ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Eating poisonous plants saves life of gemsbok in Namibian desert
• Coffee and tea may contribute to a healthy liver
• Aggressive lymphoma: Low doses of approved drug switches on pathway that allows chemotherapy to kill cancer
• Nanosensors could aid drug manufacturing
• How DNA repair helps prevent cancer
• Female frogs prefer males who can multitask
• Autistic kids who best peers at math show different brain organization
• A personalized robot companion for older people
• Cell biology: A protein provides stress relief
• Drug dosing for older heart patients should differ
• Tumors form advance teams to ready lungs for spread of cancer
• Preferred play for children with autism
• How females choose the 'right' sperm
• New rechargeable flow battery could enable cheaper, more efficient energy storage
• Developmental on-switch: Substances that convert body cells back into stem cells initially activate all genes in the embryo
• First driverless vehicle to hit the roads
• Molecular explanation for degenerative disease proposed
• Global pliocene cooling digs deep canyons into the Andean plateau
• Feeding RNAs to a molecular shredder: Scientists unravel the structure of a regulatory protein complex in RNA disposal
• Do herbicides alter ecosystems around the world? Scant research makes it hard to prove
• Soft drinks linked to behavioral problems in young children
• Fossil of history's most successful mammal: Prehistoric 'rodent' may have set the stage for life in trees, herbivorous diets

Eating poisonous plants saves life of gemsbok in Namibian desert Posted: 16 Aug 2013 07:27 PM PDT In drought periods browsing springbok feed on all plant material they can find, while grazing gemsbok, in contrast, switch their diet to a high proportion of poisonous plants -- and they survive.

Coffee and tea may contribute to a healthy liver Posted: 16 Aug 2013 12:30 PM PDT Scientists suggest that increased caffeine intake may reduce fatty liver in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Aggressive lymphoma: Low doses of approved drug switches on pathway that allows chemotherapy to kill cancer Posted: 16 Aug 2013 10:04 AM PDT Patients with an aggressive lymphoma that often relapses and kills within two years experienced a remission of their cancer and stayed disease-free as long as 28 months after taking a commercially-available drug that made chemotherapy more effective.

Nanosensors could aid drug manufacturing Posted: 16 Aug 2013 10:03 AM PDT Chemical engineers have discovered that arrays of billions of nanoscale sensors have unique properties that could help pharmaceutical companies produce drugs -- especially those based on antibodies -- more safely and efficiently.

How DNA repair helps prevent cancer Posted: 16 Aug 2013 10:03 AM PDT DNA damage is a natural biological occurrence that happens every time cells divide and multiply; thus, DNA repair is important for preserving the composition of the genome. Researchers are using supercomputers to study the molecular-level dynamics involved in this process.

Female frogs prefer males who can multitask Posted: 16 Aug 2013 10:03 AM PDT In a study of gray tree frogs, researchers discovered that females prefer males whose calls reflect the ability to multitask effectively.

Autistic kids who best peers at math show different brain organization Posted: 16 Aug 2013 10:03 AM PDT Children with autism and average IQs consistently demonstrated superior math skills compared with nonautistic children in the same IQ range, according to a new study.

A personalized robot companion for older people Posted: 16 Aug 2013 09:56 AM PDT A highly customizable robot companion offers support to older people. It could find its way into people's homes within two or three years, potentially greatly enhancing quality of life for older citizens and people with memory or mobility problems.

Cell biology: A protein provides stress relief Posted: 16 Aug 2013 09:56 AM PDT Astrin prevents cells from overreacting to stress and averts their premature death, new research shows. Researchers have shown a new mechanism via which cells defend themselves against stress.

Drug dosing for older heart patients should differ Posted: 16 Aug 2013 09:53 AM PDT Older heart patients present unique challenges for determining the optimal dosages of medications, so a new study offers some rare clarity about the use of drugs that are used to treat patients with heart attacks.

Tumors form advance teams to ready lungs for spread of cancer Posted: 16 Aug 2013 09:53 AM PDT An advance team of molecules produced by the primary tumor sets off a series of events that create a network of nurturing blood vessels for arriving primary tumor cells to set up shop.

