Scientific and Space News

'It Takes Two To Know One': Shared Experiences Change Self-recognition
Looking at yourself in the mirror every morning, you never think to question whether the person you see is actually you. A new study challenges this common-sense notion about our own self image. The study shows for the first time that the image we hold of our own face can actually change through shared experiences with other people's faces.

Avian Flu Becoming More Resistant To Antiviral Drugs
A new study shows the resistance of the avian flu virus to a major class of antiviral drugs is increasing through positive evolutionary selection, with researchers documenting the trend in more than 30 percent of the samples tested.

Big Raindrops Favor Tornado Formation, Simulations Suggest
One of the largest sources of uncertainty in weather prediction involves how microscale structures influence larger-scale phenomena. For instance, previous studies have demonstrated that the structure, dynamics, and evolution of thunderstorms are very sensitive to cloud microphysical parameters.

NASA Space Balloon Mission Tunes In To Cosmic Radio Mystery
Listening to the early universe just got harder. Astronomers have discovered cosmic radio noise that booms six times louder than expected.

New Bartonella Species That Infects Humans Discovered
Researchers have produced the first link between a species of bacteria most commonly found in sheep and human illness.

To Climate-change Worries, Add One More: Extended Mercury Threat
Mercury pollution has already spurred public health officials to advise eating less fish, but it could become a more pressing concern in a warmer world.

'Scrawny' Gene Keeps Stem Cells Healthy
Stem cells are the body's primal cells, retaining the youthful ability to develop into more specialized types of cells over many cycles of cell division. How do they do it? Scientists have identified a gene, scrawny, that appears to be a key factor in keeping a variety of stem cells in their undifferentiated state. Understanding how stem cells maintain their potency has implications for basic biology and also for medical applications.

Cassiopeia A Comes Alive Across Time And Space
Two new efforts have taken a famous supernova remnant from the static to the dynamic. A new movie of data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows changes in time never seen before in this type of object. A separate team has produced a dramatic 3-D visualization of the same remnant.

Cellular Task Force To Safeguard Genome Stability
The maintenance of genome stability is crucial for protecting an organism against the onset of cancer and the study of the mechanisms controlling genome stability represents one of the most promising frontiers in cancer research.

Odd-looking Martian Craters Indicate Hidden Ice
Surface features common in the northern and southern midlatitudes of Mars and known as lobate debris aprons and lineated valley fill are believed to have formed either as debris flows mobilized by pore ice or as debris-covered glaciers.

Spookfish Uses Mirrors For Eyes
A remarkable new discovery shows the four-eyed spookfish to be the first vertebrate ever found to use mirrors, rather than lenses, to focus light in its eyes.

Wii Fit A Promising Tool For All Ages, Though Game's Health Measurements Are Flawed
Games like Nintendo's Wii Fit can help promote physical rather than sedentary activities for people of all ages.

Asian Grasslands May Hold Global Promise To Restore Grasslands In Arid Areas
Grazinglands in the Asian steppes and the rangelands in the western United States share similar climates, vegetation, land-use practices and problems. So an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist joined a search in Asia to find and preserve native forage plants--and to see if these plants can be used to sustain and restore arid grasslands in other parts of the world.

Control Of Blood Vessels A Possible Weapon Against Obesity
Mice exposed to low temperatures develop more blood vessels in their adipose tissue and metabolise body fat more quickly, according to a new study. Scientists now hope to learn how to control blood vessel development in humans in order to combat obesity and diabetes.

Hubble Finds Stars That Go 'Ballistic'
Even some stars go ballistic, racing through interstellar space like bullets and tearing through clouds of gas.

P2P Traffic Control: Wireless Technology Could Reduce Congestion, Accidents
Could a concept from information technology familiar to online file sharers be exploited to reduce road congestion and even traffic accidents? That is the question answered in the affirmative by researchers in California.

Producing A More Effective Oral Form Of A Powerful Disease-fighting Protein
Scientists in Japan are reporting an advance toward using a natural disease-fighting protein in pills or syrups that patients can take by mouth rather than injection. Their study is the first to show that coating the protein with a polymer material already in wide medical use can increase its absorption by the intestine.

Wonderful Cheese Is All In The Culture
Scientists have identified a new line of bacteria they believe add flavor to some of the world's most exclusive cheeses.

