ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Tuesday, September 9, 2008
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As Andean Glacier Retreats, Tiny Life Forms Swiftly Move In (September 9, 2008) -- Scientists working at 16,400 feet in the Peruvian Andes has discovered how barren soils uncovered by retreating glacier ice can swiftly establish a thriving community of microbes, setting the table for lichens, mosses and alpine plants. The discovery is the first to reveal how microbial life becomes established and flourishes in one of the most extreme environments on Earth and has implications for how life may have once flourished on Mars. ... > full story
Milk May Help Bacteria Survive Against Low Levels Of Antibiotics (September 9, 2008) -- Milk may help prevent potentially dangerous bacteria like Staphylococcus from being killed by antibiotics used to treat animals. ... > full story
Ecologists Search For Invasive Ladybird’s Weak Spot (September 9, 2008) -- Ecologists have discovered that -- as well as being larger, hungrier and more aggressive than most British native ladybirds -- the invasive alien harlequin ladybird is also more resistant to fungal disease and a parasitic wasp, two common natural enemies of native ladybirds. ... > full story
African-Americans Have Unique Lung Cancer Risks From Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (September 9, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a risk prediction assessment for lung cancer specifically for African-Americans that suggests a greater risk from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. ... > full story
US Air Force Technology Helps Scientists Understand Plant Root Function (September 9, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a non-invasive technique that uses thermal neutron attenuation to measure spatial and temporal distribution of water in soils. The study focuses on the McClellan Nuclear Radiation Center in Sacramento, Calif., developed by the US Air Force. ... > full story
More Off-premise Alcohol Outlets Can Lead To More Injuries Among Neighborhood Children (September 9, 2008) -- Injuries are the leading cause of death among children ages one to 14 in the United States. A first-of-its-kind study shows that numerous off-premise alcohol outlets in neighborhoods can reduce overall guardianship of children's activities, leading to increased injuries. ... > full story
Presence Of Planets In Young Gas Discs Hinted At Using Clever New Astronomical Method (September 9, 2008) -- Astronomers have been able to study planet-forming discs around young Sun-like stars in unsurpassed detail, clearly revealing the motion and distribution of the gas in the inner parts of the disc. This result, which possibly implies the presence of giant planets, relies on the use of a very clever method enabled by ESO's Very Large Telescope. ... > full story
Genetic Variants Associated With Vitamin B12 (September 9, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a common genetic influence on B12 vitamin levels in the blood, suggesting a new way to approach the biological connections between an important biochemical variable and deficiency-related diseases. ... > full story
Shifting Earth Near Closed Mines: Ground In Dutch Province Rising Faster Than Expected (September 9, 2008) -- The ground in the Dutch province of South-Limburg is not as stable as had been thought. Satellite observations have shown greater localized rises than expected. Newly-developed technology has also enabled improved charting of ground subsidence in the provinces of Groningen and North-Holland. The satellites measure ground shifts down to the last millimeter. ... > full story
Creating Lung Cancer Risk Models For Specific Populations Refines Prediction (September 9, 2008) -- Lung cancer risk prediction models are enhanced by taking into account risk factors by race and by measuring DNA repair capacity, according to epidemiologists. ... > full story
Scientists Develop Model To Map Continental Margins (September 9, 2008) -- Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a new exploration method to assist the oil and gas industry in identifying more precisely where the oceans and continents meet. ... > full story
Middle Schoolers And Alcohol: Tips For Parents From AAAS (September 9, 2008) -- The first few weeks of middle school are a frenzy of friends, parties, and school events. It's also time for parents to start talking with their kids about the dangers of drinking alcohol, according to the Science Inside Alcohol Project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. ... > full story
Marijuana Ingredients Show Promise In Battling Superbugs (September 8, 2008) -- Substances in marijuana show promise for fighting deadly drug-resistant bacterial infections, including so-called "superbugs," without causing the drug's mood-altering effects, scientists in Italy and the United Kingdom are reporting. ... > full story
