Public Release: 18-Feb-2007
2007 AAAS Annual Meeting
Universe offers 'eternal feast,' cosmologist says
"Recent developments in cosmology have irreversibly changed our understanding of the structure and fate of our universe and of our own place in it," says Linde, who will discuss the inflationary view of the universe at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Feb. 18 in San Francisco.
Stanford University
Contact: Dawn Levy
dawnlevy@stanford.edu
650-725-1944
Stanford University
Public Release: 18-Feb-2007
2007 AAAS Annual Meeting
Scientific literacy happens -- when students think for themselves
Give college students less instruction and more freedom to think for themselves in laboratory classes, and the result may be a four-fold increase in their test scores. So says Steve Rissing, a professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University. Rissing played a major role in revamping the way the university teaches its introductory-level biology courses.
Contact: Steven Rissing
Rissing.2@osu.edu
614-688-4989
Ohio State University
Public Release: 18-Feb-2007
Nature Genetics
Genome scan for familial autism finds two new genetic links
The first results from a scan of the world's largest collection of DNA samples from families affected by autism point to two new genetic links that may predispose people to the brain disorder. The five-year study was led by the Autism Genome Project, an international consortium involving scientists from 50 institutions in 19 countries.
Autism Speaks, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Elaine Schmidt
eschmidt@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2272
University of California - Los Angeles
Public Release: 18-Feb-2007
2007 AAAS Annual Meeting
Jupiter's moon Europa should be NASA's next target, says ASU researcher
As NASA develops its next "flagship" mission to the outer solar system, Jupiter's enigmatic moon Europa should be the target, says Arizona State University professor Ronald Greeley. Although Europa lies five times farther from the Sun than Earth, he notes it may offer a home for life. He is presenting the Europa proposal today (February 18) at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in San Francisco.
Contact: Skip Derra
skip.derra@asu.edu
602-510-3402
Arizona State University
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
MIT study shows genetic link for schizophrenia
Gene mutations governing a key brain enzyme make people susceptible to schizophrenia and may be targeted in future treatments for the psychiatric illness, according to MIT and Japanese researchers.
RIKEN Brain Science Institute and other agencies and institutes
Contact: Elizabeth Thomson
thomson@mit.edu
617-258-5402
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
First molecular evidence of body's internal clock in controlling blood pressure
It has been known for decades that heart attacks and strokes occur most frequently in the early-morning hours. Now, researchers at Penn have provided the first evidence for the role of our body’s internal molecular clock in controlling blood pressure and a mechanism by which this occurs. This report points to the novel possibility of modifying blood pressure and the early-morning risk of heart attack.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Karen Kreeger
karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-5658
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
2007 AAAS Annual Meeting
Antibody signal may redirect inflammation to fuel cancer
As evidence mounts that the body's normally protective inflammation response can drive some precancerous tissues to become fully malignant, UCSF scientists report discovering an apparent trigger to this potentially deadly process.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Wallace Ravven
wravven@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association
Updated guidelines advise focusing on women's lifetime heart risk
Health care professionals should focus on women's lifetime heart disease risk, not just short-term risk, according to updated American Heart Association guidelines.
Contact: Cathy Lewis
cathy.lewis@heart.org
214-706-1324
American Heart Association
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
Phytotherapy Research
Spearmint tea -- A possible treatment for mild hirsutism
Women with hirsutism grow hair on their faces, breasts and stomachs. This can cause great distress. The hair grows because they have abnormally high levels of the "masculinising" androgen hormones. Androgens travel around the body in the blood stream, and a key way of treating hirsutism is to reduce the level of these androgens. Data just published in Phytotherapy Research shows that drinking two cups of spearmint tea a day for five days could reduce the level of androgens in women with hirsutism.
Contact: Julia Lampam
jlampam@wiley.co.uk
44-012-437-70668
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
University and health science center in San Antonio collaborate to find chlamydia vaccine
The University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio have had success in early trials to discover a vaccine that will prevent chlamydia -- the most common bacteria-related sexually transmitted disease in the United States.