Cause Of Glacial Earthquakes In Greenland Clarified
Satellite observations during the past decade have shown dramatic changes in flow speed on year-to-year timescales at Greenland's outlet glaciers. Seismic events traced back to glaciers during the same time period have been interpreted to have resulted from calving events at the glacier terminus or surging events lubricated by subglacial meltwater.

Cystic Fibrosis Patients' Self-assessment Of Health Can Predict Prognosis
Adult cystic fibrosis patients can provide important information that helps to predict their prognosis, according to research that asked 223 adult CF patients to assess their own health and well-being.

Dangerous New Method For Bacterial Toxin Transfer Discovered
Scientists have discovered a new way for bacteria to transfer toxic genes to unrelated bacterial species, a finding that raises the unsettling possibility that bacterial swapping of toxins and other disease-aiding factors may be more common than previously imagined.

Lifelong Gender Difference In Physical Activity Revealed
Females of all ages are less active than their male peers. Two new studies reveal the gender difference in activity levels among school children and the over 70s. Both studies show males to be more physically active than females.

Lunar Rock-Like Material May Someday House Moon Colonies
Dwellings in colonies on the moon one day may be built with new, highly durable bricks developed by students from the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech.

Modified Lignin Has Potential Benefits For Ethanol, Paper And Feed
Cellulose is a key component of plant cell walls that can be converted into ethanol and other products. New findings could help make that conversion process easier.

Modulation Of Gene Expression By Protein Coding Regions Demonstrated
Scientists have discovered how the expression of one of the Hox master control genes is regulated in a specific segment of the developing brain. The findings provide important insight into how and where the brain develops some of its unique and important structures.

Promising New Drug Being Evaluated As Possible Treatment Option For Fragile X Syndrome
A pilot trial of an oral drug therapy called fenobam has shown promising initial results and could be a potential new treatment option for adult patients with Fragile X syndrome. Findings of the open label, single-dose study are to be published in the Journal of Medical Genetics.

Tackling Climate Change With New Permits To Pollute
A new way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and tackle climate change had been unveiled by leading economists.

Testes Stem Cells Can Change Into Other Body Tissues
Scientists have succeeded in isolating stem cells from human testes. The cells bear a striking resemblance to embryonic stem cells -- they can differentiate into each of the three main types of tissues of the body -- but the researchers caution against viewing them as one and the same.

Treating Gum Disease Linked To Lower Medical Costs For Patients With Diabetes
A new report suggests that treating gum disease in patients who have diabetes with procedures such as cleanings and periodontal scaling is linked to 10 to 12 percent lower medical costs per month.

Young Adults Need To Make More Time For Healthy Meals
Researchers observed that while young adults enjoy and value time spent eating with others, 35 percent of males and 42 percent of females reported lacking time to sit down and eat a meal. They further noted that "eating on the run" was related to higher consumption of unhealthy items like fast foods and lower consumption of many healthful foods.

Black Holes Lead Galaxy Growth
Peering deep into the early universe, astronomers may have solved a longstanding cosmic chicken-and-egg problem -- which forms first -- galaxies or the black holes at their cores?

Can Nature's Leading Indicators Presage Environmental Disaster?
Economists use leading indicators -- the drivers of economic performance -- to take the temperature of the economy and predict the future. Now, in a new study, scientists take a page from the social science handbook and use leading indicators of the environment to presage the potential collapse of ecosystems.

Defatted Soy Flour Eyed As Filler Substitute For Rubber Tires
In 1941, Henry Ford unveiled a plastic-bodied car whose panels included soybean meal as component. The feat made headlines--and history--but the idea never took off commercially. However, researchers continue to toy with the idea and are now testing soy flour as a "green" filler for tires and other natural rubber products.

Majority Of Teens Discuss Risky Behaviors On MySpace, Studies Conclude
Fifty-four percent of adolescents frequently discuss high-risk activities including sexual behavior, substance abuse or violence using MySpace, the popular social networking Web site.

Mechanisms That Regulate DNA Damage Control And Replication Illuminated
Scientists have demonstrated important new roles for the protein kinase complex Cdc7/Dbf4 or Cdc7/Drf1 in monitoring damage control during DNA replication and reinitiating replication following DNA repair.

