ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Tuesday, October 7, 2008
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Key To Rapid Evolution In Plants: Reproduce Early And Often (October 7, 2008) -- Researchers have harnessed the power of 21st century computing to confirm an idea first proposed in 1916 -- that plants with rapid reproductive cycles evolve faster. ... > full story
New Test Could Help Catch Serious Infections In Babies (October 7, 2008) -- A new blood test may help detect serious bacterial infections (such as meningitis and bloodstream infections) in infants with fevers that have no clear cause -- and may spare many infants from unnecessary spinal taps and antibiotics, which are typical in routine evaluations. ... > full story
Sequencing Thousand And One Genomes (October 7, 2008) -- Researchers report the simultaneous completion of the first genomes of wild Arabidopsis thaliana strains as part of the 1001 Genomes Project. ... > full story
New Catheter-less Technique May Ease The Pain And Discomfort Of Prostate Cancer Recovery (October 7, 2008) -- To ease the pain of recovery following prostate cancer surgery, physician-scientists have developed an innovative and patient-friendly approach that eliminates the use of a penile urinary catheter. The new patentable technique, used in conjunction with robotic prostatectomy -- the surgical removal of the prostate -- eliminates the pain and discomfort associated with the standard catheter. ... > full story
Smart Electricity Meter Developed (October 7, 2008) -- Engineers have just developed one of the world’s most advanced Smart Electricity Meters. The smart meter monitors energy consumption, giving information not just through a traditional power reading, but in a user-friendly way by displaying animated graphics of money on a large clear screen on the meter. ... > full story
Excluding Inmates From Health Research Thwarts Advancement Of Public Health, Expert Argues (October 7, 2008) -- More and more persons with mental illnesses, addiction disorders, and chronic and infectious diseases receive their medical care in a jail or prison. As of mid-2007, approximately 13 million inmates had been admitted to US jails during the previous 12 months. ... > full story
Landmark Discovery Of 'Engine' That Drives Cell Movement (October 7, 2008) -- How a cell assembles its internal machinery required for cell movement has been revealed for the first time. The discovery is fundamental to the understanding of how a cell responds to its external environment. ... > full story
Battling Cancer, One Cell At A Time (October 7, 2008) -- New research suggests that the identification and examination of key cell signaling events required for initiation and progression of cancer might be best accomplished at the single cell level. The research provides new insight that may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of some complex cancers. ... > full story
New Self-training Gene Prediction Program For Fungi Developed (October 7, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a computer program that trains itself to predict genes in the DNA sequences of fungi. The software will be freely available for academic researchers. ... > full story
Core Needle Breast Biopsy Safe For Patients Taking Blood Thinners (October 7, 2008) -- It is safe to take anticoagulants (blood thinners) before core needle breast biopsies, according to a study performed at the Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic in Rochester, N.Y. Core needle biopsies are offered as an alternative to surgical biopsy when a tissue sample of an irregular area in the breast is found by mammogram or sonogram. "They are safer than surgical procedures, require fewer anesthetics, and are accurate," according to Patricia Somerville, M.D., lead author of the study. ... > full story
Nitrogen Fertilizers Used Off-Season Help Crops Planted Later (October 7, 2008) -- Recent study results have shown have shown that using nitrogen fertilizer on off-season cover crops can not only increase the biomass of these crops, but can also have a beneficial effect on the nitrogen levels in the soil for the cash crop planted during the summer season. The results could significantly aid in preventing soil erosion in vulnerable agricultural regions. ... > full story
What Happens When We Ask Autistic Persons What Is Wrong With Them? (October 7, 2008) -- To date, few studies have focused on the viewpoints of autistic persons themselves despite an increasing number of published autobiographies. The results of this study suggest that what has been selected as major signs by psychiatric nosography is regarded as manifestations induced by perceptive peculiarities and strong emotional reactions by the autistic persons who expressed themselves. ... > full story
