ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Thursday, September 11, 2008
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Brightest Gamma-ray Burst Provides Wealth Of Information On How Stars Explode (September 11, 2008) -- Astronomers from around the world combined data from ground- and space-based telescopes to paint a detailed portrait of the brightest explosion ever seen. The observations reveal that the jets of the gamma-ray burst called GRB 080319B were aimed almost directly at the Earth. ... > full story
How Parkinson's Develops: Protein Found That Regulates Gene Critical To Dopamine-releasing Brain Cells (September 11, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a protein they say appears to be a primary player in maintaining normal functioning of an important class of neurons -- those brain cells that produce, excrete and then reabsorb dopamine neurotransmitters. These molecules command numerous body functions, ranging from management of behavior and mood to control of movement, and one day may hold the key to why and how some people develop Parkinson's and other brain diseases. ... > full story
Dirty Air Brings Rain – Then Again, Maybe Not: Scientists Reconcile Contradictory Effects (September 11, 2008) -- Scientists have come up with a surprising finding to the disputed issue of whether air pollution increases or decreases rainfall. The conclusion: both can be true, depending on local environmental conditions. ... > full story
Older Women Who Get Little Sleep May Have A Higher Risk Of Falling (September 11, 2008) -- Women age 70 and older who sleep five hours or less per night may be more likely to experience falls than those who sleep more than seven to eight hours per night, according to a new report. Additionally, the use of sleep medications does not appear to influence the association between sleep and risk of falling. ... > full story
Bacteria Stop Sheep Dip From Poisoning Fish And Bees (September 11, 2008) -- Bacteria can be used to break down used sheep dip, preventing bees and fish from dying because of soil and river contamination, scientists report. ... > full story
Sexual Harassment 10 Times More Likely In Casual And Contract Jobs (September 11, 2008) -- Women employed in casual and contract jobs are up to 10 times more likely to experience unwanted sexual advances than those in permanent full time positions, a University of Melbourne study has found. ... > full story
World's First Synthetic Tree: May Lead To Technologies For Heat Transfer, Soil Remediation (September 11, 2008) -- In Abraham Stroock's lab at Cornell, the world's first synthetic tree sits in a palm-sized piece of clear, flexible hydrogel -- the type found in soft contact lenses. Stroock and graduate student Tobias Wheeler have created a "tree" that simulates the process of transpiration, the cohesive capillary action that allows trees to wick moisture upward to their highest branches. ... > full story
Potential Approach To Treatment Of Hepatitis B Virus Infection (September 11, 2008) -- Researchers have found that hepatitis B virus infection can be treated with therapeutic approaches targeting host cell proteins by inhibiting a cellular gene required for HBV replication or by restoring a response abrogated by HBV. This provided a potential approach to the prevention and treatment of HBV infection. ... > full story
Calculating How Breast Cancers Will Respond To Tamoxifen (September 11, 2008) -- A discovery by Australian scientists could help clinicians decide which women with breast cancer will make good candidates for anti-estrogen therapies, such as tamoxifen, and which will not. ... > full story
UK Children's Physical Activity Levels Hugely Overestimated (September 11, 2008) -- UK children's physical activity levels have been greatly overestimated, with true levels likely to be around six times lower than national data suggest, finds new research. ... > full story
Hydrogen Bonds: Scientists Find New Mechanism (September 11, 2008) -- Water’s unrivaled omnipresence and the crucial role it plays in life drive scientists to understand every detail of its unusual underlying properties on the microscopic scale. Researchers now report how water solvates its intrinsic hydroxide (OH-) anion. Unraveling this behavior is important to advance the understanding of aqueous chemistry and biology. ... > full story
Over 1 In 4 South African Men Report Using Physical Violence Against Their Female Partners (September 11, 2008) -- A first-ever, national study conducted in South Africa found that 27.5 percent of men who have ever been married or lived with a partner report perpetrating physical violence against their current or most recent female partner. ... > full story
