ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• The electric atmosphere: Plasma is next NASA science target
• Experimental drug may extend therapeutic window for stroke
• Stress fuels breast cancer metastasis to bone
• Mothers who give birth to large infants at increased risk for breast cancer
• Ultrasound triggers bone cell mobility
• Kawasaki disease in childhood linked to increased risk of adult heart disease
• Marijuana use prior to pregnancy doubles risk of premature birth
• Exposure to sexual content in popular movies predicts sexual behavior in adolescence
• A 'Kit' for increasing insulin production
• Obesity plus low vitamin D may add up to a greater risk of diabetes
• Widely prescribed MS treatment may not slow progression of disease
• Mammography screening shows limited effect on breast cancer mortality in Sweden
• Vitamin E may lower liver cancer risk
• New test may help predict prostate cancer
• Lift and shift: Shoe insole helps stroke patients relearn balance
• How aging impairs immune response
• Milk thistle, taken by many people for liver disease, ineffective as treatment for hepatitis C, study suggests
• Twenty-year quest ends as scientists pin down structure of elusive, heart-protective protein
• Closer to a cure? Chemists synthesize compound that flushes out latent HIV
• New evidence links immune irregularities to autism, mouse study suggests
• Drug shown to improve memory in those with Down syndrome
• Report focuses on sustainability of infectious disease surveillance
• Nanoscale scaffolds and stem cells show promise in cartilage repair
• Autonomous robot maps ship hulls for mines
• 'Sifting' liquid at the molecular level
• Glyphosate-resistant 'superweeds' may be less susceptible to diseases
• Why is Earth so dry? Planet formed from rocky debris in hotter region, inside of solar system's 'snow line'
• Humanizing computer aids affects trust, dependence
• Helping pigs to digest phosphorus
• Genetic link to rapid weight gain from antipsychotics discovered
• Children abused by parents face increased cancer risk, study finds
• Cleaning with sunlight
• Chips with self-assembling rectangles: Complex microchip structures in one self-assembling step
• New therapeutic target for prostate cancer identified
• Musical glove improves sensation, mobility for people with spinal cord injury
• Two elusive and endangered snow leopards are fitted with satellite collars for the first time in Afghanistan
• Artificial pores mimic key features of natural pores
• Constructing next-generation space habitat demonstrators
• NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission becomes an observatory
• In search of the key word: Bursts of certain words within a text are what make them keywords
• Researchers turn skin cells into brain cells, a promising path to better Parkinson's treatment
• How exercise improves heart function in diabetics
• In visual searches, computer is no match for the human brain
• Online self-diagnosis: Am I having a heart attack or is it just the hiccups?
• 3-D motion of cold virus offers hope for improved drugs using Australia's fastest supercomputer
• Why does the week before your vacation seem longer when you're going far away?
• Selling on eBay? Get higher bids with a red background
• You can't always get what you want: Consumers struggle with competing goals
• New way to induce programmed cell death, or apoptosis
• Frog calls inspire a new algorithm for wireless networks
• Female money doesn't buy male happiness: Macho men let their female partner's higher income threaten their relationship
• A bright future -- with algae: Diatoms as templates for tomorrow's solar cells
• Infants' recognition of speech more sophisticated than previously known
• Physicians don't adequately monitor patients' medication adherence, study finds
• Glacier break creates ice island twice size of Manhattan
• Calculations reveal fine line for hydrogen release from storage materials
• Global health impacts of the Fukushima nuclear disaster
• Sodium buildup in brain linked to disability in multiple sclerosis
• Soil moisture and hot days examined globally
• World record: Lightest material in the world produced

The electric atmosphere: Plasma is next NASA science target Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:34 PM PDT Two giant donuts of this plasma surround Earth, trapped within a region known as the Van Allen Radiation Belts. The belts lie close to Earth, sandwiched between satellites in geostationary orbit above and satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) are generally below the belts. A new NASA mission called the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), due to launch in August 2012, will improve our understanding of what makes plasma move in and out of these electrified belts wrapped around our planet.

Experimental drug may extend therapeutic window for stroke Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:34 PM PDT When given at a time that the FDA-approved clot-busting drug therapy tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) is ineffective, the combination of tPA and an experimental compound called 3K3A-APC reduces brain damage, eliminates brain hemorrhaging and improves motor skills in rodents afflicted by stroke.

