Human Ancestors Were Homemakers
Live Science
Stone Age Pantry: Archaeologist Unearths Earliest Evidence of Modern Humans Using Wild Grains and Tubers for Food
Science Daily
PLoS Biology
Meddling in mosquitoes' sex lives could help stop the spread of malaria, says study
Stopping male mosquitoes from sealing their sperm inside females with a 'mating plug' could prevent mosquitoes from reproducing, and offer a potential new way to combat malaria, say scientists publishing new results in PLoS Biology on 22 December.
Medical Research Council
Contact: Danielle Reeves
danielle.reeves@imperial.ac.uk
44-020-759-42198
Imperial College London
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Poisonous prehistoric 'raptor' discovered by research team from Kansas and China
A group of University of Kansas researchers working with Chinese colleagues have discovered a venomous, birdlike raptor that thrived some 128 million years ago in China. This is the first report of venom in the lineage that leads to modern birds.
Contact: Brendan M. Lynch
blynch@ku.edu
785-864-8855
University of Kansas
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
  ournal of the National Cancer Institute
Urinary tract cancer associated with Chinese herbal products containing aristolochic acid
The carcinogen aristolochic acid, which was found in many prescribed Chinese herbal products including Guan Mu Tong, is associated with an increased risk of urinary tract cancer, according to a new study published online December 21 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Contact: Steve Graff
jncimedia@oxfordjournals.org
301-841-1285
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Depression saps endurance of the brain's reward circuitry
A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that depressed patients are unable to sustain activity in brain areas related to positive emotion.
IH/National Institute of Mental Health, Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals, Fetzer Institute and Impact Foundation, John W. Kluge Foundation, et al.
Contact: Richard Davidson
rjdavids@wisc.edu
608-265-8189
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Compound found to safely counter deadly bird flu
A study suggests that a new compound, one on the threshold of final testing in humans, may be more potent and safer for treating "bird flu" than the antiviral drug best known by the trade name Tamiflu.
Program of Founding Research Centers for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Yoshihiro Kawaoka
kawaokay@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu
608-265-4925
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
  Archives of Dermatology
Heart transplant patients appear to have elevated risk for multiple skin cancers
Many heart transplant patients develop multiple skin cancers, with increased risk for some skin cancers among patients with other cancers and with increasing age, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Traci Klein
klein.traci@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Enhanced sweet taste: This is your tongue on pot
New findings from the Monell Center and Kyushu University in Japan report that endocannabinoids act directly on tongue taste receptors to specifically enhance sweet taste. The findings suggest that modulation of sweet taste responses may be an important component of the endocannabinoid system's role in regulating feeding behavior and may open doors to the development of novel therapeutic compounds to combat metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Contact: Leslie Stein
stein@monell.org
267-519-4707
Monell Chemical Senses Center
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
Surgery recognized as effective treatment
A first-of-its-kind consensus statement by 50 medical experts from around the world has pronounced surgery to be a legitimate and effective treatment for type 2 diabetes, bringing the procedure a significant step closer to wider use and acceptance.
Contact: Noura Zreik
noura.zreik@hillandknowlton.com
Weill Cornell Medical College--Qatar
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
FASEB Journal
Scientists take important step toward the proverbial fountain of youth
Going back for a second dessert after your holiday meal might not be the best strategy for living a long, cancer-free life say researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. That's because they've shown exactly how restricted calorie diets -- specifically in the form of restricted glucose -- help human cells live longer. This discovery, published online in the FASEB Journal could help lead to drugs and treatments that slow human aging and prevent cancer.
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
Fossil shelved for a century reworks carnivore family tree
Now that an early carnivore fossil has been fully removed from its matrix (this after spending over a century on a shelf because of the associated crushed teeth), scientists are able to re-interpret the evolutionary tree of this group of mammals.
National Science Foundation, American Museum of Natural History, Columbia University Contact: Kristin Elise Phillips
kphillips@amnh.org
212-496-3419
American Museum of Natural History
Esa satellite senses Earth's pull
Europe's Goce satellite returns remarkable new data on the way the pull of gravity varies across the Earth.
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
Researchers identify tuberculosis strain that thrives on antibiotic
Scientists have identified a strain of antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis that thrives in the presence of rifampin, a front-line drug in the treatment of tuberculosis. The researchers determined that the bacteria grew poorly in the absence of the antibiotic rifampin and better with it. The patient's condition also worsened with treatment regimens containing rifampin, before being cured with rifampin-free regimens. The study is among the first to document the treatment of a patient with rifampin-dependent infection.
National Basic Research Program of China, National Institutes of Health, Changjiang Scholars Program
Contact: Tim Parsons
tmparson@jhsph.edu
410-955-7619
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Wild chimps have near human understanding of fire, says study by Iowa State's Pruetz
The use and control of fire are behavioral characteristics that distinguish humans from other animals. Now, a new study by Iowa State University anthropologist Jill Pruetz reports that savanna chimpanzees in Senegal have a near human understanding of wildfires and change their behavior in anticipation of the fire's movement.
