New Master Switch Found in the Brain That Regulates Desire for Food and Ability to Reproduce
Body weight and fertility have long known to be related to each other - women who are too thin, for example, can have trouble becoming pregnant.
Now, a master switch has been found in the brain of mice that controls both, and researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies say it may work the same way in humans.
Public Release: 1-Sep-2008
Archives of General Psychiatry
Children of older fathers more likely to have bipolar disorder
Older age among fathers may be associated with an increased risk for bipolar disorder in their offspring, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Emma M. Frans, M.Med.Sc.
Emma.Frans@ki.se
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 2-Sep-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Scientists develop new method to investigate origin of life
Scientists have developed a new computational method that they say will help them to understand how life began on Earth. The method has the potential to trace the evolutionary histories of proteins all the way back to either cells or viruses, thus settling the debate once and for all over which of these life forms came first.
Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement Program, Penn State Eberly College of Science, Penn State Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Searle Scholars Program
Contact: Barbara K. Kennedy
science@psu.edu
818-633-4682
Penn State
Monogamy gene found in people
22:00 01 September 2008
NewScientist.com news service
Priya Shetty
What if you could tell whether a man is husband material just by peering at his genes?
Public Release: 2-Sep-2008
Pediatrics
Virus weaves itself into the DNA transferred from parents to babies
New research from the University of Rochester Medical Center shows that some parents pass on the human herpes virus 6 (HHV-6) to their children because it is
integrated into their chromosomes. This is the first time a virus has been shown to become part of the human DNA and then get passed to subsequent generations.
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Development, General Clinical Research Center, National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, HHV-6 Foundation
Contact: Heather Hare
heather_hare@urmc.rochester.edu
585-273-2840
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 2-Sep-2008
Diabetes
Battling diabetes with beta cells
Tel Aviv University replicates insulin-producing cells, providing new hope for diabetics.
Contact: George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Public Release: 2-Sep-2008
Stanford's 'autonomous' helicopters teach themselves to fly
Stanford computer scientists have developed an artificial intelligence system that enables robotic helicopters to teach themselves to fly difficult stunts by watching other helicopters.
The result is an autonomous helicopter than can perform a complete airshow of complex tricks on its own. The airshow is an important demonstration of "apprenticeship learning,"
in which robots learn by observing an expert, rather than by having software engineers write instructions from scratch.
Contact: Dan Stober
dstosber@stanford.edu
650-721-6965
Stanford University
Just because?
Shark attacks go up when ice-cream sales rise. Why?
Women pick men looking like dad
US army has laser guns in its sights
Laser weapons mounted on trucks could be ready to roll into battle by 2013
15:15 02 September 2008
Personal Health
Let the Mind Help Tame an Irritable Bowel
By JANE E. BRODY
Irritable bowel syndrome has a strong connection to the mind.
Vital Statistics
The Odds It Will Kill You? See New Charts
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
New risk charts provide a broader perspective on the risks associated with 10 different causes of death.
Public Release: 3-Sep-2008
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
Too much calcium in blood may increase risk of fatal prostate cancer
Men who have too much calcium in their bloodstreams may have an increased risk of fatal prostate cancer, according to a new analysis from
Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin.
Contact: Jessica Guenzel
jguenzel@wfubmc.edu
336-716-3487
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Public Release: 3-Sep-2008
American Journal of Physiology: Reg, Integrative & Comp Physiology
Substance found in fruits and vegetables reduces likelihood of the flu
Mice given quercetin, a naturally occurring substance found in fruits and vegetables, were less likely to contract the flu.
The study also found that stressful exercise increased the susceptibility of mice to the flu, but quercetin canceled out that negative effect.
Quercetin, a close chemical relative of resveratrol, is present in a variety of fruits and vegetables, including red onions, grapes, blueberries, tea, broccoli and red wine.
US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Contact: Christine Guilfoy
301-634-7253
American Physiological Society
Public Release: 3-Sep-2008
Nature
New virtual telescope zooms in on Milky Way's super-massive black hole
An international team, led by astronomers at the MIT Haystack Observatory, has obtained the closest views ever of what is believed to be a super-massive black hole
at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Teresa Herbert
therbert@mit.edu
617-258-5403
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Public Release: 3-Sep-2008
Circulation
Arteries from distinct regions of the body have unique immune functions
Arteries play an active role in the immune system by sensing infection and injury. They collect information about invaders through dendritic cells embedded in their walls.
Arteries supplying blood to distinct parts of the body specialize in recognizing different bacterial signals.