Contact: Kris Edward Rodriguez
kris.rodriguez@utsa.edu
210-458-5116
University of Texas at San Antonio
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
Archives of Surgery
Surgeons with video game skill appear to perform better in simulated surgery skills course
In a study involving 12 surgeons and 21 surgical residents, video game skill was correlated with laparoscopic surgery skill as assessed during a simulated surgery skills course, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Jim Mandler
212-523-7772
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
Good vibrations: Aging bones may benefit from a good shaking
Researchers at Griffith University are investigating a novel, low intensity intervention that they believe may help reduce hip fracture risk in the elderly.
Contact: Mardi Chapman
m.chapman@griffith.edu.au
61-755-529-089
Research Australia
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
Global Change Biology
Scientists warn of climate change risk to marine turtles
North American marine turtles are at risk if global warming occurs at predicted levels, according to scientists from the University of Exeter. An increase in temperatures of just one degree Celsius could completely eliminate the birth of male turtles from some beaches. A rise of three degrees Celsius would lead to extreme levels of infant mortality and declines in nesting beaches across the USA.
Contact: Sarah Hoyle
S.Hoyle@exeter.ac.uk
01-392-262-062
University of Exeter
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
Nutrition Journal
Plant-derived omega-3s may aid in bone health
Plant-based omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) may have a protective effect on bone health, according to a team of Penn State researchers who carried out the first controlled diet study of these fatty acids contained in such foods as flaxseed and walnuts.
California Walnut Commission, Penn State's General Clinical Research Center
Contact: A'ndrea Elyse Messer
aem1@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
Cell Metabolism
Primitive yeast yields secrets of human cholesterol and drug metabolism
By first probing the way primitive yeast make cholesterol, a team of scientists has discovered a long-sought protein whose human counterpart controls cholesterol production and potentially drug metabolism.
National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Contact: Audrey Huang
audrey@jhmi.edu
410-614-5105
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Public Release: 19-Feb-2007
Biological Psychiatry
Study links attempted suicide with genetic evidence identified in previous suicide research
A Johns Hopkins-led study has found evidence that a genetic tendency toward suicide has been linked to a particular area of the genome on chromosome 2 that has been implicated in two additional recent studies of attempted suicide.
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health.
Contact: Eric Vohr
evohr1@jhmi.edu
410-955-8665
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Endangered languages encode plant and animal knowledge
Saving indigenous languages from extinction is the only way to preserve centuries of traditional knowledge about plants and animals yet to be discovered by Western scientists
17:32 19 February 2007
Lab-grown ligaments may help injured sports stars
Athletes who suffer career-threatening knee injuries could one day benefit from bio-engineered replacement ligaments, new research reveals
22:00 19 February 2007
Risks and Remedies: Supplements May Help Prevent Stress Fractures
By ERIC NAGOURNEY
Published: February 20, 2007
Women who take vitamin D and calcium supplements, even for a short time, appear to lower their risk of stress fractures, researchers have found.
Vital Signs
Behavior: More Children, Eating More Graham Crackers
By ERIC NAGOURNEY
Published: February 20, 2007
That is the finding of a new study that looked not at falling in love but at how children eat when they are in larger groups. Like animals, the researchers found, the preschoolers ate more.
In the World of Life-Saving Drugs, a Growing Epidemic of Deadly Fakes
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Officials estimate that counterfeits of life-saving drugs may be a factor in up to 200,000 deaths each year.
Really?
The Claim: Mother’s Heartburn Means a Hairy Newborn
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: February 20, 2007
It is an odd adage that has stuck around for ages: women who suffer heartburn during pregnancy will have babies with full heads of hair. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University conducted a study intending to put the claim to rest. To their surprise, they ended up confirming it.
Personal Health
Out of Control: A True Story of Binge Eating
By JANE E. BRODY
Binge eating is the most common eating disorder but is still not considered a formal diagnosis.
Public Release: 20-Feb-2007
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Childhood cancer survivors at increased risk of sarcoma
Survivors of childhood cancers have a ninefold increased risk of developing a secondary sarcoma -- a cancer of connective or supportive tissue such as bone, fat, or muscle -- compared with the general population, according to a study in the February 21 Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Contact: Liz Savage
jncimedia@oxfordjournals.org
301-841-1287
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Public Release: 20-Feb-2007
JAMA
Pulse pressure identified as important risk factor for atrial fibrillation
Increased pulse pressure (the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure) appears to be an important predictor of the risk for new onset atrial fibrillation, according to a study in the February 21 issue of JAMA.
