Ants are friendly to some trees, but not othersTree-dwelling ants generally live in harmony with their arboreal hosts. But new research suggests that when they run out of space in their trees of choice, the ants can get destructive to neighboring trees. The research, published in the November issue of the American Naturalist, is the first to document that ants bore into live trees, and it reopens a centuries-old debate on the relationship between ants and plants. Ants and certain species of plants and trees have cozy relationships.

AIBS publishes Darwin articles open accessScholars contribute to the year of Darwin with publications in BioScienceTo celebrate the 150th anniversary this month of the publication of On the Origin of Species, the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is publishing open access two peer-reviewed articles about Charles Darwin and his historic insights into evolution. The two articles are by Kevin Padian of the University of California, Berkeley, and James T. Costa of Western Carolina University.

Prevention experts urge modification to 2009 H1N1 guidance for health care workersInfectious diseases prevention experts say current guidelines are not supported by science; could have dangerous consequences for patients and health care workers(Arlington, VA)--Three leading scientific organizations specializing in infectious diseases prevention issued a letter to President Obama today expressing their significant concern with current federal guidance concerning the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by healthcare workers in treating...

Higher carotid arterial stenting rates associated with poorer clinical outcomesIncrease in adverse outcomes coincides with expanded Medicare coverage of procedurePHILADELPHIA—Among eligible Medicare beneficiaries, increased use of carotid arterial stenting (CAS) procedures to treat carotid stenosis—the narrowing of the carotid artery—is associated with higher rates of mortality and adverse clinical outcomes, including heart attack and stroke, according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Indianapolis, IN November 6, 2009 -- My Sweet Wild Dance is released by author Mikaya Heart. Chris grew up in the impoverished aristocracy of post-war Scotland. The black sheep of her family, she struggled against the confines of class and gender, searching for truth in an atmosphere where lies were the norm. As soon as she was old enough to escape her parents’ stranglehold, she tried on many different personas, experimenting with drugs, free love, and anti-establishment politics.

November 6, 2009 -- Shadow on Cant Dog Hill is released by author John H. Vibber - a murder / mystery thriller about intrigue and murder in small-town Vermont. The year is 1982 and the place is a remote village in Vermont. Small-town single parents Adele Clayton and Reilly Bostwick are in love. Nothing prevents this popular nurse and this teacher from forming a new family except a murder and a kidnapping.

Indianapolis, IN November 6, 2009 -- Ninety-year-old Minna and her daughter Julie have a strained relationship. Julie has stored up resentments from her past; having been sent off to a boarding school as a young girl and estranged from her family, she has kept much of her life secret from her mother. Minna, too has not been entirely truthful about her own past. When she visits Julie, Minna decides to unburden herself from the painful secrets of her childhood.

Enlarge Image Stoking Fears. A new study has raised fresh concerns about nanoparticles, but they may be unfounded. Credit: Nandiyanto/Wikimedia Experts Criticize Nanoparticle StudyBy Robert F. Service ScienceNOW Daily News 6 November 2009 The headlines are laced with fear. "Nanoparticles \'can damage DNA.\'" "Nanoparticle Safety Looking More Complicated." "Nanoparticles Indirect Threat to DNA.

Enlarge Image Swine view. Like Miss Piggy, pigs know what to make of their own reflection. Credit: Redferns/Getty Images Who\'s That Sexy Swine?By Virginia Morell ScienceNOW Daily News 6 November 2009 Miss Piggy, the famed porcine muppet, knew a thing or two about mirrors. In fact, she was seldom without one. She may have been vain, but she was also one smart pig, given that researchers regard the ability to use a mirror as evidence of complex cognition. Now, it turns out, Miss Piggy isn\'t the only clever porker.

More Support for Human Role in Chinese QuakeBy Richard A. Kerr ScienceNOW Daily News 6 November 2009 When the Wenchuan earthquake killed some 80,000 people in southwest China in May of last year, suspicion immediately fell on the reservoir behind the nearby Zipingpu Dam. Seismologists knew that several hundred million tons of water had filled the reservoir in the preceding few years and that either the water itself or its weight might have weakened a nearby fault and unleashed the quake.

PET imaging response a prognostic factor after thoracic radiation therapy for lung cancer(PHILADELPHIA) A rapid decline in metabolic activity on a PET scan after radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer is correlated with good local tumor control, according to a study presented by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital at the 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting.

New finding suggests prostate biopsy is not always necessaryWINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered that some elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men may be caused by a hormone normally occurring in the body, and are not necessarily a predictor of the need for a prostate biopsy. Elevated levels of PSA have traditionally been seen as a potential sign of prostate cancer, leading to the widespread use of PSA testing.

