ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Industry conflicts of interest are pervasive among medical guideline panel members, experts say
• Suspects in the quenching of star formation exonerated
• Melatonin delays onset, reduces deaths in mouse model of Huntington’s disease
• Eating your greens can change the effect of your genes on heart disease
• New discovery could change the face of cell-biology research
• Which direction are herbicides heading?
• Most vertebrates -- including humans -- descended from ancestor with sixth sense
• Ovarian cancer patients survive longer with BRCA2 mutated in tumors, study finds
• Study shows increased prostate cancer risk from vitamin E supplements
• Folic acid in early pregnancy associated with reduced risk of severe language delay in children
• Super-tough seed coat keeps Michaux's sumac on critically endangered list
• Astronomers find bounty of failed stars: One youngster only six times heftier than Jupiter
• New equation predicts molecular forces in hydrophobic interactions
• New knowledge about 'flawed' diamonds could speed the development of diamond-based quantum computers
• Emerging pharmaceutical platform may pose risks to retinal health, study suggests
• Crop improvement and human medicine: Using proteins to target and manipulate specific genes
• Evidence points to potential roles for cognitive rehabilitation therapy in treating traumatic brain injury, but further research needed
• Natural processes can limit spread of arsenic in water, says study
• Fall market jitters a SAD thing: Less daylight in fall may lead to depressed markets
• New computer program promises to save the whales
• Mushroom compound appears to improve effectiveness of cancer drugs, study suggests
• Common antibiotic can have serious adverse reactions, review finds
• Stem cells, signaling pathways identified in lung repair
• New 'diamond?' New form of superhard carbon is as strong as a diamond
• Point defects in super-chilled diamonds may offer stable candidates for quantum computing bits
• X-ray camera makes A-grade particle detector
• New mathematical model explains patterns of human movement by considering the costs
• A safe vaccination for Alzheimer's disease?
• Oranges and mandarins are inspected using artificial vision
• Laying the blame for extreme weather
• In bubble-rafting snails, the eggs came first
• New technique unlocks secrets of ancient ocean
• Liquid can turn into solid under high electric field, physicists show in simulations
• Activating brown fat: Research finding may lead to new treatments for obesity and Type 2 diabetes
• Peanut allergy turned off by tricking immune system: New approach makes allergen appear safe and prevents life-threatening reaction
• Uncharted territory: Scientists sequence the first carbohydrate biopolymer
• Health benefits of broccoli require the whole food, not supplements
• The strange rubbing boulders of the Atacama
• New drug target for Alzheimer's, stroke discovered
• Mercury pollution in the Great Lakes region: Nearly forgotten, but not gone
• Engineers create touchscreen Braille writer
• Progress in quantum computing: Researchers control rate of photon emission from luminescent imperfections in diamond
• New way to screen for brain cancer stem cell killers
• Herbal supplements may cause dangerous drug interactions in orthopaedic surgery patients, study suggests
• New 'genome mining' technique streamlines discovery from nature
• Pendulums and floating film: Two seemingly unrelated phenomena share surprising link
• Astrophysicists find evidence of black holes' destruction of stars
• Neuroscientists pinpoint specific social difficulties in people with autism
• How life might have survived 'snowball Earth'
• Worms among first animals to surface after K-T extinction event, study finds
• Case of the missing monocyte: Gene appears to protect against rheumatoid arthritis
• Insight into feeding behaviour of first amphibians
• Battle between the placenta and uterus could help explain preeclampsia
• Early Celtic 'Stonehenge' discovered in Germany's Black Forest

Industry conflicts of interest are pervasive among medical guideline panel members, experts say Posted: 11 Oct 2011 04:24 PM PDT Researchers have found that conflicts of interest are prevalent and potentially under-reported among individuals participating in the development of clinical practice guidelines, which inform standards of patient care. The findings provide further evidence of the potential influence of industry on medical practice recommendations.

Suspects in the quenching of star formation exonerated Posted: 11 Oct 2011 02:15 PM PDT Some supermassive black holes power luminous, rapidly growing objects called active galactic nuclei (AGN) that gather and condense enormous quantities of matter. Because astronomers had seen these objects primarily in massive, old galaxies with aging stars, many thought AGN might help to end the formation of new stars, though the evidence was always circumstantial. Now, a new survey has found AGN in all kinds of galaxies, including young, star-making factories.

