ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Tuesday, September 23, 2008
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Deactivating Radioactive Waste In Hundreds, Not Millions, Of Years (September 23, 2008) -- It may be possible to dramatically reduce the radioactive waste isolation time -- from several million years to as little as 300 - 500 years. In order to decrease the isolation time for radioactive waste, first of all, the actinides - elements whose nuclei are heavier than uranium (i.e. curium, actinium) - must be removed from the waste by processing (transmutation) into short-lived nuclei. ... > full story
New Insights Into How Cells Accessorize Their Proteins (September 23, 2008) -- Researchers have gained new insight into how the cell's vast array of proteins would instantly be reduced to a confusion of lethally malfunctioning molecules without a system for proteins to "accessorize" in order to regulate their function. ... > full story
Shake, Rattle And Roll: James Webb Telescope Components Pass Tests (September 23, 2008) -- You might think that shaking and freezing a state-of-the-art, meticulously crafted machine is a bad idea. But when it comes to firing telescopes and their instruments into the frigid cold of space, the more you test your hardware, the better. ... > full story
Cost-effectiveness Of Genetic Screening To Guide Initial HIV Treatment Evaluated (September 23, 2008) -- A major study from a team of researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and Massachusetts General Hospital has found that a recent change to HIV-treatment guidelines recommending genetic screening is cost-effective under certain conditions. ... > full story
New Tool For 'Right First Time' Drug Manufacture (September 23, 2008) -- A technology which provides high quality images of the crystallization process marks the next step towards a "right first time" approach to drug manufacture, according to engineers. ... > full story
Physicians Often Miss Opportunities To Show Empathy, Study Finds (September 23, 2008) -- In consultations with patients with lung cancer, physicians rarely responded empathically to the concerns of the patients about mortality, symptoms or treatment options, according to a new study. The study found that physicians missed many opportunities to recognize and possibly ease the concerns of their patients and routinely provided little emotional support. ... > full story
Modest Carbon Dioxide Cutbacks May Be Too Little, Too Late For Coral Reefs (September 23, 2008) -- How much carbon dioxide is too much? According to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere need to be stabilized at levels low enough to "prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system." But scientists have come to realize that an even more acute danger than climate change is lurking in the world's oceans -- one that is likely to be triggered by CO2 levels that are modest by climate standards. ... > full story
Heart Bypass Surgery: Deadly Delays (September 23, 2008) -- Delaying elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery may be a significant risk factor for post-operative death. Research published in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research reveals that when patients received timely surgery, the risk of death was reduced by a third. ... > full story
Future Looks Bright For Interferometry (September 23, 2008) -- The PRIMA instrument of the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer recently saw "first light" at its new home atop Cerro Paranal in Chile. When fully operational, PRIMA will boost the capabilities of the VLTI to see sources much fainter than any previous interferometers, and enable astrometric precision unmatched by any other existing astronomical facility. PRIMA will be a unique tool for the detection of exoplanets. ... > full story
What's The Main Risk Factor Of Gallstone Disease? (September 23, 2008) -- Gallstone disease is very common and costly. Preventive strategies are based on the knowledge of GD risk factors. This study reports the results of a multicenter project aimed at evaluating GD incidence and risk factors. 9611 subjects (5477 males, 4134 females, aged: 30-79 years) were evaluated; 4.4 percent had gallstones, 0.6 percent had been cholecystectomized; incidence rate was 0.67 percent per year. Increasing age and body mass index were identified as true risk factors for GD. ... > full story
Virtual Colonoscopy As Good As Other Colon Cancer Screening Methods, Study Finds (September 23, 2008) -- CT colonography, known as virtual colonoscopy, is as accurate at screening for colorectal cancers and pre-cancerous polyps as conventional colonoscopy, the current screening standard, according to the National CT Colonography Trial, a nationwide multi-center study that included the San Francisco VA Medical Center. ... > full story
