ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Frog-like robot will help surgeons
• 'Chink in the armor' of Schmallenberg virus identified
• Famous performers and sportsmen tend to have shorter lives
• Reducing the pain of movement in intensive care
• Prototype generators emit much less carbon monoxide
• Super-nanotubes: 'Remarkable' spray-on coating combines carbon nanotubes with ceramic
• Researchers identify and block protein that interferes with appetite-suppressing hormone
• Spayed or neutered dogs live longer
• Family history of Alzheimer's associated with abnormal brain pathology
• Detecting autism from brain activity
• Should doctors be involved in the concealed-weapons permit process?
• Bear baiting may put hunting dogs at risk from wolves
• Hydrogen sulfide greatly enhances plant growth: Key ingredient in mass extinctions could boost food, biofuel production
• Liver cancers armed with many strategies for evading immune response
• Making fruit easier to eat increases sales and consumption in school cafeterias
• X-ray view of a thousand-year-old cosmic tapestry
• Hop, skip or jump? Study says no to all of the above
• Astronomers discover massive star factory in early universe
• Discovery may help prevent HIV: Insights into eliminating reservoirs of HIV-1
• Common osteoporosis drug slows formation of new bone
• Scientists reverse memory loss in animal brain cells
• SOFIA observations reveal a surprise in massive star formation
• How to target an asteroid
• Scientists produce best image yet of atoms moving in real time
• A new twist for quantum systems
• Gene regulates heart's ability to regenerate after injuries
• Massive galaxy had intense burst of star formation when universe was only 6 percent of current age
• Hair analysis reveals elevated stress hormone levels raise cardiovascular risk
• Going places: Rat brain 'GPS' maps routes to rewards
• Coelacanth genome surfaces: Unexpected insights from a fish with a 300-million-year-old fossil record
• Quantum computing taps nucleus of single atom
• Family ties: Completion of zebrafish reference genome yields strong comparisons with human genome
• Fishing for solutions: Examining function of all genes in the zebrafish genome to benefit human health
• Children and teens with autism more likely to become preoccupied with video games
• Reproductive tract secretions elicit ovulation
• People present themselves in ways that counteract prejudices toward their group
• Migraine treatments and side-effects reviewed
• Clenbuterol in livestock farming may affect results of doping controls in sport
• Harms of harsh discipline are softened by a loving mother
• Coelacanth genome informs land vertebrate evolution
• Molecule treats leukemia by preventing cancer cell repair
• Half of Tamiflu prescriptions went unused during 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, UK sewage study
• Virus-like particles provide vital clues about brain tumors
• How smart are your clothes? Interactive electronic fabrics created
• Parents tend to share more bacteria with family dogs than children
• Recipe for large numbers of stem cells requires only one ingredient
• Helping to forecast earthquakes in Salt Lake Valley
• Radiation dose level affects size of lesions seen on chest CT images
• CT and serum LDH shows promise as survival predictor for some metastatic melanoma patients
• ALMA telescope pinpoints early galaxies at record speed
• Towards the origin of America's first settlers
• Europe-wide pollen count map created
• Discovery of genetic defect which triggers epilepsy
• Green tourism: Reducing the carbon footprint of holidaymakers
• New keyboard for touchscreens enables faster thumb-typing
• Cell-permeable peptide shows promise for controlling cardiovascular disease
• Security holes in smartphone apps
• People who have never lost a loved one perceive bereavement as far more devastating than someone who has suffered a previous loss
• Nearly half of all deaths from prostate cancer can be predicted before age 50

Frog-like robot will help surgeons Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:47 PM PDT Researchers are using the feet of tree frogs as a model for a tiny robot designed to crawl inside patients' bodies during keyhole surgery.

'Chink in the armor' of Schmallenberg virus identified Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:36 PM PDT A key building block in the Schmallenberg virus could be targeted by anti-viral drugs, according to a new study.

Famous performers and sportsmen tend to have shorter lives Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:36 PM PDT Fame and achievement in performance-related careers may be earned at the cost of a shorter life, according to a new study.

