ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Novel type 2 diabetes genetic study involves five major ancestry groups
• Grape seed extract bollixes norovirus
• Antibiotics disrupt gut flora in infants: Recovery still incomplete after eight weeks
• Norovirus disinfection: How much is enough?
• Cigarette smoke boosts virulence in Staphylococcus aureus
• Is housework a health hazard? Sheet-fitting palsy described by physicians
• Comet collisions every six seconds explain 17-year-old stellar mystery
• Antioxidants may ease peripheral arterial disease (PAD) blood pressure increase, study suggests
• Alcoholic men demonstrate a deficit in empathy and distorted view of irony
• Environmental factors can mitigate genetic risk for developing alcohol problems
• College women who act impulsively when distressed are at risk for alcohol problems
• Pre-drinking is a risky way to begin an evening out
• Examining transition from student to teacher
• Why nicotine in cigarettes can relieve anxiety in smokers
• Taking on the challenges of replication in psychological science
• More bang for the biofuel buck
• Molecular ‘portraits’ of tumours match patients with trials in everyday clinical practice
• Mesothelioma drug slows disease progression in patients with an inactive NF2 gene
• First trial in humans of 'minicells': a completely new way of delivering anti-cancer drugs
• Child care providers can be part of solution for childhood obesity
• Two new emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica
• Burn doctors treat more patients during cold-weather months, urge caution with home heating
• War's impact can haunt veterans long after combat
• Diabetes study: 'Mindful eating' equals traditional education in lowering weight and blood sugar
• Circulating blood factor linked with a leading cause of kidney failure
• X-48 Blended Wing Body research aircraft makes 100th test flight
• Firestation: Getting ready for launch
• NASA's Space Launch System using futuristic technology to build the next generation of rockets
• New technique to protect astronauts from space radiation
• NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building prepared for multiple rockets
• Hurricane Sandy changes coastline in New Jersey
• Experimental interplanetary Internet used to test robot from International Space Station
• Young adults with addiction benefit from active Twelve Step group participation, study suggests
• Ovarian cancer patients have lower mortality rates when treated at high-volume hospitals
• Medical devices powered by the ear itself
• Fighting bacteria with mucus: Key proteins in mucus prevent bacterial adhesion to surfaces
• Preschoolers' counting abilities relate to future math performance, researcher says
• Sweet new approach discovered to help produce metal casting parts, reduce toxicity
• Intensive farming with a climate-friendly touch: Farming/woodland mix increases yields
• Even yeast mothers sacrifice all for their babies
• Extreme weather preceded collapse of ancient Maya civilization
• Nanocrystals and nickel catalyst substantially improve light-based hydrogen production
• Future warming likely to be on high side of climate projections, analysis finds
• Light-based 'remote control' developed for proteins inside cells
• Corals attacked by toxic seaweed use chemical 911 signals to summon help from fish
• Climate change and the political, human impacts among ancient Maya
• Stem cell scientists discover potential way to expand cells for use with patients
• Cool pavements, warm buildings, rising electricity bills
• Unexplained intellectual disability explained by state-of-the-art genetic analysis
• Significant relationship between mortality and telomere length discovered
• Exome sequencing: Potential diagnostic assay for unexplained intellectual disability
• DNA variants explain over ten percent of inherited genetic risk for heart disease
• Cosmic sprinklers explained: Odd pair of aging stars sculpt spectacular shape of planetary nebula
• Women and exercise: It may not always be fun, but it's beneficial
• Data storage: How magnetic recording heats up
• Nanoparticles: When less is more in predicting performance
• Semiconductor devices: Under mounting stress
• Computational neuroscience: Memory-making is all about the connection
• Stretchy electronics moves closer: Wearable sensing technology
• MicroRNAs in plants: Regulation of the regulator

Novel type 2 diabetes genetic study involves five major ancestry groups Posted: 08 Nov 2012 05:58 PM PST A consortium of scientists is taking a novel approach to detect the genetic variations that predispose individuals to type 2 diabetes. The 10,000 individuals (patients and controls) whose exomes, the 18,000 protein-coding genes, are from five major ancestry groups: African-American, East Asian, European, Hispanic and South Asian.

