ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Monday, July 18, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Monday, July 18, 2011

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Stem cells: Nearing goal of using patient's own cells to make stem cells to replace lost or diseased tissue (July 18, 2011) -- Scientists have developed an improved technique for generating large numbers of blood cells from a patient's own cells. The new technique will be immediately useful in further stem cell studies, and when perfected, could be used in stem cell therapies for a wide variety of conditions including cancers and immune ailments. ... > full story

An unexpected actor in vaccination: Our own DNA (July 18, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered an unexpected mode of action for the vaccine adjuvant alum. When a vaccine containing alum is injected, contact with alum apparently pushes certain cells of the body to release their own DNA. The presence of this DNA outside the cells, a place where it is not to be found in normal conditions, thus acts as a stimulant of the immune system and strongly boosts the response to the vaccine. ... > full story

New ways to measure magnetism around the sun (July 18, 2011) -- NASA researchers have made use of old mathematical techniques and new insights on how coronal mass ejections travel to devise a fresh way to measure this magnetic environment in the sun's upper atmosphere, the corona. ... > full story

Nervous system development: New piece of puzzle discovered (July 18, 2011) -- Researchers in Canada recently uncovered a new piece of the puzzle of how the human nervous system develops. The researchers studied the development of motor neuron axons growing into limb muscles. They noticed that in this motor system, the ligands (called ephrins) are present in the same neuron as receptors (called Ephs). ... > full story

A manganite changes its stripes: Advanced Light Source uncovers colossal conductivity changes in a special material (July 18, 2011) -- Manganites exhibiting colossal magnetoresistance and high-temperature superconductors are among materials that show their stripes, regions where electrical charges concentrate. Until now, only static stripes have been seen. A team of scientists have discovered a manganite whose stripes form or fall apart depending on the temperature, simultaneously giving rise to colossal changes in electrical conductivity. ... > full story

'Love your body' to lose weight (July 18, 2011) -- Almost a quarter of men and women in England and over a third of adults in America are obese. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease and can significantly shorten a person's life expectancy. New research shows that improving body image can enhance the effectiveness of weight loss programs based on diet and exercise. ... > full story

Early talking doll recording discovered (July 17, 2011) -- Scientists recently recovered sound from an artifact that historians believe is the earliest surviving talking doll record. The artifact is a ring-shaped cylinder phonograph record made of solid metal, preserved by the National Park Service at Thomas Edison National Historical Park. Phonograph inventor Thomas Edison made the record during the fall or winter of 1888 in West Orange, New Jersey. ... > full story

Compound to block signaling of cancer-causing protein developed (July 17, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a compound that blocks signaling from a protein implicated in many types of cancer. ... > full story

Lymphoma drug shrinks dog tumors, could lead to human treatment (July 17, 2011) -- There are many kinds of cancers of the immune system, but one, activated B-cell diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, is particularly common and pernicious. Researchers have now shown that dogs that develop this disease spontaneously share the same aberrant activation of a critical intracellular pathway with humans. They also found that a drug designed to disrupt this pathway helps kill tumor cells in the dogs' lymph nodes. ... > full story

New understanding of biomarkers could lead to earlier diagnosis of fatal diseases (July 17, 2011) -- A new research paper sheds light on the way antibodies distinguish between different but closely related "biomarkers" -- proteins which reveal information about the condition of the human body. This new understanding could enable pharmaceutical companies to develop new technologies for quickly diagnosing and treating fatal diseases. ... > full story

Improved hybrid solar collector has higher efficiency, longer lifespan (July 17, 2011) -- A researcher in the Netherlands has developed a new type of hybrid solar collector with a higher efficiency and a longer lifespan than the current hybrid systems. Hybrid solar collectors combine photovoltaic solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity with a solar heater that provides warm water. ... > full story

Source of empathy in the brain? (July 17, 2011) -- Your brain works hard to help understand your fellow person -- no matter how different they may be. According to a new study, even failing to possess a full complement of limbs will not stop your brain from understanding what it is like for someone else to experience pain in one of them. It may, however, change the way your brain does so. ... > full story

Fossil forensics reveals how wasps populated rotting dinosaur eggs (July 16, 2011) -- Exceptionally preserved fossils of insect cocoons have allowed researchers in Argentina to describe how wasps played an important role in food webs devoted to consuming rotting dinosaur eggs. ... > full story

Discovery opens new options for improving transfusions (July 16, 2011) -- Donated red blood cells lose a key feature that diminishes their lifesaving power the longer they have been stored, according to researchers. The finding details how banked blood undergoes a change during storage that decreases its ability to transport oxygen. ... > full story

NASA's Aura satellite measures pollution 'Butterfly' from fires in Central Africa (July 16, 2011) -- Fires raging in central Africa are generating a high amount of pollution that is showing up in data from NASA's Aura Satellite, with the ominous shape of a dark red butterfly in the skies over southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and northern Angola. ... > full story

Scientists discover new role for vitamin C in the eye and the brain (July 16, 2011) -- Nerve cells in the eye require vitamin C in order to function properly -- a surprising discovery that may mean vitamin C is required elsewhere in the brain for its proper functioning, according to a new study. ... > full story

