ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Aboriginal hunting practice increases animal populations
• Gold nanoparticles give an edge in recycling carbon dioxide
• Reading this in a meeting? Women twice as likely as men to be offended by smartphone use
• When scaling the quantum slopes, veer for the straight path
• Grasshopper mice are numb to the pain of the bark scorpion sting
• Why plants usually live longer then animals
• What is it about your face? Researchers provide new insight into why each human face is unique
• Polymer scientists jam nanoparticles, trapping liquids in useful shapes
• Persuading light to mix it up with matter
• Learning how to convert heat directly into power: A thermoelectric materials emulator
• Making hydrogen cheaply? Unique chemistry in hydrogen catalysts revealed
• Increasing toxicity of algal blooms tied to nutrient enrichment and climate change
• Scientists solve mystery of odd patterns of oxygen in solar system's earliest rocks
• Ghostly shape of 'coldest place in the universe' revealed
• Young, black women at highest risk for lupus, suffer more life-threatening complications
• Yeast, human stem cells drive discovery of new Parkinson's disease drug targets
• Behavior problems in preschool, child care centers may be an issue of genes
• 100 percent of an image restored using a version containing between one and 10 percent of the information
• Could the Colorado River once have flowed into the Labrador Sea?
• Grafted limb cells acquire molecular 'fingerprint' of new location
• Washing your hands makes you optimistic
• Male spiders have better chance of fathering offspring in return for good gifts to potential female mates
• Coyote more likely to make a meal out of moose than thought
• Deadly gaps persist in new drug development for neglected diseases
• For fish and rice to thrive in Yolo Bypass, 'just add water'
• Gene variants in immune system pathways correlated with composition of microbes of human body
• Optimism about meeting 'Grand Challenge' of global prosperity
• 'Anklebot' helps determine ankle stiffness
• Finding psychiatric drugs in the movements of mice
• Obesity may increase risk of Clostridium difficile infection
• Researchers apply brainpower to understanding neural stem cell differentiation
• Bee sting allergy could be a defense response gone haywire
• Genetic mutation provides clues to battling childhood obesity
• Samurai sword protein makes strategic cuts in cell skeletons
• Molecular biology: Designer of protein factories exposed
• Review of daily aspirin dosage highlights concerns about side effects
• Extensive use of fluorinated substances has potential harmful effects
• Unemployment makes women more likely to be victims of crime
• Sharing the power of the crowd
• Conflicting criteria for diagnosing polycystic ovary syndrome clarified
• Tear, repair and rehab: Live tweets of ACL surgery
• New testing strategy detects population-wide vitamin, mineral deficiencies
• Bees underwent massive extinctions when dinosaurs did
• Just two weeks in orbit causes changes in eyes
• Curing HIV/AIDS gets tougher: Far more 'hidden' active virus than thought
• Global HIV vaccine shows promise in monkeys
• Inexpensive material boosts battery capacity
• Real-time energy audit reduces power consumption
• Charged up and ready to connect
• The best cut for machining
• Unprecedented Arctic warming: Average summer temperatures in last 100 years may be warmest in 120,000 years
• Data reaffirms test's ability to identify benign thyroid nodules
• Google search serves users from 700 percent more locations than a year ago
• Sleep apnea study uncovers more hidden dangers for women
• Physicists decode decision circuit of cancer metastasis
• Climate change and coevolution: Scientists have done the math
• No increased risk for heart attacks among HIV-positive patients with high CD4 cell count
• Gene variant that raises risk for colorectal cancer from eating processed meat present in one-in-three people
• Novel technique to detect fingerprints
• PVC as flooring material in childhood is related to asthma 10 years later

Aboriginal hunting practice increases animal populations Posted: 24 Oct 2013 03:25 PM PDT In Australia's Western Desert, Aboriginal hunters use a unique method that actually increases populations of the animals they hunt, according to a new study. The hunting method -- using fire to clear patches of land to improve the search for game -- also creates a mosaic of regrowth that enhances habitat.

