ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Tuesday, November 15, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Tuesday, November 15, 2011

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Whiskers marked milestone in evolution of mammals from reptiles (November 15, 2011) -- New research comparing rats and mice with their distance relatives the marsupial, suggests that moveable whiskers were an important milestone in the evolution of mammals from reptiles. ... > full story

Novel nanocrystals with advanced optical properties developed for use as luminescent biomarkers (November 15, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a synthesis that yields lanthanide-doped nanocrystals with advanced light-control properties, leading to potential applications in cancer diagnostics, medical imaging and therapeutic delivery. ... > full story

Long-term carbon storage in Ganges basin may portend global warming worsening (November 15, 2011) -- Scientists have found that carbon is stored in the soils and sediments of the Ganges-Brahmaputra basin for a surprisingly long time, making it likely that global warming could destabilize the pool of carbon there and in similar places on Earth, potentially increasing the rate of CO2 release into the atmosphere. ... > full story

Eating fish can reduce the risk of diabetes, study suggests (November 15, 2011) -- A study analyses the dietary patterns of the adult Spanish population with high cardiovascular risk. The results reveal a high consumption of both red meat and fish. However, whilst eating lots of cured meats is associated with greater weight gain and a higher obesity rate, the consumption of fish is linked to lower glucose concentrations and a smaller risk of developing diabetes. ... > full story

Battered Tharsis Tholus volcano on Mars (November 15, 2011) -- The latest image released from Mars Express reveals a large extinct volcano that has been battered and deformed over the eons. By Earthly standards, Tharsis Tholus is a giant, towering 8 kilometers above the surrounding terrain, with a base stretching over 155 x 125 km. Yet on Mars, it is just an average-sized volcano. What marks it out as unusual is its battered condition. ... > full story

Obesity and depression independently increase health costs (November 15, 2011) -- Obesity and depression both dramatically increase health care costs, but they mainly act separately, according to a new study. ... > full story

Archeologists discover huge ancient Greek commercial area on island of Sicily (November 15, 2011) -- The Greeks were not always in such dire financial straits as today. German archeologists have discovered a very large commercial area from the ancient Greek era during excavations on Sicily. ... > full story

Self-organized pituitary-like tissue from mouse ES cells (November 15, 2011) -- The possibility that functional, three-dimensional tissues and organs may be derived from pluripotent cells, such as embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), represents one of the grand challenges of stem cell research, but is also one of the fundamental goals of the emerging field of regenerative medicine. New research has shown that when ES cells are cultured under the appropriate conditions, they can be driven to self-organize into complex, three-dimensional tissue-like structures that closely resemble their physiological counterparts, a remarkable advance for the field. ... > full story

Diseased hearts to heal themselves in future (November 15, 2011) -- Oncostatin M regulates the reversion of heart muscle cells into precursor cells and is vitally important for the self-healing powers of the heart. Scientists have identified a protein which fulfils a central task in this reversion process by stimulating the regression of individual heart muscle cells into their precursor cells. They now plan to improve the self-healing powers of the heart with the help of this protein. ... > full story

Drugs used to tackle hospital-acquired infections can increase post-op complications (November 15, 2011) -- The introduction of new antibiotic regimes to tackle hospital-acquired infections, such as C. difficile, must take into account the possibility of increased infections following specific surgical procedures. Researchers have studied 709 consecutive patients over 20 months. Patients undergoing a standard surgical procedure to diagnose prostate cancer developed more than five times as many infective complications when a new standard antibiotic regime was introduced in line with national guidance. These included a number of cases of sepsis and one case of septic shock. ... > full story

Galaxy DNA-analysis software is now available 'in the cloud' (November 15, 2011) -- Galaxy -- an open-source, web-based platform for data-intensive biomedical and genetic research -- is now available as a "cloud computing" resource. The new technology will help scientists and biomedical researchers to harness such tools as DNA-sequencing and analysis software, as well as storage capacity for large quantities of scientific data. ... > full story

