ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Lack of iron regulating protein contributes to high blood pressure of the lungs
• Affordable fuel cells closer: Synthetic molecule first electricity-making catalyst to use iron to split hydrogen gas
• Poor stress responses may lead to obesity in children
• Engineers are catching rainbows: Material that slows light opens new possibilities in solar energy, other fields
• Highly flexible organic semiconductors: Research paves way for thin-sheet plastic displays or wearable electronics
• Shifting sands: Force is the key to granular state-shifting
• Breakthrough architecture for quantum computers proposed
• New insect: Spectacular forcepfly species discovered for the first time in South America
• 'Bionic proteins': Nano-machines recreate protein activities
• Researchers find potential new therapeutic target for treating non-small cell lung cancer
• Bisphenol A exposure in humans may be too low to cause problems by mimicking estrogen
• Preparing for climate change-induced weather disasters
• Modern life may cause sun exposure, skin pigmentation mismatch
• Evolution helped turn hairless skin into a canvas for self-expression
• Brain prostheses create a sense of touch: Infrared signaling could create sense of touch in artificial limbs
• Promising new approach to preventing progression of breast cancer
• Copper can protect against Alzheimer's disease
• New genus of crustacean and five new species
• Lung researchers create new air sacs in mouse model of emphysema using a novel growth factor
• Customized device tailored to patient’s individual anatomy now used to repair abdominal aortic aneurysm without surgery
• Tough, light and strong: Lessons from nature could lead to the creation of new materials
• Study tracks genetic evolution of form of leukemia, may help physicians predict course of disease, tailor therapies
• Discovery in HIV may solve efficiency problems for gene therapy
• Scientists create method to personalize chemotherapy drug selection
• Stay cool and live longer? Genetic program promotes longevity in cold environments
• Next generation soybean breeding: The potential of spectral analysis
• 12th grade dropouts have higher rates of cigarette, alcohol and illicit drug use, U.S. study finds
• Even limited physical activity is linked to lower rates of depression in bariatric surgery patients
• Risk of leukemia after cancer chemotherapy persists
• Cervical cancer: First 3-D image of an HPV oncoprotein
• BRCA mutation carriers have little long-term survival benefit with ovarian cancer, researchers say

Lack of iron regulating protein contributes to high blood pressure of the lungs Posted: 17 Feb 2013 01:54 PM PST A protein known to regulate iron levels in the body has an unexpectedly important role in preventing a form of high blood pressure that affects the lungs, and in stabilizing the concentration of red cells in blood, according to a study in mice.

Affordable fuel cells closer: Synthetic molecule first electricity-making catalyst to use iron to split hydrogen gas Posted: 17 Feb 2013 10:42 AM PST To make fuel cells more economical, engineers want a fast and efficient iron-based molecule that splits hydrogen gas to make electricity. Researchers now report such a catalyst. It is the first iron-based catalyst that converts hydrogen directly to electricity. The result moves chemists and engineers one step closer to widely affordable fuel cells.

Poor stress responses may lead to obesity in children Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:53 AM PST Children who overreact to stressors may be at risk of becoming overweight or obese, according to researchers.

Engineers are catching rainbows: Material that slows light opens new possibilities in solar energy, other fields Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:52 AM PST Engineers have created a more efficient way to catch rainbows, an advancement in photonics that could lead to technological breakthroughs in solar energy, stealth technology and other areas of research.

Highly flexible organic semiconductors: Research paves way for thin-sheet plastic displays or wearable electronics Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:52 AM PST Physicists have demonstrated extremely flexible organic semiconductors that withstood multiple bending cycles in which the devices were rolled to a radius as small as 200 micrometers. The technology holds promise for making low-cost flexible electronics -- conceivably video displays that bend like book pages or roll and unroll like posters, or wearable circuitry sewn into uniforms or athletic wear.

Shifting sands: Force is the key to granular state-shifting Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:50 AM PST Ever wonder why sand can both run through an hourglass like a liquid and be solid enough to support buildings? It's because granular materials -- like sand or dirt -- can change their behavior, or state. Researchers have found that the forces individual grains exert on one another are what most affect that transition.

