ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• NASA maps how nutrients affect plant productivity
• Racial differences exist in the link between consumption of meat and breast cancer risk, research shows
• NASA adds up Hurricane Sandy's rainfall from space
• Researchers find three unique cell-to-cell bonds
• Softening arteries, protecting the heart: Connection between 'good' cholesterol and collagen in heart health
• Church-going teens go further with school, U.S. study finds
• Trickle-down anxiety: Study examines parental behaviors that create anxious children
• Privacy vs. protection: Study considers how to manage epidemics in information blackouts
• Music in our ears: The science of timbre
• NASA investigates the 'FaINT' side of sonic booms
• SpaceX transitions to third commercial crew phase
• NASA's SAMPEX mission: A space weather warrior
• NASA'S Fermi measures cosmic 'fog' produced by ancient starlight
• Next-generation X-ray telescope ready to fly
• Regular physical activity reduces risk of dementia in older people
• Combination treatment may improve survival of breast cancer patients with brain metastases
• New light on the genetic basis of inflammatory diseases
• New target for lung cancer treatment identified
• The ins and outs of in-groups and out-groups
• Promising therapy developed for Huntington's disease
• Why seas are rising ahead of predictions: Estimates of rate of future sea-level rise may be too low
• Hurricane Sandy: Power outage prediction model was accurate
• Health of kidney disease patients: Diet and blood pressure
• Researchers use blood testing to predict level of enzymes that facilitate disease progression
• Researchers target breast cancer in three trials
• Super-rare, super-luminous supernovae are likely explosion of universe's earliest stars
• Antibiotics observed attacking tuberculosis: Mass spectrometry shows scientists how antibiotics function inside living bacteria
• Rethinking reading instruction
• New therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease identified
• Stem cells could heal equine tendon injuries
• First effective treatment of tumors arising from common genetic disease NF1, suggested by study
• Staying still or going hunting: Which works better for a hungry ocean microbe?
• Particle and wave-like behavior of light measured simultaneously
• Gene switch important in cancer discovered
• Chloroplast breakthrough could help unlock key to controlling fruit ripening in crops, research suggests
• Laser-light testing of breast tumor fiber patterns helps show whose cancer is spreading
• Experimental therapy for emphysema tested
• Genetic test results for Lynch syndrome improved with new computer program
• Anthropocene continues to spark scientific debate
• Air pollution, gone with the wind: Proposed new building guidelines to clean up the air we breath
• New target discovered for food allergy treatment
• A protein's role in helping cells repair DNA damage
• USDA patents method to reduce ammonia emissions
• Solving a biological mystery: Gene related to germ cell formation is far older than first thought
• Brain may 'see' more than the eyes, fruit fly study indicates
• Asteroid belts of just the right size are friendly to life
• Caffeine's effect on the brain's adenosine receptors visualized for the first time
• Novel technique to produce stem cells from peripheral blood
• New technique enables high-sensitivity view of cellular functions
• Feedback loop maintains basal cell population
• Male fertility can be restored after cancer treatment, researchers find
• An elephant that speaks Korean
• Gene required for nerve regeneration identified
• Living donors fare well following liver transplantation, study finds
• Invading weeds are met by an offense of plant-eating insects
• Toilet training methods not responsible for differences in volume of urinary accidents
• Targeting drugs with hydrogels
• Scientists create 'endless supply' of myelin-forming cells
• Computational medicine enhances way doctors detect, treat disease
• Adding soy to diet does not affect onset of menopausal hot flashes

NASA maps how nutrients affect plant productivity Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:51 PM PDT A new analysis has estimated how much the growth of plants worldwide is limited by the amount of nutrients available in their soil. The maps produced from the research will be particularly useful in evaluating how much carbon dioxide Earth's ecosystems may be able to soak up as greenhouse gas levels increase.

Racial differences exist in the link between consumption of meat and breast cancer risk, research shows Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:32 PM PDT In what is believed to be the first examination of African-American women and how their consumption of meat impacts their breast cancer risk, research shows that there is a difference when compared to Caucasian women.

NASA adds up Hurricane Sandy's rainfall from space Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:21 PM PDT NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, or TRMM, satellite acts as a rain gauge in space as it orbits the Earth's tropics. As TRMM flew over Hurricane Sandy since its birth on Oct. 21 it was gathering data that has now been mapped to show how much rain the storm dropped along the US eastern seaboard.

