Super Micro-surgery Offers New Hope For Breast Cancer Patients With Lymphedema

Breast cancer patients with lymphedema in their upper arm experienced reduced fluid in the swollen arm by up to 39 percent after undergoing a super-microsurgical technique known as lymphaticovenular bypass.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 9:00 pm

American Birds Sending Troubling Message About The Environment

A new report based on 40 years of data shows that birds are sending an important and troubling message about the state of the environment. The report also shows that investment in conservation works, exemplified by the remarkable recoveries of waterfowl after more than 30 million acres of wetlands were restored and managed.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 9:00 pm

Exercise Program Reduces Migraine Suffering

While physical exercise has been shown to trigger migraine headaches among sufferers, a new study describes an exercise program that is well tolerated by patients. The findings show that the program decreased the frequency of headaches and improved quality of life.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 9:00 pm

Keeping Golf Courses Green When Fresh Water Is Limited

Utilizing "treated sewage effluent," or "reuse water," for landscape irrigation in southern Nevada is an environmentally acceptable alternative to the current system of discharging waste water into rivers and lakes. Golf course superintendents have expressed concerns over the use of reuse water because of hidden costs. Researchers conducted a monitoring program on nine golf courses in the Las Vegas valley for 4.5 years to assess the impact of reuse water on soil-turfgrass systems.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 9:00 pm

Researchers Pump Up Artificial Muscles

Engineers are exploring the field of artificial muscles to invent "smart" devices that can grab and move objects.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 9:00 pm

Stem Cell Research: New Way To Make Stem Cells Avoids Risk Of Cancer

Scientists have found a way to endow human skin cells with embryonic stem cell-like properties without inserting potentially problematic new genes into their DNA. They have now created induced human pluripotent stem (iPS) cells completely free of viral vectors and exotic genes.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 9:00 pm

New Method Of Assessing Women's Eggs Could Enhance IVF Success, Study Shows

A professor of obstetrics and gynecology recently published findings on a way to "profile" a woman's eggs to determine which are more likely to result in pregnancies.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 3:00 pm

Cassini Provides Virtual Flyover Of Saturn's Moon Titan

New movies and images from Cassini of Saturn's moon Titan are providing a bird's-eye view of the moon's Earth-like landscapes.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 3:00 pm

Structure Of Protein That Makes Cancer Cells Resistant To Chemotherapy Identified

Scientists have obtained the first glimpse of a protein that keeps certain substances, including many drugs, out of cells. The protein, called P-glycoprotein or P-gp for short, is one of the main reasons cancer cells are resistant to chemotherapy drugs. Understanding its structure may help scientists design more effective drugs.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 3:00 pm

Gene Variant Associated With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Identified

Researchers have, for the first time, identified a gene variant on chromosome 4 that may be a potential risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 3:00 pm

Obama envoy: China too must fight global warming (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama's climate change envoy promised a new U.S. commitment Sunday to reducing carbon emissions but insisted that rapidly developing nations like China also had to share the load in fighting climate change.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 2:35 pm

Perfect Running Pace Revealed (LiveScience.com)

LiveScience.com - Most regular runners can tell you when they reach that perfect equilibrium of speed and comfort. The legs are loose, the heart is pumping and it feels like you could run at this pace forever.
Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 2:15 pm

Perfect Running Pace Revealed

Each person has an optimal running pace that uses the least amount of oxygen to cover a given distance.
Source: Livescience.com | 29 Mar 2009 | 1:56 pm

Environmentalists hail Earth Hour as a big success (AP)

AP - For environmental activists, the message was clear: Earth Hour was a huge success.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 12:04 pm

'War' on poisonous Australia toad

Australians take part in a mass capture of poisonous cane toads, as part of a collective effort at pest control.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 29 Mar 2009 | 11:55 am

It's time to green this old (White) House - again (AP)

AP - President Barack Obama will find out two things as he studies how to make the White House more environmentally friendly:

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 11:51 am

North Dakota patrol levees amid record flood (AFP)

AFP - A floodwall protecting a school in the US state of North Dakota cracked early Sunday, causing flooding in the campus and prompting officials to step up work to reinforce levees against a record-breaking flood.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 11:23 am

Seoul warns N. Korea over rocket launch (AFP)

AFP - South Korea warned Sunday that North Korea could face fresh UN sanctions if it goes ahead with a planned rocket launch, as spy satellites revealed part of a long-range rocket on the North's launch pad.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 11:12 am

Russian spaceship docks despite engine failure

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Astronauts on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft were forced to manually dock with the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday after an engine failure knocked out the automatic docking system, Russian space officials said.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 10:52 am

Shuttle Discovery lands in Fla. after 13-day trip (AP)

AP - Shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven returned to Earth on Saturday and successfully wrapped up a construction mission that left the international space station with all its solar wings and extra electrical power.

