ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Thursday, July 3, 2008
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New Form Of Energy-Transfer Processes: Atomic Tug Of War (July 3, 2008) -- A new form of energy-transfer processes, reported in Nature may have implications for the study of reactions going on in the atmosphere, and even for those occurring in the body. ... > full story
Pediatric Researchers Find Possible 'Master Switch' Gene In Juvenile Arthritis (July 3, 2008) -- Researchers have found that a gene region known to play a role in some varieties of adult rheumatoid arthritis is also present in all types of childhood arthritis. The researchers say the responsible gene may be a "master switch" that helps turn on the debilitating disease. ... > full story
Protecting Romaine Lettuce From Pathogens (July 3, 2008) -- Knowing the preferences of foodborne pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 is essential to a successful counterattack on these microbes. That's why microbiologists are scrutinizing the little-understood ability of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica to contaminate romaine lettuce. ... > full story
Benefits Of Green Tea In Reducing An Important Risk Factor For Heart Disease (July 3, 2008) -- More evidence for the beneficial effect of green tea on risk factors for heart disease has emerged in a new study. The study found that the consumption of green tea rapidly improves the function of (endothelial) cells lining the circulatory system; endothelial dysfunction is a key event in the progression of atherosclerosis. ... > full story
Molecular Basis And Regulation Of Circadian Rhythms In Plants (July 3, 2008) -- As anyone who has suffered from jetlag knows, we have internal clocks that tell us when to sleep and wake, and we can be miserable when these are disrupted. The daily cycles of many organisms are well known, but what has not been clear is whether these cycles are just responses to external cues of light, dark, heat, and cold, or if there are internal clocks that are set and reset by environmental signals. In animals, circadian rhythms are known to be important for maintaining a multitude of physiological processes. New research investigates circadian rhythms in plants. ... > full story
Minimum Drinking Age Of 21 Saves Lives, Study Finds (July 3, 2008) -- One of the most comprehensive studies on the minimum drinking age shows that laws aimed at preventing consumption of alcohol by those under 21 have significantly reduced drinking-related fatal car crashes. ... > full story
New Evidence That Ancient Choanoflagellates' Form Evolutionary Link Between Single-celled And Multi-celled Organisms (July 3, 2008) -- What do humans and single-celled choanoflagellates have in common? More than you'd think. New research into the choanoflagellate genome shows these ancient organisms have similar levels of proteins that cells in more complex organisms, including humans, use to communicate with each other. ... > full story
Being An MRSA Carrier Increases Risk Of Infection And Death (July 3, 2008) -- Patients harboring methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus for long periods of time continue to be at increased risk of MRSA infection and death, according to a new study. ... > full story
Toward Long-range Beach Forecasts On Bacterial Contamination (July 3, 2008) -- Long-range forecasts of beach bacterial contamination are inching closer to reality because of a new water quality prediction method. ... > full story
Since Introduction Of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, HIV Death Rate Has Decreased (July 3, 2008) -- In industrialized countries, persons infected sexually with HIV now appear to experience mortality rates similar to those of the general population in the first 5 years following infection, though a higher risk of death remains as the duration of HIV infection lengthens, according to a new study. ... > full story
Where Is Your Soil Water? Crop Yield Has The Answer (July 3, 2008) -- Crop yield is highly dependent on soil plant-available water, the portion of soil water that can be taken up by plant roots. New research has shown that measured plant-available water capacity correlated with corn yield better in dry years than in normal or wet years. Agreement between measured plant-available water and estimates was weaker in the claypan soils than well-drained soils. ... > full story
Erectile Dysfunction Lower In Men Who Have Intercourse More Often (July 3, 2008) -- Having intercourse more often may help prevent the development of erectile dysfunction. Researchers have found that men who had intercourse more often were less likely to develop ED. ... > full story
Secret Of The Sweet-Sounding Stradivarius: Wood Density Explains Sound Quality Of Great Master Violins (July 2, 2008) -- The advantage of using medical equipment to study classical musical instruments has been proven by a Dutch researcher from the Leiden University Medical Center. In collaboration with a renowned luthier, Dr. Berend Stoel put classical violins, including several made by Stradivarius, in a CT scanner. ... > full story
