ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Wednesday, December 7, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Wednesday, December 7, 2011

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Oxidative stress: Less harmful than suspected? (December 7, 2011) -- Oxidative stress is considered to be involved in a multitude of pathogenic processes and is also implicated in the process of aging. For the first time, scientists have been able to directly observe oxidative changes in a living organism. Their findings in fruit flies raise doubts about the validity of some widely held hypotheses: The research team has found no evidence that the life span is limited by the production of harmful oxidants. ... > full story

Reusing pacemakers from deceased patients is safe and effective, study finds (December 7, 2011) -- Many heart patients in India are too poor to afford pacemakers. But a new study has found that removing pacemakers from deceased Americans, re-sterilizing the devices and implanting them in Indian patients "is very safe and effective." ... > full story

Timing is everything: Bacterial attachment mimics just-in-time industrial model (December 7, 2011) -- Biologists and physicists have shown that certain bacteria wait until the last minute to synthesize the glue that allows them to attach permanently to surfaces. ... > full story

New tick-borne disease discovered in Sweden (December 7, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a brand new tick-borne infection. Since the discovery, eight cases have been described around the world, three of them in Sweden. ... > full story

Engineers devise shoe sampling system for detecting trace amounts of explosives (December 7, 2011) -- The ability to efficiently and unobtrusively screen for trace amounts of explosives on airline passengers could improve travel safety -- without invoking the ire of inconvenienced fliers. Toward that end, researchers have developed a prototype air sampling system that can quickly blow particles off the surfaces of shoes and suck them away for analysis. ... > full story

Confidence is key to women's spatial skills, study suggests (December 7, 2011) -- Boosting a woman’s confidence makes her better at spatial tasks, scientists have found, suggesting skills such as parking and map-reading could come more easily if a woman is feeling good about herself. ... > full story

Measuring living cells' mechanical properties: Technology could diagnose human disease, shed light on biological processes (December 7, 2011) -- Researchers are making progress in developing a system that measures the mechanical properties of living cells, a technology that could be used to diagnose human disease and better understand biological processes. ... > full story

Drug treatment shows promise for brain blood vessel abnormality (December 7, 2011) -- A drug treatment has been proven to prevent lesions from cerebral cavernous malformation -- a brain blood vessel abnormality that can cause bleeding, epilepsy and stroke -- for the first time in a new study. ... > full story

Earthquakes: Water as a lubricant (December 7, 2011) -- Geophysicists have established a mode of action that can explain the irregular distribution of strong earthquakes at the San Andreas Fault in California. The scientists examined the electrical conductivity of the rocks at great depths, which is closely related to the water content within the rocks. From the pattern of electrical conductivity and seismic activity they were able to deduce that rock water acts as a lubricant. ... > full story

Researchers find MK1775 active against sarcomas (December 7, 2011) -- MK1775, a small, selective inhibitor molecule, has been found to be active against many sarcomas. This finding suggests that a badly needed new agent against sarcomas -- especially sarcomas affecting children -- may be at hand. ... > full story

Big success with tiny crystals (December 7, 2011) -- A little piece of iron wire is magnetic – just like a huge iron rod. When it comes to material properties, size usually does not matter. Surprisingly, researchers from Austria and India have now discovered that some materials show very unusual behavior, when they are studied in the form of tiny crystals. This could now lead to new materials with tailor-made electronic and magnetic properties. ... > full story

Familiarity increases the fullness that children expect from snack foods (December 7, 2011) -- Psychologists have found that children who are familiar with a snack food will expect it to be more filling. This finding is important because it reveals one way in which children over-consume snack foods and increase their risk of becoming overweight. ... > full story

Early Earth may have been prone to deep freezes, study finds (December 6, 2011) -- Researchers who have adapted a three-dimensional, general circulation model of Earth's climate to a time some 2.8 billion years ago when the sun was significantly fainter than present think the planet may have been more prone to catastrophic glaciation than previously believed. ... > full story

Tiny genetic variation can predict ovarian cancer outcome (December 6, 2011) -- Researchers have shown that a tiny genetic variation predicts chances of survival and response to treatment for patients with ovarian cancer. ... > full story

Veterinarians find infections faster by monitoring blood compound; Blood test for dogs could lead to similar human test (December 6, 2011) -- In pets and people, the time it takes to diagnose an infection may mean life or death. Now, a veterinarian is identifying ways to diagnose pet infections in approximately a third of the current diagnosis time. ... > full story

Computer-based tool to improve diagnosis and prognosis for cancer patients (December 6, 2011) -- A computer-based tool could help GPs to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from two of the most common forms of cancer, potentially saving thousands of lives every year. ... > full story

