The News:
Drug seems to protect against radiation
In an early stage of research, mice and monkeys survived lethal amounts of radiation.
By Lauran Neergaard The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 04/11/2008 12:30:38 AM MDT
WASHINGTON — Scientists mimicked one of cancer's sneaky tricks to create a drug that promises to prevent a serious side effect of cancer treatment — radiation damage — or offer an antidote during a nuclear emergency.
A single dose of the experimental drug protected both mice and monkeys from what should have been lethal doses of radiation, researchers report in today's edition of the journal Science. A study to see whether the compound is safe in people could begin as early as this summer.
It's still early-stage research, and other efforts to create radiation protectants haven't yet panned out. But specialists are closely watching the work — and the government is helping to fund it — because it's a new approach to protecting the body's most radiation-sensitive tissues from being blasted.
"It has important implications for radiation exposure," said Dr. David Kirsch, a Duke University radiation oncologist who wasn't involved in the drug research.
Radiation is a powerful tool to destroy cancer cells. But certain healthy tissues are especially sensitive to it, too — particularly the bone marrow and gastrointestinal tract. That vulnerability can limit how much radiation physicians can give cancer patients.
And when it comes to radiation emergencies, such as the Chernobyl accident, full-body exposure to high doses can cause an extremely lethal "GI syndrome" that has no treatment.
It turns out that radiation doesn't kill healthy cells in the same way it kills cancer cells. Read more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Research news: Newly Discovered Fundamental State Of Matter, A Superinsulator, Has Been Created
The News:
Newly Discovered Fundamental State Of Matter, A Superinsulator, Has Been Created
ScienceDaily (Apr. 9, 2008) — Superinsulation may sound like a marketing gimmick for a drafty attic or winter coat. But it is actually a newly discovered fundamental state of matter created by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with several European institutions. This discovery opens new directions of inquiry in condensed matter physics and breaks ground for a new generation of microelectronics.
Led by Argonne senior scientist Valerii Vinokur and Russian scientist Tatyana Baturina, an international team of scientists from Argonne, Germany, Russia and Belgium fashioned a thin film of titanium nitride which they then chilled to near absolute zero. When they tried to pass a current through the material, the researchers noticed that its resistance suddenly increased by a factor of 100,000 once the temperature dropped below a certain threshold. The same sudden change also occurred when the researchers decreased the external magnetic field. Read more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Nature.
Newly Discovered Fundamental State Of Matter, A Superinsulator, Has Been Created
ScienceDaily (Apr. 9, 2008) — Superinsulation may sound like a marketing gimmick for a drafty attic or winter coat. But it is actually a newly discovered fundamental state of matter created by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with several European institutions. This discovery opens new directions of inquiry in condensed matter physics and breaks ground for a new generation of microelectronics.
Led by Argonne senior scientist Valerii Vinokur and Russian scientist Tatyana Baturina, an international team of scientists from Argonne, Germany, Russia and Belgium fashioned a thin film of titanium nitride which they then chilled to near absolute zero. When they tried to pass a current through the material, the researchers noticed that its resistance suddenly increased by a factor of 100,000 once the temperature dropped below a certain threshold. The same sudden change also occurred when the researchers decreased the external magnetic field. Read more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Nature.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Research news: Language sways dyslexia's effect
The News:
Language sways dyslexia's effect
A study of kids raised reading Chinese or English means different tacks may be needed.
By Randolph E. Schmid The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 04/08/2008 12:20:21 AM MDT
WASHINGTON — Dyslexia affects different parts of children's brains depending on whether they are raised reading English or Chinese.
That finding, reported in Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, means that therapists may need to seek different methods of assisting dyslexic children from different cultures.
"This finding was very surprising to us," said lead author Li-Hai Tan, a professor of linguistics and brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Hong Kong. "Our finding yields neurobiological clues to the cause of dyslexia."
Millions of children worldwide are affected by dyslexia, a language-based learning disability that can include problems in reading, spelling, writing and pronouncing words.
Reading an alphabetic language such as English requires different skills than reading Chinese, which relies less on sound representation, instead using symbols to represent words.
Past studies have suggested that the brain may use different networks of neurons in different languages, but none has suggested a difference in the structural parts of the brain involved, Tan said. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Language sways dyslexia's effect
A study of kids raised reading Chinese or English means different tacks may be needed.
