Science Headlines for August 15, 2008

Hepatitis B Genotypes And Mutants May Influence Liver Cancer Risk

Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes liver cancer in some individuals, but not all strains of the virus are associated with the same degree of risk. If confirmed, the newly reported data could help target chemoprevention strategies in the future.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Slipping Through Cell Walls, Nanotubes Deliver High-potency Punch To Cancer Tumors In Mice

A big challenge in treating cancer with chemotherapy is how to get the most medication into the cells of a tumor without "spillover" of the medication adversely affecting the healthy cells in a patient's body. Now researchers have addressed that problem using single-walled carbon nanotubes as delivery vehicles. This method gets a higher proportion of a given dose of medication into the tumor cells than is possible with the "free" drug.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Women And War: The Toll Of Deployment On Physical Health

More than 80 percent of a sample of Air Force women deployed in Iraq and other areas around the world report suffering from persistent fatigue, fever, hair loss and difficulty concentrating.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Antarctic Climate: Short-term Spikes, Long-term Warming Linked To Tropical Pacific

Dramatic year-to-year temperature swings and a century-long warming trend across West Antarctica are linked to conditions in the tropical Pacific, according to an analysis of ice cores. The findings show the connection of the world's coldest continent to global warming, as well as to events such as El Niño.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Burmese Pythons Will Find Little Suitable Habitat Outside South Florida, Study Suggests

Burmese Pythons may have chosen Florida as a vacation destination, but are unlikely to expand further, according to a new study. Although the United States Geological Survey earlier this year released "climate maps" indicating that the pythons could inhabit up to 32 states in the US, new research indicates that the snakes are unlikely to expand out of Florida.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Stress, Anxiety Can Make Allergy Attacks Even More Miserable And Last Longer

A new study shows that even slight stress and anxiety can substantially worsen a person's allergic reaction to some routine allergens. Moreover, the added impact of stress and anxiety seem to linger, causing the second day of a stressed person's allergy attack to be much worse.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 9:00 pm

Chemists Take Gold, Mass-produce Beijing Olympic Logo

Nanoscientists have mass-produced the 2008 Summer Olympics logo -- 15,000 times. All the logos take up one square centimeter of space. The researchers printed the logos as well as an integrated gold circuit using a new printing technique, called Polymer Pen Lithography, that can write on three different length scales using only one device. It is fast, inexpensive and simple and could find use in computational tools, medical diagnostics and the pharmaceutical industry.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 6:00 pm

Big-brained Animals Evolve Faster

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists analyzed body size measures of 7,209 species of birds and found that avian families that have experienced the greatest diversification in body size tend to be those with brains larger than expected for their body size.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 6:00 pm

Model For Neurological Disorder 'Angelman Syndrome' Developed

A model for studying the genetics of Angelman syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes mental retardation and other symptoms in one out of 15,000 births, has been developed by biologists at The University of Texas at Austin.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 6:00 pm

Lessons From Yeast: A Possible Cure For Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson disease is a debilitating and lethal neurodegenerative disease, for which there is currently no cure. However, new data have provided evidence to support that idea that agents that disrupt the formation of the abnormal aggregates of a protein called alpha-syn that characterize the brain of individuals with PD might have therapeutic effects.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 6:00 pm

Tropical depression may form near Puerto Rico

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The tropical wave over Puerto Rico could become a tropical depression any time Friday as the system moves toward Hispaniola, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT) report.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 12:31 pm

Europe's Mars rover

The European Space Agency is sending a rover to Mars, scheduled to arrive in 2015. It will be the most sophisticated rover to explore the red planet
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 15 Aug 2008 | 12:11 pm

Mars: UK scientists unveil a Mars rover called Bradley

The rover – the most sophisticated ever built – is due to explore Mars in 2015 as part of the European Space Agency's ExoMars mission
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 15 Aug 2008 | 12:09 pm

Worrying invasive snail found in Lake Michigan (AP)

AP - Scientists worry that a rapidly reproducing, tiny invasive snail recently found in Lake Michigan could hurt the lake's ecosystem.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 11:36 am

Iranian president optimistic over power, gas deals with Turkey (AFP)

AFP - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressed hope Friday that his country and Turkey would soon conclude natural gas and electricity deals -- projects that have attracted US discontent.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 11:32 am

The Nation's Weather (AP)

AP - Showers and thunderstorms were forecast for the central and southern Plains on Friday. The storms could be severe, packing strong winds, moderate rain and large hail.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 11:07 am

