ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Deformed limbs one of several birth defects linked to smoking in pregnancy
• Plants in cities are an underestimated carbon store
• Climbing the social ladder seems to lessen high blood pressure risk
• Contact allergies may trigger immune system defences to ward off cancer
• More oxygen in eyes of African-Americans may help explain glaucoma risk
• Physicists discover new way to produce antimatter-containing atom
• Even before language, babies learn the world through sounds
• Chicks dig certain types of music
• Mortality rises, efficiency declines at teaching hospitals, due to 'July Effect'
• Owl study expands understanding of human stereovision
• Forest trees remember their roots
• Key role of microRNAs in melanoma metastasis identified
• New way to classify post-cardiac arrest patients to better predict outcomes
• Multiple 'siblings' from every gene: Alternate gene reading leads to alternate gene products
• Malaria parasites use camouflage to trick immune defences of pregnant women
• Ancient algae: Genetically engineering a path to new energy sources?
• Discovery throws light on blood pressure regulation
• Artery-opening procedure still widely used in spite of changed guidelines, study finds
• Obstructive sleep apnea linked to blood vessel abnormalities
• Regional system to cool cardiac arrest patients improves outcomes, study finds
• Poor bone health may start early in people with multiple sclerosis
• Project Achilles pinpoints vulnerabilities in ovarian cancer; Genome-scale study of 100 cell lines reveals cancers' dependencies
• One in 10 species could face extinction: Decline in species shows climate change warnings not exaggerated, research finds
• Landscape change leads to increased insecticide use in U.S. Midwest, study finds
• Genetic switch for limbs and digits found in primitive fish: Before animals first walked on land, fish carried gene program for limbs
• Salt appetite is linked to drug addiction, research finds
• Georgia hospitals lag in palliative care for the seriously ill, study finds
• Female minorities are more affected by racism than sexism, research suggests
• New study may lead to quicker diagnosis, improved treatment for fatal lung disease
• Eating disorders impact brain function, new brain research suggests
• Data revealing migrations of larval reef fish vital for designing networks of marine protected areas
• Large human study links phthalates, BPA and thyroid hormone levels
• 'Healthy' habits linked to childhood obesity in China
• 'BPA-free' bottles live up to manufacturers' claims, new study suggests
• Key early skills for later math learning discovered
• Online consumers willing to pay premium for Net privacy, study finds
• Natural pain relief from poisonous shrub?
• What works in osteoporosis treatment
• Epigenetic pathway and new drug show promise in reversing a hard-to-treat childhood cancer
• Study finds new points of attack on breast cancers not fueled by estrogen
• SUMO defeats protein aggregates that typify Parkinson’s disease
• PXR: A stepping stone from environmental chemical to cancer?
• Do-it-yourself brain repair following stroke
• Alcohol consumption guidelines inadequate for cancer prevention, analysis finds
• No difference in brand name and generic drugs regarding thyroid dysfunction, study finds
• First student hydrogen racing car revealed
• Report offers hope to people diagnosed with bipolar disorder
• Is a little negativity the best marketing policy?
• Biofilters reduce carbon footprint of old landfill sites
• Writing DNR orders takes longer, death more likely when surrogate decision-maker involved
• The truth about cats and dogs: Pets are good for mental health of 'everyday people'
• Just like teens, parents get personal on Facebook
• Potato genome sequence published
• 'Resilience' of U.S. metros measured by online index developed by researchers
• Parkinson's disease patients may benefit from virtual-reality-based therapies
• Athletes may have different reasons for marijuana use
• Fight against sepsis: Fibrin, a product of the blood clotting process, is key to protection during gram-negative sepsis
• Could targeting the skin help prevent the spread of HIV?
• Simple little spud helps scientists crack potato's mighty genome
• Perfecting the meat of the potato

Deformed limbs one of several birth defects linked to smoking in pregnancy Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:50 PM PDT Missing or deformed limbs, clubfoot, facial disorders and gastrointestinal problems are some of the most common birth defects found to be associated with smoking during pregnancy, according to a major new report.

Plants in cities are an underestimated carbon store Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:50 PM PDT Vegetation in towns and cities can make a significant contribution to carbon storage and, ecologists say, could lock away even more carbon if local authorities and gardeners planted and maintained more trees.

