SciNews20061106

Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Vermont have discovered a key molecular mechanism that allows tiny flies and other "no-see-ums" to whirl their wings at a dizzying rate of up to 1,000 times per second. The findings are being reported in the Oct. 30 online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association
Contact: Jason Gorss
gorssj@rpi.edu
518-276-6098
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Public Release: 30-Oct-2006
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
First evidence to show elephants, like humans, apes and dolphins, recognize themselves in mirror
Elephants have joined a small, elite group of species -- including humans, great apes and dolphins -- that have the ability to recognize themselves in the mirror, according to a new research finding. Mirror self-recognition in elephants, previously predicted due to their well-known social complexity, is thought to relate to empathetic tendencies and the ability to distinguish oneself from others, a characteristic that evolved independently in several branches of animals, including primates such as humans.
Contact: Lisa Newbern
lmnewbe@emory.edu
404-727-7709
Emory University Health Sciences Center
Public Release: 30-Oct-2006
PLoS Medicine
Researchers cast doubt on hypothesis that stigma fuels HIV epidemic
The dominant view in the public health community is that the stigma of being HIV positive fuels the HIV epidemic, and yet there is a lack of evidence to support this view, say two researchers in a provocative essay in PLoS Medicine.
Contact: Andrew Hyde
press@plos.org
44-122-346-3330
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 30-Oct-2006
Neuroscience Letters
Test reveals effectiveness of potential Huntington's disease drugs
A test using cultured cells provides an effective way to screen drugs against Huntington's disease and shows that two compounds -- memantine and riluzole -- are most effective at keeping cells alive under conditions that mimic the disorder, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.
Robert A. Welch Foundation, High Q Foundation, NIH/National Institute for Neurological Diseases and Stroke
Contact: Aline McKenzie
aline.mckenzie@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Public Release: 30-Oct-2006
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Adults who go to bed lonely get stress hormone boost next morning
A study that takes a rare look at the physiological, social and emotional dynamics of day-to-day experiences in real-life settings shows that when older adults go to bed lonely, sad or overwhelmed, they have elevated levels of cortisol shortly after waking the next morning. This cues the body on a day-to-day basis that it is time to rev up to deal with loneliness and other negative experiences, according to the Northwestern University researcher who led the study.
NIH/National Institute of Aging, John Templeton Foundation
Contact: Pat Vaughan Tremmel
p-tremmel@northwestern.edu
847-491-4892
Northwestern University
Public Release: 30-Oct-2006
Phytotherapy Research

Herbal medicine silymarin may help sugar-control in people with type II diabetes
Diabetes is a growing health problem. Giving antioxidants is recognised as one way of helping people with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels. Research published in Phytotherapy Research.
Contact: Polly Young
pyoung@wiley.co.uk
44-012-437-70633
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Public Release: 30-Oct-2006
Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A
Soccer referees do favor home teams, study shows
Academics have proved what football (soccer) managers in the English Premiership have been complaining about for years -- that referees are inconsistent and favor home teams. Analyzing over 2,500 English Premiership matches, researchers discovered that referees were statistically more likely to award yellow and red cards against the away team -- even when home advantage, game importance and crowd size were taken into account.
Contact: Andrew McLaughlin
a.mclaughlin@bath.ac.uk
44-012-253-86883
University of Bath
Public Release: 30-Oct-2006
Genome Research
Phoenix rising: Scientists resuscitate a 5 million-year-old retrovirus
A team of scientists has reconstructed the DNA sequence of a 5-million-year-old retrovirus and shown that it is able to produce infectious particles. The retrovirus -- named Phoenix -- is the ancestor of a large family of mobile DNA elements, some of which may play a role in cancer. The study is the first to generate an infectious retrovirus from a mobile element in the human genome. The findings are reported in Genome Research.
Contact: Maria Smit
smit@cshl.edu
516-422-4127
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Scientists: Skull Proves Early Autopsy
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 31, 2006
Filed at 11:56 p.m. ET
The earliest confirmed autopsy in North America was conducted more than 400 years ago by French colonists desperate to determine what was killing them as they endured a rugged winter on St. Croix Island, scientists concluded.
Personal Health
World Enough and Time for ‘a Good Death’
By JANE E. BRODY
What is a “good” death? Is it really the same for everyone and what are the consequences of different approaches to death for those left behind?
October 31, 2006
What Pilots Can Teach Hospitals About Patient Safety
By KATE MURPHY
A growing number of health care providers are trying to learn from aviation accidents and, more specifically, from what the airlines have done to prevent them.
Scientist at Work | Claudia I. Henschke
When It Comes to Lung Cancer, She Doesn’t Believe in Waiting
By DENISE GRADY
Dr. Claudia I. Henschke has been waging a relentless campaign against lung cancer since 1999.
Essay
Computing, 2016: What Won’t Be Possible?
By STEVE LOHR
In a decade, it is likely that the impact of computing will go deeper into the sciences and spread more into the social sciences and that policy issues will loom large.
Public Release: 30-Oct-2006
Books on Science
An Evolutionary Theory of Right and Wrong
By NICHOLAS WADE
Marc D. Hauser has proposed that people are born with a moral grammar wired into their neural circuits by evolution.
* Moral Minds Excerpt: Chapter One

