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ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Thursday, July 24, 2008

Welcome to another edition of ScienceDaily’s email newsletter.

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Human Visual System Could Make Powerful Computer (July 24, 2008) — Since the idea of using DNA to create faster, smaller, and more powerful computers originated in 1994, scientists have been scrambling to develop successful ways to use genetic code for computation. Now, new research suggests that if we want to carry out artificial computations, all we have to do is literally look around. A researcher has begun to develop a technique to turn our eyes and visual system into a programmable computer. … > full story

Cancer Drug Delivery Time Cut From Days To Hours With New Technique (July 24, 2008) — Researchers have developed a technique that has the potential to deliver cancer-fighting drugs to diseased areas within hours, as opposed to the two days it currently takes for existing delivery systems. … > full story

Milkweed’s Evolutionary Approach To Caterpillars: Counter Appetite With Fast Repair (July 24, 2008) — The adage that your enemies know your weaknesses best is especially true in the case of plants and predators that have co-evolved: as the predators evolve new strategies for attack, plants counter with their own unique defenses. … > full story

Bosentan Improves Quality Of Life For Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension (July 24, 2008) — Recent studies have shown that bosentan therapy greatly improves the quality of life for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. According to a new study treatments with oral Bosentan reduces resistance in blood flow — allowing the heart and lungs to work more efficiently and in turn, enables patients to increase exercise capacity and quality of life. … > full story

Predynastic Human Presence Discovered By Core Drilling At The Northern Nile Delta Coast, Egypt (July 24, 2008) — A small but significant find made during a geological survey provides evidence of the oldest human presence yet discovered along the northernmost margin of Egypt’s Nile delta. … > full story

Gray And Green Together: Older Adults Can Play Role In Creating Healthier Environment (July 24, 2008) — Volunteering for environmental protection activities can be physically and mentally sustaining for older people. In fact, this demographic group is in a unique position to have a noticeable impact on its surroundings. … > full story

Parasites Vastly Outweigh Predators In Estuaries: Could Have Significant Ecological Implications (July 24, 2008) — In a study of free-living and parasitic species in three estuaries on the Pacific coast of California and Baja California, researchers have determined that parasite biomass in those habitats exceeds that of top predators, in some cases by a factor of 20. Their findings, which could have significant biomedical and ecological implications, appear in the science journal Nature. From an ecological perspective, parasites serve both as regulators to prevent species from becoming numerically dominant and as indicators of the health of a particular ecosystem. The study shows for the first time that parasites might drive the flow of energy in ecosystems. … > full story

Regular Meals Reduce Risk Of Developing Metabolic Syndrome, Study Shows (July 24, 2008) — It is obvious to most people that our health is affected by what we eat; now, however, scientists have shown that it is also a matter of how often we eat. Scientists have now, for the first time, showed that the frequency of meals, regardless of their content, affects the chances of developing metabolic syndrome. … > full story

During Olympics, Scientists Will Be Studying Air-quality In Beijing (July 24, 2008) — As the world watches China prepare for the Olympic Games, one researcher has his eye on less visible matters — the particles in Beijing’s air that millions breathe every day, and that many more will be breathing when they descend on the city this summer. … > full story

Analysis Of Quickly Stopped Rx Orders Provides New Tool For Reducing Medical Errors (July 24, 2008) — By studying medication orders that are withdrawn (”discontinued”) by physicians within 45 minutes of their origination, researchers have demonstrated a systematic and efficient method of identifying prescribing errors. The method, they say, has value to screen for medication errors and as a teaching tool for physicians and physicians-in-training. … > full story

Saving Lives After Natural Disasters With Fast Set-Up Phone Network (July 24, 2008) — A ten-kilo GSM mobile phone network will allow rescue workers to set up communications just hours, or even minutes, after a man-made or natural catastrophe. When disaster strikes communications are often one of the first infrastructures to go down. But it is exactly when effective communications are most desperately needed. … > full story

