ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Tuesday, May 24, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Tuesday, May 24, 2011

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Children learn language in moments of insight, not gradually through repeated exposure, study shows (May 24, 2011) -- Psychologists believe they are overturning the dominant theory of how children learn their first words, suggesting that it occurs more in moments of insight than gradually through repeated exposure. ... > full story

Risk of newborn death cut in half when pregancy lasts 39 weeks, new research finds (May 24, 2011) -- Although the overall risk of death is small, a new study found that it more than doubles for infants born at 37 weeks of pregnancy, when compared to babies born at 40 weeks. In 2006, the infant mortality rate was 1.9 for every 1,000 live births for babies born at 40 weeks of pregnancy. The mortality rate increased to 3.9 per 1,000 when a baby was born at 37 weeks of pregnancy. ... > full story

New device could reduce surgical scarring (May 24, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a special wound dressing that they report was able to significantly reduced scar tissue caused by incisions. ... > full story

Apparent genetic link to prostate cancer in African-American men determined (May 24, 2011) -- Some men of African descent may have a higher genetic risk of developing prostate cancer, according to new research. The genome-wide association study determined a marker of risk for prostate cancer in men of African descent, who tend to more susceptible to prostate cancer than men of non-African descent. ... > full story

Mediterranean Sea invaded by hundreds of alien species (May 24, 2011) -- More than 900 new alien species have been encountered in the coastal environments of the eastern Mediterranean Sea in recent decades, including the poisonous pufferfish. The invasion of alien species has had the consequence that the whole food chain is changing, while there is a lack of knowledge on which to base relevant risk assessments, a four-year study shows. ... > full story

Globalization exposes food supply to unsanitary practices, scientists say (May 24, 2011) -- As the United States continues to import increasingly more of its food from developing nations, we are putting ourselves at greater risk of foodborne disease as many of these countries do not have the same sanitary standards as the U.S. for production, especially in the case of seafood and fresh produce, say scientists. In 2010 over 80% of fish and seafood consumed in the United States was imported, and much of that came from Asia. Raw domestic sewage and/or livestock manure are frequently used in fish farming in many Asian countries. In Thailand some chicken coops sit in rows suspended over ponds that hold shrimp and fish that feed on the waste that falls from above. ... > full story

Ants give new evidence for interaction networks (May 24, 2011) -- Social networks may function differently than previously thought, researchers have discovered by taking clues from ant colonies. ... > full story

Scientists identify most proteins made by parasitic worm (May 24, 2011) -- Scientists have completed a large-scale analysis of most of the proteins produced by Brugia malayi, one kind of parasitic worm that causes lymphatic filariasis, or elephantiasis. The greatly swollen lower limbs that can result from chronic infection with this mosquito-borne parasite can be severely disabling. ... > full story

'Surrogates' aid design of complex parts and controlling video games (May 24, 2011) -- Researchers have defined a new class of software, calling it "surrogate interaction," which enables designers and video gamers to more easily change features of complex objects like automotive drawings or animated characters. ... > full story

Quicker detection and treatment of severe sepsis (May 24, 2011) -- Sepsis is the name of an infection that causes a series of reactions in the body, which in the worst case can prove fatal. The problem for both patients and doctors is that the early symptoms are difficult to distinguish from less dangerous infections such as a severe flu or winter vomiting disease. A researcher in Sweden has now discovered a substance in the blood which shows both whether a patient has sepsis and how serious the case is. ... > full story

NASA's two lunar-bound spacecraft, vacuum-packed (May 24, 2011) -- NASA's two Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (Grail) spacecraft have completed all assembly and testing prior to shipment to Florida. ... > full story

Poorer reading skills following changed computer habits of children (May 24, 2011) -- Sweden and the US are two countries in which increased leisure use of computers by children can lead to poorer reading ability, according to a new analysis. ... > full story

World record in ultra-rapid data transmission (May 23, 2011) -- Scientists in Germany have succeeded in encoding data at a rate of 26 terabits per second on a single laser beam, transmitting the data over a distance of 50 kilometers, and decoding the information successfully. This is the largest data volume ever transported on a laser beam. The process enables the transmission of 700 DVDs' worth of content in just one second. ... > full story

Breast cancer linked to obesity gene, new research suggests (May 23, 2011) -- New research aimed to better identify the genetic factors that lead to breast cancer has uncovered a link between the obesity gene and a higher incidence of breast cancer. ... > full story

Spiders suffer from human impact (May 23, 2011) -- Researchers looked at whether spiders were more tolerant of human impact than other animals. The answer was no: arachnids suffer the consequences of changes to their landscape just like any other animal. ... > full story

