Public Release: 9-Nov-2009
AVS 56th International Symposium & Exhibition
Look ma, no mercury in fillings!
Tooth enamel is hardest material in the human body because it's made almost entirely of minerals. As tough as it may be, however, enamel can be broken down by bacteria, forming cavities and eventually destroying the tooth. That's why dentists repair cavities by filling them with a material to replace the lost enamel. The most common such restorative is a material invented in the 19th-century known as amalgam -- the classic silver-black fillings many people have.
Contact: Jason Bardi
jbardi@aip.org
301-209-3091
American Institute of Physics
Public Release: 9-Nov-2009
Journal of Accounting Research
Failing the sniff test: Researchers find new way to spot fraud
Companies that commit fraud can find innovative ways to fudge the numbers, making it hard to tell something is wrong by looking at their financial statements. But a new warning system sees through accounting tricks by evaluating things that are easily verifiable, such as the number of employees or the square footage a company owns. If a company says its profits are up, but these nonfinancial measures are down, something is wrong.
Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Investor Education Foundation
Contact: Matt Shipman
matt_shipman@ncsu.edu
919-515-6386
North Carolina State University
Public Release: 9-Nov-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Words, gestures are translated by same brain regions, says new research
Researchers have shown that the brain regions that have long been recognized as a center in which spoken or written words are decoded are also important in interpreting wordless gestures. The findings suggest that these brain regions may play a much broader role in the interpretation of symbols than researchers have thought and, for this reason, could be the evolutionary starting point from which language originated.
NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Contact: Jennifer Wenger
jwenger@mail.nih.gov
301-496-7243
NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Public Release: 9-Nov-2009
BMC Biology
The bizarre lives of bone-eating worms
Female Osedax marine worms feast on submerged bones via a complex relationship with symbiotic bacteria, and they are turning out to be far more diverse and widespread than scientists expected. Californian researchers have found that up to twelve further distinct evolutionary lineages exist beyond the five species already described. The new findings about these beautiful sea creatures with unusual sexual and digestive habits are published today in the online open access journal BMC Biology.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22165
BioMed Central
Public Release: 9-Nov-2009
Nature Cell Biology
CSHL study shows that some malignant tumors can be shut down after all
More than half of all human cancers have mutations that disable a protein called p53. When cells lose p53, tumors grow aggressively and often cannot be treated. But a new study by Alea Mills and colleagues from CSHL may offer a way to counteract the problem. The scientists have succeeded in shutting off the growth of p53-deficient tumors by turning up the production of TAp63 proteins, a class of proteins produced by the p63 gene.
American Cancer Society
Contact: Hema Bashyam
bashyam@cshl.edu
516-367-6822
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Public Release: 9-Nov-2009
Stem Cells
UCI embryonic stem cell therapy restores walking ability in rats with neck injuries
The first human embryonic stem cell treatment approved by the FDA for human testing has been shown to restore limb function in rats with neck spinal cord injuries -- a finding that could expand the clinical trial to include people with cervical damage.
Geron Corp., University of California, Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund of California, Research for Cure
Contact: Jennifer Fitzenberger
jfitzen@uci.edu
949-824-3969
University of California - Irvine
Vanished Persian Army Said Found in Desert
Bones, jewelry and weapons found in Egyptian desert may be the remains of Cambyses' army that vanished 2,500 years ago.
Public Release: 10-Nov-2009
JAMA
Long-term statin use associated with decreased risk of gallstones requiring surgery
Use of the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins for more than a year is associated with a reduced risk of having gallstones requiring surgery, according to a study in the Nov. 11 issue of JAMA.
Contact: Christoph R. Meier, Ph.D., M.Sc.
meierch@uhbs.ch
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 10-Nov-2009
PLoS ONE
Warm-blooded dinosaurs worked up a sweat
Were dinosaurs endothermic like present-day mammals and birds or ectothermic like present-day lizards? Reporting in PLoS ONE, Herman Pontzer and colleagues sought to answer this important question by determining whether a variety of dinosaurs and closely-related extinct animals were ectothermic or endothermic and when, where, and how often in the dinosaur family tree this trait may have evolved, using simple measurements, rigorous computer modeling techniques and their knowledge of physiology in present-day animals.
