ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Scientists helps find structure of gene-editing protein
• Flatworm flouts fundamental rule of biology: Worm regenerates without centrosome, a structure long thought necessary for cell division
• World’s first primate chimeric offspring produced: Research demonstrates not all embryonic stem cells are equal
• Down to the wire for silicon: Researchers create a wire four atoms wide, one atom tall
• Scientists 'hijack' bacterial immune system
• School pupils learn about practical philosophy
• Graphene rips follow rules
• Low reporting of clinical trial data in key U.S. database, study shows
• Novel brain tumor vaccine acts like bloodhound to locate cancer cells
• Flatworms' minimalist approach to cell division reveals the molecular architecture of the human centrosome
• Why humans choose running over walking
• New report reviews plan for US Global Change Research Program
• Couch potato or elite athlete? A happy medium keeps colds at bay
• Stop abusing insecticides in rice, experts urge
• Rilonacept significantly reduces gout flares, study suggests
• Researcher's photoacoustic device finds cancer cells before they become tumors, study suggests
• New drug screening identifies chemical agents with potent anti-cancer activity
• New practice model may reduce miscarriage after assisted reproduction
• The bigger picture of population genomics
• Men and women have major personality differences: New report suggests previous measurements have underestimated variation between the sexes

Scientists helps find structure of gene-editing protein Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:58 PM PST In the two and a half years since scientists discovered how a class of proteins find and bind specific sequences in plant genomes, researchers worldwide have moved fast to use this discovery. Now, the next step has been taken by determining the 3-D structure of a TAL effector bound to DNA.

Flatworm flouts fundamental rule of biology: Worm regenerates without centrosome, a structure long thought necessary for cell division Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:42 PM PST A tiny, freshwater flatworm found in ponds and rivers around the world that has long intrigued scientists for its remarkable ability to regenerate has now added a new wrinkle to biology.

World’s first primate chimeric offspring produced: Research demonstrates not all embryonic stem cells are equal Posted: 05 Jan 2012 01:47 PM PST Scientists have shed new light on how early embryonic stem cells develop and take part in formation of the primate species. The research has also resulted in the first successful birth of chimeric monkeys -- monkeys developed from stem cells taken from two separate embryos.

Down to the wire for silicon: Researchers create a wire four atoms wide, one atom tall Posted: 05 Jan 2012 01:18 PM PST The smallest wires ever developed in silicon -- just one atom tall and four atoms wide -- have been shown by a team of researchers to have the same current-carrying capability as copper wires.

Scientists 'hijack' bacterial immune system Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:58 AM PST The knowledge that bacteria possess adaptable immune systems that protect them from individual viruses and other foreign invaders is relatively new to science, and researchers across the globe are working to learn how these systems function and to apply that knowledge in industry and medicine. Now, a team of researchers has discovered how to harness this bacterial immune system to selectively target and silence genes.

School pupils learn about practical philosophy Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:58 AM PST Children could learn valuable lessons in responsible citizenship, such as making moral judgments and informed choices, through taking part in philosophical dialogue, according to new research.

Graphene rips follow rules Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:57 AM PST Researchers may give science and industry a new way to manipulate graphene, which naturally rips along armchair and zigzag paths.

Low reporting of clinical trial data in key U.S. database, study shows Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:51 AM PST Many clinical trials in the United States are failing to report their findings in a publicly available database, despite a recent law that compels them to do so, say researchers.

Novel brain tumor vaccine acts like bloodhound to locate cancer cells Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:24 AM PST A national U.S. clinical trial testing the efficacy of a novel brain tumor vaccine has begun. The vaccine will be tested in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive and highest grade malignant glioma.

Flatworms' minimalist approach to cell division reveals the molecular architecture of the human centrosome Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:11 AM PST Researchers have discovered that planarians, tiny flatworms fabled for their regenerative powers, completely lack centrosomes, cellular structures that organize the network of microtubules that pulls chromosomes apart during cell division.

Why humans choose running over walking Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:16 AM PST Other than Olympic race walkers, people generally find it more comfortable to run than walk when they start moving at around two meters per second – about 4.5 miles per hour. Biomedical engineers have discovered why: At two meters per second, running makes better use of an important calf muscle than walking, and therefore is a much more efficient use of the muscle's – and the body's – energy.

New report reviews plan for US Global Change Research Program Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:16 AM PST The draft ten-year strategic plan for the US Global Change Research Program -- which shapes and coordinates climate and related global environmental change research efforts of numerous agencies and departments across the federal government -- is "evolving in the right direction," but several key issues could strengthen these planning efforts, says a new report.

Couch potato or elite athlete? A happy medium keeps colds at bay Posted: 05 Jan 2012 08:21 AM PST Battling colds and doing (or pledging to do) more exercise are familiar activities for most of us in January. But different levels of exercise can actually significantly increase or decrease your chances of catching a respiratory infection, say experts.

Stop abusing insecticides in rice, experts urge Posted: 05 Jan 2012 08:21 AM PST To prevent devastating insect pest outbreaks in rice that cause millions of dollars of damage, the International Rice Research Institute has called for a ban on certain insecticides in rice production as part of its new Action plan to reduce planthopper damage to rice crops in Asia.

Rilonacept significantly reduces gout flares, study suggests Posted: 05 Jan 2012 08:21 AM PST A phase II clinical trial found that rilonacept, an inhibitor of the protein interleukin-1, significantly reduced acute gout flares that occur when initiating uric acid-lowering therapy. Results of the trial -- the first placebo-controlled study investigating IL-1 targeted therapy in prevention of gout flares -- show rilonacept to be generally well tolerated with no serious infections or treatment-related serious adverse events reported.

Researcher's photoacoustic device finds cancer cells before they become tumors, study suggests Posted: 05 Jan 2012 08:20 AM PST Researchers are one step closer to melanoma cancer detection at the cellular level, long before tumors have a chance to form. Commercial production of a device that measures melanoma using photoacoustics, or laser-induced ultrasound, will soon be available to scientists and academia for cancer studies. The commercial device also will be tested in clinical trials to provide the data required to obtain US Food and Drug Administration approval for early diagnosis of metastatic melanoma and other cancers.

New drug screening identifies chemical agents with potent anti-cancer activity Posted: 05 Jan 2012 07:21 AM PST Drugs already approved for clinical use across a variety of therapeutic categories can be screened to identify effective agents for thyroid cancer, according to a recent study. These findings could rapidly be implemented into a clinical trial to test how effective the treatment would be.

New practice model may reduce miscarriage after assisted reproduction Posted: 05 Jan 2012 07:14 AM PST Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services today announced the publication of an article in the December issue of Reproductive BioMedicine Online (www.rbmonline.com) about miscarriage rates following IVF treatment with frozen thawed embryos which may revolutionize clinical and laboratory practice.

The bigger picture of population genomics Posted: 05 Jan 2012 07:14 AM PST More and more laboratories are generating more and more data relating to the sequence of DNA, but making sense of the mass of data remains tricky and attention is switching to automatic procedures to help researchers understand large amounts of sequence information. Researchers have now developed a tool to compare data from sequences of pooled samples.

Men and women have major personality differences: New report suggests previous measurements have underestimated variation between the sexes Posted: 04 Jan 2012 02:48 PM PST Men and women have large differences in personality, according to a new study. The existence of such differences, and their extent, has been a subject of much debate, but the authors of the new report describe a new method for measuring and analyzing personality differences that they argue is more accurate than previous methods.

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