Contact: Gary F. Mitchell
781-788-4900
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 20-Feb-2007
Journal of Neuroscience
Pregnancy hormone key to repairing nerve cell damage
The mystery of why multiple sclerosis (MS) tends to go into remission while women are pregnant may be the secret to overcoming the devastating neurodegenerative disease, according to University of Calgary researchers who have shown that the pregnancy-related hormone prolactin is responsible for rebuilding the protective coating around nerve cells. New paper to be published in Feb. 21 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience
Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Contact: Grady Semmens
gsemmens@ucalgary.ca
403-220-7722
University of Calgary
Public Release: 20-Feb-2007
Human Reproduction
New research finds that a natural family planning method is as effective as the contraceptive pill
Researchers have found that a method of natural family planning that uses two indicators to identify the fertile phase in a woman's menstrual cycle is as effective as the contraceptive pill for avoiding unplanned pregnancies if used correctly, according to a report published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction.
Contact: Emma Mason
wordmason@mac.com
44-077-112-96986
European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology
Public Release: 20-Feb-2007
Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery
Penn researchers find that chronic dizziness may be caused by psychiatric and neurologic illnesses
According to a paper that appears in the February issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that chronic subjective dizziness (CSD) may have several common causes, including anxiety disorders, migraine, mild traumatic brain injuries, and neurally mediated dysautonomias -- disorders in the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary actions.
Contact: Kate Olderman
kate.olderman@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-8369
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Public Release: 20-Feb-2007
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
Researchers find predictor of mortality in cardiac patients
Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn have determined that low levels of a protein in the blood is a predictor of cardiac death in patients with coronary artery disease.
Contact: Ron Najman
ron.najman@downstate.edu
718-270-2696
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Public Release: 20-Feb-2007
Journal of Infectious Diseases
New research may overturn conventional wisdom on drug-resistant tuberculosis
A newly released study suggests that the majority of cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) among patients undergoing treatment for the disease may be due to new infections, not acquired resistance. If confirmed in future studies the research, in the March 15 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, may drive a major shift in strategy for controlling TB.
Contact: Steve Baragona
sbaragona@idsociety.org
703-299-0412
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Public Release: 20-Feb-2007
Science
Deep in the ocean, a clam that acts like a plant
How does life survive in the black depths of the ocean? At the surface, sunlight allows green plants to "fix" carbon from the air to build their bodies. Around hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean live communities of giant clams with no gut and no functional digestive system, depending on symbiotic bacteria to use energy locked up in hydrogen sulfide to replace sunlight. Now, the genome of this symbiont has been completely sequenced.
US Department of Energy
Contact: Andy Fell
ahfell@ucdavis.edu
530-752-4533
University of California - Davis
Public Release: 21-Feb-2007
Nature
Birds plan for future meals
Some birds recognise the idea of 'future' and plan accordingly, researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered. According to their findings, published today in the journal Nature, western scrub-jays will store food items they believe will be in shortsupply in the future.
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Contact: Genevieve Maul
genevieve.maul@admin.cam.ac.uk
44-122-333-2300
University of Cambridge
Public Release: 21-Feb-2007
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Unravelling the risk for schizophrenia -- Eye movement and attention focus of new study
A Binghamton University researcher has established a new framework to help determine whether individuals might be at risk for schizophrenia. In a study published in this month's Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Mark F. Lenzenweger, a professor of clinical science, neuroscience and cognitive psychology at Binghamton University, State University of New York (SUNY), is the first to have found that abnormalities in eye movements and attention can be used to divide people into two groups in relation to schizophrenia-related risk.
National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
Contact: Gail Glover
gglover@binghamton.edu
607-777-2174
Binghamton University
Public Release: 21-Feb-2007
Boosting brain power -- with chocolate
Eating chocolate could help to sharpen up the mind and give a short-term boost to cognitive skills, a University of Nottingham expert has found.