Gene Therapy Prevents Blindness In An Animal Model Of Mitochondrial Dysfunction (September 8, 2008) -- Scientists have created an animal model suitable for testing and validating gene therapies for treatment of a common mitochondrial dysfunction that causes loss of vision. ... > full story
Structure Of Key Epigenetics Component Identified (September 8, 2008) -- Scientists from the Structural Genomics Consortium have determined the 3-D structure of a key protein component involved in enabling "epigenetic code" to be copied accurately from cell to cell. The research not only represents an advance for the epigenetics field, but also an advance for how the science was done. ... > full story
First Prognosticator Of Survival In Aggressive Cancer Revealed (September 8, 2008) -- The tumor suppressor gene pRb2/p130 may provide the first independent prognostic biomarker in cases of soft tissue sarcoma, according to new research. ... > full story
Alpine Fungi Collected In Beartooth Mountains Of Montana (September 8, 2008) -- Some of the world's top experts on fungi recently collected fungi and mushrooms above tree line in the Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge, Mont. ... > full story
Will The 'Bare Below The Elbows' Rule For Doctors Cut Infection Rates Or Just Patient Confidence? (September 8, 2008) -- Should surgeons be bare below the elbows and tie-less or are new UK dress rules for doctors compromising their professional image without sufficient evidence that hospital-acquired infections will be reduced? ... > full story
Hunt For Elusive Higgs Boson -- Most Highly Sought-after Particle In Physics -- Gets Boost (September 8, 2008) -- The hunt for the Higgs boson, the most highly sought-after particle in physics, received a boost this month with two new results from the Tevatron particle collider at Fermilab in Illinois. Scientists working on the DZero particle detector experiment have for the first time successfully observed pairs of Z bosons at the Tevatron. Pair production of these force carrying particles is extremely rare and difficult to detect, and researchers say that having observed them represents a big step towards observing the Higgs boson itself. ... > full story
Common Painkillers Lower Levels Of Prostate Cancer Biomarker, Study Shows (September 8, 2008) -- Common painkillers like aspirin and ibuprofen appear to lower a man's PSA level, the blood biomarker widely used by physicians to help gauge whether a man is at risk of prostate cancer. But the authors of the study caution that men shouldn't take the painkillers in an effort to prevent prostate cancer just yet. ... > full story
Tracking The Reasons Many Girls Avoid Science And Math (September 8, 2008) -- The self-confidence instilled by parents and teachers is more important for young girls learning math and science than their initial interest. The three-year study aimed to identify supports and barriers that steer girls and young women toward or away from science and math during their education. ... > full story
Gaining A Better Understanding Of Kidney Diseases (September 8, 2008) -- By introducing a genetic switch in mice it is possible to increase or decrease the production of specific protein molecules in their kidneys. Thus, researchers can study the influence of specific proteins on disease development. This model of investigating severe kidney diseases was published in Nature Medicine. ... > full story
Unexplored Arctic Region To Be Mapped (September 8, 2008) -- A scientific expedition this fall will map the unexplored Arctic seafloor where the US and Canada may have sovereign rights over natural resources such as oil and gas and control over activities such as mining. Both countries will use the resulting data to establish the outer limits of the continental shelf, according to the criteria set out in the Convention on the Law of the Sea. ... > full story
Txt Crimes, Sex Crimes And Murder: The Science Of Forensic Linguistics (September 8, 2008) -- Text and instant messaging may soon cease to be an anonymous method of communication as advances in forensic linguistic research make it possible to identify the sender and also predict the gender and age of the author with some degree of success. ... > full story
Can Science Improve Man's Best Friend? (September 8, 2008) -- While animal buyers often look closely at physical characteristics, behavioral traits can make the difference between a dog becoming a much loved and pampered family member, or a mistreated or neglected unwanted animal. Science and breeding can be used to produce dogs that have characteristics desired by average dog owners and are well suited to the domestic environment. ... > full story