New study shows teenage girls' use of diet pills doubles over five-year span
A study released today by the University of Minnesota's "Project EAT" (Eating Among Teens) shows startling results of 2,500 female teenagers studied over a five-year period. The study found that high school-aged females' use of diet pills nearly doubled from 7.5 to 14.2 percent. By the ages of 19 and 20, 20 percent of females surveyed used diet pills.
Contact: David Ruth
druth@umn.edu
612-624-1690
University of Minnesota
Public Release: 31-Oct-2006
FASEB Journal
It's in your head: The brain's own globin defends you from shock and stroke
The next generation of treatments for shock or stroke could be based on a protein that is already in our heads -- neuroglobin. In a review article to be published in the November issue of the FASEB Journal, scientists from University of Rome describe this protein, which may be the key to unlocking new therapies to minimize brain damage and improve recoveries for patients.
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Public Release: 31-Oct-2006
JAMA
A potential biological cause for sudden infant death syndrome
New autopsy data provide the strongest evidence yet that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is not a "mystery" disease but has a concrete biological basis: abnormalities in the brainstem serotonin system. Based on their findings, published in the November 1 issue of JAMA, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston now hope to develop a diagnostic test to identify newborns at risk, and envision treatments to protect them during the vulnerable period.
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Contact: Alissa Rooney
alissa.rooney@childrens.harvard.edu
617-355-6420
Children's Hospital Boston
Public Release: 31-Oct-2006
JAMA
Rehabilitation technique for stroke patients effective in improving arm, hand movement
Therapy that includes restraining the less-impaired arm or hand of a stroke patient appears effective in improving movement and functional use of the paralyzed arm or hand, according to a study in the Nov. 1 issue of JAMA.
Contact: Lance Skelly
404-686-8538
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 31-Oct-2006
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Microwave pre-cooking of French fries reduces cancer chemicals
Microwaving your French fries before you fry them reduces the levels of a cancer-causing substance, reveals findings published today in the SCI's Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
Contact: Polly Young
pyoung@wiley.co.uk
44-012-437-70633
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Public Release: 31-Oct-2006
Cancer Immunity
White blood cells of cancer-resistant mice overwhelm natural defenses of cancer cells
The discoverers of the unique mouse line that is resistant to cancer have begun to pin down how the process works and found that white blood cells in these mice overwhelm normal defenses of cancer cells.
Cancer Research Institute, NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Robert Conn
rconn@wfubmc.edu
336-716-4587
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center

Cave fossils are early Europeans
The bones are said to display modern and Neanderthal features Archaeologists have identified fossils belonging to some of the earliest modern humans to settle in Europe.
Public Release: 31-Oct-2006
Bone research that grows on you
Rapid and guided healing of bones has moved a step closer with research by two biomedical engineering students who have found new ways to deliver bone growth enhancers directly to broken or weakened bones.
Contact: Niki Widdowson
n.widdowson@qut.edu.au
61-731-811-841
Queensland University of Technology
Public Release: 31-Oct-2006
Small
Nanotechnology goes out on a wing
A team of researchers led by Jin Zhang and Zhongfan Liu (Peking University) have used the wings of cicadas as stamps to pattern polymer films with nanometer-sized structures.
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Science and Technology, Fokying Tung Education Foundation
Contact: Prof. Zhongfan Liu
zfliu@pku.edu.cn
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Public Release: 31-Oct-2006
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
New cancer-fighting virus kills invasive brain cells
Alberta researchers have developed a virus that, given intravenously, destroys the most malignant form of brain cancer in mice. The research is being published Nov. 1 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Canadian Cancer Society, Terry Fox Foundation, Clark Smith Integrative Brain Research Center
Contact: Nancy Rose
nancy.rose@cancerboard.ab.ca
403-698-8023
Alberta Cancer Board
Public Release: 1-Nov-2006
New England Journal of Medicine
Study finds periodontal treatment does not lower preterm birth risk
Scientists report in this week's New England Journal of Medicine that pregnant women who received non-surgical treatment for their periodontal, or gum, disease did not also significantly lower their risk of delivering a premature or low-birthweight baby.
NIH/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Contact: Bob Kuska
kuskar@nidcr.nih.gov
301-496-4260
NIH/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Public Release: 1-Nov-2006
Nature
Single molecule extends fat mice lives by reversing gene pathways associated with disease in obese
Researchers have used a single compound to increase the lifespan of obese mice, and found that the drug reversed nearly all of the changes in gene expression patterns found in mice on high calorie diets -- some of which are associated with diabetes, heart disease and other significant diseases related to obesity. The research is the first time that the small molecule resveratrol has been shown to offer survival benefits in a mammal.
Paul F. Glenn and the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, NIH/National Institute of Aging, Ellison Medical Research Foundation, American Heart Foundation, American Diabetes Association
Contact: John Lacey
public_affairs@hms.harvard.edu
617-432-0442
Harvard Medical School

