ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Monday, March 19, 2012

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Monday, March 19, 2012

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Need for speed: Molecular ticket determines RNA’s destination and speed inside egg cell (March 18, 2012) -- Like any law-abiding train passenger, a molecule called oskar RNA carries a stamped ticket detailing its destination and form of transport, scientists have found. They show that for this molecule, moving in the right direction isn’t enough: speed is of the essence. Their study also provides clues as to how a single molecule could receive tickets for different destinations, depending on what type of cell it is in. ... > full story

Physicists simulate strongly correlated fermions (March 18, 2012) -- Combining known factors in a new way, physicists have solved an intractable 50-year-old problem: How to simulate strongly interacting quantum systems to accurately predict their properties. It could lead to superconductor applications and solving high-energy physics and ultra-cold atoms problems. ... > full story

Bone marrow transplant arrests symptoms in model of Rett syndrome (March 18, 2012) -- Medical researchers have used a bone marrow transplant to replace faulty immune system cells in models of Rett syndrome. The procedure arrested many severe symptoms of the childhood disorder, including abnormal breathing and movement, and extended the lifespan of Rett mouse models. Exploring the function of microglia deficient in the Rett protein scientists uncovered a completely novel approach to this devastating neurological syndrome. ... > full story

Genetic variation in East Asians found to explain resistance to cancer drugs (March 18, 2012) -- Scientists have identified the reason why some patients fail to respond to some of the most successful cancer drugs. ... > full story

Surprise: Protons bypass hydrogen bonds but still change molecules (March 18, 2012) -- Common wisdom has it that protons only travel between molecules via hydrogen bonds: no hydrogen bonds, no proton transfer. Scientists investigating molecular components of RNA were surprised to find that protons can find ways to transfer even when hydrogen bonds are blocked. The discovery may open new opportunities for research in biology, environmental science, and green chemistry. ... > full story

T. rex's killer smile revealed (March 18, 2012) -- One of the most prominent features of life-size models of Tyrannosaurus rex is its fearsome array of flesh-ripping, bone-crushing teeth. New research shows that the T. rex’s front teeth gripped and pulled, while the teeth along the side of the jaw punctured and tore flesh. ... > full story

Icarus experiment measures neutrino speed: Even neutrinos are not faster than light (March 16, 2012) -- The ICARUS experiment at the Italian Gran Sasso laboratory has reported a new measurement of the time of flight of neutrinos from CERN to Gran Sasso. The ICARUS measurement, using last year's short pulsed beam from CERN, indicates that the neutrinos do not exceed the speed of light on their journey between the two laboratories. This is at odds with the initial measurement reported by OPERA last September. ... > full story

'Gravity is climate': 10 years of climate research satellites GRACE (March 16, 2012) -- For the first time, the melting of glaciers in Greenland can now be measured with high accuracy from space. A new sharp image also renders the spatial distribution of the glacial melt more precisely. ... > full story

Fundamental steps needed now in global redesign of Earth system governance, experts say (March 16, 2012) -- Some 32 social scientists and researchers from around the world have concluded that fundamental reforms of global environmental governance are needed to avoid dangerous changes in the Earth system. The scientists argued in the journal Science that the time is now for a “constitutional moment” in world politics. ... > full story

NASA sees cyclone Lua strengthening for March 17 landfall (March 16, 2012) -- Northern Australia's Pilbara coast is under warnings, alerts and watches as powerful Cyclone Lua nears for a landfall. NASA's Aqua satellite has been providing infrared, visible and microwave data on Lua that have shown forecasters the storm is strengthening on its approach to land. ... > full story

Obesity raises death risk tied to sleeping pills (March 16, 2012) -- Obesity appears to significantly increase the risk of death tied to sleeping pills, nearly doubling the rate of mortality even among those prescribed 18 or fewer pills in a year, researchers have reported. ... > full story

Common virus can lead to life-threatening conditions in children (March 16, 2012) -- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common virus that infects the lungs and breathing passage ways. Though it may only produce minor cold symptoms in adults, it can lead to serious illness in young children and those with compromised immune systems. ... > full story