Gold nanoparticles give an edge in recycling carbon dioxide Posted: 24 Oct 2013 03:25 PM PDT It's a 21st-century alchemist's dream: turning Earth's superabundance of carbon dioxide -- a greenhouse gas -- into fuel or useful industrial chemicals. Researchers have shown gold nanoparticles can be tuned to selectively reduce CO2 into CO, an active carbon molecule that can be used to make alternative fuels and commodity chemicals. The key is maximizing the particles' long edges, which are the active sites for the reaction.

Reading this in a meeting? Women twice as likely as men to be offended by smartphone use Posted: 24 Oct 2013 03:25 PM PDT In an increasingly uncivil world, a new study is the first to provide hard evidence for how attitudes about acceptable or rude mobile phone use actually break down across gender, age and region.

When scaling the quantum slopes, veer for the straight path Posted: 24 Oct 2013 01:05 PM PDT Researchers have found that the "landscape" of quantum control -- a representation of quantum mechanics that allows the dynamics of atoms and molecules to be manipulated -- can be unexpectedly simple, which could allow for ready control of quantum operating devices at the nanoscale.

Grasshopper mice are numb to the pain of the bark scorpion sting Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:34 AM PDT The painful, potentially deadly stings of bark scorpions are nothing more than a slight nuisance to grasshopper mice, which voraciously kill and consume their prey with ease. When stung, the mice briefly lick their paws and move in again for the kill.

Why plants usually live longer then animals Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:33 AM PDT Stem cells are crucial for the continuous generation of new cells. Although the importance of stem cells in fuelling plant growth and development still many questions on their tight molecular control remain unanswered. Plant researchers have now discovered a new step in the complex regulation of stem cells.

What is it about your face? Researchers provide new insight into why each human face is unique Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:33 AM PDT Researchers have found thousands of gene enhancers -- regulatory sequences of DNA that act to turn-on or amplify the expression of a specific gene -- are involved in the development of the human face. These enhancers help explain why every human face is as unique as a fingerprint.

Polymer scientists jam nanoparticles, trapping liquids in useful shapes Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:33 AM PDT Sharp observation by a doctoral student in a polymer science and engineering laboratory recently led her to discover how to kinetically trap and control one liquid within another, locking and separating them in a stable system over long periods, with the ability to tailor and manipulate the shapes and flow characteristics of each. The advance holds promise for a wide range of different applications including in drug delivery, biosensing, fluidics, photovoltaics, encapsulation and bicontinuous media for energy applications and separations media.

Persuading light to mix it up with matter Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:33 AM PDT Scientists have documented a never-before-seen coupling of photons with electrons on the surface of an exotic crystal.

Learning how to convert heat directly into power: A thermoelectric materials emulator Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:33 AM PDT Converting heat directly into power could be a major source of renewable energy. A novel approach to study this so called thermoelectricity may help to design new materials that are highly efficient. In an experiment with cold atoms trapped by lasers an international group of physicists precisely simulates the behavior of thermoelectric materials.

Making hydrogen cheaply? Unique chemistry in hydrogen catalysts revealed Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:33 AM PDT Making hydrogen easily and cheaply is a dream goal for clean, sustainable energy. Bacteria have been doing exactly that for billions of years, and now chemists are revealing how they do it, and perhaps opening ways to imitate them.

Increasing toxicity of algal blooms tied to nutrient enrichment and climate change Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:33 AM PDT Nutrient enrichment and climate change are posing yet another concern of growing importance: an apparent increase in the toxicity of some algal blooms in freshwater lakes and estuaries around the world, which threatens aquatic organisms, ecosystem health and human drinking water safety.

Scientists solve mystery of odd patterns of oxygen in solar system's earliest rocks Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:33 AM PDT By re-creating conditions in the solar nebula, the swirl of gas that coalesced to form our star, the planets and the remnant rocky debris that circles the Sun as asteroids, the researchers demonstrated that a simple chemical reaction, governed by known physical principles, can generate silicate dust with oxygen anomalies that match those found in the oldest rocks in the solar system.

Ghostly shape of 'coldest place in the universe' revealed Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:31 AM PDT Astronomers have taken a new look at the Boomerang Nebula, the so-called "coldest place in the Universe" to learn more about its frigid properties and determine its true shape, which has an eerily ghost-like appearance.

Young, black women at highest risk for lupus, suffer more life-threatening complications Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:31 AM PDT Lupus prevalence was three times higher than previous estimates, reaching one in 537 black female Michiganders in the region, compared to one in 1,153 white women.

