ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Possible new treatment for Rett Syndrome
• NASA study solves case of Earth's 'missing energy'
• The pupils are the windows to the mind
• Mind over matter: Patients' perceptions of illness make a difference
• New information for flu fight: Researchers study RNA interference to determine host genes used by influenza for virus replication
• Making memories last: Prion-like protein plays key role in storing long-term memories
• Grape seed extract kills head and neck cancer cells, leaves healthy cells unharmed
• New drug release mechanism utilizes 3-D superhydrophobic materials
• Kitchen gadget inspires scientist to make more effective plastic electronics
• Discovery of new vaccine approach for treatment of cancer
• What really happened prior to 'Snowball Earth'?
• Making poisonous plants and seeds safe and palatable: Canola now, cannabis next?
• Heart of silk: Scientists use silk from the tasar silkworm as a scaffold for heart tissue
• How cholera bacterium gains a foothold in the gut
• Bedwetting can be due to undiagnosed constipation
• Body location plays part in scratching pleasure
• Giant cell reveals metabolic secrets
• New biodiversity map of Andes shows species in dire need of protection
• Scientists illuminate cancer cells' survival strategy during dangerous dissemination
• Can the economy bear what oil prices have in store?
• Brain receptor in eyes may link epilepsy, cataracts and antidepressants
• Multiple births lead to weight gain, other problems for mouse moms and offspring
• Diagnostic brain tumor test could revolutionize care of patients with low-grade gliomas
• In the brain, signs of autism as early as 6 months old
• Genetic abnormalities may cause cerebral palsy, study suggests

Possible new treatment for Rett Syndrome Posted: 27 Jan 2012 02:48 PM PST Researchers have discovered that a molecule critical to the development and plasticity of nerve cells – brain-derived neurotrophic factor -- is severely lacking in brainstem neurons in mutations leading to Rett syndrome, a neurological developmental disorder. The finding has implications for the treatment of neurological disorders, including Rett syndrome that affects one in 10,000 baby girls.

NASA study solves case of Earth's 'missing energy' Posted: 27 Jan 2012 02:32 PM PST Two years ago, scientists released a study claiming that inconsistencies between satellite observations of Earth's heat and measurements of ocean heating amounted to evidence of "missing energy" in the planet's system. Where was it going? Or, they wondered, was something wrong with the way researchers tracked energy as it was absorbed from the sun and emitted back into space? An international team of atmospheric scientists and oceanographers set out to investigate the mystery.

The pupils are the windows to the mind Posted: 27 Jan 2012 01:28 PM PST The eyes are the window into the soul -- or at least the mind, according to a new article.

Mind over matter: Patients' perceptions of illness make a difference Posted: 27 Jan 2012 01:27 PM PST Whenever we fall ill, there are many different factors that come together to influence the course of our illness. Additional medical conditions, stress levels, and social support all have an impact on our health and well-being, especially when we are ill. But a new report suggests that what you think about your illness matters just as much, if not more, in determining your health outcomes.

New information for flu fight: Researchers study RNA interference to determine host genes used by influenza for virus replication Posted: 27 Jan 2012 01:27 PM PST Influenza virus can rapidly evolve from one form to another, complicating the effectiveness of vaccines and anti-viral drugs used to treat it. By first understanding the complex host cell pathways that the flu uses for replication, researchers are finding new strategies for therapies and vaccines, according to a new study.

Making memories last: Prion-like protein plays key role in storing long-term memories Posted: 27 Jan 2012 01:24 PM PST Memories in our brains are maintained by connections between neurons called "synapses." But how do these synapses stay strong and keep memories alive for decades? Neuroscientists have discovered a major clue from a study in fruit flies: Hardy, self-copying clusters or oligomers of a synapse protein are an essential ingredient for the formation of long-term memory.

Grape seed extract kills head and neck cancer cells, leaves healthy cells unharmed Posted: 27 Jan 2012 11:09 AM PST In both cell lines and mouse models, grape seed extract kills head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed, new research shows.

New drug release mechanism utilizes 3-D superhydrophobic materials Posted: 27 Jan 2012 11:09 AM PST There is a new mechanism of drug release using 3-D superhydrophobic materials that utilizes air as a removable barrier to control the rate at which drug is released.

Kitchen gadget inspires scientist to make more effective plastic electronics Posted: 27 Jan 2012 11:09 AM PST A kitchen gadget that vacuum seals food in plastic inspired a physicist to improve the performance of organic transistors for potential use in video displays.

Discovery of new vaccine approach for treatment of cancer Posted: 27 Jan 2012 11:05 AM PST Scientists have developed a new vaccine to treat cancer at the pre-clinical level. They developed a new approach for treating the disease based on manipulating the immune response to malignant tumors.

