ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Thursday, September 22, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Thursday, September 22, 2011

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Smells may help birds find their homes, avoid inbreeding; Research may bring help to endangered species (September 22, 2011) -- Birds may have a more highly developed sense of smell than researchers previously thought, contend scholars who have found that penguins may use smell to determine if they are related to a potential mate. Smell may help guide them to their homes as well as avoid inbreeding, they say. ... > full story

Potential target for treating common form of early-onset dementia identified (September 22, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that a key signaling pathway plays an important role in frontotemporal dementia and may offer a potential target for treatment of the devastating brain disorder, which accounts for one in four cases of early-onset dementia. ... > full story

How our liver kills 'killer cells' (September 22, 2011) -- Our livers can fight back against the immune system -- reducing organ rejection but also making us more susceptible to liver disease. Scientists have seen for the first time (in mice) how the liver goes independent, engulfing and destroying the body's defense troops -- T-cells. Their discovery opens the way to both new approaches to transplant rejection, and to the fight against hepatitis and other chronic liver diseases. ... > full story

Overweight older women have less leg strength, power (September 22, 2011) -- Leg strength and power of overweight older women is significantly less than that of normal-weight older women, increasing their risk for disability and loss of independence. With more Americans aging and becoming overweight or obese, the study dispels the popular image of the bird-thin elder being at greatest risk of becoming disabled due to loss of muscle mass. ... > full story

Super-sized heart valve provides clues to blood flow (September 22, 2011) -- Researchers in Ireland have developed a super-sized model of a heart valve which may lead to a new generation of cardiovascular devices. Every year, mechanical valves are inserted into approximately 125,000 patients with heart valve disease around the world. However, the valves can lead to unnatural blood flows, which can trigger a clotting reaction. Because of this, patients with prosthetic heart valves must take medication daily, which can lead to side effects. ... > full story

Stressed and strapped: Caregivers for friends, relatives suffer emotional and financial strain (September 22, 2011) -- Those caring for aging or disabled relatives in California are under both financial and emotional strain and are likely to face even greater burdens given recent cuts in state support for programs that support in-home care, write the authors of a new policy brief. The study looks at California's more than six million informal caregivers and finds higher levels of serious psychological distress and negative health behaviors. ... > full story

Electrical stimulation of brain boosts birth of new cells: Animal study suggests deep brain stimulation improves memory (September 22, 2011) -- Stimulating a specific region of the brain leads to the production of new brain cells that enhance memory, according to an animal study. The findings show how deep brain stimulation -- a clinical intervention that delivers electrical pulses to targeted areas of the brain -- may work to improve cognition. ... > full story

Anti-aging creams: Is the 'longevity gene' nearing the end of its life? (September 22, 2011) -- Sirtuins, proteins believed to significantly increase lifespan in a number of organisms -- and the claimed target of some anti-aging creams -- do not, in fact, affect animal longevity, according to new research. ... > full story

Chinese researchers identify insect host species of a famous Tibetan medicinal fungus (September 22, 2011) -- Based on an extensive survey of the literature pertaining to the Chinese caterpillar fungus, a fungus with high medicinal and economic values, researchers investigated a total of 91 insect species and found 57 of these to be potential hosts to the fungus. ... > full story

Early antiretroviral therapy for HIV shown cost-effective, Haiti study finds (September 22, 2011) -- Researchers in the U.S. and Haiti have shown that early treatment of HIV not only saves lives but is also cost-effective. ... > full story

Toward an improved test for adulterated heparin (September 22, 2011) -- Scientists are reporting refinement of a new test that promises to help assure the safety of supplies of heparin, the blood thinner taken by millions of people worldwide each year to prevent blood clots. The test can quickly and economically detect adulterants, including the substance responsible for hundreds of illnesses and deaths among patients taking heparin in 2008. ... > full story

YouTube videos can inaccurately depict Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, study finds (September 22, 2011) -- After reviewing the most frequently watched YouTube videos about movement disorders, a group of neurologists found that the people in the videos often do not have a movement disorder. ... > full story

Researchers discover how 'promiscuous parasites' hijack host immune cells (September 21, 2011) -- Researchers recently discovered how T. gondii evades our defenses by hacking immune cells, making it the first known parasite to control its host's immune system. A new study describes a forced partnership between parasite and host that challenges common conceptions of how pathogens interact with the body. ... > full story

Zinc regulates communication between brain cells (September 21, 2011) -- Zinc has been found to play a critical role in regulating communication between cells in the brain, possibly governing the formation of memories and controlling the occurrence of epileptic seizures. ... > full story

Catching molecular motion at just the right time: Theorists overcome loss of entropy and friction in computational simulations (September 21, 2011) -- Researchers have devised a mathematically rich analytic approach to account for often-missing thermodynamic and molecular parameters in molecular dynamic simulations. The new approach returns atomistic-level data into the time frame of the macroscopic world. ... > full story