Random noise helps make signals clearer; Model shows that signal clarity only improves if specific energy conditions are met (December 6, 2011) -- Scientists have shown the energy conditions, under which a weak signal supplied to a physical system emerges as a stronger signal at the output thanks to the presence of random noise (a process known as stochastic resonance). ... > full story

Listening to music lights up the whole brain (December 6, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a groundbreaking new method that allows to study how the brain processes different aspects of music, such as rhythm, tonality and timbre (sound color) in a realistic listening situation. ... > full story

NASA's Voyager hits new region at solar system edge (December 6, 2011) -- NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered a new region between our solar system and interstellar space. Data obtained from Voyager over the last year reveal this new region to be a kind of cosmic purgatory. In it, the wind of charged particles streaming out from our sun has calmed, our solar system's magnetic field is piled up, and higher-energy particles from inside our solar system appear to be leaking out into interstellar space. ... > full story

'Encouraging' skin cancer discovery: P-Rex1 plays key role in spread of malignant melanoma (December 6, 2011) -- Scientists have made an important discovery in the fight against malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. In a new study, researchers have shown that a specific gene (P-Rex1) must be present before malignant melanoma can spread. ... > full story

New insights into how the nervous system becomes wired during early development (December 6, 2011) -- Thanks to a new study of the retina, scientists have developed a greater understanding of how the nervous system becomes wired during early development. ... > full story

Mayo Clinic makes kidney and pancreas transplant available to HIV-infected patients (December 6, 2011) -- Mayo Clinic in Florida is now offering kidney and pancreas transplants to HIV positive patients with advanced kidney disease and diabetes. Evidence is now solid that HIV-positive patients have the same favorable outcome in terms of patient and allograft survival as non-HIV positive organ transplant recipients, say experts. ... > full story

Virtual childbirth simulator improves safety of high-risk deliveries (December 6, 2011) -- Newly developed computer software combined with magnetic resonance imaging of a fetus may help physicians better assess a woman's potential for a difficult childbirth. ... > full story

Orphaned children exhibit genetic changes that require nurturing parents, study finds (December 6, 2011) -- Children who experience the stress of separation at birth from biological parents and are brought up in orphanages undergo biological consequences such as changes in their genome functioning, researchers report in a new study. ... > full story

Climate changes faster than species can adapt, rattlesnake study finds (December 6, 2011) -- The ranges of species will have to change dramatically as a result of climate change between now and 2100 because the climate will change more than 100 times faster than the rate at which species can adapt, according to a newly published study that focuses on North American rattlesnakes. ... > full story

Scientists discover how brain corrects bumps to body (December 6, 2011) -- Researchers have identified the area of the brain that controls our ability to correct our movement after we've been hit or bumped -- a finding that may have implications for understanding why subjects with stroke often have severe difficulties moving. ... > full story

S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g electrical conductance to the limit (December 6, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a method for mechanically controlling the geometry of a single molecule, situated in a junction between a pair of gold electrodes that form a simple circuit. The manipulations produced over tenfold increase in conductivity. ... > full story

New biochemical changes found in children with ADHD (December 6, 2011) -- A new study shows that children with ADHD have nearly 50 percent less of a protein that is important for attention and learning. The finding may mean that there are other biochemical disturbances in the brains of individuals with ADHD than was previously believed. ... > full story

Global sea surface temperature data provides new measure of climate sensitivity over the last half million years (December 6, 2011) -- Scientists have developed important new insight into the sensitivity of global temperature to changes in Earth's radiation balance over the last half million years. ... > full story

What we want to see on TV: Handsome politicians (December 6, 2011) -- The better the looks of United States Congresspersons, the more television coverage they receive, shows a new study. The reason behind this? Television journalists think their viewers prefer to see physically attractive people. "Physical appearance ranked third in the criteria for gaining television coverage, and ranked higher than seniority, position in Congress and legislative activity in this respect," noted the authors of the study. ... > full story

Ancient meat-loving predators survived for 35 million years (December 6, 2011) -- A species of ancient predator with saw-like teeth, sleek bodies and a voracious appetite for meat survived a major extinction at a time when the distant relatives of mammals ruled the earth. ... > full story

Promising multiple sclerosis treatment targets immune cells to increase neuroprotection, study shows (December 6, 2011) -- Laquinimod is an orally available synthetic compound that has been successfully evaluated in phase II/III clinical studies for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The mechanism of action of laquinimod has not been fully elucidated, but a new study suggests that laquinimod triggers immune cells within the central nervous system to produce and release brain-derived neurotrophic factor, contributing to the repair or survival of neurons and thus limiting brain damage. ... > full story

Proton beam experiments open new areas of research (December 6, 2011) -- By focusing proton beams using high-intensity lasers, a team of scientists has discovered a new way to heat material and create new states of matter in the laboratory. In a new report, researchers unveiled new findings about how proton beams can be used in myriad applications. ... > full story

