ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Thursday, December 15, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Thursday, December 15, 2011

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Disaster looms for gas cloud falling into Milky Way's central black hole (December 15, 2011) -- Astronomers have observed a cloud of gas several times the mass of Earth approaching the 4.3 million solar-mass black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and calculate that it will not survive the encounter. Astronomers calculate that by 2013, the cloud will be shredded and heated, emitting X-rays. The violent event provides a unique opportunity to record a black hole disruption until now only theorized. ... > full story

Antioxidant has potential in the Alzheimer's fight (December 15, 2011) -- A new study has shown that an antioxidant can delay the onset of all the indicators of Alzheimer's disease, including cognitive decline. The researchers administered an antioxidant compound called MitoQ to mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's. ... > full story

Largest ever gas mix caught in ultra-freeze trap (December 15, 2011) -- A team of scientists have made it easier to study atomic or subatomic-scale properties of the building blocks of matter (which also include protons, neutrons and electrons) known as fermions by slowing down the movement of a large quantity of gaseous atoms at ultra-low temperature. ... > full story

Engineering cartilage replacements (December 15, 2011) -- Self-assembling sheets of mesenchymal stem cells permeated with tiny beads filled with growth factor formed thicker, stiffer cartilage than previous tissue engineering methods, researchers have found. This step toward implantable replacement cartilage, holds promise for damaged joints, ears and noses. ... > full story

Ramping up wind energy research (December 15, 2011) -- As the percentage of wind energy contributing to the power grid continues to increase, the variable nature of wind can make it difficult to keep the generation and the load balanced. But recent work may help this balance through a project that alerts control room operators of wind conditions and energy forecasts so they can make well-informed scheduling decisions. This is especially important during extreme events, such as ramps, when there is a sharp increase or decrease in the wind speed over a short period of time, which leads to a large rise or fall in the amount of power generated. ... > full story

Why does stating your intention lead you to purchase your favorite brand? (December 15, 2011) -- If you say you're going to buy something, you're more likely to do it. But why is that? According to a new study, stating an intention leads consumers to action -- and makes them more likely to purchase their preferred brands. ... > full story

Why buttercups reflect yellow on chins: Research sheds light on children’s game and provides insight into pollination (December 15, 2011) -- Scientists have found that the distinctive glossiness of the buttercup flower, which children like to shine under the chin to test whether their friends like butter, is related to its unique anatomical structure. ... > full story

Human proteins that may fuel HIV/AIDS transmission identified (December 15, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered new protein fragments in semen that enhance the ability of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to infect new cells -- a discovery that one day could help curb the global spread of this deadly pathogen. ... > full story

Tapping the brain orchestra (December 15, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new method for detailed analyses of electrical activity in the brain. The method can help doctors and researchers to better interpret brain cell signals. In turn, this may lead to considerable steps forward in terms of interpreting for example EEG measurements, making diagnoses and treatment of various brain illnesses. ... > full story

Is obesity a ciliopathy, triggered by malfunctioning primary cilia? (December 15, 2011) -- Is obesity a ciliopathy, a disorder such as polycystic kidney disease (PKD), which is triggered by a defect in the microscopic hair-like cilia that protrude from virtually every cell of humans and other vertebrates? Researchers report that mutations in primary cilia may scramble signaling pathways in the hypothalamus, the appetite-regulating region of the brain, and trigger chronic obesity. ... > full story

Scientists develop new technology to detect deep sea gas leaks (December 15, 2011) -- A new ultra-sensitive technology which can monitor leaks from underwater gas pipelines has been developed by scientists in the UK. ... > full story

Society may get stuck with the bill for expensive higher education (December 15, 2011) -- The rising cost of a college education and limited access to financial aid may create a less productive workforce and steeper wealth inequity, according to a study by North American economists. ... > full story

Starving orangutans might help to better understand obesity and eating disorders in humans (December 14, 2011) -- New research examining how endangered Indonesian orangutans – considered a close relative to humans -- survive during times of extreme food scarcity might help scientists better understand eating disorders and obesity in humans. ... > full story

Scientists elevate little-studied cellular mechanism to potential drug target (December 14, 2011) -- For years, science has generally considered the phosphorylation of proteins -- the insertion of a phosphorus group into a protein that turns it on or off -- as perhaps the factor regulating a range of cellular processes from cell metabolism to programmed cell death. ... > full story

Bloodstream malaria infections in mice successfully cleared (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered how malaria manipulates the immune system to allow the parasite to persist in the bloodstream. By rescuing this immune system pathway, the research team was able to cure mice of bloodstream malaria infections. ... > full story

'Pep talk' can revive immune cells exhausted by chronic viral infection (December 14, 2011) -- Chronic infections by viruses such as HIV or hepatitis C eventually take hold because they wear the immune system out, a phenomenon immunologists describe as exhaustion. Yet exhausted immune cells can be revived after the introduction of fresh cells that act like coaches giving a pep talk, researchers have found. ... > full story

Glow of recognition: New detectors could provide easy visual identification of toxins or pathogens (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new way of revealing the presence of specific chemicals -- whether toxins, disease markers, pathogens or explosives. The system visually signals the presence of a target chemical by emitting a fluorescent glow. ... > full story

