ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Does the brain 'remember' antidepressants? More proof for the power of placebo
• Genetic risk and stressful early infancy join to increase risk for schizophrenia
• Expedition to undersea mountain yields new information about sub-seafloor structure
• Geologists correct a 'rift' in Africa
• A 24-karat gold key to unlock the immune system
• Research: 'Buckliball' opens new avenue in design of foldable engineering structures
• Smokers could be more prone to schizophrenia
• Unprecedented impact of Deepwater Horizon on deep ocean revealed
• Deep-ocean impact of the Deepwater Horizon explosion revealed
• Chronic stress spawns protein aggregates linked to Alzheimer's
• Single antibody shrinks variety of human tumors transplanted into mice, study shows
• 'Could my child have autism? ' Ten signs of possible autism-related delays in 6- to 12-month-old children
• New analysis could give cues about when to move infants from NICU
• Butterfly wings' 'art of blackness' could boost production of green fuels
• Tiny reader makes fast, cheap DNA sequencing feasible
• Two drugs already on the market show promise against tuberculosis
• Cassini to make closest pass yet over Enceladus south pole
• Slime mold mimics Canadian highway network
• Some Gulf dolphins severely ill after Gulf oil spill
• Lowering LDL, the earlier the better
• Computer system identifies liars
• New synthetic biology technique boosts microbial production of diesel fuel
• To drive infections, a hijacking virus mimics a cell's signaling system
• New 'thermal' approach to invisibility cloaking hides heat to enhance technology
• Early-life exposure to secondhand smoke affects girls more than boys, new study suggests
• Hammerhead shark double whammy
• Neuronal transport granules: Single occupancy vehicles
• New way to treat chronic pain, suggested by study
• Smiling through the tears: Study shows how tearjerkers make people happier
• Rapid rise in blood pressure before midlife may cause irreversible heart damage
• New class of platelet blockers proves effective in phase III trial, study suggests
• Sleeping too much or too little can be bad for your heart
• Compound in soy products may help lower blood pressure
• Low LDL cholesterol is related to cancer risk
• Pregnancy increases risk of heart attack
• Snacking on raisins may offer a heart-healthy way to lower blood pressure
• Using Twitter to predict financial markets
• Drugs with fewest side-effects for treating irritable bowel syndrome identified, study suggests
• Aspirin: High or low dose following heart attack?
• Ticagrelor effective at reducing first, as well as recurrent and overall cardiovascular events
• Saving habitat key to songbird's survival
• Growth in the womb and early infancy predicts bone size and strength in childhood
• Tagged lice help researchers study social interactions of shy brown mouse lemurs
• Skaters' brains: Specialized training of complex motor skills may induce sports-specific structural changes in cerebellum
• Bone marrow stem cells can improve heart function, study suggests
• European Neandertals were on the verge of extinction long before humans showed up
• 'Noodle gels' or 'spaghetti highways' could become tools of regenerative medicine
• J. Craig Venter describes biofuels, vaccines and foods from made-to-order microbes
• NASA flight tests new ADS-B device on Ikhana UAS
• James Cameron makes first ever successful solo dive to Mariana Trench -- ocean's deepest point
• Inner weapons against allergies: Gut bacteria control allergic diseases, study suggests
• Single molecules in a quantum movie
• A hidden architecture: Researchers use novel methods to uncover gene mutations for common diseases
• Shorter telomeres linked to poor cardiovascular outcomes

Does the brain 'remember' antidepressants? More proof for the power of placebo Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:10 PM PDT Using a placebo pill appearing identical to the real thing, researchers have found that how the brain responds to antidepressant medication may be influenced by its remembering past antidepressant exposure.

Genetic risk and stressful early infancy join to increase risk for schizophrenia Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:09 PM PDT Working with genetically engineered mice and the genomes of thousands of people with schizophrenia, researchers say they now better understand how both nature and nurture can affect one's risks for schizophrenia and abnormal brain development in general.

