ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Wednesday, December 14, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Wednesday, December 14, 2011

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Tycho's star shines in gamma rays, NASA's Fermi shows (December 14, 2011) -- In early November 1572, observers on Earth witnessed the appearance of a "new star" in the constellation Cassiopeia, an event now recognized as the brightest naked-eye supernova in more than 400 years. It's often called "Tycho's supernova" after the great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who gained renown for his extensive study of the object. Now, years of data collected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope reveal that the shattered star's remains shine in high-energy gamma rays. ... > full story

Some plant-based food supplements contain high levels of cancer causing agents, study suggests (December 14, 2011) -- While many consumers equal ‘natural’ with ‘safe’, botanicals and botanical preparations such as plant-based food supplements may contain compounds, like the so called alkenylbenzenes, that are of concern for human health. A new study reveals there are plant-based food supplements on the market that contain alkenylbenzenes at levels comparable to those causing tumors in laboratory animals. ... > full story

Origins of blood stem cells detemined (December 14, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered a molecular marker for the immediate precursors of hematopoietic stem cells in the developing embryo, which provides much-needed insights for making these cells from engineered precursors. ... > full story

More clues to causes of breast cancer: Hyperactivation of Akt and overexpression of IKBKE observed in 50 percent of human cancers (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered additional mechanisms of "Akt" activation and suggest a component of that activation mechanism -- inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit epsilon (IKBKE) -- could be targeted as a therapeutic intervention for treating cancer. ... > full story

High-energy physicists set record for network data transfer (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have set a new world record for data transfer, helping to usher in the next generation of high-speed network technology. They transferred data in opposite directions at a combined rate of 186 gigabits per second (Gbps) in a wide-area network circuit. The rate is equivalent to moving two million gigabytes per day, fast enough to transfer nearly 100,000 full Blu-ray disks -- each with a complete movie and all the extras -- in a day. ... > full story

Nostalgic consumers are more likely to give to charity (December 14, 2011) -- Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, can boost donations and help drum up volunteers, according to a new study. ... > full story

Hundreds of threatened species not on official U.S. list, research shows (December 14, 2011) -- Many of the animal species at risk of extinction in the United States have not made it onto the country's official Endangered Species Act list, according to new research. ... > full story

Most common causes, risk factors for stillbirth (December 14, 2011) -- Two studies by the Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network have identified the most common causes and risk factors for stillbirth, including causes such as preterm labor and risk factors that include diabetes and excess weight. ... > full story

NASA developing comet harpoon for sample return (December 14, 2011) -- The best way to grab a sample of a rotating comet that is racing through the inner solar system at up to 150,000 miles per hour while spewing chunks of ice, rock and dust may be to avoid the risky business of landing on it. Instead, researchers want to send a spacecraft to rendezvous with a comet, then fire a harpoon to rapidly acquire samples from specific locations with surgical precision while hovering above the target. Using this "standoff" technique would allow samples to be collected even from areas that are much too rugged or dangerous to permit the landing and safe operation of a spacecraft. ... > full story

What role do cytokines play in autoimmune diseases? (December 14, 2011) -- Cytokines, a varied group of signaling chemicals in the body, have been described as the software that runs the immune system, but when that software malfunctions, dysregulation of the immune system can result in debilitating autoimmune diseases such as lupus, arthritis, and diabetes. Leading experts in the field of cytokine research present their most up-to-date findings and unique perspectives on the role of cytokines in autoimmune diseases in a special issue of Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research. ... > full story

First electronic optical fibers with hydrogenated amorphous silicon are developed (December 14, 2011) -- A new chemical technique for depositing a non-crystalline form of silicon into the long, ultra-thin pores of optical fibers is the first of its kind to use high-pressure chemistry for making well-developed films and wires of this particular kind of silicon semiconductor. The research will help scientists to make more-efficient and more-flexible optical fibers. ... > full story