Engineers Create New Gecko-like Adhesive That Shakes Off Dirt (September 10, 2008) -- Researchers have created the first gecko-like adhesive that cleans itself after each use without the need for water or chemicals. It's the latest milestone in the effort to create a synthetic version of the remarkable toe hairs that enable the acrobatic feats of the gecko lizard. ... > full story
Bacteria's Sticky Glue Is Clue To Vaccine, Says Scientist (September 10, 2008) -- Sticky glue secreted by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus could be the clue scientists have been searching for to make an effective vaccine against MRSA, medical researchers report. ... > full story
Recovery Efforts Not Enough For Critically Endangered Asian Vulture (September 10, 2008) -- Captive breeding colonies of a critically endangered vulture, whose numbers in the wild have dwindled from tens of millions to a few thousand, are too small to protect the species from extinction, a new analysis shows. ... > full story
Golf-related Eye Injuries In Children Are Rare, But Can Be Devastating (September 10, 2008) -- Pediatric golf injuries are rare but can be devastating to the eye and vision system, according to a report in the Archives of Ophthalmology. ... > full story
Oil Seed Rape Grown For Biofuel Can Help Clean Up Toxic Soils (September 10, 2008) -- Oil seed rape grown for biofuel in Ireland could help clean up contaminated soils, scientists report. ... > full story
A New Addiction: Internet Junkies (September 10, 2008) -- While compulsive gambling is only beginning to be addressed by mental health professionals, they must now face a new affliction: Internet addiction. ... > full story
Sleek Probe To Map Earth’s Gravity (September 10, 2008) -- The European Space Agency is launching a new satellite to map variations in the Earth's gravity field with unprecedented accuracy. The satellite will give UK scientists vital information about ocean circulation and sea level change needed to improve climate forecast models. ... > full story
Human Embryonic Stem Cell Secretions Minimize Tissue Injury After Heart Attack (September 10, 2008) -- A novel way to improve survival and recovery rate after a heart attack was reported in the journal Stem Cell Research. This method, developed in laboratory research with pigs, is the first noncell based therapeutic application of human embryonic stem cells. It entails using secretions from stem cells. ... > full story
World's Largest-ever Study Of Near-Death Experiences (September 10, 2008) -- The University of Southampton is launching the world's largest-ever study of near-death experiences this week. The University of Southampton is launching the world's largest-ever study of near-death experiences this week. The AWARE (AWAreness during REsuscitation) study is to be launched by the Human Consciousness Project -- an international collaboration of scientists and physicians who have joined forces to study the human brain, consciousness and clinical death. ... > full story
Researchers Identify Natural Tumor Suppressor (September 10, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a key step in the formation -- and suppression -- of esophageal cancers and perhaps carcinomas of the breast, head and neck. By studying human tissue samples, they found that Fbx4, a naturally occurring enzyme, plays a key role in stopping production of another protein called Cyclin D1, which is thought to contribute to the early stages of cancer development. ... > full story
Magnetic Resonance And Radar Technology United In One Prototype: New Process To Improve Diagnostic Images (September 10, 2008) -- Don't move a muscle! Patients certainly have to take this request to heart if they have to lie in a magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) device – otherwise movement artifacts result on the images produced by the MRT. With the aid of an ultra-broadband radar device, these vital movements during measurement can be taken into consideration and the MRI measurements can be corrected. ... > full story
Bilingual Children More Likely To Stutter (September 10, 2008) -- Children who are bilingual before the age of 5 are significantly more likely to stutter and to find it harder to lose their impediment, than children who speak only one language before this age, suggests research in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. ... > full story
Manure 'Smells Like Money' As Energy Costs Rise (September 10, 2008) -- With energy prices driving the cost of agricultural inputs up, nutrient-rich manure is getting another look. ... > full story
Genetic Region Linked To Five Times Higher Lung Cancer Risk (September 10, 2008) -- A narrow region on chromosome 15 contains genetic variations strongly associated with familial lung cancer, a new study says. The researchers found a more than five times higher risk of lung cancer for people who have both a family history of the disease and these genetic variations. ... > full story
