ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Electricity from the nose: Engineers make power from human respiration
• Priming with DNA vaccine makes avian flu vaccine work better: Proof of concept for universal influenza vaccine
• Pale people may need vitamin D supplements
• Hormonal contraception doubles HIV risk, study suggests
• Referral to talking therapies may cut use of health services and sick leave, UK study finds
• Faulty intellectual disability genes linked to older dads at conception, research finds
• Significant variation in organ donations across all four UK countries
• 'Mirage-effect' helps researchers hide objects
• Saturn's geyser moon Enceladus shows off for NASA's Cassini
• Unprecedented Arctic ozone loss last winter
• Quake forecast gets high score in study
• NASA selects science investigations for concept studies
• NASA's Dawn spacecraft begins new Vesta mapping orbit
• Sentinel lymph node biopsy predicts outcomes for Merkel cell carcinoma
• Employers less likely to interview openly gay men for job openings in certain parts of U.S.
• Ice Age carbon mystery: Rising carbon dioxide levels not tied to Pacific Ocean, as had been suspected
• In reading facial emotion, context is everything
• Virtual reality worm-tracking challenge leads to new tool for brain research
• Medicare patients at risk of long-term institutionalization after hospital stay
• How gas and temperature controlled bacterial response to Deepwater Horizon spill
• Tuberculosis bacterium's outer cell wall disarms the body's defense to remain infectious
• Raw sewage: Home to millions of undescribed viruses
• Decline and recovery of coral reefs linked to 700 years of human and environmental activities
• MRI tests can be safe for people with implanted cardiac devices, study suggests
• How the brain makes memories: Rhythmically
• Parental weight strongly influences thinness in children
• Certain therapies appear beneficial in reducing PTSD symptoms in some trauma survivors
• Suspects of child abuse homicide are convicted at rates similar to suspects of adult homicides, study finds
• Higher quality diet associated with reduced risk of some birth defects
• Social media sites may reveal information about problem drinking among college students
• Overall quality of pregnant woman’s diet affects risk for two birth defects, study shows
• Severely impaired schizophrenics enter dynamic cycle of recovery after cognitive therapy
• Community effort brings lasting drop in smoking, delinquency, drug use
• Increased fat in children raises their blood pressure risk
• American Cancer Society report finds burden of breast cancer deaths shifts to poor
• Premature birth may increase risk of epilepsy later in life
• Virtual fly-through bronchoscopy yields real results
• Rebooting the system: Immune cells repair damaged lung tissues after flu infection
• Engineers build smart petri dish: Device can be used for medical diagnostics, imaging cell growth continuously
• Researchers discover new enzyme function for anemia
• Scientists find mechanism that leads to drug resistance in bacteria causing melioidosis
• Nanoparticles seek and destroy glioblastoma in mice
• Brain study reveals stress code
• Forest structure, services and biodiversity may be lost even as form remains
• Biomarker for Huntington's disease identified
• Evidence found for the genetic basis of autism: Models of autism show that gene copy number controls brain structure and behavior
• Cell transformation from one type of cell to another
• Mapping immune genes in salmon
• Study gauges emotional toll of direct-to-consumer genetic testing
• $6.7 billion spent on unnecessary tests and treatments in U.S. in one year
• Nursing home hospitalizations often driven by payer status
• A robot brain implanted in a rodent
• Child abuse in boobies: Study documents 'cycle of violence' in birds
• Studies on vein blockages and multiple sclerosis reviewed
• Rising CO₂ levels at end of Ice Age not tied to Pacific Ocean
• Cell movement provides clues to aggressive breast cancer
• Polymeric material has potential for noninvasive procedures
• From compost to sustainable fuels: Heat-loving fungi sequenced
• We discount the pain of people we don't like
• Alzheimer's research: Researchers watch amyloid plaques form

Electricity from the nose: Engineers make power from human respiration Posted: 03 Oct 2011 08:46 PM PDT The same piezoelectric effect that ignites your gas grill with the push of a button could one day power sensors in your body via the respiration in your nose.

Priming with DNA vaccine makes avian flu vaccine work better: Proof of concept for universal influenza vaccine Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:52 PM PDT The immune response to an H5N1 avian influenza vaccine was greatly enhanced in healthy adults if they were first primed with a DNA vaccine expressing a gene for a key H5N1 protein, researchers say.

