ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Wednesday, July 9, 2008
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Can Tomatoes Carry An Oral Vaccine Against Alzheimer's Disease? (July 9, 2008) -- The humble tomato could be a suitable carrier for an oral vaccine against Alzheimer's disease. New research, still in the early stages, is a promising first step towards finding an edible vaccine against the neurodegenerative disease. ... > full story
Leading Worldwide Cause Of Cardiovascular Disease May Be Modified By Diet (July 9, 2008) -- A new article indicates that an increased intake in minerals such as potassium, and possibly magnesium and calcium by dietary means may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and decrease blood pressure in people with hypertension. ... > full story
To Multiply, Ant Colonies Adapt To Environmental Conditions (July 9, 2008) -- By combining field work in Australia with mathematical modeling, scientists have shown that the quality and quantity of winged queens produced by colonies of the Rhytidoponera ant vary according to environmental conditions. ... > full story
Malaria On The Increase In The UK (July 9, 2008) -- A huge rise in the numbers of UK residents travelling to malaria endemic areas, combined with a failure to use prevention measures, has significantly increased cases of imported falciparum malaria in the UK over the past 20 years, according to a study published online. ... > full story
Incentives For Carbon Sequestration May Not Protect Species (July 9, 2008) -- Paying rural landowners in Oregon's Willamette Basin to protect at-risk animals won't necessarily mean that their newly conserved trees and plants will absorb more carbon from the atmosphere and vice versa, a new study has found. ... > full story
Child Care Factors Associated With Weight Gain In Infancy (July 9, 2008) -- Nine-month-old infants regularly cared for by someone other than a parent appear to have higher rates of unfavorable feeding practices and to weigh more than infants cared for only by parents, according to a new article. ... > full story
How Intense Will Storms Get? New Model Helps Answer Question (July 9, 2008) -- A new mathematical model indicates that dust devils, water spouts, tornadoes, hurricanes and cyclones are all born of the same mechanism and will intensify as climate change warms the Earth's surface. ... > full story
Overweight, Insulin Resistant Women At Greater Risk Of Advanced Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Says Study (July 9, 2008) -- Women who have risk factors commonly associated with type 2 diabetes also have much greater odds of being diagnosed with an advanced breast cancer, according to new research. ... > full story
New Targets For RNAs That Regulate Genes Identified (July 9, 2008) -- Tiny strands of genetic material called RNA -- a chemical cousin of DNA -- are emerging as major players in gene regulation, the process inside cells that drives all biology and that scientists seek to control in order to fight disease. ... > full story
Fertility Treatment In Developing Countries; A Cycle Of IVF For Less Than 0 (July 9, 2008) -- After 30 years of IVF, the rewards of treatment are still largely confined to industrialized countries and those who can afford it. Now, a Special Task Force of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology has set about the immeasurable task of making fertility treatment more accessible to developing countries through a program of pilot projects, professional awareness and involvement of government and non-governmental agencies. ... > full story
New Insight To Demineralization: Amorphous Silica Dissolves By Pathway Similar To Crystals (July 9, 2008) -- Researchers explain the dissolution behavior of silica glasses manufactured by different processes, a natural biologically produced silica and a synthetic, dispersed or colloidal silica. Their findings present the basis for understanding how simple modulations in solution chemistry can tune the durability of silica in humid or wet environments. Moreover, the insights suggest a means by which one could use simple, environmentally benign solutions to regulate surface roughness at the nanoscale. ... > full story
Pregnancy Alone Is Not Associated With Increased Risk For Mental Disorders (July 9, 2008) -- Pregnancy alone does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of the most prevalent mental disorders, according to a new article. However, post-partum women may have a higher risk of major depressive disorder. ... > full story
Can You Hear Me Now? Primitive Single-Celled Microbe Expert In Cellular Communication Networks (July 8, 2008) -- When it comes to cellular communication networks, a primitive single-celled microbe that answers to the name of Monosiga brevicollis has a leg up on animals composed of billions of cells. It commands a signaling network more elaborate and diverse than found in any multicellular organism higher up on the evolutionary tree, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered. ... > full story