Malaria Control Goals Are Likely To Be Unachievable (July 24, 2008) — The Millennium Development Goal to halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria globally is unlikely to be met. The statement comes in a report published in PLoS Medicine. … > full story

Genetics Of White Horses Unraveled: One Mutation Makes Ordinary Horses Turn Grey, Then White, Very Young (July 23, 2008) — White horses are colored horses that turn grey, then white, at a very young age. The white horse is an icon for dignity which has had a huge impact on human culture across the world. Scientists have now identified the mutation causing this spectacular trait and show that it can be traced back to an ancestor that lived thousands of years ago. The study is interesting for medical research since this mutation also increases the risk of melanoma. … > full story

Checking More Lymph Nodes Linked To Cancer Patient Survival (July 23, 2008) — Why do patients with gastric or pancreatic cancer live longer when they are treated at cancer centers or high-volume hospitals than patients treated at low-volume or community hospitals? New research found that cancer patients have more lymph nodes examined for the spread of their disease if they are treated at hospitals performing more cancer surgeries or at comprehensive cancer centers. The result is a more accurate prognosis and treatment decision, which results in improved long-term outcomes. … > full story

High Economic Value Set On Threatened Mexican Mangroves (July 23, 2008) — Mangrove destruction not only comes with ecological cost, but monetary as well: ,500 per hectare each year, researchers say. Mexican mangroves, trees that form forest ecosystems at the land-sea interface, demonstrably boost fishery yields in the Gulf of California. … > full story

Discovery Of A Mechanism That Regulates Cell Movement (July 23, 2008) — A mechanism that controls the movement of cells in a tissue by regulating cell adhesion has been identified. This same mechanism may be defective in diseases such as cancer and metastasis, when tumour cells lose their adhesion to neighbouring cells and migrate through the organism. … > full story

New Chlorine-tolerant Desalination Membrane Hopes To Boost Access To Clean Water (July 23, 2008) — Chemical engineers have developed a chlorine-tolerant membrane that should simplify the water desalination process, increasing access to fresh water and possibly reducing greenhouse gases. … > full story

Geographical Ties To Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Cases Among 1991 Gulf War Veterans (July 23, 2008) — Researchers are hoping to find a geographical pattern to help explain why 1991 Gulf War veterans contracted the fatal neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at twice the normal rate during the decade after the conflict. … > full story

Rare Mutant Cells Glimpsed: Imaging System May Help Understand Origins Of Cancer (July 23, 2008) — MIT biological engineers have developed a new imaging system that allows them to see cells that have undergone a specific mutation. … > full story

Once-suspect Protein Found To Promote DNA Repair, Prevent Cancer (July 23, 2008) — An abundant chromosomal protein that binds to damaged DNA prevents cancer development by enhancing DNA repair, researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. … > full story

How Carrots Help Us See The Color Orange (July 23, 2008) — One of the easiest ways to identify an object is by its color — perhaps it is because children’s books encourage us to pair certain objects with their respective colors. Why else would so many of us automatically assume carrots are orange, grass is green and apples are red? … > full story

Small Birth Size Linked To Changes In The Cardiovascular System That Predispose To Later Disease (July 23, 2008) — Researchers have found the first evidence that smaller size at birth is associated with specific alterations in the functioning of the heart and circulation in children and that these changes differ between boys and girls. It adds to the evidence that adverse environments experienced by the baby before birth and indicated by low birth weight, can cause long-term changes in the heart and blood vessels, leading to heart and blood vessel disease in later life. … > full story

Better Than Power Grid: New Microgrid Network Proposed For More Dependable, Cheaper Power (July 23, 2008) — A researcher has proposed a microgrid-based power plant with its own local power sources and independent control as a more dependable, efficient, and cost effective system than traditional telecom power systems. Microgrids would also be a quick and inexpensive way to include renewable energy sources for both existing and developing systems. … > full story

Age-old Magic Tricks Can Provide Clues For Modern Science (July 23, 2008) — Revealing the science behind age-old magic tricks will help us better understand how humans see, think, and act. … > full story

