ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Thursday, November 13, 2008
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Simulation Shows What Would Happen If Magnitude 7.8 Earthquake Hit California (November 13, 2008) -- What would happen in California was hit by the Big One? New 3-D animations of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake scenario are now available to the public. ... > full story
New Technique To Study The Genetics Of Breast Cancer (November 13, 2008) -- A new technique to study genetic changes that can lead to breast cancer could be one step closer. ... > full story
Dust Storm Cuts Energy Supply Of NASA Mars Rover Spirit (November 13, 2008) -- A dust storm on Mars has cut into the amount of sunlight reaching the solar array on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, leaving the rover in a vulnerable state. ... > full story
Steps To Block Key Enzyme Action In Heart Failure Mapped (November 13, 2008) -- Taking a cue from the way drugs like Viagra put the biological brakes on a key enzyme involved in heart failure, scientists have mapped out a key chemical step involved in blocking the enzyme. ... > full story
Molecular Clipping Mechanism Confirmed Behind Stem Cell Development (November 13, 2008) -- Stem cells don't just become a part of the liver or the brain in a flash; it takes a complex molecular choreography and requires that specific genes be switched on and off at specific times. Some of these genes are regulated through a process by which proteins in the cell nucleus, called histones, are chemically modified by small "chemical marks" such as acetyl or methyl groups. ... > full story
U.S. Gets A 'D' As March Of Dimes Releases Premature Birth Report Card (November 13, 2008) -- In the first Premature Birth Report Card, the United States received a "D" and no U.S. state earned an "A," when the March of Dimes compared preterm birth rates to Healthy People 2010 objectives. Premature birth affects more than 530,000 babies annually in the United States. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and lifelong disability. ... > full story
Global Warming Link To Amphibian Declines In Doubt (November 13, 2008) -- Evidence that global warming is causing the worldwide declines of amphibians may not be as conclusive as previously thought, according to biologists. The findings, which contradict two widely held views, could help reveal what is killing the frogs and toads and aid in their conservation. ... > full story
Overnight Hemodialysis Dramatically Improves Survival, Study Shows (November 13, 2008) -- For hemodialysis patients, undergoing dialysis for eight hours overnight, three times weekly, reduces the risk of death by nearly 80 percent, compared to conventional, four-hour dialysis, according to new research. ... > full story
How A Well-known Protein Repairs Broken DNA Ends (November 13, 2008) -- During the life cycle of our cells, a minefield of environmental and biological assaults can lead to double-stranded DNA breaks, the most lethal and dangerous form of DNA damage. Now scientists reveal that when these breaks occur, a protein called 53BP1 helps repair them by mobilizing their dangly DNA ends -- findings that uncover a previously unknown aspect of how double-stranded breaks can get fixed. ... > full story
Wide Variability In Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Suggests Alternative Dosing Should Be Considered (November 13, 2008) -- Methotrexate is commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and is suggested as the "anchor" drug in treating the disease. Despite its widespread use, the understanding of its mechanism of action and pharmacokinetics is limited. ... > full story
Finnish IT Center For Science Upgrades Cray Supercomputer To One Of Europe’s Most Powerful (November 13, 2008) -- CSC's Cray supercomputer has been upgraded to over 85 teraflops (trillions of floating point operations per second). This makes the new Cray XT5 system at CSC the most powerful academic supercomputer in the Nordic countries and one of the fastest supercomputers in Europe. ... > full story
No Drop In IQ Seen After Bypass For Child Heart Surgery (November 13, 2008) -- The use of cardiopulmonary bypass does not cause short-term neurological problems in children and teenagers after surgery for less complex heart defects, according to pediatric researchers. The new finding contrasts favorably with previous studies that showed adverse neurological effects after newborn surgery for more complex heart conditions. ... > full story
Sun Shows Signs Of Life: Long-Awaited Solar Cycle 24 Starting To Take Off (November 12, 2008) -- After two-plus years of few sunspots, even fewer solar flares, and a generally eerie calm, the sun is finally showing signs of life. ... > full story
