ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Scientists create potent molecules aimed at treating muscular dystrophy
• Phobia's effect on perception of feared object allows fear to persist
• Low levels of fallout from Fukushima, U.S. study finds
• Is there a general motivation center in the depths of the brain?
• Faster way to catch cells: New microfluidic device could be used to diagnose and monitor cancer and other diseases
• 'Miracle material' graphene is thinnest known anti-corrosion coating
• New way to tap largest remaining treasure trove of potential new antibiotics
• Birds sing louder amidst the noise and structures of the urban jungle
• Exposure to micronutrients pre-pregnancy associated with gene modifications in offspring
• Heart beats to the rhythm of a circadian clock
• World of Warcraft boosts cognitive functioning in older adults
• How cancer cells change once they spread to distant organs
• What can animals' survival instincts tell us about understanding human emotion?
• NASA's Spitzer finds solid buckyballs in space
• Earth's clouds are getting lower, NASA satellite finds
• From Bass Strait to the Indian Ocean: Tracking a current
• Tiny, implantable medical device can propel itself through bloodstream
• New twist on nanowires: Technology can control composition and structure of these tiny wires as they grow
• Newly identified oral bacterium linked to heart disease and meningitis
• Fried food risks: Toxic aldehydes detected in reheated oil
• Off switch for pain? Chemists build light-controlled neural inhibitor
• Fake drug sales are increasing on the Internet and turning up in legitimate supply chains, review finds
• Recharge your cell phone with a touch? New nanotechnology converts body heat into power

Scientists create potent molecules aimed at treating muscular dystrophy Posted: 22 Feb 2012 05:43 PM PST While RNA is an appealing drug target, small molecules that can actually affect its function have rarely been found. But now scientists have for the first time designed a series of small molecules that act against an RNA defect directly responsible for the most common form of adult-onset muscular dystrophy.

Phobia's effect on perception of feared object allows fear to persist Posted: 22 Feb 2012 05:42 PM PST The more afraid a person is of a spider, the bigger that individual perceives the spider to be, new research suggests.

Low levels of fallout from Fukushima, U.S. study finds Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:37 AM PST Fallout from the 2011 Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power facility in Japan was measured in minimal amounts in precipitation in the United States in about 20 percent of 167 sites sampled in a nationwide U.S. study.

Is there a general motivation center in the depths of the brain? Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:34 AM PST Researchers have identified the part of the brain driving motivation during actions that combine physical and mental effort: the ventral striatum.

Faster way to catch cells: New microfluidic device could be used to diagnose and monitor cancer and other diseases Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:31 AM PST Separating complex mixtures of cells, such as those found in a blood sample, can offer valuable information for diagnosing and treating disease. However, it may be necessary to search through billions of other cells to collect rare cells such as tumor cells, stem cells or fetal cells. Researchers have now demonstrated a new microfluidic device that can isolate target cells much faster than existing devices. Such technology could be used in applications such as point-of-care diagnostics and personalized medicine.

'Miracle material' graphene is thinnest known anti-corrosion coating Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:31 AM PST New research has established the "miracle material" called graphene as the world's thinnest known coating for protecting metals against corrosion.

New way to tap largest remaining treasure trove of potential new antibiotics Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:29 AM PST Scientists are reporting use of a new technology for sifting through the world's largest remaining pool of potential antibiotics to discover two new antibiotics that work against deadly resistant microbes, including the "superbugs" known as MRSA.

Birds sing louder amidst the noise and structures of the urban jungle Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:29 AM PST Sparrows, blackbirds and the great tit are all birds known to sing at a higher pitch in urban environments. It was previously believed that these birds sang at higher frequencies in order to escape the lower frequencies noises of the urban environment. Now, researchers have discovered that besides noise, the physical structure of cities also plays a role in altering the birds' songs.

Exposure to micronutrients pre-pregnancy associated with gene modifications in offspring Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:27 AM PST The offspring of women who were given micronutrient supplements (minerals needed in small quantities, such as iron, iodine and vitamin A) before they became pregnant had gene modifications at birth as well as when they were tested at nine months.

