ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Monday, November 7, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Monday, November 7, 2011

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Scientists find evidence of ancient megadrought in southwestern U.S. (November 7, 2011) -- A new study has revealed a previously unknown multi-decade drought period in the second century A.D. The findings give evidence that extended periods of aridity have occurred at intervals throughout our past. Almost 900 years ago, in the mid-12th century, the southwestern U.S. was in the middle of a multi-decade megadrought. It was the most recent extended period of severe drought known for this region. But it was not the first. The second century A.D. saw an extended dry period of more than 100 years characterized by a multi-decade drought lasting nearly 50 years, according to the study. ... > full story

HIV study identifies key cellular defence mechanism (November 7, 2011) -- Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding how one of our body’s own proteins helps stop the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) in its tracks. ... > full story

Volunteers end simulated mission to Mars (November 7, 2011) -- The record-breaking simulated mission to Mars has ended with smiling faces after 17 months. Mars500's six brave volunteers stepped out of their 'spacecraft' Nov. 4, 2011 to be welcomed by the waiting scientists -- happy that the venture had worked even better than expected. Mars500, the first full-length, high-fidelity simulation of a human mission to our neighbouring planet, started 520 days earlier, on 3 June 2010, at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow. ... > full story

Model of enzyme's structure could spur new therapies (November 7, 2011) -- Scientists have determined the structure of an enzyme complex that regulates vital cell functions. Disregulation of such complexes is associated with diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's. The new work provides drug developers with a specific and unique new target to consider in their efforts to find new treatments. ... > full story

Engineers solve energy puzzle: How energy levels align in a critical group of advanced materials (November 7, 2011) -- Materials science and engineering researchers have demonstrated for the first time the key mechanism behind how energy levels align in a critical group of advanced materials. This discovery is a significant breakthrough in the development of sustainable technologies such as dye-sensitized solar cells and organic light-emitting diodes. ... > full story

Convenient election day voting centers can improve voter turnout (November 7, 2011) -- The convenience of election day voting centers can increase voter turnout, according to a new article. ... > full story

Carbon-based organic 'carriers' in interstellar dust clouds? Newly discovered diffuse interstellar bands (November 6, 2011) -- The discovery of 13 diffuse interstellar bands with the longest wavelengths to date could someday solve a 90-year-old mystery. Astronomers have now discovered new bands using data collected by the Gemini North telescope of stars in the center of the Milky Way. The new findings support recent ideas about the presence of large, possibly carbon-based organic molecules -— “carriers” —- hidden in interstellar dust clouds. ... > full story

Meningitis may be eradicated: New vaccine brings hope (November 6, 2011) -- Outbreaks of meningitis can quickly reach epidemic proportions across a number of African countries, afflicting tens of thousands of people. Now a new vaccine appears capable of completely eradicating the disease. ... > full story

Biologists use flies and mice to get to the heart of Down syndrome (November 6, 2011) -- A novel study involving fruit flies and mice has allowed biologists to identify two critical genes responsible for congenital heart defects in individuals with Down syndrome, a major cause of infant mortality and death in people born with this genetic disorder. ... > full story

More radionuclide therapy is better for prostate cancer patients, study suggests (November 6, 2011) -- For prostate cancer patients with bone metastases, repeated administrations of radionuclide therapy with 188Re-HEDP are shown to improve overall survival rates and reduce pain, according to new research. ... > full story

World record in 3-D imaging of porous rocks: Stack of 35 million megapixel-photos (November 6, 2011) -- Physicists have established a world record in the field of three-dimensional imaging of porous materials. The scientists have generated the largest and most precise three-dimensional image of the pore structure of sandstone. The image was generated within a project of the Simulation Technology Cluster of Excellence, and contains more than 35 trillion (a number with thirteen digits) voxels. ... > full story

Physicians who play Mozart while performing colonoscopy may improve adenoma detection rate (November 6, 2011) -- Physicians who listen to Mozart while performing colonoscopy may increase their detection rates of precancerous polyps, according to the results of a new study. ... > full story

It takes two: Brains come wired for cooperation, neuroscientists discover (November 6, 2011) -- The brain was built for cooperative activity, whether it be dancing on a TV reality show, building a skyscraper or working in an office, according to new research by neuroscientists. ... > full story

Protein could prevent secondary damage after stroke, neuroscientist says (November 6, 2011) -- A neuroscientist says a protein that regulates nerve cells and assists in overall brain function may be key to preventing the long-term damage of stroke and hopes her work leads to the development of an effective therapeutic intervention. ... > full story

Dirt prevents allergy, Danish research suggests (November 6, 2011) -- If infants encounter a wide range of bacteria they are less at risk of developing allergic disease later in life, new research from Denmark suggests. ... > full story

Conjoined twin toddlers successfully separated (November 6, 2011) -- Angelica and Angelina Sabuco, twins who were born conjoined at the chest and abdomen, are now separate little girls. The 2-year-olds were separated Nov. 1 in a 10-hour surgery. The operation was the culmination of several months of complex planning involving specialists from nearly every part of the hospital. ... > full story

