ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• High-flying NASA aircraft helps develop new science instruments
• Newly demonstrated capabilities of low-powered nanotweezers may benefit cellular-level studies
• How birds master courtship songs: Zebra finches shed light on brain circuits and learning
• Role of taxane-based chemotherapy drugs may be underestimated, especially against prostate cancer, study suggests
• Thalidomide relieves disabling cough and improves quality of life for people with deadly lung disease: study
• Europe's second polar-orbiting weather satellite is aloft
• New gene could lead to better bug-resistant plants
• Resuming warfarin after gastrointestinal tract bleeding associated with lower risk for thrombosis, death
• Study compares duodenal switch vs. gastric bypass for morbid obesity
• Hope on the horizon for asthma sufferers
• Risk of developing diabetes higher in neighborhoods that aren't walk-friendly
• Vitamin E may decrease cancer risk in Cowden syndrome patients
• Antibiotic-resistant pathogens persist in antibiotic-free pigs
• Cystic fibrosis disrupts pancreas two ways in CF-related diabetes
• Study links breast cancer risk to early-life diet and metabolic syndrome
• Precision motion tracking -- thousands of cells at once: Technique could open new windows into protozoan behavior, microbial diseases and fertility
• 'Blue Brain' project accurately predicts connections between neurons
• Rapid urban expansion threatens biodiversity
• New enzyme to fight Alzheimer's disease identified
• Most extensive pictures ever of an organism's DNA mutation processes
• MetOp-B launches with NASA Goddard-developed instruments
• Cause of chemotherapy resistance in melanoma found
• Temperature in turbulent convection: Discovery could aid design of new cooling systems
• Shrinking snow depth on Arctic sea ice threatens ringed seal habitat
• About half of adults say schools should take action when kids bully with social isolation
• Improving memory for specific events can alleviate symptoms of depression
• Protecting ecosystems brings benefits to society
• Sex matters: Men recognize cars and women recognize living things best, psychological analysis finds
• Mobile launcher platforms prepped for new generation
• Hubble sees NGC 7090 — an actively star-forming galaxy
• 'Occupy' movement's tumultuous year yields rich research data
• Your body doesn't lie: People ignore political ads of candidates they oppose
• Prenatal damage from dioxin shown to involve microRNAs
• U.S. cities still cutting jobs and infrastructure, expert finds
• First 3-D model of a protein critical to embryo development
• Further steps needed to reduce stigma and expand access to substance abuse screening and care in U.S. Armed Forces
• Dry-run experiments verify key aspect of nuclear fusion concept: Scientific 'break-even' or better is near-term goal
• When it rains, it pours: Intensification of extreme tropical rainfall with global warming modeled
• Researchers call for early diagnosis of flesh-eating infections
• Back to school: Is higher education making you fat?
• Assessing a new technique for ensuring fresh produce remains Salmonella-free
• Toxic protein build-up in blood shines light on fatal brain disease
• Adequate sleep helps weight loss
• No increased risk of cancer for people with shingles, new study finds
• Cervical cancer and pre-cancer cervical growths require single HPV protein
• Roles of novel epigenetic chemical in the brain illuminated
• Young researcher on the trail of herbal snakebite antidote
• Mechanism that leads to diabetes, blindness, identified
• Sorghum eyed as a southern bioenergy crop
• Eating well during pregnancy reduces baby's obesity risk regardless of mom's size
• Alpine glaciers contribute to carbon cycling
• Scientists bid to develop anthrax vaccine to counteract world bioterrorism threat
• Spacetime ripples from dying black holes could help reveal how they formed
• Added benefit of Cannabis sativa for spasticity due to multiple sclerosis is not proven, experts say
• At the right place at the right time: New insights into muscle stem cells
• New 'ATM' takes old phones and gives back green
• Improved positioning indoors
• Scientists reveal how natural antibiotic kills tuberculosis bacterium
• Cancer now leading cause of death in US Hispanics
• The biology of emotions

High-flying NASA aircraft helps develop new science instruments Posted: 17 Sep 2012 05:43 PM PDT Over the next few weeks, an ER-2 high altitude research aircraft operating out of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., will take part in the development of two future satellite instruments. The aircraft will fly test models of these instruments at altitudes greater than 60,000 feet to gather information researchers can use to develop ways to handle data future spaceborne versions will collect.

