ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Sunday, September 11, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Sunday, September 11, 2011

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NASA Launches Mission to Study Moon From Crust to Core (September 10, 2011) -- NASA's twin lunar Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 9:08 a.m. EDT (6:08 a.m. PDT) Saturday, Sept. 10, to study the moon in unprecedented detail. GRAIL-A is scheduled to reach the moon on New Year's Eve 2011, while GRAIL-B will arrive New Year's Day 2012. The two solar-powered spacecraft will fly in tandem orbits around the moon to measure its gravity field. GRAIL will answer longstanding questions about the moon and give scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed. ... > full story

Clue to cause of childhood hydrocephalus: Excess of natural molecule can bring about the devastating 'water on the brain' condition in mice (September 10, 2011) -- Scientists have found what may be a major cause of congenital hydrocephalus, one of the most common neurological disorders of childhood that produces mental debilitation and sometimes death in premature and newborn children. ... > full story

Groundbreaking DNA tests could trap deer poachers (September 10, 2011) -- Human DNA found on deer remains could help to track down poachers. Identifying deer poachers can be problematic, as the crimes are often committed in remote areas and are not discovered until some time after the event. ... > full story

Researchers use new tool to counter multiple myeloma drug resistance (September 10, 2011) -- Researchers are pioneering promising research utilizing a monitoring technology that could provide a better understanding of acquired drug resistance and assist in clinical decision-making for developing individualized patient treatments for multiple myeloma. ... > full story

Snakebites a public health problem in Africa (September 10, 2011) -- One and a half million people per year are poisoned by snake venom in Sub-Saharan Africa. An IRD researcher recently analysed around 100 surveys and medical reports published over the past 40 years. No large-scale study of the situation had hitherto been conducted and public health authorities had underestimated the size of the problem. This means that currently only 10% of victims are treated, owing to a shortage of antivenoms* and lack of awareness among health care practitioners. Yet the clinical complications can be very serious, even fatal. A bite from a cobra or mamba can bring on death by asphyxia --- due to respiratory paralysis --- within 6 hours of the incident. Venom injected by the ocellated carpet viper, common in the African savannah, can cause hemorrhages leading to the victim's death in a few days. This new study provides authorities with more detailed and reliable figures which should enable them to readjust their health-care services in better tune with needs. ... > full story

Children better witnesses than previously thought, Swedish psychologist finds (September 10, 2011) -- Children are more reliable eyewitnesses than had previously been thought, according to a witness psychologist in Sweden. She also questions a common method used for police identity line-ups with children. ... > full story

U.S. experiences second warmest summer on record: Texas has warmest summer on record of any state (September 10, 2011) -- The blistering heat experienced by the United States during August, as well as the June through August months, marks the second warmest summer on record, according to scientists. The persistent heat, combined with below-average precipitation across the southern U.S. during August and the three summer months, continued a record-breaking drought across the region. ... > full story

Novel approach scores first success against elusive cancer gene (September 10, 2011) -- Researchers successfully disrupted the function of the gene MYC by tampering with the gene's "on" switch and growth signals in multiple myeloma cells, offering promising strategy for treating myeloma and other cancers driven by the MYC gene. ... > full story

Nanoscale spin waves can replace microwaves (September 10, 2011) -- Scientists have now demonstrated that theories about nanoscale spin waves agree with observations. This opens the way to replacing microwave technology in many applications, such as mobile phones and wireless networks, by components that are much smaller, cheaper, and that require less resources. ... > full story

New link revealed between Alzheimer's disease and healthy aging (September 10, 2011) -- Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration are two of the most prevalent forms of neurodegenerative disorders. Researchers have now analyzed changes in gene expression in the aging and diseased brain, finding new clues to the biology of normal aging and neurodegenerative diseases. ... > full story

Invasive forest insects cost homeowners, taxpayers billions (September 10, 2011) -- Homeowners and taxpayers are picking up most of the tab for damages caused by invasive tree-feeding insects that are inadvertently imported along with packing materials, live plants, and other goods. That's the conclusion of a team of biologists and economists, whose research findings are reported in a new article. ... > full story

Emotional impact of 9/11 attacks seen in brain's response to negative visual images (September 10, 2011) -- In the wake of the 10th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks, new research reveals how the attacks impacted the psychological processes of those not directly exposed to the event. The study, which focused on college students in Massachusetts, found that even those who were not directly connected to New York or Washington showed increased stress responses to run of the mill visual images. ... > full story