- 28-04-2008 - Top Science News Stories from Firstscience.com

American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- April 23, 2008
28 Apr 2008
Here is the latest American Chemical Society (ACS) News Service Weekly PressPac with news from ACS’ 36 peer-reviewed journals and Chemical & Engineering News. Please credit the individual journal or the American Chemical Society as...

'Sticky nanotubes' hold key to future technologies
28 Apr 2008
This composite image taken with an electron microscope shows a side and bottom image of a nanotube attached to a "microcantilever, " a component in atomic force microscopes. Researchers at Purdue... Click here for more...

Warning buoys for right whales installed along Massachusetts Bay
28 Apr 2008
Endangered North Atlantic right whales are safer along Massachusetts Bay's busy shipping lanes this spring, thanks to a new system of smart buoys. The buoys recognize whales' distinctive calls and route the information to a public Web site and...

Brown opens Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation
28 Apr 2008
Brown professors, students and affiliated scholars will engage in the study of matter at the molecular and nanoscale level at the new Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation at Brown... Click here for more...

Aquaculture concept leaves judges 'goggle eyed'
28 Apr 2008
UM Rosenstiel School students take home top prize in B-School's 6th Rothschild Entrepreneurship Competition Virginia Key, Fla. -- Ronald Hoenig and Aaron Welch, both graduate students at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine...

Are nanobots on their way?
28 Apr 2008
US researchers have built a proto-prototype nano assembler The first real steps towards building a microscopic device that can construct nano machines have been taken by US researchers. Writing in the peer-reviewed publication, International...

Springer publishes anthology with the Nanoethics Group
28 Apr 2008
New volume focuses on the most urgent and near-term issues facing nanotechnology Springer and The Nanoethics Group have released a collection of important papers addressing a range of near-term issues related to nanotechnology’s ethical...

MIT professor will lead science team for NASA satellite to map Earth's water cycle
28 Apr 2008
The orbiting SMAP satellite will make simultaneous radiometer and radar measurements using a shared reflector antenna that is rotated to scan the Earth surface. The large 6 meter in diameter... Click here for more...

UTSA hosts North American Energy Summit May 1-2
28 Apr 2008
Experts from 3 countries discuss strategies to meet energy needs of future generations The University of Texas at San Antonio will bring together energy leaders, industry professionals and academicians representing three different countries...

Boost for 'green plastics' from plants
28 Apr 2008
Compounds from oilseeds could be used to make plastics and other products. Click here for more information. Australian researchers are a step closer to turning plants into ‘biofactories’ capable of...

Ancient ecosystems organized much like our own
28 Apr 2008
Similarities between half-billion-year-old and recent food webs point to deep principles underpinning the structure of ecological relationships, as shown by researchers from the Santa Fe Institute, Microsoft Research Cambridge and...

New analysis finds daycare attendance early in life cuts childhood leukemia risk by 30 percent
28 Apr 2008
LONDON: Children who attend day care or play groups have about a 30% lower risk of developing the most common type of childhood leukaemia than those who do not, according to a new analysis of studies investigating the link. The new research,...

'New' ancient Antarctic sediment reveals climate change history
28 Apr 2008
FSU geological sciences Professor Sherwood W. Wise, Jr. of the Antarctic Marine Geology Research Facility (left), AMGRF curator Simon Nielsen (center), and former AMGRF curator Matthew Olney (right) standing in... Click here...

Research findings open new front in fight against AIDS virus
28 Apr 2008
Human protein may offer novel target for blocking HIV infection A research group supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has uncovered a new route for attacking the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that may offer a way to...

Scientists reveal evolutionary intricacies of Rickettsia pathogens
28 Apr 2008
Blacksburg, Va. – Scientists from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland School of Medicine have unveiled some of the evolutionary intricacies of rickettsial pathogens by analyzing...

Kaiser Permanente study finds diabetes doubling before motherhood
28 Apr 2008
Largest study to date examined 175,000 teenage girls and adult women April 27, 2008 (Oakland, Calif.) – Diabetes before motherhood more than doubled in six years among teenage and adult women, according to a Kaiser Permanente study...

SAGE launches new journal -- ICAN: Infant, Child, & Adolescent Nutrition
28 Apr 2008
Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore (April 28, 2008) – Obesity and corresponding diseases such as diabetes are more and more common. Weight and eating disorders have become especially problematic among young people,...