Eating Broccoli May Keep Prostate Cancer Away, Study Suggests (July 2, 2008) -- For the first time, a research group has provided an explanation of how eating broccoli might reduce cancer risk based upon studies in men, as opposed to trying to extrapolate from animal models. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer for males in western countries. The research has provided an insight into why eating broccoli can help men stay healthy. ... > full story
Cubing Potatoes Before Boiling Can Reduce Mineral Content By 75% (July 2, 2008) -- The preparation of a potato can have a big impact on its mineral content, Agricultural Research Service scientists report in a new study of this popular vegetable. Baked, roasted, boiled or fried, the potato is America's favorite vegetable. Every year, the average American eats about 130 pounds of potatoes, which are loaded with vitamins and minerals. ... > full story
New Combination Of Tests Measures Child's Ability To Taste And Smell (July 2, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a series of tests that for the first time accurately measure the normality of taste (gustatory function) and smell (olfactory function) in young children. ... > full story
Pricey Chemicals Gleaned From Biodiesel Waste (July 2, 2008) -- Chemical engineers have unveiled a set of techniques for cleanly converting problematic biofuels waste into profitable chemicals. New research in the journal Metabolic Engineering describes a new fermentation process that allows E. coli and other enteric bacteria to convert glycerin -- the major waste byproduct of biodiesel production -- into formate, succinate and other valuable organic acids. The researchers say the technology could yield a new platform for "green" chemical production. ... > full story
Mobile Users Make Same Mistakes As Disabled PC Users (July 2, 2008) -- Many able-bodied people make the same errors -- and with similar frequencies -- when typing and 'mousing' on mobile phones, as physically impaired users of desktop computers. This means that software already developed for PC users with disabilities may be applicable to mobile phones. Software may be able to automatically correct erroneous commands and help reduce annoying occurrences such as accidentally canceling a text message or calling someone by sitting on the phone. ... > full story
First Images Of Solar System's Invisible Frontier (July 2, 2008) -- An instrument aboard NASA's STEREO spacecraft unexpectedly detected particles from the edge of the solar system last year, allowing UC Berkeley scientists to map for the first time the energized particles in the region where the hot solar wind slams into the cold interstellar medium. The region, at about 100 AU, is invisible to other telescopes, but can be mapped by detecting energetic neutral atoms, largely hydrogen. ... > full story
New DNA Weapon Against Avian Flu Identified (July 2, 2008) -- By delivering vaccine via DNA constructed to build antigens against flu, along with a minute electric pulse, researchers have immunized experimental animals against various strains of the virus. This approach could allow for the build up of vaccine reserves that could be easily and effectively dispensed in case of an epidemic. ... > full story
New Insights Into Quantum Mechanics: Unlocking Mysteries Of 'Blinking' Phenomena Of Fluorescent Molecules (July 2, 2008) -- More than a century ago, at the dawn of modern quantum mechanics, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Neils Bohr predicted so-called "quantum jumps." More recently, it has been possible to observe similar jumps in individual molecules. Experimentally, these quantum jumps translate to discrete interruptions of the continuous emission from single molecules, revealing a phenomenon known as florescent intermittency or "blinking." ... > full story
Asthma Risk Increases In Children Treated For HIV (July 2, 2008) -- Children whose immune systems rebound after treatment with potent anti-viral drugs for HIV infection face an increased risk of developing asthma, according to a new report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. ... > full story
Pesticides Persist In Ground Water (July 2, 2008) -- Numerous studies over the past four decades have established that pesticides, which are typically applied at the land surface, can move downward to reach the water table at detectable concentrations. The downward movement of pesticide degradation products can also contribute to the contamination of ground water. This study found that the pesticides and degradation products detected most frequently in shallow ground-water samples were predominantly from two classes of herbicides -- triazines and chloroacetanilides. ... > full story
Weekends Slow Weight Loss, Researchers Find (July 2, 2008) -- Saturday can be the worst enemy for our waistlines. Researchers found that study subjects on strict diet and exercise programs tend to lose weight more slowly than expected because they eat more on weekends than during the week. ... > full story
