ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Wednesday, November 2, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Wednesday, November 2, 2011

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Workings of molecular motor revealed (November 2, 2011) -- The structure and function of a 'molecular motor' critical to the functioning of human organs and, when malfunctioning, implicated in cancer, kidney failure, and osteoporosis, has been revealed in unprecedented detail. ... > full story

Molecule that prevents Type 1 diabetes in mice discovered; Has similar effect on human cells (November 2, 2011) -- Researchers have found a specific molecule that can prevent the development of type 1 diabetes in mice and has a similar effect on human cells from diabetic patients. ... > full story

How a cancer-causing bacterium spurs cell death (November 2, 2011) -- Researchers report they have figured out how the cancer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori attacks a cell's energy infrastructure, sparking a series of events in the cell that ultimately lead it to self-destruct. H. pylori are the only bacteria known to survive in the human stomach. Infection with the bacterium is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. ... > full story

Vitamin D study suggests no mortality benefit for older women (November 2, 2011) -- A study of postmenopausal women found no significant mortality benefit from vitamin D after controlling for health risk factors such as abdominal obesity. The only exception was that thin-waisted women with low vitamin D levels might face some risk. The results agree with advice issued last year by the Institute of Medicine that cautioned against vitamin D having a benefit beyond bone health. ... > full story

UV light controls antibodies, improves biosensors (November 2, 2011) -- From detecting pathogens in blood samples to the study of protein synthesis, Quartz Crystal Microbalance sensors have many uses in modern biology. Now researchers have found a way to increase the number of right-side-up antibodies in this well-established molecule detection process -- using light. ... > full story

Preschoolers' language skills improve more when they're placed with more-skilled peers (November 2, 2011) -- Preschool children with relatively poor language skills improve more if they are placed in classrooms with high-achieving students, a new study found. Researchers found that children with relatively poor language skills either didn't improve over the course of one academic year, or actually lost ground in development of language skills, when they were placed with other low-achieving students. ... > full story

Growing without cell division: Mechanism responsible for cell polyploidy pinpointed? (November 2, 2011) -- Biologists may have pinpointed for the first time the mechanism responsible for cell polyploidy, a state in which cells contain more than two paired sets of chromosomes. ... > full story

Health risk from eating well-done meat may be underestimated (November 2, 2011) -- Mice are often used to test whether substances in food are harmful to humans. This requires that mice and humans metabolize substances in the same way. Humans have certain enzymes in more parts of the body than mice. The health risk associated with harmful substances in food may therefore be underestimated. ... > full story

Finest silk made of the purest nanometer-thin gold woven into ties and handkerchiefs (November 2, 2011) -- True luxury has only one color -- gold. A nanometer-thin layer of pure gold now lends ties and pocket handkerchiefs that authentic gold sheen, thanks to a new process. The yarn, which is coated using a high-tech plasma process, is soft and easy to weave. It is also washing machine compatible. A limited number of gold ties will be placed on the market before Christmas. Further fashion accessories will follow in 2012. ... > full story

First-of-its-kind study creates new tool for targeted cancer drug development (November 2, 2011) -- In a technical tour de force, scientists have cataloged and cross-indexed the actions of 178 candidate drugs capable of blocking the activity of one or more of 300 enzymes, including enzymes critical for cancer and other diseases. Additionally, a free library of the results has been made available online to the research community. This unique library represents an important new tool for accelerating the development of an entire class of targeted cancer drugs. ... > full story

How to unbalance nothingness: Physicists calculate the time development of the vacuum decay (November 2, 2011) -- Physicists around the world are hoping to witness a particularly spectacular characteristic in a few years' time: the spontaneous decay of the vacuum into pairs of particles of matter and antimatter in super strong electric fields. Thanks to new research results of an Austro-German team of physicists, this goal has come a few steps closer. ... > full story