Best Way To Treat Malaria: Avoid Using Same Drug For Everyone, Scientists Say (September 8, 2008) -- Scientists employing a sophisticated computer model have found that many governments worldwide are recommending the wrong kind of malaria treatment. ... > full story
New Rules Needed To Govern World's Fragile Polar Regions (September 8, 2008) -- Consideration of international law and policy issues in polar regions is urgently needed as climate change opens the Arctic Ocean to shipping, fishing, and other resource exploitation, and as growing numbers of bioprospectors, researchers and tourists flock to Antarctica, all with potentially serious environmental consequences in these highly fragile ecosystems. ... > full story
New Stem Cell Screening Tool Takes Adult Stem Cell Research To New Level (September 8, 2008) -- A bioinformatic system takes adult stem cell research to a new level. Rather than using stem cells from embryonic sources, which opens difficult ethical and complicated scientific issues, scientists have been looking to adult human stem cells, culled from a person's own body. Adult stem cells are now being cultivated from various tissues in the body -- from skin, bones and even wisdom teeth. ... > full story
Safer Skies For The Flying Public: New Air Traffic Control System Model Will Track Variables Without Human Input (September 8, 2008) -- Researchers are developing an air traffic control system that can track multiple flight locations and changing weather conditions and help controllers optimize traffic flow and air safety. ... > full story
Sweating, Crying May Help Prevent Exercise-Induced Asthma In Athletes (September 8, 2008) -- An athlete's ability to sweat may do more than keep the body cool. It also may prevent the development of exercise-induced asthma, a common respiratory condition among trained athletes. ... > full story
Comets Throw Light On Solar System's Beginnings (September 8, 2008) -- A new picture of the composition of comets is emerging. The early solar system is commonly believed to have been formed from a cold outer region and a hot inner region, which did not exchange material. But the comet Wild-2 contains both iron oxides, which suggests that it was exposed to small trickles of water, and chromium oxide (a high temperature mineral). This means that material must have moved between the two regions. ... > full story
Numerous Undiscovered Gene Alterations In Pancreatic And Brain Cancers Detected (September 8, 2008) -- Investigators have detected a multitude of broken, missing, and overactive genes in pancreatic and brain tumors, in the most detailed genetic survey yet of any human tumor. Some of these genetic changes were previously unknown and could provide new leads for improved diagnosis and therapy for these devastating cancers. ... > full story
Cassini Images Ring Arcs Among Saturn's Moons (September 8, 2008) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft has detected a faint, partial ring orbiting with one small moon of Saturn, and has confirmed the presence of another partial ring orbiting with a second moon. This is further evidence that most of the planet's small, inner moons orbit within partial or complete rings. ... > full story
Obese People With Asthma Have Nearly Five Times Greater Risk Of Hospitalization For Asthma (September 8, 2008) -- A new study found obese people with asthma are 4.6 times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma than non-obese people with asthma. The study surveyed 1,113 asthmatics and is the first study to control for risk factors that explain the obesity-asthma association: smoking, oral or inhaled corticosteroid medication use, gastroesophageal reflux disorder and demographics. The study found obese people had a harder time controlling asthma day-to-day compared to non-obese people with asthma. ... > full story
Plastic Bottles: Bisphenol A Of 'Some Concern' According To U.S. Government Report (September 8, 2008) -- Current human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in many polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, is of "some concern" for effects on development of the prostate gland and brain and for behavioral effects in fetuses, infants and children, according to a final report released in the U.S. by the National Toxicology Program. ... > full story
The Beatles Show Link Between Positive Experiences And How Memories Are Shaped (September 8, 2008) -- The Magical Memory Tour, the largest ever international online survey which asked people to blog their memories of the Beatles to create the biggest database of autobiographical memories ever attempted, has just been completed. ... > full story
Next Stop: The Fourth Dimension, With Large Hadron Collider Experiments (September 8, 2008) -- How did the universe come to be? What is it made of? What is mass? Can science prove that there are other dimensions? We may have answers soon. On September 10, 2008, the new CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is scheduled to turn on. The first high-energy collisions are expected to take place in October 2008. Scientists are calling it the largest experiment in the world. ... > full story
