ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Saturday, June 4, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Saturday, June 4, 2011

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For stressed bees, the glass is half empty (June 3, 2011) -- When people are depressed or anxious, they are much more likely to see their glass as half empty than half full. In tough times, evidence of that same pessimistic outlook can be seen in dogs, rats, and birds. Now, researchers show that bees, too, share those very same hallmarks of negative emotion. ... > full story

New strain of MRSA discovered: Antibiotic resistant bacteria found in both humans and dairy cows (June 3, 2011) -- Scientists have identified a new strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which occurs both in human and dairy cow populations. The study identified the new strain in milk from dairy cows while researching mastitis (a bacterial infection which occurs in the cows' udders). ... > full story

River mystery solved: Scientists discover how 'Didymo' algae bloom in pristine waters with few nutrients (June 3, 2011) -- The pristine state of unpolluted waterways may be their downfall, according to new research. A species of freshwater algae that lives in streams and rivers, called Didymo for Didymosphenia geminata, is able to colonize and dominate the bottoms of some of the world's cleanest waterways -- precisely because they are so clear. Didymo does so with a little help from its friends -- in this case, bacteria -- which allow it to make use of nutrients like phosphorus. ... > full story

Understanding cancer energetics: Researchers solve mystery of Warburg effect (June 3, 2011) -- It's long been known that cancer cells eat a lot of sugar to stay alive. In fact, where normal, noncancerous cells generate energy from using some sugar and a lot of oxygen, cancerous cells use virtually no oxygen and a lot of sugar. Many genes have been implicated in this process, and now researchers have discovered that this so-called Warburg effect is controlled. ... > full story

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity passes small crater and big milestone (June 3, 2011) -- A drive of 482 feet (146.8 meters) on June 1, 2011, took NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity past 30 kilometers (18.64 miles) in total odometry during 88 months of driving on Mars. That's 50 times the distance originally planned for the mission and more than 12 times the distance racehorses will run at the Belmont Stakes. ... > full story

Weight loss success in a 3-D virtual world (June 3, 2011) -- Participants in two weight-loss programs -- one at a health club, the other delivered in a virtual world -- lost similar amounts of weight and body fat, but the online contingent reported significantly greater gains in behaviors that could help them live healthier and leaner lives. ... > full story

Mass extinction victim survives: Snail long thought extinct isn't (June 3, 2011) -- Think "mass extinction" and you probably envision dinosaurs dropping dead in the long-ago past or exotic tropical creatures being wiped out when their rainforest habitats are decimated. But a major mass extinction took place in North America in the first half of the 20th century, when 47 species of mollusk disappeared after the watershed in which they lived was dammed. Now, a population of one of those species -- a freshwater limpet last seen more than 60 years ago and presumed extinct -- has been found in a tributary of the heavily dammed Coosa River in Alabama's Mobile River Basin. ... > full story

How high-fat diet during pregnancy increases risk of stillbirth (June 3, 2011) -- Eating a high-fat diet during pregnancy increases the chance of stillbirth, according to new research. The new data show eating a typical American diet, which is high in fat, decreases blood flow from the mother to the placenta, the temporary organ that nourishes the unborn fetus. Prior to this study, exactly how a fatty diet contributes to stillbirth was unclear. ... > full story

New NASA salt mapper to spice up climate forecasts (June 3, 2011) -- Salt is essential to human life. Most people don't know, however, that salt -- in a form nearly the same as the simple table variety -- is just as essential to Earth's ocean, serving as a critical driver of key ocean processes. While ancient Greek soothsayers believed they could foretell the future by reading the patterns in sprinkled salt, today's scientists have learned that they can indeed harness this invaluable mineral to foresee the future -- of Earth's climate. ... > full story

Matching targeted therapies to tumor's specific gene mutations key to personalized cancer treatment (June 3, 2011) -- Customizing targeted therapies to each tumor's molecular characteristics, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach by tumor type, may be more effective for some types of cancer, according to researchers. ... > full story

New sound synchronization technology holds the key to earlier diagnosis of heart disease (June 3, 2011) -- Innovative technology is contributing to the development of a revolutionary digital stethoscope that could make it easier for doctors to spot the first signs of heart disease. ... > full story

Autism may have had advantages in humans' hunter-gatherer past, researcher believes (June 3, 2011) -- Though people with autism face many challenges because of their condition, they may have been capable hunter-gatherers in prehistoric times, according to a new paper. ... > full story