ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Thursday, March 31, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Thursday, March 31, 2011

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Sensory wiring for smells varies among individuals (March 31, 2011) -- If, as Shakespeare's Juliet declared, a rose by any other name smells as sweet -- to you and to me and to anyone else who sniffs it -- then one might assume that our odor-sensing nerve cells are all wired in the same way. Alas, they are not, according to a new study. ... > full story

Clinical trial success for Crohn's disease cell therapy (March 31, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a new cell therapy for chronic inflammatory conditions such as Crohn's disease. Patient's own blood cells are used to produce a type of cell -- Type 1 T regulatory lymphocyte -- that can reduce the extent of the disease. ... > full story

'Spincasting' holds promise for creation of nanoparticle thin films (March 31, 2011) -- Researchers have investigated the viability of a technique called "spincasting" for creating thin films of nanoparticles on an underlying substrate -- an important step in the creation of materials with a variety of uses, from optics to electronics. ... > full story

Traumatizing your DNA: Researcher warns that it isn't 'all in the genes' (March 31, 2011) -- After an exhaustive survey of contemporary epigenetics studies, one researcher has concluded that some of the effects of stress, cancer and other chronic diseases may be passed on to our offspring -- and theirs -- through deep and complicated underlying cellular mechanisms that scientists are just beginning to understand. ... > full story

Computerized systems reduce psychiatric drug errors, research suggests (March 31, 2011) -- Coupling an electronic prescription drug ordering system with a computerized method for reporting adverse events can dramatically reduce the number of medication errors in a hospital's psychiatric unit, new research suggests. ... > full story

Lack of motivation, equipment main barriers for exercise for boys (March 31, 2011) -- A lack of equipment and venues -- and a lack of motivation even if those were available -- are the main barriers to physical activity for adolescent boys, according to new research. ... > full story

How to make skinny worms fat and fat worms skinny (March 31, 2011) -- Researchers exploring human metabolism have uncovered a handful of chemical compounds that regulate fat storage in worms, offering a new tool for understanding obesity and finding future treatments for diseases associated with obesity. ... > full story

'Informant' jumping gene offers new method for studying how genes are regulated (March 31, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a new method for studying gene regulation, by employing a jumping gene as an informant. Called GROMIT, it allows scientists to also create mouse models for human diseases caused by chromosomal rearrangements, such as Down syndrome. ... > full story

Test after eye surgery: New halometer tests alterations in night vision (March 31, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new tool to test night vision after eye surgery. ... > full story

Metastasis: Extracellular matrix tugging creates 'come hither' stimulus for cancer migration (March 31, 2011) -- Ninety percent of cancer deaths resulted from metastasis, the spread of cancer to different areas in the body, yet scientific exploration of the possible mechanical factors that promote metastasis has been limited. One researcher, however, is expanding the scientific understanding of what makes malignant tumors spread, and the answer lies within the dense, fibrous matrix that surrounds cancer cells. ... > full story

New wind tunnel will evaluate wind effects and thermal situations to improve urban climate (March 31, 2011) -- On hot days it is often very still in cities because the high density of buildings prevents the air from circulating freely. In a newly commissioned wind tunnel, wind effects and thermal situations in towns and cities can be simulated and various scenarios tested, with the aim of improving urban climate in a natural way. ... > full story

Adolescent offspring of women who drank alcohol during first trimester more likely to develop conduct disorder (March 31, 2011) -- Alcohol use during pregnancy is common and is associated with significant threats to the health and development of exposed offspring. Despite warnings from the Surgeon General to limit alcohol use if pregnant or contemplating pregnancy, a recent survey found that nearly one-third of women drank alcohol at some time during their pregnancy, with one-fourth of the women surveyed having drunk during the first trimester. ... > full story

Butterflies that explore and colonize new habitats are genetically different from cautious cousins (March 30, 2011) -- Descendants of "exploratory" butterflies that colonize new habitats differ genetically from their more cautious cousins, discovered scientists. The research has revealed some of the genetic bases for traits that provide an advantage to butterflies that found new populations in previously unoccupied habitat patches. The results have potentially broad importance in understanding natural selection. ... > full story

No scalpel: Minimally invasive breakthrough for men’s enlarged prostates improves symptoms (March 30, 2011) -- A new interventional radiology treatment that blocks blood supply to men's enlarged prostate glands shows comparable clinical results to transurethral resection of the prostate (or TURP), considered the gold standard (or most common) treatment. However, this minimally invasive treatment -- prostatic artery embolization -- has none of the risks associated with TURP, such as sexual dysfunction, urinary incontinence, blood loss and retrograde ejaculation, say researchers. ... > full story

Research into poison curare may lead to medication against tobacco addiction (March 30, 2011) -- For the first time, three-dimensional images of protein being paralyzed by the poison curare have been made. Curare has a paralyzing effect and the poison’s active chemical component is used in lung surgery. To date, however, scientists did not know how exactly it works. 3D images have now opened new perspectives for the development of medications against sleeping disorders, tobacco addiction and muscle diseases. ... > full story