Contact: Ian Macdonald
ian.macdonald@nottingham.ac.uk
44-011-582-30119
University of Nottingham
Public Release: 21-Feb-2007
Journal of Infectious Diseases
Experimental vaccine given during pregnancy reduces stillbirths from common virus
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed an experimental vaccine that reduces stillbirths among rodents born to mothers infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) -- a common virus that can also cause mental retardation and hearing loss in newborn children who were infected in early fetal life.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Robert Bock
bockr@mail.nih.gov
301-496-5133
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Public Release: 21-Feb-2007
Psychonomic Bulletin and Review
Older adults may be unreliable eyewitnesses, study shows
A University of Virginia study suggests that older adults are not only more inclined than younger adults to make errors in recollecting details that have been suggested to them, but are also more likely than younger people to have a very high level of confidence in their recollections, even when wrong. The finding has implications regarding the reliability of older persons' eyewitness testimonies in courtrooms.
Contact: Chad Dodson
cdodson@virginia.edu
434-924-4237
University of Virginia
Public Release: 21-Feb-2007
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Bacteria could steady buildings against earthquakes
Soil bacteria could be used to help steady buildings against earthquakes, according to researchers at UC Davis. The microbes can literally convert loose, sandy soil into rock.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Andy Fell
ahfell@ucdavis.edu
530-752-4533
University of California - Davis
Public Release: 22-Feb-2007
Current Biology
Chimpanzees found to use tools to hunt mammalian prey
Reporting findings that help shape our understanding of how tool use has evolved among primates, researchers have discovered evidence that chimpanzees, at least under some conditions, are capable of habitually fashioning and using tools to hunt mammalian prey.
National Geographic Society
Contact: Erin Doonan
edoonan@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 22-Feb-2007
Science
Medieval Islamic designs reveal breakthrough in tiled pattern-making
Medieval Islamic artisans developed a pattern-making process for designing ornate tiled surfaces that allowed them to produce sophisticated patterns not seen in the West until centuries later, a new study suggests. The findings appear in the Feb. 23 issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS, the nonprofit science society.
Contact: Natasha Pinol
npinol@aaas.org
202-326-7088
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Public Release: 22-Feb-2007
Current Biology
CSHL research ties harmless viruses to cancer
Research led by CSHL may link viruses that have been considered harmless to chromosomal instability and cancer.
Contact: Dagnia Zeidlickis
zeidlick@cshl.edu
516-367-8455
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Public Release: 22-Feb-2007
Journal of Cellular Physiology
Scientists produce neurons from human skin
Scientists from Université Laval's Faculty of Medicine have succeeded in producing neurons in vitro using stem cells extracted from adult human skin. This is the first time such an advanced state of nerve cell differentiation has been achieved from human skin, according to lead researcher Professor François Berthod. This breakthrough could eventually lead to revolutionary advances in the treatment of neurodegenerative illnesses such as Parkinson's disease.
Contact: Jean-François Huppé
jean-francois.huppe@dap.ulaval.ca
418-656-7785
Université Laval
Public Release: 22-Feb-2007
American Journal of Nutrition
Caffeine may prevent heart disease death in elderly
Habitual intake of caffeinated beverages provides protection against heart disease mortality in the elderly.
Contact: Ron Najman
ron.najman@downstate.edu
718-270-2696
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Public Release: 23-Feb-2007
Cognitive Science
Why even close associates sometimes have trouble communicating
Some of people's biggest problems with communication come in sharing new information with people they know well, newly published research at the University of Chicago shows. Because they already share quite a bit of common knowledge, people often use short, ambiguous messages in talking with co-workers and spouses, and accordingly unintentionally create misunderstandings, said Boaz Keysar, Professor in Psychology at the University of Chicago.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: William Harms
w-harms@uchicago.edu
773-702-8356
University of Chicago
Public Release: 23-Feb-2007
Psychological Science
When God sanctions killing, the people listen
New research sheds light on possible origins of violent religious fundamentalism.
Contact: Brad Bushman
bbushman@umich.edu
Association for Psychological Science
Freeze 'condemned Neanderthals'
A sharp freeze could have dealt the killer blow that finished off our evolutionary cousins the Neanderthals, according to a new study.
Experts tackle the devil's tumour
Scientists are meeting in Australia's island state of Tasmania to find ways of tackling a disease threatening one of its most unusual animals.
Down's syndrome brains aided by Ginkgo tree extract
Our trusted sources for the latest breaking news in science, technology, and society: