ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Friday, September 2, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Friday, September 2, 2011

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Hubble movies reveal solar-system-sized traffic jams: Giant jets spewing from newborn stars revealed in telescope's images (September 2, 2011) -- Using Hubble Space Telescope images, astronomers have created time-lapse movies that offer astronomers their first glimpse of the dynamic behavior of stellar jets, huge torrents of gas and particles that spew from the poles of newborn stars. The movies are forcing astronomers to rethink the late stages of star birth. The researchers are also using lasers to recreate small-scale versions of the jets. ... > full story

World Trade Center-exposed NYC firefighters face increased cancer risk, study finds (September 2, 2011) -- In the largest cancer study of firefighters ever conducted, researchers have found that New York City firefighters exposed to the Sept. 11 World Trade Center (WTC) disaster site were at least 19 percent more likely to develop cancer in the seven years following the disaster as their non-exposed colleagues and up to 10 percent more likely to develop cancer than a similar sample from the general population. ... > full story

Hydrogen powered prototype vessel for inland waterways: Canal boat runs on fuel cell drive (September 2, 2011) -- Researchers have been operating a canal boat with a fuel cell drive for three years now. In the world of shipbuilding, however, different rules apply than those in the automobile manufacturing industries. Weight is of practically no significance, but the propulsion plant must have an operating lifetime as long as that of the boat itself. The hydride storage system -- the hydrogen tank -- must meet this challenging requirement. ... > full story

Study finds more gut reaction to arthritis drugs; Stomach acid-suppressing drugs appear to damage small intestine (September 2, 2011) -- A research team has found stomach acid-reducing drugs, known as proton pump inhibitors, may actually be aggravating damage in the small intestine caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs. ... > full story

Feeding cows natural plant extracts can reduce dairy farm odors and feed costs (September 2, 2011) -- With citizens' groups seeking government regulation of foul-smelling ammonia emissions from large dairy farms, scientists report that adding natural plant extracts to cow feed can reduce levels of the gas by one-third while reducing the need to fortify cow feed with expensive protein supplements. ... > full story

Language speed versus efficiency: Is faster better? (September 2, 2011) -- A recent study of the speech information rate of seven languages concludes that there is considerable variation in the speed at which languages are spoken, but much less variation in how efficiently languages communicate the same information. ... > full story

Glowing, blinking bacteria reveal how cells synchronize biological clocks (September 2, 2011) -- Biologists have long known that organisms from bacteria to humans use the 24 hour cycle of light and darkness to set their biological clocks. But exactly how these clocks are synchronized at the molecular level to perform the interactions within a population of cells that depend on the precise timing of circadian rhythms is less well understood. ... > full story

Persistent immunity: Researchers find signals that preserve anti-viral antibodies (September 2, 2011) -- How does our remarkable immune system retain the ability to defend against viruses previously encountered? While antibodies persist in our blood for only a few short weeks, our bodies retain the cells that make specific, successful antibodies for decades. Researchers have determined the protein signals that keep the memory of old viruses alive, findings that may aid in creating better, more effective vaccines. ... > full story

Physicists demonstrate quantum integrated circuit that implements quantum von Neumann architecture (September 2, 2011) -- A new paradigm in quantum information processing has been demonstrated. Physicists have developed a quantum integrated circuit that implements the quantum von Neumann architecture. In this architecture, a long-lived quantum random access memory can be programmed using a quantum central processing unit, all constructed on a single chip, providing the key components for a quantum version of a classical computer. ... > full story

Crippling condition associated with diabetes is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood (September 2, 2011) -- A new article explains symptoms and treatments for Charcot foot, a form of localized osteoporosis linked to diabetes that causes the bones to soften and break, often resulting in amputation. ... > full story

New salts for chemical 'soups' (September 2, 2011) -- Organozinc reagents are an important class of organometallic compounds with a wide range of applications. Chemists have now developed a novel route for the synthesis of so-called organozinc pivalates in a stable powdered form. They promise to be extremely useful in many industrial contexts. ... > full story

