19:59 22 February 2008
Prozac does not work in majority of depressed patients
The antidepressant, and other drugs in its class, are no better than placebo in treating all but the most severely depressed patients, says a review
13:22 26 February 2008
Public Release: 25-Feb-2008
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Butterfly fish 'may face extinction'
A beautiful black, white and yellow butterflyfish, much admired by eco-tourists, divers and aquarium keepers alike, may be at risk of extinction, scientists have warned. The case of the chevroned butterfly fish is a stark example of how human pressure on the world's coral reefs is confronting certain species with 'blind alleys' from which they may be unable to escape, says Dr. Morgan Pratchett of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies Media Release and James Cook University.
Contact: Dr. Morgan Pratchett
morgan.pratchett@jcu.edu.au
61-074-781-5747
ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies
Public Release: 25-Feb-2008
Archives of Internal Medicine
10-year trends in heart failure
Conventional wisdom holds that as the US population ages, the incidence of heart failure will continue to rise. A new study from Duke University Medical Center challenges part of that assumption, however, finding that heart failure is actually declining among the very elderly. Yet the number of heart failure cases overall continues to rise.
NIH/National Institute on Aging, NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Contact: Michelle Gailiun
michelle.gailiun@duke.edu
919-660-1306
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 25-Feb-2008
Vikings did not dress the way we thought
Vivid colors, flowing silk ribbons and glittering bits of mirrors -- the Vikings dressed with considerably more panache than we previously thought. The men were especially vain, and the women dressed provocatively, but with the advent of Christianity, fashions changed, according to Swedish archeologist Annika Larsson.
Contact: Johanna Blomqvist
johanna.blomqvist@uadm.uu.se
46-704-250-864
Uppsala University
Public Release: 25-Feb-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
2 oxygenation events in ancient oceans sparked spread of complex life
The rise of oxygen and the oxidation of deep oceans between 635 and 551 million years ago may have had an impact on the increase and spread of the earliest complex life, including animals.
National Science Foundation, NASA, National Natural Science Foundation of China, others
Contact: Susan Trulove
STrulove@vt.edu
540-231-5646
Virginia Tech
Public Release: 25-Feb-2008
Genome Research
Lemurs' evolutionary history may shed light on our own
After swabbing the cheeks of more than 200 lemurs and related primates to collect their DNA, researchers at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy and Duke Lemur Center now have a much clearer picture of their evolutionary family tree.
Contact: Kendall Morgan
kendall.morgan@duke.edu
919-684-2850
Duke University
Public Release: 26-Feb-2008
Antiquity
Centuries-old Maya Blue mystery finally solved
Anthropologists from Wheaton College and The Field Museum have discovered how the ancient Maya produced an unusual, widely studied blue pigment that was used in offerings, pottery, murals and other contexts across Mesoamerica from A.D. 300 to 1500.
Contact: Greg Borzo
gborzo@fieldmuseum.org
312-665-7106
Field Museum
Public Release: 26-Feb-2008
JAMA
Drugs used for cancer-associated anemia linked with increased risk of blood clots, death
Treating anemia with a class of drugs known as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (blood clots in the deep veins of the legs or in the lungs) and death among patients with cancer, according to an article in the Feb. 27 issue of JAMA.
Contact: Marla Paul
312-503-8928
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 26-Feb-2008
2008 ASM Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting
Combination vaccine protects monkeys from ebola and Marburg viruses
An experimental, combination vaccine against ebola and Marburg viruses using virus-like particles provides complete protection against infection in monkeys. Researchers from the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases report their results today at the 2008 ASM Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting in Baltimore, Md.
Contact: Jim Sliwa
jsliwa@asmusa.org
202-942-9297
American Society for Microbiology
Public Release: 26-Feb-2008
PLoS ONE
Brain activity linked to the parental instinct
A possible brain basis for parental instinct is reported in this week's PLoS ONE. The research was led by Morten Kringelbach and Alan Stein from the University of Oxford and was funded by the Wellcome Trust and TrygFonden Charitable Foundation. The authors showed that a region of the human brain called the medial orbitofrontal cortex is specifically active within a seventh of a second in response to (unfamiliar) infant faces but not to adult faces.
