EurekAlert! - Breaking News

  • Researchers characterize stem cell function
    Northwestern University researchers are the first to fully characterize a special type of stem cell, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that exist in circulating blood, to see if they can behave as endothelial cells in the body when cultured on a bioengineered surface.

  • Tropical Storm Tomas calls for alerts in south Pacific
    System 97P was looking pretty impressive on NASA satellite imagery early today, March 11, and by 10 a.m. ET, it strengthened into Tropical Storm Tomas.

  • Yellow fever strikes monkey populations in South America
    A group of Argentine scientists, including health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society, have announced that yellow fever is the culprit in a 2007-2008 die-off of howler monkeys in northeastern Argentina, a finding that underscores the importance of paying attention to the health of wildlife and how the health of people and wild nature are so closely linked.

  • 3 FASTSAT instruments pass tests
    The outer layers of Earth's atmosphere hold many secrets yet to be uncovered and three scientific instruments will fly soon on the FASTSAT-HSV01 satellite and seek to uncover them to benefit us here on Earth. Known as MINI-ME, PISA and TTI, these instruments recently passed a series of important final tests to prove their readiness for spaceflight.

  • Proposed mission would return sample from asteroid 'time capsule'
    Meet asteroid 1999 RQ36, a chunk of rock and dust about 1,900 feet in diameter that could tell us how the solar system was born, and perhaps, shed light on how life began. It also might hit us someday.

  • Hopkins doctor/disaster expert says resource problems in Haiti required ethical decision-making
    In an essay published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a Johns Hopkins emergency physician outlines how he and other physicians who worked in Haiti after the earthquake had to make emotionally difficult ethical decisions daily in the face of a crushing wave of patients and inadequate medical resources.

  • Second only south Atlantic tropical storm: 90Q, moving away from Brazil
    Tropical Storm 90Q is the second known tropical cyclone to form in the cooler South Atlantic Ocean, and two NASA satellites confirm it is now moving away from Brazil's coast. The first tropical cyclone ever seen in recorded history in the Southern Atlantic was called "Catarina" in 2004.

  • U of Minnesota researcher discovers how electricity moves through cells
    Researchers at the University of Minnesota have created a molecular image of a system that moves electrons between proteins in cells. The achievement is a breakthrough for biology and could provide insights to minimize energy loss in other systems, from nanoscale devices to moving electricity around the country.

  • Barrier in mosquito midgut protects invading pathogens
    Scientists studying the Anopheles gambiae mosquito have found that the act of feeding triggers two enzymes to form a protective barrier that prevents the mosquito's immune defense system from clearing disease-causing agents that can be passed on to humans. Disrupting the protein barrier can trigger mosquito immune defenses to intervene and protect the insect from infection. This finding could inform new strategies for blocking malaria transmission.

  • Berkeley scientists find new way to get physical in the fight against cancer
    Berkeley Lab researchers have shown that the biochemical activity of a key player in cancer metastasis can be altered by the application of a direct physical force. This new way in which cells can sense and respond to physical forces presents a new road for future cancer therapies

  • Hubert's remnants still raining on southern Madagascar
    Hubert may not be a tropical storm now that it has made landfall in southeastern Madagascar, but it's still a formidable and large storm system. NASA's Aqua satellite revealed that there are still some very high, strong thunderstorms in Hubert's remnants as it continues to bring rains and gusty winds to southeast and south-central Madagascar.

  • New study debunks myths about Amazon rain forests
    A new NASA-funded study has concluded that Amazon rain forests were remarkably unaffected in the face of once-in-a-century drought in 2005, neither dying nor thriving, contrary to a previously published report and claims by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

  • Children with chronic respiratory illness are vulnerable to critical H1N1
    As critical care professionals develop a better understanding of the progression of H1N1, they are becoming better prepared to treat children with severe cases. Additionally, with careful management, the pediatric critical care system is expected to be able to meet the increased demands of a flu pandemic. These studies are published in the March issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

  • Carnegie Mellon research provides insight into brain's decision-making process
    Replaying recent events in the area of the brain called the hippocampus may have less to do with creating long-term memories, as scientists have suspected, than with an active decision-making process, suggests a new study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Minnesota Medical School.