Contact: Rebecca Walton
rwalton@plos.org
44-122-346-3333
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 10-Nov-2009
PLoS ONE
Foreign subtitles improve speech perception
In a new study, published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE, Holger Mitterer (Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics) and James McQueen (MPI and Radboud University Nijmegen) show how you can improve your second-language listening ability by watching the movie with subtitles -- as long as these subtitles are in the same language as the film. Subtitles in one's native language, the default in some European countries, may actually be counter-productive to learning to understand foreign speech.
Contact: Rebecca Walton
rwalton@plos.org
44-122-346-3333
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 10-Nov-2009
Cancer
Men leave: Separation and divorce far more common when the wife is the patient
A woman is six times more likely to be separated or divorced soon after a diagnosis of cancer or multiple sclerosis than if a man in the relationship is the patient, according to a study that examined the role gender played in so-called "partner abandonment." The study also found that the longer the marriage the more likely it would remain intact.
Contact: Dean Forbes
dforbes@fhcrc.org
206-667-2896
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Will probe's upcoming fly-by unlock exotic physics?
18:17 10 November 2009
All eyes will be on the Rosetta comet-chasing probe when it flies by Earth on Friday – a past fly-by revealed a mysterious speed boost that general relativity cannot explain
Public Release: 10-Nov-2009
Trends in Genetics
Ancient penguin DNA raises doubts about accuracy of genetic dating techniques
Penguins that died 44,000 years ago in Antarctica have provided extraordinary frozen DNA samples that challenge the accuracy of traditional genetic aging measurements, and suggest those approaches have been routinely underestimating the age of many specimens by 200 to 600 percent.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Dee Denver
denvedee@cgrb.oregonstate.edu
541-737-3698
Oregon State University
Public Release: 10-Nov-2009
Geophysical Research Letters
Controversial new climate change data
New data show that the balance between the airborne and the absorbed fraction of CO2 has stayed approximately constant since 1850, despite emissions of CO2 having risen from about 2 billion tons a year in 1850 to 35 billion tons a year now. This suggests that terrestrial ecosystems and the oceans have a much greater capacity to absorb CO2 than had been previously expected.
Natural Environment Research Council
Contact: Cherry Lewis
cherry.lewis@bristol.ac.uk
44-117-928-8086
University of Bristol
Public Release: 10-Nov-2009
Epidemiology
People with less education could be more susceptible to the flu
People who did not earn a high school diploma could be more likely to get H1N1 and the vaccine might be less effective in them compared to those who earned a diploma, new research shows
Contact: Laura Bailey
baileylm@umich.edu
734-764-1552
University of Michigan
Public Release: 10-Nov-2009
Device enables world's first voluntary gorilla blood pressure reading
Zoo Atlanta recently became the first zoological institution in the world to obtain voluntary blood pressure readings from a gorilla. This was made possible by the Gorilla Tough Cuff developed by Georgia Tech students.
Contact: Abby Vogel
avogel@gatech.edu
404-385-3364
Georgia Institute of Technology Research News
Vital Signs
Nutrition: Chocolate Milk May Reduce Inflammation
Move over, red wine. Make room for chocolate milk. A new study suggests that regular consumption of skim milk with flavonoid-rich cocoa may reduce inflammation, potentially slowing or preventing development of atherosclerosis.
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Published: November 9, 2009
Vital Signs
Risks: 5 Pathogens Linked to Risk for Stroke
Many strokes cannot be explained by known risk factors like high blood pressure and smoking, and scientists have speculated that infection could play a role. Now a new study is linking cumulative exposure to five common pathogens with an increased risk for stroke.
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Published: November 12, 2009
Turtles are 'right-flippered'
Leatherback turtles tend to be the reptilian equivalent of "right-handed".
