Public Release: 20-Jul-2008
Nature
90 billion tons of microbial organisms live in the deep biosphere
Biogeoscientists show evidence of 90 billion tons of microbial organisms -- expressed in terms of carbon mass -- living in the deep biosphere, in a research article published online by Nature, July 20, 2008. This tonnage corresponds to about one-tenth of the amount of carbon stored globally in tropical rainforests. This finding is in stark contrast to previous reports, which suggest that Bacteria dominate the subseafloor ecosystem.
National Science Foundation, European Consortium on Ocean Research Drilling, Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology
Contact: Nancy Light
nlight@iodp.org
301-275-1203
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Management International
Public Release: 21-Jul-2008
Neurology
Epilepsy drug may increase risk of birth defects
Taking the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or along with other epilepsy drugs during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, according to a study published in the July 22, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Contact: Rachel Seroka
rseroka@aan.com
651-695-2738
American Academy of Neurology
Public Release: 21-Jul-2008
PLoS Medicine
New research links International Monetary Fund loans with higher death rates from tuberculosis
International Monetary Fund loans were associated with a 16.6 percent rise in death rates from tuberculosis in the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern European countries between 1992 and 2002, finds a study in this week's PLoS Medicine. The study also found that IMF loans were linked with a 13.9 percent increase in the number of new cases of TB per year and a 13.2 percent increase per year in the total number of people with the disease.
Contact: Andrew Hyde
press@plos.org
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 21-Jul-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Plants make vaccine for treating type of cancer in Stanford study
Plants could act as safe, speedy factories for growing antibodies for personalized treatments against a common form of cancer, according to new findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine. The findings came in the first human tests of an injectable vaccine grown in genetically engineered plants.
Contact: Erin Digitale
digitale@stanford.edu
650-724-9175
Stanford University Medical Center
Public Release: 21-Jul-2008
Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery
Memory impairment associated with sound processing disorder
Mild memory impairment may be associated with central auditory processing dysfunction, or difficulty hearing in complex situations with competing noise, such as hearing a single conversation amid several other conversations, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Mary Guiden
206-616-3192
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 21-Jul-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Researchers find key to saving the world's lakes
After completing one of the longest running experiments ever done on a lake, researchers from the University of Alberta, University of Minnesota and the Freshwater Institute, contend that nitrogen control, in which the European Union and many other jurisdictions around the world are investing millions of dollars, is not effective and in fact, may actually increase the problem of cultural eutrophication.
Contact: Kris Connor
kris.connor@ualberta.ca
780-492-9214
University of Alberta
Controlling nitrogen pollution will not stop toxic algae blooms, says research
by Ileiren Poon July 22, 2008 - Edmonton
Research from the University of Alberta has confirmed that algae blooms, which can poison lakes and kill fish, can be controlled by limiting phosphorus. After completing one of the longest running experiments ever done on a lake, researchers say nitrogen control won't be effective in controlling the growth of blue-green algae and, in fact, may actually increase the problem. Controlling nitrogen does not correct the polluted lakes, and in fact, may actually aggravate the problem and make it worse".
Public Release: 21-Jul-2008
Beijing pollution may trigger heart attacks, strokes
The heavily polluted air in Beijing may trigger serious cardiovascular problems for some spectators. Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine warn that for people in certain risk groups, breathing high levels of pollution can cause heart attacks and strokes within 24 hours of exposure and increase the possibility of having blood clots in their legs on the plane home. Northwestern research shows that high pollution levels cause hyperclotting of the blood, spurring stokes and heart attacks.
Contact: Marla Paul
Marla-Paul@northwestern.edu
312-503-8928
Northwestern University
Public Release: 21-Jul-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Scientists figure out how the immune system and brain communicate to control disease
A new anatomical path through which the brain and the spleen communicate.
Contact: Jamie Talan
jtalan@nshs.edu
516-562-1232
North Shore-Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Health System
Public Release: 21-Jul-2008
Colloids and Surfaces: B
Cranberry juice creates energy barrier that keeps bacteria away from cells, study shows
People have long consumed cranberry juice to ward off urinary tract infections, though the exact nature of its action has not been clear. A new study by researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute reveals a key mechanism that may help account for its disease preventing abilities. The juice, the study shows, changes the thermodynamic properties of bacteria, creating an energy barrier that prevents the microorganisms from latching onto cells in the urinary tract.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Michael Dorsey
mwdorsey@wpi.edu
508-831-5609
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Public Release: 21-Jul-2008
European Journal of Clinical Investigation
Scientists identify how gastric reflux may trigger asthma
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center appear to have solved at least a piece of a puzzle that has mystified physicians for years: why so many patients with asthma also suffer from GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons Research Grant, Parks Protocol Memorial Fund
Contact: Michelle Gailiun
michelle.gailiun@duke.edu
919-660-1306
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 21-Jul-2008
Neurotoxicology
Researchers probe geographical ties to ALS cases among 1991 Gulf War veterans
Researchers from Duke University, the University of Cincinnati and the Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center are hoping to find a geographical pattern to help explain why 1991 Gulf War veterans contracted the fatal neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at twice the normal rate during the decade after the conflict.
