Current Event Articles: ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Monday, July 12, 2010

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Monday, July 12, 2010

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What’s killing farmed salmon? New virus may also pose risk to wild salmon (July 12, 2010) -- Epidemics of infectious disease are threatening the farmed fish industry, including one of its most popular products: farmed Atlantic salmon. A team of scientists has found evidence that the disease may be caused by a previously unknown virus. ... > full story

Fat cells play key role in development of type 2 diabetes (July 12, 2010) -- Cellular changes in fat tissue -- not the immune system -- lead to the "hyperinflammation" characteristic of obesity-related glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes, according to new research. ... > full story

To predict atherosclerosis, follow the disturbed blood flow (July 12, 2010) -- A new animal model of atherosclerosis shows that "disturbed flow" in an artery leads to inflammation followed by clogging of the artery. The model provides insight into how bad blood flow initiates atherosclerosis or good flow such as that improved by aerobic exercise protects against the disease and allows the identification of hundreds of genes turned on or off in atherosclerosis' initial stages. ... > full story

Mathematical models for breast cancer detection with microwave tomography are cheaper and less risky, research finds (July 12, 2010) -- The most popular method of breast cancer detection today is X-ray mammography, which takes images of a compressed breast by low-dose ionizing radiation. However, there are several disadvantages to using X-rays for breast cancer screening, chief among them being the invasiveness of radiation and the high costs. Microwave tomography can provide a cheaper and less risky alternative to X-ray mammography, according to new research. ... > full story

Big picture: Lipid ordering visualized in a living vertebrate organism (July 12, 2010) -- Scientists have obtained the first visualization of the inherent arrangement of lipid molecules in different tissues of a whole, living vertebrate organism. The research validates earlier studies done with primary cells and may lead to a new understanding of the physiological significance of plasma membrane organization. ... > full story

Should the results of individual genetic studies be disclosed to participants? (July 12, 2010) -- Individual results of genetic research studies should not be disclosed to participants without careful consideration, according to experts. The view held by many ethicists that individual genetic research findings should always be reported to participants involved in genetic research studies is perhaps misguided and can lead to misunderstanding, they say. ... > full story

Computing power cracks egg shell problem (July 12, 2010) -- Researchers in the UK have applied computing power to crack a problem in egg shell formation. The work may also give a partial answer to the age old question "what came first the chicken or the egg?" ... > full story

Length of biological marker associated with risk of cancer (July 12, 2010) -- A new study suggests that shorter length of leukocyte telomeres -- chromosome markers of biological aging -- are associated with an increased risk of cancer and death from cancer, according to a new study. ... > full story

Source of essential nutrients for mid-ocean algae discovered (July 12, 2010) -- For almost three decades, oceanographers have been puzzled by the ability of microscopic algae to grow in mid-ocean areas where there is very little nitrate, an essential algal nutrient. In a new study, researchers show that mid-ocean algae obtain nitrate from deep water, as much as 250 meters below the surface. This finding will help scientists predict how open-ocean ecosystems could respond to global warming. ... > full story

Majority of fevers in African children are not caused by malaria, study finds (July 12, 2010) -- In 2007, an estimated 656 million fevers occurred in African children aged 0-4 years, with 78 million children of the 183 million attending a public health care facility likely to have been infected with P. falciparum (range 60-103 million), the parasite that causes the most dangerous form of malaria. These findings come from a modelling system devised by experts from the Malaria Atlas Project. ... > full story

Archeologists explore rural Galilee and find ancient synagogue (July 12, 2010) -- Among various important discoveries, the 2010 Kinneret Regional Project discovered an ancient synagogue, in use at around 400 AD. This year’s archeological focus is the first systematic excavation on Horvat Kur, a village inhabited from the Early Roman through the Early Medieval periods located on a gentle hill two kilometers west of the Lake of Galilee. Thirty volunteers – mostly students of theology, religious studies, and archeology – and staff from the Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland, Romania, Belgium, Spain, Israel, and Germany explore the material remains of the village life in Galilee, a region that features very prominently in Early Christian and Rabbinic tradition. ... > full story

