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| Rare sheep could be key to better diagnostic tests in developing world, says Stanford study Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
The newest revolution in microbiology testing walks on four legs and says "baa". It's the hair sheep, a less-hirsute version of the familiar woolly barnyard resident. A new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine, which is to be published July 3 in PLoS ONE, finds that not only are these ruminants low-maintenance and parasite-resistant, they're also perfect blood donors for the microbiology tests necessary to diagnose infectious disease in the developing world. |
| Study identifies how tamoxifen stimulates uterine cell growth and cancer Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
University of California - San Francisco researchers have identified a new "feed-forward" pathway linking estrogen receptors in the membrane of the uterus to a process that increases local estrogen levels and promotes cell growth. |
| Perfect pitch study offers window into influences of nature and nurture Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Practice, practice, practice might get you to Carnegie Hall, but for aspiring musicians, there's new evidence that genes may influence one's ability to get there, as well. |
| Learning from locusts Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
A similarity in brain disturbance between insects and people suffering from migraines, stroke and epilepsy points the way toward new drug therapies to address these conditions. |
| New focus on the moon Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera has taken and received its first images of the Moon, kicking off the year-long mapping mission of Earth's nearest celestial neighbor. The LROC imaging system is under the watchful eyes of Arizona State University professor Mark Robison, the principal investigator. |
| Plants' internal clock can improve climate-change models Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
The ability of plants to tell the time, a mechanism common to all living beings, enables them to survive, grow and reproduce. In a study published in the latest issue of the prestigious journal Ecology Letters, an international team has studied this circadian clock from a molecular viewpoint, and has found an ecological implication: It makes climate change scenarios and CO2 level figures more accurate. |
| Second Life data offers window into how trends spread Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Do friends wear the same style of shoe or see the same movies because they have similar tastes, which is why they became friends in the first place? Or once a friendship is established, do individuals influence each other to adopt like behaviors? |
| A question of height Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Intelligent countryside management could improve the survival chances of animal and plant species threatened by climate change. The creation of small heat-shielded habitats and better links between habitats would counteract a moderate temperature increase, and give threatened species more time to adapt better and/or to migrate to cooler regions. This is the conclusion drawn by scientists at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research from a British study on saving the Large Blue butterfly. |
| AGU journal highlights - July 2, 2009 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Featured in this release are research papers on the following topics: "Ancient supervolcano's eruption caused decade of severe winters"; "Understanding fault movement during Wenchuan earthquake"; "First direct measurement of lunar backscatter from solar wind"; "Reducing uncertainty in estimates of global sea level rise"; "Boost in freshwater content of Arctic Ocean "; "Data gaps in records hinder detection of climate trends"; "Glaciers cause seismic activity in Iceland"; and more. |
| Integrated optical trap holds particles for on-chip analysis Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
A new type of optical particle trap can be used to manipulate bacteria, viruses and other particles on a chip as part of an integrated optofluidic platform. |
| LRO's first moon images Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has transmitted its first images since reaching the moon on June 23. The spacecraft's two cameras, collectively known as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, or LROC, were activated June 30. The cameras are working well, and have returned images of a region in the lunar highlands south of Mare Nubium (Sea of Clouds). |
| Many characteristics of Mars, including ice, are similar to Earth, paper says Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Mars gets as far as 250 million miles away, but many parts of it closely resemble places on Earth, including its landscape, history of water, soil and even its weather, says a Texas A&M University researcher in the current issue of Science magazine. |
| Prostate cancer patients disease free after 5 years likely to be disease free after 10 years Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Prostate cancer patients who receive brachytherapy and remain free of disease for five years or greater are unlikely to have a recurrence at 10 years, according to a study in the July 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. |
| Brain malformations significantly associated with preterm birth, Wake Forest research shows Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
New research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine provides for the first time a solid scientific answer for the long-standing question of whether there is an association between preterm birth and brain malformations. |
| Overweight kids experience more loneliness, anxiety, MU study finds Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
As childhood obesity rates continue to increase, experts agree that more information is needed about the implications of being overweight as a step toward reversing current trends. Now, a new University of Missouri study has found that overweight children, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten. |
| Pacific Northwest forests could store more carbon, help address greenhouse issues Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