Insomnia costing US workforce .2 billion a year in lost productivity, study shows (September 2, 2011) -- Insomnia is costing the average US worker 11.3 days, or ,280 in lost productivity every year, according to a new study considered to be more accurate than previous estimates. Researchers hope such numbers will prompt the implementation of screening and treatment programs for employees. Because insomnia is not considered an illness -- the kind that results in lost days at work -- employers tend to ignore its consequences. ... > full story

From a flat mirror, designer light: Bizarre optical phenomena defies laws of reflection and refraction (September 1, 2011) -- Exploiting a novel technique called phase discontinuity, researchers have induced light rays to behave in a way that defies the centuries-old laws of reflection and refraction. The discovery has led to a reformulation of the mathematical laws that predict the path of a ray of light bouncing off a surface or traveling from one medium into another -- for example, from air into glass. ... > full story

Signs of aging may be linked to undetected blocked brain blood vessels (September 1, 2011) -- Tiny blocked brain vessels may be the cause of many common signs associated with older age, according to new research. Brain autopsies showed more lesions in those with the most pronounced difficulty walking. Thirty percent of small brain lesions could only be seen under a microscope after study participants died. The lesions couldn't be detected by current scans. ... > full story

Warming streams could be the end for spring-run Chinook salmon in California (September 1, 2011) -- Warming streams could spell the end of spring-run Chinook salmon in California by the end of the century, according to a study by scientists at UC Davis, the Stockholm Environment Institute and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. ... > full story

New half-match bone marrow transplant procedure yields promising outcomes for cancer patients (September 1, 2011) -- Half-matched bone marrow or stem cell transplants for blood cancer patients have typically been associated with disappointing clinical outcomes. However, a clinical trial testing its unique, two-step half-match procedure has produced some promising results: the probability of overall survival was 45 percent in all patients after three years and 75 percent in patients who were in remission at the time of the transplant. ... > full story

Insect gut microbe with a molecular iron reservoir: Researchers analyze the structure of an iron storage protein (September 1, 2011) -- Iron plays an important role in almost every life form. Low iron can lead to deficiency symptoms and reduced growth, whereas too much iron may harm biomolecules like DNA. Researchers in Germany have now elucidated the spatial structure of a bacterial enzyme in Microbacterium arborescens which is able to accumulate several hundred iron ions in its center -- depending on the iron supply situation in its environment: for example in the larval gut of the beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua. ... > full story

Perception of facial expressions differs across cultures (September 1, 2011) -- Facial expressions have been called the "universal language of emotion," but people from different cultures perceive happy, sad or angry facial expressions in unique ways, according to new research. ... > full story

NASA's Chandra finds nearest pair of supermassive black holes (September 1, 2011) -- Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered the first pair of supermassive black holes in a spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way. Approximately 160 million light years from Earth, the pair is the nearest known such phenomenon. ... > full story

Decrease in smoking reduces death rates within months (September 1, 2011) -- A new study has found that a decrease in smoking rapidly reduces mortality rates in individuals and entire populations within six months. ... > full story

Two brain halves, one perception: How communication between brain hemispheres determines individual's subjective experience (September 1, 2011) -- Our brain is divided into two hemispheres, which are linked through only a few connections. However, we do not seem to have a problem to create a coherent image of our environment -- our perception is not "split" in two halves. For the seamless unity of our subjective experience, information from both hemispheres needs to be efficiently integrated. The corpus callosum, the largest fibre bundle connecting the left and right side of our brain, plays a major role in this process. Researchers in Germany investigated whether differences between individuals in the anatomy of the corpus callosum would predict how observers perceive a visual stimulus for which the left and right hemisphere need to cooperate. As their results indicate, the characteristics of specific callosal fibre tracts are related to the subjective experience of individuals. ... > full story

Really bad body odor? Undiagnosed TMAU may explain many cases of personal malodor (September 1, 2011) -- Scientists report that approximately one third of patients with unexplained body malodor test positive for the metabolic disorder trimethylaminuria (TMAU). A diagnosis offers relief to these individuals, as once the disease is identified, the debilitating symptoms can be ameliorated through changes in diet and other approaches. ... > full story