Yeast, human stem cells drive discovery of new Parkinson's disease drug targets Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:31 AM PDT Using a discovery platform whose components range from yeast cells to human stem cells, scientists have identified a novel Parkinson's disease drug target and a compound capable of repairing neurons derived from Parkinson's patients.

Behavior problems in preschool, child care centers may be an issue of genes Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:14 AM PDT A new study suggests that some children may be genetically predisposed to developing behavioral problems in child care and preschool settings. Previous research found that some children develop behavior problems, despite the benefit of academic gains, however, it was never known why some youngsters struggle in these settings and others flourish. This study indicates that some children may act out due to poor self-control and temperament problems that they inherited from their parents.

100 percent of an image restored using a version containing between one and 10 percent of the information Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:14 AM PDT A computer engineer has developed algorithms to reduce and optimize images; using a reduced image (with between 1 percent and 10 percent of the information from the original image), they allow 100 percent of the pixels in the initial image to be restored.

Could the Colorado River once have flowed into the Labrador Sea? Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:14 AM PDT Geologists advocate a possible Canadian connection for the early Miocene Grand Canyon by arguing for the existence of a "super-river" traceable from headwaters in the southern Colorado Plateau through a proto–Grand Canyon to a delta in the Labrador Sea.

Grafted limb cells acquire molecular 'fingerprint' of new location Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:14 AM PDT Cells triggering tissue regeneration that are taken from one limb and grafted onto another acquire the molecular "fingerprint," or identity, of their new location, developmental biologists have discovered.

Washing your hands makes you optimistic Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:13 AM PDT Washing our hands influences how we think, judge and decide. This is what researchers confirmed through experiments when examining how physical cleansing affects us after failure.

Male spiders have better chance of fathering offspring in return for good gifts to potential female mates Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:19 AM PDT If a male spider goes to the trouble of finding a good gift, wraps it up nicely in spider silk and offers it to a female he would like to mate, he has far better chances of fathering her offspring than if he skipped the present. This is shown in new research, where researchers studied what it means for female spiders to receive gifts.

Coyote more likely to make a meal out of moose than thought Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:19 AM PDT It has long been believed that coyotes were incapable of taking down an adult moose, but researchers have recently discovered that eastern coyotes and coyote x wolf hybrids (canids) have preyed on adult moose in central Ontario.

Deadly gaps persist in new drug development for neglected diseases Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:19 AM PDT Researchers report a persistent deficiency in truly new therapeutics for neglected diseases, despite nominal progress and an acceleration in research and development (R&D) efforts. This continued "fatal imbalance" in medical R&D points to the urgent need to develop and deliver groundbreaking new treatments for the world's poorest and most neglected patients.

For fish and rice to thrive in Yolo Bypass, 'just add water' Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:19 AM PDT From a fish-eye view, the rice fields of California's Yolo Bypass are one big dehydrated food web. Just add water to grow the biggest, fattest salmon in the state.

Gene variants in immune system pathways correlated with composition of microbes of human body Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:18 AM PDT Human genes in immunity-related pathways are likely associated with the composition of an individual's microbiome, which refers to the bacteria and other microbes that live in and on the body.

Optimism about meeting 'Grand Challenge' of global prosperity Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:18 AM PDT A professor of earth and atmospheric sciences outlines his optimism about the world's prospects for sustaining the human population in an environmentally responsible way in a new article.

'Anklebot' helps determine ankle stiffness Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:18 AM PDT A researcher's 'Anklebot' helps determine ankle stiffness, could aid in rehabilitation from strokes, other motor disorders.

Finding psychiatric drugs in the movements of mice Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:18 AM PDT Using a computational method called data mining, researchers have discovered a small number of mouse behaviors that can be used to categorize psychiatric drugs more quickly and easily than standard tests. The research could improve the drug-testing process and identify new uses for existing medications.

Obesity may increase risk of Clostridium difficile infection Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:17 AM PDT Researchers have identified obesity as a possible risk factor for Clostridium difficile infection. These findings may contribute to improved clinical surveillance of those at highest risk of disease.

