ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Thursday, May 19, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Thursday, May 19, 2011

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Lizard fossil provides missing link to show body shapes of snakes and limbless lizards evolved independently (May 19, 2011) -- The recent discovery of a tiny, 47 million-year-old fossil of a lizard called Cryptolacerta hassiaca provides the first anatomical evidence that the body shapes of snakes and limbless lizards evolved independently. ... > full story

Potentially toxic flame retardants detected in baby products (May 19, 2011) -- Scientists are reporting detection of potentially toxic flame retardants in car seats, bassinet mattresses, nursing pillows, high chairs, strollers and other products that contain polyurethane foam and are designed for newborns, infants and toddlers. In a new study, they describe hints that one flame retardant, banned years ago in some areas, actually remains in use. ... > full story

Reading the fine print of perception: Human brain learns by interpreting details, study shows (May 19, 2011) -- Wine connoisseurs recognize the vintage at the first sip, artists see subtle color variations and the blind distinguish the finest surface structures. Why are they considered superior to non-specialists in their field? ... > full story

High pregnancy weight gain can lead to long-term obesity, study finds (May 19, 2011) -- Gaining more than the recommended weight during pregnancy can put women at increased risk of becoming obese and developing related health problems, including high blood pressure, later in life, according to new research. Correspondingly, women whose weight gain during pregnancy was low were at lower risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing associated health problems. ... > full story

Preserving plants and animals caught between forest 'fragments' (May 19, 2011) -- Maintaining the world's threatened animal and plant species may rest with something as simple as knowing how far a bird can fly before it must answer nature's call. ... > full story

Video game playing increases food intake in teens, study confirms (May 19, 2011) -- Male teens playing video games for one hour consume more calories in the short-term than they do after one hour of rest, according to a new study by researchers in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. ... > full story

Nuclear magnetic resonance with no magnets (May 19, 2011) -- Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a powerful tool for chemical analysis and, in the form of magnetic resonance imaging, a valuable technique for medical diagnosis. But its applications have been limited by the need for big, expensive, superconducting magnets producing strong magnetic fields. Now scientists have demonstrated NMR in a zero magnetic field without using any magnets at all. ... > full story

New way to duplicate immunity boosting cells to unprecedented levels (May 19, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a method to quickly and exponentially grow regulatory T-cells -- also known as "suppressor cells." The new process enables replication of the cells by tens of millions in several weeks, a dramatic increase over previous duplication methods. Historically, regulatory T-cells have been difficult to replicate. ... > full story

Sun protects against childhood asthma (May 19, 2011) -- Vitamin D, which is primarily absorbed from the sun, plays a role in protection against childhood asthma. Now, a new study led by researchers in Spain has shown that children who live in colder, wetter cities are at greater risk of suffering from this respiratory problem, since there are fewer hours of sunlight in such places. ... > full story

Hospitals misleading patients about benefits of robotic surgery, study suggests (May 19, 2011) -- An estimated four in 10 hospital websites in the United States publicize the use of robotic surgery, with the lion's share touting its clinical superiority despite a lack of scientific evidence that robotic surgery is any better than conventional operations, a new study finds. ... > full story

Goat milk can be considered as functional food, Spanish researchers find (May 19, 2011) -- Researchers in Spain have found that goat milk has nutritional characteristics beneficial to health. They have determined that goat milk has many nutrients that make it similar to human milk. ... > full story

Why have Murillo’s skies turned grey? Researchers find key to pigment fading (May 19, 2011) -- Smalt was one of the blue pigments the most commonly used by the artists between the 16th and 18th centuries. Unfortunately, this pigment is unstable and tends to fade with time. Researchers found the key of this fading, described for four centuries. These results, obtained through the synchrotron analysis of microsamples of paint from works by Baroque painter Murillo and other artists, have been published. ... > full story

Imaging technology reveals intricate details of 49-million-year-old spider (May 18, 2011) -- Scientists have used the latest computer-imaging technology to produce stunning three-dimensional pictures of a 49-million-year-old spider trapped inside an opaque piece of fossilized amber resin. ... > full story

Simple fitness test could predict long-term risk for heart attack, stroke in middle-aged people (May 18, 2011) -- In two separate studies, researchers have found that how fast a middle-age person can run a mile can help predict the risk of dying of heart attack or stroke decades later for men and could be an early indicator of cardiovascular disease for women. ... > full story

Lichens may aid in combating deadly chronic wasting disease in wildlife (May 18, 2011) -- Certain lichens can break down the infectious proteins responsible for chronic wasting disease (CWD), a troubling neurological disease fatal to wild deer and elk and spreading throughout the United States and Canada. ... > full story