Grape seed extract bollixes norovirus Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:57 PM PST Norovirus causes more than half of all food-born illnesses in the United States, and is the second greatest source of reported food borne illness outbreaks in the European Union. A recent study found that grape seed extract could reduce the infectivity of Norovirus surrogates (Norovirus surrogates are viruses that share pathological and/or biological features with human norovirus). Now, researchers have shown that grape seed extract does so by denaturing the capsid protein, which is the coat of the virus, thereby disabling the virus.

Antibiotics disrupt gut flora in infants: Recovery still incomplete after eight weeks Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:54 PM PST Eight weeks after antibiotic treatment of infants, the diversity of gastrointestinal flora remained diminished, although the number of individual bacteria was back to normal, according to a new paper. Additionally, the potentially disease-causing Proteobacteria were now the dominant population in the treated infants.

Norovirus disinfection: How much is enough? Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:51 PM PST A variety of institutions and governments have developed "commonsense-based" disinfection guidelines to control norovirus contamination, but now, for the first time, a Dutch team has come up with science-based guidelines.

Cigarette smoke boosts virulence in Staphylococcus aureus Posted: 08 Nov 2012 04:49 PM PST Exposure to cigarette smoke has long been associated with increased frequency of respiratory infections -- which are harder to treat in smoke-exposed people than in those who lack such exposures. Now researchers show that cigarette smoke actually boosts virulence of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

Is housework a health hazard? Sheet-fitting palsy described by physicians Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:19 PM PST What do a tight, fitted bed sheet and a blood clot in the wrist have in common? Both are associated with a condition called sheet-fitting palsy. True to its name, the palsy is reported in those who spend a long period of time repeatedly trying to pull a fitted bed sheet over the corner of a mattress. But it has also been reported in basketball players and in those who do push-ups as exercise.

Comet collisions every six seconds explain 17-year-old stellar mystery Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:19 PM PST Every six seconds, for many millions of years, comets have been colliding near a star visible to the naked eye, astronomers report.

Antioxidants may ease peripheral arterial disease (PAD) blood pressure increase, study suggests Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:19 PM PST Low antioxidant levels contribute to increased blood pressure during exercise for people with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), according to researchers. Their study shows that blood pressure increases more with exercise in more severe PAD cases. By infusing the antioxidant vitamin C into the blood, the researchers were able to lessen the increase in blood pressure during exercise.

Alcoholic men demonstrate a deficit in empathy and distorted view of irony Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:19 PM PST Emotions are often implicit undertones to our communication interactions, and decoding them requires substantial social and cognitive abilities. Prior research has shown that chronic alcoholics often demonstrate impaired socio-cognitive and communicative abilities as well as emotion-related behaviors. Male alcoholics in particular suffer from dysfunctions in empathy. A study of the ability of chronic male alcoholics to recognize the emotional component of irony in relation to their empathic abilities has found a clear deficit.

Environmental factors can mitigate genetic risk for developing alcohol problems Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:19 PM PST Previous research suggests that genetic influences on drinking are moderated by environmental factors. A new study has looked at gene-environment interactions between a functional single nucleotide polymorphism of the ¼-opioid receptor gene (A118G) and the risk for developing an AUD during adolescence. Findings confirm that environmental factors can moderate this association.

College women who act impulsively when distressed are at risk for alcohol problems Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:19 PM PST Young adult women are engaging in heavy drinking behavior in greater numbers. A new study has looked at the influence of impulsivity-related traits and drinking motives on symptoms of alcohol dependence (AD) among college women in their first semester. Findings indicate an impulsivity trait called 'negative urgency' can predict increases in AD symptoms.

Pre-drinking is a risky way to begin an evening out Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:19 PM PST Prior research has shown that "pre-drinking" by young people leads to heavier drinking and greater harm. A study using Internet cell-phone questionnaires examined pre-drinking by young adults in Switzerland. Results showed that pre-drinking, when combined with subsequent on-premise drinking, is associated with almost twice-as-heavy consumption and adverse outcomes.

Examining transition from student to teacher Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:17 PM PST Every year thousands of students make the transition from student to teacher and the stories of those who struggle are often missing from our conversations.

Why nicotine in cigarettes can relieve anxiety in smokers Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:17 PM PST Preclinical data suggests inactivation of a specific sub-class of nicotinic receptors may be an effective strategy to help smokers quit without feeling anxious, according to researchers.