Faster diagnostics through cheap, ultra-portable blood testing (September 1, 2011) -- Current blood testing procedures are expensive and time-consuming, while sophisticated test equipment is bulky and difficult to transport. A team of researchers has addressed all these drawbacks in a new low-cost, portable blood testing technique using surface plasmon resonance. The technique could help in a wide range of medical sensing applications, including diagnosing diseases like cancer and diabetes long before clinical symptoms arise. ... > full story

Habit makes bad food too easy to swallow (September 1, 2011) -- Do you always get popcorn at the movies? Or snack while you're on the couch watching television? A new article reveals why bad eating habits persist even when the food we're eating doesn't taste good. The study also reveals the surprisingly simple ways we can counter our habits to gain control over what we eat. ... > full story

Word association: Study matches brain scans with complex thought (September 1, 2011) -- Researchers have for the first time matched images of brain activity with categories of words related to the concepts a person is thinking about. The results could lead to a better understanding of how people consider meaning and context when reading or thinking. ... > full story

Alzheimer's brains found to have lower levels of key protein (September 1, 2011) -- Researchers have found that a protein variation linked by some genetic studies to Alzheimer's disease is consistently present in the actual brains of people with Alzheimer's. In further biochemical and cell culture investigations, they have shown that this protein, known as ubiquilin-1, performs a critical Alzheimer's-related function: it "chaperones" the formation of amyloid precursor protein, a molecule whose malformation has been directly tied to Alzheimer's pathology. ... > full story

'Plastic bottle' solution for arsenic-contaminated water threatening 100 million people (September 1, 2011) -- With almost 100 million people in developing countries exposed to dangerously high arsenic levels in their drinking water, and unable to afford purification technology, scientists described a simple, inexpensive method for removing arsenic based on chopped up pieces of plastic beverage bottles coated with a nutrient found in many foods and dietary supplements. ... > full story

New understanding of role of telomeres in tumor growth (September 1, 2011) -- The first report of the presence of alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) in cancers arising from the bladder, cervix, endometrium, esophagus, gallbladder, liver, and lung was recently published. The presence of ALT in carcinomas can be used as a diagnostic marker and has implications for the development of anti-cancer drug therapies. ... > full story

A 'nano,' environmentally friendly, and low toxicity flame retardant protects fabric (September 1, 2011) -- The technology in "fire paint" used to protect steel beams in buildings and other structures has found a new life as a first-of-its-kind flame retardant for children's cotton sleepwear, terrycloth bathrobes and other apparel, according to new report. ... > full story

Faster progress through puberty linked to behavior problems, study finds (September 1, 2011) -- Children who go through puberty at a faster rate are more likely to act out and to suffer from anxiety and depression, according to a new study. The results suggest that primary care providers, teachers and parents should look not only at the timing of puberty in relation to kids' behavior problems, but also at the tempo of puberty -- how fast or slow kids go through puberty. ... > full story

Humans shaped stone axes 1.8 million years ago: Advanced tool-making methods pushed back in time (September 1, 2011) -- A new study suggests that Homo erectus, a precursor to modern humans, was using advanced toolmaking methods in East Africa 1.8 million years ago, at least 300,000 years earlier than previously thought. The study raises new questions about where these tall and slender early humans originated and how they developed sophisticated tool-making technology. ... > full story

New culprit in Alzheimer’s disease: Too many blood vessels (September 1, 2011) -- Scientists may have uncovered a new explanation for how Alzheimer's disease destroys the brain -- a profusion of blood vessels. They suggest that the growth of capillaries leads to a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, allowing amyloid beta, the hallmark of the neurodegenerative disease, to be deposited in the brain tissue. ... > full story

Iron 'veins' are secret of promising new hydrogen storage material (September 1, 2011) -- Scientists have a new approach to the problem of safely storing hydrogen in future fuel-cell powered cars -- molecular scale 'veins' of iron permeating grains of magnesium like a network of capillaries. ... > full story

Bone marrow stem cell therapy safe for acute stroke, study suggests (September 1, 2011) -- Using a patient's own bone marrow stem cells to treat acute stroke is feasible and safe, according to the results of a ground-breaking Phase I trial. ... > full story