Stress fuels breast cancer metastasis to bone Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:33 PM PDT Stress can promote breast cancer cell colonization of bone, investigators have discovered. The studies demonstrate in mice that activation of the sympathetic nervous system -- the "fight-or-flight" response to stress – primes the bone environment for breast cancer cell metastasis. The researchers were able to prevent breast cancer cell lesions in bone using propranolol, a cardiovascular medicine that inhibits sympathetic nervous system signals.

Mothers who give birth to large infants at increased risk for breast cancer Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:33 PM PDT Delivering a high-birth-weight infant more than doubles a woman's breast cancer risk, according to new research. The researchers suggest that having a large infant is associated with a hormonal environment during pregnancy that favors future breast cancer development and progression.

Ultrasound triggers bone cell mobility Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:29 PM PDT Scientists have demonstrated that the use of medium-intensity focused ultrasound on osteoblasts, known as bone-forming cells, stimulates the mobility of the cells and triggers calcium release, a process that promotes growth. The technique could provide a foundation for a method to develop non-pharmacologic treatments of osteoporosis, fractures, and other conditions involving bone loss.

Kawasaki disease in childhood linked to increased risk of adult heart disease Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:29 PM PDT Researchers have linked Kawasaki Disease, a serious childhood illness that causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body, with early-onset and accelerated atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart disease in adults.

Marijuana use prior to pregnancy doubles risk of premature birth Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:29 PM PDT Women who use marijuana can more than double the risk of giving birth to a baby prematurely.

Exposure to sexual content in popular movies predicts sexual behavior in adolescence Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:27 PM PDT Intuitively it simply makes sense: exposure to sexual content in movies at an early age probably influences adolescents' sexual behavior. And yet, even though a great deal of research has shown that adolescents who watch more risky behaviors in popular movies, like drinking or smoking, are more likely to drink and smoke themselves, surprisingly little research has examined whether movies influence adolescents' sexual behaviors.

A 'Kit' for increasing insulin production Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:27 PM PDT Scientists have identified the critical role of a receptor called c-Kit in the development and function of insulin-producing beta cells, making it an exciting therapeutic target for the management of diabetes. The research, led by Rennian Wang, demonstrated that overexpression of c-Kit not only leads to increased insulin production but also counteracts the early diabetic effects of a high-fat diet.

Obesity plus low vitamin D may add up to a greater risk of diabetes Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:27 PM PDT The combination of obesity and vitamin D deficiency may put people at even greater risk of insulin resistance than either factor alone, according to new research.

Widely prescribed MS treatment may not slow progression of disease Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:27 PM PDT Researchers have just published important data about the impact of a common drug therapy on the progression of multiple sclerosis for people with the relapse-remitting form of the disease.

Mammography screening shows limited effect on breast cancer mortality in Sweden Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT Breast cancer mortality statistics in Sweden are consistent with studies that have reported that screening has limited or no impact on breast cancer mortality among women aged 40-69, according to a new study.

Vitamin E may lower liver cancer risk Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT High consumption of vitamin E either from diet or vitamin supplements may lower the risk of liver cancer, according to a new study.

New test may help predict prostate cancer Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:21 PM PDT Medical researchers have developed a genetic test to predict a man's risk for prostate cancer. Use of the test could reduce the need for repeat biopsies in men who have had a negative biopsy.

Lift and shift: Shoe insole helps stroke patients relearn balance Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:21 PM PDT A simple, inexpensive shoe insole can help stroke patients learn to rebalance their body weight and avoid dangerous falls.

How aging impairs immune response Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:21 PM PDT Researchers have uncovered one of the mechanisms by which aging may compromise the ability of the immune system to fight infections and respond to vaccines. The study, conducted in aging mice, shows that administering antioxidants may help reverse this loss of immune function.

Milk thistle, taken by many people for liver disease, ineffective as treatment for hepatitis C, study suggests Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:20 PM PDT A new multicenter trial finds that taking silymarin (milk thistle) has no effect on serum ALT or levels of the hepatitis C virus in people with chronic hepatitis C infection.

