ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Friday, July 8, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Friday, July 8, 2011

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Brain co-opts the body to promote moral behavior, study finds (July 8, 2011) -- The human brain may simulate physical sensations to prompt introspection, capitalizing on moments of high emotion to promote moral behavior, according to a researcher. ... > full story

A drugstore within: Mesenchymal stem cells protect and heal (July 8, 2011) -- Mesenchymal stem cells were thought to be the key to growing new organs, but research has shown them to be potent protectors and healers in the body. Scientists now find the cells appear effective against a growing list of diseases and conditions. ... > full story

Fire to become increasingly important driver of atmospheric change in warming world (July 8, 2011) -- Researchers say it is likely that fire will become an increasingly important driver of atmospheric change as the world warms. ... > full story

Heavy exercise not too high a hurdle for bariatric surgery patients (July 8, 2011) -- Bariatric surgery patients can undertake a rigorous exercise program after the procedure, in order to continue to lose weight and avoid regaining weight, according to a new study. ... > full story

Molecular gastronomy: Science behind the art of cooking (July 8, 2011) -- Molecular gastronomy (a scientific discipline that studies what happens when we cook) has a lot of untapped potential in Ireland, researchers say. ... > full story

Reported costs of drug R&D questioned (July 8, 2011) -- A policy specialist and a healthcare economist both say that the oft-quoted cost of .32 billion to bring a new drug to market does not hold up to close scrutiny, according to a new article. ... > full story

Discovery of natural antibody brings a universal flu vaccine a step closer (July 8, 2011) -- Annually changing flu vaccines with their hit-and-miss effectiveness may soon give way to a single, near-universal flu vaccine, according to a new report. Researchers describe an antibody that, in animal tests, can prevent or cure infections with a broad variety of influenza viruses, including seasonal and potentially pandemic strains. ... > full story

Using vital signs to predict severity of illness in children (July 8, 2011) -- Combining three vital signs (heart rate, temperature and oxygen saturation) in a simple score can identify children at risk of serious illness, according to a new study. Although this type of score cannot easily be calculated by hand, it could be incorporated into existing smart phone apps. ... > full story

Big step forward for SKA radio telescope (July 8, 2011) -- The discovery potential of the future international SKA radio telescope has been glimpsed following the commissioning of a working optical fiber link between CSIRO's Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope in Western Australia, and other radio telescopes across Australia and New Zealand. ... > full story

Understanding the antiepileptic benefits of an Atkins-like diet (July 8, 2011) -- Some individuals with epilepsy fail to respond to treatment with conventional drugs but benefit from consuming a ketogenic diet -- a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet similar to the more commonly known Atkins diet. Researchers have now identified in mice the molecular mechanism responsible for the antiepileptic effects of the ketogenic diet. ... > full story

Graphene: What can go wrong? New studies point to wrinkles, process contaminants (July 8, 2011) -- Using a combination of sophisticated computer modeling and advanced materials analysis techniques at synchrotron laboratories, a research team has demonstrated how some relatively simple processing flaws can seriously degrade the otherwise near-magical electronic properties of graphene. ... > full story

Future labor shortfalls of medical professionals in U.S. predicted due to new demands of health-care reform (July 8, 2011) -- One consequence of the expanded access to health care facilitated by health care reform will be a shortfall in the necessary numbers of physicians and other advanced medical professionals. According to a new study, the U.S. will face serious shortages in the combined workforce of physicians, advance practice nurses, and physician assistants over the next two decades. ... > full story

Coating boosts nanowire efficiency and sensitivity: Promise for photodetectors and solar cells (July 7, 2011) -- By applying a coating to individual silicon nanowires, researchers have significantly improved the materials' efficiency and sensitivity. The findings suggest that the coated wires hold promise for photodetectors and energy harvesting technologies like solar cells. ... > full story

Drug can reverse overgrown hearts to help prevent heart failure, study suggests (July 7, 2011) -- A promising cancer treatment drug can restore function of a heart en route to failure from high blood pressure, researchers have found. ... > full story

Research bolsters importance of horseshoe crab spawning for migrating shorebirds (July 7, 2011) -- Speculation that the welfare of a small, at-risk shorebird is directly tied to horseshoe crab populations is in part supported by new scientific research, according to a new study. ... > full story

Kidney cancer discovery could expand treatment options (July 7, 2011) -- Researchers uncovered a gene that may be the key to helping kidney cancer patients who don't respond to current therapies. This discovery could also provide a toolkit to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from drugs that block this gene from causing cancer cells to grow. ... > full story

Global investments in green energy up nearly a third to 1 billion (July 7, 2011) -- Wind farms in China and small-scale solar panels on rooftops in Europe were largely responsible for last year's 32 percent rise in green energy investments worldwide according to the latest annual report on renewable energy investment trends. Last year, investors pumped a record 1 billion into renewables -- about one-third more than the 0 billion invested in 2009, and a 540 percent rise since 2004. ... > full story

