Researchers find new gene linked to breast cancer

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Researchers in a multicenter international study have identified a new gene that, if mutated, may increase a woman's risk of breast cancer by more than a third.

Satellite methods for monitoring volcanic activity in the Andes Cordillera

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The high elevation of the Andes Cordillera make surveillance of these volcanic structures complicated and restricting. IRD researchers recently investigated a volcanic complex located on the Argentina-Chile border using images captured by a European Space Agency satellite. The data acquired showed that over the study area two types of deformation appear to affect the terrestrial crust.

Developing a modular, nanoparticle drug delivery system

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
With the support from a $478,000, five-year CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, chemist Eva Harth is creating a modular, multi-functional drug delivery system that promises simultaneously to enhance the effectiveness and reduce undesirable side-effects of a number of different drugs.

Scientists search for brain center responsible for tinnitus

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
For the more than 50 million Americans who experience the phantom sounds of tinnitus -- ringing in the ears that can range from annoying to debilitating -- certain well-trained rats may be their best hope for finding relief.

Technology would help detect terrorists before they strike

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Are you a terrorist? Airport screeners, customs agents, police officers and members of the military who silently pose that question to people every day, may soon have much more than intuition to depend on to determine the answer, thanks to computer and behavioral scientists at the University at Buffalo.

Researchers complete first clinical trial of Apatone for cancer treatment

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
In a significant advancement in the ongoing battle against cancer, a group of researchers from Summa Health System, IC-MedTech and other institutions have completed the first ever FDA-approved human clinical trial of Apatone. Demonstrating promising results, Apatone exploits a new strategy to selectively lower the level of compounds within tumor cells that assist in energy production and protect against chemotherapy. This non-toxic approach weakens and kills cancers in a novel way.

UNC faculty and students to develop plan to get clean water in poorer homes

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Faculty and students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are setting out to discover whether applying business principles to public health problems can result in solutions that will save lives in developing countries with limited access to safe drinking water.

Nanofabrication method paves way for new optical devices

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
An innovative and inexpensive way of making nanomaterials on a large scale, developed at Northwestern University, has resulted in novel forms of advanced materials that pave the way for exceptional and unexpected optical properties. These include optical nanomaterials called "plasmonic metamaterials." The new fabrication technique, known as soft lithography, offers many significant advantages over existing techniques, including the ability to scale-up the manufacturing process to produce devices in large quantities.

No strong evidence linking amateur boxing with long-term brain injury

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The evidence linking amateur boxing and chronic traumatic brain injury is not strong, concludes a study published online today. As such, the researchers say they cannot firmly prove nor reject the theory that amateur boxing leads to chronic brain injury.

Human rights violations widespread in eastern Burma

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A study, completed by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Back Pack Health Worker Team and others found that gross human rights violations, including forced displacement, forced labor, attacks by soldiers on civilians, injury from landmines and destruction or theft of food supplies, have been widespread in eastern Burma (also known as Myanmar). Over half of households in displaced areas reporting incidents in the 12 months prior to a 2004 survey.

Paramedics can provide an effective alternative to standard ambulance service in the community

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Paramedics with extended skills can provide a safe and effective alternative to standard ambulance transfer and hospital treatment for older people with a minor injury or illness, finds a study published online today.

US lacks data on supply of minerals critical to economy, national security

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A new report from the National Research Council finds that neither the federal government nor industry leaders have enough accurate information to know how secure the supplies of these minerals are. This lack of information also extends to the area of national defense; a second Research Council report finds that the National Defense Stockpile, a cache of material in place to deal with national emergencies, is wholly ineffective for responding to modern needs or national security threats.

UCI researchers restore memory process in most common form of mental disability

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
University of California, Irvine scientists have discovered how to reverse the learning and memory problems inherent in the most common form of mental impairment.

Story ideas from Molecular & Cellular Proteomics

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Story ideas from the October 2007 issue of Molecular & Cellular Proteomics include preventing neurodegenerative diseases by studying proteins in the brain, improving cancer diagnosis, and improving liver cancer diagnosis.

