ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Thursday, August 28, 2008
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Why Is Greenland Covered In Ice? Changes In Carbon Dioxide Levels Explain Transition (August 28, 2008) -- A fall in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, close to that of pre-industrial times, explains the transition from a mostly ice-free Greenland of three million years ago to the ice-covered region we see today. ... > full story
Heart Attack Patients Who Stop Statin Risk Death, Say Researchers (August 28, 2008) -- Patients discontinuing statin medication following an acute myocardial infarction increase their risk of dying over the next year, say researchers at McGill University and the McGill University Health Center. Their study was published in a recent issue of the European Heart Journal. ... > full story
Sweet Potato Out-Yields Corn In Ethanol Production Study (August 28, 2008) -- In experiments, sweet potatoes grown in Maryland and Alabama yielded two to three times as much carbohydrate for fuel ethanol production as field corn grown in those states, scientists report. The same was true of tropical cassava in Alabama. ... > full story
History Of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Is Associated With Increased Risk For Subsequent Malignancies (August 28, 2008) -- Individuals with a history of nonmelanoma skin cancer are at increased risk for other cancers, according to a study published in the Aug. 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. ... > full story
Protein Misprediction Uncovered By New Technique (August 28, 2008) -- A new bioinformatics tool is capable of identifying and correcting abnormal, incomplete and mispredicted protein annotations in public databases. The MisPred tool currently uses five principles to identify suspect proteins that are likely to be abnormal or mispredicted. ... > full story
Satisfaction And Regret After Radical Prostatectomy Procedures Studied (August 28, 2008) -- Studies have shown that approximately 16% of patients with localised prostate cancer regret their treatment choice. A new study compares differences in satisfaction and regret between patients who underwent open retropubic radical prostatectomy and robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. ... > full story
Yellowstone's Ancient Supervolcano: Molten Plume Of Material Cooler Than Expected (August 28, 2008) -- The geysers of Yellowstone National Park owe their existence to the "Yellowstone hotspot" -- a region of molten rock buried deep beneath Yellowstone, geologists have found. ... > full story
New Role For Natural Killers (August 28, 2008) -- Scientists at the University of York have discovered a new role for a population of white blood cells, which may lead to improved treatments for chronic infections and cancer. ... > full story
Nonviable Seeds May Contain Research-Quality DNA (August 28, 2008) -- Agricultural Research Service scientists have ways of making seeds talk. They have demonstrated that seeds can reveal genetic information even after they've lost viability, which is the ability to germinate. The research has significant implications for seed bank management. ... > full story
Angiotensin Inhibitors And Receptor Blockers Linked To Lower Risk Of Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer (August 28, 2008) -- The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers was associated with a reduced risk of basal cell or squamous cell skin cancers in US veterans, researchers report in the Aug. 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. ... > full story
Heavy Metal Link To Mutations, Low Growth And Fertility Among Crustaceans In Sydney Harbor Tributary (August 28, 2008) -- Heavy metal pollutants are linked to genetic mutations, stunted growth and declining fertility among small crustaceans in the Parramatta River, the main tributary of Sydney Harbor, new research shows. The finding adds to mounting evidence that toxic sediments and seaweeds in Sydney Harbor are a deadly diet for many sea creatures. ... > full story
Providing Surgical Services Worldwide Should Be A Global Public Health Priority, Experts Urge (August 28, 2008) -- In an editorial in this week's PLoS Medicine, the journal's editors outline five key reasons why providing basic surgical services universally should be considered a global public health priority. ... > full story
Cocaine-induced Brain Plasticity May Protect The Addicted Brain: Findings May Lead To New Drug-abuse Treatments (August 27, 2008) -- Increased connections among brain cells caused by excessive drug use may represent the body's defense mechanism to combat addiction and related behaviors, scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. ... > full story
Chronic Stress Alters Our Genetic Immune Response (August 27, 2008) -- In the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers shed new light on one link between stress and illness by describing a mechanism through which stress alters immune function. ... > full story
Profiling Protective Proteins In Dairy Cows (August 27, 2008) -- Agricultural Research Service molecular biologist John Lippolis is delving into the dynamics of the dairy cow immune system. His work is resulting in the first close-up look at how immune system proteins help protect the cows, and how bacterial proteins fight back. ... > full story
