ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Saturday, April 16, 2011

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Saturday, April 16, 2011

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Africa the birthplace of human language, analysis suggests (April 15, 2011) -- A new study by a New Zealand researcher provides strong evidence for Africa as the birthplace of human language. An analysis of languages from around the world suggests that, like our genes, human speech originated -- just once -- in sub-Saharan Africa. The research studied the phonemes, or the perceptually distinct units of sound that differentiate words, used in 504 human languages today and found that the number of phonemes is highest in Africa and decreases with increasing distance from Africa. ... > full story

'Thunder' protein regulates memory formation (April 15, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered in mice a molecular wrecking ball that powers the demolition phase of a cycle that occurs at synapses -- those specialized connections between nerve cells in the brain -- and whose activity appears critical for both limiting and enhancing learning and memory. ... > full story

Whole-exome sequencing of skin cancer completed: Most comprehensive view of melanoma's genetic landscape (April 15, 2011) -- Researchers have made the first systematic survey of the landscape of the melanoma genome, the DNA code of the deadliest form of skin cancer. The researchers have made surprising new discoveries using whole-exome sequencing, an approach that decodes the 1-2 percent of the genome that contains protein-coding genes. ... > full story

Childhood eczema and hay fever leads to adult allergic asthma, study finds (April 15, 2011) -- Children who have eczema, particularly when occurring with hay fever, are nine times more likely to develop allergic asthma in their 40s, a new study reveals. ... > full story

Novel ionic liquid batteries (April 15, 2011) -- Limits imposed by using corrosive electrolytes often result in severe restrictions to battery geometry and the need for special corrosive-resistant battery containers. The use of reactive ionic liquids in non-aqueous cells replace the more hazardous highly alkaline electrolytes. ... > full story

Long-term users of ecstasy risk structural brain damage, study suggests (April 15, 2011) -- Long term users of the popular recreational drug ecstasy risk structural brain damage, suggests preliminary research. ... > full story

New spin on graphene makes it magnetic (April 15, 2011) -- Scientists have found a way to make wonder material graphene magnetic, opening up a new range of opportunities for the world's thinnest material in the area of spintronics. ... > full story

How DNA changes: Newly revealed process has implications for understanding cancers, psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases (April 15, 2011) -- Using human kidney cells and brain tissue from adult mice, scientists have uncovered the sequence of steps that makes normally stable DNA undergo the crucial chemical changes implicated in cancers, psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The process may also be involved in learning and memory, the researchers say. ... > full story

Parents' 'um's' and 'uh's' help toddlers learn new words, cognitive scientists find (April 15, 2011) -- A team of cognitive scientists has good news for parents who are worried that they are setting a bad example for their children when they say "um" and "uh." A new study shows that toddlers actually use their parents' stumbles and hesitations (technically referred to as disfluencies) to help them learn language more efficiently. ... > full story

Heart needs work after heart attack: New study challenges the notion that the heart must rest (April 15, 2011) -- A new study shows that for best results in stable patients after heart attack, early exercise as well as prolonged exercise is the key to the best outcomes. The study found that stable patients who have suffered heart attacks get more benefits for heart performance when starting an exercise program one week after the heart attack, than waiting a month or longer to begin rehabilitation. ... > full story

A bicycle built for none: Riderless bike helps researchers learn how balance rolls along (April 15, 2011) -- In a discovery that could lead to better and safer bicycle design, researchers have shown that long-accepted "gyro" and "caster" effects are not needed to make a bike balance itself. In fact, it's a mixture of complicated physical effects -- linked to the distribution of mass -- that allows a bicycle to remain up when moving. ... > full story

Stronger regulations of in vitro fertilization may save lives, new study finds (April 15, 2011) -- Couples struggling with infertility often use assisted reproductive technologies, like in vitro fertilization (IVF), to get pregnant. This can increase the risk of multiple pregnancies, which are often caused by transferring more than one embryo. Twins and triplets are likely to be born prematurely, and, as a result, many have medical complications. A new study finds a major decrease in risk, as well as cost, if single embryo transfers are mandated for IVF. ... > full story

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