By Matt Walker Editor, Earth News
The deep-sea crab that eats trees
Deep under the ocean, there is a species of crab that eats trees.
11 November 2009
By Matt Walker Editor, Earth News
Backward star ain't from around here
12:51 11 November 2009
The nearest neighbouring star to orbit the galaxy backwards appears to have come from a much brighter place
Public Release: 11-Nov-2009
Nature
Earth's early ocean cooled more than a billion years earlier than thought: Stanford study
The global ocean covering the Earth 3.4 billion years ago was far cooler than has been thought, according to Stanford University researchers who analyzed isotope ratios in rocks formed on that ancient ocean floor. Instead of a hot primordial soup, much more tepid temperatures prevailed. Cooler temperatures may have had effects on the evolution of the early atmosphere and could have opened the door to an earlier spread of photosynthetic life forms across the planet.
Contact: Louis Bergeron
louisb3@stanford.edu
650-725-1944
Stanford University
Public Release: 11-Nov-2009
Crystal Growth & Design
Right first time: Pioneering new methods of drug manufacture
Engineers at the University of Leeds, UK, have developed a simple technology which can be used in existing chemical reactors to ensure "right first time" drug crystal formation.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Contact: Clare Elsley
Clare@campuspr.co.uk
44-113-258-9880
University of Leeds
Mars rover battles for its life
THIS WEEK:  18:00 11 November 2009
NASA's veteran explorer Spirit faces its toughest challenge yet as it prepares to free itself from a sand trap where it has been mired for the past six months
Mini ice age took hold of Europe in months
THIS WEEK:  18:00 11 November 2009
Detailed studies of ancient climate have revealed that the onset of Europe's "Big Freeze", 13,000 years ago, was anything but glacial
Suite of chatterbox genes discovered
18:00 11 November 2009
A set of 116 genes influenced by Foxp2 could have coevolved to give humans language
Public Release: 11-Nov-2009
Journal of Marketing
Aisle placements affect grocery sales, UB research shows
Supermarkets could increase their sales of related items, such as chips and soft drinks, by moving the items closer to each other in their stores, according to research by Ram Bezawada, assistant professor of marketing in the University at Buffalo School of Management.
Contact: Jacqueline Ghosen
ghosen@buffalo.edu
716-645-2833
University at Buffalo
Public Release: 12-Nov-2009
Science
2 Earth-sized bodies with oxygen rich atmospheres found -- but they're stars not planets
Astrophysicists at the University of Warwick and Kiel University have discovered two earth sized bodies with oxygen rich atmospheres; however, there is a bit of a disappointing snag for anyone looking for a potential home for alien life, or even a future home for ourselves, as they are not planets but are actually two unusual white dwarf stars.
Science and Technology Facilities Council
Contact: Dr. Boris Gänsicke
Boris.Gaensicke@warwick.ac.uk
44-024-765-74741
University of Warwick
Public Release: 12-Nov-2009
American Journal of Public Health
Despite some benefit, drug ads can be harmful to your health
While the debate over prescription drug advertising persists, a new study released online in the American Journal of Public Health offers guidelines for improving drug ads in order to minimize potential harm and maximize benefits. The study reveals that while there are some benefits from prescription drug direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA), there are significant risks that are magnified by the prominence of DTCA.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Contact: Natalia Barolin
240-221-4088
IQ Solutions, Inc.
Public Release: 12-Nov-2009
Journal of Nutrition
Coffee break: Compound brewing new research in colon, breast cancer
A compound in coffee has been found to be estrogenic in studies by Texas AgriLife Research scientists. Though the studies have not been conducted to determine recommended consumption amounts, scientists say the compound, called trigonelline or "trig," may be a factor in estrogen-dependent breast cancer but beneficial against colon cancer development.
Contact: Kathleen Phillips
ka-phillips@tamu.edu
979-845-2872
Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
Public Release: 12-Nov-2009
Biological Psychiatry
The narrow line between love and jealousy
A new study carried out at the University of Haifa has found that the hormone oxytocin, also known as the "love hormone," which affects behaviors such as trust, empathy and generosity, also affects opposite behaviors, such as jealousy and gloating.