Do consumers prefer brands that appear on their Facebook pages? (December 14, 2011) -- You are likely to identify with a brand that advertises alongside your personal information on a Facebook page (especially if you have high self-esteem), according to a new study. The same ad will have less impact if you view it on a stranger's page. ... > full story

Ability to love takes root in earliest infancy (December 14, 2011) -- The ability to trust, love, and resolve conflict with loved ones starts in childhood -- way earlier than you may think. New research suggests that your relationship with your mother during the first 12 to 18 months of life predict your behavior in romantic relationships 20 years later. ... > full story

Heart drug may be effective for managing certain cancers, study suggests (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a new mechanism that could potentially explain why the body's immune system sometimes fails to eliminate cancer. The new findings shed light on the possible cause of immune resistance in cancer cells, and indicate that nitroglycerin, a relatively safe and low-cost drug used for more than a century to treat angina, may be effective for managing certain cancers. ... > full story

Microneedle sensors may allow real-time monitoring of body chemistry (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have developed new technology that uses microneedles to allow doctors to detect real-time chemical changes in the body -- and to continuously do so for an extended period of time. ... > full story

Study fundamentally alters our understanding of lung growth (December 14, 2011) -- A ground-breaking international study into the ways lungs grow and develop has challenged existing medical understanding that our lungs are completely formed by the age of three. ... > full story

Sharpening the lines: Advance could lead to smaller features in the quest for more compact, faster microchips (December 14, 2011) -- The microchip revolution has seen a steady shrinking of features on silicon chips, packing in more transistors and wires to boost chips' speed and data capacity. But in recent years, the technologies behind these chips have begun to bump up against fundamental limits, such as the wavelengths of light used for critical steps in chip manufacturing. Now, a new technique offers a way to break through one of these limits, possibly enabling further leaps in the computational power packed into a tiny sliver of silicon. ... > full story

Early research on cellphone conversations likely overestimated crash risk, study suggests (December 14, 2011) -- A new study suggests that two influential early studies of cellphone use and crash risk may have overestimated the relative risk of conversation on cellphones while driving. ... > full story

'Supernova of a generation' shows its stuff: Astronomers determine how brightest and closest stellar explosion in 25 years happened (December 14, 2011) -- It was the brightest and closest stellar explosion seen from Earth in 25 years, dazzling professional and backyard astronomers alike. Now, thanks to this rare discovery -- which some have called the "supernova of a generation" -- astronomers have the most detailed picture yet of how this kind of explosion happens. ... > full story

Brain-heart link may explain sudden death in Rett syndrome (December 14, 2011) -- Poets might scoff at the notion that heart and brain are closely related, but scientists say a genetic defect that affects the brain can stop a heart. In a new study, researchers found that heart problems that occur in nearly 20 percent of children with Rett syndrome, a neurological disorder, originate because the Rett gene is lost in nerve cells -- not in heart muscle cells. ... > full story

In third-degree burn treatment, hydrogel helps grow new, scar-free skin (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a jelly-like material and wound treatment method that, in early experiments on skin damaged by severe burns, appeared to regenerate healthy, scar-free tissue. ... > full story

Simple test to help diagnose bowel and pancreatic cancer could save thousands of lives (December 14, 2011) -- A simple online calculator could offer family GPs a powerful new tool in tackling two of the most deadly forms of cancer, say researchers. ... > full story

Seabirds: Climate differences have less impact on transmission of blood parasites than expected (December 14, 2011) -- Seabirds often live in large colonies in very confined spaces. Parasites, such as fleas and ticks, take advantage of this ideal habitat with its rich supply of nutrition. As a result, they can transmit blood parasites like avian malaria to the birds. Scientists have investigated whether this affects all seabirds equally, and whether climate conditions, the habitat or particular living conditions influence infection with avian malaria. They discovered that most seabirds are free of malaria parasites; however, some groups, especially frigatebirds, are particularly common hosts to malaria parasites. ... > full story

Cigarette and alcohol use at historic low among teens (December 14, 2011) -- Cigarette and alcohol use by eighth, 10th and 12th-graders are at their lowest point since the Monitoring the Future survey began polling teenagers in 1975, according to this year's survey results. However, this positive news is tempered by a slowing rate of decline in teen smoking as well as continued high rates of abuse of other tobacco products (e.g., hookahs, small cigars, smokeless tobacco), marijuana and prescription drugs. ... > full story

Follow your nose: Compared to Neanderthals, modern humans have a better sense of smell (December 14, 2011) -- High-tech medical imaging techniques were recently used to access internal structures of fossil human skulls. Researchers used sophisticated 3-D methods to quantify the shape of the basal brain as reflected in the morphology of the skeletal cranial base. Their findings reveal that the human temporal lobes, involved in language, memory and social functions as well as the olfactory bulbs are relatively larger in Homo sapiens than in Neanderthals. ... > full story