  • Researchers discover brain tumor's 'grow-or-go' switch
    High energy levels cause glioblastoma cells to proliferate; low levels cause them to grow less and to migrate. This study discovered that a molecule called miR-451 coordinates this grow-or-go behavior, which is closely linked to the cells' ability to invade and spread. Thus, the molecule might be a biomarker for predicting survival in patients with glioblastoma multiforme and may serve as a target to develop drugs to fight these tumors.

  • OHSU team discovers powerful molecule regulator in blood pressure control system
    Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's School of Dentistry have discovered that nitric oxide is a powerful regulator of a molecule that plays a critical role in the development and function of the nervous system. The finding could someday play a significant role in the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure, which affects about one in three adults in the United States.

  • Scientists at UCSB discover 600 million-year-old origins of vision
    By studying the hydra, a member of an ancient group of sea creatures that is still flourishing, scientists at UC Santa Barbara have made a discovery in understanding the origins of human vision. The finding is published in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a British journal of biology.

  • Effort aims to spike breast cancer with new approach
    Many women live with breast cancer that does not respond to standard medical treatment, a condition that researchers at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare want to change by aggressively targeting specific genes.

  • Who does what on Wikipedia?
    The patterns of collaboration between Wikipedia contributors have a direct effect on the data quality of an article, according to a new paper co-authored by a University of Arizona professor and graduate student.

  • Why female moths are big and beautiful
    In most animal species, males and females show obvious differences in body size. But how can this be, given that both sexes share the same genes governing their growth? University of Arizona entomologists studied this conundrum in moths and found clues that had been overlooked by previous efforts to explain this mystery of nature.

  • VAI researchers develop tool to help study prostate cancer
    Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) researchers have developed a new method to better study the cells that line and protect the prostate in relation to the development of cancer. Using the model, they found that normal cells and cancer cells depend on different factors to survive, which could aid in discovering how to target cancer cells without affecting normal cells when developing treatments.

  • ARS sends third seed shipment to Norway seed vault
    A shipment of seed sent by the Agricultural Research Service earlier this month to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway included a wild Russian strawberry that an expeditionary team braved bears and volcanoes to collect.

  • Scavenging energy waste to turn water into hydrogen fuel
    Materials scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have designed a way to harvest small amounts of waste energy and harness them to turn water into usable hydrogen fuel.

  • Boost ivory trade monitoring and enforcement before allowing one-off sales: UBC researcher
    Recent petitions from several African nations to "downlist" the conservation status of elephants should be denied because no adequate monitoring of the impact of ivory sales or enforcement of the ivory trade exists, according to recommendations published today by an international group of researchers including UBC zoologist Rene Beyers.

  • Penn researchers identify immune cells that fight parasites may promote allergies and asthma
    Millions of people in both the developing and developed world may benefit from new immune-system research findings that identify a cell population that fights off parasitic infections but also causes allergies and asthma.

  • Back to the future for computers: A return to the 1980s?
    A presentation by Google at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference in San Diego on March 24 will examine the technologies that will emerge in the next three to four years to power warehouse-scale computing data centers, upon which companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook and many more are increasingly relying.

  • Human cells exhibit foraging behavior like amoebae and bacteria
    When cells move about in the body, they follow a complex pattern similar to that which amoebae and bacteria use when searching for food, a team of Vanderbilt researchers have found.

  • R-rated movies increase likelihood of underage children trying alcohol
    R-rated movies portray violence and other behaviors deemed inappropriate for children under 17 year of age. A new study finds one more reason why parents should not let their kids watch those movies: adolescents who watch R-rated movies are more likely to try alcohol at a young age.

  • U discovery gives insight into brain 'replay' process
    The hippocampus, a part of the brain essential for memory, has long been known to "replay" recently experienced events. Previously, replay was believed to be a simple process of reviewing recent experiences in order to help consolidate them into long-term memory. However, U research shows the phenomenon of memory replay is much more complex, cognitive process that may help an animal maintain its internal representation of the world, or its cognitive map.

  • Diabetes' link to eating disorders explored
    Diabetics, under the gun to better manage their disease by controlling their food intake and weight, may find themselves in the sticky wicket of needing treatment that makes them hungry, researchers said.