Researchers find three unique cell-to-cell bonds Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:21 PM PDT The human body has more than a trillion cells, most of them connected, cell to neighboring cells. How, exactly, do those bonds work? What happens when a pulling force is applied to those bonds? How long before they break? Does a better understanding of all those bonds and their responses to force have implications for fighting disease? A research team is answering those questions as it studies the biomechanics and biophysics of the proteins that bond cells together.

Softening arteries, protecting the heart: Connection between 'good' cholesterol and collagen in heart health Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:21 PM PDT Arterial stiffening has long been considered a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Keeping arteries soft and supple might reduce disease risk, but the mechanisms of how arteries stave off hardening has remained elusive. Researchers have discovered that the protein apolipoprotein E plays a major role in maintaining arterial softness by suppressing production of the extracellular matrix.

Church-going teens go further with school, U.S. study finds Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:19 PM PDT A national U.S. study found religiously-affiliated youth are 40 percent more likely to graduate high school than their unaffiliated peers and 70 percent more likely to enroll in college.

Trickle-down anxiety: Study examines parental behaviors that create anxious children Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:19 PM PDT Parents with social anxiety disorder are more likely than parents with other forms of anxiety to engage in behaviors that put their children at high risk for developing angst of their own, according to a small study of parent-child pairs.

Privacy vs. protection: Study considers how to manage epidemics in information blackouts Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:19 PM PDT When foot-and-mouth disease swept through the British countryside in early 2001, more than 10 million sheep, cattle and pigs were slaughtered to control the disease. Despite the devastation, the disease was contained within ten months in part owing to the availability in that country of finely detailed farm data, which enabled mathematical modelers to make accurate predictions about the spread of the disease and suggest optimal ways of managing it.

Music in our ears: The science of timbre Posted: 01 Nov 2012 02:19 PM PDT A new study offers insight into the neural underpinnings of musical timbre. Researchers have used mathematical models based on experiments in both animals and humans to accurately predict sound source recognition and perceptual timbre judgments by human listeners.

NASA investigates the 'FaINT' side of sonic booms Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:52 PM PDT Sonic booms created by aircraft flying faster than the speed of sound certainly aren't known for being faint, but rather for their loud, make-you-jump startle effect for those who experience them. However, sonic booms have a quieter, fainter side, too.

SpaceX transitions to third commercial crew phase Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:50 PM PDT Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has completed its first three performance milestones for NASA's Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative, which is intended to lead to the availability of commercial human spaceflight services for government and commercial customers.

NASA's SAMPEX mission: A space weather warrior Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:49 PM PDT NASA's very first small explorer, the Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer or SAMPEX, was launched July 3, 1992 to study the zoo of particles and cosmic rays surrounding Earth. Surviving much longer than its expected mission of three years and providing invaluable observations for those who study space weather, the SAMPEX mission is now almost over. In early November, the spacecraft's orbit will decay enough that it will re-enter Earth's atmosphere, burning up completely on re-entry.

NASA'S Fermi measures cosmic 'fog' produced by ancient starlight Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:47 PM PDT Astronomers using data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have made the most accurate measurement of starlight in the universe and used it to establish the total amount of light from all of the stars that have ever shone, accomplishing a primary mission goal.

Next-generation X-ray telescope ready to fly Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:45 PM PDT Those who watch the sun are regularly treated to brilliant shows -- dancing loops of solar material rise up, dark magnetic regions called sunspots twist across the surface, and dazzling flares of light and radiation explode into space. But there are smaller, barely visible events, too: much smaller and more frequent eruptions called nanoflares. Depending on how many and how energetic these are, nanoflares may be the missing piece of the puzzle to help understand what seeds the cascade that causes a much bigger flare, or to explain how the sun transfers so much energy to its atmosphere that it's actually hotter than the surface.

Regular physical activity reduces risk of dementia in older people Posted: 01 Nov 2012 01:27 PM PDT Regular physical activity may help older people reduce their chances of getting dementia.

Combination treatment may improve survival of breast cancer patients with brain metastases Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:36 PM PDT Adding an angiogenesis inhibitor to treatment with a HER2-inhibiting drug could improve outcomes for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who develop brain metastases. Investigators report the first preclinical study combining antiangiogenic and anti-HER2 drugs in an animal model of brain metastatic breast cancer.

New light on the genetic basis of inflammatory diseases Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:36 PM PDT In one of the largest studies of its kind ever conducted, an international team of scientists has thrown new light on the genetic basis of the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the two most common forms of IBD, are chronic inflammatory digestive disorders.