The forests of the Pacific Northwest hold significant potential to increase carbon storage and help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in coming years, a recent study concludes, if they are managed primarily for that purpose through timber harvest reductions and increased rotation ages. |
| Ben-Gurion U. researchers reveal connection between cancer and human evolution Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have discovered that gene mutations that once helped humans survive may increase the possibility for diseases, including cancer. The findings were recently the cover story in the journal Genome Research. |
| UT multimedia program increases middle school interest in science Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Middle school students who were part of a unique science learning program developed by the University of Texas School of Public Health showed significant increases in interest and achievement scores compared to other students, a recent study found. |
| Natural compound stops retinopathy Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have found a way to use a natural compound to stop one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. |
| Sexist jokes favor the mental mechanisms that justify violence against women Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
These are the conclusions of research work carried out at the University of Granada in a sample of 109 18-26 year old university male students. The results of this work will be released July 2 in the framework of the International Summer School and Symposium on Humor and Laughter. |
| Report calls for new initiative to improve math education for preschoolers Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
To ensure that all children enter elementary school with the foundation they need for success, a major national initiative is needed to improve early childhood mathematics education, says a new report from the National Research Council. |
| Poor health among indigenous peoples a question of cultural loss as well as poverty Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Health problems of Indigenous peoples around the world are intimately tied to a number of unique factors, such as colonization, globalization, migration, and loss of land, language and culture. These factors remain even after the "typical" social problems facing the poor, such as inadequate housing, unemployment, and low education levels are addressed, according to Dr. Malcolm King, lead author of a paper to be published tomorrow in The Lancet,. |
| The problem with self-help books: Study shows the negative side to positive self-statements Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
In times of doubt and uncertainty, many Americans turn to self-help books in search of encouragement, guidance and self-affirmation. The positive self-statements suggested in these books, such as "I am a lovable person" or "I will succeed," are designed to lift a person's low self-esteem and push them into positive action. According to a recent study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science; however, these statements can actually have the opposite effect. |
| In the eye of the storm: Why some people stayed behind Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Hurricane Katrina was the largest natural disaster in US history, claiming the lives of more than 1,800 victims and causing well over $100 billion in damage along the Gulf Coast. The 2005 storm breached every levee in New Orleans, flooding almost the entire city as well as the neighboring parishes. Yet a surprising number of people stayed behind and rode out the storm. |
| Ferns took to the trees and thrived Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
As flowering plants like giant trees quickly rose to dominate plant communities during the Cretaceous period, the ferns that had preceded them hardly saw it as a disappointment. |
| Children with autism need to be taught in smaller groups, pilot study confirms Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Since the 1970s, there has been much debate surrounding the fact that individuals with autism have difficulty in understanding speech in situations where there is background speech or noise. Today, at the annual meeting of the International Multisensory Research Forum being held at the City College of New York, neuroscientists announced conclusive evidence to verify this fact. |
| Visit to the doctor: The supply of additional private services is increasing Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Panel physicians are increasingly offering individual health services to patients with statutory health insurance. This is documented by Susanne Richter et al. of the Department of Social Medicine, Lubeck University, in the new edition of Deutsches Arzteblatt. IHS include medical health services which are not reimbursed by the health insurance funds and which the patient has to pay for himself. |
| Virus-resistant grapevines Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Viruses can cost winegrowers an entire harvest. If they infest the grapevines, even pesticides are often no use. What's more, these chemicals are harmful to the environment. Researchers are growing plants that produce antibodies against the viruses and are thus immune. |
| Rampant helper syndrome Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
The Archaea are very primitive single-celled organisms, sometimes living under extreme conditions. Some species produce methane with the help of deazaflavin cofactor. Researchers of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat in Munich have shown that this small molecule is also widespread among higher organisms, where it helps to repair damaged DNA. |
| Evolution: Crabs go deep to avoid hot water Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Researchers from the National Oceanography Center, Southampton, have drawn together 200 years' worth of oceanographic knowledge to investigate the distribution of a notorious deep-sea giant -- the king crab. The results, published this week in the Journal of Biogeography, reveal temperature as a driving force behind the speciation and radiation of a major seafloor predator -- globally, and over tens of millions of years of Earth's history. |
