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Saturday, March 2, 2013

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Hubble observes glowing, fiery shells of gas

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 01:10 PM PST

A new image from the Hubble Space Telescope may look like something from "The Lord of the Rings," but this fiery swirl is actually a planetary nebula known as ESO 456-67. Set against a backdrop of bright stars, the rust-colored object lies in the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer), in the southern sky.

3-D printing using old milk jugs

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 12:36 PM PST

3-D printing lets anyone make almost anything with a simple machine and a roll of plastic filament. Now researchers have found a way to drive costs down even further by recycling empty milk jugs into filament. The process reduces landfill waste, saves on energy compared with traditional recycling, and makes 3-D printing and even better deal.

Postmenopausal women who smoked are more likely to lose teeth due to periodontal disease

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 12:36 PM PST

Postmenopausal women who have smoked are at much higher risk of losing their teeth than women who never smoked, according to a new study.

Reprogramming adult cells to stem cells works better with one gene turned off

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 12:32 PM PST

The removal of a genetic roadblock could improve the efficiency of converting adult cells into stem cells by 10 to 30 times, report scientists.

Shark fisheries globally unsustainable: 100 million sharks die every year

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 12:32 PM PST

The world's shark populations are experiencing significant declines with perhaps 100 million – or more - sharks being lost every year, according to a new study.

How do bacteria clog medical devices? Very quickly

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 10:11 AM PST

A new study demonstrates that bacteria can quickly and catastrophically clog medical devices by forming slimy ribbons that tangle and trap other cells.

New insights into plant evolution

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:33 AM PST

New research has uncovered a mechanism that regulates the reproduction of plants, providing a possible tool for engineering higher yielding crops.

Facebook 'Likes' a good indicator of quality hospital care

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:33 AM PST

While those active on social media aren't shy about expressing opinions on their Facebook pages, how much do their "Likes" really reflect the quality of an organization? A new study shows that Facebook "Likes" were indeed an indicator of hospital quality and patient satisfaction.

'Defective' virus surprisingly plays major role in spread of disease

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:33 AM PST

Defective viruses, thought for decades to be essentially garbage unrelated to the transmission of a virus, now appear able to play a much more important role in the spread of disease, biologists show. Life scientists report for the first time a significant link between a defective virus and an increased rate of transmission of a major disease.

Saharan and Asian dust, biological particles end global journey in California

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:33 AM PST

A new study is the first to show that dust and other aerosols from one side of the world influence rainfall in the Sierra Nevada.

Mechanisms regulating inflammation associated with type 2 diabetes, cancer identified

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:33 AM PST

A new study has identified epigenetic mechanisms that connect a variety of diseases associated with inflammation.

Volcanic aerosols, not pollutants, tamped down recent Earth warming

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:30 AM PST

Scientists looking for clues about why Earth did not warm as much as scientists expected between 2000 and 2010 now thinks the culprits are hiding in plain sight -- dozens of volcanoes spewing sulfur dioxide.

Living through a tornado does not shake optimism

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:30 AM PST

Even in the face of a disaster, we remain optimistic about our chances of injury compared to others, according to a new study. Residents of a town struck by a tornado thought their risk of injury from a future tornado was lower than that of peers, both a month and a year after the destructive twister. Such optimism could undermine efforts toward emergency preparedness.

The patient satisfaction chasm

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:30 AM PST

New research finds insufficient support from hospital management to improve the patient experience by engaging physicians and nurses in the process.

New study reveals how sensitive US East Coast regions may be to ocean acidification

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:30 AM PST

A continental-scale chemical survey in the waters of the eastern US and Gulf of Mexico is helping researchers determine how distinct bodies of water will resist changes in acidity.

US may face inevitable nuclear power exit

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:29 AM PST

In the third and final issue in a series focused on nuclear exits, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by SAGE, turns its attention to the United States and looks at whether the country's business-as-usual approach may yet lead to a nuclear phase-out for economic reasons.

A better bone marrow transplant: Preventing graft-versus-host disease

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:29 AM PST

Bone marrow transplant is a key treatment for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and other blood disorders.

Tumors deliberately create conditions that inhibit body's best immune response

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:29 AM PST

New research reveals that tumors in melanoma patients deliberately create conditions that knock out the body's 'premier' immune defense and instead attract a weaker immune response unable to kill off the tumor's cancerous cells.

Changes in patterns of brain activity predict fear memory formation

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:25 AM PST

Psychologists have discovered that changes in patterns of brain activity during fearful experiences predict whether a long-term fear memory is formed.