Cyber war might never happen (November 6, 2011) -- Cyber war, long considered by many experts within the defense establishment to be a significant threat, if not an ongoing one, may never take place according to one expert. He argues that cyber warfare has never taken place, nor is it currently doing so and it is unlikely to take place in the future. ... > full story

Increased use of bikes for commuting offers economic, health benefits (November 6, 2011) -- Cutting out short auto trips and replacing them with mass transit and active transport would yield major health benefits, according to a new study. The biggest health benefit was due to replacing half of the short trips with bicycle trips during the warmest six months of the year, saving about .8 billion per year from avoided mortality and reduced health care costs for conditions like obesity and heart disease. ... > full story

Hubble directly observes the disk around a black hole (November 5, 2011) -- Scientists have observed a quasar accretion disk -- a glowing disk of matter that is slowly being sucked into its galaxy's central black hole. Their study makes use of a novel technique that uses gravitational lensing to give an immense boost to the power of the telescope. The precision of the method has allowed astronomers to directly measure the disk's size and temperature across different parts of the disk. ... > full story

Why measles spreads so quickly (November 5, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered why measles, perhaps the most contagious viral disease in the world, spreads so quickly. ... > full story

When our neurons remain silent so that our performances may improve (November 5, 2011) -- Why do we "turn off" our neurons at times when we need them most? Scientists have just demonstrated that a network of specific neurons, referred to as "the default-mode network" works on a permanent basis even when we are doing nothing. ... > full story

Unraveling Batten disease (November 5, 2011) -- Scientists reveal the actions of a gene implicated in Batten disease, a rare, degenerative childhood disorder. ... > full story

NASA airborne mission maps remote, deteriorating glaciers (November 5, 2011) -- NASA's airborne expedition over Antarctica this October and November has measured the change in glaciers vital to sea level rise projections and mapped others rarely traversed by humans. ... > full story

Psychological traumas experienced over lifetime linked to adult irritable bowel syndrome (November 5, 2011) -- The psychological and emotional traumas experienced over a lifetime -- such as the death of a loved one, divorce, natural disaster, house fire or car accident, physical or mental abuse -- may contribute to adult irritable bowel syndrome, according to the results of a new study. ... > full story

City lights could reveal E.T. civilization (November 4, 2011) -- In the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, astronomers have hunted for radio signals and ultra-short laser pulses. Astronomers suggest a new technique for finding aliens: Look for their city lights. ... > full story

New ways to image and therapeutically target melanoma using nanomedicine? (November 4, 2011) -- Because the incidence of malignant melanoma is rising faster than any other cancer in the US, medical researchers are working overtime to develop new technologies to aid in both malignant melanoma diagnosis and therapy. A tool of great promise comes from the world of nanomedicine. ... > full story

Skin 'sees' UV light, starts producing pigment (November 4, 2011) -- Biologists report that melanocyte skin cells detect ultraviolet light using a photosensitive receptor previously thought to exist only in the eye. This eye-like ability of skin to sense light triggers the production of melanin within hours, more quickly than previously thought, in an apparent rush to protect against damage to DNA. ... > full story

Brain probe that softens after insertion causes less scarring (November 4, 2011) -- A hard probe inserted in the cerebral cortex of a rat model turns nearly as pliable as the surrounding gray matter in minutes, and induces less of the tough scarring that walls off hard probes that do not change, researchers have found. ... > full story

New International Space Station camera reveals the cosmic shore (November 4, 2011) -- Part of human fascination with space is the chance to look back at our own planet from afar. The unique vantage from the International Space Station affords a vista both breathtaking and scientifically illuminating. ... > full story

11/11/11: Maya scholar debunks doomsday myths (November 4, 2011) -- This fall, Hoopes and his students have watched two predicted cataclysmic dates -- Oct. 21 and 28 -- come and go with little fanfare. Oct. 21 was a date selected by California evangelist Harold Camping after his original May 21, 2011, prediction passed without calamity. Swedish pharmacologist, self-help advocate and self-taught Maya cosmologist Carl Johan Calleman was among those predicting that Oct. 28 would usher in a worldwide unified consciousness. ... > full story

Climate shift could leave some marine species homeless (November 4, 2011) -- Rising temperatures will force many species of animals and plants to move to other regions and could leave some marine species with nowhere to go, according to new research. ... > full story

Cerebral palsy-like brain damage prevented in mice (November 4, 2011) -- Scientists have shown that a protein may help prevent the kind of brain damage that occurs in babies with cerebral palsy. ... > full story

Alternate ending: Living on without telomerase (November 4, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered an alternative mechanism for the extension of the telomere repeat sequence by DNA repair enzymes. ... > full story

Starving prostate cancer: Scientists discover how to cut off cancer's food supply (November 4, 2011) -- Researchers in Australia have discovered a potential future treatment for prostate cancer -- through starving the tumor cells of an essential nutrient they need to grow rapidly. Their work, with human cells grown in the lab, reveals targets for drugs that could slow the progress of early and late stage prostate cancer. ... > full story