Rosetta triumphs at asteroid Lutetia (July 11, 2010) -- Asteroid Lutetia has been revealed as a battered world of many craters. European Space Agency's Rosetta mission has returned the first close-up images of the asteroid showing it is most probably a primitive survivor from the violent birth of the Solar System. ... > full story

Painkillers not linked with heart disease in elderly patients and may protect against death, study finds (July 11, 2010) -- Commonly used painkillers like ibuprofen do not increase the risk of heart attack in the elderly population, according to a new study. ... > full story

Plant extract may be effective against inflammatory bowel disease (July 11, 2010) -- New research shows an extract made from a food plant in the Brassica family was effective in alleviating signs of ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel condition, in mice. ... > full story

Home care equivalent to hospital care for some patients with cystic fibrosis, study finds (July 11, 2010) -- Patients with cystic fibrosis recover from exacerbations equally well if they are treated at home or in a hospital, according to researchers. Furthermore, longer treatment with antibiotics does not appear to offer any additional benefit over shorter courses. ... > full story

New biofuels processing method for mobile facilities (July 11, 2010) -- Chemical engineers have developed a new method to process agricultural waste and other biomass into biofuels, and they are proposing the creation of mobile processing plants that would rove the Midwest to produce the fuels. ... > full story

Farmers to get rice-growing advice via text messages (July 11, 2010) -- Farmers in the "texting capital" of the world -- the Philippines -- will soon have nutrient management advice tailored specifically to their rice crops delivered to their mobile phones. ... > full story

Nanoparticles shrink tumors in mice (July 11, 2010) -- A new study demonstrates that nanoparticles can store and deliver chemotherapeutic drugs in vivo and effectively suppress tumors in mice. Strikingly, these nanoparticles accumulate in tumor after administration. Furthermore, the researchers showed that these nanoparticles are completely excreted from the body. The findings show promise for further uses of nanoparticles for delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer therapy. ... > full story

Novel protein being tested as potential target in Alzheimer's treatment (July 11, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered a previously unreported mitochondrial protein that interacts with a protein known to play a role in Alzheimer's disease. ... > full story

NASA to fly into hurricane research this summer (July 11, 2010) -- Three NASA aircraft will begin flights to study tropical cyclones on Aug. 15 during the agency's first major U.S.-based hurricane field campaign since 2001. The Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes mission, or GRIP, will study the creation and rapid intensification of hurricanes. Advanced instruments from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will be aboard two of the aircraft. ... > full story

Hereditary kidney disease linked to genetic location (July 11, 2010) -- An in-depth study of a family with multiple generations affected by kidney disease has identified a previously unknown location for a gene abnormality causing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, according to a new study. ... > full story

New retrieval method makes studying cancer proteins easier (July 11, 2010) -- Researchers can now better retrieve specific proteins needed to study how cancer cells form by using a newly developed technique and synthetic nanopolymer. ... > full story

Rituals that target customers not always good for business (July 11, 2010) -- Businesses make an impression when they sing "Happy Birthday" to customers or cook up entrees right at diners' tables, but not always a good one, new research has found. ... > full story

New ultrabright source of entangled photon pairs (July 11, 2010) -- At the very heart of applications such as quantum cryptography, computation and teleportation lies a fascinating phenomenon known as "entanglement". Two photons are entangled if the properties of one depend on those of the other, whatever the distance separating them. A new source of entangled photons twenty times brighter than all existing systems has been developed by a team in France. This novel device is capable of considerably boosting the rate of quantum communications and constitutes a key component in future quantum logic processes. ... > full story

A fateful pause: Genetic mechanism once thought rare may allow rapid cell production (July 11, 2010) -- We take our blood for granted, but its creation requires a complicated series of steps, starting with the formation of blood stem cells during early embryonic development, followed by progressive differentiation into the progenitors of red cells, white cells and platelets, and ultimately the full set of blood cells. Now, researchers report a surprising twist in how mature red blood cells form. ... > full story

