ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Monday, September 5, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Monday, September 5, 2011

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Rock rafts could be 'cradle of life' (September 4, 2011) -- Floating rafts of volcanic pumice could have played a significant role in the origins of life on Earth, scientists from have suggested. ... > full story

Human intestinal stem cell breakthrough for regenerative medicine (September 4, 2011) -- Human colon stem cells have been identified and grown in a petri dish for the first time. This achievement is a crucial advance towards regenerative medicine. ... > full story

Rush hour in a coffee stain: Transition from order to disorder (September 4, 2011) -- A remarkable effect never witnessed before has been discovered in the ring-shaped stains of tiny dissolved particles ('coffee stains') that develop after a liquid has evaporated. While the particles on the outside of the ring are neatly organized, chaos reigns on the inside of the ring where the particles seem to have collected in a great hurry. ... > full story

Key function of mutation in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer gene discovered (September 4, 2011) -- It is widely known that mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility 1 (BRCA1) gene significantly increase the chance of developing breast and ovarian cancers, but the mechanisms at play are not fully understood. Now, researchers have shown that certain BRCA1 mutations result in excessive, uncontrolled DNA repair, which challenges the prior assumption that mutations in BRCA1 only contribute to breast cancer through a reduction in function. ... > full story

Adding hydrogen triples transistor performance in graphene (September 4, 2011) -- A technique that uses hydrogen to improve transistor performance on real-world graphene devices has been demonstrated on the wafer-scale. Researchers have demonstrated a 3x improvement in electron mobility of epitaxial graphene grown on the silicon face of a 100 mm silicon carbide wafer, as well as a similar improvement in radio-frequency transistor performance. ... > full story

Sex hormones impact career choices, psychologists find in new study (September 4, 2011) -- Teacher, pilot, nurse or engineer? Sex hormones strongly influence people's interests, which affect the kinds of occupations they choose, according to psychologists. ... > full story

Robots learn to handle objects, understand new places (September 4, 2011) -- Infants spend their first few months learning to find their way around and manipulating objects, and they are very flexible about it: Cups can come in different shapes and sizes, but they all have handles. So do pitchers, so we pick them up the same way. Now researchers are teaching robots to manipulate objects and find their way around in new environments. ... > full story

Researchers successfully perform first injection of cultured red blood cells in human donor (September 4, 2011) -- For the first time, researchers have successfully injected cultured red blood cells (cRBCs) created from human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into a human donor. As the global need for blood continues to increase while the number of blood donors is decreasing, these study results provide hope that one day patients in need of a blood transfusion might become their own donors. ... > full story

Sporulation may have given rise to the bacterial outer membrane (September 4, 2011) -- Bacteria can generally be divided into two classes: those with just one membrane and those with two. Now researchers have used a powerful imaging technique to find what they believe may be the missing link between the two classes, as well as a plausible explanation for how the outer membrane may have arisen. ... > full story

Nearly half of runners may be drinking too much during races (September 4, 2011) -- Nearly half of recreational runners may be drinking too much fluid during races, according to a new survey of runners. ... > full story

Climate in the past million years determined greatly by dust in the Southern Ocean (September 4, 2011) -- Scientists have quantified dust and iron fluxes deposited in the Antarctic Ocean during the past 4 million years. The research study shows evidence of the close relation between the maximum contributions of dust to this ocean and climate changes occurring in the most intense glaciation periods of the Pleistocene period, some 1.25 million years ago. Data confirms the role of iron in the increase in phytoplankton levels during glacial periods, intensifying the function of this ocean as a carbon dioxide sink. ... > full story

Advertising in violent video games results in poor recall, negative brand perception (September 4, 2011) -- Embedding advertisements in violent video games leads to lower brand recall and negative brand attitudes suggesting advertisers should think twice about including such ads in a media campaign, according to new research. ... > full story

Pharmacists need to provide better information to teenagers on risks and benefits of medicines, review suggests (September 4, 2011) -- A large proportion of teenagers regularly and frequently take some form of medication without receiving targeted information about the risks and benefits, according to a review of current research. ... > full story

TB vaccine candidate shows early promise (September 4, 2011) -- Researchers say that they have developed a tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate that proved both potent and safe in animal studies. According to the World Health Organization, TB kills an estimated 1.7 million people each year and infects one out of three people around the globe. With drug-resistant strains spreading, a vaccine for preventing TB is urgently needed. ... > full story

Manipulating plants' circadian clock may make all-season crops possible (September 3, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a key genetic gear that keeps the circadian clock of plants ticking, a finding that could have broad implications for global agriculture. ... > full story

Discovery suggests way to block fetal brain damage produced by oxygen deprivation (September 3, 2011) -- Examining brain damage that occurs when fetuses in the womb are deprived of oxygen, researchers have discovered that damage does not occur randomly but is linked to the specific action of a naturally occurring fatty molecule called LPA, acting through a receptor that transfers information into young brain cells. ... > full story

Rare Martian lake delta spotted by Mars Express (September 3, 2011) -- The European Space Agency's Mars Express has spotted a rare case of a crater once filled by a lake, revealed by the presence of a delta. The delta is an ancient fan-shaped deposit of dark sediments, laid down in water. It is a reminder of Mars' past, wetter climate. ... > full story

