ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Saturday, July 9, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Saturday, July 9, 2011

Welcome to another edition of ScienceDaily's email newsletter. You can change your subscription options or unsubscribe at any time.

Holes in fossil bones reveal dinosaur activity (July 8, 2011) -- New research has added to the debate about whether dinosaurs were cold-blooded and sluggish or warm-blooded and active. ... > full story

Brain stimulation preserves a memory when other memories interfere (July 8, 2011) -- A new study suggests that specific brain areas actively orchestrate competition between memories, and that by disrupting targeted brain areas through transcranial magnetic stimulation, you can preserve memory -- and prevent forgetting. ... > full story

World War II bombing raids offer new insight into the effects of aviation on climate (July 8, 2011) -- Climate researchers have turned to the Allied bombing raids of the Second World War for a unique opportunity to study the effect thousands of aircraft had on the English climate at a time when civilian aviation remained rare. The study reveals how civilian and military records can help assess the impact of modern aviation on the climate today. ... > full story

Why patients with epidermolysis bullosa suffer extreme pain (July 8, 2011) -- For patients suffering from epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a hereditary skin disease, even a gentle touch is extremely painful. Now researchers have discovered the causes underlying this disease. Due to a genetic defect, individuals with EB cannot form laminin-332, a structural molecule of the skin that in healthy individuals inhibits the transduction of tactile stimuli and neuronal branching. ... > full story

Recycling: A new source of indispensible 'rare earth' materials mined mainly in China (July 8, 2011) -- That axiom of sustainability -- "recycle and reuse" -- could help ease concerns about a reliable supply of substances, indispensable for a modern technological society, that are produced almost exclusively in the Peoples' Republic of China. That's the conclusion of a study on these so-called "rare earth" elements. ... > full story

Heart disease and stroke worldwide tied to national income (July 8, 2011) -- An analysis of heart disease and stroke statistics collected in 192 countries by the World Health Organization shows that the relative burden of the two diseases varies widely from country to country and is closely linked to national income, according to researchers. ... > full story

How memory is read out in the fly brain: MB-V2 nerve cells enable the read-out of associative memories (July 8, 2011) -- What happens if you cannot recall your memory correctly? You are able to associate and store the name and face of a person, yet you might be unable to remember them when you meet that person. In this example, the recall of the information is temporarily impaired. How such associative memories are "read out" in the brain remains one of the great mysteries of modern neurobiology. Now, scientists have taken the first step to unravel this mechanism. ... > full story

Stem cell injections may offer hope to angina patients with no other options (July 8, 2011) -- Injecting the hearts of untreatable angina patients with their own stem cells reduced chest pain frequency and improved exercise capability, according to new research. The treatment could offer hope to many of the 850,000 Americans whose chest pain doesn't subside even with medicine, angioplasty or surgery. Future trials are needed to confirm the findings and investigate an enzyme change that is normally viewed as a heart attack signal, but caused no pain or heart test changes in most patients in whom it occurred. ... > full story

NASA's final space shuttle mission begins with Atlantis' launch (July 8, 2011) -- Space shuttle Commander Chris Ferguson and his three crewmates are on their way to the International Space Station after launching from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 11:29 a.m. EDT Friday. STS-135 is the final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program. ... > full story

Indoor air pollution linked to cardiovascular risk (July 8, 2011) -- An estimated two billion people in the developing world heat and cook with a biomass fuel such as wood, but the practice exposes people -- especially women -- to large doses of small-particle air pollution, which can cause premature death and lung disease. ... > full story

Robotics: Safety without protective barriers (July 8, 2011) -- The modern working world is no longer conceivable without robots. They assist humans in manufacturing, laboratories or medicine. In the future, a new projection and camera-based system will prevent collisions between robots and humans working together, German researchers say. ... > full story

How decision-makers complicate choice (July 8, 2011) -- A new study demonstrates the existence of "complicating choice" -- the process that decision-makers unintentionally initiate when making certain decisions -- and the underlying psychological mechanisms that cause the phenomenon. ... > full story