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Contact: Monte Basgall
monte.basgall@duke.edu
919-681-8057
Duke University
Onion washing gets monkeys in a lather
Does a rub down with an onion loosen the normal constraints of capuchin monkey society?
15:15 21 July 2008
Toy rocket inspires variable-speed bullets
The technology behind liquid-hydrogen-propelled rockets is being used to make guns that can switched from "stun" to "kill"
16:43 21 July 2008
Plankton turn tropical Atlantic into a huge carbon sink
The discovery that the Atlantic stores large amounts of CO2 is a major shift in our knowledge of the oceans' carbon balance
22:00 21 July 2008
Public Release: 22-Jul-2008
Radiology
Minimally invasive treatment improves male fertility
A minimally invasive treatment for a common cause of male infertility can significantly improve a couple's chances for pregnancy, according to a new study. The study, conducted at the University of Bonn in Germany, also found that the level of sperm motility prior to treatment is a key predictor of success.
Contact: Linda Brooks
lbrooks@rsna.org
630-590-7762
Radiological Society of North America
Personal Health
Health 'Facts' You Only Thought You Knew
By JANE E. BRODY
Myths and misinformation can range from the merely nonsensical to the downright dangerous. How well informed are you?
Hoping Two Drugs Carry a Side Effect: Longer Life
By NICHOLAS WADE
Sirtris, a drug company, has two drugs in clinical trials that it hopes will avert degenerative diseases of aging.
If You Have a Problem, Ask Everyone
By CORNELIA DEAN
Would-be innovators can sign up online to compete for prizes for solving diverse problems from around the world in a variety of disciplines.
Mirrors Don’t Lie. Mislead? Oh, Yes.
By NATALIE ANGIER
The mirror, an object of ancient fascination, has become a powerful tool for scientists to explore how the brain interprets (and misinterprets) information.
* Graphic Graphic: Mirror Images
Public Release: 22-Jul-2008
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Parasitic worm infections increase susceptibility to AIDS viruses
Persons infected with schistosomes, and possibly other parasitic worm infections, may be more likely to become infected with HIV than persons without worm infections, according to a study published July 23 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Researchers found that the infectious dose of an HIV-like virus necessary to infect rhesus macaques was 17-fold lower in animals with acute schistosomiasis than in controls.
Contact: Mary Kohut
Press@plos.org
415-568-3457
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 22-Jul-2008
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Age-old magic tricks can provide clues for modern science
Revealing the science behind age-old magic tricks will help us better understand how humans see, think, and act, according to researchers at the University of British Columbia and Durham University in the U.K.
Wolfson Research Fellowship from Durham University, Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada
Contact: Lorraine Chan
lorraine.chan@ubc.ca
604-822-3213
University of British Columbia
Public Release: 22-Jul-2008
Journal of Royal Society Interface
Biology enters 'The Matrix' through new computer language
A new computer language for modeling biological phenomenon can "think" like cells and molecular mechanisms think, thereby simulating the dynamics of biological phenomenon. Through incorporating basic principles of engineering, the new language, called Little b, surpasses current biological modeling software in that it goes beyond simply representing biological information. It allows biologists to create programs that can reason about biological knowledge and thereby help overcome the barrier of complexity.
National Institutes of Health, Harvard Medical School
Contact: David Cameron
david_cameron@hms.harvard.edu
617-432-0441
Harvard Medical School
Is sun exposure a major cause of melanoma?
Every summer we are reminded about the dangers of the sun. Scott Menzies, associate professor at Sydney University's Melanoma Diagnostic Centre, argues that the risks of malignant melanoma are real. But Sam Shuster, consultant dermatologist at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, is unconvinced.
Public Release: 22-Jul-2008
PLoS ONE
Commercial bees spreading disease to wild pollinating bees
Bees provide crucial pollination service to numerous crops and up to a third of the human diet comes from plants pollinated by insects. However, pollinating bees are suffering widespread declines in North America and scientists warn that this could have serious implications for agriculture and food supply. While the cause of these declines has largely been a mystery, new research reveals an alarming spread of disease from commercial bees to wild pollinators.