What really happened prior to 'Snowball Earth'? Posted: 27 Jan 2012 11:05 AM PST The large changes in the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates which occurred prior to the major climatic event more than 500 million years ago, known as "Snowball Earth," are unrelated to worldwide glacial events, a new study suggests.

Making poisonous plants and seeds safe and palatable: Canola now, cannabis next? Posted: 27 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST Every night millions of people go to bed hungry. New genetic technology can help us feed the world by making inedible seeds edible and tasty.

Heart of silk: Scientists use silk from the tasar silkworm as a scaffold for heart tissue Posted: 27 Jan 2012 10:59 AM PST Damaged human heart muscle cannot be regenerated. Scar tissue grows in place of the damaged muscle cells. Scientists are seeking to restore complete cardiac function with the help of artificial cardiac tissue. They have succeeded in loading cardiac muscle cells onto a three-dimensional scaffold, created using the silk produced by a tropical silkworm.

How cholera bacterium gains a foothold in the gut Posted: 27 Jan 2012 10:59 AM PST Biologists have made an important advance in our understanding of the way cholera attacks the body. The discovery could help scientists target treatments for the globally significant intestinal disease which kills more than 100,000 people every year.

Bedwetting can be due to undiagnosed constipation Posted: 27 Jan 2012 10:57 AM PST Bedwetting isn't always due to problems with the bladder. Constipation is often the culprit; and if it isn't diagnosed, children and their parents must endure an unnecessarily long, costly and difficult quest to cure nighttime wetting.

Body location plays part in scratching pleasure Posted: 27 Jan 2012 10:57 AM PST New research from a world-renowned itch expert shows that how good scratching an itch feels is related to the itch's location.

Giant cell reveals metabolic secrets Posted: 27 Jan 2012 10:54 AM PST Chemical reactions within the cell produce intermediate and end products in the form of small molecules called metabolites. Using an approach called metabolomics, researchers have elucidated the localization and dynamics of 125 metabolites within a single giant cell of the freshwater alga Chara australis1. The team's findings provide important insights into the fundamental processes of cells in general.

New biodiversity map of Andes shows species in dire need of protection Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:39 PM PST The Andes-Amazon basin of Peru and Bolivia is one of the most biologically rich and rapidly changing areas of the world. A new study has used information collected over the last 100 years by explorers and from satellite images which reveals detailed patterns of species and ecosystems that occur only in this region. Worryingly, the study also finds that many of these unique species and ecosystems are lacking vital national level protection. Endemic species are restricted to a specific area and occur nowhere else. These species are especially vulnerable to climate and environmental changes because they require unique climates and soil conditions.

Scientists illuminate cancer cells' survival strategy during dangerous dissemination Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:39 PM PST Scientists have discovered key elements of a strategy commonly used by tumor cells to survive when they spread to distant organs. The finding could lead to drugs that could inhibit this metastasis in patients with tumors.

Can the economy bear what oil prices have in store? Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:36 PM PST The economic pain of a flattening oil supply will trump the environment as a reason to curb the use of fossil fuels, say scientists.

Brain receptor in eyes may link epilepsy, cataracts and antidepressants Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:36 PM PST Researchers have discovered that the most common receptor for the major neurotransmitter in the brain is also present in the eye, which may explain links between cataracts, epilepsy and use of a number of antiepileptic and antidepressant drugs.

Multiple births lead to weight gain, other problems for mouse moms and offspring Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:36 PM PST Study in model that mimics human effects of multiparity (giving birth more than once) finds mouse moms who gave birth 4 times accrued significantly more fat vs. primiparous females (those giving birth once) of similar age. Multiparous moms also had more liver inflammation.

Diagnostic brain tumor test could revolutionize care of patients with low-grade gliomas Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:36 PM PST Researchers have developed what they believe to be the first clinical application of a new imaging technique to diagnose brain tumors.

In the brain, signs of autism as early as 6 months old Posted: 26 Jan 2012 09:37 AM PST Measuring brain activity in infants as young as six months may help to predict the future development of autism symptoms. In their first year of life, babies who will go on to develop autism already show different brain responses when someone looks at or away from them. The findings suggest that direct brain measures might help to predict the future development of autism symptoms in infants as young as six months.

Genetic abnormalities may cause cerebral palsy, study suggests Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:14 AM PST For years it was thought that a difficult birth and other perinatal factors were the leading causes of cerebral palsy (CP), a group of disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing and thinking. Now, researchers suggest that the majority of cerebral palsy causes may in fact be caused by genetic abnormalities.

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