- 21-04-2008 - Top Science News Stories from Firstscience.com

American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- April 16, 2008
21 Apr 2008
ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Gel-like material shows promise as oral insulin pill for diabetes Biomacromolecules Researchers in Texas report development of a gel-like material that could help speed the long-awaited arrival of insulin...

The Antarctic deep sea gets colder
21 Apr 2008
RV Polarstern finished first Antarctic field season within the International Polar Year Polarstern in sea ice Click here for more information. The Antarctic deep sea gets colder, which might stimulate the circulation...

AMS April science highlights
21 Apr 2008
Flood Fatalities in the United States A study in the March issue of the AMS’ Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology compiles a nationwide database of flood fatalities for the contiguous United States from 1959 to 2005. Assembled...

Vitamin D in brain function
21 Apr 2008
Vitamin D supplementation for high risk groups may be warranted In a definitive critical review, scientists at Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland ask whether there is convincing biological or behavioral evidence linking...

Scientists to explore global change-public health connection
21 Apr 2008
AIBS Annual Meeting in May will focus on climate, environment, and infectious diseases Emerging infectious diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, and avian influenza, have been linked to a number of environmental factors and, more recently,...

Arctic ice more vulnerable to sunny weather, new study shows
21 Apr 2008
This June 7, 2007 NASA satellite image, taken under mostly cloud-free conditions, shows the beginning of last summer's Arctic sea ice melt. Click here for more information. BOULDER--The shrinking expanse of Arctic...

A chilling glimpse inside the minds of dangerous criminals
21 Apr 2008
Expert examines the disturbing psychology behind serial killers and sadistic murders 235 pages (illustrations) • ISBN 978-1-59102-576-4 • Hardcover: $25.95 • Prometheus Books Click here for more...

Sharper image: UH optometrist establishes sports vision clinic
21 Apr 2008
Center offers insight, specialized eye exams for athletes Kevin Gee, an optometrist with the University Eye Institute, and the Sports Vision Performance Center staff in front of the Dynavision, a machine that measures eyesight...

Powerful antenna attached to NASA's GLAST satellite
21 Apr 2008
General Dynamics technicians, sitting under the GLAST spacecraft install a high-gain antenna on the spacecraft. Click here for more information. GREENBELT, Md. – The powerful antenna system that will enable...

Mascoma and UT join in $26M DOE grant
21 Apr 2008
Switchgrass, such as this field growing at the UT Research and Education Center in Milan, Tenn., in 2007, is expected to be a major feedstock for the production of cellulosic... Click here for more...

Europe spends nearly twice as much as US on nanotech risk research
21 Apr 2008
Assessment of 2006 funding shows US lags in highly relevant nano risk research Washington, DC — A new analysis by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) indicates that European nations are investing nearly twice as much as the...

Lizard hunting styles impact ability to walk, run
21 Apr 2008
Foraging sheds light on evolution of biomechanics Scientists studied lizard walking and running mechanics on a race track with a built-in force plate. Click here for more information. ATHENS, Ohio (April 21, 2008)...

How much progress has there been in vaccinating against Hib in the Americas?
21 Apr 2008
To mark Vaccination Week in the Americas (see www.ops-oms.org/English/DD/PIN/vw2008.htm), which is being celebrated from April 19-26 2008, PLoS Medicine is publishing two policy papers on childhood vaccination. How much progress has there...

Starbucks to make contribution to
21 Apr 2008
Organizations partnering to create a better future for farmers and a more stable climate for our planet ARLINGTON, VA & SEATTLE: April 21, 2008 – In celebration of Earth Day – and to help ensure that the principles of Earth Day...

Analysis of RNA role in spreading disease advances study of damaging plant infections
21 Apr 2008
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Recent research that links specific pieces of RNA to an infectious organism’s duplication and spread could lead the way to the prevention of viroids, pathogens that can kill or damage food crops and other...

3M Health Care announces new 3M Rapid Detection Flu A+B test
21 Apr 2008
Test combines science and technology to deliver objective results ST. PAUL, Minn. — Monday, April 21, 2008 — 3M Health Care, a leader in infection prevention for more than 30 years, today announces plans to introduce the 3M™...

Los Angeles Times writer wins Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award
21 Apr 2008
Honorable mention goes to Playboy magazine editor (PHILADELPHIA) – The winner of the 2008 Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award is Terry McDermott, a Los Angeles Times staff writer. McDermott’s winning entry, a four-part...

