ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Wednesday, July 30, 2008
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Searching For Shut Eye: Possible 'Sleep Gene' Identified (July 30, 2008) -- While scientists and physicians know what happens if you don't get six to eight hours of shut-eye a night, investigators have long been puzzled about what controls the actual need for sleep. Researchers might have an answer, at least in fruit flies. In a recent study of fruit flies, they identified a gene that controls sleep. ... > full story
Modified Salmonella Slows Tumor Growth (July 30, 2008) -- Attenuated Salmonella bacteria engineered to express the Fas ligand (FasL) accumulate in tumors and reduce their growth. ... > full story
Defining DNA Differences To Track And Tackle Typhoid (July 30, 2008) -- For the first time, next-generation DNA sequencing technologies have been turned on typhoid fever -- a disease that kills 600,000 people each year. The study sets a new standard for analyzing the evolution and spread of a disease-causing bacterium: it is the first study of multiple samples of any bacterial pathogen at this level of detail. The results will help to improve diagnosis, tracking the disease and could help to design new strategies for vaccination. ... > full story
Study Links Soft Drinks And Fruit Drinks With Risk For Diabetes In African-American Women (July 30, 2008) -- Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have found that regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes in African-American women. These findings appear in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. ... > full story
Soil's Carbon Storage Capacity Investigated (July 30, 2008) -- Three new studies explore the potential roles of soils as a carbon sink in different regions in the Western Hemisphere. Scientists have investigated soil carbon balance in distinct agroecosystems under different management practices including soil tillage, nitrogen fertilization, elimination of fallow and establishment of grass. ... > full story
China's Export Trade Impacts Climate (July 30, 2008) -- Researchers argue that China's new title as the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter is at least partly due to consumption of Chinese good in the West. ... > full story
Lost An Appendage? Grow Another (July 30, 2008) -- Cut off one finger from a salamander and one will grow back. Cut off two and two will grow back. It sounds logical, but how the salamander always regenerates the right number of fingers is still a biological mystery. ... > full story
New Treatment For Advanced Prostate Cancer (July 30, 2008) -- Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed a novel approach to treating advanced prostate cancer that could be more effective with fewer side effects. ... > full story
New Species Of Predatory Bagworm From Panama's Tropical Forest (July 30, 2008) -- University of Panama and Smithsonian researchers report the discovery of a new bagworm moth species, in the Annals of the Entomology Society of America. Unlike nearly all other bagworms, Perisceptis carnivora have predatory larvae. Strangest of all, according to Annette Aiello, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the adult moths wrap their eggs individually in beautiful cases fashioned from golden abdominal hairs called setae, a behavior unique among insects. ... > full story
Accelerated Bone Turnover Remains After Weight Loss (July 30, 2008) -- When a person is losing a significant amount of weight, they expect to notice changes in their body. However, they may overlook changes happening in their bones. In a new study, a University of Missouri researcher and collaborators at the University of Kansas found that the potentially harmful effects of weight loss on bone persist during weight maintenance following moderate weight loss. ... > full story
Local Officials in U.S. Move Toward Monitoring Nanotechnologies (July 30, 2008) -- State and local officials have taken steps to begin monitoring the manufacture and storage of nanomaterials, a major step for a cutting-edge technology that has yet to be regulated by the federal government. ... > full story
Gaining Advantages From Childhood Experience (July 30, 2008) -- It often seems that certain aspects of our personalities are influenced by events that occurred in our childhoods. A recent study examined how early life experience influences social skills and ability to handle stressful situations using a rat model. ... > full story
Insect Biodiversity In Amazon May Be Result Of Ice Age Climate Change And Ancient Flooding, Not River Barriers (July 29, 2008) -- Ice age climate change and ancient flooding -- but not barriers created by rivers -- may have promoted the evolution of new insect species in the Amazon region of South America, a new study suggests. The Amazon basin is home to the richest diversity of life on earth, yet the reasons why this came to be are not well understood. ... > full story
New Biomarker For Early Cancer Detection? Research Reveals That 'MicroRNA' May Fit The Bill (July 29, 2008) -- Scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have discovered that microRNAs -- molecular workhorses that regulate gene expression -- are released by cancer cells and circulate in the blood, which gives them the potential to become a new class of biomarkers to detect cancer at its earliest stages. ... > full story
Climate Change: Secret Life Cycles Of Atmospheric Aerosols Can Be Illuminated With New Technology (July 29, 2008) -- For scientists looking at climate change, a large area of uncertainty has to do with the effects of airborne particles -- such as carbon-laden soot -- but new technology is now helping researchers unveil secrets about the life cycles of atmospheric aerosols. ... > full story
Women With Gestational Diabetes At Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes (July 29, 2008) -- Women with gestational diabetes are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with almost 20 percent of women developing the condition within 9 years of pregnancy, found a large, population-based study of 659,000 women published in CMAJ. ... > full story