Expedition to undersea mountain yields new information about sub-seafloor structure Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:09 PM PDT Scientists recently concluded an expedition aboard the research vessel JOIDES Resolution to learn more about Atlantis Massif, an undersea mountain, or seamount, that formed in a very different way than the majority of the seafloor in the oceans.

Geologists correct a 'rift' in Africa Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:09 PM PDT The huge changes in the Earth's crust that influenced human evolution are being redefined, according to new research. The Great Rift Valley of East Africa -- the birthplace of the human species -- may have taken much longer to develop than previously believed.

A 24-karat gold key to unlock the immune system Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:09 PM PDT Using nanoparticles made of pure gold, researchers have developed a new method of introducing chemical residues into the immune system, triggering immune cells to help the body fight infection. The breakthrough could lead to an increased understanding of viruses and bacteria, better drug delivery systems, and more effective medications and vaccinations.

Research: 'Buckliball' opens new avenue in design of foldable engineering structures Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:08 PM PDT Inspired by a toy, the 'buckliball' -- a collapsible structure fabricated from a single piece of material -- represents a new class of 3-D, origami-like structures.

Smokers could be more prone to schizophrenia Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:08 PM PDT Smoking alters the impact of a schizophrenia risk gene. Scientists have demonstrated that healthy people who carry this risk gene and smoke process acoustic stimuli in a similarly deficient way as patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, the impact is all the stronger the more the person smokes.

Unprecedented impact of Deepwater Horizon on deep ocean revealed Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:08 PM PDT Scientists report "compelling evidence" that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has impacted deep-sea corals. Their study used underwater robots to investigate the corals and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography to determine precisely the source of petroleum hydrocarbons found.

Deep-ocean impact of the Deepwater Horizon explosion revealed Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:08 PM PDT Scientists have discovered compelling evidence of the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deep-sea corals. The researchers used a wide range of underwater vehicles, including the research submarine Alvin, as well as comprehensive chemical-analysis techniques to determine precisely the source of the petroleum hydrocarbons they found on the corals.

Chronic stress spawns protein aggregates linked to Alzheimer's Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:08 PM PDT Repeated stress triggers the production and accumulation of insoluble tau protein aggregates inside the brain cells of mice, say researchers.

Single antibody shrinks variety of human tumors transplanted into mice, study shows Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:08 PM PDT Human tumors transplanted into laboratory mice disappeared or shrank when scientists treated the animals with a single antibody, according to a new study. The antibody works by masking a protein flag on cancer cells that protects them from macrophages and other cells in the immune system. The scientists achieved the findings with human breast, ovarian, colon, bladder, brain, liver and prostate cancer samples.

'Could my child have autism? ' Ten signs of possible autism-related delays in 6- to 12-month-old children Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:07 PM PDT Though autism is often not diagnosed until the age of three, some children begin to show signs of developmental delay before they turn a year old. While not all infants and toddlers with delays will develop autism spectrum disorders, experts point to early detection of these signs as key to capitalizing on early diagnosis and intervention, which is believed to improve developmental outcomes.

New analysis could give cues about when to move infants from NICU Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:06 PM PDT New analysis of premature infants' heartbeats and breathing could give cues about their readiness to leave the NICU.

Butterfly wings' 'art of blackness' could boost production of green fuels Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:06 PM PDT Butterfly wings may rank among the most delicate structures in nature, but they have given researchers powerful inspiration for new technology that doubles production of hydrogen gas — a green fuel of the future — from water and sunlight.

Tiny reader makes fast, cheap DNA sequencing feasible Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:06 PM PDT Researchers have devised a nanoscale sensor to electronically read the sequence of a single DNA molecule, a technique that is fast and inexpensive and could make DNA sequencing widely available.

Two drugs already on the market show promise against tuberculosis Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:05 PM PDT A two-drug combination is one of the most promising advances in decades for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) — a disease that kills 2 million people annually — a scientist has reported. The treatment, which combines two medications already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), delivers a knockout punch to forms of TB that shrug off other antibiotics.

