ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Tuesday, October 18, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Tuesday, October 18, 2011

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Future forests may soak up more carbon dioxide than previously believed (October 18, 2011) -- North American forests appear to have a greater capacity to soak up heat-trapping carbon dioxide gas than researchers had previously anticipated. ... > full story

Halo effect: Family members of gastric-bypass patients also lose weight, study finds (October 18, 2011) -- Family members of patients who have undergone surgery for weight loss may also shed several pounds themselves, as well as eat healthier and exercise more, according to a new study. ... > full story

Bioengineering to generate healthy skin (October 18, 2011) -- Scientists are participating in research to study how to make use of the potential for auto regeneration of stem skills from skin, in order to create, in the laboratory, a patient's entire cutaneous surface by means of a combination of biological engineering and tissue engineering techniques. ... > full story

High rate of false-positives with annual mammogram (October 18, 2011) -- During a decade of receiving mammograms, more than half of cancer-free women will be among those summoned back for more testing because of false-positive results, and about one in 12 will be referred for a biopsy. ... > full story

Clustered hurricanes reduce impact on ecosystems, researchers find (October 18, 2011) -- New research has found that hurricane activity is "clustered" rather than random, which has important long-term implications for coastal ecosystems and human population. Tropical cyclones and hurricanes have a massive economic, social and ecological impact, and models of their occurrence influence many planning activities from setting insurance premiums to conservation planning. ... > full story

One in four children exposed to some form of family violence, study finds (October 18, 2011) -- More than one in four children have been exposed to physical violence between their parents at some time, one in nine of them during the past year, according to new research. ... > full story

100,000-year-old ochre toolkit and workshop discovered in South Africa (October 18, 2011) -- An ochre-rich mixture, possibly used for decoration, painting and skin protection 100,000 years ago, and stored in two abalone shells, was discovered at Blombos Cave in Cape Town, South Africa. ... > full story

New research links common RNA modification to obesity (October 18, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that a pervasive human RNA modification provides the physiological underpinning of the genetic regulatory process that contributes to obesity and type II diabetes. ... > full story

Norwegian prawns to spice up Chinese noodles (October 18, 2011) -- Bioprospecting is opening up international markets for Norwegian seafood companies. Essences extracted from a prawn or octopus off the west coast of Norway could end up as flavoring in noodle packages in China. ... > full story

Lung cancer patients with diabetes show prolonged survival (October 18, 2011) -- Lung cancer patients with diabetes tend to live longer than patients without diabetes, according to a Norwegian study. ... > full story

Google Earth typhoid maps reveal secrets of disease outbreaks (October 18, 2011) -- In the mid-nineteenth century, John Snow mapped cases of cholera in Soho, London, and traced the source of the outbreak to a contaminated water pump. Now, in a twenty-first century equivalent, scientists working in Kathmandu, Nepal, have combined the latest in gene sequencing technology and global positioning system case localization to map the spread of typhoid and trace its source. ... > full story

Pediatric emergency department visits for psychiatric care on the rise (October 18, 2011) -- Pediatric patients, primarily those who are underinsured (either without insurance or receiving Medicaid), are increasingly receiving psychiatric care in hospital emergency departments, according to new research. ... > full story

Severe drought, other changes can cause permanent ecosystem disruption (October 17, 2011) -- An eight-year study has concluded that increasingly frequent and severe drought, dropping water tables and dried-up springs have pushed some aquatic desert ecosystems into "catastrophic regime change," from which many species will not recover. ... > full story

New approach to treating Listeria infections (October 17, 2011) -- Research underway could lead to new treatments for people sickened by Listeria and other sepsis-causing bacteria. Research supports a new approach to treating these infections. ... > full story

Muscling toward a longer life: Genetic aging pathway identified in flies (October 17, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a set of genes that act in muscles to modulate aging and resistance to stress in fruit flies. Scientists have previously found mutations that extend fruit fly lifespan, but this group of genes is distinct because it acts specifically in muscles. The findings could help doctors better understand and treat muscle degeneration in human aging. ... > full story

Protein is potential new treatment target for adult pulmonary hypertension (October 17, 2011) -- A protein critical to development appears to have a grave impact on lungs exposed to smoking and air pollution, researchers report. Blocking that protein, called calpain, in the lungs may prove an effective way to avoid narrow, scarred blood vessels and pulmonary hypertension, researchers said. ... > full story

Electrically powered maneuverable public transportation with high capacity (October 17, 2011) -- Electric and hybrid vehicles will be conquering the cities: cars, bicycles, buses and trains. This is why new ideas are in demand for individual and public transportation. ... > full story