Consumption Of Nuts, Corn Or Popcorn Not Associated With Increased Risk Of Diverticulosis In Men (August 27, 2008) -- Contrary to a common recommendation to avoid eating popcorn, nuts and corn to prevent diverticular complications, a large prospective study of men indicates that the consumption of these foods does not increase the risk of diverticulosis or diverticular complications. ... > full story
Wireless Sensors Learn From Life (August 27, 2008) -- European and Indian researchers are applying principles learned from living organisms to design self-organising networks of wireless sensors suitable for a wide range of environmental monitoring purposes. ... > full story
How The Brain Compensates For Vision Loss Shows Much More Versatility Than Previously Recognized (August 27, 2008) -- New insights into how the brain compensates for loss of sight suggests the brain is more adaptable than previously recognized. ... > full story
Clash Of Clusters Provides New Dark Matter Clue (August 27, 2008) -- New Hubble and Chandra observations of the cluster known as MACSJ0025.4-1222 indicate that a titanic collision has separated dark from ordinary matter. This provides independent confirmation of a similar effect detected previously in a target dubbed the Bullet Cluster, showing that the Bullet Cluster is not an anomalous case. ... > full story
Early Trigger For Type-1 Diabetes Found In Mice (August 27, 2008) -- Scientists are shedding light on how type-1 diabetes begins. Doctors have known the disease is caused by an autoimmune attack on the pancreas, but the exact trigger of the attack has been unclear. Now, a new study in mice implicates the immune signal interferon-alpha as an early culprit in a chain of events that upend sugar metabolism and make patients dependent on lifelong insulin injections. ... > full story
Researching Impact Of Global Warming On Corals (August 27, 2008) -- Scientists are collecting the spawn of elkhorn corals as part of a research and education project to grow the newborn juvenile corals for distribution to aquaria and to the wild. The goals of the project are to learn how corals will respond to global warming and also to teach aquarium professionals how they can protect corals by using laboratory-raised specimens rather than removing corals from the ocean. ... > full story
High Levels Of Uric Acid May Be Associated With High Blood Pressure (August 27, 2008) -- Reducing levels of uric acid in blood lowered blood pressure to normal in most teens in a study designed to investigate a possible link between blood pressure and the chemical, a waste product of the body's normal metabolism. ... > full story
Fingerprint Analysis Technique Could Be Used To Identify Bombmakers (August 27, 2008) -- University of Leicester experts have held discussions with military personnel in Afghanistan following the discovery of new technology to identify fingerprints on metal. ... > full story
Genetic Predisposition May Play A Role In Anxiety Disorders (August 27, 2008) -- Finnish scientists have identified genes that may predispose to anxiety disorders. Some of the studied genes show a statistical association with specific anxiety disorders. ... > full story
First Prehistoric Pregnant Turtle And Nest Of Eggs Discovered In Southern Alberta (August 27, 2008) -- A 75-million-year-old fossil of a pregnant turtle and a nest of fossilized eggs that were discovered in the badlands of southeastern Alberta are yielding new ideas on the evolution of egg-laying and reproduction in turtles and tortoises. ... > full story
Medication Slows Progression Of Myopia In Children (August 27, 2008) -- Daily treatment with a medication called pirenzepine can slow the rate of progressive myopia, or nearsightedness, in children, reports a new study. ... > full story
Racing Cane Toads Reveals They Get Cold Feet On Southern Australia Invasion (August 27, 2008) -- Cane toads weren't allowed to compete in the Olympics, but scientists have raced cane toads in the laboratory and calculated that they would not be able to invade Melbourne, Adelaide or Hobart and are unlikely to do well in Perth or Sydney, even with climate change. ... > full story
High Levels Of Toxic Metals Found In Herbal Medicine Products Sold Online (August 27, 2008) -- One fifth of both US-manufactured and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines purchased via the Internet contain lead, mercury or arsenic. ... > full story
Taking Earth's Temperature Via Satellite (August 27, 2008) -- Imagine adding a thermometer to Google Earth. That's the vision of Agricultural Research Service scientists Martha Anderson and Bill Kustas, who see the need for high-resolution thermal infrared imaging tools -- such as those aboard the aging Landsat satellites -- as vital to monitoring earth's health. ... > full story
Uninsured Patients Receive Unpredictable, Rationed Access To Health Care (August 27, 2008) -- A case study of three health care institutions with different ownership models found that self-pay patients must navigate a system that provides no guarantees medical centers will follow their own policies for providing uncompensated care. ... > full story
Bone Parts Don't Add Up To Conclusion Of Hobbit-like Palauan Dwarfs (August 27, 2008) -- Misinterpreted fragments of leg bones, teeth and brow ridges found in Palau appear to be an archaeologist's undoing, according to researchers at three institutions. They say that the so-called dwarfs of these Micronesian islands actually were modern, normal-sized hunters and gatherers. ... > full story
