ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Friday, August 8, 2008
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Researchers Halt Spread Of HIV With RNAi In Animal Model (August 8, 2008) -- Using a novel method to deliver small molecules called siRNAs into T cells, researchers dramatically suppressed HIV in the first-ever animal model that mirrors progression of the disease in humans. The siRNAs knocked down three key genes and kept the infection from spreading in mice containing human immune cells infected with the virus. ... > full story
Comprehensive Treatment Of Extensively Drug-resistant TB Works, Study Finds (August 8, 2008) -- XDR-TB has been reported in 49 countries throughout the world. This study shows that a comprehensive, ambulatory management program can cure more than 60 percent of HIV-negative XDR-TB patients in spite of numerous, prior unsuccessful TB treatments. This ambulatory model could be widely implemented in resource-poor settings. ... > full story
Hubble Instruments Slated for On-Orbit 'Surgery' (August 8, 2008) -- When astronauts visit the Hubble Space Telescope in October 2008 for its final servicing mission, they will be facing a task that has no precedence – performing on-orbit 'surgery' on two ailing science instruments that reside inside the telescope – the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). ... > full story
Periodontal Disease Independently Predicts New Onset Diabetes (August 8, 2008) -- Periodontal disease may be an independent predictor of incident type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. While diabetes has long been believed to be a risk factor for periodontal infections, this is the first study exploring whether the reverse might also be true, that is, if periodontal infections can contribute to the development of diabetes. ... > full story
Quantum Physics: Disentangling Strange Behavior Of Qubits (August 8, 2008) -- Current technology enables the building of electrical circuits similar to those we use at home but reduced thousands of times in size to a micrometric scale of thousandths of a millimeter. When these circuits are built of superconductor materials and at near-absolute zero cryogenic temperatures, the world of everyday physics is left behind and the amazing world of quantum physics is entered. In this circuit the behavior is something like an artificial atom (i.e. like the so-called quantum bits ("qubits") of quantum computers) and the concepts of quantum optics, quantum information and condensed matter are mixed. ... > full story
The Schiavo Case: Are Mass Media To Blame? (August 8, 2008) -- In 1990, Theresa Schiavo, an American citizen, had a cardiac arrest that caused irreversible brain damage which led to a persistent vegetative state diagnosis. A few years later, this diagnosis became a source of conflict over the interruption of artificial nutrition. The "Schiavo Case" was widely discussed from a medical, ethical and social standpoint in the United States and elsewhere. ... > full story
Climate Change: When It Rains It Really Pours (August 8, 2008) -- Climate models have long predicted that global warming will increase the intensity of "extreme" precipitation events. A new study provides the first observational evidence to confirm the link between a warmer climate and more powerful rainstorms. ... > full story
Inherited Form Of Hearing Loss Stems From Gene Mutation (August 8, 2008) -- Researchers have pinpointed a gene mutation that accounts for a previously unidentified form of hearing loss. Scientists found the same mutation in two unrelated families, indicating the mutation may be ancient and not particularly rare. Future research may find that it affects others who have an unexplained family history of hearing loss. Genes are likely involved in as many as 50 percent of people with hearing loss. ... > full story
Vine Invasion? Ecologists Look At Coexistence Of Trees And Lianas (August 8, 2008) -- Ecologist are studying how woody vines, or lianas, are affecting tropical forests and atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Through a comprehensive community-level study on liana-tree interactions in Panama, researchers are untangling how lianas survive -- and whether they are really threatening trees. ... > full story
Blocking HIV Multiplication: Structure Elucidation Of 'Kissing Complex' (August 8, 2008) -- Scientists have used innovative techniques to elucidate the specific recognition mechanisms between AIDS virus RNA and a synthetic RNA. These results should provide a basis for the development of new therapies targeting viral RNA sequences. ... > full story
