|  Molecular marker predicts patients most likely to benefit longest from two popular cancer drugs  | Scientists have identified a molecular marker called "Mig 6" that appears to accurately predict longer survival -- up to two years -- among patients prescribed two of the most widely used drugs in a class of anticancer agents called EGFR inhibitors. | Read More » Dialectical behavioral therapy improves adherence in teens with chronic illness  | Dialectical Behavioral Therapy shows early evidence as an effective tool in improving medical regimen adherence in adolescents with chronic kidney disease, enabling them to accept their illness, have a better quality of life and gain eligibility for organ transplantation. | Read More » Coldest brown dwarfs blur lines between stars and planets  | Astronomers are constantly on the hunt for ever-colder star-like bodies, and two years ago a new class of such objects was discovered. However, until now no one has known exactly how cool their surfaces really are -- some evidence suggested they could be room temperature. A new study shows that while these brown dwarfs, sometimes called failed stars, are warmer than previously thought with temperatures about 250-350 degrees Fahrenheit. | Read More » Relationship between landscape simplification and insecticide use explored  | A new study that analyzed US Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture data spanning two decades (1987-2007) shows that the statistical magnitude, existence, and direction of the relationship between landscape simplification -- a term used for the conversion of natural habitat to cropland -- and insecticide use varies enormously year to year. | Read More » Protecting 17 percent of Earth's land could save two-thirds of plant species  | Protecting key regions that comprise just 17 percent of Earth's land may help preserve more than two-thirds of its plant species, according to a scientists. | Read More » Beneath Earth's surface, scientists find long 'fingers' of heat  | Scientists seeking to understand the forces at work beneath the surface of the Earth have used seismic waves to detect previously unknown "fingers" of heat, some of them thousands of miles long, in Earth's upper mantle. Their discovery helps explain the "hotspot volcanoes" that give birth to island chains such as Hawai'i and Tahiti. | Read More » New form of irritable bowel syndrome occurs after patients suffer acute diverticulitis  | Researchers have described a new form of irritable bowel syndrome that occurs after an acute bout of diverticulitis, a finding that may help lead to better management of symptoms and relief for patients. | Read More » Blue-green algae a five-tool player in converting waste to fuel  | Scientists are working with Synechocystis 6803 -- as well as other microbes and systems -- in the areas of synthetic biology, protein engineering and metabolic engineering, with special focus on synthetic control systems to make the organism reach its untapped prowess. They say the biotech world has to overcome several challenges to put the engineered microbes in the applications stage. | Read More » IBEX spacecraft measures changes in the direction of interstellar winds buffeting our solar system  | Neutral interstellar atoms are flowing into the solar system from a different direction than previously observed. | Read More » Made-to-order materials: Engineers focus on the nano to create strong, lightweight materials  | Engineers have mimicked lightweight yet strong biological materials by creating nanostructured, hollow ceramic scaffolds, and have found that their small building blocks, or unit cells, display remarkable strength and resistance to failure despite being more than 85 percent air. | Read More » Device to detect biodiesel contamination developed  | A professor and student team has developed a quick and easy-to-use sensor that can detect trace amounts of biodiesel contamination in diesel. | Read More » Pico-world of molecular bioscavengers, mops and sponges being designed  | A new world of molecular bioscavengers, sponges and mops is now closer. A computer-design method has enabled scientists to build proteins that can recognize and interact with small molecules. The proteins can also be reprogrammed to detect and unite with related substances, such as different forms of steroids. The method might also become a way to give organisms new tools to perform biological tasks. | Read More » Novel method to identify suitable new homes for animals under threat from climate change  | Scientists have devised a novel method to identify suitable new homes for animals under threat from climate change. Almost half of all bird and amphibian species are believed to be highly vulnerable to extinction from climate change. | Read More » 'Making music may improve young children's behavior'  | Making music can improve both pro-social behavior (voluntary behavior intended to benefit another) and the problem solving skills of young children according to a new study. Building on existing research which found that making music significantly improves pro-social behavior in young children) the current study investigated not only the potential effects of music making (singing or playing an instrument) on pro-sociability but also its effects on problem-solving and whether there was a difference between boys and girls. | Read More » Nasal inhalation of oxytocin improves face blindness  | Prosopagnosia (face blindness) may be temporarily improved following inhalation of the hormone oxytocin. | Read More » Mindfulness training improves attention in children  | A short training course in mindfulness improves children's ability to ignore distractions and concentrate better. | Read More » Interstellar winds buffeting our solar system have shifted direction  | Scientists have discovered that the particles streaming into the solar system from interstellar space have likely changed direction over the last 40 years. | Read More » Powerful jets blowing material out of galaxy  | Astronomers using a worldwide network of radio telescopes have found strong evidence that a powerful jet of material propelled to nearly light speed by a galaxy's central black hole is blowing massive amounts of gas out of the galaxy. This process, they said, is limiting the growth of the black hole and the rate of star formation in the galaxy, and thus is a key to understanding how galaxies develop. | Read More » Molecular beacons light path to cardiac muscle repair  | Having a pure population of cardiac muscle cells is essential for avoiding tumor formation after transplantation, but has been technically challenging. Researchers have developed a method for purifying cardiac muscle cells from stem cell cultures using molecular beacons. | Read More » New coating may reduce blood clot risk inside stents  | A new stent coating may someday eliminate a common side effect of the treatment. | Read More » Researchers pin down the genetics of going under  | Researchers have explored the distinctions between anesthetic unconsciousness and sleep by manipulating the genetic pathways known to be involved in natural sleep, and studying the resulting effects on anesthetic states. | Read More » Rising reuse of wastewater in forecast but world lacks data on 'massive potential resource'  | Amid growing competition for freshwater from industry and cities, coupled with a rising world shortage of potash, nitrogen and phosphorus, an international study predicts a rapid increase in the use of treated wastewater for farming and other purposes worldwide. However, research shows that treated wastewater -- comparable in North America alone to the volume of water flowing over Niagara Falls -- is mostly unused and, in many nations, not even quantified or data is badly outdated. | Read More » Finally mapped: The brain region that distinguishes bits from bounty  | In comparing amounts of things -- be it the grains of sand on a beach, or the size of a sea gull flock inhabiting it -- humans use a part of the brain that is organized topographically, researchers have finally shown. In other words, the neurons that work to make this "numerosity" assessment are laid out in a shape that allows those most closely related to communicate and interact over the shortest possible distance. | Read More » Human gut microbes alter mouse metabolism, depending on diet  | Germ-free mice that received gut bacteria from obese humans put on more weight and accumulated more fat than mice that were given bacteria from the guts of lean humans, according to a new study. | Read More » | |
