ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Researchers examine impact of 'green politics' on recent national elections
• Protein plays role in helping plants see light
• Certain mouth bacteria signal pancreatic cancer, study finds
• UK doctors still undertreating major risk factor for stroke, study finds
• T. rex was bigger and grew faster than previously thought, computational analysis reveals
• New buzzwords 'reduce medicine to economics': Physicians lament the devaluation of clinical judgment in today's health care world
• Cichlid male nannies help out, especially if they've been sneaking
• Proper protein intake crucial for moderating energy intake, keeping obesity at bay
• Talk to the virtual hands: Body language of both speaker and listener affects success in virtual reality communication game
• 'Cute' chimps in ads may harm the species' survival
• Why many cells are better than one: Limited decision-making ability of individual cells is bolstered in masses
• Survival disparities in African-American and white colorectal cancer patients
• Nearly one in four people with psoriasis may have undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis
• Feeding the world while protecting the planet: Global plan for sustainable agriculture
• Bacterial communication could affect Earth's climate, researchers discover
• Education research shows LGBTQ-identified students at higher risk than straight-identified students
• Vitamin D crucial in human immune response to tuberculosis, scientists find
• Researchers make older beta cells act young again
• Fuel and plastics production could be made more energy efficient and cost effective
• Wet and mild: Researchers take the temperature of Mars' past
• Naked mole rat genome sequenced: San Antonio colony of long-lived rodents contributes to study
• Genome sequencing unlocks the mysteries of naked mole rat
• 'Dark matter' of the genome revealed through analysis of 29 mammals
• Researchers reconstruct genome of the Black Death; Bacteria found to be ancestor of all modern plagues
• Self-replication process holds promise for production of new materials
• New molecular target for diabetes treatment discovered
• Understanding the constraints of evolution provides roadmap to mammalian biology
• Clean correction of a patient's genetic mutation: New gene therapy methods accurately correct mutation in patient's stem cells
• Significant breakthrough in study of chlamydia
• Millions of new regulatory elements found in human genome
• By reprogramming skin cells into brain cells, scientists gain new insights into mental disorders
• Transfusion not always best treatment for anemia, age of stored blood may play a role
• Improving gene therapy for heart disease, cancer
• Sugar high for bees
• Folic acid supplements in early pregnancy may reduce the risk of severe language delay in children
• Human development experts recommend tuning in to family, not devices
• Pain characteristics suggest higher benefit from gallbladder surgery
• Possible trigger for volcanic 'super-eruptions' discovered
• Violent games emotionally desensitizing, research suggests
• New pine breeding technique may help trees adapt to climate change
• Spreading like wildfire? Maybe not always: Research helps define fire standards to protect homes
• Spotty, strong convection seen in NASA imagery helps Irwin regain tropical storm status
• Researcher identifies autism employment resources, tips for people with autism spectrum disorders
• Clearing the 'cosmic fog' of the early universe: Massive stars may be responsible
• Increase in U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits associated with healthier children, pediatricians find
• Tagging tumors with gold: Scientists use gold nanorods to flag brain tumors
• Borrowing from brightly-colored birds: Physicists develop lasers inspired by nature
• Erasing history? Temporal cloaks adjust light's throttle to hide an event in time
• First practical scientific test to date and authenticate priceless silk masterpieces
• Potential new drugs plug brain's biological 'vacuum cleaner' and target HIV
• New Saudi Arabias of solar energy: Himalaya Mountains, Andes, Antarctica
• Scientists move closer to predicting who will and will not fight off severe infections
• Smoking cigarettes simulates cystic fibrosis
• Scientists demonstrate the power of optical forces in blood cell identification
• Preventing falls in people with Parkinson's disease
• Kids with blocked tear ducts at higher risk for 'lazy eye'
• Increasing cardiovascular disease in China: Urgent need for prevention
• How watching TV and their relationship to Mom affects teenagers' sexual attitudes
• Warning signs can prevent deer-vehicle collisions, Canadian study shows
• Distant galaxies reveal the clearing of the cosmic fog; New VLT observations chart timeline of reionization

Researchers examine impact of 'green politics' on recent national elections Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Democrats who took "green" positions on climate change won much more often than did Democrats who remained silent in 2008 and 2010, according to researchers. Republicans who took "not-green" positions won less often than Republicans who remained silent, the researchers found.

