ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• NASA's 'Mighty Eagle' robotic prototype lander flies again at Marshall
• Second flight instrument delivered for James Webb Space Telescope
• New technology delivers sustained release of drugs for up to six months
• Deeply held religious beliefs prompting sick kids to be given 'futile' treatment
• The scent of love: Decomposition and male sex pheromones
• NASA STEREO observes one of the fastest CMEs on record
• Speedy ions could add zip to quantum computers
• Supercomputers solve riddle of congenital heart defects
• Pay for performance may improve treatment implementation for adolescent substance use disorders
• Strategy appears to help rule-in, rule-out heart attack within one hour
• Blood test could guide treatment for kidney cancer
• Consuming flavanol-rich cocoa may enhance brain function
• Middle-aged adults help their hearts with regular leisure-time physical activities
• Double vision: Hybrid medical imaging technology may shed new light on cancer
• New class of drugs may affect cancer and aging
• New system could predict solar flares, give advance warning
• Modification of tumor suppressor affects sensitivity to potential GBM treatment
• Bringing style home: How tastes are shaped online
• Nanoparticle solar panel coating helps maintain panel efficiency
• External stimulation impacts white matter development in the postnatal brain, study finds
• Cellular basis for how anti-aging cosmetics work identified
• Nano, photonic research gets boost from new 3-D visualization technology
• Egg yolk consumption almost as bad as smoking when it comes to atherosclerosis, study suggests
• Antisense approach promising for treatment of parasitic infections
• Gamma rays from galactic center could be evidence of dark matter
• New method may allow personalized clinical trial for cancer therapies
• A new energy source: Major advance made in generating electricity from wastewater
• Florida state record 87 eggs in largest python from Everglades
• Research raises doubts about whether modern humans and Neanderthals interbred
• How computation can predict group conflict: Fighting among captive pigtailed macaques provides clues
• Chemical widely used in antibacterial hand soaps may impair muscle function
• Bullies squelched when bystanders intervene
• Fresh water breathes fresh life into hurricanes
• Protected areas allow wildlife to spread in response to climate change, citizen scientists reveal
• Marine research in the Brazilian rain forest: Slash and burn practice for centuries as source of stable carbon compounds in the oceans
• Should doctors treat lack of exercise as a medical condition? Expert says 'yes'
• For young adults, appearance matters more than health, study suggests
• Poor oral health can mean missed school, lower grades
• New oncogene identified for breast cancer
• Protective bacteria in the infant gut have resourceful way of helping babies break down breast milk
• Why are people overconfident so often? It's all about social status
• Chromosomal translocations point the way toward personalized cancer care
• Gene discovery could improve treatment for acute myeloid leukemia
• New key element discovered in pathogenesis of Burkitt lymphoma
• New therapy prevents lung cancer growth in mice
• Protein that helps tumor blood vessels mature could make cancer drugs more effective
• Common antibiotics pose a rare risk of severe liver injury in older patients
• New class of proteins allows breast cancer cells to evade tyrosine kinase inhibitors
• Wind farms: A danger to ultra-light aircraft?
• Existing drugs offer new treatment options for high-risk childhood leukemia subtype
• The ins and outs of building the sperm tail
• Scientists 'waltz' closer to using spintronics in computing
• Optics and photonics research priorities, grand challenges presented in new report
• Consumers perceive risk when 'price' means more than money
• Scientists use light to 'tag and track' genetic processes
• Butter flavoring ingredient in microwave popcorn, thought safe for food industry workers, is a respiratory hazard
• Cyber security risk to smart grids and intelligent buildings
• CERN’s Large Hadron Collider experiments bring new insight into matter of the primordial Universe
• Diabetes drugs prescribed to more than 15 million Americans raises risk of bladder cancer
• Key culprit causing muscle atrophy identified

NASA's 'Mighty Eagle' robotic prototype lander flies again at Marshall Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:50 PM PDT The "Mighty Eagle," a NASA robotic prototype lander, is soaring high again for a series of tests being conducted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Second flight instrument delivered for James Webb Space Telescope Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:47 PM PDT The second of four main instruments to fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) has been delivered to NASA. The Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) will enable the telescope to accurately and precisely point at the correct, intended objects for it to observe. The FGS is packaged together as a single unit with the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) science instrument.

