ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Measuring global photosynthesis rate: Earth's plant life 'recycles' carbon dioxide faster than previously estimated
• Alcohol-related behavior changes: Blame your immune system
• Energy efficiency in building and cities
• Pre-clinical research proves promising for the treatment of blood cancer
• Hollywood thriller Contagion echoes real-life study
• Matter shows abrupt escape from flatness: Lead made to undergo a rapid transition from 'pancake' to hemisphere
• Parents feel shock, anxiety and the need to protect children with genital ambiguity
• Spontaneous combustion in nanobubbles inspires compact ultrasonic loudspeaker
• Unexpected role of noise in spine formation
• Research and innovation: New modelling results link natural resources and armed conflicts
• Mammographic surveillance increases breast cancer survival
• CERN sets course for extra-low-energy antiprotons
• Commonly used supplement may improve recovery from spinal cord injuries
• Risk factors for cat cancer could have human implications
• Key to survival of brain cells discovered
• Easily embarrassed? Study finds people will trust you more
• Correcting sickle cell disease with stem cells
• Brain imaging study shows physiological basis of dyslexia
• Neural linkage between motivation and motor functional recovery through rehabilitative training
• Even high-but-normal blood pressure elevates stroke risk
• Global conservation priorities for marine turtles
• The level and nature of autistic intelligence II: What about Asperger Syndrome?
• How the use of smartphones can revolutionize research in cognitive science
• Dementia patients face burdensome transitions in last 90 days
• How normal cells become brain cancers
• Study uncovers a predictable sequence toward coral reef collapse
• Suffering of the poor may have helped societies with class structures spread across globe
• Dyslexia isn't a matter of IQ, brain imaging study shows
• Teenage mind: First time evidence links over interpretation of social situations to personality disorder
• New stem cell activity identified in human brain
• Big Tobacco knew radioactive particles in cigarettes posed cancer risk but kept quiet, study suggests
• Experts advocate for new approaches to biomedical research
• Drug companies must report clinical trial results, even when they won't lead to a product, experts urge
• Earthquake risk: Two faults exposed in eastern Sierra Nevada
• Instead of defibrillator's painful jolt, there may be a gentler way to prevent sudden death
• Saving heart attack victims with computer science
• Major HIV prevention trial in women to drop oral tenofovir arm
• Testing cookstoves for Haiti
• Managing future forests for water
• Cattle: Heifers don't have to be pigs at the feed bunk
• Vital protein complex and therapeutic possibilities revealed
• Millesecond memory: 'Teleportation' of rats sheds light on how the memory is organized
• Light from galaxy clusters confirms general theory of relativity
• Loss of 'lake lawnmowers' leads to algae blooms
• Children with autism benefit from early, intensive therapy
• Additives meant to protect vitamin C actually cause more harm, study suggests
• Key protein causing excess liver production of glucose in diabetes identified
• Fish uses tool to dig up and crush clams
• Gene may be good target for tough-to-kill prostate cancer cells
• Control gene for developmental timing discovered
• Resisting peer pressure: Why adolescents respond differently to peer influence
• Americans move dramatically toward acceptance of homosexuality: Young people lead the changes
• Smoking linked to chronic pain in women
• Students 'jump into action' for better health
• Genetic variant linked to blocked heart arteries in patients with diabetes
• Female mate searching evolves when mating gifts are important, katydid study finds
• High-risk donor livers used with greater frequency in transplantations
• New research promises better collection of prostate cancer cells
• Branding or microchip implant for identification: Tradition or stress?
• Scientists reveal molecular sculptor of memories

Measuring global photosynthesis rate: Earth's plant life 'recycles' carbon dioxide faster than previously estimated Posted: 28 Sep 2011 07:20 PM PDT A research team followed the path of oxygen atoms on carbon dioxide molecules during photosynthesis to create a new way of measuring the efficiency of the world's plant life. The authors of the study said the new estimate of the rate of global photosynthesis enabled by their method will in turn help guide other estimates of plant activity such as the capacity of forests and crops to grow.

Alcohol-related behavior changes: Blame your immune system Posted: 28 Sep 2011 06:16 PM PDT When you think about your immune system, you probably think about it fighting off a cold. But new research suggests that immune cells in your brain may contribute to how you respond to alcohol.