Contact: Michael C. Otterstatter
michael.otterstatter@utoronto.ca
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 22-Jul-2008
Arthritis Care and Research
New guidelines for treating rheumatoid arthritis
Updated rules add new anti-arthritic drugs and proven combinations to the arsenal for treating rheumatoid arthritis. The RA guidelines, issued by the American College of Rheumatology, are the first update since 2002. They focus on several classes of anti-arthritic drugs, including disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and genetically engineered biologics.
Contact: Troy Goodman
tdgoodman@uab.edu
205-934-8938
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Public Release: 22-Jul-2008
Security flaws in online banking sites found to be widespread
More than 75 percent of the bank Web sites surveyed in a University of Michigan study had at least one design flaw that could make customers vulnerable to cyber thieves after their money or even their identity.
Contact: Nicole Casal Moore
ncmoore@umich.edu
734-647-1838
University of Michigan
Viagra could boost orgasms in depressed women
The drug sildenafil could alleviate sexual problems for women on antidepressants, according to a study funded by Pfizer
20:20 22 July 2008
Public Release: 23-Jul-2008
Human Reproduction
Soy foods are associated with lower sperm concentrations
Men who eat an average of half a serving of soy food a day have lower concentrations of sperm than men who do not eat soy foods, according to research published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal, Human Reproduction, on Thursday, July 24. The association was particularly marked in men who were overweight or obese, the study found.
Contact: Emma Mason
wordmason@mac.com
44-077-112-96986
European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology
Public Release: 23-Jul-2008
PLoS ONE
Biofilms use chemical weapons
Biofilms develop on any surface that bacteria can attach themselves to. The dilemma we face is that neither disinfectants and antibiotics, nor phagocytes and our immune system can destroy these biofilms. Scientists at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Braunschweig have now identified one of the fundamental mechanisms used by the bacteria in biofilms to protect themselves against the attacking phagocytes. The scientists are now publishing their findings in the renowned specialist publication PLoS ONE.
Contact: Hannes Schlender
presse@helmholtz-hzi.de
49-531-618-11400
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Public Release: 23-Jul-2008
FASEB Journal
Licking your wounds: Scientists isolate compound in human saliva that speeds wound healing
A report by scientists from the Netherlands published online in rhe FASEB Journal identifies a compound in human saliva that greatly speeds wound healing. This research may offer hope to people suffering from chronic wounds related to diabetes and other disorders, as well as traumatic injuries and burns. In addition, because the compounds can be mass produced, they have the potential to become as common as antibiotic creams and rubbing alcohol.
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Public Release: 23-Jul-2008
Social Neuroscience
Autism's social struggles due to disrupted communication networks in brain
Picking up on innuendo and social cues is a central component of engaging in conversation, but people with autism often struggle to determine another person's intentions in a social interaction. New research from Carnegie Mellon University sheds light on the neural mechanisms that are responsible for such social difficulties in autism, and on the workings of these social brain mechanisms in all of us.
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Contact: Kelli McElhinny
kellim@andrew.cmu.edu
412-268-6094
Carnegie Mellon University
Public Release: 23-Jul-2008
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Want a reason to love your lower belly fat? It's rich in stem cells
This first-of-its-kind study examines whether fat tissues from different areas of the body vary in stem cell concentration.
Contact: ASPS Media Relations
media@plasticsurgery.org
847-228-9900
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Public Release: 23-Jul-2008
Environmental Impact Assessment Review
Toxic chemicals found in common scented laundry products, air fresheners
A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels.
Contact: Hannah Hickey
hickeyh@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Public Release: 23-Jul-2008
Perception
Study suggests human visual system could make powerful computer
Rensselaer professor Mark Changizi has begun to develop a technique to turn our eyes and visual system into a programmable computer. His findings are reported in the latest issue of the journal Perception.
Contact: Amber Cleveland
clevea@rpi.edu
518-276-2146
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Public Release: 23-Jul-2008
Polarizing filter allows astronomers to see disks surrounding black holes
For the first time, a team of international researchers has found a way to view the accretion disks surrounding black holes and verify that their true electromagnetic spectra match what astronomers have long predicted they would be. Their work will be published in the July 24 issue of the science journal Nature.
Contact: Andrea Estrada
andrea.estrada@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-4620
University of California - Santa Barbara
Public Release: 23-Jul-2008
Wound Repair and Regeneration
Scientists suspect omega-3 fatty acids could slow acute wound healing
A recent study shows that popular fish oil supplements have an effect on the healing process of small, acute wounds in human skin. But whether that effect is detrimental, as researchers initially suspected, remains a mystery. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils are widely considered to benefit cardiovascular health and other diseases related to chronic inflammation because of their anti-inflammatory properties. But insufficient inflammation during the initial stage of wound healing may delay the advancement of later stages.