Culture Shapes Young People’s Drinking Habits (September 23, 2008) -- Whether young people get drunk as a purposeful behavior or as an unintended consequence depends on what country they live in, according to new research on young people in seven countries. The research finds that young people's views on alcohol and drunkenness were influenced more by culture than by factors such as age and sex. ... > full story
Political Attitudes Are Predicted By Physiological Traits, Research Finds (September 22, 2008) -- Is America's red-blue divide based on voters' physiology? A new paper in the journal Science explores the link. The study finds that those individuals with "measurably lower physical sensitivities to sudden noises and threatening visual images were more likely to support foreign aid, liberal immigration policies, pacifism and gun control, whereas individuals displaying measurably higher physiological reactions to those same stimuli were more likely to favor defense spending, capital punishment, patriotism and the Iraq War." ... > full story
Protein Identified That Plays Role In Blood Flow (September 22, 2008) -- Using atomic force microscopy -- a microscope with very high resolution -- and isolating blood vessels outside the body, researchers have identified a protein that plays an important role in the control of tissue blood flow and vascular resistance. This new knowledge brings researchers one step closer to understanding vascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and other vascular problems. ... > full story
Solution To Global Fisheries Collapse? 'Catch Shares' Could Rescue Failing Fisheries, Protect The Ocean (September 22, 2008) -- A new study shows that an innovative yet contentious fisheries management strategy called "catch shares" can reverse fisheries collapse. Where traditional "open access" fisheries have converted to catch shares, both fishermen and the oceans have benefited. Catch shares guarantee each shareholder a fixed portion of a fishery's total allowable catch. Each share becomes more valuable when the fish population -- and thus the total allowable catch -- increases. ... > full story
Different Stem Cell Types Defined By Exclusive Combinations Of Genes Working Together (September 22, 2008) -- In the new issue of Cell Stem Cell, scientists report that the same transcription factor, which is crucial for the survival of different stem cell types, can behave differently. This finding reveals important insights about how scientists may be able to manipulate and engineer different stem cells for the treatment of human degenerative disorders. Understanding the behavior of transcription factors, a class of gene regulators, helps pave the way for important advancements in stem cell technology and clinical research. ... > full story
Site Used By Sodium To Control Sensitivity Of Certain Potassium Ion Channels (September 22, 2008) -- Researchers have uncovered how sodium is able to control specific potassium ion channels in cells, according to new study findings published online in Nature Chemical Biology. ... > full story
Sexism Pays: Men Who Hold Traditional Views Of Women Earn More Than Men Who Don't, Study Shows (September 22, 2008) -- When it comes to sex roles in society, what you think may affect what you earn. A new study has found that men who believe in traditional roles for women earn more money than men who don't, and women with more egalitarian views don't make much more than women with a more traditional outlook. ... > full story
New Pacific Iguana Discovered In Fiji (September 22, 2008) -- A new iguana has been discovered in the central regions of Fiji. The colorful new species, named Brachylophus bulabula, joins only two other living Pacific iguana species, one of which is critically endangered. ... > full story
Scientists To Develop Blood Test For Alzheimer’s (September 22, 2008) -- Researchers in the United Kingdom are joining forces to develop a simple blood test to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. ... > full story
Gene Linked To Common Ailment In Labrador Retrievers Identified (September 22, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a gene in Labrador retriever dogs highly associated with the syndrome of exercise-induced collapse. ... > full story
Revealing The Regulating Mechanism Behind Signal Transduction In The Brain (September 22, 2008) -- Our brain consists of billions of cells that continually transmit signals to each other. This dynamic process works only when the brain cells make contact correctly, or, in other words, when there is a good "synapse." An essential element in this process is a controlled protein production along with the synapse. VIB researchers are now discovering how the Fragile X protein (FMRP) ensures that protein production is controlled at synapse and regulated by brain activity. ... > full story