Researchers investigate new mechanism for predicting how diseases spread (September 3, 2011) -- Researchers have investigated the outcomes of a previously ignored mechanism in modeling how humans travel. By challenging a long-held assumption, they hope to create models that can more accurately predict the spread of disease and the spread of human-mediated bioinvasions. ... > full story

Elusive prey: Selection pressures imposed by predator fungi have shaped escape behavior in microscopic worms (September 3, 2011) -- New research offers evidence that for the first time illuminates a biological and ecological path that links genes to molecule to neural circuit to behavior to environment. ... > full story

Attractive dads have more grandchildren, zebra finch study shows (September 3, 2011) -- A study of zebra finches has shown that males' attractiveness influences the number and size of eggs their daughters produce -- not genetically but through the effect of their attractiveness on their mate's behavior. ... > full story

Understanding next-generation electronic devices: Smallest atomic displacements ever (September 3, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a novel X-ray technique for imaging atomic displacements in materials with unprecedented accuracy. They have applied their technique to determine how a recently discovered class of exotic materials -- multiferroics -- can be simultaneously both magnetically and electrically ordered. Multiferroics are also candidate materials for new classes of electronic devices. The discovery is a major breakthrough in understanding multiferroics. ... > full story

Researchers develop new way to predict heart transplant survival (September 3, 2011) -- Researchers say they have developed a formula to predict which heart transplant patients are at greatest risk of death in the year following their surgeries, information that could help medical teams figure out who would benefit most from the small number of available organs. ... > full story

Aquarius makes first ocean salt measurements (September 3, 2011) -- NASA's Aquarius instrument has successfully completed its commissioning phase and is now "tasting" the saltiness of Earth's ocean surface, making measurements from its perch in near-polar orbit. ... > full story

Glucocorticoid treatment may prevent long term damage to joints, study shows (September 3, 2011) -- Joint injury can result in irreversible damage of cartilage which, despite treatment and surgery, often eventually leads to osteoarthritis (OA) in later life. New research demonstrates that short term treatment of damaged cartilage with glucocorticoids can reduce long term degenerative changes and may provide hope for prevention of OA after injury. ... > full story

Climatic benefits from carbon sequestration are largely offset by increased nitrous oxide emissions, study finds (September 3, 2011) -- Recent studies have shown that human nitrogen additions to terrestrial ecosystems increase the terrestrial carbon dioxide uptake from the atmosphere. A new study reports now that the climatic benefits from carbon sequestration are largely offset by increased nitrous oxide emissions, a further side-effect of human nitrogen additions to terrestrial ecosystems. ... > full story

Sexual orientation unconsciously affects our impressions of others, Canadian study suggests (September 3, 2011) -- Studies by psychologists in Canada reveal that when it comes to white men, being straight may make you more likable but in the case of black men, gays have a likability edge. ... > full story

Vitamin A supplements for infants could save thousands of lives a year (September 3, 2011) -- An international study suggests that giving vitamin A supplements to children in low and middle income countries could significantly cut rates of mortality, illnesses and blindness amongst those below the age of five. ... > full story

New treatments for baldness? Scientists find stem cells that tell hair it's time to grow (September 2, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered the source of signals that trigger hair growth, an insight that may lead to new treatments for baldness. ... > full story

Powerful antioxidant resveratrol prevents metabolic syndrome in lab tests, study finds (September 2, 2011) -- Researchers in Canada have discovered that resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant found in common foods, prevents a syndrome in some offspring that could lead to later health issues such as diabetes. Resveratrol is found in fruits, nuts and red wine, and has been shown to extend the lifespan of many species. ... > full story

Engineers test effects of fire on steel structures, nuclear plant design (September 2, 2011) -- Ten years after Sept. 11, researchers are continuing work that could lead to safer steel structures such as buildings and bridges and also an emerging type of nuclear power plant design. ... > full story

New insight in how cells' powerhouse divides (September 2, 2011) -- New research puts an unexpected twist on how mitochondria, the energy-generating structures within cells, divide. The work could have implications for a wide range of diseases and conditions. ... > full story

Hiding objects with a terahertz invisibility cloak (September 2, 2011) -- Researchers have created a new kind of cloaking material that can render objects invisible in the terahertz range. Though this design can't translate into an invisibility cloak for the visible spectrum, it could have implications in diagnostics, security, and communication. ... > full story

People think the 'typical' member of a group looks like them (September 2, 2011) -- What does a typical European face look like according to Europeans? It all depends on which European you ask. Germans think the typical European looks more German; Portuguese people think the typical European looks more Portuguese, according to a new study. ... > full story

Up from the depths: How bacteria capture carbon in the 'twilight zone' (September 2, 2011) -- Located between 200 and 1,000 meters below the ocean surface is a "twilight zone" where insufficient sunlight penetrates for microorganisms to perform photosynthesis. Details are now emerging about a microbial metabolic pathway that helps solve the mystery of how certain bacteria capture carbon in the dark ocean, enabling a better understanding of what happens to the carbon that is fixed in the oceans every year. ... > full story

