Public Release: 7-Jun-2009
Nature Genetics
A lethal cancer knocked down by one-two drug punch
Research at the Jackson Laboratory has yielded a new approach to treating leukemia, one that targets leukemia-proliferating cells with drugs that are already on the market. Jackson Adjunct Professor Shaoguang Li, M.D., Ph.D., led a research team that identified a gene involved with the inflammatory response that could hold the key to treating or even preventing chronic myeloid leukemia, a lethal cancer.
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, National Institutes of Health Contact: Joyce Peterson
joyce.peterson@jax.org
207-288-6058
Jackson Laboratory
Public Release: 8-Jun-2009
Genome Research
Mobile DNA elements in woolly mammoth genome give new clues to mammalian evolution
The woolly mammoth died out several thousand years ago, but the genetic material they left behind is yielding new clues about the evolution of mammals. In a study published online in Genome Research, scientists have analyzed the mammoth genome looking for mobile DNA elements, revealing new insights into how some of these elements arose in mammals and shaped the genome of an animal headed for extinction.
Contact: Peggy Calicchia
calicchi@cshl.edu
516-422-4012
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Public Release: 8-Jun-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Let me sleep on it: Creative problem solving enhanced by REM sleep
Research led by a leading expert on the positive benefits of napping at the University of California -- San Diego School of Medicine suggests that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep enhances creative problem-solving. The findings may have important implications for how sleep, specifically REM sleep, fosters the formation of associative networks in the brain.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Debra Kain
ddkain@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego
Public Release: 8-Jun-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Unexpected discovery can open a new chapter in the fight against tuberculosis
A close relative of the microorganism that causes tuberculosis in humans has been found to form spores. This sensational discovery by Uppsala scientists has attracted much attention from other scientists, and might constitute a new turn in the fight against human tuberculosis.
Contact: Leif Kirsebom
leif.kirsebom@icm.uu.se
46-184-714-068
Uppsala University
Scholarship on Ancient Middle East Becomes Free Digitally
A wealth of material that documents the ancient Middle East has become available through a new, free online service at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. The material comes from the extensive collection at the institute, which is a major publisher of important academic books on the languages, history and cultures of the ancient Middle East.
NewsWise
Public Release: 8-Jun-2009
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Siberian jays use complex communication to mob predators
When mobbing predators, Siberian jays use over a dozen different calls to communicate the level of danger and predator category to other members of their own group. A Swedish study from Uppsala University, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences, shows birds have evolved call systems that are as sophisticated as those of primates and meerkats.
Contact: Michael Griesser
michael.griesser@ekol.slu.se
46-073-705-3097
Uppsala University
Public Release: 8-Jun-2009
British Journal of Sports Medicine
Concussion experts: For kids -- no sports, no schoolwork, no text messages
When it comes to concussions, children and teens require different treatment, according to international experts who recently published consensus recommendations. The British Journal of Sports Medicine's new guidelines say children and teens must be strictly monitored and activities restricted until fully healed. These restrictions include no return to the field of play, no return to school, and no cognitive activity.
Contact: Jennifer Leischer
jleische@cnmc.org
202-476-4500
Children's National Medical Center
Public Release: 8-Jun-2009
Geology
Fossil bone bed helps reconstruct life along California's ancient coastline
Sharktooth Hill near Bakersfield, Calif., is the home of the most extensive marine bone bed in the world, a 100-square-mile layer of shark, seal, ray, whale, turtle and fish bones. A UC Berkeley professor and five Berkeley Ph.D.s have analyzed the 15-million-year-old fossils to decipher the history of what used to be the California coastline, reconstructing a 700,000-year period of warming climate and teaming sea life.
Geological Society of America, American Museum of Natural History, National Science Foundation
Contact: Robert Sanders
rsanders@berkeley.edu
510-643-6998
University of California - Berkeley
Public Release: 8-Jun-2009
American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting
Common chemotherapy drug triggers fatal allergic reactions
A chemotherapy drug that is supposed to help save cancer patients' lives, instead resulted in life-threatening and sometimes fatal allergic reactions. A new study from Northwestern University identified 287 hypersensitivity reactions and 109 deaths in patients who received Cremophor-based paclitaxel, a solvent-administered chemotherapy. Two patients who died from an allergic reaction had highly curable early stage breast cancer. The allergic reactions are believed to be caused by the solvent, and the actual number of deaths is likely higher.
National Institutes of Health, Abraxis BioScience
Contact: Marla Paul
Marla-Paul@northwestern.edu
312-503-8928
Northwestern University
Public Release: 8-Jun-2009
Developmental Psychology
Self-regulation game predicts kindergarten achievement
Early childhood development researchers have discovered that a simple, five-minute self-regulation game not only can predict end-of-year achievement in math, literacy and vocabulary, but also was associated with the equivalent of several months of additional learning in kindergarten.
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Contact: Megan McClelland
megan.mcclelland@oregonstate.edu
541-737-9225
Oregon State University
Public Release: 8-Jun-2009
69th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Stopping diabetes damage with vitamin C
Researchers at the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center have found a way to stop the damage caused by type 1 diabetes with the combination of insulin and a common vitamin found in most medicine cabinets.
