ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Pre-pregnancy diet affects the health of future offspring, mouse study suggests
• Web weaving skills provide clues to aging, spider study reveals
• Flapping micro air vehicles inspired by swifts
• Hawaii is not an evolutionary dead end for marine life, snail study finds
• NASA's Aura Satellite measures pollution from New Mexico, Arizona fires
• Solving the puzzle of cognitive problems caused by HIV infection
• Breaking Kasha's rule: Scientists find unique luminescence in tetrapod nanocrystals
• Auto-pilots need a birds-eye view: Pigeons can inform navigation technology design
• Foods with baked milk may help build tolerance in children with dairy allergies, study suggests
• New strawberry a delight for gardeners: 'Roseberry' recommended for hanging baskets, groundcover
• Sweetpotato foundation seed tested in commercial operations; Virus-tested seeds proven to increase yields
• Extending the vase life of cut flowers: Pre-treatments and preservatives studied
• Washington, D.C. study shows racial disparities in emergency stroke treatment
• Delayed access to tertiary care associated with higher death rate from type of pulmonary fibrosis
• Surface layer effectively kills malaria mosquitoes in rice paddies
• Copper reduces infection risk by more than 40 per cent, experts say
• Time to make more out of waste
• Sport performance follows a physiological law; Study suggests peak at 20-30 years of age, then irreversible decline
• Health providers should emphasize breast cancer screening, research finds
• Study sheds light on tunicate evolution
• New class of antiangiogenesis drugs: Natural plant compound blocks blood vessel growth by interfering with cellular adhesion
• New procedure to eliminate scarring in kidney surgeries
• New technique advances bioprinting of cells
• Environs prompt advantageous gene mutations as plants grow; changes passed to progeny
• Big hole filled in cloud research
• Self-referral: A significant factor in imaging growth
• E. coli can survive in streambed sediments for months
• First cookiecutter shark attack on a live human
• Mutations can spur dangerous identity crisis in cells
• Dentists' role in painkiller abuse
• Treatment approach to human Usher syndrome: Small molecules ignore stop signals
• Climate change could turn oxygen-free seas from blessing to curse for zooplankton
• Gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori protects against asthma
• A VIP for normal brain development
• Loudest animal is recorded for the first time
• Key immune substance linked to asthma, Stanford study finds
• Faster 3-D nanoimaging a possibility with full color synchrotron light
• Sun and planets constructed differently, analysis from NASA mission suggests
• When viruses infect bacteria: Looking in vivo at virus-bacterium associations
• Research reveals new secret weapon for Tour de France: Beetroot juice
• Honeybees may not be as important to pollination services in the UK, study suggests
• Ultimate energy efficiency: Magnetic microprocessors could use million times less energy than today's silicon chips
• Earlier exit from hospital after hip operation: New study suggests 'Fast Track' total hip replacement is both safe and effective
• Extended sleep improves the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players
• Picture archiving and communication system (PACS) improves radiologists' use of clinical decision support systems
• Snooze you win? It's true for achieving hoop dreams, says new study
• Nuclear waste requires cradle-to-grave strategy, study finds
• Good communication in early years key to success at school, UK study shows
• Intravenous nutrition for critically ill patients must not be administered too early, Belgian study finds
• Nature uses screws and nuts: Previously unknown musculoskeletal system discovered in weevils
• Potential of simple injection on patients with head injury
• Researchers map the physics of Tibetan singing bowls
• Climate change could turn oxygen-free seas from a blessing to a curse for zooplankton
• Tarantula's double beating heart revealed by MRI
• Soccer (football) players' performance is more than the sum of their parts
• Why 'event cloaks' could be the key to the ultimate bank heist
• 'Goat plague' threat to global food security and economy must be tackled, experts warn

Pre-pregnancy diet affects the health of future offspring, mouse study suggests Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:37 PM PDT Poor maternal diet before conception can result in offspring with reduced birth weights and increased risk of developing type II diabetes and obesity. In a new study, mice that were fed a low protein diet before conception (but had a normal diet during pregnancy) gave birth to offspring that had lower birth weights and increased insulin sensitivity.