Norwegian Wood: Putting Wood Chips In The Fuel Tank (August 8, 2008) -- While the Norwegian company "Norske Skog" is struggling with unprofitable paper production and trees are rotting from the roots up, the world is researching alternatives to petrol. Scientists believe we should put wood chips in the tank. ... > full story
Post-partum Suicide Attempt Risks Studied (August 8, 2008) -- Although maternal suicide after giving birth is a relatively rare occurrence, suicide attempts often have long-lasting effects on the family and the infant. Researchers compared two populations of mothers and found that a history of psychiatric disorders or substance abuse was a strong predictor of post-partum suicide attempts. ... > full story
Perfectly Proportioned Legs Keep Water Striders Striding (August 7, 2008) -- The amazing water strider -- known for its ability to walk on water -- came within just a hair of sinking into evolutionary oblivion. Scientists are reporting that the insect's long, flexible legs have an optimal length that keeps it afloat. ... > full story
Medicinal Marijuana Effective For Neuropathic Pain In HIV, Study Finds (August 7, 2008) -- In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the impact of smoked medical cannabis, or marijuana, on the neuropathic pain associated with HIV, researchers have found that reported pain relief was greater with cannabis than with a placebo. ... > full story
Drivers Of Tropical Deforestation Are Changing, Say Scientists (August 7, 2008) -- A shift from poverty-driven to industry-driven deforestation threatens the world's tropical forests but offers new opportunities for conservation, according to a new article. ... > full story
Treatment Outcomes Highlight Dangers Of Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis (August 7, 2008) -- In a retrospective study of 174 tuberculosis patients, patients with extensively-drug-resistant tuberculosis were almost eight times as likely to die as patients with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. The study highlights the need for optimal management of multidrug resistant cases to prevent the progression to XDR-TB. ... > full story
New Decision Model Seeks To Avert Flu Vaccine Mismatch Of 2007-2008 Season (August 7, 2008) -- To avoid producing vaccines that treat the wrong strains during flu season, the FDA should consider deferring some of its selections as well as other changes to the vaccine composition, according to a study by two decision analysts published in a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. ... > full story
Jeers Of Peers May Affect Adolescent Adjustment (August 7, 2008) -- A researcher suggests that the struggles of adolescence can be particularly painful for children who also struggle with obesity. ... > full story
Is There Life On Jupiter's Moon Europa? Finding Signs Of Current Geological Activity On A Frozen World (August 7, 2008) -- With average temperatures of minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit, an almost nonexistent atmosphere and a complex web of cracks in a layer of ice encompassing the entire surface, the environment on Jupiter's moon Europa is about as alien as they come. Yet "Europa has the potential for something very similar to hydrothermal systems we have here in our oceans," according to one of the researchers. ... > full story
How Chemo Kills Tumors: Research To Reduce Side Effects (August 7, 2008) -- Researchers are investigating exactly how chemotherapy drugs kill cancerous tumors in a bid to reduce side effects and test the effectiveness of safer new agents. ... > full story
Whom Do We Fear Or Trust? (August 7, 2008) -- Princeton psychology researchers have developed a computer program that allows scientists to analyze better than ever before what it is about certain human faces that makes them look either trustworthy or fearsome. In doing so, they have also found that the program allows them to construct computer-generated faces that display the most trustworthy or dominant faces possible. ... > full story
HIV Expert Says 1 Step Down, 2 More To Go In Quest To Cure AIDS (August 7, 2008) -- A Johns Hopkins expert in HIV and how the AIDS virus hides in the body says antiretroviral drugs have stopped HIV from replicating, the first of three key steps needed to rid people of the virus. ... > full story
Acid Rain Reduces Methane Emissions From Rice Paddies (August 7, 2008) -- Acid rain from atmospheric pollution can reduce methane emissions from rice paddies by up to 24 per cent according to new research. This is potentially a beneficial side effect of the high pollution levels China - the world’s largest producer of rice - is often associated with. Methane is 21 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. ... > full story