Obesity, inactivity as common among cancer survivors as rest of Canadians, study shows
21 Apr 2008
Edmonton—New research supported by the Canadian Cancer Society shows that many cancer survivors in Canada are overweight and inactive, which could put them at risk for health problems, including their cancer returning. “These...

Crop management strategies key to a healthy Gulf, planet
21 Apr 2008
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 21, 2008 – Improved management of crops and perennials could go a long way toward alleviating the problem of hypoxia, which claims thousands of fish, shrimp and shellfish in the Gulf of Mexico each spring. An...

Life expectancy worsening or stagnating for large segment of the US population
21 Apr 2008
Diseases related to smoking, high blood pressure and obesity contributing to worsening health, particularly for women Boston, MA -- One of the major aims of the U.S. health system is improving the health of all people, particularly those...

Carnegie's Bjørn Mysen named Geochemical Fellow by Geochemical Society
21 Apr 2008
Washington, DC. The Geochemical Society and the European Association for Geochemistry has announced that Bjørn Mysen, senior scientist at Carnegie’s Geophysical Laboratory is one of seven scientists named a Geochemical Fellow for...

Cancer could return unless stored ovarian tissue undergoes adequate testing before re-implantation
21 Apr 2008
Few fertility centres have skills and technology needed to check for residual cancer cells Cancer patients who have been successfully treated for their disease face the prospect of its return if stored ovarian (or testicular) tissue is...

Thousands of volunteers needed to help bring cure for cancer closer
21 Apr 2008
Researchers, who are in the process of developing a blood test that may diagnose breast cancer up to four years earlier than a mammogram, need the help of thousands of people living in the East Midlands. The University of Nottingham spin-out...

Improving quality of life for brain tumor patients
21 Apr 2008
This release is available in French. A new neuroimaging study at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University aims to ensure the highest quality of life for patients by assessing their cognitive skills before, during,...

Larger skin lesions appear more likely to be melanomas
21 Apr 2008
Skin lesions larger than 6 millimeters in diameter appear more likely to be melanomas than smaller lesions, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The findings suggest that the...

Brain reacts to fairness as it does to money and chocolate
21 Apr 2008
The human brain responds to being treated fairly the same way it responds to winning money and eating chocolate, UCLA scientists report. Being treated fairly turns on the brain's reward circuitry. "We may be hard-wired to treat fairness as a...

Melanoma lurks in larger skin lesions, NYU researchers find
21 Apr 2008
Skin lesions that are about the size of a pencil eraser are more likely to be melanomas, a deadly form of skin cancer, than smaller moles, according to a new study led by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers. In a new study published in the...

Life expectancy no longer improving for large segment of the US population
21 Apr 2008
A new study published in PLoS Medicine has found that between 1983 and 1999, the death rate in women increased in a large number of the worst-off counties in the US, primarily because of chronic diseases related to smoking, high blood...

University of Oklahoma takes part in upcoming feasibility study
21 Apr 2008
NORMAN--Through an international, competitive bidding process, the University of Oklahoma was recently selected by the Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ-Državni hidrometeorološki zavod) of the Republic of Croatia to...

Most lethal melanomas are on scalp and neck
21 Apr 2008
CHAPEL HILL – People with scalp or neck melanomas die at nearly twice the rate of people with melanoma elsewhere on the body, including the face or ears, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found. The...

Chocolate bar shown to lower cholesterol
21 Apr 2008
The results of a University of Illinois study have demonstrated an effective way to lower cholesterol levels – by eating chocolate bars. “Eating two CocoaVia dark chocolate bars a day not only lowered cholesterol, it had the...

Survival rates appear lower for scalp and neck melanoma than for other sites
21 Apr 2008
Individuals with melanoma on their scalp or neck appear less likely to survive for five or 10 years than those with melanoma at other sites, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives...

What's not to like? Why fondness makes us poor judges, but dislike is spot-on
21 Apr 2008
How good are we at guessing other people’s likes and dislikes? Ever bring a favorite dish to a potluck – only to watch it go uneaten? Or receive an unwelcome shock when a cherished product is discontinued for lack of sales? People...

Effective cancer immune therapy through order in the blood vessels
21 Apr 2008
Immune therapies are considered very promising in cancer medicine: Tumor-fighting immune cells are supposed to invade tumor tissue and eliminate cancer cells right there. Although this works well in the test tube, clinical application often...