Reprogramming brain cells important first step for new Parkinson's therapy (December 14, 2011) -- In efforts to find new treatments for Parkinson's Disease (PD), researchers have directly reprogrammed astrocytes, the most plentiful cell type in the central nervous system, into dopamine-producing neurons. PD is marked by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain. ... > full story

Preparing for future human exploration, RAD measures radiation on journey to Mars (December 14, 2011) -- The Radiation Assessment Detector, the first instrument on NASA's next rover mission to Mars to begin science operations, was powered up and began collecting data Dec. 6, almost 2 weeks ahead of schedule. RAD is the only instrument scheduled to collect science data on the journey to Mars. The instrument is measuring the energetic particles inside the spacecraft to characterize the radiation environment an astronaut would experience on a future human mission to the Red Planet. ... > full story

Artificially enhanced athletes (December 14, 2011) -- Superstar swimmers and certain comic book superheroes have something unusual in common -- when they wear special suits, they gain phenomenal abilities. A first-of-its-kind study shows how now-banned technical swimsuits artificially enhanced athlete performance in 2009. ... > full story

Developing crops that can cope with sudden changes in the weather (December 14, 2011) -- Crops that can cope with sudden fluctuations in the weather could be developed, thanks to fresh discoveries about the survival mechanisms of plants. ... > full story

From teddy bears to iPhones, we overestimate what others will pay for goods (December 14, 2011) -- Compared to what they would pay themselves, most consumers overestimate what others are willing to pay for products, according to a new study. And that holds true for a large range of items, both real and imaginary. ... > full story

Whole new meaning for thinking on your feet: Brains of small spiders overflow into legs (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers report that the brains of tiny spiders may fill their body cavities and overflow into their legs. As part of research to understand how miniaturization affects brain size and behavior, the scientists measured the central nervous systems of nine species of spiders, from rainforest giants to spiders smaller than the head of a pin. As the spiders get smaller, their brains get proportionally bigger, filling up more and more of their body cavities. ... > full story

Rare genetic disorder provides clues to development of the pancreas (December 14, 2011) -- A rare genetic disorder has given researchers a surprising insight into how the pancreas develops. The finding provides a clue to how it may be possible to 'program' stem cells – master cells in the body that can develop into specialized cells – to become pancreatic cells. ... > full story

Divers retrieve prehistoric wood from Lake Huron (December 14, 2011) -- Under the cold clear waters of Lake Huron, researchers have found a five-and-a-half foot-long, pole-shaped piece of wood that is 8,900 years old. The wood, which is tapered and beveled on one side in a way that looks deliberate, may provide important clues to a mysterious period in North American prehistory. ... > full story

The newest of the new in gene therapy: 'Tag and target and exchange' (December 14, 2011) -- New research demonstrates how a combination of two techniques improves the efficiency of experimental gene therapies, while reducing side effects. Scientists combined techniques involving site-specific recombinases that facilitate the exchange of genetic material between DNA strands, to guide where new genetic material is inserted into a cell's DNA. This approach to gene therapy represents an important advance, and has the potential to correct root causes of numerous illnesses. ... > full story

Small reactors could figure into US energy future (December 14, 2011) -- A new study concludes that small modular reactors may hold the key to the future of U.S. nuclear power generation. ... > full story

Was Darwin wrong about emotions? (December 14, 2011) -- Contrary to what many psychological scientists think, people do not all have the same set of biologically "basic" emotions, and those emotions are not automatically expressed on the faces of those around us, according to the author of a new article. This means a recent move to train security workers to recognize "basic" emotions from expressions might be misguided. ... > full story

New path to flex and stretch electronics: Artificial electronic skin device capable of detecting and responding to touch (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a promising new inexpensive technique for fabricating large-scale flexible and stretchable backplanes using semiconductor-enriched carbon nanotube solutions. To demonstrate the utility of their carbon nanotube backplanes, the researchers constructed an artificial electronic skin device capable of detecting and responding to touch. ... > full story

Nanoparticles help researcher deliver steroids to retina (December 14, 2011) -- Hitching a ride into the retina on nanoparticles called dendrimers offers a new way to treat age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. ... > full story

Visualization of DNA synthesis in vivo (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new substance for labeling and visualization of DNA synthesis in whole animals. Applications for this technique include identifying the sites of virus infections and cancer growth, due to the abundance of DNA replication in these tissues. This approach should therefore lead to new strategies in drug development. ... > full story

First study to reveal how paracetamol works could lead to less harmful pain relief medicines (December 14, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered how one of the most common household painkillers works, which could pave the way for less harmful pain relief medications to be developed in the future. ... > full story

Using many instruments to track a comet (December 14, 2011) -- In 16 years of data observations, the Solar Heliophysics Observatory (SOHO) -- a joint European Space Agency and NASA mission -- made an unexpected claim for fame: the sighting of new comets at an alarming rate. SOHO has spotted over 2100 comets, most of which are from what's known as the Kreutz family, which graze the solar atmosphere where they usually evaporate completely. ... > full story

Holiday shopping: Why does rubbing elbows turn consumers off? (December 14, 2011) -- Although holiday sales and events try to drive as many customers to retail stores as possible, a new study shows that the crowding may drive them away as well. ... > full story