Melatonin delays onset, reduces deaths in mouse model of Huntington’s disease Posted: 11 Oct 2011 02:15 PM PDT Melatonin, best known for its role in sleep regulation, delayed the onset of symptoms and reduced mortality in a mouse model of Huntington's disease, say researchers. Their findings show for the first time that certain receptors for the hormone reside in the mitochondria, and that there are fewer of them both in affected mice and human brains.

Eating your greens can change the effect of your genes on heart disease Posted: 11 Oct 2011 02:15 PM PDT A long-held mantra suggests that you can't change your family, the genes they pass on, or the effect of these genes. Now, scientists are attacking that belief. The researchers discovered the gene that is the strongest marker for heart disease can actually be modified by generous amounts of fruit and raw vegetables.

New discovery could change the face of cell-biology research Posted: 11 Oct 2011 02:15 PM PDT Rewrite the textbooks and revisit old experiments, because there's a new cog in our cellular machinery that has been just been discovered.

Which direction are herbicides heading? Posted: 11 Oct 2011 01:31 PM PDT 2,4-D is coming back. What many might consider a "dinosaur" may be the best solution for growers fighting weed resistance today, said a professor of weed physiology. Researchers now suggest that tank-mixing auxinic herbicides with glyphosate may be the best short-term option available to farmers interested in broad-spectrum, postemergence weed control.

Most vertebrates -- including humans -- descended from ancestor with sixth sense Posted: 11 Oct 2011 01:30 PM PDT A new study that caps more than 25 years of work finds that the vast majority of vertebrates -- some 30,000 species of land animals (including humans) and a roughly equal number of ray-finned fishes -- descended from a common ancestor that had a well-developed electroreceptive system.

Ovarian cancer patients survive longer with BRCA2 mutated in tumors, study finds Posted: 11 Oct 2011 01:30 PM PDT Women with high-grade ovarian cancer live longer and respond better to platinum-based chemotherapy when their tumors have BRCA2 genetic mutations, researchers report.

Study shows increased prostate cancer risk from vitamin E supplements Posted: 11 Oct 2011 01:30 PM PDT Men who took 400 international units of vitamin E daily had more prostate cancers compared to men who took a placebo. The findings showed that, per 1,000 men, there were 76 prostate cancers in men who took only vitamin E supplements, vs. 65 in men on placebo over a seven-year period, or 11 more cases per 1,000 men. This represents a 17 percent increase in prostate cancers relative to those who took a placebo.

Folic acid in early pregnancy associated with reduced risk of severe language delay in children Posted: 11 Oct 2011 01:30 PM PDT Use of folic acid supplements by women in Norway in the period four weeks before to eight weeks after conception was associated with a reduced risk of the child having severe language delay at age three years, according to a new study.

Super-tough seed coat keeps Michaux's sumac on critically endangered list Posted: 11 Oct 2011 12:44 PM PDT It is one of the rarest shrubs in the southeastern United States, and for scientists trying to save it, the critically endangered Michaux's sumac (Rhus michauxii) is not cooperating.

Astronomers find bounty of failed stars: One youngster only six times heftier than Jupiter Posted: 11 Oct 2011 12:44 PM PDT A team of astronomers has discovered over two dozen new free-floating brown dwarfs, including a lightweight youngster only about six times heftier than Jupiter, that reside in two young star clusters. What's more, one cluster contains a surprising surplus of them, harboring half as many of these astronomical oddballs as normal stars.

New equation predicts molecular forces in hydrophobic interactions Posted: 11 Oct 2011 12:44 PM PDT The physical model to describe the hydrophobic interactions of molecules has been a mystery that has challenged scientists and engineers since the 19th century. Hydrophobic interactions are central to explaining why oil and water don't mix, how proteins are structured, and what holds biological membranes together. Chemical engineering researchers have developed a novel method to study these forces at the atomic level, and have for the first time defined a mathematical equation to measure a substance's hydrophobic character.