Protein plays role in helping plants see light Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Scientists report for the first time the elusive role a critical protein plays in this molecular signaling pathway that regulates phototropism in plants.

Certain mouth bacteria signal pancreatic cancer, study finds Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Particular types of mouth bacteria, some of which are found in gum disease, are associated with the development of pancreatic cancer, indicates a small study.

UK doctors still undertreating major risk factor for stroke, study finds Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Despite significant improvements in stroke prevention over the past decade, and a fall in incidence and deaths, UK doctors are still undertreating one of the major risk factors -- atrial fibrillation -- reveals new research.

T. rex was bigger and grew faster than previously thought, computational analysis reveals Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT A new study reveals that T. rex grew more quickly and reached significantly greater masses than previously estimated. In a departure from earlier methods, the new study uses mounted skeletons to generate body mass estimates.

New buzzwords 'reduce medicine to economics': Physicians lament the devaluation of clinical judgment in today's health care world Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Physicians who once only grappled with learning the language of medicine must now also cope with a health care world that has turned hospitals into factories and reduced clinical encounters to economic transactions, two physicians lament in a new article.

Cichlid male nannies help out, especially if they've been sneaking Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT The highly social cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher displays cooperative breeding behavior, where non-parents contribute to rearing the offspring of the dominant breeding pair. Until now, it was assumed that male subordinates never gained paternity in the field. A new study reveals that some offspring from this domestic arrangement are actually fathered by subordinate members of the group, and when this happens these fish increase investment.

Proper protein intake crucial for moderating energy intake, keeping obesity at bay Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Obesity is a growing problem worldwide, but proper protein consumption can help keep it at bay, according to a new study.

Talk to the virtual hands: Body language of both speaker and listener affects success in virtual reality communication game Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT New research finds that the lack of gestural information from both speaker and listener limits successful communication in virtual environments.

'Cute' chimps in ads may harm the species' survival Posted: 12 Oct 2011 03:56 PM PDT Television ads featuring cute chimpanzees wearing human clothes are likely to distort the public's perception of the endangered animals and hinder conservation efforts, according to researchers.

Why many cells are better than one: Limited decision-making ability of individual cells is bolstered in masses Posted: 12 Oct 2011 01:13 PM PDT Researchers have quantified the number of possible decisions that an individual cell can make after receiving a cue from its environment, and surprisingly, it's only two.

Survival disparities in African-American and white colorectal cancer patients Posted: 12 Oct 2011 01:13 PM PDT African-American patients with resected stage II and stage III colon cancer experienced worse overall and recurrence-free survival compared to whites, but similar recurrence-free intervals, according to a new study.

Nearly one in four people with psoriasis may have undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis Posted: 12 Oct 2011 12:37 PM PDT New research shows one in four people with psoriasis may have undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis, in addition to the up to 2 million people already diagnosed with the disease. Also, there's a significant delay of diagnosis for psoriatic arthritis.

Feeding the world while protecting the planet: Global plan for sustainable agriculture Posted: 12 Oct 2011 12:17 PM PDT An international team of researchers from Canada, the US, Sweden and Germany has come up with a plan to double the world's food production while reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture.

Bacterial communication could affect Earth's climate, researchers discover Posted: 12 Oct 2011 12:17 PM PDT Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists have discovered that bacterial communication could have a significant impact on the planet's climate.

Education research shows LGBTQ-identified students at higher risk than straight-identified students Posted: 12 Oct 2011 12:15 PM PDT New research findings highlight differences between LGBTQ- and straight-identified youth in health outcomes and educational equity.

Vitamin D crucial in human immune response to tuberculosis, scientists find Posted: 12 Oct 2011 11:20 AM PDT A team of scientists has found that vitamin D plays an essential role in the body's fight against infections such as tuberculosis. Researchers found that the immune system could not be activated effectively to kill the bacteria causing tuberculosis without sufficient levels of vitamin D present. The finding may lead to a new treatment pathway for tuberculosis which is estimated to cause 1.8 million deaths annually.