Digital media a factor in ferocity of political campaigns (November 15, 2011) -- A new study of recent political blogs indicates politics are getting nastier due to digital media, which are segmenting people into polarized interest groups. The researcher recommends a balanced approach to finding information in order to return civility to political discourse, which is at the heart of democracy. ... > full story

Evidence of ancient lake in California's Eel River emerges (November 14, 2011) -- A catastrophic landslide 22,500 years ago dammed the upper reaches of northern California's Eel River, forming a 30-mile-long lake, which has since disappeared, and leaving a living legacy found today in the genes of the region's steelhead trout, scientists report. ... > full story

Hysterectomy increases risk for earlier menopause among younger women, study finds (November 14, 2011) -- In a finding that confirms what many obstetricians and gynecologists suspected, researchers report that younger women who undergo hysterectomies face a nearly two-fold increased risk for developing menopause early. ... > full story

Fish flu: Genetics approach may lead to treatment (November 14, 2011) -- A research team has provided the first look at a genetic structure that may play a critical role in the reproduction of the infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV), more commonly known as the "fish flu." ... > full story

AMD-like lesions delayed in mice fed lower glycemic index diet (November 14, 2011) -- Feeding older mice a lower glycemic index diet delays the onset of age-related, sight-threatening retinal lesions. Mice put on a higher GI diet demonstrated elevated accumulations of debris known as advanced glycation end products in the whole retina, particularly in the cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The RPE plays a crucial role in maintaining vision and its dysfunction results in the gradual vision loss that is the hallmark of age-related macular degeneration. ... > full story

New advances in the study of silicon structure (November 14, 2011) -- Amorphous silicon is one of the key materials in the manufacturing of next-generation solar panels and flat-screen televisions. A recent study has revealed that the energy of amorphous silicon – the state in which it exhibits the greatest stability – is 50% lower than the value commonly accepted until now. According to the researchers, this information is important for understanding the structure of the material and improving its properties. ... > full story

Discussions of guns in the home part of comprehensive preventive health care (November 14, 2011) -- A new article reviews research about and analyzes available data around firearm injuries and prevention, and argues the importance of including firearm safety as part of physician-patient preventive care conversations. ... > full story

Bats show ability to instantly change their ear shapes, making their hearing more flexible (November 14, 2011) -- Within just one tenth of a second, certain bats are able to change the shape of their outer ear from one extreme configuration to another in order to change their hearing, researchers have discovered. ... > full story

Potential new drug target in Lou Gehrig's disease (November 14, 2011) -- Two proteins conspire to promote Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a new study. ... > full story

Every mouse is different: How mouse 'personality' sheds light on human depression (November 14, 2011) -- Just as in humans, there are also the tough types or those with a more delicate personality among mice, researchers confirm. Some adopt an active strategy when faced with stressful situations and somehow try to tackle the problem, whereas others display a passive attitude. Those in the second group are more vulnerable: some of the physiological characteristics resemble those attributed to human depression. ... > full story

Signaling pathway linked to inflammatory breast cancer may drive disease metastasis (November 14, 2011) -- Amplification of anaplastic lymphoma kinase, which has been reported in other cancers such as non-small cell lung cancers, may be a primary driver of the rapid metastasis that patients with inflammatory breast cancer experience. ... > full story

Robot speeds up glass development (November 14, 2011) -- Model by model, the electronics in a car are being moved closer to the engine block. This is why the materials used for the electronics must resist increasing heat – so the glass solder being used as glue must be continually optimized. For the first time ever, a robot takes on the task of developing new types of glass and examining their characteristics. ... > full story

Twitter tweets chart the social whirl (November 14, 2011) -- The senior project of two computer science students aggregates Twitter 'tweets" into a real-time events guide. ... > full story

