ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust: Planet’s dust cloud may explain strange patterns of light from its star
• Attraction or repulsion? New method predicts interaction energy of large molecules
• 'Rare' genetic variants are surprisingly common, life scientists report
• How exercise affects the brain: Age and genetics play a role
• Functional coatings from the plasma nozzle
• New key mechanism in cell division discovered
• Hitting snooze on the molecular clock: Rabies evolves slower in hibernating bats
• Intricate, often invisible land-sea ecological chains of life threatened with extinction around the world
• A cell's first steps: Building a model to explain how cells grow
• Sutureless aortic valve replacement a North American first
• Facebook and smartphones: New tools for psychological science research
• New silicon memory chip may offer super-fast memory
• A crowning success for crayfish
• Days of 'gizmo' launches return: NASA team to test new vehicle-descent technologies
• Meals, Equipment Top Cargo List for SpaceX spacecraft Dragon
• Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) flight hardware test
• Unparalleled views of Earth's coastal zone with HREP-HICO
• Hinode mission to capture annular solar eclipse this weekend
• Measuring transient X-rays with lobster eyes
• Ultra-short laser pulses for science and industry
• Emotionally intelligent people are less good at spotting liars
• Foul-mouthed characters in teen books have it all
• Chemists merge experimentation with theory in understanding of water molecule
• Google goes cancer: Search engine algorithm finds cancer biomarkers
• Pollination with precision: How flowers do it

Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust: Planet’s dust cloud may explain strange patterns of light from its star Posted: 18 May 2012 04:23 PM PDT Researchers have detected a possible planet, some 1,500 light years away, that appears to be evaporating under the blistering heat of its parent star. The scientists infer that a long tail of debris -- much like the tail of a comet -- is following the planet, and that this tail may tell the story of the planet's disintegration. According to the team's calculations, the tiny exoplanet, not much larger than Mercury, will completely disintegrate within 100 million years.

Attraction or repulsion? New method predicts interaction energy of large molecules Posted: 18 May 2012 10:28 AM PDT Scientists have developed and validated a more accurate method for predicting the interaction energy of large molecules, such as biomolecules used to develop new drugs.

'Rare' genetic variants are surprisingly common, life scientists report Posted: 18 May 2012 10:28 AM PDT A large survey of human genetic variation shows that rare genetic variants are not so rare after all, and offers insights into human diseases. A team of scientists studied 202 genes in 14,002 people -- one of the largest ever in a sequencing study in humans.

How exercise affects the brain: Age and genetics play a role Posted: 18 May 2012 10:28 AM PDT Findings suggest that the effects of exercise on memory depend on the age of the exerciser; underlying genetic mechanisms matter, too.

Functional coatings from the plasma nozzle Posted: 18 May 2012 10:28 AM PDT These coatings offer protection against rust, scratches and moisture and also improve adhesion: Surfaces with a nano coating. A new plasma process enables these coatings to be applied more easily and cost-efficiently -- on an industrial scale.

New key mechanism in cell division discovered Posted: 18 May 2012 10:28 AM PDT Researchers have identified the mechanism by which protein Zds1 regulates a key function in mitosis, the process that occurs immediately before cell division. The research opens the door to developing targeted and direct therapies against cancer.

Hitting snooze on the molecular clock: Rabies evolves slower in hibernating bats Posted: 18 May 2012 10:27 AM PDT The rate at which the rabies virus evolves in bats may depend heavily upon the ecological traits of its hosts, according to new research. Rabies viruses in tropical and sub-tropical bat species evolved nearly four times faster than viral variants in bats in temperate regions.

Intricate, often invisible land-sea ecological chains of life threatened with extinction around the world Posted: 18 May 2012 10:27 AM PDT Intricate, often invisible chains of life are threatened with extinction around the world. A new study quantifies one of the longest such chains ever documented.

A cell's first steps: Building a model to explain how cells grow Posted: 18 May 2012 10:26 AM PDT Physicists and biologists are addressing an important fundamental question in basic cell biology: how do living cells figure out when and where to grow?

Sutureless aortic valve replacement a North American first Posted: 18 May 2012 10:25 AM PDT A surgical milestone was reached on May 1st with a sutureless aortic valve replacement through a thoracic incision just 5 centimeters long. The two patients in their seventies who underwent this innovative procedure were doing well only one week after their operations.