Researchers find new way to attack inflammation in Graves\' eye diseaseStudy shows that rituximab, used for other autoimmune disease, is effective after steroids failAnn Arbor, Mich. — A small group of patients with severe Graves\' eye disease experienced rapid improvement of their symptoms — and improved vision — following treatment with the drug rituximab. Inflammation around their eyes and damage to the optic nerve were significantly reduced.

Less than 1 in 3 Toronto bystanders who witness a cardiac arrest try to help: StudyUnregistered defibrillators mean 911 dispatchers are unaware and devices are not usedTORONTO, On – November 6, 2009 – Researchers at St. Michael\'s Hospital working in conjunction with EMS services, paramedics and fire services across Ontario found that a bystander who attempts cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can quadruple the survival rate to over 50 per cent. But Dr. Laurie Morrison and the research team at Rescu (www.

Possible help in fight against muscle-wasting diseaseUniversity of Oregon-University of Rochester team finds compound that reverses type 1 myotonic dystrophyIMAGE:Andrew Berglund, a member of the University of Oregon\'s Institute of Molecular Biology, studies myotonic dystrophy. His team has found an existing FDA-approved compound for a variety of diseases might... Click here for more information.

Nitrogen loss threatens desert plant life, study showsAs the climate gets warmer, arid soils lose nitrogen as gas, reports a new Cornell study. That could lead to deserts with even less plant life than they sustain today, say the researchers. "This is a way that nitrogen is lost from an ecosystem that people have never accounted for before," said Jed Sparks, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and co-author of the study, published in the Nov. 6 issue of Science.

NHLBI stops enrollment in study on resuscitation methods for cardiac arrestDifferent CPR durations found equally successful; CPR device does not add benefitEnrollment has ended early in a large, multicenter clinical trial comparing two distinct resuscitation strategies delivered by emergency medical service (EMS) providers to increase blood flow during cardiac arrest.

Local health investigation sheds light on gastroschisis birth defectUniversity of Nevada, Reno researcher collaborates with local health community to look for answers to elevated incidence rateResults of an investigation conducted by University of Nevada, Reno researchers, public health officials and area physicians published this week in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, indicate that Washoe County experienced a cluster of a particular birth defect, gastroschisis, during the period April 2007 – April 2008.

Psychiatric impact of torture could be amplified by head injuryStudy finds brain changes, more severe depression in political detainees experiencing head injuryDepression and other emotional symptoms in survivors of torture and other traumatic experiences may be exacerbated by the effects of head injuries, according to a study from the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma (HPRT), based in the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry.

Babies with an accentIMAGE:The cry melody of French (left) and German (right) babies differs considerably with respect to the accentuation. Click here for more information. This press release is available in German.In the first days of their lives, French infants already cry in a different way to German babies.

Pathogen protection and virulence: Dark side of fungal membrane protein revealedBlacksburg, Va. -- Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and Montana State University have discovered a fungal protein that plays a key role in causing disease in plants and animals and which also shields the pathogen from oxidative stress.

Carnegie Mellon researchers link health-care debate to risk of dying in US and EuropeLifestyle choices vs. life expectancy PITTSBURGH—The current health care debate in the United States is complicated. Trade-offs between heath care expenditures, lifestyle choices and life expectancy have been suggested but seldom clearly demonstrated. The U.S. spends on average more than $45,000 per year on health care for every 80 year old, while the Europeans spend $12,000 for the same age group.

DNA molecules in moss open door to new biotechnologyPlasmids, which are DNA molecules capable of independent replication in cells, have played an important role in gene technology. Researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden have now demonstrated that plasmid-based methods, which had been limited to single-cell organisms such as bacteria and yeasts, can be extended to mosses, opening the door to applications of a number of powerful techniques in plant research.

A new computer simulator allows to design military strategies based on ants\' movementsThis press release is available in French and Spanish.IMAGE:This photo shows ants\' movements. Click here for more information. A researcher of the University of Granada has designed a new system for the mobility of military troops within a battlefield based on the mechanisms used by ant colonies to move using a commercial videogame.

Computer predicts reactions between molecules and surfaces, with ‘chemical precision’Good news for heterogeneous catalysis and the hydrogen economy: computers can now be used to make accurate predictions of the reactions of (hydrogen) molecules with surfaces. An international team of researchers, headed by Leiden theoretical chemist Geert-Jan Kroes, published on this subject this week in the journal Science. Hydrogen on copperThe team developed a new method of modelling what happens when hydrogen molecules separate on a copper surface.