ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Saturday, January 14, 2012

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Saturday, January 14, 2012

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Evolution is written all over your face (January 13, 2012) -- Why are the faces of primates so dramatically different from one another? Biologists serving as "evolutionary detectives" studied the faces of 129 adult male primates from Central and South America, and offer answers. These faces evolved over at least 24 million years. ... > full story

Genes and disease mechanisms behind a common form of muscular dystrophy discovered (January 13, 2012) -- Continuing a series of groundbreaking discoveries begun in 2010 about the genetic causes of the third most common form of inherited muscular dystrophy, scientists have identified the genes and proteins that damage muscle cells, as well as the mechanisms that can cause the disease. ... > full story

Novel chemical route to form organic molecules (January 13, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered a novel chemical route to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons -- complex organic molecules such as naphthalene carrying fused benzene rings -- in ultra-cold regions of interstellar space. ... > full story

NIH study shows 32 million Americans have autoantibodies that target their own tissues (January 13, 2012) -- More than 32 million people in the United States have autoantibodies, which are proteins made by the immune system that target the body’s tissues and define a condition known as autoimmunity, a study shows. The first nationally representative sample looking at the prevalence of the most common type of autoantibody, known as antinuclear antibodies (ANA), found that the frequency of ANA is highest among women, older individuals, and African-Americans. ... > full story

Discovery of plant 'nourishing gene' brings hope for increased crop seed yield and food security (January 13, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered a "nourishing gene" which controls the transfer of nutrients from plant to seed -- a significant step which could help increase global food production. ... > full story

Would you stop eating out to lose weight? (January 13, 2012) -- Going out to eat has become a major part of our culture. Frequently eating out and consuming high-calorie foods in large portions at restaurants can contribute to excess calorie intake and weight gain. A new study demonstrates that people can eat out and still lose weight. ... > full story

Blame your taste buds for liking fat: Receptor for tasting fat identified in humans (January 13, 2012) -- Why do we like fatty foods so much? We can blame our taste buds. In the first study to identify a human receptor that can taste fat, researchers report that our tongues recognize and have an affinity for fat and that variations in a gene can make people more or less sensitive to the taste of fat in foods. ... > full story

New 'smart' nanotherapeutics can deliver drugs directly to the pancreas (January 13, 2012) -- Scientists have developed "smart" nanotherapeutics that can be programmed to selectively deliver drugs to the cells of the pancreas. The approach was found to increase drug efficacy by 200-fold in in vitro studies based on the ability of these nanomaterials to both protect the drug from degradation and concentrate it at key target sites, such as regions of the pancreas that contain the insulin-producing cells. ... > full story

Astronomers release unprecedented data set on celestial objects that brighten and dim (January 13, 2012) -- Astronomers have released the largest data set ever collected that documents the brightening and dimming of stars and other celestial objects -- two hundred million in total. ... > full story

No link found between prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke and autism, Swedish study finds (January 13, 2012) -- A large population-based study in Sweden indicates that there is no link between smoking during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. ... > full story

European mountain vegetation shows effects of warmer climate (January 13, 2012) -- Researchers from 13 countries report clear and statistically significant evidence of a continent-wide warming effect on mountain plant communities in Europe. ... > full story

How the brain routes traffic for maximum alertness (January 13, 2012) -- A new study shows how the brain reconfigures its connections to minimize distractions and take best advantage of our knowledge of situations. ... > full story