Climbing the social ladder seems to lessen high blood pressure risk Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:50 PM PDT Social mobility -- upwards -- seems to curb the risk of developing high blood pressure among those born on the lower rungs of the ladder, suggests new research.

Contact allergies may trigger immune system defences to ward off cancer Posted: 11 Jul 2011 04:50 PM PDT Contact allergies (reactions caused by direct contact with substances like common metals and chemicals) may help prime the immune system to ward off certain types of cancer, suggests new research.

More oxygen in eyes of African-Americans may help explain glaucoma risk Posted: 11 Jul 2011 02:22 PM PDT Measuring oxygen during eye surgery, investigators have discovered a potential reason that African-Americans are at higher risk of getting glaucoma than Caucasians. They found that oxygen levels are significantly higher in the eyes of African-Americans with glaucoma than in Caucasians.

Physicists discover new way to produce antimatter-containing atom Posted: 11 Jul 2011 02:22 PM PDT Physicists report that they have discovered a new way to create positronium, an exotic and short-lived atom that could help answer what happened to antimatter in the universe, why nature favored matter over antimatter at the universe's creation. The method works at almost any temperature -- including very low temperatures.

Even before language, babies learn the world through sounds Posted: 11 Jul 2011 02:22 PM PDT It's not just the words, but the sounds of words that have meaning for us. This is true for children and adults, who can associate the strictly auditory parts of language -- vowels produced in the front or the back of the mouth, high or low pitch -- with blunt or pointy things, large or small things, fast-moving or long-staying things.

Chicks dig certain types of music Posted: 11 Jul 2011 02:22 PM PDT What accounts for the sounds we like to hear? Is it something about the properties of our auditory systems or brains? Or are such tastes learned? Two-month-old human infants show a preference for consonant, or gentler harmonies over more dissonant or harsher ones. But it's still impossible to know whether that preference is inborn, since the babies may have been exposed to certain sounds, even in utero. Birds show similar behaviors: they can distinguish between different kinds of sounds and certain species are attracted to certain sounds. But because no one had experimented on birds raised in a controlled, isolated environment, before they've experienced any social life, the reasons have remained unclear -- until now.

Mortality rises, efficiency declines at teaching hospitals, due to 'July Effect' Posted: 11 Jul 2011 02:22 PM PDT Year-end changeovers in medical trainees are associated with increased mortality and decreased efficiency at teaching hospitals during the month of July, according to a new article.

Owl study expands understanding of human stereovision Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT Using owls as a model, a new research study reveals the advantage of stereopsis, commonly referred to as stereovision, is its ability to discriminate between objects and background, not in perceiving absolute depth. The findings show that owls see in stereo much like humans do.

Forest trees remember their roots Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT When it comes to how they respond to the environment, trees may not be that different from humans. Recent studies showed that even genetically identical human twins can have a different chance of getting a disease. This is because each twin has distinct personal experiences through their lifetime. According to new research, it turns out that the same is likely true for forest trees as well.

Key role of microRNAs in melanoma metastasis identified Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT Researchers have identified for the first time the key role specific microRNAs (miRNAs) play in melanoma metastasis to simultaneously cause cancer cells to invade and immunosuppress the human body's ability to fight abnormal cells.

New way to classify post-cardiac arrest patients to better predict outcomes Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT A new method for scoring the severity of illness for patients after cardiac arrest may help to predict their outcomes, according to researchers. New results also show that none of the severity categories rules out the potential for a patient's recovery.

Multiple 'siblings' from every gene: Alternate gene reading leads to alternate gene products Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT A genome-wide survey shows how our cells create alternate versions of mRNA transcripts -- and therefore alternate proteins -- by slightly altering how they "read" DNA. Researchers found that, in one type of brain cancer, tumors created differing amounts of these protein alternates than did normal cells. Reading our genetic instructions is less a matter of War and Peace for our cells and more like Choose Your Own Adventure.

Malaria parasites use camouflage to trick immune defences of pregnant women Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT Researchers have discovered why malaria parasites are able to hide from the immune defenses of expectant mothers.