Reducing the pain of movement in intensive care Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:36 PM PDT Monitoring pain and providing analgesics to patients in intensive care units (ICUs) during non-surgical procedures, such as turning and washing, can not only reduce the amount of pain but also reduce the number of serious adverse events including cardiac arrest, finds new research. Although pain at rest is routinely noted, pain during procedures is less regularly reported and its effect on patients unknown.

Prototype generators emit much less carbon monoxide Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:59 PM PDT Portable electric generators retrofitted with off-the-shelf hardware emitted significantly lower levels of carbon monoxide, according to the results of recent tests.

Super-nanotubes: 'Remarkable' spray-on coating combines carbon nanotubes with ceramic Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:59 PM PDT Researchers have demonstrated a spray-on mixture of carbon nanotubes and ceramic that has unprecedented ability to resist damage while absorbing laser light. Coatings that absorb as much of the energy of high-powered lasers as possible without breaking down are essential for measuring the output of such lasers.

Researchers identify and block protein that interferes with appetite-suppressing hormone Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:59 PM PDT Researchers have both identified a protein that interferes with the brain's response to the appetite-regulation hormone leptin and created a compound that blocks the protein's action -- a potential forerunner to an anti-obesity drug.

Spayed or neutered dogs live longer Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:59 PM PDT Many dog owners have their pets spayed or neutered to help control the pet population, but new research suggests the procedure could add to the length of their lives and alter the risk of specific causes of death.

Family history of Alzheimer's associated with abnormal brain pathology Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:59 PM PDT Close family members of people with Alzheimer's disease are more than twice as likely as those without a family history to develop silent buildup of brain plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers.

Detecting autism from brain activity Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:55 PM PDT Neuroscientists have developed an efficient and reliable method of analyzing brain activity to detect autism in children, researchers report in a new study.

Should doctors be involved in the concealed-weapons permit process? Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:55 PM PDT Experts have discussed the medical, ethical, and legal concerns about physician involvement in concealed weapons permits. They argue that standards, protocols and new policies are needed for physicians to adequately assess a patient's physical or mental competency in concealed-weapons permitting.

Bear baiting may put hunting dogs at risk from wolves Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:55 PM PDT Wisconsin permits bear baiting for much longer than Michigan does. Wisconsin also pays reparations for wolf attacks on hunting dog, but Michigan doesn't. These factors make Wisconsin's risk of wolf attacks up to 7 times higher.

Hydrogen sulfide greatly enhances plant growth: Key ingredient in mass extinctions could boost food, biofuel production Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:55 PM PDT In low doses, hydrogen sulfide, a substance implicated in several mass extinctions, could greatly enhance plant growth, leading to a sharp increase in global food supplies and plentiful stock for biofuel production, new research shows.

Liver cancers armed with many strategies for evading immune response Posted: 17 Apr 2013 03:55 PM PDT Researchers are studying highlights resilience of hepatocellular carcinomas, and are suggesting approaches for overcoming those barriers.

Making fruit easier to eat increases sales and consumption in school cafeterias Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:50 PM PDT People believe that children avoid fruit because of the taste and allure of alternative packaged snacks. Researchers have concluded that the size of the snack counts the most. Apple sales in schools with fruit slicers increased by 71 percent and the percentage of students who ate more than half of their apple increased by 73 percent, an effect that lasted long after the study was over.

X-ray view of a thousand-year-old cosmic tapestry Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:50 PM PDT A long Chandra observation reveals the SN 1006 supernova remnant in exquisite detail. By overlapping 10 different pointings of Chandra's field-of-view, astronomers have stitched together a cosmic tapestry of the debris field that was created when a white dwarf star exploded, sending its material hurtling into space as seen from Earth over a millennium ago. In this new Chandra image, low, medium, and higher-energy X-rays are colored red, green, and blue respectively.

Hop, skip or jump? Study says no to all of the above Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:50 PM PDT Engineers have found that in the earliest stages of arthritis, high-impact exercise may worsen cartilage damage.