New target for lung cancer treatment identified Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:35 PM PDT Investigators have discovered a protein on the surface of lung cancer cells that could prove to be an important new target for anti-cancer therapy. A series of experiments in mice with lung cancer showed that specific targeting of the protein with monoclonal antibodies reduced the size of tumors, lowered the occurrence of metastases and substantially lengthened survival time.

The ins and outs of in-groups and out-groups Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:35 PM PDT We humans organize ourselves in myriad kinds of social groups, from scout troops and sports teams to networks of colleagues and classmates. But how do these social groups work? How do we decide whom to trust and whom to follow? And how do we deal with people that don't fit the norms of our social groups? New research explores these issues by examining various facets of social perception and behavior.

Promising therapy developed for Huntington's disease Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:35 PM PDT There's new hope in the fight against Huntington's disease. Scientists have helped design a compound that suppresses symptoms of the devastating disease in mice. The compound is a synthetic antioxidant that targets mitochondria, an organelle that serves as a cell's power plant. Oxidative damage to mitochondria is implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases.

Why seas are rising ahead of predictions: Estimates of rate of future sea-level rise may be too low Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:35 PM PDT Sea levels are rising faster than expected from global warming, and geologists now have a good idea why. The last official IPCC report in 2007 projected a global sea level rise between 0.2 and 0.5 meters by the year 2100. But current sea-level rise measurements meet or exceed the high end of that range and suggest a rise of one meter or more by the end of the century.

Hurricane Sandy: Power outage prediction model was accurate Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:34 PM PDT A team of researchers spent days tracking Hurricane Sandy's power outage potential as the storm made its deadly march up eastern seaboard. The researchers fed weather forecasts as well as real-time and historic hurricane data into a computer model to predict the total number of power outages. How'd they do? Their predictions were accurate overall, when compared with figures released by the federal government on actual outages.

Health of kidney disease patients: Diet and blood pressure Posted: 01 Nov 2012 12:34 PM PDT Three studies provide new information on diet and blood pressure in kidney disease patients: adding fruits and vegetables to the diet improves kidney disease patients' health; poor nutrition plays a role in the link between poverty and kidney disease; and among kidney disease patients, Blacks are more likely to have uncontrolled blood pressure than Whites, the research finds.

Researchers use blood testing to predict level of enzymes that facilitate disease progression Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:12 AM PDT Researchers are developing a technique for predicting from a simple blood sample the amount of cathepsins -- protein-degrading enzymes known to accelerate certain diseases -- a specific person would produce. This patient-specific information may be helpful in developing personalized approaches to treat these tissue-destructive diseases.

Researchers target breast cancer in three trials Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:12 AM PDT Researchers are attacking breast cancer in three separate trials, including one that uses a malarial drug that shows promise as a way to stop breast cancer before it starts.

Super-rare, super-luminous supernovae are likely explosion of universe's earliest stars Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:12 AM PDT The most-distant, super-luminous supernovae found to date have been observed by an international team of astronomers. The stellar explosions would have occurred at a time when the universe was much younger and probably soon after the Big Bang.

Antibiotics observed attacking tuberculosis: Mass spectrometry shows scientists how antibiotics function inside living bacteria Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:12 AM PDT Researchers report that mass spectrometry, a tool currently used to detect and measure proteins and lipids, can also now allow biologists to "see" for the first time exactly how drugs work inside living cells to kill infectious microbes. As a result, scientists may be able to improve existing antibiotics and design new, smarter ones to fight deadly infections, such as tuberculosis.

Rethinking reading instruction Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:11 AM PDT Many educators have long believed that when words differ on only one sound, early readers can learn the rules of phonics by focusing on what is different between the words. Scientists are turning that thinking on its head. A recent study shows certain kinds of variation in words may help early readers learn better.

New therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease identified Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:11 AM PDT Medical researchers have identified an enzyme called Monoacylglycerol lipase as a new therapeutic target to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Stem cells could heal equine tendon injuries Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:11 AM PDT Tendon injuries affect athletic horses at all levels. Researchers are studying the use of stem cells in treating equine tendon injuries. Stem cells injections are already common veterinary medicine, and scientists are curious how to make stem cell treatments more effective.

First effective treatment of tumors arising from common genetic disease NF1, suggested by study Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:11 AM PDT Physician-researchers have reported the first effective therapy for a class of previously untreatable and potentially life-threatening tumors often found in children.

