ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Scientists discover 'fickle' DNA changes in brain
• Less is more for common cancer drug, study suggests
• 'Micro'-chemo and cancer pill combo tested in liver cancer patients
• Impediment to some cancer immunotherapy involves the free radical peroxynitrite
• New guideline outlines recommendations to reduce blood clots after hip and knee replacement
• Flight patterns reveal how mosquitoes find hosts to transmit deadly diseases
• Russian and US veterinarians collaborate to solve mysterious wild tiger deaths
• Cell-specific mechanism-based gene therapy approach to treat retinitis pigmentosa
• How your brain reacts to mistakes depends on your mindset
• Expandable prosthesis resolves advanced aortic valve disease
• Toxic red tides: Scientist tracks neurotoxin-producing algae
• Antisocial personality traits predict utilitarian responses to moral dilemmas
• Fruity aromas: An aphrodisiac for flies
• Glucosamine-like supplement suppresses multiple sclerosis attacks, study suggests
• New approach to keeping coronary arteries open after angioplasties
• Researchers realize high-power, narrowband terahertz source at room temperature
• Community storage of anthrax-preventing antibiotics should be determined by state, US researchers urge
• Young adults want to recover from addiction but need help to make it happen, study suggests
• 'Sexting' driven by peer pressure
• Combating mood disorders: New approach simplifies the search for more specific drugs
• Intrinsic aerobic exercise capacity linked to longevity
• New inherited neurometabolic disorder discovered
• Reefs recovered faster after mass extinction than first thought
• Closing of a collider . . . and opening of a new frontier: Fermilab moves toward new discoveries
• Humans and sharks share immune system feature
• High-performance simulation, neutrons uncover three classes of protein motion
• Cosmic weight watching reveals black hole-galaxy history
• Astronomers reveal supernova factory
• New software brings science to life for young people
• Taking the heat: Asian elephants simply 'ride out' high daytime heat load
• Early to bed and early to rise: Study suggests it's keeping kids leaner
• Professor wins Ig Nobel Prize for beer, sex research
• 'Back-up system' reduces heart disease deaths
• Alcohol impairs the body's ability to fight off viral infection, study finds
• Vicious queen ants use mob tactics to reach the top
• Physicists consider their own carbon footprint

Scientists discover 'fickle' DNA changes in brain Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:51 PM PDT Scientists investigating chemical modifications across the genomes of adult mice have discovered that DNA modifications in non-dividing brain cells, thought to be inherently stable, instead underwent large-scale dynamic changes as a result of stimulated brain activity. Their report has major implications for treating psychiatric diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and for better understanding learning, memory and mood regulation.

Less is more for common cancer drug, study suggests Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:51 PM PDT Scientists have found that smaller, less toxic amounts of chemotherapy medicine given frequently to mice with human prostate cancer noticeably slowed tumor growth.

'Micro'-chemo and cancer pill combo tested in liver cancer patients Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:51 PM PDT A combination of an oral drug, called sorafenib, and a method for injecting microbeads of chemotherapy directly into tumors has been proven safe for liver cancer patients and may improve outcomes for those who have these fast-growing, deadly tumors whose numbers are on the rise in the US.

Impediment to some cancer immunotherapy involves the free radical peroxynitrite Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:51 PM PDT Researchers have found that tumor cell resistance to a specific cancer immunotherapy designed to kill cancer cells can be blamed on a mechanism that involves the production of a free radical peroxynitrite that causes resistance to therapeutic cancer-killing cells.

New guideline outlines recommendations to reduce blood clots after hip and knee replacement Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:51 PM PDT An updated clinical practice guideline recommends how to reduce the likelihood of blood clots after hip or knee replacement surgery, procedures that more than 800,000 Americans undergo each year. The new guideline suggests use of preventive treatments and advises against routinely screening patients after surgery using ultrasound imaging.

Flight patterns reveal how mosquitoes find hosts to transmit deadly diseases Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT Experiments performed by entomologists to study how female Aedes aegypti -- mosquitoes that transmit yellow fever and dengue -- respond to plumes of carbon dioxide and human odor demonstrate that puffs of exhaled carbon dioxide first attract these mosquitoes, which then proceed to follow a broad skin odor plume, eventually landing on a human host. Results from the study could clue scientists on how odors can be used in traps for intercepting host-seeking mosquitoes.

Russian and US veterinarians collaborate to solve mysterious wild tiger deaths Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT Veterinarians are working to understand how distemper -- a virus afflicting domestic dogs and many wildlife species -- may be a growing threat to Siberian tigers.