Cassini to make closest pass yet over Enceladus south pole Posted: 26 Mar 2012 12:28 PM PDT NASA's Cassini spacecraft is preparing to make its lowest pass yet over the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus, where icy particles and water vapor spray out in glittering jets. The closest approach, at an altitude of about 46 miles (74 kilometers), will occur around 11:30 a.m. PDT (2:30 p.m. EDT) on March 27.

Slime mold mimics Canadian highway network Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:36 AM PDT A researcher placed rolled oats on a map of Canada, covering the major urban areas. One urban area held the slime mold. The slime mold reached out for the food, creating thin tubes that eventually formed a network mirroring the Canadian highway system.

Some Gulf dolphins severely ill after Gulf oil spill Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:36 AM PDT Bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, are showing signs of severe ill health, according to marine mammal biologists. Barataria Bay, located in the northern Gulf of Mexico, received heavy and prolonged exposure to oil during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Lowering LDL, the earlier the better Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:36 AM PDT Coronary atherosclerosis – a hardening of the arteries due to a build-up of fat and cholesterol – can lead to heart attacks and other forms of coronary heart disease (CHD). Lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, reduces the risk of CHD, and researchers found that lowering LDL beginning early in life resulted in a three-fold greater reduction in the risk of CHD than treatment with a statin started later in life.

Computer system identifies liars Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:35 AM PDT Computer scientists are exploring whether machines can read the visual cues that give away deceit. Results so far are promising: In a study of 40 videotaped conversations, an automated system that analyzed eye movements correctly identified whether interview subjects were lying or telling the truth 82.5 percent of the time.

New synthetic biology technique boosts microbial production of diesel fuel Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:35 AM PDT Researchers have developed a "dynamic sensor-regulator system" that can detect metabolic changes in microbes during the production of fatty acid-based fuels or chemicals and control the expression of genes affecting that production. The result in one demonstration was a threefold increase in the microbial production of biodiesel from glucose.

To drive infections, a hijacking virus mimics a cell's signaling system Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:35 AM PDT New biological research reveals how an invading virus hijacks a cell's workings by imitating a signaling marker to defeat the body's defenses. By manipulating cell signals, the virus destroys a defensive protein designed to inhibit it. This finding, from studies in human cell cultures, may represent a broader targeting strategy used by other viruses, and may lay the scientific groundwork for developing more effective treatments for infectious diseases.

New 'thermal' approach to invisibility cloaking hides heat to enhance technology Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:35 AM PDT In a new approach to invisibility cloaking, a team of French researchers has proposed isolating or cloaking objects from sources of heat -- essentially "thermal cloaking." This method taps into some of the same principles as optical cloaking and may lead to novel ways to control heat in electronics and, on an even larger scale, might someday prove useful for spacecraft and solar technologies.

Early-life exposure to secondhand smoke affects girls more than boys, new study suggests Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:35 AM PDT The negative health effects of early-life exposure to secondhand smoke appear to impact girls more than boys -- particularly those with early-life allergic sensitization, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Hammerhead shark double whammy Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:28 AM PDT A new look-alike species may muddy the water for an endangered hammerhead.

Neuronal transport granules: Single occupancy vehicles Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:25 AM PDT Protein precursors destined for the spiny extensions of neurons travel single file, according to a new study.

New way to treat chronic pain, suggested by study Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:25 AM PDT Gene that encodes crucial pain receptor may be the key to individualizing therapy for a major health problem.

Smiling through the tears: Study shows how tearjerkers make people happier Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:25 AM PDT People enjoy watching tragedy movies like "Titanic" because they deliver what may seem to be an unlikely benefit: tragedies actually make people happier in the short-term.

Rapid rise in blood pressure before midlife may cause irreversible heart damage Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:39 AM PDT The current "watch-and-wait" approach to high blood pressure readings in younger people may set patients on a course for irreversible heart damage, according to new research.

