Saturday 10 March 2012

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


In recognizing faces, the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 11:01 AM PST

How do we recognize a face? To date, most research has answered "holistically": we look at all the features -- eyes, nose, mouth -- simultaneously and, perceiving the relationships among them, gain an advantage over taking in each feature individually.

Don’t bite the hand that feeds: Using satellite technology to evaluate the effects of ecotourism on tiger sharks

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 10:58 AM PST

Ecotourism activities that use food to attract and concentrate wildlife for viewing have become a controversial topic in ecological studies. This debate is best exemplified by the shark dive tourism industry, a highly lucrative and booming global market. Use of chum or food to attract big sharks to areas where divers can view the dwindling populations of these animals has generated significant criticism because of the potential for ecological and behavioral impacts to the species. However, the debate has been largely rhetorical due to a lack of sufficient data to make any conclusions either way.

Meteorites reveal another way to make life's components

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:48 AM PST

Creating some of life's building blocks in space may be a bit like making a sandwich -- you can make them cold or hot, according to new NASA research. This evidence that there is more than one way to make crucial components of life increases the likelihood that life emerged elsewhere in the Universe, according to the research team, and gives support to the theory that a "kit" of ready-made parts created in space and delivered to Earth by impacts from meteorites and comets assisted the origin of life.

Environmentally friendly cleaning and washing

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:48 AM PST

More and more everyday products are based on renewable resources, with household cleaners now containing active cleaning substances made from plant oils and sugar. These fat and dirt removers are especially environmentally friendly and effective when produced using biotechnology, with the aid of fungi and bacteria.

Mid-Atlantic suburbs in U.S. can expect an early spring thanks to the heat of the big city

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:48 AM PST

If you've been thinking our world is more green than frozen these days, you're right. A recent study has found that spring is in arriving earlier -- and autumn later -- in the suburbs of Baltimore and Washington, DC. The reason? The urban landscape traps heat in the summer and holds it throughout the winter, triggering leaves to turn green earlier in the spring and to stay green later into autumn. The result is an extended growing season.

A cheap and fully optical solution for ultra-fast internet

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:41 AM PST

Blisteringly fast Internet speeds, more robust connections and a big increase in network capacity at little extra cost, even in rural areas? It's the sort of fantasy that keeps telecommunication company executives and bandwidth-hungry Internet users awake at night... until now. Groundbreaking fibre-optic technology promises all those things and more.

Orientation of ants: Every cue counts

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:41 AM PST

Foraging desert ants always find their way back to the nest, even when it is only marked by a magnetic cue, vibration, or carbon dioxide.

Mapping the Moho with GOCE

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:38 AM PST

The first global high-resolution map of the boundary between Earth's crust and mantle – the Moho – has been produced based on data from ESA's GOCE gravity satellite. Understanding the Moho will offer new clues into the dynamics of Earth's interior. Earth's crust is the outermost solid shell of our planet. Even though it makes up less than 1% of the volume of the planet, the crust is exceptionally important not just because we live on it, but because is the place where all our geological resources like natural gas, oil and minerals come from.

Strong Grip: Unexpected interaction between organic semiconductors

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:38 AM PST

Physicists have discovered an unexpectedly strong bond between organic layers. Such structures are still puzzling scientists throughout the world. These structures form the basis for novel electronic components made from organic semiconductors that are now increasingly used in smart phones and television sets.

Tracking pedestrians indoors using their smart phones

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:38 AM PST

The next generation of smart phone could combine the data from its gyroscopes with a built-in compass to allow you to track your movements when indoors even without GPS. Such a system could be useful for shopping mall managers, factory bosses for worker safety and security and office workers hoping to manage the flow of people through buildings. It could also be used to enable location based services and to help users navigate to specific meeting points or shops.

Scientists claim brain memory code cracked

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:37 AM PST

Despite a century of research, memory encoding in the brain has remained mysterious. Neuronal synaptic connection strengths are involved, but synaptic components are short-lived while memories last lifetimes. This suggests synaptic information is encoded and hard-wired at a deeper, finer-grained molecular scale.

Revisiting LSD as a treatment for alcoholism

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:45 PM PST

Several decades ago, a number of clinics used LSD to treat alcoholism with some success. But until now, no research has pulled together the results of these trials to document exactly how effective LSD was. Now a new meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of the drug provides evidence for a clear and consistent beneficial effect of LSD for treating alcohol dependency.

Bias in decision-making leads to poor choices and possibly depression

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:48 PM PST

When faced with making a complicated decision, our automatic instinct to avoid misfortune can result in missing out on rewards, and could even contribute to depression, according to new research.