Enzyme boosts metabolism, prevents weight gain in mice (November 14, 2011) -- Male and female mice engineered to express the inflammatory enzyme IKKbeta in their fat tissue ate more but gained less weight. They burned sugar and fat more effectively than mice who were left unaltered. The research may shed light on how obesity and inflammation affect insulin resistance and sensitivity. ... > full story

Routine head hits in school sports may cause brain injury (November 14, 2011) -- The brain scans of high school football and hockey players showed subtle injury -- even if they did not suffer a concussion -- after taking routine hits to the head during the normal course of play, according to a new study. ... > full story

Tarantula Nebula glows with X-rays and infrared light (November 14, 2011) -- The star-forming region 30 Doradus is one of the largest located close to the Milky Way and is found in the neighboring galaxy Large Magellanic Cloud. About 2,400 massive stars in the center of 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula, are producing intense radiation and powerful winds as they blow off material. ... > full story

Prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants may affect weight and size of newborn (November 14, 2011) -- A higher exposure to xenoestrogens -- a type of environmental pollutants acting as hormones -- might affect neonatal weight and size in term infants. Researchers have found a correlation between estrogenic burden in women’s placenta and a higher neonatal weight at birth. ... > full story

New sources found for accumulated dust on Chinese Loess Plateau (November 14, 2011) -- Fine silt on the Chinese Loess Plateau may actually have come from due west, not the northwest, which would change conventional thinking about wind patterns over the last 2.6 million years. ... > full story

Social isolation: Are lonely consumers actually loners or conformers? (November 14, 2011) -- Despite the proliferation of social networks, many Americans feel alone and isolated. According to a new study, lonely individuals behave differently in the marketplace than people with strong social networks. ... > full story

Rising air pollution worsens drought, flooding, new study finds (November 14, 2011) -- Increases in air pollution and other particulate matter in the atmosphere can strongly affect cloud development in ways that reduce precipitation in dry regions or seasons, while increasing rain, snowfall and the intensity of severe storms in wet regions or seasons, says a new study. The research provides the first clear evidence of how aerosols can affect weather and climate, with important economic and water resource implications. ... > full story

Benefit of novel drug in breast cancer seen in blood within weeks (November 14, 2011) -- Clinical benefit from use of a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor drug may be determined by examining blood cells days after a patient receives treatment. The drug, entinostat, is the first histone deacetylase inhibitor successfully tested in a randomized, placebo-controlled study in metastatic breast cancer — and is the first to show that clinical outcome can be predicted shortly after administration. ... > full story

New way to target – and kill – proliferating tumors (November 14, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a new drug discovery approach enabling the destruction of the most highly proliferative tumors. The discovery points to an effective, alternative method for killing fast-growing cancer cells without causing some of the negative effects of current therapies. ... > full story

Risk of contracting diabetes to increase in world of 7 billion people (November 14, 2011) -- World citizen number seven billion is less likely to die from infectious diseases like measles or even AIDS, and more likely to contract diabetes or other non-communicable diseases, as they are now the leading causes of deaths globally. ... > full story

Violent passions: Jealous cleaner shrimp murder their rivals (November 14, 2011) -- The hermaphroditic cleaner shrimp Lysmata amboinensis usually live in monogamous pairs, but dark passions underlie their social structure. New research shows that cleaner shrimp, in any group larger than two, viciously attack and kill each other until only a single pair remains. ... > full story

Ancient bronze artifact from East Asia unearthed at Alaska archaeology site (November 14, 2011) -- Archeologists have discovered the first prehistoric bronze artifact made from a cast ever found in Alaska, a small, buckle-like object found in an ancient Eskimo dwelling and which likely originated in East Asia. ... > full story

Nature and nurture work together to shape the brain (November 14, 2011) -- Scientists presented new research today demonstrating the impact life experiences can have on genes and behavior. The studies examine how such environmental information can be transmitted from one generation to the next -- a phenomenon known as epigenetics. This new knowledge could ultimately improve understanding of brain plasticity, the cognitive benefits of motherhood, and how a parent's exposure to drugs, alcohol, and stress can alter brain development and behavior in their offspring. ... > full story

