Dinosaurs burrowed to avoid winter's chill
11:44 13 July 2009
The discovery of three fossil burrows in south-eastern Australia is shedding new light on how dinosaurs survived the polar winters
Hungry cats trick owners with baby cry mimicry
17:00 13 July 2009
Manipulative cats purr in a frequency range similar to a crying baby when soliciting food from owners – they could be playing on human nurturing instincts
Public Release: 13-Jul-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
How noise and nervous system get in way of reading skills
A child's brain has to work overtime in a noisy classroom to do its typical but very important job of distinguishing sounds whose subtle differences are key to success with language and reading. But, according to a new Northwestern University study, that simply is too much to ask of children whose nervous systems' have trouble transcribing "ba," "da" and "ga," three little sounds that mean so much to literacy.
Contact: pat vaughan Tremmel
p-tremmel@northwestern.edu
847-491-4892
Northwestern University
Public Release: 13-Jul-2009
Lightning may have cooked dinner for early life
18:00 13 July 2009
Rare forms of phosphorus – particularly palatable to some microbes – could have been produced by lightning strikes on the early Earth
Public Release: 13-Jul-2009
Nature Methods
New drugs faster from natural compounds: A UC San Diego breakthrough
A researcher isolates a natural compound with promising antimicrobial properties from ocean water. But is it a discovery? Or has the compound already been described and is therefore not patentable? University of California, San Diego, researchers have invented computational tools that enable researchers to rapidly and economically answer the "is it new or not?" question for promising drug targets: ring-shaped nonribosomal peptides.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Daniel Kane
dbkane@ucsd.edu
858-534-3262
University of California - San Diego
Public Release: 13-Jul-2009
Diabetes
Study finds citrus-derived flavonoid prevents obesity
A flavonoid derived from citrus fruit has shown tremendous promise for preventing weight gain and other signs of metabolic syndrome which can lead to type 2 diabetes and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The study, led by Murray Huff of the Robarts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario looked at a flavonoid (plant-based bioactive molecule) called naringenin. The findings are published online in the journal Diabetes.
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario
Contact: Kathy Wallis
kwallis3@uwo.ca
519-661-2111 x81136
University of Western Ontario
Public Release: 13-Jul-2009
Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease
Regular moderate alcohol intake has cognitive benefits in older adults
A glass of wine here, a nightcap there -- new research out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggests that moderate alcohol intake offers long-term cognitive protection and reduces the risk of dementia in older adults.
Contact: Jessica Guenzel
jguenzel@wfubmc.edu
336-716-3487
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Public Release: 14-Jul-2009
Radiology
Obesity contributes to rapid cartilage loss
Obesity, among other factors, is strongly associated with an increased risk of rapid cartilage loss, according to a new study.
Contact: Linda Brooks
lbrooks@rsna.org
630-590-7762
Radiological Society of North America
Public Release: 14-Jul-2009
JAMA
Repair of heart defect discovered incidentally during surgery may not have clear benefit
Patients who have a heart defect known as patent foramen ovale incidentally discovered and repaired during surgery for a different condition may have an increased odds of postoperative stroke, along with no clear benefit on short-term outcomes or long-term survival, according to a study in the July 15 issue of JAMA.
Contact: Brian Kolonick
kolonib@ccf.org
216-444-0898
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 14-Jul-2009
'Copernicium' proposed as name for newly discovered element 112
In honor of scientist and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), the discovering team around Professor Sigurd Hofmann suggested the name "copernicium" with the element symbol "Cp" for the new element 112, discovered at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung (GSI Center for Heavy Ion Research) in Darmstadt.
Contact: Ingo Peter
press@gsi.de
49-615-971-1500
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Public Release: 14-Jul-2009
Journal of Neuroscience
Study pinpoints drugs that prevent epilepsy, seizures after severe brain injury
According to one theory, severe head injury causes leaks in the blood-brain barrier that allow entry of serum albumen, which triggers epilepsy and seizures. UC Berkeley's Daniela Kaufer and Israeli colleague Alon Friedman now show that albumen interacts with the TGF-beta receptor on astrocytes, triggering a cascade of events that lead to epilepsy. In rats, TGF-beta blockers stop such changes in the brain, and may halt development of epilepsy in humans.