Hybrid power plants can help industry go green: Affordable solar option for power plants (November 4, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a technology that combines the conventional fuel used in today's power plants with the lower pressures and temperatures of steam produced by solar power. His new "hybrid" power plant is a potentially cost-effective and realistic way to integrate solar technology into existing power plants. ... > full story

Interactive play with blocks found to facilitate development of spatial vocabulary (November 4, 2011) -- Parents and researchers have long speculated that play with construction toys might offer a rich environment that would support later learning in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Researchers have found that when playing with blocks under interactive conditions, children hear the kind of language that helps them think about space, such as "over," "around" and "through." ... > full story

Pulsating response to stress in bacteria discovered (November 4, 2011) -- Turning on the heater is a reasonable response to a cold environment: switch to a toastier state until it warms up outside. Biologists have long thought cells would respond to their environment in a similar way. But now researchers are finding that cells can respond using a pulsating mechanism. The principles behind this process are surprisingly simple and could drive other cellular processes, revealing more about how the cells -- and ultimately life -- work. ... > full story

Mechanism in brain cancer responsible for neuron death discovered (November 4, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a mechanism by which glioblastoma multiforme, the most common form of brain cancer, promotes the loss of function or death of neurons, a process known as neurodegeneration. ... > full story

Analysis reveals malaria, other diseases as ancient, adaptive and persistent foes (November 4, 2011) -- One of the most comprehensive analyses yet done of the ancient history of insect-borne disease concludes for the first time that malaria is not only native to the New World, but it has been present long before humans existed and has evolved through birds and monkeys. ... > full story

New DNA test to identify Down syndrome in pregnancy is ready for clinical use (November 4, 2011) -- A new DNA-based prenatal blood test that can strikingly reduce the number of risky diagnostic procedures needed to identify a pregnancy with Down syndrome is ready to be introduced into clinical practice. ... > full story

Solar energy: Solar concentrator increases collection with less loss (November 4, 2011) -- Converting sunlight into electricity is not economically attractive because of the high cost of solar cells, but a recent, purely optical approach to improving luminescent solar concentrators may ease the problem, according to researchers. ... > full story

Secluding aggressive young offenders is always the last resort, four-country study finds (November 4, 2011) -- Seclusion should always be the last resort when it comes to dealing with aggressive episodes involving young offenders with psychiatric disorders, according to a study covering forensic units for 12 to 18-year-olds in Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands and UK. 58 staff took part in the study including nurses, doctors, psychologists, social workers, educators, support workers, occupational, art and family therapists and sports instructors. ... > full story

Observations of gamma-ray burst reveal surprising ingredients of early galaxies (November 4, 2011) -- Astronomers have used the brief but brilliant light of a distant gamma-ray burst as a probe to study the make-up of very distant galaxies. Surprisingly the new observations revealed two galaxies in the young Universe that are richer in the heavier chemical elements than the Sun. The two galaxies may be in the process of merging. Such events in the early Universe will drive the formation of many new stars and may be the trigger for gamma-ray bursts. ... > full story

Exercise provides clue to deadly ataxia (November 4, 2011) -- When researchers prescribed mild exercise for mice with a neurodegenerative disorder called spinocerebellar ataxia 1, they did not know what to expect. What they found was the mice that exercised lived longer than those that had not. ... > full story

Scientists identify gene critical for cell responses to oxygen deprivation (November 4, 2011) -- Scientists have identified a protein that kick-starts the response to low levels of oxygen, suggesting new lines of research relevant to a variety of potentially fatal disorders associated with diminished oxygen supply, including cancer, heart disease, stroke and other neurological conditions that affect millions of people worldwide. ... > full story

Report calls for creation of a biomedical research and patient data network for more accurate classification of diseases, move toward 'precision medicine' (November 4, 2011) -- A new data network that integrates emerging research on the molecular makeup of diseases with clinical data on individual patients could drive the development of a more accurate classification of disease and ultimately enhance diagnosis and treatment. ... > full story

New process for manufacturing nanocellulose: Using nanocellulose to create novel composite materials (November 4, 2011) -- For some time now nanocellulose has been at the focus of a good deal of industrial and scientific interest as a novel biomaterial. Potential applications range from the creation of new kinds of commercially useful materials and uses in medical technology all the way to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Swiss researchers have now developed a manufacturing process for nanocellulose powder, the raw material for creating polymer composites which can be used, for example, in lightweight structures for the car industry or as membrane and filter material for biomedicinal applications. ... > full story

Impulsive versus controlled men: Disinhibited brains and disinhibited behavior (November 4, 2011) -- Impulsive individuals tend to display aggressive behavior and have challenges ranging from drug and alcohol abuse, to problem gambling and difficult relationships. They are less able to adapt to different social situations. Impulsivity is also a common feature of psychiatric disorders. New research shows that people may react this way, in part, because they have lower levels of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter, in a specific part of their brain involved in regulating self-control. ... > full story