Low Potassium Linked To High Blood Pressure (November 12, 2008) -- As a risk factor for high blood pressure, low levels of potassium in the diet may be as important as high levels of sodium -- especially among African-Americans, according to new research. ... > full story
Sedimentary Records Link Himalayan Erosion Rates And Monsoon Intensity Through Time (November 12, 2008) -- Throughout history, the changing fortunes of human societies in Asia have been linked to variations in the precipitation resulting from seasonal monsoons. Research suggests that variations in monsoon climate over longer time scales also influenced the evolution of the world's highest mountain chain, the Himalaya. ... > full story
Primary Insomnia Linked To Neurochemical Abnormality In Young And Middle-aged Adults (November 12, 2008) -- A new study in the journal Sleep is the first demonstration of a specific neurochemical abnormality in adults with primary insomnia, providing greater insight to the limited understanding of the condition's pathology. ... > full story
Computerized Carer Lessens Dementia Load (November 12, 2008) -- An artificial intelligence coaching system has been developed that will help carers of older adults with moderate dementia. The COACH system uses a camera and computer to deliver interactive advice -- lessening the workload on often-overburdened carers. ... > full story
Mandatory HPV Vaccination Is Unwarranted And Unwise, According to Experts (November 12, 2008) -- A new article in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics suggests that it is premature for states to currently mandate the HPV vaccine as a condition for school attendance. Gardasil is relatively new and long-term safety and effectiveness in the general population is unknown, experts point out. ... > full story
Electronic Heat Trap Grips Deep Earth: Current Models Of Mantle Dynamics Challenged (November 12, 2008) -- The key to understanding Earth's evolution, including our atmosphere and how volcanoes and earthquakes form, is to look into the lower mantle, a region some 400 to 1,800 miles below the surface. Researchers simulated conditions at these depths and discovered that the concentration of highly oxidized iron in the two major mantle minerals is key to moving heat in that region and affects material movement throughout the planet. ... > full story
Molecule That Stops SARS Invented (November 12, 2008) -- A newly created compound prevents the replication of the virus that causes SARS and could lead to a treatment for the disease. In addition to its ability to block the SARS virus, the molecular compound that inhibits the virus provides new insights into a group of proteins found in a range of diseases including childhood croup, herpes and cancer. ... > full story
Tumors Grow Faster Without Blood-supply Promoting Molecule (November 12, 2008) -- Dense networks of blood vessels thought to spur cancer's growth could actually hinder rather than promote tumor progression. The findings partly explain why drugs designed to treat cancer by strangling its blood supply have been disappointing when used alone and why those treatments are more effective when combined with traditional chemotherapy. Despite their rapid progression, tumors fed by more normal vascular were also more vulnerable to the effects of standard chemotherapy drugs. ... > full story
Hip Resurfacing Is Not For Everyone, Study Suggests (November 12, 2008) -- Hip resurfacing is often seen as a modern alternative to the more conventional total hip replacement, but new data suggest that a patient's age and gender are key to the operation's success. ... > full story
Miniaturizing Memory: Taking Data Storage To The Molecular Level (November 12, 2008) -- Researchers are now exploring ways of exploiting the unique properties of carbon nanotubes to create a cheap and compact memory cell that uses little power and writes information at high speeds. ... > full story
Certain Types Of Thinking Are Best Suited To Certain Types Of Problem-solving (November 12, 2008) -- Geometry problems are best solved by a combination of verbal and spatial strategies, but not shape-based imagery strategies. ... > full story
Dusty Shock Waves Generate Planet Ingredients (November 12, 2008) -- Shock waves around dusty, young stars might be creating the raw materials for planets, according to new observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. ... > full story