Key molecule that blocks abnormal blood vessel growth in tumors identified (September 21, 2011) -- A new and better understanding of blood vessel growth and vascular development (angiogenesis) in cancer has been made possible by new research. ... > full story

Researchers' chance viewing of river cutoff forming provides rare insight (September 21, 2011) -- For two river researchers, new insight into river cutoffs was a case of being in the right place at the right time. That serendipity gave the researchers a rare view of a dynamic, little-understood river process that changed the local landscape and deposited so much sediment into the river system that it closed the Ohio River. ... > full story

Allowing native language in school benefits Mexican-American students, researcher finds (September 21, 2011) -- A new study shows that Mexican-American students who identify and practice speaking their native language have higher grades than those who are put in English-only environments in their schools. ... > full story

Using human genomes to illuminate the mysteries of early human history (September 21, 2011) -- Researchers are utilizing the complete genome sequences of people alive today to shed light on events at the dawn of human history, such as the times of divergence of early human populations and of the "out of Africa" migration of the ancestors of modern Europeans, Asians and other non-African groups. ... > full story

New genetic mutation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (September 21, 2011) -- A team led by scientists has discovered a new genetic mutation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a related disease called frontotemporal dementia that appears to account for more than a third of all inherited cases of these diseases. ... > full story

New theory explains collapse of World Trade Center's Twin Towers (September 21, 2011) -- According to a theory advanced by a materials scientist in Norway, a mixture of water from sprinkler systems and molten aluminum from melted aircraft hulls created explosions that led to the collapse of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001. ... > full story

Weakness in heart attack therapy identified (September 21, 2011) -- A new study holds clues to why an emerging clinical trials option for heart attack patients has not been as successful as anticipated. Treatment of human hearts with bone marrow cells has led to limited to no success in improving their heart function even though a similar method has been much more effective in rodents. ... > full story

New 'smart window' system with unprecedented performance (September 21, 2011) -- A new "smart" window system has the unprecedented ability to inexpensively change from summer to winter modes, darkening to save air conditioning costs on scorching days and returning to crystal clarity in the winter to capture free heat from the sun, scientists are reporting. ... > full story

Advice To divorcees: Go easy on yourself (September 21, 2011) -- Divorce is tough, for just about everyone. But some people move through a breakup without overwhelming distress, even if they're sad or worried about money, while others get stuck in the bad feelings and can't seem to climb out. What accounts for the difference? ... > full story

Scientists discover rare theropod dinosaur wounded in action in southern Utah (September 21, 2011) -- Raptor dinosaurs like the iconic Velociraptor from the movie franchise Jurassic Park are renowned for their "fear-factor." Their terrifying image has been popularized in part because members of this group possess a greatly enlarged talon on their foot -- analogous to a butcher's hook. Yet the function of the highly recurved claw on the foot of raptor dinosaurs has largely remained a mystery to paleontologists. Scientists have now unveiled a new species of raptor dinosaur discovered in southern Utah that sheds new light on this and several other long-standing questions in paleontology, including how dinosaurs evolved on the "lost continent" of Laramidia (western North America) during the Late Cretaceous -- a period known as the zenith of dinosaur diversity. ... > full story

New research could extend life of arthritic joints (September 21, 2011) -- A medication already approved to build bone mass in patients with osteoporosis also builds cartilage around joints and could potentially be re-purposed to treat millions of people suffering from arthritis, according to new orthopedic research. ... > full story

An angry bird in the sky: Lambda Centauri Nebula (September 21, 2011) -- A new image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope reveals the Lambda Centauri Nebula, a cloud of glowing hydrogen and newborn stars in the constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur). The nebula, also known as IC 2944, is sometimes nicknamed the Running Chicken Nebula, from a bird-like shape some people see in its brightest region. ... > full story

New insight into immune tolerance furthers understanding of autoimmune disease (September 21, 2011) -- The mechanisms that underlie immune activation and tolerance are not completely understood. Now, a new research study provides intriguing insight into the complex immune regulatory mechanisms that underlie immune tolerance. ... > full story

Crystal structure shows how motor protein works (September 21, 2011) -- The crystal structure of the dynamin protein -- one of the molecular machines that makes cells work -- has been revealed, bringing insights into a class of molecules with a wide influence on health and disease. ... > full story

Rude employee behavior quietly sabotages the bottom line (September 21, 2011) -- Rude employee behavior is rampant and consumers report they respond to such episodes not by reporting incidents to managers, but by taking their business to competitors. ... > full story

Proton-based transistor could let machines communicate with living things (September 21, 2011) -- Human devices, from light bulbs to iPods, send information using electrons. Human bodies and all other living things, on the other hand, send signals and perform work using ions or protons. Materials scientists have built a novel transistor that uses protons, creating a key piece for devices that can communicate directly with living things. ... > full story

Common stimulant may speed recovery from general anesthesia (September 21, 2011) -- Administration of the commonly used stimulant drug methylphenidate (Ritalin) was able to speed recovery from general anesthesia in animals, according to researchers. Their study is the first demonstration in mammals of what could be a safe and effective way to actively reverse the unconsciousness induced by general anesthesia. ... > full story

