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Team finds mechanism linking key inflammatory marker to cancer

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:30:01 -0500

In a new study described in the journal Oncogene, researchers reveal how a key player in cell growth, immunity and the inflammatory response can be transformed into a primary contributor to tumor growth.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Discipline: Cancer

Genetic diversity within tumors predicts outcome in head and neck cancer

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:15:01 -0500

A new measure of the heterogeneity – the variety of genetic mutations – of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. In the May 20 issue of the journal Cancer, investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary describe how their measure was a better predictor of survi

Source: Massachusetts General Hospital - Discipline: Cancer

Whole-cell vaccine was more effective than acellular vaccine during CA pertussis outbreak

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:00:01 -0500

Whole-cell pertussis vaccines were more effective at protecting against pertussis than acellular pertussis vaccines during a large recent outbreak, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in Pediatrics.

Source: Kaiser Permanente - Discipline: Epidemiology

Kinks and curves at the nanoscale

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:45:01 -0500

One of the basic principles of nanotechnology is that when you make things extremely small—one nanometer is about five atoms wide, 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair—they are going to become more perfect.

Source: University of Vermont - Discipline: Materials Science

New theory on genesis of osteoarthritis comes with successful therapy in mice

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:30:01 -0500

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, they now have evidence that the bone underneath the cartilage is also a key player and exacerbates the damage. In a proof-of-concept experiment, they found that blocking the action of a crit

Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine - Discipline: Molecular Biology

Sea level influenced tropical climate during the last ice age

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:15:01 -0500

Scientists look at past climates to learn about climate change and the ability to simulate it with computer models. One region that has received a great deal of attention is the Indo-Pacific warm pool, the vast pool of warm water stretching along the equator from Africa to the western Pacific Ocean.

Source: University of Hawaii ‑ SOEST - Discipline: Geology

RNA capable of catalyzing electron transfer on early earth with iron's help, study says

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:01 -0500

A new study shows how complex biochemical transformations may have been possible under conditions that existed when life began on the early Earth.

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology - Discipline: Chemistry

Lovelorn frogs bag closest crooner

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:45:01 -0500

What lures a lady frog to her lover? Good looks, the sound of his voice, the size of his pad or none of the above? After weighing up their options, female strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) bag the closest crooner they can, finds research in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers of Zoology. This seemingly short-sighted strategy turns out to be the optimal mate choice

Source: BioMed Central - Discipline: Animal Behavior

Women's reproductive ability may be related to immune system status

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:30:01 -0500

New research indicates that women's reproductive function may be tied to their immune status. Previous studies have found this association in human males, but not females.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Discipline: Health

Study identifies new approach to improving treatment for MS and other conditions

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:15:01 -0500

Working with lab mice models of multiple sclerosis (MS), UC Davis scientists have detected a novel molecular target for the design of drugs that could be safer and more effective than current FDA-approved medications against MS.

Source: University of California - Davis Health System - Discipline: Health

Now we know why old scizophrenia medicine works on antibiotics-resistant bacteria

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:00:05 -0500

In 2008 researchers from the University of Southern Denmark showed that the drug thioridazine, which has previously been used to treat schizophrenia, is also a powerful weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus).

Source: University of Southern Denmark - Discipline: Microbiology

New discovery of ancient diet shatters conventional ideas of how agriculture emerged

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:45:01 -0500

Archaeologists have made a discovery in southern subtropical China which could revolutionise thinking about how ancient humans lived in the region.

Source: University of Leicester - Discipline: Anthropology

Climate change may have little impact on tropical lizards

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:30:01 -0500

A new Dartmouth College study finds human-caused climate change may have little impact on many species of tropical lizards, contradicting a host of recent studies that predict their widespread extinction in a rapidly warming planet.

Source: Dartmouth College - Discipline: Environment

Scientists capture first direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly effect

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:15:03 -0500

A team of researchers from several universities – including UCF –has observed a rare quantum physics effect that produces a repeating butterfly-shaped energy spectrum in a magnetic field, confirming the longstanding prediction of the quantum fractal energy structure called Hofstadter's butterfly.