Blood-brain Barrier Disarmed In Rodents: Hormone Shows Promise In Reversing Alzheimer’s Disease And Stroke (November 12, 2008) -- Researchers have disarmed the blood-brain barrier sentry that keeps a potential treatment for stroke and Alzheimer's disease from getting into the brain. The brain is protected by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a gate-keeping system of cells that lets in nutrients and keeps out foreign substances. The blood-brain barrier passes no judgment on which foreign substances are trying to get into the brain to treat diseases and which are trying to do harm, so it blocks them without discrimination. ... > full story
Rheumatoid Arthritis Breakthrough (November 12, 2008) -- Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, inflammatory type of arthritis that occurs when the body's immune system attacks itself. A new article in PLoS Biology, reports a breakthrough in the understanding of how autoimmune responses can be controlled, offering a promising new strategy for therapy development for rheumatoid arthritis. ... > full story
Over 50% Of People With High Blood Pressure Unaware They Have Condition (November 12, 2008) -- Results from a European project show that too many hypertensive people are not aware of their condition, while drugs fail to achieve optimal blood pressure in more than half of those under treatment. The European map of cardiovascular risk is changing, with England doing better than Italy. ... > full story
Nano-scale Electromechanical Sensors In Handheld Devices (November 12, 2008) -- Physicists are researching nano-scale cantilevers that have the potential to read and alert us to toxic chemicals or gases in the air. Put them into a small handheld device and the potential is there for real-time chemical alerts in battle, in industry, in health care and even at home. ... > full story
Text Messaging May Help Children Fight Off Obesity (November 12, 2008) -- Cell phone text messaging could be used to reduce children's chances of becoming overweight or obese later in life, by helping them monitor and modify their own behaviors now. ... > full story
New Path Found To Antibiotics In Dirt (November 12, 2008) -- A teaspoon of dirt contains an estimated 10,000 species of bacteria, but it's only one percent of these microbial bugs -- the ones that can be grown easily in a lab -- that have brought us antibiotics, anticancer agents and other useful drugs. ... > full story
Stem Cells From Monkey Teeth Can Stimulate Growth And Generation Of Brain Cells (November 12, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered dental pulp stem cells can stimulate growth and generation of several types of neural cells. Findings suggest dental pulp stem cells show promise for use in cell therapy and regenerative medicine, particularly therapies associated with the central nervous system. ... > full story
Commercial Poultry Lack Genetic Diversity, Are Vulnerable To Avian Flu And Other Threats (November 12, 2008) -- As concerns such as avian flu, animal welfare and consumer preferences impact the poultry industry, the reduced genetic diversity of commercial bird breeds increases their vulnerability and the industry's ability to adapt, according to a genetics expert. Native birds however, might be able to restock poultry industry's genetic stock. ... > full story
New Method Provides Panoramic View Of Protein-RNA Interactions In Living Cells (November 12, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a genome-wide platform to study how specialized proteins regulate RNA in living, intact cells. The platform allows researchers to identify, in a single experiment, every sequence within every strand of RNA to which proteins bind. The result is an unbiased and unprecedented look at how differences in RNA can explain how a worm and a human can each have 25,000 genes yet be so different. ... > full story
Nature’s Own Chemical Plant (November 12, 2008) -- Crude oil is getting more and more expensive, a fact clearly felt by the chemical industry. An alternative source of carbon is biomass, for instance colza and whey, which can likewise be used to produce chemical products. ... > full story
Airport Malaria: Cause For Concern In U.S. (November 12, 2008) -- "Airport malaria" is a term coined by researchers to explain the more recent spread of malaria to areas such as the United States and Europe, which some scientists credit to warmer climate changes. ... > full story
New Technology Could Revolutionize Breast Cancer Screening (November 12, 2008) -- The world's first radar breast imaging system that could revolutionize the way women are scanned for breast cancer is currently under clinical trial. Scientists have been working for a number of years to develop a breast-imaging device which uses radio waves and therefore has no radiation risk unlike conventional mammograms. ... > full story
