ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Monday, August 29, 2011 ~ Technology

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Monday, August 29, 2011

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Arabidopsis: Thanks to its flexible genome, the plant can adapt to various environmental conditions (August 28, 2011) -- The plant Arabidopsis thaliana is found throughout the entire northern hemisphere. But how does this small, inconspicuous plant deal with all these different extremes of environmental conditions? In order to discover the whole-genome sequence variation, the 1001 Genomes Project was launched in 2008. Researchers have now found that the Arabidopsis plant can adapt to various environmental conditions because of a very flexible genome. ... > full story

Genetic link to mesothelioma discovered (August 28, 2011) -- Scientists have found that individuals who carry a mutation in a gene called BAP1 are susceptible to developing two forms of cancer -- mesothelioma, and melanoma of the eye. Additionally, when these individuals are exposed to asbestos or similar mineral fibers, their risk of developing mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the lining of the chest and abdomen, is markedly increased. ... > full story

Cassini closes in on Saturn's tumbling moon Hyperion (August 28, 2011) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured new views of Saturn's oddly shaped moon Hyperion during its encounter with a cratered body on Aug. 25. Raw images were acquired as the spacecraft flew past the moon at a distance of about 15,500 miles (25,000 kilometers), making this the second closest encounter. ... > full story

In cell culture, like real estate, the neighborhood matters (August 28, 2011) -- Ever since scientists first began growing human cells in lab dishes in 1952, they have focused on improving the chemical soup that feeds the cells and helps regulate their growth. But surfaces also matter, research shows. ... > full story

NASA satellite shows a mean Irene's fury (August 28, 2011) -- After pounding North Carolina and Virginia on Aug. 27, Hurricane Irene made a second landfall near Little Egg Inlet, N.J., early Sunday morning, Aug. 28, still as a category one hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kilometers per hour). It then weakened slightly before making a third landfall over Coney Island, N.Y. as a 65-mph (100-kilometer-per-hour) tropical storm. Irene's heavy rains, winds and storm surge are causing widespread problems throughout the U.S. mid-Atlantic and Northeast. ... > full story

Research from Everest: Can leucine help burn fat and spare muscle tissue during exercise? (August 28, 2011) -- Research on Mt. Everest climbers is adding to the evidence that an amino acid called leucine -- found in foods, dietary supplements, energy bars and other products -- may help people burn fat during periods of food restriction, such as climbing at high altitude, while keeping their muscle tissue. ... > full story

Peculiar pair of galaxies nicknamed 'The Eyes' (August 28, 2011) -- The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope has taken a striking image of a beautiful yet peculiar pair of galaxies nicknamed The Eyes. The larger of these, NGC 4438, was once a spiral galaxy but has become badly deformed by collisions with other galaxies in the last few hundred million years. ... > full story

Eradicating dangerous bacteria may cause permanent harm (August 28, 2011) -- In the zeal to eliminate dangerous bacteria, it is possible that we are also permanently killing off beneficial bacteria as well, an expert warns. ... > full story

Rare immune cell is asset and liability in fighting infection (August 28, 2011) -- The same trait that makes a rare immune cell invaluable in fighting some infections also can be exploited by other diseases to cause harm, two new studies show. ... > full story

Cholera pandemic's source discovered (August 28, 2011) -- Researchers have used next generation sequencing to trace the source and explain the spread of the latest cholera pandemic. Their work reveals that the current pandemic can be traced back to an ancestor organism that appeared 40 years ago in the Bay of Bengal. From this ancestor, cholera has spread repeatedly to different parts of the world in multiple waves. The team also show antibiotic resistance was first acquired around 1982. ... > full story

Beyond smart phones: Sensor network to make 'smart cities' envisioned (August 28, 2011) -- Thanks to numerous sensors, smartphones make it easy for their owners to organize certain parts of their lives. However, that is just the beginning. Researchers envision entire "smart" cities, where all devices present within municipal areas are intelligently linked to one another. ... > full story