VA Medical Center
Contact: Diane Clay
diane-clay@ouhsc.edu
405-271-2323
University of Oklahoma
Personal Health
Well-Chosen Words in the Doctor’s Office
Tips for getting the answers you need during your next doctor’s visit.
By JANE E. BRODY
Parasite may increase your odds of an auto accident
THIS WEEK:  10:10 09 June 2009
People who lack a certain protein on their blood cells, and are infected with a parasite caught from cats, may be more likely to have slow reaction times
Public Release: 9-Jun-2009
Journal of Morphology
Discovery raises new doubts about dinosaur-bird links
Researchers at Oregon State University have made a fundamental new discovery about how birds breathe and have a lung capacity that allows for flight -- and the finding means it's unlikely that birds descended from any known theropod dinosaurs.
National Science Foundation
Contact: John Ruben
rubenj@science.oregonstate.edu
541-737-5347
Oregon State University
Public Release: 9-Jun-2009
International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents
New antibiotics could come from a DNA binding compound that kills bacteria in 2 minutes
synthetic DNA binding compound has proved surprisingly effective at binding to the DNA of bacteria and killing all the bacteria it touched within two minutes.
Contact: Adair Richards
adair.richards@warwick.ac.uk
44-077-799-81759
University of Warwick
Public Release: 9-Jun-2009
British Journal of Urology International
Botox injections can significantly improve quality of life for people with overactive bladders
Botox is well known for its cosmetic uses, but it can also significantly improve people's quality of life if they suffer from another problem that increases with age, an overactive bladder. A new study shows that patients who had Botox injections to control bladder problems reported significant improvements in their lives as well as their symptoms for at least 24 weeks. 34 patients (average age 50) took part, with 16 receiving botox injections to their bladder and 18 being injected with a placebo drug.
Contact: Annette Whibley
wizard.media@virgin.net
Wiley-Blackwell
Archaeological dating by re-firing ancient pots
Physics World
Q & A
A Charley Horse in Bed
Why does one get muscle cramps while sleeping or resting?
* Health Guide: Muscle Cramps
By C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Public Release: 9-Jun-2009
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Work of Field Museum scientist addresses question of chance in evolution
If the broad evolutionary diversification of a group of organisms were repeated by a few species in a single genus tens of millions of years after the group's initial diversification, what would that say about the roles of contingency, constraint, and adaptation? A study published online this week by the Proceedings of the Royal Society B cites research by a team of collaborators, including a scientist from Chicago's Field Museum.
Contact: Nancy O'Shea
noshea@fieldmuseum.org
312-665-7103
Field Museum
Public Release: 9-Jun-2009
2009 Sensors Expo and Conference
Writing in air not pie in the sky
Engineering students at Duke University have taken advantage of the accelerometers in emerging cell phones to create an application that permits users to write short notes in the air with their phone, and have that message automatically sent to an e-mail address.
National Science Foundation Contact: Richard Merritt
richard.merritt@duke.edu
919-660-8414
Duke University 
Public Release: 10-Jun-2009
Medical Hypothesis
Cancer: The cost of being smarter than chimps?
A study suggests that humans cognitively superior brains means more instances of cancer compared to chimpanzees.
Contact: David Terraso
david.terraso@comm.gatech.edu
404-385-2966
Georgia Institute of Technology
Humans prefer cockiness to expertise
THIS WEEK:  10:07 10 June 2009
We prefer confident advisers to cautious ones – even when they're wrong, a guessing game suggests
Periodic table gets a new element
The ubiquitous periodic table will soon have a new addition - the "super-heavy" element 112.
By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC News 
Looking like daddy has material rewards
14:19 10 June 2009
Children who look and smell like their father receive greater investment in time and resources, researchers say
Public Release: 10-Jun-2009
 New England Journal of Medicine
Off-label morning sickness drug deemed safe for fetuses -- Ben-Gurion U. researchers
Metoclopramide, a drug approved in the US for nausea, vomiting and heartburn, poses no significant risks for the fetus. "Metoclopramide is the drug of choice in Europe and Israel for 'morning sickness-like' symptoms of nausea and vomiting, which are common in pregnant women," according to the BGU researcher. "In the US however, it is only used in the most severe cases, as it is an 'off-label' use for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy."
Contact: Andrew Lavin
alc@alavin.com
516-353-2505
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Public Release: 10-Jun-2009
ENDO 09
Our exposure to controversial chemical may be greater than dose considered safe
People are likely being exposed to the commonly used chemical bisphenol A at levels much higher than the recommended safe daily dose, according to a new study in monkeys. The results will be presented Thursday at the Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Contact: Aaron Lohr
alohr@endo-society.org
240-482-1380
The Endocrine Society
Public Release: 10-Jun-2009
Journal of American College of Cardiology
First-degree relatives of patients with bicuspid aortic valve should be screened
About one-third of first-degree relatives of patients with Bicuspid Aortic Valve, the most common congenital heart defect, have larger-than-normal aortas and should get a screening echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to identify and prevent aortic ruptures, according to an article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Kirsten Tolstrup, M.D., the study's author, is available to provide details and explain the findings.