Source: Yahoo! News: Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 10:16 am

Space shuttle Discovery lands safely

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The U.S. space shuttle Discovery flew through partly cloudy skies to land safely at its home port in Florida on Saturday, wrapping up a successful 13-day mission to the International Space Station.
Source: Reuters: Science News | 29 Mar 2009 | 9:28 am

Nasa's Discovery returns to Earth

Nasa's space shuttle Discovery lands after a 13-day mission to the International Space Station to install a pair of solar wings.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 29 Mar 2009 | 2:04 am

Computer tanning hoax comes to light

A hoax website that tells users they can develop an all-year tan by staring at their computer screen has received more than one million hits in the last two months.

Computertan.com, which describes itself as a safe and easy "revolutionary new online tanning service", encourages users to download a free trial in which they are given a mock skin-analysis and see tubes from a sun-bed flash up on screen. At the end of the trial a message says, "Don't be fooled, UV exposure can kill", followed by a series of images that show the effects of sun damage. The site has been set up by Skcin, a charity based in Nottingham in memory of Karen Clifford, a local resident who died from skin cancer in 2005.

A spokesperson from Skcin said: "This is an astonishing response and has undoubtedly helped raise awareness of the dangers of skin cancer."

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 29 Mar 2009 | 12:01 am

Anorexia risk 'could be predicted'

Study suggests that subtle differences in brain development in womb can increase vulnerability

Thousands of girls are predisposed to develop anorexia because of the way their brains developed in the womb, says a major new study.

The report's authors say children could be screened at the age of eight to identify the signs that make them more vulnerable to risk factors such as the size zero fad and the cult of the super-thin celebrity. Eating disorder charities said the findings, which will be revealed at a conference at the Institute of Education in London this week, could revolutionise the treatment of anorexia.

"Our research shows that certain kids' brains develop in such a way that makes them more vulnerable to the more commonly-known risk factors for eating disorders, such as the size-zero debate, media representations of very skinny women and bad parents," said Ian Frampton, one of the authors, who is an honorary consultant in paediatric psychology at London's Great Ormond Street hospital.

Frampton and his colleagues conducted in-depth neuropsychological testing on more than 200 people in the UK, America and Norway who suffer from the condition. Almost all of those who took part in the study were girls and young women aged between 12 and 25 who were being treated for anorexia at private hospitals in Edinburgh and Maidenhead that are part of the Huntercombe medical group.

They found that about 70% of the patients had suffered damage to their neurotransmitters, which help brain cells communicate with each other, had undergone subtle changes in the structure of their brains, or both.

One in every few hundred girls may be affected in this way, according to Frampton, who said the condition was random and not the result of poor maternal diet or environmental factors, such as widespread use of chemicals. Imperfect wiring in the brain's insular cortex that may lead to dyslexia, ADHD or depression in other children produces what he calls "an underlying vulnerability" among some young people that makes them more likely to develop anorexia.

Previously, scientists believed that being chronically underweight caused changes in a person's brain. This new research is significant because it suggests that the opposite process explains the origins of anorexia. "These findings could help us to understand this beguiling disease that we don't know how to treat," added Frampton.

"Arguments that social factors such as girls feeling under pressure to lose weight in order to look like high-profile women in the media contain logical flaws because almost everyone is exposed to them, yet only a small percentage of young people get anorexia.

"Those things are important but there must be other factors, involving genetics and science, that make some young people much more vulnerable than others."

Between 2 and 3% of children and young adults develop an eating disorder. Anorexia is the rarest of them. About four women in every thousand develop it. Cases among men are rare but not unknown. It can lead to serious health problems and prove fatal. Karen Carpenter, the 1970s pop star, died in 1983 at the age of 32 from a heart attack brought on by the condition.