Labor of love: Physically active moms-to-be give babies a head start on heart health (August 28, 2011) -- For those pregnant women out there who might not be feeling all that motivated, or anything but energized, new research could tip the scales: It turns out that exercising during pregnancy might be the earliest intervention strategy available to you for improving your child's heart health after birth. ... > full story

Genome of mesopolyploid crop Brassica rapa sheds new light on the study of genome evolution (August 28, 2011) -- An international team of researchers comprising the Brassica rapa Genome Sequencing Project Consortium has completed the genome sequence and analysis of the mesopolyploid crop B. rapa, a Chinese cabbage. ... > full story

Prevention gaps in 17 low, middle and high income countries involving over 150,000 people (August 28, 2011) -- There is great under-use of proven therapies for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, according to results presented from the PURE (Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological) study. ... > full story

Prospective evaluation of post-prandial triglycerides and cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease (August 28, 2011) -- The Homburg Cream and Sugar (HCS) study was designed to determine whether the measurement of postprandial triglyceride in addition to the assessment of glucose tolerance and traditional risk factors might improve the prediction of cardiovascular events. ... > full story

Efficacy and safety of apixaban compared to warfarin for prevention of stroke and systemic embolism (August 28, 2011) -- A large-scale trial finds that apixaban, a new anticoagulant drug, is superior to the standard drug warfarin for preventing stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. Moreover, apixaban results in substantially less bleeding, and also results in lower mortality. The benefits of apixaban are consistent irrespective of how well warfarin is used at different centers, as measure by "time in therapeutic range." ... > full story

Worse postoperative outcomes for critically ill patients bridged to urgent heart transplantation with VADs than with conventional therapy, study suggests (August 28, 2011) -- Postoperative outcomes of severe heart failure patients bridged with short-term VADs to urgent (~ status UNOS 1A) heart transplantation are significantly worse than those of patients bridged with conventional support, recent data suggest. ... > full story

Possible biological control discovered for pathogen devastating amphibians (August 27, 2011) -- Zoologists have discovered that a freshwater species of zooplankton will eat a fungal pathogen which is devastating amphibian populations around the world. It could provide a desperately needed tool for biological control of this deadly fungus. ... > full story

Could a tumor suppressor also fight obesity? Research reveals hormone receptor GCC's role in appetite (August 27, 2011) -- The hormone receptor guanylyl cyclase C (GCC) has been established as a suppressor of colorectal cancer tumors, but new evidence suggests it may also help fight one of the country's biggest pandemics: obesity. ... > full story

Atomic clock with the world's best long-term accuracy is revealed after evaluation (August 27, 2011) -- A clock in the UK is the most accurate long-term timekeeper in the world, reveals a new study. ... > full story

Novel control of Dengue fever (August 27, 2011) -- The spread of Dengue fever in northern Australia may be controlled by a bacterium that infects mosquitoes that harbor the virus, researchers report. ... > full story

Molecular chaperones traffic signaling proteins between cells in plant stem-cell maintenance pathway (August 27, 2011) -- Plant biologists have discovered that proteins called chaperonins are an indispensable factor in making possible cell-to-cell trafficking of signals that maintain stem cells and enable plants to grow. ... > full story

First glimpse into birth of the Milky Way (August 27, 2011) -- For almost 20 years astrophysicists have been trying to recreate the formation of spiral galaxies such as our Milky Way realistically. Now astrophysicists and astronomers present the world's first realistic simulation of the formation of our home galaxy. The new results show that there had to be stars on the outer edge of the Milky Way. ... > full story

Wide gap in immune responses of people exposed to the flu (August 27, 2011) -- Why do some folks who take every precaution still get the flu, while others never even get the sniffles? It comes down to a person's immune system response to the flu virus, according to new research. In one of the first known studies of its kind, researchers used genomics to begin to unravel what in our complex genomic data accounts for why some get sick while others don't. ... > full story

Florida's reefs cannot endure a 'cold snap' (August 27, 2011) -- Florida's corals dropped in numbers due to unseasonably cold weather conditions in 2010. The chilly January temperatures caused the most catastrophic loss of corals within the Florida Reef Tract, which spans 160 miles (260 kilometers) from Miami to the Dry Tortugas and is the only living barrier reef in the continental U.S. ... > full story