Cell-specific mechanism-based gene therapy approach to treat retinitis pigmentosa Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT Scientists have achieved temporary functional preservation of photoreceptors in a mouse model for retinitis pigmentosa using novel bipartite gene therapy.

How your brain reacts to mistakes depends on your mindset Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT "Whether you think you can or think you can't -- you're right," said Henry Ford. A new study finds that people who think they can learn from their mistakes have a different brain reaction to mistakes than people who think intelligence is fixed.

Expandable prosthesis resolves advanced aortic valve disease Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT Among individuals 65 years and older, as many as 30 percent have aortic valve sclerosis or stenosis and as a result of their deteriorating health, they cannot enjoy a normal lifestyle. Physicians involved in a new study now have the option to replace the aortic valve using an innovative minimally invasive procedure -- transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Toxic red tides: Scientist tracks neurotoxin-producing algae Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT With toxic algal blooms -- which can increase the amount of harmful toxins in the shellfish that California residents consume -- ramping up in frequency and severity locally, scientists have developed a new algae monitoring method in hopes of one day being able to predict when and where toxic "red tides" will occur.

Antisocial personality traits predict utilitarian responses to moral dilemmas Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT Scientists found that people who endorse actions consistent with an ethic of utilitarianism -- the view that what is the morally right thing to do is whatever produces the best overall consequences -- tend to possess psychopathic and Machiavellian personality traits.

Fruity aromas: An aphrodisiac for flies Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:30 PM PDT The smell of food acts as an aphrodisiac for Drosophila (vinegar flies). Scientists have brought to light a novel olfactory perception mechanism: male flies use a scent derived from the fruit that they eat to stimulate their sexual appetite.

Glucosamine-like supplement suppresses multiple sclerosis attacks, study suggests Posted: 30 Sep 2011 09:30 AM PDT A glucosamine-like dietary supplement suppresses the damaging autoimmune response seen in multiple sclerosis, according to a new study.

New approach to keeping coronary arteries open after angioplasties Posted: 30 Sep 2011 09:30 AM PDT Researchers report a possible new approach to preventing coronary arteries from reclogging after balloon angioplasties.

Researchers realize high-power, narrowband terahertz source at room temperature Posted: 30 Sep 2011 09:30 AM PDT Researchers have developed a simpler way to generate single-chip terahertz radiation, a discovery that could soon allow for more rapid security screening, border protection, high sensitivity biological/chemical analysis, agricultural inspection, and astronomical applications.

Community storage of anthrax-preventing antibiotics should be determined by state, US researchers urge Posted: 30 Sep 2011 09:30 AM PDT As part of preparations for a possible large-scale anthrax attack, public health officials on the state and local levels should determine where and how anthrax-preventing antibiotics should be stored in their communities.

Young adults want to recover from addiction but need help to make it happen, study suggests Posted: 30 Sep 2011 09:30 AM PDT A new study suggests that strong motivation to change may exist from the get-go among young adults with severe addiction problems entering residential treatment, but the know-how and confidence to change come through the treatment experience,.

'Sexting' driven by peer pressure Posted: 30 Sep 2011 07:31 AM PDT Both young men and women experience peer pressure to share sexual images via the new phenomenon of "sexting," according to preliminary findings.

Combating mood disorders: New approach simplifies the search for more specific drugs Posted: 30 Sep 2011 07:28 AM PDT Many psychiatric conditions are caused by aberrant metabolism of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Researchers have now developed a new screening method, which will facilitate the search for new drugs that modulate the biological activity of serotonin.

Intrinsic aerobic exercise capacity linked to longevity Posted: 30 Sep 2011 07:28 AM PDT Aerobic exercise capacity has proven to be a good indicator of health. A recent article uses a rat model to show that innate exercise capacity can be linked to longevity.

New inherited neurometabolic disorder discovered Posted: 30 Sep 2011 07:28 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new inherited disorder that causes severe mental retardation and liver dysfunction. The disease, adenosine kinase deficiency, is caused by mutations in the ADK gene, which codes for the enzyme adenosine kinase.

Reefs recovered faster after mass extinction than first thought Posted: 30 Sep 2011 07:28 AM PDT Metazoan-dominated reefs only took 1.5 million years to recover after the largest species extinction 252 million years ago, paleontologists have found, based on fossils from the southwestern USA.

