Science News SciGuru.com

Research may help physicians identify women with an increased risk of developing pre-eclampsia early in pregnancy through genetic and metabolic screening
In humans and chimpanzees knowledge is transmitted within a group by means of a majority principle
Policies, learning-by-doing played important role in reducing ethanol costs
Studies Reveal How Cells Distinguish Between Disease-Causing and Innocuous Invaders
Researchers find a way to detect stealthy, 'hypervirulent' Salmonella strains
Test links strains of common parasite to severe illness in US newborns
Discovery of the Musket Ball Cluster
Breakdown of white-matter pathways affect decisionmaking as we age
Gulf Coast Residents Say BP Oil Spill Changed Their Environmental Views, UNH Research Finds
Being in Power Does Not Always Magnify Personality
Preventing Failure: New Magnetic Testing Technique Helps Ensure Reliability of Microelectronic Devices, PV Cells and MEMS Applications
Caterpillars more likely to vomit alone

Research may help physicians identify women with an increased risk of developing pre-eclampsia early in pregnancy through genetic and metabolic screening

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 07:12 AM PDT

An international team of researchers has identified a gene that may play a role in pre-eclampsia, a condition that can occur during pregnancy that can affect both mother and unborn infant, according to findings published in the May 11 advance online issue of Nature.

In humans and chimpanzees knowledge is transmitted within a group by means of a majority principle

Posted: 13 Apr 2012 06:58 AM PDT

The transmission of knowledge to the next generation is a key feature of human evolution. In particular, humans tend to copy behaviour that is demonstrated by many other individuals. Chimpanzees and orangutans, two of our closest living relatives, also socially pass on traditional behaviour and culture from one generation to another. Whether and how this process resembles the human one is still largely unknown.

Policies, learning-by-doing played important role in reducing ethanol costs

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:40 PM PDT

A new study from the University of Illinois concludes that learning-by-doing, stimulated by increased ethanol production, played an important role in inducing technological progress in the corn ethanol industry. It also suggests that biofuel policies, which induced ethanol production beyond the free-market level, served to increase the competitiveness of the industry over time.

Studies Reveal How Cells Distinguish Between Disease-Causing and Innocuous Invaders

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:22 PM PDT

The specific mechanisms by which humans and other animals are able to discriminate between disease-causing microbes and innocuous ones in order to rapidly respond to infections have long been a mystery to scientists. But a study conducted on roundworms by biologists at UC San Diego has uncovered some important clues to finally answering that question.

Researchers find a way to detect stealthy, 'hypervirulent' Salmonella strains

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:12 PM PDT

A recent discovery of "hypervirulent" Salmonella bacteria has given UC Santa Barbara researchers Michael Mahan and Douglas Heithoff a means to potentially prevent food poisoning outbreaks from these particularly powerful strains. Their findings, in a paper titled "Intraspecies Variation in the Emergence of Hyperinfectious Bacterial Strains in Nature," have been published in the journal PLoS Pathogens.

Test links strains of common parasite to severe illness in US newborns

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:04 PM PDT

Scientists have identified which strains of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, the cause of toxoplasmosis, are most strongly associated with premature births and severe birth defects in the United States. The researchers used a new blood test developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, to pinpoint T. gondii strains that children acquire from their acutely infected mothers while in the womb.

Discovery of the Musket Ball Cluster

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 10:43 AM PDT

Using a combination of powerful observatories in space and on the ground, astronomers have observed a violent collision between two galaxy clusters in which so-called normal matter has been wrenched apart from dark matter through a violent collision between two galaxy clusters.

Breakdown of white-matter pathways affect decisionmaking as we age

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:41 AM PDT

If you are an aging baby boomer and you’ve noticed it’s a bit harder to drive to unfamiliar locations or to pick a new brand of olive oil at the supermarket, you can blame it on the white matter in your brain.

Gulf Coast Residents Say BP Oil Spill Changed Their Environmental Views, UNH Research Finds

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:29 AM PDT

University of New Hampshire researchers have found that residents of Louisiana and Florida most acutely and directly affected by the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster -- the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history -- said they have changed their views on other environmental issues as a result of the spill.

Being in Power Does Not Always Magnify Personality

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:25 AM PDT

“If you want to test a man’s character, give him power,” said Abraham Lincoln. It’s a truism that power magnifies personality—but is it true? A new study says no. “Before, people thought that disposition is linked to will; it’s mainly internally driven,” says University College London psychologist Ana Guinote, who conducted the study with Mario Weick of the University of Kent and London doctoral student Alice Cai.

Preventing Failure: New Magnetic Testing Technique Helps Ensure Reliability of Microelectronic Devices, PV Cells and MEMS Applications

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 08:18 AM PDT

Taking advantage of the force generated by magnetic repulsion, researchers have developed a new technique for measuring the adhesion strength between thin films of materials used in microelectronic devices, photovoltaic cells and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).

The fixtureless and noncontact technique, known as the magnetically actuated peel test (MAPT), could help ensure the long-term reliability of electronic devices, and assist designers in improving resistance to thermal and mechanical stresses.

Caterpillars more likely to vomit alone

Posted: 12 Apr 2012 07:35 AM PDT

A type of caterpillar which defends itself by regurgitating on its predators is less likely to do so when in groups than when alone, a new study by researchers from the University of Liverpool and the University of Bristol has found.

Such reluctance is sufficient to cancel out the benefits of being in a group.

The study, published in Ecology Letters, will help in the design of more sustainable methods for reducing crop losses caused by caterpillars and similar pests.