In recent years, the fashion industry has come under pressure to protect the health of its models following widespread anger about the size-zero trend and the deaths of two models. On the eve of a photographic shoot in November 2006, Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died from complications arising from anorexia. It was reported that she had been living on a diet of apples and tomatoes. It followed the death that summer of Uruguayan model, Luisel Ramos, who died of heart failure at the age of 22 after not eating for several days in an attempt to stay thin.

Susan Ringwood, chief executive of the leading eating disorders' charity, Beat, welcomed the latest research.

"It could pave the way for the first drugs to be developed to treat eating disorders, similar to the way that anti-depressants help rebalance the brain of people with depression," she said.

"And it will help parents understand that they aren't to blame. Parents always blame themselves when their child develops an eating disorder. But what we are learning more and more from research in this area is that some people are very vulnerable to anorexia and that is down to genetic factors and brain chemistry, and not them trying to look like celebrity models or suffering a major traumatic event early in their lives.

"This research is a key missing part of the jigsaw of our understanding of anorexia."

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 29 Mar 2009 | 12:01 am

Electronic noses will sniff out criminals

There has been CCTV, finger printing and eye recognition. Now comes body odour profiling. In its ongoing efforts to nail the bad guys, the US Department of Homeland Security is investing heavily in the sniff test: "odourprint".

Plans have quietly appeared on the American government website to announce some serious funding of a study looking at the potential of using people's individual smell to identify criminals and to uncover when they are lying.

There are scientists who claim our smell is just as unique as our DNA, and the work to be funded will look into the chemical nature of the human scent as utilised by crime fighters in the form of the bloodhound. Dogs have clued the scientists into the possibilities of smell technology although their accuracy has been shown to be as low as 85%, with an untrained dog doing no better pure chance.

But now efforts and research is under way to make the scrutiny of smell more exact. Tests have shown that mothers can pick out their babies by smell alone, while humans can be shown to recognise each other through the tang of their armpit BO. The smell of a human has also been shown to vary by gender and by age - one recent study claimed that men smell like cheese while women smell of grapefruit or onions.

There may even be racial differences: Asians, for example, have fewer apocrine sweat glands than black or white people. In a new book about scent called Headspace, Amber Marks reports that in the 1990s a British electronic-nose company was approached by the South African police and asked for the "odour signature" of black people. The company refused.

The electronic nose is being developed widely and last year biological engineers found a way to mass-produce smell receptors in the laboratory, an advance that paves the way for "artificial noses".

"Smell is perhaps one of the oldest and most primitive senses, but nobody really understands how it works. It still remains a tantalising enigma," said Shuguang Zhang of MIT, author of a paper on the work in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Artificial noses could one day replace drug- and explosive-sniffing dogs, and could have numerous medical applications, according to Zhang and his colleagues. The US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency recently approved funding for the team's Real Nose project.

Before now, efforts to understand the molecular basis of smell have been held up by problems in working with the proteins that detect odours, known as olfactory receptors.

Smell is one of the most complex and least understood senses. Humans have a vast olfactory system that includes close to 400 functional genes, more than are dedicated to any other function. Animals such as dogs and mice have about 1,000.

That variety of receptors allows humans and animals to discern tens of thousands of distinct stinks. Each smell activates multiple receptors and this pattern of activation creates a pattern that the brain can recognise.

But the ongoing studies could throw up a whole new worry about "odour privacy". For one thing, a body smell may convey private medical information: disease could well have signature smells, as could mental illness.

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 29 Mar 2009 | 12:01 am

Shampoo in water supply triggers growth of superbugs

Household cleaning products are creating a bacterial timebomb in our drains and rivers

Fabric softeners, disinfectants, shampoos and other household products are spreading drug-resistant bacteria around Britain, scientists have warned. Detergents used in factories and mills are also increasing the odds that some medicines will no longer be able to combat dangerous diseases.

The warning has been made by Birmingham and Warwick university scientists, who say disinfectants and other products washed into sewers and rivers are triggering the growth of drug-resistant microbes. Soil samples from many areas have been found to contain high levels of bacteria with antibiotic-resistant genes, the scientists have discovered - raising fears that these may have already been picked up by humans.

"Every year, the nation produces 1.5m tonnes of sewage sludge and most of that is spread on farmland," said Dr William Gaze of Warwick University. That sludge contains antibiotic-resistant bacteria whose growth is triggered by chemicals in detergents, he explained. "In addition, we pump 11bn litres of water from houses and factories into our rivers and estuaries every day, and these are also spreading resistance."

