- 20-03-2008 - Top Science News Stories from Firstscience.com

Science and technology take center stage this election year
20 Mar 2008
11 individuals from around the globe honored for outstanding achievements Philadelphia, PA – March 3, 2008 – On the evening of April 17th, in Philadelphia, following a whirl-wind week of activities celebrating...

NIAID to convene HIV Vaccine Summit
20 Mar 2008
Watch live via webcast What: On Tuesday, March 25, 2008, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, will host an HIV Vaccine Summit in Bethesda, Md. as an important step in the...

Veterinarians' guide to hedgehogs, chinchillas and chelonians.....oh, my!
20 Mar 2008
Wildlife veterinarian Mark Mitchell co-edited the new "Manual of Exotic Pet Practice, " which provides detailed information on all of the major exotic animal groups. Click here for more information. Ferrets, frogs...

Recognizing outstanding young researchers
20 Mar 2008
The DFG awards the 2008 Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize to 6 young scientists This release is available in German. This year’s winners of Germany’s top research prize for young scientists have been announced. Among the six recipients of...

Rare cosmic rays are from far away
20 Mar 2008
Study confirms 1966 prediction: The most energetic particles in the universe are not from the neighborhood Final results from the University of Utah’s High-Resolution Fly’s Eye cosmic ray observatory show that the most energetic...

How humans make up for an 'inborn' vitamin C deficiency
20 Mar 2008
A new study appears to explain how humans, along with other higher primates, guinea pigs and fruit bats, get by with what some have called an “inborn metabolic error”: an inability to produce vitamin C from glucose. Unlike the...

Waters Corp. offers US water agencies complimentary testing for the presence of drugs
20 Mar 2008
Baseline understanding of exposure allows for long-term monitoring and development of solutions Milford, Mass. - March 20, 2008 – Responding to recent reports regarding findings of trace levels of pharmaceuticals found in U.S. drinking...

SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences launches
20 Mar 2008
Multidisciplinary research will shape the future of imaging sciences Imaging science will soon be getting more exposure as the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) launches its newest journal, SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences...

Iowa State researchers developing system to efficiently convert biomass to ethanol
20 Mar 2008
Victor Lin, an Iowa State University professor of chemistry and director of the Center for Catalysis, is leading a project that's developing a system to convert plant biomass into ethanol.... Click here for more...

JCI table of contents: March 20, 2008
20 Mar 2008
BACTERIOLOGY: Antibodies protect against bacteria in the blood In developed countries, infection with nontyphoidal strains of Salmonella bacteria (NTS) usually occurs through eating contaminated food and causes gastroenteritis. By contrast,...

Sanitation investment in poor countries would yield $9-to-1 benefits in productivity, health: UN
20 Mar 2008
World Water Day focuses on providing toilets in poor countries Experts estimate that $9 in productivity, health and other benefits are returned for every dollar invested installing toilets for people in countries that today are off-track in...

'Nanominerals' influence Earth systems from ocean to atmosphere to biosphere
20 Mar 2008
The ubiquity of tiny particles of minerals--mineral nanoparticles--in oceans and rivers, atmosphere and soils, and in living cells are providing scientists with new ways of understanding Earth's workings. Our planet's physical, chemical, and...

Nanoscience will change the way we think about the world
20 Mar 2008
A bacterial cell is respirating using mineral nanoparticles, since there is no oxygen around. Click here for more information. Blacksburg, Va. -- The ubiquity of mineral nanoparticles in natural waters, the...

Counselors should target discrimination and be advocates for transgender clients
20 Mar 2008
University of Oregon doctoral students address workplace and psychological issues for overlooked population Alison Cerezo, left, and Maya O'Neil, University of Oregon doctoral students, studied transgender issues, with...

A stronger heart with flavonoids
20 Mar 2008
A new scientific work confirms the beneficial effects of these compounds on human health. And the heart stays young longer A polyphenols-rich diet keeps the heart younger. This finding comes out from a study by the University of Grenoble in...

