ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• New NASA mission to help us learn how to mine asteroids
• Table coral, Acropora cytherea, discovered off O'ahu in Hawaii
• A path to better MTV-MOFs: Best method for predicting adsorption in carbon dioxide-scrubbing materials
• Human epigenomic map extended
• High lifetime costs for type 2 diabetes
• Study shows MicroRNAs can trigger lymphomas
• Scientists visualize how cancer chromosome abnormalities form in living cells
• Investigational malaria vaccine found safe and protective
• Pass the salt: Common condiment could enable new high-tech industry -- silicon nanostructures
• Robot treats brain clots with steerable needles
• Views you can use? How online ratings affect your judgment
• Muscle health depends on sugar superstructure
• Atomic clock can simulate quantum magnetism
• Atomic insights into plant growth: How plant steroid hormone makes plants grow
• Gene regulator is key to healthy retinal development and good vision in adulthood
• Human activity muddies causes of Texas floods
• Our brains can (unconsciously) save us from temptation
• Way to fight therapy resistant leukemia by blocking DNA repair
• Ozone hole might slightly warm planet, computer model suggests
• Increase in woodpecker populations linked to feasting on emerald ash borer
• Elementary and middle schools can get students moving, not just thinking
• Study shows who survives Burkitt lymphoma
• Terahertz technology fights fashion fraud
• Cellphone use may not cause more car crashes
• Cesareans weaken gut microbiota and increase risk of allergies
• Chemists' work will aid drug design to target cancer and inflammatory disease
• Scientists devise innovative method to profile and predict the behavior of proteins
• A powerful strategy for developing microbial cell factories by employing synthetic small RNAs
• Scientists watch live brain cell circuits spark and fire
• Latino genomes point way to hidden DNA
• Genetic evidence shows recent population mixture in India
• 'Digging up' 4-billion-year-old fossil protein structures to reveal how they evolved
• Molecules form 2-D patterns never before observed: Nanoscience experiments produce elusive 5-vertex tilings
• World-first research to explain why actions speak louder than words
• Do fish feel pain? Not as humans do, study suggests
• Capturing live tumor cells in the blood
• Visualization tool helps researchers see their data like never before
• Hubble finds source of Magellanic Stream: Astronomers explore origin of gas ribbon wrapped around our galaxy
• Key piece of RNA-splicing machinery revealed: Little elongation complex
• Kids born small should get moving
• More than 90% of newspaper reading still in print, research shows
• Natural swimming pools also get contaminated
• Researchers constrain the sources of climate- and health-afflicting air pollution from China
• Three-decade decline in reflectivity of Arctic sea ice
• Neurocognitive testing more accurate than self-reporting when assessing concussion recovery in cheerleaders
• Fuel smoke linked to cardiovascular issues
• New tools to organize information-overload threatening neuroscience
• Key protein that modulates organismal aging identified
• Maya pyramid decorated with rare polychrome-painted stucco frieze
• Of stars and stripes: NASA satellites used to predict zebra migrations
• Study suggests pattern in lung cancer pathology may predict cancer recurrence after surgery
• Rheumatoid arthritis heightens risk of dangerous leg and lung blood clots
• Narrower range of helpful bacteria in guts of C-section infants
• Scientists identify biomarker to predict immune response risk after stem cell transplants
• Angry opponents seem bigger to tied up men
• Belief in precognition increases sense of control over life

New NASA mission to help us learn how to mine asteroids Posted: 08 Aug 2013 10:02 PM PDT Over the last hundred years, the human population has exploded from about 1.5 billion to more than seven billion, driving an ever-increasing demand for resources. To satisfy civilization's appetite, communities have expanded recycling efforts while mine operators must explore forbidding frontiers to seek out new deposits, opening mines miles underground or even at the bottom of the ocean.