Allowing people with HIV to be organ donors could save lives of HIV-positive patients with kidney or liver failure (March 30, 2011) -- If the U.S. Congress reversed its ban on allowing people with HIV to be organ donors after their death, roughly 500 HIV-positive patients with kidney or liver failure each year could get transplants within months, rather than the years they currently wait on the list, new research suggests. ... > full story

Blocking carbon dioxide fixation in bacteria increases biofuel production (March 30, 2011) -- Reducing the ability of certain bacteria to fix carbon dioxide can greatly increase their production of hydrogen gas that can be used as a biofuel, researchers report. ... > full story

Educational development stunted by teenage fatherhood (March 30, 2011) -- Public interest in the issue of teenage childbearing has recently increased, largely due to increases in both the teen pregnancy rate and the teen birth rate. A new study examines the negative educational and economic outcomes of teenage fatherhood, a topic far less researched than teenage motherhood. ... > full story

Spiders target mate-luring signals from 'vibrating' insects (March 30, 2011) -- Insects using vibration to attract a mate are at risk of being eaten alive by killer spiders, scientists have discovered. ... > full story

Keeping cancer dormant: Researchers target tumor metabolism by blocking energy production required for malignant cancer growth (March 30, 2011) -- The growth and spread of breast cancer tumors may be delayed with a promising treatment that combines innovative strategies: blocking the enzyme needed to "energize" cancer cells and infusing a potent drug directly into the tumor, with minimum exposure to healthy tissues, according to researchers. ... > full story

When is an asteroid not an asteroid? (March 30, 2011) -- On March 29, 1807, German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers spotted Vesta as a pinprick of light in the sky. Two hundred and four years later, as NASA's Dawn spacecraft prepares to begin orbiting this intriguing world, scientists now know how special this world is, even if there has been some debate on how to classify it. ... > full story

Antioxidant formula prior to radiation exposure may prevent DNA injury, trial suggests (March 30, 2011) -- A unique formulation of antioxidants taken orally before imaging with ionizing radiation minimizes cell damage, say researchers. In what the researchers say is the first clinical trial of its kind, as much as a 50 percent reduction in DNA injury was observed after administering the formula prior to CT scans. ... > full story

Carbon labeling of products could help consumers make environmentally friendly choices (March 30, 2011) -- Labeling products with information on the size of the carbon footprint they leave behind could help both consumers and manufacturers make better, environmentally friendly choices. ... > full story

Mothers abused during childhood at risk for having low birth weight babies (March 30, 2011) -- Mothers who were maltreated as children have increased risk for giving birth to low birth weight babies. The findings are among the first to show that maternal maltreatment can affect the health of offspring. ... > full story

Newly discovered natural arch in Afghanistan one of world's largest (March 30, 2011) -- Researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society have stumbled upon a geological colossus in a remote corner of Afghanistan: a natural stone arch spanning more than 200 feet across its base. ... > full story

Kidney cancer advance: Genetic pathways could be used to starve cancer cells selectively (March 30, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered genetic pathways to starve selectively kidney cancer cells. Two separate studies indicate that both rare and common cases of kidney cancer may be susceptible to a new class of drugs that inhibits cancer cells from generating the energy needed to survive. ... > full story

54 beneficial compounds discovered in pure maple syrup (March 30, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered 34 new beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup and confirmed that 20 compounds discovered last year in preliminary research play a key role in human health. ... > full story

Links between asthma, smoking and nicotine dependence explored in new study (March 30, 2011) -- New research suggests that being diagnosed with asthma is significantly associated with a greater risk for a lifetime history of daily smoking and nicotine dependence. ... > full story

US earthquake resilience needs strengthening, says new report (March 30, 2011) -- A new report presents a 20-year road map for increasing US resilience to earthquakes, including a major earthquake that could strike a highly populated area. The report was mostly written prior to the March 11 earthquake in Japan, but the committee of experts who authored it noted that the Japanese experience is a reminder of the devastation that can occur even in a country acknowledged as a leader in implementing earthquake-resilience measures. ... > full story

Singing lowers patient's blood pressure prior to surgery, case study reports (March 30, 2011) -- Doctors report that singing reduced the blood pressure of a 76-year-old woman who had experienced severe preoperative hypertension prior to total knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis. While the patient was unresponsive to aggressive pharmacologic interventions, the woman's blood pressure dropped dramatically when she sang several religious songs. ... > full story

Warm water causes extra-cold winters in northeastern North America and northeastern Asia (March 30, 2011) -- Average winter temperatures in northern Europe are at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than similar latitudes on the northeastern coast of the United States and the eastern coast of Canada. The same phenomenon happens over the Pacific, where winters on the northeastern coast of Asia are colder than in the Pacific Northwest. Researchers have now found a mechanism that helps explain these chillier winters -- and the culprit is warm water off the eastern coasts of these continents. ... > full story

Diabetes veterans may show ways to prevent complications (March 30, 2011) -- Over time, diabetes can wreak havoc on the body's eyes, cardiovascular system, kidneys and nerves. A major study however, has found that some people who have survived diabetes for many decades exhibit remarkably few complications -- a discovery that points toward the presence of protective factors that guard against the disease's effects. ... > full story