Ancient algae: Genetically engineering a path to new energy sources? Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT A team of researchers is making a connection between prehistoric times and the present -- ancient algae that can produce their own biofuel -- that could result in genetically creating a replacement for oil and coal shale deposits. Their discovery could have fundamental implications for the future of Earth's energy supplies.

Discovery throws light on blood pressure regulation Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that a protein found in the walls of blood vessels plays a key role in maintaining healthy blood pressure -- a discovery that could one day lead to new treatments for people with high blood pressure.

Artery-opening procedure still widely used in spite of changed guidelines, study finds Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT Despite changes in standard treatment practice guidelines issued by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology several years ago, there has been no meaningful change in the nation's practice of opening completely blocked coronary arteries with balloons and stents in the days after a heart attack, according to a new study.

Obstructive sleep apnea linked to blood vessel abnormalities Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT Sleep apnea can cause changes in blood vessel function that reduces blood supply to the heart in people who are otherwise healthy, new research finds. Continuous positive airway pressure treatment reverses blood vessel abnormalities.

Regional system to cool cardiac arrest patients improves outcomes, study finds Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT A regional network of EMS departments and hospitals used a coordinated plan to cool, then gradually re-warm people who had been resuscitated after a cardiac arrest. This cooling treatment, called therapeutic hypothermia, helped increase the portion of survivors with good brain function, even when they were transferred to the central hospital for care, according to a new study.

Poor bone health may start early in people with multiple sclerosis Posted: 11 Jul 2011 01:45 PM PDT Osteoporosis and low bone density are common in people in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study.

Project Achilles pinpoints vulnerabilities in ovarian cancer; Genome-scale study of 100 cell lines reveals cancers' dependencies Posted: 11 Jul 2011 12:14 PM PDT Cancer is not invincible but its weaknesses can be difficult to detect. Project Achilles was launched to develop a systematic way of pinpointing these weak spots. Researchers examined cells from over 100 tumors, including 25 ovarian cancer tumors, to unearth the genes upon which cancers depend. One of these genes, PAX8, is altered in a significant fraction of ovarian tumors.

One in 10 species could face extinction: Decline in species shows climate change warnings not exaggerated, research finds Posted: 11 Jul 2011 12:14 PM PDT One in 10 species could face extinction by the year 2100 if current climate change impacts continue, according to new research examining studies on the effects of recent climate change on plant and animal species and comparing this with predictions of future declines.

Landscape change leads to increased insecticide use in U.S. Midwest, study finds Posted: 11 Jul 2011 12:14 PM PDT The continued growth of cropland and loss of natural habitat have increasingly simplified agricultural landscapes in the U.S. Midwest. A new study concluded that this simplification is associated with increased crop pest abundance and insecticide use, consequences that could be tempered by perennial bioenergy crops.

Genetic switch for limbs and digits found in primitive fish: Before animals first walked on land, fish carried gene program for limbs Posted: 11 Jul 2011 12:14 PM PDT Genetic instructions for developing limbs and digits were present in primitive fish millions of years before their descendants first crawled on to land, researchers report. The successful swap suggests that the recipe for limb development is conserved in species separated by 400 million years of evolution.

Salt appetite is linked to drug addiction, research finds Posted: 11 Jul 2011 12:14 PM PDT A team of U.S. and Australian scientists has found that addictive drugs may have hijacked the same nerve cells and connections in the brain that serve a powerful, ancient instinct: the appetite for salt.

Georgia hospitals lag in palliative care for the seriously ill, study finds Posted: 11 Jul 2011 11:49 AM PDT Hospitals across the United States are increasingly implementing palliative care programs to help patients manage the physical and emotional burdens of serious illnesses, but a new study finds that 82 percent of Georgia's hospitals do not offer palliative care services.

Female minorities are more affected by racism than sexism, research suggests Posted: 11 Jul 2011 11:49 AM PDT Recent studies by psychology researchers in Canada suggest that racism may impact some female minority groups more deeply than sexism.

New study may lead to quicker diagnosis, improved treatment for fatal lung disease Posted: 11 Jul 2011 11:49 AM PDT Twenty percent of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension suffer with the fatal disease for more than two years before being correctly diagnosed and properly treated, according to a new study.