Fast-evolving genes control developmental differences in social insects (September 21, 2011) -- A new study found that genes involved in creating different sexes, life stages and castes of fire ants and honeybees evolved more rapidly than genes not involved in these processes. The fast-evolving genes also exhibited elevated rates of evolution before they were recruited for development. ... > full story

Potential of new nanoparticle design for cancer therapy demonstrated (September 21, 2011) -- A new type of nanoparticle has shown potential for more effective delivery of chemotherapy to treat cancer. In laboratory studies, researchers developed and tested a new type of nanoparticle that can deliver larger amounts of a drug and will not leak the drug as the particle circulates through the blood stream on its way to the target. ... > full story

Extreme summertime temperatures to become a regular occurrence, researcher predicts (September 21, 2011) -- In a new article, researchers have estimated the impact near-term increases in global-mean temperatures will have on summertime temperatures in the US and around the globe. ... > full story

Political preferences play different role in dating, mating (September 21, 2011) -- Online daters are reluctant to use partisan politics to attract a potential mate, according to new research in the U.S. The study shows that singles are more likely to admit they are overweight on their online dating profiles than to say they are politically liberal or conservative. ... > full story

Microwave ovens a key to energy production from wasted heat (September 21, 2011) -- More than 60 percent of the energy produced by cars, machines, and industry around the world is lost as waste heat -- an age-old problem -- but researchers have found a new way to make "thermoelectric" materials for use in technology that could potentially save vast amounts of energy. ... > full story

Stem cells, potential source of cancer-fighting T cells (September 21, 2011) -- Adult stem cells from mice converted to antigen-specific T cells -- the immune cells that fight cancer tumor cells -- show promise in cancer immunotherapy and may lead to a simpler, more efficient way to use the body's immune system to fight cancer, according to researchers. ... > full story

Cassini presents Saturn moon quintet (September 21, 2011) -- With the artistry of a magazine cover shoot, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured a new portrait of five of Saturn's moons poised along the planet's rings. ... > full story

Using bone marrow to protect the brain: Stem cell technology begins clinical trial for Lou Gehrig's disease (September 21, 2011) -- Through a clinical product called NurOwn, researchers in Israel are turning bone marrow stem cells into astrocyte-like cells which are responsible for the well-being of the brain's neurons. Trials for the technology, which has the potential to treat a broad range of neurodegenerative conditions, are now planned for Massachusetts General Hospital. ... > full story

Nanoparticles cause brain injury in fish (September 21, 2011) -- Scientists have shown, for the first time in an animal, that nanoparticles have a detrimental effect on the brain and other parts of the central nervous system. ... > full story

'Silent majority' agrees with me, voters believe (September 21, 2011) -- We like to think that others agree with us. It's called "social projection," and it helps us validate our beliefs and ourselves. Psychologists have found that we tend to think people who are similar to us in one explicit way -- say, religion or lifestyle -- will act and believe as we do, and vote as we do. Meanwhile, we exaggerate differences between ourselves and those who are explicitly unlike us. ... > full story

NASA's WISE mission captures black hole's wildly flaring jet (September 21, 2011) -- Astronomers using NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have captured rare data of a flaring black hole, revealing new details about these powerful objects and their blazing jets. ... > full story

Possible new blood test to diagnose heart attacks (September 21, 2011) -- Researchers are reporting a possible new blood test to help diagnose heart attacks. Researchers report that a large protein known as cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) is released to the blood following a heart attack. ... > full story

Vacuum-like device makes cellular exploration easier (September 21, 2011) -- Imagine a microscopic jet vacuum cleaner, the size of a pen nib that hovers over cell surfaces without ever touching them. Then imagine that the soap in the cleaning solution is replaced with various molecules that can be selectively delivered to the cells. This gives you a sense of a new device that researchers believe will serve as a powerful tool to study the behavior of living cells and a range of crucial cellular processes. ... > full story

Study on emissions from BP/Deepwater Horizon controlled burns completed (September 21, 2011) -- During the 2010 Gulf oil spill, an estimated one of every 20 barrels of spilled oil was deliberately burned to reduce surface oil slick size and minimize impacts of oil on sensitive shoreline ecosystems and marine life. The black smoke from those controlled burns pumped more than 1 million pounds of black carbon (soot) pollution into the atmosphere, according to a new study by NOAA and CIRES researchers. ... > full story

Buyer beware: Advertising may seduce your brain, researchers say (September 21, 2011) -- Researchers have found that certain types of subtle advertisements reduce activity in the decision-making areas of the brain, suggesting that some ads seduce, rather than persuade, consumers to buy their products. ... > full story

Primitive birds shared dinosaurs' fate (September 21, 2011) -- A new study puts an end to the longstanding debate about how archaic birds went extinct, suggesting they were virtually wiped out by the same meteorite impact that put an end to dinosaurs 65 million years ago. ... > full story