Twenty-year quest ends as scientists pin down structure of elusive, heart-protective protein Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:20 PM PDT It is a cellular component so scarce, some scientists even doubted its existence, and many others gave up searching for its molecular structure. Now scientists have defined the protein structural composition of mitoKATP, a potassium channel in the mitochondria of the heart and other organs that is known to protect against tissue damage due to a heart attack or stroke. Importantly, the newly found channel strongly improves heart cell survival, demonstrating an essential life-saving role.

Closer to a cure? Chemists synthesize compound that flushes out latent HIV Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:12 AM PDT A new collection of compounds, called "bryologs" -- derived from a tiny marine organism -- activate hidden reservoirs of the virus that currently make the disease nearly impossible to eradicate.

New evidence links immune irregularities to autism, mouse study suggests Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:10 AM PDT A new study suggests that specific changes in an overactive immune system can contribute to autism-like behaviors in mice, and that in some cases, this activation can be related to what a developing fetus experiences in the womb.

Drug shown to improve memory in those with Down syndrome Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:10 AM PDT Researchers have found a drug that boosts memory function in those with Down syndrome, a major milestone in the treatment of this genetic disorder that could significantly improve quality of life.

Report focuses on sustainability of infectious disease surveillance Posted: 17 Jul 2012 11:10 AM PDT Just as the globalization of trade and travel is rapidly evolving, so is the globalization of infectious diseases and the need for cooperative approaches to detect, prevent and control them.

Nanoscale scaffolds and stem cells show promise in cartilage repair Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT Tissue engineers have used tiny, artificial fiber scaffolds thousands of times smaller than a human hair to help coax stem cells into developing into cartilage, the shock-absorbing lining of elbows and knees that often wears thin from injury or age.

Autonomous robot maps ship hulls for mines Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT Researchers have designed algorithms that vastly improve underwater robots' navigation and feature-detecting capabilities.

'Sifting' liquid at the molecular level Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT Engineers continue to drive research into the use of carbon nanotubes, straw-like structures that are more than 1,000 times thinner than a single human hair. Their most recent development uses the tiny tubes to separate liquids within a solution.

Glyphosate-resistant 'superweeds' may be less susceptible to diseases Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT Scientists searching for clues to understand how superweeds obtain resistance to the popular herbicide glyphosate may have been missing a critical piece of information, a study shows.

Why is Earth so dry? Planet formed from rocky debris in hotter region, inside of solar system's 'snow line' Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:12 AM PDT A new analysis of the common accretion-disk model explaining how planets form in a debris disk around our Sun uncovered a possible reason for Earth's comparative dryness. The study found that our planet formed from rocky debris in a dry, hotter region, inside of the so-called "snow line." The snow line in our solar system currently lies in the middle of the asteroid belt, a reservoir of rubble between Mars and Jupiter; beyond this point, the Sun's light is too weak to melt the icy debris left over from the protoplanetary disk. Previous accretion-disk models suggested that the snow line was much closer to the Sun 4.5 billion years ago, when Earth formed.

Humanizing computer aids affects trust, dependence Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:24 AM PDT Computerized aids that include person-like characteristics can influence trust and dependence among adults, according to an expert.

Helping pigs to digest phosphorus Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:24 AM PDT Research has determined how adding various levels of the enzyme phytase to the diet improves how pigs digest the phosphorus in four different feed ingredients. Improving phosphorus digestibility has positive implications for producers' bottom lines as well as for the environment.

Genetic link to rapid weight gain from antipsychotics discovered Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:24 AM PDT Scientists have discovered two genetic variants associated with the substantial, rapid weight gain occurring in nearly half the patients treated with antipsychotic medications, according to two studies.

Children abused by parents face increased cancer risk, study finds Posted: 17 Jul 2012 09:19 AM PDT Frequent abuse by a parent can increase a child's cancer risk in adulthood, and the effects are especially significant when mothers abuse their daughters and fathers abuse their sons, according to new research.

Cleaning with sunlight Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:29 AM PDT The sun breaks through the clouds -- and surfaces start cleaning themselves! It may sound like magic, but in fact it's all thanks to the addition of titanium dioxide molecules. Activated by UV light, they trigger a reaction which destroys bacteria, algae and fungi, keeping items such as the armrests of garden chairs nice and clean.