New technology delivers sustained release of drugs for up to six months Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:30 PM PDT A new technology which delivers sustained release of therapeutics for up to six months could be used in conditions which require routine injections, including diabetes, certain forms of cancer and potentially HIV/AIDS.

Deeply held religious beliefs prompting sick kids to be given 'futile' treatment Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:30 PM PDT Parental hopes of a "miraculous intervention," prompted by deeply held religious beliefs, are leading to very sick children being subjected to futile care and needless suffering, suggests a small study.

The scent of love: Decomposition and male sex pheromones Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:30 PM PDT Young virgin female hide beetles (Dermestes maculatus) are attracted to cadavers by a combination of cadaver odour and male sex pheromones, finds a new study. Neither cadaver scent, nor male sex pheromones alone, caught the fancy of the fussy females. This predilection ensures that there is both a waiting male and food for her larvae, and optimizes the chances of reproductive success.

NASA STEREO observes one of the fastest CMEs on record Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:41 PM PDT On July 23, 2012, a massive cloud of solar material erupted off the sun's right side, zooming out into space, passing one of NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft along the way. Using the STEREO data, scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. clocked this giant cloud, known as a coronal mass ejection, or CME, as traveling between 1,800 and 2,200 miles per second as it left the sun.

Speedy ions could add zip to quantum computers Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:33 PM PDT Take that, sports cars! Physicists can accelerate their beryllium ions from zero to 100 miles per hour and stop them in just a few microseconds. The researchers think their zippy ions may be useful in future quantum computers.

Supercomputers solve riddle of congenital heart defects Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:33 PM PDT With the aid of pioneering technology, Danish scientists have charted several of the complex biological processes behind congenital heart defects. In time, the research promises to provide better ways to prevent, diagnose and cure heart disease.

Pay for performance may improve treatment implementation for adolescent substance use disorders Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:32 PM PDT Pay for performance appears to be associated with improved implementation of an adolescent substance use treatment program, although no significant differences were found in remission status between the pay-for-performance and implementation-as-usual groups.

Strategy appears to help rule-in, rule-out heart attack within one hour Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:32 PM PDT A strategy using an algorithm that incorporates high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T values appears to be associated with ruling-out or ruling-in myocardial infarction (heart attack) within one hour in 77 percent of patients with acute chest pain who presented to an emergency department.

Blood test could guide treatment for kidney cancer Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:32 PM PDT A common enzyme that is easily detected in blood may predict how well patients with advanced kidney cancer will respond to a specific treatment, according to doctors.

Consuming flavanol-rich cocoa may enhance brain function Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:32 PM PDT Eating cocoa flavanols daily may improve mild cognitive impairment, according to new research.

Middle-aged adults help their hearts with regular leisure-time physical activities Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:32 PM PDT Middle-aged adults who regularly engage in leisure-time physical activity for more than a decade may enhance their heart health, according to new research.

Double vision: Hybrid medical imaging technology may shed new light on cancer Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:26 PM PDT Researchers combine two types of imaging methods to give doctors a clearer picture of the inside of living bodies.

New class of drugs may affect cancer and aging Posted: 13 Aug 2012 02:26 PM PDT An international team has reported the development of a new class of drugs that may prove useful in the treatment of cancer and aging-associated disorders.

New system could predict solar flares, give advance warning Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:57 PM PDT Researchers may have discovered a new method to predict solar flares more than a day before they occur, providing advance warning to help protect satellites, power grids and astronauts from potentially dangerous radiation.

Modification of tumor suppressor affects sensitivity to potential GBM treatment Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:57 PM PDT Biologists and oncologists have long understood that a protein called the epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR is altered in at least 50 percent of patients with glioblastoma. Yet patients with glioblastoma either have upfront resistance or quickly develop resistance to inhibitors aimed at stopping the protein's function, suggesting that there is another signalling pathway at play.

Bringing style home: How tastes are shaped online Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:56 PM PDT Does the ideal ratio of couch to rug size keep you up at night? Are the exposed wires of your stereo causing you angst? Is that crocheted toilet paper cover kitschy enough to be cool? If you wonder, then you are not alone.

Nanoparticle solar panel coating helps maintain panel efficiency Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:56 PM PDT A physics researcher has developed a nanoparticle coating for solar panels. This coating helps maintain the panels efficiency and reduces maintenance and operation costs.

