Space Season: ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Sunday, February 27, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Sunday, February 27, 2011

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Transgenic fungi may be able to combat malaria and other bug-borne diseases (February 26, 2011) -- New findings indicate that a genetically engineered fungus carrying genes for a human anti-malarial antibody or a scorpion anti-malarial toxin could be a highly effective, specific and environmentally friendly tool for combating malaria, at a time when the effectiveness of current pesticides against malaria mosquitoes is declining. ... > full story

New technology pinpoints genetic differences between cancer and non-cancer patients (February 26, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a new technology that detects distinct genetic changes differentiating cancer patients from healthy individuals and could serve as a future cancer predisposition test. ... > full story

Coral 'network' can protect Asia-Pacific fish stocks, study suggests (February 26, 2011) -- Researchers have established that the richest marine region on Earth -- the Coral Triangle between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines -- depends vitally for its diversity and resilience on coral and fish larvae swept in from the South China Sea and Solomon Islands. ... > full story

Bone drug zoledronic acid may help prevent spread of early lung cancer (February 26, 2011) -- A drug that is currently used to help treat bone metastases in patients with lung cancer could also be useful at an earlier stage of treatment, to prevent the cancer from spreading in the first place, researchers have found. ... > full story

Etched quantum dots shape up as single photon emitters (February 26, 2011) -- Like snowflakes or fingerprints, no two quantum dots are identical. But a new etching method for shaping and positioning these semiconductor nanocrystals might change that. Tests confirm that etched quantum dots emit single particles of light, boosting prospects for powering new types of devices for quantum communications. ... > full story

Making the 'irrelevant' relevant to understand memory and aging (February 26, 2011) -- Age alters memory. But in what ways, and why? These questions comprise a vast puzzle for neurologists and psychologists. A new study looked at one puzzle piece: how older and younger adults encode and recall distracting, or irrelevant, information. The results can help scientists better understand memory and aging. ... > full story

Atomic antennas transmit quantum information across a microchip (February 26, 2011) -- New research suggests a fundamentally novel architecture for quantum computation. They have experimentally demonstrated quantum antennas, which enable the exchange of quantum information between two separate memory cells located on a computer chip. This offers new opportunities to build practical quantum computers. ... > full story

Nanotechnology may lead to new treatment of liver cancer (February 26, 2011) -- Nanotechnology may open a new door on the treatment of liver cancer, according to researchers. They used molecular-sized bubbles filled with chemotherapy drugs to prevent cell growth and initiate cell death in test tubes and mice. ... > full story

Tweeting teenage songbirds reveal impact of social cues on learning (February 26, 2011) -- In a finding that once again displays the power of the female, neuroscientists have discovered that teenage male songbirds, still working to perfect their song, improve their performance in the presence of a female bird. ... > full story

Model for managing asthma in preschoolers leads to dramatic drop in ER visits and hospitalizations (February 26, 2011) -- Nearly one in 11 preschool children in the US has been diagnosed with asthma, yet few asthma management programs are designed for parents of preschool children. A new program offers educational activities to families as well as training to community pediatric providers. Following participation in the program, 85 percent of parents reported reducing their child's asthma triggers; visits to ER departments declined sharply, as did asthma-related hospitalizations. ... > full story

New way to design metal nanoparticle catalysts (February 26, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new strategy for fabricating metal nanoparticles in catalysts that promises to enhance the selectivity and yield for a wide range of structure-sensitive catalytic reactions. ... > full story

Happy children make happy adults (February 26, 2011) -- Being a "happy" teenager is linked to increased well-being in adulthood, new research finds. ... > full story