Source: University of Central Florida - Discipline: Physics

Artificial forest for solar water-splitting

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:00:01 -0500

In the wake of the sobering news that atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at its highest level in at least three million years, an important advance in the race to develop carbon-neutral renewable energy sources has been achieved. Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have reported the first fully integrated nanosystem for artifici

Source: DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - Discipline: Physics

High-testosterone competitors more likely to choose red

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:45:01 -0500

Why do so many sports players and athletes choose to wear the color red when they compete? A new study to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that it may have to do with their testosterone levels.

Source: Association for Psychological Science - Discipline: Psychology

New insights into how materials transfer heat could lead to improved electronics

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:30:01 -0500

U of T Engineering researchers, working with colleagues from Carnegie Mellon University, have published new insights into how materials transfer heat, which could lead eventually to smaller, more powerful electronic devices.

Source: University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering - Discipline: Technology

Nanotechnology could help fight diabetes

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:15:01 -0500

Injectable nanoparticles developed at MIT may someday eliminate the need for patients with Type 1 diabetes to constantly monitor their blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin.

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Discipline: Materials Science

Genetic risk for schizophrenia is connected to reduced IQ

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:02 -0500

The relationship between the heritable risk for schizophrenia and low intelligence (IQ) has not been clear. Schizophrenia is commonly associated with cognitive impairments that may cause functional disability. There are clues that reduced IQ may be linked to the risk for developing schizophrenia. For example, reduced cognitive ability may precede the onset of schiz

Source: Elsevier - Discipline: Neuroscience

Most scientists agree: Humans are causing climate change

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:45:01 -0500

Do most scientists agree that human activity is causing global climate change? Yes, they do, according to an extensive analysis of the abstracts or summaries of scientific papers published over the past 20 years, even though public perception tends to be that climate scientists disagree over the fundamental cause of climate change.

Source: Michigan Technological University - Discipline: Environment

X-ray tomography on a living frog embryo

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:30:01 -0500

Classical X-ray radiographs provide information about internal, absorptive structures of organisms such as bones. Alternatively, X-rays can also image soft tissues throughout early embryonic development of vertebrates. Related to this, a new X-ray method was presented recently in a Nature article published by a German-American-Russian research team led by KIT.

Source: Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres - Discipline: Physiology

Weather on the outer planets only goes so deep

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:15:02 -0500

What is the long-range weather forecast for the giant planets Uranus and Neptune? These planets are home to extreme winds blowing at speeds of over 1000 km/hour, hurricane-like storms as large around as Earth, immense weather systems that last for years and fast-flowing jet streams. Both planets feature similar climates, despite the fact that Uranus is tipped on its side with the pole facing the s

Source: Weizmann Institute of Science - Discipline: Space

70's-era physics prediction finally confirmed

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:01 -0500

City College of New York Assistant Professor of Physics Cory Dean, who recently arrived from Columbia University where he was a post-doctoral researcher, and research teams from Columbia and three other institutions have definitively proven the existence of an effect known as Hofstadter's Butterfly.

Source: City College of New York - Discipline: Physics

Add boron for better batteries

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:45:01 -0500

Frustration led to revelation when Rice University scientists determined how graphene might be made useful for high-capacity batteries.

Source: Rice University - Discipline: Energy

Moth-inspired nanostructures take the color out of thin films

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:30:01 -0500

Inspired by the structure of moth eyes, researchers at North Carolina State University have developed nanostructures that limit reflection at the interfaces where two thin films meet, suppressing the "thin-film interference" phenomenon commonly observed in nature. This can potentially improve the efficiency of thin-film solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.

Source: North Carolina State University - Discipline: Materials Science

Bach to the blues, our emotions match music to colors

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:15:02 -0500

Whether we're listening to Bach or the blues, our brains are wired to make music-color connections depending on how the melodies make us feel, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley. For instance, Mozart's jaunty Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major is most often associated with bright yellow and orange, whereas his dour Requiem in D minor is more likely to be linked to d

Source: University of California - Berkeley - Discipline: Neuroscience

Research into carbon storage in Arctic tundra reveals unexpected insight into ecosystem resiliency

Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:01 -0500

When UC Santa Barbara doctoral student Seeta Sistla and her adviser, environmental studies professor Josh Schimel, went north not long ago to study how long-term warming in the Arctic affects carbon storage, they had made certain assumptions.