Table coral, Acropora cytherea, discovered off O'ahu in Hawaii Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:03 PM PDT Scientists report the discovery of the first known colony of table coral off of the south shore of O'ahu in Hawai'i.

A path to better MTV-MOFs: Best method for predicting adsorption in carbon dioxide-scrubbing materials Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:03 PM PDT Researchers have developed a method for accurately predicting the ability of MTV-MOFs (multivariate metal organic frameworks) to scrub carbon dioxide from the exhaust gases of fossil fuel power plants.

Human epigenomic map extended Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:03 PM PDT New research describes the dynamics of DNA methylation across a wide range of human cell types. Chemically, these marks are the addition of a methyl group -- one carbon atom surrounded by three hydrogen atoms -- anywhere a cytosine nucleotide sits next to a guanine nucleotide in the DNA sequence.

High lifetime costs for type 2 diabetes Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT A person with type 2 diabetes spends on average more than $85,000 treating the disease and its complications over their lifetime, according to a recent study.

Study shows MicroRNAs can trigger lymphomas Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT A small group of immune-regulating molecules, when overproduced even moderately, can trigger the blood cancers known as lymphomas, according to a new study.

Scientists visualize how cancer chromosome abnormalities form in living cells Posted: 08 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT For the first time, scientists have directly observed events that lead to the formation of a chromosome abnormality that is often found in cancer cells. The abnormality, called a translocation, occurs when part of a chromosome breaks off and becomes attached to another chromosome.

Investigational malaria vaccine found safe and protective Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT An investigational malaria vaccine has been found to be safe, to generate an immune system response, and to offer protection against malaria infection in healthy adults, according to new results.

Pass the salt: Common condiment could enable new high-tech industry -- silicon nanostructures Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT Chemists have identified a compound that could significantly reduce the cost and potentially enable the mass commercial production of silicon nanostructures -- materials that have huge potential in everything from electronics to biomedicine and energy storage. This extraordinary compound is called table salt.

Robot treats brain clots with steerable needles Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT Surgery to relieve the damaging pressure caused by hemorrhaging in the brain is a perfect job for a robot. That is the basic premise of a new image-guided surgical system under development.

Views you can use? How online ratings affect your judgment Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT Positive comments create an illusory snowball effect, while negative responses get cancelled out.

Muscle health depends on sugar superstructure Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT Scientists have pinpointed not just one, but three proteins that are required for constructing a key, early section of a critical sugar chain. Mutations affecting any one of these three proteins can cause congenital muscular dystrophies in humans.

Atomic clock can simulate quantum magnetism Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:21 AM PDT Researchers have for the first time used an atomic clock as a quantum simulator, mimicking the behavior of a different, more complex quantum system. All but the smallest, most trivial quantum systems are too complicated to simulate on classical computers, hence the interest in quantum simulators to understand the quantum mechanical behavior of exotic materials such as high-temperature superconductors.

Atomic insights into plant growth: How plant steroid hormone makes plants grow Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:16 AM PDT If one wants to better understand how plants grow, one must analyse the chemistry of life in its molecular detail. Scientists are doing just that. New work reveals that a plant membrane receptor requires a helper protein to sense a growth-promoting steroid hormone and to transduce this signal across the cell membrane.

Gene regulator is key to healthy retinal development and good vision in adulthood Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:16 AM PDT Scientists are developing a clearer picture of how visual systems develop in mammals. The findings offer important clues to the origin of retinal disorders later in life.

Human activity muddies causes of Texas floods Posted: 08 Aug 2013 11:16 AM PDT Periodic flooding in Texas —- one the most flood-prone states in the U.S. —- cannot be firmly linked to climate change due to numerous dams and other humanmade structures introduced over the years, according to a new article.

Our brains can (unconsciously) save us from temptation Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:45 AM PDT Inhibitory self control -- not picking up a cigarette, not having a second drink, not spending when we should be saving -- can operate without our awareness or intention.