U.S. Navy Sonar Linked To Whale Strandings, Environmental Scientists Argue (October 6, 2008) -- With the U.S. Supreme Court due to review a series of lower court rulings that restrict the Navy's use of sonar in submarine detection training exercises off the coast of Southern California, George Mason University professor Chris Parsons discusses the links between mass strandings and military exercises worldwide in a paper in the Marine Pollution Bulletin. ... > full story
Patients Who Recover From Coma But Cannot Communicate Feel Pain (October 6, 2008) -- Do patients who survive a severe brain injury but fail to recover speech or non-verbal communication perceive pain? After their remarkable publication where they showed that a patient in a vegetative state in reality was conscious, scientists in Belgium were able to tackle the very difficult issue of pain perception in coma survivors. ... > full story
Small Asteroid To Light Up Sky Over Africa (October 6, 2008) -- An asteroid measuring several feet in diameter is expected to enter the atmosphere over northern Sudan before dawn Tuesday (Oct. 7), setting off a potentially brilliant natural fireworks display. ... > full story
A Little Exercise Goes A Long Way For Severely Obese (October 6, 2008) -- A little exercise goes a long way toward helping severely obese individuals improve their quality of life and complete important daily tasks, according to researchers at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center. ... > full story
Peer-to-peer Networking Takes Internet Out Of The Equation (October 6, 2008) -- When people working on a project get together with their laptops and PDAs, they share information via the internet and a client server. But new software developed by European researchers allows independent, ad hoc, secure networking anywhere. ... > full story
Effects Of Disclosing Financial Interests On Participation In Medical Research (October 6, 2008) -- Knowing how an investigator is paid for running a research study surprisingly plays a small role in patients' willingness to take part in clinical trials. However, according to a new study more participants are troubled when they are told that the investigator could profit or lose money depending on the results. ... > full story
Most Alaskan Glaciers Retreating, Thinning, Or Stagnating (October 6, 2008) -- Most glaciers in every mountain range and island group in Alaska are experiencing significant retreat, thinning or stagnation, especially glaciers at lower elevations, according to U.S. Geological Survey research. ... > full story
Food For Thought: Regulating Energy Supply To The Brain During Fasting (October 6, 2008) -- If the current financial climate has taught us anything, it's that a system where over-borrowing goes unchecked eventually ends in disaster. It turns out this rule applies as much to our bodies as it does to economics. Instead of cash, our body deals in energy borrowed from muscle and given to the brain. ... > full story
Visualizing Election Polls: An Animated, Interactive Way To Analyze Opinion Data (October 6, 2008) -- Do you want to know the percentage of white women who support vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin? What about college-educated versus high school-educated white women? Or those who also hunt? University of Utah computer scientists have written software they hope eventually will allow news reporters and citizens to easily, interactively and visually answer such questions when analyzing election results, political opinion polls or other surveys. ... > full story
New Study Finds Summer Is Peak Season For Diagnosis Of Esophagus Disorder (October 6, 2008) -- Two new studies examine eosinophilic esophagitis, a condition that can mimic symptoms of GERD, in a small proportion of people. The first study finds that the diagnosis of EoE, previously termed "allergic esophagitis," peaked during the summer months. The second analysis reviews a case series of heartburn patients who underwent surgery to treat GERD, but who were found later actually to suffer from EoE. ... > full story
Biophysicists Create New Model For Protein-cholesterol Interactions In Brain And Muscle Tissue (October 6, 2008) -- Using 3,200 computer processors and long-established data on cholesterol, a clearer picture emerges of a protein involved in inflammation, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, addiction and more. ... > full story
Corner Stores Capture Kids On Morning Commute (October 6, 2008) -- Researchers recently examined the eating habits of urban children before and after school as part of a larger project to make corner store snacks healthier. ... > full story
Nearly One In Four Of World’s Mammals At Risk Of Disappearing Forever (October 6, 2008) -- The most comprehensive assessment of the world's mammals has confirmed an extinction crisis, with almost one in four at risk of disappearing forever, according to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. ... > full story