Before fossil fuels, Earth's minerals kept CO2 in check
28 Apr 2008
Stanford, CA— Over millions of years carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been moderated by a finely-tuned natural feedback system— a system that human emissions have recently overwhelmed. A joint University of Hawaii /...

MIT tracks carbon footprints of different lifestyles
28 Apr 2008
In America, even the smallest footprints are large CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Whether you live in a cardboard box or a luxurious mansion, whether you subsist on homegrown vegetables or wolf down imported steaks, whether you're a jet-setter or a...

Christopher Hoffman receives AMS Centennial Fellowship
28 Apr 2008
Christopher Hoffman of the University of Washington is the 2008-2009 AMS Centennial Fellow. Click here for more information. Providence, RI---Christopher Hoffman of the University of Washington has been awarded the...

Clumps of red and white blood cells may contribute to sickle cell disease
28 Apr 2008
CHAPEL HILL – It’s long been known that patients with sickle cell disease have malformed, “sickle-shaped” red blood cells – which are normally disc-shaped – that can cause sudden painful episodes when they...

Osteoporosis drug Fosamax linked to heart problem
28 Apr 2008
Finding from Group Health and University of Washington study SEATTLE—Women who have used Fosamax are nearly twice as likely to develop the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) than are those who have...

NC State physics advance leads to a better understanding of optics at the atomic scale
28 Apr 2008
May lead to faster, more efficient computers An advance by North Carolina State University physicists improves our understanding of how light interacts with matter, and could make possible the development of new integrated-circuit technologies...

First nanoscale image of soil reveals an 'incredible' variety, rich with patterns
28 Apr 2008
A handful of soil is a lot like a banana, strawberry and apple smoothie: Blended all together, it is hard to tell what's in there, especially if you have never tasted the fruits before. But when you look at soil's organic carbon closely, it...

Predicting breast cancer patient outcome: MUHC researchers identify new genes
28 Apr 2008
This release is also available in French. MONTREAL, April 28, 2008 — Not a day goes by without a new story about the environment. Although we often consider the environment on a global scale, cells in our body also have to contend with...

Milan Fiala, MD, receives 2008 Alzheimer Award
28 Apr 2008
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease annual award for outstanding contribution Dr. Milan Fiala, recipient of the 2008 Alzheimer Award. Click here for more information. Milan Fiala, MD, UCLA Orthopedic Hospital, has been...

Stevens' Center for Science Writings honors environmental critics with Green Book Award, April 30
28 Apr 2008
Green Book Award presented as part of Stevens' Research and Entrepreneurship Day HOBOKEN, N.J. -- Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger, whose critiques of the environmental movement have provoked widespread reconsideration of its methods and...

Engineering educator wins NSF CAREER Award for research using cyber-tools, cyber-environments
28 Apr 2008
CLEMSON –– Krishna P.C. Madhavan, assistant professor of engineering and science education in the School of Computing, has received a $511,824 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award for research on how cyber-tools and...

Cause and affect: Emotions can be unconsciously and subliminally evoked, study shows
28 Apr 2008
Most people agree that emotions can be caused by a specific event and that the person experiencing it is aware of the cause, such as a child’s excitement at the sound of an ice cream truck. But recent research suggests emotions also can...

The Gerontological Society of America awards new Hartford Doctoral Fellowships
28 Apr 2008
Four outstanding doctoral students have been chosen as the newest recipients of the prestigious Hartford Doctoral Fellowship in geriatric social work. The program is funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, administered by The Gerontological...

Virtual world therapeautic for addicts: UH study shows
28 Apr 2008
Findings show impact of environment to addiction cravings Virtual reality environments are studied as the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work as a tool to assess and treat addictions. Click here for more...

Brookhaven scientists explore brain's reaction to potent hallucinogen
28 Apr 2008
Increasingly popular recreational drug, salvia, shows rapid uptake, short duration in animals UPTON, NY - Brain-imaging studies performed in animals at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory provide...

Researchers light up lungs to help diagnose disease
28 Apr 2008
An image using the new technology of a healthy lung. Click here for more information. Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed innovative technology which illuminates a person’s lungs and...

Few studies consider the appropriate measurements for assessing clinical trials in children
28 Apr 2008
Research published this week by PLoS Medicine includes a systematic review of pediatric clinical research conducted since 1950 and discussion of peripheral blood proteins as biomarkers for idiopathic pulmonary fibros Very few studies have asked...