Unlocking The Secret Of The Kondo Effect (September 22, 2008) -- Scientists have forged a breakthrough in understanding an intriguing phenomenon in fundamental physics: the Kondo effect. ... > full story
What You Smell As You Sleep Influences Your Dreams (September 22, 2008) -- What you smell as you sleep has the power to influence your dreams, says new research. ... > full story
Walnut Trees Emit Aspirin-like Chemical To Deal With Stress (September 22, 2008) -- Walnut trees respond to stress by producing significant amounts of a chemical form of aspirin, scientists have discovered. ... > full story
Variant Of Vitamin D Receptor Gene Linked To Melanoma Risk (September 22, 2008) -- A new analysis indicates an association between a gene involved in vitamin D metabolism and skin cancer. ... > full story
Expanding Cell Girth Indicates Seriousness Of Breast Cancer (September 22, 2008) -- How fat cells become after being exposed to a specialized electrical field is helping researchers determine whether cells are normal, cancerous or a stage of cancer already invading other parts of the body. ... > full story
Healthy People With Elevated Levels Of Uric Acid Are At Risk Of Developing Kidney Disease (September 22, 2008) -- Elevated uric acid levels in the blood indicate an increased risk of new-onset kidney disease, according to a study appearing in the December 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The results suggest that it may be appropriate to prescribe uric acid--lowering drugs, such as allopurinol and probenecid, to these otherwise healthy individuals. ... > full story
Steam Heat: Researchers Gear Up For Full-scale Hydrogen Plant (September 22, 2008) -- Hydrogen has many industrial uses and may one day replace fossil fuels such as gasoline to power vehicles without emitting carbon dioxide. But finding an environmentally friendly way to produce hydrogen in large quantities is still a big challenge. At Idaho National Laboratory, a team of engineers is working to develop a greener process, splitting steam into hydrogen and oxygen using high-temperature electrolysis. Coupled to an advanced nuclear plant, high-temperature electrolysis would use heat and a portion of the plant's electricity to generate hydrogen. ... > full story
Botox Can Improve First Impressions For Attractiveness, Dating Success (September 22, 2008) -- The popular cosmetic enhancement, botulinum toxin A positively effects first impression judgments in relation to attractiveness, dating success, and athleticism, says new research. ... > full story
'Friendly' Bacteria Protect Against Type 1 Diabetes, Researchers Find (September 22, 2008) -- In a dramatic illustration of the potential for microbes to prevent disease, researchers at have shown that mice exposed to common stomach bacteria were protected against the development of type I diabetes. ... > full story
Type 1 Diabetes May Result From Good Genes Behaving Badly (September 22, 2008) -- New research suggests that type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that develops in children and young adults, may not be due to bad genes but rather to good genes behaving badly. ... > full story
Study Of Satellite Imagery Casts Doubt On Surge's Success In Baghdad (September 22, 2008) -- By tracking the amount of light emitted by Baghdad neighborhoods at night, a team geographers have uncovered fresh evidence that last year's troop surge in Iraq may not have worked as well as billed by the US military. Night light in embattled neighborhoods declined dramatically just before the 2007 surge and never returned, suggesting that Iraqi ethnic cleansing did the job for which the US military has claimed credit. ... > full story
Pancreatic Cancer: New Options When An Old Enemy Returns (September 22, 2008) -- Pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging malignancies to treat, and recurrence is common, even after initial treatment with surgery and radiation. When the cancer does return, treatment options are often limited to chemotherapy, but researchers are now utilizing the precision allowed by CyberKnife to see if radiosurgery is a viable treatment option in select patients. ... > full story
Simulations Help Explain Fast Water Transport In Nanotubes (September 22, 2008) -- By discovering the physical mechanism behind the rapid transport of water in carbon nanotubes, scientists have moved a step closer to ultra-efficient, next-generation nanofluidic devices for drug delivery, water purification and nanomanufacturing. ... > full story
Work Together Or Face 'Disastrous Consequences' For Health In Africa, Experts Warn (September 22, 2008) -- Faced with the prospect of more variable and changing climates increasing Africa's already intolerable disease burden, scientists must begin to reach out to colleagues in other fields and to the people they want to help if they hope to avert an expected "continental disaster," according to leading climate, health, and information technology experts, who met in Nairobi last week. ... > full story
