ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Friday, October 7, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Friday, October 7, 2011

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Lungfish provides insight to life on land: 'Humans are just modified fish' (October 7, 2011) -- A study into the muscle development of several different fish has given insights into the genetic leap that set the scene for the evolution of hind legs in terrestrial animals. This innovation gave rise to the tetrapods -- four-legged creatures, and our distant ancestors -- that made the first small steps on land some 400 million years ago. ... > full story

Dioxin-like chemical messenger makes brain tumors more aggressive (October 7, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new metabolic pathway which makes malignant brain tumors more aggressive and weakens patients' immune systems. Using drugs to inhibit this metabolic pathway is a new approach in cancer treatment. ... > full story

New technique for understanding quantum effects in water (October 7, 2011) -- The use of oxygen isotope substitution will lead to more accurate structural modeling of oxide materials found in everything from biological processes to electronic devices, new research suggests. ... > full story

Biochemists identify how tissue cells detect and perfect (October 7, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered how cells detect tissue damage and modify their repair properties accordingly. The findings could open up new opportunities for improving tissue repair in patients following illness or surgery. ... > full story

Hold the phone for vital signs: Researchers turn a smart phone into a medical monitor (October 7, 2011) -- Researchers are turning smartphones into sophisticated medical monitors able to capture and transmit vital physiological data. The team has already developed an app that measures heart rate, heart rhythm, respiration rate, and blood oxygen saturation using the phone's built-in video camera. ... > full story

Ability to ride a bike can aid differential diagnosis of Parkinson's disease in any setting (October 7, 2011) -- Researchers report that the ability to ride a bike can differentiate between atypical parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease, regardless of the environment or situations for bicycling. ... > full story

Is chivalry the norm for insects? (October 7, 2011) -- The long-standing consensus of why insects stick together after mating has been turned on its head. This study shows that, contrary to previous thinking, females benefit from this arrangement just as much as males. Instead of dominating their female partners through bullying and aggressive behavior, males were revealed to be protective, even laying their lives on the line when their mates faced danger. ... > full story

New oral drug found to reduce relapses in multiple sclerosis patients (October 7, 2011) -- A new oral drug has been shown in a large international clinical trial to significantly reduce the relapse rate of people with multiple sclerosis and to slow the progression of the disease. ... > full story

Technology to make old-age safer (October 7, 2011) -- A fall alarm. Automatic nightlight. Oven reminder. Refrigerator alarm. These are just a few of the new welfare technology solutions that may become a normal part of the lives of the elderly in the future. A Norwegian technology company has developed a complete electronic safety package for the elderly. ... > full story

Scientists find stem cell reprogramming technique is safer than previously thought (October 7, 2011) -- Stem cells made by reprogramming patients' own cells might one day be used as therapies for a host of diseases, but scientists have feared that dangerous mutations within these cells might be caused by current reprogramming techniques. A sophisticated new analysis of stem cells' DNA finds that such fears may be unwarranted. ... > full story

Engineers: Non-compete agreements have high cost for employees (October 7, 2011) -- A new study of more than 1,000 engineers shows that non-compete agreements come with a high cost for employees: When those workers do shift jobs, roughly one-third of them end up leaving their chosen industry altogether, often at significant financial cost to themselves. ... > full story

People without cars, financial assets less likely to marry: study (October 7, 2011) -- A new study finds that people who lack personal wealth in the form of a car or financial assets are significantly less likely to enter into a first marriage. The results, according to the study's author, shed light on recent changes in marriage patterns in the U.S. ... > full story

Plants may have the genetic flexibility to respond to climate change (October 6, 2011) -- Plants may have the genetic flexibility to respond to climate change. In experiments with the common European plant Arabidopsis thaliana, scientists have learned that climate is the agent that determines the suite of genes that gives the plant the best chance of surviving and reproducing throughout its natural range. The finding may unlock the molecular basis for other plants' adaptability to climate change. ... > full story

Decade of effort yields diabetes susceptibility gene (October 6, 2011) -- Ten years of meticulous mouse breeding, screening, and record-keeping have finally paid off for researchers who have identified a diabetes susceptibility gene. ... > full story

Krypton Hall effect thruster for spacecraft propulsion (October 6, 2011) -- Electric propulsion (EP) is the future of astronautics. It can already compete successfully with chemical thrusters, especially for attitude control, orbit transfer and/or orbital station-keeping as well as for the main propulsion system for deep space missions. However, xenon, the propellant of choice in most EP devices, has a substantial drawback: its cost is very high. On the basis of the experience with plasma jet accelerators, a team of scientists and engineers from Poland has designed the Hall effect thruster optimised to work with krypton, a much more affordable noble gas. ... > full story

New tool helps identify prostate cancer patients with highest risk of death (October 6, 2011) -- After a prostate cancer patient receives radiation treatment, his doctor carefully monitors the amount of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, in his blood. An increase in PSA, called biochemical failure, is the first detectable sign of the cancer's return to the prostate. A researcher have found that the time between the last radiation treatment and biochemical failure can accurately predict a patient's risk of death of prostate cancer. ... > full story