Staying still or going hunting: Which works better for a hungry ocean microbe? Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:11 AM PDT For the kinds of animals that are most familiar to us -- ones that are big enough to see -- it's a no-brainer: Is it better to sit around and wait for food to come to you, or to move around and find it? Larger animals that opt to sit around aren't likely to last long. But for bacteria out in the ocean, the question is a far more complicated one.

Particle and wave-like behavior of light measured simultaneously Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:11 AM PDT What is light made of: waves or particles? This basic question has fascinated physicists since the early days of science. Quantum mechanics predicts that photons, particles of light, are both particles and waves simultaneously. Physicists now give a new demonstration of this wave-particle duality of photons, dubbed the "one real mystery of quantum mechanics" by Nobel Prize laureate Richard Feynman.

Gene switch important in cancer discovered Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:11 AM PDT Scientists have shown that the "switches" that regulate the expression of genes play a major role in the development of cancer. In a new study they have investigated a gene region that contains a particular single nucleotide variant associated with increased risk for developing colorectal and prostate cancers -- and found that removing this region caused dramatic resistance to tumor formation.

Chloroplast breakthrough could help unlock key to controlling fruit ripening in crops, research suggests Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PDT Biologists may have unearthed the potential to manipulate the functions of chloroplasts, the parts of plant cells responsible for photosynthesis. Researchers discovered that chloroplasts are affected by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) -- a process which causes the breakdown of unwanted proteins in cells. As a result, the researchers believe they may be able to use specific proteins to regulate the functions of chloroplasts -- such as the conversion of chloroplasts into highly-pigmented chromoplasts during the ripening of fruit.

Laser-light testing of breast tumor fiber patterns helps show whose cancer is spreading Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PDT Using advanced microscopes equipped with tissue-penetrating laser light, cancer imaging experts have developed a promising, new way to accurately analyze the distinctive patterns of ultra-thin collagen fibers in breast tumor tissue samples and to help tell if the cancer has spread.

Experimental therapy for emphysema tested Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PDT Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have performed the first U.S. trial of a foam sealant injected into the lungs.

Genetic test results for Lynch syndrome improved with new computer program Posted: 01 Nov 2012 11:10 AM PDT Genetic test results for Lynch syndrome often prove inconclusive, but two new studies show that two-thirds to three-fourths of genetic variants can be classified into categories that indicate the most appropriate screening and treatment guidelines.

Anthropocene continues to spark scientific debate Posted: 01 Nov 2012 10:16 AM PDT How have humans influenced Earth? Can geoscientists measure when human impacts began overtaking those of Earth's other inhabitants and that of the natural Earth system? Responding to increasing scientific recognition that humans have become the foremost agent of change at Earth's surface, organizers have brought together speakers and poster presentations from a variety of sources in order to answer these questions.

Air pollution, gone with the wind: Proposed new building guidelines to clean up the air we breath Posted: 01 Nov 2012 10:16 AM PDT As urban populations expand, downtown buildings are going nowhere but up. The huge energy needs of these skyscrapers mean that these towers are not only office buildings, they're polluters with smokestacks billowing out toxins from the rooftop. Our cities are dirtier than we think. New research just might clean them up.

New target discovered for food allergy treatment Posted: 01 Nov 2012 10:16 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a novel target for the treatment of food allergies. Levels of the enzyme Pim 1 kinase rise in the small intestines of peanut-allergic mice. Inhibiting activity of Pim 1 markedly reduced the allergic response to peanuts.

A protein's role in helping cells repair DNA damage Posted: 01 Nov 2012 10:16 AM PDT Scientists have described the role that a protein called TFIIB plays in helping cells repair DNA damage, a critical function for preventing the growth of tumors.

USDA patents method to reduce ammonia emissions Posted: 01 Nov 2012 10:16 AM PDT Capturing and recycling ammonia from livestock waste is possible using a process developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers. This invention could help streamline on-farm nitrogen management by allowing farmers to reduce potentially harmful ammonia emissions and concentrate nitrogen in a liquid product to sell as fertilizer.

Solving a biological mystery: Gene related to germ cell formation is far older than first thought Posted: 01 Nov 2012 10:15 AM PDT Researchers have shown that insects like crickets possess a variation of a gene, called oskar, that has been shown to be critical to the production of germ cells in 'higher' insects, particularly fruit flies.