Energy efficiency in building and cities Posted: 28 Sep 2011 04:01 PM PDT Sustainable energy consumption, the use of renewable energies, energy efficiency and the reduction of CO2 emissions are the current challenges that cities and communities must overcome if they want to achieve the ambitious energy and climate targets if they want to achieve the set out by the EU in their EU 2020 strategy.

Pre-clinical research proves promising for the treatment of blood cancer Posted: 28 Sep 2011 04:01 PM PDT Pre-clinical research has generated some very promising findings about a prototype drug for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Hollywood thriller Contagion echoes real-life study Posted: 28 Sep 2011 04:01 PM PDT Soon-to-be released Hollywood film Contagion stars Kate Winslet as a doctor battling the horrors of a global pandemic -- but real-life scientists are urging people to complete a survey to help scientists track how contagious diseases spread in the real world.

Matter shows abrupt escape from flatness: Lead made to undergo a rapid transition from 'pancake' to hemisphere Posted: 28 Sep 2011 04:01 PM PDT At first glance, it seems as if billions of lead atoms have mysteriously disappeared. When exposed to heat, a layer of lead coated onto a nickel surface becomes almost invisible from one moment to the next. In reality, the slightest disturbance causes these atoms to suddenly switch from a broad "flat pancake" shape to a compact hemisphere. Interestingly, this all takes place at a temperature below the melting point of lead. The hemispheres, too, consist of solid lead. So no mass has been lost, the material has simply taken on a different spatial configuration.

Parents feel shock, anxiety and the need to protect children with genital ambiguity Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:59 PM PDT Parents of babies born without clearly defined male or female genitals experience a roller-coaster of emotions, including shock, anxiety and the need to protect their child. Researchers who spoke to 15 parents found that they were keen to find a sense of harmony between their child's genital ambiguity and the sex they raised them as. All the children had disorders of sex development, which include conditions where the chromosomes, testicles, ovaries or sexual anatomy are not as expected. It's estimated that one in 300 babies are born with concerns about the development of their external genitalia and in one in 5,000 births the baby's sex is unclear despite expert examination.

Spontaneous combustion in nanobubbles inspires compact ultrasonic loudspeaker Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:59 PM PDT Nanometer-sized bubbles containing the gases hydrogen and oxygen can apparently combust spontaneously, although nothing happens in larger bubbles. For the first time, researchers have demonstrated this spontaneous combustion. They intend to use the phenomenon to construct a compact ultrasonic loudspeaker.

Unexpected role of noise in spine formation Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:56 PM PDT The development of periodic structures in embryos giving rise to the formation of, e.g., spine segments, is controlled not by genes but by simple physical and chemical phenomena. Researchers have now proposed a straightforward theoretical model to describe the process, and studied how the segmentation is affected by internal, thermodynamic noise of the system. The results turned out to be counterintuitive.

Research and innovation: New modelling results link natural resources and armed conflicts Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:56 PM PDT The EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) has developed a statistical modelling tool which allows the risk of conflict occurrence in developing countries to be analyzed. Combining online news reports with geographical satellite data, the tool establishes a link between natural resources and the risk of conflict. A key advance is the very detailed scale of the data (most being gathered to the square kilometer) and the fact that the modelling is based on the seriousness of the conflicts. When tested, the model successfully identified the correlation between resource-rich areas of land and occurrence of conflict. This approach has potential use in the European Commission's development aid planning and crisis prevention.

Mammographic surveillance increases breast cancer survival Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:56 PM PDT New research has found that surveillance using mammography increases the survival chances of breast cancer patients.

CERN sets course for extra-low-energy antiprotons Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:56 PM PDT The kick-off meeting for ELENA, the Extra Low Energy Antiproton Ring, has begun at CERN . Approved by CERN Council in June this year, ELENA is scheduled to deliver its first antiprotons in 2016.

Commonly used supplement may improve recovery from spinal cord injuries Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:50 PM PDT A commonly used supplement is likely to improve outcomes and recovery for individuals who sustain a spinal cord injury, according to new research.

Risk factors for cat cancer could have human implications Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:50 PM PDT A recent, large-scale study on cat intestinal cancer has provided new insight into a common pet disease and its causes; the findings could ultimately benefit humans.

