ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Spitzer Telescope observes baby brown dwarf

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has contributed to the discovery of the youngest brown dwarf ever observed -- a finding that, if confirmed, may solve an astronomical mystery about how these cosmic misfits are formed.

Factors from common human bacteria may trigger multiple sclerosis

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

New research suggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbate autoimmune disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease where the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord, affects nearly 1 in 700 people in the United States. Patients with multiple sclerosis have a variety of neurological symptoms, including muscle weakness, difficulty in moving, and difficulty in speech.

Is global warming unstoppable?

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

In a provocative new study, a scientist argues that rising carbon dioxide emissions -- the major cause of global warming -- cannot be stabilized unless the world's economy collapses or society builds the equivalent of one new nuclear power plant each day.

Ethnic Background May Be Associated With Diabetes Risk

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

Fat and muscle mass, as potentially determined by a person's ethnic background, may contribute to diabetes risk, according to a new study.

Rescuing male turkey chicks

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

A novel approach to classify the gender of six-week-old turkey poults could save millions of male chicks from being killed shortly after birth, according to researchers. Their use of infrared spectroscopy to determine the gender of young birds shows that it is a fast and accurate method.

Daycare may double TV time for young children, study finds

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

In a new study, the amount of television viewed by many young children in child care settings doubles the previous estimates of early childhood screen time, with those in home-based settings watching significantly more on average than those in center-based daycares.

Congo's 'mother lode' of gorillas remains vulnerable

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society says that western lowland gorillas living in a large swamp in the Republic of Congo -- part of the "mother lode" of more than 125,000 gorillas discovered last year -- are becoming increasingly threatened by growing humans activity in the region.

Medical imaging technique identifies very common condition in women that often goes undiagnosed

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

In women with lower urinary tract symptoms, a medical imaging technique called dynamic MRI allows clinicians to diagnose pelvic organ prolapse -- a condition that often goes undiagnosed on static MRI and at physical examination, according to a new study.

Visual assistance for cosmic blind spots

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Information field theory enables astronomers, medical practitioners and geologists to look into places where their measuring instruments are blind.

Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises Can Help Manage Urinary Incontinence In Older Women

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Researchers have found that a program of pelvic floor muscle exercises, combined with pelvic health education, can be an effective way to manage urinary incontinence in elderly women.

Straightening messy correlations with a quantum comb

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Scientists have shown how to delicately comb out a snarl of entanglements among many qubits while keeping the information intact.

Direct-to-consumer ads associated with higher Medicaid costs

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Direct-to-consumer advertising for a commonly prescribed antiplatelet drug does not appear associated with increased use, but may be associated with increased drug costs and Medicaid pharmacy expenditures, according to a new report.

Supervolcano eruption -- in Sumatra -- deforested India 73,000 years ago

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST

A new study provides "incontrovertible evidence" that the volcanic super-eruption of Toba on the island of Sumatra about 73,000 years ago deforested much of central India, some 3,000 miles from the epicenter, researchers report.

Vioxx trial data shows early cardiovascular risk

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST

Evidence of cardiovascular risks associated with taking Vioxx, the popular, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (rofecoxib), could have been identified nearly four years before its manufacturer, Merck & Co. Inc., voluntarily pulled the drug from the market.

Cassini sends back images of Saturn's moon Enceladus as winter nears

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has sailed seamlessly through the Nov. 21 flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus and started transmitting uncalibrated temperature data and images of the rippling terrain. These data and images will be processed and analyzed in the coming weeks. They will help scientists create the most-detailed-yet mosaic image of the southern part of the moon's Saturn-facing hemisphere and a contiguous thermal map of one of the intriguing "tiger stripe" features, with the highest resolution to date.

Mosquito Screens Found To Be Cheap And Effective In Malaria Prevention

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST

Trials of a screen-based malaria prevention programme in 500 homes in The Gambia, Africa, have led to a 50 per cent reduction in malaria transmission and anaemia in children. A child dies from malaria in Africa every 30 seconds and infection can lead to an increased risk of anaemia, which can also prove fatal. Yet to date, screens have often been ignored in favour of using drugs and insecticides.