Way to fight therapy resistant leukemia by blocking DNA repair Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:45 AM PDT New research suggests blocking part of a DNA repair complex that helps some types of leukemia resist treatment can increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and enhance survival. Scientists report that their experimental combination treatment strategy -- using a small molecular inhibitor along with chemotherapy -- was particularly effective at stopping a stubborn leukemia called T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Ozone hole might slightly warm planet, computer model suggests Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:45 AM PDT A lot of people mix up the ozone hole and global warming, believing the hole is a major cause of the world's increasing average temperature. Scientists, on the other hand, have long attributed a small cooling effect to the ozone shortage in the hole. Now a new computer-modeling study suggests that the ozone hole might actually have a slight warming influence, but because of its effect on winds, not temperatures. The new research suggests that shifting wind patterns caused by the ozone hole push clouds farther toward the South Pole, reducing the amount of radiation the clouds reflect and possibly causing a bit of warming rather than cooling.

Increase in woodpecker populations linked to feasting on emerald ash borer Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:42 AM PDT Entomologists have documented how an emerald ash borer invasion fueled a population boom for four species of birds in the Detroit area.

Elementary and middle schools can get students moving, not just thinking Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:42 AM PDT Despite widespread cuts to physical education classes and recess, an Indiana University study has shown that schools can play an important role in helping their students live healthier lives. Schools that implemented coordinated school health programs saw increases in students' physical activity.

Study shows who survives Burkitt lymphoma Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:42 AM PDT Treatment advances have helped improve survival of Burkitt lymphoma, a highly aggressive cancer, but not among the elderly, patients at a late stage, or black people. A new study uses those findings to develop a risk score that will help doctors, patients, families and researchers better understand prognosis.

Terahertz technology fights fashion fraud Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:41 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated how a technique called terahertz time-domain spectroscopy could be used to help spot fakes and combat textile counterfeiting.

Cellphone use may not cause more car crashes Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT A new study uses data from a major cellphone provider and accident reports to contradict previous findings that connected cellphone use to increased crash risk. The findings also raise doubts about the traditional cost-benefit analyses used by states that have, or are, implementing cellphone-driving bans as a way to promote safety.

Cesareans weaken gut microbiota and increase risk of allergies Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT Children who came into the world by Cesarean section are more often affected by allergies than those born in the natural way. The reason for this may be that they have a less diverse gut microbiota, according to a new study.

Chemists' work will aid drug design to target cancer and inflammatory disease Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT Chemists have produced detailed descriptions of the structure and molecular properties of human folate receptor proteins, a key development for designing new drugs that can target cancer and inflammatory diseases without serious side effects.

Scientists devise innovative method to profile and predict the behavior of proteins Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT A team of researchers has found a way to map an enzyme's underlying molecular machinery, revealing patterns that could allow them to predict how an enzyme behaves -- and what happens when this process disrupted.

A powerful strategy for developing microbial cell factories by employing synthetic small RNAs Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT Scientists have reported the development of a strategy for efficiently developing microbial cell factories by employing synthetic small RNAs.

Scientists watch live brain cell circuits spark and fire Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:40 AM PDT Scientists used fruit flies to show for the first time that a new class of genetically engineered proteins can be used to watch nerve cell electrical activity in live brains. These proteins may be a promising new tool for mapping brain cell activity in multiple animals and for studying how neurological disorders disrupt normal nerve cell signaling.

Latino genomes point way to hidden DNA Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:38 AM PDT Researchers have discovered the hiding place of 20 million base pairs of human genome sequence, finding a home for 10 percent of the DNA that is thought to be missing from the standard reference map of the human genome.

Genetic evidence shows recent population mixture in India Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:38 AM PDT Researchers have found that modern-day India is the result of recent population mixture among divergent demographic groups.