Key to survival of brain cells discovered Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:50 PM PDT Scientists have discovered how a key chemical neurotransmitter that interacts with two receptors in the brain promotes either normal function or a disease process -- determining whether brain cells live or die.

Easily embarrassed? Study finds people will trust you more Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT If tripping in public or mistaking an overweight woman for a mother-to-be leaves you red-faced, don't feel bad. A new study suggests that people who are easily embarrassed are also more trustworthy, and more generous.

Correcting sickle cell disease with stem cells Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT Using a patient's own stem cells, researchers have corrected the genetic alteration that causes sickle cell disease, a painful, disabling inherited blood disorder that affects mostly African-Americans. The corrected stem cells were coaxed into immature red blood cells in a test tube that then turned on a normal version of the gene.

Brain imaging study shows physiological basis of dyslexia Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT Researchers have used an imaging technique to show that the brain activation patterns in children with poor reading skills and a low IQ are similar to those in poor readers with a typical IQ. The work provides more definitive evidence about poor readers having similar kinds of difficulties regardless of their general cognitive ability.

Neural linkage between motivation and motor functional recovery through rehabilitative training Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT Scientists revealed that the more motor function recovery progresses, the stronger the functional connectivity between the brain which regulates motivation, and in the brain regions involved in the motor learning and functional recovery.

Even high-but-normal blood pressure elevates stroke risk Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT People with prehypertension have a 55 percent higher risk of experiencing a future stroke than people without prehypertension, report researchers in a new meta-analysis of scientific literature.

Global conservation priorities for marine turtles Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT Marine turtles worldwide are vulnerable and endangered, but their long lives and broad distribution make it difficult for scientists to accurately determine the threat level to different populations and devise appropriate conservation strategies. To address this concern, researchers have developed a new method to evaluate spatially and biologically distinct groups of marine turtles to identify threats and data gaps at different scales.

The level and nature of autistic intelligence II: What about Asperger Syndrome? Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT Autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger syndrome, have generally been associated with uneven intellectual profiles and impairment, but according to a new study of Asperger individuals, this may not be the case -- as long as intelligence is evaluated by the right test.

How the use of smartphones can revolutionize research in cognitive science Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT Smartphones may be the new hot tool in cognitive psychology research, according to a new article.

Dementia patients face burdensome transitions in last 90 days Posted: 28 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT Health-care transitions, such as moves from the nursing home to the hospital, can result in medical errors, lack of care coordination, and for persons with advanced dementia -- emotional distress and agitation. A new study finds that although such transitions are not consistent with goals of providing dying patients with comfort, a fifth of them experience at least one during their last three months.

How normal cells become brain cancers Posted: 28 Sep 2011 12:21 PM PDT Brain tumor specimens taken from neurosurgery cases have given scientists a new window on the transformation that occurs as healthy brain cells begin to form tumors.

Study uncovers a predictable sequence toward coral reef collapse Posted: 28 Sep 2011 12:21 PM PDT Coral reefs that have lots of corals and appear healthy may, in fact, be heading toward collapse, according to a new study.

Suffering of the poor may have helped societies with class structures spread across globe Posted: 28 Sep 2011 12:20 PM PDT Arguably the worst feature of societies with class structures -- the disproportionate suffering of the poor -- may have been the driving force behind the spread of those stratified societies across the globe at the expense of more egalitarian societies. During hard times, a society in which the bulk of the suffering is borne by the poor can survive and expand into new territory more readily than can egalitarian societies.

Dyslexia isn't a matter of IQ, brain imaging study shows Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:24 AM PDT About 5 to 10 percent of American children are diagnosed as dyslexic. Historically, the label has been assigned to kids who are bright, even verbally articulate, but who struggle with reading -- in short, whose high IQs mismatch their low reading scores. When children are not as bright, however, their reading troubles have been chalked up to their general intellectual limitations.

Teenage mind: First time evidence links over interpretation of social situations to personality disorder Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:24 AM PDT Researchers have became interested in the way people think, how they organize thoughts, execute a decision, then determine whether a decision is good or bad.

New stem cell activity identified in human brain Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:24 AM PDT Researchers have identified a new pathway of stem cell activity in the brain that represents potential targets of brain injuries affecting newborns. The recent study raises new questions of how the brain evolves.