Facebook and smartphones: New tools for psychological science research Posted: 18 May 2012 10:25 AM PDT Whether you're an iPerson who can't live without a Mac, a Facebook addict, or a gamer, you know that social media and technology say things about your personality and thought processes. And psychological scientists know it too -- they've started researching how new media and devices both reveal and change our mental states.

New silicon memory chip may offer super-fast memory Posted: 18 May 2012 10:25 AM PDT The first purely silicon oxide-based "resistive RAM" memory chip that can operate in ambient conditions -- opening up the possibility of new super-fast memory -- has now been developed.

A crowning success for crayfish Posted: 18 May 2012 10:24 AM PDT Australian freshwater crayfish have a tooth enamel very similar to humans. Nature sometimes copies its own particularly successful developments. Scientists have now found that the teeth of the Australian freshwater crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus are covered with an enamel amazingly similar to that of vertebrates. Both materials consist of calcium phosphate and are also very alike in terms of their microstructure. This extremely hard substance has apparently developed in freshwater crayfish independently from vertebrates, as it makes the teeth particularly strong.

Days of 'gizmo' launches return: NASA team to test new vehicle-descent technologies Posted: 18 May 2012 07:45 AM PDT NASA technologists will get a chance next summer to relive the good old days when Agency engineers would affix space-age gizmos to rockets just to see if the contraptions worked. In what will be the first of four high-altitude balloon flights to begin in the summer of 2013, technologists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., and Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Va., are preparing to test new deceleration devices that could replace current descent technologies for landing ever-larger payloads at higher elevations on Mars.

Meals, Equipment Top Cargo List for SpaceX spacecraft Dragon Posted: 18 May 2012 07:38 AM PDT The Dragon spacecraft built by SpaceX will head to the International Space Station with about 1,200 pounds of cargo during its demonstration mission, including commemorative patches and pins, 162 meals and a collection of student experiments.

Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) flight hardware test Posted: 18 May 2012 07:35 AM PDT A NASA flight test designed to demonstrate the feasibility of inflatable spacecraft technology is coming down to the wire. The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) is the third in a series of suborbital flight tests of this new technology. It is scheduled to launch from the Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore this summer.

Unparalleled views of Earth's coastal zone with HREP-HICO Posted: 18 May 2012 07:32 AM PDT Scanning the globe from the vantage point of the International Space Station is about more than the fantastic view. While cruising in low Earth orbit, the space station HICO and RAIDS Experiment Payload-Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean, or HREP-HICO, gives researchers a valuable new way to view the coastal zone.

Hinode mission to capture annular solar eclipse this weekend Posted: 18 May 2012 07:30 AM PDT On May 20-21, 2012 an annular eclipse of the Sun will be visible from within a narrow corridor along Earth's northern Hemisphere -- beginning in eastern Asia, crossing the North Pacific Ocean, and ending in the western United States. A partial eclipse will be visible from a much larger region covering East Asia, North Pacific, North America and Greenland.

Measuring transient X-rays with lobster eyes Posted: 18 May 2012 07:27 AM PDT A technology that mimics the structure of a lobster's eyes is now being applied to a new instrument that could help revolutionize X-ray astronomy and keep astronauts safe on the International Space Station.

Ultra-short laser pulses for science and industry Posted: 18 May 2012 05:13 AM PDT The shorter the pulse duration, the more precisely the laser tool operates. Ultra-short laser pulses of outstanding high average püower are opening the doors to new applications in high throughput materials processing. Thanks to the short pulse duration, thermal damage of the material being processed is minimized.

Emotionally intelligent people are less good at spotting liars Posted: 18 May 2012 05:13 AM PDT People who rate themselves as having high emotional intelligence (EI) tend to overestimate their ability to detect deception in others.

Foul-mouthed characters in teen books have it all Posted: 18 May 2012 05:11 AM PDT Analysis of best-selling teen novels shows that readers come across seven instances of profanity per hour spent reading, and the characters who cuss are usually rich, beautiful and popular.

Chemists merge experimentation with theory in understanding of water molecule Posted: 18 May 2012 05:11 AM PDT Using newly developed imaging technology, chemists have confirmed years of theoretical assumptions about water molecules, the most abundant and one of the most frequently studied substances on Earth.

Google goes cancer: Search engine algorithm finds cancer biomarkers Posted: 17 May 2012 04:31 PM PDT The strategy used by Google to decide which pages are relevant for a search query can also be used to determine which proteins in a patient's cancer are relevant for the disease progression.