Greater impact of chemotherapy on fertility (August 27, 2011) -- Current estimates of the impact of chemotherapy on women's reproductive health are too low, according to a new study. The researchers say their analysis of the age-specific, long-term effects of chemotherapy provides new insights that will help patients and clinicians make more informed decisions about future reproductive options, such as egg harvesting. ... > full story

Summer drought limits the positive effects of CO<sub>2</sub> and heat on plant growth in future climate (August 27, 2011) -- Summer drought limits the positive effects of carbon dioxide and heat on plant growth in future climate. Although the rain this summer has been pouring down over Denmark, most scientists agree that global temperature increases will intensify periods with summer drought already in 2075. ... > full story

Building a better antipsychotic drug by treating schizophrenia's cause: How drugs act on dopamine-producing neurons (August 27, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered that antipsychotic drugs work akin to a Rube Goldberg machine -- that is, they suppress something that in turn suppresses the bad effects of schizophrenia, but not the exact cause itself. In a new paper, they say that pinpointing what's actually causing the problem could lead to better avenues of schizophrenia treatment that more directly and efficiently target the disease. ... > full story

Could new drug cure nearly any viral infection? Technology shows promise against common cold, influenza and other ailments, researchers say (August 26, 2011) -- Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, discovered decades ago. However, such drugs are useless against viral infections, including influenza, the common cold, and deadly hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola. Now, in a development that could transform how viral infections are treated, a team of researchers has designed a drug that can identify cells that have been infected by any type of virus, then kill those cells to terminate the infection. ... > full story

T-cell discovery holds promise for organ transplant and immunodeficiency treatment (August 26, 2011) -- Researchers have identified the calcium channel responsible for the activation of T-cells, one of the key elements of the immune system. ... > full story

Cars could run on recycled newspaper, scientists say (August 26, 2011) -- Here's one way that old-fashioned newsprint beats the Internet. Scientists have discovered a novel bacterial strain, dubbed "TU-103," that can use paper to produce butanol, a biofuel that can serve as a substitute for gasoline. They are currently experimenting with old editions of the Times Picayune, New Orleans' venerable daily newspaper, with great success. ... > full story

Omega-3s reduce stroke severity, study suggests (August 26, 2011) -- A diet rich in omega-3s reduces the severity of brain damage after a stroke, according to a new study. Researches have shown that the extent of brain damage following a stroke was reduced by 25 percent in mice that consumed DHA type omega-3s daily. ... > full story

Adapting to climate change with floating houses? (August 26, 2011) -- Climate change is redefining the rules by which we live and at a pace we never expected. Because of rising sea level, several areas of the globe are in danger of vanishing from the map, disappearing under water. Society must adapt and maybe, one day, live in floating houses in floating cities. ... > full story

Feeding the five thousand -- or was it three? Researchers claim most crowd estimations are unreliable (August 26, 2011) -- The public should view crowd estimation with skepticism, say the authors of a new study, as they suggest more reliable alternatives to current estimating methods. ... > full story

Exotic galaxy reveals tantalizing tale (August 26, 2011) -- A galaxy with a combination of characteristics never seen before is giving astronomers a tantalizing peek at processes they believe played key roles in the growth of galaxies and clusters of galaxies early in the history of the Universe. The galaxy, dubbed Speca by the team of researchers, is only the second spiral, as opposed to elliptical, galaxy known to produce large, powerful jets of subatomic particles moving at nearly the speed of light. It also is one of only two galaxies to show that such activity occurred in three separate episodes. ... > full story

Life expectancy success story (August 26, 2011) -- Increases in life expectancy, due to better quality of life and better health care, can be patchy, with the gap between rich and poor getting bigger as time goes on. However, a new report finds that the life expectancy for people living in deprived areas in Campinas, Brazil, is catching up, rising at three times the rate of people living in more affluent areas. ... > full story