Researchers Demonstrate A Flexible, One-step Assembly Of Nanoscale Structures (July 29, 2008) -- Scientists have created a one-step, repeatable method for the production of functional nanoscale patterns or motifs with adjustable features, size and shape using a single master "plate." ... > full story
This Old Healthy House: Obesity Linked To Newer, Less Walkable Neighborhoods (July 29, 2008) -- The age of your neighborhood may influence your risk of obesity, according to a new study. Residents were at less risk of being obese or overweight if they lived in older, walkable neighborhoods -- those that are more densely populated, designed to be pedestrian friendly and have a range of destinations. ... > full story
Electrical Activity On Saturn's Moon Titan Confirmed By Spanish Scientists (July 29, 2008) -- Physicists from the University of Granada and University of Valencia have developed a procedure for analysing specific data sent by the Huygens probe from Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons, "unequivocally" proving that there is natural electrical activity in its atmosphere. The scientific community believe that the probability of organic molecules, precursors of life, being formed is higher on planets or moons which have an atmosphere with electrical storms. ... > full story
Gallbladder Removed Through Uterus Without External Incisions (July 29, 2008) -- In April of last year, surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center made headlines by removing a women's gallbladder through her uterus using a flexible endoscope, aided by several external incisions for added visibility. Now, they have performed the same procedure without a single external incision in what surgeons report may be the first surgery of its kind in the United States. ... > full story
How Secure Is Your Network? New Program Points Out Vulnerabilities, Calculates Risk Of Attack (July 29, 2008) -- To help IT managers safeguard valuable information most efficiently, computer scientists are applying security metrics to computer network pathways to assign a probable risk of attack, calculating the most vulnerable points of attack. ... > full story
Robotic Surgery Provides Reduced Pain and Quicker Recovery for Kidney Cancer Patients (July 29, 2008) -- Clinical research is helping bring the advantages of robotic surgery, including reduced pain and quicker recovery, to kidney cancer patients. ... > full story
New Biomass Technology Dramatically Increases Ethanol Yield From Grasses And Yard Waste (July 29, 2008) -- University of Georgia researchers have developed a new technology that promises to dramatically increase the yield of ethanol from readily available nonfood crops, such as Bermudagrass, switchgrass, Napiergrass -- and even yard waste. ... > full story
South African Epidemic Of Schoolboy Sexual Abuse (July 29, 2008) -- By the age of 18 years, two in every five South African schoolboys report being forced to have sex, mostly by female perpetrators. A new study, reported in BioMed Central's open access journal International Journal for Equity in Health, reveals the shocking truth about endemic sexual abuse of male children that has been suspected but until now only poorly documented. ... > full story
Unexpected Key To Flowering Plants' Diversity (July 29, 2008) -- New research may help explain the amazing diversity in the world's flowering plants, a question that has puzzled scientists from the time of Darwin to today. The findings, published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that the ability of flowering plants -- known as angiosperms -- to quickly and efficiently move sperm from pollen to egg through a part of the plant was the key to their evolutionary diversity. ... > full story
Study Provides Clues To Preventing And Treating Cancer Spread (July 29, 2008) -- Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that normal cells, possibly fibrocytes, may travel to distant organs to create pre-metastic niches for the spread of cancer. ... > full story
Organic Pest Control: Mustard -- Hot Stuff For Natural Pest Control (July 29, 2008) -- Researchers, growers and Industry specialists from 22 countries are sharing the latest research into the use of Brassica species, such as mustard, radish, or rapeseed, to manage soil-borne pests and weeds -- a technique known as biofumigation. ... > full story
Inheritance Of Hormonal Disorder Marked By Excessive Insulin In Daughters (July 29, 2008) -- Elevated levels of insulin could be an early sign that girls whose mothers suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome -- or PCOS -- may also be susceptible to the disease, according to gynecologists who have found evidence of insulin resistance in young children. ... > full story
Snapshot Of Past Climate Reveals No Ice In Antarctica Millions Of Years Ago (July 29, 2008) -- A snapshot of New Zealand’s climate 40 million years ago reveals a greenhouse Earth, with warmer seas and little or no ice in Antarctica, according to research published in the journal Geology. ... > full story
Deaths From Combining Rx Drugs, Street Drugs And/Or Alcohol Skyrocket By More Than 3,000 Percent (July 29, 2008) -- Asking patients to monitor their own medications can be fatal, as exemplified by the recent death of actor Heath Ledger. ... > full story
Golden Scales: Nanoscale Mass Sensor Can Be Used To Weigh Individual Atoms And Molecules (July 29, 2008) -- There's a new "gold standard" in the sensitivity of weighing scales. Using the same technology with which they created the world's first fully functional nanotube radio, Berkeley Lab researchers have fashioned a nanoelectromechanical system that can function as a scale sensitive enough to measure the weight of a single atom of gold. This NEMS scale could prove especially useful for measuring the mass of proteins and other molecules which don't fare well in mass spectrometry. ... > full story
Exposure To Bad Air Raises Blood Pressure, Study Shows (July 29, 2008) -- The air people breathe while walking in the park, working in the garden or shopping downtown may be unhealthy enough to seriously spike their blood pressure, a new study suggests. Cardiovascular researchers now report a direct link between air pollution and its impact on high blood pressure, or hypertension. If the results from these animal studies hold up, this could be important for human health. ... > full story