Contact: Press officer
press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk
44-186-528-0528
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 26-Feb-2008
Heart attack rates fall following national smoking bans
French researchers announced a striking 15 percent decrease in admissions of patients with myocardial infarction to emergency wards since the public ban on smoking came into effect last January. Researchers in Rome found an 11.2 percent reduction of acute coronary events since the January 2005 smoking ban took effect in Italy. The European Society of Cardiology wishes to stress the positive impact of smoking bans in all European countries that have adopted laws banning tobacco use in public places.
Contact: Jacqueline Partarrieu
jpartarrieu@escardio.org
33-492-948-627
European Society of Cardiology
Public Release: 26-Feb-2008
TED Conference
MBL develops infrastructure and portal for Encyclopedia of Life
A team at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole has successfully developed the "taxonomic intelligence" based infrastructure for the Encyclopedia of Life, a multi-institutional project to create a Web page for all 1.8 million named species on Earth. The first 30,000 species pages go live today.
MacArthur Foundation, Sloan Foundation
Contact: Diana Kenney
dkenney@mbl.edu
508-289-7139
Marine Biological Laboratory
Public Release: 26-Feb-2008
Respiratory Care Education Annual
Despite popularity, researcher finds not everyone can successfully learn through online courses
Since the 1990s, online courses have provided an opportunity for busy adults to continue their education by completing courses in the comfort of their own homes. However, this may not be the best solution for everyone. A researcher at the University of Missouri has found some students may find success in these types of courses more easily than others.
Contact: Jennifer Faddis
Faddisj@missouri.edu
573-882-6217
University of Missouri-Columbia
Public Release: 26-Feb-2008
Public Library of Science ONE (PLoS ONE)
In jazz improv, large portion of brain's prefrontal region 'takes 5' to let creativity flow
Scientists have found that, when jazz musicians are engaged in the highly creative and spontaneous activity known as improvisation, a large region of the brain involved in monitoring one’s performance is shut down, while a small region involved in organizing self-initiated thoughts and behaviors is highly activated. The researchers propose that this and several related patterns are likely to be key indicators of a brain that is engaged in highly creative thought.
NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Contact: Jennifer Wenger
jwenger@mail.nih.gov
301-496-7243
NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Stem cell breakthrough may reduce cancer risk
A company claims it has converted adult human cells to a seemingly embryonic state – using methods that are much less likely to trigger cancer
14:29 27 February 2008
'Silicon womb' to begin fertility trials
The IVF device nurtures test-tube embryos inside a real womb and could boost the chances of conception, researchers say
14:21 27 February 2008
Moon's south pole revealed in 'dramatic' new 3D map
Radar observations reveal dizzying peaks and deep craters in the region, which could be an ideal place for a future lunar base
Video
23:55 27 February 2008
Oral sex-related cancer at 30-year high
The incidence of oral cancer due to a virus transmitted during oral sex has increased steeply since the sexual revolution, say US researchers
12:52 28 February 2008
Q & A
Midnight Meals
By C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Published: February 26, 2008
Is there any truth to the idea that if you eat heavily late in the evening, you will gain weight?
Sea reptile is biggest on record
By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News
A fossilised "sea monster" unearthed on an Arctic island is the largest marine reptile known to science, Norwegian scientists have announced.
Public Release: 27-Feb-2008
Neurology
Does gingko biloba affect memory?
Taking the supplement ginkgo biloba had no clear-cut benefit on the risk of developing memory problems, according to a study published in the Feb. 27, 2008, online 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: 27-Feb-2008
Psychological Science
The evolution of aversion: Why even children are fearful of snakes
Some of the oldest tales and wisest mythology allude to the snake as a mischievous seducer, dangerous foe or powerful iconoclast; however, the legend surrounding this proverbial predator may not be based solely on fantasy. As scientists from the University of Virginia recently discovered, the common fear of snakes is most likely intrinsic.
Contact: Katie Kline
kkline@psychologicalscience.org
202-783-2077
Association for Psychological Science
Public Release: 28-Feb-2008
Chimp and human communication trace to same brain region
An area of the brain involved in the planning and production of spoken and signed language in humans plays a similar role in chimpanzee communication, researchers report online on Feb. 28 in the journal Current Biology.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 28-Feb-2008
Science
How roots find a route
Scientists at the John Innes Center in Norwich have discovered how roots find their way past obstacles to grow through soil. The discovery, described in the forthcoming edition of Science, also explains how germinating seedlings penetrate the soil without pushing themselves out as they burrow.