'Drunkorexia:' A recipe for disaster (October 17, 2011) -- It is well-known that eating disorders are common among teens and college students. Heavy alcohol consumption is another well-known unhealthy habit of this age group. A new study shows that when college students combine these two unhealthy habits, their long-term health may be affected. "Drunkorexia" is a new term coined by the media to describe the combination of disordered eating and heavy alcohol consumption. ... > full story

Children, not chimps, prefer collaboration: Humans like to work together in solving tasks -- chimps don't (October 17, 2011) -- Recent studies have shown that chimpanzees possess many of the cognitive prerequisites necessary for humanlike collaboration. Cognitive abilities, however, might not be all that differs between chimpanzees and humans when it comes to cooperation. Children, but not chimpanzees, prefer to collaborate. ... > full story

Possible link between bacterium and colon cancer discovered (October 17, 2011) -- Scientists have found strikingly high levels of a bacterium in colorectal cancers, a sign that it might contribute to the disease and potentially be a key to diagnosing, preventing, and treating it. ... > full story

Impurity atoms introduce waves of disorder in exotic electronic material (October 17, 2011) -- Scientists reveal how substituting just a few atoms can cause widespread disruption of the delicate electron interactions that give a particular "heavy fermion" material its unique properties, including superconductivity. ... > full story

New study reinforces need for continued infant sleep campaigns to prevent SIDS (October 17, 2011) -- New research reinforces the need for continued public education programs that encourage parents to place their infants to sleep in the supine (back) position in a safe crib or bassinet, to prevent an estimated 4,600 annual Sudden Unintended Infant Deaths, of which 50 percent are classified as Sudden Death Syndrome. ... > full story

New record voltage for organic solar cells opens the tech to consumer electronics (October 17, 2011) -- Scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough in the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells. They have achieved and demonstrated a record voltage for organic photovoltaic cells that means these highly flexible, low cost solar cells can now be devolved for commercial uses in a wide range of consumer electronics. ... > full story

Teachers, children mistake candy for medicine in study (October 17, 2011) -- More than one in four kindergarten children, and one in five teachers, had difficulty distinguishing between medicine and candy in new research conducted by two, now seventh-grade students. ... > full story

Archaeologists find blade 'production lines' existed as much as 400,000 years ago (October 17, 2011) -- Archaeologists report that large numbers of long, slender cutting tools were discovered at the Qesem Cave outside Tel Aviv. They report that every element of the system points to a sophisticated tool "production line" to rival technologies used hundreds of thousands of years later. ... > full story

Nourishing protein slows brain disease (October 17, 2011) -- A nourishing protein that promotes the growth of neurons and blood vessels appears to stop the progression of a genetic disease that causes degeneration of the cerebellum, according to new preclinical research. The disease, spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, typically strikes people in the 30s and 40s and eventually causes death. ... > full story

Eating green veggies improves immune defenses (October 17, 2011) -- Researchers have found another good reason to eat your green vegetables, although it may or may not win any arguments with kids at the dinner table. ... > full story

New role for RNA interference during chromosomal replication discovered (October 17, 2011) -- Scientists have described a new role for RNAi during chromosomal replication. They have now shown that RNAi allows the DNA replication fork to progress smoothly without resulting in DNA damage. ... > full story

Avoiding bias in medical research (October 17, 2011) -- A new statistical approach to address the problem of bias in self-reporting has been developed. ... > full story

People who really identify with their car drive more aggressively, study finds (October 17, 2011) -- People who view their car as an extension of themselves have stronger aggressive driving tendencies, according to a new study. ... > full story

Sea levels to continue to rise for 500 years? Long-term climate calculations suggest so (October 17, 2011) -- Rising sea levels in the coming centuries is perhaps one of the most catastrophic consequences of rising temperatures. Massive economic costs, social consequences and forced migrations could result from global warming. But how frightening times are we facing? Researchers have now calculated the long-term outlook for rising sea levels in relation to the emission of greenhouse gases and pollution of the atmosphere using climate models and have some startling predictions. ... > full story

Gene variant leads to better memory via increased brain activation (October 17, 2011) -- Carriers of the so-called KIBRA T allele have better memories than those who don't have this gene variant. This means we can reject the theory that the brain of a non-bearer compensates for this. ... > full story

Precise gene therapy without a needle (October 17, 2011) -- For the first time, researchers have found a way to inject a precise dose of a gene therapy agent directly into a single living cell without a needle. The technique uses electricity to "shoot" bits of therapeutic biomolecules through a tiny channel and into a cell in a fraction of a second. ... > full story

