ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Mars Science Laboratory: NASA launches most capable and robust rover to Red Planet
• Charge separation in a molecule consisting of two identical atoms: Size matters
• Small forest with big impact: Fragmented rainforests maintain their ecological functionality
• Brain imaging, behavior research reveals physicians learn more by paying attention to failure
• Researchers surprised to find fatty liver disease poses no excess risk for death
• Scientists uncover new role for gene in maintaining steady weight
• Diabetes drug shows promise in reducing risk of cancer, study suggests
• Short waits, long consults keep most patients very happy with their physicians
• Enhanced treatment of brain tumors
• Scientific sleuths pinpoint the guilty coral killers
• Scientists point to link between missing synapse protein and abnormal behaviors
• Researchers discover clues to developing more effective antipsychotic drugs
• Big pest, small genome: Two-spotted spider mite genome decoded
• Supercool: Water doesn't have to freeze until -55 F
• How old yeast cells send off their daughter cells without the baggage of old age

Mars Science Laboratory: NASA launches most capable and robust rover to Red Planet Posted: 26 Nov 2011 12:53 PM PST NASA began a historic voyage to Mars with the Nov. 26 launch of the Mars Science Laboratory, which carries a car-sized rover named Curiosity. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas V rocket occurred at 10:02 a.m. EST (7:02 a.m. PST).

Charge separation in a molecule consisting of two identical atoms: Size matters Posted: 25 Nov 2011 01:09 PM PST Physicists have now shown the first experimental proof of a molecule consisting of two identical atoms that exhibits a permanent electric dipole moment. This observation contradicts the classical opinion described in many physics and chemistry textbooks.

Small forest with big impact: Fragmented rainforests maintain their ecological functionality Posted: 25 Nov 2011 01:08 PM PST Rainforests that are subject to use by the human population and are divided into forest fragments can maintain their ecological functionality.

Brain imaging, behavior research reveals physicians learn more by paying attention to failure Posted: 24 Nov 2011 12:02 PM PST Research on physicians' decision-making processes has revealed that those who pay attention to failures as well as successes become more adept at selecting the correct treatment. The researchers also found that all the physicians in the study included irrelevant criteria in their decisions about treatment.

Researchers surprised to find fatty liver disease poses no excess risk for death Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:04 PM PST Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a common condition associated with obesity and heart disease long thought to undermine health and longevity. But a new study suggests the condition does not affect survival.

Scientists uncover new role for gene in maintaining steady weight Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:04 PM PST Against the backdrop of the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States, scientists have made an important new discovery regarding a specific gene that plays an important role in keeping a steady balance between our food intake and energy expenditure. The study may help scientists better understand the keys to fighting obesity and related disorders such as diabetes.

Diabetes drug shows promise in reducing risk of cancer, study suggests Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:03 PM PST An inexpensive drug that treats Type 2 diabetes has been shown to prevent a number of natural and human-made chemicals from stimulating the growth of breast cancer cells, according to a new study.

Short waits, long consults keep most patients very happy with their physicians Posted: 23 Nov 2011 12:19 PM PST Patients overall in the United States are very satisfied with their physicians and with treatment they receive in outpatient settings, according to new information which challenges common public perceptions about outpatient medical treatment.

Enhanced treatment of brain tumors Posted: 23 Nov 2011 10:33 AM PST Scientists have tested a combination of radiation treatment and a substance that blocks the transforming growth factor beta for treating glioblastoma. In the mouse model, this combination therapy was found to be more effective in slowing down the growth of such malignant brain tumors and to prolong survival of the animals.

Scientific sleuths pinpoint the guilty coral killers Posted: 23 Nov 2011 10:33 AM PST The elusive culprits that are killing countless coral reefs around the world can now be nabbed with technology normally used to diagnose human diseases, marine researchers say. Coral researchers and reef managers will be able to identify coral infections using a new method that allows them to classify specific diseases based on the presence of microbes. This could lead to more effective action to reduce the impact of disease on the world's imperiled coral reefs.

Scientists point to link between missing synapse protein and abnormal behaviors Posted: 23 Nov 2011 10:33 AM PST Although many mental illnesses are uniquely human, animals sometimes exhibit abnormal behaviors similar to those seen in humans with psychological disorders. Such behaviors are called endophenotypes. Now, researchers have found that mice lacking a gene that encodes a particular protein found in the synapses of the brain display a number of endophenotypes associated with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.

Researchers discover clues to developing more effective antipsychotic drugs Posted: 23 Nov 2011 10:31 AM PST Researchers have identified the pattern of cell signaling induced by antipsychotic drugs in a complex composed of two brain receptors linked to schizophrenia. The discovery should allow researchers to predict the effectiveness of novel compounds for the treatment of schizophrenia and other serious mental disorders and may accelerate the development of better antipsychotic drugs.

Big pest, small genome: Two-spotted spider mite genome decoded Posted: 23 Nov 2011 10:31 AM PST Biologists have decoded the genetic blueprint of the two-spotted spider mite, raising hope for new ways to attack the major pest, which resists pesticides and destroys crops and ornamental plants worldwide.

Supercool: Water doesn't have to freeze until -55 F Posted: 23 Nov 2011 10:31 AM PST We drink water, bathe in it and we are made mostly of water, yet the common substance poses major mysteries. Now, University of Utah chemists may have solved one enigma by showing how cold water can get before it absolutely must freeze: 55 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.

How old yeast cells send off their daughter cells without the baggage of old age Posted: 23 Nov 2011 10:31 AM PST The accumulation of damaged protein is a hallmark of aging that not even the humble baker's yeast can escape. Yet, aged yeast cells spawn off youthful daughter cells without any of the telltale protein clumps. Now, researchers may have found an explanation for the observed asymmetrical distribution of damaged proteins between mothers and their youthful daughters.

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