  • Get up, get out and go: NC State research tackles childhood obesity
    Getting children involved in finding ways to become more physically active can not only make them more aware of local recreational opportunities, but can even help increase their own physical activity. That's the result of a study examining the role of seven national parks in contributing to the health of today's youth. The study was conducted by researchers from a variety of disciplines at North Carolina State University and other US universities and funded by the National Park Service.

  • Weight-bearing exercise does not prevent increased bone turnover during weight loss
    During weight loss, bones are being remodeled -- breaking down old bone and forming new bone -- at an accelerated rate. As a result, bone density is reduced, causing increased fragility. In a new study, University of Missouri researchers found that weight-bearing exercise, in this case, fast walking or jogging, did not prevent the increased bone turnover caused by weight loss.

  • A new beat in heart research
    Dr. Joel Hirsch and Prof. Bernard Attali of Tel Aviv University are investigating the cause and effects of Sudden Cardiac Arrest syndrome. This team is hot on the trail of understanding how a multi-gene syndrome, one of the causes for SCA, operates inside the body. Once they figure out how the disorder operates and describe its molecular system in detail, they hope to develop a drug or therapy to stop this condition before it strikes.

  • Aquatic 'dead zones' contributing to climate change
    The increased frequency and intensity of oxygen-deprived "dead zones" along the world's coasts can negatively impact environmental conditions in far more than local waters. In the March 12 edition of Science, UMCES oceanographer Dr. Lou Codispoti explains that the increased amount of nitrous oxide produced in hypoxic waters can elevate concentrations in the atmosphere, further exacerbating the impacts of global warming and contributing to ozone "holes" that increase our exposure to harmful UV radiation.

  • Survey shows lack of confidence in national hurricane response planning
    According to a study recently completed by an LSU group charged with conducting studies on improving hurricane crisis communication in coastal communities, many families have a well-developed hurricane response plan of their own but have little faith in the preparation developed at higher government levels.

  • Mother's flu during pregnancy may increase baby's risk of schizophrenia
    Rhesus monkey babies born to mothers who had the flu while pregnant had smaller brains and showed other brain changes similar to those observed in human patients with schizophrenia, a study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found.

  • Thyroid hormone analogue for treating high cholesterol
    An experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol without the troublesome side effects experienced by some people on statins, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. An international team of investigators at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the Karolinska University Hospital and Institute, and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research tested a substance called Eprotirome in patients with high cholesterol.

  • New imaging technology brings trace chemicals into focus
    Arizona State University scientist N.J. Tao and his colleagues at the Biodesign Institute have hit on a new, versatile method to significantly improve the detection of trace chemicals important in such areas as national security, human health and the environment. Tao's team was able to detect and identify tiny particles of the explosive trinitrotoluene or TNT -- each weighing less than a billionth of a gram -- on the ridges and canals of a fingerprint.

  • An end to lice: The effectiveness of a new oral treatment has been demonstrated
    French medical researchers from the AP-HP (Henri Mondor Hospital and Avicenne Hospital) and Inserm (Unit 738 "Models and methods for therapeutic evaluation of chronic illnesses" and CIC 202, at Tours) have recently demonstrated the effectiveness of a new molecule in the fight against lice. Faced with the emergence of increasing resistance to conventional treatments by these parasites, this new medication represents a real therapeutic alternative which is effective in 95 percent of cases.

  • New Alzheimer's test offers better opportunities for early detection
    Early detection is key to more effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of cognitive impairment, and new research shows that a test developed at the University of Tennessee is more than 95 percent effective in detecting cognitive abnormalities associated with these diseases.

  • Shocking recipe for making killer electrons
    Take a bunch of fast-moving electrons, place them in orbit and then hit them with the shock waves from a solar storm. What do you get? Killer electrons. That's the shocking recipe revealed by ESA's Cluster mission.

  • Contraceptive pill not associated with increased long-term risk of death
    Women in the UK who have ever used the oral contraceptive pill are less likely to die from any cause, including all cancers and heart disease, compared with never users, according to research published on bmj.com today.

  • Enabling women to use home test kits could increase HPV detection
    More high risk cases of human papilloma virus could be detected by offering home testing kits to women who do not come forward for cervical screening, according to research published on bmj.com today.

