ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Wednesday, October 15, 2008
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Challenge To Discover Antarctica’s Hidden World (October 15, 2008) -- Later this month teams of scientists, engineers, pilots and support staff from British Antarctic Survey (BAS), USA, Germany, Australia, China and Japan will join forces for one of the most scientifically, technically ambitious and physically demanding Antarctic projects yet to be undertaken. ... > full story
Ancient Chinese Salad Plant Transformed Into New Cancer-killing Compound (October 15, 2008) -- Researchers have updated a traditional Chinese medicine to create a compound that is more than 1,200 times more specific in killing certain kinds of cancer cells than currently available drugs, heralding the possibility of a more effective chemotherapy drug with minimal side effects. ... > full story
Turning Freshwater Farm Ponds Into Crab Farms (October 15, 2008) -- Biologist are working to grow and harvest blue crabs from freshwater ponds, instead of from the sea. ... > full story
Herbal Menopause Therapy A Good Fit For Breast Cancer Patients? (October 15, 2008) -- When it comes to understanding the effectiveness and safety of using herbal therapies with other drugs, much is unknown. Now, a researcher will study how black cohosh -- an herbal supplement often used to relieve hot flashes in menopausal women -- interacts with tamoxifen, a common drug used to treat breast cancer. ... > full story
Smart Solutions Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions (October 15, 2008) -- Better house envelopes, more efficient energy supply systems, and use of biofuels for heating buildings would reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Europe. Buildings account for 36% of Sweden’s energy consumption, and many homes are still heated with electricity. Existing houses therefore have a key role to play in reducing the use of electricity in Sweden. ... > full story
Filling In The Blanks: Consumers Want Complete Information To Make Choices (October 15, 2008) -- A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research examines the way consumers behave when information about a purchase is incomplete. The study suggests that there are ways for marketers to reduce the number of customers who leave empty handed. ... > full story
Did Termites Help Katrina Destroy New Orleans Floodwalls And Levees? (October 15, 2008) -- A new article suggests that Formosan subterranean termites played a large role in the destruction of floodwalls and levees during Hurricane Katrina. ... > full story
Critical Genetic Link Found Between Human Taste Differences And Nicotine Dependence (October 15, 2008) -- Researchers report that two interacting genes related to bitter taste sensitivity, TAS2R16 and TAS2R38, play an important role in a person's development of nicotine dependence and smoking behavior. The researchers found that people with higher taste sensitivity aren't as likely to become dependent on nicotine as people with decreased taste sensitivity. ... > full story
Surface Tension Drives Segregation Within Cell Mixtures (October 15, 2008) -- What does a mixture of two different kinds of cells have in common with a mixture of oil and water? The same basic force causes both mixtures to separate into two distinct regions. That is the conclusion of a new 3-D computer model of the cell sorting process. ... > full story
Insight On Common Heart Rhythm Disorder (October 15, 2008) -- Researchers have identified a gene variant that causes a potentially fatal human heart rhythm disorder called sinus node disease. While the newly discovered gene variant is rare, the study provides insight into cellular mechanisms that regulate sinus node function and identifies an unanticipated new pathway for developing future therapies to regulate more common forms of sinus node disease. ... > full story
Early-stage Gene Transcription Creates Access To DNA (October 15, 2008) -- An international team of researchers, probing how a yeast cell senses its cellular environment and makes decisions about whether or not to express a gene, finds the process of transcribing non-coding RNAs is required for the eventual production of the protein-encoding RNA. The transient synthesis of these non-coding RNAs serves to unfurl the tightly wound DNA, essentially loosening the structure to allow for gene expression. ... > full story
Landmark Study Links Sleep, Memory Problems In Elderly African-Americans (October 15, 2008) -- A landmark study shows that African-American seniors who have trouble falling asleep are at higher risk of having memory problems -- raising the possibility that identifying and treating sleep difficulties in the elderly may help preserve their cognitive functioning. The study is the first to examine the link between sleep and cognitive functioning in older African-Americans. ... > full story
Targeting Space Debris Using Networks (October 14, 2008) -- How to deal with the ever-increasing problem of space debris, poses a major challenge for space agencies, industry and academia around the globe. Now, research suggests a new technique for identifying key pieces of debris that should be targeted for removal from orbit. ... > full story
Discovery May Lead To Treatment For Neurodegenerative Diseases (October 14, 2008) -- Over the past several decades, many laboratories have studied the communication between nerve cells and muscle fibers that are crucial to form and maintain neuromuscular synapses. Now, researchers have found that a protein named Lrp4 is the missing link that allows communication between two crucial molecules -- one derived from the nerve and the other from muscle -- that enables the formation of the synapse. ... > full story
Bays On US Gulf Coast Vulnerable To Flooding (October 14, 2008) -- The most comprehensive geological review ever undertaken of the upper US Gulf Coast suggests that a combination of rising seas and dammed rivers could flood large swaths of wetlands this century in one or more bays from Alabama to Texas. The findings stem from bayfloor sediment samples, radiocarbon tests and seismic surveys compiled over 30 years. ... > full story