Japanese Encephalitis Virus Causes 'Double Trouble' To Brain (July 8, 2008) -- Recent research published in Journal of Neurochemistry, has shown that Japanese encephalitis virus, commonly known as brain fever, damages the brain in two ways -- not only killing brain cells but also preventing the birth of new cells from neural stem/progenitor cells and depleting the NPC pool in the brain. ... > full story
Study Shows Rise In Cornwall's Dolphin, Whale, And Porpoise Deaths (July 8, 2008) -- A new study has revealed a disturbing rise in the number of whales, dolphins and porpoises found dead on Cornish beaches. The frequency of these mammals, collectively known as cetaceans, found stranded on beaches in Cornwall has increased with a sharp rise in the last eight years. After analyzing nearly 100 years of data, the researchers believe this could, in part, be due to more intensive fishing. ... > full story
Slow Exercise (Not Fast) Is Better For Menopausal Women (July 8, 2008) -- As we get older, our muscles deteriorate and we become weaker, which has serious implications. We become clumsier and begin to have more falls, often resulting in broken bones or even more severe injuries. Researchers are examining the effects of different exercise regimes in menopausal women, with the aim of developing new strategies for delaying and reducing the initial onset of age related muscle deterioration. ... > full story
Creating A New Approach To Archiving Human Genetic Information (July 8, 2008) -- How a genomic code is deciphered is traditionally left to professional annotators who use information from a number of sources (for instance, knowledge about similar genes in other organisms) to work out where a gene starts, stops and what it does. Even the "gold standard" of professional annotation is an exceptionally slow process. However, new technology may provide a faster solution. ... > full story
Adolescents Are Not Receiving Recommended Immunization In US, Report Shows (July 8, 2008) -- Vaccinating infants and toddlers is an almost universal practice in the United States. Vaccines to prevent flu are a regular part of medical care for senior citizens and at-risk patients. But, according to a study published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the US health care system is not very effective in getting vaccines to the adolescent population. ... > full story
Baseball Diamonds: The Lefthander's Best Friend (July 8, 2008) -- Baseball diamonds are a left-hander's best friend. That's because the game was designed to make a lefty the "Natural," according to a professor of engineering and uber baseball fan. The professor is a mechanical engineer who specializes in aircraft and helicopter engineering and has a different approach to viewing America's Favorite Pastime. ... > full story
Some Antidepressants Associated With Gastrointestinal Bleeding (July 8, 2008) -- A class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors appear to be associated with bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The effects appear increased when antidepressants are combined with other stomach-harming medications and decreased when acid-suppressing agents are used. ... > full story
Ice Creamier: 'Edible Antifreeze' Puts The Smooth In Smoothie (July 8, 2008) -- It's Friday night, and the movie's already spinning in the DVD player. You run to the kitchen to grab a gallon of ice cream and a spoon, but you find the tub nearly empty. What's left is an icy mess that crunches unappetizingly when you poke your spoon into it. Time to make popcorn. ... > full story
Normal-looking Sperm May Have Serious Damage; Scientists Urge More Care In Selection (July 8, 2008) -- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) where a single sperm is injected into an egg to fertilize it, is increasingly used to help infertile men father children. Although the sperm chosen for the procedure may appear quite normal, researchers in the US have found that many of them in fact have DNA damage, which can decrease the chances of pregnancy and increase chances of later miscarriage if pregnancy does occur. In infertile men, between 20 and 66% of normal-looking sperm had DNA damage. ... > full story
Why Mosquitoes Select Certain Outdoor Water Containers For Laying Eggs And Avoid Others (July 8, 2008) -- Female mosquitoes are choosy when it comes to finding the proper egg-laying habitats. Scientists have now figured out one reason why pregnant yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti), one of the most important disease transmitters worldwide, choose to lay their eggs in certain outdoor water containers while eschewing others. ... > full story
Keeping A Food Diary Doubles Diet Weight Loss, Study Suggests (July 8, 2008) -- Study of nearly 1,700 participants shows that keeping a food diary can double a person's weight loss. The study found that the best predictors of weight loss were how frequently food diaries were kept and how many support sessions the participants attended. Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. ... > full story