Changes To Embryonic Stem Cells Caused By Down Syndrome Revealed (September 8, 2008) -- Scientists investigating the mechanisms of Down syndrome have revealed the earliest developmental changes in embryonic stem cells caused by an extra copy of human chromosome 21 -- the aberrant inheritance of which results in the condition. ... > full story
Tiny Gold Clusters Are Top-notch Catalysts (September 8, 2008) -- Using a pair of scanning transmission electron microscopy instruments for which spherical aberration is corrected, researchers have for the first time achieved state-of-the-art resolution of gold nanocrystals absorbed onto iron oxide surfaces that can catalyzed a variety of reactions, including the oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. ... > full story
Stem Cell Transplantation Benefits Mice With Childhood Motor Neuron Disease (September 8, 2008) -- The motor neuron disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the second most common genetic disorder leading to death in childhood. There is currently no cure for SMA, but some clinicians and researchers consider stem cell transplantation as a potential therapeutic strategy. And now, work using a mouse model of SMA suggests that spinal cord neural stem cells might be a possible treatment for individuals with SMA. ... > full story
Changes In Urine Could Lead To BSE Test For Live Animals (September 8, 2008) -- Researchers have demonstrated that protein levels in urine samples can indicate both the presence and progress of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy disease in cattle. The scientists hope that their discovery might lead to the development of a urine-based test that could prevent the precautionary slaughter of many animals as now occurs when the disease is detected. ... > full story
Functional Food – Delicious And Healthy (September 8, 2008) -- Linseed is said to protect against cancer – but not everybody likes the taste. Researchers have now isolated the valuable components of the flax seeds. Incorporated in bread, cakes or dressings, they support the human organism without leaving an unpleasant aftertaste. ... > full story
As Easy As 1, 2, 3: Number Sense Correlates With Test Scores (September 8, 2008) -- Knowing how precisely a high school freshman can estimate the number of objects in a group gives you a good idea how well he has done in math as far back as kindergarten. ... > full story
New 'Trick' Allows HIV To Overcome A Barrier To Infection (September 8, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered a new 'trick' that allows HIV to overtake resting T cells that are normally highly resistant to HIV infection -- the binding of the virus to the surface of those cells sends a signal that breaks down the cells' internal skeleton, a structure that otherwise may present a significant barrier to infection. ... > full story
Smoke Smudges Mexico City's Air, Chemists Identify Sources (September 8, 2008) -- Mexico City once topped lists of places with the worst air pollution in the world. Although efforts to curb emissions have improved the situation, tiny particles called aerosols still clog the air. Now, atmospheric scientists have sorted through the pall that hangs over the city to precisely identify aerosols that make up the haze and chart daily patterns of changes to the mix. ... > full story
Cholesterol Drugs Lower Risk Of Stroke For Elderly, Too (September 8, 2008) -- Elderly people who take a cholesterol drug after a stroke or mini-stroke lower their risk of having another stroke just as much as younger people in the same situation, according to new research. ... > full story
Role Of Aerosols In Climate Change Examined (September 8, 2008) -- It appears that aerosol effects on clouds can induce large changes in precipitation patterns, which in turn may change not only regional water resources, but also may change the regional and global circulation systems that constitute the Earth's climate. A group of scientists have proposed a new framework to account more accurately for the effects of aerosols on precipitation in climate models. ... > full story
Child Safety Seats And Lap-and-shoulder Belts Effective In Preventing Serious Injury, Study Suggests (September 8, 2008) -- Study reveals that lap-and-shoulder seat belts perform as well as child safety seats in preventing serious injury. For young children, all states currently require the use of child safety seats, and the minimum age and weight requirements to graduate to seat belts has been increasing over time. A new study reveals that lap-and-shoulder seat belts perform as well as child safety seats in preventing serious injury. ... > full story
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