Food chemical regulations rely heavily on industry self-policing and lack transparency, report finds (November 2, 2011) -- Safety decisions concerning one-third of the more than 10,000 substances that may be added to human food were made by food manufacturers and a trade association without review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to a new analysis. The report illustrates potential problems with the US food additive regulatory program. ... > full story

Bigger birds in central California, courtesy of global climate change, study suggests (November 1, 2011) -- Birds are getting bigger in central California, and that was a big surprise for researchers. They uncovered the trend while working analyzing data from thousands of birds caught and released each year at two sites near San Francisco Bay and Point Reyes National Seashore. The study found that birds' wings have grown longer and birds are increasing in mass. ... > full story

Nerve protein linked to learning and memory (November 1, 2011) -- Biology professors have found the protein tomosyn plays an important role in regulating neurotransmitter between synapses, and consequently plays a role in longer-term memory and learning. The results may prove helpful in developing new drugs to treat human memory loss. ... > full story

New tool developed for the study of spatial patterns in living cells (November 1, 2011) -- By embedding fixed arrays of gold nanoparticles into fluid lipid bilayers, scientists can study with unprecedented detail how the spatial patterns of chemical and physical properties on membranes can determine the fate of a cell -- whether it lives or dies, remains normal or turns cancerous. ... > full story

Modern genetics answers age-old question on Garrod's fourth inborn error of metabolism (November 1, 2011) -- Fifty years after participating in studies of pentosuria, an inherited disorder once mistaken for diabetes, 15 families again welcomed medical geneticists into their lives. Their willingness to have their DNA analyzed with genomics technologies has solved a 100-year mystery. The findings may help elucidate when and how human mutations appear and are carried over generations and with migration of humans. Pentosuria occurs almost exclusively in Ashkenazi Jews. The findings suggest it occurs in about 1 in 3,330 people of this ancestry. ... > full story

U.S. Navy researchers fire 1,000th shot on laboratory electromagnetic railgun (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory hit a materials research milestone in the Office of Naval Research's Electromagnetic Railgun program when they fired a laboratory-scale system for the 1,000th time Oct. 31. ... > full story

Doctors can learn empathy through a computer-based tutorial (November 1, 2011) -- Cancer doctors want to offer a sympathetic ear, but sometimes miss the cues from patients. To help physicians better address their patients' fears and worries, a researcher has developed a new interactive training tool. ... > full story

Hippocampus plays bigger memory role than previously thought (November 1, 2011) -- In a pair of new studies, researchers report a new methodology that more deeply parses how and where certain types of memories are processed in the brain, and challenges earlier assumptions about the role of the hippocampus. ... > full story

Obese adolescents benefit from high-dose vitamin D supplements: High doses safely combat nutritional deficiencies, study suggests (November 1, 2011) -- Vitamin D deficiency is common in Americans, and especially in overweight and obese adolescents, according to the National Institutes of Health. Researchers have found that providing obese adolescents with a high daily dose of vitamin D3 is safe and effective in improving their vitamin D status. ... > full story

Pesky ants found in Hawaii demonstrate invasive characteristics (November 1, 2011) -- Odorous house ants - so called because they tend to invade houses and smell like coconut when smashed - have found their way to Hawaii. And, according to entomologists, it doesn't seem as though they have plans to end their vacations. ... > full story

Key element of cell division: How daughter cells receive the same number of chromosomes (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists have uncovered the molecular process of how cells are bypassing the body's inbuilt "health checkpoint" with unequal numbers of chromosomes that have a higher risk of developing cancer. ... > full story

Boeing to build commercial spacecraft at Kennedy, create 550 jobs (November 1, 2011) -- The Boeing Co. will set up Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to manufacture and assemble its CST-100 spacecraft for launches to the International Space Station under a newly signed agreement with NASA and Space Florida. And that deal could provide a glimpse of how Kennedy's unique facilities will be used in the future. ... > full story