By Randolph E. Schmid The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 04/08/2008 12:20:21 AM MDT
WASHINGTON — Dyslexia affects different parts of children's brains depending on whether they are raised reading English or Chinese.
That finding, reported in Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, means that therapists may need to seek different methods of assisting dyslexic children from different cultures.
"This finding was very surprising to us," said lead author Li-Hai Tan, a professor of linguistics and brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Hong Kong. "Our finding yields neurobiological clues to the cause of dyslexia."
Millions of children worldwide are affected by dyslexia, a language-based learning disability that can include problems in reading, spelling, writing and pronouncing words.
Reading an alphabetic language such as English requires different skills than reading Chinese, which relies less on sound representation, instead using symbols to represent words.
Past studies have suggested that the brain may use different networks of neurons in different languages, but none has suggested a difference in the structural parts of the brain involved, Tan said. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Research news: Medical missteps touch one in 15 kids, study finds
The News:
Medical missteps touch one in 15 kids, study finds
By Lindsey Tanner The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 04/06/2008 11:49:50 PM MDT
CHICAGO — Medicine mixups, accidental overdoses and bad drug reactions harm roughly one out of every 15 hospitalized children, according to a new study.
That number is far higher than earlier estimates and bolsters concerns already heightened by well-publicized cases such as the accidental drug overdose of actor Dennis Quaid's newborn twins in November.
"These data and the Dennis Quaid episode are telling us that . . . these kinds of errors and experiencing harm as a result of your health care is much more common than people believe. It's very concerning," said Dr. Charles Homer of the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality. His group helped develop a new detection method used in the study.
Researchers found a rate of 11 drug-related harmful events for every 100 hospitalized children. That compares with an earlier estimate of two per 100 hospitalized children, based on traditional detection methods. The rate reflects the fact that some children experienced more than one drug-treatment mistake.
The new estimate translates to 7.3 percent of hospitalized children, or about 540,000 children each year, a calculation based on government data. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Pediatrics.
Medical missteps touch one in 15 kids, study finds
By Lindsey Tanner The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 04/06/2008 11:49:50 PM MDT
CHICAGO — Medicine mixups, accidental overdoses and bad drug reactions harm roughly one out of every 15 hospitalized children, according to a new study.
That number is far higher than earlier estimates and bolsters concerns already heightened by well-publicized cases such as the accidental drug overdose of actor Dennis Quaid's newborn twins in November.
"These data and the Dennis Quaid episode are telling us that . . . these kinds of errors and experiencing harm as a result of your health care is much more common than people believe. It's very concerning," said Dr. Charles Homer of the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality. His group helped develop a new detection method used in the study.
Researchers found a rate of 11 drug-related harmful events for every 100 hospitalized children. That compares with an earlier estimate of two per 100 hospitalized children, based on traditional detection methods. The rate reflects the fact that some children experienced more than one drug-treatment mistake.
The new estimate translates to 7.3 percent of hospitalized children, or about 540,000 children each year, a calculation based on government data. Read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Pediatrics.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Research news:Computer Taught To Recognize Attractiveness In Women
The News:
Computer Taught To Recognize Attractiveness In Women
ScienceDaily (Apr. 5, 2008) — "Beauty," goes the old saying, "is in the eye of the beholder." But does the beholder have to be human?
Not necessarily, say scientists at Tel Aviv University. Amit Kagian, an M.Sc. graduate from the TAU School of Computer Sciences, has successfully "taught" a computer how to interpret attractiveness in women. But there's a more serious dimension to this issue that reaches beyond mere vanity. The discovery is a step towards developing artificial intelligence in computers. Other applications for the software could be in plastic and reconstructive surgery and computer visualization programs such as face recognition technologies.
"Until now, computers have been taught how to identify basic facial characteristics, such as the difference between a woman and a man, and even to detect facial expressions," says Kagian. "But our software lets a computer make an aesthetic judgment. Linked to sentiments and abstract thought processes, humans can make a judgment, but they usually don't understand how they arrived at their conclusions." read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this report in the journal Vision Research.
Computer Taught To Recognize Attractiveness In Women
ScienceDaily (Apr. 5, 2008) — "Beauty," goes the old saying, "is in the eye of the beholder." But does the beholder have to be human?