Whales And Dolphins Influence New Wind Turbine Design (July 8, 2008) -- By studying the flippers, fins and tails of whales and dolphins, scientists have discovered some features of their structure that contradict long-held engineering theories. These discoveries may have a strong impact on traditional industrial designs including wind turbines and helicopters. ... > full story
Antibody To Breast Cancer-secreted Protein Blocks Metastasis, Researchers Show (July 8, 2008) -- Scientists have made a key discovery about the mechanism of breast cancer metastasis, the process by which cancer spreads. Focusing on a gene dubbed "Dachshund," or DACH1, they are beginning to pinpoint new therapeutic targets to halt the spread of cancer. When the scientists used an antibody to block a common inflammatory protein, IL-8, in mice, they found that it completely halted the spread of breast cancer to the lungs. ... > full story
Two-ton, 500 Million-year-old Fossil Of Stromatolite Discovered In Virginia, U.S. (July 8, 2008) -- Scientists have confirmed that an approximately 500 million-year-old stromatolite was recently discovered at the Boxley Blue Ridge Quarry near Roanoke, Virginia. This is the first-ever intact stromatolite head found in Virginia, and is one of the largest complete "heads" in the world, at over 5 feet in diameter and weighing over 2 tons. Stromatolites are among the earliest known life forms, and are important in helping scientists understand more about environments that existed in the past. ... > full story
Pregnancy Associated With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack (July 8, 2008) -- Although acute myocardial infarction is rare in women of child-bearing age, pregnancy can increase a woman's risk of heart attack 3- to 4-fold, according to a new study. Since women today may delay having children until later in life, and advances in reproductive medicine enable older women to conceive, the occurrence of AMI associated with pregnancy is expected to increase. ... > full story
Process Used By Microbes To Make Greenhouse Gases Uncovered (July 8, 2008) -- Researchers here now have a picture of a key molecule that lets microbes produce carbon dioxide and methane -- the two greenhouse gases associated with global warming. The findings relate to organisms called methanogens and are explained in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ... > full story
Sex During Adolescence Doesn’t Predict Future HPV Infection (July 8, 2008) -- Predicting a child's future is a near impossible task -- today's straight-A student may not become tomorrow's doctor, and the school-yard bully may actually grow up to become a member of the Peace Corps. So why should an adolescent's sexual behavior-- or lack thereof -- determine whether or not she gets vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, to protect against future HPV infection? ... > full story
Rare Microorganism That Produces Hydrogen May Be Key To Tomorrow's Hydrogen Economy (July 8, 2008) -- An ancient organism from the pit of a collapsed volcano may hold the key to tomorrow's hydrogen economy. Scientists from across the world have formed a team to unlock the process refined by a billions-year old archaea. This novel hyperthermophilic archaea grows best at 80 to 82 degrees Celsius (176-180 Farenheit), close to the boiling point of water. ... > full story
'Smart Bomb' Nanoparticle Strategy Impacts Metastasis (July 8, 2008) -- A new treatment strategy using molecular "smart bombs" to target metastasis with anti-cancer drugs leads to good results using significantly lower doses of toxic chemotherapy, with less collateral damage to surrounding tissue. ... > full story
Protein Thought To Promote Cancer Instead Functions As Tumor Suppressor (July 8, 2008) -- A protein previously thought to promote colorectal cancer instead suppresses the growth of human cancer cells in culture, researchers have found. ... > full story
Children Born From Frozen Embryos Weigh More And Do Better Than Those Born After Fresh Transfer (July 8, 2008) -- Children born after a frozen, thawed embryo has been replaced in the womb have higher birth weight than those born where fresh embryos were used, Danish scientists reported to the 24th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology on Tuesday. The mothers had longer pregnancies, and the children did not show an increased risk of congenital malformations. ... > full story
Crawling The Internet To Track Infectious Disease Outbreaks (July 8, 2008) -- Could Internet discussion forums, listservs and online news outlets be an informative source of information on disease outbreaks? A team of researchers from Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School thinks so, and it has launched a real-time, automated data-gathering system called HealthMap to gather, organize and disseminate this online intelligence. ... > full story
Early-life Nutrition May Be Associated With Adult Intellectual Functioning (July 8, 2008) -- Adults who had improved nutrition in early childhood may score better on intellectual tests, regardless of the number of years they attended school, according to a new article. ... > full story