Ultracold experiments heat up quantum research (March 16, 2012) -- Physicists have experimentally demonstrated for the first time that atoms chilled to temperatures near absolute zero may behave like seemingly unrelated natural systems of vastly different scales, offering potential insights into links between the atomic realm and deep questions of cosmology. ... > full story

Using virtual worlds to 'soft control' people's movements in the real one (March 16, 2012) -- Computer science researchers have developed a way to exert limited control on how people move, pushing them out of their regular travel patterns. The key: tapping into some of their cell phone applications. The findings could elicit a broader range of user-collected data by driving foot traffic to under-utilized areas. ... > full story

Past in monsoon changes linked to major shifts in Indian civilizations (March 16, 2012) -- A fundamental shift in the Indian monsoon has occurred over the last few millennia, from a steady humid monsoon that favored lush vegetation to extended periods of drought, researchers report. Their study has implications for our understanding of the monsoon's response to climate change. ... > full story

Who wouldn't pay a penny for a sports car? The right strategy doesn't guarantee advantage in auctions, real estate or stock market (March 16, 2012) -- In a study of lowest unique bid auctions, researchers asked: Who wins these auctions, the strategic gambler or the lucky one? The answer is the lucky. But, ironically, it's a lucky person using a winning strategy. The researchers found that all players intuitively use the right strategy, and that turns the auction into a game of pure chance. The findings provide insight into playing the stock market, real estate market and other gambles. ... > full story

Nanopills release drugs directly from the inside of cells (March 16, 2012) -- Researchers in Spain have created nanoparticles which can release drugs directly from the cells' interior. The technology, which has been named "nanopills," was licensed to a firm that has verified its tolerance by administering it in vivo. ... > full story

Sharing patents with competitors may encourage innovation as probability for market success increases, study suggests (March 16, 2012) -- Firms that make a previously patented innovation accessible to competitors increase overall likelihood of improving upon that breakthrough while also raising profits for the original innovator and market welfare, according to a new study. ... > full story

Gambling addictions expert warns of dangers of internet gambling, especially on youth (March 16, 2012) -- Participating in an online March Madness bracket or fantasy sport league is harmless fun for most people, but for someone with a gambling addiction, it can be a dangerous temptation. “Now, with states entertaining the possibility of increasing revenue through legalizing internet gambling, it is even more important to pay attention to groups that may be vulnerable to problem gambling, particularly youth,” says Renee Cunningham-Williams, a gambling addictions expert. “Internet gambling provides youth with increased opportunities to gamble, which is particularly concerning because this generation is arguably the most technologically savvy of any generation in history.” ... > full story

Highly exposed to phthalates as fetuses, female mice have altered reproductive lives (March 16, 2012) -- Many environmental and public health officials are concerned about the potential health effects of phthalates, which are common chemicals used to make plastics softer and more pliable. In the first study to examine what effect in utero doses of phthalates have on the reproductive system of mice, toxicologists found that extremely high doses were associated with significant changes, such as a shortened reproductive lifespan and abnormal cell growth in mammary glands. ... > full story

Live cells 'printed' using standard inkjet printer (March 16, 2012) -- Researchers have found a way to create temporary holes in the membranes of live cells using a standard inkjet printer. Creating temporary pores allow researchers to put molecules inside of cells that wouldn't otherwise fit, and study how the cells react. ... > full story

Glacier-fed river systems threatened by climate change (March 16, 2012) -- As glaciers vanish due to global warming, so will those species dependent upon the icy runoff. ... > full story

Checking off symptoms online affects our perceptions of risk (March 16, 2012) -- You've been feeling under the weather. You Google your symptoms. A half-hour later, you're convinced it's nothing serious -- or afraid you have cancer. More than 60 percent of Americans get their health information online, and a majority of those decide whether to see a doctor based on what they find. "Wow, this is an era of self-diagnosis," thought Arizona State University psychologist Virginia Kwan, learning that statistic. Psychologists have asked how might online information affect individual health decisions? ... > full story