National Institutes of Health, Dana Foundation, McIntyre Family Discovery Fund
Contact: Holly Korschun
hkorsch@emory.edu
404-727-3990
Emory University
Public Release: 3-Sep-2008
PNAS Early Edition
New research challenges long-held assumptions of flightless bird evolution
Large flightless birds of the southern continents -- African ostriches, Australian emus and cassowaries, South American rheas and the New Zealand kiwi -- do not share
a common flightless ancestor as once believed.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Edward Braun
ebraun68@ufl.edu
352-846-1124
University of Florida
Public Release: 3-Sep-2008
Acupuncture may hold promise for women with hormone disorder
Getting pregnant with her first child was difficult, but when Rebecca Killmeyer of Charlottesville, Va., experienced a miscarriage during her second pregnancy,
she wasn't sure if she would ever have another baby. When she decided to enter a study testing the impact of acupuncture on women with polycystic ovary syndrome
at the University of Virginia Health System, she came out with a miracle.
Contact: Abena Foreman-Trice
abena@virginia.edu
434-243-2743
University of Virginia Health System
Public Release: 3-Sep-2008
Nature
Trichoplax genome sequenced -- 'rosetta stone' for understanding evolution
Yale molecular and evolutionary biologists in collaboration with Department of Energy scientists produced the full genome sequence of Trichoplax,
one of nature's most primitive multicellular organisms, providing a new insight into the evolution of all higher animals.
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, National Science Foundation, German Science Foundation, Human Frontiers Science Program
Contact: Janet Rettig Emanuel
janet.emanuel@yale.edu
203-432-2157
Yale University
New clues found to history of ancient tomb
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Archaeologists have discovered new evidence regarding the physical layout of a late 3rd century tomb mound in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture,
that may cast new light on its long history, which includes possible connections to a mysterious ancient kingdom.
Earth's windiest region confirmed by crewed flight
For the first time, research planes have flown in the windiest region on the planet, where gales blow for a third of the winter
11:21 04 September 2008
Public Release: 4-Sep-2008
Cell
Infectious, test tube-produced prions can jump the 'species barrier'
Researchers have shown that they can create entirely new strains of infectious proteins known as prions in the laboratory by simply mixing infectious prions from one species
with the normal prion proteins of another species.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 4-Sep-2008
Science
Gladstone scientists identify genetic link that may neutralize HIV
A genetic target may provide a significant new opportunity for vaccine or therapeutic development.
Contact: Valerie Tucker
vtucker@gladstone.ucsf.edu
415-734-2019
Gladstone Institutes
American Woolly Mammoths Pushed Out Siberian Kin
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
DNA shows the world's last surviving woolly mammoths were born in the United States and the Arctic. Woolly mammoths from those regions displaced Siberian mammoths,
causing the latter group to mysteriously disappear off the face of the Earth.
Public Release: 4-Sep-2008
British Medical Journal
Should nurses replace GPs as frontline providers of primary care?
Should nurses be the frontline providers of primary care, taking the place of general practitioners as the first point of patient contact? Two experts debate the issue online today.
Contact: Rachael Davies
rdavies@bma.org.uk
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Ancient Musical Instruments Play Again Through Astra Project
Ancient musical instruments can now be heard for the first time in hundreds of years, due to a new computer modelling project.
Public Release: 4-Sep-2008
Psychosomatic Medicine
Intellectual work induces excessive calorie intake
A Université Laval research team has demonstrated that intellectual work induces a substantial increase in calorie intake. The details of this discovery, which could go some way to explaining the current obesity epidemic, are published in the most recent issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.
Contact: Jean-François Huppé
jean-francois.huppe@dap.ulaval.ca
418-656-7785
Université Laval
Public Release: 4-Sep-2008
Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research Education and Action
Study: Delaying evolution of drug resistance in malaria parasite possible
There's no magic bullet for wiping out malaria, but a new study offers strong support for a method that effectively delays the evolution of drug resistance in malaria parasites,
a University of Florida researcher says.
Contact: DeLene Beeland
tdb@epi.ufl.edu
352-870-6856
University of Florida
Public Release: 4-Sep-2008
Environmental Health Perspectives
Bisphenol A linked to metabolic syndrome in human tissue
New research from the University of Cincinnati implicates the primary chemical used to produce hard plastics -- bisphenol A (BPA) -- as a risk factor for the metabolic syndrome and its consequences.
NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Contact: Amanda Harper
amanda.harper@uc.edu
513-558-4657
University of Cincinnati
Public Release: 4-Sep-2008
Astronomers discover missing link for origin of comets
An international team of scientists that includes University of British Columbia astronomer Brett Gladman has found an unusual object whose backward and tilted orbit around the Sun
may clarify the origins of certain comets.
Contact: Lorraine Chan
lorraine.chan@ubc.ca
604-822-3213
University of British Columbia
Did the Romans destroy Europe's HIV resistance?
What did the Roman's do for us? Apart from sewers, they seem to have brought about lowered levels of a gene variant that protects against the virus
Dolphin serial killers?