Fossil And Molecular Evidence Reveals The History Of Major Marine Biodiversity Hotspots (August 7, 2008) -- Experts have described three major marine biodiversity hotspots in the last 50 million years, from the oldest, peaked in southwest Europe and northwest Africa, to the modern Indo-Australian Archipelago hotspot. The birth, evolution and death of such hotspots are a product of ecological processes operating over geological time scales of millions of years. To what extent is human activity speeding the evolutionary process of the focus with the highest level of biological diversity, the coral reef ecosystems? ... > full story
Spices May Protect Against Consequences Of High Blood Sugar (August 7, 2008) -- Herbs and spices are rich in antioxidants, and a new study suggests they are also potent inhibitors of tissue damage and inflammation caused by high levels of blood sugar. ... > full story
Researchers Unveil Vital Key To Cancer (August 7, 2008) -- University of Manchester scientists have uncovered the 3-D structure of Mps1 -- a protein that regulates the number of chromosomes during cell division and thus has an essential role in the prevention of cancer -- which will lead to the design of safer and more effective therapies. ... > full story
Entomologists Use 'Love Potion' To Detect Hidden Cerambycid Beetles (August 7, 2008) -- Pest cerambycids can cause severe damage to standing trees, logs and lumber. How then might they be promptly detected and their numbers swiftly controlled? The new discovery of inexpensive blends of love potions has helped researchers detect several species of pest cerambycid beetles. ... > full story
When Neurons Fire Up: Study Sheds Light On Rhythms Of The Brain (August 7, 2008) -- Neuroscientists have modeled the random synchronization of neuron activation. The findings expand scientists' understanding of brain rhythms, both reoccurring and random, and shed light on the decades-old mystery of how the brain learns temporal patterns. ... > full story
Next-generation Computer Antivirus System Developed (August 7, 2008) -- Antivirus software on your personal computer could become a thing of the past thanks to a new "cloud computing" approach to malicious software detection. ... > full story
Child Development: Lack Of Time On Tummy Shown To Hinder Achievement (August 7, 2008) -- The American Physical Therapy Association is urging parents and caregivers to ensure that babies get enough "tummy time" throughout the day while they are awake and supervised, in light of a recent survey of therapists who say they've noticed an increase in motor delays in infants who spend too much time on their backs while awake. ... > full story
Clumps And Streams Of Dark Matter May Lie In Inner Regions Of Milky Way (August 7, 2008) -- Using one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world to simulate the halo of dark matter that envelopes our galaxy, researchers found dense clumps and streams of the mysterious stuff lurking in the inner regions of the halo, in the same neighborhood as our solar system. ... > full story
West Nile's Targets Uncovered (August 7, 2008) -- Screening the entire human genome, scientists have identified several hundred genes that impact West Nile virus infection. ... > full story
Likely Cause Of Postpartum Blues And Depression Identified (August 7, 2008) -- Unique biochemical crosstalk that enables a fetus to get nutrition and oxygen from its mother's blood just may cause common postpartum blues, researchers say. ... > full story
Wheezing After Early-life Antibiotics (August 7, 2008) -- Children who are given antibiotics in their first three months often wheeze at 15 months of age. However, this wheezing is probably more due to the presence of chest infections than to the use of antibiotics. ... > full story
Quantum Computers Are One Step Closer (August 7, 2008) -- Complex computer encryption codes could be solved and new drug design developed significantly faster because of new research. The reality of a workable quantum computer is one step closer. Researchers have shown for the first time that it is possible to make these computers in silicon rather than a vacuum, which has been the focus of previous research. ... > full story
Humans' Response To Risk Can Be Unnecessarily Dangerous (August 7, 2008) -- The traffic light ahead of you is turning yellow. Do you gun the engine and speed through the intersection, trusting that others will wait for their green, or do you slow down and wait your turn? Researchers contend that our ancient instincts don't meet the decision-making needs of a modern world. ... > full story