Molecular pathway through which common yeast becomes fungal pathogen determined (March 16, 2012) -- Scientists have found a molecular mechanism that plays a key role in the transition of Candida albicans yeast into disease-causing fungus -- one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infection. The finding highlights the importance of heat in fungal growth, and provides a new target for drug therapies to counter Candida albicans infection. In an additional study, the researchers identified 224 new genetic interactors for central protein in Candida albicans. ... > full story

Increase in Arctic shipping is risk to marine mammals (March 16, 2012) -- A rapid increase in shipping in the formerly ice-choked waterways of the Arctic poses a significant increase in risk to the region’s marine mammals and the local communities that rely on them for food security and cultural identity, according to experts. ... > full story

Early spring drives butterfly population declines: 'Ahead-of-time' snowmelt triggers chains of events in the Mormon Fritillary butterfly (March 16, 2012) -- Early snowmelt caused by climate change in the Colorado Rocky Mountains snowballs into two chains of events: a decrease in the number of flowers, which, in turn, decreases available nectar. The result is decline in a population of the Mormon Fritillary butterfly, Speyeria mormonia. ... > full story

Cell-signaling pathway has key role in development of gestational diabetes (March 16, 2012) -- Researchers have identified a cell-signaling pathway that plays a key role in increasing insulin secretion during pregnancy and, when blocked, leads to the development of gestational diabetes. ... > full story

Straintronics: Engineers create piezoelectric graphene (March 16, 2012) -- By depositing atoms on one side of a grid of the "miracle material" graphene, researchers ave engineered piezoelectricity into a nanoscale material for the first time. The implications could yield dramatic degree of control in nanotechnology. ... > full story

Brain imaging study finds evidence of basis for caregiving impulse (March 16, 2012) -- Distinct patterns of activity -- which may indicate a predisposition to care for infants -- appear in the brains of adults who view an image of an infant face -- even when the child is not theirs, according to a study by an international team of researchers. ... > full story

Nano rescues skin: Shrimp shell nanotech for wound healing and anti-aging face cream (March 16, 2012) -- Nanoparticles containing chitosan have been shown to have effective antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Escherichia coli. The materials could be used as a protective wound-healing material to avoid opportunistic infection as well as working to facilitate wound healing. ... > full story

Lyme disease surge predicted for Northeastern US: Due to acorns and mice, not mild winter (March 16, 2012) -- The northeastern US should prepare for a surge in Lyme disease this spring. And we can blame fluctuations in acorns and mouse populations, not the mild winter. ... > full story

First step taken to image ultra-fast movements in chemical reactions (March 16, 2012) -- Researchers have fired ultra-fast shots of light at oxygen, nitrogen and carbon monoxide molecules as part of a development aimed at mapping the astonishingly quick movements of atoms within molecules, as well as the charges that surround them. The ultra-short laser that spans only a few hundred attoseconds – an attosecond is equivalent to one quintillionth of a second – was fired in a sample of molecules and could pave the way towards imaging the movement of atoms and their electrons as they undergo a chemical reaction – one of the holy grails of chemistry research. ... > full story

Glittering Jewels of Messier 9 (March 16, 2012) -- The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced the so far most detailed image so far of Messier 9, a globular star cluster located close to the centre of the galaxy. This ball of stars is too faint to see with the naked eye, yet Hubble can see over 250 000 individual stars shining in it. ... > full story

Invasive plants: Climate is a determining factor (March 16, 2012) -- Most invasive plants colonize regions with climates similar to the one from their native areas. With the analysis of fifty invasive plant species introduced worldwide, this study confirms that it is possible, for the most part, to predict the regions of potential invasibility based on the principle of climatic niche conservation. ... > full story