Preferred play for children with autism Posted: 16 Aug 2013 09:53 AM PDT Play preferences of children with autism spectrum disorder were observed in a community-based museum designed to enable children to choose their preferred play activity. In this naturalistic setting, children with ASD preferred play options with a strong sensory component.

How females choose the 'right' sperm Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:48 AM PDT Scientists have revealed how females select the 'right' sperm to fertilize their eggs when faced with the risk of being fertilized by wrong sperm from a different species. Researchers investigated salmon and trout. They found that when eggs from each species are presented with either salmon or trout, they allow fertilization by either species' sperm. But if eggs are given a choice of both species' sperm, they favor their own species'.

New rechargeable flow battery could enable cheaper, more efficient energy storage Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:48 AM PDT Researchers have engineered a new rechargeable flow battery that doesn't rely on expensive membranes to generate and store electricity. The design may support the widespread use of solar and wind energy.

Developmental on-switch: Substances that convert body cells back into stem cells initially activate all genes in the embryo Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:47 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated for the first time why the molecular cocktail responsible for generating stem cells works. Sox2 and Oct4 are proteins whose effect on cells resembles that of an eraser: They remove all of the cell's previous experiences and transform it into a so-called pluripotent stem cell. Like cells in the embryo, this stem cell can then develop into all forms of tissue.

First driverless vehicle to hit the roads Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT Singapore's first clean and green driverless shuttle transportation system will soon see passengers shuttling between Nanyang Technological University and JTC Corporation's CleanTech Park.

Molecular explanation for degenerative disease proposed Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT Scientists have shed new light on the origins and molecular causes of age related degenerative conditions including motor neuron disease. The new perspective provided by this work may lead the way to new treatments and early diagnoses.

Global pliocene cooling digs deep canyons into the Andean plateau Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT Incision of canyons into mountains is often interpreted by geoscientists as a proxy for surface uplift of the surroundings by geodynamic and tectonic processes. However, another possible cause for incision is climate change. Scientists have analyzed the developmental history of a series of 1.5 to 2.5 kilometer deep canyons along a 1250 kilometer portion of the Eastern margin of the Andean Plateau, South America (Peru and Bolivia). They found that Miocene faulting and mountain building of the Northeastern Plateau margin initiated at or before 20 million years ago at the Rio San Gaban catchment, Peru, and was then followed by Pliocene incision of the canyons 4 to 3 million years before present. At the same time as this incision, early global Pliocene warmth shifted to a late Pliocene cooling.

Feeding RNAs to a molecular shredder: Scientists unravel the structure of a regulatory protein complex in RNA disposal Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT Any errors that occur during the synthesis of RNA molecules or unwanted accumulation of RNAs can be harmful for the cell. The elimination of defective RNAs or of RNAs that are no longer needed is therefore a key step in the metabolism of a cell.

Do herbicides alter ecosystems around the world? Scant research makes it hard to prove Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT The number of humans on the planet has almost doubled in the past 50 years -- and so has global food production. As a result, the use of pesticides and their effect on humans, animals and plants have become more important. Many laboratory studies have shown that pesticides can harm organisms which they were not meant to affect. Intensive farming is also linked to collapsing populations of wild animals and the endangerment of species such as amphibians. Can the biochemical effects of pesticides upset entire ecosystems?

Soft drinks linked to behavioral problems in young children Posted: 16 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT Americans buy more soft drinks per capita than people in any other country. These drinks are consumed by individuals of all ages, including very young children. Although soft drink consumption is associated with aggression, depression, and suicidal thoughts in adolescents, the relationship had not been evaluated in younger children. A new study finds that aggression, attention problems, and withdrawal behavior are all associated with soft drink consumption in young children.

Fossil of history's most successful mammal: Prehistoric 'rodent' may have set the stage for life in trees, herbivorous diets Posted: 15 Aug 2013 11:51 AM PDT The 160-million-year-old fossil of an extinct rodent-like creature from China is helping to explain how multituberculates -- the most evolutionarily successful and long-lived mammalian lineage in the fossil record -- achieved their dominance.

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