Heart beats to the rhythm of a circadian clock Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:25 AM PST Sudden cardiac death -- catastrophic and unexpected fatal heart stoppage -- is more likely to occur shortly after waking in the morning and in the late night. In a new study, an international consortium of researchers explains the molecular linkage between the circadian clock and the deadly heart rhythms that lead to sudden death.

World of Warcraft boosts cognitive functioning in older adults Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:22 AM PST For some older adults, the online video game World of Warcraft (WoW) may provide more than an opportunity for escapist adventure. Researchers have found that playing WoW boosted cognitive functioning for older adults – particularly those who had scored poorly on cognitive ability tests before playing the game.

How cancer cells change once they spread to distant organs Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:21 AM PST Oncologists have known that in order for cancer cells to spread, they must transform themselves so they can detach from a tumor and spread to a distant organ. Now, scientists have revealed critical steps in what happens next -- how these cells reverse the process, morphing back into classical cancer that can now grow into a new tumor.

What can animals' survival instincts tell us about understanding human emotion? Posted: 22 Feb 2012 10:21 AM PST Can animals' survival instincts shed additional light on what we know about human emotion? Neuroscientists pose this question in outlining a pioneering theory, drawn from two decades of research, that could lead to a more comprehensive understanding of emotions in both humans and animals.

NASA's Spitzer finds solid buckyballs in space Posted: 22 Feb 2012 08:45 AM PST Astronomers using data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have, for the first time, discovered buckyballs in a solid form in space. Prior to this discovery, the microscopic carbon spheres had been found only in gas form in the cosmos.

Earth's clouds are getting lower, NASA satellite finds Posted: 22 Feb 2012 08:43 AM PST Earth's clouds got a little lower -- about one percent on average -- during the first decade of this century, finds a new NASA-funded university study based on NASA satellite data. The results have potential implications for future global climate.

From Bass Strait to the Indian Ocean: Tracking a current Posted: 22 Feb 2012 06:42 AM PST Deep-diving ocean "gliders" have revealed the journey of Bass Strait water from the Tasman Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Tiny, implantable medical device can propel itself through bloodstream Posted: 22 Feb 2012 06:42 AM PST For 50 years, scientists had searched for the secret to making tiny implantable devices that could travel through the bloodstream. Engineers have now demonstrated a wirelessly powered device that just may make the dream a reality.

New twist on nanowires: Technology can control composition and structure of these tiny wires as they grow Posted: 22 Feb 2012 06:42 AM PST Nanowires -- microscopic fibers that can be "grown" in the lab -- are a hot research topic today, with a variety of potential applications including light-emitting diodes and sensors. Now, researchers has found a way of precisely controlling the width and composition of these tiny strands as they grow, making it possible to grow complex structures that are optimally designed for particular applications.

Newly identified oral bacterium linked to heart disease and meningitis Posted: 22 Feb 2012 06:39 AM PST A novel bacterium, thought to be a common inhabitant of the oral cavity, has the potential to cause serious disease if it enters the bloodstream, according to a new study.

Fried food risks: Toxic aldehydes detected in reheated oil Posted: 22 Feb 2012 06:35 AM PST Researchers have been the first to discover the presence of certain aldehydes in food, which are believed to be related to some neurodegenerative diseases and some types of cancer. These toxic compounds can be found in some oils, such as sunflower oil, when heated at a suitable temperature for frying.

Off switch for pain? Chemists build light-controlled neural inhibitor Posted: 22 Feb 2012 06:35 AM PST Pain? Just turn it off! It may sound like science fiction, but researchers have now succeeded in inhibiting pain-sensitive neurons on demand, in the laboratory. The crucial element in their strategy is a chemical sensor that acts as a light-sensitive switch.

Fake drug sales are increasing on the Internet and turning up in legitimate supply chains, review finds Posted: 22 Feb 2012 06:35 AM PST Criminal gangs are increasingly using the internet to market life-threatening counterfeit medicines and some have even turned up in legitimate outlets such as pharmacies, according to a newly published review.

Recharge your cell phone with a touch? New nanotechnology converts body heat into power Posted: 22 Feb 2012 06:29 AM PST Never get stranded with a dead cell phone again. A promising new technology called Power Felt, a thermoelectric device that converts body heat into an electrical current, soon could create enough juice to make another call simply by touching it.

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