Researchers make older beta cells act young again Posted: 12 Oct 2011 11:06 AM PDT Researchers have identified a pathway responsible for the age-related decline of insulin-producing beta cells, and have shown that they can tweak it to get older beta cells to act young again -- and start dividing.

Fuel and plastics production could be made more energy efficient and cost effective Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:27 AM PDT Researchers have overcome a major hurdle in the quest to design a specialized type of molecular sieve that could make the production of gasoline, plastics and various chemicals more cost effective and energy efficient.

Wet and mild: Researchers take the temperature of Mars' past Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:27 AM PDT Researchers have directly determined the surface temperature of early Mars for the first time, providing evidence that's consistent with a warmer and wetter Martian past.

Naked mole rat genome sequenced: San Antonio colony of long-lived rodents contributes to study Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT Sequencing the genome of the long-lived naked mole rat opens a "treasure trove" of information to scientists. An international team now reports the completed naked mole rat genome sequence.

Genome sequencing unlocks the mysteries of naked mole rat Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT An international team of researchers from Korea, China and the U.S. has, for the first time, demonstrated the physiology and longevity of the naked mole rats (NMR) in terms of genomics and transcriptomics. The results provide an excellent opportunity to better understand the unique traits of naked mole rats and advance its use in biological and biomedical studies.

'Dark matter' of the genome revealed through analysis of 29 mammals Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT An international team of researchers has discovered the vast majority of the so-called "dark matter" in the human genome, by means of a sweeping comparison of 29 mammalian genomes. The team has pinpointed the parts of the human genome that control when and where genes are turned on. This map is a critical step in interpreting the thousands of genetic changes that have been linked to human disease.

Researchers reconstruct genome of the Black Death; Bacteria found to be ancestor of all modern plagues Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT An international team has sequenced the entire genome of the Black Death, one of the most devastating epidemics in human history.

Self-replication process holds promise for production of new materials Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT Scientists have developed artificial structures that can self-replicate, a process that has the potential to yield new types of materials.

New molecular target for diabetes treatment discovered Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT Researchers have identified a key molecular pathway responsible for the natural decrease in the proliferation of insulin-producing cells that occurs as a person ages. Artificially activating this pathway, which is normally not functional in adults, may be a new way to combat diabetes.

Understanding the constraints of evolution provides roadmap to mammalian biology Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT Researchers produced a high-resolution genomic map of more than 3.5 million constrained elements that account for approximately four percent of the human genome. The researchers identified 3,788 candidate new exons with more than half of those existing outside of known protein-coding genes. They found possible functions for about 60 percent of the chemicals that make up DNA but the functional class of the remaining 40 percent remains unknown.

Clean correction of a patient's genetic mutation: New gene therapy methods accurately correct mutation in patient's stem cells Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:26 AM PDT For the first time, scientists have cleanly corrected a gene mutation in a patient's stem cells, bringing the possibility of patient-specific therapies closer to reality. The team targeted a mutation responsible for cirrhotic liver disease and lung emphysema. Using cutting-edge methods, they corrected the sequence of a patient's genome, removed all exogenous DNA and showed that the gene worked normally.

Significant breakthrough in study of chlamydia Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:14 AM PDT A breakthrough in the study of chlamydia genetics could open the way to new treatments and the development of a vaccine for this sexually transmitted disease. For decades research progress has been hampered because scientists have been prevented from fully understanding these bacteria as they have been unable to manipulate the genome of Chlamydia trachomatis.

Millions of new regulatory elements found in human genome Posted: 12 Oct 2011 10:14 AM PDT An international research team has mapped and compared the genomes of 29 mammals. The findings reveal millions of new regulatory elements in the human genome that in various ways govern how proteins are formed. The new knowledge is important for our understanding of how mutations in human genes give rise to diseases.

By reprogramming skin cells into brain cells, scientists gain new insights into mental disorders Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:42 AM PDT By reprogramming skin cells from patients with mental disorders, scientists are creating brain cells that are now providing extraordinary insights into afflictions like schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.