Hubble Sees Stars And A Stripe In Celestial Fireworks (July 2, 2008) -- A delicate ribbon of gas floats eerily in our galaxy. A contrail from an alien spaceship? A jet from a black-hole? Actually this image, taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, is a very thin section of a supernova remnant caused by a stellar explosion that occurred more than 1,000 years ago. ... > full story
'Hibernation-on-demand' Drug Significantly Improves Survival After Extreme Blood Loss (July 2, 2008) -- For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that the administration of minute amounts of inhaled or intravenous hydrogen sulfide -- the molecule that gives rotten eggs their sulfurous stench -- significantly improves survival from extreme blood loss in rats. The researchers successfully used hydrogen sulfide to induce a state of reversible metabolic hibernation as a way to reduce death from insufficient blood supply to organs and tissues in a rat model of lethal hemorrhage. ... > full story
Chip-cooling Technology Achieves 'Dramatic' 1,000-watt Capacity (July 2, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a technology that uses "microjets" to deposit liquid into tiny channels and remove five times more heat than other experimental high-performance chip-cooling methods for computers and electronics. ... > full story
New Way To Predict Prostate Cancer Spreading (July 2, 2008) -- For men, one of the leading causes of death from cancer is prostate cancer that has spread to a second site (something known as metastatic prostate cancer). Defining the molecular mechanisms by which the initial tumor becomes able to spread to a new site (a process known as metastasis) is likely to help clinicians predict an individual's chance of survival and help researchers develop new therapies. ... > full story
Laser Spectrometer Opens Way For More Effective Carbon Trading, Drug Development And Carbon Dating (July 2, 2008) -- Carbon offsets increasingly are becoming a major component in the arsenal for reducing global warming. Even Bon Jovi, the Rolling Stones and the Dave Matthews Band are doing it: acquiring carbon offsets to reduce the carbon footprint of their tours. As more organizations and businesses start trading in carbon offsets, the need for accurate measurements of carbon emissions also is becoming critically important for fair and exact exchanges. Scientists have now developed a new ultra-sensitive laser-assisted ratio analyzer that is capable of measuring even slight changes in carbon 14, an isotope of carbon. ... > full story
Intuition Can Be Explained (July 2, 2008) -- Intuition, or tacit knowledge, is difficult to measure, so it is often denigrated. A new dissertation in education research shows that there is a neurobiological explanation for how experience-based knowledge is created. "Skate where the puck´s going, not where it´s been" (Wayne Gretsky). ... > full story
Malagasy Chameleon Spends Most Of Its Short Life In An Egg (July 2, 2008) -- There is a newly discovered life history among the 28,300 species of known tetrapods. A chameleon from arid southwestern Madagascar spends up to three-quarters of its life in an egg. Even more unusual, life after hatching is a mere 4 to 5 months. No other known four-legged animal has such a rapid growth rate and such a short life span. ... > full story
Post-exercise Caffeine Helps Muscles Refuel (July 2, 2008) -- Glycogen, the muscle's primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research shows. Athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66 percent more glycogen in their muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone, according to the study. ... > full story
An Impossible Coexistence: Transgenic And Organic Agriculture (July 2, 2008) -- The cultivation of genetically modified maize has caused a drastic reduction in organic cultivations of this grain and is making their coexistence practically impossible. This is the main conclusion reached in one of the first field studies in Europe based on an analysis of the situation in Catalonia and Aragon, Europe's main producers of transgenic foods. ... > full story
Cancer Cells Revert To Normal At Specific Signal Threshold, Researchers Find (July 2, 2008) -- Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine report that lowering levels of one cancer signal under a specific threshold reverses this process in mice, returning tumor cells to their normal, healthy state. ... > full story
Ethanol Coproducts Eyed As Fillers In Plastics (July 2, 2008) -- A coproduct of ethanol production could be used as a non-petroleum-based filler in plastics, based on preliminary studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their cooperators. The ethanol coproduct, called distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), has a high fiber content and a molecular structure suitable for binding--two attributes that make it a candidate as a filler in plastics ... > full story