AGA Institute statement on CT colonography study

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths, affecting both men and women nearly equally, and is one of the most preventable cancers. The American Gastroenterological Association Institute supports clinically proven technologies that increase the number of patients screened for colon cancer.

The reservoir of Marburg virus identified in a species of fruit bat

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
IRD researchers working along with the Centre international de recherches médicales de Franceville of Gabon and the Center for Disease Control based in Atlanta recently identified a species of fruit bat as reservoir of Marburg virus pathogen. Once restricted to East Africa, this virus was implicated in severe epidemics, in 2000 then in 2005, respectively in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Angola

Fair play in chimpanzees

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
New research from the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany shows that unlike humans, chimpanzees conform to traditional economic models. The research, conducted by Keith Jensen, Josep Call and Michael Tomasello, used a modification of one of the most widely used and accepted economic tools, the ultimatum game.

Fungus genome yielding answers to protect grains, people and animals

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Why a pathogen is a pathogen may be answered as scientists study the recently mapped genetic makeup of a fungus that spawns the worst cereal grains disease known and also can produce toxins potentially fatal to people and livestock.

Workplace woe: Are abusive bosses or inferior employees to blame?

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Considerable attention, both in blogs and in popular media, has been given to abusive bosses over the past few years. Less discussed are employees' responses to such behavior. How do employees react to abusive supervisors? Do they simply take what is dished out, or do they actively seek to change the situation?

Genes from the father facilitate the formation of new species

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The two closely related bird species, the collared flycatcher and the pied flycatcher, can reproduce with each other, but the females are more strongly attracted to a male of their own species. This has been shown by an international research team in the latest Net edition of Science. The discovery sheds new light on how new species are formed.

Got calcium? UWM researcher finds that food labels confuse consumers

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Current food labeling leads to under-consumption of calcium, according to this study. Those who were taught how to translate the information consumed more. Researchers believe the same is true for other beneficial nutrients.

Studying component parts of living cells with carbon nanotube cellular probes

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Carbon nanotubes have shown great potential for use as cellular probes. As "nanopipes" they can be used to transport liquids to or from cells and inject solutions or drugs directly into individual cells and individual organelles within the cells.

Jefferson urologists studying regenerated neo-bladder to help spinal cord injury patients

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Urologists at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital are studying whether a neo-bladder construct grown from a patient's own cells can improve bladder function for adult spinal cord injury patients. Jefferson is only one of six sites in the US enrolling participants in this clinical trial for the lab-grown neo-bladder construct that will involve a total of 10 patients.

Study: diabetic neuropathy costs billions per year in lost work time

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A recent study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine finds that workers who have diabetes with neuropathic symptoms such as tingling in feet or hands lose the equivalent of 1.4 hours a week or $3.65 billion per year in health-related lost productive time. Dr. Walter 'Buzz' Stewart of the Geisinger Center for Health Research in Danville, Pa. can discuss the study's implications for the care of diabetic patients and for the workplace.

Rugby kick success may come down to swing of the arm, shows research

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The prodigious kicking success of England rugby player Johnny Wilkinson's may come down to what he does with his arms -- but it is not just his trademark preparation stance that does the trick.

BSSA tipsheet for October 2007

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The following papers are featured in the next issue of Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.

Researchers identify genes that increase rheumatoid arthritis risk

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Researchers in the United States and Sweden have identified a genetic region associated with increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic and debilitating inflammatory disease of the joints that affects an estimated 2.1 million Americans. The US arm of the study involved a long-time collaboration between intramural researchers of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and other organizations. NIAMS is one of 27 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health.

Double cardiovascular benefit for people with chronic kidney disease

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
New research, published today in the Journal of American Society of Nephrology by the George Institute for International Health in Sydney, has found that lowering blood pressure protects stroke victims with chronic kidney disease from further strokes or heart attacks. Given the high risk of cardiovascular complications in people with chronic kidney disease, these results have significant implications for millions of people across the world.