Newly demonstrated capabilities of low-powered nanotweezers may benefit cellular-level studies Posted: 17 Sep 2012 02:31 PM PDT Using ultra-low input power densities, researchers have demonstrated for the first time how low-power "optical nanotweezers" can be used to trap, manipulate, and probe nanoparticles, including fragile biological samples.

How birds master courtship songs: Zebra finches shed light on brain circuits and learning Posted: 17 Sep 2012 02:31 PM PDT By studying how birds master songs used in courtship, scientists have found that regions of the brain involved in planning and controlling complex vocal sequences may also be necessary for memorizing sounds that serve as models for vocal imitation.

Role of taxane-based chemotherapy drugs may be underestimated, especially against prostate cancer, study suggests Posted: 17 Sep 2012 02:29 PM PDT The power of taxane-based chemotherapy drugs are misunderstood and potentially underestimated, according to researchers. Most physicians and investigators believe that taxane chemotherapy (paclitaxel, docetaxel and cabazitaxel) just does one thing -- stop a cancer cell from dividing -- but the team of scientists has revealed it acts much more powerfully and broadly, especially against prostate cancer.

Thalidomide relieves disabling cough and improves quality of life for people with deadly lung disease: study Posted: 17 Sep 2012 02:29 PM PDT In the first clinical trial to demonstrate an effective treatment for constant, disabling cough among people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), researchers found that taking thalidomide significantly reduced the cough and improved quality of life.

Europe's second polar-orbiting weather satellite is aloft Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:31 PM PDT The second Metop satellite was launched Sept. 17 from the Baikonur cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, atop a Russian Soyuz launcher. Metop-B will ensure the continuity of the weather and atmospheric monitoring service provided by its predecessor Metop-A, which has been circling the globe from pole to pole, 14 times a day, since 2006 and has now exceeded its design lifetime.

New gene could lead to better bug-resistant plants Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:14 PM PDT The discovery of a new gene could lead to better bug-resistant plants. New research demonstrates that domestic tomatoes could re-learn a thing or two from their wild cousins.

Resuming warfarin after gastrointestinal tract bleeding associated with lower risk for thrombosis, death Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:14 PM PDT A study of patients treated with the anticoagulant medication warfarin suggests that resuming warfarin therapy after an episode of gastrointestinal tract bleeding was associated with lower risk for thrombosis and death.

Study compares duodenal switch vs. gastric bypass for morbid obesity Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:14 PM PDT A study comparing bariatric surgical procedures for obesity suggests that even though undergoing the less commonly used biliopancreatic diversion/duodenal switch (DS) may be associated with higher early risks compared with gastric bypass, the DS appears to achieve better weight loss and control of co-existing illnesses, especially among patients whose body mass index was more than 50.

Hope on the horizon for asthma sufferers Posted: 17 Sep 2012 01:11 PM PDT A new study that identifies ways to reduce the factors that lead to an asthma attack gives hope to asthma sufferers. Researchers believe they have found a way to help asthma sufferers by impeding the two most significant biological responses that lead to an asthma attack.

Risk of developing diabetes higher in neighborhoods that aren't walk-friendly Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:21 PM PDT Whether your neighborhood is conducive to walking could determine your risk for developing diabetes, according to a new study.

Vitamin E may decrease cancer risk in Cowden syndrome patients Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:21 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that vitamin E may prevent cancer in patients with an under-recognized genetic disorder.

Antibiotic-resistant pathogens persist in antibiotic-free pigs Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:20 PM PDT Researchers have found identical strains of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter coli in both antibiotic-free and conventionally raised pigs. This finding may indicate that these antibiotic-resistant pathogens can persist and thrive in the environment, regardless of antimicrobial usage by pork producers.

Cystic fibrosis disrupts pancreas two ways in CF-related diabetes Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:20 PM PDT A new study suggests there are two root causes of a type of diabetes associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). The findings, which already have sparked a clinical trial, may guide development of new treatments or even help prevent diabetes in patients with CF.

Study links breast cancer risk to early-life diet and metabolic syndrome Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:20 PM PDT Striking new evidence suggesting that diet and related factors early in life can boost the risk for breast cancer -- totally independent of the body's production of the hormone estrogen -- has been uncovered by a team of researchers. The findings provide new insights into the processes that regulate normal breast development and the impact those processes may have on the risk of developing breast cancer later in life.