Australian saltwater crocodiles are world’s most powerful biters (March 16, 2012) -- Marine biologists have been pondering a particularly painful-sounding question: How hard do alligators and crocodiles bite? The answer is a bite force value of 3,700 pounds for a 17-foot saltwater crocodile (as well as tooth pressures of 350,000 pounds per square inch). That’s the highest bite force ever recorded. ... > full story

New technique lights up the creation of holograms (March 16, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a unique way to create full-color holograms with the aid of surface plasmons. ... > full story

White rice increases risk of Type 2 diabetes, study claims (March 15, 2012) -- The risk of Type 2 diabetes is significantly increased if white rice is eaten regularly, claims a new study. ... > full story

European grasslands challenge rainforests as the most species-rich spaces on Earth (March 15, 2012) -- The city of Manila holds the human world record for the most densely populated space and now an international team of ecologists are seeking the natural equivalent, the most species rich area on earth. The team's findings reveal the record is contested between South America's tropical rainforests and Central European meadows. ... > full story

Near-miss asteroid will return next year, even closer (March 15, 2012) -- When it whizzes past Earth in 2013, a newly discovered asteroid is going to miss our planet -- but not by much. The 50-meter space rock is expected to come closer than many satellites, highlighting the growing need to keep watch on hazards from above. ... > full story

Wild orangutans stressed by eco-tourists, but not for long, study out of North Borneo finds (March 15, 2012) -- Wild orangutans that have come into contact with eco-tourists over a period of years show an immediate stress response but no signs of chronic stress, unlike other species in which permanent alterations in stress responses have been documented, new research from an Indiana University anthropologist has found. ... > full story

Process makes polymers truly plastic, changing textures on demand (March 15, 2012) -- Just as a chameleon changes its color to blend in with its environment, engineers have demonstrated for the first time that they can alter the texture of plastics on demand, for example, switching back and forth between a rough surface and a smooth one. ... > full story

A wandering mind reveals mental processes and priorities (March 15, 2012) -- Odds are, you’re not going to make it all the way through this article without thinking about something else. In fact, studies have found that our minds are wandering half the time, drifting off to thoughts unrelated to what we’re doing – did I remember to turn off the light? What should I have for dinner? ... > full story

Graphene supercapacitor holds promise for portable electronics (March 15, 2012) -- Researchers have used a standard LightScribe DVD optical drive to produce electrodes composed of an expanded network of graphene that shows excellent mechanical and electrical properties as well as exceptionally high surface area. These LSG supercapacitors demonstrate high-performance graphene-based electrochemical capacitors that maintain excellent electrochemical attributes under high mechanical stress and may be ideal energy storage systems for next generation flexible, portable electronics. ... > full story

Was human evolution caused by climate change? (March 15, 2012) -- Models of how animal and plant distributions are affected by climate change may also explain aspects of human evolution. ... > full story

Scientists map hotspots for genetic exchange in chimpanzees (March 15, 2012) -- Scientists have constructed the world's first genetic map in chimpanzees of recombination -- the exchange of genetic material within a chromosome that makes us all unique. The study shows surprising differences compared to how the process occurs in the human genome. ... > full story

Implanted Biofuel Cell Operating in Living Snail (March 15, 2012) -- Researchers have implanted a biofuel cell in a living snail. This is the first incidence of an implanted biofuel cell continuously operating in a snail and producing electrical power over a long period of time using the snail's physiologically produced glucose as a fuel. ... > full story

Deprived of sex, jilted flies drink more alcohol (March 15, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered that a tiny molecule in the fly’s brain called neuropeptide F governs this behavior—as the levels of the molecule change in their brains, the flies’ behavior changes as well. ... > full story

With climate change, US could face risk from Chagas disease (March 15, 2012) -- People in the US may be at higher risk for Chagas disease than previously understood. A new study finds that 38 percent of kissing bugs collected in Arizona and California contained human blood and that more than 50 percent of the bugs also carried the parasite that causes this life-threatening disease. This upends the view that US kissing bug species don't regularly feed on people and suggests that Chagas could spread, driven north by climate change. ... > full story