SciNews20071119

Enhanced prosthetic is seven times faster
An improved prosthetic arm uses defunct nerves grafted to muscles in an amputee's body to allow up to 16 arm, hand, and finger movements
09:00 12 November 2007

Antique fridge could keep Venus rover cool
An efficient refrigeration system first proposed in 1816 could keep a rover functioning for weeks on the hot surface of Venus, say NASA researchers
12:11 12 November 2007
Ancient beer pots point to origins of chocolate
Evidence from early drinking vessels shows that the fermentation of cacao for beer was the likely precursor to the process for making chocolate
22:00 12 November 2007
New evidence for extragalactic life-forming matter
The hunt for organic molecules that could be the basis for life outside the Milky Way has turned up telltale signs in a galaxy 2 billion light years away
11:04 13 November 2007
Public Release: 10-Nov-2007
Human clones: New U.N. analysis lays out world's choices
In an analysis for world governments, the U.N. University's Institute of Advanced Studies warns of a stark choice: reach a compromise agreement quickly that outlaws human reproductive cloning or start preparations to protect the rights of cloned individuals from potential abuse, prejudice and discrimination. A legally-binding global ban on work to create a human clone, coupled with freedom for nations to permit strictly controlled therapeutic research, has the greatest political viability of options available to the international community, says the report.
Contact: Terry Collins
collins@hq.unu.edu
416-538-8712
United Nations University
Public Release: 11-Nov-2007
FASEB Journal
An Alzheimer's vaccine?
A new research study from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation shows that immunization could offer a way to blunt or even prevent the deadly, memory-robbing disease.
Alzheimer's Association
Contact: Adam Cohen
adam-cohen@omrf.org
405-271-7159
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
Public Release: 12-Nov-2007
Neurology
Eating fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and veggies lowers risk of memory problems
A diet rich in fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables may lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, whereas consuming omega-6 rich oils could increase chances of developing memory problems, according to a study published in the Nov. 13, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Contact: Angela Babb
ababb@aan.com
651-695-2789
American Academy of Neurology
Public Release: 12-Nov-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Tool-wielding chimps provide a glimpse of early human behavior
Chimpanzees inhabiting a harsh savanna environment and using bark and stick tools to exploit an underground food resource are giving scientists new insights to the behaviors of the earliest hominids who, millions of years ago, left the African forests to range the same kinds of environments and possibly utilize the same foods.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Travis R. Pickering
tpickering@wisc.edu
608-262-5818
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public Release: 12-Nov-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Study says nitrite/nitrate-rich foods may help in heart attack survival
Nitrite/nitrate found in vegetables, cured meats and drinking water may help you survive a heart attack and recover quicker, according to a pre-clinical study led by a cardiovascular physiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Findings appear in the Nov. 12 early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
National Institute of Health
Contact: Rob Cahill
Robert.Cahill@uth.tmc.edu
713-500-3030
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Public Release: 13-Nov-2007
JAMA
Number of cases of most vaccine-preventable diseases in US at all-time low
A comparison of illness and death rates for 13 vaccine-preventable diseases in the US, before and after use of the vaccine, indicates there have been significant decreases in the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths for each of the diseases examined, according to a study in the Nov. 14 issue of JAMA.

Contact: Curtis Allen
404-639-3286
JAMA and Archives Journals

UK bird flu outbreak confirmed as H5N1
The cases of avian flu at a Suffolk turkey farm have been confirmed as the highly pathogenic form of the virus that can be deadly to humans
17:50 13 November 2007

Well
Exercise Advice Often Ignores Jiggle Factor
By TARA PARKER-POPE
What to do about flesh that won’t stay put during a workout.

Observatory
Jawbone Sheds Light on Divergence of Humans and Apes
By HENRY FOUNTAIN
It is thought that humans and chimpanzees split 6 million to 7 million years ago, and humans and gorillas a couple of million years before that. Almost no ape fossils from this period have been found in Africa. So some scientists suggest that an ancient ape from Eurasia returned to Africa and became the last common ancestor of humans and the African great apes. The discovery of a 10-million-year-old jawbone with teeth in Kenya, may help put such thoughts to rest.