Pollination with precision: How flowers do it Posted: 17 May 2012 10:20 AM PDT Pollination could be a chaotic disaster. With hundreds of pollen grains growing long tubes to ovules to deliver their sperm to female gametes, how can a flower ensure that exactly two fertile sperm reach every ovule? Biologists report the discovery of how plants optimize the distribution of pollen for successful reproduction.

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ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• New exception to a decades-old rule about RNA splicing uncovered
• Ancient history of circumarctic peoples illuminated
• Phase I clinical trial shows drug shrinks melanoma brain metastases
• Bioinformatics: We can learn a lot from other species
• Giant galaxy-packed filament revealed
• Slew of rare DNA changes following population explosion may hold clues to common diseases
• Religion is a potent force for cooperation and conflict, research shows
• Babies' susceptibility to colds linked to immune response at birth
• In chemical reactions, water adds speed without heat
• Forest diversity from Canada to the sub-tropics influenced by family proximity
• Prosthetic retina offers simple solution for restoring sight
• Suspicion resides in two regions of the brain: Our baseline level of distrust is distinct and separable from our inborn lie detector
• New technique reveals unseen information in DNA code
• When you eat matters, not just what you eat
• Pain relief through distraction: It's not all in your head
• Untangling the development of breast cancer: Evolution of 21 breast cancers
• Extended daily fasting overrides harmful effects of a high-fat diet: Study may offer drug-free intervention to prevent obesity and diabetes
• Training the brain could help reduce pain
• Risk Factor Management Helps Prevent Migraine Attacks
• RNA modification influences thousands of genes: Revolutionizes understanding of gene expression
• Ancient giant turtle fossil was size of Smart car
• Parents are happier people: Parents experience greater happiness and meaning in life than nonparents, psychologists find
• Fighting bacteria’s strength in numbers
• 1,000 years of climate data confirms Australia's warming
• Hormone-depleting drug shows promise against localized high-risk prostate tumors
• Phase I study of temsirolimus, capecitabine appears safe; positive survival trend seen
• Study combines lapatinib with cetuximab to overcome resistance in EGFR-driven tumors, new research suggests
• Clergy can fight HIV on faith-friendly terms
• New advice on medication disposal: Trash beats take-back, new study suggests
• Why do consumers dislike corporate brands that get too familiar?
• Children with rare, incurable brain disease improve after gene therapy
• Potential new drugs for fox tapeworm infection in humans
• Health experts narrow the hunt for Ebola
• Three-telescope interferometry allows astrophysicists to observe how black holes are fueled

New exception to a decades-old rule about RNA splicing uncovered Posted: 17 May 2012 04:31 PM PDT There are always exceptions to a rule, even one that has prevailed for more than three decades, as demonstrated by a new study on RNA splicing, a cellular editing process. The rule-flaunting exception uncovered by the study concerns the way in which a newly produced RNA molecule is cut and pasted at precise locations called splice sites before being translated into protein.

Ancient history of circumarctic peoples illuminated Posted: 17 May 2012 04:31 PM PDT Scientists have discovered new information about the migration patterns of the first humans to settle the Americas. The studies identify the historical relationships among various groups of Native American and First Nations peoples and present the first clear evidence of the genetic impact of the groups' cultural practices.

Phase I clinical trial shows drug shrinks melanoma brain metastases Posted: 17 May 2012 04:31 PM PDT An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report.

Bioinformatics: We can learn a lot from other species Posted: 17 May 2012 04:29 PM PDT Researchers have confirmed the long-held belief that studying the genes we share with other animals is useful. The study shows how bioinformatics makes it possible to test the fundamental principles on which life science is built.

Giant galaxy-packed filament revealed Posted: 17 May 2012 11:36 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered a giant, galaxy-packed filament ablaze with billions of new stars. The filament is the first structure of its kind spied in a critical era of cosmic buildup when colossal collections of galaxies called superclusters began to take shape. The glowing galactic bridge offers astronomers a unique opportunity to explore how galaxies evolve and merge to form superclusters.

Slew of rare DNA changes following population explosion may hold clues to common diseases Posted: 17 May 2012 11:36 AM PDT Scientists have taken a first step toward understanding how rare genetic differences among people contribute to leading chronic illnesses. One-letter DNA code changes occur frequently in human genomes, but each variant is usually found in only a few individuals. This phenomenon is consistent with the population explosion of the past 5,000 years. Studying the evolution of rare genetic variants and their health impact is critical as low cost, rapid sequencing enters clinical use. Such information would help doctors interpret personal genomes.