Survey offers first-ever look at treatment practices for nonepileptic seizures
21 Apr 2008
Currently no standard treatment for disorder PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A new nationwide clinician survey provides the first comprehensive look at what is community care or ‘treatment as usual’ for nonepileptic seizures (NES), laying...

Mammography may be beneficial to all women, regardless of age
21 Apr 2008
First-of-its-kind study examines the screening modality for women over 80 Gildy Babiera, MD. Click here for more information. HOUSTON - According to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer...

Chemotherapy causes delayed severe neural damage
21 Apr 2008
Cancer treatment with chemotherapeutic agents is often associated with delayed adverse neurological consequences - an occurrence often referred to as “chemobrain” - that may compromise the quality of life of a proportion of cancer...

Cancer cells spread by releasing 'bubbles', according to an MUHC study
21 Apr 2008
This release is available in French. Montreal, April 21, 2008 – A new fundamental mechanism of how tumour cells communicate has just been discovered by the team of Dr. Janusz Rak at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health...

Researchers detail chemotherapy's damage to the brain
21 Apr 2008
A commonly used chemotherapy drug causes healthy brain cells to die off long after treatment has ended and may be one of the underlying biological causes of the cognitive side effects – or “chemo brain” – that many...

Study reveals inaccuracies in studies of cancer treatment
21 Apr 2008
Certain biases may exist in observational studies that compare outcomes of different cancer therapies, making the results questionable. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the June 1, 2008 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed...

Children with ADHD should get heart tests before treatment with stimulant drugs
21 Apr 2008
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should get careful cardiac evaluation and monitoring – including an electrocardiogram (ECG) – before treatment with stimulant drugs, a new American Heart Association...

When positive thinking leads to financial irresponsibility like compulsive gambling
21 Apr 2008
Looking on the bright side can lead to irresponsible financial behavior, reveals a paper from the June 2008 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research. In a series of studies, Elizabeth Cowley (University of Sydney) examines repeat gambling in...

Scientists test device to track medication adherence in patients with HIV/AIDS
21 Apr 2008
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Most of us have missed a dose of antibiotic or forgotten to take a daily vitamin. But when the stakes are higher — as they are for people with HIV/AIDS — a skipped pill could mean the difference between...

Carnegie Mellon studies how climate change impacts food production
21 Apr 2008
Transportation impacts climate PITTSBURGH—The old adage, “We are what we eat,’’ may be the latest recipe for success when it comes to curbing the perils of global climate warming. Despite the recent popular attention to...

Developmental changes in adolescence raise men's heart disease risk
21 Apr 2008
American Heart Association rapid access journal repor DALLAS, April 22 — Normal developmental changes during the teenage years leave young adult men at higher risk of heart disease than their female counterparts, researchers report in...

Death rates decline following coronary bypass surgery regardless of hospital volume
21 Apr 2008
Rates of death following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery have declined since 1997 while the number of procedures performed has decreased, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives...

Coke or Pepsi? Being distracted can make you more susceptible to ads
21 Apr 2008
A can of Coke next to the word “awesome”; a can of Pepsi next to a picture of a happy couple. Seem too basic to be effective advertising" Prior research has shown that reported attitudes towards brands are not affected by such...

Pathogen virulence proteins suppress plant immunity
21 Apr 2008
Blacksburg, Va. – Researchers from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and their colleagues have identified a key function of a large family of virulence proteins that play an important role in the production of...

Study: Counseling trauma victims causes secondary trauma
21 Apr 2008
DANVILLE, PA. – Hearing repeated stories of suffering from trauma victims causes serious psychological stress in clinical social workers, a new Geisinger-led study suggests. In a study appearing in the May edition of Research on Social...

Patients arriving at hospitals in off hours get slower, less care
21 Apr 2008
American Heart Association rapid access journal report DALLAS, April 22 – Patients hospitalized with heart attacks tend to get faster and more comprehensive care if they arrive during daytime hours, according to a report in Circulation:...

Computer scientists develop solutions for long-term storage of digital data
21 Apr 2008
SANTA CRUZ, CA--Although the digital age is well under way, one crucial detail remains to be worked out--how to store vast amounts of digital information in a way that allows future generations to recover it. "The problem is how to build a...