Few allergies in unstressed babies, Swedish researchers find (December 13, 2011) -- A new study shows that infants with low concentrations of the stress-related hormone cortisol in their saliva develop fewer allergies than other infants. Hopefully this new knowledge will be useful in future allergy prevention. ... > full story

Scar findings could lead to new therapies, researchers say (December 13, 2011) -- Researchers report that they have identified the molecular pathway through which physical force contributes to scarring in mice. ... > full story

Fauna of an entire lake in a shot glass (December 13, 2011) -- Danish researchers are leading the way for future biodiversity monitoring using DNA traces in the environment to keep track of threatened wildlife: a lake water sample the size of a shot glass can contain evidence of an entire lake fauna. ... > full story

Tangled web in Alzheimer's protein deposits is more complex than once thought (December 13, 2011) -- Scientists have made a discovery that will change the direction of Alzheimer's research. They found that the protein tangles, which are a hallmark of Alzheimer's, involve three different proteins instead of one. The discovery of these additional proteins, called neurofilaments and vimentin, should help scientists better understand the biology and progression of Alzheimer's and provide additional drug discovery targets. ... > full story

'Left-handed iron corkscrews' point the way to new weapon in battle against superbugs like MRSA (December 13, 2011) -- Scientists have taken inspiration from corkscrew structures found in nature to develop a new weapon in the fight against infections like E. coli and MRSA. ... > full story

Precise detection by the nose: Researchers decipher interaction of fragrances and olfactory receptors (December 13, 2011) -- Banana, mango or apricot -- telling these smells apart is no problem for the human nose. How the olfactory organ distinguishes such similar smells has been uncovered by an interdisciplinary team of researchers. The scientists were the first to shed light on the dynamics of the three-dimensional structure of the binding site of an olfactory receptor. In so doing, they also found a characteristic pattern of hydrogen bonds between odorant and receptor, which accounts for the specificity of the olfactory sensors. Using computer simulations, the team was able to predict whether odorant molecules activate a certain receptor or not. ... > full story

Early black holes grew big eating cold, fast food (December 13, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered what caused the rapid growth of early supermassive black holes -- a steady diet of cold, fast food. Computer simulations show that thin streams of cold gas flow uncontrolled into the center of the first black holes, causing them to grow faster than anything else in the universe. ... > full story

New device uses gold nanoparticles to test for lung cancer (December 13, 2011) -- A new device clearly distinguishes between the volatile organic compounds in cancer patients' exhaled breath compared to the breath of a control group. Subjects simply exhale into a bag, and the breath is analyzed by an array of gold nanoparticle sensors. ... > full story

Elephant seal travels 18,000 miles (December 13, 2011) -- Scientists tracked a southern elephant seal for an astonishing 18,000 miles -- the equivalent of New York to Sydney and back again. ... > full story

Widespread brain atrophy detected in Parkinson's disease with newly developed structural pattern (December 13, 2011) -- Atrophy in the hippocampus, the region of the brain known for memory formation and storage, is evident in Parkinson's disease patients with cognitive impairment, including early decline known as mild cognitive impairment, according to a new study. ... > full story

Rose torture: Severe heat in Texas yields better varieties for research (December 13, 2011) -- At least one person admits that the extreme heat in Texas this year was beneficial. But all the same, he'd opt next time for a handmade torture chamber. "Some people will complain about the heat, but from my viewpoint as a breeder, I love stress," said a rose breeder. ... > full story

Life after cigarettes: Compared with those who continue to smoke, quitters are both happier and more satisfied with their health (December 13, 2011) -- Life without cigarettes is not all doom and gloom. In fact, successful quitters are more satisfied with their lives and feel healthier, both one year and three years afterwards, than those who continue to smoke. That's according to new research by Dr. Megan Piper, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in the US, and her team. Their work looks at whether quitting smoking can improve psychological well-being. ... > full story