Contact: Mike Ferlazzo
ferlazzo@iastate.edu
515-294-8986
Iowa State University
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
Cell
Up a little on the left ... now, over to the right ...
Scratching below the surface of a troublesome sensation that's equal parts tingle-tickle-prickle, sensory scientists from Johns Hopkins have discovered in mice a molecular basis for nonallergic itch.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Whitehall Foundation, Blaustein Pain Research Fund, National Institutes of Health Contact: Maryalice Yakutchik
myakutc1@jhmi.edu
443-287-2251
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
Chicago Cancer Genome Project studies genetics of 1,000 tumors
A Chicago research team is one year into a three-year project to collect and analyze the genetic sequence and variations of every gene expressed by 1,000 tumors with a long-term goal of translating genomic discoveries into diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies.
Contact: John Easton
john.easton@uchospitals.edu
773-702-6241
University of Chicago Medical Center
Public Release: 21-Dec-2009
PLoS ONE
We now know that the brain controls the formation of bone
The brain acts as a profound regulatory center, controlling myriad processes throughout the body in ways we are only just beginning to understand. In new findings, Australian scientists have shown surprising connections between the brain and regulation of bone mass.
Contact: Alison Heather
a.heather@garvan.org.au
61-292-958-128
Research Australia
Earth on track for epic die-off, scientists say
San Francisco Chronicle
Personal Health
Risks, as Well as Hope, for Very Tiny Infants
By JANE E. BRODY
A growing number of extremely preterm, extremely tiny babies now survive and even thrive, thanks to expert, highly coordinated prenatal and postnatal care. Really?
Public Release: 22-Dec-2009
American Journal of Roentgenology
Growing evidence suggests progesterone should be considered a treatment option for traumatic brain injuries
Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., recommend that progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone found in both males and females that can protect damaged cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems, be considered a viable treatment option for traumatic brain injuries, according to a clinical perspective published in the January issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Contact: Heather Curry
hcurry@acr-arrs.org
703-390-9822
American College of Radiology / American Roentgen Ray Society
Building a Search Engine of the Brain, Slice by Slice
By BENEDICT CAREY
The dissection of the brain of Henry Molaison, an amnesic, has opened the door to a much more ambitious project.
Public Release: 22-Dec-2009
Psychosomatic Medicine
Study redefines placebo effect as part of effective treatment
Researchers used the placebo effect to successfully treat psoriasis patients with one quarter to one half of their usual dose of a widely used steroid medication, according to an early study published online today in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Early results in human patients suggest that the new technique could improve treatment for several chronic diseases that involve mental state or the immune system, including asthma, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain.
NIH/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Contact: Greg Williams
Greg_Williams@urmc.rochester.edu
585-273-1757
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 22-Dec-2009
Bacteria make the artificial blood vessels of the future
The cellulose produced by bacteria could be used for artificial blood vessels in the future as it carries a lower risk of blood clots than the synthetic materials currently used for bypass operations, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Contact: Helen Fink
helen.fink@wlab.gu.se
46-735-444-833
University of Gothenburg
Remarkable Creatures
Whatever Doesn’t Kill Some Animals Can Make Them Deadly
By SEAN B. CARROLL
Some species tolerate high levels of tetrodotoxin, and answers may lie in the evolution of sodium ion channels.
More Remarkable Creatures Columns »
Public Release: 22-Dec-2009
Nature Neuroscience
Got smell?
As anyone suffering through a head cold knows, food tastes wrong when the nose is clogged, an experience that leads many to conclude that the sense of taste operates normally only when the olfactory system is also in good working order. Evidence that the taste system influences olfactory perception, however, has been vanishingly rare -- until now. In a novel study this week in Nature Neuroscience, Brandeis researchers report just such an influence.
Contact: Laura Gardner
gardner@brandeis.edu
781-736-4204
Brandeis University
Innovation: The sinister powers of crowdsourcing
12:42 22 December 2009
Governments are turning to web users to help identify criminals and protestors – could they enlist people's help without revealing their true goals?
Basics
Sorry, Vegans: Brussels Sprouts Like to Live, Too
By NATALIE ANGIER Want to eat more ethically? It may be more complicated than just giving up meat.
Public Release: 22-Dec-2009
International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents
New, virulent strain of MRSA poses renewed antibiotic resistance concerns
The often feared and sometimes deadly infections caused by MRSA -- methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- are now moving out of hospitals and emerging as an even more virulent strain in community settings and on athletic teams, and raising new concerns about antibiotic resistance.
Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists Contact: George Allen
allenge@ohsu.edu
503-494-5976
Oregon State University
Public Release: 22-Dec-2009
Psychological Science
Could acetaminophen ease psychological pain?
Over-the-counter pain relieving drugs have long been used to alleviate physical pain, while a host of other medications have been employed in the treatment of depression and anxiety. But is it possible that a common painkiller could serve double duty, easing not just the physical pains of sore joints and headaches, but also the pain of social rejection?
Contact: Allison Elliott
allison.elliott@uky.edu
859-257-1754
Association for Psychological Science
Are we looking in the wrong places for water on the moon?