Eating disorders impact brain function, new brain research suggests Posted: 11 Jul 2011 11:49 AM PDT Bulimia nervosa is a severe eating disorder associated with episodic binge eating followed by extreme behaviors to avoid weight gain such as self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or excessive exercise. It is poorly understood how brain function may be involved in bulimia. A new study examined the brain response to a dopamine related reward-learning task in bulimic and healthy women.

Data revealing migrations of larval reef fish vital for designing networks of marine protected areas Posted: 11 Jul 2011 11:33 AM PDT Networks of biologically-connected marine protected areas need to be carefully planned, taking into account the open ocean migrations of marine fish larvae that take them from one home to another sometimes hundreds of kilometers away. Research sheds new light on the dispersal of marine fish in their larval stages, important information for the effective design of marine protected areas (MPAs), a widely advocated conservation tool.

Large human study links phthalates, BPA and thyroid hormone levels Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:16 AM PDT A link between chemicals called phthalates and thyroid hormone levels was recently confirmed in the first large-scale and nationally representative study of phthalates and BPA in relation to thyroid function in humans.

'Healthy' habits linked to childhood obesity in China Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:16 AM PDT Teenage boys from well-off Chinese families who say they are physically active and eat plenty of vegetables but few sweets are more likely to be overweight, according to a new study.

'BPA-free' bottles live up to manufacturers' claims, new study suggests Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:16 AM PDT Scientists have found that stainless steel- and/or co-polyester lined-aluminum bottles did not release BPA; however, aluminum bottles lined with epoxy-based resins still resulted in BPA contamination of liquids.

Key early skills for later math learning discovered Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:16 AM PDT Psychologists have identified the beginning of first grade math skills that teachers and parents should target to effectively improve children's later math learning.

Online consumers willing to pay premium for Net privacy, study finds Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:16 AM PDT Online consumers thought to be motivated primarily by savings are, in fact, often willing to pay a premium for purchases from online vendors with clear, protective privacy policies, according to a new study.

Natural pain relief from poisonous shrub? Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:13 AM PDT An extract of the poisonous shrub Jatropha curcas acts as a strong painkiller and may have a mode of action different from conventional analgesics, such as morphine and other pharmaceuticals.

What works in osteoporosis treatment Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:13 AM PDT More patients are tested and treated for osteoporosis when fracture clinics have someone dedicated to screening for the bone disease, a new study has found.

Epigenetic pathway and new drug show promise in reversing a hard-to-treat childhood cancer Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:13 AM PDT A difficult-to-treat form of childhood leukemia relies on changes in the structure of DNA -- so-called epigenetic changes -- to wreak genomic havoc within white blood cells, according to one of two new studies. Researchers also showed that a new drug that blocks these changes could deactivate cancer-promoting genes and halt the growth of this cancer.

Study finds new points of attack on breast cancers not fueled by estrogen Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:13 AM PDT Although it sounds like a case of gender confusion on a molecular scale, the male hormone androgen spurs the growth of some breast tumors in women. In a new study, scientists provide the first details of the cancer cell machinery that carries out the hormone's relentless growth orders.

SUMO defeats protein aggregates that typify Parkinson’s disease Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:13 AM PDT A small protein called SUMO might prevent the protein aggregations that typify Parkinson's disease (PD), according to a new study.

PXR: A stepping stone from environmental chemical to cancer? Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:13 AM PDT Several chemicals that can accumulate to high levels in our body (for example, BPA and some pesticides) have been recently linked to an increased risk of cancer and/or impaired responsiveness to anticancer drugs. Researchers have now identified a potential mechanistic link between environmental exposure to these foreign chemicals (xenogens) and cancer drug therapy response and survival.

Do-it-yourself brain repair following stroke Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:13 AM PDT Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and death in the United States. New research has now identified a way to exploit one of the brain's self-repair mechanisms to protect nerve cells and enhance brain repair in rodent models of stroke. The authors of the research suggest that this approach could provide a nontoxic treatment for stroke.

Alcohol consumption guidelines inadequate for cancer prevention, analysis finds Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:13 AM PDT Current alcohol consumption guidelines are inadequate for the prevention of cancer and new international guidelines are needed, states a new analysis.

No difference in brand name and generic drugs regarding thyroid dysfunction, study finds Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:13 AM PDT There is no difference between brand-name and generic drug formulations of amiodarone -- taken to control arrhythmia -- in the incidence of thyroid dysfunction, according to a new study.