Religion is a potent force for cooperation and conflict, research shows Posted: 17 May 2012 11:36 AM PDT Across history and cultures, religion increases trust within groups but also may increase conflict with other groups, according to a new analysis.

Babies' susceptibility to colds linked to immune response at birth Posted: 17 May 2012 11:35 AM PDT Innate differences in immunity can be detected at birth, according to new research. And babies with a better innate response to viruses have fewer respiratory illnesses in the first year of life.

In chemical reactions, water adds speed without heat Posted: 17 May 2012 11:35 AM PDT Scientists have discovered how adding trace amounts of water can tremendously speed up chemical reactions -— such as hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis —- in which hydrogen is one of the reactants, or starting materials.

Forest diversity from Canada to the sub-tropics influenced by family proximity Posted: 17 May 2012 11:35 AM PDT How species diversity is maintained is a fundamental question in biology. Biologists have shown for the first time that diversity is influenced on a spatial scale of unparalleled scope, in part, by how well tree seedlings survive under their own parents.

Prosthetic retina offers simple solution for restoring sight Posted: 17 May 2012 10:21 AM PDT A device which could restore sight to patients with one of the most common causes of blindness in the developed world is being developed.

Suspicion resides in two regions of the brain: Our baseline level of distrust is distinct and separable from our inborn lie detector Posted: 17 May 2012 10:21 AM PDT Scientists have found that suspicion resides in two distinct regions of the brain: the amygdala, which plays a central role in processing fear and emotional memories, and the parahippocampal gyrus, which is associated with declarative memory and the recognition of scenes.

New technique reveals unseen information in DNA code Posted: 17 May 2012 10:20 AM PDT Scientists have used a new technique to map 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) in DNA from human and mouse embryonic stem cells, revealing new information about their patterns of distribution. These studies have revealed that these DNA modifications play major roles in fundamental life processes such as cell differentiation, cancer and brain function.

When you eat matters, not just what you eat Posted: 17 May 2012 10:20 AM PDT When it comes to weight gain, when you eat might be at least as important as what you eat. When mice on a high-fat diet are restricted to eating for eight hours per day, they eat just as much as those who can eat around the clock, yet they are protected against obesity and other metabolic ills, the new study shows.

Pain relief through distraction: It's not all in your head Posted: 17 May 2012 10:20 AM PDT Mental distractions make pain easier to take, and those pain-relieving effects aren't just in your head, according to a new report.

Untangling the development of breast cancer: Evolution of 21 breast cancers Posted: 17 May 2012 10:19 AM PDT The team created a catalogue of all the mutations in the genomes of the 21 breast cancer genomes. They identified entirely new mutational processes that drive breast cancer development, including one remarkable process defined by localized regions of hypermutation found in most of the breast cancers. This phenomenon has never been seen before. They also found that, once many mutations have accumulated in a cell, the cell then diverges into different subgroups, one of which is destined to become the aggressive, dominant, breast cancer tumor. These findings have implications for our understanding of how breast cancers develop over the decades before diagnosis in adults.

Extended daily fasting overrides harmful effects of a high-fat diet: Study may offer drug-free intervention to prevent obesity and diabetes Posted: 17 May 2012 10:17 AM PDT It turns out that when we eat may be as important as what we eat. Scientists have found that regular eating times and extending the daily fasting period may override the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet and prevent obesity, diabetes and liver disease in mice.

Training the brain could help reduce pain Posted: 17 May 2012 10:17 AM PDT Training the brain to reduce pain could be a promising approach for treating phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome, according to s neuroscience researcher.

Risk Factor Management Helps Prevent Migraine Attacks Posted: 17 May 2012 10:16 AM PDT The latest genetic and biological research shows that migraine is a neurological, not vascular, disorder and both acute and preventive treatments being developed target peripheral and central nervous systems, according to a prominent migraine expert.

RNA modification influences thousands of genes: Revolutionizes understanding of gene expression Posted: 17 May 2012 10:16 AM PDT Over the past decade, research in the field of epigenetics has revealed that chemically modified bases are abundant components of the human genome and has forced us to abandon the notion we've had since high school genetics that DNA consists of only four bases.

Ancient giant turtle fossil was size of Smart car Posted: 17 May 2012 10:16 AM PDT Picture a turtle the size of a Smart car, with a shell large enough to double as a kiddie pool. Paleontologists have found just such a specimen -- the fossilized remains of a 60-million-year-old South American giant that lived in what is now Colombia.