Breakthrough toward quantum computing (July 16, 2011) -- To build a quantum computer, one needs to create and precisely control individual quantum memory units, called qubits, for information processing. Scientists have made a breakthrough in the creation of massive numbers of entangled qubits, more precisely a multilevel variant thereof called Qmodes. ... > full story

When the first choice isn't available, why don't consumers choose the obvious second choice? (July 16, 2011) -- Something strange happens when a consumer learns her favorite product choice isn't available: Instead of picking the runner-up, he or she will reject it for another alternative, according to a new study. ... > full story

High social rank comes at a price, wild baboon study finds (July 15, 2011) -- Being at the very top of a social hierarchy may be more costly than previously thought, according to a new study of wild baboons. The findings have implications in the study of social hierarchies and of the impact of social dominance on health and well-being, a subject of interest among researchers who study human and other animal populations. ... > full story

The genome guardian's dimmer switch: Regulating p53 is a matter of life or death (July 15, 2011) -- Scientists have found clues to the functioning of an important damage response protein in cells. The protein, p53, can cause cells to stop dividing or even to commit suicide when they show signs of DNA damage, and it is responsible for much of the tissue destruction that follows exposure to ionizing radiation or DNA-damaging drugs such as the ones commonly used for cancer therapy. ... > full story

Strong El Niño could bring increased sea levels, storm surges to US East Coast (July 15, 2011) -- Coastal communities along the US East Coast may be at risk to higher sea levels accompanied by more destructive storm surges in future El Niño years, according to a new study. The study was prompted by an unusual number of destructive storm surges along the East Coast during the 2009-2010 El Niño winter. ... > full story

Maternal nutrition: What impact does it have on gene expression? (July 15, 2011) -- During intrauterine life and lactation, undernutrition brings about modifications involving DNA, leading to metabolic pathologies at the adult age. Researchers have demonstrated for the first time, through an animal-based study, such repercussions at the level of the leptin gene, the hormone that regulates satiety and metabolism. This work could, in the longer term, have an impact on the prevention of metabolic diseases, medically assisted procreation and care for premature infants. ... > full story

Your brain on androids (July 15, 2011) -- Cognitive scientist have taken a peek inside the brains of people viewing videos of a humanoid robot. The functional MRI study suggests that what may be going on in the "uncanny valley" phenomenon is due to a perceptual mismatch between appearance and motion. ... > full story

Shop when you're happy: Positive feelings improve consumer decision-making abilities (July 15, 2011) -- Consumers who are in a positive mood make quicker and more consistent judgments than unhappy people, according to a new study. ... > full story

Dramatic climate swings likely as world warms: Ancient El Niño clue to future floods (July 15, 2011) -- Dramatic climate swings behind both last year's Pakistan flooding and this year's Queensland floods in Australia are likely to continue as the world gets warmer, scientists predict. Researchers have discovered that the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the sloshing of the warmest waters on the planet from the West Pacific towards the East Pacific every 2-7 years, continued during Earth's last great warm period, the Pliocene. Their results suggest that swings between the two climatic extremes, known as El Niño and La Niña, may even have occurred more frequently in the warmer past and may increase in frequency in the future. ... > full story

Diabetes drug may prevent or delay development of polycystic ovary syndrome, the most common cause of infertility in women (July 15, 2011) -- A recent study found that early, prolonged treatment with the diabetes drug metformin may prevent or delay the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in adolescence. PCOS affects 7 to 10 percent of women of childbearing age and is the most common cause of infertility, affecting an estimated 5 to 6 million women in the United States. ... > full story

Novel compound selectively kills cancer cells by blocking their response to oxidative stress (July 15, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered a novel compound that selectively kills cancer cells by blocking their response to oxidative stress, with an effectiveness that surpassed a chemotherapy drug currently used to treat breast cancer. Their findings are based on experiments in cell culture and in mice. ... > full story

Weight-loss surgery cost-effective for all obese, study suggests (July 15, 2011) -- Bariatric surgery is not only cost-effective for treating people who are severely obese, but also for those who are mildly obese, according to a new study. The findings support making bariatric surgery available to all obese people, the researchers say. ... > full story

Virtual natural environments and benefits to health (July 15, 2011) -- Researchers have compared the benefits of interaction with actual and virtual natural environments and concluded that the development of accurate simulations are likely to be beneficial to those who cannot interact with nature because of infirmity or other limitations: but virtual worlds are not a substitute for the real thing. ... > full story

Size matters: Why do people eat less when they have big forks? (July 15, 2011) -- Larger portion sizes usually mean we eat more food, but according to new study, bigger bites lead to eating less -- in restaurant settings. ... > full story

Most elliptical galaxies are 'like spirals' (July 15, 2011) -- The majority of 'elliptical' galaxies are not spherical but disc-shaped, resembling spiral galaxies such as our own Milky Way with the gas and dust removed, new observations suggest. ... > full story

New gene identified for restless legs syndrome (July 15, 2011) -- People suffering from restless legs syndrome experience unpleasant sensations in the legs at night for which the only remedy is movement. Now, scientists have identified new genetic risk factors for the disease. Carriers of these risk variants have an increased likelihood of developing RLS. ... > full story