External stimulation impacts white matter development in the postnatal brain, study finds Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:56 PM PDT Researchers have found that external stimulation has an impact on the postnatal development of a specific region of the brain. The study used sensory deprivation to look at the growth and collection of NG2-expressing oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (NG2 cells) in the sensory cortex of the brain.

Cellular basis for how anti-aging cosmetics work identified Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:56 PM PDT A team of investigators have discovered a mechanism that may explain how alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) -- the key ingredient in cosmetic chemical peels and wrinkle-reducing creams -- work to enhance skin appearance. An understanding of the underlying process may lead to better cosmetic formulations as well as have medical applications.

Nano, photonic research gets boost from new 3-D visualization technology Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:56 PM PDT For the first time X-ray scientists have combined high-resolution imaging with 3-D viewing of the surface layer of material using X-ray vision in a way that does not damage the sample. This new technique expands the range of X-ray research possible for biology and many aspects of nanotechnology, particularly nanofilms, photonics, and micro- and nano-electronics. This new technique also reduces "guesswork" by eliminating the need for modeling-dependent structural simulation often used in X-ray analysis.

Egg yolk consumption almost as bad as smoking when it comes to atherosclerosis, study suggests Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:56 PM PDT Newly published research shows that eating egg yolks accelerates atherosclerosis in a manner similar to smoking cigarettes. Surveying more than 1,200 patients, Dr. Spence found regular consumption of egg yolks is about two-thirds as bad as smoking when it comes to increased build-up of carotid plaque, a risk factor for stroke and heart attack.

Antisense approach promising for treatment of parasitic infections Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:56 PM PDT A targeted approach to treating toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease, shows early promise in test-tube and animal studies, where it prevented the parasites from making selected proteins. When tested in newly infected mice, it reduced the number of viable parasites by more than 90 percent.

Gamma rays from galactic center could be evidence of dark matter Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT Gamma-ray photons seen emanating from the center of the Milky Way galaxy are consistent with the intriguing possibility that dark-matter particles are annihilating each other in space, according to new research.

New method may allow personalized clinical trial for cancer therapies Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new tool to observe cell behavior, which has revealed surprising clues about how cancer cells respond to therapy. The new tool may offer ways to improve personalized cancer therapy by predicting tumor response and testing combinations of targeted therapies in an individual patient's tumor.

A new energy source: Major advance made in generating electricity from wastewater Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT Engineers have made a breakthrough in the performance of microbial fuel cells that can produce electricity directly from wastewater, opening the door to a future in which waste treatment plants not only will power themselves while cleaning sewage, but will sell excess electricity.

Florida state record 87 eggs in largest python from Everglades Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT Researchers curating a 17-foot-7-inch Burmese python, the largest found in Florida, discovered 87 eggs in the snake, also a state record.

Research raises doubts about whether modern humans and Neanderthals interbred Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT New research raises questions about the theory that modern humans and Neanderthals at some point interbred, known as hybridization. The findings suggest that common ancestry, not hybridization, better explains the average 1-4 per cent DNA that those of European and Asian descent (Eurasians) share with Neanderthals.

How computation can predict group conflict: Fighting among captive pigtailed macaques provides clues Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT When conflict breaks out in social groups, individuals make strategic decisions about how to behave based on their understanding of alliances and feuds in the group. But it's been challenging to quantify the underlying trends that dictate how individuals make predictions, given they may only have seen a small number of fights or have limited memory. In a new study of primates (pigtailed macaques), scientists have developed a computational approach to determine whether individuals behave predictably.

Chemical widely used in antibacterial hand soaps may impair muscle function Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT Triclosan, an antibacterial chemical widely used in hand soaps and other personal-care products, hinders muscle contractions at a cellular level, slows swimming in fish and reduces muscular strength in mice, according to new research. Researchers call for regulatory agencies to reconsider its use.

Bullies squelched when bystanders intervene Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT With new national anti-bullying ads urging parents to teach their kids to speak up if they witness bullying, one researcher has found that in humans' evolutionary past at least, helping the victim of a bully hastened our species' movement toward a more egalitarian society.

Fresh water breathes fresh life into hurricanes Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:55 PM PDT An analysis of a decade's worth of tropical cyclones shows that when hurricanes blow over ocean regions swamped by fresh water, the conditions can unexpectedly intensify the storm. Although the probability that hurricanes will hit such conditions is small, ranging from 10 to 23 percent, the effect is potentially large: Hurricanes can become 50 percent more intense, researchers report.