Pale people may need vitamin D supplements Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:52 PM PDT Fair-skinned people who burn quickly in the sun may need to take supplements to ensure they get the right amount of vitamin D, new research finds.

Hormonal contraception doubles HIV risk, study suggests Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:52 PM PDT Researchers have found that women using hormonal contraception -- such as a birth control pill or a shot like Depo-Provera -- are at double the risk of acquiring HIV, and HIV-infected women who use hormonal contraception have twice the risk of transmitting the virus to their HIV-uninfected male partners, according to a new study.

Referral to talking therapies may cut use of health services and sick leave, UK study finds Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:52 PM PDT Referring patients with mental health problems to talking therapies seems to cut their use of health-care services and the amount of sick leave they take, suggests research from the UK.

Faulty intellectual disability genes linked to older dads at conception, research finds Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:52 PM PDT Chromosomal abnormalities linked to intellectual disability can be traced back to the father, particularly those who are older when the child is conceived, new research finds.

Significant variation in organ donations across all four UK countries Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:52 PM PDT There are significant variations in the number and type of organ donations made across all four UK countries, new research reveals.

'Mirage-effect' helps researchers hide objects Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:52 PM PDT Scientists have created a working cloaking device that not only takes advantage of one of nature's most bizarre phenomenon, but also boasts unique features; it has an "on and off" switch and is best used underwater.

Saturn's geyser moon Enceladus shows off for NASA's Cassini Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:10 PM PDT NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its Oct. 1 flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus and its jets of water vapor and ice. At its closest approach, the spacecraft flew approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) above the moon's surface. The close approach was designed to give some of Cassini's instruments, including the ion and neutral mass spectrometer, the chance to "taste" the jets themselves.

Unprecedented Arctic ozone loss last winter Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:09 PM PDT A NASA-led study has documented an unprecedented depletion of Earth's protective ozone layer above the Arctic last winter and spring caused by an unusually prolonged period of extremely low temperatures in the stratosphere.

Quake forecast gets high score in study Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:08 PM PDT While earthquakes can't yet be predicted, scientists are making advances in their ability to forecast where they are most likely to occur, with the best forecasts now about 10 times more accurate than a random prediction, according to a new study.

NASA selects science investigations for concept studies Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:06 PM PDT NASA has selected 11 science proposals for evaluation as potential future science missions. The proposals outline prospective missions to study Earth's atmosphere, the sun, the Milky Way galaxy, and Earth-like planets around nearby stars.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft begins new Vesta mapping orbit Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:04 PM PDT NASA's Dawn spacecraft has completed a gentle spiral into its new science orbit for an even closer view of the giant asteroid Vesta. Dawn began sending science data on Sept. 29 from this new orbit, known as the high altitude mapping orbit (HAMO).

Sentinel lymph node biopsy predicts outcomes for Merkel cell carcinoma Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT Patients with Merkel cell carcinoma who underwent a procedure called sentinel lymph node biopsy had a lower risk of cancer recurrence after two years, according to a new study. When the biopsy's results were used to guide subsequent tests and treatment, these patients had longer survival rates than patients who had not undergone the procedure.

Employers less likely to interview openly gay men for job openings in certain parts of U.S. Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:04 PM PDT A new study suggests that openly gay men face substantial job discrimination in certain parts of the US.

Ice Age carbon mystery: Rising carbon dioxide levels not tied to Pacific Ocean, as had been suspected Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:04 PM PDT After the last Ice Age peaked about 18,000 years ago, levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide rose about 30 percent. Scientists believe that the additional CO2 -- the source of which was thought to be the deep ocean -- played a key role in warming the planet and melting the continental ice sheets. But a new study suggests that the deep ocean was not an important source of carbon during glacial times. The finding will force researchers to reassess their ideas about the fundamental mechanisms that regulate atmospheric CO2 over long time scales.

In reading facial emotion, context is everything Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:04 PM PDT In a close-up headshot, Serena Williams' eyes are pressed tensely closed; her mouth is wide open, teeth bared. Her face looks enraged. Now zoom out: The tennis star is on the court, racket in hand, fist clenched in victory. She's not angry. She's ecstatic, having just beaten her sister Venus at the 2008 U.S. Open.