Women Require Less Tobacco Exposure Than Men To Increase Colon Cancer Risk (October 6, 2008) -- While smoking poses a health threat to both men and women, women require less tobacco exposure than men to have a significant increased risk for colorectal cancer, according to new research. In a separate analysis, researchers found smoking may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer precursor lesions, particularly in patients with a strong family history of the disease. ... > full story
Sensors Advance Lunar Landing Project (October 6, 2008) -- NASA is developing technologies that will allow lunar landers to automatically identify and navigate to the location of a safe landing site while detecting landing hazards during the final descent to the surface. This is important because future lunar missions will need this capability to be able to land safely near specific resources that are located in potentially hazardous terrain. ... > full story
Combined Minimally Invasive Procedures Offer New Option For Lumbar Degenerative Scoliosis (October 6, 2008) -- Surgeons have combined three innovative minimally invasive spine surgery procedures to treat spinal curvature in adults, a common consequence of aging. A new article in the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques is believed to be the first to document the use of these procedures in combination to correct this condition, known as adult lumbar degenerative scoliosis. ... > full story
Egalitarian Revolution In The Pleistocene? (October 6, 2008) -- Although anthropologists and evolutionary biologists are still debating this question, a new study supports the view that the first egalitarian societies may have appeared tens of thousands of years before the French Revolution, Marx and Lenin. ... > full story
Obese Diners Choose Convenience And Overeating At Chinese Buffets (October 6, 2008) -- When dining at Chinese buffets, overweight individuals serve themselves and eat differently than normal weight individuals. This may lead them to overeat, according to a recent study. ... > full story
Human Papilloma Virus And Cancer, HIV Discoveries Recognized In 2008 Nobel Prize In Physiology Or Medicine (October 6, 2008) -- The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has awarded The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2008 with one half to Harald zur Hausen for his discovery of human papilloma viruses causing cervical cancer and the other half jointly to Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier for their discovery of human immunodeficiency virus. ... > full story
Smoking And Solid Fuel Use In Homes In China Projected To Cause Millions Of Deaths (October 6, 2008) -- If current levels of smoking and biomass and coal fuel use in homes continues, between 2003 and 2033 there will be an estimated 65 million deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 18 million deaths from lung cancer in China, accounting for 19 percent and 5 percent of all deaths in that country during this period. ... > full story
Near Infrared Nanoparticles Shine A Bright Light On Cancer (October 6, 2008) -- A new imaging method for breast cancer has been developed. More effective early detection of diseases is one of the promises of nanotechnology. Current imaging methods, such as x-rays and magnetic resonance imaging, are limited in the size of tumors they can detect, the depth they can penetrate the body, and by their potential side effects. Another promising imaging technique, near infrared bioimaging, is a noninvasive, painless, and non-ionizing form of radiation that operates at wavelengths just above that of visible light. ... > full story
Major Study Of Preschoolers' Visual Acuity Finds Fault With A Standard Eye Test (October 6, 2008) -- Visual acuity --- the ability to see objects in sharp detail --- was evaluated in 1,504 children aged 30 to 71 months as part of the Baltimore Pediatric Eye Disease Study, the first large, population-based study of eye disorders in preschool children. Researchers found that FPT --- considered the "clinical standard" for testing vision in preverbal children and the only test widely available to eye specialists for this age group --- did not accurately identify the presence or absence of visual acuity problems in this study population. ... > full story
Field Of The Future: Ecological Experiment Simulates Conditions In 2100 (October 6, 2008) -- A new experiment to find out how British plant ecosystems may be affected by future changes to climate and biodiversity is underway at Imperial College London. ... > full story
Gun Shows Do Not Increase Homicides Or Suicides, Study Finds (October 6, 2008) -- A new study finds no evidence that gun shows lead to substantial increases in either gun-related homicides or suicides. ... > full story
