Science News – Newsletter for November 9, 2010

CT scans can identify cause of some strokes: Study

WASHINGTON – Multidetector computed tomography (CT) helps pinpoint the causes of ischemic strokes, the most common type of stroke, according to a new study.

An ischemic stroke occurs when blockage in an artery, often from a blood clot or a fatty deposit due to atherosclerosis, interrupts blood flow to an area of the brain.

Loic Boussel and [..] Read the original article: here.

Brain bleeding ‘common among older individuals’

WASHINGTON – Brain bleeding is a common occurrence among older individuals, according to a UC Irvine study.

“In this study, deep regions of the brain were closely examined under a microscope, and nearly all subjects had evidence of small areas of bleeding,” said Neurologist Dr. Mark Fisher.

Fisher, Kim and colleagues at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center studied postmortem … Original source on Gaea Times at : Brain bleeding ‘common among older individuals’.

How some fish can stay on land up to 2 months!

WASHINGTON – Some species of fish can stay alive for up to two months on land – it’s because of their skin, a new study has suggested.

Mangrove killifish are small fish-only about an inch or two long-that live in temporary pools in the coastal mangrove forests of Central and South America and Florida.

During dry seasons … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : How some fish can stay on land up to 2 months!.

Star system that resembles a game of snooker

LONDON – Astronomers have discovered an unusual star system which looks like a game of snooker.

Experts from the Warwick and Sheffield universities in Britain were part of an international consortium which played a key role in discovering the ’snooker-like’ star system.
They looked at a binary star system called NN Serpentis which is 1,670 …. Source article  : Star system that resembles a game of snooker.

Engineered plants ‘could be turned into green plastics someday’

WASHINGTON – Scientists have engineered a plant that produces industrially relevant levels of compounds that could potentially be used to make plastics.

“The raw materials for most precursors currently come from petroleum or coal-derived synthetic gas. Our new way of providing a feedstock …. Original source  : Engineered plants ‘could be turned into green plastics someday’.

Playing with your kids ‘improves their mental health’

WASHINGTON – A new study suggests that positive interactions between parents and kids can discourage personality disorders later in life.

The research said that spending time with a child by reading with them, helping with homework or teaching them organizational skills helps to foster better psychological … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Playing with your kids ‘improves their mental health’.

TB-drugome may pave way for anti-TB drug discovery

WASHINGTON – A new research has discovered that one-third of the drugs examined have the potential to be repurposed to treat tuberculosis and many currently unexploited M. tuberculosis proteins could serve as novel anti-tubercular targets.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the University of Leeds have linked hundreds of federally …. Source article  : TB-drugome may pave way for anti-TB drug discovery.

Vitamins E and C ‘have little effect on age-related cataract’

WASHINGTON – A new study has revealed that regular use of Vitamin E and C has little or no effect on age-related cataract in men.

William G. Christen from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues studied 11,545 apparently healthy male physicians 50 years and older.

There were 579 cataracts in the vitamin … Original source on Gaea Times at : Vitamins E and C ‘have little effect on age-related cataract’.

Fish oil given within 5 hrs after stroke limits brain damage

WASHINGTON – A new study has pointed out that fish oil contains a substance that may help to limit or prevent brain damage following a stroke, if given within 5 hours after the stroke.

Dr Nicolas Bazan at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center said docosahexaenoic acid-a component of fish oil-is a powerful therapeutic agent …. Read the original article  : Fish oil given within 5 hrs after stroke limits brain damage.

A hot steak dinner could cool your man

LONDON – Want to calm down your hubby after a stressful day? If yes, then you should cook him a steak, say experts.

Contrary to popular belief that red meat makes men aggressive, scientists have found that it actually has a calming affect.

Psychologist Frank Kachanoff said the belief that a hunk of red meat would prompt …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : A hot steak dinner could cool your man.

Differences in human and Neanderthal brains set in first year of life

WASHINGTON – The difference between brains of newborn humans and Neanderthals takes shape specifically in the first year of life, a new study has suggested.

