Saturday, 7 January 2012

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Tobacco company misrepresented danger from cigarettes, study suggests

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 01:49 PM PST

A new analysis of tobacco industry documents shows that Philip Morris USA manipulated data on the effects of additives in cigarettes, including menthol, obscuring actual toxicity levels and increasing the risk of heart, cancer and other diseases for smokers, study says.

Master controller of memory identified

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 01:49 PM PST

One gene appears to regulate the brain's ability to form new memories.

Patterns of connections reveal brain functions

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 01:49 PM PST

Neuroscientists have identified face-recognition areas based on what parts of the brain they link to.

Bycatch-22: Protecting Butterfish

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 01:49 PM PST

Scientists work to assist fishermen in ways to avoid accidentally hauling in butterfish, a species protected by fishing limits. The researchers develop models to predict where the fish will be.

Why are older people happier?

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 10:59 AM PST

Older people tend to be happier. But why? Some psychologists believe that cognitive processes are responsible -- in particular, focusing on and remembering positive events and leaving behind negative ones; those processes, they think, help older people regulate their emotions, letting them view life in a sunnier light.

Majority groups support assimilation, except when they're not majorities

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 10:59 AM PST

We generally think that views about how to integrate a diverse society depend on people's positions in that society -- that is, whether they're in the racial, religious, or cultural majority or a member of a minority. In the US, "people tend to believe that blacks prefer pluralism and whites prefer assimilation," says a psychologist. Assimilation asks minorities -- whether newly arrived or historically rooted -- to drop their cultural identities and adopt the ways of the majority.

Scientists map the frontiers of vision

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 10:58 AM PST

Pioneering vision study in mice will help revolutionize the study of brain function and mental disease.

Drug to treat HIV in children shows promise via national clinical trial

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 10:58 AM PST

For children with HIV infection, the FDA approval of the use of raltegravir, an antiretroviral drug that slows the spread of HIV infection, offers a new weapon to treat HIV infection in children.

Hopes for reversing age-associated effects in MS patients

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 10:03 AM PST

New research highlights the possibility of reversing aging in the central nervous system for multiple sclerosis patients.

First hint of the Higgs boson particle

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 10:03 AM PST

The answer to one of the most exciting questions in particle physics seems almost close enough to touch: Scientists have observed first signs of the Higgs boson and now believe that they will soon be able to prove the existence of the elementary particle they have been trying so hard to isolate.

Hybrid silkworms spin stronger spider silk

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:30 AM PST

Silk produced by transgenically-engineered silkworms in the lab exhibit the highly sought-after strength and elasticity of spider silk. This stronger silk could possibly be used to make sutures, artificial limbs and parachutes.

Malignancy-risk gene signature for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer found

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:30 AM PST

A malignancy-risk gene signature developed for breast cancer has been found to have predictive and prognostic value for patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer.

Now you see it, now you didn't: Researchers cloak a moment in time

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:13 AM PST

Think Harry Potter movie magic: Researchers have demonstrated a "temporal cloak" -- albeit on a very small scale -- in the transport of information by a beam of light.

Another outbreak of coral disease hits the reefs of Kane'ohe Bay, O'ahu

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:07 AM PST

In March 2010 an outbreak of a disease called acute Montipora White Syndrome (MWS) was discovered affecting coral reefs in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. Follow-up surveys found that the disease left trails of rubble in its wake. It was estimated that over 100 colonies of rice coral died during that initial outbreak. The disease has reappeared and is killing corals in Kaneohe Bay. The current outbreak has already affected 198 colonies.

Abiraterone for prostate cancer: Indication of considerable added benefit in certain patients

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:05 AM PST

Abiraterone acetate is approved for treatment of metastatic prostate cancer that can no longer be treated with hormones and progresses further during or after therapy with the cytostatic drug docetaxel. Researchers found an indication of a considerable added benefit of abiraterone in patients who are not eligible for further treatment with docetaxel. In contrast, an added benefit is not proven in patients who can still be treated with docetaxel.

Type 2 diabetes: Added benefit of linagliptin is not proven, study suggests

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:05 AM PST

Linagliptin is approved to improve blood glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. As the drug manufacturer chose a different appropriate comparator therapy than specified by the Federal Joint Committee, no proof of an added benefit of linagliptin can be inferred from the manufacturer's dossier.

How poor maternal diet can increase risk of diabetes: New mechanism discovered

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:05 AM PST

Researchers have shown one way in which poor nutrition in the womb can put a person at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other age-related diseases in later life. This finding could lead to new ways of identifying people who are at a higher risk of developing these diseases and might open up targets for treatment.

A new wild ginger discovered from the evergreen forest of Western Ghats of South India

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:05 AM PST

Recent explorations in the evergreen forest of western Ghats resulted in the discovery of a new wild relative of the large cardamom from South India.

Statins may increase risk of interstitial lung abnormalities in smokers

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:05 AM PST

Use of statins may influence susceptibility to or the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in smokers, according to a new study.

Cancer treatment with minor side effects

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:02 AM PST

Side effects are currently the biggest problem with any cancer treatment. A new company is drawing closer to the goal of creating a treatment which kills only cancer cells, leaving other cells unaffected.

Differing dangers at sea

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:02 AM PST

The probability of being killed at work is 25 times higher for a coastal fisherman than for an offshore worker, according to a new study.

Measuring the dialogue between cortical areas in non-communicating patients

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:02 AM PST

Measuring the level of internal brain communication allows single-subject discrimination between vegetative state patients and patients who recover a minimal level of consciousness, study suggests. Crucially, this can be obtained at the bedside and does not rely on the integrity of sensory and motor pathways nor on the subject's ability to comprehend or carry out instructions.

Multi-year prediction of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at 26.5 °N possible

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:02 AM PST

Climate scientists have now shown for the first time that the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at 26.5 °N can be skillfully predicted for up to four years.

Identifying sloth species at a genetic level

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 08:02 AM PST

Identifying species, separating out closely related species and managing each type on its own, is an important part of any animal management system. Some species, like the two types of two-toed sloth, are so close in appearance and behavior that differentiation can be challenging. Conservation researchers have developed a mechanism for identifying these reclusive species from each other.

Daily Show and Colbert Report viewers are 'deep'

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 07:59 AM PST

Daily Show viewers are deep. That might be a shallow analysis of the research, but "there is a segment of the political satire audience that is motivated by a deeper level of processing," according to new research.

Moderate red wine drinking may help cut women’s breast cancer risk, study suggests

Posted: 06 Jan 2012 07:59 AM PST

Drinking red wine in moderation may reduce one of the risk factors for breast cancer, providing a natural weapon to combat a major cause of death among U.S. women, new research shows.

New culprit in Earth's massive extinction: Mercury

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:58 PM PST

Researchers have discovered a new culprit likely involved in Earth's greatest extinction event: an influx of mercury into the ecosystem.

Cancer drugs help the hardest cases of Pompe disease

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:58 PM PST

Kids with Pompe disease fail because of a missing enzyme, GAA, that leads to dangerous sugar build-up, which affects muscles and movement. An enzyme replacement treatment has saved many lives, but some children with Pompe disease produce an immune reaction that blocks the benefits of the life-saving enzyme treatment.

Research demonstrating link between virus and MS could point the way to treatment and prevention

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 08:20 AM PST

A new study from researchers at Queen Mary, University of London shows how a particular virus tricks the immune system into triggering inflammation and nerve cell damage in the brain, which is known to cause MS.

No comments:

Post a Comment