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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: scientific research

scientific research stories: 47 news summaries

1 - 20 of 47 Stories | 1 2 3 Next >>

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 Curry Spice Kills Cancer Cells 

Chemicals in turmeric turn cancerous cells on themselves

Oct 28, 09 11:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Curcumin, a compound present in that yellow curry spice turmeric, has been shown to kill cancer cells. A new study found that the chemical, which has long been thought to have curative properties, begins to kill esophageal cancer cells within 24 hours of application. The reaction also causes the cells... More »

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Iraq • medical research • medication • scientific study • esophageal cancer • scientific research • curry • cell death • curcumin

chemical revisited

Dopamine: Produces the Rush, Not the Pleasure

The "it" neurotransmitter stimulates drive, not good feeling

Oct 27, 09 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser) - Dopamine has become the decade’s “it” neurotransmitter, just as serotonin was in the ‘90s. But the popular image of dopamine as the brain chemical in charge of making us feel good, and hooking us on craving that feeling, a “Bacchus in the brain,” is misleading... More »

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dopamine • neurotransmitter • neurology • neurobiology • scientific research

Scientists Capture Detailed Image of Molecule

Technique could help improve electronics, drugs

Aug 28, 09 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - In a scientific first, IBM researchers have produced a detailed image of a molecule’s structure, the BBC reports. The stunning image, made with an atomic force microscope that vibrates like a tuning fork, is so finely detailed that it shows chemical bonds. Such intricate familiarity with the molecule opens... More »

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drugs • science • electronics • IBM • image • microscopic • atom • scientific research • molecules

(Newser) - Moments of forgetfulness attributed to Alzheimer’s disease could in fact be caused by a loss of vision, the Boston Globe reports, and new research asserts that cranking up contrast—by using colored dinner plates, for instance—could help. “Let’s say you put keys down on the... More »

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elderly • dementia • vision impairment • scientific research • medical study • Alzheimer's Disease • Boston University

Breast Cancer Death in Blacks Linked to Genes

Advocates now worry environmental, social factors will be ignored

Jul 27, 09 2:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - The higher risk of death from breast cancer for black women may depend more on differences of biology than environmental factors, the Baltimore Sun reports. Research shows that black women are up to 49% more likely to die from the disease than white women, even when patients receive the same... More »

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breast cancer • doctor • mammogram • black women • white women • scientific research • medical study • preventative care

Promising 'Trojan Horse' Cells Kills Animal Cancer

Sydney biotech firm to begin human trials in coming months

Jun 29, 09 1:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - Australian researchers have achieved promising results with a new approach to treating cancer, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. Scientists have developed mutant bacteria nanocells that slip into tumor cells to switch off drug-resistant genes, and allow cancer-fighting drugs inside, also delivered by the nanocells. The strategy has achieved near-universal success... More »

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cancer • chemotherapy • cells • cancer treatment • tumor • academic research • scientific research

(Newser) - They can't quite Twitter, but plants have sophisticated means of communication nonetheless, reports the Telegraph. A new study suggests they use complex chemical signals to discuss both predators and pollinators. In one test, sagebrush shrubs whose neighbors had their leaves clipped, as if by grasshoppers, appeared to grow more resilient,... More »

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plants • gardening • communication • scientific research • botany

 Sharks Enjoy a Cuddle 


Jun 3, 09 3:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - British aquarium managers are going to begin training sharks with rewards and even hugs after US scientists have discovered that certain breeds of the toothsome fish enjoy human cuddles, reports the Telegraph. "Zebra sharks will even roll over to have their tummies scratched or allow themselves to be lifted... More »

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shark • ocean • fish • captivity • sea • Jaws • training • scientific research • aquarium • Sea Life • animal training

Rodent Rights Activists Face Uphill Climb

Animal campaigners seek a better quality
of life for lab rats

May 16, 09 11:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Activists have managed to improve the lives of many animals in recent years, but they've met indifference when it comes to getting a better deal for rodents, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rats and mice make up 90% of the animals used in research in the US, say advocates, but... More »

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mice • rats • animal rights • animal testing • scientific research • lab mice

Pentagon Project Aims to Create Telepathic Troops

DARPA boffins tasked with turning brain waves into silent words

May 15, 09 8:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Pentagon has launched a project officials hope will help soldiers of the future read each other's minds on the battlefield, Wired reports. DARPA—dubbed the military's "mad scientist" division—has been given $4 million to develop technology that can detect and analyze brain waves that precede specific speech.... More »

