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Thursday, September 6, 2012

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Wetter Arctic could influence climate change, study finds

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 05:05 PM PDT

Increased precipitation and river discharge in the Arctic has the potential to speed climate change, according to the results of a new study.

NASA's 'Mighty Eagle' robotic prototype lander aces major exam

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 03:57 PM PDT

Completing this round of flight test objectives, the "Mighty Eagle," a NASA robotic prototype lander, flew to an altitude of 100 feet and descended gently to a controlled landing during a successful free flight Sept. 5 at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Cheers, Voyager: 35 years of exploration

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 03:55 PM PDT

What would a birthday party be without cake, music and toasts? Thirty-five years ago today, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft launched on its mission of exploration. It is now the most distant human-made object and the second-longest operating spacecraft. (Voyager 2 is the longest.) NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., which manages the Voyager spacecraft, held a celebration Sept. 5.

HIF gene mutation found in tumor cells offers new clues about cancer metabolism

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 03:30 PM PDT

For the first time, a mutation in HIF2 alpha, a specific group of genes known as transcription factors that is involved in red blood cell production and cell metabolism, has been identified in cancer tumor cells.

Alternatives to Medicare's fee-for-service payment system examined

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 02:16 PM PDT

For years policymakers have attempted to replace Medicare's fee-for-service payment system with approaches that pay one price for an aggregation of services. The intent has been to reward providers for offering needed care in the most appropriate and cost-effective manner. But many of these programs have known pitfalls, according to a new article.

Call for a new approach to fighting tuberculosis

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 02:16 PM PDT

Each year, nearly two million people die from tuberculosis -- a treatable disease that has been brought under control in the United States, but continues to ravage other parts of the world. This health inequity should prompt a complete rethinking of the way tuberculosis is fought on a global level, experts argue.

Fathers who sleep closer to children have lower testosterone levels

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 02:16 PM PDT

Closer sleeping proximity between fathers and children is associated with a greater decrease in the father's testosterone level, with possible implications for parenting behavior.

Albatross 'dynamic soaring' achieved by repeated curve-altitude oscillation

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 02:16 PM PDT

Albatrosses leverage the energy of the wind to fly with essentially no mechanical cost to themselves, very rarely flapping their wings, and new work offers insight into how exactly they accomplish this feat.

Best strategy to defeat HIV in South Africa: Study challenges World Health Organization's approach

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 02:15 PM PDT

The World Health Organization (WHO) is about to embark on a new strategy to prevent AIDS in South Africa, a country thought to have more people with HIV/AIDS than any other country in the world. Using mathematical modeling, the WHO predicts this strategy could completely eliminate HIV in South Africa within a decade. Alas, researchers at UCLA respectively disagree, suggesting the WHO has left out key considerations. Their own model suggests a different approach.

Picky penguins: Does mate choice depend on genes that help resist disease?

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 01:37 PM PDT

Magellanic penguins have a high level of variation in genes associated with the ability to fight infectious disease, but a recent study found that the mechanism the penguins use to ensure that diversity is far from black and white. A recent study tested whether the significant diversity in the Major Histocompatibility Complex genome region observed in these birds is attributable to mate choice or genetic selection based on disease exposure.

NFL players may be at higher risk of death from Alzheimer’s and ALS, research shows

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 01:33 PM PDT

New research shows that professional football players may be at a higher risk of death from diseases that damage the cells in the brain, such as Alzheimer's disease and ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease), compared to the general U.S. population.

Space shuttle Atlantis' new home tops out

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 01:26 PM PDT

The new home for space shuttle Atlantis was topped out Wednesday with its highest beam in a milestone ceremony marking the continuing construction of a 90,000-square-foot exhibit hall at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

NASA mission to study magnetic explosions passes major review

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 01:22 PM PDT

On August 31, 2012, NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission proved it was ready for its next steps by passing what's called a Systems Integration Review (SIR), which deems a mission ready to integrate instruments onto the spacecraft.

Dawn has departed the giant asteroid Vesta

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 01:20 PM PDT

Mission controllers received confirmation today that NASA's Dawn spacecraft has escaped from the gentle gravitational grip of the giant asteroid Vesta. Dawn is now officially on its way to its second destination, the dwarf planet Ceres.

NASA to explore link between sea saltiness, climate

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 01:18 PM PDT

A NASA-sponsored expedition is set to sail to the North Atlantic's saltiest spot to get a detailed, 3-D picture of how salt content fluctuates in the ocean's upper layers and how these variations are related to shifts in rainfall patterns around the planet.

Biochemical functions for most of human genome identified: New map finds genetic regulatory elements account for 80 percent of our DNA

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 12:48 PM PDT

Only about 1 percent of the human genome contains gene regions that code for proteins, raising the question of what the rest of the DNA is doing. Scientists have now begun to discover the answer: About 80 percent of the genome is biochemically active, and likely involved in regulating the expression of nearby genes, according to a study from a large international team of researchers.