Switchgrass produces biomass efficiently

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST

A new study concluded that 50 million US acres of cropland, idle cropland, and cropland pasture could be converted from current uses to the production of perennial grasses, such as switchgrass, from which biomass could be harvested for use as a biofuel feedstock. Economically viable production of a perennial grass monoculture from which substantial quantities of biomass are removed annually is expected to require nitrogen fertilizer.

Sedatives, mood-altering drugs related to falls among elderly: UBC study

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST

Falls among elderly people are significantly associated with several classes of drugs, including sedatives often prescribed as sleep aids and medications used to treat mood disorders, according to a new study.

New chameleon species discovered in East Africa

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST

A new species of chameleon has been discovered in a threatened forest in Tanzania. Researchers first spotted the animal while surveying monkeys in the Magombera Forest when they disturbed a twig snake eating one.

Beta-blockers can have helpful, or harmful, effect on heart

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST

In a new study, researchers report that a class of heart medications called beta-blockers can have a helpful, or harmful, effect on the heart, depending on their molecular activity.

Flax and yellow flowers can produce bioethanol

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST

Surplus biomass from the production of flax sheaves, and generated from Brassica carinata, a yellow-flowered plant related to those which engulf fields in spring, can be used to produce bioethanol.

Insecticide-treated Bed Nets Reduce Infant Deaths In Democratic Republic Of Congo, Study Finds

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST

Giving insecticide-treated bed nets to nearly 18,000 mothers at prenatal clinics in the Democratic Republic of Congo prevented an estimated 414 infant deaths from malaria, researchers conclude.

Insect resistance to Bt crops can be predicted, monitored and managed

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST

With Bt crop acreage increasing worldwide, incorporating enhanced understanding of observed patterns of field-evolved resistance into future resistance management strategies can help to minimize the drawbacks and maximize the benefits of current and future generations of transgenic crops.

Climate change could boost incidence of civil war in Africa

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST

Using historical data on the relationship between temperature and conflict in Africa, researchers have estimated the effect of rising temperatures due to global warming. They concluded that the incidence of African civil war could increase 55 percent by 2030, resulting in an additional 390,000 battle deaths if future wars are as deadly as recent ones.

Molecule discovered that makes obese people develop diabetes

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Many people who are overweight or obese develop insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes at some stage in their lives. Scientists have now discovered that obese people have large amounts of the molecule CXCL5, produced by certain cells in fatty tissue.

Involving family in medical rounds benefits both family and medical team

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Involving family members of pediatric cancer and hematology patients in medical rounds benefits both the family and the medical team, according to a new study.

High unexpressed anger in multiple sclerosis patients linked to nervous system damage, not disease severity

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) feel more than twice as much withheld anger as the general population, but expressed anger levels are similar. Researchers were surprised by the results from the 195 MS patients. They also found that elevated withheld anger levels were not related to the severity of the patients' MS. This suggests that these inconsistent changes were caused by nervous system damage, rather than an emotional reaction to the stress of the disease.

Polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids boost the birth of new neurons, study finds

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Researchers in Spain have confirmed that a diet rich in polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, patented as an LMN diet, helps boost the production of the brain's stem cells -- neurogenesis -- and strengthens their differentiation in different types of neuron cells. The research revealed that mice fed an LMN diet, when compared to those fed a control diet, have more cell proliferation in the two areas of the brain where neurogenesis is produced, the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus.

Obese patients' reaction to diet can be predicted, study finds

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

The presence of increased body fat, and therefore higher levels of inflammatory substances in the blood, hinders the loss and maintenance of body weight, as shown by new research from Spain.

MRSA on the rise in hospital outpatients, new study finds; Seven-fold increase in potentially lethal superbug

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

The community-associated strain of the deadly superbug MRSA -- an infection-causing bacteria resistant to most common antibiotics -- poses a far greater health threat than previously known and is making its way into hospitals, according to a new study.

Metobolomics uncovers key indicators of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

A recent metobolomics study found that impaired peroxisomal oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids is associated with the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The study also found significantly higher plasma monounsaturated fatty acids in the blood of patients with NAFL and NASH.

