancer in humans. The investigators are the first to sequence a mouse cancer genome. ... > full story

Researchers help map tsunami and earthquake damage in Japan (March 24, 2011) -- Researchers are processing satellite imagery of regions in Japan affected by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated sections of the country's east coast on March 11. ... > full story

High levels of dietary nitrate might in part explain the vascular benefits of diets rich in leafy greens (March 24, 2011) -- Nitric oxide (NO) helps maintain the health of vasculature. NO is synthesized by an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase (NOS). In a new study, researchers determined that after vessel injury, the NOS pathway is disrupted, but a secondary pathway that generates NO from nitrate is activated. This suggests that high levels of dietary nitrate might in part explain the vascular benefits of diets rich in leafy greens. ... > full story

New model predicts the optical properties of nano-structures (March 24, 2011) -- Chemists have developed a new model to predict the optical properties of non-conducting ultra-fine particles. ... > full story

Contented citizens vote against change (March 24, 2011) -- US citizens who have a high quality of life are more engaged in the direct democracy process, according to new research. A new study demonstrates that quality of life is a strong predictor of voter turnout. However, interestingly, voters with a higher quality of life are less likely to support changes in public policy through direct democracy. ... > full story

In adolescence, the power to resist blooms in the brain (March 24, 2011) -- Just when children are faced with intensifying peer pressure to misbehave, regions of the brain are actually blossoming in a way that heighten the ability to resist risky behavior, report researchers. ... > full story

Novel immune therapy for pancreatic cancer developed (March 24, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a novel way of treating pancreatic cancer by activating the immune system to destroy the cancer's scaffolding. The strategy was tested in a small cohort of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, several of whose tumors shrank substantially. The team believes their findings -- and the novel way in which they uncovered them -- could lead to quicker, less expensive cancer drug development. ... > full story

Loss of plant diversity threatens Earth's life-support systems, experts say (March 24, 2011) -- An international team of researchers has published a comprehensive new analysis showing that loss of plant biodiversity disrupts the fundamental services that ecosystems provide to humanity. ... > full story

Robot-assisted prostate surgery is safe, long-term study finds (March 24, 2011) -- In the first study of its kind, urologists and biostatisticians have found that robot-assisted surgery to remove cancerous prostate glands is safe over the long term, with a major complication rate of less than one percent. The findings follow an earlier Henry Ford study that found nearly 87 percent of patients whose cancerous prostates were removed by robot-assisted surgery had no recurrence of the disease after five years. ... > full story

Rehabilitation within a day of knee replacement pays off (March 24, 2011) -- Starting rehabilitation sooner following knee arthroplasty surgery could pay dividends -- for both patients and hospitals. Commencing physical therapy within 24 hours of surgery can improve pain, range of joint motion and muscle strength as well as cut hospital stays, according to new research. ... > full story

Parents important for keeping adolescents off alcohol (March 24, 2011) -- Parents who are both present and engaged are the very best way of preventing teenagers from consuming large quantities of alcohol. Adolescents who smoke, stay out with their friends and have access to alcohol – from their parents, for example – when they are as young as 13 are at greater risk of becoming binge drinkers in their late teens, reveals new research. ... > full story

Glimpse of how the 'code' of life may have emerged (March 24, 2011) -- A portion of the "code" of life has been unraveled by a graduate student. She aimed to decipher intramolecular communication within a large RNA-protein enzyme responsible for expressing the genetic code for the amino acid glutamine. To her surprise, the experiments captured a partial glimpse of how the genetic coding of life may have emerged. ... > full story

How lung cancers evolve in response to targeted treatment (March 24, 2011) -- A detailed analysis of lung tumors that became resistant to targeted therapy drugs has revealed two previously unreported resistance mechanisms and some surprising changes in the appearance of tumor cells. The findings support the importance of monitoring the molecular status of tumors throughout the treatment process. ... > full story

Suggesting genes' friends, Facebook-style (March 24, 2011) -- Scientists in Germany have developed a new method that uncovers the combined effects of genes. The technique helps understand how different genes can amplify, cancel out or mask each others' effects, and enables scientists to suggest genes that interfere with each other in much the same manner that Facebook suggests friends. ... > full story

Molecular muscle: Small parts of a big protein play key roles in building tissues (March 24, 2011) -- We all know the adage: A little bit of a good thing can go a long way. Now researchers in London are reporting that might also be true for a large protein associated with wound healing. ... > full story

Chemist develops technique to use light to predict molecular crystal structures (March 24, 2011) -- Chemists have developed a way to use very low frequency light waves to study the weak forces (London dispersion forces) that hold molecules together in a crystal. ... > full story

The evolution of brain wiring: Navigating to the neocortex (March 24, 2011) -- A new study is providing fascinating insight into how projections conveying sensory information in the brain are guided to their appropriate targets in different species. The research reveals a surprising new evolutionary scenario that may help to explain how subtle changes in the migration of "guidepost" neurons underlie major differences in brain connectivity between mammals and non-mammalian vertebrates. ... > full story