Are Hands-free Cellphones Really Safer? (July 8, 2008) -- It seems everyone's driving, even walking, with tiny electronic devices tucked into their ears. Conventional wisdom says they're safer. With wireless technology such as Bluetooth becoming commonplace, you can still conduct business or order pizza while keeping both hands on the wheel. But is the mind on the road? A PhD student in experimental psychology says hands-free cellphones are not safer and indeed may even be more dangerous than hand-held. ... > full story
Combination Drug Taken Early Relieves Migraine Symptoms (July 8, 2008) -- A combination drug taken within an hour after the start of a migraine is effective in relieving symptoms, according to research published in Neurology. ... > full story
Giving Nature A Helping Hand (July 8, 2008) -- Dutch ecologist Marijke van Kuijk has studied the regeneration of the tropical forest in Vietnam. Abandoned agricultural land does regenerate to tropical forest, but only slowly. Two procedures are used to help nature along: pruning of foliage to free up space for trees and planting the desired tree species. Van Kuijk used the PHOLIAGE model to calculate the appropriate measures. ... > full story
IVF Does Not Increase Risk Of Developmental Disorders In Children (July 8, 2008) -- Couples who need IVF in order to become pregnant can be reassured that this will not lead to developmental problems in early infancy, a Dutch researcher told the 24th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. But sub-fertility itself may influence neurodevelopment. ... > full story
Super Strong Antimicrobial Coatings For Medicine, Defense (July 8, 2008) -- One of the world' strongest materials meets one of nature's most powerful germ killers in a new research project that produced incredibly tough anti-bacterial surfaces with multiple applications in home appliances, medicine, aerospace, and national defense. ... > full story
Schizophrenia Linked To Dysfunction In Molecular Brain Pathway Activated By Marijuana (July 8, 2008) -- Researchers report that alterations in a molecular brain pathway activated by marijuana, called cannabinoid 1 receptor, may contribute to the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, suggesting possible new drug targets that could help to improve functioning and memory in people with the mental illness. Expression of CB1R, the site of action of the main chemical ingredient of marijuana, is significantly reduced in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia. ... > full story
Simple Life Form May Have Existed 700 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought (July 8, 2008) -- The accepted timeframe for the beginnings of life on Earth is now being questioned, after scientists found a key indicator to the earliest life forms in diamonds from Jack Hills in Western Australia. The 4.2 billion-year-old diamonds found trapped inside the Jack Hills zircon crystals are the oldest-known samples of Earth's carbon. The team's discovery of very high concentrations of carbon 12, or "light carbon" within these crystals is remarkable as it is a feature usually associated with organic life. ... > full story
Herbal Remedy Reduces Obesity And Heart Disease? (July 8, 2008) -- Scientists from Germany have recently discovered that extracts of a traditional herbal remedy derived from Tabebuia impetiginosa can act to delay the absorption of dietary fat in animal models. They believe that the extract could be incorporated into a food supplement which may not only reduce obesity, but also lessen the risk of development of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. ... > full story
Ethanol Byproduct Can Help Control Weeds For Flower And Plant Growers (July 8, 2008) -- Commercial flower and plant growers know all too well that invasive, ubiquitous weeds cause trouble by lowering the value and deterring healthy growth of potted ornamental plants. To control weeds, many commercial nursery owners apply herbicides or pay workers to hand-weed containers. A new study investigated using "dried distillers grains with solubles" or DDGS as a weed deterrent on potted ornamentals. ... > full story
Treatment Delays Result In Poor Outcomes For Men With Breast Cancer (July 8, 2008) -- Men who develop breast cancer are often not treated until the disease has spread to the point that treatment becomes difficult, new results show. Although most breast cancer patients are women, men make up roughly 1 percent of cases. ... > full story
Green Solution To Biofuel Production: Enzymes From Plants (July 8, 2008) -- With the current drive towards production of alternative fuels from plant material, enzymes which can break down this material into useable compounds are required in industrial quantities and at a low cost. One group of scientists have come up with a solution: using plants to make the enzymes. ... > full story
Parents Of Twins Report More Mental Health Symptoms Than Parents Of Singletons (July 8, 2008) -- Mothers and fathers of twins conceived either spontaneously or with assisted reproductive technology suffer more mental health symptoms after delivery and one year later than do parents of singleton babies, according to new research. ... > full story
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