Trillion-frame-per-second video: Researchers have created an imaging system that makes light look slow (December 13, 2011) -- Researchers have created a new imaging system that can acquire visual data at a rate of one trillion exposures per second. That's fast enough to produce a slow-motion video of a burst of light traveling the length of a one-liter bottle, bouncing off the cap and reflecting back to the bottle's bottom. ... > full story

Simple blood test diagnoses Parkinson's disease long before symptoms appear (December 13, 2011) -- A new research report shows how scientists from the United Kingdom have developed a simple blood test to detect Parkinson's disease even at the earliest stages. The test is possible because scientists found a substance in the blood, called "phosphorylated alpha-synuclein," which is common in people with Parkinson's disease, and then developed a way to identify its presence in our blood. ... > full story

Spring's rising soil temperatures see hormones wake seeds from their winter slumber (December 13, 2011) -- Dormant seeds in the soil detect and respond to seasonal changes in soil temperature by changing their sensitivity to plant hormones, new research has found. ... > full story

Mothers' weight before and during pregnancy affects baby's weight (December 13, 2011) -- Both pre-pregnant weight (body mass index) and weight gain in pregnancy are important predictors of babies' birthweight. This is important since high birthweight may also predict adult overweight. ... > full story

Nighttime images help track disease from the sky (December 13, 2011) -- Satellite images of nighttime lights normally used to spot where people live can help keep tabs on the diseases festering among them, too. ... > full story

The paradox of gift giving: More not better, says new study (December 13, 2011) -- Holiday shoppers, take note. Researchers have found that in gift giving, bundling together an expensive "big" gift and a smaller "stocking stuffer" reduces the perceived value of the overall package for the recipient. ... > full story

Possible hints of Higgs boson remain in latest analyses, physicists say (December 13, 2011) -- Two experiments at the Large Hadron Collider have nearly eliminated the space in which the Higgs boson could dwell, scientists announced in a seminar held at CERN Dec. 13. However, the ATLAS and CMS experiments see modest excesses in their data that could soon uncover the famous missing piece of the physics puzzle. Theorists have predicted that some subatomic particles gain mass by interacting with other particles called Higgs bosons. The Higgs boson is the only undiscovered part of the Standard Model of physics, which describes the basic building blocks of matter and their interactions. ... > full story

Stress in early pregnancy can lead to shorter pregnancies and fewer baby boys (December 13, 2011) -- Stress in the second and third months of pregnancy can shorten pregnancies, increase the risk of pre-term births and may affect the ratio of boys to girls being born, leading to a decline in male babies. These are the conclusions of a study that investigated the effect on pregnant women of the stress caused by the 2005 Tarapaca earthquake in Chile. ... > full story

How the bioweapon ricin kills: Scientists solve mystery through revolutionary new technology (December 13, 2011) -- A key protein that controls how the deadly plant poison and bioweapon ricin kills, has finally been identified. The discovery was made using a revolutionary technology that combines stem cell biology and modern screening methods. ... > full story

Scientists discover new drug candidates for cystic fibrosis and other diseases (December 13, 2011) -- A new discovery may lead to pharmaceutical breakthroughs for illnesses involving the hydration of cells lining the inner surfaces of our body's organs and tissues. Researchers report how high-throughput screening identifies small-molecule drug candidates, helping cells bypass defective channels that move salt and water through cell membranes. By activating an alternative chloride channel "TMEM16A" conditions such as cystic fibrosis and slow-transit constipation can be treated. ... > full story

Visual tour of Earth's fires (December 13, 2011) -- NASA has released a series of new satellite data visualizations that show tens of millions of fires detected worldwide from space since 2002. ... > full story

Why do people defend unjust, inept, and corrupt systems? (December 13, 2011) -- Why do we stick up for a system or institution we live in -- a government, company, or marriage -- even when anyone else can see it is failing miserably? Why do we resist change even when the system is corrupt or unjust? A new article illuminates the conditions under which we're motivated to defend the status quo -- a process called "system justification." ... > full story