Taking on the challenges of replication in psychological science Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:17 PM PST Psychological science has come of age. But the rights of a mature discipline carry with them responsibilities, among them the responsibility to maximize confidence in our findings through good data practices and replication. The November issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science reflects the discipline's ongoing commitment to examine methodological issues that affect all areas of science -- such as failures to replicate previous findings and problems of bias and error.

More bang for the biofuel buck Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:17 PM PST Researchers have shown that a fermentation process used in World War I to make cordite for bullets and artillery shells, in combination with a modern palladium catalyst could produce gasoline, diesel or jet fuel from the sugars found in biomass.

Molecular ‘portraits’ of tumours match patients with trials in everyday clinical practice Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:14 PM PST Researchers in France are taking advantage of the progress in genetic and molecular profiling to analyse the make-up of individual cancer patients' tumours and, using this information, assign them to particular treatments and phase I clinical trials – an approach that could become part of everyday clinical practice.

Mesothelioma drug slows disease progression in patients with an inactive NF2 gene Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:14 PM PST Preliminary findings from the first trial of a new drug for patients with mesothelioma show that it has some success in preventing the spread of the deadly disease in patients lacking an active tumour suppressor gene called NF2.

First trial in humans of 'minicells': a completely new way of delivering anti-cancer drugs Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:14 PM PST A completely new way of delivering anti-cancer drugs to tumors, using "minicells" derived from bacteria, has been tested for the first time in humans and found to be safe, well-tolerated and even induced stable disease in patients with advanced, incurable cancers with no treatment options remaining.

Child care providers can be part of solution for childhood obesity Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:14 PM PST A new study highlights how child care providers can be part of the solution for childhood obesity.

Two new emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:14 PM PST While about 2500 chicks of emperor penguins are raised this year at the colony close to the French Dumont d'Urville Station, two new colonies totaling 6000 chicks have just been observed about 250 km away, near Mertz Glacier. Since a pair of emperor penguins may only successfully raise one chick a year, the population of breeding emperor penguins in this area of the Antarctic can therefore be estimated to more than about 8500 pairs, about three fold that previously thought.

Burn doctors treat more patients during cold-weather months, urge caution with home heating Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:11 PM PST With temperatures falling into the 30s this week, people across the mid-state in the U.S. will be turning up the heat to stay warm. But, as the temperature drops, the number of patients treated typically increases due to unsafe heating methods that result in injury. Heating fires account for 36 percent of all residential home fires every year and are the second leading cause of all residential fires following cooking, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. It is estimated that more than 50,000 heating fires occur in the United States each year and result in 150 deaths, 575 injuries and $326 million in property loss.

War's impact can haunt veterans long after combat Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:11 PM PST As the nation marks Veteran's Day to honor those who have served their country, it's important to remember that many soldiers battle mental health conditions such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression long after they return from combat.

Diabetes study: 'Mindful eating' equals traditional education in lowering weight and blood sugar Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:11 PM PST Eating mindfully, or consuming food in response to physical cues of hunger and fullness, is just as effective as adhering to nutrition-based guidelines in reducing weight and blood sugar levels in adults with Type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.

Circulating blood factor linked with a leading cause of kidney failure Posted: 08 Nov 2012 03:11 PM PST Patients with a disease that is a leading cause of kidney failure tend to have high levels of a particular factor circulating in their blood, according to a study. The findings suggest that the factor could be used to monitor the disease's progression as well as patients' response to different therapies. It might also be a therapeutic target of future treatments for this difficult-to-treat disease.

X-48 Blended Wing Body research aircraft makes 100th test flight Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:42 PM PST The Boeing X-48 Blended Wing Body subscale research aircraft made its 100th flight in late October at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Firestation: Getting ready for launch Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:40 PM PST An experiment to study the effects of lightning flashes on Earth's atmosphere has taken its first steps on its journey to space. The Firestation experiment has undergone numerous tests to make sure it's ready for flight. It left NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. in July 2012 for Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas for vibration tests. From there it moved to Langley Research Center in Va. to make sure it could withstand the rigors of temperature changes and the vacuum it will experience in space.

NASA's Space Launch System using futuristic technology to build the next generation of rockets Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:37 PM PST NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. is using a method called selective laser melting, or SLM, to create intricate metal parts for America's next heavy-lift rocket. Using this state-of-the-art technique will benefit the agency by saving millions in manufacturing costs.