Brain may 'see' more than the eyes, fruit fly study indicates Posted: 01 Nov 2012 10:12 AM PDT Vision may be less important to "seeing" than is the brain's ability to process points of light into complex images, according to a new study of the fruit fly visual system. Researchers have found that the very simple eyes of fruit fly larvae, with only 24 total photoreceptors (the human eye contains more than 125 million), provide just enough light or visual input to allow the animal's relatively large brain to assemble that input into images.

Asteroid belts of just the right size are friendly to life Posted: 01 Nov 2012 10:12 AM PDT Solar systems with life-bearing planets may be rare if they are dependent on the presence of asteroid belts of just the right mass, according to a new study. Researchers suggest that the size and location of an asteroid belt, shaped by the evolution of the Sun's protoplanetary disk and by the gravitational influence of a nearby giant Jupiter-like planet, may determine whether complex life will evolve on an Earth-like planet.

Caffeine's effect on the brain's adenosine receptors visualized for the first time Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:16 AM PDT Molecular imaging with positron emission tomography has enabled scientists for the first time to visualize binding sites of caffeine in the living human brain to explore possible positive and negative effects of caffeine consumption.

Novel technique to produce stem cells from peripheral blood Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:15 AM PDT Stem cells are a valuable resource for medical and biological research, but are difficult to study due to ethical and societal barriers. However, genetically manipulated cells from adults may provide a path to study stem cells that avoid any ethical concerns. A new video-protocol details steps to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells from cells in the peripheral blood.

New technique enables high-sensitivity view of cellular functions Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:15 AM PDT Researchers have developed a tool to detect low levels of sugars produced by living organisms.

Feedback loop maintains basal cell population Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:15 AM PDT Notch -- the protein that can help determine cell fate -- maintains a stable population of basal cells in the prostate through a positive feedback loop system with another key protein -- TGF beta (transforming growth factor beta), said researchers.

Male fertility can be restored after cancer treatment, researchers find Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:15 AM PDT An injection of banked sperm-producing stem cells can restore fertility to males who become sterile due to cancer drug side effects, according to researchers. In their animal study, previously frozen stem cells restored production of sperm that successfully fertilized eggs to produce early embryos.

An elephant that speaks Korean Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:15 AM PDT An Asian elephant named Koshik can imitate human speech, speaking words in Korean that can be readily understood by those who know the language. The elephant accomplishes this in a most unusual way: he vocalizes with his trunk in his mouth.

Gene required for nerve regeneration identified Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:15 AM PDT A gene that is associated with regeneration of injured nerve cells has been identified. Scientists found that a mutation in a single gene can entirely shut down the process by which the nerve cell's axons regrow after being cut or damaged. The researchers hope that this discovery will open the door to new research related to spinal-cord and other neurological disorders in humans.

Living donors fare well following liver transplantation, study finds Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:14 AM PDT Researchers in Japan report that health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for donors following living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) was better than the general Japanese population (the norm). This study -- one of the largest to date -- found that donors who developed two or more medical problems (co-morbidities) after donation had significantly decreased long-term HRQOL.

Invading weeds are met by an offense of plant-eating insects Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:11 AM PDT What is the best course of action when an invading noxious weed threatens to attack crop yields and assault grazing land? Invite a friend to dinner. In this case, the friend is a plant-eating insect—the stem-mining weevil.

Toilet training methods not responsible for differences in volume of urinary accidents Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:11 AM PDT Physician researchers show that the method of training chosen by parents is not the cause of urinary accidents in children.

Targeting drugs with hydrogels Posted: 01 Nov 2012 09:08 AM PDT Researchers in Japan have developed a technique which allows them to control and target drug delivery to specific sites of the body at specific times, thus reducing side effects and improving treatment dramatically.

Scientists create 'endless supply' of myelin-forming cells Posted: 01 Nov 2012 08:12 AM PDT In a new study, researchers have unlocked the complex cellular mechanics that instruct specific brain cells to continue to divide. This discovery overcomes a significant technical hurdle to potential human stem cell therapies; ensuring that an abundant supply of cells is available to study and ultimately treat people with diseases.

Computational medicine enhances way doctors detect, treat disease Posted: 01 Nov 2012 08:10 AM PDT Computational medicine, a fast-growing method of using computer models and sophisticated software to figure out how disease develops -- and how to thwart it -- has begun to leap off the drawing board and land in the hands of doctors who treat patients for heart ailments, cancer and other illnesses.

Adding soy to diet does not affect onset of menopausal hot flashes Posted: 01 Nov 2012 08:06 AM PDT Eating soy products such as soy milk and tofu did not prevent the onset of hot flashes and night sweats as women entered menopause.

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