Hundreds of undiscovered artifacts found at Gallipoli battlefield (October 6, 2011) -- More than 100 artifacts from the First World War have been uncovered in an archaeological fieldwork survey on the Gallipoli battlefield, leading to some interesting theories about life on the frontline. ... > full story

How fair sanctions are orchestrated in the brain (October 6, 2011) -- Scientists reveal that two frontal regions of the brain need to interact with one another when people punish unfair partners at their own expense. Neuroscientists and economists combined a brain stimulation method with a method for measuring brain activity in order to explore this neuronal network. The new findings could also be significant for therapeutic use in psychiatric and forensic patients. ... > full story

Astronomers find elusive planets in decade-old Hubble data (October 6, 2011) -- In a painstaking re-analysis of Hubble Space Telescope images from 1998, astronomers have found visual evidence for two extrasolar planets that went undetected back then. Finding these hidden gems in the Hubble archive gives astronomers an invaluable time machine for comparing much earlier planet orbital motion data to more recent observations. It also demonstrates a novel approach for planet hunting in archival Hubble data. ... > full story

'Genetic biopsy' of human eggs might help pick the best for IVF (October 6, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a way to extract information about gene expression from fertile human egg cells without hurting them. Expendable "polar bodies" in the cells reflect much the same information as the eggs themselves, researchers have determined. ... > full story

Living species of aquatic beetle found in 20-million-year-old sediments (October 6, 2011) -- A study of an Early Miocene fossil from southern Siberia performed by an international team of researchers led to the surprising find that the fossil belongs to a species of aquatic beetles which is still alive today and widely distributed in Eurasia. ... > full story

Earlier tracheostomies result in better patient outcomes, study finds (October 6, 2011) -- A tracheostomy performed within the first seven days after a severe head injury results in better overall patient outcome, according to new research. This is especially true for patients who have a greater chance of surviving when admitted to the hospital. ... > full story

Everest expedition suggests nitric oxide benefits for intensive care patients (October 6, 2011) -- New shows how research from an Everest expedition looking at the affect of altitude on the body could herald a change in emergency treatment for patients suffering from hypoxia. ... > full story

Archaeologist argues world's oldest temples were not temples at all (October 6, 2011) -- Ancient structures uncovered in Turkey and thought to be the world's oldest temples may not have been strictly religious buildings after all, according to a new article. Archaeologists argue that the buildings found at Gobekli Tepe may have been houses for people, not the gods. ... > full story

Monkeys 'move and feel' virtual objects using only their brains (October 6, 2011) -- In a first ever demonstration of a two-way interaction between a primate brain and a virtual body, two trained monkeys learned to employ brain activity alone to move an avatar hand and identify the texture of virtual objects. ... > full story

Scientists identify cause of severe hypoglycemia (October 6, 2011) -- Scientists have identified the cause of a rare, life-threatening form of hypoglycemia. Their findings have the potential to lead to pharmaceutical treatments for the disorder. ... > full story

Death from above: Parasite wasps attacking ants from the air filmed for the first time (October 6, 2011) -- Flight attacks of small parasitoid wasps (no larger than two millimeters in size) on ant workers have been filmed by researchers. The four species of wasps show amazing adaptations and enormous differences in the tactics they use. Two of the four filmed species are new to science. ... > full story

Changes in brain function in early HIV infection: A reliable indicator of disease prognosis? (October 6, 2011) -- Measurable changes in brain function and communication between brain regions may be a consequence of virus-induced injury during the early stages of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. These abnormalities and their implications in disease prognosis are detailed in a new article. ... > full story

Young and thin instead of old and bulky: Researchers report on changes in Arctic sea ice after return of research vessel Polarstern (October 6, 2011) -- In the central Arctic the proportion of old, thick sea ice has declined significantly. Instead, the ice cover now largely consists of thin, one-year-old floes. This is one of the results that scientists brought back from the 26th Arctic expedition of the research vessel Polarstern. ... > full story

Marijuana component could ease pain from chemotherapy drugs, study suggests (October 6, 2011) -- A chemical component of the marijuana plant could prevent the onset of pain associated with drugs used in chemotherapy, particularly in breast cancer patients. ... > full story

Patient-specific stem cells: Major step toward cell-based therapies for life-threatening diseases (October 6, 2011) -- A team of scientists has made an important advance in the development of patient-specific stem cells that could impact the study and treatment of diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's. For the first time, the scientists have derived embryonic stem cells from individual patients by adding the nuclei of adult skin cells from patients with type 1 diabetes to unfertilized donor oocytes. ... > full story

Baby formula: Inflammatory food toxins found in high levels in infants (October 6, 2011) -- Researchers have found high levels of food toxins called advanced glycation end products in infants. Excessive food AGEs, through both maternal blood transmission and baby formula, could together significantly increase childrens' risk for diseases such as diabetes from a very young age. ... > full story