Source: University of California - Santa Barbara - Discipline: Environment

Video: Invasive crazy ants are displacing fire ants in areas throughout southeastern US

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:45:01 -0500

Invasive "crazy ants" are displacing fire ants in areas across the southeastern United States, according to researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. It's the latest in a history of ant invasions from the southern hemisphere and may prove to have dramatic effects on the ecosystem of the region.

Source: University of Texas at Austin - Discipline: Ecology

Gene involved in neurodegeneration keeps clock running

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:30:02 -0500

Northwestern University scientists have shown a gene involved in neurodegenerative disease also plays a critical role in the proper function of the circadian clock.

Source: Northwestern University - Discipline: Molecular Biology

Beautiful 'flowers' self-assemble in a beaker

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:15:01 -0500

"Spring is like a perhaps hand," wrote the poet E. E. Cummings: "carefully / moving a perhaps / fraction of flower here placing / an inch of air there... / without breaking anything."

Source: Harvard University - Discipline: Chemistry

Vicious cycle: Obesity sustained by changes in brain biochemistry

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:01 -0500

With obesity reaching epidemic levels in some parts of the world, scientists have only begun to understand why it is such a persistent condition. A study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry adds substantially to the story by reporting the discovery of a molecular chain of events in the brains of obese rats that undermined their ability to suppress ap

Source: Brown University - Discipline: Neuroscience

World's biggest ice sheets likely more stable than previously believed

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:45:01 -0500

For decades, scientists have used ancient shorelines to predict the stability of today's largest ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. Markings of a high shoreline from three million years ago, for example – when Earth was going through a warm period – were thought to be evidence of a high sea level due to ice sheet collapse at that time. This assumption has led many scientists to think that if

Source: Canadian Institute for Advanced Research - Discipline: Geology

Stem-cell-based strategy boosts immune system in mice

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:30:01 -0500

Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, the tissue can be used to foster the development of white blood cells the body needs to mount healthy immune responses and to prevent harmful autoimmune reactions.

Source: University of California - San Francisco - Discipline: Immunology

Fast and painless way to better mental arithmetic? Yes, there might actually be a way

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:15:01 -0500

In the future, if you want to improve your ability to manipulate numbers in your head, you might just plug yourself in. So say researchers who report in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on May 16 on studies of a harmless form of brain stimulation applied to an area known to be important for math ability.

Source: Cell Press - Discipline: Neuroscience

World's melting glaciers making large contribution to sea rise

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:01 -0500

While 99 percent of Earth's land ice is locked up in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the remaining ice in the world's glaciers contributed just as much to sea rise as the two ice sheets combined from 2003 to 2009, says a new study led by Clark University and involving the University Colorado Boulder.

Source: University of Colorado at Boulder - Discipline: Environment

Promising treatment for progeria within reach

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:45:01 -0500

"This study is a breakthrough for our research group after years of work. When we reduce the production of the enzyme in mice, the development of all the clinical symptoms of progeria is reduced or blocked. We have also studied cultured cells from children with progeria, and can see that when the enzyme is inhibited, the growth of the cells increases by the same mechanism as in mouse cells," says

Source: University of Gothenburg - Discipline: Molecular Biology

Asian lady beetles use biological weapons against their European relatives

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:30:01 -0500

Once introduced for biological pest control, Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis populations have been increasing uncontrollably in the US and Europe since the turn of the millennium. The species has been proliferating rapidly in Germany; conservationists fear that the Asian lady beetle will out-compete native beetle species.