Computers show how bats classify plants according to their echoes
20 Mar 2008
Researchers have developed a computer algorithm that can imitate the bat’s ability to classify plants using echolocation. The study, published March 21st in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology, represents a collaboration...

Boston College, MIT researchers achieve dramatic increase in thermoelectric efficiency
20 Mar 2008
Nanotech advance heralds new era in heating, cooling and power generation A cross-section of nano-crystalline bismuth antimony telluride grains, as viewed through transmission electron microscope. Colors highlight the features...

Joslin researchers discover new effect for insulin
20 Mar 2008
Plays previously unknown role in aging and lifespan BOSTON – March 20, 2008 - Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have shown that insulin has a previously unknown effect that plays a role in aging and lifespan, a finding that could...

Tiny buckyballs squeeze hydrogen like giant Jupiter
20 Mar 2008
Carbon cages can hold super-dense volumes of nearly metallic hydrogen HOUSTON, March 20, 2008 -- Hydrogen could be a clean, abundant energy source, but it's difficult to store in bulk. In new research, materials scientists at Rice University...

Texas A&M scientists say early Americans arrived earlier
20 Mar 2008
COLLEGE STATION – A team led by two Texas A&M University anthropologists now believes the first Americans came to this country 1,000 to 2,000 years earlier than the 13,500 years ago previously thought, which could shift historic...

APIC launches first national C. difficile prevalence study
20 Mar 2008
Data to reveal nationwide extent of life-threatening infection in health care facilities Washington, DC, March 20, 2008 -- The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) today announced a detailed strategy to...

ID, HIV experts urge more resources for TB
20 Mar 2008
IDSA and HIVMA statement on World TB Day In honor of World TB Day 2008 (March 24), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the HIVMA Medicine Association (HIVMA) are urging U.S. policymakers to step up the fight against...

Children with healthier diets do better in school
20 Mar 2008
A new study reveals that children with healthy diets perform better in school Alberta, Canada – March 20, 2008 – A new study in the Journal of School Health reveals that children with healthy diets perform better in school than...

Mantis shrimp vision reveals new way that animals can see
20 Mar 2008
Mantis shrimp can see the world in a way that had never been observed in any animal before, researchers report in the March 20th Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. The discovery—which marks the fourth type of visual...

New research dives into details of supernova
20 Mar 2008
Astronomers have made the best determination of the power of a supernova explosion long after it was visible from Earth. This technique, using X-ray and optical observations, may help reveal the details of how some stars come to a cataclysmic...

Most republicans think the US health care system is the best in the world; democrats disagree
20 Mar 2008
All political groups agree the US lags in providing affordable care and controlling costs Boston, MA - A recent survey by the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Harris Interactive, as part of their ongoing series, Debating Health:...

Adolescents with chronic insomnia report 'twofold to fivefold' increase in personal problems
20 Mar 2008
HOUSTON—(March 20, 2008)—Documenting a “twofold to fivefold” increase in personal problems among adolescents with persistent sleeplessness, public health researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at...

Action replay of powerful stellar explosion
20 Mar 2008
A panoramic view of the Large Magellanic Cloud shows the location of the supernova remnant 0509-67.5 and a light echo that was generated when the massive progenitor star exploded.... Click here for more...

Excellence in open access research celebrated at BioMed Central awards dinner
20 Mar 2008
The winners of the 2007 BioMed Central Research Awards were announced yesterday at an awards ceremony at the Royal Society of Medicine. The event was attended by shortlisted authors, eminent researchers from around the world, open access...

Ancient reptile rises from Alberta oil sands
20 Mar 2008
Dinosaur-era sea creature named for Calgary scientist after being unearthed at Syncrude mine One of the oldest and most complete plesiosaur fossils recovered in North America, and the oldest yet discovered from the Cretaceous Period, represents...

