ScienceDaily: Top News

---

• Molecular mechanism links temperature with sex determination in some fish species
• Brain's connective cells are much more than glue: Glia cells also regulate learning and memory
• Before sounding an alarm, chimps consider information available to their audience
• Nanotechnology: The art of molecular carpet-weaving
• Debris scatters in the Pacific Ocean, possibly heading to US
• New clues as to why some older people may be losing their memory
• Alzheimer's: Diet patterns may keep brain from shrinking
• Targeted therapy extends progression-free survival of patients with advanced ovarian cancer
• Great apes make sophisticated decisions
• Helping wild horses and livestock survive extreme weather in Gobi desert
• Pendant found at Irikaitz archaeological site in Spain may be 25,000 years old
• New synthetic molecules treat autoimmune disease in mice
• Are superluminal neutrinos possible? Pions don't want to decay into faster-than-light neutrinos, study finds
• Genetic cause of thyroid cancer discovered
• Cell membrane proteins could provide targets for broader vaccines
• DNA mismatch repair happens only during a brief window of opportunity

Molecular mechanism links temperature with sex determination in some fish species Posted: 29 Dec 2011 05:30 PM PST Researchers have found the epigenetic mechanism that links temperature and gonadal sex in fish. High temperature increases DNA methylation of the gonadal aromatase promoter in females.

Brain's connective cells are much more than glue: Glia cells also regulate learning and memory Posted: 29 Dec 2011 10:13 AM PST New research indicates that glia cells are "the brain's supervisors." By regulating the synapses, they control the transfer of information between neurons, affecting how the brain processes information. This new finding could be critical for technologies based on brain networks, as well as provide a new avenue for research into disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.

Before sounding an alarm, chimps consider information available to their audience Posted: 29 Dec 2011 10:12 AM PST Wild chimpanzees monitor the information available to other chimpanzees and inform their ignorant group members of danger.

Nanotechnology: The art of molecular carpet-weaving Posted: 29 Dec 2011 08:22 AM PST Stable two-dimensional networks of organic molecules are important components in various nanotechnology processes. However, producing these networks, which are only one atom thick, in high quality and with the greatest possible stability currently still poses a great challenge. Scientists have now successfully created just such networks made of boron acid molecules.

Debris scatters in the Pacific Ocean, possibly heading to US Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:20 AM PST Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March could reach the United States as early as this winter, according to new predictions. However, they warn there is still a large amount of uncertainty over exactly what is still floating, where it's located, where it will go, and when it will arrive. Responders now have a challenging, if not impossible situation on their hands: How do you deal with debris that could now impact US shores, but is difficult to find?

New clues as to why some older people may be losing their memory Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:20 AM PST New research links 'silent strokes,' or small spots of dead brain cells, found in about one out of four older adults to memory loss in the elderly.

Alzheimer's: Diet patterns may keep brain from shrinking Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:20 AM PST People with diets high in several vitamins or in omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's disease than people whose diets are not high in those nutrients, according to a new study.

Targeted therapy extends progression-free survival of patients with advanced ovarian cancer Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:18 AM PST Targeted drugs, which block or disrupt particular molecules involved in the growth of tumors, have been shown to be effective treatments against many types of cancer. A new Phase 3 clinical trial has shown that a targeted therapy called bevacizumab (Avastin) effectively delayed the progression of advanced ovarian cancer. Patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer now typically undergo surgery and chemotherapy, but the new research suggests an additional avenue of treatment.

Great apes make sophisticated decisions Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:16 AM PST Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans make decisions carefully. Great apes weigh their chances of success, based on what they know and the likelihood to succeed when guessing.

Helping wild horses and livestock survive extreme weather in Gobi desert Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:16 AM PST Winters in the Gobi desert are usually long and very cold but the winter of 2009/2010 was particularly severe, a condition Mongolians refer to as "dzud". Millions of livestock died in Mongolia and the re-introduced wild Przewalski's horse population crashed dramatically. Researchers have used spatially explicit loss statistics, ranger survey data and GPS telemetry to provide insights into the effect of a catastrophic climate event on wild horses, wild asses and livestock that share the same habitat but show different patterns of spatial use.

Pendant found at Irikaitz archaeological site in Spain may be 25,000 years old Posted: 27 Dec 2011 06:29 AM PST The recent discovery of a pendant at the Irikaitz archaeological site in Zestoa (in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa in Spain) has given rise to intense debate: it may be as old as 25,000 years, which would make it the oldest found to date at open-air excavations throughout the whole of the Iberian Peninsula. This stone is nine centimeters long and has a hole for hanging it from the neck although it would seem that, apart from being adornment, it was used to sharpen tools.

New synthetic molecules treat autoimmune disease in mice Posted: 25 Dec 2011 11:43 AM PST Weizmann Institute scientists "trick" the body into blocking an enzyme that is active in autoimmune disease and cancer.

Are superluminal neutrinos possible? Pions don't want to decay into faster-than-light neutrinos, study finds Posted: 23 Dec 2011 08:41 AM PST Physicists have put their finger on a problem with the now-famous OPERA experiment that reported faster-than-light, or superluminal neutrinos. They raise theoretical considerations that would make the creation of superluminal neutrinos impossible.

Genetic cause of thyroid cancer discovered Posted: 23 Dec 2011 07:19 AM PST Researchers have discovered three genes that increase the risk of thyroid cancer, which is has the largest incidence increase in cancers among both men and women.

Cell membrane proteins could provide targets for broader vaccines Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:20 PM PST Vaccines with broader reach might be made by stimulating specialized immune cells to recognize foreign cell membrane proteins that are shared across bacterial species, say researchers. The approach could be particularly beneficial in preventing infection by multi-drug resistant organisms.

DNA mismatch repair happens only during a brief window of opportunity Posted: 22 Dec 2011 11:24 AM PST In eukaryotes-the group of organisms that include humans –- a key to survival is the ability of certain proteins to quickly and accurately repair genetic errors that occur when DNA is replicated to make new cells. Researchers have solved part of the mystery of how these proteins do their job, a process called DNA mismatch repair.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610