Precision motion tracking -- thousands of cells at once: Technique could open new windows into protozoan behavior, microbial diseases and fertility Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:20 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new way to observe and track large numbers of rapidly moving objects under a microscope, capturing precise motion paths in three dimensions. Over the course of their study, researchers followed an unprecedented 24,000 rapidly moving cells over wide fields of view and through large sample volumes, recording each cell's path for as long as 20 seconds.

'Blue Brain' project accurately predicts connections between neurons Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:20 PM PDT Scientists have identified key principles that determine synapse-scale connectivity by virtually reconstructing a cortical microcircuit and comparing it to a mammalian sample. These principles now make it possible to predict the locations of synapses in the neocortex.

Rapid urban expansion threatens biodiversity Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:20 PM PDT A brief window of opportunity exists to shape the development of cities globally before a boom in infrastructure construction transforms urban land cover, according to a new study.

New enzyme to fight Alzheimer's disease identified Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:17 PM PDT An enzyme could represent a powerful new tool for combating Alzheimer's disease.

Most extensive pictures ever of an organism's DNA mutation processes Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:17 PM PDT Biologists and informaticists have produced one of the most extensive pictures ever of mutation processes in the DNA sequence of an organism, elucidating important new evolutionary information about the molecular nature of mutations and how fast those heritable changes occur.

MetOp-B launches with NASA Goddard-developed instruments Posted: 17 Sep 2012 12:04 PM PDT A new European meteorological satellite soared into space Sept. 17 with five environmental instruments aboard that were developed by the Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. These instruments were developed under a reimbursable agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Cause of chemotherapy resistance in melanoma found Posted: 17 Sep 2012 10:23 AM PDT Researchers have identified a major reason why melanoma is largely resistant to chemotherapy. They found a genetic pathway in melanoma cells that inhibits the cellular mechanism for detecting DNA damage wrought by chemotherapy, thereby building up tolerance to cancer-killing drugs.

Temperature in turbulent convection: Discovery could aid design of new cooling systems Posted: 17 Sep 2012 10:23 AM PDT An international team of physicists is working to ascertain more about the fundamental physical laws that are at work in a process known as convection, which occurs in a boiling pot of water as well as in the turbulent movement of the liquid outer core of Earth. The team's new finding specifies the way that the temperature of a gas or liquid varies with the distance from a heat source during convection.

Shrinking snow depth on Arctic sea ice threatens ringed seal habitat Posted: 17 Sep 2012 10:23 AM PDT University of Washington scientists found that the habitat required for ringed seals -- animals under consideration for the threatened species list -- to rear their young will drastically shrink this century.

About half of adults say schools should take action when kids bully with social isolation Posted: 17 Sep 2012 10:23 AM PDT Most adults say schools should take action when bullies threaten physical safety or embarrass others, according to a new poll.

Improving memory for specific events can alleviate symptoms of depression Posted: 17 Sep 2012 10:23 AM PDT Hear the word "party" and memories of the big bash you attended last New Year's may rush to mind. But it's exactly these kinds of memories, embedded in a specific place and time, that people with depression have difficulty recalling. In a new study, researchers investigated whether a training program might improve people's memory for past events and ameliorate their symptoms of depression.

Protecting ecosystems brings benefits to society Posted: 17 Sep 2012 10:21 AM PDT Ecosystems are essential to our well-being and prosperity as they provide us with food, clean air and fresh water. Ecosystems also represent an exceptional source of outdoor recreation opportunities. The functions performed by ecosystems that increase our well-being are called ecosystem services. A new initiative describes how different EU policies can help to increase the services and benefits provided by ecosystems, and calls for the inclusion of the ecosystem services approach into European policy measures affecting the use or state of natural resources.

Sex matters: Men recognize cars and women recognize living things best, psychological analysis finds Posted: 17 Sep 2012 10:20 AM PDT Women are better than men at recognizing living things and men are better than women at recognizing vehicles. That is the unanticipated result of an analysis psychologists performed on data from a series of visual recognition tasks collected in the process of developing a new standard test for expertise in object recognition.

Mobile launcher platforms prepped for new generation Posted: 17 Sep 2012 10:07 AM PDT NASA's trio of mobile launcher platforms (MLP) are being revamped to serve a variety of next-generation launch vehicles. The huge steel structures, which acted as launch bases for the Apollo/Saturn program and every space shuttle mission, will serve as the platforms that launch the next American-made vehicles to space.