Mars salt deposit discovery points to a new place to hunt for life's ancient traces
20 Mar 2008
TEMPE, Ariz. – Scientists using a Mars-orbiting camera designed and operated at Arizona State University's Mars Space Flight Facility have discovered the first evidence for deposits of chloride minerals - salts - in numerous places on...

Plant gene clusters for natural products
20 Mar 2008
Oat roots producing avenacin, which is fluorescent under UV light. Click here for more information. John Innes Centre scientists have found that plants may cluster the genes needed to make defence chemicals. Their...

Soybean varieties viable in southern Indiana, resistant to root-knot nematode
20 Mar 2008
Root-knot nematodes, recently confirmed in southern Indiana, can cause extensive damage to soybeans, corn and watermelon, three of the main cash crops in that area of the Midwest. Purdue plant... Click here for more...

$2.4 million grant for study of corneal infections associated with contact lenses
20 Mar 2008
NEI grant awarded to University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University Contact lens wearers are often warned to properly clean their lenses to prevent infections that can lead to severe inflammation, intense pain, and...

Research shows Earth's earliest animal ecosystem was complex and included sexual reproduction
20 Mar 2008
UC-Riverside paleontologist makes discovery using fossils excavated in South Australian outback Artist's reconstruction of Funisia dorothea, showing how it may have looked. Click here for more information. RIVERSIDE,...

Bullying threatens nurses' health and careers
20 Mar 2008
Intervention strategies needed to benefit both nurses and patients Cincinnati, OH – March 20, 2008 – In workplaces where nurses are bullied, the quality of patient care declines, the health of nurses suffers, and the retention of...

'Jumping gene' may contribute to a premature aging syndrome
20 Mar 2008
Scientists have identified a fusion protein that may contribute to Cockayne syndrome, a devastating disease characterized by developmental defects, neurodegeneration, severe wasting, and premature aging. The study is described in an article...

Molecular science could further improve leukemia survival, say St. Jude researchers
20 Mar 2008
Understanding success in treating pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia combined with molecular science could help clinicians treat adolescents and adults with the disease The dramatic increase that has occurred in the cure rate for children...

UC San Diego chemists find important contributor to smog
20 Mar 2008
Chemists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that a chemical reaction in the atmosphere above major cities long assumed to be unimportant in urban air pollution is in fact a significant contributor to urban...

UMd-led team finds ancient asteroids formed at solar system's start
20 Mar 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Using visible and infrared data collected from telescopes on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, a team of scientists, led by the University of Maryland’s Jessica Sunshine, have identified three asteroids that appear to be...

Using ground-penetrating radar to observe hidden underground water processes
20 Mar 2008
In the February issue of Vadose Zone Journal, researchers present applications of radar technology for exploring the properties and movement of water beneath our feet MADISON, WI, March 10, 2008 -- To meet the needs of a growing population and...

Physicists team up to learn how quantum mechanical states break down
20 Mar 2008
Collaborative effort moves quantum computers 1 step closer to reality Researchers at the U. S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Microsoft Station Q have made significant advancements...

NASA satellite detects record gamma ray burst explosion halfway across universe
20 Mar 2008
The extremely luminous afterglow of GRB 080319B was imaged by Swift's X-ray Telescope (left) and Optical/Ultraviolet Telescope (right). This was by far the brightest gamma-ray burst afterglow ever seen.... Click here for more...

NASA's Webb Telescope sunshield preliminary design review complete
20 Mar 2008
This photograph shows the engineering model of the sunshield, called the pathfinder. Click here for more information. GREENBELT, Md. - The tennis court-sized sunshield built by Northrop Grumman for NASA’s...

Veterinarians' guide to hedgehogs, chinchillas and chelonians ... oh, my!
20 Mar 2008
Wildlife veterinarian Mark Mitchell co-edited the new "Manual of Exotic Pet Practice, " which provides detailed information on all of the major exotic animal groups. Click here for more information. Ferrets, frogs...