Teenage suicides: Study advocates greater family support
21 Apr 2008
Teenage suicide is often perceived as the result of rejection of family, significant others and of society. Families affected by teenage suicide often look back for warning signs and clues in order to make sense of the tragedy. With the recent...

Rat study suggests why teens get hooked on cocaine more easily than adults
21 Apr 2008
Drug-related cues may sway adolescent preference more strongly WASHINGTON — New drug research suggests that teens may get addicted and relapse more easily than adults because developing brains are more powerfully motivated by drug-related...

Migraine increases risk of severe skin sensitivity and pain
21 Apr 2008
ST. PAUL, Minn. – People with migraine are more likely to experience exacerbated skin sensitivity or pain after non-painful daily activities such as rubbing one’s head, combing one’s hair and wearing necklaces or earrings,...

Cancer survivors have low levels of physical activity and high levels of obesity
21 Apr 2008
A new study reveals that many cancer survivors are inactive and obese, which may negatively affect the control of their disease. The findings, which come from a study of cancer survivors in Canada, show that a cancer diagnosis does not appear...

Biology of Reproduction highlights
21 Apr 2008
May 2008 highlighted articles from the editors of Biology of Reproduction Mother has the final say. For young male offspring who suffer a dominant mother, a brother may be on the way to help bear the burden. And all because of follicular...

US sees decline in number of general surgeons
21 Apr 2008
The number of general surgeons per 100,000 Americans has declined by more than 25 percent during the past 25 years, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. “General surgeons...

High eBay shipping costs: When do surcharges affect the purchase price?
21 Apr 2008
Ever find a bargain online, only to realize that the cost of shipping doubles how much you’ll pay? Shipping-and-handling sticker shock accounts for about 30 percent of all online shopping cart abandonment, but prior research into the...

Women's networks critical to survival during Hurricane Katrina
21 Apr 2008
MU professor finds work of women important in emergency evacuation COLUMBIA, Mo. – More than 1,800 people perished in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005—the largest hurricane death toll in the United States since 1928. For...

We are family -- but advertisers often miss the point
21 Apr 2008
Even though most Americans think of themselves as part of a family – and many list “being a family” as a top priority – very little is known about how membership in this collective actually affects consumer decisions,...

Counting every thought: What consumers see when looking at ads
21 Apr 2008
Thought-listing exercises are frequently used by researchers to gauge people’s reactions to advertisements. But a new paper in the June 2008 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research from the Wharton School of Business suggests two...

NYU Researchers id new class of photoreceptors,pointing to new ways sights-and smells-are regulated
21 Apr 2008
The identification of a new class of photoreceptors in the retina of fruit flies sheds light on the regulation of the pigments of the eye that confer color vision, researchers at New York University’s Center for Developmental Genetics...

Mutation in human gene helps protect against fatal malaria
21 Apr 2008
TORONTO, ON. – New research suggests that not everyone who is bitten by a malaria-infected mosquito develops life threatening health problems according to scientists at the University of Toronto. Malaria causes an estimated 500 million...

How stereotypes can lead to success
21 Apr 2008
Stereotypes can boost as well as hinder our chances of success, according to psychologists from the University of Exeter and St Andrews University. Writing in the new edition of Scientific American Mind (out in the UK 22 April 2008), they...

Afghan government becoming more open to private investment for mining projects
21 Apr 2008
New study says the development of natural resources essential in keeping country from slipping into chaos Although rich in oil, gas, copper, iron, gemstones and other resources, years of deforestation, desertification, over-grazing and a...

Advanced life support in ambulances doesn't benefit trauma patients
21 Apr 2008
New research from the Ontario Prehospital Advanced Life Support (OPALS) project shows there is no benefit — and perhaps harm — to providing advanced life support to patients with trauma injuries prior to transport to hospital. The...

Nasal surgery associated with improvements in quality of life for those with sleep apnea
21 Apr 2008
Nasal surgery to remove obstructions from the airway is associated with improvements in quality of life for patients with obstructive sleep apnea and symptoms of nasal blockages, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of...

NYU researchers ID new class of photoreceptors, pointing to new ways sights and smells are regulated
21 Apr 2008
The identification of a new class of photoreceptors in the retina of fruit flies sheds light on the regulation of the pigments of the eye that confer color vision, researchers at New York University’s Center for Developmental Genetics...