Source: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology - Discipline: Ecology

The developmental genetics of space and time

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:15:01 -0500

Albert Erives, associate professor in the University of Iowa Department of Biology, and his graduate student, Justin Crocker, currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Janelia Farm Research Campus, have conducted a study that reveals important and useful insights into how and why developmental genes often take inputs from two independent "morphogen concentra

Source: University of Iowa - Discipline: Development

Jekyll into Hyde: Breathing auto emissions turns HDL cholesterol from 'good' to 'bad'

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:01 -0500

Academic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, altering its cardiovascular protective qualities so that it actually contributes to clogged arteries.

Source: University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences - Discipline: Health

HiRISE Mars camera reveals hundreds of impacts each year

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:45:02 -0500

Scientists using images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, or MRO, have estimated that the planet is bombarded by more than 200 small asteroids or bits of comets per year forming craters at least 12.8 feet (3.9 meters) across. Researchers have identified 248 new impact sites on parts of the Martian surface in the past decade, using images from the spacecraft to determine when the craters

Source: University of Arizona - Discipline: Space

Engineers monitor heart health using paper-thin flexible 'skin'

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:30:01 -0500

Most of us don't ponder our pulses outside of the gym. But doctors use the human pulse as a diagnostic tool to monitor heart health.

Source: Stanford University - Discipline: Materials Science

When green means danger: A stunning new species of palm-pitviper from Honduras

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:01 -0500

A new species of green palm-pitviper of the genus Bothriechis is described from a seriously threatened cloud forest reserve in northern Honduras. Because of similarity in color pattern and scalation, the new species (Bothriechis guifarroi) was previously confused with other Honduran palm pitvipers. Genetic analysis revealed that the closest relatives of the new species are actually f

Source: Pensoft Publishers - Discipline: Animals

Human disease leptospirosis identified in new species, the banded mongoose, in Africa

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:45:01 -0500

The newest public health threat in Africa, scientists have found, is coming from a previously unknown source: the banded mongoose.

Source: National Science Foundation - Discipline: Epidemiology

Using clay to grow bone

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:30:03 -0500

In new research published online May 13, 2013 in Advanced Materials, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are the first to report that synthetic silicate nanoplatelets (also known as layered clay) can induce stem cells to become bone cells without the need of additional bone-inducing factors. Synthetic silicates are made up of simple or complex salts of silicic a

Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital - Discipline: Materials Science

Same musicians: Brand new tune

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:15:01 -0500

A small ensemble of musicians can produce an infinite number of melodies, harmonies and rhythms. So too, do a handful of workhorse signaling pathways that interact to construct multiple structures that comprise the vertebrate body. In fact, crosstalk between two of those pathways—those governed by proteins known as Notch and BMP (for Bone Morphogenetic Protein) receptors—occurs ove

Source: Stowers Institute for Medical Research - Discipline: Molecular Biology

Computer scientist publishes new algorithm cluster to data mine health records

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:01 -0500

The time may be fast approaching for researchers to take better advantage of the vast amount of valuable patient information available from U.S. electronic health records. Lian Duan, an NJIT computer scientist with an expertise in data mining, has done just that with the recent publication of "Adverse Drug Effect Detection," IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics (March, 2013).

Source: New Jersey Institute of Technology - Discipline: Health

Mining the botulinum genome

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:45:01 -0500

The toxin that causes botulism is the most potent that we know of. Eating an amount of toxin just 1000th the weight of a grain of salt can be fatal, which is why so much effort has been put into keeping Clostridium botulinum, which produces the toxin, out of our food.

Source: Norwich BioScience Institutes - Discipline: Genetics

Relationship troubles? Some sad music might help you feel better

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:30:01 -0500

Consumers experiencing relationship problems are more likely to prefer aesthetic experiences that reflect their negative mood, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Source: University of Chicago Press Journals - Discipline: Psychology

Cutting-edge bacteria research leads to more effective treatment of complex infections

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:15:01 -0500

Bacteria are life forms, which, like all other life forms, struggle for the best living conditions for themselves. Therefore they will try to avoid getting attacked by the human immune system, and therefore they have developed various ways to protect themselves from the human immune system. When safe from the immune system, they can focus on breeding and multiplying, and if they become numerous en

Source: University of Southern Denmark - Discipline: Microbiology

Bacterium counteracts 'coffee ring effect'