22:48 22 December 2009
Conventional theory says water ice should be concentrated in permanently shadowed craters near the poles, but that's not where it seems to be turning up
Public Release: 23-Dec-2009
PLoS Genetics
Genomic toggle switches divide autoimmune diseases into distinct clusters, Stanford study shows
Genomic switches can predispose an individual to one set of autoimmune disorders but protect the same person against another set of them, scientists at Stanford University School of Medicine have found.
Contact: Bruce Goldman
goldmanb@stanford.edu
650-725-2106
Stanford University Medical Center
Public Release: 23-Dec-2009
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Yale researchers reveal secrets of duck sex: It's all screwed up
Female ducks have evolved an intriguing way to avoid becoming impregnated by undesirable but aggressive males endowed with large corkscrew-shaped penises: vaginas with clockwise spirals that thwart oppositely spiraled males.
Yale University Contact: Bill Hathaway
william.hathaway@yale.edu
203-432-1322
Yale University
Public Release: 23-Dec-2009
PLoS Genetics
Genetic study reveals the origins of cavity-causing bacteria
Researchers have uncovered the complete genetic make-up of the cavity-causing bacterium Bifidobacterium dentium Bd1, revealing the genetic adaptations that allow this microorganism to live and cause decay in the human oral cavity. The study, led by Marco Ventura's Probiogenomics laboratory at the University of Parma, and Prof. Douwe van Sinderen and Dr Paul O'Toole of the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at University College Cork, is published December 24 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.
Contact: Tamsin Milewicz
press@plos.org
44-122-346-3339
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 23-Dec-2009
Nature
Scientists create world's first molecular transistor
A group of scientists has succeeded in creating the first transistor made from a single molecule. The team, which includes researchers from Yale University and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea, showed that a benzene molecule attached to gold contacts could behave just like a silicon transistor.
Contact: Suzanne Taylor Muzzin
suzanne.taylormuzzin@yale.edu
203-403-8555
Yale University
Public Release: 23-Dec-2009
Nature
Sun and moon trigger deep tremors on San Andreas Fault
When the sun and moon are aligned with the San Andreas Fault they tug on it enough to increase the tremor rate deep underground, according to a new UC Berkeley study. While these tremors have not yet been linked to earthquakes, the tremors are associated with increased stress on the fault and may increase the risk of future quakes. The ease with which the deep rock slips indicates it is lubricated by high-pressure water.
National Science Foundation, US Geological Survey Contact: Robert Sanders
rsanders@berkeley.edu
510-643-6998
University of California - Berkeley
Public Release: 23-Dec-2009
Journal of Biological Chemistry
New insights into mushroom-derived drug promising for cancer treatment
A promising cancer drug, first discovered in a mushroom commonly used in Chinese medicine, could be made more effective thanks to researchers who have discovered how the drug works. The research is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and was carried out at The University of Nottingham.
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Contact: Nancy Mendoza
press.office@bbsrc.ac.uk
44-179-341-3355
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Chimps use cleavers and anvils as tools to chop food
For the first time, chimpanzees have been seen using tools to chop up and reduce food into smaller bite-sized portions.
By Matt Walker Editor, Earth News
24 December 2009
  Ancient Tree (Almost) Older Than Dirt
An unassuming tree in southern California has overcome the test of time by surviving for more than 13,000 years.
By Michael Reilly Wed Dec 23, 2009 08:40 AM ET
Public Release: 24-Dec-2009
Cell Stem Cell
Citrus surprise: Vitamin C boosts the reprogramming of adult cells into stem cells
Famous for its antioxidant properties and role in tissue repair, vitamin C is touted as beneficial for illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer and perhaps even for slowing the aging process. Now, a study published online on Dec. 24 by Cell Press in the journal Cell Stem Cell uncovers an unexpected new role for this natural compound: facilitating the generation of embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Alcohol's Neolithic Origins-Brewing Up a Civilization
Spiegel
Public Release: 24-Dec-2009
Neuron
UCLA scientists find molecular switch to prevent Huntington's disease in mice
UCLA scientists have identified a molecular switch that prevents Huntington's disease from developing in mice. Published in the Dec. 24 edition of the journal Neuron, the discovery suggests a new approach to treating the genetic disorder, which ultimately leads to death in as little as 10 years.
Hereditary Disease Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Contact: Elaine Schmidt Haber
ehaber@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2272
University of California - Los Angeles
Public Release: 24-Dec-2009
Cell
'Self-seeding' of cancer cells may play a critical role in tumor progression
Cancer progression is commonly thought of as a process involving the growth of a primary tumor followed by metastasis, in which cancer cells leave the primary tumor and spread to distant organs. A new study by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center shows that circulating tumor cells -- cancer cells that break away from a primary tumor and disseminate to other areas of the body -- can also return to and grow in their tumor of origin, a newly discovered process called "self-seeding."
National Institutes of Health, Hearst Foundation, Alan and Sandra Gerry Metastasis Research Initiative, US Department of Defense
Contact: Esther Napolitano
napolite@mskcc.org
646-227-3573
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Ancient whale sucked mud for food
An ancient "dwarf" whale fed by sucking small animals out of the seafloor mud with its short snout and tongue.