Acoustic cloak: Closer to achieving the acoustic undetectability of objects (October 6, 2011) -- Researchers have taken another step towards achieving what is known as "acoustic undetectability". It is a new prototype two-dimensional acoustic cloak that can make sound waves with a specific frequency reaching an object avoid it as if it was not there, thanks to the cooperative effect of the units of which the cloak is made up. ... > full story

Invasive melanoma may be more likely in children than adults (October 6, 2011) -- A new study of young people with melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, has found that some children have a higher risk of invasive disease than adults. ... > full story

Key pathway in the nitrogen cycle uncovered: Bacteria forge nitrogen from nitric oxide (October 6, 2011) -- The molecular mechanism of anaerobic ammonium oxidation has been unraveled. The anaerobic oxidation of ammonia (anammox) is an important pathway in the nitrogen cycle that was only discovered in the 1980s. Currently, scientists estimate that about 50 percent of the nitrogen in the atmosphere is forged by this process. A group of specialized bacteria perform the anammox reaction, but so far scientists have been in the dark about how these bacteria could convert ammonia to nitrogen in the complete absence of oxygen. Now, 25 years after its discovery, they finally solved the molecular mechanism of anammox. ... > full story

Think you’re in poor health? It could increase your odds of dementia (October 6, 2011) -- People who rate their health as poor or fair appear to be significantly more likely to develop dementia later in life, according to a new study. ... > full story

First comet found with ocean-like water (October 6, 2011) -- New evidence supports the theory that comets delivered a significant portion of Earth's oceans, which scientists believe formed about eight million years after the planet itself. ... > full story

Antisense therapy delivers long-term correction of severe spinal muscular atrophy in mice (October 6, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that the devastating neuromuscular disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), might not exclusively affect the motor neurons in the spinal cord as has long been thought. Their study suggests that defects in peripheral tissues such as liver, heart, etc., might also contribute to SMA pathology in severely affected patients. The new findings also pave the way for a potential SMA drug to enter human trials by the end of the year. ... > full story

Colossal aggregations of giant alien freshwater fish as a potential biogeochemical hotspot (October 6, 2011) -- Many different types of animals come together to form vast groups -- insect swarms, mammal herds, or bird flocks, for example. Researchers in France added another example to the list: the huge Wels catfish, the world's third largest and Europe's largest freshwater fish. ... > full story

New regimen frees kidney-transplant patients from dependency on immunosuppresant drugs (October 6, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a novel protocol that allows kidney-transplant recipients to jettison their indispensable immune-suppressing drugs. The protocol could also spell substantial savings to the health-care system. ... > full story

Novel math formula can predict success of certain cancer therapies (October 6, 2011) -- Carefully tracking the rate of response of human lung tumors during the first weeks of treatment can predict which cancers will undergo sustained regression, suggests a new study. ... > full story

You can wash away your troubles, with soap (October 6, 2011) -- "Wash away my troubles, wash away my pain," goes the song. Is there such a thing as soap and water for the psyche? Yes: Metaphor is that powerful, say authors of a new review. ... > full story

Triple rainbows exist, photo evidence shows (October 6, 2011) -- Single rainbows are inspiring, double rainbows are rare, but tertiary rainbows have been elusive until a meteorologist provided guidelines that showed how to find them. Few people have ever claimed to see three rainbows arcing through the sky at once. In fact, scientific reports of these tertiary rainbows were so rare that until now many scientists believed sightings were as fanciful as Leprechaun's gold at a rainbow's end. These legendary optical rarities have finally been confirmed, thanks to photographic perseverance and a new meteorological model. ... > full story

Evidence found for the genetic basis of autism: Models of autism show that gene copy number controls brain structure and behavior (October 6, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that one of the most common genetic alterations in autism -- deletion of a 27-gene cluster on chromosome 16 -- causes autism-like features. By generating mouse models of autism using a technique known as chromosome engineering, researchers provide the first functional evidence that inheriting fewer copies of these genes leads to features resembling those used to diagnose children with autism. ... > full story

'Escaped' genetically engineered canola growing outside of established cultivation regions across North Dakota (October 6, 2011) -- A new study reports that genetically engineered canola endowed with herbicide resistance have been found growing outside of established cultivation regions along roadsides across North Dakota. ... > full story

Survival increases in early stage breast cancer after treatment with herceptin and chemo, study finds (October 6, 2011) -- Treating women with early stage breast cancer with a combination of chemotherapy and the molecularly targeted drug Herceptin significantly increases survival in patients with a specific genetic mutation that results in very aggressive disease, a new study finds. ... > full story

Crash-safe battery protection for electric cars (October 6, 2011) -- Engineers in Germany have replaced a battery box for lithium-ion batteries in electric cars with a lightweight component. Not only does the housing save weight and sustain no damage in an accident -- for the first time ever, it can also be mass-produced. ... > full story

Illusory memories can have salutary effects (October 6, 2011) -- “False memories tend to get a bad rap,” says developmental psychologist Mark L. Howe in a new article. Indeed, remembering events incorrectly or remembering events that didn’t happen can have grave consequences, such as the criminal conviction of an innocent person. “But false memories are a natural outcropping of memory in general. They must have some positive effect, too.” ... > full story