Virtual reality worm-tracking challenge leads to new tool for brain research Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:04 PM PDT Using new optical equipment, researchers put roundworms into a world of virtual reality, monitored both their behavior and brain activity and gained unexpected information on how the organism's brain operates as it moves.

Medicare patients at risk of long-term institutionalization after hospital stay Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:04 PM PDT Confirming many elderly patients' worst fears, a national study has shown that being hospitalized for an acute event, such as a stroke or hip fracture, can lead to long-term institutionalization in a nursing home. Equally alarming, researchers found that direct discharge to a skilled nursing facility -- a common practice designed to reduce hospital stays -- put patients at "extremely high risk" of needing long-term nursing home care.

How gas and temperature controlled bacterial response to Deepwater Horizon spill Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:04 PM PDT Scientists used DNA to identify microbes present in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and then identified the microbes responsible for consuming the large amount of natural gas present immediately after the spill. They have also explained how water temperature played a key role in the way bacteria reacted to the spill.

Tuberculosis bacterium's outer cell wall disarms the body's defense to remain infectious Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:04 PM PDT The bacterium that causes tuberculosis has a unique molecule on its outer cell surface that blocks a key part of the body's defense. New research suggests this represents a novel mechanism in the microbe's evolving efforts to remain hidden from the human immune system. The TB bacterium has a molecule on its outer surface called lipomannan that can stop production of an important protein in the body's immune cells that helps contain TB infection and maintain it in a latent state.

Raw sewage: Home to millions of undescribed viruses Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:04 PM PDT Biologists have described only a few thousand different viruses so far, but a new study reveals a vast world of unseen viral diversity that exists right under our noses. A new article explores ordinary raw sewage and finds that it is home to thousands of novel, undiscovered viruses, some of which could relate to human health.

Decline and recovery of coral reefs linked to 700 years of human and environmental activities Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:04 PM PDT Changing human activities coupled with a dynamic environment over the past few centuries have caused fluctuating periods of decline and recovery of corals reefs in the Hawaiian Islands, according to a new study. Using the reefs and island societies as a model social-ecological system, a team of scientists reconstructed 700 years of human-environment interactions in two different regions of the Hawaiian archipelago.

MRI tests can be safe for people with implanted cardiac devices, study suggests Posted: 03 Oct 2011 03:04 PM PDT Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an important diagnostic test, has traditionally been off limits to more than 2 million people in the United States who have an implanted pacemaker to regulate heart rhythms or an implanted defibrillator to prevent sudden cardiac death. Now, cardiologists report that a protocol they developed has proved effective in enabling patients with implanted cardiac devices to safely undergo an MRI scan.

How the brain makes memories: Rhythmically Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:19 PM PDT The brain learns through changes in the strength of synapses -- the connections between neurons -- in response to stimuli. Now, researchers have found there is an optimal brain rhythm, or timing, for changing synaptic strength, and hence learning.

Parental weight strongly influences thinness in children Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:19 PM PDT Children with thinner parents are three times more likely to be thin than children whose parents are overweight, according to a new study.

Certain therapies appear beneficial in reducing PTSD symptoms in some trauma survivors Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:19 PM PDT Prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive therapy, and delayed prolonged exposure therapy, appear to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in patients who have experienced a recent traumatic event, according to a new report.

Suspects of child abuse homicide are convicted at rates similar to suspects of adult homicides, study finds Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:17 PM PDT Child abuse homicide offenders appear to be convicted at a rate similar to that of adult homicide offenders in Utah and receive similar levels in severity of sentencing, according to a new report.

Higher quality diet associated with reduced risk of some birth defects Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:17 PM PDT Healthier dietary choices by pregnant women are associated with reduced risks of birth defects, including neural tube defects and orofacial clefts, according to a new study.

Social media sites may reveal information about problem drinking among college students Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:17 PM PDT Social media websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, may reveal information that could identify underage college students who may be at risk for problem drinking, according to a new study.