Earliest Animal Footprints Ever Found Show Animals Walking 30 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought (October 6, 2008) -- The fossilized trail of an aquatic creature suggests that animals walked using legs at least 30 million years earlier than had been thought. The tracks -- two parallel rows of small dots, each about 2 millimeters in diameter -- date back some 570 million years, to the Ediacaran period. ... > full story
Disinfectants Can Make Bacteria Resistant To Treatment (October 6, 2008) -- Chemicals used in the environment to kill bacteria could be making them stronger, according to a paper published in the journal Microbiology. Low levels of these chemicals, called biocides, can make the potentially lethal bacterium Staphylococcus aureus remove toxic chemicals from the cell even more efficiently, potentially making it resistant to being killed by some antibiotics. ... > full story
Genetic Damage In Minibacteria In Aphids And Ants Repaired By Faulty Copying (October 6, 2008) -- Aphids (plant lice) and ants carry minibacteria that produce essential amino acids and vitamins. These minibacteria have very limited genetic material and many broken genes. Now, researchers have found that repeated errors in the conversion of DNA to protein save the function of the damaged genes. ... > full story
For Insulin Sensitive Overweight Patients, One Session Of Exercise Improves Metabolic Health, New Research Suggests (October 6, 2008) -- Exercise decreases everyone's insulin resistance and therefore reduces the chances of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This study shows that even a single bout of exercise helps obese individuals increase their body's fat-burning rate and improve their metabolic health. ... > full story
New Graphene-based Material Clarifies Graphite Oxide Chemistry (October 6, 2008) -- A new "graphene-based" material that helps solve the structure of graphite oxide and could lead to other potential discoveries of the one-atom thick substance called graphene, which has applications in nanoelectronics, energy storage and production, and transportation such as airplanes and cars has been created by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. ... > full story
Television Viewing And Aggression: Some Alternative Perspectives (October 6, 2008) -- Psychologists investigated the effect that exposure to violent TV programs has on negative behavior in children from different ethnic backgrounds. The results showed a positive relationship between the amount of violent TV watched and negative personality attributes among white males and females and African-American females. ... > full story
Sun Is Not A Perfect Sphere, NASA Spacecraft Finds (October 6, 2008) -- Scientists using NASA's RHESSI spacecraft have measured the roundness of the sun with unprecedented precision. They find that it is not a perfect sphere. During years of high solar activity the sun develops a thin "cantaloupe skin" that significantly increases its apparent oblateness: the sun's equatorial radius becomes slightly larger than its polar radius. ... > full story
Reading Novel Can Help Obese Kids Lose Weight, Study Shows (October 6, 2008) -- It's no secret that reading is beneficial. But can it help kids lose weight? In the first study to look at the impact of literature on obese adolescents, researchers discovered that reading the right type of novel may make a difference. ... > full story
Galloping And Breathing At High Speed (October 6, 2008) -- A team of researchers has been working to unlock the secrets of equines. Their findings may lead to better muscular horse health and a new approach to breathing devices for people. ... > full story
CT Scans Change Treatment Plans In More Than A Quarter Of ER Patients With Suspected Appendicitis (October 6, 2008) -- CT scans change the initial treatment plans of emergency physicians in over a quarter of patients with suspected appendicitis, according to a study performed at the University of Washington Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Wash. ... > full story
Type Of Plankton -- Food Source For Many Fish -- Has Ability To Survive Climate Change (October 6, 2008) -- Researchers have found that the main source of food for many fish -- including cod -- in the North Atlantic appears to adapt in order to survive climate change. Billions of Calanus finmarchicus, a plankton species, which are just a few millimeters in size, live in the waters of the North Atlantic where the research was carried out. ... > full story
Thousands Of Deaf Patients Struggling To Access Basic Health Care (October 6, 2008) -- Thousands of Deaf patients are receiving inadequate healthcare because they are struggling to communicate with healthcare professions, say experts in a new study. ... > full story
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