Astronomers discover massive star factory in early universe Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:49 PM PDT A team of astronomers has discovered a dust-filled, massive galaxy churning out stars when the cosmos was a mere 880 million years old -- making it the earliest starburst galaxy ever observed.

Discovery may help prevent HIV: Insights into eliminating reservoirs of HIV-1 Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:46 PM PDT Researchers have discovered how the protein that blocks HIV-1 from multiplying in white blood cells is regulated. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS, and the discovery could lead to novel approaches for addressing HIV-1 "in hiding" – namely eliminating reservoirs of HIV-1 that persist in patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

Common osteoporosis drug slows formation of new bone Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:46 PM PDT Although the drug zoledronic acid slows bone loss in osteoporosis patients, it also boosts levels of a biomarker that stops bone formation, according to a recent study.

Scientists reverse memory loss in animal brain cells Posted: 17 Apr 2013 01:44 PM PDT Neuroscientists have taken a major step in their efforts to help people with memory loss tied to brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

SOFIA observations reveal a surprise in massive star formation Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:25 AM PDT Researchers using the airborne Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have captured the most detailed mid-infrared images yet of a massive star condensing within a dense cocoon of dust and gas.

How to target an asteroid Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:20 AM PDT Like many of his colleagues at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., Shyam Bhaskaran is working a lot with asteroids these days. And also like many of his colleagues, the deep space navigator devotes a great deal of time to crafting, and contemplating, computer-generated 3-D models of these intriguing nomads of the solar system. But while many of his coworkers are calculating asteroids' past, present and future locations in the cosmos, zapping them with the world's most massive radar dishes, or considering how to rendezvous and perhaps even gently nudge an asteroid into lunar orbit, Bhaskaran thinks about how to collide with one.

Scientists produce best image yet of atoms moving in real time Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:19 AM PDT Call it the ultimate nature documentary. Scientists have recorded atomic motions in real time, offering a glimpse into the very essence of chemistry and biology at the atomic level. Their recording is a direct observation of a transition state in which atoms undergo chemical transformation into new structures with new properties -- in this case the transfer of charge leading to metallic behavior in organic molecules.

A new twist for quantum systems Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Physicists have developed a method for precisely controlling quantum systems by exploiting a trick that helps cats to land on their feet and motorists to fit their cars into parking spots. In the longer run, the method could lead to the development of more reliable quantum computers.

Gene regulates heart's ability to regenerate after injuries Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Researchers have identified a specific gene that regulates the heart's ability to regenerate after injuries.

Massive galaxy had intense burst of star formation when universe was only 6 percent of current age Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Astronomers find the most prolific star factory yet seen, in a far-distant galaxy that reveals important information about the cosmic environment in the early history of the Universe.

Hair analysis reveals elevated stress hormone levels raise cardiovascular risk Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Hair strands contain valuable information about senior citizens' stress levels that can be used to determine an individual's cardiovascular disease risk, according to a recent stud.

Going places: Rat brain 'GPS' maps routes to rewards Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Studying rats' ability to navigate familiar territory, scientists found that the hippocampus uses remembered spatial information to imagine routes the rats then follow. Their discovery has implications for understanding why hippocampal damage disrupts specific types of memory and learning in people with Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline. And because these mental trajectories guide the rats' behavior, the research model may be useful in future studies on higher-level tasks, such as decision-making.

Coelacanth genome surfaces: Unexpected insights from a fish with a 300-million-year-old fossil record Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT An international team of researchers has decoded the genome of the African coelacanth. The species was once thought to be extinct, but a living coelacanth was discovered off the African coast in 1938. Coelacanths today closely resemble the fossilized skeletons of their more than 300-million-year-old ancestors. Its genome confirms what many researchers had long suspected: genes in coelacanths are evolving more slowly than in other organisms.

Quantum computing taps nucleus of single atom Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:18 AM PDT Australian engineers have demonstrated that quantum information can be "written" onto the nucleus of a single atom and "read" out with incredible accuracy. The result was achieved using a silicon chip that can be wired up and operated electronically.

