Plus more, from Science’s new policy blog, ScienceInsider

Continue reading about Science’s Financial Bonanza, a 2-Decade-Long Criminal Investigation, and a Win for Intelligent Design

admin on January 17th, 2009

But time is short for figuring out where and when the water was

Continue reading about Big Stars Resist Dieting

Temperature change in the Arctic is happening at a greater rate than other places in the Northern Hemisphere, and this is expected to continue. As a result, glacier and ice-sheet melting, sea-ice retreat, coastal erosion and sea level rise can be expected. A new comprehensive scientific synthesis of past Arctic climates demonstrates for the first [...]

Continue reading about Arctic Heats Up More Than Other Places: High Sea Level Rise Predicted

Scientists have found an important link between a protein that declines with age and the development of osteoarthritis, the most common disease of aging affecting nearly 27 million Americans. The finding opens the door to developing effective new treatments for osteoarthritis. Currently, no treatment for this degenerative disease exists apart from palliative drugs for pain [...]

Continue reading about Cause Of Cartilage Degeneration In Osteoarthritis Discovered

admin on January 17th, 2009

The unique planetary nebula NGC 2818 is nested inside the open star cluster NGC 2818A. Both the cluster and the nebula reside over 10,000 light-years away, in the southern constellation Pyxis (the Compass). NGC 2818 is one of very few planetary nebulae in our galaxy located within an open cluster. Open clusters, in general, are [...]

Continue reading about Hubble Snaps Images Of A Nebula Within A Cluster

A new study has suggested that treatment is most effective at certain times of day because that is when a particular enzyme system — one that can reverse the actions of chemotherapeutic drugs — is at its lowest levels in the body.

Continue reading about Chemotherapy Most Effective At Time Of Day When Particular Enzyme At Lowest Level

You may never hear fruit flies snore, but rest assured that when you’re asleep, they are too. Scientists have shown that sleep/wake cycles of fruit flies and vertebrates are regulated by some of the same “cellular machinery” as humans. This is significant because the sleep-regulating enzyme that was analyzed is one of only a few [...]

Continue reading about When It Comes To Sleep Research, Fruit Flies And People Make Unlikely Bedfellows

admin on January 17th, 2009

New research reveals the brain activity that underlies our tendency to “follow the crowd.” The study provides intriguing insight into how human behavior can be guided by the perceived behavior of other individuals.

Continue reading about Brain Mechanisms Of Social Conformity

Scientists developed a medical “mini-submarine” to blast diseased cells in the body. The blueprints for the submarine and a map of its proposed maiden voyage were developed earlier this year. Now the scientists will build and test-run the actual “machine” in human bodies.

Continue reading about Fantastic Voyage: Medical ‘Mini-submarine’ Invented To Blast Diseased Cells In The Body

admin on January 17th, 2009

The next time a loved one brandishes a virtual shotgun in their favorite video game, take heart. That look of glee, says a new study, likely stems from the healthy pleasure of mastering a challenge rather than from a disturbing craving for carnage. A new psychology study shows that violence does not motivate video game [...]

Continue reading about Video Game Players Love The Game, Not The Gore