Mothers' hard work pays off with big brains for their babies (March 30, 2011) -- Brain growth in babies is linked to the amount of time and energy mothers "invest," according to new research. The study of 128 mammal species, including humans, shows that brain growth in babies is determined by the duration of pregnancy and how long they suckle. The research concludes that the longer the pregnancy and breastfeeding period in mammals, the bigger the baby's brain grows. ... > full story

Cause of fatal inflammation of the heart muscle identified (March 30, 2011) -- Scientists have found out that inflammations of the heart muscle are caused by attacks of a specific type of immune cells. These immune cells attack the body's own tissue because during their maturation they did not have the chance to develop tolerance against a protein that is only found in the heart muscle. ... > full story

Physicists detect low-level radioactivity from Japan arriving in Seattle (March 30, 2011) -- Physicists are detecting radioactivity arriving in Seattle from Japanese nuclear reactors damaged in a tsunami following a mammoth earthquake, but the levels are far below what would pose a threat to human health. ... > full story

Updating the Mary Poppins solution with a better bitter blocker (March 30, 2011) -- With millions of adults and children avoiding nutritious foods because of the bitter taste, and gagging or vomiting when forced to take bitter liquid medicines, scientists have now reported an advance toward a high-tech version of Mary Poppins' solution. It's not a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, but a new and improved "bitterness blocker." ... > full story

River water and salty ocean water used to generate electricity (March 30, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a rechargeable battery that uses freshwater and seawater to create electricity. Aided by nanotechnology, the battery employs the difference in salinity between fresh and saltwater to generate a current. A power station might be built wherever a river flows into the ocean. ... > full story

Antibiotics wrapped in nanofibers turn resistant disease-producing bacteria into ghosts (March 30, 2011) -- Encapsulating antibiotics inside nanofibers, like a mummy inside a sarcophagus, gives them the amazing ability to destroy drug-resistant bacteria so completely that scientists described the remains as mere "ghosts," according to a new report. ... > full story

MESSENGER sends back first image of Mercury from orbit (March 30, 2011) -- NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has captured a historic image of the planet Mercury. The image is the first ever obtained from a spacecraft in orbit about the Solar System's innermost planet. Over the subsequent six hours, MESSENGER acquired an additional 363 images before downlinking some of the data to Earth. The MESSENGER team is currently looking over the newly returned data, which are still continuing to come down. ... > full story

Safer, more effective skin-whitening creams from ancient Chinese herbal medicine (March 30, 2011) -- Scientists have reported the discovery of the active ingredients in an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine for skin whitening, changing skin color to a lighter shade. The ingredients are poised for clinical trials as a safer, more effective alternative to skin whitening creams and lotions that millions of women and some men use in Asia and elsewhere, they said. ... > full story

Next-generation device developed to track world's air quality (March 30, 2011) -- A new air-quality measuring instrument that is more economical, more portable and more accurate than older technologies has just been developed. ... > full story

New media and eating habits: Computer has replaced the kitchen table as focal point of meals for college students (March 30, 2011) -- A new study has analyzed how new-media technology, including the Internet and smartphones, are changing college students' eating habits and their relationship to food. Findings indicate that individuals are more likely to have meals while sitting at the computer than at the kitchen table, and that they use social media as the main avenue to obtain recipe and nutritional information. ... > full story

Catching cancer with carbon nanotubes: New device to test blood can spot cancer cells, HIV on the fly (March 30, 2011) -- A bioengineer and an aeronautical engineer have together created a new device that can detect single cancer cells in a blood sample, potentially allowing doctors to quickly determine whether cancer has spread from its original site. ... > full story

'Bacterial dirigibles' emerge as next-generation disease fighters (March 30, 2011) -- Scientists have developed bacteria that serve as mobile pharmaceutical factories, both producing disease-fighting substances and delivering the potentially life-saving cargo to diseased areas of the body. They reported on this new candidate for treating diseases ranging from food poisoning to cancer -- termed "bacterial dirigibles." ... > full story

Ocean circulation plays important role in transporting heat to Greenland glaciers (March 30, 2011) -- Warmer air is only part of the story when it comes to Greenland's rapidly melting ice sheet. New research highlights the role ocean circulation plays in transporting heat to glaciers. ... > full story

Obese patients have double the risk of airway problems during an anesthetic, study shows (March 30, 2011) -- A major UK study on complications of anesthesia has shown that obese patients are twice as likely to develop serious airway problems during a general anesthetic than non-obese patients. ... > full story

Waste ash from coal could save billions in repairing US bridges and roads (March 30, 2011) -- Coating concrete destined to rebuild America's crumbling bridges and roadways with some of the millions of tons of ash left over from burning coal could extend the life of those structures by decades, saving billions of dollars of taxpayer money, scientists report. A new coating material for concrete made from flyash is hundreds of times more durable than existing coatings and costs only half as much. ... > full story

America's most distressed areas threatened by emerging infections of poverty (March 30, 2011) -- Neglected infections of poverty are the latest threat plaguing the poorest people living in the Gulf Coast states and in Washington, D.C., according to experts. ... > full story

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