New technique to protect astronauts from space radiation Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:35 PM PST The complexities of traveling to and working in space present challenges to astronauts that NASA scientists and engineers have been working on since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first stepped on the moon more than 43 years ago. One of the challenges facing humans when they go outside Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetic field is space radiation. Sending astronauts farther into our solar system than ever before will require advanced instruments designed for monitoring and detecting radiation in space vehicles and habitats.

NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building prepared for multiple rockets Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:33 PM PST The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is undergoing renovations to accommodate future launch vehicles. A project of Ground Systems Development and Operations, or GSDO, space shuttle-era work platforms have been removed from the VAB's High Bay 3 and accommodations are being made to support a variety of future spacecraft, including NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket. The changes are part of a centerwide modernization and refurbishment initiative in preparation for the next generation of human spaceflight.

Hurricane Sandy changes coastline in New Jersey Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:20 PM PST On October 29, 2012, lives were changed forever along the shores of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and in the two dozen United States affected by what meteorologists are calling Superstorm Sandy. The landscape of the East Coast was also changed, though no geologist would ever use the word "forever" when referring to the shape of a barrier island.

Experimental interplanetary Internet used to test robot from International Space Station Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:18 PM PST NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully have used an experimental version of interplanetary Internet to control an educational rover from the International Space Station. The experiment used NASA's Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) protocol to transmit messages and demonstrate technology that one day may enable Internet-like communications with space vehicles and support habitats or infrastructure on another planet.

Young adults with addiction benefit from active Twelve Step group participation, study suggests Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:17 PM PST Young adults undergoing addiction treatment benefit from regular participation in Twelve Step-based self-help groups after discharge, according to a naturalistic study.

Ovarian cancer patients have lower mortality rates when treated at high-volume hospitals Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:17 PM PST Women who have surgery for ovarian cancer at high-volume hospitals have superior outcomes than similar patients at low-volume hospitals, new research suggests.

Medical devices powered by the ear itself Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:17 PM PST For the first time, researchers power an implantable electronic device using an electrical potential -- a natural battery -- deep in the inner ear.

Fighting bacteria with mucus: Key proteins in mucus prevent bacterial adhesion to surfaces Posted: 08 Nov 2012 12:17 PM PST Results from a recent study suggest a possible new source of protection against biofilm formation: polymers found in mucus.

Preschoolers' counting abilities relate to future math performance, researcher says Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:28 AM PST New research suggests reciting numbers is not enough to prepare children for math success in elementary school. The research indicates that counting, which requires assigning numerical values to objects in chronological order, is more important for helping preschoolers acquire math skills.

Sweet new approach discovered to help produce metal casting parts, reduce toxicity Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:28 AM PST Based on a new discovery, the world's multi-billion dollar foundry industry may soon develop a sweet tooth. Scientists have identified a new, non-toxic binder to use in the molds this industry depends upon. It's called sugar.

Intensive farming with a climate-friendly touch: Farming/woodland mix increases yields Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:27 AM PST In the world of agriculture, climate protection and intensive farming are generally assumed to be a contradiction in terms. Scientists have come up with a new land development concept that could change this view.

Even yeast mothers sacrifice all for their babies Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:27 AM PST A mother's willingness to sacrifice her own health and safety for the sake of her children is a common narrative across cultures – and by no means unique to humans alone. Female polar bears starve, dolphin mothers stop sleeping and some spider moms give themselves as lunch for their crawly babies' first meal.

Extreme weather preceded collapse of ancient Maya civilization Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:27 AM PST Decades of extreme weather crippled, and ultimately decimated, first the political culture and later the human population of the ancient Maya, according to a new study.

Nanocrystals and nickel catalyst substantially improve light-based hydrogen production Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:27 AM PST Hydrogen is an attractive fuel source because it can easily be converted into electric energy and gives off no greenhouse emissions. Chemists are now adding to its appeal by increasing the output and lowering the cost of current light-driven hydrogen-production systems.

Future warming likely to be on high side of climate projections, analysis finds Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:27 AM PST Climate model projections showing a greater rise in global temperature are likely to prove more accurate than those showing a lesser rise, according to a new analysis. The findings could provide a breakthrough in the longstanding quest to narrow the range of expected global warming.

Light-based 'remote control' developed for proteins inside cells Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:27 AM PST Scientists have developed an intracellular remote control: a simple way to activate and track proteins, the busiest of cellular machines, using beams of light.