Rowan Hooper, online news editor
Scientists who autopsy cetaceans that wash up dead on British beaches have come to a grim conclusion: some species are being killed by bottlenose dolphins.
Public Release: 4-Sep-2008
Science
A light bulb and a few chemicals
Princeton scientists have discovered a way of stimulating organic molecules that they expect will prompt researchers to create materials from new kinds of chemical reactions.
The method of catalysis, when used, could lead to groundbreaking kinds of drugs and agricultural chemicals and will provide a shortcut to standard multi-step methods
of chemical production.
Merck, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Kitta MacPherson
kittamac@princeton.edu
609-258-5729
Princeton University
Public Release: 4-Sep-2008
Journal of Sexual Medicine
Gait may be associated with orgasmic ability
A new study found that trained sexologists could infer a woman's history of vaginal orgasm by observing the way she walks. The study is published in the September 2008 issue of
The Journal of Sexual Medicine, the official journal of the International Society for Sexual Medicine and the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health.
Contact: Sean Wagner
swagner@wiley.com
781-388-8550
Wiley-Blackwell
Public Release: 4-Sep-2008
Researcher says: No-till practices show extended benefits on wheat and forage
With more than 3 million acres of wheat in north Texas, 50 percent or more of which is grazed by 1 to 2 million head of cattle, it is important to look at tillage practices
and their effect on forage production, said a Texas AgriLife Research expert. Dr. John Sij, AgriLife Research agronomist at Vernon, has been studying nitrogen response
and forage production in relation to tillage practices at the nearby Smith-Walker research farm, where grazing research is conducted under commercial conditions.
Contact: Dr. John Sij
jsij@ag.tamu.edu
940-552-9941
Texas A&M University - Agricultural Communications
Public Release: 5-Sep-2008
Southern Medical Journal
Free drug samples may end up costing uninsured more
Free drug samples provided to physicians by pharmaceutical companies could actually be costing uninsured patients more in the long run,
according to a study done by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.
Contact: Jessica Guenzel
jguenzel@wfubmc.edu
336-716-3487
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
For the Brain, Remembering Is Like Reliving
By BENEDICT CAREY
For the first time, scientists have recorded individual brain cells fetching a spontaneous memory.
Public Release: 5-Sep-2008
Functional food -- delicious and healthy
Linseed is said to protect against cancer -- but not everybody likes the taste. Researchers have now isolated the valuable components of the flax seeds. Incorporated in bread,
cakes or dressings, they support the human organism without leaving an unpleasant aftertaste.
Contact: Katrin Hasenkopf
katrin.hasenkopf@ivv.fraunhofer.de
498-161-4910
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Public Release: 5-Sep-2008
British Medical Journal
Patients will face delays in getting diagnostic scans due to severe shortage of imaging agents
A global shortage of medical isotopes used in over 80 percent of routine diagnostic nuclear imaging procedures such as heart imaging, bone scans and some cancer detection procedures, will cause delays and cancellations to diagnostic examinations across the UK and Europe in the next few weeks, predict experts on bmj.com today.
Contact: Rachael Davies
rdavies@bma.org.uk
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Public Release: 5-Sep-2008
American Journal of Roentgenology
3T MRI leads to better diagnosis for focal epilepsy
3T MRI is better at detecting and characterizing structural brain abnormalities in patients with focal epilepsy than 1.5T MRI, leading to a better diagnosis and safer treatment of patients, according to a recent study conducted at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore.
Contact: Heather Curry
hcurry@arrs.org
703-858-4304
American Roentgen Ray Society
Snap-happy dieters reap benefits
Dieters who keep a photo diary of the meals they eat do better than people who only keep a written account
16:30 05 September 2008
Public Release: 6-Sep-2008
2008 ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium
Study challenges routine use of MRI scans to evaluate breast cancer
A new study suggests women with newly-diagnosed breast cancer who receive an MRI after their diagnosis face delays in starting treatment and are more likely to receive a mastectomy. The study, presented today at the 2008 ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium, also shows that despite lack of evidence of their benefit, the routine use of MRI scans in women
newly diagnosed increased significantly between 2004 and 2005, and again in 2006.
US Public Health Service, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Contact: Karen Mallet
karen.mallet@fccc.edu
414-312-7085
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Steins: A diamond in the sky
6 September 2008
The first images from Rosetta’s OSIRIS imaging system and VIRTIS infrared spectrometer were derived from raw data this morning and have delivered spectacular results.
"Steins looks like a diamond in the sky," said Uwe Keller, Principal Investigator for the OSIRIS imaging system from the Max Planck Institut Fuer Sonnensystemforschung, Lindau.
Chauvinists less unnerving than ambiguous men
Some women are more likely to be adversely affected by men who hide their attitudes than by overtly sexist males
12:00 07 September 2008