How Candida albicans transforms from its normally benign form into life-threatening form

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Singapore researchers have discovered new molecular mechanisms that provide a more detailed understanding of how the normally benign Dr. Jekyll-like fungus known as Candida albicans transforms into a serious and often life-threatening Mr. Hyde-like form.

Human embryonic stem cells remain embryonic because of epigenetic factors

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A human embryonic stem cell is reined in -- prevented from giving up its unique characteristics of self-renewal and pluripotency -- by the presence of a protein modification that stifles genes that would prematurely instruct the cell to develop into specialized tissue. Thanks to the simultaneous presence of different protein modifications, stem cells are primed and poised, ready to develop into specialized body tissue, Singapore scientists reported.

Argonne researcher studies what makes quantum dots blink

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
In order to learn more about the origins of quantum dot blinking, researchers from the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory, the University of Chicago and the California Institute of Technology have developed a method to characterize it on faster time scales than have previously been accessed.

Default options should be used to improve healthcare

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Anyone who has ever tried to set up an internet account or wants to make a purchase on a website, has experienced the 'default option,' an event or condition that will be set in place if no alternative is actively chosen. In an opinion article in the Sept. 28 issue of the NEJM, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, argue that these concepts applied by marketers should also be used by the medical community to benefit patients.

National Academies advisory: genes and toxic chemicals

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
"Applications of toxicogenomic technologies to predictive toxicology and risk assessment," a new report from the National Research Council, examines future applications and benefits of this research, and recommends ways government agencies and others can move the field forward. It also explores the ethical and social issues raised by toxicogenomic methods -- such as how to protect the privacy of individuals' genetic information.

Negativity is contagious, study finds

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Though we may not care to admit it, what other people think about something can affect what we think about it. This is how critics become influential and why our parents' opinions about our life choices continue to matter, long after we've moved out. But what kind of opinions have the most effect? An important new study in the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that negative opinions cause the greatest attitude shifts, not just from good to bad, but also from bad to worse.

Lesser of two evils: When do we prefer to get rid of things?

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The theory of loss aversion is used in many contexts to explain why potential loss has a greater mitigating influence on behavior than potential gain. In trading situations, consumers will most likely opt to keep what they have, tending to place a larger value on the items already in their possession (also known as the "endowment effect"). However, these theories generally assume that consumers like what they have enough to want to keep it. What happens when we're in possession of something we hate?

Can thinking about shopping change the route you take?

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Prior research has shown that exposure to business-related objects makes people act more competitively, even though they do not realize it. A fascinating new study by researchers at Stanford extends this research by investigating how different consumers are affected by the same stimuli. The study reveals significant differences between the way men and women subconsciously react after exposure to certain objects.

When taking a long time is seen as a good thing

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Consumers often use the length of time a service takes as a measure of its quality. The longer a session lasts, the better the value. Indeed, a new study shows that this holds true even when judging something primarily by its duration can backfire. In a series of experiments, the researchers reveal how consumers misjudge situations in which longer isn't necessarily better.

Cholesterol metabolism links early- and late-onset Alzheimer's disease

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered evidence strengthening the case for another potential cause of Alzheimer's. The finding also represents the first time scientists have found a connection between early- and late-onset Alzheimer's.

Starting university may be hazardous to your health: study

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Moving away from home and adapting to a new social environment are just two of the many challenges that new students face as they enter university. An innovative new study conducted at the University of Alberta has found that these challenges can actually have a negative effect on a student's health.

Medimmune announces phase 2 safety data for anti-RSV antibody and national RSV surveillance results

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
MedImmune, Inc. today announced two important studies being presented at the Infectious Diseases Society of America Annual Meeting regarding respiratory syncytial virus. Data pertain to safety and immunogenicity of motavizumab, an investigational anti-RSV MAb, and a nationwide surveillance program evaluating the variability of the RSV season in the United States.