Partnerships in the brain: Mathematical model describes the collaboration of individual neurons

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:48 PM PST

How do neurons in the brain communicate with each other? One common theory suggests that individual cells do not exchange signals among each other, but rather that exchange takes place between groups of cells. Researchers have now developed a mathematical model that can be used to test this assumption.

Insect DNA offers tiny clues about animals' changing habitats

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PST

The long-term impact of climate change on natural communities of wild animals could be better understood thanks to a new study.

Clock gene helps plants prepare for spring flowering, study shows

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PST

Scientists have made fresh discoveries about the processes that govern plants' internal body clocks and help them adjust to changing seasons, triggering the arrival of flowers in spring.

Catalysts for less: Slashing costs of metal alloys needed to jump-start crucial chemical processes

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:31 AM PST

Scientists have discovered that individual atoms can catalyze industrially important chemical reactions such as the hydrogenation of acetylene, offering potentially significant economic and environmental benefits.

Brain cancer blood vessels not substantially tumor-derived

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:25 AM PST

Scientists have published laboratory data refuting studies that suggest blood vessels that form within brain cancers are largely made up of cancer cells. The theory of cancer-based blood vessels calls into question the use and value of anticancer drugs that target these blood vessels, including bevacizumab (Avastin).

Metamaterials may advance with new femtosecond laser technique

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 08:57 AM PST

"Lucky" combination of chemicals and laser pulses enables high-resolution, 3D patterning for futuristic optical materials

Friday 9 March 2012

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


A test of the senses in the search for a 'shoal mate'

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 04:23 PM PST

Young coral reef fish use sounds, smells and visual cues to find their nursery grounds, according to new research. By testing how young French grunts (a common fish in CuraƧao and throughout the Caribbean) responded to local sounds, smells and visual cues, the researchers have unlocked, for the first time, the mystery of how centimeter-long juvenile fish can navigate from the high seas to find their shoal mates in amongst the roots of mangrove trees or blades of seagrass.

Promising new drug could help patients battling deadly and difficult to treat form of melanoma

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 04:22 PM PST

Researchers say they may have discovered a new drug for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, one that uses the patient's own tumor cells to customize the therapy.

New discovery shines light on the three faces of neutrinos

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:49 PM PST

Neutrinos not only have mass, but they oscillate or change their identity as they travel. Scientists measured the third of three numbers that describe how these neutrinos change identity. Because this last "mixing angle" is larger than thought, it becomes possible to check whether the oscillations of neutrinos and antineutrinos differ, possibly answering the question, 'Why is there matter in the universe?'

Deeper view of HIV reveals impact of early mutations

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:48 PM PST

Mutations in HIV that develop during the first few weeks of infection may play a critical role in undermining a successful early immune response, a finding that reveals the importance of vaccines targeting regions of the virus that are less likely to mutate.

Drug helps purge hidden HIV

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:47 PM PST

Researchers have successfully flushed latent HIV infection from hiding, with a drug used to treat certain types of lymphoma.

Discovery of hair-cell roots suggests the brain modulates sound sensitivity

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:46 PM PST

The hair cells of the inner ear have a previously unknown "root" extension that may allow them to communicate with nerve cells and the brain to regulate sensitivity to sound vibrations and head position, researchers have discovered.

Genetic manipulation boosts growth of brain cells linked to learning, enhances effects of antidepressants

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:46 PM PST

Investigators have identified a genetic manipulation that increases the development of neurons in the brain during aging and enhances the effect of antidepressant drugs.

Nanoparticles affect nutrient absorption, study suggests

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:46 PM PST

Nanoparticles are everywhere. From cosmetics and clothes, to soda and snacks. But as versatile as they are, nanoparticles also have a downside, say researchers. These tiny particles, even in low doses, could have a big impact on our long-term health.

Counting reef sharks with cameras: 'Chum cam' underwater video survey shows that reef sharks thrive in marine reserves

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 02:46 PM PST

Scientists have used video cameras to count Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) inside and outside marine reserves on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in the Caribbean Sea. Using survey data collected from 200 baited remote underwater video cameras, nicknamed "chum cams," the scientists compared the relative abundance of these reef sharks in two marine reserves with those in two areas where fishing is allowed, and demonstrated that the sharks were more abundant in the reserves.

Eating wild: Foraging safely in a modern world

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 12:35 PM PST

In an expanding "foodie" culture, people go to great lengths to get the best ingredients, seek out the most aesthetic desserts, and buy natural and organic. Less noted, though, is the movement of "foragers": people who "eat wild" on a regular basis, supplemented by naturally growing, edible plants for which they search in their local communities, whether urban or rural.