Overall quality of pregnant woman’s diet affects risk for two birth defects, study shows Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:17 PM PDT The overall quality of a pregnant woman's diet is linked with risk for two types of serious birth defects, a new study has shown. In the study, women who ate better before and during pregnancy gave birth to fewer infants with malformations of the brain and spinal cord, or orofacial clefts, such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

Severely impaired schizophrenics enter dynamic cycle of recovery after cognitive therapy Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:17 PM PDT For the first time, researchers have shown that a psychosocial treatment can significantly improve daily functioning and quality of life in the lowest-functioning cases of schizophrenia.

Community effort brings lasting drop in smoking, delinquency, drug use Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:16 PM PDT Delaying the age when kids try alcohol or smoking decreases the likelihood that they will become dependent later in life. A new study of Communities That Care, a new prevention system, shows that tenth graders in towns using they system were less likely to have tried drinking or smoking. Delinquent behavior decreased too.

Increased fat in children raises their blood pressure risk Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:16 PM PDT Overweight or obese children have almost three times the risk of high blood pressure compared to normal weight children. Researchers observed the effects of excess weight on blood pressure in children of all ages.

American Cancer Society report finds burden of breast cancer deaths shifts to poor Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:16 PM PDT A new report finds that a slower and later decline in breast cancer death rates among women in poor areas has resulted in a shift in the highest breast cancer death rates from women residing in affluent areas to those in poor areas.

Premature birth may increase risk of epilepsy later in life Posted: 03 Oct 2011 01:16 PM PDT Being born prematurely may increase your risk of developing epilepsy as an adult, according to a new study.

Virtual fly-through bronchoscopy yields real results Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:18 PM PDT For patients with non-small cell lung cancer the accurate determination of the lymph node status before therapy is critical to develop an individualized treatment plan. Research from the October issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine highlights a new way for this information to be collected -- a virtual fly-through three-dimensional 18F-FDG PET/computed tomography bronchoscopy that has high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of regional lymph node metastases.

Rebooting the system: Immune cells repair damaged lung tissues after flu infection Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:18 PM PDT There's more than one way to mop up after a flu infection. Now, researchers report that a previously unrecognized population of lung immune cells orchestrate the body's repair response following flu infection.

Engineers build smart petri dish: Device can be used for medical diagnostics, imaging cell growth continuously Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:18 PM PDT The cameras in our cell phones have dramatically changed the way we share the special moments in our lives, making photographs instantly available to friends and family. Now, the imaging sensor chips that form the heart of these built-in cameras are helping engineers transform the way cell cultures are imaged by serving as the platform for a "smart" petri dish.

Researchers discover new enzyme function for anemia Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:18 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a new function for an enzyme that may protect against organ injury and death from anemia.

Scientists find mechanism that leads to drug resistance in bacteria causing melioidosis Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:18 PM PDT Researchers have identified a novel mechanism whereby the organism Burkholderia pseudomallei -- the cause of melioidosis, a neglected tropical infectious disease -- develops resistance to ceftazidime, the standard antibiotic treatment. The change also makes the drug-resistant bacterium difficult to detect.

Nanoparticles seek and destroy glioblastoma in mice Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:18 PM PDT Scientists have combined a tumor-homing peptide, a cell-killing peptide, and a nanoparticle. When administered to mice with glioblastoma that could not otherwise be treated, this new nanosystem eradicated most tumors in one model and significantly delayed tumor development in another.

Brain study reveals stress code Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:18 PM PDT Neuroscientists investigating the 'brain code' claim to have made a significant step forwards in understanding how the brain deals with stress- and mitigates its impact.

Forest structure, services and biodiversity may be lost even as form remains Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:18 PM PDT A forest may look like a forest, have many of the same trees that used to live there, but still lose the ecological, economic or cultural values that once made it what it was, researchers suggest.

Biomarker for Huntington's disease identified Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:18 PM PDT Researchers have identified a transcriptional biomarker that may assist in the monitoring of disease activity and in the evaluation of new medications.

Evidence found for the genetic basis of autism: Models of autism show that gene copy number controls brain structure and behavior Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:18 PM PDT Scientists have discovered that one of the most common genetic alterations in autism -- deletion of a 27-gene cluster on chromosome 16 -- causes autism-like features. By generating mouse models of autism using a technique known as chromosome engineering, researchers provide the first functional evidence that inheriting fewer copies of these genes leads to features resembling those used to diagnose children with autism.