Hubble sees NGC 7090 — an actively star-forming galaxy Posted: 17 Sep 2012 10:05 AM PDT A new image portrays a beautiful view of the galaxy NGC 7090, as seen by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. The galaxy is viewed edge-on from Earth, meaning we cannot easily see the spiral arms, which are full of young, hot stars. However, a side-on view shows the galaxy's disc and the bulging central core, where typically a large group of cool old stars are packed in a compact, spheroidal region. In addition, there are two interesting features present in the image that are worth mentioning.

'Occupy' movement's tumultuous year yields rich research data Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:43 AM PDT The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement marks its one year anniversary on Sept. 17. OWS brought its 99 percent slogan to Wall Street in an effort to show the public's frustration with the elite one percent making up the financial nucleus of the country. Soon, clashes with police and local governments erupted as tolerance and respect for the law eroded and both police and Occupiers made missteps. Ultimately, Occupiers were evicted from their camps sometimes with excessive force. A criminologist's first phase of research examines how Occupiers view police and legal authorities.

Your body doesn't lie: People ignore political ads of candidates they oppose Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:43 AM PDT A recent study examined people's bodily responses while watching presidential campaign ads -- and discovered another way that people avoid political information that challenges their beliefs.

Prenatal damage from dioxin shown to involve microRNAs Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:43 AM PDT New research has identified novel mechanisms through which dioxin can alter physiological functions.

U.S. cities still cutting jobs and infrastructure, expert finds Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:43 AM PDT For the sixth straight year, city revenues around the United States dropped in 2011, as costs of health care, pensions and infrastructure rose, says a public administration and infrastructure expert.

First 3-D model of a protein critical to embryo development Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:42 AM PDT Researchers have constructed the first detailed and complete picture of a protein complex that is tied to human birth defects as well as the progression of many forms of cancer. Knowing the architecture of this protein, PRC2, should be a boon to its future use in the development of new and improved therapeutic drugs.

Further steps needed to reduce stigma and expand access to substance abuse screening and care in U.S. Armed Forces Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:42 AM PDT Outdated approaches to preventing and treating substance abuse, barriers to care, and other problems hinder the U.S. Defense Department's ability to curb substance use disorders among military service members and their families.

Dry-run experiments verify key aspect of nuclear fusion concept: Scientific 'break-even' or better is near-term goal Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:42 AM PDT Magnetically imploded tubes, intended to help produce controlled nuclear fusion at scientific "break-even" energies or better within the next few years, have functioned successfully in preliminary tests.

When it rains, it pours: Intensification of extreme tropical rainfall with global warming modeled Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:42 AM PDT Global warming is expected to intensify extreme precipitation, but the rate at which it does so in the tropics has remained unclear. Now a new study has given an estimate based on model simulations and observations.

Researchers call for early diagnosis of flesh-eating infections Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:42 AM PDT Researchers stress that orthopedists should have a high index of suspicion for necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating bacterial infection, in every patient with pain or other symptoms that are out of proportion to the initial diagnosis.

Back to school: Is higher education making you fat? Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:39 AM PDT A new study looks beyond the much-feared weight gain common to first-year students and reports on the full 4-year impact of higher education on weight, BMI, and body composition.

Assessing a new technique for ensuring fresh produce remains Salmonella-free Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:39 AM PDT Researchers have tested a new technique to ensure fresh produce is free of bacterial contamination. Plasmas are a mix of highly energetic particles created when gases are excited by an energy source. They can be used to destroy bacteria but as new research shows, some can hide from its effects in the microscopic surface structures of different foods.

Toxic protein build-up in blood shines light on fatal brain disease Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:39 AM PDT A new light-based technique for measuring levels of the toxic protein that causes Huntington's disease (HD) has been used to demonstrate that the protein builds up gradually in blood cells. The findings shed light on how the protein causes damage in the brain, and could be useful for monitoring the progression of HD, or testing new drugs aimed at suppressing production of the harmful protein.

Adequate sleep helps weight loss Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:39 AM PDT Adequate sleep is an important part of a weight loss plan and should be added to the recommended mix of diet and exercise, states an expert.

No increased risk of cancer for people with shingles, new study finds Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:39 AM PDT Herpes zoster, or shingles, does not increase the risk of cancer in the general population, according to a new study.

Cervical cancer and pre-cancer cervical growths require single HPV protein Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:38 AM PDT Human papillomavirus (HPV) has long been implicated in cervical cancer, but details of how it happens have remained a mystery. Now researchers have found that a single HPV protein is required for cervical cancer and even pre-cancer growths in the cervix to survive.