'Matrix'-style effortless learning? Vision scientists demonstrate innovative learning method (December 13, 2011) -- It may be possible to use brain technology to learn to play a piano, reduce mental stress or hit a curve ball with little or no conscious effort, new research suggests. It's the kind of thing seen in Hollywood's "Matrix" franchise. ... > full story

New vaccine attacks breast cancer in mice (December 13, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a vaccine that dramatically reduces tumors in a mouse model that mimics 90 percent of human breast and pancreatic cancer cases -- including those that are resistant to common treatments. The vaccine reveals a promising new strategy for treating cancers that share the same distinct carbohydrate signature, including ovarian and colorectal cancers. ... > full story

Space weather prediction model improves forecasting (December 13, 2011) -- NOAA is now using a sophisticated forecast model that substantially improves predictions of space weather impacts on Earth. Better forecasts offer additional protection for people and the technology-based infrastructure we use daily. ... > full story

Human cells build protein cages to trap invading Shigella (December 13, 2011) -- In research on the never-ending war between pathogen and host, scientists have discovered a novel defensive weapon, a cytoskeletal protein called septin, that humans cells deploy to cage the invading Shigella bacteria that cause potentially fatal human diarrhea. ... > full story

Reliable nuclear device to heat, power Mars Science Lab (December 13, 2011) -- NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission has the potential to be the most productive Mars surface mission in history. That's due in part to its nuclear heat and power source. The rover Curiosity's scientific instruments will get their lifeblood from a new radioisotope power system. ... > full story

Friends and loved ones yawn together (December 13, 2011) -- Yawning is contagious, as everybody knows. A new study shows that “yawn transmission” is more frequent, and faster, between people sharing an emotional bond: close friends, kin, and mates. ... > full story

A small step for lungfish, a big step for the evolution of walking (December 13, 2011) -- The eel-like body and scrawny "limbs" of the African lungfish would appear to make it an unlikely innovator for locomotion. But its improbable walking behavior, newly described, redraws the evolutionary route of life on Earth from water to land. ... > full story

Manipulating serotonin can promote healthy repair in chronic liver disease, study suggests (December 13, 2011) -- Medical researchers have identified serotonin receptors which can be targeted with drugs to enhance the natural healing properties of the liver. ... > full story

Human brain and the potato: Similarities within the mitochondrial ion channels (December 13, 2011) -- Certain elements of the membranes surrounding cellular mitochondria, responsible for transporting potassium ions, are identical in the potato and in mammalian brain, suggest new research. ... > full story

Biker's warning! EPO hits blood vessels to raise blood pressure in the brain (December 13, 2011) -- Erythropoietin might be considered a "performance enhancing" substance for athletes, but new research shows these enhancements cause increased risk of vascular problems in the brain. According to the study, short- or long-term use of EPO raises blood pressure by constricting arteries, which reduces the flow of blood to the brain. This finding also contradicts earlier evidence suggesting that EPO may be a viable early treatment for stroke victims. ... > full story

Elusive ultrafine indoor air contaminants yield to analysis (December 13, 2011) -- Researchers spent 75 days on the job carrying out some very important homework -- measurements in a 'typical dwelling' of the release, distribution and fate of nanoscale particles emitted by gas and electric stoves, hair dryers, power tools and candles. ... > full story

Female shift workers may be at higher risk of heart disease (December 13, 2011) -- Women hospital staff working night shifts may be compromising their own health as they try to improve the health of patients, according to new research. A recent study investigated the connection between shift work and risk factors for heart disease in female hospital employees who worked both shift and non-shift rotations. ... > full story

Targeted proton transfer within a molecule: Smallest conceivable switch (December 13, 2011) -- For a long time miniaturization has been the magic word in electronics. Physicists have now presented a novel molecular switch. Decisive for the functionality of the switch is the position of a single proton in a porphyrin ring with an inside diameter of less than half a nanometer. The physicists can set four distinct states on demand. ... > full story