CURE Foundation, German National Science Foundation, Mary Elizabeth Rennie Epilepsy Foundation, Israel Science Foundation, United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation
Contact: Robert Sanders
rsanders@berkeley.edu
510-643-6998
University of California - Berkeley
Public Release: 14-Jul-2009
Journal of Human Evolution
The last supper of the hominids establishes the times they lived at the sites
In the French cave of Arago, an international team of scientists has analyzed the dental wear of the fossils of herbivorous animals hunted by Homo heidelbergensis. It is the first time that an analytical method has allowed the establishment of the length of human occupations at archaeological sites. The key is the last food that these hominids consumed.
Contact: SINC
info@plataformasinc.es
34-914-251-820
FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology
Public Release: 14-Jul-2009
Epidemiology
U of M researchers find childhood cancer risk rises with mother's age
Research from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota indicates that a baby born to an older mother may have a slightly increased risk for many of the cancers that occur during childhood.
Children's Cancer Research Fund, NIH/National Cancer Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Contact: Sara Martin
buss@umn.edu
612-626-7037
University of Minnesota
Public Release: 14-Jul-2009
Nature Geoscience
Global warming: Our best guess is likely wrong
No one knows exactly how much Earth's climate will warm due to carbon emissions, but a new study this week suggests scientists' best predictions about global warming might be incorrect.
Contact: David Ruth
druth@rice.edu
713-348-6327
Rice University
Public Release: 14-Jul-2009
Journal of Immunology
Drug rescues memory lost to Alzheimer's disease
A drug similar to one used in clinical trials for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis has been found to rescue memory in mice exhibiting Alzheimer's symptoms.
National Institutes of Health, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
Contact: Jennifer Fitzenberger
jfitzen@uci.edu
949-824-3969
University of California - Irvine
Public Release: 15-Jul-2009
Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease
Phase 3 Alzheimer's drug increases toxic beta amyloid in the brain -- but still provides benefits
New insights into how a Phase III Alzheimer's drug might work were among the advances in potential therapies targeting two brain proteins -- amyloid and tau -- reported today at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Vienna. Scientists also reported on how clinicians view and treat mild cognitive impairment, a research category used to define the state between normal aging and Alzheimer's, that is now being used widely in clinical practice.
Contact: Niles Frantz
niles.frantz@alz.org
312-363-8782
Alzheimer's Association
Public Release: 15-Jul-2009
New England Journal of Medicine
Alzheimer's risk: Would you want to know?
When people learn they are predisposed to Alzheimer's disease, any depression or anxiety is not long lasting, a new study indicates.
Contact: Laura Bailey
baileylm@umich.edu
734-647-1848
University of Michigan
Pluto's kin may have invaded asteroid belt
18:55 15 July 2009
Millions of objects in the solar system's main asteroid belt may be icy interlopers from beyond Neptune, a new study suggests
Public Release: 15-Jul-2009
Nature
Primitive asteroids in the main asteroid belt may have formed far from the sun
Many of the objects found today in the asteroid belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter may have formed in the outermost reaches of the solar system, according to an international team of astronomers led by scientists from Southwest Research Institute.
NASA
Contact: Maria Martinez
mmartinez@swri.org
210-522-3305
Southwest Research Institute
Public Release: 15-Jul-2009
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
Osteoporosis drug may save lives by strengthening immune system
An osteoporosis drug proven to save lives after hip fractures may do so by strengthening the body's immune system, according to geriatrics researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Contact: Debbe Geiger
Debbe.Geiger@duke.edu
919-660-9461
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 16-Jul-2009
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
Baking soda: For cooking, cleaning, and kidney health?
A daily dose of sodium bicarbonate -- baking soda, already used for baking, cleaning, acid indigestion, sunburn and more -- slows the decline of kidney function in some patients with advanced chronic kidney disease, reports an upcoming study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. "This cheap and simple strategy also improves patients' nutritional status, and has the potential of translating into significant economic, quality of life, and clinical outcome benefits," comments Magdi Yaqoob, M.D.