Family ties: Completion of zebrafish reference genome yields strong comparisons with human genome Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:17 AM PDT Researchers demonstrate today that 70 per cent of protein-coding human genes are related to genes found in the zebrafish and that 84 per cent of genes known to be associated with human disease have a zebrafish counterpart. Their study highlights the importance of zebrafish as a model organism for human disease research.

Fishing for solutions: Examining function of all genes in the zebrafish genome to benefit human health Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:17 AM PDT Equipped with the zebrafish genome, researchers have designed a method to assay the function of each and every gene and to explore the effects genetic variation has on zebrafish. So far the team has generated one or more mutations in almost 40% of all zebrafish genes.

Children and teens with autism more likely to become preoccupied with video games Posted: 17 Apr 2013 10:07 AM PDT Children and teens with autism spectrum disorder use screen-based media, such as television and video games, more often than their typically developing peers and are more likely to develop problematic video game habits, a researcher found.

Reproductive tract secretions elicit ovulation Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:41 AM PDT Eggs take a long time to produce in the ovary, and thus are one of a body's precious resources. It has been theorized that the body has mechanisms to help the ovary ensure that ovulated eggs enter the reproductive tract at the right time in order to maximize the chance of successful fertilization. New research has shed light on how successful ovulation and fertilization are brought about by studying these processes in fruit flies.

People present themselves in ways that counteract prejudices toward their group Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:40 AM PDT Individuals from stigmatized groups choose to present themselves in ways that counteract the specific stereotypes and prejudices associated with their group, according to a new study.

Migraine treatments and side-effects reviewed Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:40 AM PDT A new review finds little difference between effectiveness of drugs routinely prescribed for migraine prevention but evident difference in the side-effects experienced. Migraine headaches are a major cause of ill health and a reduced quality of life. Some individuals suffer from a frequent and severe migraine problem which means that they require regular medication to try and prevent them. A new review of the medications may help to prevent episodic migraines.

Clenbuterol in livestock farming may affect results of doping controls in sport Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:40 AM PDT The illegal use of clenbuterol in livestock farming may affect the results of doping controls in sport, a new study concludes.

Harms of harsh discipline are softened by a loving mother Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:40 AM PDT The use of harsh discipline of unwanted behavior in children has long been controversial. Whether verbal (insults, disparaging remarks, threats) or physical (slapping/spanking), harsh discipline at all stages of childhood carries a large risk of manifesting antisocial 'externalizing behaviors' in the child, including aggression, delinquency or hyperactivity.

Coelacanth genome informs land vertebrate evolution Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:39 AM PDT An historic fish, with an intriguing past, now has had its genome sequenced, providing a wealth of information on the genetic changes that accompanied the adaptation from an aquatic environment to land.

Molecule treats leukemia by preventing cancer cell repair Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:59 AM PDT Researchers have identified a molecule that prevents repair of some cancer cells, providing a potential new "genetic chemotherapy" approach to cancer treatment that could significantly reduce side effects and the development of treatment resistance compared with traditional chemotherapy.

Half of Tamiflu prescriptions went unused during 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, UK sewage study Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:59 AM PDT A new study concludes that approximately half of the prescriptions of Tamiflu during the 2009-10 influenza pandemic went unused in England. The unused medication represents approximately 600,000 courses of Tamiflu at a cost of around £7.8 million to the UK taxpayer. The finding comes from the first study of its kind to use sewage water to estimate drug compliance rates.

Virus-like particles provide vital clues about brain tumors Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:59 AM PDT Exosomes are small, virus-like particles that can transport genetic material and signal substances between cells. Researchers have made new findings about exosomes released from aggressive brain tumors, gliomas. These exosomes are shown to have an important function in brain tumor development, and could be utilized as biomarkers to assess tumor aggressiveness through a blood test.

How smart are your clothes? Interactive electronic fabrics created Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:22 AM PDT From corsets to caftans, we have seen dramatic changes in popular style over the past 100 years. New research now brings the future of fashion into focus by taking a closer look at the next quantum leap in textile design: computerized fabrics that change their color and their shape in response to movement.