Corals attacked by toxic seaweed use chemical 911 signals to summon help from fish Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:27 AM PST Corals under attack by toxic seaweed do what anyone might do when threatened -- they call for help. A new study shows that threatened corals send signals to fish "bodyguards" that quickly respond to trim back the noxious alga -- which can kill the coral if not promptly removed.

Climate change and the political, human impacts among ancient Maya Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:27 AM PST Archaeologists and earth science researchers has compiled a precisely dated, high-resolution climate record of 2,000 years that shows how Maya political systems developed and disintegrated in response to climate change. The researchers reconstructed rainfall records from stalagmite samples collected from Yok Balum Cave, located nearly three miles from ancient city of Uxbenka, in the tropical Maya Lowlands in southern Belize. They compared their findings to the rich political histories carved on stone monuments at Maya cities throughout the region.

Stem cell scientists discover potential way to expand cells for use with patients Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PST Stem cell researchers have discovered a new "master control gene" for human blood stem cells and found that manipulating its levels could potentially create a way to expand these cells for clinical use.

Cool pavements, warm buildings, rising electricity bills Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PST A push to replace old, heat-trapping paving materials with new, cooler materials could actually lead to higher electricity bills for surrounding buildings, engineers have found. The study sounds a note of caution at a time when both federal and state legislatures have been pushing for increased use of the new highly reflective pavement materials.

Unexplained intellectual disability explained by state-of-the-art genetic analysis Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PST A research team reported that next generation sequencing of the exome, the one to two percent of the DNA containing the genes that code for proteins, enabled the identification of the genetic causes of unexplained intellectual disability in over 50 percent of patients in a study.

Significant relationship between mortality and telomere length discovered Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PST Researchers have identified a significant relationship between mortality and the length of telomeres, the stretches of DNA that protect the ends of chromosomes. The prospective study of 100,000 multi-ethnic individuals, whose average age was 63, found that an association between telomere length and mortality existed and persisted even after data were adjusted for education, smoking and alcohol consumption.

Exome sequencing: Potential diagnostic assay for unexplained intellectual disability Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PST New research confirms that de novo mutations represent a major cause of previously unexplained intellectual disability. The findings lend support to the use of exome sequencing, which deciphers over 21,000 protein-coding genes, as a diagnostic assay to determine whether one or more genetic mutations explain a patient's intellectual disability.

DNA variants explain over ten percent of inherited genetic risk for heart disease Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PST Researchers have pinpointed 20 previously unidentified DNA mutations during a meta-analysis of 63,746 patients with coronary heart disease. Many of the newly identified variations are in genes that operate in biological pathways involved in the body's metabolism of lipids or fats as well as in inflammation.

Cosmic sprinklers explained: Odd pair of aging stars sculpt spectacular shape of planetary nebula Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:09 AM PST Astronomers have discovered a pair of stars orbiting each other at the center of one of the most remarkable examples of a planetary nebula. The new result confirms a long-debated theory about what controls the spectacular and symmetric appearance of the material flung out into space.

Women and exercise: It may not always be fun, but it's beneficial Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:09 AM PST Experts say that while physical activity is necessary for both men and women, there are gender-specific benefits that women need to know.

Data storage: How magnetic recording heats up Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:08 AM PST Characterization of the thermal processes involved in heat-assisted magnetic recording paves the way for commercial devices.

Nanoparticles: When less is more in predicting performance Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:08 AM PST A computational approach that makes processor-intensive first-principle calculations more manageable is now available to predict the structure of nano-alloy catalysts.

Semiconductor devices: Under mounting stress Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:08 AM PST The recently developed ability to measure physical changes in silicon when processed into microelectronic devices could improve fabrication techniques for even smaller circuits.

Computational neuroscience: Memory-making is all about the connection Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:08 AM PST A model that shows how connections in the brain must change to form memories could help to develop artificial cognitive computers

Stretchy electronics moves closer: Wearable sensing technology Posted: 08 Nov 2012 11:08 AM PST Researchers in Hong Kong have developed a new technology that allows electronics to drape around our body comfortably. The researchers have engineered a new fabric that can conduct electricity, paving the way for stretchable electronics.

MicroRNAs in plants: Regulation of the regulator Posted: 08 Nov 2012 10:18 AM PST MicroRNAs are essential regulators of the genetic program in multicellular organisms. Because of their potent effects, the production of these small regulators has itself to be tightly controlled, new research demonstrates.

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