ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Wednesday, July 20, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Wednesday, July 20, 2011

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Rapid venom evolution in pit vipers may be defensive; Marsupials that prey on venomous snakes also evolve rapidly (July 20, 2011) -- Research delivers new insight about rapid toxin evolution in venomous snakes. New molecular research on snake-eating opossums suggests that predators factor into the rapid evolution of snake venom. ... > full story

Gene therapy delivered once to blood vessel wall protects against atherosclerosis in rabbit studies (July 20, 2011) -- A one-dose method for delivering gene therapy into an arterial wall effectively protects the artery from developing atherosclerosis despite ongoing high blood cholesterol, according to new research in rabbits. ... > full story

Decoding slowness: How sloths perfected energy saving (July 20, 2011) -- Zoologists have discovered how sloths move and how their locomotive system adapted to their unhurried lifestyle in the course of evolution. ... > full story

Cardiac disorder may affect broader range of patients than previously reported (July 20, 2011) -- Stress cardiomyopathy (a transient form of acute heart failure triggered by stressful events) appears to have clinical characteristics that are broader than reported previously, including younger patients, men, and patients without an identifiable stressful trigger, according to a new study. ... > full story

Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia yield 18 new species of rare ferns and flowering plants (July 20, 2011) -- Recent botanical exploration efforts in the rugged Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) have increased the known flora of the archipelago by an impressive 20 percent. Field research projects have yielded 62 new species of ferns and flowering plants bringing the total native species to 360. ... > full story

E-health records should play bigger role in patient safety initiatives, researchers advocate (July 20, 2011) -- Patient safety researchers are calling for the expanded use of electronic health records to address the disquieting number of medical errors in the health care system that can lead to readmissions and even death. ... > full story

World's forests' role in carbon storage immense, research reveals (July 20, 2011) -- Until recently, scientists were uncertain about how much and where in the world terrestrial carbon is being stored. Now scientists report that, between 1990 and 2007, the world's forests stored about 2.4 gigatons of carbon per year. ... > full story

Heartburn treatment may extend survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients (July 20, 2011) -- Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who report treatment for gastroespophageal reflux (GER) appear to have longer survival than IPF patients who are not treated for GERD, according to a new study. ... > full story

How the early human embryo acquires its shape through 'organizer' cells (July 20, 2011) -- How is it that a disc-like cluster of cells transforms within the first month of pregnancy into an elongated embryo? This mechanism is a mystery that people have tried to unravel for millennia. ... > full story

Therapy appears to reduce rate of chemotherapy-induced early menopause for women with breast cancer (July 20, 2011) -- Temporarily suppressing ovarian function with use of the hormone analogue triptorelin reduced the occurrence of early menopause induced by chemotherapy among women with breast cancer, according to a new study. ... > full story

It's simple: Increasing complexity of models does not necessarily increase their accuracy (July 20, 2011) -- Mathematical modeling of infectious diseases is an important tool in the understanding and prediction of epidemics. Knowledge of social interactions is used to understand how infectious diseases spread through populations and how to control epidemics. New research shows that a model, which included dynamic information about the heterogeneity of contact length and rate of making new contacts, was as effective as a more complex model which included the order of contacts. ... > full story

Report offers new framework to guide K-12 science education, calls for shift in the way science is taught in US (July 20, 2011) -- A new report released by the U.S. National Research Council presents a new framework for K-12 science education that identifies the key scientific ideas and practices all students should learn by the end of high school. ... > full story

New lung-cancer gene found: Cancer biologists identify a driving force behind the spread of an aggressive type of lung cancer (July 19, 2011) -- A major challenge for cancer biologists is figuring out which among the hundreds of genetic mutations found in a cancer cell are most important for driving the cancer's spread. Using a new technique called whole-genome profiling, scientists have now pinpointed a gene that appears to drive progression of small cell lung cancer, an aggressive form of lung cancer accounting for about 15 percent of lung cancer cases. ... > full story

Falls may be early sign of Alzheimer's (July 19, 2011) -- Falls and balance problems may be early indicators of Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found. ... > full story

Avian 'Axe effect' attracts attention of females and males (July 19, 2011) -- In a case of life imitating art, avian scents given off by male songbirds have the females (and males) flocking in. A researcher has revealed the process of how males draw attention to themselves through chemical communication in a new study. Scents are used in all organisms for many purposes, such as finding, attracting and evaluating mates. But this is the first study of its kind that demonstrates that it is happening among songbirds. ... > full story

Testosterone deficiency and replacement therapy in men (July 19, 2011) -- Testosterone deficiency (TD), often referred to as hypogonadism, is associated with aging and affects approximately 30 percent of men ages 40-79. To highlight some of the challenges and controversies encountered in diagnosis and treatment of men with TD, a new review article illustrates the implication of TD on men's overall health and analyzes a number of studies in men receiving testosterone replacement therapy to treat TD. ... > full story