Contact: Rachel Feldman
rfeldman@univ.haifa.ac.il
972-482-88722
University of Haifa
Public Release: 12-Nov-2009
Journal of Nutrition
Too much selenium can increase your cholesterol
A new study from the University of Warwick has discovered taking too much of the essential mineral selenium in your diet can increase your cholesterol by almost 10 percent.
Contact: Kelly Parkes-Harrison
k.e.parkes@warwick.ac.uk
44-247-657-4255
University of Warwick
Piezoelectronics gets green makeover
18:05 12 November 2009
Piezoelectric materials have traditionally been made from lead, but now there's a clean alternative that could soon perform just as well
Cocaine and pepper spray – a lethal mix?
THIS WEEK:  12:02 13 November 2009
A mouse experiment suggests deaths in US police custody may have been the result of an interaction between capsaicin and psychostimulant drugs
Public Release: 13-Nov-2009
Obesity
Fat collections linked to decreased heart function
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have shown that fat collection in different body locations, such as around the heart and the aorta and within the liver, are associated with certain decreased heart functions. The study, which appears on-line in Obesity, also found that measuring a person's body mass index does not reliably predict the amount of undesired fat in and around these vital organs.
Contact: Gina DiGravio
gina.digravio@bmc.org
617-638-8480
Boston University Medical Center
Public Release: 13-Nov-2009
Blood
U of M researchers find 2 units of umbilical cord blood reduce risk of leukemia recurrence
A new study from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota shows that patients who have acute leukemia and are transplanted with two units of umbilical cord blood (UCB) have significantly reduced risk of the disease returning. This finding has the potential to change the current medical practice of using one unit of UCB for treatment of patients who are at high risk for recurrence of leukemia and other cancers of the blood and bone marrow.
NIH/National Cancer Institute, Children's Cancer Research Fund
Contact: Emily Jensen
jense888@umn.edu
612-624-9163
University of Minnesota
Public Release: 13-Nov-2009
Cell
Study reveals why certain drug combinations backfire
Researchers have discovered why certain combinations of drugs are actually less effective together than one of the drugs alone. Specifically, antibiotic drugs that block DNA replication work poorly with drugs that block protein synthesis. This is because the latter group corrects one of the weaknesses that the first group exploits.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: David Cameron
david_cameron@hms.harvard.edu
617-432-0441
Harvard Medical School
Public Release: 15-Nov-2009
Today's children decide their school and career path early
Children as young as 12 have a strong sense of their personal futures and can reflect thoughtfully on what life might hold for them, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and led by Professor Paul Croll of Reading University and Professor Gaynor Attwood of the University of the West of England.
Economic and Social Research Council
Contact: Press Office
pressoffice@esrc.ac.uk
Economic & Social Research Council
'Significant' water found on Moon
By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News
Nasa's experiment last month to find water on the Moon was a major success, US scientists have announced.
13 November 2009
Indus civilisation reveals its volumetric system
T.S. Subramanian
Combination of ‘V’ signs and linear strokes were used to indicate volumes
First universal programmable quantum computer unveiled
18:00 15 November 2009
Ion-trap two-qubit device put through its paces
Paradox lost: molecular collisions kept early Earth warm
18:00 15 November 2009
2.5 billion years ago, the sun was so faint, the oceans should have been ice. They weren't, and now a modelling study suggests the greenhouse effect, and nitrogen explain why
Public Release: 15-Nov-2009
American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009
Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association
Early cooling in cardiac arrest may improve survival
In a European study, patients were more likely to survive without brain damage after a cardiac arrest if emergency medical technicians lowered their body temperature early during resuscitation. Cooling is recommended for comatose patients after cardiac arrest, and this study demonstrates the potential benefits of beginning cooling even sooner during the arrest in the pre-hospital setting.
BeneChill, Inc.
Contact: News Media Staff Dallas
bridgette.mcneill@heart.org
214-706-1396
American Heart Association