Science Headlines for August 3, 2008

Cutting The Brakes On The Immune System; Newly Discovered Gene Variant Implicated In Lupus

A new study has found that variation of a particular gene -- known as TNFAIP3 -- may cause the immune system to lose its ability to shut off, leading to the autoimmune disease lupus. The research appears in the August issue of the journal Nature Genetics.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Alzheimer's Drug May Help Mild Memory Loss, Imaging Study Suggests

New UCLA research suggests that the treatment of early symptoms of memory loss may protect the brain and help people with mild age-related memory impairment. The finding also shows how PET offers researchers a tool for tracking the effectiveness of drugs prescribed to treat age-related cognitive decline.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Cancer Patients Are Not Given Enough Information, Experts Say

Two thirds of cancer patients receive little or no information about the survival benefits of having palliative chemotherapy before making a decision about treatment, according to a new study.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Timing Is Everything: How Vulnerable To Flooding Is New York City?

A new high-resolution storm surge modeling system will better be able to predict flood levels and when flooding will occur in the New York metropolitan area, information crucial to emergency managers when planning for impending storms.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Emerging Scientific Discipline Of Aeroecology

Aeroecology is the emerging discipline for studying how airborne organisms -- birds, bats, arthropods and microbes -- depend on the support of the lower atmosphere that is closest to the Earth's surface. Called the aerosphere, it influences the daily and seasonal movements, development traits, such as size and shape, and evolution of behavioral, sensory, metabolic and respiratory functions of airborne organisms. Understanding how they respond to altered landscapes and atmospheric conditions can also help mitigate adverse effects.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Common Vaginal Infection May Increase Risk Of HIV Infection

A common vaginal infection may make women more susceptible to contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have found.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 4 Aug 2008 | 12:00 am

Brain Plays Key Role In Appetite By Regulating Free Radicals

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found the brain's appetite center uses fat for fuel by involving oxygen free radicals -- molecules associated with aging and neurodegeneration. The findings suggest that antioxidants could play a role in weight control.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 3 Aug 2008 | 6:00 pm

Treatment Corrects Severe Insulin Imbalance In Animal Studies

Researchers have used a drug to achieve normal levels of blood sugar in animals genetically engineered to have abnormally high insulin levels. If this approach succeeds in humans, it could become an innovative medicine for children with congenital hyperinsulinism, a rare but potentially devastating genetic disease in which insulin levels become dangerously high. There is currently no effective medical treatment for children with the most common type of congenital hyperinsulinism.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 3 Aug 2008 | 6:00 pm

How 'Hidden Mutations' Contribute To HIV Drug Resistance

One of the major reasons that treatment for HIV/AIDS often doesn't work as well as it should is resistance to the drugs involved. Now, scientists have determined how mutations hidden in previously ignored parts of the HIV genome play an important role in the development of drug resistance in AIDS patients.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 3 Aug 2008 | 6:00 pm

Mother Earth Naked: A Modern Masterpiece

Have you ever wondered what our world would look like stripped bare of all plants, soils, water and human-made structures? Well wonder no longer -- images of the Earth as never seen before have been unveiled in what is the world's biggest geological mapping project ever.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 3 Aug 2008 | 6:00 pm

World's Smallest Snake Discovered on Barbados (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - As slim as a spaghetti noodle and able to fit snugly on a U.S. quarter, a new species of snake has been found hiding out in a forest on Barbados. The reptilian runt is now the world's smallest snake.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 3 Aug 2008 | 12:16 pm