'Knowing it in your gut': Cross-talk between human gut bacteria and brain (March 24, 2011) -- A lot of chatter goes on inside each one of us and not all of it happens between our ears. Researchers have discovered that the "cross-talk" between bacteria in our gut and our brain plays an important role in the development of psychiatric illness, intestinal diseases and probably other health problems as well including obesity. ... > full story

Study of how brain corrects perceptual errors has implications for brain injuries, robotics (March 24, 2011) -- New research provides the first evidence that sensory recalibration -- the brain's automatic correcting of errors made by our sensory or perceptual systems -- can occur instantly. ... > full story

Neutron analysis yields insight into bacteria for solar energy (March 24, 2011) -- Structural studies of some of nature's most efficient light-harvesting systems are lighting the way for new generations of biologically inspired solar cell devices. ... > full story

Epigenomic findings illuminate veiled variants: Study assigns meaning to regions beyond genes with implications for studies of common diseases (March 24, 2011) -- Using a new mapping strategy, scientists have begun to assign meaning to the regions beyond our genes and has revealed how minute changes in these regions might be connected to common diseases. ... > full story

Sticking power: New adhesive could find place in space (March 24, 2011) -- A new adhesive peptide becomes stronger as more moisture is removed. This property could allow it to be used in a low-moisture environment like outer space. Also, the adhesion is mechanical rather than chemical. It develops nanoscale fibrils that become entangled, similar to Velcro. ... > full story

'Junk food' moms have 'junk food' babies (March 24, 2011) -- Pregnant mothers who eat high sugar and high fat diets have babies who are likely to become junk food junkies themselves. According to the report, which used rats, this happens because the high fat and high sugar diet leads to changes in the fetal brain's reward pathway, altering food preferences. ... > full story

Coldest known star: Brown dwarf about as hot as a cup of tea (March 24, 2011) -- Observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, along with two other telescopes, have shown that there is a new candidate for the coldest known star: a brown dwarf in a double system with about the same temperature as a freshly made cup of tea -- hot in human terms, but extraordinarily cold for the surface of a star. This object is cool enough to begin crossing the blurred line dividing small cold stars from big hot planets. ... > full story

Arthritis drug could help beat melanoma skin cancer, study finds (March 24, 2011) -- A breakthrough discovery promises an effective new treatment for one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Researchers found that leflunomide -- a drug commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis -- also inhibits the growth of malignant melanoma. ... > full story

Plant oil may hold key to reducing obesity-related medical issues, researcher finds (March 24, 2011) -- Scientists have known for years that belly fat leads to serious medical problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke. Now, a researcher has found a plant oil that may be able to reduce belly fat in humans. A new study has found that a specific plant oil, known as sterculic oil, may be a key in the fight against obesity. ... > full story

Road traffic pollution doubles risk of rejection after lung transplant (March 24, 2011) -- Lung transplant patients have double the risk of organ rejection and death within five years of the procedure if they live near a main road, new research indicates. ... > full story

Health information technology 'control tower' could improve earthquake response (March 24, 2011) -- A new study foresees improvements in patient outcomes after a major earthquake through more effective use of information technology. A control tower-style telemedicine hub to manage electronic traffic between first responders and remote medical experts could boost the likelihood that critically injured victims will get timely care and survive, according to the team's computer simulation model. ... > full story

New insight into how environmental enrichment enhances memory (March 24, 2011) -- A new study introduces a valuable model system for investigating the role of synapse turnover in learning and memory in adult animals and elucidates mechanisms that link loss of existing synapses and the establishment of new synapses with improved learning. ... > full story

Sign language users read words and see signs simultaneously (March 24, 2011) -- People fluent in sign language may simultaneously keep words and signs in their minds as they read, according to an international team of researchers. ... > full story

Physical activity decreases salt's effect on blood pressure, study finds (March 24, 2011) -- The less physically active you are, the more your blood pressure rises in response to a high-salt diet, new research finds. Following a low-salt diet may be particularly important in lowering blood pressure among sedentary people. ... > full story

Prostate cancer spreads to bones by overtaking the home of blood stem cells (March 24, 2011) -- Like bad neighbors who decide to go wreck another community, prostate and breast cancer usually recur in the bone, according to a new study. ... > full story

Gene responsible for severe skin condition identified in research on epilepsy drug side-effect (March 24, 2011) -- Scientists have identified a gene that could indicate if epilepsy patients starting drug treatment are likely to experience side-effects resulting in blistering of the skin. ... > full story

Research produces novel sensor with improved detection selectivity (March 24, 2011) -- A highly sensitive sensor that combines a variety of testing means (electrochemistry, spectroscopy and selective partitioning) into one device has been developed. It's already been tested in a variety of settings – including testing for components in nuclear waste. ... > full story

Similarities found in brain activity for both habits and goals (March 24, 2011) -- Researchers hasve found that pursuing carefully planned goals and engaging in more automatic habits shows overlapping neurological mechanisms. Because the findings show a neurological linkage between goal-directed and habitual, and perhaps damaging, behaviors, they may offer a pathway for beginning to address addiction and similar maladies. ... > full story

Self-strengthening nanocomposite created (March 24, 2011) -- Researchers have created a synthetic material that gets stronger from repeated stress much like the body strengthens bones and muscles after repeated workouts. ... > full story