Breakthrough architecture for quantum computers proposed Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:49 AM PST Scientists have proposed a new computational model that may become the architecture for a scalable quantum computer.

New insect: Spectacular forcepfly species discovered for the first time in South America Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:49 AM PST Austromerope is a genus of forcepflies, whose representatives are rare and mostly restricted in distribution. It belongs to the family Meropeidae (Mecoptera) and was recently unexpectedly discovered in South America. The species found in Brazil was described as new to science and named Austromerope braziliensis.

'Bionic proteins': Nano-machines recreate protein activities Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:49 AM PST Physicists have developed nano-machines which recreate principal activities of proteins. They present the first versatile and modular example of a fully artificial protein-mimetic model system. These "bionic proteins" could play an important role in innovating pharmaceutical research.

Researchers find potential new therapeutic target for treating non-small cell lung cancer Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:47 AM PST Researchers have found a potential targeted therapy for patients with tobacco-associated non-small cell lung cancer. It is based on the newly identified oncogene IKBKE, which helps regulate immune response.

Bisphenol A exposure in humans may be too low to cause problems by mimicking estrogen Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:45 AM PST A controversial component of plastic bottles and canned food linings that have helped make a safer food supply has recently come under attack: bisphenol A. BPA has the potential to mimic estrogen if blood and tissue levels are high enough. Now, an analysis of almost 150 BPA exposure studies shows that in the general population, people's exposure may be many times too low for BPA to effectively mimic estrogen in the human body.

Preparing for climate change-induced weather disasters Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:43 AM PST The news sounds grim: Mounting scientific evidence indicates climate change will lead to more frequent and intense extreme weather that affects larger areas and lasts longer. However, we can reduce the risk of weather-related disasters with a variety of measures, according to scientists.

Modern life may cause sun exposure, skin pigmentation mismatch Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:43 AM PST As people move more often and become more urbanized, skin color -- an adaptation that took hundreds of thousands of years to develop in humans -- may lose some of its evolutionary advantage, according to an anthropologist.

Evolution helped turn hairless skin into a canvas for self-expression Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:42 AM PST Hairless skin first evolved in humans as a way to keep cool -- and then turned into a canvas to help them look cool, according to an anthropologist.

Brain prostheses create a sense of touch: Infrared signaling could create sense of touch in artificial limbs Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:41 AM PST Infrared sensing might be built into a whole-body prosthesis for paraplegics so patients wearing the "exoskeleton" could have sensory information about where their limbs are and how objects feel when they touch them.

Promising new approach to preventing progression of breast cancer Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:39 AM PST Doctors currently struggle to determine whether a breast tumor is likely to shift into an aggressive, life-threatening mode —- an issue with profound implications for treatment. Now scientists have identified a mechanism through which mitochondria, the powerhouses of a cell, control tumor aggressiveness. Based on their findings, the team developed a simple treatment that inhibits cancer progression and prolongs life when tested in mice.

Copper can protect against Alzheimer's disease Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:39 AM PST Researchers have provided unequivocal evidence that under conditions which are approximately similar to those found in the brain, copper can only protect against beta amyloid forming beta sheets and as such it is highly unlikely that copper is directly involved in the formation of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease.

New genus of crustacean and five new species Posted: 17 Feb 2013 05:36 AM PST On recent expeditions to Madagascar and the French Polynesia, two researchers have discovered five new species of crustacean and a new genus named Triodonthea. Using morphological and molecular data they have discovered five new species of crustaceans in the waters of these regions. They are genetically different but morphologically very similar and they also found a new genus, named Triodonthea.

Lung researchers create new air sacs in mouse model of emphysema using a novel growth factor Posted: 14 Feb 2013 04:41 PM PST In a study of mice, researchers have identified a new molecular pathway involved in the growth of tiny air sacs called alveoli that are crucial for breathing. The scientists say their experiments may lead to the first successful treatments to regrow the air sacs in people who suffer from diseases such as emphysema in which the air sacs have been destroyed by years of smoking. The work may also suggest new therapy for premature infants born before their lungs are fully developed.