'Digging up' 4-billion-year-old fossil protein structures to reveal how they evolved Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:38 AM PDT Very little is known about how and when over the course of evolution 3-D protein structures arose. In a new study, researchers resurrected four-billion-year-old Precambrian proteins in the laboratory and gained novel insights into protein evolution by analyzing their X-ray crystal structures. This method has revealed a remarkable degree of structural similarity among proteins since life first evolved on this planet, and represents a powerful and novel approach to explore the evolution of protein structures.

Molecules form 2-D patterns never before observed: Nanoscience experiments produce elusive 5-vertex tilings Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:38 AM PDT Tessellation patterns that have fascinated mathematicians since Kepler worked out their systematics 400 years ago -- and that more recently have caught the eye of artists and crystallographers -- can now be seen in the laboratory. They first took shape on a surface more perfectly two-dimensional than any sheet of paper, a single layer of atoms and molecules atop an atomically smooth substrate. Physicists coaxed these so-called Kepler tilings "onto the page" through guided self-assembly of nanostructures.

World-first research to explain why actions speak louder than words Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:37 AM PDT An innovative series of experiments could help to unlock the mysteries of how the brain makes sense of the hustle and bustle of human activity we see around us every day.

Do fish feel pain? Not as humans do, study suggests Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:37 AM PDT Fish do not feel pain the way humans do, according to a team of neurobiologists, behavioral ecologists and fishery scientists. The researchers conclude that fish do not have the neuro-physiological capacity for a conscious awareness of pain.

Capturing live tumor cells in the blood Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:36 AM PDT Tumor cells circulating within a patient's bloodstream can carry cancer from a primary tumor site to distant sites of the body, spreading the disease. Now researchers have developed a new microfluidic chip that can quickly and efficiently segregate and capture live circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from a patient's blood, with potential applications for cancer screenings and treatment assessments.

Visualization tool helps researchers see their data like never before Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:33 AM PDT Making sense of the ever-increasing mounds of data is one of the great challenges facing researchers today. Staff and students in a university information technology department have come up with an approach to help researchers gain a new perspective on their data.

Hubble finds source of Magellanic Stream: Astronomers explore origin of gas ribbon wrapped around our galaxy Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:33 AM PDT Astronomers have solved a 40-year mystery on the origin of the Magellanic Stream, a long ribbon of gas stretching nearly halfway around our Milky Way galaxy. New Hubble observations reveal that most of this stream was stripped from the Small Magellanic Cloud some 2 billion years ago, with a smaller portion originating more recently from its larger neighbor.

Key piece of RNA-splicing machinery revealed: Little elongation complex Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:33 AM PDT A little-studied factor known as the Little Elongation Complex (LEC) plays a critical and previously unknown role in the transcription of small nuclear RNAs (snRNA), according to a new study.

Kids born small should get moving Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:21 AM PDT Female mice who were growth restricted in the womb were born at a lower birth weight, but were less active and prone to obesity as adults, said researchers.

More than 90% of newspaper reading still in print, research shows Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:20 AM PDT A new study shows that an average of at least 96% of the time spent with newspapers by their UK readers was in print (excluding use of 'apps'). The research also questions the transformative effects of online readers from overseas, and of tablet and smartphone 'apps'.

Natural swimming pools also get contaminated Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:20 AM PDT The use of natural pools - those that do not use chlorine or other chemical disinfection products - has seen an upward trend in recent years. Now, scientists have discovered fecal contamination in some pools due to droppings from birds and other animals.

Researchers constrain the sources of climate- and health-afflicting air pollution from China Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:19 AM PDT Particulate air pollution from incomplete combustion is affecting climate over East Asia more than carbon dioxide and cause premature deaths of over half a million annually in China alone, yet its sources have been poorly understood. Scientists have now used a powerful carbon-14 method to show that four-fifths of the soot particle air pollution are from fossil fuel combustion such as household cooking with coal briquettes and city traffic, drastically changing the view on sources and guiding efforts to mitigate emissions.

