ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• New insight into placental growth and healthy pregnancy
• Undersea volcano gave off signals before eruption in 2011
• Brain scans show specific neuronal response to junk food when sleep-restricted
• Researchers watch tiny living machines self-assemble
• New studies challenge established views about development of children raised by gay or lesbian parents
• Predicting the formation of new species
• Four new gene loci predisposing people to the most common subtype of migraine
• Mapping volcanic heat on Jupiter's moon Io
• NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter puts itself into standby safe mode
• Overwhelming evidence of hidden heart disease in hypertensive African-Americans
• Information processing: Adding a touch of color

New insight into placental growth and healthy pregnancy Posted: 10 Jun 2012 12:15 PM PDT Scientists have gained a new understanding of how the growth of the placenta is regulated before birth, which has important implications for a healthy pregnancy. The research shows that the controlled release of a specific molecule, called miR-675, slows down growth of the placenta before birth.

Undersea volcano gave off signals before eruption in 2011 Posted: 10 Jun 2012 12:14 PM PDT A team of scientists that last year created waves by correctly forecasting the 2011 eruption of Axial Seamount years in advance now says that the undersea volcano located some 250 miles off the Oregon coast gave off clear signals hours before its impending eruption.

Brain scans show specific neuronal response to junk food when sleep-restricted Posted: 10 Jun 2012 12:14 PM PDT The sight of unhealthy food during a period of sleep restriction activated reward centers in the brain less active than with adequate sleep, a new study using fMRI scans shows. Previous research has shown restricted sleep leading to increased food consumption in healthy people and increased desires for sweet and salty food. Results from this study provides additional support for the role of inadequate sleep in appetite-modulation and obesity.

Researchers watch tiny living machines self-assemble Posted: 10 Jun 2012 12:13 PM PDT Enabling bioengineers to design new molecular machines for nanotechnology applications is one of the possible outcomes of a new study. Scientists have developed a new approach to visualize how proteins assemble, which may also significantly aid our understanding of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, which are caused by errors in assembly.

New studies challenge established views about development of children raised by gay or lesbian parents Posted: 10 Jun 2012 12:13 PM PDT New Studies Challenge Established Views about the Development of(Children Raised by Gay or Lesbian Parents

Predicting the formation of new species Posted: 10 Jun 2012 12:13 PM PDT Why do some groups of species diversify – in just a few thousand years – to the point of forming a wide variety of new species, while others remain essentially unchanged for millions of years? This is one of the key questions for scientists investigating the emergence and decline of biodiversity. From various studies, it is known that speciation is influenced both by environmental factors (e.g. habitat diversity, climate) and by species-specific traits (e.g. coloration, behavior patterns). However, little is known about how the extrinsic and intrinsic factors interact. These interactions have now been explored in more detail.

Four new gene loci predisposing people to the most common subtype of migraine Posted: 10 Jun 2012 12:12 PM PDT Scientists have identified four new gene loci predisposing people to the most common subtype of migraine, migraine without aura. About 2/3 of migraine sufferers belong to this group.

Mapping volcanic heat on Jupiter's moon Io Posted: 10 Jun 2012 02:47 AM PDT A new study finds that the pattern of heat coming from volcanoes on Io's surface disposes of the generally-accepted model of internal heating. The heat pouring out of Io's hundreds of erupting volcanoes indicates a complex, multi-layer source. These results come from data collected by NASA spacecraft and ground-based telescopes.

NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter puts itself into standby safe mode Posted: 10 Jun 2012 02:46 AM PDT NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter put itself into a precautionary standby status early Friday, June 8, Universal Time (Thursday evening, Pacific Time), when the spacecraft detected unexpected characteristics in movement of one of its reaction wheels. The spacecraft uses three of these wheels as the primary method for adjusting and maintaining its orientation. It carries a spare reaction wheel.

Overwhelming evidence of hidden heart disease in hypertensive African-Americans Posted: 08 Jun 2012 01:01 PM PDT A new study has found that an overwhelming majority of African-American patients with hypertension also suffered hidden heart disease caused by high blood pressure even though they displayed no symptoms.

Information processing: Adding a touch of color Posted: 07 Jun 2012 04:07 PM PDT An innovative computer program brings color to grayscale images.

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