| Printable batteries Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
For a long time, batteries were bulky and heavy. Now, a new cutting-edge battery is revolutionizing the field. It is thinner than a millimeter, lighter than a gram, and can be produced cost-effectively through a printing process. |
| Research output in developing countries reveals 194 percent increase in five years Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
The partners of Research4Life announced today at the World Conference of Science Journalists 2009 that a new research impact analysis has demonstrated a dramatic rise in research output by scientists in the developing world since 2002. By comparing absolute growth in published research before (1996 - 2002) and after (2002 - 2008) the advent of the Research4Life programs, the analysis has revealed a 194 percent or 6.4-fold increase in articles published in peer reviewed journals. |
| Scientists 'rebuild' giant moa using ancient DNA Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Scientists have performed the first DNA-based reconstruction of the giant extinct moa bird, using prehistoric feathers recovered from caves and rock shelters in New Zealand. |
| Bioethicists lead call for public debates on future uses of stem cells Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
More than 40 scientists, bioethicists, lawyers and science journal editors are calling on their colleagues, policy makers and the public to begin developing guidelines for the research and reproductive use of stem cell-derived eggs and sperm, even though such use may be a decade or more away. |
| UCLA scientists find molecular differences between embryonic stem cells and reprogrammed skin cells Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
UCLA researchers have found that embryonic stem cells and skin cells reprogrammed into embryonic-like cells have inherent molecular differences, demonstrating for the first time that the two cell types are clearly distinguishable from one another. |
| NASA's Fermi Telescope reveals a population of radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsars Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
A new class of pulsars detected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is solving the mystery of previously unidentified gamma-ray sources and helping scientists understand the mechanisms behind pulsar emissions. |
| Gene's novel role may provide key to treating liver and neurodegenerative diseases Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Singapore scientists have made a novel discovery about how gene, "Fas-apoptosis inhibitory molecule", protects both immune and liver cells from programmed cell death. Their research is published in Cell Death and Differentiation. |
| MIT and CDC discover why H1N1 flu spreads inefficiently Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
A team from MIT and the Centers for Disease Control has found a genetic explanation for why the new H1N1 "swine flu" virus has spread from person to person less effectively than other flu viruses. |
| JNCI news brief: Improving the biomarker pipeline for early cancer detection Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Several statistical and biological issues need to be addressed in order to improve biomarker identification for early detection of cancer, according to a commentary published online July 2 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. |
| Study shows PET can measure effectiveness of novel breast cancer treatment Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
A new study published in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that positron emission tomography scans in mice can be used to determine whether a novel type of breast cancer treatment is working as intended. |
| JNCI news brief: Hepatitis B virus mutations may predict risk of liver cancer Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Certain mutations in the DNA of the hepatitis B virus are associated with the development of liver cancer and may help predict which patients with HBV infections are at increased risk of the disease, according to a large meta-analysis in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, published online July 2. |
| A rush of blood to the head -- anger increases blood flow Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Mental stress causes carotid artery dilation and increases brain blood flow. A series of ultrasound experiments, described in BioMed Central's open access journal Cardiovascular Ultrasound, also found that this dilatory reflex was absent in people with high blood pressure. |
| Stanford bioethicist and colleagues call for federal regulation of genetic ancestry testing Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
The lack of federal regulation in instances of DNA use will be addressed in the Policy Forum section in the July 3 issue of Science by Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, Ph.D., of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, and colleagues from four other universities. The need for a clear set of rules governing genetic ancestry testing is becoming more urgent, Lee said, given the proliferation of private corporations that promise consumers insight into their genetic origins. |
| Doubts cast on credibility of some published clinical trials Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Randomized controlled trials are considered the "gold standard" research method for assessing new medical treatments. But research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Trials shows that the design of a remarkable 93 percent of 2235 so-called RCTs published in some Chinese medical journals during 1994 to 2005 was flawed, casting doubt on the reliability of research that is likely to influence medical decision-makers. |
| Climate change and the mystery of the shrinking sheep Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Milder winters are causing Scotland's wild breed of Soay sheep to get smaller, despite the evolutionary benefits of possessing a large body, according to new research due to be published in this week's Science Express. |
| Pinpointing origin of gamma rays from a supermassive black hole Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