Uncovering the spread of deadly cancer: New imaging device enables scientists to see tumor cells traveling in the brain (August 26, 2011) -- For the first time, scientists can see pathways to stop a deadly brain cancer in its tracks. Researchers have imaged individual cancer cells and the routes they travel as the tumor spreads. ... > full story

Breakthrough in genetics of fibroids (August 26, 2011) -- Uterine leiomyomas, also called fibroids, cause a very significant burden to women's health. Researchers have set out to study the genetic structure of fibroids by determining the sequence of all the human genes, in a series of 18 tumors. The study revealed very specific mutations in a gene called MED12, in as many of 70 percent of the studied tumors. ... > full story

Biological communities studied at historical WWII shipwrecks along North Carolina (August 26, 2011) -- In the waters off the North Carolina coast, historically-significant World War II submarines and shipwrecks rest on the seafloor, a testament to a relatively unknown chapter in US history. According to a new report, the shipwrecks are not only important for their cultural value, but also as habitat for a wide diversity of fishes, invertebrates and algal species. Additionally, due to their unique location within an important area for biological productivity, the shipwrecks are potential sites for examining community change. ... > full story

New score can tell doctors how long cancer patients have left to live (August 26, 2011) -- A new scoring system can more reliably predict whether patients with advanced cancer are likely to survive for "days", "weeks" or "months", a new study finds. ... > full story

New depiction of light could boost telecommunications channels (August 26, 2011) -- Physicists have presented a new way to map spiraling light that could help harness untapped data channels in optical fibers. Increased bandwidth would ease the burden on fiber-optic telecommunications networks taxed by an ever-growing demand for audio, video and digital media. The new model could even spur enhancements in quantum computing and other applications. ... > full story

Protein linked to Parkinson's disease may regulate fat metabolism (August 26, 2011) -- Researchers have found that Parkin, an important protein linked with some cases of early-onset Parkinson's disease, regulates how cells in our bodies take up and process dietary fats. ... > full story

New X-ray technique for electronic structures: Ability to probe deep below material surfaces should be boon for nanoscale devices (August 26, 2011) -- Researchers have led the development of a technique called HARPES, for Hard X-ray Angle-Resolved PhotoEmission Spectroscopy, that enables the study of electronic structures deep below material surfaces, including the buried layers and interfaces in nanoscale devices. This could pave the way for smaller logic elements in electronics, novel memory architectures in spintronics, and more efficient energy conversion in photovoltaic cells. ... > full story

Mathematical model predicts weight with varying diet, exercise changes; Findings challenge one-size-fits-all weight assumptions (August 26, 2011) -- Researchers have created a mathematical model -- and an accompanying online weight simulation tool -- of what happens when people of varying weights, diets and exercise habits try to change their weight. The findings challenge the commonly held belief that eating 3,500 fewer calories -- or burning them off exercising -- will always result in a pound of weight loss. ... > full story

Heat in chili peppers can ease sinus problems, research shows (August 26, 2011) -- Hot chili peppers are known to make people "tear up," but a new study found that a nasal spray containing an ingredient derived from hot chili peppers may help people "clear up" certain types of sinus inflammation. ... > full story

What determines a company's performance? Shape of the CEO's face! (August 26, 2011) -- Believe it or not, one thing that predicts how well a CEO's company performs is the width of the CEO's face. CEOs with wider faces have better-performing companies than CEOs with long faces. ... > full story

Earth-bound asteroids come from stony asteroids, new studies confirm (August 26, 2011) -- Researchers got their first up-close look at dust from the surface of a small, stony asteroid after the Hayabusa spacecraft scooped some up and brought it back to Earth. Analysis of these dust particles confirms a long-standing suspicion: that the most common meteorites found here on Earth, known as ordinary chondrites, are born from these stony, or S-type, asteroids. ... > full story

Natural Alzheimer's-fighting compound created inexpensively in lab (August 26, 2011) -- Scientists have developed the first practical method to create a compound called huperzine A in the lab. The compound, which occurs naturally in a species of moss found in China, is an enzyme inhibitor that has been used to treat Alzheimer's disease in China since the late 1990s and is sold in the US as a dietary supplement to help maintain memory. ... > full story

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