Social exclusion on the playground: Study looks at why kids say 'you can’t play!'

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 12:46 PM PDT

Being the last one picked for the team, getting left out of the clique of cool girls, having no one to sit with at lunch. For children, social exclusion can impact everything from emotional well being to academic achievements.

Major advances in understanding the regulation and organization of the human genome

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 12:46 PM PDT

The National Human Genome Research Institute today announced the results of a five-year international study of the regulation and organization of the human genome. The project is named ENCODE, which stands for the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements. In conjunction with the release of those results, the Journal of Biological Chemistry has published a series of reviews that focus on several aspects of the findings.

Dinosaur die out might have been second of two closely timed extinctions

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 12:43 PM PDT

New research indicates that shortly before an asteroid impact spelled doom for the dinosaurs, a separate extinction triggered by volcanic eruptions killed life on the ocean floor.

Computational method for pinpointing genetic factors that cause disease

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 12:43 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a computational method of identifying "causal" genetic variants that lead to particular diseases, with wide application for genome-wide association studies.

Concussions can happen in all kids, not just athletes

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 12:43 PM PDT

The gridiron is back in action. From little leagues to professional teams, football frenzy has begun, and with it, concerns about concussions. But it's not just jarring tackles that can lead to concussions in kids. According to doctors, there are many ways kids are exposed to concussion risks.

Exceptional upward mobility in the US is a myth, international studies show

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 11:19 AM PDT

The rhetoric is relentless: America is a place of unparalleled opportunity, where hard work and determination can propel a child out of humble beginnings into the White House, or at least a mansion on a hill. But the reality is very different, according to a researcher who is studying inequality across generations around the world.

LEDs winning light race to save energy, the environment

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 11:19 AM PDT

Light-emitting diode light bulbs, also known as LEDs, are more environmentally friendly than compact fluorescent and incandescent lights, new research shows. LEDs' environmental edge is expected to grow substantially as technology and manufacturing methods improve by 2017.

Guys, take note: Male birth control pill may be ready soon

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 11:19 AM PDT

Attention men: The day may be coming soon when you can take your own birth control pill with no side effects, according to a new study.

Seeing the birth of the universe in an atom of hydrogen: Radio waves used to uncover oldest galaxies yet

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 11:19 AM PDT

Astronomers are using radio telescopes to find radio waves emitted by hydrogen atoms, which were abundant in the early days of the universe. This new field of research, called "21-centimeter cosmology," opens the way to learning more about the universe's oldest galaxies.

Animal study finds anti-HIV vaginal ring can prevent virus transmission

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 11:19 AM PDT

Scientists have found that a vaginal ring releasing an anti-HIV drug can prevent the transmission of SHIV in macaques. This study provides the first efficacy data on the delivery of a microbicide from a vaginal ring, and indicates strong potential for the success of such rings in women. Microbicides are compounds that can be applied inside the vagina or rectum to protect against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Carbon sequestration on U. S. rangelands offers promise, but not profit

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 11:16 AM PDT

Nearly 239 million hectares of land in the United States are devoted to pastures and rangeland. Worldwide, rangelands cover about 3.6 billion hectares. Harnessing the potential for carbon sequestration from these lands could have a global impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Genome-wide scan maps mutations in deadly lung cancers; reveals embryonic gene link

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 11:16 AM PDT

Scientists have completed a comprehensive map of genetic mutations linked to an aggressive and lethal type of lung cancer. Among the errors found in small cell lung cancers, scientists found an alteration in a gene called SOX2 associated with early embryonic development.

Mouse study suggests sleep problems may be early Alzheimer's sign

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 11:16 AM PDT

Sleep disruptions may be among the earliest indicators of Alzheimer's disease, scientists report.

First holistic view of how human genome actually works: ENCODE study produces massive data set

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 11:09 AM PDT

The Human Genome Project produced an almost complete order of the 3 billion pairs of chemical letters in the DNA that embodies the human genetic code -- but little about the way this blueprint works. Now, after a multi-year concerted effort by more than 440 researchers in 32 labs around the world, a more dynamic picture gives the first holistic view of how the human genome actually does its job.

New PTSD diagnosis criteria examined

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:54 AM PDT

Proposed changes to the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder will not substantially affect the number of people who meet criteria for the disorder, according to new research.

How a high-fat diet and estrogen loss leads women to store more abdominal fat than men

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:54 AM PDT

A high-fat diet triggers chemical reactions in female mice that could explain why women are more likely than men to gain fat in the abdomen after eating excess saturated fat, new research suggests. The study also sheds light on why women gain fat following menopause.