Could social media be used to detect disease outbreaks? (November 1, 2011) -- New research has looked at whether social media could be used to track an event or phenomenon, such as flu outbreaks and rainfall rates. ... > full story

Urban 'heat island' effect is a small part of global warming; white roofs don't reduce it, researchers find (November 1, 2011) -- Heat emanating from cities -- called the "urban heat island" effect -- is not a significant contributor to global warming, researchers have found. They also concluded that if all the roofs in urban areas were painted white, it would increase, not decrease, global warming. ... > full story

Personal stem cell banks could be staple of future health care (November 1, 2011) -- Taking old stem cells, placing them in a young microenvironment, and increasing their numbers and capabilities raises an intriguing possibility -- that patients could one day be treated for age-related diseases using their own revitalized stem cells. ... > full story

New algorithm could substantially speed up MRI scans (November 1, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new algorithm that could substantially speed up MRI scans from 45 to 15 minutes. ... > full story

Scientists design experimental treatment for iron-overload diseases (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists have developed an experimental treatment for iron-overload diseases that affect millions worldwide. Researchers developed a new type of therapy based on small molecules that mimic a hormone that regulates iron called hepcidin. The findings could lead to new drugs to help prevent and treat iron-overload diseases. ... > full story

Large asteroid to pass by Earth Nov. 8, but what if it didn't? (November 1, 2011) -- An asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier will fly near Earth on Nov. 8, 2011. While there is no danger of it hitting the planet, an asteroid impact expert says a similar-sized object hitting Earth would result in a 4,000-megaton blast, magnitude 7.0 earthquake and, should it strike in the deep ocean, 70-foot-high tsunami waves 60 miles from the splashdown site. ... > full story

Online interactions can lead to risky financial decision-making, study suggests (November 1, 2011) -- People who participate in online communities are more likely to make risky financial decisions, according to a new study. ... > full story

Bacteria may readily swap beneficial genes: Microbes trade genetic coding for antibiotic resistance and more (November 1, 2011) -- Researchers say they've found evidence of a massive network of recent gene exchange connecting bacteria from around the world: 10,000 unique genes flowing via horizontal gene transfer among 2,235 bacterial genomes. Much as people can exchange information instantaneously in the digital age, bacteria associated with humans and their livestock appear to freely and rapidly exchange genetic material related to human disease and antibiotic resistance through a mechanism called horizontal gene transfer (HGT). ... > full story

Abnormal oscillation in the brain causes motor deficits in Parkinson's disease (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists have shown that the 'oscillatory' nature of electrical signals in subcortical nuclei, the basal ganglia, causes severe motor deficits in Parkinson's disease, by disturbing the information flow of motor commands. ... > full story

Aggressive piranhas bark to say buzz off (November 1, 2011) -- Piranhas are best known for their bite, but did you know they make sounds too? A team of researchers knew that piranhas could produce at least one sound, but they didn't know when and why the fish become vocal. Filming and recording sounds produced by piranhas competing for food, they found that the fearsome fish have a repertoire of three sounds to threaten competitors. ... > full story

High levels of master heat shock protein linked to poor prognosis in breast cancer patients (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists report that patients whose estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers have high levels of an ancient cellular survival factor experience poor outcomes -- including increased mortality. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately two-thirds of breast cancer patients have ER-positive tumors. HSF1 status may shed light not only on prognosis but also on how such patients might respond to specific therapies. ... > full story

Boosting LED efficiency: Zinc oxide microwires improve performance of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) through the piezo-phototronic effect (November 1, 2011) -- Researchers have used zinc oxide microwires to significantly improve the efficiency at which gallium nitride light-emitting diodes (LED) convert electricity to ultraviolet light. The devices are believed to be the first LEDs whose performance has been enhanced by the piezo-phototronic effect. ... > full story