Not necessarily, say scientists at Tel Aviv University. Amit Kagian, an M.Sc. graduate from the TAU School of Computer Sciences, has successfully "taught" a computer how to interpret attractiveness in women. But there's a more serious dimension to this issue that reaches beyond mere vanity. The discovery is a step towards developing artificial intelligence in computers. Other applications for the software could be in plastic and reconstructive surgery and computer visualization programs such as face recognition technologies.
"Until now, computers have been taught how to identify basic facial characteristics, such as the difference between a woman and a man, and even to detect facial expressions," says Kagian. "But our software lets a computer make an aesthetic judgment. Linked to sentiments and abstract thought processes, humans can make a judgment, but they usually don't understand how they arrived at their conclusions." read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this report in the journal Vision Research.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Research news: Fossilized Feces Tell Tale of Earliest Americans
The News:
Fossilized Feces Tell Tale of Earliest Americans
All Things Considered, April 3, 2008 · Archaeologists are abuzz over the discovery of several 14,000-year-old pieces of fossilized human excrement found in Oregon.
These coprolites, as they're called by experts, are remarkable for several reasons. For one thing, they're older than most artifacts left by the earliest Americans. For another, they contain DNA, which gives scientists a rare opportunity to learn about the first people to arrive in North America.
Ancient Camp Site
Archaeologists knew about Oregon's Paisley Caves back in the late 1930s. These shallow caves were carved into a hillside by a prehistoric lake. Inside, they found animal bones, stone tools and other signs that humans camped or lived there. But in 2002, a team dug deeper and found what you might call pay dirt, says archeologist Dennis Jenkins. read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Fossilized Feces Tell Tale of Earliest Americans
All Things Considered, April 3, 2008 · Archaeologists are abuzz over the discovery of several 14,000-year-old pieces of fossilized human excrement found in Oregon.
These coprolites, as they're called by experts, are remarkable for several reasons. For one thing, they're older than most artifacts left by the earliest Americans. For another, they contain DNA, which gives scientists a rare opportunity to learn about the first people to arrive in North America.
Ancient Camp Site
Archaeologists knew about Oregon's Paisley Caves back in the late 1930s. These shallow caves were carved into a hillside by a prehistoric lake. Inside, they found animal bones, stone tools and other signs that humans camped or lived there. But in 2002, a team dug deeper and found what you might call pay dirt, says archeologist Dennis Jenkins. read on...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Research news: Neglect or abuse seen in 1 in 50 babies in U.S.
The News:
Neglect or abuse seen in 1 in 50 babies in U.S.
By Mike Stobbe The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 04/04/2008 06:49:35 AM MDT
ATLANTA — About 1 in 50 infants in the U.S. have been neglected or abused, according to the first national study of the problem in that age group.
Nearly a third of the victims were 1 week old or younger when the maltreatment was reported, government researchers said Thursday. The study focused on children younger than 1.
Most of these cases involved neglect, not physical abuse. In the case of the newborns, experts said, the data suggest drug abuse by the mother might have been the cause for reports of neglect, but they couldn't be certain.
Maternal drug abuse is often discovered through blood tests while newborns are in the hospital, said researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"That is the story here," said Dr. Howard Dubowitz, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
The researchers counted more than 91,000 infant victims of abuse and neglect during the study period — Oct. 1, 2005, to Sept. 30, 2006. About 30,000 of those cases were newborns 1 week old or younger.
The information came from a national database of cases verified by protective services agencies in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Neglect or abuse seen in 1 in 50 babies in U.S.
By Mike Stobbe The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 04/04/2008 06:49:35 AM MDT
ATLANTA — About 1 in 50 infants in the U.S. have been neglected or abused, according to the first national study of the problem in that age group.
Nearly a third of the victims were 1 week old or younger when the maltreatment was reported, government researchers said Thursday. The study focused on children younger than 1.
Most of these cases involved neglect, not physical abuse. In the case of the newborns, experts said, the data suggest drug abuse by the mother might have been the cause for reports of neglect, but they couldn't be certain.
Maternal drug abuse is often discovered through blood tests while newborns are in the hospital, said researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"That is the story here," said Dr. Howard Dubowitz, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
The researchers counted more than 91,000 infant victims of abuse and neglect during the study period — Oct. 1, 2005, to Sept. 30, 2006. About 30,000 of those cases were newborns 1 week old or younger.
The information came from a national database of cases verified by protective services agencies in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Research news: Climate change a moving target, experts note
The News:
Climate change a moving target, experts note
Earlier estimates misjudged renewable-energy use, so more must be done, they say.