Researchers apply brainpower to understanding neural stem cell differentiation Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:14 AM PDT How do humans and other mammals get so brainy? In a new paper, researchers explain how neural stem and progenitor cells differentiate into neurons and related cells called glia. Neural stem and progenitor cells offer tremendous promise as a future treatment for neurodegenerative disorders, and understanding their differentiation is the first step towards harnessing this therapeutic potential.

Bee sting allergy could be a defense response gone haywire Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:14 AM PDT Scientists are providing an evolutionary explanation for severe allergic reactions. Researchers show that mice injected with a small dose of bee venom were later resistant to a potentially lethal dose of the same venom. The study is the first experimental evidence that the same immune response involved in allergies may have evolved to serve a protective role against toxins.

Genetic mutation provides clues to battling childhood obesity Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:14 AM PDT A new paper identifies a possible genetic root to the insatiable appetite and slow metabolism of some obese patients. The study, which sequenced 2,101 individuals with severe early-onset obesity, found that patients harboring mutations in a particular gene, KSR2, had an increased appetite and a slower metabolism, suggesting that drugs developed to modulate the activity of the protein encoded by the KSR2 gene could provide new treatment options for obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Samurai sword protein makes strategic cuts in cell skeletons Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:14 AM PDT Research has shown that a protein named after the katana, or samurai sword, plays a crucial role in patterning the "skeleton" inside plant cells. The work provides a clue to the long-standing mystery of how the cytoskeletons within both plant and animal cells become organized in function-specific patterns.

Molecular biology: Designer of protein factories exposed Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:13 AM PDT Researchers have probed the structure of RNA polymerase I, a crucial cog in the machinery of all cells. Now they unveil the full three-dimensional conformation of the enzyme – at atomic resolution.

Review of daily aspirin dosage highlights concerns about side effects Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:13 AM PDT Researchers have published the most comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of a daily dose of prophylactic aspirin and warn that greater understanding of side effects is needed.

Extensive use of fluorinated substances has potential harmful effects Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:13 AM PDT More and more scientific studies indicate that perfluorinated substances are carcinogenic or otherwise hazardous to health. In the Nordic countries, new per- and polyfluorinated substances are used to replace the known harmful ones. However, there is a need for new detection methods and more knowledge on their exposure and toxicity.

Unemployment makes women more likely to be victims of crime Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:13 AM PDT Crime and unemployment are linked, but not always in the ways we think they are. It is now clear that in some circumstances female unemployment – rather than unemployment as a whole – makes the biggest difference to rates of violent and property crimes.

Sharing the power of the crowd Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:13 AM PDT Over the past three years, 300,000 gamers have helped scientists with genomic research by playing Phylo, an online puzzle game. Now the developers of the game are making this crowd of players available to scientists around the globe. The idea is to put human talent to work to improve on what is already being done by computers in the field of comparative genomics.

Conflicting criteria for diagnosing polycystic ovary syndrome clarified Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:12 AM PDT A Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) was published today for the diagnosis and treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, the most common hormone disorder in women of reproductive age and a leading cause of infertility.

Tear, repair and rehab: Live tweets of ACL surgery Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:12 AM PDT In sports, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears happen. When star players suffer one, fans sometimes have questions as to what these injuries involve and how they are repaired.

New testing strategy detects population-wide vitamin, mineral deficiencies Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:12 AM PDT Researchers used a new strategy that allowed them to indirectly measure amounts of multiple nutrients in multiple people at the same time, an advance that should make it possible to rapidly detect nutritional deficiencies of an entire population, apply remediation efforts and test their worth within months instead of years.

Bees underwent massive extinctions when dinosaurs did Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:11 AM PDT For the first time ever, scientists have documented a widespread extinction of bees that occurred 65 million years ago, concurrent with the massive event that wiped out land dinosaurs and many flowering plants. Their findings could shed light on the current decline in bee species.

Just two weeks in orbit causes changes in eyes Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:11 AM PDT Just 13 days in space may be enough to cause profound changes in eye structure and gene expression, report researchers. This study is the first to examine eye-related gene expression and cell behavior after spaceflight.

Curing HIV/AIDS gets tougher: Far more 'hidden' active virus than thought Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:11 AM PDT Just when some scientists were becoming more hopeful about finding a strategy to outwit HIV's ability to resist, evade and otherwise survive efforts to rid it from the body, another hurdle has emerged to foil their plans, new research shows.