Fatty Diet During Pregnancy Makes New Cells In Fetal Brain That Cause Early Onset Obesity (November 12, 2008) -- A study in rats shows that exposure to a high-fat diet during pregnancy produces permanent changes in the offspring's brain that lead to overeating and obesity early in life. This surprising finding provides a key step toward understanding mechanisms of fetal programming involving the production of new brain cells that may help explain the increased prevalence of childhood obesity during the last 30 years. ... > full story
New Method Can Capture Catalysis, One Molecule At A Time (November 12, 2008) -- Researchers have developed an ingenious microscopic method to observe the behavior of single nanoparticles of a catalyst, down to the resolution of single catalytic events. ... > full story
Antibiotic Use Increases At Academic Medical Centers (November 12, 2008) -- Antibacterial drug use appears to have increased at academic medical centers between 2002 and 2006, driven primarily by greater use of broad-spectrum agents and the antibiotic vancomycin, according to a new article. ... > full story
New Nanomaterial Could Be Breakthrough For Implantable Medical Devices (November 12, 2008) -- Researchers have made a breakthrough that could lead to new dialysis devices and a host of other revolutionary medical implants. The researchers have found that the unique properties of a new material can be used to create new devices that can be implanted into the human body, including blood glucose sensors for diabetics and artificial hemo-dialysis membranes that can scrub impurities from the blood. ... > full story
Football Players: Staying Active May Lower Health Risks For Large, Retired Athletes (November 12, 2008) -- Retired NFL players have fewer heart disease risk factors overall, but higher cholesterol and glucose levels. Physical activity may have prevented the development of higher rates of diabetes or greater amounts of atherosclerosis. Since today's players are 50 percent larger than 25 years ago, further study is needed on whether current players are at greater risk for cardiovascular events or death, researchers said. ... > full story
Ice Age Beasts In Europe: Migration Of The Woolly Rhinoceros Earlier Than Assumed (November 12, 2008) -- The newly described skull of the oldest woolly rhinoceros in Europe shows that these giant creatures -- with two impressively large horns on the bridge of their noses -- once roamed across central Germany. The large shaggy mammals grazed at the foot of the Kyffhäuser range, whose unforested, rocky slopes loomed out of the broad, bleak plains of northern Thuringia 460,000 years ago. The climate at this time was icy cold and far drier than today. ... > full story
Genetic Blueprint Revealed For Kidney Design And Formation (November 12, 2008) -- Researchers have generated the first comprehensive genetic blueprint of a forming mammalian organ, shedding light on the genetic and molecular dynamics of kidney development. ... > full story
'Liquid Mirror' Advance May Lead To Better Eye Exams, Improved Telescopes (November 12, 2008) -- Scientists in Canada are reporting progress toward a new type of "liquid mirror" -- mirrors made with highly reflective liquids -- whose shape can be changed to provide superior optical properties over conventional solid mirrors. ... > full story
Positive Results In Phase 2 Trial Of Treatment Of C-difficile-associated Diarrhea (November 12, 2008) -- A Phase 2 trial of an anti-C. difficile antibody combination treatment in patients with C. difficile associated diarrhea successfully met its primary objective. The top-line results from the recently completed multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial indicated a statistically significant reduction in recurrences of CDAD when compared with placebo. ... > full story
Round Gobies: Alien Fish In Swedish Waters (November 12, 2008) -- A round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) was caught in late July off the Swedish coast near Karlskrona. This is the first find of its kind in Sweden. The species, which originates from the Black Sea and probably spread to the Baltic via ballast water, has been found in the Gulf of Gdansk since 1990, in the southern Baltic. ... > full story
Previous Abortions And Exercise: Do They Affect Pregnancy? (November 12, 2008) -- Women who have had two or more induced abortions have a reduced risk of pre-eclampsia by 60 percent. It is not currently understood to what degree physical activity during pregnancy protects against pre-eclampsia, compared to previous studies. ... > full story
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