Study pinpoints effects of different doses of an ADHD drug; Finds higher doses may harm learning

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 12:35 PM PST

New research with monkeys sheds light on how the drug methylphenidate may affect learning and memory in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Teach your robot well

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 12:35 PM PST

A new study identifies the types of questions a robot can ask during a learning interaction that are most likely to characterize a smooth and productive human-robot relationship.

Multiple species of seacows once coexisted

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PST

Sirenians, or seacows, are a group of marine mammals that include manatees and dugongs; Today, only one species of seacow is found in each world region. Scientists have discovered that this was not always the case. According to the fossil record of these marine mammals, which dates back 50 million years ago, it was more common to find three, or possibly more, different species of seacows living together at one time.

Four-winged dinosaur's feathers were black with iridescent sheen

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PST

Researchers has revealed the color and detailed feather pattern of Microraptor, a pigeon-sized, four-winged dinosaur that lived about 130 million years ago. The non-avian dinosaur's fossilized plumage, which had hues of black and blue like a crow, is the earliest record of iridescent feather color. The findings suggest the importance of display in the early evolution of feathers.

Insects have 'personalities' too, research on novelty-seeking honey bees indicates

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PST

Thrill-seeking is not limited to humans and other vertebrates, new research suggests. Some honey bees, too, are more likely than others to seek adventure. The brains of these novelty-seeking bees exhibit distinct patterns of gene activity in molecular pathways known to be associated with thrill-seeking in humans, researchers report.

Iridescent, feathered dinosaur offers fresh evidence that feathers evolved to attract mates

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:31 AM PST

Researchers have revealed that the small, feathered dinosaur Microraptor had a glossy iridescent sheen like a modern crow and that its tail was narrow and adorned with a pair of streamer feathers, suggesting feathers originally evolved for display, rather than flight. The new fossil is the earliest record of iridescent color in feathers.

Polymer scientists and physicists, inspired by curly leaves, develop new technique for shaping thin gel sheets

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:31 AM PST

Inspired by nature's ability to shape a petal, and building on simple techniques used in photolithography and printing, researchers have developed a new tool for manufacturing three-dimensional shapes easily and cheaply, to aid advances in biomedicine, robotics and tunable micro-optics. Researchers have just described their new method of halftone gel lithography for photo-patterning polymer gel sheets.

Powerful tool to measure metabolites in living cells

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 11:31 AM PST

By engineering cells to express a modified RNA called "Spinach," researchers have imaged small-molecule metabolites in living cells and observed how their levels change over time. Metabolites are the products of individual cell metabolism. The ability to measure their rate of production could be used to recognize a cell gone metabolically awry, as in cancer, or identify the drug that can restore the cell's metabolites to normal.

Biologists locate brain's processing point for acoustic signals essential to human communication

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:28 AM PST

In both animals and humans, vocal signals used for communication contain a wide array of different sounds that are determined by the vibrational frequencies of vocal cords. Knowing how the brain sorts out these different frequencies -- which are called frequency-modulated sweeps—is believed to be essential to understanding many hearing-related behaviors, like speech. Now, a pair of biologists has identified how and where the brain processes this type of sound signal.

Could a NOSH-aspirin-a-day keep cancer away?

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:28 AM PST

The humble aspirin may soon have a new role. Scientists have developed a new aspirin compound that has great promise to be, not only an extremely potent cancer-fighter, but even safer than the classic medicine cabinet staple, researchers say.

Ultrafast sonograms shed new light on rapid phase transitions

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:28 AM PST

A method for taking ultrafast "sonograms" of materials undergoing phase transitions sheds new light on the dynamics of this important phenomenon in the world's fastest phase-change material.

Researchers crack degeneration process that leads to Alzheimer's

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:28 AM PST

Scientists have uncovered a critical process in understanding the degeneration of brain cells sensitive to Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study suggests that this discovery could help develop alternative AD therapies.

Share and share alike: How marketers can exploit infectious sharing behavior

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:28 AM PST

In the world of marketing, people who are thinking about sharing product information they find in online advertising are likely to first consider whether the information is relevant to friends and family in their social networks.

New throat cancer gene uncovered

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:28 AM PST

A new study has uncovered a mutation in the ATR gene, demonstrating the first evidence of a link between abnormality in this gene and an inherited form of cancer. The researchers say this finding raises new ideas about genetic factors linked to throat cancer and provides a platform for exploring the role of ATR more generally in cancer biology.

Scientists discover 'Achilles' heel' of clot-buster

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:27 AM PST

A new study provides remarkable new insight into how plasmin is produced. This work may lead to more effective clot-busting drugs.