Three-decade decline in reflectivity of Arctic sea ice Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:19 AM PDT The reflectivity of Arctic sea ice, or albedo, regulates the solar radiation balance. A diminishing albedo affects the melt rate of Arctic sea ice.

Neurocognitive testing more accurate than self-reporting when assessing concussion recovery in cheerleaders Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:19 AM PDT Concussions have become a major public health issue, with both short- and long-term side effects.  In sports, cheerleading has the highest rate of catastrophic injury, with some studies reporting approximately 6% of total injuries as concussions.  Return-to-play guidelines have relied on athletes' self-reports; however, this has led to concerns about the ability of athletes to truly recognize their own symptoms and recovery.  In a new study researchers evaluate the accuracy of neurocognitive testing compared with self-reported symptoms of concussions in cheerleaders.

Fuel smoke linked to cardiovascular issues Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:16 AM PDT Rural households in developing countries often rely on burning biomass, such as wood, animal dung and waste from agricultural crops, to cook and heat their homes. The practice is long known to cause lung disease, but a new study links the resulting smoke to cardiovascular problems, including an increase in artery-clogging plaques, artery thickness and higher blood pressure.

New tools to organize information-overload threatening neuroscience Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:16 AM PDT Before the digital age, neuroscientists got their information in the library like the rest of us. But the field's explosion has created nearly 2 million papers -- more data than any researcher can read and absorb in a lifetime.

Key protein that modulates organismal aging identified Posted: 08 Aug 2013 06:16 AM PDT Scientists have identified a key factor that regulates the autophagy process, a kind of cleansing mechanism for cells in which waste material and cellular debris is gobbled up to protect cells from damage, and in turn, modulates aging.

Maya pyramid decorated with rare polychrome-painted stucco frieze Posted: 07 Aug 2013 08:36 PM PDT A Maya pyramid beautifully decorated with a rare polychrome-painted stucco frieze was unearthed in July 2013 at the site of Holmul, a Classic Maya city in northeastern Peten region of Guatemala. The find came as an archaeological team excavated in a tunnel left open by looters. The stucco relief stands along the exterior of a multi-roomed rectangular building, measuring 8m in length and 2m in height. Much of the building still remains encased under the rubble of a later 20m-high structure. The carving is painted in red, with details in blue, green and yellow.

Of stars and stripes: NASA satellites used to predict zebra migrations Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:50 PM PDT One of the world's longest migrations of zebras occurs in the African nation of Botswana, but predicting when and where zebras will move has not been possible until now. Using NASA rain and vegetation data, researchers can track when and where arid lands begin to green, and for the first time anticipate if zebras will make the trek or, if the animals find poor conditions en route, understand why they will turn back.

Study suggests pattern in lung cancer pathology may predict cancer recurrence after surgery Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT A new study by thoracic surgeons and pathologists shows that a specific pattern found in the tumor pathology of some lung cancer patients is a strong predictor of recurrence. Knowing that this feature exists in a tumor's pathology could be an important factor doctors use to guide cancer treatment decisions.

Rheumatoid arthritis heightens risk of dangerous leg and lung blood clots Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT Rheumatoid arthritis significantly increases the risk of potentially fatal blood clots in the legs and lungs, reveals a large nationwide study.

Narrower range of helpful bacteria in guts of C-section infants Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT The range of helpful bacteria in the guts of infants delivered by Cesarean section, during their first two years of life, is narrower than that of infants delivered vaginally, indicates a small study.

Scientists identify biomarker to predict immune response risk after stem cell transplants Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT Researchers have identified and validated a biomarker accessible in blood tests that could be used to predict which stem cell transplant patients are at highest risk for a potentially fatal immune response called graft-versus-host disease.

Angry opponents seem bigger to tied up men Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT A physical handicap like being tied down makes men over-estimate an opponent's size and under-estimate their own, according to new research.

Belief in precognition increases sense of control over life Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT People given scientific evidence supporting our ability to predict the future feel a greater sense of control over their lives, according to new research.

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