New Therapeutic Treatment Approach Improves Survival In Esophageal Cancer Patients (October 14, 2008) -- A new study has found that a new therapeutic treatment, when delivered endoscopically and used in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, improved survival rates in patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer. Cancer of the esophagus often has a poor survival rate. ... > full story
Time Of Day Influences Yield For Pharmacologically Stimulated Stem Cell Mobilization (October 14, 2008) -- A new study uncovers a previously unrecognized, species-specific impact of circadian rhythms on the production of mobilized stem cells. The research suggests that when it comes to collecting human stem cells for clinical transplantation, picking the right time of day to harvest cells may result in a greater yield. ... > full story
How Are Children Choosing Their Food Portions? (October 14, 2008) -- Researchers are trying to pinpoint the factors that affect how much food a child eats, to stave off unhealthy relationships with food later in life. ... > full story
Lunar Prospecting Robot To Be Field Tested On Hawaii's Mauna Kea (October 14, 2008) -- The cool, rocky slopes of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that is Hawaii's highest mountain, will serve as a stand-in for the moon as researchers test a robot designed for lunar prospecting. ... > full story
Why Sufferers From Alzheimer's Disease Might Have Lower Blood Pressure (October 14, 2008) -- A new study proposes that some people suffering from Alzheimer's disease experience a reduction in their high blood pressure because of cognitive decline. ... > full story
How 'Sandfish' Swim: Could Help Materials Handling And Process Technology Specialists (October 14, 2008) -- It moves as quickly in sand as a fish moves through water, which is why this lizard, a species of skink (Scincus scincus) that grows to about 15 cm long and lives in the deserts of North Africa and the Near East, is commonly known by the name "sandfish." ... > full story
New Risk Factor For Prostate Cancer (October 14, 2008) -- The greater the levels of a protein called Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), the greater the risk of prostate cancer, a new study has found. ... > full story
Genome Of A Monkey-human Malaria Parasite (October 14, 2008) -- Researchers have decoded the genome of a malaria parasite that infects humans and monkeys. Human infection with P. knowlesi was first reported just over 40 years ago. It is the fifth and emerging human malaria parasite: recent surveys that many P. knowlesi infections have been misdiagnosed, underestimating its prevalence. The genome sequence reveals a dramatic example of 'molecular mimicry' that is likely to be crucial for survival and propagation of the parasite in the body. ... > full story
When Seeing IS Believing (October 14, 2008) -- New research published in the journal Science explains why individuals seek to find and impose order on an unruly world through superstition, rituals and conspiratorial explanations by linking a loss of control to individual perceptions. ... > full story
Despite 'Peacenik' Reputation, Bonobos Hunt And Eat Other Primates, Too (October 14, 2008) -- Unlike the male-dominated societies of their chimpanzee relatives, bonobo society -- in which females enjoy a higher social status than males -- has a "make-love-not-war" kind of image. While chimpanzee males frequently band together to hunt and kill monkeys, the more peaceful bonobos were believed to restrict what meat they do eat to forest antelopes, squirrels and rodents. ... > full story
Scientists Trigger Cancer-like Response From Embryonic Stem Cells (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered a new control over embryonic stem cells' behavior. The researchers disrupted a natural bioelectrical mechanism within frog embryonic stem cells and trigged a cancer-like response, including increased cell growth, change in cell shape, and invasion of the major body organs. This research shows that electrical signals are a powerful control mechanism that can be used to modulate cell behavior. ... > full story
Rising Arctic Storm Activity Sways Sea Ice, Climate (October 14, 2008) -- A new NASA study shows that the rising frequency and intensity of arctic storms over the last half century, attributed to progressively warmer waters, directly provoked acceleration of the rate of arctic sea ice drift, long considered by scientists as a bellwether of climate change. ... > full story
Noxious Gas Stove Emissions Worsen Asthma Symptoms In Young Children (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists report that high levels of a noxious gas from stoves can be added to the list of indoor pollutants that aggravate asthma symptoms of inner-city children, especially preschoolers. ... > full story
Computers That Understand How You Feel (October 14, 2008) -- A navigation system able to provide emergency services with the quickest route while at the same time taking stress into account; this is an example of a new type of dialogue system just developed. The dialogue system recognizes the user’s emotions and is able to react to them. ... > full story
Soothing Music Reduces Stress, Anxiety And Depression During Pregnancy (October 14, 2008) -- Music therapy can reduce psychological stress among pregnant women, according to research just published in a special complementary and alternative therapy medicine issue of the UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing. ... > full story
Playing Pinball With Atoms: How To Turn Nanotech Devices On And Off (October 14, 2008) -- With nanotechnology yielding a burgeoning menagerie of microscopic pumps, motors, and other machines for potential use in medicine and industry, here is one good question: How will humans turn those devices on and off? ... > full story
Men Who Never Smoke Live Longer, Better Lives Than Heavy Smokers (October 14, 2008) -- Health-related quality of life appears to deteriorate as the number of cigarettes smoked per day increases, even in individuals who subsequently quit smoking, according to new research. ... > full story
