SciNews20061225

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
By studying blindfolded college students who crawled through grass to sniff out a chocolate-scented trail, scientists say they've found evidence of a human smelling ability that experts thought was impossible.
Please Let It Be Whale Vomit, Not Just Sea Junk
By COREY KILGANNON
In a season of strange presents from relatives, Dorothy Ferreira received a huge hunk of petrified whale vomit worth as much as $18,000.
In Memory-Bank ‘Dialogue,’ the Brain Is Talking to Itself
By NICHOLAS WADE
New recordings of electrical activity in the brain may explain a major part of its function, including how it consolidates daily memories and why it needs to dream.
Humans Migrated Out of Africa, Then Some Went Back, Study Says
The study shows that a small group of early humans returned to Africa after first migrating to the Middle East.
Public Release: 18-Dec-2006
Current Biology
A new male-specific gene in algae unveils an origin of male and female
By studying the genetics of two closely related species of green algae that practice different forms of sexual reproduction, researchers have shed light on one route by which evolution gave rise to reproduction though the joining of distinct sperm and egg cells.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan
Contact: Erin Doonan
edoonan@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 18-Dec-2006
Archives of Dermatology
Phototherapy for neonatal jaundice associated with increased risk of skin moles in childhood
Children who received light therapy (phototherapy) for jaundice as infants appear to have an increased risk of developing skin moles in childhood, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Some types of moles are risk factors for developing the skin cancer melanoma.
Contact: Vincent Descamps
vincent.descamps@bch.aphp.fr
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 18-Dec-2006
Annals of Internal Medicine
Black cohosh does not relieve menopausal hot flashes, Group Health researchers find
The herbal supplement black cohosh does not relieve hot flashes among women going through menopause. In this double-blinded randomized controlled trial of 351 women, researchers found no significant difference between the numbers of hot flashes in women taking various forms of black cohosh compared to women taking a placebo. Hormone therapy, on the other hand, significantly reduced the frequency of hot flashes.
NIH/National Institute on Aging, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Contact: Joan DeClaire
declaire.j@ghc.org
206-287-2653
Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies
Public Release: 18-Dec-2006
Reading Shakespeare has dramatic effect on human brain
Research at the University of Liverpool has found that Shakespearean language excites positive brain activity, adding further drama to the bard's plays and poetry
Contact: Samantha Martin
samantha.martin@liv.ac.uk
151-794-2248
University of Liverpool
Public Release: 18-Dec-2006
Journal of Consumer Research
Virtual experiences can cause embellished, false memories
Although online virtual experiences may improve a consumer's knowledge of a product, the marketing tactic can backfire by creating a false sense of what the product's real capabilites are, says a University of Washington professor of marketing.
Contact: Nancy Gardner
nancylou@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Public Release: 18-Dec-2006
Psychological Science
High-quality marriages help to calm nerves
A University of Virginia neuroscientist has found that women under stress who hold their husbands' hands show signs of immediate relief, which can clearly be seen on their brain scans. "This is the first study of the neurological reactions to human touch in a threatening situation, and the first study to measure how the brain facilitates the health-enhancing properties of close social relationships," says Dr. James A. Coan.
Contact: Fariss Samarrai
samarrai@virginia.edu
434-924-3778
University of Virginia

Personal Health
To Avoid ‘Boomeritis,’ Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
By JANE E. BRODY
There is much more to becoming ― and staying ― physically fit as you age than engaging in regular aerobic activity.
Cases
Is There a Barber in the House?
By LARRY ZAROFF, M.D. and JONATHAN ZAROFF, M.D.
Baldness is not a medical treatment, at least not since shaving the head for lice was stopped. In one patient, however, shaving the head was life saving.
Really?
The Claim: Poinsettias Can Be Poisonous
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Next to mistletoe, no plant is more closely associated with the holidays than the poinsettia, that radiant, red-topped shrub celebrated for its beauty but feared for its rumored toxicity.
Public Release: 19-Dec-2006
JAMA
High levels of vitamin D in the body may decrease the risk of multiple sclerosis
In the first large-scale, prospective study to investigate the relationship between vitamin D levels and MS, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have found an association between higher levels of vitamin D in the body and a lower risk of MS.
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke, National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Contact: Todd Datz
tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu
617-432-3952
Harvard School of Public Health
Public Release: 19-Dec-2006
Journal of Neuroscience
Testosterone therapy may prevent Alzheimer's disease
Researchers at the University of Southern California have discovered a direct link between loss of testosterone and the development of an Alzheimer's-like disease in mice. They also discovered that testosterone treatment slows progression of the disease. The study, published in the Dec. 20 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, predicts that testosterone-based hormone therapy may be useful in the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease in aging men.
Alzheimer's Association, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Orli Belman
obelman@usc.edu
213-740-0252
University of Southern California
Public Release: 19-Dec-2006
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Allergy drug slows pancreatic tumor growth in preclinical studies
An anti-allergy drug in use for more than 40 years significantly reduced tumor growth in animal models of human pancreatic cancer and also increased the effectiveness of standard chemotherapy, say researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Contact: Scott Merville
sdmervil@mdanderson.org
713-792-0661
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Public Release: 19-Dec-2006
CeRPTA develops new gluten-free bread
Researchers at the Food Technology Plant Special Research Centre (CeRPTA) have for the first time developed a completely gluten-free bread that is of a much higher quality than products currently available for coeliacs. The product was 100 percent successful in the tests carried out. The resulting product has an increased nutritional value, a longer useful life and a similar texture to traditional bread.
Contact: Lucas Santos
lucas.santos@uab.es
34-935-813-301
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
Public Release: 19-Dec-2006
Movement Disorders
Higher occurrence of Parkinson's linked to low LDL cholesterol
People with low levels of LDL cholesterol are more likely to have Parkinson's disease than people with high LDL levels, according to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers.
NIH/National Institute on Aging, Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, General Clinical Research Center at UNC Hospitals
Contact: Tom Hughes
tahughes@unch.unc.edu
919-966-6047
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Public Release: 19-Dec-2006
Science
History-hunting geneticists can still follow familiar trail
Fresh analysis validates use of classic genetic system to study ancient migrations of people and to estimate the populations of people or animals as they existed tens of thousands of years ago.
Contact: John D. Pastor
jdpastor@ufl.edu
352-273-5815
University of Florida