Used football faceshields are susceptible to breaking on impact (May 23, 2011) -- Game-worn football faceshields are more susceptible to breaking when subjected to high-velocity impact than are new faceshields, according to new research. Researchers shot baseballs at new and used polycarbonate faceshields. All of the new shields withstood the strongest impact tested, which was designed to match the force of a kick to the face. More than a third of the game-worn faceshields fractured in response to the testing, which included lower forces of impact as well. ... > full story

High performance electric motorcycle developed (May 23, 2011) -- Engineers have developed a prototype of a high-performance electric motorcycle, which has recently participated in the first electric motorcycle world championship. ... > full story

US home births increase 20 percent from 2004 to 2008 (May 23, 2011) -- After a gradual decline from 1990 to 2004, a new study finds that United States births occurring at home increased by 20 percent between 2004 and 2008. ... > full story

Just four percent of galaxies have neighbors like the Milky Way (May 23, 2011) -- How unique is the Milky Way? To find out, astrophysicists compared the Milky Way to similar galaxies and found that just four percent are like the galaxy Earth calls home. ... > full story

Genome regions that could influence severity of cystic fibrosis identified (May 23, 2011) -- Scientists have pinpointed regions of the genome that contribute to the debilitating lung disease that is the hallmark of cystic fibrosis. ... > full story

OCD: Compulsions lead to obsessions, not the other way around (May 23, 2011) -- New scientific evidence challenges a popular conception that behaviors such as repetitive hand-washing, characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), are carried out in response to disturbing obsessive fears. ... > full story

Shave biopsy is a safe and acceptable method for initial evaluation of melanoma, study suggests (May 23, 2011) -- A shave biopsy is a reasonably safe and accurate method for the initial diagnosis of melanoma, according to a new study. In the past, some physicians have criticized shave biopsies for not providing accurate T (tumor) stage information, thereby complicating treatment planning. ... > full story

Portable hydrogen reactor for fuel cells (May 23, 2011) -- Chemical engineering students have developed a portable microreactor that converts liquid fuels into hydrogen for fuel cell batteries. ... > full story

More Americans praying about health, study says; No correlation found between prayer for health and lack of health insurance (May 23, 2011) -- Praying about health issues dramatically increased among American adults over the past three decades, rising 36 percent between 1999 and 2007, according to a new study. ... > full story

Mummies tell history of a 'modern' plague (May 23, 2011) -- Mummies from along the Nile are revealing how age-old irrigation techniques may have boosted the plague of schistosomiasis, a water-borne parasitic disease that infects an estimated 200 million people today. An analysis by scientists of mummies from Nubia, a former kingdom located in present-day Sudan, provides details for the first time about the prevalence of the disease in ancient times, and how human alteration of the environment may have contributed to its spread. ... > full story

Comfort food: Protein from probiotic bacteria may alleviate inflammatory bowel disorders (May 23, 2011) -- A protein isolated from beneficial bacteria found in yogurt and dairy products could offer a new, oral therapeutic option for inflammatory bowel disorders, a new study suggests. ... > full story

Pre-meal dietary supplement can help overcome fat and sugar problems, study suggests (May 23, 2011) -- A little bitter with a little sweet, in the form of a nano-complex dietary supplement taken before meals, can result in a substantial reduction of fat and sugar absorption in the body, researchers have found. ... > full story

Genomics and social network analysis team up to solve disease outbreaks (May 23, 2011) -- Combining the cutting-edge technology of whole genome sequencing of bacteria with social networking analysis, public health officials can get a more detailed picture of disease outbreaks that will better help track and stop them, say researchers say. ... > full story

U.S. honey bee losses at 30% for 2010-2011 winter (May 23, 2011) -- Total losses from managed honey bee colonies across the U.S. were 30 percent from all causes for the 2010/2011 winter, according to the results of an annual survey. This is roughly similar to total losses reported in similar surveys done in the four previous years: 34 percent for the 2009/2010 winter, 29 percent for 2008/2009; 36 percent for 2007/2008, and 32 percent for 2006/2007. ... > full story

Whites believe they are victims of racism more often than blacks, study suggests (May 23, 2011) -- Whites believe they are the primary victims of racial bias in America, a new study suggests. Whites and blacks agree that anti-black racism has decreased. However, whites believe that "reverse racism" has increased and is now a bigger problem than anti-black racism -- despite the fact that societal disparities still show worse outcomes for blacks than whites in income, home ownership, health and jobs, the study's authors say. ... > full story

Black holes spin faster and faster (May 23, 2011) -- Astronomers have found that the giant black holes in the center of galaxies are on average spinning faster than at any time in the history of the universe. Scientists made the new discovery by using radio, optical and X-ray data. ... > full story