Promising research on the susceptibility to and drug targets for Parkinson's disease
20 Mar 2008
Better understanding of Parkinson’s disease onset during aging is important for improving diagnostics and developing strategies for therapeutic intervention. Scientists from the University Medical Center in Groningen have now identified...

New research provides genetic clue to Parkinson's disease
20 Mar 2008
Gene linked to development of the disease in those with a family history PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University have discovered a gene that could hold the key to...

Yale scientists show that a microRNA can reduce lung cancer growth
20 Mar 2008
Frank J. Slack Click here for more information. New Haven, Conn. — A small RNA molecule, known as let-7 microRNA (miRNA), substantially reduced cancer growth in multiple mouse models of lung cancer, according...

Deadly genetic disease prevented before birth in zebrafish
20 Mar 2008
Finding offers potential for helping humans By injecting a customized "genetic patch" into early stage fish embryos, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis were able to correct a genetic mutation so the embryos...

Scripps Florida scientists develop a process to disrupt hepatitis C virion production
20 Mar 2008
Findings offer hope for new therapies HCV is a significant human pathogen, infecting more than three percent of the world’s population. The incidence of infection in the United States has been estimated to be as high as 4 million cases....

Youth sports concussion program points to need for proper treatment of concussion in children
20 Mar 2008
Children's National neuropsychologist identifies '10 steps' to successfully manage mild traumatic brain injuries common in youth sports WASHINGTON, DC— Traumatic brain injury expert Gerard Gioia, PhD, Chief of Neuropsychology at...

ACP to develop quality improvement tools to support internal medicine practice changes
20 Mar 2008
American College of Physicians awarded grants to create physician resources to facilitate patient-centered medical home practice changes The American College of Physicians (ACP) has received unrestricted grants of nearly $50,000 each from...

A genetic study of Latin Americans sheds light on a troubled history
20 Mar 2008
A recent molecular analysis of ancestry across Latin America has revealed a marked differentiation between regions and demonstrated a “genetic continuity” between pre-and post Columbian populations. This study, published March 21...

2008 giant panda mating season at National Zoo
20 Mar 2008
Scientists and veterinarians perform nonsurgical aritificial insemination Mei Xiang, the female giant panda at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, was artificially inseminated March 19 by a team of Zoo scientists and veterinarians....

MU researcher discovers how to ignite, retain female interest in the study of science
20 Mar 2008
Results published in this week's Science magazine Jena Whetstine (right), a graduate student in chemistry and volunteer at Camp Chemistry, blends in well with the colors of the periodic table she is showing to Girl...

Stanford researchers unmask proteins in telomerase, a substance that enables cancer
20 Mar 2008
STANFORD, Calif. - One of the more intriguing workhorses of the cell, a protein conglomerate called telomerase, has in its short history been implicated in some critical areas of medicine including cancer, aging and keeping stem cells healthy....

Motor neuron disease and toxic substances: Possible link?
20 Mar 2008
Role of abnormal protein in disease and chemical exposure suggests gene-environment interactions ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Motor neuron disease is a rare, devastating illness in which nerve cells that carry brain signals to muscles gradually...

The crisis in Kenya: 1 conflict among others
20 Mar 2008
Kenya: crisis of the neopatrimonial State Since the highly contested re-election of President Mwai Kibaki on 27 December 2007, a web of so-termed “ethnic” violence, locally installed by militiamen, has led Kenya to a fierce...

Jules Verne reaches 'parking' orbit
20 Mar 2008
Jules Verne ATV has today reached a parking position 2000 km ahead of the International Space Station. Europe's ISS re-supply spacecraft will wait at this holding point for the completion of the STS-123 Space Shuttle mission before proceeding...

Eye test peers into heat-related multiple sclerosis symptoms
20 Mar 2008
Dr. Elliot Frohman, professor of neurology and ophthalmology, led research demonstrating that as body temperature rises in people with multiple sclerosis, the severity of an eye-movement disorder called INO, or internuclear...