‘Stuffy Nose’ Mouse: A Promise To Help Treat 31 Million With Sinusitis (July 23, 2008) — Mice with inflamed nasal tissue may be unable to tell if something smells bad or good, but their sensory deficit is nothing to turn up a nose at. That is because, their developers say, the mice’s reversible loss of one of their key senses, which is essential to tasting food or sensing danger from foul odors, sets them apart from all other mice and binds them to an estimated 31 million Americans living with chronic sinusitis, a persistent inflammation of the tissue that lines the nasal and sinus cavities. … > full story

End In Sight For Dreaded Dentist Drill (July 23, 2008) — A new technology that spots tooth decay almost as soon as it’s begun promises to reduce the need for drilling and filling. Drilling is one of the top dental phobias and puts thousands of people off visiting their dentist every year. … > full story

Stem Cell Chicken And Egg Debate Moves To Unlikely Arena: The Testes (July 23, 2008) — Logic says it has to be the niche. As air and water preceded life, so the niche, that hospitable environment that shelters adult stem cells in many tissues and provides factors necessary to keep them young and vital, must have emerged before its stem cell dependents. … > full story

New Vaccine May Protect Against All Four Strains Of Dengue Virus (July 23, 2008) — Researchers have developed a novel four-component vaccine that protects monkeys against all four strains of dengue virus and may potentially offer protection to the millions of humans at risk worldwide.  … > full story

Environmental Factors Linked To Sex Ratio Of Plants Discovered (July 23, 2008) — Environmental factors can transform the ratio of females to males in plant populations according to new research. The authors suggest that when females capture large amounts of pollen, female-determining pollen tubes out-compete male-determining pollen tubes to fertilize the single ovule in each flower. … > full story

Serious School Failure Is Depressing For Girls, But Not Boys (July 23, 2008) — Adolescent girls who had a serious school failure by the 12th grade — being expelled, suspended or dropping out — were significantly more likely to have suffered a serious bout of depression at the age of 21 than girls who did not have these problems. … > full story

Commercial Bees Spreading Disease To Wild Pollinating Bees (July 23, 2008) — Bees provide crucial pollination service to numerous crops and up to a third of the human diet comes from plants pollinated by insects. However, pollinating bees are suffering widespread declines in North America and scientists warn that this could have serious implications for agriculture and food supply. While the cause of these declines has largely been a mystery, new research reveals an alarming spread of disease from commercial bees to wild pollinators. … > full story

Epilepsy Drug May Increase Risk Of Birth Defects (July 23, 2008) — Taking the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or along with other epilepsy drugs during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, according to a study in Neurology. Research has shown that many epilepsy drugs increase the risk of birth defects, but little research had been done on topiramate. … > full story

Robot Playmates May Help Children With Autism (July 23, 2008) — Scientists studying interactions of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders with bubble-blowing robots confirm what has been widely reported anecdotally: that ASD children in many cases interact more easily with mechanical devices than with humans. The researchers are developing a “control architecture” which will tailor robot interactions to the specific needs of ASD children to help therapists treating their condition. … > full story

Plastic Bottle Contaminants? No Reproductive Or Developmental Effects Found In Mice From Oral Exposure To Low Doses Of Bisphenol A (July 23, 2008) — A new multigenerational reproductive toxicity study of dietary Bisphenol A (BPA) in mice found no adverse effects of BPA on parents or offspring at dietary concentrations and doses comparable to those estimated for human exposure levels. … > full story

Some Earthworms Make Septic Systems Work Better, Others Do The Opposite (July 23, 2008) — The right earthworms can make home septic systems work better. The wrong ones could do the opposite. That’s the finding in a study of worm populations living in the soil near trenches receiving septic tank flow outside five single family homes. … > full story

Viagra Works For Antidepressant-related Sexual Dysfunction In Women, Study Suggests (July 23, 2008) — Women with sexual dysfunction caused by the use of antidepressants experienced a reduction in adverse sexual effects with use of sildenafil, commonly known as the erectile dysfunction medication Viagra. … > full story

