Infant sucking habits may affect how baby talksPersistent pacifier, bottle and finger sucking may hamper a child\'s speech developmentIMAGE:A collaborative research team from Patagonia, Chile, and Seattle, Wash., studied the effects of infant sucking habits on children\'s speech development. From left to right are Annette Fitzpatrick, Asterio... Click here for more information. Pacifier, baby bottle or finger sucking may hamper a child\'s speech development if the habit goes on too long.

The bowels of infectionAtlanta, GA – Current research suggests that latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may exacerbate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The related report by Onyeagocha et al, "Latent cytomegalovirus infection exacerbates experimental colitis," appears in the November 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. CMV infects between 50% and 80% of adults in the United States.

Classifying molar pregnancyBaltimore, MD – Researchers from The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions have used short tandem repeat (STR) genotyping and p57 immunohistochemistry to distinguish hydatidiform moles. The related report by Murphy et al "Molecular Genotyping of Hydatidiform Moles: Analytic Validation of a Multiplex Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Assay," appears in the November 2009 issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.

School children could lead the way on sustainabilityMany children are not only passionate about environmental issues, but more than capable of driving forward sustainability initiatives, argues new research into the role of schools in developing more sustainable communities. Children already play a key role in becoming more sustainable by encouraging changes in behaviour of those around them whether in terms of recycling, saving energy, growing vegetables and healthy eating etc.

2-million-year-old evidence shows tool-making hominins inhabited grassland environmentsPress release from PLoS ONEIn an article published in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE on October 21, 2009, Dr Thomas Plummer of Queens College at the City University of New York, Dr Richard Potts of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History and colleagues report the oldest archeological evidence of early human activities in a grassland environment, dating to 2 million years ago.

Scientists discover largest orb-weaving spiderIMAGE:This photo shows a giant golden orb-web exceeding 1 meter in diameter: Nephila inaurata, Rodrigues, Indian Ocean. Click here for more information. Researchers from the United States and Slovenia have discovered a new, giant Nephila species (golden orb weaver spider) from Africa and Madagascar and have published their findings in the Oct. 21 issue of the journal PLoS ONE.

It takes 2 to tutor a sparrowIMAGE:A juvenile song sparrow shows off a radio antenna that enables researchers to track it as they study how the birds learn to sing. Click here for more information. It may take a village to raise a child, and apparently it takes at least two adult birds to teach a young song sparrow how and what to sing.

UF scientists discover new explanation for controversial old patient-care techniqueGAINESVILLE, Fla. — You might not know what it\'s called, but if you\'ve had general anesthesia before surgery, especially after an accident, it is likely you have received Sellick\'s maneuver. That\'s when fingers are pressed against a patient\'s throat to prevent regurgitation and spilling of stomach contents into the airway and lungs while anesthesia is being administered. Such regurgitation could result in serious lung damage and even death.

Penn team uses self-assembly to make molecule-sized particles with patches of chargePHILADELPHIA –- Physicists, chemists and engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated a novel method for the controlled formation of patchy particles, using charged, self-assembling molecules that may one day serve as drug-delivery vehicles to combat disease and perhaps be used in small batteries that store and release charge.

Experts issue call to reconsider screening for breast cancer and prostate cancerTwenty years of screening for breast and prostate cancer – the most diagnosed cancer for women and men – have not brought the anticipated decline in deaths from these diseases, argue experts from the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in an opinion piece published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association.

Texas A&M researchers find new mechanism for circadian rhythmMolecules that may hold the key to new ways to fight cancer and other diseases have been found to play an important role in regulating circadian rhythm, says Liheng Shi, a researcher in Texas A&M\'s Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences. Circadian rhythm is the roughly 24-hour cycle of physiological activities of humans, animals and even bacteria, Shi explains.

Diverting sediment-rich water below New Orleans could lead to extensive new landOpenings in Mississippi levees could build new land in sinking deltaDiverting sediment-rich water from the Mississippi River below New Orleans could generate new land in the river\'s delta in the next century. The land would equal almost half the acreage otherwise expected to disappear during that period, a new study shows.

Genomes of 2 popular research strains of E. coli sequencedTracing the history, genetic makeup of workhorse laboratory bacteriaUpton, NY -- An international team of researchers from the United States, Korea, and France has sequenced and analyzed the genomes of two important laboratory strains of E. coli bacteria, one used to study evolution and the other to produce proteins for basic research or practical applications.