New class of platelet blockers proves effective in phase III trial, study suggests Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:38 AM PDT Adding vorapaxar, an investigational platelet blocker, to standard antiplatelet therapy significantly reduces the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in patients with known atherosclerosis, a hardening and narrowing of the arteries, according to new research.

Sleeping too much or too little can be bad for your heart Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:38 AM PDT Getting too little sleep – or even too much – appears to spell trouble for the heart. New data reveal that adults who get less than six hours of sleep a night are at significantly greater risk of stroke, heart attack and congestive heart failure. Even those who reportedly sleep more than eight hours a night have a higher prevalence of heart problems, namely chest pain (angina) and coronary artery disease, a narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart.

Compound in soy products may help lower blood pressure Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:37 AM PDT Soy-based food products have taken grocery store shelves by storm, and the benefits of soy are steadily beginning to emerge. Eating foods that contain isoflavones – a key compound in soy milk, tofu, green tea and even peanuts – every day may help young adults lower their blood pressure.

Low LDL cholesterol is related to cancer risk Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:37 AM PDT Low LDL cholesterol in patients with no history of taking cholesterol-lowering drugs predates cancer risk by decades, suggesting there may be some underlying mechanism affecting both cancer and low LDL cholesterol that requires further examination, according to new research.

Pregnancy increases risk of heart attack Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:37 AM PDT Heart attacks during pregnancy tend to be more severe, lead to more complications, and also occur for different reasons than commonly seen in the non-pregnant general population, suggesting that, in some cases, the standard approach to managing this condition may not always be best, according to new research.

Snacking on raisins may offer a heart-healthy way to lower blood pressure Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:33 AM PDT If you have slightly higher than normal blood pressure – known as prehypertension – consider eating a handful of raisins. New data suggest that, among individuals with mild increases in blood pressure, the routine consumption of raisins (three times a day) may significantly lower blood pressure.

Using Twitter to predict financial markets Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:33 AM PDT Researchers have developed a model that uses data from Twitter to help predict the traded volume and value of a stock the following day.

Drugs with fewest side-effects for treating irritable bowel syndrome identified, study suggests Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:33 AM PDT Researchers have determined that two prevalent drug therapies -- rifaximin and lubiprostone -- offer some of the best options for treating irritable bowel syndrome, a widespread disorder that affects up to one in five Americans. The findings are based on an analysis of more than two dozen large-scale clinical trials.

Aspirin: High or low dose following heart attack? Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:31 AM PDT New research reports that there is no significant difference between high versus low dose aspirin in the prevention of recurring cardiovascular events in patients who suffer from acute coronary syndromes, which are characterized by symptoms related to obstruction in coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.

Ticagrelor effective at reducing first, as well as recurrent and overall cardiovascular events Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:31 AM PDT New research shows that the use of ticagrelor not only reduces the time to a first cardiovascular event (the metric used in most trials) but also significantly reduces the time to a second cardiovascular event or death, and reduces total events including cardiovascular death, heart attack, stroke, ischemic events and urgent revascularization.

Saving habitat key to songbird's survival Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:31 AM PDT The golden-winged warbler – already long gone from Ohio – is disappearing from regions across the United States. The population of this little, gray songbird with bright yellow patches on its wings and head has been in precipitous decline since 1966. And, as of yet, it remains unprotected by the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Growth in the womb and early infancy predicts bone size and strength in childhood Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:30 AM PDT Researchers have presented evidence that early growth predicts the size, mineralization, shape and strength of the hip bone in childhood.

Tagged lice help researchers study social interactions of shy brown mouse lemurs Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:29 AM PDT It can be difficult to uncover the behavior of small, shy, nocturnal primates like the brown mouse lemur, especially in the dense rainforests of Madagascar where this lemur lives. New research shows that the social interactions of brown mouse lemurs can be monitored by mapping the transfer of tagged lice.

Skaters' brains: Specialized training of complex motor skills may induce sports-specific structural changes in cerebellum Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:29 AM PDT Specialized training of complex motor skills may induce sports-specific structural changes in the human brain.