Exploring the last white spot on Earth: New X-ray facility (November 14, 2011) -- Scientists will soon gain new insight into matter at conditions so extreme it can only be produced for microseconds using intense laser pulses. Such matter is present in the interior of the Earth and other planets, and we know surprisingly little about it. A new X-ray beamline will explore the last white spot on our globe: The Earth's core. ... > full story

Stem cell study helps clarify the best time for therapy to aid heart attack survivors (November 14, 2011) -- Physicians have found that stem cells obtained from bone marrow delivered two to three weeks after a person has a heart attack did not improve heart function. This is the first study to systematically examine the timing and method of stem cell delivery and provides vital information for the field of cell therapy. ... > full story

More power to the cranberry: Study shows juice better than extracts at fighting infections (November 14, 2011) -- With scientific evidence now supporting the age-old wisdom that cranberries prevent urinary tract infections, people have wondered if proanthocyanidins or PACs, a group of flavonoids found in cranberries, if extracted and condensed, perhaps in pill form, would be as effective as drinking the juice or eating cranberry sauce. A new study shows that the juice is far better at preventing biofilm formation, the precursor of infection, than PACs alone. ... > full story

Scientists take up golf to prove long-standing theory of cell stickiness (November 14, 2011) -- State-of-the-art, highly-sensitive golf clubs, developed by scientists, regularly catch the eye of golf's elite; however before the likes of Rory McIlroy get excited this time, this new golf putter is being put to use in microbiology laboratories. ... > full story

More flexible window into the brain (November 14, 2011) -- Scientists have developed and tested a new high-resolution, ultra-thin device capable of recording brain activity from the cortical surface without having to use penetrating electrodes. The device could make possible a whole new generation of brain-computer interfaces for treating neurological and psychiatric illness and research. ... > full story

Tamoxifen resistance -- and how to defeat it (November 14, 2011) -- In the last three decades, thousands of women with breast cancer have taken the drug tamoxifen, only to discover that the therapy doesn't work, either because their tumors do not respond to the treatment at all, or because they develop resistance to it over time. Now researchers have discovered the molecular basis for tamoxifen resistance and found a potential way to defeat it. ... > full story

Lutetia: A rare survivor from the birth of Earth (November 14, 2011) -- New observations indicate that the asteroid Lutetia is a leftover fragment of the same original material that formed the Earth, Venus and Mercury. Astronomers found that the properties of the asteroid closely match those of a rare kind of meteorites found on Earth and thought to have formed in the inner parts of the solar system. Lutetia must, at some point, have moved out to its current location in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. ... > full story

Wearable defibrillator can prevent death in people with arrhythmias, research finds (November 14, 2011) -- A wearable defibrillator can prevent sudden death in people with dangerous heart arrhythmias, according to new research. ... > full story

Researching graphene nanoelectronics for a post-silicon world (November 14, 2011) -- Copper's days are numbered, and a new study could hasten the downfall of the ubiquitous metal in smart phones, tablet computers, and nearly all electronics. This is good news for technophiles who are seeking smaller, faster devices. Researchers have discovered that they could enhance the ability of graphene to transmit electricity by stacking several thin graphene ribbons on top of one another. ... > full story

In bubble-rafting snails, the eggs came first (November 14, 2011) -- It's "Waterworld" snail style: ocean-dwelling snails that spend most of their lives floating upside down, attached to rafts of mucus bubbles. ... > full story

Voyager 2 completes switch to backup thruster set (November 14, 2011) -- NASA's Voyager 2 has successfully switched to the backup set of thrusters that controls the roll of the spacecraft. Deep Space Network personnel sent commands to the spacecraft to make the change on Nov. 4 and received confirmation Nov. 14 that the switch has been made. ... > full story