More women choosing careers in forensic science (AP)

AP - Kelly Johnson snips pieces from a blood-stained, blue-striped shirt, then swabs the neck and armpits for sweat. Down the hall, Samantha Glass watches as a chemical reaction reveals a fingerprint on a juice bottle.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 11:06 am

Partial Lunar Eclipse to Grace Old World Aug. 16 (SPACE.com)

SPACE.com - Eclipses of the sun and moon usually come in pairs. A solar eclipse is almost always accompanied by a lunar eclipse two weeks before or after it, since in two weeks the moon travels halfway around its orbit and is likely to form another almost-straight line with the Earth and sun.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 11:00 am

Mars robots begin test campaign

UK engineers put the latest prototypes for a European Mars rover through their paces.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 15 Aug 2008 | 10:56 am

Partial Lunar Eclipse to Grace Old World Aug. 16

Two weeks after the solar eclipse, the moon will swing into Earth's shadow.
Source: Livescience.com | 15 Aug 2008 | 10:54 am

Game store

How to preserve the history of online worlds
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 15 Aug 2008 | 10:16 am

Portal to mythical Mayan underworld found in Mexico

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican archeologists have discovered a maze of stone temples in underground caves, some submerged in water and containing human bones, which ancient Mayans believed was a portal where dead souls entered the underworld.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 9:26 am

Cancer charity excited by results of new drug trial

A cancer charity has welcomed 'exciting preliminary results' in trials of an immune system-boosting drug
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 15 Aug 2008 | 8:12 am

Remains of cemetery found in Sahara (AP)

AP - A tiny woman and two children were laid to rest on a bed of flowers 5,000 years ago in what is now the barren Sahara Desert. The slender arms of the youngsters were still extended to the woman in perpetual embrace when researchers discovered their skeletons in a remarkable cemetery that is providing clues to two civilizations who lived there, a thousand years apart, when the region was moist and green.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 7:41 am

Woman who had dogs cloned wanted in Tennessee (AP)

AP - A woman who made headlines by having five pups cloned and was linked to an abduction case in England is also wanted in Tennessee on charges she tried to plan a burglary in 2004, a defense attorney and prosecutors there said.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 15 Aug 2008 | 6:05 am

Climate 'altering UK bird habits'

Climate change is altering the egg-laying of many UK birds, and numbers visiting the country's shores, a report concludes.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 15 Aug 2008 | 12:28 am

Call to end animal pain-research

The use of animals in pain research has "limited value" and should be replaced by newer technologies, a panel of UK experts says.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 14 Aug 2008 | 11:39 pm

Bats face dark times ahead

Europe's bat species are facing threats to their survival from climate change and wind farms, says an expert.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 14 Aug 2008 | 11:32 pm

Scientists play down possible skin cancer risk of moisturisers

Expert deems it would be 'crazy' for women to stop using moisturisers based on study involving mice
Source: guardian.co.uk Science | 14 Aug 2008 | 11:22 pm

Stone Age graveyard shows Sahara was once green

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Stone Age graveyard on the shores of an ancient, dried-up lake in the Sahara is brimming with the skeletons of people, fish and crocodiles who thrived when the African desert was briefly green, researchers reported on Thursday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 14 Aug 2008 | 10:20 pm

Japanese satellite rides skyward

The first home-designed and built telecoms satellite for Japan goes safely into orbit from a launch pad in French Guiana.
Source: BBC News | Science/Nature | UK Edition | 14 Aug 2008 | 10:18 pm

Octopuses have six "arms" and two "legs": study

BERLIN (Reuters) - Octopuses' eight tentacles divide up into six "arms" and two "legs", a study published by a chain of commercial aquariums said on Thursday.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 14 Aug 2008 | 10:02 pm

Calif. Mom Gives Birth On Front Lawn by Herself

Alone and in labor, Jessica Higgins found the first place she could to give birth — her front lawn.
Source: Livescience.com | 14 Aug 2008 | 9:16 pm

Mars lander sends back picture of Martian dust

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander has sent back the first-ever image of a speck of red Martian dust taken through an atomic force microscope, shown at a higher magnification than anything ever seen from another planet.

Source: Reuters: Science News | 14 Aug 2008 | 9:14 pm

Brooklyn museum to show off fake Egypt sculptures

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Brooklyn Museum, which recently announced its prized collection of stone sculptures from ancient Egypt was cluttered with fakes, is planning an exhibit with these pieces to raise awareness of forgeries in the world's art collections.