Public Release: 13-Nov-2007
63 percent of diabetics risk serious foot problems by wearing the wrong-sized shoes
Diabetics are risking foot amputation, impaired quality of life and even elevated death rates by wearing the wrong-sized shoes, according to research just published.
Contact: Annette Whilbey
wizard.media@virgin.net
Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Public Release: 13-Nov-2007
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Little evidence that binge drinking while pregnant seriously harms fetus
There is little substantive evidence that binge drinking while pregnant seriously harms the developing fetus, finds a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Consistently heavy drinking throughout pregnancy has been associated with birth defects and subsequent neurological problems. But it is not known what impact binge drinking, in the absence of regular heavy drinking, might have. And this drinking pattern is becoming increasingly common, particularly among women, say the authors.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal

Public Release: 13-Nov-2007
Cranberry sauce: good for what ails you
Cranberry sauce is not the star of the traditional Thanksgiving Day meal, but when it comes to health benefits, the lowly condiment takes center stage. In fact, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have found that compounds in cranberries are able to alter E. coli bacteria, which are responsible for a host of human illnesses, in ways that render them unable to initiate an infection.
Contact: Michael Dorsey
mwdorsey@wpi.edu
508-831-5609
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Redesigning a Condom So Women Will Use It
By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
The female condom has never caught on in the United States. But in the third world, where it was introduced in the late 1990s, public health workers hoped it would overthrow the politics of the bedroom, empower women and stop the AIDS epidemic in its tracks. It did not. Now scientists are trying again. A new design - much the same at one end, different at the other - has been developed, and its makers hope it will succeed where its predecessor failed.

A Cowlike Dinosaur Comes Into Focus
By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
It has been 60 years since French paleontologists first found the dinosaur’s bones in Saharan Africa. Now, questions about the dinosaur’s peculiar anatomy are answered.

Mind of a Rock
By JIM HOLT
Is everything conscious?
These Scientific Minds Think (and Drink) Alike
By KAYLEEN SCHAEFER
Science groups for young professionals who don’t wear white coats are cropping up in bars and bookstores all over the country.
Public Release: 13-Nov-2007
Molecular Nutrition and Food Research
Citrus juice, vitamin C give staying power to green tea antioxidants
To get more out of your next cup of tea, just add juice. A Purdue University study found that citrus juices enable more of green tea's unique antioxidants to remain after simulated digestion, making the pairing even healthier than previously thought.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Douglas M. Main
dmain@purdue.edu
765-496-2050
Purdue University

End of Part One

Public Release: 14-Nov-2007
World Journal of Gastroenterology
Scientific evidence of the significant anti-cancer effect of milk thistle
A research team led by Dr. Ke-Qin Hu at the University of California, Irvine, demonstrated the significant anti-cancer effects of milk thistle. They found that the major biologically active compound of this plant, silibinin, could suppress the growth of cancerous liver cells. These scientists further studied the mechanisms of the anti-cancer effects of silibinin.
Contact: Lixin Zhu
zhulx@berkeley.edu
86-108-538-1892
World Journal of Gastroenterology
Public Release: 14-Nov-2007
Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting
Brain implant turn thoughts to words
Signals from an electrode implanted in the area of the brain responsible for generating speech, could help paralysed people get their "voice" back. Neuroscientists are able to record the signals from the neurons that surround the electrode. By analyzing the signals created when a "locked-in" patient imagines speaking, researchers have developed software that they hope one day will turn their thoughts into speech.
Contact: Claire Bowles
claire.bowles@rbi.co.uk
44-207-611-1210
New Scientist
Oral sex gene helps male fish fake it

A gene that fools female cichlid fish into sucking up male sperm has been found by researchers