Science with the solar space observatory Hinode
20 Mar 2008
The solar space observatory Hinode was launched in September 2006 [1], with the name "Hinode" meaning sunrise in Japanese. The Hinode satellite carries a solar optical telescope (SOT), an X-ray telescope (XRT), and an EUV imaging spectrometer...

Impaired sense of smell may be early indicator of Parkinson's disease
20 Mar 2008
Impaired sense of smell occurs in the earliest stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and there is mounting evidence that it may precede motor symptoms by several years, although no large-scale studies had confirmed this. In the first study...

George Institute receives Gates Foundation grant to survey funding flows
20 Mar 2008
A team of international health experts is launching a major study to track global funding for research and development (R&D) for neglected diseases in developing countries by surveying global public, private and philanthropic investments....

Infection with a mutated HIV strain results in better survival
20 Mar 2008
Persons infected with a mutated HIV strain, transmitted from those who have the genetic advantages to control the virus, results in improved survival according to a recent study by South African researchers. The study, published March 21st in...

Smokers treated for brain aneurysm with coils at higher risk of recurrence
20 Mar 2008
(PHILADELPHIA) Cigarette smokers who were treated for cerebral aneurysms with coil embolization (blocking of a blood vessel) are at greater risk of developing another aneurysm, say neurological surgeons at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience...

Are dual cord blood banks the answer to increasing stem cell demand?
20 Mar 2008
Public-private partnership in cord blood banking Demand for stem cells from cord blood is greater than supply. In this week’s BMJ, two senior doctors, Professors Nicholas Fisk and Rifat Atun, analyse the UK’s growing cord blood...

Tuatara, the fastest evolving animal
20 Mar 2008
New DNA research has questioned previous notions about the evolution of the tuatara In a study of New Zealand’s “living dinosaur” the tuatara, evolutionary biologist, and ancient DNA expert, Professor David Lambert and his...

Do attractive women want it all?
20 Mar 2008
New study reveals relationship standards are relative AUSTIN, Texas—Although many researchers have believed women choose partners based on the kind of relationship they are seeking, a new study from The University of Texas at Austin...

Substantial improvement in essential cheap solar cell process
20 Mar 2008
A cheap alternative to silicon solar cells can be found in dye-sensitised solar cells. This type of cell imitates the natural conversion of sunlight into energy by, for instance, plants and light-sensitive bacteria. Annemarie Huijser has...

Money buys happiness when you spend on others: UBC and Harvard research
20 Mar 2008
Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the Harvard Business School have found that it’s possible to buy happiness after all: when you spend money on others. In a series of studies, UBC Asst. Prof. Elizabeth Dunn found...

What should the Darzi review recommend?
20 Mar 2008
Editorial: Assessing the options available to Lord Darzi As health minister Lord Darzi undertakes a major review of the NHS, an editorial in this week’s BMJ assesses which options are most likely to produce an effective, efficient, and...

New commissioning policy is neglecting patients, warn doctors
20 Mar 2008
Personal view: Do we neglect patients with multiple health problems? The government’s new healthcare commissioning policy for England has not only jeopardised the future of many hospitals but has also led to considerable frustration and...

New survey shows allergies dramatically impact sufferers' moods and how they feel about themselves
20 Mar 2008
A new Harris Interactive phone survey conducted among 1,000 allergy sufferers, 1,000 consumers (both allergy sufferers and non-sufferers) and 300 physicians shows that beyond the sneezing, sniffling and watery eyes, allergies also have deep...

Subterfuge, counter-surveillance and assassination: The body's fight with cervical cancer
20 Mar 2008
The virus responsible for most cases of cervical cancer has a serious weakness which may provide hope for new treatments for the disease. Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a virus which causes several types of cancer but is particularly associated...

Study highlights increasing use of continuous deep sedation in the Netherlands
20 Mar 2008
Continuous deep sedation for patients nearing death in the Netherlands: Descriptive study The use of continuous deep sedation for patients nearing death in the Netherlands is increasing, while cases of euthanasia have declined, according to a...