Borne on the wing: Avian influenza risk in US wild songbirds mapped (July 11, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered that 22 species of passerines -- songbirds and perching birds -- in the contiguous U.S. are carriers of low-pathogenicity avian influenza. Pathogenicity is the ability of a germ to produce an infectious disease in an organism. The prevalence of influenza in waterfowl has long been known. But the researchers' analysis indicates that the number of songbird species with low-pathogenicity avian influenza is greater than the number in eight other avian orders, including waterfowl. ... > full story

Higher-protein diets support weight loss, but may lower bone density in postmenopausal women (July 11, 2010) -- Overweight and moderately obese postmenopausal women using diets based on higher protein intake also need to be aware of potential bone loss, according to new research. ... > full story

Chemical quality of rivers revealed by small freshwater shrimp (July 11, 2010) -- Biological markers detect the presence of toxic substances in the environment. In implementing the European water framework directive, scientists use Gammarus, a small freshwater shrimp present in all rivers, as a marker. They observe the impact of contamination on the main vital functions of the animal, which thus serves as a sentinel for rivers. ... > full story

Simple massage relieves chronic tension headache, study finds (July 11, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain have shown that the psychological and physiological state of patients with tension headache improves within 24 hours after receiving a 30-minute massage. ... > full story

Saturn propellers reflect solar system origins (July 10, 2010) -- Scientists using NASA's Cassini spacecraft at Saturn have stalked a new class of moons in the rings of Saturn that create distinctive propeller-shaped gaps in ring material. It marks the first time scientists have been able to track the orbits of individual objects in a debris disk. The research gives scientists an opportunity to time-travel back into the history of our solar system to reveal clues about disks around other stars in our universe that are too far away to observe directly. ... > full story

Antibody may help treat and prevent influenza outbreaks (July 10, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered a monoclonal antibody that is effective against "avian" H5N1, seasonal H1N1 and the 2009 "swine" H1N1 influenza. Scientists have shown that this antibody potently prevents and treats the swine H1N1 influenza in mouse models of the disease. ... > full story

Better barriers can help levees withstand wave erosion (July 10, 2010) -- A new barrier design could protect reservoir levees from the erosive forces of wind-driven waves, according new research. These findings could help lower the maintenance costs for constructed ponds in the lower Mississippi Delta where levee repairs can average per foot -- and sometimes are needed just five years after a reservoir is built. ... > full story

Protein that predicts prognosis of leukemia patients may also be a therapeutic target (July 10, 2010) -- Researchers at Whitehead Institute and Children's Hospital Boston have identified a protein, called Musashi 2, that is predictive of prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia patients. Diagnosed in an estimated 48,000 new patients annually, leukemia is blood cancer characterized by an overgrowth of certain blood cells. Musashi 2 and the cellular functions it affects could potentially represent therapeutic targets in certain types of leukemia. ... > full story

Novel ion trap with optical fiber could link atoms and light in quantum networks (July 10, 2010) -- Physicists have demonstrated an ion trap with a built-in optical fiber that collects light emitted by single ions, allowing quantum information stored in the ions to be measured. The advance could simplify quantum computer design and serve as a step toward swapping information between matter and light in future quantum networks. ... > full story

Moms' favoritism tied to depression in adulthood (July 10, 2010) -- Whether mom's golden child or her black sheep, siblings who sense that their mother consistently favors or rejects one child over others are more likely to show depressive symptoms as middle-aged adults, finds a new study. ... > full story

Researchers use robot to determine how human strangers develop trust (July 10, 2010) -- What can a wide-eyed, talking robot teach us about trust? A lot, according to psychology professors who are conducting innovative research to determine how humans decide to trust strangers -- and if those decisions are accurate. ... > full story