Genetic Link Between Immune And Nerve Systems Found (September 22, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered genetic links between the nervous system and the immune system in a well-studied worm, and the findings could illuminate new approaches to human therapies. ... > full story
Cancer-causing Gut Bacteria Exposed (September 22, 2008) -- Normal gut bacteria are thought to be involved in colon cancer but the exact mechanisms have remained unknown. Now, scientists have discovered that a molecule produced by a common gut bacterium activates signalling pathways that are associated with cancer cells. The research, published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, sheds light on the way gut bacteria can cause colon cancer. ... > full story
Conservation Program In Rwanda Helps Turn Gorilla Poachers Into Ecotourism Guides (September 22, 2008) -- Conservationists at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, are celebrating a double achievement – the success of a conservation program in Rwanda that has helped turn gorilla poachers into ecotourism guides, and a major international award for the program’s founder, alumnus Edwin Sabuhoro. ... > full story
Audio Relaxation Program May Help Lower Blood Pressure In Elderly (September 22, 2008) -- Study highlights an audio-guided relaxation CD with background sounds of ocean waves and a calming voice may lower blood pressure in elderly people. Listening to Mozart also significantly lowered blood pressure in the study, but to a lesser degree. The technique has been used for chronic pain, but had never been tested in the hypertensive elderly. ... > full story
Self-steering Vehicle Designed To Mimic Movements Of Ants (September 22, 2008) -- A team of engineers in the Canary Islands has designed the “Verdino”, a self-steering vehicle that can sense the road surface using a technique called Ant Colony Optimisation. This method is based on the behaviour used by ants to find the shortest way between their ant hill and sources of food. ... > full story
Why Heart Attack Victims Do Better With Social Support (September 22, 2008) -- Researchers have identified specific damages to the brain that may occur when heart attack victims are socially isolated from others. The study in mice found that those animals that lived alone before undergoing a heart attack showed five to eight times more damage to neurons in one part of the brain than did similar animals that lived with others. ... > full story
Nematode Genome Provides Insight Into Evolution Of Parasitism (September 22, 2008) -- Molecular biologists have decoded the genome of the Pristionchus pacificus nematode, thereby gaining insight into the evolution of parasitism. They have shown that the genome of the nematode consists of a surprisingly large number of genes, some of which have unexpected functions. ... > full story
Cancer-causing Role Of Gene Proteins Discovered (September 22, 2008) -- Scientists in Toronto, Canada have discovered the role of two "cousins" in the genetic family tree of cancer development. ... > full story
Baby Eyes Are Taking In The World, Applying Self-experience To Other People (September 22, 2008) -- Twelve- and 18-month-old babies not only are observing what is going on around them but also are using their own visual self-experience to judge what other people can and cannot see. ... > full story
Colorful Spy Tactics Track Live Cells Supporting Cancerous Tumors (September 22, 2008) -- A new advance in cellular imaging is allowing scientists to better understand the movement of cells in the area around tumors, also known as the tumor microenvironment. Optimized methods of laser microscopy track the movement of live cells in a mouse model of breast cancer. ... > full story
Fifth Dwarf Planet Named Haumea (September 22, 2008) -- The International Astronomical Union has announced that the object previously known as 2003 EL61 is to be classified as the fifth dwarf planet in the Solar System and named Haumea. This now means that the family of dwarf planets in the Solar System is up to five. ... > full story
Long-term Global Food Crisis Looms: Experts Urge Immediate Action (September 22, 2008) -- Declining agricultural productivity and continued growing demand have brought the world food situation to a crossroads. Failure to act now through a wholesale reinvestment in agriculture -- including research into improved technologies, infrastructure development, and training and education of agricultural scientists and trainers -- could lead to a long-term crisis that makes the price spikes of 2008 seem a mere blip. ... > full story
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