The brains of newborn humans and those of our extinct relatives are about the same size and appears rather similar overall.

The findings are based on comparisons of virtual imprints of the …. Read the original article  : here.

Discovery could reveal ‘what Earth and Mars were like 100m yrs ago’

WASHINGTON – It could now be possible to know what the atmospheres of the Earth and Mars were like hundreds of millions years ago, thanks to a new chemical reaction uncovered by scientists.

Chemists at UC San Diego have uncovered a new chemical reaction on tiny particulates in the atmosphere that could allow scientists to gain … Original source on Gaea Times at : Discovery could reveal ‘what Earth and Mars were like 100m yrs ago’.

Lack of vitamin D leads to ‘chubbier kids, faster weight gain’

WASHINGTON – A study by the University of Michigan has revealed that kids who are deficient in vitamin D accumulated fat around the waist and gained weight more rapidly than kids who got enough vitamin D.

Accumulation of abdominal fat, or central fat, may lead to a so-called apple body shape, which is commonly linked to …. Source  : Lack of vitamin D leads to ‘chubbier kids, faster weight gain’.

New browser combines web search with Facebook

LONDON – A new internet browser that requires a Facebook log-in has been unveiled, aimed squarely at social networking users.

Called RockMelt, it has been set up by Marc Andreessen, the founder of Netscape.
Based on Google’s Chromium software, Rockmelt is designed to let users share everything they do with the friends on Facebook … Read more >>>.

China unveils snapshots of moon

BEIJING – China has unveiled photos of the moon’s surface taken by its second lunar probe Chang’e-2, marking the success of the mission.

The photos, made public by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao Monday, highlighted part of the moon’s Sinus Iridium, or Bay of Rainbows, the area proposed for China’s first unmanned soft-landing around 2013, China …. Read the original article  : China unveils snapshots of moon.

People change names on Facebook ‘to escape evidence of wild youth’

MELBOURNE – A survey has revealed that several young people are on a name-changing spree on Facebook in order to escape their digital footprint.

Google chief executive was right when he predicted that kids of the future would change their names to escape online evidence of a wild youth.

A new survey of more than 1000 Australians …. Read the original article  : People change names on Facebook ‘to escape evidence of wild youth’.

Cannabis-like compounds ‘could turn newborn females more masculine’

LONDON – Researchers at University of Maryland in Baltimore have found that when newborn female rats are given a substance mimicking cannabis, their brains become more masculine – as does their behaviour.

Margaret McCarthy and colleagues also found that females had a smaller endocannabinoid system, involving brain receptors that react to cannabis, reports New Scientist.

They also …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Scientists discover ‘altruism gene’ that makes you more charitable

WASHINGTON – Researchers at University of Bonn claim that they have found an ‘altruism gene’ that makes people more charitable.

People with this change gave twice as much money on average to a charitable cause as did other study subjects.

Professor Dr. Martin Reuter and his colleagues asked participants were to memorize series of numbers and then …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Scientists discover ‘altruism gene’ that makes you more charitable.

Mild painkillers in pregnancy ’cause poor quality semen, cancer in sons’

WASHINGTON – A new study has suggested that use of mild painkillers during pregnancy may be a reason for the increase in male reproductive disorders in recent decades.

The new research has shown that women who took a combination of more than one mild analgesic during pregnancy, or who took the painkillers during the second trimester … Original source on Gaea Times at : Mild painkillers in pregnancy ’cause poor quality semen, cancer in sons’.

Soy-based drug ‘may stop prostate cancer spread’

WASHINGTON – Researchers have found that a new, non-toxic drug made from a chemical in soy could prevent the movement of cancer cells from the prostate to the rest of the body.

Northwestern Medicine researchers used genistein-a natural chemical found in soy-to inhibit prostate cancer cells from becoming metastatic and spreading to other parts of the …. Read the original article  : here.