New knowledge about 'flawed' diamonds could speed the development of diamond-based quantum computers Posted: 11 Oct 2011 11:57 AM PDT Scientists have established the presence of a dynamic Jahn-Teller effect in defective diamonds, a finding that will help advance the development of diamond-based systems in applications such as quantum information processing.

Emerging pharmaceutical platform may pose risks to retinal health, study suggests Posted: 11 Oct 2011 11:57 AM PDT An emerging pharmaceutical platform used in treating a variety of diseases may produce unintended and undesirable effects on eye function, according to a new study.

Crop improvement and human medicine: Using proteins to target and manipulate specific genes Posted: 11 Oct 2011 11:57 AM PDT Scientists are using certain proteins to target and manipulate specific genes. That could lead to breakthroughs in understanding gene function and improving traits in livestock and plants, and even treating human genetic disorders.

Evidence points to potential roles for cognitive rehabilitation therapy in treating traumatic brain injury, but further research needed Posted: 11 Oct 2011 10:21 AM PDT There is some evidence about the potential value of cognitive rehabilitation therapy for treating traumatic brain injury.

Natural processes can limit spread of arsenic in water, says study Posted: 11 Oct 2011 10:21 AM PDT A new study shows that deep sediments can grab naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater and take it out of circulation -- a finding that may help to keep wells safe elsewhere, including in the United States.

Fall market jitters a SAD thing: Less daylight in fall may lead to depressed markets Posted: 11 Oct 2011 10:20 AM PDT It's no surprise to researchers that financial market dips and crashes typically happen in the fall. Researchers now show that people who experience seasonal depression shun financial risk-taking during seasons with diminished daylight but are more willing to accept risk in spring and summer. Seasonal depression may be sufficiently powerful to move financial markets.

New computer program promises to save the whales Posted: 11 Oct 2011 10:20 AM PDT Researchers have developed a computer program that enables regulators to evaluate the ecological and economic trade-offs between marine mammal conservation, whale watching and marine transportation activities in the Saint Lawrence Estuary.

Mushroom compound appears to improve effectiveness of cancer drugs, study suggests Posted: 11 Oct 2011 10:20 AM PDT A compound isolated from a wild, poisonous mushroom growing in a southwest China forest appears to help a cancer killing drug fulfill its promise, researchers report.

Common antibiotic can have serious adverse reactions, review finds Posted: 11 Oct 2011 10:20 AM PDT A commonly prescribed antimicrobial -- trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole -- that has been used since 1968 can cause serious adverse reactions and physicians need to be aware of these in prescribing, states a new review.

Stem cells, signaling pathways identified in lung repair Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:14 AM PDT Researchers have identified cells and signaling molecules that trigger the repair of injured lungs. The scientists report that destruction of lung tissue in mice induces smooth muscle cells surrounding the airways to secrete a protein known as fibroblast growth factor 10, which induces surviving epithelial cells in the airways to revert to a stem-cell state, proliferate, repair and repopulate the lining of the lungs.

New 'diamond?' New form of superhard carbon is as strong as a diamond Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:14 AM PDT Carbon is the fourth-most-abundant element in the universe and takes on a wide variety of forms, called allotropes, including diamond and graphite. Scientists have now discovered a new form of carbon, which is capable of withstanding extreme pressure stresses that were previously observed only in diamond.

Point defects in super-chilled diamonds may offer stable candidates for quantum computing bits Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:14 AM PDT Scientists test how the energy levels of electrons trapped in a defect in the diamond matrix shift with changing temperatures.

X-ray camera makes A-grade particle detector Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:12 AM PDT Combining an off-the-shelf X-ray camera with a thin piece of carbon foil yields a device that can detect high-energy organic atoms and heavy molecules better than the typical devices used for these jobs, with potential benefits ranging from the science of cancer treatment to star chemistry.

New mathematical model explains patterns of human movement by considering the costs Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:12 AM PDT People decide to take trips for a dauntingly complex mix of reasons, but out of the individual chaos of dry-cleaning pick-ups, pizza dinners, and European vacations, a new mathematical model has emerged. It finds hidden patterns in human beings' collective excursions near, not-so-near, and far from home.