Customized device tailored to patient’s individual anatomy now used to repair abdominal aortic aneurysm without surgery Posted: 14 Feb 2013 04:38 PM PST An abdominal aortic aneurysm -- a bulge in the large artery that carries blood away from the heart -- can be immediately life-threatening if it grows large enough to rupture. The chance of survival when it ruptures is less than 10 percent. Many who find out they have that risk are able to have a minimally invasive repair. But up to 30 percent instead face a major open operation because of the location of the aneurysm. This new customized graft allows them, too, to have a quick recovery.

Tough, light and strong: Lessons from nature could lead to the creation of new materials Posted: 14 Feb 2013 11:18 AM PST In a sweeping review of the field of bio-inspired engineering and biomimicry, two engineers have identified three characteristics of biological materials that they believe engineers would do well to emulate in human-made materials: light weight, toughness and strength.

Study tracks genetic evolution of form of leukemia, may help physicians predict course of disease, tailor therapies Posted: 14 Feb 2013 10:26 AM PST A new study shows how gene mutations shift and evolve over time in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This evolution, they report, holds the key to understanding why CLL often recurs after treatment and helps explain why patients often don't derive the same benefit.

Discovery in HIV may solve efficiency problems for gene therapy Posted: 14 Feb 2013 10:26 AM PST A research team has discovered an approach that could make gene therapy dramatically more effective for patients. The scientists discovered that the process of gene therapy is missing essential elements thereby reducing the effectiveness of this treatment. Re-introducing this element into their model system suggests that improvements for gene therapy areon the horizon.

Scientists create method to personalize chemotherapy drug selection Posted: 14 Feb 2013 10:26 AM PST In laboratory studies, scientists have developed a way to personalize chemotherapy drug selection for cancer patients by using cell lines created from their own tumors.

Stay cool and live longer? Genetic program promotes longevity in cold environments Posted: 14 Feb 2013 10:26 AM PST Scientists have known for nearly a century that cold-blooded animals, such as worms, flies and fish all live longer in cold environments, but have not known exactly why. Researchers have identified a genetic program that promotes longevity of roundworms in cold environments -- and this genetic program also exists in warm-blooded animals, including humans.

Next generation soybean breeding: The potential of spectral analysis Posted: 14 Feb 2013 10:26 AM PST Spectral analysis, a method of analyzing the electromagnetic radiation coming from plants and other objects, is being used by researchers to determine the level of photosynthetic activity of vegetation in many different situations.

12th grade dropouts have higher rates of cigarette, alcohol and illicit drug use, U.S. study finds Posted: 14 Feb 2013 08:15 AM PST Youth in the 12th grade age range (ages 16 to 18) who have dropped out of school prior to graduating are more likely than their counterparts to be current users of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and other illicit drugs, according to a new U.S. report.

Even limited physical activity is linked to lower rates of depression in bariatric surgery patients Posted: 14 Feb 2013 07:38 AM PST For adults undergoing bariatric surgery, just one hour of moderate-intensity physical activity a week -- or eight minutes a day -- was associated with 92 percent lower odds of treatment for depression or anxiety, according to new research.

Risk of leukemia after cancer chemotherapy persists Posted: 14 Feb 2013 07:38 AM PST While advancements in cancer treatment over the last several decades have improved patient survival rates for certain cancers, some patients remain at risk of developing treatment-related leukemia, according to results of a new study.

Cervical cancer: First 3-D image of an HPV oncoprotein Posted: 14 Feb 2013 07:37 AM PST For the first time, researchers have solved the three-dimensional structure of an important oncoprotein involved in cell proliferation and in the development of the human papilloma virus (HPV). Type 16 (HPV 16), which causes cervical cancer, is the most dangerous of human papilloma viruses. This work, published in Science on 8 February 2013, should make it possible to identify and improve medication to block the protein and prevent it from causing tumors.

BRCA mutation carriers have little long-term survival benefit with ovarian cancer, researchers say Posted: 14 Feb 2013 07:36 AM PST Researchers studied the long-term survival of women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation who were diagnosed with invasive ovarian cancer. They found that the short-term benefit to having either mutation does not lead to a long-term survival benefit.

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