Ulcer bacteria may contribute to development of Parkinson's disease (May 23, 2011) -- The stomach bacteria responsible for ulcers could also play a role in the development of Parkinson's disease according to new research. ... > full story

Scientists explore hidden world of ancient maritime Maya (May 23, 2011) -- Explorers are searching a wild, largely unexplored and forgotten coastline for evidence and artifacts of one of the greatest seafaring traditions of the ancient New World, where Maya traders once paddled massive dugout canoes filled with trade goods from across Mexico and Central America. One exploration goal is to discover the remains of a Maya trading canoe, described in A.D. 1502 by Christopher Columbus' son Ferdinand, as holding 25 paddlers plus cargo and passengers. ... > full story

Platform developed to monitor hematopoietic stem cells (May 23, 2011) -- Researchers have developed an automated microfluidic cell culture platform to monitor the growth, survival and responses of hundreds of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) at the single cell level. ... > full story

Species reemergence after collapse: Possible but different, mathematical model shows (May 23, 2011) -- Species pairs that disappear through hybridization after human-induced changes to the environment can reemerge if the disturbance is removed, according to a new mathematical model that shows the conditions under which reemergence might happen. ... > full story

To bluff, or not to bluff? Modern-day game theory techniques sheds light on legendary military bluffs (May 23, 2011) -- In a new article, an economist has used game theory to explore two of the most famous military bluffs in history. ... > full story

Gulf currents primed bacteria to degrade oil spill (May 23, 2011) -- A new computer model of the Gulf of Mexico in the period after the 2010 oil spill provides insights into how underwater currents may have primed marine microorganisms to degrade the oil. ... > full story

The dance of the cells: A minuet or a mosh? (May 23, 2011) -- Scientists have, for the first time, devised a way to measure the forces that guide how cells migrate during collective cellular migration. Their surprising conclusion is that the cells fight it out, each pushing and pulling on its neighbors in a chaotic dance, yet together moving cooperatively toward their intended direction. ... > full story

Genetic fine print with big consequences: Multiple stop points in genes are more important than thought (May 23, 2011) -- A fly without an abdomen is the devastating result of a small genetic change discovered by a Portuguese team. When the stop-signal from a fruit fly gene is removed, the flies suffer developmental abnormalities and die. A new article shows that it matters which of the two polo gene stop-signals cells use. And that losing the second one leads to severe problems with normal development and, eventually, death. ... > full story

Mucus: Fighting the war against pollutants (May 23, 2011) -- Researchers have found that mucus, which was thought to protect our bodies against harmful pollutants, in fact may leave our bodies more vulnerable to them. But the discovery may prove useful in enabling some drugs to enter cells and treat diseases like cancer. ... > full story

South America's oldest textiles identified with carbon dating (May 23, 2011) -- Textiles and rope fragments found in a Peruvian cave have been dated to around 12,000 years ago, making them the oldest textiles ever found in South America, according to a new report. ... > full story

How animals sense potentially harmful acids (May 23, 2011) -- All animals face the challenge of deciding which chemicals in the environment are useful and which are harmful. A new study greatly improves our understanding of how animals sense an important class of potentially harmful chemicals: weak acids. ... > full story

Human brain's most ubiquitous cell cultivated in lab dish (May 23, 2011) -- Stem cell researchers have been able to direct embryonic and induced human stem cells to become astrocytes in the lab dish. ... > full story

Scientists find new drug target in breast cancer (May 23, 2011) -- Researchers have identified a new protein involved in the development of drug resistance in breast cancer which could be a target for new treatments. ... > full story

Changes in vegetation determine how animals migrate (May 23, 2011) -- The predictability and scale of seasonal changes in a habitat help determine the distance migratory species move and whether the animals always travel together to the same place or independently to different locations, according to a new article. The study's findings have significant implications for land managers around the world working to conserve endangered species that migrate. ... > full story

Study identifies novel role for a protein that could lead to new treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (May 23, 2011) -- A new study by rheumatologists has shown that a powerful pro-inflammatory protein, tumor necrosis factor, can also suppress aspects of inflammation. The researchers say the identification of the mechanism of how this occurs could potentially lead to new treatments for diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. ... > full story

New green technology for hydrogen production (May 23, 2011) -- A researcher has completed a proof-of-concept for a new and clean technology to produce high purity hydrogen from natural gas. This allows hydrogen to be produced in an elegant technique at much lower temperatures, and without releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. ... > full story

Younger doctors prescribe more drugs to reduce heart risk but offer less lifestyle advice, study finds (May 23, 2011) -- Patients with heart disease risks are more likely to be prescribed cardiovascular (CV) drugs if they see a younger doctor and recommended to change their lifestyle if they see an older doctor, according to new research. ... > full story

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