Big Tobacco knew radioactive particles in cigarettes posed cancer risk but kept quiet, study suggests Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:24 AM PDT Tobacco companies knew that cigarette smoke contained radioactive alpha particles for more than four decades and developed "deep and intimate" knowledge of these particles' cancer-causing potential, but they deliberately kept their findings from the public, according to a new study.

Experts advocate for new approaches to biomedical research Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:24 AM PDT Experts have outlined several approaches to biomedical research workforce development, a topic that is currently under scrutiny by the National Institutes of Health in the US.

Drug companies must report clinical trial results, even when they won't lead to a product, experts urge Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:24 AM PDT Drug companies sponsoring human trials of possible new medications have ethical responsibilities to study participants and to science to disclose the results of their clinical research -- even when product development is no longer being pursued.

Earthquake risk: Two faults exposed in eastern Sierra Nevada Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:24 AM PDT Excavated trenches reveal two faults that bound the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada in Antelope Valley, California and the Carson Range in Reno, Nevada; a new model changes predictions of amplified ground motion in Seattle basin.

Instead of defibrillator's painful jolt, there may be a gentler way to prevent sudden death Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:24 AM PDT Each year in the United States, more than 200,000 people have a cardiac defibrillator implanted in their chest to deliver a high-voltage shock to prevent sudden cardiac death from a life-threatening arrhythmia. While it's a necessary and effective preventive therapy, those who've experienced a defibrillator shock say it's painful, and some studies suggest that the shock can damage heart muscle.

Saving heart attack victims with computer science Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:24 AM PDT Newly discovered subtle markers of heart damage hidden in plain sight among hours of EKG recordings could help doctors identify which heart attack patients are at high risk of dying soon.

Major HIV prevention trial in women to drop oral tenofovir arm Posted: 28 Sep 2011 10:18 AM PDT A large-scale clinical trial evaluating whether daily use of an oral tablet or vaginal gel containing antiretroviral drugs can prevent HIV infection in women is being modified because an interim review found that the study cannot show that one of the study products, oral tenofovir, marketed under the trade name Viread, is effective.

Testing cookstoves for Haiti Posted: 28 Sep 2011 10:18 AM PDT Scientists have teamed up with students to run a series of efficiency tests comparing the traditional Haiti cookstove with a variety of low-cost, commercially available alternatives. The long-term goal is to find the safest and most fuel-efficient stove -- or to design a new one that would win favor with the cooks of Haiti.

Managing future forests for water Posted: 28 Sep 2011 10:18 AM PDT Scientists recently used long-term data to examine the feasibility of managing forests for water supply under the changing weather conditions forecast for the future.

Cattle: Heifers don't have to be pigs at the feed bunk Posted: 28 Sep 2011 10:18 AM PDT Heifers can safely eat 20 percent less between weaning and breeding, according to a two-year study.

Vital protein complex and therapeutic possibilities revealed Posted: 28 Sep 2011 10:18 AM PDT Scientists have detailed the structure and workings of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large family of human proteins that are the target of one-third to one-half of modern drugs.

Millesecond memory: 'Teleportation' of rats sheds light on how the memory is organized Posted: 28 Sep 2011 10:18 AM PDT An experiment in which rats are "teleported" shows how memory is organized into discrete 125 millisecond-long packets, enabling a smooth transition between one memory and the next.

Light from galaxy clusters confirms general theory of relativity Posted: 28 Sep 2011 10:17 AM PDT All observations in astronomy are based on light (electromagnetic radiation) emitted from stars and galaxies and, according to the general theory of relativity, the light will be affected by gravity. At the same time all interpretations in astronomy are based on the correctness of the theory of relatively, but it has been difficult to accurately test Einstein's theory of gravity on scales larger than the solar system. Now astrophysicists in Denmark have managed to measure how the light is affected by gravity on its way out of galaxy clusters. The observations confirm the theoretical predictions.

Loss of 'lake lawnmowers' leads to algae blooms Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT Unprecedented algae growth in some lakes could be linked to the decline of water calcium levels and the subsequent loss of an important algae-grazing organism that helps keep blooms at bay.