Stretchable Silicon Camera Next Step To Artificial Retina (August 7, 2008) -- Digital cameras have transformed the world of photography. Now new technology inspired by the human eye could push the photographic image farther forward by producing improved images with a wider field of view. By combining stretchable optoelectronics and biologically inspired design, scientists have created a remarkable imaging device, with a layout based on the human eye. ... > full story
Use Of Cleaning Products During Pregnancy Increases Risk Of Asthma In Young Children (August 7, 2008) -- Chemicals in household cleaning products linked to risk of asthma in young children. This finding may explain why excessive hygiene is linked to increased asthma and allergies. ... > full story
Some African Drought Linked To Warmer Indian Ocean, NASA Data Show (August 7, 2008) -- A new study, co-funded by NASA, has identified a link between a warming Indian Ocean and less rainfall in eastern and southern Africa. Computer models and observations show a decline in rainfall, with implications for the region's food security. ... > full story
A New Look At How Memory And Spatial Cognition Are Related (August 7, 2008) -- In a study that sheds new light on how memory and spatial cognition are related to each other in the brain, researchers studied memory-impaired patients as they navigated their environment. ... > full story
Measuring Cancer Therapy Success With Oxygen (August 7, 2008) -- Scientists have identified a way to predict very early in the treatment process the outcome of radiation and chemotherapy for cervical cancer patients -- based on oxygen levels within the tumor. ... > full story
Alcohol Consumption Declining, According To Results Of New Study (August 7, 2008) -- Overall alcohol use -- particularly consumption of beer -- is declining in the US, according to a new study. Researchers examined 50 years of data and found several changes in alcohol intake but no change in alcohol use disorders. Americans are drinking significantly less beer and more wine, while hard liquor use has remained fairly constant. More people now report that they are nondrinkers. ... > full story
Jupiter And Saturn Full Of Liquid Metal Helium (August 7, 2008) -- A strange metal brew lies buried deep within giant gaseous planets such as Jupiter and Saturn. A new study demonstrates that metallic helium is less rare than was previously thought, and is produced under the kinds of conditions present at the centers of giant gaseous planets such as Jupiter and Saturn, mixing with metal hydrogen to form a liquid metal alloy. ... > full story
Remedial Instruction Rewires Dyslexic Brains, Provides Lasting Results, Study Shows (August 7, 2008) -- A new brain imaging study of dyslexic students and other poor readers shows that the brain can rewire itself and overcome reading deficits, if students are given 100 hours of intensive remedial instruction. The study shows that the remedial instruction resulted in a brain activity increase in cortical regions associated with reading, and that neural gains solidified further during the year following instruction. ... > full story
Weird Oxygen Bonding Under Pressure Explained (August 7, 2008) -- Oxygen, the third most abundant element in the cosmos and essential to life on Earth, changes its forms dramatically under pressure transforming to a solid with spectacular colors. Eventually it becomes metallic and a superconductor. Now, researchers have found for the first time that under pressure the molecules interact through their outermost electron clouds or "orbitals." ... > full story
Stent Grafts: A Better Way To Treat Blunt Trauma Injuries (August 7, 2008) -- Endovascular repair -- fixing an injury in a blood vessel from inside that vessel -- is a better option for individuals who receive highly lethal injuries from high-speed collisions or falls (together referred to as blunt trauma) and is shown to save more lives and nearly eliminate paraplegia (the loss of the ability to move and/or feel both legs), a complication of surgical repair for thoracic aortic aneurysms. ... > full story
Breast CT Scanners Promise Painless Alternative To Mammography (August 7, 2008) -- The discomfort of a mammogram can drive some women to avoid the valuable screening, occasionally with dire consequences. Now a new procedure, dedicated breast computed tomography (CT), promises to take the pain out of breast cancer detection. ... > full story
When It Comes To Abstinence Teens, Adults Aren't Speaking The Same Language (August 7, 2008) -- Abstinence can mean different things to adolescents than to adults. That's one reason why abstinence-only programs do not have strong effects in preventing teenage sexual activity, according to new research. ... > full story
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