  • New alterations found in young adults with type 2 diabetes
    Diet and aerobic exercise are highly effective for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but not for obese subjects that have developed the disease when very young. A study at the IRB Barcelona and Trinity College in Dublin demonstrates that obese subjects between 18 and 25 years of age carry mitochondrial proteins and genes that work abnormally and that these anomalies contribute to generating insulin resistance and a reduced response to physical exercise.

  • Obesity and alcohol act together to increase the risk of liver disease
    Two studies published on bmj.com today show that obesity and alcohol act together to increase the risk of liver disease in both men and women.

  • The scientific brain
    Good science involves formulating a hypothesis and testing whether this hypothesis is compatible with the scientist's observations. Researchers in the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt together with the University of Glasgow have shown that this is what the brain does as well. A study shows that it takes less effort for the brain to register predictable as compared to unpredictable images.

  • Elsevier launches Journal of Family Business Strategy
    Elsevier, the world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the launch of a new quarterly journal, Journal of Family Business Strategy. The journal aims to be a primary publication outlet for academics and scholars in the field of family business strategic issues and the first issue is now available on ScienceDirect.

  • Mother knows best -- even before birth
    Mother birds communicate with their developing chicks before they even hatch by leaving them messages in the egg, new research by a team from the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, has found.

  • Behavior of single protein observed in unprecedented detail by Stanford chemists
    Scrutinizing a single molecule for more than a few milliseconds used to require effectively "stapling" it down, inhibiting its normal behavior. Now, using a technique recently developed in their lab, Stanford chemists have for the first time confined a protein (one involved in photosynthesis), observed its behavior for more than a second and learned things about it that could influence solar energy technology and biofuels.

  • MRC scientists announce advance in understanding body's natural defenses
    Medical Research Council scientists at the University of Leicester have made a new advance in understanding how the body fights certain types of cancer and other disease such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

  • Can we detect quantum behavior in viruses?
    A German-Spanish research group, split between the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Garching and the Institute of Photonic Sciences, is using the principles of an iconic quantum mechanics thought experiment -- Schrödinger's superpositioned cat -- to test for quantum properties in objects composed of as many as one billion atoms, possibly including the flu virus.

  • Study reinforces role of AED Vimpat (lacosamide) (C-V) as add-on treatment for POS
    Vimpat demonstrated significantly greater seizure reduction versus placebo whenadded to other antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).The absence of significant pharmacokinetic drug interactions, as demonstrated in thisand other Vimpat studies, may allow for ease of Vimpat use as add-on therapy.

  • Moderate use of video games can be a very useful educational tool for teaching children
    Contrary to what many parents think, video games are not a determining factor in obtaining a good academic result, according to a research carried out at the Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression at the UGR. Its author analyzed a sample of 266 participants aged between 11 and 16, together with their corresponding parents.

  • Communication often fumbled during patient hand-offs in hospital
    As shifts change in a hospital, outgoing physicians must "hand off" important information to their replacements in a brief meeting. But a new study of this hand-off process finds that the most important information is not fully conveyed in a majority of cases, even as physicians rate their communication as successful.

  • Water oxidation advance boosts potential for solar fuel
    Emory University chemists have developed the most potent homogeneous catalyst known for water oxidation, considered a crucial component for generating clean hydrogen fuel using only water and sunlight. The breakthrough, published March 11 in Science, was made in collaboration with the Paris Institute of Molecular Chemistry.The fastest, carbon-free molecular water oxidation catalyst to date "has really upped the standard from the other known homogeneous WOCs," said Emory chemist Craig Hill, whose lab led the effort.

  • Discovery of cellular 'switch' may provide new means of triggering cell death, treating disease
    A research team led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has discovered a previously unknown cellular "switch" that may provide researchers with a new means of triggering programmed cell death, findings with implications for treating cancer.

  • Body's anticipation of a meal can be a diabetes risk factor
    Alterations in our response to the taste or smell of food may be another culprit responsible for Type 2 diabetes, according to scientists at Duke University Medical Center who have identified the specific mechanism in human specimens and in mice.

  • More maize ethanol may boost greenhouse gas emissions
    Mandated increases in the production of maize-derived ethanol will lead to land-use changes that boost carbon dioxide emissions enough to make the fuel a worse environmental option than burning gasoline, according to an analysis published in the March issue of BioScience. The new analysis refines the conclusion of a controversial estimate that was published by Timothy Searchinger and colleagues in 2008.