Chips with self-assembling rectangles: Complex microchip structures in one self-assembling step Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:29 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new approach to creating the complex array of wires and connections on microchips, using a system of self-assembling polymers. The work could eventually lead to a way of making more densely packed components on memory chips and other devices.

New therapeutic target for prostate cancer identified Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:18 AM PDT A small, naturally occurring nucleic acid sequence, called a microRNA, known to regulate a number of different cancers, appears to alter the activity of the androgen receptor, which plays a critical role in prostate cancer. Directly targeting microRNA-125b to block androgen receptor activity represents a novel approach for treating castrate-resistant prostate cancer.

Musical glove improves sensation, mobility for people with spinal cord injury Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:17 AM PDT Researchers have created a wireless, musical glove that may improve sensation and motor skills for people with paralyzing spinal cord injury.

Two elusive and endangered snow leopards are fitted with satellite collars for the first time in Afghanistan Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:17 AM PDT Two snow leopards were captured, fitted with satellite collars, and released for the first time in Afghanistan by a team of Wildlife Conservation Society conservationists and Afghan veterinarians conducting research during a recent expedition.

Artificial pores mimic key features of natural pores Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:17 AM PDT Inspired by nature, an international research team has created synthetic pores that mimic the activity of cellular ion channels, which play a vital role in human health by severely restricting the types of materials allowed to enter cells.

Constructing next-generation space habitat demonstrators Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:39 AM PDT Developing a Deep Space Habitat will allow a crew to live and work safely in space for up to a year on missions to explore cis-lunar space, near-Earth asteroids, and Mars. The Habitation Systems Project is a multi-center team of NASA architects, scientists and engineers, working together to develop sustainable living quarters, workspaces, and laboratories for astronauts on next-generation space missions.

NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission becomes an observatory Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:37 AM PDT Engineers at Orbital Sciences Corporation, Gilbert, Ariz., have installed the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) instrument back onto to the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) spacecraft. With both the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and TIRS instruments now on the spacecraft, LDCM is a complete observatory.

In search of the key word: Bursts of certain words within a text are what make them keywords Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:26 AM PDT Human beings have the ability to convert complex phenomena into a one-dimensional sequence of letters and put it down in writing. In this process, keywords serve to convey the content of the text. How letters and words correlate with the subject of a text is the subject of a new study using statistical methods. Researchers discovered that what denotes keywords is not the fact that they appear very frequently in a given text. It is that they are found in greater numbers only at certain points in the text.

Researchers turn skin cells into brain cells, a promising path to better Parkinson's treatment Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:24 AM PDT Using adult stem cells, researchers say they have generated the type of human neuron specifically damaged by Parkinson's disease (PD) and used various drugs to stop the damage. Their experiments on cells in the laboratory could speed the search for new drugs to treat the incurable neurodegenerative disease, but also, they say, may lead them back to better ways of using medications that previously failed in clinical trials.

How exercise improves heart function in diabetics Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:24 AM PDT A detailed study of heart muscle function in mice has uncovered evidence to explain why exercise is beneficial for heart function in type 2 diabetes. The research team found that greater amounts of fatty acids used by the heart during stressful conditions like exercise can counteract the detrimental effects of excess glucose and improve the diabetic heart's pumping ability in several ways. The findings also shed light on the complex chain of events that lead to diabetic cardiomyopathy, a form of heart failure that is a life-threatening complication of type 2 diabetes.

In visual searches, computer is no match for the human brain Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:03 AM PDT You're headed out the door and you realize you don't have your car keys. After a few minutes of rifling through pockets, checking the seat cushions and scanning the coffee table, you find the familiar key ring and off you go. Easy enough, right? What you might not know is that the task that took you a couple seconds to complete is a task that computers -- despite decades of advancement and intricate calculations -- still can't perform as efficiently as humans: the visual search.

Online self-diagnosis: Am I having a heart attack or is it just the hiccups? Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:03 AM PDT Consumers who self-diagnose are more likely to believe they have a serious illness because they focus on their symptoms rather than the likelihood of a particular disease, according to a new study. This has significant implications for public health professionals as well as consumers.