A safe vaccination for Alzheimer's disease? Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:12 AM PDT Genetic factors influence the immune response to vaccinations for Alzheimer's disease, which are among the most promising avenues of treatment for the illness. Using a mice model, these factors were studied.

Oranges and mandarins are inspected using artificial vision Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:10 AM PDT Scientists have created a machine that detects and separates rotten oranges, another that classifies mandarin segments according to their quality and another that helps citrus fruit pickers out in the field. All prototypes use computer vision to automatically inspect the fruits.

Laying the blame for extreme weather Posted: 11 Oct 2011 09:10 AM PDT Floods, tornadoes, droughts and wildfires: They are all weather-related, but blaming the latest meteorological disaster on climate change has always been a tricky matter that climate scientists have been shy to do. After all, how can you point to a specific and local event, such as a tornado or dry spell, and say it is caused by something as long-term and huge as global warming?

In bubble-rafting snails, the eggs came first Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:29 AM PDT It's "Waterworld" snail style: ocean-dwelling snails that spend most of their lives floating upside down, attached to rafts of mucus bubbles.

New technique unlocks secrets of ancient ocean Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:29 AM PDT Earth's largest mass extinction event occurred some 252 million years ago. An estimated 90 percent of Earth's marine life was eradicated. To better understand the cause of this "mother of all mass extinctions," researchers used a new geochemical technique. The team measured uranium isotopes in ancient carbonate rocks and found that a large, rapid shift in the chemistry of the world's ancient oceans occurred around the extinction event.

Liquid can turn into solid under high electric field, physicists show in simulations Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:29 AM PDT Physicists have demonstrated in simulations that under the influence of sufficiently high electric fields, liquid droplets of certain materials will undergo solidification, forming crystallites at temperature and pressure conditions that correspond to liquid droplets at field-free conditions.

Activating brown fat: Research finding may lead to new treatments for obesity and Type 2 diabetes Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:28 AM PDT Activating a specialized type of fat, known as brown adipose tissue, may help combat obesity as well as result in better glucose control for Type 2 diabetes, according to new research.

Peanut allergy turned off by tricking immune system: New approach makes allergen appear safe and prevents life-threatening reaction Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:28 AM PDT Researchers have turned off a life-threatening allergic response to peanuts by tricking the immune system into thinking the nut proteins aren't a threat to the body, according to a new preclinical study. The peanut tolerance was achieved by attaching peanut proteins onto blood cells and reintroducing them to the body -- an approach that ultimately may be able to target more than one food allergy at a time.

Uncharted territory: Scientists sequence the first carbohydrate biopolymer Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:27 AM PDT For the first time ever, a team of researchers has announced the sequence of a complete complex carbohydrate biopolymer. The surprising discovery provides the scientific and medical communities with an important and fundamental new view of these vital biomolecules, which play a role in everything from cell structure and development to disease pathology and blood clotting.

Health benefits of broccoli require the whole food, not supplements Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:25 AM PDT New research has found that if you want some of the many health benefits associated with eating broccoli or other cruciferous vegetables, you need to eat the real thing -- a key phytochemical in these vegetables is poorly absorbed and of far less value if taken as a supplement.

The strange rubbing boulders of the Atacama Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:24 AM PDT A geologist's sharp eyes and upset stomach has led to the discovery, and almost too-close encounter, with an otherworldly geological process operating in a remote corner of northern Chile's Atacama Desert.

New drug target for Alzheimer's, stroke discovered Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:24 AM PDT A tiny piece of a critical receptor that fuels the brain and without which sentient beings cannot live has been discovered by scientists as a promising new drug target for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Mercury pollution in the Great Lakes region: Nearly forgotten, but not gone Posted: 11 Oct 2011 08:23 AM PDT The scope and intensity of mercury pollution in the Great Lakes region is much greater than previously reported, but additional mercury controls should bring needed improvement, according to a new summary of scientific research on the subject.

Engineers create touchscreen Braille writer Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:21 AM PDT In a two-month summer course on high-performance computing, promising undergrads compete to create innovative applications. This summer's winner developed a touchscreen Braille writer that stands to revolutionize how the blind negotiate an unseen world by replacing devices costing up to 10 times more.

