ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

---

• Fish shed light on human melanoma
• No Earth impact in 2040: NASA releases workshop data and findings on asteroid 2011 AG5
• Cancer's next magic bullet may be magic shotgun
• New surgery may reverse hand paralysis
• Bugs have key role in farming approach to storing CO2 emissions
• Data from NASA's Voyager 1 point to interstellar future
• Test of spare wheel puts NASA's Mars Odysse orbiter on path to recovery
• Dawn easing into its final science orbit
• First flight instrument delivered for James Webb Space Telescope
• Nanotechnology used to harness power of fireflies
• Knowledge of fractions and long division predicts long-term math success
• Genetic markers hope for new brain tumor treatments
• The boys are bad: Older male ants single out younger rivals for death squad
• More to facial perception than meets the eye
• Neutrons escaping to a parallel world?
• Active ingredient of cannabis has no effect on the progression of multiple sclerosis, study suggests
• Studying soil to predict the future of Earth's atmosphere
• Physicists predict success of movies at the box office based solely on advertising costs
• BPA exposure effects may last for generations
• Persistence is learned from fathers, study suggests
• Graphic warning labels improve smokers' recall of warning and health risks related to smoking
• Vitamin D with calcium shown to reduce mortality in elderly
• New solar active region spitting out flares
• Study suggests expanded concept of 'urban watershed'
• Unexpected discovery highlights new role for cell death regulator
• Amazon was not all manufactured landscape, scientist says
• Training people to inhibit movements can reduce risk-taking
• New report estimates nearly 18 million cancer survivors in the US by 2022

Fish shed light on human melanoma Posted: 15 Jun 2012 05:46 PM PDT Zebrafish, a transparent member of the minnow family, are providing insight into human melanoma – a form of skin cancer – that may lead to new or repurposed drug treatments, for skin and other cancers.

No Earth impact in 2040: NASA releases workshop data and findings on asteroid 2011 AG5 Posted: 15 Jun 2012 11:32 AM PDT Researchers anticipate that asteroid 2011 AG5, discovered in January 2011, will fly safely past and not impact Earth in 2040. Observations to date indicate there is a slight chance that AG5 could impact Earth in 2040. Experts are now confident that in the next four years, analysis of space and ground-based observations will show the likelihood of 2011 AG5 missing Earth to be greater than 99 percent.

Cancer's next magic bullet may be magic shotgun Posted: 15 Jun 2012 11:17 AM PDT A new approach to drug design promises to help identify future drugs to fight cancer and other diseases that will be more effective and have fewer side effects.

New surgery may reverse hand paralysis Posted: 15 Jun 2012 11:16 AM PDT A reconstructive neurosurgeon has pioneered a novel technique to restore hand function in patients with spinal cord injury. In a delicate four-hour procedure, he splices together tiny nerve endings, only one millimeter in width, to help restore hand mobility.

Bugs have key role in farming approach to storing CO2 emissions Posted: 15 Jun 2012 09:53 AM PDT Tiny microbes are at the heart of a novel agricultural technique to manage harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Data from NASA's Voyager 1 point to interstellar future Posted: 15 Jun 2012 08:48 AM PDT Data from NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft indicate that the venerable deep-space explorer has encountered a region in space where the intensity of charged particles from beyond our solar system has markedly increased. Voyager scientists looking at this rapid rise draw closer to an inevitable but historic conclusion -- that humanity's first emissary to interstellar space is on the edge of our solar system.

Test of spare wheel puts NASA's Mars Odysse orbiter on path to recovery Posted: 15 Jun 2012 08:46 AM PDT In a step toward returning NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter to full service, mission controllers have tested a spare reaction wheel on the spacecraft for potential use with two other reaction wheels in adjusting and maintaining the spacecraft's orientation.

Dawn easing into its final science orbit Posted: 15 Jun 2012 08:44 AM PDT After successfully completing nearly five months scrutinizing the giant asteroid Vesta at its lowest orbit altitude, NASA's Dawn spacecraft will begin its final major science data-gathering phase at Vesta on June 15, at an average altitude of 420 miles (680 kilometers) above the surface.

First flight instrument delivered for James Webb Space Telescope Posted: 15 Jun 2012 08:43 AM PDT The first of four instruments to fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) has been delivered to NASA. The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) will allow scientists to study cold and distant objects in greater detail than ever before.

Nanotechnology used to harness power of fireflies Posted: 15 Jun 2012 08:41 AM PDT Scientists have found a new way to harness the natural light produced by fireflies using nanoscience. Their breakthrough produces a system that is 20 to 30 times more efficient than those produced during previous experiments.

Knowledge of fractions and long division predicts long-term math success Posted: 15 Jun 2012 08:40 AM PDT From factory workers to Wall Street bankers, a reasonable proficiency in math is a crucial requirement for most well-paying jobs in a modern economy. Yet, over the past 30 years, mathematics achievement of US high school students has remained stagnant -- and significantly behind many other countries, including China, Japan, Finland, the Netherlands and Canada. A research team led by Carnegie Mellon University's Robert Siegler has identified a major source of the gap -- US students' inadequate knowledge of fractions and division.