Communication via electron spin: Scientists propose new kind of information technology (September 1, 2011) -- Is it time for a communications paradigm shift? Scientists calculate that encoding and sending information via electron spin, instead of voltage changes, may mean tiny chips could transmit more information and consume less power. ... > full story

Trust in your neighbors could benefit your health (September 1, 2011) -- A new study shows that increasing trust in neighbors is associated with better self-reported health. ... > full story

The star that should not exist (September 1, 2011) -- A team of European astronomers has used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) to track down a star in the Milky Way that many thought was impossible. They discovered that this star is composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, placing it in the "forbidden zone" of a widely accepted theory of star formation, meaning that it should never have come into existence. ... > full story

Medicinal chemists modify sea bacteria byproduct for use as potential cancer drug (September 1, 2011) -- Scientists have modified a toxic chemical produced by tiny marine microbes and successfully deployed it against laboratory models of colon cancer. More work is needed before a human treatment can be considered, but it appears to be a novel way to kill tumor cells. ... > full story

Extreme 2010 Russian fires and Pakistan floods linked meteorologically, study suggests (September 1, 2011) -- Two of the most destructive natural disasters of 2010 were closely linked by a single meteorological event, even though they occurred 1,500 miles (2,414 km) apart and were of completely different natures, a new NASA study suggests. ... > full story

Choice of seizure drug for brain tumor patients may affect survival (September 1, 2011) -- New research suggests brain tumor patients who take the seizure drug valproic acid on top of standard treatment may live longer than people who take other kinds of epilepsy medications to control seizures. ... > full story

Magnetic memories manipulated by voltage, not heat (September 1, 2011) -- Using voltage to encode magnetic data could lead to smaller, faster memory devices -- but not if heat is doing all the work. Fortunately, it is the voltage itself, and not the side effect of heating, that modifies the magnets' properties. ... > full story

Marshmallow test points to biological basis for delayed gratification (September 1, 2011) -- A landmark study in the late 1960s and early 1970s used marshmallows and cookies to assess the ability of preschool children to delay gratification. A newly published follow-up revisits some of the same children, now adults. ... > full story

Cutting soot emissions: Fastest, most economical way to slow global warming? (September 1, 2011) -- A new study of dust-like particles of soot in the air -- now emerging as the second most important, but previously overlooked, factor in global warming -- provides fresh evidence that reducing soot emissions from diesel engines and other sources could slow melting of sea ice in the Arctic faster and more economically than any other quick fix. ... > full story

How white blood cell promotes growth and spread of cancer (September 1, 2011) -- Scientists have shown that a particular white blood cell plays a direct role in the development and spread of cancerous tumors. ... > full story

Down to the wire: Inexpensive technique for making high quality nanowire solar cells (September 1, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a solution-based technique for fabricating core/shell nanowire solar cells using the semiconductors cadmium sulfide for the core and copper sulfide for the shell. These inexpensive and easy-to-make nanowire solar cells hold great promise for future solar cell technology. ... > full story

Commonly used defibrillators raise risk of problems, study suggests (September 1, 2011) -- With defibrillators, simpler may be better, according to a new study. The group reviewed more than 100,000 records of cardiac patients. They found that there was more chance of surgical problems and death with devices that require electrical leads to be attached to two chambers of the heart compared to those that work on one chamber. ... > full story

New insight into how disordered solids deform (September 1, 2011) -- In solid materials with regular atomic structures, figuring out weak points where the material will break under stress is relatively easy. But for disordered solids, like glass or sand, their disordered nature makes such predictions much more daunting tasks. Now, a collaboration combining a theoretical model with a first-of-its kind experiment has demonstrated a novel method for identifying "soft spots" in such materials. ... > full story

Bullying: How do victims respond to bullies and why? (September 1, 2011) -- Many wonder why bullies bully, but a new study looks at the other side of the equation: How do children respond to bullying and why? The answer, researchers say, may lead to more effective interventions to reduce the negative consequences -- and perhaps even the frequency -- of bullying. ... > full story