Tropical Storm Rick\'s center expected to pass south of the BajaGOES-11 sees Rick on the edge of the BajaIMAGE:The GOES-11 satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Storm Rick\'s clouds (bottom right) over the southern tip of Baja California at 7:30 a.m. PDT, October 20. San... Click here for more information. Residents in southern Baja California, Mexico still haven\'t recovered from last month\'s Hurricane Jimena, and Tropical Storm Rick is now bringing rains to southern tip of the Baja.

NASA\'s TRMM sees some heavy rains in Neki as it heads toward Johnston IslandIMAGE:TRMM\'s analysis of rainfall within Neki showed areas of heavy rainfall. The yellow and green areas indicate moderate rainfall between .78 to 1.57 inches per hour. Red areas are... Click here for more information.

Depression in older cancer patients can be effectively treated with collaborative approachTreatment can take place in primary-care settingsDepression in older cancer patients can be effectively treated with collaborative approach in primary-care settings Depression in older cancer patients is very common, and has debilitating effects on their quality of life both during and after treatment. University of Washington (UW) researchers are showing that there are ways to better this situation.

Presidential election outcome changed voters\' testosteroneIMAGE:Vicarious participation in a contest had a measurable effect on the physiology of men in a study conducted at Duke and the University of Michigan. Click here for more information. DURHAM, N.C. -- Young men who voted for Republican John McCain or Libertarian candidate Robert Barr in the 2008 presidential election suffered an immediate drop in testosterone when the election results were announced, according to a study by researchers at Duke University and the University of Michigan.

MIT: Muscle \'synergies\' may be key to stroke treatmentWhat\'s new: Researchers at MIT and San Camillo Hospital in Venice, Italy, have shown that motor impairments in stroke patients can be understood as impairments in specific combinations of muscle activity, known as synergies. Why it matters: Previous work in animals and humans has shown that groups of muscles tend to be co-activated as a unit in predicable patterns, or synergies, across a wide range of movements.

Experimental treatments restore partial vision to blind peopleRetinal prosthesis and fetal tissue transplant show promise in human studiesTwo experimental treatments, a retinal prosthesis and fetal tissue transplant, restored some vision to people with blinding eye diseases. The findings, presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world\'s largest source of emerging news on brain science and health, may lead to new treatments for the blind.

Think what you eat: Studies point to cellular factors linking diet and behaviorResearch highlights brain\'s vulnerability to obesityNew research released today is affirming a long-held maxim: you are what you eat — and, more to the point, what you eat has a profound influence on the brain. The findings offer insight into the neurobiological factors behind the obesity epidemic in the United States and other developed countries.

Researchers find ways to encourage spinal cord regeneration after injuryAnimal studies suggest new protocols for helping human spinal cord injury patientsCHICAGO — Animal research is suggesting new ways to aid recovery after spinal cord injury. New studies demonstrate that diet affects recovery rate and show how to make stem cell therapies safer for spinal injury patients.

US coal peak production: Point and counterpointBoulder, CO, USA - A timely debate on "United States Coal Peak Production" will enliven the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Portland, Oregon, today. Highly regarded experts David B. Rutledge of the California Institute of Technology and Robert C. Milici from the U.S. Geological Survey will be keynote speakers presenting opposing views. Coal peak production has been a seriously debated topic for the past few years outside the coal-science community.

Scientists identify specific markers that trigger aggressiveness of liver cancerPatients with positive epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers have lowest survival rateHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or primary liver cancer forms in the epithelial tissue of the liver and is most commonly caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the U.S., the National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that 15,000 men and 6,000 women are diagnosed with HCC each year.

Health information exchange conquers new frontier: Emergency medical servicesIMAGE:John T. Finnell, M.D., is a Regenstrief Institute investigator and associate professor of emergency medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Click here for more information. INDIANAPOLIS - Emergency medical responders typically know very little about the patients they treat at mass disasters, accident scenes, or other sites where an ambulance is dispatched for rapid response.

Drinking coffee slows progression of liver disease in chronic hepatitis C sufferersPatients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drink three or more cups of coffee per day have a 53% lower risk of liver disease progression than non-coffee drinkers according to a new study led by Neal Freedman, Ph.D., MPH, from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The study found that patients with hepatitis C-related bridging fibrosis or cirrhosis who did not respond to standard disease treatment benefited from increased coffee intake.