ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Surge in children accidentally eating marijuana-laced foods: Relaxed Colorado drug laws behind trend
• Stem cell injections improve spinal injuries in rats
• Snail shell coiling programmed by protein patterning
• Meta-analysis: Bug and weed killers, solvents may increase risk of Parkinson's disease
• Formula for turning cement into 'metal'
• Scientists find mechanism that causes noise-induced tinnitus and drug that can prevent it
• Down syndrome neurons grown from stem cells show signature problems
• Researchers identify genetic suspects in sporadic Lou Gehrig's disease
• How do we locate the spatial position of sounds? Mechanism responsible for creation of giant synapses discovered
• Climate researchers discover new rhythm for El Niño
• 'Should I stay or should I go?' Scientists link brain cell types to behavior
• Even farm animal diversity is declining as accelerating species loss threatens humanity
• New gene discovery for babies born with hole in the heart
• Rats have a double view of the world
• Bechstein's bat is more Mediterranean than originally thought
• Preterm birth affects ability to solve complex cognitive tasks: Too early to learn

Surge in children accidentally eating marijuana-laced foods: Relaxed Colorado drug laws behind trend Posted: 27 May 2013 08:19 PM PDT A new study shows the relaxation of marijuana laws in Colorado may have caused the spike in the number of young children treated for accidentally eating marijuana-laced cookies, candies, brownies and beverages.

Stem cell injections improve spinal injuries in rats Posted: 27 May 2013 08:18 PM PDT Scientists report that a single injection of human neural stem cells produced neuronal regeneration and improvement of function and mobility in rats impaired by an acute spinal cord injury.

Snail shell coiling programmed by protein patterning Posted: 27 May 2013 08:18 PM PDT Snail shells coil in response to a lopsided protein gradient across their shell mantles, finds new research. In contrast the shell mantle of limpets, whose shells do not coil, have a symmetrical pattern of the protein Decapentaplegic (Dpp).

Meta-analysis: Bug and weed killers, solvents may increase risk of Parkinson's disease Posted: 27 May 2013 08:17 PM PDT A large analysis of more than 100 studies from around the world shows that exposure to pesticides, or bug and weed killers, and solvents is likely associated with a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

Formula for turning cement into 'metal' Posted: 27 May 2013 12:37 PM PDT In a move that would make the alchemists of King Arthur's time green with envy, scientists have unraveled the formula for turning liquid cement into liquid metal. This makes cement a semi-conductor and opens up its use in the profitable consumer electronics marketplace for thin films, protective coatings, and computer chips.

Scientists find mechanism that causes noise-induced tinnitus and drug that can prevent it Posted: 27 May 2013 12:37 PM PDT An epilepsy drug shows promise in an animal model at preventing tinnitus from developing after exposure to loud noise, according to a new study. The findings reveal for the first time the reason the chronic and sometimes debilitating condition occurs.

Down syndrome neurons grown from stem cells show signature problems Posted: 27 May 2013 12:36 PM PDT Brain cells have been grown from skin cells of individuals with Down syndrome.

Researchers identify genetic suspects in sporadic Lou Gehrig's disease Posted: 27 May 2013 07:06 AM PDT Researchers have identified mutations in several new genes that might be associated with the development of spontaneously occurring cases of the neurodegenerative disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

How do we locate the spatial position of sounds? Mechanism responsible for creation of giant synapses discovered Posted: 27 May 2013 07:06 AM PDT Humans and most mammals can determine the spatial origin of sounds with remarkable acuity. To accomplish this small daily miracle, the brain has developed a circuit that's rapid enough to detect the tiny lag that occurs between the moment the auditory information reaches one of our ears, and the moment it reaches the other. The mastermind of this circuit is the "Calyx of Held." Scientists have revealed the role that a certain protein plays in initiating the growth of these giant synapses.

Climate researchers discover new rhythm for El Niño Posted: 27 May 2013 07:06 AM PDT Why El Niño peaks around Christmas and ends quickly by February to April has been a long-standing mystery. The answer lies in an interaction between El Niño and the annual cycle that results in an unusual tropical Pacific wind pattern with a period of 15 months, according to scientists.

'Should I stay or should I go?' Scientists link brain cell types to behavior Posted: 27 May 2013 07:06 AM PDT Neuroscientists have linked the activity of two types of brain nerve cells, neurons, to decisions made during particular type of behavior. They studied the activity of two types of inhibitory neurons in mice making decisions searching for food in a test area. They found distinct patterns of activity that marked when "stay" or to "go" foraging decisions were made.

Even farm animal diversity is declining as accelerating species loss threatens humanity Posted: 27 May 2013 07:06 AM PDT The accelerating disappearance of Earth's species of both wild and domesticated plants and animals constitutes a fundamental threat to the well-being and even the survival of humankind, warn scientists.

New gene discovery for babies born with hole in the heart Posted: 27 May 2013 07:05 AM PDT A new gene associated with a form of congenital heart disease in newborn babies – known as "a hole in the heart" has been discovered by researchers.

Rats have a double view of the world Posted: 27 May 2013 07:05 AM PDT Scientists using miniaturised high-speed cameras and high-speed behavioural tracking have discovered that rats move their eyes in opposite directions in both the horizontal and the vertical plane when running around. Each eye moves in a different direction, depending on the change in the animal's head position. An analysis of both eyes' field of view found that the eye movements exclude the possibility that rats fuse the visual information into a single image like humans do. Instead, the eyes move in such a way that enables the space above them to be permanently in view -- presumably an adaptation to help them deal with the major threat from predatory birds that rodents face in their natural environment.

Bechstein's bat is more Mediterranean than originally thought Posted: 27 May 2013 07:04 AM PDT Although the Bechstein's bat is regarded as a Euro-Siberian species, a new study has revealed that the historical transformation of part of its original habitat rather than bioclimatic reasons could be responsible for this distribution.

Preterm birth affects ability to solve complex cognitive tasks: Too early to learn Posted: 27 May 2013 07:04 AM PDT Being born preterm goes hand in hand with an increased risk for neuro-cognitive deficits. Psychologists from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the University of Warwick, UK have investigated the relation between the duration of pregnancy and cognitive abilities under varying work load conditions.

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