Pectin Power: Why Fruits And Vegetables May Protect Against Cancer's Spread (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists from the UK's Institute of Food Research have found a new possible explanation for why people who eat more fruit and vegetables may gain protection against the spread of cancers. They have shown that a fragment released from pectin, found in all fruits and vegetables, binds to and is believed to inhibit galectin 3, a protein that plays a role in all stages of cancer progression. ... > full story
Caffeine Consumption Not Associated With Breast Cancer Risk In Most Women, Study Suggests (October 14, 2008) -- Caffeine consumption does not appear to be associated with overall breast cancer risk, according to a new report. However, there is a possibility of increased risk for women with benign breast disease or for tumors that are hormone-receptor negative or larger than 2 centimeters. ... > full story
NASA's Mars Odyssey Shifting Orbit For Extended Mission (October 14, 2008) -- The longest-serving of six spacecraft now studying Mars is up to new tricks for a third two-year extension of its mission to examine the most Earthlike of known foreign planets. NASA's Mars Odyssey is altering its orbit to gain even better sensitivity for its infrared mapping of Martian minerals. During the mission extension through September 2010, it will also point its camera with more flexibility than it has ever used before. Odyssey reached Mars in 2001. ... > full story
Longtime Visual Puzzler Explained In New Way (October 14, 2008) -- Neuroscientists have suggested an entirely new way to explain a puzzling visual phenomenon called the flash-lag effect. ... > full story
Personal Music Players: Scientists Warn Of Health Risks From Exposure To Noise (October 14, 2008) -- Listening to personal music players at a high volume over a sustained period can lead to permanent hearing damage, according to an opinion of the European Union Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks released this week. ... > full story
Toward An Effective Treatment For Spinal Muscular Atrophy (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists are reporting a key advance toward developing the first effective drug treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic disease that involves motor neuron loss and occurs in 1 out of every 6,000 births. SMA is the leading cause of hereditary infant death in the United States. ... > full story
Nanoscopic Screening Process To Speed Drug Discovery (October 14, 2008) -- Researchers are using nanotechnology to search for new cancer-fighting drugs through a process that could be up to 10,000 times faster than current methods. ... > full story
Bacteria That Can Cause Bone Infections Related To Tuberculosis Pathogen (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered that a bone infection is caused by a newly described species of bacteria that is related to the tuberculosis pathogen. The discovery may help improve the diagnosis and treatment of similar infections, according to an article in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. ... > full story
High Powered New Explosive Developed (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a novel tetranitrate ester, which is solid at room temperature, is a highly powerful explosive, and can be melt-cast into the desired shape. ... > full story
Drinking Alcohol Associated With Smaller Brain Volume (October 14, 2008) -- The more alcohol an individual drinks, the smaller his or her total brain volume. Brain volume decreases with age at an estimated rate of 1.9 percent per decade, accompanied by an increase in white matter lesions, according to background information in the article. ... > full story
New Gene Found That Helps Plants Beat The Heat (October 14, 2008) -- Plant scientists have discovered another piece of the genetic puzzle that controls how plants respond to high temperatures. That may allow plant breeders to create new varieties of crops that flourish in warmer, drier climates. ... > full story
Common Variant Increase Risk Of Most Common Form Of Skin Cancer By 170% (October 14, 2008) -- Scientists report the discovery of common versions of two single-letter variations in the human genome (SNPs) that confer risk of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common cancer among people of European ancestry. Unlike the four sets of SNPs previously found by deCODE to confer risk of BCC and cutaneous melanoma, those reported today are not linked to fair pigmentation traits that also make certain people prone to freckling and sunburn. ... > full story
Tropical Wetlands Hold More Carbon Than Temperate Marshes (October 14, 2008) -- Tropical wetlands are able to absorb and hold onto about 80 percent more carbon than can wetlands in temperate zones, according to a new study. The scientists extracted soil cores from wetlands in Costa Rica and in Ohio and analyzed the contents of the sediment from the past 40 years. Based on their analysis, they estimated that the tropical wetland accumulated a little over 1 ton of carbon per acre per year, and the temperate wetland accumulated .6 tons of carbon per acre per year. ... > full story
Vision Loss More Common In People With Diabetes (October 14, 2008) -- Visual impairment appears to be more common in people with diabetes than in those without the disease, according to a new report. ... > full story
Byproduct Of Steel Shows Potential In Carbon Dioxide Sequestration (October 14, 2008) -- With steelworks around the world emitting huge amounts of carbon dioxide, scientists are reporting that a byproduct of steel production could be used to absorb that greenhouse gas to help control global warming. ... > full story
Signs Of Heart Disease Are Attributed To Stress More Frequently In Women Than Men (October 14, 2008) -- Coronary heart disease symptoms presented in the context of a stressful life event were identified as psychogenic in origin when presented by women and organic in origin when presented by men. The study could help explain why there is often a delay in the assessment of women with heart disease. ... > full story
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