Fighting violent gang crime with math (November 1, 2011) -- Mathematicians working with the Los Angeles Police Department to analyze crime patterns have designed a mathematical algorithm to identify street gangs involved in unsolved violent crimes -- the first scholarly study of gang violence of its kind. ... > full story

Shared genes with Neanderthal relatives: Modern East Asians share genetic material with prehistoric Denisovans (November 1, 2011) -- During human evolution our ancestors mated with Neanderthals, but also with other related hominids. Researchers have now shown that people in East Asia share genetic material with Denisovans, who got the name from the cave in Siberia where they were first found. ... > full story

Older men with higher testosterone levels lose less muscle mass as they age (November 1, 2011) -- A recent study found that higher levels of testosterone were associated with reduced loss of lean muscle mass in older men, especially in those who were losing weight. In these men, higher testosterone levels were also associated with less loss of lower body strength. ... > full story

Scientists predict faster retreat for Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier; Underwater ridge critical to future flow (November 1, 2011) -- The retreat of Antarctica's fast-flowing Thwaites Glacier is expected to speed up within 20 years, once the glacier detaches from an underwater ridge that is currently holding it back, according to a new study. The study is the latest to confirm the importance of seafloor topography in predicting how these glaciers will behave in the near future. ... > full story

No higher risk of breast cancer for women who don't have BRCA mutation but have relatives who do (November 1, 2011) -- In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers have shown that women related to a patient with a breast cancer caused by a hereditary mutation -- but who don't have the mutation themselves -- have no higher risk of getting cancer than relatives of patients with other types of breast cancer. ... > full story

Relief from 'parking wars': Computer software to revamp city parking (November 1, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a traffic simulator that takes into account real parking policies, the habits of urban drivers, and the movements of traffic inspectors to identify strategies for improvement and test the impact of parking policy changes before they're implemented. ... > full story

Putting the body back into the mind of schizophrenia (November 1, 2011) -- A new study of body ownership using the rubber hand illusion found that people with schizophrenia have a weakened sense of self awareness and produced one of the rare documented cases of a spontaneous out-of-body experience in the laboratory. ... > full story

Live longer with fewer calories? Key enzyme involved in aging process found (November 1, 2011) -- By consuming fewer calories, aging can be slowed down and the development of age-related diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes can be delayed. The earlier calorie intake is reduced, the greater the effect. Researchers have now identified one of the enzymes that hold the key to the aging process. ... > full story

Fighting fire with fire: 'Vampire' bacteria have potential as living antibiotic (November 1, 2011) -- A vampire-like bacterium that leeches onto specific other bacteria -- including certain human pathogens -- has the potential to serve as a living antibiotic for a range of infectious diseases, a new study indicates. ... > full story

Rethinking equilibrium: In nature, large energy fluctuations may rile even 'relaxed' systems (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists have shown that large energy fluctuations can rile even a "relaxed" system, raising questions about how energy might travel through structures ranging from the ocean to DNA. ... > full story

Noninvasive current stimulation improves sight in patients with optic nerve damage, study suggests (November 1, 2011) -- It has long been thought that blindness after brain lesions is irreversible and that damage to the optic nerves leads to permanent impairments in everyday activities such as reading, driving, and spatial orientation. A new study suggests that treating such patients with low levels of non-invasive, repetitive, transorbital alternating current stimulation for 10 days (30-40 minutes per day) significantly reduces visual impairment and markedly improves vision-related quality of life. ... > full story

Watermelon reduces atherosclerosis, animal study finds (November 1, 2011) -- In a recent study, watermelon was shown to reduce atherosclerosis in animals. ... > full story

Mathematically detecting stock market bubbles before they burst (November 1, 2011) -- From the dotcom bust in the late nineties to the housing crash in the run-up to the 2008 crisis, financial bubbles have been a topic of major concern. Identifying bubbles is important in order to prevent collapses that can severely impact nations and economies. A mathematical model has now been proposed for the detection of financial bubbles in order to prevent their collapse. ... > full story