Alarming trend: Antiviral therapy to treat hepatitis C is declining in the US

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Researchers have determined that only 663,000 of the approximately 3.9 million Americans with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection received antiviral therapy between 2002 and 2007. If this disturbing trend continues, by 2030 less than 15 percent of liver-related deaths from HCV will be prevented by antiviral therapy.

New tool for helping pediatric heart surgery

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

A team of researchers has developed a way to simulate blood flow on the computer to optimize surgical designs. It is the basis of a new tool that may help surgeons plan for a life-saving operation called the "Fontan" surgery, which is performed on babies born with severe congenital heart defects.

Common plastics chemicals -- phthalates -- linked to ADHD symptoms

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

Phthalates are important components of many consumer products, including toys, cleaning materials, plastics, and personal care items. Studies to date on phthalates have been inconsistent, with some linking exposure to these chemicals to hormone disruptions, birth defects, asthma and reproductive problems, while others have found no significant association between exposure and adverse effects.

Gene mismatch influences success of bone marrow transplants

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, researchers report. When the gene, called UGT2B17, is missing from the donor's genome but present in the recipient's, transplants have a significantly greater risk of a serious side-effect known as graft-versus-host disease, in which immune cells from the donor attack tissues in the recipient.

International expedition investigates climate change, alternative fuels in Arctic

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

Biogeochemistry and geology and geophysics scientists have returned from Arctic expedition exploring methane hydrate deposits in the Beaufort Sea and spatial variation of sediment contribution to Arctic climate change.

Climate variability and dengue incidence

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

New research demonstrates associations between local rainfall and temperature and cases of dengue fever.

New method to measure snow, vegetation moisture with GPS may benefit farmers, meteorologists

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

Scientists have found a clever way to use traditional GPS satellite signals to measure snow depth as well as soil and vegetation moisture, a technique expected to benefit meteorologists, water resource managers, climate modelers and farmers.

Alcohol in pregnancy linked to child behavior problems

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST

A new study has found evidence that the amount and timing of alcohol consumption in pregnancy affects child behavior in different ways.

Spiral galaxies: Exploring the baffling boxy bulge

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

Just as many people are surprised to find themselves packing on unexplained weight around the middle, astronomers find the evolution of bulges in the centers of spiral galaxies puzzling. A recent NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 4710 is part of a survey that astronomers have conducted to learn more about the formation of bulges, which are a substantial component of most spiral galaxies.

New research shows versatility of amniotic fluid stem cells

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that stem cells found in amniotic fluid meet an important test of potential to become specialized cell types, which suggests they may be useful for treating a wider array of diseases and conditions than scientists originally thought.

Two circulating beams bring first collisions in Large Hadron Collider

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

The Large Hadron Collider -- the world's most powerful particle accelerator -- circulated two beams simultaneously for the first time on Nov. 23, allowing the operators to test the synchronization of the beams and giving the experiments their first chance to look for proton-proton collisions.

Paradoxical Protein Might Prevent Cancer

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

One difficulty with fighting cancer cells is that they are similar in many respects to the body's stem cells. By focusing on the differences, researchers have found a new way of tackling colon cancer.

Predicting the fate of underground carbon

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

Scientists have developed a new modeling methodology for determining the capacity and assessing the risks of leakage of potential underground carbon-dioxide reservoirs.

Burned out, depressed surgeons more likely to commit more major medical errors

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

Surgeons who are burned out or depressed are more likely to say they had recently committed a major error on the job, according to the largest study to date on physician burnout. The new findings suggest that the mental well-being of the surgeon is associated with a higher rate of self-reported medical errors, something that may undermine patient safety more than the fatigue that is often blamed for many of the medical mistakes.

New wound dressing, full of antibiotics, dissolves when wound has healed

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Scientists have developed a new wound dressing, based on innovative fibers that can be loaded with antibiotics, then dissolve when the healing process is completed.

Multiple sclerosis is more aggressive in children but slower to cause disability than in adults

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Magnetic resonance images of patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in childhood show that pediatric onset multiple sclerosis is more aggressive, and causes more brain lesions, than MS diagnosed in adulthood, researchers have reported.

Analyzing structural brain changes in Alzheimer's disease

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

In a study that promises to improve diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease, scientists have developed a fast and accurate method for quantifying subtle, sub-regional brain volume loss using magnetic resonance imaging.