New scientific milestone in optical communications: Revolutionary chip for optical routers (July 19, 2011) -- Researchers in Spain, the Netherlands, and Canada have achieved a scientific milestone in the field of optical communications. After many months of research, they have succeeded in developing a revolutionary chip for optical routers, capable of operating up to 100 times faster than currently available chips. This is the first monolithic integrated optical circuit for optical routers. ... > full story

Stated calories on menus of certain restaurants appear to be accurate overall (July 19, 2011) -- An examination of the calorie content of food from about 40 fast-food and sit-down restaurants in 3 states finds that overall the stated calories of items on the menus of the restaurants are accurate, although there was substantial inaccuracy for some individual foods, with understated calorie figures for those items with lower calorie contents, according to a new study. ... > full story

Making blood sucking deadly for mosquitoes (July 19, 2011) -- Inhibiting a molecular process cells use to direct proteins to their proper destinations causes more than 90 percent of affected mosquitoes to die within 48 hours of blood feeding, a team of biochemists discovered. The approach could be used as an additional strategy in the worldwide effort to curb mosquito-borne diseases, including dengue fever, yellow fever and malaria. ... > full story

Physical activity linked to lower rates of cognitive impairment (July 19, 2011) -- Engaging in regular physical activity is associated with less decline in cognitive function in older adults, according to two new studies. ... > full story

Galaxy-sized twist in time pulls violating particles back into line (July 19, 2011) -- A physicist in the UK has produced a galaxy-sized solution that explains one of the outstanding puzzles of particle physics, while leaving the door open to the related conundrum of why different amounts of matter and antimatter seem to have survived the birth of our Universe. Physicists would like a neat universe where the laws of physics are so universal that every particle and its antiparticle behave in the same way. ... > full story

Gradual bone reduction seen in some birth control pill users (July 19, 2011) -- Birth control pills may reduce a woman's bone density, according to a new study. Impacts on bone were small, depended on the woman's age and the pill's hormone dose, and did not appear until about two years of use. The researchers also reported how on bone density levels when a woman stops using the pill. ... > full story

Soil samples reveal urban mercury footprints (July 19, 2011) -- A new study has investigated mercury deposits in industrialized city soil near coal-fired power plants. While wind patterns vary by cities, the process in various urban areas is similar with mercury emitted from coal-fired power plants contaminating soil that is then transported downstream. Since cities have a high percentage of impervious surfaces like roads and parking lots, the mercury enters waterways rapidly. ... > full story

Painful legacy of teen sports (July 19, 2011) -- A new study links high rates of osteoarthritis in athletes to femur damage during adolescence, as a result of participation in high-intensity sports. ... > full story

Twisted tale of our galaxy's ring: Strange kink in Milky Way (July 19, 2011) -- New observations from the Herschel Space Observatory show a bizarre, twisted ring of dense gas at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Only a few portions of the ring, which stretches across more than 600 light-years, were known before. Herschel's view reveals the entire ring for the first time, and a strange kink that has astronomers scratching their heads. ... > full story

Patients who use anti-depressants are more likely to suffer relapse, researcher finds (July 19, 2011) -- Patients who use anti-depressants are much more likely to suffer relapses of major depression than those who use no medication at all, according to new research. In an article that is likely to ignite new controversy in the hotly debated field of depression and medication, an evolutionary psychologist concludes that patients who have used anti-depressant medications can be nearly twice as susceptible to future episodes of major depression. ... > full story

Solar panels keep buildings cool (July 19, 2011) -- Those solar panels on top of your roof aren't just providing clean power; they are cooling your house, or your workplace, too, according to a team of environmental engineering researchers. ... > full story

Over half of Alzheimer's cases may be preventable, say researchers (July 19, 2011) -- Over half of all Alzheimer's disease cases could potentially be prevented through lifestyle changes and treatment or prevention of chronic medical conditions, according to a new study. ... > full story

How dairy farms contribute to greenhouse gas emissions (July 19, 2011) -- Scientists have produced the first detailed data on how large-scale dairy facilities contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases. ... > full story

Mothers with breastfeeding difficulties more likely to suffer postpartum depression, study finds (July 19, 2011) -- Women who have breastfeeding difficulties in the first two weeks after giving birth are more likely to suffer postpartum depression two months later compared to women without such difficulties, according to a new study. ... > full story

The face of a frog: Time-lapse video reveals never-before-seen bioelectric pattern (July 19, 2011) -- For the first time, biologists have reported that bioelectrical signals are necessary for normal head and facial formation in an organism and have captured that process in a time-lapse video that reveals never-before-seen patterns of visible bioelectrical signals outlining where eyes, nose, mouth, and other features will appear in an embryonic tadpole. ... > full story

Exposure to secondhand smoke associated with hearing loss in adolescents (July 19, 2011) -- Exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with increased risk of hearing loss among adolescents, according to a new report. ... > full story

Research in 'Westie' dogs may hold answers to similar human diseases (July 19, 2011) -- Scientists have announced preliminary findings in two major studies involving the health of West Highland white terriers also known as westies. Findings in these and other studies of Westies and other dogs may hold answers for similar human conditions like inflammatory bowel disease. ... > full story