Blame game: Sleepier college students are more likely to blame others and plan revenge (July 7, 2011) -- Sleepier people are more likely to imagine how outcomes could have been better than reality and think about how the behavior of others could have produced better outcomes, a new study finds. In contrast, sleepier people were not more likely to imagine how their own behavior could have produced better outcomes. Sleepiness also was positively correlated with all three subscales of displaced aggression: angry rumination, behavioral displaced aggression and revenge planning. The study involved 108 college students. ... > full story

Stardust in our backyard provides new clues to galaxy evolution (July 7, 2011) -- New data from Herschel Space Observatory reveal surprisingly large amounts of cold dust in the remnant of the famous supernova SN1987A, which exploded 24 years ago in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighboring galaxy of the Milky Way. With this discovery, astronomers confirm that supernovae are able to produce significant quantities of dust over very short time scales. This may help explain previous observations of abundant dust in the early Universe as seen in high-redshift galaxies. ... > full story

Unexpected cell repairs the injured spinal cord (July 7, 2011) -- A new study has revealed how scar tissue is formed after damage to the central nervous system. For more than a century, scientists thought that glial cells were responsible for scar formation. Now, however, researchers have discovered that spinal cord scar tissue largely derives from a completely unexpected type of cell called a pericyte, opening new opportunities for the treatment of damaged nerve tissue. ... > full story

Cellular origin of deadly brain cancer identified (July 7, 2011) -- Scientists have isolated the cellular origin for malignant glioma, a deadly human brain cancer. ... > full story

Stem cells know where they want to go: Pluripotent cells are not all equal (July 7, 2011) -- A new study has shown that pluripotent cells are not all equal. The researchers discovered the fate -- or destination -- of human pluripotent stem cells is encoded by how their DNA is arranged, and this can be detected by specific proteins on the surface of the stem cells. ... > full story

Sex is not about promoting genetic variation, researchers argue (July 7, 2011) -- Biology textbooks maintain that the main function of sex is to promote genetic diversity. But in a new article, two researchers say that's not the case. They propose that although diversity may result from a combination of genes, the primary function of sex is not about promoting diversity. Rather, it's about keeping the genome context -- an organism's complete collection of genes arranged by chromosome composition and topology -- as unchanged as possible, thereby maintaining a species' identity. ... > full story

Ironic effects of anti-prejudice messages (July 7, 2011) -- Organizations and programs have been set up all over the globe in the hopes of urging people to end prejudice. According to a new research article, such programs may actually increase prejudices. ... > full story

First successful transplantation of a synthetic tissue engineered windpipe (July 7, 2011) -- For the first time in history, a patient has been given a new trachea made from a synthetic scaffold seeded with his own stem cells. The patient, a 36-year old man, is well on the way to full recovery from the recent operation in Sweden and is now being discharged from the hospital. ... > full story

Drug 'shield' helps target antibiotic resistant bacteria (July 7, 2011) -- A new technique which targets antibiotic-resistant bacteria and shields patients from the toxic parts of an antibiotic drug has now been developed. ... > full story

Evolution and domestication of seed structure shown to use same genetic mutation (July 7, 2011) -- For the first time, scientists have identified a mutation in plants that was selected twice -- during both natural evolution and domestication. The mutation has been identified as the source of variation in the evolution of fruit morphology in Brassica plants and it was also the source of key changes during the domestication of rice. ... > full story

Mutations in one gene cause craniosynostosis, delayed tooth eruption and supernumerary teeth (July 7, 2011) -- Researchers have described a new, recessively inherited human syndrome featuring craniosynostosis, maxillary hyperplasia, delayed tooth eruption and extra teeth. The researchers also identified causative mutations in a gene IL11RA. ... > full story

Promising fire retardant results when clay nanofiller has space (July 7, 2011) -- Materials scientists have demonstrated that the more widely and uniformly dispersed nanoscale plates of clay are in a polymer, the more fire protection the nanocomposite material provides. ... > full story

Leaving anger on the field: Statistics show that sports help ease aggression in boys (July 7, 2011) -- Researchers completed a study of 649 children from low socioeconomic backgrounds that showed that sports training lowers aggression through alleviating negative emotions. The results indicate that children who exhibit higher levels of self-control through sports competition have a corresponding decline in aggressive behavior. ... > full story

Gray whales likely survived the Ice Ages by changing their diets (July 7, 2011) -- If ancient gray whale populations migrated and fed the same as today's whales, what happened during the Ice Ages, when their major feeding grounds disappeared? Paleontologists argue that gray whales utilized a range of food sources in the past, including herring and krill, in addition to the benthic organisms they consume today. As a result, pre-whaling populations were two to four times greater than today's population of around 22,000. ... > full story

Scientists devise way to sort brain cells for potential transplants (July 7, 2011) -- As neural stem cell therapies move closer to clinical use, doctors will need to know that the brain cells they are providing really are what they think they are. Researchers have adapted a relatively common laboratory technique to address the problem, devising a way to get a "purified" supply of neurons. The technique may prove valuable for cell transplant therapies. ... > full story

Eye of Gaia: billion-pixel camera to map Milky Way (July 7, 2011) -- The largest digital camera ever built for a space mission has been painstakingly mosaicked together from 106 separate electronic detectors. The resulting "billion-pixel array" will serve as the super-sensitive 'eye' of the European Space Agency's Galaxy-mapping Gaia mission. ... > full story