  • Quantum dots spotlight DNA-repair proteins in motion, says Pitt expert
    Repair proteins appear to efficiently scan the genome for errors by jumping like fleas between DNA molecules, sliding along the strands, and perhaps pausing at suspicious spots, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Essex and the University of Vermont who tagged the proteins with quantum dots to watch the action unfold. The findings are available today in Molecular Cell.

  • Traces of the past: Computer algorithm able to 'read' memories
    Computer programs have been able to predict which of three short films a person is thinking about, just by looking at their brain activity. The research, conducted by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL (University College London), provides further insight into how our memories are recorded.

  • Effects of lifestyle and exposures are mirrored in blood gene expression
    A study by Norwegian and French researchers hopes to provide new understanding of how blood cells adjust gene expression in response to various clinical, biochemical and pathological conditions. The Norwegian Woman and Cancer postgenome study, published March 12 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, highlights numerous blood gene sets affected by one's physical condition, lifestyle factors and exposure variables.

  • Molecular basis for Pseudomonas aeruginosa persistent infections in CF patients
    New research reveals Small Colony Variants (SCVs) of P. aeruginosa to be a hallmark of chronic infection in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Results, published March 12 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens, suggest that SCV-mediated persistence might be a good target for antimicrobial chemotherapy.

  • Research sheds light on the inner workings of the inflammatory response to Leishmaniasis
    The secret world of inflammation is slowly being revealed by the application of advanced techniques in microscopy, as shown in a study published March 12 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens. Researchers at the Hull York Medical School and the University of York used 2-photon microscopy to identify how killer T lymphocytes behaved when they enter sites of inflammation caused by the parasite Leishmania donovani, and which infected cells they were able to recognize.

  • Conservationists urge treaty panel to reject ivory sale by Tanzania, Zambia
    An international team of conservationists, writing in Science, says relaxing a current moratorium on ivory sales to allow one-time sales by Zambia and Tanzania could lead to increased slaughter of elephants for their ivory throughout Africa.

  • Study: Kidney disease a big risk for younger, low-income minorities
    Chronic kidney disease (CKD) afflicts a large number of younger minority adults receiving medical care in settings that serve the uninsured and under-insured (settings collectively known as the health care safety net). Poor, minority adults with moderate to severe CKD are also two to four times more likely to progress to kidney failure than non-Hispanic whites. These are the findings from a study published online in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

  • Knee replacement in elderly patients shown to improve balance
    Total knee replacement (TKR) successfully relieves pain and improves function in patients with advanced knee arthritis, according to a study presented today at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

  • These researchers really can read your mind
    New evidence suggests that researchers can tell which memory of a past event a person is recalling from the pattern of their brain activity alone.

  • To Arctic animals, time of day really doesn't matter
    In the far northern reaches of the Arctic, day versus night often doesn't mean a whole lot. During parts of the year, the sun does not set; at other times, it's just the opposite. A new study reported online on March 11 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, shows that Arctic reindeer have come up with a solution to living under those extreme conditions: They've abandoned use of the internal clock that drives the daily biological rhythms in other organisms.

  • PEGylated dendrimers: a novel mechanism of drug delivery
    A Monash University research team has shown how PEGylated Polylysine dendrimers, a new type of nano-sized drug delivery system, can be altered to target either the lymphatic system or the bloodstream, which may improve the treatment of particular types of diseases.

  • New finding: Strong period pain and excess weight in childhood increases risk of endometriosis
    Queensland Institute of Medical Research scientists have identified a new link between strong period pain experienced in adolescence and early adulthood and the risk of endometriosis.

  • Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog's site fidelity may lead to further decline
    No longer found in 90 percent of its previously occupied habitat, the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog is further threatened by cumulative impacts of a changing climate, introduced non-native trout and site fidelity habits, hampering the breeding success of this imperiled frog. USDA FS Pacific Southwest Research Station research underscores the need to incorporate the site fidelity habits of this frog when designing restoration strategies for its continued existence.

  • Why surprises temporarily blind us
    New research from Vanderbilt University reveals for the first time how our brains coordinate two different types of attention and why we may be temporarily blinded by surprises.