Parents are happier people: Parents experience greater happiness and meaning in life than nonparents, psychologists find Posted: 17 May 2012 08:54 AM PDT Contrary to recent scholarship and popular belief, parents experience greater levels of happiness and meaning in life than people without children, according to researchers. Parents also are happier during the day when they are caring for their children than during their other daily activities, the researchers found in a series of studies conducted in the United States and Canada.

Fighting bacteria’s strength in numbers Posted: 17 May 2012 08:53 AM PDT Scientists have opened the way for more accurate research into new ways to fight dangerous bacterial infections by proving a long-held theory about how bacteria communicate with each other.

1,000 years of climate data confirms Australia's warming Posted: 17 May 2012 08:14 AM PDT In the first study of its kind in Australasia, scientists have used 27 natural climate records to create the first large-scale temperature reconstruction for the region over the last 1,000 years.

Hormone-depleting drug shows promise against localized high-risk prostate tumors Posted: 16 May 2012 04:56 PM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that a hormone-depleting drug approved for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer can help eliminate or nearly eliminate tumors in many patients with aggressive cancers that have yet to spread beyond the prostate, according to a new clinical study.

Phase I study of temsirolimus, capecitabine appears safe; positive survival trend seen Posted: 16 May 2012 04:55 PM PDT A Phase I clinical trial examining the safety of combining temsirolimus and capecitabine in advanced malignancies suggests the two agents can be given safely to patients. In addition researchers conducting the study in cancer patients whose tumors have resisted multiple treatments say the combination demonstrates "promising evidence" of disease control and should be studied in a Phase II trial.

Study combines lapatinib with cetuximab to overcome resistance in EGFR-driven tumors, new research suggests Posted: 16 May 2012 04:55 PM PDT Targeted therapies have been studied for years, but recent laboratory research is providing robust clues about drugs that might work better in combination, particularly in treating cancers that have become resistant to therapy. That kind of information is behind a novel clinical trial that combines cetuximab and lapatinib.

Clergy can fight HIV on faith-friendly terms Posted: 16 May 2012 02:42 PM PDT In the United States, where blacks bear a disproportionate burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, black religious institutions could help turn the tide. In a new study based on dozens of interviews and focus groups with 38 of Philadelphia's most influential black religious leaders, physicians and public health researchers find that traditional barriers to preaching about HIV prevention could give way to faith-friendly messages about getting tested and staying on treatment.

New advice on medication disposal: Trash beats take-back, new study suggests Posted: 16 May 2012 12:25 PM PDT Returning extra medicine to the pharmacy for disposal might not be worth the extra time, money or greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study that is the first to look at the net effects of so-called take-back programs.

Why do consumers dislike corporate brands that get too familiar? Posted: 16 May 2012 12:25 PM PDT Although it is tempting to use the word "we" to make consumers feel like part of the family, people react negatively when brands overstep their boundaries, according to a new study.

Children with rare, incurable brain disease improve after gene therapy Posted: 16 May 2012 12:24 PM PDT Taiwanese doctors have restored some movement in four children bedridden with a rare, life-threatening neurological disease using gene transfer. The first-in-humans achievement may also be helpful for more common diseases such as Parkinson's.

Potential new drugs for fox tapeworm infection in humans Posted: 16 May 2012 11:01 AM PDT Scientists are reporting development and testing of a new series of drugs that could finally stop the fox tapeworm -- which causes a rare but life-threatening disease in humans -- dead in its tracks. The report shows that specific organometallic substances that help combat cancer are also the surprising best new hope for a treatment against tapeworm infection.

Health experts narrow the hunt for Ebola Posted: 16 May 2012 11:01 AM PDT Response efforts to outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Africa can benefit from a standardized sampling strategy that focuses on the carcasses of gorillas, chimpanzees and other species known to succumb to the virus, according to wildlife health experts.

Three-telescope interferometry allows astrophysicists to observe how black holes are fueled Posted: 16 May 2012 11:01 AM PDT By combining the light of three powerful infrared telescopes, scientists have observed the active accretion phase of a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy tens of millions of light years away, a method that has yielded an unprecedented amount of data for such observations. The resolution at which they were able to observe this highly luminescent active galactic nucleus has given them direct confirmation of how mass accretes onto black holes in centers of galaxies.

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