Progress in quantum computing: Researchers control rate of photon emission from luminescent imperfections in diamond Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:21 AM PDT Engineers and physicists at Harvard have managed to capture light in tiny diamond pillars embedded in silver, releasing a stream of single photons at a controllable rate. The advance represents a milestone on the road to quantum networks in which information can be encoded in spins of electrons and carried through a network via light, one photon at a time.

New way to screen for brain cancer stem cell killers Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:21 AM PDT Researchers have developed and used a high-throughput molecular screening approach that identifies and characterizes chemical compounds that can target the stem cells that are responsible for creating deadly brain tumors.

Herbal supplements may cause dangerous drug interactions in orthopaedic surgery patients, study suggests Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:21 AM PDT Complementary and alternative medical treatments such as herbal supplements have become increasingly popular in the United States, especially among older patients and those with chronic pain. However, many of these products can have serious and potentially harmful side effects when combined with medications prescribed during and after surgery, according to a review article.

New 'genome mining' technique streamlines discovery from nature Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:21 AM PDT A newly developed method for microscopically extracting, or "mining," information from genomes could represent a significant boost in the search for new therapeutic drugs and improve science's understanding of basic functions such as how cells communicate with one another.

Pendulums and floating film: Two seemingly unrelated phenomena share surprising link Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:20 AM PDT A coupled line of swinging pendulums apparently has nothing in common with an elastic film that buckles and folds under compression while floating on a liquid, but scientists have discovered a deep connection between the two phenomena.

Astrophysicists find evidence of black holes' destruction of stars Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:20 AM PDT Astrophysicists have found evidence of black holes destroying stars, a long-sought phenomenon that provides a new window into general relativity. The research also opens up a method to search for the possible existence of a large population of presently undetectable "intermediate mass" black holes which are hypothesized to be precursors to the super-massive black holes at the centers of most large galaxies.

Neuroscientists pinpoint specific social difficulties in people with autism Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:20 AM PDT Researchers say they have isolated a very specific difference in how high-functioning people with autism think about other people, finding that -- in actuality -- they don't tend to think about what others think of them at all.

How life might have survived 'snowball Earth' Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:20 AM PDT New research indicates that simple life in the form of photosynthetic algae could have survived a "snowball Earth" event, living in a narrow body of water with characteristics similar to today's Red Sea.

Worms among first animals to surface after K-T extinction event, study finds Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:19 AM PDT A new study of sediments laid down shortly after an asteroid plowed into the Gulf of Mexico 65.5 million years ago, an event that is linked to widespread global extinctions including the demise of big dinosaurs, suggests that lowly worms may have been the first fauna to show themselves following the global catastrophe.

Case of the missing monocyte: Gene appears to protect against rheumatoid arthritis Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:19 AM PDT An estimated 1.3 million people in the United States suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. The causes behind this chronic disease -- which can exhibit itself as pain, swelling, stiffness, deformation, and loss of function in the joints -- have eluded scientists for centuries. A new study offers tantalizing glimmers about the roles of a gene called CCR2, an immune system cell called Th17 cell, and a missing monocyte.

Insight into feeding behaviour of first amphibians Posted: 11 Oct 2011 07:18 AM PDT Numerical calculus and computer simulation techniques have been used to determine the mechanical properties of the skulls of early tetrapods, the first amphibians to appear on the planet. Thanks to this technology, researchers have been able to learn about the feeding behavior of these prehistoric animals.

Battle between the placenta and uterus could help explain preeclampsia Posted: 11 Oct 2011 04:52 AM PDT A battle that brews in the mother's womb between the father's biological goal to produce the biggest, healthiest baby possible vs. the mother's need to live through delivery might help explain preeclampsia, an often deadly disease of pregnancy. The fetus must be big enough to thrive, yet small enough to pass through the birth canal. In a new study, researchers describe the mechanism that keeps these conflicting goals in balance.

Early Celtic 'Stonehenge' discovered in Germany's Black Forest Posted: 11 Oct 2011 04:46 AM PDT A huge early Celtic calendar construction has been discovered in the royal tomb of Magdalenenberg, nearby Villingen-Schwenningen in Germany's Black Forest. This discovery was made by researchers when they evaluated old excavation plans. The order of the burials around the central royal tomb fits exactly with the sky constellations of the Northern hemisphere.

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