  • First whole genome sequencing of family of 4 reveals new genetic power
    The Institute for Systems Biology has analyzed the first whole genome sequences of a human family of four. The findings of a project funded through a partnership between ISB and the University of Luxembourg was published online today by Science on its Science Express Web site. It demonstrates the benefit of sequencing entire families, including lowering error rates, identifying rare genetic variants and identifying disease-linked genes.

  • Panel questions 'VBAC bans,' advocates expanded delivery options for women
    An independent panel convened this week by the National Institutes of Health confronted a troubling fact that pregnant women currently have limited access to clinicians and facilities able and willing to offer a trial of labor after previous cesarean delivery because of so-called VBAC bans. The panel affirmed that a trial of labor is a reasonable option for many women with a prior cesarean delivery. But many women are not offered this option.

  • New drug candidate reduces blood lipids
    A thyroid-hormone-like substance that works specifically on the liver reduces blood cholesterol with no serious side effects. This according to a clinical trial conducted by researchers from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet, amongst other centers, published today in the top-ranking scientific periodical the New England Journal of Medicine.

  • American Association of Anatomists approves guidelines for body donation programs
    The Board of Directors of the American Association of Anatomists has approved a set of guidelines to govern programs accepting the donation of bodies for education and biomedical research. The guidelines cover the minimum requirements that should be met by any Willed Body Program.

  • Gastric bypass surgery increases risk of kidney stones
    Patients who undergo gastric bypass surgery experience changes in their urine composition that increase their risk of developing kidney stones, research from UT Southwestern Medical Center investigators suggests.

  • Mysterious cosmic 'dark flow' tracked deeper into universe
    Distant galaxy clusters mysteriously stream at a million miles per hour along a path roughly centered on the southern constellations Centaurus and Hydra. A new study led by Alexander Kashlinsky at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., tracks this collective motion -- dubbed the "dark flow" -- to twice the distance originally reported.

  • Conquering the chaos in modern, multiprocessor computers
    A group of computer scientists have found a way to tame multiprocessor computers, which behave in wildly unpredictable ways even as the systems become widespread in the industry.

  • Low strengthens into Hubert, making landfall in Madagascar
    The low that forecasters were watching for development yesterday, March 9, strengthened into Tropical Storm Hubert, and is already making landfall in eastern Madagascar.

  • Game on? Video-game ownership may interfere with young boys' academic functioning
    According to new findings, owning a video-game system may hamper academic development in some children. Boys who received a video-game system immediately had significantly lower reading and writing scores after four months than boys receiving a video-game system at the end of the experiment. Further analysis revealed that the time spent playing video games may link the relationship between owning a video-game system and reading and writing scores.

  • 90Q: A curious short-lived 'tropical' cyclone in the southern Atlantic
    Tropical cyclones typically don't form in the Southern Atlantic because the waters are usually too cool. However, forecasters at the Naval Research Laboratory noted that a low pressure system off the coast of Brazil appeared to have tropical storm-force winds yesterday.

  • Prehistoric response to global warming informs human planning today
    Since 2004, University at Buffalo anthropologist Ezra Zubrow has worked intensively with teams of scientists in the Arctic regions of St. James Bay, Quebec, northern Finland and Kamchatka to understand how humans living 4,000 to 6,000 years ago reacted to climate changes.

  • Students' perceptions of Earth's age influence acceptance of human evolution, says U of Minn. study
    High school and college students who understand the geological age of the Earth (4.5 billion years) are much more likely to understand and accept human evolution, according to a University of Minnesota study published in the March issue of the journal Evolution.

  • India's shrinking animal ark needs more parks, corridors
    A study on the past extinction of large mammals in India by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Duke University, and other groups has found that country's protected area system and human cultural tolerance for some species are key to conserving the subcontinent's tigers, elephants and other large mammals.

  • Confidence is key to gauging impressions we make
    The gift of "seeing ourselves as others see us" comes in handy when judging how we've made a first impression. Yet many come away with little or no clue about how that first impression was perceived. A new study suggests confidence is a key indicator of how well we've assessed impressions left behind.