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Pentagon • US military • brain • neuroscience • DARPA • scientific research • Jay-ZTV • telepathy

(Newser) - A 5-year, $53 million project has resulted in the sequencing of the cow genome, the Houston Chronicle reports. The results will likely take the guesswork out of breeding, but also mark the end of big-money sequencing projects. “It was pretty dumb to do the cow for $50 million when... More »

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milk • beef • cows • genes • genome • Baylor University • scientific research • sequencing

(Newser) - At Harvard and labs across the country, researchers are turning to dogs for clues on how their brains—and ours—work, the Boston Globe reports. “Psychologists have been ignoring animals that were sleeping quietly at their feet,” one professor said, but no longer. Dogs understand pointing better than... More »

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domestication • psychology • Harvard • dog • scientific research • canines • laboratory

(Newser) - Scientists have developed electricity-generating fibers that can be embedded in clothing and other materials and draw power from the smallest of movements, LiveScience reports. The zinc oxide nanowires are as small as 1/5,000th the width of a human hair and produce energy when they vibrate, even from blood flowing... More »

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technology • electricity • nanotechnology • DARPA • consumer electronics • scientific research • zinc oxide • military applications

 Soy Goo May Fight Alzheimer's 

Enzyme in fermented beans attacks brain plaques

Feb 23, 09 10:25 AM CST
(Newser) - The good news: There may be a natural way to treat Alzheimer's disease. The bad news: It's kind of gross. A recent study found that natto, the stinky and slimy soybean product featured in some Japanese dishes, contains an enzyme that can shred the type of brain plaque that causes... More »

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enzyme • scientific research • soybeans • brain plaque • Alzheimer's Disease • brain chemistry

 Google Earth Adds 'Depth,' 
 Tackling World's Oceans 

Underwater volcanoes, shipwrecks now available to program's users

Feb 2, 09 3:51 PM CST
(Newser) - Google has added a new feature to its Google Earth software, which now enables users to explore the world’s oceans and access information from scientists and explorers, AFP reports. “Google Earth is equipping itself with a new dimension: depth,” an engineer said. Surfers can “dive beneath... More »

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Google • Internet • Google Earth • ocean • marine animal • software • Google Maps • scientific research • Google Ocean

(Newser) - Scientists have genetically engineered the E. coli bacteria to produce a carbon-rich alcohol molecule equivalent in energy to gasoline, Popular Mechanics reports. The “long-chain” alcohol does not occur in nature, but with six to eight atoms of carbon, it is far more efficient than ethanol, which has only... More »

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E. coli • alcohol • biofuel • biodiesel • carbon • UCLA • scientific research • jet fuel • gasoline

Surprise! Coked-Up Bees
Get Buzzed, Too 

Drugged-up bees get overexcited and dance like crazy

Jan 6, 09 11:08 AM CST
(Newser) - Coked-up bees get as buzzed as their human counterparts, the New York Times reports. Researchers probing the nature of addiction discovered that when bees were given a dose of cocaine their judgment was altered and they became much more enthusiastic about food finds, performing the waggle dance more often, faster,... More »

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bees • drugs • drug addiction • cocaine • insects • scientific research

Smiling, Frowning Is Hardwired Into Genes: Study

Blind, sighted athletes adopted similar expressions in victory and defeat

Dec 30, 08 3:18 PM CST
(Newser) - Facial expressions from smiling to sneering are dictated by human genes that all of us share, a new study suggests. Researchers examined the facial expressions on thousands of photographs of blind and sighted athletes at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. They discovered that no... More »

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evolution • athlete • blindness • facial expressions • scientific research • expressions

Texting, Research Laws
 to Hit Calif. in New Year 

Student journalists, bottled water also targeted by lawmakers

Dec 29, 08 3:40 PM CST
(Newser) - A texting-while-driving ban isn’t the only new law Californians will wake up to on Jan. 1. The San Francisco Chronicle lists some other new regulations:
  • Drivers can now mount a GPS system in the lower corners of their windshields.
  • It will become a crime to publish the
... More »

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recycling • bottled water • journalist • text message • GPS • scientific research • driver distraction

 Our Not-So-Distant 
 Relatives: Kangaroos 

Scientists decode marsupial's genome, find much in common with humans

Nov 18, 08 4:26 PM CST
(Newser) - The kangaroo genome has much in common with that of humans, the Telegraph reports. Scientists in Australia, under the auspices of the Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics, have completed mapping the marsupial’s genetic code. “There are a few differences, we have a few more of this,... More »

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evolution • Australia • genome • human • scientific research • kangaroo

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