Contact: Sandy Van
sandy@prpacific.com
808-526-170-880-088-02397
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Public Release: 10-Jun-2009
Astrophysical Journal Letters
New definition could further limit habitable zones around distant suns
New calculations indicate that, in nearby star systems, tidal forces exerted on planets by their parent star's gravity could limit what is regarded as a star's habitable zone and change the criteria for planets where life could potentially take root.
NASA Contact: Vince Stricherz
vinces@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Public Release: 10-Jun-2009
American Astronomical Society Meeting
Radio telescope images reveal planet-forming disk orbiting twin suns
Astronomers are announcing today that a sequence of images collected with the Smithsonian's Submillimeter Array clearly reveals the presence of a rotating molecular disk orbiting the young binary star system V4046 Sagittarii. The SMA images provide an unusually vivid snapshot of the process of formation of giant planets, comets and Pluto-like bodies. The results also confirm that such objects may just as easily form around double stars as around single stars like our sun.
Contact: Christine Pulliam
cpulliam@cfa.harvard.edu
617-495-7463
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Public Release: 10-Jun-2009
Plasma Processes and Polymers
Cool plasma packs heat against biofilms
Miniature plasma -- silent and cool to the touch -- wipes out tenacious infections quickly and easily in teeth. The technology could eventually replace some antibiotic treatments for battling local infections.
Contact: Beth Dunham
bethdunh@usc.edu
213-740-4279
University of Southern California
Public Release: 11-Jun-2009
Stress makes your hair go gray
Those pesky graying hairs that tend to crop up with age really are signs of stress, reveals a new report in the June 12 issue of Cell, a Cell Press publication.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
CRAP paper accepted by journal
12:11 11 June 2009
A graduate student says that a journal that peer reviews papers agreed to publish his nonsensical computer-generated study – see the response from the journal's director of publications
Editor of journal targeted by hoaxers resigns
17:30 12 June 2009
The revelation that a journal had apparently accepted a nonsensical computer-generated paper has led to the resignation of the publication's editor-in-chief
Public Release: 11-Jun-2009
ENDO 09
Blocking a muscle growth-limiting hormone protects against obesity and atherosclerosis
Knockout of myostatin, a growth factor that limits muscle growth, can decrease body fat and promote resistance against developing atherosclerosis, or "hardening" of the arteries, according to a new study conducted in mice. The results will be presented Thursday at the Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Contact: Aaron Lohr
alohr@endo-society.org
240-482-1380
The Endocrine Society
Public Release: 11-Jun-2009
ENDO 09
Successful weight loss with dieting is linked to vitamin D levels
Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet predict weight loss success, a new study found. The results, which suggest a possible role for vitamin D in weight loss, were presented at the Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Contact: Aaron Lohr
alohr@endo-society.org
240-427-7157
The Endocrine Society
Public Release: 11-Jun-2009
International Journal of Innovation and Learning
The dark side of animation
According to a study published in the International Journal of Innovation and Learning many instructors think that animated slides enhance student learning whereas the opposite may be true.
Contact: Stephen Mahar
mahars@uncw.edu
Inderscience Publishers
Unique roots let plant forage in the snow
12:41 12 June 2009
Botanists have discovered a new form of root in a small Alpine plant species, which grows upwards into the snow to extract nutrients
Public Release: 11-Jun-2009
Science
Scripps research team creates simple chemical system that mimics DNA
A team of Scripps Research scientists has created a new analog to DNA that assembles and disassembles itself without the need for enzymes. Because the new system comprises components that might reasonably be expected in a primordial world, the new chemical system could answer questions about how life could emerge.
Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, NASA Contact: Keith McKeown
kmckeown@scripps.edu
858-784-8134
Scripps Research Institute
Public Release: 12-Jun-2009
Journal of Experimental Biology
Urban myth disproved: Fingerprints do not improve grip friction
Everyone thinks that they know what fingerprints are for: to improve your grip's friction. But it turns out that this urban myth is wrong. Roland Ennos and Peter Warman from the University of Manchester have proved that instead of improving your grip, fingerprints drastically reduce friction.
Contact: Kathryn Knight
kathryn@biologists.com
44-122-342-5525
The Company of Biologists
Public Release: 12-Jun-2009
Journal of Experimental Biology
Urban myth disproved: Fingerprints do not improve grip friction
Everyone thinks that they know what fingerprints are for: to improve your grip's friction. But it turns out that this urban myth is wrong. Roland Ennos and Peter Warman from the University of Manchester have proved that instead of improving your grip, fingerprints drastically reduce friction.
Contact: Kathryn Knight
kathryn@biologists.com
44-122-342-5525
The Company of Biologists
Public Release: 12-Jun-2009
Psychological Science
Don't stand so close to me: Proximity defines how we think of contagion
These results reveal that we tend to view products that are grouped close together as being "contagious." It appears that if one of the products has a prominent good or bad quality, we will see that quality as spreading among other objects which are close by, a phenomenon known as the "group-contagion effect."
Contact: Barbara Isanski
bisanski@psychologicalscience.org
Association for Psychological Science