11:16 15 November 2007
Public Release: 14-Nov-2007
Psychological Science
What's in a name? Initials linked to success, study shows
Do you like your name and initials? Most people do and, as past research has shown, sometimes we like them enough to influence other important behaviors. However, if you like your name too much, you might be in trouble. Researchers found that found that liking your own name sabotages success for people whose initials match negative performance labels.
Contact: Catherine West
cwest@psychologicalscience.org
202-783-2077
Association for Psychological Science
Public Release: 14-Nov-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Simple reason helps males evolve more quickly
Evolutionary biologists have focused on sex differences since Darwin's "Origin of Species." A straightforward but seemingly underappreciated explanation for the ability of males to answer the call of sexual selection may be that their genetic machinery is simpler.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: John Pastor
jdpastor@ufl.edu
352-273-5815
University of Florida
Public Release: 14-Nov-2007
Preventive Medicine
Global view shows link between endometrial cancer and vitamin D status
Using newly available data on worldwide cancer incidence, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at University of California, San Diego have shown a clear association between deficiency in exposure to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet B, and endometrial cancer.
Contact: Kimberly Edwards
kedwards@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego
Public Release: 15-Nov-2007
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Cystic fibrosis foundation lays out new treatment guidelines
New clinical standards on the treatment of patients with cystic fibrosis have been released following an exhaustive review of all available literature. The guidelines, a result of a two-year review of original research and systematic review literature from 1983 to 2006, were published in the second issue for November of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Contact: Suzy Martin
smartin@thoracic.org
212-315-8631
American Thoracic Society
Public Release: 15-Nov-2007
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Researchers reverse key symptom of muscular dystrophy
Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center have identified a compound that eliminates myotonia -- a symptom of muscular dystrophy -- in mice. The study was published online today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
NIH/National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Run America Foundation, Saunders Family Neuromuscular Research Fund, Schwab Research Fund, NIH/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Contact: Mark Michaud
mark_michaud@urmc.rochester.edu
585-273-4790
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 15-Nov-2007
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Virus used to create experimental HIV vaccines directly impairs the immune response
Leading efforts to create an HIV vaccine have hinged on the use of viruses as carriers for selected elements of the HIV virus. Recently, however, evidence has emerged that some of these so-called viral vector systems may undermine the immune system and should not be used for vaccine development. Now, a new study from scientists at the Wistar Institute provides strong support for the idea that some viral-vector vaccines may cause more harm than good.
National Institutes of Health, Pennsylvania Department of Health
Contact: Franklin Hoke
hoke@wistar.org
215-898-3716
The Wistar Institute

Menstrual blood could be rich source of stem cells

The "monthly curse" may be anything but: menstrual blood appears to be a rich and easily accessible source of adult stem cells, claim researchers

13:53 15 November 2007

Mars rover crippled and blinded as instruments fail

Work has been halted by problems with two of Opportunity's most important instruments, but NASA hopes to fix the issues shortly

14:57 16 November 2007

Scientists harvest fish oil crop
By Helen Briggs
Science reporter, BBC News
Plants genetically engineered to make fish oils offer a new approach to improving diet, say UK scientists.
Public Release: 15-Nov-2007
USP announces 11 new proposed monographs for dietary supplements
The US Pharmacopeia is pleased to announce 11 new proposed monographs for dietary supplements for public notice and comment.
Contact: Sandra Kim
sek@usp.org
301-816-8241
US Pharmacopeia
Public Release: 15-Nov-2007
Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience
Carnegie Mellon neuroscientist proposes new theory of brain flexibility
Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientist Marcel Just and Stanford postdoctoral fellow Sashank Varma have put forward a new computational theory of brain function that provides answers to one of the central questions of modern science: How does the human brain organize itself to give rise to complex cognitive tasks such as reading, problem solving and spatial reasoning? Just and Varma's theory, called 4CAPS, is described in the fall issue of the journal Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience.
Contact: Jonathan Potts
jpotts@andrew.cmu.edu
412-268-6094
Carnegie Mellon University

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