Caesarean Babies More Likely To Develop Diabetes (August 27, 2008) -- Babies delivered by Caesarean section have a 20 per cent higher risk than normal deliveries of developing the most common type of diabetes in childhood, according to a study led by Queen's University Belfast. ... > full story
Java Gives Caffeine-naive A Boost, Too (August 27, 2008) -- Females who don't drink coffee can get just as much of a caffeine boost as those who sip it regularly. ... > full story
Cell Removal Technique Could Lead To Cheaper Drugs (August 27, 2008) -- Costly drugs to treat conditions such as cancer and arthritis could be manufactured more cheaply with a new technique. Researchers have pioneered a simple way to remove dead cells from cell cultures used to make protein-based drugs, which are increasingly prescribed to treat a range of illnesses. ... > full story
NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity Climbing Out Of Victoria Crater (August 27, 2008) -- NASA's Mars Exploration rover Opportunity is heading back out to the Red Planet's surrounding plains nearly a year after descending into a large Martian crater to examine exposed ancient rock layers. ... > full story
Men Defy Stereotypes In Defining Masculinity (August 27, 2008) -- Men interviewed in a large international study reported that being seen as honorable, self-reliant and respected was more important to their idea of masculinity than being seen as attractive, sexually active or successful with women. ... > full story
Is Extinction Or Diversity On The Rise? Study Of Islands Reveals Surprising Results (August 27, 2008) -- It's no secret that humans are having a huge impact on the life cycles of plants and animals. UC Santa Barbara researchers decided to test that theory by studying the world's far-flung islands. Their research sheds surprising light on the subject of extinction rates of species on islands. ... > full story
New Oral Vaccine May Protect Against Bubonic Plague (August 27, 2008) -- Researchers have used a less virulent ancestor to the highly infectious bubonic plague to develop a potentially safe, efficient and inexpensive live oral vaccine. ... > full story
Fishing Technology Letting Turtles Off The Hook (August 27, 2008) -- Alternative fishing technology has been shown to save turtles while not affecting fish catches, according to a new report. ... > full story
Bones Get Mended With High Tech Glass-of-milk (August 27, 2008) -- Scientists at the new Nuclear-Magnetic Resonance unit at the University of Warwick have discovered how a high-tech glass of milk is helping bones mend. ... > full story
Earthquake Zone Off Oregon Coast Surprisingly Active (August 27, 2008) -- Scientists have completed a new analysis of an earthquake fault line that extends some 200 miles off the southern and central Oregon coast that they say is more active than the San Andreas Fault in California. ... > full story
Trauma, PTSD Followed By Reduction In Region Of The Brain Involved With Memory (August 27, 2008) -- While debate continues over the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, a new study indicates traumatic events and PTSD symptoms may be followed in some cases by a size reduction in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. ... > full story
Hot And Cold: Circulation Of Atmosphere Affected Mediterranean Climate During Last Ice Age (August 27, 2008) -- A new study in Science reveals the circulation of the atmosphere over the Mediterranean during the last ice age, 23,000 to 19,000 years ago, and how this affected the local climate. ... > full story
Fearsome-Smelling Gas Could Have Beneficial Uses In Medicine (August 27, 2008) -- A single breath of hydrogen sulfide, a gas best known for its rotten-egg smell, can kill. But at low concentrations, hydrogen sulfide could protect vital organs during surgery, research conducted by a new Emory University School of Medicine professor suggests. ... > full story
How Diet, Antioxidants Prevent Blindness In Aging Population (August 27, 2008) -- A new study reveals part of the magic behind a diet rich in antioxidants, showing how artichokes, blueberries and pecans can hold at bay the leading cause of age-related blindness in developed countries. ... > full story
Stick With Simple Antibiotics For Pneumonia To Avoid Super Bugs, Says Researcher (August 27, 2008) -- Australian hospitals should avoid prescribing expensive broad-spectrum antibiotics for pneumonia to avoid the development of more drug-resistant super bugs, according to a new study. ... > full story
DNA Barcoding In Danger Of 'Ringing Up' Wrong Species (August 27, 2008) -- DNA barcoding is a movement to catalog all life on earth by a simple standardized genetic tag, similar to stores labeling products with unique barcodes. But the approach as currently practiced churns out some results as inaccurately as a supermarket checker scanning an apple and ringing it up as an orange, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ... > full story
Trouble Quitting? New Smoking Study May Reveal Why (August 27, 2008) -- A new study sheds light on why smokers' intentions to quit "cold turkey" often fizzle out within days or even hours. ... > full story
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