  • Research points to way to improve heart treatment
    Current drugs used to treat heart failure and irregular heartbeat have limited effectiveness and have side effects. New basic science findings from a University of Iowa and Vanderbilt University study suggest a way that treatments could potentially be refined so that they work better and target only key heart-related mechanisms.

  • Movement disorder symptoms are lessened by an antibiotic
    Discovery of an antibiotic's capacity to improve cell function in laboratory tests is providing movement disorder researchers with leads to more desirable molecules with potentially similar traits, according to University of Alabama scientists co-authoring a paper publishing March 10 in the journal Disease Models & Mechanisms.

  • Plant hormone increases cotton yields in drought conditions
    A naturally occurring class of plant hormones called cytokinins has been found to help increase cotton yields during drought conditions.

  • Fifty years of the 'light fantastic:' Laser advances spark scientific progress
    Fifty years after the first laser sparked a technological revolution, the "light fantastic" continues to impact people's daily lives -- by playing DVDs, speeding Internet connections, and performing intricate surgery. As the golden anniversary of the announcement of the first laser approaches on July 7th, Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine, takes a special look at the past, present, and exciting future of this amazing invention.

  • Fewer platelets could be used for some cancer and bone-marrow transplantation patients
    Physicians may be able to safely lower the platelet dosage in transfusions for cancer and bone-marrow transplant patients without risking increased bleeding, according to new research involving UT Southwestern Medical Center and 28 other medical institutions.

  • A huge step toward mass production of coveted form of carbon
    Scientists have leaped over a major hurdle in efforts to begin commercial production of a form of carbon that could rival silicon in its potential for revolutionizing electronics devices ranging from supercomputers to cell phones. Called graphene, the material consists of a layer of graphite 50,000 times thinner than a human hair with unique electronic properties. Their study appears in ACS' Nano Letters, a monthly journal.

  • Nitric oxide-releasing wrap for donor organs and cloth for therapeutic socks
    Scientists in Texas are reporting development of a first-of-its-kind cloth that releases nitric oxide gas -- an advance toward making therapeutic socks for people with diabetes and a wrap to help preserve organs harvested for transplantation. The study is in ACS' Chemistry of Materials, a biweekly journal.

  • NoMix toilets get thumbs-up in 7 European countries
    People in seven European countries have positive attitudes toward a new eco-friendly toilet that could substantially reduce pollution problems and conserve water and nutrients, scientists in Switzerland are reporting. Their article, which calls on authorities to give wider support for the innovative toilet technology, is in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semimonthly journal.

  • World crude oil production may peak a decade earlier than some predict
    In a finding that may speed efforts to conserve oil and intensify the search for alternative fuel sources, scientists in Kuwait predict that world conventional crude oil production will peak in 2014 -- almost a decade earlier than some other predictions. Their study is in ACS' Energy & Fuels, a bimonthly journal.

  • Novel stroke treatment passes safety stage of UCI-led clinical trial
    A clinical research trial of a new treatment to restore brain cells damaged by stroke has passed an important safety stage, according to the UC Irvine neurologist who led the effort.

  • Texas earthquake study cites 'plausible cause'
    A study published in the March issue of the Leading Edge examines series of small earthquakes occurring near the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport between Oct. 30, 2008, and May 16, 2009.

  • Physicians click their way to better prescriptions
    Is it time for all community-based doctors to turn to e-prescribing to cut down on the number of medication errors? According to Rainu Kaushal and colleagues from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, electronic prescriptions can dramatically reduce prescribing errors -- up to seven-fold. Their study of the benefits of e-prescribing in primary care practices appears online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, published by Springer.

  • TU Delft improves production of chemicals from wood waste
    Researchers from TU Delft in the Netherlands discovered that the bacterium Cupriavidus basilensis breaks down harmful by-products which are produced when sugars are released from wood. They also managed to incorporate the degradation process in bacteria which are in common industrial use. This breakthrough does away with the need to resort to costly and environmentally unfriendly methods for removing by-products, thereby boosting the appeal of waste wood as a sustainable resource for biochemicals and biofuels.

  • Development of more muscular trout could boost commercial aquaculture
    A 10-year effort by a URI scientist to develop transgenic rainbow trout with enhanced muscle growth has yielded fish with what have been described as six-pack abs and muscular shoulders that could provide a boost to the commercial aquaculture industry.

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