Stem cells restore cognitive abilities impaired by brain cancer treatment (July 15, 2011) -- Human neural stem cells are capable of helping people regain learning and memory abilities lost due to radiation treatment for brain tumors, a new study suggests. ... > full story

Childhood cancer no higher in vicinity of nuclear power plants, Swiss study suggests (July 15, 2011) -- A large longitudinal study found no evidence of an increased risk of cancer in children born near nuclear power plants in Switzerland. ... > full story

Separated for 20 million years: Blind beetle from Bulgarian caves clarifies questions (July 15, 2011) -- One of the smallest ever cave-dwelling ground beetles has recently been discovered in two caves in the Rhodopi Mountains, Bulgaria, and described under the name Paralovricia beroni. The beetle is completely blind and is only 1.8-2.2 mm long. ... > full story

When the brain remembers but the patient doesn’t (July 15, 2011) -- Brain damage can cause significant changes in behavior, such as loss of cognitive skills, but also reveals much about how the nervous system deals with consciousness. New findings demonstrate how the unconscious brain continues to process information even when the conscious brain is incapacitated. ... > full story

Swarms of locusts use social networking to communicate (July 15, 2011) -- Social studies of Facebook and Twitter have been adapted to gain a greater understanding of the swarming behavior of locusts. The enormous success of social networking sites has vividly illustrated the importance of networking for humans; however for some animals, keeping informed about others of their kind is even more important. ... > full story

Breaking the chain: 'Molecular cap' blocks processes that lead to Alzheimer's, HIV (July 15, 2011) -- Biochemists have designed molecular inhibitors that target specific proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease and HIV to prevent them from forming amyloid fibers that play an important role in more than two-dozen degenerative diseases. This research brings scientists one step closer to developing treatments that could prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. ... > full story

'Amplified' nanotubes may power the future (July 15, 2011) -- Scientists have achieved a pivotal breakthrough in the development of a cable that will make an efficient electric grid of the future possible. Armchair quantum wire (AQW) will be a weave of metallic nanotubes that can carry electricity with negligible loss over long distances. It will be an ideal replacement for the nation's copper-based grid, which leaks electricity at an estimated 5 percent per 100 miles of transmission. ... > full story

Novel combined therapy extends life, diminishes pain in brain cancer patients (July 15, 2011) -- Researchers have created a novel combined technique to treat cancer patients by bathing the brain in chemotherapy and relieving pressure from spinal fluid build-up (hydrocephalus). ... > full story

Link found between increased crops and deforestation in Amazon, but issue not so cut and dry (July 15, 2011) -- Geographers are out to prove what environmental scientists have suspected for years: Increasing the production of soybean and biofuel crops in Brazil increases deforestation in the Amazon. Although this cause-and-effect finding seems fairly straightforward, the issue of deforestation in the Amazon is more complex and more devastating than previously believed. ... > full story

Eating disorders impact brain function, new brain research suggests (July 15, 2011) -- Bulimia nervosa is a severe eating disorder associated with episodic binge eating followed by extreme behaviors to avoid weight gain such as self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or excessive exercise. It is poorly understood how brain function may be involved in bulimia. A new study examined the brain response to a dopamine related reward-learning task in bulimic and healthy women. ... > full story

First adenovirus to jump between monkeys and humans confirmed (July 15, 2011) -- A novel virus that spread through a California monkey colony in late 2009 also infected a human researcher and a family member, researchers have found -- the first known example of an adenovirus "jumping" from one species to another and remaining contagious after the jump. ... > full story

Protein switch controls how stem cells turn into new heart tissue (July 15, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a protein that can direct stem cells to become either new heart muscle or blood vessels. The research, which was carried out in zebrafish, offers insight into how it might be possible one day to generate tissues to repair the human heart after damage inflicted by a heart attack. ... > full story

How to grow wires and tiny plates: Liquid processing method can control shapes of nanowires and produce complete electronic devices (July 15, 2011) -- Researchers have found a way to grow submicroscopic wires in water with great precision, using a method that makes it possible to produce entire electronic devices through a liquid-based process. ... > full story

Obstructive sleep apnea linked to blood vessel abnormalities (July 15, 2011) -- Sleep apnea can cause changes in blood vessel function that reduces blood supply to the heart in people who are otherwise healthy, new research finds. Continuous positive airway pressure treatment reverses blood vessel abnormalities. ... > full story

Wood products part of winning carbon-emissions equation, researchers say (July 15, 2011) -- The amount of carbon dioxide taken out of the atmosphere by forests could be quadrupled in 100 years by harvesting regularly and using the wood in place of steel and concrete that devour fossil fuels during manufacturing, producing carbon dioxide, researchers say in a new study. ... > full story

Abnormal brain ultrasounds in premature infants indicate future risk of psychiatric disorders (July 15, 2011) -- Infants born prematurely are at risk for injuries to the white and gray matter of the brain that affect cortical development and neural connectivity. Certain forms of these injuries can be detected in the neonatal period using ultrasound, according to new research. ... > full story