Science Headlines for March 2, 2008

Common Variations In Gene Segments That Increase The Risk For Prostate Cancer

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.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 3 Mar 2008 | 1:00 am

West Antarctic Glaciers Melting At 20 Times Former Rate, Rock Analysis Shows

Boulders the size footballs could help scientists predict the West Antarctic Ice Sheet's contribution to sea-level rise according to new research in Geology. Initial results show that Pine Island Glacier has 'thinned' by around 4 centimeters per year over the past 5,000 years, while Smith and Pope Glaciers thinned by just over 2 cm per year during the past 14,500 years. These rates are more than 20 times slower than recent changes: satellite, airborne and ground based observations made since the 1990s show that Pine Island Glacier has thinned by around 1.6 meters per year in recent years. The scientists reached their conclusions by investigating how long the boulders have been exposed to cosmic radiation rather than being shielded by ice or sediment.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 3 Mar 2008 | 1:00 am

Low-intensity Exercise Reduces Fatigue Symptoms By 65 Percent, Study Finds

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.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 3 Mar 2008 | 1:00 am

When The Rules Of The Game Are Broken: Sports Injuries Related To Illegal Activity

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.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 3 Mar 2008 | 1:00 am

Steps Towards Warship Invisibility

Naval warships might look like all-powerful vessels but they are also highly vulnerable to being spotted by the enemy. That fear of being detected has led the military to develop new stealth technologies that allow ships to be virtually invisible to the human eye, to dodge roaming radars, put heat-seeking missiles off the scent, disguise their own sound vibrations and even reduce the way they distort the Earth's magnetic field.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 3 Mar 2008 | 1:00 am

Future ‘Battlegrounds’ for Habitat Conservation Very Different to Those in Past

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, developing tropical nations that have the fewest resources for conservation. Conversely, many of the temperate regions of the planet with an already expansive network of reserves are in countries —- such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland —- with the greatest financial resources for conservation efforts, but comparatively less biodiversity under threat.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 3 Mar 2008 | 1:00 am

Tendon Complications, Though Rare, Linked To Statins, Study Shows

Statins, the most effective treatment for lowering cholesterol, are widely used and have been demonstrated to be safe in large clinical trials. Although side effects are usually mild, more severe side effects, especially musculoskeletal complications, have been reported. Tendon impairment has been reported anecdotally but has not been included in large-scale studies. A new study found that, although rare, tendon complications are linked to the use of statins.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Mar 2008 | 7:00 pm

Protein Protects Lung Cancer Cells From Efforts To Fix Or Kill Them

A protein that helps lung cancer cells thrive appears to do so by blocking healthy cells' ability to fix themselves when radiation or chemicals such as nicotine damage their DNA, according to a new article. The study explains how the protein enables cancer cells to circumvent the body's own efforts to change them back into healthy cells -- or evade treatments designed to kill them.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Mar 2008 | 7:00 pm

Liquid Water Found Flowing On Mars? Not Yet

Liquid water has not been found on the Martian surface within the last decade after all, according to new research. The finding casts doubt on the 2006 report that the bright spots in some Martian gullies indicate that liquid water flowed there sometime since 1999. The researchers took advantage of the detailed topographic data derived from images of Mars taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 2 Mar 2008 | 7:00 pm

Why Juniper Trees Can Live On Less Water

An ability to avoid the plant equivalent of vapor lock and a favorable evolutionary history may explain the unusual drought resistance of junipers, some varieties of which are now spreading rapidly in water-starved regions of the western United States, a new study has found.