‘Brake-override’ proteins that enable development of some cancers identified (July 7, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered a basic mechanism that can enable developing cancer cells to sustain abnormal growth. The finding is expected to lead to the targeting of this mechanism with drugs and diagnostic techniques. ... > full story

Microalgae could be Texas' next big cash crop (July 7, 2011) -- Just as corn and peanuts stunned the world decades ago with their then-newly discovered multi-beneficial uses and applications, Texas scientists think microalgae holds even more promise. ... > full story

Childhood asthma linked to depression during pregnancy (July 7, 2011) -- Anxiety, stress and depression during pregnancy may lead to a greater risk of asthma for your child, according to researchers. The findings support a growing body of research showing that exposures can influence the risk of developing asthma. ... > full story

The rise and rise of the flying reptiles: Pterosaurs not driven into extinction by birds, study reveals (July 7, 2011) -- Pterosaurs, flying reptiles from the time of the dinosaurs, were not driven to extinction by the birds, but in fact they continued to diversify and innovate for millions of years afterward, according to new research. ... > full story

Discovery of why sunburn hurts could lead to new pain relief for inflammatory conditions (July 7, 2011) -- Researchers have found a molecule in the body which controls sensitivity to pain from UVB irradiation, identifying it as a new target for medicines to treat pain caused by other common inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. The molecule, called CXCL5, is part of a family of proteins called chemokines, which recruit inflammatory immune cells to the injured tissue, triggering pain and tenderness. This is the first study to reveal this molecule's role in mediating pain. ... > full story

Can gulls smell out a good partner? Study suggests kittiwakes use body odor to assess genetically compatible mates (July 7, 2011) -- Male and female kittiwakes smell different from each other, according to new research. Their work also suggests that the birds' body odors might signal the genetic makeup of individual birds, and could be used in mate choice to assess the genetic compatibility of potential partners. ... > full story

The role of bacteria in asthma and the potential for antibiotic treatment (July 7, 2011) -- People with severe asthma are more likely to have antibodies against the disease-causing bacteria Chlamydia pneumoniae than the general population and in some cases antibiotic treatment can greatly improve symptoms according to new research. Moreover, patients who were treated on the basis of asthma severity with antibiotics had significant improvements in asthma symptoms and some even experienced a complete abolition of these symptoms. ... > full story

Climate change forces early spring in Alberta, Canada (July 7, 2011) -- A new study shows that climate change over the past 70 years has pushed some of the Alberta, Canada native wildflowers and trees into earlier blooming times, making them more vulnerable to damaging frosts, and ultimately, threatening reproduction. ... > full story

Cutting down on salt doesn't reduce your chance of dying, review suggests (July 7, 2011) -- Moderate reductions in the amount of salt people eat doesn't reduce their likelihood of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease, according to a systematic review. ... > full story

Cosmic 'axis of evil': Masses of universe's largest objects appear to depend on which method is used to weigh them (July 7, 2011) -- Astronomers are puzzled by the announcement that the masses of the largest objects in the universe appear to depend on which method is used to weigh them. ... > full story

Gene therapy stimulates protein that blocks immune attack and prevents type 1 diabetes in mice (July 7, 2011) -- Increasing a specific protein in areas of the pancreas that produce insulin blocks the immune attack that causes type 1 diabetes, researchers report. ... > full story

Mushroom lights up the night in Brazil: Researcher finds bioluminescent fungus not seen since 1840 (July 7, 2011) -- In 1840, renowned English botanist George Gardner reported a strange sight from the streets of Vila de Natividade in Brazil: A group of boys playing with a glowing object that turned out to be a luminescent mushroom. They called it "flor-de-coco," and showed Gardner where it grew on decaying fronds at the base of a dwarf palm. Gardner sent the mushroom to the Kew Herbarium in England where it was described and named Agaricus gardneri in honor of its discoverer. The species was not seen again until 2009. Researchers have now collected new specimens of a forgotten bioluminescent mushroom and reclassified it as, Neonothopanus gardneri. ... > full story

Genetic defects hold clues to risk for sudden cardiac death (July 7, 2011) -- Sudden cardiac death is always a shocking, tragic event, especially when it occurs at a young age. But, for the first time, scientists are unraveling how genetic defects can help predict the risk of dying suddenly in individuals with one of the leading causes of this unfortunate phenomenon. ... > full story

Gene secrets of the reef revealed: Genome of staghorn coral Acropora millepora sequenced (July 7, 2011) -- Australian scientists have sequenced the genome of the staghorn coral Acropora millepora, a major component of the Great Barrier Reef and coral reefs worldwide. This is the first animal genome project to be carried out entirely in Australia, and is an important milestone in Australian biotechnology and in the study of coral reefs. ... > full story

Women less likely than men to fake soccer injuries (July 7, 2011) -- Women don't fake them. Soccer injuries, that is. With the Women's World Cup in full swing in Germany, soccer fans can now rest assured that women are less likely than men to fake on-field injuries, according to a new study. ... > full story