Spiky Probe On NASA Mars Lander Raises Vapor Quandary (September 10, 2008) -- A fork-like conductivity probe has sensed humidity rising and falling beside NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, but when stuck into the ground, its measurements so far indicate soil that is thoroughly and perplexingly dry. ... > full story
Many Cancer Patients Receive Insufficient Pain Management Therapy (September 10, 2008) -- Pain is one of the most common symptoms of cancer patients, yet many of them do not receive adequate therapy for the pain caused by their disease or treatments, according to new study. ... > full story
Carbon Molecule With A Charge Could Be Tomorrow's Semiconductor (September 10, 2008) -- As part of the research to place gadolinium atoms inside the carbon cage of a fullerene molecule for MRI applications, researchers created an 80-atom carbon molecule with two yttrium ions inside. They then replaced one of the carbon atoms with an atom of nitrogen and discovered that the extra electron ducks inside between the yttrium ions, forming a one-electron bond with unique spin properties that can be altered. ... > full story
Previously Deported Immigrants More Likely To Be Rearrested After Leaving Jail, Study Finds (September 10, 2008) -- Deportable immigrants who previously have been expelled from the United States are more likely to be rearrested on suspicion of committing a crime after they are released from jail than other deportable immigrants without the prior history of expulsion, according to a new RAND Corporation study. The findings provide support for law enforcement programs that target deportable immigrants who have a record of being previously deported from the United States. ... > full story
Upper Mass Limit For Black Holes? (September 10, 2008) -- There appears to be an upper limit to how big the Universe's most massive black holes can get, according to new research led by a Yale University astrophysicist and published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. ... > full story
Eating Fish While Pregnant, Longer Breastfeeding, Lead To Better Infant Development, Research Finds (September 10, 2008) -- Higher prenatal fish consumption leads to better physical and cognitive development in infants, according to a study of mothers and infants from Denmark. Longer breastfeeding was also independently beneficial. ... > full story
Nanoscale Droplets With Cancer-fighting Implications Created (September 10, 2008) -- Scientists have succeeded in making unique nanoscale droplets that are much smaller than a human cell and can potentially be used to deliver pharmaceuticals. ... > full story
Protein Essential In Long Term Memory Consolidation Identified (September 10, 2008) -- New research has identified a specific protein essential for the process of long term memory consolidation. The process of memory creation and consolidation is the first to be affected in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's; understanding the biological mechanisms of this process brings us one step closer to finding a treatment for these incurable diseases. ... > full story
Climate: New Spin On Ocean's Role (September 10, 2008) -- New studies of the Southern Ocean are revealing previously unknown features of giant spinning eddies that are profoundly influencing marine life and the world's climate. These massive swirling structures -- the largest are known as gyres -- can be thousands of kilometers across and can extend down as deep as 500 meters or more, new research shows. ... > full story
Diversity At Medical Schools Makes Stronger Doctors, Study Shows (September 10, 2008) -- A new UCLA study disputes controversial legislation like Prop. 209 that claimed campus policies to promote student-body diversity were unnecessary and discriminatory. UCLA researchers found that medical students who undergo training in racially diverse schools feel better equipped to care for patients in a diverse society. ... > full story
First Beam For Large Hadron Collider (September 10, 2008) -- An international collaboration of scientists today sent the first beam of protons zooming at nearly the speed of light around the world's most powerful particle accelerator -- the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) -- located at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. Scientists believe the LHC could help unlock extraordinary discoveries about the nature of the physical universe. ... > full story
Why Do Some Lifelong Nonsmokers Get Lung Cancer? (September 10, 2008) -- A new study finds that lung cancer death rates among never-smokers are highest among men, African-Americans and Asians residing in Asia. ... > full story