Researchers identify gene that leads to myopia (nearsightedness) (September 2, 2011) -- Despite decades of intensive research, the specific genes whose defects lead to nearsightedness have remained elusive. A defective gene was identified in a thorough study of severe early-onset myopia that is common in a specific Bedouin tribe in southern Israel. ... > full story

How to get ahead in the nervous system: Scientists discover a highly conserved mechanism governing brain development (September 2, 2011) -- If you think today's political rhetoric is overheated, imagine what goes on inside a vertebrate embryo. There, two armies whose agendas are poles apart, engage in a battle with consequences much more dire than whether the economy will recover -- they are battling for whether you (or frogs or chickens) will have a forebrain. A new study reveals that a foot soldier of one army -- the ventralizers -- deploys a weapon that disarms the other -- the dorsalizers -- leaving the embryo free to develop a proper brain. Those findings define how the embryonic nervous system develops and could shed light on mechanisms underlying colon cancer. ... > full story

To treat rare immune deficiency disease, scientists repurpose bone marrow transplant drug (September 2, 2011) -- A new study reports that a drug already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in patients undergoing a bone marrow transplant may also have promise for treating people who have a rare immune deficiency known as WHIM syndrome. People with the syndrome are more susceptible to potentially life-threatening bacterial and viral infections, particularly human papillomavirus infections, which cause skin and genital warts and can lead to cancer. ... > full story

NASA's Mars rover Opportunity begins study of Martian crater (September 2, 2011) -- The initial work of NASA's Mars rover Opportunity at its new location on Mars shows surface compositional differences from anything the robot has studied in its first 7.5 years of exploration. ... > full story

Visual test effective in diagnosing concussions in collegiate athletes, study suggests (September 2, 2011) -- A sideline visual test effectively detected concussions in collegiate athletes, according to researchers. This quick visual test, easily administered on the playing field, holds promise as a complement to other diagnostic tools for sports-related concussion. ... > full story

Woolly rhino fossil discovery in Tibet provides important clues to evolution of Ice Age giants (September 2, 2011) -- Fossil discoveries from Tibet offer new insights into the origin of the cold-adapted Pleistocene megafauna. A new research paper posits that the harsh winters of the rising Tibetan Plateau may have provided the initial step towards cold-adaptation for several subsequently successful members of the late Pleistocene mammoth fauna in Europe, Asia, and to a lesser extent, North America. The Tibetan Plateau, therefore, may have been another cradle of the Ice Age giants. ... > full story

Starving inflammatory immune cells slows damage caused by multiple sclerosis, study finds (September 2, 2011) -- Researchers report that inhibiting the ability of immune cells to use fatty acids as fuel measurably slows disease progression in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). ... > full story

Physicists capture microscopic origins of thinning and thickening fluids (September 2, 2011) -- In things thick and thin: Physicists now explain how fluids -- such as paint or paste -- behave by observing how micron-sized suspended particles dance in real time. Using high-speed microscopy, the scientists unveil how these particles are responding to fluid flows from shear -- a specific way of stirring. ... > full story

Cryptococcus infections misdiagnosed in many AIDS patients, study suggests (September 2, 2011) -- Most AIDS patients, when diagnosed with a fungal infection known simply as cryptococcosis, are assumed to have an infection with Cryptococcus neoformans, but a new study suggests that a sibling species, Cryptococcus gattii, is a more common cause than was previously known. The difference between these strains could make a difference in treatment, clinical course, and outcome. ... > full story

New microscope might see beneath skin in 4-D (September 2, 2011) -- Other devices can take 3-D pictures of tissue below the surface of skin, but a new microscope adds an extra dimension: a spectroscopic "fingerprint" that measures the wavelength (or color) of light reflected off each point within a sample in a single snapshot. Researchers hope this innovation may one day be used for early detection of skin cancer. ... > full story

Alcohol dulls brain 'alarm' that monitors mistakes, study finds (September 2, 2011) -- Most people have witnessed otherwise intelligent people doing embarrassing or stupid things when they are intoxicated, but what specifically happens in the brain to cause such drunken actions? A new study testing alcohol's effects on brain activity finds that alcohol dulls the brain "signal" that warns people when they are making a mistake, ultimately reducing self control. ... > full story

Biological 'computer' destroys cancer cells: Diagnostic network incorporated into human cells (September 2, 2011) -- Researchers have successfully incorporated a diagnostic biological "computer" network into human cells. This network recognizes certain cancer cells using logic combinations of five cancer-specific molecular factors, triggering cancer cells destruction. ... > full story

First long-term study of WTC workers shows widespread health problems 10 years after Sept. 11 (September 2, 2011) -- In the first long-term study of the health impacts of the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse on Sept. 11, 2001, researchers have found substantial and persistent mental and physical health problems among Sept. 11 first responders and recovery workers. ... > full story

Digital quantum simulator developed (September 2, 2011) -- Physicists in Austria have come considerably closer to their goal to investigate complex phenomena in a model system: They have developed a digital, and therefore, universal quantum simulator in their laboratory, which can, in principle, simulate any physical system efficiently. ... > full story