Infection during pregnancy and stress in puberty play key role in development of schizophrenia

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:25 AM PST

The interplay between an infection during pregnancy and stress in puberty plays a key role in the development of schizophrenia, as behaviorists demonstrate in a mouse model. However, there is no need to panic.

Parkinson's disease: Parkin protects from neuronal cell death

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:25 AM PST

Researchers have identified a novel signal transduction pathway, which activates the parkin gene and prevents stress-induced neuronal cell death.

Big data: Searching large amounts of data quickly and efficiently

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:25 AM PST

Not only scientific institutes but also companies harvest an amazing amount of data. Traditional database management systems are often unable to cope with this. Suitable tools are lacking in information retrieval on big data. Computer scientists have now developed an approach which enables searching large amounts of data in a fast and efficient way.

New chemical probe provides tool to investigate role of malignant brain tumor domains in chromatin structure and regulation

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:23 AM PST

Medical researchers have discovered a chemical probe that can be used to investigate the L3MBTL3 methyl-lysine reader domain. The probe, named UNC1215, will provide researchers with a powerful tool to investigate the function of malignant brain tumor (MBT) domain proteins in biology and disease.

Pregnancy permanently changes foot size

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:23 AM PST

A new study of women's feet during and after pregnancy shows that arch height and arch rigidity decrease significantly from early pregnancy to five months after childbirth, causing corresponding increases in foot length that appear to be permanent.

Cancer survival: Where you're treated matters

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:23 AM PST

A study of older patients with advanced head and neck cancers has found that where they were treated significantly influenced their survival. The study found that patients who were treated at hospitals that saw a high number of head and neck cancers were 15 percent less likely to die of their disease as compared to patients who were treated at hospitals that saw a relatively low number of such cancers. The study also found that such patients were 12 percent less likely to die of their disease when treated at a National Cancer Institute -designated cancer center.

No scientific basis for prohibiting same-sex marriage, key associations argue

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:22 AM PST

There is no valid scientific basis for denying same-sex couples the right to legal marriage, or to deprive them of considerable benefits of the institution, according to legal briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court by the American Psychological Association and other leading mental health associations.

New study shows cannabis effects on driving skills

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 09:22 AM PST

Cannabis is second only to alcohol for causing impaired driving and motor vehicle accidents. In 2009, 12.8% of young adults reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs and in the 2007 National Roadside Survey, more drivers tested positive for drugs than for alcohol. These cannabis smokers had a 10-fold increase in car crash injury compared with infrequent or nonusers after adjustment for blood alcohol concentration.

The right high-performance cross-country skiwear

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 05:58 AM PST

The sport of cross-country skiing has always been preoccupied with its skis and waxing. Research now demonstrates that to shave off those extra hundredths of a second, competitive skiers should pay more attention to their clothing.

Study surveys impact of Leap Day Harrisburg, Illinois tornado

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 05:57 AM PST

On Leap Day last year, the largest natural disaster in Illinois in 2012 devastated a small town in Southern Illinois. Since the Feb. 29 EF-4 level tornado that tore through Harrisburg one year ago—hitting the ground with a force of 175-180 miles per hour and leaving eight people dead, injuring many others and destroying more than 250 homes.

Important control mechanism behind autoimmune diseases discovered

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 05:56 AM PST

Researchers have discovered a new control mechanism in our immune system. The discovery is of potential significance to the treatment of serious diseases such as MS (multiple sclerosis), rheumatoid arthritis, and SLE (Systemic lupus erythematosus).

Fish migrate to safer environments

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 02:16 AM PST

Research now reveals that fish can migrate to avoid the threat of being eaten. A new study shows that roach fish leave lakes and move into surrounding streams or wetlands, where they are safer from predators.

Turbulence in a crystal

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 02:16 AM PST

When a crystal is hit by an intense ultrashort light pulse, its atomic structure is set in motion. Scientists can now observe how the configuration of electrons and atoms in titanium dioxide, a semiconductor, changes under the impact of an ultraviolet laser pulse, confirming that even subtle changes in the electron distribution caused by the excitation can have a considerable impact on the whole crystal structure.

Order in the chaos of a cell membrane

Posted: 01 Mar 2013 02:16 AM PST

An explanation has been proposed for the way in which ordered structures arise in cell membranes. Scientists have discovered how complex compounds of sugar and lipids -- known as glycolipids -- order themselves in cell membranes into rafts, namely small, highly organized domains. The arrangement of glycolipids on the surface of plant and animal cell membranes regulates numerous cellular processes. If errors occur in this process, diseases like PNH and BSE can arise.

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