New test targets Lynch syndrome, a risk factor for colon cancer (May 18, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a screening procedure that could dramatically increase testing for Lynch syndrome, a hereditary genetic disorder that raises cancer risk, particularly for colorectal cancer. ... > full story

Risk of wetland habitat loss in southern United States predicted (May 18, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a model that predicts the risk of wetland habitat loss based on local wetland features and characteristics of the landscape surrounding the wetland. The new model was used to predict the fate of wetland habitats over a 13-state area in the southern United States. ... > full story

Occupational lung diseases in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (May 18, 2011) -- Researchers have described a new respiratory disease in soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. ... > full story

Species extinction rates have been overreported, new study claims -- but global extinction crisis remains very serious (May 18, 2011) -- The most widely used methods for calculating species extinction rates are "fundamentally flawed" and overestimate extinction rates by as much as 160 percent, scientists report. However, while the problem of species extinction caused by habitat loss is not as dire as many conservationists and scientists had believed, the global extinction crisis is real. ... > full story

Key to fighting drug-resistant leukemia discovered (May 18, 2011) -- A team of scientists has uncovered the basis for drug resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. Targeting this protein may be the key to fighting drug-resistant leukemia, a discovery that may make cancer drugs more powerful and help doctors formulate powerful drug cocktails to cure more children of leukemia. ... > full story

Genetic 'wiring' of seeds revealed (May 18, 2011) -- The genetic 'wiring' that helps a seed to decide on the perfect time to germinate has been revealed by scientists for the first time. Plant biologists have also discovered that the same mechanism that controls germination is responsible for another important decision in the life cycle of plants -- when to start flowering. ... > full story

Lack of 'gatekeeper' protein linked to skin cancer (May 18, 2011) -- New research shows that a "gatekeeper" protein plays an important role in skin-cancer prevention in humans and lab mice. The protein, C/EBP alpha, is normally abundantly expressed to help protect skin cells from DNA damage when humans are exposed to sunlight. The research shows, however, that the protein is not expressed when certain human skin cancers are present. ... > full story

Do microbes swim faster or slower in elastic fluids? Research answers long-standing question (May 18, 2011) -- A biomechanical experiment has answered a long-standing theoretical question: Will microorganisms swim faster or slower in elastic fluids? For a prevalent type of swimming, undulation, the answer is "slower." ... > full story

Want lasting love? It’s not more commitment, but equal commitment that matters (May 18, 2011) -- It stands to reason that a well-loved child can become a loving adult. But what prepares us to make a strong commitment and work out differences with an intimate partner? And what happens when one person is more committed than the other? ... > full story

Earth's core is melting ... and freezing (May 18, 2011) -- The inner core of the Earth is simultaneously melting and freezing due to circulation of heat in the overlying rocky mantle, according to new research. ... > full story

New cell therapy to prevent organ rejection (May 18, 2011) -- Researchers have used cells found naturally in the body, to re-educate the immune system to prevent rejection of an organ transplant while remaining capable of fighting infections and cancer. ... > full story

Dairy consumption does not elevate heart-attack risk, study suggests (May 18, 2011) -- Analysis of dairy intake and heart attack risk found no statistically significant relation in thousands of Costa Rican adults. Dairy foods might not harm heart health, despite saturated fat content, because they contain other possibly protective nutrients, researchers say. ... > full story

Preventing blindness from age-related macular degeneration: Improved form of vitamin A may help (May 18, 2011) -- Slowing down the aggregation or "clumping" of vitamin A in the eye may help prevent vision loss caused by macular degeneration, researchers have found. ... > full story

Language learning: Video games used to crack the speech code (May 18, 2011) -- When we speak, our enunciation and pronunciation of words and syllables fluctuates and varies from person to person. Given this, how do infants decode all of the spoken sounds they hear to learn words and meanings? To replicate the challenges of learning language as an infant, researchers used video game training with a mock "alien" language. They discovered that listeners quickly recognize word-like units. ... > full story

No pain, big gain: Treatment of chronic low back pain can reverse abnormal brain activity and function (May 18, 2011) -- In a new study, a group of pain researchers posed a fundamental question: if you can alleviate chronic low back pain, can you reverse these changes in the brain? The answer is yes, they say. ... > full story

Free-floating planets may be more common than stars (May 18, 2011) -- Astronomers, including a NASA-funded team member, have discovered a new class of Jupiter-sized planets floating alone in the dark of space, away from the light of a star. The team believes these lone worlds were probably ejected from developing planetary systems. ... > full story

Preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS with humanized BLT mice (May 18, 2011) -- A new study further validates the use of humanized BLT mice in the fight to block HIV transmission. The "BLT" name is derived from the fact that these designer mice are created one at a time by introducing human bone marrow, liver and thymus tissues into animals without an immune system of their own. Humanized BLT mice have a fully functioning human immune system and can be infected with HIV in the same manner as humans. ... > full story

