The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. http://www.eurekalert.org en-us Copyright 2012 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science Wed, 16 May 2012 07:00:00 EDT EurekAlert! http://www.eurekalert.org/images/logo.gif http://www.eurekalert.org The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 20 webmaster@eurekalert.org (EurekAlert!) The strange galaxy Centaurus A is pictured in a new image from the European Southern Observatory. With a total exposure time of more than 50 hours this is probably the deepest view of this peculiar and spectacular object every created. The image was produced by the Wide Field Imager of the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/e-adl051412.php Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/e-adl051412.php Is Earth really a sort of giant living organism as the Gaia hypothesis predicts? http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uom-ufm051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uom-ufm051512.php Robot-assisted surgery has replaced another minimally invasive operation as the main procedure to treat kidney cancer while sparing part of the diseased organ, and with comparable results, according to a new research study by Henry Ford Hospital urologists. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-rsn051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-rsn051512.php An increasing number of highly educated women are opting for families, according to a national study co-authored by a University at Buffalo economist. The research clearly shows fertility rising for older, highly educated women since the 1990s. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uab-fhe051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uab-fhe051512.php Sulphur and iron compounds have now been found in shipwrecks both in the Baltic and off the west coast of Sweden. The group behind the results, presented in the Journal of Archaeological Science, includes scientists from the University of Gothenburg and Stockholm University. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uog-sai051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uog-sai051512.php A review of studies reporting estimates of the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections/reproductive tract infections (STIs/RTIs) and malaria over the past 20 years suggests that a considerable burden of malaria and STIs/RTIs exists among pregnant women attending antenatal (before birth) facilities in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a review and meta-analysis of previous studies published in the May 16 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on global health. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jaaj-cpo051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jaaj-cpo051512.php Black prostate cancer patients may not be getting the same quality of care as white patients, according to a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital who found racial disparities in the results of surgery to remove diseased prostates. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-qoc051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-qoc051512.php Pregnant women in poor communities in Bangladesh who received multiple micronutrients, including iron and folic acid combined with early food supplementation, had substantially improved survival of their newborns, compared to women in a standard program that included usual food supplementation, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on global health. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jaaj-pmf051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jaaj-pmf051512.php Almost all Swedes brush their teeth, yet only one in 10 does it in a way that effectively prevents tooth decay. Now researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, are eager to teach Swedes how to brush their teeth more effectively. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uog-mpb051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uog-mpb051512.php Between 2004 and 2008, all-cause adult mortality declined more in African countries in which the AIDS relief program PEPFAR operated more intensively, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on global health. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jaaj-act051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jaaj-act051512.php During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, changes in air pollution were associated with changes in biomarkers of systemic inflammation and thrombosis (formation of blood clot) as well as measures of cardiovascular physiology in healthy young persons, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on global health. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jaaj-apl051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jaaj-apl051512.php A drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard is effective in reducing the craving for food. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have tested the drug on rats, who after treatment ceased their cravings for both food and chocolate. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uog-dfl051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uog-dfl051512.php Women do better than men after surgical removal of part or all of a cancerous kidney, with fewer post-operative complications, including dying in the hospital, although they are more likely to receive blood transfusions related to their surgery. But Henry Ford Hospital researchers who documented these gender differences can't say why they exist. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-wfb051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-wfb051512.php Calculating the total capacity of a data network is a notoriously difficult problem, but information theorists are beginning to make some headway. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/miot-tec051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/miot-tec051512.php Older, sicker, high-risk patients who undergo one of the most common treatments for prostate cancer get better results in larger, busier hospitals, according to new research by Henry Ford Hospital.In such cases, the same research showed the experience level of the surgeon doing the procedure mattered somewhat less than the hospital setting. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-hhv051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-hhv051512.php An increasingly common and safer type of surgery for kidney cancer is not as likely to be used for older, sicker and poorer patients who are uninsured or rely on Medicare or Medicaid for their health care, according to a new study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-skc051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-skc051512.php Patients who undergo radical surgery for prostate cancer may expect better results, on average, if they're treated in accredited teaching hospitals with residency programs, and better still if the hospitals also have medical fellowships, according to a new study by Henry Ford Hospital. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-fpc051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/hfhs-fpc051512.php A new UCLA study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning -- and how omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the disruption. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--smy051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--smy051512.php Using wetland habitat conservation in the Prairie Pothole Region as a case study, applied economists Amy W. Ando and Mindy L. Mallory demonstrated that adapting a theory from the world of finance could help to optimize conservation activities in the region. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoia-rp051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoia-rp051512.php Research in the American Naturalist suggests that the need to have big-mouthed babies drove the evolution of giant tiger snakes on Australian islands. The findings offer a new dimension to the study of island gigantism and dwarfism. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uocp-bbd051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uocp-bbd051512.php For the first time, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have peered inside a living mouse cell and mapped the processes that power the celebrated health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. More profoundly, they say their findings suggest it may be possible to manipulate these processes to short-circuit inflammation before it begins, or at least help to resolve inflammation before it becomes detrimental. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--woo051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--woo051512.php Beta-carotene, selenium and folic acid -- taken up to three times their recommended daily allowance, these supplements are probably harmless. But taken at much higher levels as some supplement manufacturers suggest, these three supplements have now been proven to increase the risk of developing a host of cancers. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uocd-dsi051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uocd-dsi051512.php Genetic factors explain some of the variation in a wide range of people's political attitudes and economic decisions -- such as preferences toward environmental policy and financial risk taking -- but most associations with specific genetic variants are likely to be very small, according to a new study led by Cornell University economics professor Daniel Benjamin. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/cu-net051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/cu-net051512.php The ambitious goals set by the German government to promote energy efficiency have put pressure on companies to change their energy-use policies. But the sustainable management of energy resources and the associated energy-saving measures can only be implemented if users have a reliable means of quantifying their power consumption. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/f-tqa051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/f-tqa051512.php A vaccine that targets cancer cells in combination with the drug letrozole, a standard hormonal therapy against breast cancer, significantly increased survival when tested in mice, a team of UC Davis investigators has found. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--cvc051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--cvc051512.php A research team from the University of Missouri's Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory has found a way to detect and predict arthritis before patients begin suffering from symptoms. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uom-nbt051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uom-nbt051512.php Ceramic membranes may reduce carbon dioxide emissions from gas and coal-fired power plants. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/miot-omc051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/miot-omc051512.php The most recent research released in June's Journal of Thoracic Oncology says video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is a valuable tool in managing lesions detected in a lung cancer screening program. The Danish study, presented in the June 2012 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's Journal of Thoracic Oncology, evaluated the role of VATS resection in a CT screened (2,052) versus unscreened (2,052) high risk Danish population from the Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/iaft-vat051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/iaft-vat051512.php The most recent research released in June's Journal of Thoracic Oncology says molecular biomarkers in the tissue and fluid lining the lungs might be an additional predictive technique for lung cancer screening. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/iaft-ami051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/iaft-ami051512.php The most recent research released in June's Journal of Thoracic Oncology indicates there might be a positive correlation between tumor size and adjuvant platinum based chemotherapy in surgically resected patients with node negative non-small cell lung cancer. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/iaft-ceo051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/iaft-ceo051512.php A study from Massachusetts General Hospital researchers suggests that specific populations of tumor cells have different roles in the process by which tumors make new copies of themselves and grow. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/mgh-acc051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/mgh-acc051512.php Research from the University of Alberta provides new insight into treatment patterns for people with stage two and three rectal cancer -- information that ultimately will help physicians improve care strategies for patients provincewide. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoa-shn051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoa-shn051512.php This press release highlights two review articles appearing in the May 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/aaoo-cna051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/aaoo-cna051512.php A new link between obesity and Type 2 diabetes found in mice could open the door to exploring new potential drug treatments for diabetes, University of Michigan Health System research has found. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uomh-nih051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uomh-nih051512.php Observations with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have provided the first X-ray evidence of a supernova shock wave breaking through a cocoon of gas surrounding the star that exploded. This discovery may help astronomers understand why some supernovas are much more powerful than others. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/cxc-asc051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/cxc-asc051512.php Researchers at UC Santa Cruz who pioneered the use of satellite tags to monitor the migrations of elephant seals have compiled one of the largest datasets available for any marine mammal species, revealing their movements and diving behavior at sea in unprecedented detail. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--est051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--est051512.php Kansas State University physicists and an international team of collaborators have made a breakthrough that improves understanding of matter-light interactions. Their research allows double ionization events to be observed at the time scale of attoseconds and shows that these ionization events occur earlier than thought -- a key factor to improve knowledge of correlated electron dynamics. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ksu-tdp051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ksu-tdp051512.php For the first time, researchers have been able to combine different climate models using spatial statistics - to project future seasonal temperature changes in regions across North America. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/osu-sap051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/osu-sap051512.php Perfume ads, beer billboards, movie posters: everywhere you look, women's sexualized bodies are on display. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that both men and women see images of sexy women's bodies as objects, while they see sexy-looking men as people. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/afps-pss051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/afps-pss051512.php Miscanthus grasses are used in gardens, burned for heat and energy, and converted into liquid fuels. They also belong to a prominent grass family that includes corn, sorghum and sugarcane. Two new, independently produced chromosome maps of Miscanthus sinensis (an ornamental that likely is a parent of Miscanthus giganteus, a biofuels crop) are a first step toward sequencing the M. sinensis genome. The studies reveal how a new plant species with distinctive traits can arise as a result of chromosome duplications and fusions. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoia-mom051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoia-mom051512.php The recent dramatic increase in the fall death rate in older Americans is likely the effect of improved reporting quality, according to a new report. The report finds the largest increase in the mortality rate occurred immediately following the 1999 introduction of an update to the International Classification of Diseases, suggesting a major change in the way deaths were classified. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jhub-rii051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jhub-rii051512.php New research from the University of Southampton has devised a new method to more accurately measure gas bubbles in pipelines. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uos-tuo051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uos-tuo051512.php Modest alcohol intake is associated with less inflammation among patients with the most common type of liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/bumc-mai051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/bumc-mai051512.php Researchers have taken a step toward overcoming a key obstacle in commercializing "hyperbolic metamaterials," structures that could bring optical advances including ultrapowerful microscopes, computers and solar cells. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/pu-np051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/pu-np051512.php The Diabetes 2025 Model for the US projects a continuous and dramatic increase in the diabetes epidemic and makes it possible to estimate the potential effects of society-wide changes in lifestyle and health-care delivery systems. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/mali-5ma051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/mali-5ma051512.php Researchers have created an ultrasensitive biosensor that could open up new opportunities for early detection of cancer and "personalized medicine" tailored to the specific biochemistry of individual patients. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/pu-ubp051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/pu-ubp051512.php Reducing the non-FDA-approved use of antipsychotic drugs may be a way to save money while having little effect on patient care, according to a Penn State College of Medicine study. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ps-rou051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ps-rou051512.php Featured in this release are research papers on the following topics: "Mercury's magnetic field measured by MESSENGER orbiter",;"Oxygen isotopes improve weather predictability in Niger"; "Annual Arctic sea ice less reflective than old ice"; "Properties of solitary waves in Lake Constance"; "How earthquake properties vary with depth"; and "Tracking a Jurassic reversal of the Earth's magnetic field." http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/agu-ajh051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/agu-ajh051512.php An Indiana University-led research team, along with a group of national and international collaborators, has identified and prioritized a comprehensive group of genes most associated with schizophrenia that together can generate a score indicating whether an individual is at higher or lower risk of developing the disease. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/iuso-rik051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/iuso-rik051512.php Physicists have rebuffed the existence of power laws governing the dynamics of traded stock volatility, volume and inter-trade times at times of stock price extrema. They did this by demonstrating that what appeared as "switching points" in financial markets trends was due to a bias in the interpretation of market data statistics. This study by Vladimir Filimonov and Didier Sornette from the ETH Zurich in Switzerland is about to be published in EPJ B. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/s-ssp051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/s-ssp051512.php The editors of Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute, are pleased to announce the publication of this year's highly anticipated special 13th issue. Published each May, the 13th issue is devoted to a particular gastroenterological topic of broad interest; this year's topic is viral hepatitis. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/aga-gsi051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/aga-gsi051512.php Tall, waving corn fields that line Midwestern roads may one day be replaced by dwarfed versions that require less water, fertilizer and other inputs, thanks to a fungicide commonly used on golf courses. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/pu-tpc051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/pu-tpc051512.php Much like their male counterparts, female terrorists are likely to be educated, employed and native residents of the country where they commit a terrorist act, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/apa-ftb051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/apa-ftb051512.php A new report published today by the European Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre, provides key information for policy makers and business managers on how to assess the environmental impacts of products and services. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ecjr-apg051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ecjr-apg051512.php Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new way to fine-tune wireless power transfer (WPT) receivers, making the systems more efficient and functional. WPT systems hold promise for charging electric vehicles, electronic devices and other technologies. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ncsu-git051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ncsu-git051512.php Our decisions to trust people with our money are based more on how they look then how they behave, according to new research from the University of Warwick. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uow-lmm051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uow-lmm051512.php Scientists at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the University of Ottawa have discovered that mice that lack a gene called Snf2l have brains that are 35 percent larger than normal. The research, led by Dr. David Picketts and published in the prestigious journal Developmental Cell, could lead to new approaches to stimulate brain regeneration and may provide important insight into developmental disorders such as autism and Rett syndrome. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ohri-mwb051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ohri-mwb051512.php Paula Duque and her research team at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia have identified a new inorganic phosphate (Pi) transporter in the root cells of the tiny mustard plant Arabidopsis thaliana that acts, crucially, when Pi is scarce. Their findings, published online in the journal New Phytologist, provide insight into how phosphate transport systems may be manipulated in plants to counteract stressful conditions and thus, potentially, lead to improved crop yields. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/igdc-wts051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/igdc-wts051512.php The mothers of Britain's "mixed families" are ensuring their children learn about their heritage and culture, according to a development project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. So, even if the child's father hails from a minority background, it will still be the mother who is responsible for teaching them about the father's culture. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/esr-fm051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/esr-fm051512.php Atomic processes take place on extremely short time scales. Measurements at the Vienna University of Technology can now visualize these processes. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/vuot-wae051512.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/vuot-wae051512.php A DNA-covered submicroscopic bead used to deliver genes or drugs directly into cells to treat disease appears to have therapeutic value just by showing up, researchers report. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ghsu-dsf051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ghsu-dsf051412.php Nearly half of all diabetics suffer from neuropathic pain, an intractable, agonizing and still mysterious companion of the disease. Now Yale researchers have identified an unexpected source of the pain and a potential target to alleviate it. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/yu-ytd051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/yu-ytd051412.php Researchers found that administering a common chemotherapy drug before bone tumors took root actually fertilized the bone marrow, enabling cancer cells, once introduced, to seed and grow more easily. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uom-bm051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uom-bm051412.php On May 15, 2012, JoVE will publish two articles in partnership with the United States government's Defense Threat Reduction Agency. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/tjov-jpw051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/tjov-jpw051412.php An Indiana University-led research team, along with a group of national and international collaborators, has identified and prioritized a comprehensive group of genes most associated with schizophrenia that together can generate a score indicating whether an individual is at higher or lower risk of developing the disease. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/iuso-rik051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/iuso-rik051412.php Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York have found new clues in the pathogenesis of skull and skin birth defects associated with a rare genetic disorder, Beare-Stevenson cutis gyrata syndrome. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/tmsh-pip051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/tmsh-pip051412.php On bmj.com today, two experts debate whether childhood vaccination should be mandatory in the UK. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/bmj-scv051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/bmj-scv051412.php Taxes on unhealthy food and drinks would need to be at least 20 percent to have a significant effect on diet-related conditions such as obesity and heart disease, say experts on bmj.com today. Ideally, this should be combined with subsidies on healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables, they add. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/bmj-2t051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/bmj-2t051412.php Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disorder. People affected by this disease have defects in DNA repair, and are hypersensitive to oxidative damage, resulting in bone marrow failure and increased predisposition to cancer. New research published in BioMed Central's journal Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases shows that a combination of the fatty acid alpha-lipoic acid and N-acetylcysteine can stabilize the DNA of blood cells from FA patients, and drastically reduce its instability. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/bc-sfa051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/bc-sfa051412.php The vast majority of the millions of microwave ovens thrown away every year could be easily fixed and reused, according to University of Manchester research. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uom-stp051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uom-stp051412.php A large cohort study has found that the strongest risk factors for atrial fibrillation in both men and women were a history of palpitations and hypertension. While hypertension is a well known risk factor for AF, the investigators note that "the impact of self-reported palpitations on later occurrence of AF has not been documented earlier." http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/esoc-pap051412.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/esoc-pap051412.php Two studies by neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center suggest that, in the future, colonic tissue obtained during either colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy may be used to predict who will develop Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder of aging that that leads to progressive deterioration of motor function due to loss of neurons in the brain that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential to executing movement. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/rumc-cof051112.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/rumc-cof051112.php A novel mechanism for anxiety behaviors, including a previously unrecognized inhibitory brain signal, may inspire new strategies for treating psychiatric disorders, University of Chicago researchers report. By testing the controversial role of a gene called Glo1 in anxiety, scientists uncovered a new inhibitory factor in the brain: The metabolic by-product methylglyoxal. The system offers a tantalizing new target for drugs designed to treat conditions such as anxiety disorder, epilepsy, and sleep disorders. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uocm-mgr051112.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uocm-mgr051112.php Prehistoric plants grown in state-of-the-art growth chambers recreating environmental conditions from more than 400 million years ago have shown scientists from the University of Sheffield how soil dwelling fungi played a crucial role in the evolution of plants. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uos-app051112.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uos-app051112.php Bone cancer-related fractures and pain can be reduced by drug treatment, but no one drug is superior, according to a review published in the Cochrane Library. Researchers undertook a systematic review of the current evidence on bisphosphonate drugs, which are used to prevent bone damage in multiple myeloma. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/w-drb051112.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/w-drb051112.php Imagine having arthritis in your jaw bones… if they're over two meters long! A new study by scientists at the University of Bristol has found signs of a degenerative condition similar to human arthritis in the jaw of a pliosaur, an ancient sea reptile that lived 150 million years ago. Such a disease has never been described before in fossilized Jurassic reptiles. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uob-asr051112.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uob-asr051112.php Researchers have found an alarming prevalence of malaria and sexually transmitted infections among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. Urgent clinical trials are now being conducted to test a new dual-treatment that could save the lives of many new born babies. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/lsoh-ntc051112.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/lsoh-ntc051112.php Researchers may have found a key to determining which Parkinson's disease patients will experience a more rapid decline in motor function, sparking hopes for the development of new therapies and helping identify those who could benefit most from early intervention. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--uri051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--uri051012.php Glyoxalase 1 increases anxiety by reducing the GABAA receptor agonist methylglyoxal. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/joci-cml051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/joci-cml051012.php This release contains summaries, links to PDFs, and contact information for the following newsworthy papers to be published online, May 15, 2012, in the JCI. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/joci-jet051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/joci-jet051012.php Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have identified a new biomarker and therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer, an often-fatal disease for which there is currently no reliable method for early detection or therapeutic intervention. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--ebf051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uoc--ebf051012.php Surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have restored some hand function in a quadriplegic patient with a spinal cord injury at the C7 vertebra, the lowest bone in the neck. Instead of operating on the spine itself, the surgeons rerouted working nerves in the upper arms. These nerves still "talk" to the brain because they attach to the spine above the injury. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/wuso-srs051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/wuso-srs051012.php Using the 2008 Beijing Olympics as their laboratory, USC researchers found biological evidence that even a short-term reduction in air pollution exposure improves one's cardiovascular health. Short-term reduction in air pollution during the 2008 Beijing Olympics led to acute improvement in biomarkers of systemic inflammation. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uosc-bos051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uosc-bos051012.php The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the government's far-reaching health-care foreign aid program, has contributed to a significant decline in adult death rates from all causes in Africa, according to a new study by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/sumc-7ls051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/sumc-7ls051012.php Surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis successfully used peripheral nerve transfer to bypass a cervical spinal cord injury and restore partial function in both hands in a patient. The text is accompanied by informative illustrations as well as by clear preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative videos demonstrating nerve-activated muscle function in the patient. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jonp-ntr051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/jonp-ntr051012.php The expert working group advising WHO on research and development has recommended the May 2012 World Health Assembly adopt an international convention on research and development that will bind member states to action and catalyze new knowledge for diseases that primarily affect the global poor but for which patents provide insufficient market incentives. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/plos-wha051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/plos-wha051012.php An international treaty is a promising tool for improving the coherence, fairness, efficiency, and sustainability of the global health research and development system according to international experts writing in this week's PLoS Medicine. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/plos-ait051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/plos-ait051012.php Pre-birth exposure to the anti-HIV drug tenofovir does not adversely affect pregnancy outcomes and does not increase birth defects, growth abnormalities, or kidney problems in infants born to African women who are HIV positive, supporting the use of this drug during pregnancy, according to a study by a team of international researchers published in this week's PLoS Medicine. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/plos-adt051012.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/plos-adt051012.php A large, multicenter study found that the Breast Imaging and Reporting Data Systems terminology used by radiologists to classify breast imaging results is useful in predicting malignancy in breast lesions detected with MRI. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/rson-seb050912.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/rson-seb050912.php New research shows how bacteria evolve to increase ecosystem functioning by recycling each other's waste. The study provides some of the first evidence for how interactions between species shape evolution when there is a diverse community. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/plos-mbc050912.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/plos-mbc050912.php Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is an effective, noninvasive method for monitoring patients who undergo endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms, according to a new study. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/rson-cum050812.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/rson-cum050812.php Resiliency is a measure of a person's ability to flexibly adapt their behaviors to fit the surroundings in which they find themselves. New findings suggest that resiliency in early adolescence is associated with better working memory performance and may protect against later alcohol problems and drug use. This protective factor may work through basal ganglia structures of the brain. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ace-rde050712.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ace-rde050712.php Neighborhoods with higher densities of alcohol outlets are more likely to have higher rates of violent crimes. A new study has compared on-premise with off-premise outlets across different types of crimes.Results show a stronger relationship between density of outlets and crime for on- than off-premise outlets. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ace-oao050712.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ace-oao050712.php Researchers know that the use of various substances is associated with reduced educational attainment. A new study has examined substance use and education among male twins from a veteran population.Results indicate a strong relationship among early alcohol use, alcohol dependence, daily nicotine use, and fewer years of educational attainment. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ace-sur050712.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ace-sur050712.php Prenatal exposure to alcohol can disrupt the brain's executive function (EF) and adaptive functioning. A new study examines these abilities in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While results indicate similarities in the relation between EF and adaptive abilities among children with ADHD or PAE, the patterns of abilities in these children were different. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ace-eaa050712.php Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/ace-eaa050712.php Researchers at the University of NSW in Sydney have developed an innovative technique for examining the flow of water through cracks in soil by measuring electrical resistivity. They discovered that even when cracks appear visibly closed on the surface they often remain open underground. They can now detect the exact time when underground cracks close, which will have big implications for agricultural management of water. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uons-ssc051412.php Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/uons-ssc051412.php Theorists and experimenters with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have led in the exploration of the unique properties of topological insulators, where electrons may flow on the surface without resistance, with spin orientations and directions intimately related. Recent research at the Advanced Light Source opens exciting prospects for practical new room-temperature spintronic devices that can exploit control of electron spin as well as charge. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/dbnl-bth051412.php Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/dbnl-bth051412.php Following a stroke, factors as varied as blood sugar, body temperature and position in bed can affect patient outcomes, Loyola University Medical Center researchers report. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/luhs-htm051412.php Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/luhs-htm051412.php There are many theories about why religion exists, most of them unproven. Now, in an article published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, psychologist Kevin Rounding of Queen's University, Ontario, offers a new idea, and some preliminary evidence to back it up. The primary purpose of religious belief is to enhance the basic cognitive process of self-control, says Rounding, which in turn promotes any number of valuable social behaviors. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/afps-rrs051412.php Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/afps-rrs051412.php Researchers at the Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have identified a tropical rainforest microbe that can endure relatively high concentrations of an ionic liquid used to dissolve cellulosic biomass for the production of advanced biofuels. They've also determined how the microbe accomplishes this, a discovery that holds broad implications beyond biofuels. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/dbnl-mtc051412.php Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/dbnl-mtc051412.php