Old Gastrointestinal Drug Slows Aging, Researchers Say
Recent animal studies have shown that an 80-year old drug once used to treat gastrointestinal disorders can reverse the progression of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. However, scientists had a variety of theories to attempt to explain how a single compound could have such similar effects on three unrelated neurodegenerative disorders. According to researchers at McGill University, clioquinol might actually slow down the aging process. The study was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Catastrophic Coincidence: Second Ever Example Of Contemporaneous Meteorite Impact And Flood Volcanism Discovered
Scientists have discovered only the second example of a meteorite impact that occurred at the same time as massive volcanic activity. The first time such a coincidence was observed, at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, was the catastrophic event thought to be responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.

Gene Abnormality Found To Predict Childhood Leukemia Relapse
Scientists have identified mutations in a gene that predict a high likelihood of relapse in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Although the researchers caution that further research is needed to determine how changes in the gene, called IKZF1 or IKAROS, lead to leukemia relapse, the findings are likely to provide the basis for future diagnostic tests to assess the risk of treatment failure. By identifying this genetic marker in ALL patients, physicians should be better able to assign patients to appropriate therapies.

Levitation At Microscopic Scale Could Lead To Nanomechanical Devices Based On Quantum Levitation
Magicians have long created the illusion of levitating objects in the air. Now researchers have actually levitated an object, suspending it without the need for external support. Working at the molecular level, the researchers relied on the tendency of certain combinations of molecules to repel each other at close contact, effectively suspending one surface above another by a microscopic distance. Researchers have measured, for the first time, a repulsive quantum mechanical force that could be harnessed and tailored for a wide range of new nanotechnology applications.

Male Crickets With Bigger Heads Are Better Fighters, Study Reveals, Echoing Ancient Chinese Text
Biologists show that male crickets with larger heads and mouthparts are more successful in fights with smaller-headed rivals.

New Genetic Markers For Ulcerative Colitis Identified
Scientists have identified genetic markers associated with risk for ulcerative colitis. The findings bring researchers closer to understanding the biological pathways involved in the disease and may lead to the development of new treatments that specifically target them.

Why Smokers Struggle To Quit: New Findings
Just seeing someone smoke can trigger smokers to abandon their nascent efforts to kick the habit, according to new research.

Astronomers Use Gamma-ray Burst To Probe Star Formation In The Early Universe
The brilliant afterglow of a powerful gamma-ray burst (GRB) has enabled astronomers to probe the star-forming environment of a distant galaxy, resulting in the first detection of molecular gas in a GRB host galaxy. By analyzing the spectrum of light emitted in the GRB afterglow, the researchers are gleaning insights into an active stellar nursery in a galaxy so far away it appears as it was 10 billion years ago.

Drinkers With Alcohol Dehydrogenase Gene Are At Greater Risk Of Colorectal Cancer
Chronic drinking is a known risk factor for colorectal cancer, possibly due to the creation of acetaldehyde by the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme. New findings show that individuals with a polymorphism of the ADH1C gene produce more acetaldehyde when they drink, which creates a higher risk for colorectal cancer.

Gene Linked To Inherited Form Of Fatal Lung Disease Identified
Researchers have determined that a mutation in a gene known for its role in defending the lungs against invading pathogens is responsible for some inherited cases of a lethal lung disease affecting older adults. The same mutation may also be associated with lung cancer, the researchers said.

Polarized Light Leads Animals Astray: 'Ecological Traps' Cause Animal Behaviors That Can Lead To Death
Human-made light sources can alter natural light cycles, causing animals that rely on light cues to make mistakes when moving through their environment. In the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, a collaboration of ecologists, biologists and biophysicists has now shown that in addition to direct light, cues from polarized light can trigger animal behaviors leading to injury and often death.

Surprise Drop In Carbon Dioxide Absorbed By East/Japan Sea
The East/Japan Sea in the western North Pacific is ventilated from the surface to the bottom of the ocean over decades. Authors conclude that overturning circulation is weakening, slowing down the transport of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the surface to the interior of the East/Japan Sea.

Vision Problems Prompt Older Drivers To Put Down The Keys
With 30 million drivers in the US aged 65 and over, we count on older Americans to recognize when they can no longer drive safely and decide that it's time to stay off the road. A new study finds that a decrease in vision function is a key factor in bringing about this decision.