3-D motion of cold virus offers hope for improved drugs using Australia's fastest supercomputer Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers are now simulating in 3-D, the motion of the complete human rhinovirus, the most frequent cause of the common cold, on Australia's fastest supercomputer, paving the way for new drug development.

Why does the week before your vacation seem longer when you're going far away? Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:02 AM PDT Consumer decision-making is affected by the relationship between time and spatial distance, according to a new study.

Selling on eBay? Get higher bids with a red background Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:02 AM PDT The color red influences consumers to become more aggressive in online auctions and affects how much they are willing to pay for products as varied as video game consoles and Florida vacation packages, according to a new study. But the color blue can influence consumers to make lower offers when negotiating directly with a seller.

You can't always get what you want: Consumers struggle with competing goals Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:02 AM PDT Consumers change their minds often when making choices that involve conflicting goals, according to a new study.

New way to induce programmed cell death, or apoptosis Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers have developed a technique to cause apoptosis -- programmed cell death. In two proteins involved in apopotosis -- mitochondrial carrier homologue 2 and truncated BID -- they found the regions that bind to each other to help initiate apoptosis. They then developed peptides that inhibited the binding process, which in lab experiments resulted in the death of human-origin cancer cells. This is a potential target for the development of anticancer drugs that will stimulate apoptosis.

Frog calls inspire a new algorithm for wireless networks Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:01 AM PDT Males of the Japanese tree frog have learnt not to use their calls at the same time so that the females can distinguish between them. Scientists in Spain have used this form of calling behavior to create an algorithm that assigns colours to network nodes -- an operation that can be applied to developing efficient wireless networks.

Female money doesn't buy male happiness: Macho men let their female partner's higher income threaten their relationship Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:01 AM PDT Macho men whose partners earn more than they do have worse romantic relationships, in part because the difference in income is a strain for them, according to a new study. Conversely, men who are not so traditional in their masculinity do not place as much importance on the difference in income and, as a result, appear to have better quality relationships with their female partner.

A bright future -- with algae: Diatoms as templates for tomorrow's solar cells Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:01 AM PDT Long before humankind invented silicon-based solar cells, nature had already found a way to use silica to harness the power of the sun -- in the form of algae. Researchers are now using diatoms and other single-celled algae as templates for developing tomorrow's solar cells.

Infants' recognition of speech more sophisticated than previously known Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:00 AM PDT The ability of infants to recognize speech is more sophisticated than previously known, researchers have found. Their study showed that infants, as early as nine months old, could make distinctions between speech and non-speech sounds in both humans and animals.

Physicians don't adequately monitor patients' medication adherence, study finds Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:00 AM PDT Physicians don't do as much as they could to ensure that patients adhere to their medication regimens, highlighting the need to develop better methods for doctors to identify non-adherence and to change that behavior, according to a new study.

Glacier break creates ice island twice size of Manhattan Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:00 AM PDT An ice island twice the size of Manhattan has broken off from Greenland's Petermann Glacier, according to researchers. This marks the second massive break in two years.

Calculations reveal fine line for hydrogen release from storage materials Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:49 AM PDT Scientists have shed new light on the kinetics of hydrogen release, or dehydrogenation, from aluminum hydride, a material that is highly promising for energy storage. Their computer simulations also illuminate the basic mechanisms governing these chemical reactions in general.

Global health impacts of the Fukushima nuclear disaster Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:49 AM PDT In the first detailed analysis of the global health effects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, researchers estimate the number of deaths and cases of cancer worldwide resulting from the release of radiation.

Sodium buildup in brain linked to disability in multiple sclerosis Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:48 AM PDT A buildup of sodium in the brain detected by MRI may be a biomarker for the degeneration of nerve cells that occurs in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Soil moisture and hot days examined globally Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:48 AM PDT For the first time, scientists in Switzerland have examined globally the connection between soil moisture and extreme heat with measured data. Their study shows that precipitation deficits increase the probability of hot days in many regions of the world. The results will help to better assess heat risks.

World record: Lightest material in the world produced Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:48 AM PDT A network of porous carbon tubes that is three-dimensionally interwoven at nano and micro level – this is the lightest material in the world. It weights only 0.2 milligrams per cubic centimeter, and is therefore 75 times lighter than Styrofoam, but it is very strong nevertheless.

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