First student hydrogen racing car revealed Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:11 AM PDT A student team in the Netherlands has revealed its hydrogen-powered racing car. With this car, the students will be making their first appearance in Formula Student, a worldwide competition among 500 universities. The Delft DUT Racing Team will also be participating in the Formula Student race in the electric racing car they unveiled in June.

Report offers hope to people diagnosed with bipolar disorder Posted: 11 Jul 2011 10:11 AM PDT Mood swings are not always best understood as an illness called 'bipolar disorder', and medication is not the only way to cope with them, says a new report from the UK. The report offers new hope to people diagnosed with bipolar disorder (about 1 to 2 percent of the population).

Is a little negativity the best marketing policy? Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:19 AM PDT Researchers say that a "blemishing effect" takes place when a small flaw is introduced into the marketing of a product. Surprisingly, when positioned in the right way, such a flaw may improve a consumer's overall evaluation of the item.

Biofilters reduce carbon footprint of old landfill sites Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:19 AM PDT Researchers in the US are testing biofilter systems as a viable alternative to releasing methane from passive landfill vents into the atmosphere. The technology could reduce the overall impact of old landfills on global warming.

Writing DNR orders takes longer, death more likely when surrogate decision-maker involved Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:19 AM PDT Researchers report that it takes significantly longer for orders to forgo resuscitation in the event of cardiac arrest to be written for patients who had that decision made for them by a surrogate decision-maker compared to patients who made their own decisions, even though patients with a surrogate were sicker and the resuscitation issue might arise sooner.

The truth about cats and dogs: Pets are good for mental health of 'everyday people' Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:19 AM PDT Pets can serve as important sources of social and emotional support for "everyday people," not just individuals facing significant health challenges, according to new research.

Just like teens, parents get personal on Facebook Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:19 AM PDT They may not dress like Justin Bieber or Selena Gomez, but parents are a whole lot like their teenagers when it comes to their behavior on Facebook.

Potato genome sequence published Posted: 11 Jul 2011 08:18 AM PDT A high quality draft sequence of the potato genome has now been published by the Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium, an international team of scientists.

'Resilience' of U.S. metros measured by online index developed by researchers Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:49 AM PDT Which U.S. metro region is most likely to come out of the next recession, natural disaster or other regional "shock" relatively unscathed? Rochester, Minn. A little more battered might be College Station-Bryan, Texas. These two regions are ranked first and last, respectively, by a new online tool measuring more than 360 U.S. metros for their "regional resilience," or capacity to weather acute and chronic stresses.

Parkinson's disease patients may benefit from virtual-reality-based therapies Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:49 AM PDT In people with Parkinson's disease (PD), the inability to make quick movements limits basic functioning in daily life. Movement can be improved by various cuing techniques, such as providing visual or auditory stimuli when movements are started. Researchers now report that virtual reality and physical reality exercises can be used to provide effective stimuli to increase movement speeds in PD patients.

Athletes may have different reasons for marijuana use Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:49 AM PDT College athletes tend to be less likely than their non-athlete peers to smoke marijuana. But when they do, they may have some different reasons for it, according to a new study.

Fight against sepsis: Fibrin, a product of the blood clotting process, is key to protection during gram-negative sepsis Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:49 AM PDT New research may help to explain why anticoagulant therapies have largely failed to extend the lives of patients with sepsis. The study shows that fibrin, a key product of the blood clotting process, is critical for host defense against Yersinia enterocolitica, a gram-negative bacterium that causes sepsis in humans and experimental mice.

Could targeting the skin help prevent the spread of HIV? Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:49 AM PDT Could applying a vaccine patch to the skin with thousands of tiny micro-needles help boost the body's immune response and prevent the spread of life-threatening infections like HIV and TB?

Simple little spud helps scientists crack potato's mighty genome Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:48 AM PDT A rare inbred potato created at Virginia Tech was the first to have its genome sequenced. It will be used as a draft against which the genome sequences of more complicated tubers will be compared.

Perfecting the meat of the potato Posted: 11 Jul 2011 07:48 AM PDT By honing in on the mysterious potato genome and its tuber -- its edible portion -- researchers are unveiling the secrets of the world's most-important nongrain food crop.

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