Protected areas allow wildlife to spread in response to climate change, citizen scientists reveal Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:52 PM PDT A new study has shown how birds, butterflies, other insects and spiders have colonized nature reserves and areas protected for wildlife, as they move north in response to climate change and other environmental changes.

Marine research in the Brazilian rain forest: Slash and burn practice for centuries as source of stable carbon compounds in the oceans Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:52 PM PDT Until recent decades the Atlantic Rainforest covered a large area of today's Brazil from Amazonas to present-day Argentina. In the 1970s, after years of deforestation, this rain forest was almost completely destroyed, mainly replaced by cattle pastures. This study reveals an unexpected aspect of deforestation.

Should doctors treat lack of exercise as a medical condition? Expert says 'yes' Posted: 13 Aug 2012 12:51 PM PDT A sedentary lifestyle is a common cause of obesity, and excessive body weight and fat in turn are considered catalysts for diabetes, high blood pressure, joint damage and other serious health problems.

For young adults, appearance matters more than health, study suggests Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:07 AM PDT When it comes to college-age individuals taking care of their bodies, appearance is more important than health. Researchers studied how college-age women view their bodies and how they feel about media messages aimed at women. Based their findings, the team developed an interactive play about body image.

Poor oral health can mean missed school, lower grades Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:07 AM PDT Poor oral health, dental disease, and tooth pain can put kids at a serious disadvantage in school, upping the risk of low grades and more absences.

New oncogene identified for breast cancer Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:07 AM PDT Scientists have developed a novel method to identify genes that, when overexpressed, make normal cells behave like cancer cells. Using this method, scientists have identified a new oncogene, which is a gene that contributes to the development of cancer, named FAM83B.

Protective bacteria in the infant gut have resourceful way of helping babies break down breast milk Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:07 AM PDT Scientists have found that important and resourceful bacteria in the baby microbiome can ferret out nourishment from a previously unknown source, possibly helping at-risk infants break down components of breast milk.

Why are people overconfident so often? It's all about social status Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:07 AM PDT Researchers have long known that people are very frequently overconfident -- that they tend to believe they are more physically talented, socially adept, and skilled at their job than they actually are. For example, 94 percent of college professors think they do above average work (which is nearly impossible, statistically speaking). But this overconfidence can also have detrimental effects on their performance and decision-making. So why, in light of these negative consequences, is overconfidence still so pervasive? The lure of social status.

Chromosomal translocations point the way toward personalized cancer care Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:06 AM PDT A recent review shows the role of chromosomal translocations in causing a range of cancers. Emerging, personalized therapies target these translocations.

Gene discovery could improve treatment for acute myeloid leukemia Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:06 AM PDT Scientists have made a discovery involving mice and humans that could mean that people with acute myeloid leukemia, a usually fatal cancer, are a step closer to new treatment options.

New key element discovered in pathogenesis of Burkitt lymphoma Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:06 AM PDT Burkitt lymphoma is a malignant, fast-growing tumor that originates from a subtype of white blood cells of the immune system and often affects internal organs and the central nervous system. Now researchers of the Max Delbrück Center have identified a key element that transforms the immune cells into malignant lymphoma cells. They developed a mouse model that closely resembles Burkitt lymphoma in humans that may help to test new treatment strategies.

New therapy prevents lung cancer growth in mice Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:06 AM PDT Scientists have recently deciphered one of the molecular pathways behind lung cancer. Using this information, the authors have identified an experimental drug, which blocks lung cancer growth in mice.

Protein that helps tumor blood vessels mature could make cancer drugs more effective Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:06 AM PDT Since anti-cancer drugs are carried to tumors by the bloodstream, abnormal blood vessel development can hamper delivery. Medical researchers have found a molecule that promotes tumor vessel maturation. This discovery could be used to help tumor-killing therapies more effectively reach their targets.

Common antibiotics pose a rare risk of severe liver injury in older patients Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:06 AM PDT The commonly used broad-spectrum antibiotics moxifloxacin and levofloxacin are associated with an increased risk of severe liver injury in older people, according to a new study.

New class of proteins allows breast cancer cells to evade tyrosine kinase inhibitors Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:06 AM PDT Aberrant regulation of cell growth pathways is required for normal cells to become cancerous, and in many types of cancer, cell growth is driven by a group of enzymes known as receptor tyrosine kinases. Two groups identify a pair of related oncogenes, FAM83A and B, which allow breast cancer cells to survive TKI treatment.