Micro Air Vehicle: Three Gram ‘Dragonfly’ Takes Flight (July 23, 2008) — Engineers have made a new tiny DelFly Micro air vehicle. This successor to the DelFly I and II weighs barely 3 grams, and with its flapping wings is very similar to a dragonfly. Ultra-small, remote-controlled micro aircraft with cameras, such as this DelFly, may well be used in the future for observation flights in difficult-to-reach or dangerous areas. … > full story

Viral Recombination: Another Way HIV Fools The Immune System (July 23, 2008) — When individuals infected with HIV become infected with a second strain of the virus, the two viral strains can exchange genetic information, creating a third, recombinant strain of the virus that can evade immune system control. Now a study from the Partners AIDS Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital shows that how and where viral strains swap DNA may be determined by the immune response against the original infecting strain. … > full story

Super-Resolution X-ray Microscopy Unveils Buried Secrets Of The Nanoworld (July 23, 2008) — A novel super-resolution X-ray microscope combines the high penetration power of x-rays with high spatial resolution, making it possible for the first time to shed light on the detailed interior composition of semiconductor devices and cellular structures. … > full story

How Gastric Reflux May Trigger Asthma (July 23, 2008) — Researchers appear to have solved at least a piece of a puzzle that has mystified physicians for years: why so many patients with asthma also suffer from GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. … > full story

Molecular Hula Hoop Nanorotor (July 23, 2008) — Japanese researchers have observed the action of a nanorotor on the molecular scale. They were able to get “snapshots” of individual molecular rotors caught in motion. … > full story

Hormone Oxytocin May Inhibit Social Phobia (July 23, 2008) — Scientists have shown using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that the hormone oxytocin can inhibit feelings of anxiety in specific individuals. Their discovery might lead to a better understanding and the improved treatment of psychiatric affections in which people feel distressed when meeting others, such as in cases of autism and social phobia. … > full story

Unique Fossil Discovery Shows Antarctic Was Once Much Warmer (July 23, 2008) — A new fossil discovery — the first of its kind from the whole of the Antarctic continent — provides new evidence to support the theory that the polar region was once much warmer. Scientists made the new fossil discovery in the Dry Valleys of the East Antarctic region. The fossils (ostracods) come from an ancient lake — 14 million years old — and are exceptionally well preserved, with all of their soft anatomy in 3-dimensions. This rare find has implications for tracking the polar ice cap. … > full story

New Evidence Of Battle Between Humans And Ancient Virus (July 23, 2008) — Human ancestors fought back against an ancient retrovirus with a defense mechanism that our bodies still use today. Evidence of this battle has been preserved in our DNA for millions of years. … > full story

Heading Circulatory Disease Off At The Pass (July 23, 2008) — Researchers have devised an ultrasound imaging technique that picks up subtle early evidence of peripheral arterial disease that current conventional tests miss. The test, if approved for clinical use, could lead to early treatments that would head off the serious complications that can result from the disease. … > full story

Carbon Dioxide Laser Resurfacing May Reduce Wrinkles Over Long Term (July 23, 2008) — Carbon dioxide laser resurfacing appears to be an effective long-term treatment for facial wrinkles, according to a report in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. … > full story

Fresh From The Grapevine To The Table With Sulfur Dioxide Preservative (July 23, 2008) — Table grapes are subject to serious water loss and decay while making the long trip from the vine to tables around the world. Pads placed over the fruit packed in boxes are one way of ensuring that consumers get fresh, appealing fruits. The pads release sulfur dioxide, a chemical used to prevent mold and decaying of table grapes. … > full story

Memory Impairment Associated With Sound Processing Disorder (July 23, 2008) — Mild memory impairment may be associated with central auditory processing dysfunction, or difficulty hearing in complex situations with competing noise, such as hearing a single conversation amid several other conversations, according to a new article. … > full story

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