Roles of novel epigenetic chemical in the brain illuminated Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:38 AM PDT Researchers have identified a new role of a chemical involved in controlling the genes underlying memory and learning.

Young researcher on the trail of herbal snakebite antidote Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:38 AM PDT A Ph.D. student has drawn on nature's own pharmacy to help improve the treatment of snakebites in Africa.

Mechanism that leads to diabetes, blindness, identified Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:38 AM PDT The rare disorder Wolfram syndrome is caused by mutations in a single gene, but its effects on the body are far reaching. Now, researchers report that they have identified a mechanism that affects both insulin-secreting cells and neurons. The finding will aid in the understanding of Wolfram syndrome and also may be important in the treatment of milder forms of diabetes and other disorders.

Sorghum eyed as a southern bioenergy crop Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:38 AM PDT Sweet sorghum is primarily grown in the United States as a source of sugar for syrup and molasses, but the sturdy grass has other attributes that could make it uniquely suited to production as a bioenergy crop, new studies suggest.

Eating well during pregnancy reduces baby's obesity risk regardless of mom's size Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:38 AM PDT If you are overweight and pregnant, your baby isn't destined to become obese, according to a research report. The report shows that modifying fat intake during pregnancy to a moderate level benefits the child regardless of the mother's size. Specifically, they found that the protein "SIRT1" rewrites a developing fetus' histone code, which affects his or her "epigenetic likelihood" of being overweight throughout his or her lifetime.

Alpine glaciers contribute to carbon cycling Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:34 AM PDT Scientists have unraveled the role of Alpine glaciers for carbon cycling. They have uncovered unexpected biogeochemical complexity of dissolved organic matter locked in glaciers and studied its fate for carbon cycling in glacier-fed streams. A new article expands current knowledge on the importance of the vanishing cryosphere for biogeochemistry.

Scientists bid to develop anthrax vaccine to counteract world bioterrorism threat Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:34 AM PDT A team of scientists is leading new research to develop a vaccine against anthrax to help counteract the threat of bioterrorism.

Spacetime ripples from dying black holes could help reveal how they formed Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:34 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new property of black holes: their dying tones could reveal the cosmic crash that produced them.

Added benefit of Cannabis sativa for spasticity due to multiple sclerosis is not proven, experts say Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:34 AM PDT An extract from Cannabis sativa was approved in Germany in May 2011 for patients suffering from moderate to severe muscle spasms due to multiple sclerosis. Since the manufacturer chose a different appropriate comparator therapy, no proof of added benefit of Cannabis sativa can be derived from the manufacturer's dossier. This is the conclusion of a new assessment.

At the right place at the right time: New insights into muscle stem cells Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:31 AM PDT Muscles have a pool of stem cells in special niches which provides a source for muscle growth and for the regeneration of injured muscles. Researchers have elucidated how these stem cells colonize these niches. They also show that the stem cells weaken when, due to a mutation, they locate outside of the muscle fibers.

New 'ATM' takes old phones and gives back green Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:31 AM PDT Researchers have developed a unique, automated kiosk that lets consumers trade in cell phones for reimbursement or recycling.

Improved positioning indoors Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:31 AM PDT Whether you're walking, biking or driving, navigation systems can help you get from A to B – as long as you have a GPS signal. To find our way around large and complex buildings like hospitals or airports, we often need to rely on vague signs. Researchers have now come up with a new technology. The NAVVIS system uses visual information and realistic 3D images to point users in the right direction.

Scientists reveal how natural antibiotic kills tuberculosis bacterium Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:31 AM PDT A natural product secreted by a soil bacterium shows promise as a new drug to treat tuberculosis report scientists. Scientists have shown how pyridomycin, a natural antibiotic produced by the bacterium Dactylosporangium fulvum, works. This promising drug candidate is active against many of the drug-resistant types of the tuberculosis bacterium that no longer respond to treatment with the front-line drug isoniazid.

Cancer now leading cause of death in US Hispanics Posted: 17 Sep 2012 09:31 AM PDT A new report from American Cancer Society researchers finds that despite declining death rates, cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death among Hispanics in the US.

The biology of emotions Posted: 17 Sep 2012 08:10 AM PDT Emotions tag our experiences and act as signposts to steer our behavior. Avoiding danger and pursuing rewards is essential for successful navigation through a complex environment, and thus for survival. The search for the neural correlate of emotions has fascinated not only scientists – after all, emotions are a central part of our mental self.

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