Transfusion not always best treatment for anemia, age of stored blood may play a role Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:42 AM PDT Researchers are suggesting that transfusion may not always be the best treatment for hospitalized patients with anemia.

Improving gene therapy for heart disease, cancer Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:41 AM PDT A new study could lead to improved gene therapies for conditions such as heart disease and cancer as well as more effective vaccines for tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases.

Sugar high for bees Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:41 AM PDT Mathematicians have found that efficient feeding depends on how sugary a flower's nectar is, and whether an animal dips or sucks the nectar out. The researchers found that animals such as bees, which probe with their tongues, are "viscous dippers," and are most efficient when feeding on more sugary, or viscous, nectar. Suction feeders, such as birds and butterflies that draw nectar up through tubes, do their best when sucking up thinner, less sugary nectar.

Folic acid supplements in early pregnancy may reduce the risk of severe language delay in children Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:41 AM PDT A new study finds that mothers who took folic acid supplements from four weeks before to eight weeks after conception reported a significantly lower prevalence of severe language delay in their children at age three.

Human development experts recommend tuning in to family, not devices Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:41 AM PDT Human development specialists say powering down digital devices is a vital step in maintaining family relationships and health.

Pain characteristics suggest higher benefit from gallbladder surgery Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:41 AM PDT Better understanding of a patient's abdominal pain could help physicians know which patients will benefit most from surgical removal of the gallbladder.

Possible trigger for volcanic 'super-eruptions' discovered Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:41 AM PDT The "super-eruption" of a major volcanic system occurs about every 100,000 years and is considered one of the most catastrophic natural events on Earth, yet scientists have long been unsure about what triggers these violent explosions. A new model points to a combination of temperature influence and the geometrical configuration of the magma chamber as a potential cause for these super-eruptions.

Violent games emotionally desensitizing, research suggests Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:40 AM PDT After excessively violent events, shoot 'em up games regularly come under scrutiny. In Norway, several first-person shooter games disappeared from the market for a while after the killings. Does intense fighting on a flat screen display also result in aggressive behavior in real life? Researchers have found brain activity patterns in heavy gamers that differed from those of non-gamers.

New pine breeding technique may help trees adapt to climate change Posted: 12 Oct 2011 09:40 AM PDT A breakthrough in pine tree breeding will help forests to adapt to climate change and bioenergy use. The technique can create new tree variants in half the time it take for current breeding methods and is expected to increase the security and competitiveness of the U.S. forestry industry.

Spreading like wildfire? Maybe not always: Research helps define fire standards to protect homes Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:38 AM PDT The US Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate is funding experimental fire research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to discover when and how quickly wildfire embers ignite fires in structures along the wildland urban interface, and what we can do to prevent it.

Spotty, strong convection seen in NASA imagery helps Irwin regain tropical storm status Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:38 AM PDT Tropical Storm Irwin almost appeared down for the count, but spotty areas of flaring convection provided a clue to forecasters that he wasn't ready to give up yet. The cloud top temperatures were measured by a NASA instrument at a frigid -112 Fahrenheit, indicating they're very high and powerful.

Researcher identifies autism employment resources, tips for people with autism spectrum disorders Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:37 AM PDT Preliminary employment studies indicate that the autism population may earn less and be employed at a lower rate compared to other people with disabilities. Now, an autism expert is identifying employment resources that are available for people with autism and steps employers can take to improve the workplace and hiring process for this population.

Clearing the 'cosmic fog' of the early universe: Massive stars may be responsible Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:37 AM PDT The space between the galaxies wasn't always transparent. In the earliest times, it was an opaque, dense fog. How it cleared is an important question in astronomy. New observational evidence shows how high energy light from massive stars could have been responsible.

Increase in U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits associated with healthier children, pediatricians find Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:36 AM PDT Pediatric researchers have found that higher benefit amounts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) protected the health and well-being of very young, low-income children during a period of great financial hardship for many families in America.

Tagging tumors with gold: Scientists use gold nanorods to flag brain tumors Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT When removing a brain tumor, even the slightest mistake could have serious health consequences. To help surgeons, researchers have proposed a way to harness the unique optical properties of gold nanoparticles to clearly distinguish a brain tumor from the healthy tissue that surrounds it.