Developing new drugs made easier with method to track drugs in tissue (October 17, 2011) -- When a new drug is developed, the manufacturer must be able to show that it reaches its intended goal in the body's tissue, and only that goal. Such studies could be made easier with a new method. ... > full story

Plastic fantastic: The future of biodegradables (October 17, 2011) -- Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a thermoplastic polyester which occurs naturally in bacteria as Ralstonia eutropha and Bacillus megaterium. Even though PHB is biodegradable and is not dependent on fossil resources, this bioplastic has been traditionally too expensive to produce to replace petroleum-based plastics. New research describes an alternative method of producing PHB in microalgae. ... > full story

Musical aptitude relates to reading ability (October 17, 2011) -- Auditory working memory and attention, for example the ability to hear and then remember instructions while completing a task, are a necessary part of musical ability. But musical ability is also related to verbal memory and literacy in childhood. New research shows how auditory working memory and musical aptitude are intrinsically related to reading ability, and provides a biological basis for this link. ... > full story

Super-sized muscle made twin-horned dinosaur a speedster (October 17, 2011) -- A meat-eating dinosaur that terrorized its plant-eating neighbors in South America was a lot deadlier than first thought, a researcher has found. Carnotaurus was a seven-meter-long predator with a huge tail muscle that paleontologists say made it one of the fastest running hunters of its time. ... > full story

Faulty molecular switch can cause infertility or miscarriage (October 17, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered an enzyme that acts as a 'fertility switch'. High levels of the protein are associated with infertility, while low levels make a woman more likely to have a miscarriage, the research has shown. ... > full story

Inhibiting allergic reactions without side effects (October 17, 2011) -- Researchers have announced a breakthrough approach to allergy treatment that inhibits food allergies, drug allergies, and asthmatic reactions without suppressing a sufferer's entire immunological system. ... > full story

Sports-related knee injuries in children have increased dramatically over the past decade (October 17, 2011) -- Knee injuries in children with tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus have increased dramatically over the past 12 years, say orthopedic surgeons. ... > full story

Plankton's shifting role in deep sea carbon storage explored (October 17, 2011) -- The tiny phytoplankton Emiliania huxleyi, invisible to the naked eye, plays an outsized role in drawing carbon from the atmosphere and sequestering it deep in the seas. But this role may change as ocean water becomes warmer and more acidic, according to a research team. ... > full story

Cichlid male nannies help out, especially if they've been sneaking (October 17, 2011) -- Subordinate male cichlid fish who help with the childcare for the dominant breeding pair are occasionally actually the fathers of some of the offspring they help to rear, according to new research. This sneaky paternity increases the subordinate fish's investment in the offspring in their care. ... > full story

Self-replication process holds promise for production of new materials (October 17, 2011) -- Scientists have developed artificial structures that can self-replicate, a process that has the potential to yield new types of materials. ... > full story

Nasal congestion: More than physical obstruction (October 17, 2011) -- Symptoms of nasal congestion have been difficult to treat because patient reports of congestion often have little relationship to the actual physical obstruction of nasal airflow. Now, scientists report that the annoying feeling of nasal obstruction is related to the temperature and humidity of inhaled air. This knowledge may help researchers design effective treatments for this familiar symptom of nasal sinus disease. ... > full story

Cells have early-warning system for intruders (October 17, 2011) -- When a thief breaks into a bank vault, sensors are activated and the alarm is raised. Cells have their own early-warning system for intruders, and scientists have discovered how a particular protein sounds that alarm when it detects invading viruses. The study is a key development in our understanding of the innate immune response, shedding light on how cells rapidly respond to a wide range of viruses including influenza, rabies and hepatitis. ... > full story

Children dependent on life support vulnerable to loss of electrical power (October 17, 2011) -- Children dependent on electrically powered medical devices for life support and maintenance are vulnerable to an unexpected loss of power -- and their parents are ill-prepared to deal with it, according to new research. ... > full story

Twitter data used to track vaccination rates and attitudes (October 17, 2011) -- The first case study in how social-media sites can affect the spread of a disease has been designed and implemented by a scientist studying attitudes toward the H1N1 vaccine. The method is expected to be repeated in the study of other diseases. ... > full story

MP3 players 'shrink' our personal space (October 17, 2011) -- Researchers wanted to find out whether there is a way to make the intrusion of our personal space on the subway (underground railway) more tolerable. Their results reveal that listening to music through headphones can change people’s margins of personal space. ... > full story