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:01 -0500

Ever notice how a dried coffee stain has a thicker outer rim, while the middle of the stain remains almost unsoiled? This 'coffee ring effect' also occurs in other materials. Researchers from the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at KU Leuven have now discovered how to counteract coffee rings with 'surfactants', i.e. soap. The key to the discovery was not a kitchen towel, but a bac

Source: KU Leuven - Discipline: Microbiology

Cooling ocean temperature could buy more time for coral reefs

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:45:01 -0500

Limiting the amount of warming experienced by the world's oceans in the future could buy some time for tropical coral reefs, say researchers from the University of Bristol.

Source: University of Bristol - Discipline: Marine Biology

Sulfate aerosols cool climate less than assumed

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:30:01 -0500

In their role as condensation nuclei, aerosol particles are an important trigger for the formation of clouds. As humidity accumulates on the particles droplets are formed, which later develop into clouds. Within the clouds, however, the chemical composition of these aerosol particles changes.

Source: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft - Discipline: Environment

New principle may help explain why nature is quantum

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:15:01 -0500

Like small children, scientists are always asking the question 'why?'. One question they've yet to answer is why nature picked quantum physics, in all its weird glory, as a sensible way to behave. Researchers Corsin Pfister and Stephanie Wehner at the Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore tackle this perennial question in a paper published 14 May in Nature Co

Source: Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore - Discipline: Physics

Scientists uncover the fundamental property of astatine, the rarest atom on Earth

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:00:01 -0500

An international team of scientists, including a University of York researcher, has carried out ground-breaking experiments to investigate the atomic structure of astatine (Z=85), the rarest naturally occurring element on Earth. Astatine (At) is of significant interest as its decay properties make it an ideal short-range radiation source for targeted alpha therapy in cancer treatment. The

Source: University of York - Discipline: Chemistry

Fossil saved from mule track revolutionizes understanding of ancient dolphin-like marine reptile

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:45:01 -0500

An international team of scientists have revealed a new species of ichthyosaur (a dolphin-like marine reptile from the age of dinosaurs) from Iraq, which revolutionises our understanding of the evolution and extinction of these ancient marine reptiles.

Source: University of Southampton - Discipline: Paleontology

Getting a grip on sleep

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:30:01 -0500

All mammals sleep, as do birds and some insects. However, how this basic function is regulated by the brain remains unclear. According to a new study by researchers from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, a brain region called the lateral habenula plays a central role in the regulation of REM sleep. In an article published today in the Journal of Neuroscience, the team shows that the latera

Source: RIKEN - Discipline: Neuroscience

Wireless signals could transform brain trauma diagnostics

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:15:01 -0500

New technology developed at the University of California, Berkeley, is using wireless signals to provide real-time, non-invasive diagnoses of brain swelling or bleeding.

Source: University of California - Berkeley - Discipline: Neuroscience

Asymptomatic carriage of M. pneumoniae common in children

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:00:04 -0500

The bacterium M. pneumoniae is carried at high rates in the upper respiratory tracts of healthy children and usual diagnostic tests cannot differentiate between such asymptomatic carriage and actual respiratory tract infection, according to a study by Dutch researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

Source: Public Library of Science - Discipline: Microbiology

Beautiful plankton blooms viewed from space

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:00:01 -0500

As weather warms up off the coast of France, blooms of plankton have once again begun to form, creating a beautiful, multicolored swirl visible from space.NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites acquired these images of the colorful blooms on April 20 and May 4, according to the NASA Earth Observatory. On the later date, a noticeably larger bloom occurred, fueled by nutrient ru...

Source: NBCnews - Discipline: Marine Biology

Rain and fire is a 'double jeopardy' situation, scientists say

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:00:01 -0500

A largely forgettable rainfall provoked a growth in vegetation that, followed by a hot, near-record dry period, simply resulted in more fuel for potential wildfires.When it comes to Southern California's increasingly perilous fire season, you can blame both the lack of rain and the little rain we did have.

Source: L.A. Times - Discipline: Environment