Borrowing from brightly-colored birds: Physicists develop lasers inspired by nature Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT Researchers are studying how two types of nanoscale structures on the feathers of birds produce brilliant and distinctive colors. The researchers are hoping that by borrowing these nanoscale tricks from nature they will be able to produce new types of lasers--ones that can assemble themselves by natural processes.

Erasing history? Temporal cloaks adjust light's throttle to hide an event in time Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that it's possible to cloak a singular event in time, by sending a beam of light down an optical fiber and through a pair of "time lenses", creating a burst of light. They were able to create a small gap in the flow of light concealing that a burst of light ever occurred.

First practical scientific test to date and authenticate priceless silk masterpieces Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT Scientists are reporting development of the first fast and reliable scientific method to determine the age and authenticity of priceless silk tapestries and other treasures -- such as Civil War General Phillip Sheridan's famous red-and-white battle flag -- in museums and other collections around the world.

Potential new drugs plug brain's biological 'vacuum cleaner' and target HIV Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT In an advance toward eliminating pockets of infection in the brain that help make HIV disease incurable, scientists report the development of new substances that first plug the biological vacuum cleaner that prevents anti-HIV drugs from reaching the brain and then revert to an active drug to treat HIV. The advance promises to allow medications to cross the so-called "blood-brain barrier" and treat brain diseases.

New Saudi Arabias of solar energy: Himalaya Mountains, Andes, Antarctica Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT Mention prime geography for generation of solar energy, and people tend to think of hot deserts. But a new study concludes that some of the world's coldest landscapes -- including the Himalaya Mountains, the Andes, and even Antarctica -- could become Saudi Arabias of solar.

Scientists move closer to predicting who will and will not fight off severe infections Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:35 AM PDT Why are some people prone to severe infections, while others handle them with less difficulty? A new research report attempts to answer this question by shedding light on the genetic differences that influence our ability to fight off bacterial infections.

Smoking cigarettes simulates cystic fibrosis Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:33 AM PDT If you smoke cigarettes, you have more in common with someone who has cystic fibrosis than you think. A new research report shows that smoking cigarettes affects the lungs in a way that is very similar to cystic fibrosis, a life threatening disease affecting the lungs and other organs.

Scientists demonstrate the power of optical forces in blood cell identification Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:33 AM PDT Biological analysis systems that rely on labels can be costly, labor intensive, and depend upon prior knowledge of the target in question. Researchers have developed a system that can detect optical pressure differences between populations or classes of cells.

Preventing falls in people with Parkinson's disease Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:33 AM PDT A new study has analyzed the results of an exercise program to prevent falls in those with Parkinson's disease.

Kids with blocked tear ducts at higher risk for 'lazy eye' Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:29 AM PDT A recent study has found that children under the age of 3 with a nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO), or blocked tear duct, were at an increased risk for developing amblyopia. About 6% of children are born with blocked tear ducts.

Increasing cardiovascular disease in China: Urgent need for prevention Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:29 AM PDT At over 40%, the mortality rate due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in China is amongst the highest in the world and has been rightly described as an epidemic.

How watching TV and their relationship to Mom affects teenagers' sexual attitudes Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:29 AM PDT Can teenagers' relationship with their mother protect them from the negative effects that television has on their sexual attitudes? It depends on their gender, according to a new study.

Warning signs can prevent deer-vehicle collisions, Canadian study shows Posted: 12 Oct 2011 08:29 AM PDT Collisions between wild deer and vehicles not only hinder conservation efforts but pose a serious danger to drivers. In new research, Canadian scientists examined locations and time periods of high rates of deer vehicle collision to assess the effectiveness of warning signs to prevent fatalities.

Distant galaxies reveal the clearing of the cosmic fog; New VLT observations chart timeline of reionization Posted: 12 Oct 2011 05:36 AM PDT Scientists have used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope to probe the early Universe at several different times as it was becoming transparent to ultraviolet light. This brief but dramatic phase in cosmic history occurred around 13 billion years ago. By studying some of the most distant galaxies, the team has been able to establish a timeline for reionization for the first time. They have also demonstrated that this phase must have happened quicker than previously thought.

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