Bone marrow stem cells can improve heart function, study suggests Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:25 AM PDT Physicians have found that stem cells derived from heart failure patients' own bone marrow and injected into their hearts improved the function of the left ventricle, the heart's pumping chamber. Researchers also found that certain types of the stem cells were associated with the largest improvement and warrant further study.

European Neandertals were on the verge of extinction long before humans showed up Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:25 AM PDT Western Europe has long been held to be the "cradle" of Neandertal evolution since many of the earliest discoveries were from sites in this region. But when Neandertals started disappearing around 30,000 years ago, anthropologists figured that climactic factors or competition from modern humans were the likely causes. Intriguingly, new research suggests that Western European Neandertals were on the verge of extinction long before modern humans showed up.

'Noodle gels' or 'spaghetti highways' could become tools of regenerative medicine Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:24 AM PDT Medicine's recipe for keeping older people active and functioning in their homes and workplaces — and healing younger people injured in catastrophic accidents — may include "noodle gels" and other lab-made invisible filaments that resemble uncooked spaghetti with nanoscale dimensions, a scientist has said.

J. Craig Venter describes biofuels, vaccines and foods from made-to-order microbes Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:24 AM PDT Just as authors often read numerous books before starting their own, scientists are using decades of knowledge from sequencing the genetic codes of thousands of living things to start writing new volumes in the library of life. J. Craig Venter, one of the most renowned of those scientists, recently described construction of the first synthetic cell and many new applications of this work.

NASA flight tests new ADS-B device on Ikhana UAS Posted: 26 Mar 2012 07:33 AM PDT NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center flew its Ikhana MQ-9 unmanned aircraft with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B, device, for the first time on March 15. It was the first time an unmanned aircraft as large as Ikhana -- with a 66-foot wingspan, a takeoff weight of more than 10,000 pounds, and a cruising altitude of 40,000 feet -- has flown while equipped with ADS-B. ADS-B is an aircraft tracking technology that all planes operating in certain U.S. airspace must adopt by January 2020 to comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.

James Cameron makes first ever successful solo dive to Mariana Trench -- ocean's deepest point Posted: 26 Mar 2012 06:12 AM PDT Filmmaker James Cameron descended 35,756 feet (6.77 miles/10.89 km) to reach the "Challenger Deep," the ocean's deepest point located in the Mariana Trench, in his specially designed submersible DEEPSEA CHALLENGER. The attempt was part of DEEPSEA CHALLENGE, a joint scientific expedition by Cameron, National Geographic and Rolex to conduct deep-ocean research and exploration. Cameron is the only individual ever to complete the dive in a solo vehicle and the first person since 1960 to reach the very bottom of the world in a manned submersible.

Inner weapons against allergies: Gut bacteria control allergic diseases, study suggests Posted: 25 Mar 2012 02:32 PM PDT Researchers have found that commensal bacteria in humans might play an important role in influencing and controlling allergic inflammation. The study suggest that therapeutic targeting of immune cell responses to resident gut bacteria may be beneficial in treating allergic diseases.

Single molecules in a quantum movie Posted: 25 Mar 2012 02:32 PM PDT The quantum physics of massive particles has intrigued physicists for more than 80 years, since it predicts that even complex particles can exhibit wave-like behavior – in conflict with our everyday ideas of what is real or local.

A hidden architecture: Researchers use novel methods to uncover gene mutations for common diseases Posted: 25 Mar 2012 02:31 PM PDT Human geneticists have debated whether the genetic risk of the most common medical conditions derive from many rare mutations or common differences throughout the genome that modestly influence risk. A new study addresses this.

Shorter telomeres linked to poor cardiovascular outcomes Posted: 25 Mar 2012 07:28 AM PDT It is typical for telomeres to shorten as cells divide and chromosomes replicate over time. Now a new study suggest a strong link between telomere shortening and poor cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

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