The Gerontological Society of america Announces 2008 Hartford Faculty Scholars
28 Apr 2008
Ten outstanding geriatric social work faculty members have been chosen as the newest inductees into the Hartford Faculty Scholars Program, a venture funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation, administered by The Gerontological Society of...

New computer applications allow to classify Iberian pig meat automatically
28 Apr 2008
This release is available in Spanish. Fast identification of animal meat for human consumption is especially interesting as it is a guarantee of quality for consumers and producers. Consumption of Iberian pig meat is traditional in Spain as...

Transitioning patients with pediatric disease to adulthood
28 Apr 2008
As life expectancy increases, needs change INDIANAPOLIS – Growing pains can mean one thing for a typical adolescent and quite another to an older teen with cerebral palsy attempting independence in an adult world. A unique program, the...

Copper nanowires grown by new process create long-lasting displays
28 Apr 2008
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new low-temperature, catalyst-free technique for growing copper nanowires has been developed by researchers at the University of Illinois. The copper nanowires could serve as interconnects in electronic device...

Genes for common heart condition and kidney problem identified
28 Apr 2008
A gene that can cause the heart to become enlarged, greatly increasing the risk of heart attacks and heart failure, is identified today in a new study. A gene that can cause the kidney to become inflamed, which can lead to kidney failure, is...

African Americans have 5 times higher amputation rate
28 Apr 2008
CHICAGO – The overall amputation rate in northern Illinois is declining due to improved care for diabetes and peripheral vascular disease, new research shows. But not everyone is reaping the benefits. A new study from Northwestern...

Spinal cord injury research hampered by animal models, says new study
28 Apr 2008
Scientists say difficulty lies in extrapolating animal data to humans Washington—Research on traumatic spinal cord injuries is hampered by a reliance on animal experiments that don’t accurately predict human outcomes, says a new...

Exercise related to lower heart disease risk in overweight women
28 Apr 2008
The risk of heart disease in women associated with being overweight or obese is reduced but not eliminated by higher levels of physical activity, according to a report in the April 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the...

Cell-based therapy shows promise in patients with Parkinson's disease
28 Apr 2008
CHICAGO - A novel cell therapy using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells attached to tiny gelatin bead microcarriers implanted in the brain can improve the symptoms of patients with moderate to advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). Rush...

Biomarkers identified for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
28 Apr 2008
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study finds distinct signature that could aid in diagnosis, monitoring of lethal lung disease PITTSBURGH, April 28 – The first evidence of a distinctive protein signature that could help to...

Scientists find stem cells for the first time in the pituitary
28 Apr 2008
Their presence in the hormone-secreting gland of mice suggests a means of adapting to stress and life changes A team of researchers led by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have for the first time identified stem cells that allow the...

Single-celled bacterium works 24-7
28 Apr 2008
Cycling workaholic Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have gained the first detailed insight into the way circadian rhythms govern global gene expression in Cyanothece, a type of cyanobacterium (blue-green alga) known to cycle...

CSIRO unveils a new class of fatty acids
28 Apr 2008
CSIRO researchers opening up an entirely new class of chemistry. Click here for more information. CSIRO Entomology business manager, Cameron Begley, said researchers believed the discovery opened up an entirely new...

Use of hemoglobin-based blood substitutes associated with increased risk of death, heart attack
28 Apr 2008
An analysis of studies involving the use of hemoglobin-based blood substitutes indicates their use is associated with an increased risk of death and heart attack, according to a JAMA study being released early online, and will appear in print...

Osteoporosis drug may be associated with irregular heartbeat
28 Apr 2008
Alendronate, a medication used to prevent fractures in women with osteoporosis, may be associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a type of abnormal heart rhythm, according to a report in the April 28 issue of Archives of...

What does it mean to be alive?
28 Apr 2008
How notions of the natural world unfold -- in development and across languages Understanding the concept of a “living thing” is a late developmental achievement. Early research by Jean Piaget, showed that kids attribute “life...

Decision making, is it all 'me, me, me'?
28 Apr 2008
People act in their own best interests, according to traditional views of how and why we make the decisions that we do. However, psychologists at the Universities of Leicester and Exeter have recently found evidence that this assumption is...

Leading measurement training validated by National Skills Academy for Manufacturing
28 Apr 2008
The National Skills Academy for Manufacturing announces that it has validated the dimensional measurement training framework designed by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). This confirms that participants in the NPL training framework can...