An international collaboration of 390 scientists reports the discovery of an outburst of very-high-energy gamma radiation from the giant radio galaxy Messier 87, accompanied by a strong rise of the radio flux measured from the direct vicinity of its super-massive black hole. The combined results give first experimental evidence that particles are accelerated to extremely high energies of tera electron Volt in the immediate vicinity of a supermassive black hole and then emit the observed gamma rays. |
| Mexican wives' mental health dives when husbands work in US Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
A new study finds that Mexican wives who stay home when their husbands immigrate to the United States for work have poorer mental health than a comparison group. |
| Mars data published in Science this week Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Four papers in the journal Science this week offer new details about the history of water on Mars, gleaned from the 2008 NASA Phoenix Mars Mission that was operated from the University of Arizona. |
| 'Jumping gene' diminishes the effect of a new type 2 diabetes risk gene Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Research has identified a new gene associated with diabetes, together with a mechanism that makes obese mice less susceptible to diabetes. A genomic fragment that occurs naturally in some mouse strains diminishes the activity of the risk gene Zfp69. The researchers also found that the corresponding human gene (ZNF642) is especially active in overweight individuals with diabetes. The results of the study are published July 3 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. |
| VLBA locates superenergetic bursts near giant black hole Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Combining gamma-ray telescopes with the supersharp radio 'vision' of the Very Long Baseline Array showed astronomers the location from which very-high-energy gamma rays are emerging from the core ot the giant galaxy M87. |
| MIT researchers find new actions of neurochemicals Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Although the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has only 302 neurons in its entire nervous system, studies of this simple animal have significantly advanced our understanding of human brain function because it shares many genes and neurochemical signaling molecules with humans. Now MIT researchers have found novel C. elegans neurochemical receptors, the discovery of which could lead to new therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders if similar receptors are found in humans. |
| New type of El Nino could mean more hurricanes make landfall Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
A new study, in the journal Science, suggests that the form of El Nino may be changing potentially causing not only a greater number of hurricanes than in average years, but also a greater chance of hurricanes making landfall. |
| Researchers unite to distribute quantum keys Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Researchers from across Europe have united to build the largest quantum key distribution network ever built. The efforts of 41 research and industrial organizations were realized as secure, quantum encrypted information was sent over an eight node, mesh network. |
| Existing Parkinson's disease drug may fight drug-resistant TB Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Existing drugs used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease could be repositioned for use in the treatment of extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis, which kills about 2 million people each year, according to a study led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego. The rise of these strains of TB throughout the world, including industrialized countries, poses a great threat to human health. |
| Climate change and the mystery of the shrinking sheep Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Changing winter conditions are causing Scotland's wild Soay sheep to get smaller despite the evolutionary benefits of having a large body, researchers report in a study that shows how climate change can trump natural selection. |
| Research reveals what drives lung cancer's spread Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
A new study by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center reveals the genetic underpinnings of what causes lung cancer to quickly metastasize, or spread, to the brain and the bone -- the two most prominent sites of lung cancer relapse. The study will be published online in the journal Cell on July 2. |
| New targeted therapy finds and eliminates deadly leukemia stem cells Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
New research describes a molecular tool that shows great promise as a therapeutic for human acute myeloid leukemia, a notoriously treatment-resistant blood cancer. The study, published by Cell Press in the July 2 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, describes exciting preclinical studies in which a new therapeutic approach selectively attacks human cancer cells grown in the lab and in animal models of leukemia. |
| Predicting the return of prostate cancer: New Johns Hopkins study betters the odds of success Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Cancer experts at Johns Hopkins say a study tracking 774 prostate cancer patients for a median of eight years has shown that a three-way combination of measurements has the best chance yet of predicting disease metastasis. |
| Hormone treatment eases post-surgery distress in children Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
In the July issue of Anesthesiology, UC Irvine physicians focused on reducing anxiety in children and their families report that oral treatment with melatonin before surgery can significantly reduce the occurrence of emergence delirium in children. |
| Alzheimer's research yields potential drug target Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT |
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara and several other institutions have found laboratory evidence that a cluster of peptides may be the toxic agent in Alzheimer's disease. Scientists say the discovery may lead to new drugs for the disease. |
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