ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Structure of human protein critical for silencing genes solved
• Math predicts size of clot-forming cells
• High-speed method to aid search for solar energy storage catalysts
• Rare Sumatran rabbit photographed
• Cancer may require simpler genetic mutations than previously thought
• SpaceX Dragon attached to International Space Station In spaceflight first
• Solar desalination system for arid land agriculture
• Thousands of invisibility cloaks trap a rainbow
• Like curry? New biological role identified for compound used in ancient medicine
• Copy of the genetic makeup travels in a protein suitcase
• Oldest Jewish archaeological evidence on the Iberian Peninsula
• 70% of women use contraceptives during their first sexual encounter, Spanish study suggests
• Tiny robots for less invasive surgery
• Cell’s transport pods look like a molecular version of robots from Transformers
• Irritable bowel syndrome clearly linked to gut bacteria
• Tiny planet-finding mirrors borrow from Webb Telescope playbook
• New type of male contraceptive? Key gene essential for sperm development discovered
• As D-Day anniversary approaches, new geological insights
• Anti-reflective plastics inspired by moths' eyes
• Knowing genetic makeup may not significantly improve disease risk prediction
• Marked for destruction: Newly developed compound triggers cancer cell death
• Gene therapy can correct forms of severe combined immunodeficiency, study suggests
• The secret to good tomato chemistry
• Nervous system: Cellular boundary key to neuronal function
• Revolutionary chipset for high-speed wireless data transfer
• Nnew genetic method developed to pinpoint individuals' geographic origin
• Record number of young scallops in Mid-Atlantic
• Unusual quantum effect discovered in earliest stages of photosynthesis

Structure of human protein critical for silencing genes solved Posted: 25 May 2012 01:52 PM PDT Scientists have described the three-dimensional atomic structure of a human protein bound to a piece of RNA that "guides" the protein's ability to silence genes. The protein, Argonaute-2, is a key player in RNA interference, a powerful cellular phenomenon that has important roles in diverse biological processes, including an organism's development.

Math predicts size of clot-forming cells Posted: 25 May 2012 01:52 PM PDT Mathematicians have helped biologists figure out why platelets, the cells that form blood clots, are the size and shape that they are. Because platelets are important both for healing wounds and in strokes and other conditions, a better understanding of how they form and behave could have wide implications.

High-speed method to aid search for solar energy storage catalysts Posted: 25 May 2012 01:52 PM PDT Scientist have developed a new high-throughput method to identify electrocatalysts for water oxidation.

Rare Sumatran rabbit photographed Posted: 25 May 2012 11:01 AM PDT Researchers say the rare rabbit may now be found only in two remote national parks on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and conservation is critical.

Cancer may require simpler genetic mutations than previously thought Posted: 25 May 2012 11:01 AM PDT Scientists have long known that cancer cells can proliferate by deleting both copies of the tumor suppressor genes that would otherwise kill them. Now research shows they can also grow by deleting single copies of the genes, especially when clusters of those genes appear randomly on a chromosome. The discovery sheds new light on tumorigenesis and explains why large genomic deletions show up so often in cancer cells.

SpaceX Dragon attached to International Space Station In spaceflight first Posted: 25 May 2012 10:42 AM PDT The International Space Station's Expedition 31 crew grappled and attached SpaceX's Dragon capsule to the space station Friday (May 25, 2012). This is the first time a commercial company has accomplished this type of space operation.

Solar desalination system for arid land agriculture Posted: 25 May 2012 07:39 AM PDT A solar-powered system uses nanofiltration membranes to treat the local brackish water, resulting in high-quality desalinated irrigation water. The results indicate that irrigation with desalinated water yields higher productivity from water and inorganic fertilizers compared with current practices. Crops grown with desalinated water required 25 percent less irrigation and fertilizer than brackish water irrigation.

Thousands of invisibility cloaks trap a rainbow Posted: 25 May 2012 07:39 AM PDT Many people anticipating the creation of an invisibility cloak might be surprised to learn that a group of American researchers has created 25,000 individual cloaks.

Like curry? New biological role identified for compound used in ancient medicine Posted: 25 May 2012 07:39 AM PDT Scientists have just identified a new reason why some curry dishes, made with spices humans have used for thousands of years, might be good for you. They have discovered that curcumin, a compound found in the cooking spice turmeric, can cause a modest but measurable increase in levels of a protein that's known to be important in the "innate" immune system, helping to prevent infection in humans and other animals.

Copy of the genetic makeup travels in a protein suitcase Posted: 25 May 2012 07:37 AM PDT Researchers have caught on film, in real time, the process of messenger RNA leaving the cell nucleus.

Oldest Jewish archaeological evidence on the Iberian Peninsula Posted: 25 May 2012 07:37 AM PDT Archaeologists have found one of the oldest artifacts of Jewish culture on the Iberian Peninsula at an excavation site in the south of Portugal, close to the city of Silves (Algarve). On a marble plate, measuring 40 by 60 centimeters, the name "Yehiel" can be read, followed by further letters which have not yet been deciphered. The Jena Archaeologists believe that the new discovery might be a tomb slab.

70% of women use contraceptives during their first sexual encounter, Spanish study suggests Posted: 25 May 2012 07:37 AM PDT Contraceptive use in Spain during the first sexual encounter is similar to other European countries. Contraceptive use shows positive correlation in women with a university education and negative correlation amongst women from poor backgrounds.