Kids still not drinking enough milk

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
American children are drinking too little milk and what they are consuming is too high in fat, according to a Penn State study. "There is a strong correlation between dairy consumption and calcium," says Sibylle Kranz, assistant professor of nutritional sciences. "While there is calcium in fortified orange juice, for example, it is not as bioavailable as that found in milk."

UF researchers test stem cell therapy for heart patients

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
University of Florida doctors treated the first patient in a new study to test whether a person's own stem cells can be used to restore blood flow to the heart by prompting new blood vessels to grow.

What emotional memories are made of

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Both extensive psychological research and personal experiences confirm that events that happen during heightened states of emotion such as fear, anger and joy are far more memorable than less dramatic occurrences. In a report this week in Cell, Johns Hopkins researchers and their collaborators have identified the likely biological basis for this: a hormone released during emotional arousal "primes" nerve cells to remember events by increasing their chemical sensitivity at sites where nerves rewire to form new memory circuits.

ORNL's SensorPedia targets national security mission

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
SensorPedia, a writeable Web site in development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, solves a huge problem by giving emergency responders and decision-makers access to data from diverse sensor networks in near real time.

The industrial space age

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Writing in the October issue of Inderscience publication, International Journal of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Rasmus Karlsson, a researcher at the University of Lund, Sweden, suggests that the industrialization of space could help solve environmental problems here on earth.

Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Men with chronic heart failure can have active sex lives

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Although medication can help extend the lives of men with chronic heart failure, several factors associated with this disease can interfere with a person's ability to engage in and enjoy sexual activities.

In birds, expecting to mate leads to higher fertilization rates

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A new study shows that species learn to adapt to their surroundings in order to increase their "reproductive fitness" -- the likelihood that they will successfully reproduce. In this experiment, the quail who knew they were going to have the opportunity to mate produced more offspring.

ORNL 'resilience' plan to help Tennessee, Mississippi and South Carolina communities beat disaster

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A new Oak Ridge National Laboratory initiative could help avert disasters in Tennessee, Mississippi and South Carolina and also lead to more information about climate change.

UF researchers devise way to calculate rates of evolution

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Writing online this week in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, Florida and California scientists link the evolution of proteins -- the organic compounds that determine the structure and function of living things -- to a species' metabolic rate. The findings suggest neutral processes independent of natural selection are also important in governing evolution.

UGA study: Youth exposed to smokeless tobacco ads despite settlement

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A 1998 settlement designed to limit the marketing of smokeless tobacco to youth hasn't been effective, according to a new University of Georgia study published in the early online edition of the American Journal of Public Health.

Evidence of a relationship between swimming babies and infections

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Scientists of the GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health found indications for an association between attendance of swimming pools in the first year of life and the frequency of infections. Diarrhea and otitis media during the first year of life are especially noteworthy. No increased risks were found for atopic diseases during the first six years.

Unveiling the structure of microcrystals

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Microcrystals take the form of tiny grains resembling powder, which is extremely difficult to study. For the first time, researchers from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique used X-ray diffraction at the synchrotron to determine the structure of microcrystal grains of one cubic micrometer. They gained a factor of a thousand on the size of the analyzable samples, opening up new research possibilities to chemists, physicists and biologists.

Bilberry extract -- can it help prevent certain cancers?

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Cancer researchers are investigating whether extracts of bilberries can aid cancer prevention.

Nurses play a key role in police custody suites, complementing the traditional role of doctors

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Using on-call custody nurses to assess and treat people detained by the police is taking the pressure off specially trained family doctors who carry out the duties in addition to their primary care role.

Scientists 'weigh' tiny galaxy halfway across universe

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A tiny galaxy, nearly halfway across the universe, the smallest in size and mass known to exist at that distance, has been identified by an international team of scientists led by two from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Majority of Americans want local action on global warming, says poll

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Nearly three-quarters of Americans are willing to pay more in taxes and other expenses to support local government-led initiatives designed to reduce global warming, according to a first-of-its kind survey conducted by GfK Public Affairs and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

How pitching changes little leaguers' shoulders

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
While shoulder changes can allow pitches to go faster, too much of a good thing can be bad for growing kids.