Study in mice discovers injection of heat-generating cells reduces belly fat

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:53 AM PDT

The injection of a tiny capsule containing heat-generating cells into the abdomens of mice led those animals to burn abdominal fat and initially lose about 20 percent of belly fat after 80 days of treatment.

Teens tell different tales about themselves depending on gender

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:53 AM PDT

During adolescence, the stories young people tell about themselves reflects their development of a personal identity and sense of self, and those autobiographical narratives vary depending on the teens' gender, according to psychologists.

Gender equality influences how people choose their partners

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:53 AM PDT

Men and women clearly have different strategies for picking sexual partners, but the reason why differences exist is less clear. The classic explanation for these differences has been that men's and women's brains have evolved to make certain choices, but a new study suggests that evolution is only part of the answer.

How ocean energy impacts life in the deep sea: Results will help scientists understand what to expect under future climate change

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:53 AM PDT

A new study of deep-sea species worldwide examines how gradients in food and temperature in the deep sea's dark, frigid waters affect the creatures that live there. Similar studies have been conducted in the shallow oceans, but our understanding of the impact of food and temperature on life in the deep sea -- the Earth's largest and most remote ecosystem -- is more limited. The results will help scientists understand what to expect under future climate change.

Telaprevir: Added benefit in certain patients with hepatitis C

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:53 AM PDT

The new drug telaprevir offers advantages in various groups of patients with chronic hepatitis C infection of genotype 1. The available studies provide proof, indications or "hints" of an added benefit. However, not only the probability but also the extent of added benefit varies, according to a new assessment.

Children exposed to two phthalates have elevated risk of asthma-related airway inflammation

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:53 AM PDT

Children exposed to diethyl phthalate and butylbenzyl phthalate -- phthalate chemicals commonly found in personal care and plastic products -- have elevated risk of asthma-related airway inflammation, according to researchers.

Quantum physics at a distance

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:53 AM PDT

Physicists have achieved quantum teleportation over a record distance of 143 km. The experiment is a major step towards satellite-based quantum communication.

Millions of DNA switches that power human genome's operating system are discovered

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:53 AM PDT

Genes make up only 2 percent of the human genome and are easy to spot, but the on/off switches controlling those genes were encrypted within the remaining 98 percent of the genome. Without these switches, called regulatory DNA, genes are inert. Scientists created detailed maps of the locations of regulatory DNA within hundreds of different kinds of living cells. They also compiled a dictionary of the instructions written within regulatory DNA.

In massive genome analysis ENCODE data suggests 'gene' redefinition

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:50 AM PDT

As part of a huge collaborative effort called ENCODE (Encyclopedia of DNA Elements), a research team at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has analyzed all the RNA messages, called transcripts, produced within human cells. They show that three-quarters of the genome is capable of being transcribed, indicating that nearly all of our genome is dynamic and active. This raises exciting new possibilities for research into complex genetic diseases.

Yale team finds order amidst the chaos within the human genome

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:50 AM PDT

The massive Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) unveiled Sept. 5 reveals a human genome vastly more rich and complex than envisioned even a decade ago. In a key supporting paper published in the journal Nature, the lab of Yale's Mark Gerstein, the Albert L. Williams Professor of Biomedical Informatics, has found order amidst the seeming chaos of trillions of potential molecular interactions.

Loss of tropical forests reduces rain

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:50 AM PDT

Deforestation can have a significant effect on tropical rainfall, new research confirms. The findings have potentially devastating impacts for people living in and near the Amazon and Congo forests. Continued destruction of these forests would reduce rain across the Amazon basin by up to a fifth (21 percent) in the dry season by 2050.

Mapping a genetic world beyond genes

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:50 AM PDT

Most of the DNA alterations that are tied to disease do not alter protein-coding genes, but rather the "switches" that control them. Characterizing these switches is one of many goals of the ENCODE project -- a sweeping, international effort to create a compendium of all of the working parts of the human genome that have not been well studied or well understood. The function of the vast majority of the human genome has remained largely unknown, but the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, launched in 2003, set out to change that.

UC Santa Cruz provides access to encyclopedia of the human genome

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:50 AM PDT

The ENCODE project has enabled scientists to assign specific functions for 80 percent of the human genome, providing new insights into the mechanisms of gene regulation and giving biomedical researchers a solid genetic foundation for understanding how the body works in health and disease. The project's data coordination center at UCSC has made all of the ENCODE data available for public use through the UCSC Genome Browser.

UMASS Medical School faculty annotate human genome for ENCODE project

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:50 AM PDT

The first comprehensive decoding and annotation of the human genome is being published today by the ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, an international consortium of scientists from 32 institutions, including the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The groundbreaking ENCODE discovery appears in a set of 30 papers in Nature, Genome Research and Genome Biology.