Protein folding: Understanding the dance of the chaperones

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:27 AM PST

Proteins are the molecular building blocks and machinery of cells and involved in practically all biological processes. To fulfill their tasks, they need to be folded into a complicated three-dimensional structure. Scientists have now analyzed one of the key players of this folding process: the molecular chaperone DnaK.

Nintendo Wii™ game controllers help diagnose eye disorder

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:25 AM PST

Wii remotes are not all about fun and games. Scientists can use them to assess and diagnose children with an abnormal head position caused by eye diseases. Researchers have now developed a low-cost digital head posture measuring device with Nintendo Wiimotes to help diagnose this condition, medically called ocular torticollis.

Vaccination strategy may hold key to ridding HIV infection from immune system

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:25 AM PST

Using human immune system cells in the lab, AIDS experts have figured out a way to kill off latent forms of HIV that hide in infected T cells long after antiretroviral therapy has successfully stalled viral replication to undetectable levels in blood tests.

Oldest organism with skeleton discovered in Australia

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 09:01 AM PST

Paleontologists have discovered the oldest animal with a skeleton. Called Coronacollina acula, the organism is between 560 million and 550 million years old. The finding provides insight into the evolution of life on the planet, why animals go extinct, and how organisms respond to environmental changes. The discovery also can help scientists recognize life elsewhere in the universe. Coronacollina acula has a number of hard parts -- structural supports -- essentially holding it up.

Want to limit aggression? Practice self-control

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PST

Feeling angry and annoyed with others is a daily part of life, but most people don't act on these impulses. What keeps us from punching line-cutters or murdering conniving coworkers? Self control. A new review article examines the psychological research and finds that it's possible to deplete self-control -- or to strengthen it by practice.

Optimizing routes for underwater vehicles: Sometimes the quickest path is not a straight line

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PST

Scientists have developed a mathematical procedure that can optimize path planning for automated underwater vehicles, even in regions with complex shorelines and strong shifting currents. The system can provide paths optimized either for the shortest travel time or for the minimum use of energy, or to maximize the collection of data that is considered most important.

Origami-inspired paper sensor could test for malaria and HIV for less than 10 cents, report chemists

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PST

Inspired by the paper-folding art of origami, chemists have developed a 3-D paper sensor that may be able to test for diseases such as malaria and HIV for less than 10 cents a pop. The sensors can be printed out on an office printer, and take less than a minute to assemble.

Mom's voice may improve the health of premature babies

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PST

When babies are born prematurely, they are thrust into a hospital environment that while highly successful at saving their lives, is not exactly the same as the mother's womb where ideal development occurs. Now, new research links exposure to an audio recording of mom's heartbeat and her voice to lower incidence of cardiorespiratory events in preterm infants.

When prejudices become a disadvantage

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 08:57 AM PST

Researchers have been exploring the question of whether prejudices might be rational under certain conditions. Using game theory, they created various scenarios and played them fifteen million times. The researchers have now reached a conclusion: those who are prejudiced are soon at a disadvantage, as they learn nothing new and miss many opportunities.

Computer processors: Saving power, saving money

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 08:56 AM PST

Engineers have proposed a method of cutting power use and costs in computer processors. Called fine-grained power gating, the method would shut off energy to unused portions of datapath and memory blocks. Current processors fully power all components but rarely are all fully engaged.

Maternal obesity may influence brain development of premature infants

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 08:56 AM PST

Maternal obesity may contribute to cognitive impairment in extremely premature babies, according to a new study.

BP oil spill hurt marshes, but recovery possible, experts say

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:16 AM PST

A new study shows that arthropods living in coastal salt marshes affected by BP oil spill were damaged but they were able to recover if their host plants remained healthy.

Discovery of brain's natural resistance to drugs may offer clues to treating addiction

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:16 AM PST

A single injection of cocaine or methamphetamine in mice caused their brains to put the brakes on neurons that generate sensations of pleasure, and these cellular changes lasted for at least a week, according to new research.

How a bacterial pathogen breaks down barriers to enter and infect cells

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:16 AM PST

Scientists have found for the first time that a bacterial pathogen can literally mow down protective molecules, known as mucins, on mucus membranes to enter and infect a part of the body.

Archaeologists unearth slave burial ground on the island of St. Helena

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:16 AM PST

Archaeologists have unearthed a unique slave burial ground on the remote South Atlantic island of St. Helena. The excavation, which took place in advance of construction of a new airport on the island, has revealed dramatic insights into the victims of the Atlantic slave trade during the notorious Middle Passage.

Proposed nuclear clock may keep time with the universe

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:13 AM PST

A proposed new time-keeping system tied to the orbiting of a neutron around an atomic nucleus could have such unprecedented accuracy that it neither gains nor loses 1/20th of a second in 14 billion years -- the age of the universe.