BBSRC, Marie Curie Fellowship, MEXT
Contact: Zoe Dunford
zoe.dunford@bbsrc.ac.uk
44-016-032-55111
Norwich BioScience Institutes
Public Release: 28-Feb-2008
Science
First look: Princeton researchers peek into deepest recesses of human brain
A team of scientists from Princeton University has devised a new experimental technique that produces some of the best functional images ever taken of the human brainstem, the most primitive area of the brain.
Contact: Kitta MacPherson
kittamac@princeton.edu
609-258-5729
Princeton University
Public Release: 28-Feb-2008
Magnetic atoms of gold, silver and copper have been obtained
An international team led by physics and chemistry teams from the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of the Basque Country and directed by Professor Jose Javier Saiz Garitaonandia, has achieved, by means of a controlled chemical process, that atoms of gold, silver and copper -- intrinsically non-magnetic (not attracted to a magnet) -- become magnetic.
Contact: Irati Kortabitarte
iratik@elhuyar.com
34-943-363-040
Elhuyar Fundazioa
Public Release: 28-Feb-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
ASU researcher may have discovered key to life before its origin on Earth
An important discovery has been made with respect to the mystery of "handedness" in biomolecules. Researchers led by Sandra Pizzarello, a research professor at Arizona State University, found that some of the possible abiotic precursors to the origin of life on Earth have been shown to carry "handedness" in a larger number than previously thought. The work is being published in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Contact: Skip Derra
skip.derra@asu.edu
480-965-4823
Arizona State University
Public Release: 28-Feb-2008
Science
LSU scientist finds evidence of 'rain-making' bacteria
Brent Christner, LSU professor of biological sciences, in partnership with colleagues in Montana and France, recently found evidence that rain-making bacteria are widely distributed in the atmosphere. These biological particles could factor heavily into the precipitation cycle, affecting climate, agricultural productivity and even global warming. Christner and his colleagues will publish their results in the prestigious journal "Science" on Feb. 29.
Louisiana State University
Contact: Brent Christner
xner@lsu.edu
225-578-1734
Louisiana State University
Public Release: 29-Feb-2008
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Certain vitamin supplements may increase lung cancer risk, especially in smokers
Vitamin supplements do not protect against lung cancer, according to a study of more than 77,000 vitamin users. In fact, some supplements may even increase the risk of developing it.
Contact: Keely Savoie
ksavoie@thoracic.org
212-315-8620
American Thoracic Society
Public Release: 29-Feb-2008
Steps towards warship invisibility
Naval warships might look like all-powerful vessels but they are also highly vulnerable to being spotted by the enemy. That fear of being detected has led the military to develop new stealth technologies that allow ships to be virtually invisible to the human eye, to dodge roaming radars, put heat-seeking missiles off the scent, disguise their own sound vibrations and even reduce the way they distort the Earth's magnetic field.
Contact: Joe Winters
joseph.winters@iop.org
44-274-704-815
Institute of Physics
Public Release: 1-Mar-2008
Clinical Cancer Research
Arsenic aids tumor imaging when joined to cancer-homing drug, UT Southwestern researchers find
Arsenic linked to a drug that binds to the blood vessels of cancerous tumors provides a powerful imaging agent that could one day allow physicians to detect hard-to-find tumors and more closely monitor cancer's response to therapy, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
Gillson Longenbaugh Foundation, NIH/National Cancer Institute, Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc., Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, US Department of Defense
Contact: Connie Piloto
connie.piloto@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Cannibalism May Have Wiped Out Neanderthals
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
Feb. 27, 2008
A Neanderthal-eat-Neanderthal world may have spread a mad cow-like disease that weakened and reduced populations of the large Eurasian human, thereby contributing to its extinction, according to a new theory based on cannibalism that took place in more recent history.
Findings
The Advantages of Closing a Few Doors
By JOHN TIERNEY
We can always tell ourselves that it’s good to keep options open, but is it really?
Ideas & Trends
Please Call Earth. We Still Haven’t Found You.
By DENNIS OVERBYE
You might think we have made some headway in finding extraterrestrial life since the dawn of the space age. But you would be wrong.