Brown researchers make major signal transduction discovery

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
How cells sense and respond to chemical messages -- a process known as signal transduction -- is a fundamental force in biology, controlling key processes such as cell growth and immune response. Now researchers from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital report a significant discovery in the field of signal transduction that could provide a new target for drugs that fight cancer, HIV and diseases. Results are published in Cell.

Scripps research scientists develop innovative dual action anthrax vaccine-antitoxin combination

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed a new and highly effective agent that provides protection against anthrax by combining a fast-acting anthrax toxin inhibitor with a vaccine in a single compound.

U-M research: New plastic is strong as steel, transparent

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
By mimicking a brick-and-mortar molecular structure found in seashells, University of Michigan researchers created a composite plastic that's as strong as steel, but lighter and transparent.

Deficiency of immune system 'peacekeeper' pinpointed in mice as cause of ulcerative colitis

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
In a series of mouse experiments, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have pinpointed a specific immune deficiency as the likely fundamental cause of ulcerative colitis, a chronic, sometimes severe inflammatory disease of the colon or large intestine that afflicts half a million Americans.

Discovery offers hope of halting Amyotrophoic Lateral Sclerosis progression

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Scientists have discovered a causal link between the gene for a small protein involved in the formation of blood vessels and the development of some forms of Amyotrophoic Lateral Sclerosis. Published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, the findings could provide a basis for developing methods for halting the progression of some forms of the disease.

Researchers identify key step bird flu virus takes to spread readily in humans

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Since it first appeared in Hong Kong in 1997, the H5N1 avian flu virus has been slowly evolving into a pathogen better equipped to infect humans. The final form of the virus, biomedical researchers fear, will be a highly pathogenic strain of influenza that spreads easily among humans.

Simplest circadian clocks operate via orderly phosphate transfers

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Researchers at Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have found that a simple circadian clock found in some bacteria operates by the rhythmic addition and subtraction of phosphate groups at two key locations on a single protein. This phosphate pattern is influenced by two other proteins, driving phosphorylation to oscillate according to a remarkably accurate 24-hour cycle.

Geologists recover rocks yielding unprecedented insights into San Andreas Fault

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
For the first time, geologists have extracted intact rock samples from 2 miles beneath the surface of the San Andreas Fault, the infamous rupture that runs 800 miles along the length of California.Never before have scientists had available for study rock samples from deep inside one of the actively moving tectonic plate-bounding faults responsible for the world's most damaging earthquakes. Now, with this newly recovered material, scientists hope to answer long-standing questions about the fault's composition and properties.

Hydrothermal vents: Hot spots of microbial diversity

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Thousands of new kinds of marine microbes have been discovered at two deep-sea hydrothermal vents off the Oregon coast by scientists at the MBL and University of Washington's Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean. Their findings, published in the Oct. 5 issue of the journal Science, are the result of the most comprehensive, comparative study to date of deep-sea microbial communities that are responsible for cycling carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur to help keep Earth habitable.

Agent that triggers immune response in plants is uncovered

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Rsearchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research on the Cornell campus have identified how plants signal that they have been attacked in order to trigger a plantwide resistance.

How emotionally charged events leave their mark on memory

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Researchers have uncovered new evidence in mice that may explain how emotionally charged situations can leave such a powerful mark on our memories. Surges of the stress hormone norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline) that often accompany strong emotions spark a series of molecular events that ultimately strengthen the connections between neurons, the team reports in the Oct. 5, 2007, issue of the journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press.

Salmonid hatcheries cause 'stunning' loss of reproduction

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The rearing of steelhead trout in hatcheries causes a dramatic and unexpectedly fast drop in their ability to reproduce in the wild, a new Oregon State University study shows, and raises serious questions about the wisdom of historic hatchery practices.

New telomere discovery could help explain why cancer cells never stop dividing

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A group working at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research in collaboration with the University of Pavia has discovered that telomeres, the repeated DNA-protein complexes at the end of chromosomes that progressively shorten every time a cell divides, also contain RNA. This discovery, published online Oct. 4 in Science Express, calls into question our understanding of how telomeres function, and may provide a new avenue of attack for stopping telomere renewal in cancer cells.