Uncertain Future For Elephants Of Thailand (July 29, 2008) -- Worries over the future of Thailand' s famous elephants have emerged following an investigation by a University of Manchester team. ... > full story
Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Allowed More Chemotherapy To Reach Brain Tumors In Laboratory Study (July 29, 2008) -- In a study using laboratory animals, researchers found that medications commonly prescribed for erectile dysfunction opened a mechanism called the blood-brain tumor barrier and increased delivery of cancer-fighting drugs to malignant brain tumors. ... > full story
Structure Of Hepatitis B Mapped By Spraying Virus (July 29, 2008) -- Using a newly developed method, Utrecht University researchers have mapped the structure and composition of the hepatitis B virus. The researchers were able to map the structure by spraying the virus. Their research brings us a step closer to understanding and combating hepatitis B infection. The method can also be used to analyse other viruses. ... > full story
Study Examines Prevalence Of Hearing Loss In The US (July 29, 2008) -- Hearing loss may be more prevalent in American adults than previously reported, according to a study in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ... > full story
Bioengineers Develop 'Microscope On A Chip' (July 29, 2008) -- Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have turned science fiction into reality with their development of a super-compact high-resolution microscope, small enough to fit on a finger tip. This "microscopic microscope" operates without lenses but has the magnifying power of a top-quality optical microscope, can be used in the field to analyze blood samples for malaria or check water supplies for giardia and other pathogens, and can be mass-produced for around . ... > full story
Researchers Tap Into A New And Potentially Better Source Of Platelets For Transfusion (July 29, 2008) -- Researchers may be one step closer to improving treatments for bleeding disorders. They have devised a way to maximize the numbers and function of clot-forming blood cells from mice. ... > full story
Garden Microbe Foils E. Coli O157:H7 In Laboratory Tests (July 29, 2008) -- A microbe that may be living peaceably on the beans and cucumbers in backyard gardens might someday be recruited to foil foodborne pathogens. Geneticists looked at the pathogen-fighting abilities of the farm- and garden-friendly microbe, Enterobacter asburiae, in studies begun in 2002. ... > full story
Researchers Analyze How New Anti-MRSA Antibiotics Function (July 29, 2008) -- Researchers provide important insights into promising new antibiotics aimed at combating MRSA. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major global health threat that kills approximately 20,000 people in the U.S. alone each year. ... > full story
Computers Lead To Safer Blood Transfusions, Chemotherapy (July 29, 2008) -- Computer scientists are analyzing medical procedures, including blood transfusions and chemotherapy treatments, with the goal of improving patient safety. The team is also analyzing the flow of patients in emergency rooms to reduce waiting time. ... > full story
Hypnosis Shown To Reduce Symptoms Of Dementia (July 29, 2008) -- Scientists have found that hypnosis can slow down the impacts of dementia and improve quality of life for those living with the condition. ... > full story
Piecing Together An Extinct Lemur, Large As A Big Baboon (July 29, 2008) -- Researchers have used computed tomography technology to virtually glue newly-discovered skull fragments of a rare extinct lemur back into its partial skull, discovered over a century ago. The skull fragments are separated by thousands of miles, with the partial skull in Vienna and the pieces of frontal bone in the United States. The result of the digital manipulation is a nearly complete skull, which is one of only two known skulls for its species. ... > full story
Pre-eclampsia May Be Autoimmune Disease (July 29, 2008) -- Biochemists at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston say they are the first to provide pre-clinical evidence that pregnancy-induced high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia may be an autoimmune disease. Their research could provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities for this intractable disease. ... > full story
Microbiologists Studying Little-known But Largely Useful Microbes (July 29, 2008) -- Microbiologists are studying how interactions on a microscopic scale could change how we think of energy production, climate change and even soil contamination. "Microbes play significant roles in the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, the phosphorous cycle, and we don't fully understand how," one of the researchers said. ... > full story
Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Are Lower Incidence, Progression Of Alzheimer's Disease (July 29, 2008) -- Researchers have, for the first time, found that angiotensin receptor blockers -- a particular class of anti-hypertensive medicines -- are associated with a striking decrease in the occurrence and progression of dementia. ... > full story
Possible To Reduce Emissions By 30 Percent By 2025, Model Shows (July 29, 2008) -- Scientists modeled emissions for Minnesota and found that it is possible to reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050 and possibly exceed those numbers if a combination of strategies are implemented, including reducing fuel consumption, increasing fuel efficiencies and fuel carbon content and by using new methods for designing communities. However, the researchers point out that the methods could be applied nationally. ... > full story
Current Exercise Recommendations May Not Be Sufficient For Overweight Women To Sustain Weight Loss (July 29, 2008) -- In addition to limiting calories, overweight and obese women may need to exercise 55 minutes a day for five days per week to sustain a weight loss of 10 percent over two years, according to a report in the July 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ... > full story
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