Children with autism benefit from early, intensive therapy Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT Researchers have found that children with autism spectrum disorders who receive more intensive therapy to combat social-communication impairments, especially at early ages, achieve the best outcomes.

Additives meant to protect vitamin C actually cause more harm, study suggests Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT Anti-caking agents in powdered products may hasten degradation of vitamin C instead of doing what they are supposed to do: protect the nutrient from moisture.

Key protein causing excess liver production of glucose in diabetes identified Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT Researchers have identified a powerful molecular pathway that regulates the liver's management of insulin and new glucose production, which could lead to new therapies for diabetes.

Fish uses tool to dig up and crush clams Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT The first video of tool use by a fish has now been published. In the video, an orange-dotted tuskfish digs a clam out of the sand, carries it over to a rock, and repeatedly throws the clam against the rock to crush it.

Gene may be good target for tough-to-kill prostate cancer cells Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT Scientists believe they have found an effective target for killing late-stage, metastatic prostate cancer cells. They are focusing on the function of a gene called Polo-like kinase (Plk1), a critical regulator of the cell cycle. Plk1 is also an oncogene, which tends to mutate and can cause cancer.

Control gene for developmental timing discovered Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT Researchers have identified a key regulator that controls the speed of development in the fruit fly. When the researchers blocked the function of this regulator, animals sped up their rate of development and reached maturity much faster than normal.

Resisting peer pressure: Why adolescents respond differently to peer influence Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT The company an adolescent keeps affects his or her behavior -- particularly when these friends engage in illicit activities and are indifferent to education -- right? Well, that all depends, according to a new study.

Americans move dramatically toward acceptance of homosexuality: Young people lead the changes Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT Although sharply divided, public attitudes toward gays and lesbians are rapidly changing to reflect greater acceptance, with younger generations leading the way, research shows. In addition to a plurality who now approve of same-sex marriage, Americans overwhelmingly support basic civil liberties and freedom of expression for gays and lesbians, in contrast to sharp division on such issues in the 1970s.

Smoking linked to chronic pain in women Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT Kentucky women who smoke heavily may experience more chronic musculoskeletal pain, suggests a new study.

Students 'jump into action' for better health Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:53 AM PDT The National Survey of Children's Health indicates 31 percent of Missouri children are overweight or obese; yet, the state lacks physical activity requirements for students and nutritional standards for school meals beyond those recommended by the USDA. A new study shows Jump Into Action, a school-based physical activity program, is effective in changing unhealthy youth behaviors.

Genetic variant linked to blocked heart arteries in patients with diabetes Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:53 AM PDT Researchers have identified the first genetic variant associated with severity of coronary artery disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. Though this variant is not likely the cause of more severe coronary disease, the researchers say, it implicates a gene that could be. Such a gene has promise as a future target for treating coronary artery disease in diabetic patients.

Female mate searching evolves when mating gifts are important, katydid study finds Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:53 AM PDT In the animal world, males typically search for their female partners. The mystery is that in some species, you get a reversal -- the females search for males. A new study of katydids supports a theory that females will search if males offer a lot more than just sperm.

High-risk donor livers used with greater frequency in transplantations Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:53 AM PDT The shortage of available organs for transplantation has driven up use of high-risk donor livers. New research has reported that high volume transplant centers more frequently utilized livers with a high donor risk index, but achieved better risk-adjusted graft and recipient survival rates compared with lower volume centers.

New research promises better collection of prostate cancer cells Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:53 AM PDT Using something called "inertial microfluidics," researchers are able to safely separate and collect concentrated volumes of fragile prostate cancer cells from small sample batches. This, in turn, enhances research of the disease.

Branding or microchip implant for identification: Tradition or stress? Posted: 28 Sep 2011 09:53 AM PDT For animal welfare reasons, many veterinarians are currently promoting the method of implanting a microchip over the traditional practice of branding. However, officials of major sport horse breed registries deny that branding really causes pain or stress to foals. The new results show that tissue damage caused by branding in foals is far more pronounced than expected.

Scientists reveal molecular sculptor of memories Posted: 28 Sep 2011 08:00 AM PDT Researchers working with adult mice have discovered that learning and memory were profoundly affected when they altered the amounts of a certain protein in specific parts of the mammals' brains.

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