Genetic markers hope for new brain tumor treatments Posted: 15 Jun 2012 08:40 AM PDT Researchers have identified three sets of genetic markers that could potentially pave the way for new diagnostic tools for a deadly type of brain tumor that mainly targets children.

The boys are bad: Older male ants single out younger rivals for death squad Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:45 AM PDT Male Cardiocondyla obscurior ants are diphenic (either winged or wingless). New research demonstrates that the dominant wingless (ergatoid) male is able to identify potential rivals before they emerge from their pupae. Constant patrolling of the nest ensures that this male is able to bite or chemically tag rivals as soon as they emerge from their pupae. Chemically tagged ants are quickly destroyed by workers.

More to facial perception than meets the eye Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:43 AM PDT People make complex judgments about a person from looking at their face that are based on a range of factors beyond simply their race and gender, according to new findings.

Neutrons escaping to a parallel world? Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:43 AM PDT In a new paper, researchers hypothesize the existence of mirror particles to explain the anomalous loss of neutrons observed experimentally. The existence of such mirror matter had been suggested in various scientific contexts some time ago, including the search for suitable dark matter candidates.

Active ingredient of cannabis has no effect on the progression of multiple sclerosis, study suggests Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:39 AM PDT The first large non-commercial study to investigate whether the main active constituent of cannabis (tetrahydrocannabinol or THC) is effective in slowing the course of progressive multiple sclerosis shows that there is no evidence to suggest this; Although benefits were noted for those at the lower end of the disability scale.

Studying soil to predict the future of Earth's atmosphere Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:39 AM PDT Soil plays an important role in controlling the planet's atmospheric future according to new research. Researchers found that the interaction between plants and soils controls how ecosystems respond to rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Physicists predict success of movies at the box office based solely on advertising costs Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:37 AM PDT A group of Japanese scientists have surprised themselves by being able to predict the success or failure of blockbuster movies at the box office using a set of mathematical models. The researchers used the effects of advertising and word-of-mouth communication to create a model that turned out to be successful in predicting how each movie fared once it hit the silver screen. The only data the researchers needed to put into the model were the daily advertisement costs of 25 movies that appeared in Japanese cinemas.

BPA exposure effects may last for generations Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:35 AM PDT Exposure to low doses of Bisphenol A (BPA) during gestation had immediate and long-lasting, trans-generational effects on the brain and social behaviors in mice, according to a recent study.

Persistence is learned from fathers, study suggests Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:35 AM PDT A longitudinal study found that adolescents learn persistence through fathers who follow good parenting practices. As a result, these adolescents saw higher engagement in school and lower rates of delinquency.

Graphic warning labels improve smokers' recall of warning and health risks related to smoking Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:35 AM PDT In a first of its kind study in the U.S., researchers have shown that the addition of graphic warning labels on cigarette packaging can improve smokers' recall of the warning and health risks associated with smoking.

Vitamin D with calcium shown to reduce mortality in elderly Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:35 AM PDT A recent study suggests that vitamin D —- when taken with calcium —- can reduce the rate of mortality in seniors, therefore providing a possible means of increasing life expectancy.

New solar active region spitting out flares Posted: 14 Jun 2012 04:37 PM PDT An active region on the sun, numbered AR 1504, rotated into view over the left side of the sun on June 10, 2012. The region fired off two M-class flares and two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on June 13 and June 14, 2012.

Study suggests expanded concept of 'urban watershed' Posted: 14 Jun 2012 03:27 PM PDT Within two decades, 60 percent of the world's population will live in cities, and coping with the resulting urban drinking water and sanitation issues will be one of the greatest challenges of this century. A new study presents a new conceptual framework that addresses characteristics of watersheds that are affected by urban land uses.

Unexpected discovery highlights new role for cell death regulator Posted: 14 Jun 2012 03:27 PM PDT Scientists have already revealed the mechanism by which high alcohol intake can induce pancreatitis and its progression to pancreatic cancer. Now a new study reveals a hitherto unknown interaction between two well known molecules, which has important implications for our understanding of inflammation and cancer in the pancreas as well as other organs.

Amazon was not all manufactured landscape, scientist says Posted: 14 Jun 2012 11:28 AM PDT Population estimates for the Amazon basin just before Europeans arrived range from 2 to 10 million people. A new reconstruction of Amazonian prehistory suggests that large areas of western Amazonia were sparsely inhabited. This clashes with the belief that most of Amazonia, including forests far removed from major rivers, was heavily occupied and modified.

Training people to inhibit movements can reduce risk-taking Posted: 14 Jun 2012 10:09 AM PDT People can train their brains to become less impulsive, resulting in less risk-taking during gambling. The research could pave the way for new treatments for people with addictions to gambling, drugs or alcohol as well as impulse-control disorders, such as ADHD.

New report estimates nearly 18 million cancer survivors in the US by 2022 Posted: 14 Jun 2012 10:09 AM PDT The number of Americans with a history of cancer will grow to almost 18 million by 2022, according to a first-ever report by the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Latest Science News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610