Scientists detect seismic signals from tornado

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:13 AM PST

A geophysical experiment detected unusual seismic signals associated with tornadoes that recently struck regions across the Midwest -- information that may have value for meteorologists studying the atmospheric activity that precedes tornado disasters.

Aging, overweight people stay happy says new study

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:07 AM PST

Growing older and being overweight are not necessarily associated with a decrease in mental well-being, according to a cross-cultural study looking at quality of life and health status in the US and the UK.

Large solar flares generate geomagnetic storm

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:07 AM PST

A pair of unusually large solar flares early March 7, 2012 generated a Coronal Mass Ejection that was expected to reach Earth around mid-day March 8. It will likely cause at least a strong geomagnetic storm that could affect satellites in space and trigger auroral displays. The effects at ground level are expected to be limited, but there is a good chance for some excellent auroral displays in the north.

Wallflower or daredevil: Personality of male primates changes throughout life

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:02 AM PST

One individual is wild and audacious, the other one shy and cautious. It is widely unknown why there are major differences in personality even within a species. Scientists have now studied how male mouse lemurs are shy when young and grow more audacious as they age. Females remain about the same throughout their lifecycle.

Men respond more aggressively than women to stress and it's all down to a single gene

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 04:10 AM PST

The pulse quickens, the heart pounds and adrenalin courses through the veins, but in stressful situations is our reaction controlled by our genes, and does it differ between the sexes? Scientists believe the SRY gene, which directs male development, may promote aggression and other traditionally male behavioral traits resulting in the fight-or-flight reaction to stress.

Daya Bay: Discovery of new kind of neutrino transformation

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 04:10 AM PST

The Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment collaboration has announced a precise measurement of the last of the unsolved neutrino "mixing angles," which determine how neutrinos oscillate among different types. The ground-breaking collaboration is the most sensitive reactor neutrino experiment in the world. The results promise new insight into why enough ordinary matter survived after the big bang to form everything visible in the universe.

Missing: Electron antineutrinos; Reward: Understanding of matter-antimatter imbalance

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 04:10 AM PST

The first results toward answering a longstanding question -- how the elusive particles called neutrinos can appear to vanish as they travel through space -- have been announced.

Wash your mouth out with silver, to treat hard-to-treat mouth infections?

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:25 AM PST

Yeasts which cause hard-to-treat mouth infections are killed using silver nanoparticles in the laboratory, scientists have found. These yeast infections, caused by Candida albicans and Candida glabrata target the young, old and immuno-compromised. Scientists hope to test silver nanoparticles in mouthwash and dentures as a potential preventative measure against these infections.

Petunia points the way to better harvests: Understanding plants' relationships with helpful soil fungi

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:25 AM PST

Most plants live in symbiosis with soil fungi and are supplied with water and nutrients as a result. Based on the petunia, plant biologists have now discovered that a special transport protein is required to establish this symbiotic relationship. The targeted control of this protein could lead to greater harvests.

The Darwin-Wallace mystery solved: Darwin vindicated from accusations of deceit

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:25 AM PST

A new study traced historical shipping records and vindicated Darwin from accusations of deceit. For the past four decades, Charles Darwin had been accused of keeping the essay of fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace for a fortnight, thereby enabling him to revise elements of his theory of evolution, before jointly announcing the theory of evolution by natural selection in July 1858.

Cannabinoid 2 receptors regulate impulsive behaviour

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:25 AM PST

A new study reveals how manipulating the endocannabinoid system can modulate high levels of impulsivity. This is the main problem in psychiatric illnesses such a schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and substance abuse.

Identifying ancient droughts in China

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:25 AM PST

Drought events are largely unknown in Earth's history, because reconstruction of ancient hydrological conditions remains difficult due to lack of proxy. New research uses a microbial lipid proxy of highly alkaline conditions to identify enhanced aridity in Miocene sediments on the Tibetan Plateau. This enhanced aridity is associated with significant uplift of the Tibetan Plateau nine million years ago.

Happiness: it's not in the jeans

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 03:25 AM PST

You may throw on an outfit without much thought in the morning, but your choice is strongly affected by your mood. And the item of casual wear in almost everyone's wardrobe – denim jeans – is what most people wear when depressed, new research from psychologists reveals.

HIV/AIDS vaccine shows long-term protection against multiple exposures in non-human primates

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 03:51 PM PST

Scientists have developed a vaccine that has protected nonhuman primates against multiple exposures to simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) given in three clusters over more than three years. SIV is the nonhuman primate version of HIV.