New anti-cancer agents show promise for treating aggressive breast cancers (July 19, 2011) -- Some of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer are more vulnerable to chemotherapy when it is combined with a new class of anti-cancer agent, researchers have shown. ... > full story

Fewer aphids in organic crop fields, study finds (July 19, 2011) -- Farmers who spray insecticides against aphids as a preventative measure only achieve a short-term effect with this method. In the long term, their fields will end up with even more aphids than untreated fields, according to new research. ... > full story

Fewer verbs and nouns in financial reporting could predict stock market bubble, study shows (July 19, 2011) -- After examining 18,000 online articles published by the Financial Times, The New York Times, and the BBC, scientists discovered that verbs and nouns used by financial commentators converge in a 'herd-like' fashion in the lead up to a stock market bubble. The findings show that trends in word use financial journalists correlate closely with changes in leading stock indices. ... > full story

Neural signature of 'mental time travel': Memories formed in the same context become linked, evidence shows (July 19, 2011) -- Almost everyone has experienced one memory triggering another, but explanations for that phenomenon have proved elusive. Now, researchers have provided the first neurobiological evidence that memories formed in the same context become linked, the foundation of the theory of episodic memory. ... > full story

Soy/milk protein dietary supplements linked to lower blood pressure (July 19, 2011) -- Soy and milk protein dietary supplements lowered systolic blood pressure compared to refined (simple) carbohydrate supplements, according to a new study. Researchers suggest that replacing dietary refined carbohydrates with foods or drinks high in soy or milk protein might help prevent or treat high blood pressure. ... > full story

'Smart' sunglasses block blinding glare (July 19, 2011) -- The days of being blinded by glare from the sun, despite the 0 sunglasses straddling your face, may soon be over. ... > full story

ID1 protein boosts lung cancer in smokers, non-smokers; Potential anti-oncogenic target (July 19, 2011) -- Lung cancer is strongly correlated with smoking, and most lung cancer patients are current or former smokers. But it is not rare in nonsmokers. Now, a team of researchers shows that a protein called ID1 is a key player in lung cancer in both smokers and nonsmokers. ... > full story

Click chemistry with copper: A biocompatible version (July 19, 2011) -- Researchers have found a way to make copper-catalyzed click chemistry biocompatible. By adding a ligand that minimizes the toxicity of copper but still allows it to catalyze the click chemistry reaction, the researchers can safely use their reaction in living cells. ... > full story

'Simon says': Preschool-age kids in different countries improve academically using self-regulation game (July 19, 2011) -- Children who regularly participated in a Simon Says-type game designed to improve self-regulation -- called the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task -- may have better math and early literacy scores. A new study found that the higher academic outcomes associated with the game, which emphasizes careful listening and following instructions, does not just benefit students in the United States, but also benefits children tested in Taiwan, China and South Korea. ... > full story

Bacteria use Batman-like grappling hooks to 'slingshot' on surfaces, study shows (July 19, 2011) -- Researchers have diagnosed a complex sequence of movements that make-up the "twitching" motility in bacteria with type IV pili (TFP). TFP act like Batman's grappling hooks that extend and bind to a surface to retract and pull the cell along. Using a high-speed camera and a novel two-point tracking algorithm, researchers also noticed the bacteria had the additional capability to "slingshot" on surfaces. ... > full story

Single traumatic brain injury may prompt long-term neurodegeneration (July 19, 2011) -- In a new study, researchers suggest that Alzheimer's disease-like neurodegeneration may be initiated or accelerated following a single traumatic brain injury, even in young adults. ... > full story

Scientists analyze, explain the chemical makeup of Gulf plume (July 19, 2011) -- Taking another major step in sleuthing the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a research team has determined what chemicals were contained in a deep, hydrocarbon-containing plume at least 22 miles long that WHOI scientists mapped and sampled last summer in the Gulf of Mexico, a residue of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Moreover, they have taken a big step in explaining why some chemicals, but not others, made their way into the plume. ... > full story

Melanoma screening by physicians associated with finding more cancers than patient self-detection (July 19, 2011) -- Physician-based screening for melanoma is associated with higher rates of physician-detected melanoma and detection of thinner melanoma, according to a new study. ... > full story

Antibiotic disrupts termite microflora, reducing fertility, longevity (July 19, 2011) -- The microbial flora of the termite gut are necessary both for cellulose digestion and normal reproduction, and feeding the insects antibiotics can interfere in these processes, according to a new study. ... > full story

Decisions, decisions, decisions ... (July 19, 2011) -- We all make numerous decisions everyday; unconsciously or consciously, sometimes doing it automatically with little effort or thinking and yet, at other times, we agonize for hours over another. Why do we make these choices -- be it from deciding what to have for lunch or whether to say yes to that job offer halfway round the world. Sometimes we make choices on our own, and at other times, the choice is made for us. ... > full story