- ScienceDaily
- 08/3/2 10:44
It is estimated that more than 98,000 sports injuries in US high schools in 2005-2007 were directly related to an action that was ruled illegal activity by a referee, official or disciplinary committee....
It is estimated that more than 98,000 sports injuries in US high schools in 2005-2007 were directly related to an action that was ruled illegal activity by a referee, official or disciplinary committee....
Biologists have developed a series of global maps that show where projected habitat loss and climate change are expected to drive the need for future reserves to prevent biodiversity loss. Many of the regions that face the greatest habitat change in relation to the amount of land currently protected —- such as Indonesia and Madagascar —- are in globally threatened and endemic species-rich,...
Researchers report that a set of genetic variations in at least four regions of DNA strongly predicts prostate cancer risk and that these variations may be responsible for a large number of prostate cancer cases in white men in the United States. Researchers are scanning the entire human genome to identify common, inherited gene variations that increase the risks for breast and prostate cancers....
Sedentary people who regularly complain of fatigue can increase their energy levels by 20 percent and decrease their fatigue by 65 percent by engaging in regular, low intensity exercise, according to a new study. Interestingly, improvements in energy and fatigue were not related to increases in aerobic fitness that the exercisers experienced....
Adult stem cells may provide an explanation for the cause of a Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, a rare disease that causes premature aging in children. These findings, the first to indicate a biological basis for the clinical features of HGPS, also known as progeria, may also provide new insights into the biological mechanisms of normal aging....
A new way to develop more effective tumor vaccines by turning off the suppression function of regulatory T cells has been developed. The study identified a new molecular player called A20, an enzyme that restricts inflammatory signal transduction in dendritic cells. When it is inhibited, the dendritic cells overproduce an array of cytokines and co-stimulatory molecules that triggers unusually...
A new study of psoriasis patients shows that a recently discovered immune cell, called Th17, appears to be a key player in the disease and occurs in far higher concentrations in their skin than occurs in skin of healthy individuals. Scientists compared skin and blood from healthy people to those from patients with psoriasis. After culturing the samples and examining the T helper cells -- immune...
Scientists who last year identified a new genetic risk factor for celiac disease, have, following continued research, discovered an additional seven gene regions implicated in causing the condition....
Ski tourism is raising stress levels among capercaillie the largest member of the grouse family of birds, which could harm the birds' fitness and ability to breed successfully, ecologists have found. Researchers warn that forests should be kept free from tourism infrastructure if they are inhabited by capercaillie - a rare species whose numbers are declining markedly across central Europe....
Evolution moves in fits and starts, shaping species through random genetic mutations that can help them survive or even hasten their death. But although the mutations occur by chance, the process can create surprisingly similar results. Now, in a startling twist, new research has provided an example in which evolution didn't just result in similar outcomes -- it actually repeated itself, occurring...
SATURDAY 1. MARCH 2008
There is a wealth of scientific literature available on the treatment of adults diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, there is a paucity of data to guide the treatment of children and adolescents with schizophrenia. The researchers discovered that clozapine was approximately twice as likely to produce a treatment response as olanzapine....
US farmers plant corn much earlier today than ever before and it seems to be paying off, at least in the north. Earlier plantings could account for up to half of the yield gains seen in some parts of the northern corn belt since the late 1970s....
New research questions the long-held belief that a lack of predators and competitors was the primary cause for the increase of skates and dogfish observed in Southern New England's George's Bank following overfishing of commercially important species in the 1980's. Scientists now suggest that the increase of winter skate on George's Bank was the result of a migration to the area from adjacent --...
A team of scientists have found that the economic damages from hurricanes have increased in the U.S. over time due to greater population, infrastructure, and wealth on the U.S. coastlines, and not to any spike in the number or intensity of hurricanes....
The progressive eye disease, age related macular degeneration, or AMD for short, doubles the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke. AMD affects the center of the retina (macula) at the back of the eye, which is used for fine central vision tasks, such as reading and driving....
Data show a declining incidence of the genetic disease cystic fibrosis, providing what may be the first demonstration of a link between two independent population-based screening programs. The number of live-born infants with CF dropped by about 50 percent from one four-year period to the next. Moreover, among the babies who were born with CF, markedly fewer had two copies of the delta F508 gene...
The distinctive ability of mothers to identify the cries of their offspring is widely evident in nature, where it is critical to the survival of these offspring. Particular circuits in the brain, involving several regions in the cerebral cortex and limbic system, are distinctively activated when mothers distinguish the smiles and cries of their own infants from those of other infants....
When plant cells divide, they assemble molecular building blocks into new cell walls made of carbohydrate and protein, but scientists know almost nothing about how this process occurs. Researchers have found that the first step in building new plant cell walls is the assembly of a scaffold made of structural proteins, a process similar to using a metal or wood scaffold to construct the walls of a...
Taking the supplement ginkgo biloba had no clear-cut benefit on the risk of developing memory problems, according to a new study. The three-year study involved 118 people age 85 and older with no memory problems. Half of the participants took ginkgo biloba extract three times a day and half took a placebo. During the study, 21 people developed mild memory problems, or questionable dementia....
A highly specialized computer modeling technique has been instrumental in the design of a revolutionary new swimsuit which is now being hailed as the fastest in the world. Within a week of its launch athletes wearing the new swimsuit had broken three world records....
Researchers have shown that they can effectively kill prostate cancer cells in both the laboratory and in experimental animal models by blocking a signaling protein that is key to the cancer's growth. The work proves that the protein, Stat5, is both vital to prostate cancer cell maintenance and that it is a viable target for drug therapy....
Screening breast cancers for three receptors could help doctors predict the likely survival of patients with brain metastases. A new study shows that patients with tumours that are negative for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth receptor-2 or that are HER2+/EQ- appear to be most at risk from developing brain metastases. Survival is also correlated to the triple...
A study investigating the effects of class size on the achievement gap between high and low academic achievers suggests that high achievers benefit more from small classes than low achievers, especially at the kindergarten and first grade levels. "While decreasing class size may increase achievement on average for all types of students, it does not appear to reduce the achievement gap within a...
Scientists have developed new sensitizers that should help an inexpensive type of solar cell to be more efficient. The sensitizers are based on the dye indoline....
The chlorinated solvent trichloroethene (TCE) has been found to be an increasingly problematic contaminant in groundwater. The detection of TCE recently forced the shut down of the water supply for the Greater Phoenix area municipalities of Paradise Valley and Scottsdale. TCE has been widely used as a cleaning agent and solvent for many military, commercial, and industrial applications. Its...