Invisibility cloak: Scientists achieve optical invisibility in visible light range of spectrum (May 18, 2011) -- Physicists in Germany are refining the structure of an invisibility cloak to such an extent that it is also effective in the visible spectral range. The minute invisibility cloak is smaller than the diameter of a human hair. It makes the curvature of a metal mirror appear flat, as a result of which an object hidden underneath becomes invisible ... > full story

When rising PSA means prostate cancer is in patient's future (May 18, 2011) -- A man's rising PSA level over several years -- viewed as a possible warning sign of prostate cancer -- has come under fire as a screening test because it sometimes prompts biopsies that turn out to be normal. A new study, however, shows nearly 70 percent of men who had rising PSA levels and subsequent normal biopsies were eventually diagnosed with prostate cancer. ... > full story

Sodium channels evolved before animals' nervous systems (May 18, 2011) -- An essential component of animal nervous systems -- sodium channels -- evolved prior to the evolution of those systems, researchers have discovered. ... > full story

Odds are against ESP: New statistical approach doesn't support claims that extra-sensory perception exists (May 18, 2011) -- Can people truly feel the future? Not according to a new study by researchers in the United States and the Netherlands. Their study uses a novel statistical approach that doesn't support claims that extra-sensory perception exists. ... > full story

Splitting water for renewable energy simpler than first thought? Manganese-based catalyst shows promise (May 18, 2011) -- Scientists have found the key to the hydrogen economy could come from a very simple mineral, commonly seen as a black stain on rocks. ... > full story

Winding back the clock with kidney stem cells (May 18, 2011) -- Scientists in Australia have shown that they can make human stem cells from healthy adult kidneys without working on human embryos, circumventing ethical concerns around this research. ... > full story

Diminutive 3-D printers to enable home manufacturing of custom objects (May 18, 2011) -- New research could turn futuristic 3-D printers into affordable everyday items. Printers, which can produce three-dimensional objects have been available for years. However, a printing device has now been developed, which is much smaller, lighter and cheaper than ordinary 3-D printers. With this kind of printer, everyone could produce small, tailor-made 3-D objects at home, using building plans from the Internet -- and this could save money for expensive custom-built spare parts. ... > full story

Reductions in the brain's deep gray matter volumes help explain fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (May 18, 2011) -- Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders have numerous motor, behavioral, and cognitive difficulties. Deep gray matter, the brain's "relay" stations, may be key to understanding alcohol-related brain injuries. Recent findings show significant volume reductions in deep gray matter structures of those with FASD. ... > full story

Scientists track environmental influences on giant kelp with help from satellite data (May 18, 2011) -- Scientists have developed new methods for studying how environmental factors and climate affect giant kelp forest ecosystems at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales. ... > full story

Too posh to push? The increasing trend for cesarean section (May 18, 2011) -- During the last 30 years there has been an increase in the number of babies born by cesarean section. New research shows that there has also been a change in the social and economic status of the mothers involved and that advantaged mothers are more likely to have their babies by cesarean section than mothers living in more difficult circumstances. ... > full story

New evidence shows mobile animals could have evolved much earlier than previously thought (May 18, 2011) -- Billions of years before life evolved in the oceans, thin layers of microbial matter in shallow water produced enough oxygen to support tiny, mobile life forms. ... > full story

Experimental treatment offers relief from painful prostate condition, study suggests (May 18, 2011) -- New findings show that treatment with a specific alpha blocker helps reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). ... > full story

Sharpening the nanofocus (May 18, 2011) -- Researchers have developed an antenna-enhanced plasmonic sensing technique for the observation of single catalytic processes in nanoreactors, or the optical detection of low concentrations of biochemical agents and gases. ... > full story

Underlying mechanisms discovered of skin hardening syndromes (May 18, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered new details about the underlying mechanisms of skin hardening syndromes. The team connected pharmacological properties of the drug balicatib to the skin disorder for the first time after investigating adverse reactions suffered by patients participating in a clinical trial for the treatment of osteoporosis. ... > full story

Hardware encryption developed for new computer memory technology (May 18, 2011) -- Security concerns are one of the key obstacles to the adoption of new non-volatile main memory (NVMM) technology in next-generation computers, which would improve computer start times and boost memory capacity. But now researchers have developed new encryption hardware for use with NVMM to protect personal information and other data. ... > full story

CSI for infection: Geographic profiling, used in hunt for serial killers, can help combat infectious diseases (May 18, 2011) -- Every 30 seconds, infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis kill as many people as Jack the Ripper did in his entire career. New research demonstrates how the mathematical model of geographic profiling, used in the hunt for serial killers, can help combat infectious diseases. ... > full story