Science Headlines for April 12, 2009

World-first High Blood Pressure Treatment Trialled In Australia

A world-first breakthrough to treat high blood pressure has been successfully trialled in Melbourne, Australia. The clinical trial showed significant improvement in blood pressure of participants who were given a new catheter-based treatment where blood pressure lowering medication had failed.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 Apr 2009 | 3:00 am

Odor Matching: The Scent Of Internet Dating

Dating websites will soon be able to compare partners in terms of whether the personal body odor of the other party will be pleasant to them. "If everything fits, you have the same interests, lots to talk about, but you can't stand their smell, then a love affair doesn't stand a chance," explains a biologist.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 Apr 2009 | 3:00 am

Current Drug Can Treat Rare Heart Disorder

New research has found that the answer to treating a rare inherited heart disorder could lie with a drug already on the market.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 Apr 2009 | 3:00 am

Locking Parasites In Host Cell Could Be New Way To Fight Malaria

Researchers have discovered that parasites hijack host-cell proteins to ensure their survival and proliferation, suggesting new ways to control the diseases they cause.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 Apr 2009 | 3:00 am

Effects Of Disease Severity On Autobiographical Memory In Semantic Dementia Revealed In New Study

Researchers studied for the first time autobiographical memory in a group of semantic dementia (SD) patients according to disease progression. They highlighted that at early stages of the disease those patients could recall recent memories, but also lasting memories from their youth which tend to disappear as dementia evolves.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 Apr 2009 | 3:00 am

Hispaniola Was A Tropical Cyclone 'Target' Five Times In 2008

In 2008, residents of Hispaniola experienced one of their worst hurricane seasons in recent memory. Hispaniola, the Caribbean island containing Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is located directly within the hurricane belt, and was pummeled by five tropical cyclones last year: Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, and low over the Dominican Republic on Sept. 24 what would become Kyle after moving north. More than 800 people were reported dead or missing from these storms.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 13 Apr 2009 | 3:00 am

High-resolution Image Of The Brightest Orion Trapezium Star

Astronomers have captured the sharpest image of the young binary star Theta1 Orionis C in the Orion Trapezium cluster. In the new image, obtained using the ESO/VLT interferometer, one clearly distinguishes the two young, massive stars of the system. This binary system is the most massive star in the nearest region where high-mass stars are forming.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Apr 2009 | 9:00 pm

Climate Change And Atmospheric Circulation Will Make For Uneven Ozone Recovery

Earth's ozone layer should eventually recover from the unintended destruction brought on by the use of chlorofluorocarbons and similar ozone-depleting chemicals in the 20th century. But new research by NASA scientists suggests the ozone layer of the future is unlikely to look much like the past because greenhouse gases are changing the dynamics of the atmosphere.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Apr 2009 | 9:00 pm

New Therapeutic Strategy Could Target Toxic Protein In Most Patients With Huntington's Disease

Researchers have designed tiny RNA molecules that shut off the gene that causes Huntington's disease without damaging that gene's healthy counterpart, which maintains the health and vitality of neurons. Laboratory studies suggest that a single small interfering RNA could reduce production of the damaging Huntingtin protein in nearly half of people with the disease. Another 25 percent of patients might benefit from one of a set of four additional small interfering RNAs.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Apr 2009 | 9:00 pm

Some Radiation Therapy Treatments Can Decrease Fertility

In female cancer patients of reproductive age, radiation treatment directly to the ovaries should be avoided because there is a direct relationship between certain types of radiation therapy and fertility problems, according to a new review.
Source: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News | 12 Apr 2009 | 9:00 pm