ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Some contraceptive pills more likely to cause blood clots, study confirms
• Glaciers in southwest China feel the brunt of climate change
• New genetic evidence confirms coyote migration route to Virginia and hybridization with wolves
• Linking of mutations in 12 genes to ovarian cancer may lead to more effective prevention
• Extreme melting on greenland ice sheet, team reports; Glacial melt cycle could become self-amplifying
• First-of-a-kind tension wood study broadens biofuels research
• Singling out the real breast cancer among the lumps: Finding several proteins in blood at same time improves accuracy of cancer detection
• Many Alzheimer's patients get drugs with opposing effects, study finds
• Geothermal mapping report confirms vast coast-to-coast clean energy source in U.S.
• You are what you eat: Low fat diet with fish oil slows growth of human prostate cancer cells, study suggests
• 'Junk DNA' defines differences between humans and chimps
• Study explains paradox of insulin resistance genetics
• New anti-inflammatory drugs might help avoid side effects of steroids
• New test can precisely pinpoint food pathogens
• Electron accelerator scientists report breakthroughs
• Dormant malaria parsites in red blood cells may contribute to treatment failure, study suggests
• Computer scientist cracks mysterious 'Copiale Cipher'
• Blood test could identify smokers at higher risk for heart disease, UT Southwestern researchers find
• Young, apparently healthy -- and at risk of heart disease: New study pinpoints hidden thickening of the arteries in young adults
• Gene variation predicts rate of age-related decline in mental performance, study finds
• Innovative transdermal patch for delivery of HIV medicine
• Evidence for the existence of a hypnotic state? Key may be in the glazed staring eyes, researchers suggest
• Strawberries protect the stomach from alcohol, rat experiments suggest
• Simple compound with surprising antifreeze properties
• Peer pressure in preschool children: Children as young as 4 years of age conform their public opinion to the majority
• New weapon against cancer: Microwaves can be used to create medical images
• Birthplace for primitive life on Earth? Researchers identify mud volcanoes in Greenland as niche for early life

Some contraceptive pills more likely to cause blood clots, study confirms Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:09 PM PDT A new study confirms previous findings that certain oral contraceptive pills are more likely to cause serious blood clots than others.

Glaciers in southwest China feel the brunt of climate change Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:09 PM PDT Significant increases in annual temperatures are having a devastating effect on glaciers in the mountainous regions of southwestern China, potentially affecting natural habitats, tourism and wider economic development.

New genetic evidence confirms coyote migration route to Virginia and hybridization with wolves Posted: 25 Oct 2011 01:31 PM PDT Changes in North American ecosystems over the past 150 years have caused coyotes to move from their native habitats in the plains and southwestern deserts of North America to habitats throughout the United States. In a new study, researchers used DNA from coyote scat (feces) to trace the route that led some of the animals to colonize in Northern Virginia. The researchers also confirmed that, along the way, the coyotes interbred with the native Great Lakes wolves.

Linking of mutations in 12 genes to ovarian cancer may lead to more effective prevention Posted: 25 Oct 2011 01:31 PM PDT More patients with ovarian cancer carry predisposing mutations, and in more genes, than previously thought. A rapid method for screening genomes has located 12 genes for ovary, fallopian tube and peritoneum cancers. More than one-fifth arose in women with a family history, but relying on family history would have missed one-third of cases. The sequencing method could become applicable to patient testing for a broad range of breast, colon, pancreatic and melanoma gene mutations.

Extreme melting on greenland ice sheet, team reports; Glacial melt cycle could become self-amplifying Posted: 25 Oct 2011 01:31 PM PDT The Greenland ice sheet can experience extreme melting even when temperatures don't hit record highs, according to a new analysis by Dr. Marco Tedesco, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the City College of New York. His findings suggest that glaciers could undergo a self-amplifying cycle of melting and warming that would be difficult to halt.

First-of-a-kind tension wood study broadens biofuels research Posted: 25 Oct 2011 01:31 PM PDT Taking a cue from Mother Nature, researchers have undertaken a first-of-its-kind study of a naturally occurring phenomenon in trees to spur the development of more efficient bioenergy crops. Tension wood, which forms naturally in hardwood trees in response to bending stress, is known to possess unique features that render it desirable as a bioenergy feedstock. Although individual elements of tension wood have been studied previously, the team is the first to use a comprehensive suite of techniques to systematically characterize tension wood and link the wood's properties to sugar release. Plant sugars, known as cellulose, are fermented into alcohol for use as biofuel.

Singling out the real breast cancer among the lumps: Finding several proteins in blood at same time improves accuracy of cancer detection Posted: 25 Oct 2011 01:31 PM PDT A recent breast cancer study using patient blood reveals a possible way to reduce the number of false alarms that arise during early screening. Researchers found a panel of proteins shed by breast cancer that are easily detected and can distinguish between real cancer and benign lumps.

Many Alzheimer's patients get drugs with opposing effects, study finds Posted: 25 Oct 2011 01:31 PM PDT You wouldn't brake your car while stepping on the gas -- or wash down a sleeping pill with espresso. Yet many people taking common Alzheimer's disease medications -- cholinesterase inhibitors -- are given medications with anticholinergic properties, which oppose their effects. Scientists investigated how often that happens and reported on the consequences in a new study.

Geothermal mapping report confirms vast coast-to-coast clean energy source in U.S. Posted: 25 Oct 2011 10:59 AM PDT New research documents significant geothermal resources across the United States capable of producing more than three million megawatts of green power -- 10 times the installed capacity of coal power plants today.