New Nano Device Detects Immune System Cell Signaling (September 10, 2008) -- Scientists have detected previously unnoticed chemical signals that individual cells in the immune system use to communicate with each other over short distances. The signals the researchers detected originated in dendritic cells -- the sentinels of the immune system that do the initial detection of microscopic invaders -- and was received by nearby T-cells, which play a number of crucial roles in the immune system, including coordination of attacks on agents that cause disease or infection. ... > full story
New Drug Hope For Cystic Fibrosis Patients (September 10, 2008) -- A new drug therapy may represent a tremendous step forward in the treatment of some 70,000 cystic fibrosis patients worldwide. One of the researchers said, "The early results with VX-770 suggest that drug therapies which target defects at the root of the disease have the potential to improve greatly the quality of life of CF patients." ... > full story
Oxygen Theory Of Mass Extinction Questioned By New Research Findings (September 10, 2008) -- Several theories have been proposed by scientists to explain the two mass extinction events which took place on the earth 250 and 200 million years ago. The Permian-Triassic catastrophe (250 million years ago) was the worst of all five of the mass extinction events to ever have befallen the earth. It eradicated almost 95% of all species, 53% of marine families, 84% of marine genera and an approximated 70% of all land species including plants, insects and vertebrate animals. ... > full story
Boss’ Gender Impacts Employee Stress Levels (September 10, 2008) -- Worker mental and physical well-being are influenced by gender in the workplace, according to a study that analyzed the impact of supervisor and subordinate gender on health. ... > full story
Simple Blood Test For Alzheimer's? Researchers Seeking To Identify Alzheimer's Risk Focus On Specific Blood Biomarker (September 10, 2008) -- A simple blood test to detect whether a person might develop Alzheimer's disease is within sight and could eventually help scientists in their quest toward reversing the disease's onset in those likely to develop the debilitating neurological condition, Columbia University Medical Center researchers announced today. ... > full story
High Levels Of Physical Activity Can Blunt Effect Of Obesity-related Gene, Study Suggests (September 10, 2008) -- High levels of physical activity can help to counteract a gene that normally causes people to gain weight, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed gene variants and activity levels of the Old Order Amish in Lancaster County, Pa., and found that the obesity-related FTO gene had no effect on individuals who were the most physically active. ... > full story
New 'Pyrex' Nanoparticle More Stable In Harsh Environments (September 10, 2008) -- Researchers in Switzerland have developed a new method to fabricate borosilicate glass nanoparticles. Used in microfluidic systems, these "Pyrex"-like nanoparticles are more stable when subjected to temperature fluctuations and harsh chemical environments than currently used nanoparticles made of polymers or silica glass. Their introduction could extend the range of potential nanoparticle applications in biomedical, optical and electronic fields. ... > full story
Advanced Blood Analysis May Speed Diagnosis Of Heart Attacks (September 10, 2008) -- Someday doctors may be able to use a blood test to confirm within minutes, instead of hours, if a patient is having a heart attack, allowing more rapid treatment that could limit damage to heart muscle. A new study reports that a novel technique to measure hundreds of molecular markers in the blood can identify those released when cardiac tissue is injured by a lack of oxygen. ... > full story
How Plants Fine Tune Their Natural Chemical Defenses (September 10, 2008) -- Even closely related plants produce their own natural chemical cocktails, each set uniquely adapted to the individual plant's specific habitat. Comparing antifungals produced by tobacco and henbane, researchers have discovered that only a few mutations in a key enzyme are enough to shift the whole output to an entirely new product mixture. ... > full story
White Men Attach Greater Stigma To Mental Health Care (September 10, 2008) -- Beyond financial and access barriers to mental health care, factors such as mistrust, perceptions of stigma and negative attitudes toward care can prevent people from seeking the help they need. A new study investigates the effect of gender, race and socioeconomic status on these psychosocial barriers to mental health care. ... > full story
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