Contact: Shari Leventhal
sleventhal@asn-online.org
202-416-0658
American Society of Nephrology
Public Release: 16-Jul-2009
Science
Genetic source of muscular dystrophy neutralized
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found a way to block the genetic flaw at the heart of a common form of muscular dystrophy. The results of the study, which were published today in the journal Science, could pave the way for new therapies that essentially reverse the symptoms of the disease.
NIH/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Run America Foundation
Contact: Mark Michaud
mark_michaud@urmc.rochester.edu
585-273-4790
University of Rochester Medical Center
Artistic tendencies linked to 'schizophrenia gene'
15:58 16 July 2009
A genetic mutation linked to psychosis and schizophrenia may unleash creative potential in some and psychotic delusions in others
Public Release: 16-Jul-2009
Nature
Primate archaeology, proposal of a new research field
Recent research has highlighted the need to include other species such as gorillas and orangutans, as well as other extinct primate groups prior to hominids, in order to situate, for the first time in history, the full evolution of human behavior within a greater biological context. With this aim, an international group of researchers from different universities, among them Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, proposes to create a new interdisciplinary field called primate archaeology. The new field is described in detail in Nature.
Contact: Maria Jesus Delgado
MariaJesus.Delgado@uab.cat
34-935-814-049
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
Neanderthals Were Few and Poised for Extinction
Live Science
Public Release: 16-Jul-2009
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Cystic fibrosis treatments may have unseen long-term benefits
Cystic fibrosis medicines that help to break down mucus in the lungs may carry an unexpected long-term benefit, a study suggests. The treatments not only help breathing in the short term -- they may also make lung infections develop to be less harmful in the long run, research from the University of Edinburgh shows.
Royal Society, Leverhulme Trust
Contact: Catriona Kelly
catriona.kelly@ed.ac.uk
44-131-651-4401
University of Edinburgh
Public Release: 16-Jul-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Caltech, JPL scientists say that microbial mats built 3.4-billion-year-old stromatolites
Stromatolites are dome- or column-like sedimentary rock structures that are formed in shallow water, layer by layer, over long periods of geologic time. Now, researchers from the California Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have provided evidence that some of the most ancient stromatolites on our planet were built with the help of communities of equally ancient microorganisms.
Agouron Institute, NASA
Contact: Lori Oliwenstein
lorio@caltech.edu
626-395-3631
California Institute of Technology
Public Release: 16-Jul-2009
Perspectives on Psychological Science
Our metallic reflection: Considering future human-android interactions
Everyday human interaction is not what you would call perfect, so what if there was a third party added to the mix -- like a metallic version of us? In a new article in Perspectives on Psychological Science, psychologist Neal J. Roese and computer scientist Eyal Amir from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign investigate what human-android interactions may be like 50 years into the future.
Contact: Katie Kline
kkline@psychologicalscience.org
202-293-9300
Association for Psychological Science
Public Release: 17-Jul-2009
Journal of Experimental Biology
Why winning athletes are getting bigger
A new theory by Duke University engineers has showed that not only have Olympic swimmers and sprinters gotten bigger and faster over the past 100 years, but they have grown at a much faster rate than the normal population.
National Science Foundation, US Air Force
Contact: Richard Merritt
richard.merritt@duke.edu
919-660-8414
Duke University
Public Release: 17-Jul-2009
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Large epidemiologic study supports brain power of fish in older people
A new study concludes that increased fish consumption is related to lower rates of dementia in elderly living in low- to middle-income countries.
Contact: Suzanne Price
sprice@nutrition.org
American Society for Nutrition
New NASA Photos Show Apollo Leftovers on the Moon
New NASA photos of the moon show the leftovers from man's exploration 40 years ago.
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Grand Plans for Moon and Mars, Budget Permitting
There are some questions whether the big lunar designs NASA has drawn up over the past five years will be built.
By KENNETH CHANG
Consultation on 'UK space agency'
There is to be a 12-week consultation on whether the UK should have its own dedicated space agency.
By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News
20 July 2009 10:08 UK