Poorly contracting uterus in diabetic women increases risk of caesarean birth, researchers find (December 6, 2011) -- Researchers have found that the strength of uterine contractions in diabetic pregnant women is significantly weaker than in non-diabetic women, increasing the risk of emergency caesarean birth. ... > full story

Scientists rediscover rarest U.S. bumblebee: Cockerell's Bumblebee was last seen in the United States in 1956 (December 6, 2011) -- A team of scientists recently rediscovered the rarest species of bumblebee in the United States, last seen in 1956, living in the White Mountains of south-central New Mexico. Known as "Cockerell's Bumblebee," the bee was originally described in 1913 from six specimens collected along the Rio Ruidoso, with another 16 specimens collected near the town of Cloudcroft, and one more from Ruidoso, the most recent being in 1956. ... > full story

Child abuse changes the brain, study finds (December 6, 2011) -- When children have been exposed to family violence, their brains become increasingly "tuned" for processing possible sources of threat, a new study reports. The findings reveal the same pattern of brain activity in these children as seen previously in soldiers exposed to combat. ... > full story

Acquired traits can be inherited via small RNAs (December 6, 2011) -- Researchers have found the first direct evidence that an acquired trait can be inherited without any DNA involvement. The findings suggest that Lamarck, whose theory of evolution was eclipsed by Darwin's, may not have been entirely wrong. ... > full story

Blood protein EPO involved in origin and spread of cancer (December 6, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated that a growth hormone, PDGF-BB, and the blood protein EPO are involved in the development of cancer tumors and that they combine to help the tumors proliferate in the body. These new preclinical findings offer new potential for inhibiting tumor growth and bypassing problems of resistance that exist with many drugs in current use. ... > full story

New NASA Dawn visuals show Vesta's 'color palette' (December 6, 2011) -- Vesta appears in a splendid rainbow-colored palette in new images obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. The colors, assigned by scientists to show different rock or mineral types, reveal Vesta to be a world of many varied, well-separated layers and ingredients. Vesta is unique among asteroids visited by spacecraft to date in having such wide variation, supporting the notion that it is transitional between the terrestrial planets -- like Earth, Mercury, Mars and Venus -- and its asteroid siblings. ... > full story

Surgeons perform better with eye movement training (December 6, 2011) -- Surgeons can learn their skills more quickly if they are taught how to control their eye movements. Research shows that trainee surgeons learn technical surgical skills much more quickly and deal better with the stress of the operating theater if they are taught to mimic the eye movements of experts. ... > full story

Plasma-based treatment goes viral (December 6, 2011) -- Life-threatening viruses such as HIV, SARS, hepatitis and influenza, could soon be combated in an unusual manner as researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of plasma for inactivating and preventing the replication of adenoviruses. ... > full story

Memory and attention problems may follow preemies into adulthood (December 6, 2011) -- Babies born at a very low birth weight are more likely to have memory and attention problems when they become adults than babies born at a low to normal weight, according to a new study. ... > full story

Record massive black holes discovered lurking in monster galaxies (December 6, 2011) -- Astronomers using the Keck, Gemini and MacDonald observatories have discovered the largest black holes to date: Two monsters with masses equivalent to 10 billion suns that are threatening to consume anything, even light, within a region five times the size of our solar system. These monsters may be the remains of quasars that brightened the early universe. ... > full story

Childhood maltreatment associated with cerebral gray matter reductions in adolescents (December 6, 2011) -- Childhood maltreatment is associated with reductions in cerebral gray matter volume, and even if adolescents reporting exposure to maltreatment do not have symptoms that meet full criteria for psychiatric disorders, they may have cerebral gray matter changes that place them at risk for behavioral difficulties, according to a new study. ... > full story

Researchers evaluate rice as a source of fetal arsenic exposure (December 6, 2011) -- A new study advances our understanding of the sources of human exposure to arsenic and focuses attention on the potential for consuming harmful levels of arsenic via rice. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment and in elevated concentrations it can be harmful to human health. Rice is susceptible to arsenic contamination due to its ability to extract arsenic from the environment into the rice plant. ... > full story

Acupuncture may ease severe nerve pain associated with cancer treatment, study suggests (December 6, 2011) -- Acupuncture may help ease the severe nerve pain associated with certain cancer drugs, suggests a small preliminary study. ... > full story

Scientists propose new names for elements 114 and 116 (December 6, 2011) -- The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry has recommended new proposed names for elements 114 and 116, the latest heavy elements to be added to the periodic table. Scientists proposed the names are Flerovium for element 114 and Livermorium for element 116. ... > full story

Kids born just a few weeks early at risk of behavioral problems, study suggests (December 6, 2011) -- Children born just a few weeks too early are significantly more likely to have behavioral and/or emotional problems in the pre-school years, new research suggests. ... > full story