Global HIV vaccine shows promise in monkeys Posted: 24 Oct 2013 09:11 AM PDT The considerable diversity of HIV worldwide represents a critical challenge for designing an effective HIV vaccine. Now a scientific team shows that mosaic antigens might overcome this challenge.

Inexpensive material boosts battery capacity Posted: 24 Oct 2013 08:41 AM PDT Next-generation lithium-ion batteries made with iron oxide nanoparticles could extend the driving distance of electric cars.

Real-time energy audit reduces power consumption Posted: 24 Oct 2013 08:41 AM PDT Software that monitors industrial machine operations in real time can reduce the overall energy consumption of factories.

Charged up and ready to connect Posted: 24 Oct 2013 08:41 AM PDT An innovative strategy produces positively and negatively charged polymer chains ideal for generating multifunctional coatings.

The best cut for machining Posted: 24 Oct 2013 08:41 AM PDT A new and verified computer model improves the machining of nanoscale semiconductor parts for the electronics industry.

Unprecedented Arctic warming: Average summer temperatures in last 100 years may be warmest in 120,000 years Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:22 AM PDT Average summer temperatures in the Eastern Canadian Arctic during the last 100 years are higher now than during any century in the past 44,000 years and perhaps as long ago as 120,000 years, says a new study.

Data reaffirms test's ability to identify benign thyroid nodules Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:22 AM PDT A researcher has confirmed that a Gene Expression Classifier test can drastically reduce the problem of unnecessary surgeries in thyroid nodule assessment. These indeterminate nodules are being evaluated with a new molecular diagnostic test that measures the expression levels of 142 genes. This test is able to identify which initially indeterminate nodules are highly likely to be benign, and thus allows patients to avoid unnecessary diagnostic surgery.

Google search serves users from 700 percent more locations than a year ago Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:22 AM PDT Google search has dramatically increased the number of sites around the world from which it serves client queries.

Sleep apnea study uncovers more hidden dangers for women Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:22 AM PDT A new study shows that autonomic responses -- the controls that impact such functions as blood pressure, heart rate, sweating -- are weaker in people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but even more so in females than males. While women with sleep apnea may appear to be healthy (i.e. blood pressure normal), their symptoms of OSA tend to be subtler, which often times means their sleep problem is missed and they get diagnosed with other conditions.

Physicists decode decision circuit of cancer metastasis Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:22 AM PDT Researchers have deciphered the operating principles of a genetic circuit that allows cancer to metastasize. The study revealed that the decision circuit has three settings, an oddity that could open the door to cancer treatments that disrupt the circuit.

Climate change and coevolution: Scientists have done the math Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:21 AM PDT When scientists attempt to understand how climate change might reshape our environment, they must grapple with the seemingly endless complexity of interacting systems. For those considering the likely fate of particular species, there is now a relatively simple rule of thumb to help calculate the likely effect of climate change where species interact.

No increased risk for heart attacks among HIV-positive patients with high CD4 cell count Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:21 AM PDT Patients who are HIV-positive and have high CD4 cell counts -- or have a high number of white blood cells that fight infections -- aren't at an increased risk for heart attacks compared to patients who are HIV-negative, according to a study.

Gene variant that raises risk for colorectal cancer from eating processed meat present in one-in-three people Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:21 AM PDT A common genetic variant that affects one in three people significantly increases the risk of colorectal cancer from the consumption of red meat and processed meat.

Novel technique to detect fingerprints Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:20 AM PDT An innovative product that uses fluorescence to detect fingerprints has been developed. This new product will make it possible to highlight fingerprints directly, more rapidly and at a lower cost, avoiding the cumbersome processes required until now. The product has been successfully put through its paces by the French Police and Gendarmerie as well as by Scotland Yard and the FBI.

PVC as flooring material in childhood is related to asthma 10 years later Posted: 24 Oct 2013 07:20 AM PDT Children who had PVC floorings in the bedroom at baseline were more likely to develop asthma during the following 10 years period when compared with children living without such flooring material. Furthermore, there were indications that PVC flooring in the parents' bedrooms were stronger associated with the new cases of asthma when compared with child's bedroom. This could be an indication that prenatal exposure is of importance.

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