Honey bee venom may help design new treatments to alleviate muscular dystrophy, depression and dementia (July 10, 2010) -- Scientists researching a toxin extracted from the venom of the honey bee have used this to inform the design of new treatments to alleviate the symptoms of conditions such as muscular dystrophy, depression and dementia. ... > full story

New spin on drug delivery: Chemical engineers discover an enhanced delivery method of DNA payloads into cells (July 10, 2010) -- Chemical engineers have discovered how to "greatly enhance" the delivery of DNA payloads into cells. Lu's ultimate goal is to apply this technique to create genetically modified cells for cancer immunotherapy, stem cell therapy and tissue regeneration. ... > full story

Severe angina poses three times the coronary artery disease risk for women than men (July 10, 2010) -- Women who have the most serious form of angina are three times as likely to develop severe coronary artery disease (CAD) as men with the same condition, according to a new study. ... > full story

Rain of giant gas clouds create active galactic nuclei: New research explains how galaxy centers light up (July 10, 2010) -- Galaxies like our own were built billions of years ago from a deluge of giant clouds of gas, some of which continue to rain down. Now new calculations tie the rain of giant clouds of gas to active galactic nuclei, the extremely bright centers of some galaxies. ... > full story

Homicide and suicide rates among mentally ill on the decline, UK study finds (July 10, 2010) -- People with mental health problems are committing fewer homicides while the number of suicides by mental health patients has also fallen, latest figures reveal; a previous rise in homicides by mentally ill people may have been the result of drug misuse, says the report. ... > full story

Fireflies blink in synch to send a clear message (July 10, 2010) -- For decades, scientists have speculated about why some fireflies exhibit synchronous flashing, in which large groups produce rhythmic, repeated flashes in unison -- sometimes lighting up a whole forest at once. Now, the first experiments on the function of this phenomenon suggest that synchronous flashing preserves female fireflies' recognition of suitable mates. ... > full story

Scientists use computer algorithms to develop seasonal flu vaccines (July 10, 2010) -- Computer scientists have developed a rapid and effective approach to produce vaccines for new strains of influenza viruses. The researchers hope to develop the new technology and provide an efficient method to confront the threat of seasonal epidemics. ... > full story

Heavy metal rock set to take the stage (July 10, 2010) -- On its way to a 2014 rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft, with NASA instruments aboard, will fly past asteroid Lutetia this Saturday, July 10. The instruments aboard Rosetta will record the first close-up image of a metal asteroid. They will also make measurements to help scientists derive the mass of the object, understand the properties of the asteroid's surface crust, record the solar wind in the vicinity and look for evidence of an atmosphere. ... > full story

Simple diagnostic tool predicts Type 2 diabetes in Southeast Asians (July 10, 2010) -- Australian and Vietnamese researchers have estimated the current prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in Vietnam, and have developed a simple tool for identifying individuals at high risk. Often triggered by sedentary lifestyles and high-fat or high-sugar diets, diabetes is a condition where the body becomes less able to make and use insulin, a hormone that reduces sugar in the blood by moving it into cells for energy use. ... > full story

New system helps locate car park spaces (July 10, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain have developed a system to locate unoccupied car spaces on the street and guide users to the nearest available space. The system has been named XALOC and is based on new positioning technology offering more precision in urban areas than GPS technology. ... > full story

Marijuana derivative could be useful for pain treatment (July 10, 2010) -- A new compound similar to the active component of marijuana (cannabis) might provide effective pain relief without the mental and physical side effects of cannabis, according to a new study. ... > full story

Wild cat found mimicking monkey calls; Predatory trickery documented for the first time in wild felids in Americas (July 9, 2010) -- In a fascinating example of vocal mimicry, researchers have documented a wild cat species imitating the call of its intended victim: a small, squirrel-sized monkey known as a pied tamarin. This is the first recorded instance of a wild cat species in the Americas mimicking the calls of its prey. ... > full story

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