السبت، 1 أكتوبر 2011

ScienceDaily: Top News

ScienceDaily: Top News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

'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.

Rebuilding the head of an armoured dinosaur

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:29 AM PDT

A research team has taken a rare look inside the skull of a dinosaur and come away with unprecedented details on the brain and nasal passages of the 72 million year old animal.

'Master key' to unlock new treatments for autoimmune disorders discovered

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:28 AM PDT

Imagine a drug that treats most autoimmune disorders, such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and Lupus. New research shows how scientists have discovered a molecule used by the body to prevent unnecessary immune reactions. This molecule, "alpha v beta 6," normally keeps our immune systems from overreacting when food passes through our bodies, and it may unlock an entirely new set of treatments for autoimmune disorders.

Neuronal stem cells tracked using MRI: Technology could inform treatment for brain injury and neurological disease

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:28 AM PDT

Biologists have developed an MRI-based technique that allows researchers to non-invasively follow neural stem cells in vivo. The recently patented technology could be used to further the study of neural stem cells and inform the development of new treatments for brain injury caused by trauma, stroke, Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders.

Proteins that control development of varicose veins discovered

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:28 AM PDT

A discovery explains for the first time what kicks off the process that causes varicose veins. In a new study, researchers from Germany describe a single protein that binds to DNA to control gene function (called "transcription factor AP-1") and the subsequent production of a newly discovered set of proteins that significantly affect the development of varicose veins.

Engineers 'cook' promising new heat-harvesting nanomaterials in microwave oven

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:28 AM PDT

Waste heat is a byproduct of nearly all electrical devices and industrial processes, from driving a car to flying an aircraft or operating a power plant. Engineering researchers have developed new nanomaterials that could lead to techniques for better capturing and putting this waste heat to work. The key ingredients for making marble-sized pellets of the new material are aluminum and a common, everyday microwave oven.

Fatty acid test: Why some harm health, but others help

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:28 AM PDT

In a new paper, researchers offer an explanation, and a framework that could lead to dietary supplements designed to treat obesity at the molecular level.

Weeds are vital to the existence of farmland species, study finds

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:27 AM PDT

Weeds, which are widely deemed as a nuisance plant, are vital to the existence of many farmland species, according to a new study. Since many weeds produce flowers and seed, they are an integral part of our ecosystem and together with other crop and non-crop seeds found on farms, they provide food for over 330 species of insects, birds and animals.

Experts propose new unified genetic model for human disease

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:27 AM PDT

Based on a wide variety of genetic studies and analysis -- from genome wide association studies looking for common variations in the DNA of many people with complex diseases to the sequencing of specific gene mutations thought to cause disease to whole genome sequencing -- four leaders in the field propose a unified genetic model for human disease.

Autistic mice act a lot like human patients: Geneticists develop promising mouse model for testing new autism therapies

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:27 AM PDT

Scientists have created a mouse model for autism that opens a window into the biological mechanisms that underlie the disease and offers a promising way to test new treatment approaches. The research found that autistic mice display remarkably similar symptoms and behavior as children and adults on the autism spectrum.

Diabetes and cancer: A shared biological basis

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:27 AM PDT

Contrary to what you might think, cancer and diabetes appear to have some biology in common. According to a new study, a pathway that initially drew attention for its role in embryonic stem cells and cancer also influences the odds that mice develop or resist diabetes.

Complicated gene networks involved in fly aggression

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 07:32 AM PDT

Put up your dukes. A study of aggression in fruit flies aims to provide a framework for how complex gene interactions affect behavior. And these clues in flies could translate to a better understanding of human genes and behavior.

Lift weights, eat mustard, build muscles?

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 07:32 AM PDT

If you want to lean out, add muscle and get ripped, new research suggests to look to your garden for help. Scientists have found that when a specific plant steroid was ingested by rats, it triggered a response similar to anabolic steroids with minimal side effects. The stimulatory effect of homobrassinolide on protein synthesis in muscle cells led to increases in lean body mass, muscle mass, and physical performance.
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