You are what you eat: Low fat diet with fish oil slows growth of human prostate cancer cells, study suggests Posted: 25 Oct 2011 10:59 AM PDT A low-fat diet with fish oil supplements eaten for four to six weeks prior to prostate removal slowed down the growth of prostate cancer cells -- the number of rapidly dividing cells -- in human prostate cancer tissue compared to a traditional, high-fat Western diet, according to a new study.

'Junk DNA' defines differences between humans and chimps Posted: 25 Oct 2011 09:26 AM PDT DNA sequences for human and chimpanzees are nearly identical, despite vast phenotypical differences between the two species. Researchers have determined that the insertion and deletion of large pieces of DNA near genes are highly variable between humans and chimpanzees and may account for these major differences.

Study explains paradox of insulin resistance genetics Posted: 25 Oct 2011 09:26 AM PDT A paradox in understanding insulin resistance is figuring out why insulin-resistant livers make more fat. Insulin resistance occurs when the body does a poor job of lowering blood sugars. The signals to make lipid after a meal come from hormones -- most notably insulin -- and the direct effect of nutrients on the liver. Researchers describe the pathway that insulin uses to change the levels of gene expression that control lipid metabolism.

New anti-inflammatory drugs might help avoid side effects of steroids Posted: 25 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT A new class of anti-inflammatory drugs may one day serve as an alternative to steroid medications and possibly help avoid the serious side effects of steroids, new research findings suggest.

New test can precisely pinpoint food pathogens Posted: 25 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT A new test developed by a team led of scientists will enable government agencies and food companies to pinpoint the exact nature and origin of food-borne bacteria with unprecedented accuracy.

Electron accelerator scientists report breakthroughs Posted: 25 Oct 2011 07:24 AM PDT Scientists have surpassed two major milestones toward a novel, exceedingly powerful X-ray source: A record-breaking electron gun emittance and a successfully tested prototype of a superconducting linac cavity.

Dormant malaria parsites in red blood cells may contribute to treatment failure, study suggests Posted: 25 Oct 2011 07:23 AM PDT Researchers have shown for the first time in a rodent model that the earliest form of malaria parasites can lay dormant in red blood cells and "wake up," or recover, following treatment with the antimalarial drug artesunate.

Computer scientist cracks mysterious 'Copiale Cipher' Posted: 25 Oct 2011 07:23 AM PDT More than three centuries after it was devised, the 75,000-character "Copiale Cipher" has finally been broken. The mysterious cryptogram, bound in gold and green brocade paper, reveals the rituals and political leanings of a 18th-century secret society in Germany.

Blood test could identify smokers at higher risk for heart disease, UT Southwestern researchers find Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:16 AM PDT A simple blood test could someday quantify a smoker's lung toxicity and danger of heart disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

Young, apparently healthy -- and at risk of heart disease: New study pinpoints hidden thickening of the arteries in young adults Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:16 AM PDT Atherosclerosis -- or buildup of fat in the walls of arteries -- is thought of as a disorder of older people but it affects a large number of young men and women, according to a new study.

Gene variation predicts rate of age-related decline in mental performance, study finds Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:16 AM PDT A tiny difference in the coding pattern of a single gene significantly affects the rate at which men's intellectual function drops with advancing age, researchers have learned.

Innovative transdermal patch for delivery of HIV medicine Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:16 AM PDT An innovative delivery method for human immunodeficiency virus medications has been developed through use of a transdermal patch, the first of its kind to treat HIV.

Evidence for the existence of a hypnotic state? Key may be in the glazed staring eyes, researchers suggest Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:15 AM PDT A multidisciplinary group of researchers from Finland and Sweden has found that the strange stare of patients under hypnosis may be a key that can eventually lead to a solution to a long debate about the existence of a hypnotic state.

Strawberries protect the stomach from alcohol, rat experiments suggest Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:15 AM PDT In an experiment on rats, European researchers have proved that eating strawberries reduces the harm that alcohol can cause to the stomach mucous membrane. The study may contribute to improving the treatment of stomach ulcers.

Simple compound with surprising antifreeze properties Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:15 AM PDT A chemical compound used to stabilize particles in suspension has proved capable of controlling the growth of ice crystals, according to researchers in France. Surprisingly, the compound in question is a simple molecule, not at all like the macromolecules previously known for their antifreeze properties. It offers many advantages, including low production costs, stability and ease of use, which should open the way to industrial applications. The discovery also provides new leads for the development of synthetic equivalents of antifreeze proteins, different from those currently produced.

Peer pressure in preschool children: Children as young as 4 years of age conform their public opinion to the majority Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:03 AM PDT Adults and adolescents often adjust their behavior and opinions to peer groups, even when they themselves know better. Researchers in Germany and the Netherlands studied this phenomenon in 4-year-olds and found that preschool children are already subject to peer pressure. In the current study, the researchers found that children conformed their public judgment of a situation to the judgment of a majority of peers in spite better knowledge.

New weapon against cancer: Microwaves can be used to create medical images Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:03 AM PDT A research team from Sweden has developed new techniques of cancer diagnosis and treatment with the aid of microwaves, which could play a pioneering role in the battle against cancer. These techniques could save many lives and are more effective, less invasive and simpler than currently available alternatives. Clinical studies are now being planned.

Birthplace for primitive life on Earth? Researchers identify mud volcanoes in Greenland as niche for early life Posted: 25 Oct 2011 06:03 AM PDT The mud volcanoes at Isua, in south-west Greenland, have been identified as a possible birthplace for life on Earth by an international team headed by researchers. Almost four billion years ago, these volcanoes released chemical elements indispensable to the formation of the first biomolecules, under conditions favorable to life. It is the first time that such an environment, meeting all the requirements for the emergence of life, has been identified by scientists in 3.8-billion-year-old formations.

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