EurekAlert! - Breaking NewsThe premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.Finding suggests novel ways to boost vaccination or natural defenses- July 7, 2008 Our bodies rely on the production of potent, or 'high affinity,' antibodies to fight infection. The process is very complex, yet Sydney scientists have discovered that it hinges on a single molecule, a growth factor, without which it cannot function.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/ra-fs070708.php Vaginal microbicides may prevent more infections in men than women- July 7, 2008 Vaginal microbicides currently in clinical trials may be the only weapon that will protect women against infection from HIV. Yet, under likely circumstances, these microbicides may be of more benefit to men than women, according to a new UCLA AIDS Institute studyhttp://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/uoc--vmm070208.php Smithsonian coral biodiversity survey of Panama's Pearl Islands- July 7, 2008 A comprehensive survey of coral biodiversity in Panama's Las Perlas Archipelago, published in the journal Environmental Conservation by researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and their colleagues, has resulted in clear conservation recommendations for a new coastal management plan.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/stri-scb070708.php NOAA report states half of US coral reefs in 'poor' or 'fair' condition- July 7, 2008 Nearly half of U.S. coral reef ecosystems are considered to be in "poor" or "fair" condition according to a new NOAA analysis of the health of coral reefs under US jurisdiction. The NOAA report says that the nation's coral reef ecosystems, particularly those adjacent to populated areas, continue to face intense human-derived threats and while remote reefs are subject to threats such as marine debris, illegal fishing and climate change.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/nh-nrs070308.php A baby's smile is a natural high- July 7, 2008 The baby's smile that gladdens a mother's heart also lights up the reward centers of her brain, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in a report that appears in the journal Pediatrics today.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/bcom-abs062708.php Scientists integrate data in three dimensions to study climate effects on young fish- July 7, 2008 From the surface, the two areas of ocean off the coasts of northern New Jersey and Long Island, New York look the same. But to NOAA scientists, the four-square-mile patches could not be more different as they view real-time underwater images and environmental data to try to figure out what lives there and how climate change is affecting marine life, especially very young fish.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/nnmf-sid070708.php American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- July 2, 2008- July 7, 2008 The American Chemical Society's News Service Weekly PressPac contains reports from 36 major peer-reviewed journals on chemistry, health, medicine, energy, environment, food, nanotechnology and other hot topics.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/acs-acs070108.php Setting the record right: species diversity less dramatic than previously believed- July 7, 2008 The new fossil data also indicate that the current pattern of distribution of life -- with low species diversity in the poles and a very high diversity in the tropics -- was established some 450 million years ago.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/tau-str070708.php Study: perception of hole size influenced by performance- July 7, 2008 Golfers who play well are more likely to see the hole as larger than their poor-playing counterparts, according to a Purdue University researcher.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/pu-spo070708.php HIV treatment in Africa as successful as in Europe, if started in time- July 7, 2008 The public health approach to HIV treatment, in which a limited number of drug combinations is used for all patients in South African programs, works just as well as the highly individualized approach to drug selection used in Switzerland, according to research published in PLoS Medicine.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/plos-hti070308.php |