The study is important because it suggests that the problem of drug resistance is not merely the result of the over-prescription of antibiotics or poor hygiene standards in hospitals. However, the team stressed the emergence of the most deadly superbugs - such as MRSA that has caused thousands of deaths in hospitals - is not linked to the use of disinfectants.

"Our research shows drug resistance is not confined to hospitals, but is out in the community. It is spreading and all the time it is eroding our ability to control infections. It is extremely worrying," said Professor Liz Wellington, also of Warwick University.

In their study, the scientists looked at quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) that are used in many household cleaning goods. Every day, huge volumes of these chemicals are flushed from homes and factories into sewers and rivers. In high concentrations, QACs kill bacteria. However, in sewage, these chemicals become diluted and bacteria have evolved resistance to them.

"That is a natural evolutionary process," said Gaze. "If other bacteria are killed, those that are resistant to QACs will survive and, without competition, will multiply in vast numbers. However, it turns out that the piece of DNA that confers that resistance also contains genes that confer resistance to antibiotics. In this way, we have created an ideal environment for the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our drains and sewers. These microbes are now being spread round the country in river water and in sewage sludge used on farms."

As part of its study, the team - which also includes Professor Peter Hawkey of Birmingham University - looked at soil contaminated with QACs and sewage sludge in the Midlands, the Cotswolds, Hertfordshire and other areas. Using techniques similar to those involved in DNA fingerprinting, they then looked for the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes - and found these in high concentrations.

"The inference is clear," added Gaze. "We are producing sewage and river water that have more and more drug-resistant bacteria in them and that these are now poised to enter the food chain."

Wellington added: "Once they are in the land, these bacteria will get into the bodies of agricultural workers or people who use the land recreationally and will form reservoirs of drug-resistant microbes that could pose all sorts of problems. This is going to need a great deal of monitoring."

In addition, the team found that antibiotics used to treat farm animals - in particular pigs - are also helping to spread drug resistance in the soil. In their tests, the team found samples of pig slurry that possessed high levels of antibiotic-resistant genes, raising fears that strains of resistant bacteria were contaminating the land by another route and could enter the food chain.

"We might think of special measures that will help us control or localise drug-resistant bacteria in hospitals, but the problem is much more widespread than that," added Wellington. "It is now out there in the environment."

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 29 Mar 2009 | 12:01 am

Doctors' swipecards 'spread infections'

Doctors are unwittingly spreading deadly infections through hospitals via their swipecards, a study reveals today.

Researchers looked at security cards carried by hospital doctors and found that one in five was contaminated with a variety of pathogenic bacteria, including the superbug MRSA. These infections kill thousands every year.

The study, carried out by doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk, found that the cards were threatening hospital attempts to repel infections and protect patients.

Bacteria were most likely to be spread in this way if the cards were carried in a wallet or pocket, the study found. Cleaning the cards with alcohol could remove the contamination but few doctors did so.

"Security swipecards and scanners are contaminated with, and may therefore act as a reservoir for, pathogenic bacteria implicated in hospital-acquired infection," said Robert Greatorex, senior author of the study that was published in the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England

Source: Evolution, genetics, medicine, physics & astronomy news | guardian.co.uk | 29 Mar 2009 | 12:01 am

Slide Show: Lights Out for Earth Hour 2009

From Southeast Asia to the Arctic Circle, entire cities are going dark, with purpose.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 28 Mar 2009 | 9:27 pm

Cities switch off for Earth Hour

Major global landmarks are plunged into darkness as millions switch off lights for an hour to protest against climate change.
Source: BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition | 28 Mar 2009 | 8:49 pm

Space Shuttle Discovery Touches Down in Fla.

Shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven conclude a successful 13-day mission.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 28 Mar 2009 | 8:08 pm

Un-Bottled Water Hits the U.S.

Packaging made from more than 60 percent renewable materials.
Source: Livescience.com | 28 Mar 2009 | 3:14 pm

Vacuum Cleaner Senses Human Emotions

Specially-equipped Roomba robot vacuum cleaner can now sense human emotional states.
Source: Livescience.com | 28 Mar 2009 | 2:55 pm

Big Blobs Change View of Evolution

Gromia sphaerica is about the size of a grape.
Source: Livescience.com | 28 Mar 2009 | 2:27 pm