Cell transformation from one type of cell to another Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:10 PM PDT Researchers have now described a mechanism by which one cell can be converted into another entirely different one. The research is vital for the future development of cell therapy treatments, a new method for replacing cells damaged by illness, trauma or aging. Transcription factor C/EBP± is responsible for regulating this transformation. The study was carried out on immune system cells.

Mapping immune genes in salmon Posted: 03 Oct 2011 12:10 PM PDT Scientists have identified and mapped a group of immune genes that are the key to warding off infectious agents such as viruses and bacteria in salmon.

Study gauges emotional toll of direct-to-consumer genetic testing Posted: 03 Oct 2011 11:47 AM PDT Among the latest health care trends seeking to advance "individualized medicine" are private companies marketing genetic testing directly to patients. The mail-in kits, with price tags as high as $2,500, use a saliva specimen to identify small variations in the human genome associated with heightened risk for diseases such as diabetes and prostate cancer.

$6.7 billion spent on unnecessary tests and treatments in U.S. in one year Posted: 03 Oct 2011 11:47 AM PDT Researchers have found that $6.7 billion was spent in one year performing unnecessary tests or prescribing unnecessary medications in primary care, with 86 percent of that cost attributed to the prescription of brand-name statins to treat high cholesterol.

Nursing home hospitalizations often driven by payer status Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT The decision by nursing homes whether or not to treat an ill resident on-site or send them to a hospital are often linked to that person's insurance status. A new study out this month shows that on average individuals enrolled in Medicaid are 27 percent more likely to be sent to the hospital than individuals with private insurance -- decisions that often result in higher costs of care and poor health outcomes.

A robot brain implanted in a rodent Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT With new cutting-edge technology aimed at providing amputees with robotic limbs, a researcher has successfully implanted a robotic cerebellum into the skull of a rodent with brain damage, restoring its capacity for movement.

Child abuse in boobies: Study documents 'cycle of violence' in birds Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT For one species of seabird in the Galapagos, the child abuse "cycle of violence" found in humans plays out in the wild. The new study of Nazca boobies provides the first evidence from the animal world showing those who are abused when they are young often grow up to be abusers.

Studies on vein blockages and multiple sclerosis reviewed Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT Studies that examined the possible link between vein blockages and multiple sclerosis are so inconsistent that it's impossible to reach a firm conclusion about the controversial theory, a new review has found.

Rising CO<sub>2</sub> levels at end of Ice Age not tied to Pacific Ocean Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT At the end of the last Ice Age, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose rapidly as the planet warmed; scientists have long hypothesized that the source was CO2 released from the deep ocean. But a new study using detailed radiocarbon dating reveals that the Northeast Pacific was not an important reservoir of carbon during glacial times.

Cell movement provides clues to aggressive breast cancer Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT Researchers have identified a specific molecule that alters how breast cancer cells move. This affects the cells' ability to spread or metastasize to distant parts of the body, the hallmark of deadly, aggressive cancer.

Polymeric material has potential for noninvasive procedures Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT Scientists have developed what they believe to be the first polymeric material that is sensitive to biologically benign levels of near infrared irradiation, enabling the material to disassemble in a highly controlled fashion. The study represents a significant milestone in the area of light-sensitive material for non-invasive medical and biological applications.

From compost to sustainable fuels: Heat-loving fungi sequenced Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT Two heat-loving fungi, often found in composts that self-ignite without flame or spark, could soon have new vocations. The complete genetic makeup of Myceliophthora thermophila and Thielavia terrestris has now been decoded. The findings may lead to the faster and greener development of biomass-based fuels, chemicals and other industrial materials.

We discount the pain of people we don't like Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT If a patient is not likeable, will he or she be taken less seriously when exhibiting or complaining about pain? Researchers have found that observers of patients estimate lower pain intensity and are perceptually less sympathetic to the patients' pain when the patients are not liked.

Alzheimer's research: Researchers watch amyloid plaques form Posted: 03 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT Researchers use optical trapping to take a detailed look at the early minutes of amyloid aggregate formation, a process important in Alzheimer's disease. The technique could be used for new drug design.

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