Wind farms: A danger to ultra-light aircraft? Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:05 AM PDT Airfields for ultra-light aircraft are typically constructed on level ground -- and so are wind farms. However, do wind power plants generate turbulence that could endanger lightweight planes? A simulation can compute how these power plants influence aircraft at various wind speeds and wind directions.

Existing drugs offer new treatment options for high-risk childhood leukemia subtype Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:05 AM PDT Discovery of the genetic basis of a high-risk subtype of leukemia shows some patients might benefit from existing targeted therapies, advancing the goal of curing all children with the most common childhood cancer

The ins and outs of building the sperm tail Posted: 13 Aug 2012 10:05 AM PDT Sperm swim, lung cells sweep mucus away, and the cells in the female Fallopian tube move eggs from the ovary to the uterus. Underlying these phenomena are flagella – slender, hair-like structures extending from the surface of the cells, that bend, beat or wave rhythmically. Biologists have now dissected how sperm cells of the fruit fly build their flagella. These findings pave the way to further understand the molecules and processes that may trigger a variety of human diseases and disorders, including infertility, respiratory problems and hydrocephaly, known to be associated with defects in flagellar movements.

Scientists 'waltz' closer to using spintronics in computing Posted: 13 Aug 2012 09:30 AM PDT Aiming to use electron spins for storing, transporting and processing information, researchers have revealed the first-ever direct mapping of the formation of a persistent spin helix in a semiconductor.

Optics and photonics research priorities, grand challenges presented in new report Posted: 13 Aug 2012 09:03 AM PDT A new report identifies research priorities and grand challenges to fill gaps in optics and photonics.

Consumers perceive risk when 'price' means more than money Posted: 13 Aug 2012 09:03 AM PDT When faced with paying for a product or a service with more than money -- say with effort or information -- consumers perceive greater risk in the transaction.

Scientists use light to 'tag and track' genetic processes Posted: 13 Aug 2012 08:55 AM PDT In a new study, researchers outline how they used fluorescent molecules to "tag" DNA and monitor a process called DNA looping, a natural biological mechanism involved in rearranging genetic material in some types of cells. The "tag and track" method not only sheds light on how DNA loops form, but also might be adapted to screen drugs for effectiveness against certain viruses that shuffle genetic material, such as HIV.

Butter flavoring ingredient in microwave popcorn, thought safe for food industry workers, is a respiratory hazard Posted: 13 Aug 2012 08:54 AM PDT The ingredient 2,3-pentanedione (PD), used to impart the flavor and aroma of butter in microwave popcorn, is a respiratory hazard that can also alter gene expression in the brain of rats. Manufacturers started using PD when another butter flavoring, diacetyl, was found to cause bronchiolitis obliterans, a life-threatening and nonreversible lung disease in workers who inhaled the substance.

Cyber security risk to smart grids and intelligent buildings Posted: 13 Aug 2012 08:54 AM PDT Building owners and designers, and particularly members of the building services industry, are racing to implement intelligent buildings and smart grids, which are widely heralded as a boon in terms of both energy efficiency and facilities management. But many are overlooking the potential risk of malicious attacks on these highly networked control systems.

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider experiments bring new insight into matter of the primordial Universe Posted: 13 Aug 2012 08:54 AM PDT Experiments using heavy ions at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are advancing understanding of the primordial Universe. Scientists have made new measurements of the kind of matter that probably existed in the first instants of the Universe.

Diabetes drugs prescribed to more than 15 million Americans raises risk of bladder cancer Posted: 13 Aug 2012 08:54 AM PDT A popular class of diabetes drugs increases patients' risk of bladder cancer, according to a new study that found that patients taking thiazolidinedione (TZDs) drugs – which account for up to 20 percent of the drugs prescribed to diabetics in the United States -- are two to three times more likely to develop bladder cancer than those who took a sulfonylurea drug, another common class of medications for diabetes.

Key culprit causing muscle atrophy identified Posted: 13 Aug 2012 08:54 AM PDT Researchers have identified a key protein that causes muscles to atrophy. The protein, Gadd45a, is responsible for 40 percent of the gene activity associated with muscle deterioration. The finding opens the door to therapies to block Gadd45a and thus to deter muscle atrophy.

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