Tiny robots for less invasive surgery Posted: 25 May 2012 07:36 AM PDT Millions of Europeans undergo abdominal surgery each year to treat a range of different disorders, from cancer and heart disease to obesity. Researchers are now developing innovative micro-robotics and micro-system technologies to make such surgeries less complicated, invasive and costly.

Cell’s transport pods look like a molecular version of robots from Transformers Posted: 25 May 2012 07:36 AM PDT Images of the cell's transport pods have revealed a molecular version of the robots from Transformers. Previously, scientists had been able to create and determine the structure of 'cages' formed by parts of the protein coats that encase other types of vesicles, but this study was the first to obtain high-resolution images of complete vesicles, budded from a membrane.

Irritable bowel syndrome clearly linked to gut bacteria Posted: 25 May 2012 07:33 AM PDT An overgrowth of bacteria in the gut has been definitively linked to Irritable Bowel Syndrome in the results of a new study which used cultures from the small intestine. This is the first study to use this "gold standard" method of connecting bacteria to the cause of the disease that affects an estimated 30 million people in the United States.

Tiny planet-finding mirrors borrow from Webb Telescope playbook Posted: 24 May 2012 06:53 PM PDT NASA's next flagship mission -- the James Webb Space Telescope -- will carry the largest primary mirror ever deployed. This segmented behemoth will unfold to 21.3 feet in diameter once the observatory reaches its orbit in 2018.

New type of male contraceptive? Key gene essential for sperm development discovered Posted: 24 May 2012 06:52 PM PDT A new type of male contraceptive could be created thanks to the discovery of a key gene essential for sperm development. The finding could lead to alternatives to the conventional male contraceptives that rely on disrupting the production of hormones, such as testosterone. These treatments can cause side effects such as irritability, mood swings and acne.

As D-Day anniversary approaches, new geological insights Posted: 24 May 2012 06:51 PM PDT Two geology professors have discovered tiny bits of shrapnel and other microscopic remnants of the D-Day invasion in samples of sand collected on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. The scientists were surprised that these tiny traces survived for decades despite the scouring action of sand and waves, and the rusting action of seawater.

Anti-reflective plastics inspired by moths' eyes Posted: 24 May 2012 10:45 AM PDT Innovative plastics offer improved performance and wider viewing angles over existing anti-reflective plastics in the market. This plastic uses a nanotechnology method that creates a complex pattern of super tiny structures that mimic the patterns found on a moth's eye, which has a unique method of diffusing light.

Knowing genetic makeup may not significantly improve disease risk prediction Posted: 24 May 2012 09:32 AM PDT Researchers have found that detailed knowledge about your genetic makeup -- the interplay between genetic variants and other genetic variants, or between genetic variants and environmental risk factors -- may only change your estimated disease prediction risk for three common diseases by a few percentage points, which is typically not enough to make a difference in prevention or treatment plans.

Marked for destruction: Newly developed compound triggers cancer cell death Posted: 24 May 2012 09:32 AM PDT Scientists have developed a compound that enhance cell death in cancer cells.

Gene therapy can correct forms of severe combined immunodeficiency, study suggests Posted: 24 May 2012 09:30 AM PDT Scientists found that loss of the ADA gene directly contributes to B cell tolerance problems and that these defects are mostly corrected after gene therapy.

The secret to good tomato chemistry Posted: 24 May 2012 09:30 AM PDT There is nothing better than a ripe, red, homegrown tomato, and now researchers have figured out just what it is that makes some of them so awfully good (and your average supermarket tomato so bland).

Nervous system: Cellular boundary key to neuronal function Posted: 24 May 2012 09:30 AM PDT A molecule responsible for the proper formation of a key portion of the nervous system finds its way to the proper place not because it is actively recruited, but instead because it can't go anywhere else. Researchers have identified a distal axonal cytoskeleton as the boundary that makes sure AnkyrinG clusters where it needs to so it can perform properly.

Revolutionary chipset for high-speed wireless data transfer Posted: 24 May 2012 09:29 AM PDT Scientists have invented a revolutionary chipset for high-speed wireless data transfer, a new microchip that can transfer data the size of 80 MP3 song files (or 250 megabytes) wirelessly between mobile devices, 1000 times faster than Bluetooth.

Nnew genetic method developed to pinpoint individuals' geographic origin Posted: 24 May 2012 08:25 AM PDT Scientists have developed an innovative approach for the modeling of genetic variation in two- or three-dimensional space called spatial ancestry analysis (SPA). With SPA, researchers model the spatial distribution of each genetic variant by assigning a genetic variant's frequency as a continuous function in geographic space.

Record number of young scallops in Mid-Atlantic Posted: 24 May 2012 08:23 AM PDT Recent surveys reveal an unprecedented number of young scallops in two fishery management areas off the mid-Atlantic coast. The results bode well for the continued success of the commercial fishery.

Unusual quantum effect discovered in earliest stages of photosynthesis Posted: 24 May 2012 06:29 AM PDT Quantum physics and plant biology seem like two branches of science that could not be more different, but surprisingly they may in fact be intimately tied. Scientists have discovered an unusual quantum effect in the earliest stages of photosynthesis.

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