Super-strong body armour in sight
A new type of carbon fibre, developed at the University of Cambridge, could be woven into super-strong body armour for the military and law enforcement.
Ancient Cataclysm Rearranged Pacific Map, Study Says
Julian Ryall for National Geographic News
October 24, 2007
A cataclysm 50 million years ago changed the face of the planet from the Hawaiian Islands to Antarctica, according to new research.
Some Neanderthals were red-heads
Ancient DNA contains clues about complexion.  An analysis of 50,000-year-old Neanderthal DNA suggests that at least some of the ancient hominids probably had pale skin and red hair.
Heidi Ledford
Source of ‘optimism’ found in the brain
The act of pondering a positive future event is found to activate two brain areas previously indicated as malfunctioning in depression
18:00 24 October 2007
Giant balloon to loft world's largest solar telescope
A helium balloon designed to carry the 1-metre Sunrise telescope high into the atmosphere completes a 10-hour test flight
23:06 24 October 2007
Basics
In the Dreamscape of Nightmares, Clues to Why We Dream at All
By NATALIE ANGIER
By all evidence, outrageously bad dreams are a universal human experience.
Public Release: 22-Oct-2007
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Zinc may reduce pneumonia risk in nursing home elderly
Tufts University researchers report that maintaining normal serum zinc concentration in the blood may help reduce the risk of pneumonia development in elderly nursing home residents. Study participants with normal serum zinc concentrations in their blood reduced their risk of developing pneumonia by about 50 percent.
Contact: Andrea Grossman
617-636-3728
Tufts University, Health Sciences
Public Release: 22-Oct-2007
Journal of Leukocyte Biology
Scientists discover how gold eases pain of arthritis
Scientists at Duke University Medical Center may have solved the mystery surrounding the healing properties of gold -- a discovery they say may renew interest in gold salts as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.
Karolinska Institute King Gustav V 80-year Foundation, Freemason Lodge Barnhuset, Foundation for Technical Support to Disabled, Swedish Research Council, Swedish Rheumatism Association, Lupus Research Institute, VA Med
Contact: Michelle Gailiun
michelle.gailiun@duke.edu
919-660-1306
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 23-Oct-2007
Journal of Neuroscience
Study: cannabis a double-edged sword
A new neurobiological study conducted by McGill University researchers has found that a synthetic form of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, is an effective anti-depressant at low doses. However, at higher doses, the effect reverses itself and can actually worsen depression and other psychiatric conditions like psychosis.
Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation, Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec, McGill University
Contact: Mark Shainblum
mark.shainblum@mcgill.ca
514-398-2189
McGill University
Public Release: 23-Oct-2007
Mayo Clinic Proceedings
Mayo Clinic Proceedings article explores possible link between obesity and viral infections
Experts don't dispute the important role that diet and activity play in maintaining a healthy weight. But can poor eating habits and a less active lifestyle fully explain the prevalence of obesity in the US today? That question has led some researchers to ask whether there might be other causes for this serious problem.
Contact: John Murphy
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic
Public Release: 24-Oct-2007
BMC Evolutionary Biology
Colorful view for first land animals
When prehistoric fish made their first forays onto land, what did they see? According to a study published in BMC Evolutionary Biology, it's likely that creatures venturing out of the depths viewed their new environment in full color.
Contact: Charlotte Webber
press@biomedcentral.com
44-020-763-19980
BioMed Central
Exhibitionist spiny anteater reveals bizarre penis
The odd sex life of the normally shy, egg-laying mammal has been exposed by one brazen individual – the findings could shed light on mammal evolution
16:50 26 October 2007
Public Release: 24-Oct-2007
2007 Stetten Lecture
Scientists discover a direct route from the brain to the immune system
It used to be dogma that the brain was shut away from the actions of the immune system, shielded from the outside forces of nature. But that’s not how it is at all. In fact, thanks to the scientific detective work of Kevin Tracey, MD, it turns out that the brain talks directly to the immune system, sending commands that control the body’s inflammatory response to infection and autoimmune diseases.