Living fossils have hot sex

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
University of Utah scientists discovered a strange reproductive method in primitive cycad plants: The plants heat up and emit a toxic odor to drive pollen-covered insects out of male cycad cones, and then use a milder odor to draw the bugs into female cones so the plants are pollinated. This method may represent an intermediate step in the evolution of plant pollination, the researchers report in the new issue of Science.

Malaria product portfolio would benefit from greater cohesion amongst stakeholders

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Malaria drug and vaccine research is booming. According to a report launched today in the UK byAustralian researchers at the George Institute for International Health, 16 new malaria vaccinecandidates are now in clinical trials; six new malaria drugs are about to reach the market; and by2011 we will have up to 12 new antimalarial drug product registered.

Cell skeleton may hold key to overcoming drug resistance in cancer

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Researchers have uncovered a new way in which a cell protein protects cancer cellsfrom a wide range of chemotherapeutic drugs, identifying a possible target forimproving treatment outcomes for patients.

Stomach stem cell discovery could bring cancer insights

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
University of Michigan researchers have for the first time identified progenitor cells in mouse stomachs in a region where cancer often begins. The ability to see and trace these cells gives a green light to efforts to understand the origins of one of the world's most common cancers.

How do patients choose the best treatment for their disease?

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The diagnosis has come in, and it's not good. Worse, the patient has to choose from treatment options that are sometimes contradictory and risky. None of them promises complete success. How do patients make an informed decision, choosing the very best treatment for their own healthcare?

Naturally-occurring apple compounds reduce risk of pancreatic cancer

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Eating flavonol-rich foods like apples may help reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, especially in smokers.

Clemson physicist addresses international forum on thermoelectric energy

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Energy lost from hot engines could save billions of dollars if it could be captured and converted into electricity via thermoelectric devices, Clemson University physicist Terry Tritt told scientists gathered in Dallas for the world-renowned NanoTX '07 conference.

Black holes, galaxies young and old visible in massive mapping of the night sky

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Pitt researcher part of core group behind survey of 10 billion years of galactic development.

St. Jude settles century-old debate on origin of mammalian network of lymphatic vessels

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital settled a century-old debate on the origin of the mammalian lymphatic vasculature -- the network of vessels and capillaries critical to various essential housekeeping functions in the body.

Researchers: No faking it, crocodile tears are real

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
When someone feigns sadness they 'cry crocodile tears,' a phrase that comes from an old myth that the animals cry while eating.

Earthquake experts at Tel Aviv University turn to history for guidance

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The best seismologists in the world don't know when the next big earthquake will hit. But a Tel Aviv University geologist suggests that earthquake patterns recorded in historical documents of Middle Eastern countries indicate that the region's next significant quake is long overdue.

New York City's infant mortality rate declined in 2006

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
New York City's infant mortality rate -- widely regarded as a barometer of a population's general health -- fell slightly in 2006. The rate in 2006 was 5.9 infant deaths for every 1,000 births, down from 6.0 the previous year. Racial and economic disparities persist, even as the citywide rate declines.

Differing attitudes found between women and doctors concerning menstrual suppression

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
More than the two thirds of the women in a national survey say that they are interested in suppressing their menstrual periods but many of them aren't sure if it's safe. Yet when physicians are polled, 97 percent say that continuous oral contraceptive therapy to suppress menstruation is, in fact, medically safe and acceptable.

UC San Diego physicists tackle knotty puzzle

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Electrical cables, garden hoses and strands of holiday lights seem to get themselves hopelessly tangled with no help at all. Now research initiated by an undergraduate student at the University of California, San Diego has resulted in the first model of how knots form.

Combination vaccines okay for infants, study shows

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Good news for new parents -- a University of Rochester recently published in the Journal of Pediatrics shows that no efficacy or safety is compromised when clinicians administer a new combination vaccine that streamlines the newborn immunization schedule. By tripling up three of the recommended shots, pediatricians can reduce the painful "poke" total, from five to three, at each of the infant's three bimonthly checkups.

APL astronomer spies conditions 'just right' for building an Earth

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
An Earth-like planet is likely forming 424 light-years away in a star system called HD 113766, say astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.

Trial seeks 'genetic fingerprint' for predicting drug effectiveness

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
University of Cincinnati physician-scientists believe identifying a genetic "fingerprint" could help predict which specific therapies will be most effective for patients with gastric cancer.

MIT aids creation of neural prosthetic devices

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
MIT researchers have developed a new algorithm to help create prosthetic devices that convert brain signals into action in patients who have been paralyzed or had limbs amputated.

Mathematicians defy gravity

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Mathematicians at the University of Bristol, UK, have shown that small drops can defy gravity and travel up hill -- even on an incline as steep as 85 degrees -- if the surface vibrates up and down sufficiently strongly.

American College of Physicians recommends flu vaccination for health-care workers

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The American College of Physicians recommends that an annual influenza vaccine should be required for every health-care worker with direct patient care activities.

Promising Phase 3 trial results show biologic therapy ustekinumab significantly improved psoriasis

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The first reported findings from an international, Phase 3 study showed that more than two-thirds of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis receiving two doses of ustekinumab (CNTO 1275) achieved at least a 75 percent reduction in psoriasis at week 12, the primary endpoint of the study, as measured by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index.

Cilia: small organelles, big decisions

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Johns Hopkins researchers say they have figured out how human and all animal cells tune in to a key signal, one that literally transmits the instructions that shape their final bodies. It turns out the cells assemble their own little radio antenna on their surfaces to help them relay the proper signal to the developmental proteins "listening" on the inside of the cell.

A nation divided over health care? Not so fast

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
According to results of the American College of Surgeons' new "On the Table" voter survey, 75 percent of voters support the establishment of a nationwide trauma system -- including strong majorities across all political parties.

MU physicist defends Einstein's theory and 'speed of gravity' measurement

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Scientists have attempted to disprove Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity for the better part of a century. After testing and confirming Einstein's prediction in 2002 that gravity moves at the speed of light, a professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia has spent the past five years defending the result, as well as his own innovative techniques for measuring the speed of propagation of the tiny ripples of space-time known as gravitational waves.

Research points towards early cancer detection

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
Scientists at Cardiff University School of Medicine have achieved greater understanding of telomeres -- small DNA structures which have a role in the onset of cancer. The discovery may lead in time to the development of a very early test for tumors.

Spouses often mirror each other's health habits

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
If one spouse exercises, quits smoking, stops drinking alcohol... the other spouse is more likely to do the same.

Study reveals that immigrant teenagers eat better than Spanish teenagers

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The study, carried out at the University of Granada, shows that immigrant teenagers eat much more fruit, vegetables, cereals and juice than Spanish teenagers. The author of this study has designed an educational program based on nutrition and cultural variety. This program has improved, practically by a factor of 100 percent, the eating habits of a group of students in the third year of compulsory secondary education.

New deep space images of distant strip of sky to be available on Google

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A global project to map a distant strip of the universe is releasing itsdata today to scientists and the public to be used as part of GoogleSky, a new feature of Google Earth. The international team is taking deep images of an area of sky known asthe Extended Groth Strip, an area that covers the width of four fullmoons, close to the end of the Big Dipper's handle.

2007 ozone hole 'smaller than usual'

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
The ozone hole over Antarctica has shrunk 30 percent as compared to last year's record size. According to measurements made by ESA's Envisat satellite, this year's ozone loss peaked at 27.7 million tons, compared to the 2006 record ozone loss of 40 million tons.

Nature leads the way for the next generation of paints, cosmetics and holograms

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT
A plant-like micro-organism mostly found in oceans could make the manufacture of products, from iridescent cosmetics, paints and fabrics to credit card holograms, cheaper and "greener."

_{Copyright 2006 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science}