Huge human gene study includes Penn State University research

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:50 AM PDT

The first integrated understanding of how the human genome functions will be published this week -- the triumphant result of a collaborative five-year project called ENCODE, involving more than 440 researchers working in 32 labs worldwide. Penn State's contribution involves using the new ENCODE data to help explain how genetic variants that do not affect the structure of encoded proteins could affect a person's susceptibility to disease.

Researchers unlock disease information hidden in genome's control circuitry

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:49 AM PDT

Researchers have determined that the majority of genetic changes associated with more than 400 common diseases and clinical traits affect the genome's regulatory circuitry. These are the regions of DNA that contain instructions dictating when and where genes are switched on or off. Most of these changes affect circuits that are active during early human development, when body tissues are most vulnerable.

Fast forward for biomedical research: Massive DNA encyclopedia scraps the junk

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:49 AM PDT

Today, an international team of researchers reveal that much of what has been called 'junk DNA' in the human genome is actually a massive control panel with millions of switches regulating the activity of our genes. Without these switches, genes would not work -- and mutations in these regions might lead to human disease. Discovered by hundreds of scientists working on the ENCODE Project, the new information is so comprehensive and complex that it has given rise to a new publishing model in which electronic documents and datasets are interconnected.

ENCODE Project publishes new genomic insights in special issue of Genome Research

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:49 AM PDT

Genome Research publishes a special issue dedicated to The ENCODE (ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements) Project, whose goal is to characterize all functional elements in the human genome.

Comprehensive transcriptome analysis of human ENCODE cells

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:49 AM PDT

ENCODE, an international research project led by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), has produced and analyzed 1649 data sets designed to annotate functional elements of the entire human genome. Data on transcription starting sites (TSS) contributed by a research team at the RIKEN Omics Science Center provided key anchor points linking the epigenetic status of genes observed at the 5' end directly to their RNA output.

Tough gel stretches to 21 times its length, recoils, and heals itself: Biocompatible material much tougher than cartilage

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:49 AM PDT

A team of experts in mechanics, materials science, and tissue engineering has created an extremely stretchy and tough gel that may pave the way to replacing damaged cartilage in human joints. Called a hydrogel, because its main ingredient is water, the new material is a hybrid of two weak gels that combine to create something much stronger. Not only can this new gel stretch to 21 times its original length, but it is also exceptionally tough, self-healing, and biocompatible -- a valuable collection of attributes that opens up new opportunities in medicine and tissue engineering.

Human genome far more active than thought: GENCODE Consortium discovers far more genes than previously thought

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:49 AM PDT

The GENCODE Consortium expects the human genome has twice as many genes than previously thought, many of which might have a role in cellular control and could be important in human disease. This remarkable discovery comes from the GENCODE Consortium, which has done a painstaking and skilled review of available data on gene activity.

Understanding the human genome: ENCODE at BioMed Central

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:49 AM PDT

The completion of the human genome project in 2003 was an immeasurably important milestone, but (like an book written in code) left many biologists wondering what the sequence might actually mean. Consequently, the focus of human genomics that year began the transition from generating sequence -- to annotating the functional elements, hidden within the human genome's 3.2 billion As, Cs, Gs and Ts. With this goal in mind the ENCODE (Encyclopedia of DNA Elements) consortium was formed.

First stars, galaxies formed more rapidly than expected

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:48 AM PDT

Analysis of data from the National Science Foundation's South Pole Telescope, for the first time, more precisely defines the period of cosmological evolution when the first stars and galaxies formed and gradually illuminated the universe.

Nanosystems engineering research center on self-powered health monitoring

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:48 AM PDT

Four universities will partner on a national nanotechnology research effort to create self-powered devices to help people monitor their health and better understand how their environment affects it, the U.S. National Science Foundation announced.

List of Asian species at conservation crossroads released by Wildlife Conservation Society

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:48 AM PDT

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) today released a list of Asian species that are at a conservation crossroads calling for governments to take immediate action with The Three Rs Approach: Recognition, Responsibility, Recovery.

Decoding the Black Death: Anthropologist finds clues in medieval skeletons

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:48 AM PDT

Researchers have been studying medieval skeletons at the Museum of London since 2003, each year unlocking more clues to the mystery that surrounds the Black Death.

Quantum teleportation goes the distance: Record-breaking distance of 143 kilometers through free space

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 10:43 AM PDT

An international research team has achieved quantum teleportation over a record-breaking distance of 143 kilometers through free space.

When do we lie? When we're short on time and long on reasons

Posted: 05 Sep 2012 09:30 AM PDT

Almost all of us have been tempted to lie at some point, whether about our GPA, our annual income, or our age. But what makes us actually do it? In a new study, psychological scientists discover that time pressure and available justifications both influence dishonest behavior.

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