By Katy Human The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 04/03/2008 02:38:10 AM MDT
Renewable energy is not replacing fossil fuels as quickly as scientists forecast — leading to a serious underestimation of what still needs to be done to stabilize the world's climate, according to a new analysis.
"Enormous advances in energy technology will be needed to stabilize atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentrations at acceptable levels," said Roger Pielke Jr. of the University of Colorado at Boulder and his colleagues, writing in today's edition of Nature.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore, expected that people around the world would be using more renewable energy, reducing global dependence on the fossil fuels
Those gases trap the sun's heat in the atmosphere and have been linked to rising global temperatures.
Instead, people are using more oil, gas and coal than ever before, pumping more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, said Tom Wigley, a scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder and a co-author of the Nature article. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Nature.
Climate change a moving target, experts note
Earlier estimates misjudged renewable-energy use, so more must be done, they say.
By Katy Human The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 04/03/2008 02:38:10 AM MDT
Renewable energy is not replacing fossil fuels as quickly as scientists forecast — leading to a serious underestimation of what still needs to be done to stabilize the world's climate, according to a new analysis.
"Enormous advances in energy technology will be needed to stabilize atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentrations at acceptable levels," said Roger Pielke Jr. of the University of Colorado at Boulder and his colleagues, writing in today's edition of Nature.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore, expected that people around the world would be using more renewable energy, reducing global dependence on the fossil fuels
Those gases trap the sun's heat in the atmosphere and have been linked to rising global temperatures.
Instead, people are using more oil, gas and coal than ever before, pumping more carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, said Tom Wigley, a scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder and a co-author of the Nature article. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Nature.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Research news: Children fed diet of poor nutrition on Saturday morning television
The News:
Children Fed Diet of Poor Nutrition on Saturday Morning Television
ScienceDaily (Apr. 2, 2008) — Nine out of ten food advertisements shown during Saturday morning children's television programming are for foods of poor nutritional quality, according to researchers at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the University of Minnesota.
During a sample of 27.5 hours of shows aimed at pre-school and elementary school-aged children, 91 percent of food ads were for foods or beverages high in fat, sodium or added sugars or were low in nutrients, according to the study. Forty-nine percent of the 4.08 hours of advertisements shown were for food (281 food ads out of 571 total). The sample, taken from a 2005 review by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, included major broadcast and cable networks that had Saturday morning programming. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Children Fed Diet of Poor Nutrition on Saturday Morning Television
ScienceDaily (Apr. 2, 2008) — Nine out of ten food advertisements shown during Saturday morning children's television programming are for foods of poor nutritional quality, according to researchers at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the University of Minnesota.
During a sample of 27.5 hours of shows aimed at pre-school and elementary school-aged children, 91 percent of food ads were for foods or beverages high in fat, sodium or added sugars or were low in nutrients, according to the study. Forty-nine percent of the 4.08 hours of advertisements shown were for food (281 food ads out of 571 total). The sample, taken from a 2005 review by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, included major broadcast and cable networks that had Saturday morning programming. more...
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Research news: Gold jewelry discovery in Peru a "complete shock"
The News:
Gold jewelry discovery in Peru a "complete shock"
Denver Post Wire Report
Article Last Updated: 04/01/2008 12:46:47 AM MDT
WASHINGTON — The earliest known gold jewelry made in the Americas has been discovered in southern Peru. The gold necklace, made nearly 4,000 years ago, was found in a burial site near Lake Titicaca, researchers report in today's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The discovery "was a complete shock," said Mark Aldenderfer, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona.In the past, it had been assumed that a society needed to be settled to produce agricultural surpluses that can support activities such as making ornamental objects, he explained. But the people living in this region at the time were still primarily hunter-gatherers, he said.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Gold jewelry discovery in Peru a "complete shock"
Denver Post Wire Report
Article Last Updated: 04/01/2008 12:46:47 AM MDT
WASHINGTON — The earliest known gold jewelry made in the Americas has been discovered in southern Peru. The gold necklace, made nearly 4,000 years ago, was found in a burial site near Lake Titicaca, researchers report in today's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The discovery "was a complete shock," said Mark Aldenderfer, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona.In the past, it had been assumed that a society needed to be settled to produce agricultural surpluses that can support activities such as making ornamental objects, he explained. But the people living in this region at the time were still primarily hunter-gatherers, he said.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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