Contact: Jamie Talan
jtalan@nshs.edu
516-562-1232
North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System
Public Release: 24-Oct-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Decline in uptake of carbon emissions confirmed
A decline in the proportion of carbon dioxide emissions absorbed by land and oceans is speeding up the growth of atmospheric CO2, according to a paper published today in the US Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
CSIRO
Contact: Dr. Mike Raupach
Mike.Raupach@csiro.au
61-262-465-573
CSIRO Australia
Public Release: 24-Oct-2007
Psychological Science
Screeners' hands quicker than eyes
That fleeting moment of regret between clicking the wrong icon and seeing an unwanted web page pop onto the screen could make a huge difference in improving the accuracy of visual searches in medicine and homeland security. Visual screening is critical to such things as early cancer diagnosis and airport security, but paradoxically the more rare the object being searched for becomes, the lower the screeners' accuracy in finding it when it is there.
Contact: Karl Bates
karl.bates@duke.edu
919-681-8054
Duke University
Public Release: 24-Oct-2007
Journal of American College of Surgeons
Pregnant women at risk for unnecessary operations due to misdiagnosis of appendicitis
New research published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons suggests that pregnant women suspected of having appendicitis are often misdiagnosed and undergo unnecessary appendectomies (removal of the appendix) that can result in early delivery or loss of the fetus. The study points to the need to require more accurate diagnosis to avoid unnecessary operations and the potential for fetal loss.
Contact: Sally Garneski
pressinquiry@facs.org
312-202-5409
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
Public Release: 24-Oct-2007
Anesthesiology
Smoked cannabis proven effective in treating neuropathic pain
Smoked cannabis eased pain induced in healthy volunteers, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego Center for Medical Cannabis Research However, the researchers found that less may be more.
Contact: Debra Kain
ddkain@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego
Public Release: 24-Oct-2007Geology
Meteor no longer prime suspect in great extinction
New study looks to the deep ocean for cause of history's biggest extinction (NOT the one that killed the dinosaurs). Taken with other studies, evidence does not support meteor theory for this extinction.
Geological Society of America, Paleontological Society, American Museum of Natural History, Yale Peabody Museum
Contact: Carl Marziali
marziali@usc.edu
213-740-4751
University of Southern California
Public Release: 25-Oct-2007
Science
Hold your horses
A new study illuminates some of the brain's decision-making process and how a popular treatment for Parkinson's can have unintended consequences.
Contact: Jeff Harrison
jeffh@email.arizona.edu
520-626-4386
University of Arizona
Bright Scientists, Dim Notions
By GEORGE JOHNSON
Iconoclasts at heart, the best scientists are faced with an occupational hazard: having left their mark on one small patch of ground, they are tempted to stir up trouble elsewhere.
Warming Revives Flora and Fauna in Greenland
By SARAH LYALL
As the climate warms, Greenlandic farmers are experimenting with vegetables that have previously never been grown in the country.
Public Release: 25-Oct-2007
JAMA
Study finds multiple neglected tropical diseases effectively treated with drugs
The neglected tropical diseases are a group of 13 infectious diseases, including elephantiasis, hookworm, African sleeping sickness and trachoma, which affect more than one billion people worldwide, most of whom live in extreme poverty. In a study published in the most recent Journal of the American Medical Association, Madhuri Reddy, MD, MSc, a geriatrician at Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, says that treating two or more of them simultaneously for only pennies per dose can facilitate treatment of these diseases.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Contact: Scott Edwards
edwards@hrca.harvard.edu
617-363-8385
Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research
Public Release: 25-Oct-2007
Geological Society of America 2007 Annual Meeting
Why do autumn leaves bother to turn red?
Soils may dictate the array of fall colors as much as the trees rooted in them, according to a forest survey out of North Carolina.
Contact: Ann Cairns
acairns@geosociety.org
303-357-1056
Geological Society of America
Public Release: 25-Oct-2007
PLoS ONE
Researchers posit new ideas about human migration from Asia to Americas
Questions about human migration from Asia to the Americas have perplexed anthropologists for decades. A team of 21 researchers, led by a geneticist at the University of Illinois, has a new set of ideas. One is a striking hypothesis that seems to map the peopling process during the pioneering phase and well beyond, and at the same time show that there was much more genetic diversity in the founder population than was previously thought.
Contact: Andrea Lynn
andreal@uiuc.edu
217-333-2177
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Public Release: 28-Oct-2007
Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy
The lively little girl is a miracle for everyone
Doctors at Bonn University Clinic have saved a baby girl's life with surgery in the womb that stimulated lung growth. This was the first time that this method has been used worldwide in a case of premature rupture of the fetal membrane. The baby is now one year old and full of beans. The doctors will report on their case in the scientific journal Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy on Oct. 29.
Contact: Thomas Kohl
thomas.kohl@ukb.uni-bonn.de
49-022-828-715-942
University of Bonn