Web weaving skills provide clues to aging, spider study reveals Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:37 PM PDT Young house spiders weave webs with perfect angles and regular patterns, but as they reach old age their webs deteriorate, showing gaping holes and erratic weaving. By using spiders as a simple model, new research may provide insight into how age affects behavior in other organisms, including humans.

Flapping micro air vehicles inspired by swifts Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:37 PM PDT A new design of micro air vehicle (MAV) will be able to flap, glide and hover. Researchers have been inspired by birds to design a MAV that combines flapping wings, which will allow it to fly at slow speeds and hover, with the ability to glide, ensuring good quality images from any on-board camera.

Hawaii is not an evolutionary dead end for marine life, snail study finds Posted: 01 Jul 2011 03:21 PM PDT The question of why there are so many species in the sea and how new species form remains a central question in marine biology. Below the waterline, about 30% of Hawaii's marine species are endemic – being found only in Hawaii and nowhere else on Earth – one of the highest rates of endemism found worldwide. But where did this diversity of species come from? In a new study of limpets, cone-shaped marine snails, researchers have demonstrated that Hawaii is not an evolutionary dead end for marine species.

NASA's Aura Satellite measures pollution from New Mexico, Arizona fires Posted: 01 Jul 2011 01:40 PM PDT NASA's Aura Satellite has provided a view of nitrogen dioxide levels coming from the fires in New Mexico and Arizona. Detecting nitrogen dioxide is important because it reacts with sunlight to create low-level ozone or smog and poor air quality.

Solving the puzzle of cognitive problems caused by HIV infection Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:05 PM PDT A longstanding medical mystery -- why so many people with HIV experience memory loss and other cognitive problems despite potent antiretroviral therapy -- may have been solved by researchers.

Breaking Kasha's rule: Scientists find unique luminescence in tetrapod nanocrystals Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:04 PM PDT Researchers created tetrapod molecules of semiconductor nanocrystals and watched them break a fundamental principle of photoluminescence known as "Kasha's rule." The discovery holds promise for multi-color light emission technologies, including LEDs.

Auto-pilots need a birds-eye view: Pigeons can inform navigation technology design Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:04 PM PDT New research on how birds can fly so quickly and accurately through dense forests may lead to new developments in robotics and auto-pilots. Scientists trained pigeons to fly through an artificial forest with a tiny camera attached to their heads, literally giving a birds-eye view.

Foods with baked milk may help build tolerance in children with dairy allergies, study suggests Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:04 PM PDT Introducing increasing amounts of foods that contain baked milk into the diets of children who have milk allergies helped a majority of them outgrow their allergies, according to a new study.

New strawberry a delight for gardeners: 'Roseberry' recommended for hanging baskets, groundcover Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:04 PM PDT Roseberry, a new strawberry cultivar, offers home gardeners a continuous show of flowers throughout the summer and produces delicious, aromatic fruit. The strawberry is particularly recommended for use in hanging baskets because the stolons flower and fruit before rooting and do not break when berries develop.

Sweetpotato foundation seed tested in commercial operations; Virus-tested seeds proven to increase yields Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:04 PM PDT A survey was conducted to examine the performance and quality of a sweetpotato virus-tested foundation seed after it had been integrated into commercial operations in Louisiana. Results from the study suggest that producers are realizing yield benefits by incorporating virus-tested foundation seed into their production schemes, but further benefits could be attained if ways to reduce re-infection with viruses can be identified.

Extending the vase life of cut flowers: Pre-treatments and preservatives studied Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:04 PM PDT A multiyear study identified patterns of postharvest responses to commercial hydrator and holding floral preservatives among 121 cultivars of specialty cut flowers. Cut stems were pretreated with either a commercial hydrating solution or deionized water, then placed in either a holding solution or deionized water. Particular combinations of preservatives and hydrating treatments were found to either increase or decrease vase life of the flowers. The study contains valuable information for flower growers, retailers, and consumers.

Washington, D.C. study shows racial disparities in emergency stroke treatment Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:04 PM PDT A recent Washington, D.C. citywide study demonstrates racial disparities in the use of clot-busting drugs to treat acute ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke.

Delayed access to tertiary care associated with higher death rate from type of pulmonary fibrosis Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:24 AM PDT Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis -- scarring and thickening of the lungs from unknown causes -- is the predominant condition leading to lung transplantation nationwide. Researchers confirmed that delayed access to a tertiary care center for IPF is associated with a higher risk of death.

Surface layer effectively kills malaria mosquitoes in rice paddies Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:22 AM PDT A thin, liquid layer applied on the surface of inundated rice paddies effectively kills malaria mosquito larvae without having an impact on other aquatic life. Rice yield remains the same and water was saved because of the anti-evaporative properties of the layer.

Copper reduces infection risk by more than 40 per cent, experts say Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:22 AM PDT Medical researchers have presented research into the mechanism by which copper exerts its antimicrobial effect on antibiotic-resistant organisms.

Time to make more out of waste Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:22 AM PDT Dumping all our household waste on landfill is bad for the environment. Engineers are working to find the best way to ensure more of our organic rubbish is turned into biogas and compost.

Sport performance follows a physiological law; Study suggests peak at 20-30 years of age, then irreversible decline Posted: 01 Jul 2011 10:22 AM PDT Researchers in France have published research describing the evolution of performances in elite athletes and chess grandmasters. Their findings suggest that changes in individual performance are linked to physiological laws structuring the living world.

Health providers should emphasize breast cancer screening, research finds Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:18 AM PDT Researchers believe medical practitioners can help reduce the number of breast cancer deaths among low-income African-American women by more effectively educating their patients about the importance of mammography screening.

Study sheds light on tunicate evolution Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:18 AM PDT Researchers have filled an important gap in the study of tunicate evolution by genetically sequencing 40 new specimens of thaliaceans, gelatinous, free-swimming types of tunicates.

New class of antiangiogenesis drugs: Natural plant compound blocks blood vessel growth by interfering with cellular adhesion Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:18 AM PDT Researchers have discovered the first of an entirely new class of anti-angiogenesis drugs -- agents that interfere with the development of blood vessels. The investigators describe how a compound derived from a South American tree was able, through a novel mechanism, to interfere with blood vessel formation in animal models of normal development, wound healing and tumor growth.

New procedure to eliminate scarring in kidney surgeries Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:16 AM PDT A urologist has developed a new "hidden" minimally invasive procedure that makes scarring virtually invisible yet is just as effective as more common surgical methods.

New technique advances bioprinting of cells Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:16 AM PDT By extending pioneering acoustical work that applied sound waves to generate droplets from fluids, researchers have made encouraging preliminary findings at an early and crucial point in a stem cell's career known as embroid body formation.

Environs prompt advantageous gene mutations as plants grow; changes passed to progeny Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:16 AM PDT Researchers have found that the environment not only weeds out harmful and useless genetic mutations in plants through natural selection, but actually influences helpful mutations, and that these beneficial changes are passed on to the next generation.

Big hole filled in cloud research Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:16 AM PDT Under certain conditions, private and commercial propeller planes and jet aircraft may induce odd-shaped holes or canals into clouds as they fly through them. These holes and canals have long fascinated the public and now new research shows they may affect precipitation in and around airports with frequent cloud cover in the wintertime.

Self-referral: A significant factor in imaging growth Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:16 AM PDT A recent study suggests that self-referral in medical imaging may be a significant contributing factor in diagnostic imaging growth.

E. coli can survive in streambed sediments for months Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:16 AM PDT Scientists have confirmed that the presence of Escherichia coli pathogens in surface waters could result from the pathogen's ability to survive for months in underwater sediments.

First cookiecutter shark attack on a live human Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:16 AM PDT A new study provides details on the first cookiecutter shark attack on a live human, a concern as warm summer waters attract more people to the ocean.

Mutations can spur dangerous identity crisis in cells Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:15 AM PDT A new study brings scientists one step closer to developing treatments for issues associated with aging or chronic diseases in which cells lose their ability to maintain a stable pattern of gene expression.

Dentists' role in painkiller abuse Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:15 AM PDT Dentists, pharmacists and addiction experts provides new research and recommendations to help dentists combat, rather than contribute to, abuse of addictive painkillers.

Treatment approach to human Usher syndrome: Small molecules ignore stop signals Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:15 AM PDT Researchers have now developed a new Usher treatment approach. Usher syndrome is the most common form of combined congenital deaf-blindness in humans and affects 1 in 6,000 of the population.

Climate change could turn oxygen-free seas from blessing to curse for zooplankton Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:15 AM PDT Zooplankton can use specialized adaptations that allow them to hide from predators in areas of the ocean where oxygen levels are so low that almost nothing can survive, but they may run into trouble as these areas expand due to climate change.

Gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori protects against asthma Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:15 AM PDT Infection with the gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori provides reliable protection against allergy-induced asthma, immunologists have demonstrated in an animal model. Their results confirm the hypothesis recently put forward that the dramatic increase in allergic diseases in industrial societies is linked to the rapid disappearance of specific micro-organisms that populate the human body.

A VIP for normal brain development Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:15 AM PDT New research has identified a signaling pathway key for normal brain development in mice. Of paramount importance, the data generated suggest that environmental factors, including maternal ones, can influence the final size of the brain.

Loudest animal is recorded for the first time Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:15 AM PDT The loudest animal on Earth, relative to its body size, is a tiny water boatman, scientists have shown. The sound is within human hearing range and at 99.2 decibels it represents the equivalent of listening to an orchestra play loudly while sitting in the front row.

Key immune substance linked to asthma, Stanford study finds Posted: 01 Jul 2011 09:15 AM PDT Medical researchers have linked a master molecule of the immune system, gamma-interferon, to the pathology of asthma, in a study of mice.

Faster 3-D nanoimaging a possibility with full color synchrotron light Posted: 01 Jul 2011 07:17 AM PDT Researchers can now see objects more precisely and faster at the nanoscale due to utilizing the full color spectrum of synchrotron light, opening the way for faster 3-D nanoimaging.

Sun and planets constructed differently, analysis from NASA mission suggests Posted: 01 Jul 2011 07:17 AM PDT The sun and inner, rocky planets, including the Earth, may have formed differently than previously thought, report scientists analyzing samples returned by NASA's Genesis mission.

When viruses infect bacteria: Looking in vivo at virus-bacterium associations Posted: 01 Jul 2011 07:17 AM PDT Viruses are the most abundant parasites on Earth. Well known viruses, such as the flu virus, attack human hosts, while viruses such as the tobacco mosaic virus infect plant hosts. More common, but less understood, are cases of viruses infecting bacteria known as bacteriophages, or phages. In part, this is due to the difficulty of culturing bacteria and viruses that have been cut off from their usual biological surroundings in a process called in vitro. Researchers have now used a clever technique to look at virus-bacterium interactions in vivo, that is, within an organism's normal state.

Research reveals new secret weapon for Tour de France: Beetroot juice Posted: 01 Jul 2011 07:17 AM PDT Winning margins in the Tour de France can be tight. Now there could be a new, completely legal and rather surprising weapon in the armory for riders aiming to shave vital seconds off their time -- beetroot juice. Research in the UK has shown drinking the juice enables competitive-level cyclists to cut down the time it takes to ride a given distance. This is the first study which has shown that beetroot juice can be effective in a simulated competition environment.

Honeybees may not be as important to pollination services in the UK, study suggests Posted: 01 Jul 2011 07:17 AM PDT A new study suggests that honeybees may not be as important to pollination services in the UK than previously supposed.

Ultimate energy efficiency: Magnetic microprocessors could use million times less energy than today's silicon chips Posted: 01 Jul 2011 07:17 AM PDT Information theory and the second law of thermodynamics dictate that a logical operation in a computer must consume a minimum amount of energy. Today's computers consume a million times more energy per operation than this limit, but magnetic computers with no moving electrons could theoretically operate at the minimum energy, called the Landauer limit, according to electrical engineers.

Earlier exit from hospital after hip operation: New study suggests 'Fast Track' total hip replacement is both safe and effective Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:40 AM PDT Discharged from the hospital within two days of a total hip replacement operation? It's possible, thanks to the new 'Fast Track' protocol that underwent testing in the U.S., in response to both patient requests for shorter hospital stays and economic realities of providing medical care. According a new study, a carefully screened group of patients undergoing total hip replacement can be discharged from the hospital two days after surgery, without any increase in complications or adverse effects compared with the more traditional protocol.

Extended sleep improves the athletic performance of collegiate basketball players Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:35 AM PDT A new study shows that sleep extension is beneficial to athletic performance, reaction time, vigor, fatigue and mood in collegiate basketball players. The study is the first to document sleep extension and the athletic performance of actively competing athletes.

Picture archiving and communication system (PACS) improves radiologists' use of clinical decision support systems Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:35 AM PDT Integration with a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) improves radiologists' use of clinical decision support tools, according to a new study.

Snooze you win? It's true for achieving hoop dreams, says new study Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:35 AM PDT Young basketball players spend hours dribbling up and down the court aspiring to NBA stardom. Now, new research suggests another tactic to achieving their hoop dreams: sleep.

Nuclear waste requires cradle-to-grave strategy, study finds Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:35 AM PDT After Fukushima, it is now imperative to redefine what makes a successful nuclear power program -- from cradle to grave. If nuclear waste management is not thought out from the beginning, the public in many countries will reject nuclear power as an energy choice, according to new research.

Good communication in early years key to success at school, UK study shows Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:31 AM PDT Researchers in the UK have shown that although social background has a noticeable effect on a child's readiness for school, what parents do with their children, even before they begin to talk, is actually much more important. The results of the study showed that children who were taken to the library more often and owned more books at two-years-old achieved higher scores on the school assessment tests when they began primary school.

Intravenous nutrition for critically ill patients must not be administered too early, Belgian study finds Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:28 AM PDT Intravenous nutrition does not have a positive effect on the recovery of critically ill patients if it is administered early, according to new research from Belgium. Recovery from critical illness is in fact faster when patients receive supplementary intravenous nutrition one week after their admission to intensive care.

Nature uses screws and nuts: Previously unknown musculoskeletal system discovered in weevils Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:28 AM PDT A musculoskeletal system so far unknown in the animal world was recently discovered in weevils. The hip of Trigonopterus oblongus does not consist of the usual hinges, but of joints based on a screw-and-nut system. This first biological screw thread is about half a millimeter in size and was studied in detail using synchrotron radiation.

Potential of simple injection on patients with head injury Posted: 30 Jun 2011 07:00 PM PDT New research has suggested that tranexamic acid has the potential to prevent people dying from head injuries. It is a cheap, off-patent drug with the potential to help people suffering from brain trauma.

Researchers map the physics of Tibetan singing bowls Posted: 30 Jun 2011 07:00 PM PDT Researchers have been investigating the connection between fifth century Himalayan instruments used in religious ceremonies and modern physics.

Climate change could turn oxygen-free seas from a blessing to a curse for zooplankton Posted: 30 Jun 2011 07:00 PM PDT Zooplankton can use specialized adaptations that allow them to hide from predators in areas of the ocean where oxygen levels are so low almost nothing can survive -- but they may run into trouble as these areas expand under climate change.

Tarantula's double beating heart revealed by MRI Posted: 30 Jun 2011 07:00 PM PDT A specialized magnetic resonance imaging scanner has been used on tarantulas for the first time, giving unprecedented videos of the spider's heart beating. The images showed possible "double beating," a type of contraction which has never been considered before. The non-invasive nature of MRI provides added insight.

Soccer (football) players' performance is more than the sum of their parts Posted: 30 Jun 2011 07:00 PM PDT Soccer (football) players with superior ability in areas such as passing accuracy or sprint speed do not necessarily achieve better overall performance on the field (pitch). Researchers measured athletic ability in semi professional players and found no association between a good performance in the lab and one on the field.

Why 'event cloaks' could be the key to the ultimate bank heist Posted: 30 Jun 2011 06:59 PM PDT In this month's special issue of Physics World, which examines the science and applications of invisibility, Martin McCall and Paul Kinsler of Imperial College London describe a new type of invisibility cloak that does not just hide objects -- but events.

'Goat plague' threat to global food security and economy must be tackled, experts warn Posted: 30 Jun 2011 03:38 PM PDT "Goat plague," or peste des petits ruminants, is threatening global food security and poverty alleviation in the developing world, say leading veterinarians and animal health experts.