Public Release: 1-Nov-2006
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery
Heel to heal
A new stretch is proving quite effective to help treat and potentially cure plantar fasciitis, a condition that affects nearly 2.5 million Americans each year. Researchers found that patients suffering from the painful heel spur syndrome had a 75 percent chance of having no pain and returning to full activity within three to six months of performing the stretch. In addition, patients have about a 75 percent chance of needing no further treatment.
Contact: Germaine Reinhardt
germaine_reinhardt@urmc.rochester.edu
585-275-6517
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 1-Nov-2006
ASU researchers test antibacterial effects of healing clays
Clay is most commonly associated with the sublime experience of the European spa where visitors have been masked, soaked and basted with this touted curative since the Romans ruled. If Arizona State University geochemist Lynda Williams and microbiologist Shelley Haydel's research on the antibacterial properties of clays realizes its full potential, smectite clay could one day rise above cosmetic use to take its place comfortably with antibacterial behemoths like penicillin.
NIH/National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Contact: Carol Hughes
carol.hughes@asu.edu
480-965-6375
Arizona State University
Public Release: 1-Nov-2006
Annals of Emergency Medicine
Nap a day makes doctors OK, Stanford study finds
Give emergency room doctors a nap, and not only will they do a better job, they'll also be nicer to you, according to a new study from Stanford University School of Medicine.
Contact: Tracie White
traciew@stanford.edu
650-723-7628
Stanford University Medical Center

If fishing around the world continues at its present pace, more and more species will vanish, experts are predicting.
Report on Marine Ecosystems (sciencemag.org)
Public Release: 2-Nov-2006
Science
U of M researchers invent 'flashy' new process to turn soy oil, glucose into hydrogen
A University of Minnesota team has invented a "reactive flash volatilization process" that heats oil and sugar about a million times faster than you can in your kitchen and produces hydrogen and carbon monoxide, a mixture called synthesis gas, or syngas, because it is used to make chemicals and fuels, including gasoline. The new process works 10 to 100 times faster than current technology, with no input of fossil fuels and in reactors at least 10 times smaller than current models.
US Department of Energy, University of Minnesota Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment
Contact: Mark Cassutt
cassu003@umn.edu
612-624-8038
University of Minnesota
Public Release: 2-Nov-2006
Science
Reduced body temperature extends lifespan in study from the Scripps Research Institute
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have found that reducing the core body temperature of mice extends their median lifespan by up to 20 percent. This is the first time that changes in body temperature have been shown to affect lifespan in warm-blooded animals.
Harold Dorris Neurological Research Institute, Ellison Medical Foundation, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Keith McKeown
kmckeown@scripps.edu
858-784-8134
Scripps Research Institute

Public Release: 2-Nov-2006
Laryngoscope
Intact tonsils triple risk of recurrent strep throat
Children with recurrent strep throat whose tonsils have not been removed are over three times more likely to develop subsequent episodes of strep throat than children who undergo tonsillectomy, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the Nov. 2 issue of Laryngoscope.
Contact: Lee Aase
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic
Public Release: 2-Nov-2006
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Dopamine used to prompt nerve tissue to regrow
Georgia Tech/Emory researchers have integrated dopamine, a type of neurotransmitter, into a polymer to stimulate nerve tissues to send out new connections. The discovery, published in PNAS, is the first step toward the eventual goal of implanting the polymer into patients suffering from neurological disorders to help repair damaged nerves.
Contact: Megan McRainey
megan.mcrainey@icpa.gatech.edu
404-894-6016
Georgia Institute of Technology
Public Release: 2-Nov-2006
Science
Major breakthrough in the mechanism of myelin formation
The group of Dr. Michel Cayouette, researcher at Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), and Dr. Jonah Chan, collaborator at the University of Southern California, will publish in the next issue of the prestigious scientific journal Science the results of their study that could have a major impact on the treatment of diseases such as multiple sclerosis, and preipheral neuropathies.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Contact: Lucette Thériault
lucette.theriault@ircm.qc.ca
514-987-5535
Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal
Public Release: 3-Nov-2006
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Space sunshade might be feasible in global warming emergency
Developing renewable energy is the only permanent solution to global warming, University of Arizona astronomer Roger Angel concludes. But should Earth be faced with an abrupt climate crisis, a space sunshade is a technically feasible solution.
NASA
Contact: Lori Stiles
lstiles@u.arizona.edu
520-626-4402
University of Arizona