Parents tend to share more bacteria with family dogs than children Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:21 AM PDT As much as dog owners love their children, they tend to share more of themselves, at least in terms of bacteria, with their dogs.

Recipe for large numbers of stem cells requires only one ingredient Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:21 AM PDT Stem cells and tissue-specific cells can be grown in abundance from mature mammalian cells simply by blocking a certain membrane protein, according to scientists. Their experiments also show that the process doesn't require other kinds of cells or agents to artificially support cell growth and doesn't activate cancer genes.

Helping to forecast earthquakes in Salt Lake Valley Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:21 AM PDT Salt Lake Valley, home to the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault zone and the West Valley fault zone, has been the site of repeated surface-faulting earthquakes (of about magnitude 6.5 to 7).

Radiation dose level affects size of lesions seen on chest CT images Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:21 AM PDT The estimated size of chest lymph nodes and lung nodules seen on CT images varies significantly when the same nodes or nodules are examined using lower versus higher doses of radiation, a new study shows. The size of lymph nodes and lung nodules is an important determinant of treatment and treatment success.

CT and serum LDH shows promise as survival predictor for some metastatic melanoma patients Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:21 AM PDT Combining CT imaging findings with baseline serum lactate dehydrogenase levels is showing promise as a way to predict survival in patients with metastatic melanoma being treated with anti-angiogenic therapy.

ALMA telescope pinpoints early galaxies at record speed Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:20 AM PDT Astronomers have used the new ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) telescope to pinpoint the locations of over 100 of the most fertile star-forming galaxies in the early Universe.

Towards the origin of America's first settlers Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:20 AM PDT The international scientific community faces the exciting challenge of discovering the origin of America's first settlers. A new publication shapes some alternatives to the hypothesis of a single migration movement. The study also identifies lineage which has not been described to date in North and Central American populations

Europe-wide pollen count map created Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:19 AM PDT In future there could be precise, personal travel warnings for hay fever sufferers covering the whole of Europe.

Discovery of genetic defect which triggers epilepsy Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:19 AM PDT Researchers have identified a gene behind an epilepsy syndrome, which could also play an important role in other idiopathic (genetically caused) epilepsies. With the so-called "next generation sequencing", with which genetic changes can be identified within a few days, it was ascertained that the CNTN2 gene is defective in this type of epilepsy.

Green tourism: Reducing the carbon footprint of holidaymakers Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:19 AM PDT Each year our desire to get away from it all contributes to around 5% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. Ignoring the impact of tourism on the environment would be equivalent to ignoring the carbon emissions of a developed industrialised nation.

New keyboard for touchscreens enables faster thumb-typing Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:19 AM PDT Scientists have created a new keyboard called KALQ that enables faster thumb-typing on touchscreen devices. They used computational optimization techniques in conjunction with a model of thumb movement to search among millions of potential layouts before identifying one that yields superior performance. A user study confirmed that, after a short amount of practice, users could type 34% faster than they could with a QWERTY layout.

Cell-permeable peptide shows promise for controlling cardiovascular disease Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:19 AM PDT Atherosclerosis -- sometimes called "hardening of the arteries" -- is a leading cause of death and morbidity in Western countries. A cell-permeable peptide containing the NF-kB nuclear localization sequence shows promise as a potential agent in controlling the development of atherosclerotic disease.

Security holes in smartphone apps Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:19 AM PDT Popular texting, messaging and microblog apps developed for the Android smartphone have security flaws that could expose private information or allow forged fraudulent messages to be posted, according to researchers.

People who have never lost a loved one perceive bereavement as far more devastating than someone who has suffered a previous loss Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:17 AM PDT People who have never suffered the loss of a loved one tend to believe that the bereavement process has a far more destructive and devastating effect on a person compared to those who have actually suffered such a loss in the past.

Nearly half of all deaths from prostate cancer can be predicted before age 50 Posted: 16 Apr 2013 06:47 PM PDT Focusing prostate cancer testing on men at highest risk of developing the disease is likely to improve the ratio between benefits and the harms of screening, a new paper suggests.

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