Involving partners of pregnant women in Africa to improve AIDS prevention
28 Apr 2008
According to the World Health Organization, nearly three-quarters of the world’s 40 million human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected people are living in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sixty-five per cent of the 4.3 million infected in 2006...

UTSA hosts North American Energy Summit, May 1-2
28 Apr 2008
Experts from 3 countries discuss strategies to meet energy needs of future generations The University of Texas at San Antonio will bring together energy leaders, industry professionals and academicians representing three different countries...

High self-esteem is not always what it's cracked up to be, says UGA psychologist
28 Apr 2008
Athens, Ga. -- Oscar Levant, a mid-century pianist, film star and wit, once watched noted keyboardist and composer George Gershwin spend an evening playing his own music at a party and clearly having a great time. “Tell me,...

Will you be misdiagnosed? -- how diagnostic errors happen
28 Apr 2008
Physician overconfidence explored as a contributing factor New York, April 28, 2008 – How frequently do doctors misdiagnose patients? While research has demonstrated that the great majority of medical diagnoses are correct, the answer is...

African-Americans have 5 times higher amputation rate
28 Apr 2008
CHICAGO – The overall amputation rate in northern Illinois is declining due to improved care for diabetes and peripheral vascular disease, new research shows. But not everyone is reaping the benefits. A new study from Northwestern...

UCLA study identifies factors leading to hospital admission for heart failure
28 Apr 2008
Nearly two out of three patients have one or more precipitating factors that may contribute to hospital admissions nationwide for heart failure, according to a new UCLA study. Pneumonia, irregular heart beats, and obstructed blood flow to the...

Tight blood pressure control not enough to temper kidney disease in African-Americans
28 Apr 2008
Other unknown factors at play in worsening this condition Even when their blood pressure is kept strictly under control with the best available medicine, African-American patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) continue to lose their kidney...

Epilepsy drug causes bone loss in young women
28 Apr 2008
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Young women who took the commonly used epilepsy drug phenytoin for one year showed significant bone loss compared to women taking other epilepsy drugs, according to a study published in the April 29, 2008, issue of...

Pharmaceutical use in Norwegian fish farming in 2001-2007
28 Apr 2008
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has published an overview of sales of various drugs used in fish breeding in Norway from 2001-2007. The sales are shown in kilograms of active ingredient; antibacterials, anaesthetics, anthelmintics and...

Investigators unveil new drug discovery tool for Alzheimer's disease
28 Apr 2008
April 28, 2008 -- An article published in the April issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease presents a detailed characterization of a new drug discovery tool for Alzheimer's disease. It demonstrates that an abnormal form of tau...

Hormone therapy in postmenopausal women associated with increased risk of stroke
28 Apr 2008
Postmenopausal women taking hormone therapy appear to have an increased risk of stroke regardless of when they started treatment, according to a report in the April 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives...

Thyrotropin levels may be associated with coronary heart disease mortality in women
28 Apr 2008
Women with increasing levels of thyrotropin within the normal range appear to have a higher risk of fatal coronary heart disease, according to a report in the April 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives...

Medicines sold for 17 billion NOK in 2007 in Norway
28 Apr 2008
New edition of Drug Consumption in Norway available Medicines to the value of 17.4 billion Norwegian kroners (NOK) were sold last year in Norway – the equivalent of 3, 700 kroner per inhabitant. The increase in 2007 was 3.4 percent...

Language skills develop at 6, say researchers
28 Apr 2008
Psychologists at the University of Liverpool have discovered that children as young as six are as adept at recognising possible verbs and their past tenses as adults. In a study conducted by the University’s Child Language Study Centre,...

Diabetes drugs may be related to fracture risk
28 Apr 2008
A widely used class of diabetes medications appears to be associated with an increased risk for fractures, according to a report in the April 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. “The...

Is happiness having what you want, wanting what you have, or both?
28 Apr 2008
Some argue that happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have. This maxim sounds reasonable enough, but can it be tested, and if so, is it true? It turns out it can be tested. Texas Tech University psychologist Jeff Larsen...

For good or ill Ireland gains another mammal species
28 Apr 2008
A white toothed shrew found in Ireland. Click here for more information. Dave Tosh, from the School of Biological Sciences at Queens University, found the greater white-toothed shrew in Tipperary and Limerick while...