Public Release: 20-Dec-2006
Archives of Disease in Childhood
Antenatal fish oil supplements boost kids' hand-eye coordination
Fish oil supplements given to pregnant mums boost the hand-eye coordination of their babies as toddlers, reveals a small study published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood (Fetal and Neonatal Edition).
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ Specialty Journals
Public Release: 20-Dec-2006
Abnormal proteins linked to schizophrenia found in body tissue
A new study suggests biochemical changes associated with schizophrenia aren't limited to the central nervous system and that the disease could have more encompassing effects throughout the body than previously thought. The findings, scheduled for publication in the January 2007 issue of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Proteome Research, could lead to better diagnostic testing for the disease and help explain why those afflicted with it are more prone to other chronic health problems.
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-4400
American Chemical Society
Public Release: 21-Dec-2006
Neuron
How your brain helps you become a wine expert
You don't need to sign up for pricey wine appreciation classes to parse the subtle difference between the bouquet of a pinot noir and a cabernet. Just pour yourself a couple glasses and sniff. Your brain will quickly help you become a modest oenophile. A new study by Northwestern University shows that the brain learns to differentiate between similar smells simply through passive experience. The study also revealed for the first time where the brain updates information about smells.
NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Contact: Marla Paul
marla-paul@northwestern.edu
312-503-8928
Northwestern University
Public Release: 21-Dec-2006
Journal of Trauma
Unbelted backseat passengers produce deadly results
New research shows that unbelted backseat passengers risk injury or death to themselves and the driver seated in front of them in the event of a head-on crash.
Contact: John DellaContrada
dellacon@buffalo.edu
716-645-5000 x1409
University at Buffalo
Public Release: 21-Dec-2006
Clinical Infectious Diseases
Prediction markets accurately forecast influenza activity
Influenza experts have borrowed a page from economists, creating a futures market for influenza activity that predicted outbreaks two to four weeks in advance. The influenza prediction market is presented in the January 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Contact: Steve Baragona
sbaragona@idsociety.org
703-299-0412
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Public Release: 21-Dec-2006
Agriculture and Food Chemistry
Mechanism of black cohosh versus hot flashes revealed
The natural herb black cohosh is commonly used by women to treat menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its action have eluded scientists -- until now.
Contact: Sam Hostettler
samhos@uic.edu
312-355-2522
University of Illinois at Chicago
Public Release: 21-Dec-2006
Carcinogenesis
Protection against cancer may begin during pregnancy
Pregnant and nursing women who eat generous amounts of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage could help protect their children from cancer, both as infants and later in life. A new study done with laboratory mice found that phytochemicals found in certain vegetables provided a very high level of protection against leukemia and lymphoma in young animals, and also significantly protected against lung cancer during the rodent's equivalent of middle age.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: David Williams
david.williams@oregonstate.edu
541-737-3277
Oregon State University

Public Release: 22-Dec-2006
Annals of Neurology
Neurons targeted by dementing illness may have evolved for complex social cognition
A new study examined brain tissue acquired at autopsy and found that VENs were devastated in FTD.
Contact: Amy Molnar
amolnar@wiley.com
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Public Release: 22-Dec-2006
Nature Materials
New research could lead to 'invisible' electronics
Imagine a car windshield that displays a map to your destination or a billboard that doubles as a window. Researchers have long worked on developing new types of displays powered by electronics without visible wires but have fallen short of developing the right materials. Now Northwestern University researchers report that by combining organic and inorganic materials they have produced transparent, high-performance transistors that can be assembled inexpensively on both glass and plastics.
NASA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/ARO
Contact: Megan Fellman
fellman@northwestern.edu
847-491-3115
Northwestern University