Spiritual Effects Of Hallucinogens Persist, Researchers Report (July 2, 2008) -- In a follow-up to research showing that psilocybin, a substance contained in "sacred mushrooms," produces substantial spiritual effects, scientists report that those beneficial effects appear to last more than a year. ... > full story
Super Atoms Turn Periodic Table Upside Down (July 2, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a technique for generating atom clusters made from silver and other metals. Surprisingly enough, these so-called super atoms (clusters of 13 silver atoms, for example) behave in the same way as individual atoms and have opened up a whole new branch of chemistry. ... > full story
Small Protein May Have Big Role In Making More Bone And Less Fat (July 2, 2008) -- A small protein may have a big role in helping you make more bone and less fat, researchers say. People can't take GILZ now, but a long-term goal is to develop a GILZ-like pill that would dramatically reduce fat production. ... > full story
Glomalin Is Key To Locking Up Soil Carbon (July 2, 2008) -- Glomalin, the substance coating this microscopic fungus growing on a corn root, can keep carbon in the soil from decomposing for up to 100 years. ... > full story
Finding That Could Shed Light On 'Golden Staph,' Candida And Allergies (July 2, 2008) -- Recent scientific findings explain why patients with a rare immunodeficiency disorder are unusually susceptible to certain common infections. By revealing the exact molecular mechanisms involved, they also give us clues as to why some "healthy" people are more prone to these infections than others, and suggest potential treatments. ... > full story
Exposing The Sensitivity Of Extreme Ultraviolet Photoresists (July 2, 2008) -- Researchers have confirmed that the photoresists used in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing processes now under development are twice as sensitive as previously believed. The finding has attracted considerable interest because of its implications for future electronics manufacturing. ... > full story
To Sing Like Shakira, Press '1' Now (July 2, 2008) -- Scientists have developed an electronic ear to judge and coach vibrato technique. Vibrato -- the pulsating change of pitch in a singer’s voice -- is an important aspect of a singer’s expression, used extensively by both classical opera singers and pop stars like Shakira. Usually, the quality of a vibrato can only be judged subjectively by voice experts. ... > full story
Newcomer In Early Eurafrican Population? (July 2, 2008) -- A complete mandible of Homo erectus was discovered at the Thomas I quarry in Casablanca by a French-Moroccan team. This mandible is the oldest human fossil uncovered from scientific excavations in Morocco. The discovery will help better define northern Africa's possible role in first populating southern Europe. A Homo erectus half-jaw had already been found at the Thomas I quarry in 1969, but it was a chance discovery and therefore with no archeological context. ... > full story
Resuscitation Technique After Brain Injury May Do More Harm Than Good (July 2, 2008) -- The current standard practice of giving infants and children 100 percent oxygen to prevent brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation may actually inflict additional harm, researchers have found. ... > full story
Fighting A Worldwide Wheat Threat (July 2, 2008) -- Wheat stockpiles are at a 30-year low and production costs are rising, but what really scares wheat growers is the specter of Ug99, a new rust fungus to which very few of the currently grown varieties of wheat are resistant. ... > full story
Population-based Approach Needed To Reduce Obesity In United States (July 2, 2008) -- Population-wide approaches are key for preventing obesity. Preventing excess weight gain needs to be easier, more socially acceptable and personally rewarding for the average person. A broad range of policy and environmental change strategies must target the spectrum of influences on food access and intake and physical activity. ... > full story
Plastic Electronics Have A Bright Future In Flexible Laptops (July 2, 2008) -- With market analysts predicting a ten fold increase in the value of the organic light emitting display industry it is no wonder that scientists and governments alike are keen to advance research into "plastic electronics". For a long time, plastic was thought of as an insulating material that could not conduct electricity, but ground-breaking research in the 1970s proved that some plastics could do so. ... > full story
Violence Declines With Medication Use In Some With Schizophrenia (July 2, 2008) -- Some schizophrenia patients become less prone to violence when taking medication, but those with a history of childhood conduct problems continue to pose a higher risk even with treatment, according to a new study. ... > full story
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