NIH/National Institute of Nursing Research
Contact: Jodi McDaniel
Mcdaniel.561@osu.edu
614-292-1345
Ohio State University
Dinosaur evolutionary tree unveiled
A study shows how 440 dinosaur species are related to each other, and reveals that the great reptiles diversified most in their first 50 million years
18:00 23 July 2008
Overactive bladders play with the mind
An overactive bladder changes brain activity in rats, possibly explaining some of the disrupted sleep and confusion that can accompany ageing
18:00 23 July 2008
Public Release: 24-Jul-2008
Science
Plant steroids offer new paradigm for how hormones work
Steroids bulk up plants just as they do human athletes, but the molecular signals that tell the genes to boost growth and development in plant cells is far more complicated than in human and animal cells. Understanding how these plant hormones activate genes could lead not only to enhanced harvests but also to new insights into how steroids regulate growth in both plant and animal cells.
Contact: Zhi-Yong Wang
zywang24@stanford.ed
650-325-1521 x205
Carnegie Institution
Public Release: 24-Jul-2008
Cell
Prevailing theory of aging challenged in Stanford worm study
Age may not be rust after all. Specific genetic instructions drive aging in worms, report researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Their discovery contradicts the prevailing theory that aging is a buildup of tissue damage akin to rust, and implies science might eventually halt or even reverse the ravages of age.
Contact: Erin Digitale
digitale@stanford.edu
650-724-9175
Stanford University Medical Center
Public Release: 24-Jul-2008
Science
Material may help autos turn heat into electricity
Researchers have invented a new material that will make cars even more efficient, by converting heat wasted through engine exhaust into electricity. In the current issue of the journal Science, they describe a material with twice the efficiency of anything currently on the market.
BSST Corporation, State of Ohio, Beckman Institute, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Contact: Joseph Heremans
Heremans.1@osu.edu
614-247-8869
Ohio State University
Public Release: 24-Jul-2008
Science Express
The quiet explosion
Astronomers are providing hints that a recent supernova may not be as normal as initially thought. Instead, the star that exploded is now understood to have collapsed into a black hole, producing a weak jet, typical of much more violent events, the so-called gamma-ray bursts. This discovery represents a crucial milestone in the understanding of the most violent phenomena observed in the Universe.
Contact: Henri Boffin
hboffin@eso.org
49-174-515-4324
ESO
Public Release: 24-Jul-2008
Emergency Medicine Journal
Study shows emergency physicians have good first instincts in diagnosing heart attacks
A study out of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center demonstrates emergency room doctors are correctly identifying patients who are having a heart attack, even when laboratory tests haven't yet confirmed it.
Contact: Shannon Koontz
shkoontz@wfubmc.edu
336-716-2415
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Public Release: 24-Jul-2008
PLoS ONE
Hyperactive immune resistance brings blindness in old age
Opthalmologists at the University Clinic in Bonn, working in cooperation with researchers from Göttingen, Regensburg and Great Britain, have now, for the first time, demonstrated that in cases of senile blindness the patient's immune resistance is hyperactive throughout his entire body.
Contact: Dr. Hendrik Scholl
hendrik.scholl@ukb.uni-bonn.de
49-228-287-15505
University of Bonn
Many little parasites add up to one big biomass
An analysis of estuaries finds that the amount of parasitic life weighs more than the top predators – something scientists didn't expect
10:45 24 July 2008
Public Release: 24-Jul-2008
Nature
Mate or hibernate? That's the question worm pheromones answer
Scientists from the University of Florida, Cornell University, the California Institute of Technology and the US Department of Agriculture have discovered the first mating pheromone in one of science's most well-studied research subjects, the tiny worm Caenorhabditis elegans. But perhaps even more interesting is what the newly discovered pheromone also directs worms to do -- hibernate.
Human Frontiers Science Program, National Institutes of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Contact: April Frawley Birdwell
afrawley@ufl.edu
352-273-5810
University of Florida
Public Release: 25-Jul-2008
Mustard -- hot stuff for natural pest control
Researchers, growers and Industry specialists from 22 countries are sharing the latest research into the use of Brassica species, such as mustard, radish, or rapeseed, to manage soil-borne pests and weeds -- a technique known as biofumigation.
CSIRO, Australian Center for International Agricultural Research, Horticulture Australia Limited
Contact: Tony Steeper
Tony.Steeper@csiro.au
61-262-465-323
CSIRO Australia
Advice to drop condom use is HIV 'disaster'
The suggestion that condoms are not essential if an HIV-positive person is taking antiretroviral drugs is wrong, say experts
00:01 25 July 2008Life from Venus blown to Earth?
Life on Venus could be blown to Earth by powerful winds, scientists claim.  Previous research has considered the possibility of micro organisms existing in Venus's atmosphere despite extreme temperatures on its surface. But two scientists at the Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology say microbes from Venus could actually be blown into the Earth's atmosphere by solar winds.