Closing of a collider . . . and opening of a new frontier: Fermilab moves toward new discoveries Posted: 30 Sep 2011 07:00 AM PDT Today, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) will shut down its Tevatron particle accelerator after nearly 30 years in operation. Named one of the top engineering achievements of the past 100 years, the Tevatron accelerated particles to almost the speed of light along its 4-mile ring, smashed them together, and studied the resulting particle showers in order to understand fundamental facts about elementary particles and forces.

Humans and sharks share immune system feature Posted: 30 Sep 2011 06:35 AM PDT A central element of the immune system has remained constant through more than 400 million years of evolution, according to new research. T-cell receptors from mice continue to function even when pieces of shark, frog and trout receptors are substituted in. The function of the chimeric receptors depends on a few crucial amino acids, found also in humans, that help the T-cell receptor bind to MHC molecules presenting antigens.

High-performance simulation, neutrons uncover three classes of protein motion Posted: 30 Sep 2011 06:35 AM PDT Molecular motion in proteins comes in three distinct classes, according to researchers. The research team combined high-performance computer simulation with neutron scattering experiments to understand atomic-level motions that underpin the operations of proteins.

Cosmic weight watching reveals black hole-galaxy history Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:17 AM PDT Using state-of-the-art technology and sophisticated data analysis tools, a team of astronomers has developed a new and powerful technique to directly determine the mass of an active galaxy at a distance of nearly 9 billion light-years from Earth. This pioneering method promises a new approach for studying the co-evolution of galaxies and their central black holes. First results indicate that for galaxies, the best part of cosmic history was not a time of sweeping changes.

Astronomers reveal supernova factory Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:17 AM PDT A team of astronomers has detected seven previously unknown supernovae in a galaxy 250 million light years away. Never before have so many supernovae been discovered at the same time in the same galaxy.

New software brings science to life for young people Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:17 AM PDT The use of new technology is helping students to become real 'science investigators'. Researchers in the UK have developed a software toolkit that shows how such an approach sparks and sustains students' interest in science.

Taking the heat: Asian elephants simply 'ride out' high daytime heat load Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:16 AM PDT Scientists in Austria have discovered the mechanism by which Asian elephants are able to tolerate hot daytime temperatures. Heterothermy is an adaptive mechanism by which body temperature fluctuates in response to environmental temperature, decreasing at night when it is cooler and increasing gradually in the daytime.

Early to bed and early to rise: Study suggests it's keeping kids leaner Posted: 30 Sep 2011 02:22 AM PDT Researchers recording the bedtimes and wake times of 2,200 Australian youths found that the night owls were 1.5 times more likely to become obese than the early birds, twice as likely to be physically inactive and 2.9 times more likely to sit in front of the TV and computer or play video games for more hours than guidelines recommend.

Professor wins Ig Nobel Prize for beer, sex research Posted: 29 Sep 2011 08:52 PM PDT The tragic tale of how male Australian jewel beetles became so enamored with brown "stubby" beer bottles that they try to mate with them -- so vigorously that they die trying to copulate in the hot sun.

'Back-up system' reduces heart disease deaths Posted: 29 Sep 2011 08:51 PM PDT Small bypass vessels which act as a "back-up system" for the heart's main arteries play a significant role in reducing the mortality of patients with coronary artery disease, according to new research.

Alcohol impairs the body's ability to fight off viral infection, study finds Posted: 29 Sep 2011 08:51 PM PDT Alcohol can worsen the effects of disease. New research shows that alcohol modulates the anti-viral and inflammatory functions of monocytes. Prolonged alcohol consumption has a double negative effect of reducing the anti-viral effect of Type 1 interferon (IFN) whilst increasing inflammation via the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF±. Consequently this may impair host response to single-stranded virus infection like hepatitis C.

Vicious queen ants use mob tactics to reach the top Posted: 29 Sep 2011 08:51 PM PDT Leptothorax acervorum ants' reproductive strategy depends on habitat. Colonies are functionally monogynous (only one queen reproduces) on sun-exposed slopes in Alaska, Hokkaido and the mountains of central Spain. New research demonstrates that queen ants fight by antennal boxing to become the reproductive queen, and that worker ants reinforce queen behavior by feeding dominant females and expelling, or killing, their weaker sisters.

Physicists consider their own carbon footprint Posted: 29 Sep 2011 08:51 PM PDT An astrophysicist calls on physicists to pull their weight when it comes to climate change, drawing on his own research showing that astronomers average 23,000 air miles per year flying to observatories, conferences and meetings, and use 130 KWh more energy per day than the average US citizen.

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