ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Local communities produce high-quality forest monitoring data, rivals that of professional foresters
• Melting Arctic sea ice could increase summer rainfall in northwest Europe suggests new study
• Key proteins identified that influence major immune strategies
• Lower cancer screening rates, increased risk of preventable disease for South Asians in Ontario
• Resurgence in swaddling prompts fears of rise in babies' developmental hip abnormalities
• Study challenges soil testing for potassium and the fertilizer value of potassium chloride
• Using data science tools to discover new nanostructured materials
• Toxic ocean conditions during major extinction 93.9 million years ago quantified: Doesn't take much sulfide to impact ocean life
• Common bias known as 'endowment effect' not present in hunter-gatherer societies
• Moderate exercise not only treats, but prevents depression
• Mercury: Enduring contaminant legacy of the California Gold Rush transported by floods
• Americans would pay to help monarch butterflies
• Neutrons, electrons and theory reveal secrets of natural gas reserves
• Researchers turn to technology to discover a novel way of mapping landscapes
• Snakes on the brain: Are primates hard-wired to recognize snakes?
• Super-thin membranes clear the way for chip-sized pumps
• Breakthrough in study of aluminum should yield new technological advances
• Older heart patients need personalized preventive care
• Gold mining ravages Peru
• One, two, buckle my shoe: Importance of language to learning math
• Nurturing may protect kids from brain changes linked to poverty
• Eliminating unexplained traffic jams: New algorithm to alleviate traffic flow instabilities
• Flow from a nanoscale fluid jet measured: Jet measures 20 to 150 nanometers in diameter, just a few hundred water molecules across
• Scientists wary of shale oil and gas as U.S. energy salvation
• Carbon worlds may be waterless, NASA study finds
• NASA's great observatories begin deepest-ever probe of the universe
• Cassini gets new views of Titan's Land of Lakes
• Last command sent to Planck space telescope
• Child brides at funerals
• Climate change has silver lining for grizzy bears
• Rats and mice chewing their way to success
• Who counts as a man, who counts as a woman
• Discovery could lead to anti-clotting drugs with less risk of bleeding
• Study of Brazilian Amazon shows 50,000 km of road was built in just three years
• Train your body
• Emerging technologies look deeper into the eyes to catch signs of disease
• Yoga practice beneficial to patients with COPD
• X-rays overused in ICU: Ultrasound safer, just as effective
• New imaging research shows increased iron in the brain in early stages of MS
• Crying wolf: Who benefits and when?
• Public wants labels for food nanotech -- and they're willing to pay for it
• A noble yet simple way to synthesize new metal-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction
• Social science graduates more likely to get employment than science or arts graduates
• No running for the well-heeled
• Poor motor performance linked to poor academic skills
• Shading system design based on model of the bird-of-paradise flower
• Making rubber from dandelion juice
• Need for building and retrofitting critical pipelines in the U.S.
• Problems with Alzheimer’s protein can jam up traffic in the brain
• First hospital in the world to offer patients new device for severely calcified arteries
• Smoking long or ultralong cigarettes increases risk of lung cancer
• Burden of futile care in ICU studied: Patients waiting for care affected negatively
• Electronic intensive care units effective in providing remote care
• Exhaled breath biomarker may detect lung cancer
• Beta-blockers may increase adverse cardiac events during noncardiac surgeries
• Your pain, my gain: Feeling pleasure over the misfortune of those you envy is biological
• El Niño is becoming more active
• The cyber-centipede: From Linnaeus to big data
• How rats and mice came to have a unique masticatory apparatus, key to their evolutionary success
• Virtually numbed: Immersive video gaming alters real-life experience

Local communities produce high-quality forest monitoring data, rivals that of professional foresters Posted: 28 Oct 2013 05:54 PM PDT A recent study by researchers at the Nairobi-based World Agroforestry Centre and European and Southeast Asian institutions finds that local communities -- using simple tools like ropes and sticks -- can produce forest carbon data on par with results by professional foresters using high-tech devices.

Melting Arctic sea ice could increase summer rainfall in northwest Europe suggests new study Posted: 28 Oct 2013 05:54 PM PDT A new study offers an explanation for the extraordinary run of wet summers experienced by Britain and northwest Europe between 2007 and 2012. The study found that loss of Arctic sea ice shifts the jet stream further south than normal resulting in increased rain during the summer in northwest Europe.

Key proteins identified that influence major immune strategies Posted: 28 Oct 2013 03:49 PM PDT New research has identified key proteins that influence immune response strategies, a finding that could influence new vaccination approaches. The study looked closely at the KLF2 and S1P1 genes, and how their expression impacted the immune strategy of a cell.

Lower cancer screening rates, increased risk of preventable disease for South Asians in Ontario Posted: 28 Oct 2013 03:49 PM PDT South Asian-Canadians living in Peel Region, north of Toronto, may be 15 percent less likely than other Ontarians to be screened for breast, cervical or colorectal cancer, making them much more vulnerable to cancer deaths.

Resurgence in swaddling prompts fears of rise in babies' developmental hip abnormalities Posted: 28 Oct 2013 03:49 PM PDT A resurgence in the popularity of traditional swaddling has prompted fears of a rise in developmental hip problems in babies, which are now known to be linked to the technique, warns a paediatric orthopaedic surgeon.

Study challenges soil testing for potassium and the fertilizer value of potassium chloride Posted: 28 Oct 2013 03:48 PM PDT In the chemical age of agriculture that began in the 1960s, potassium chloride (KCl), the common salt often referred to as potash, is widely used as a major fertilizer in the Corn Belt without regard to the huge soil reserves that were once recognized for their fundamental importance to soil fertility. Soil scientists have serious concerns with the current approach to potassium management that has been in place for the past five decades because their research has revealed that soil K testing is of no value for predicting soil K availability and that KCl fertilization seldom pays.

Using data science tools to discover new nanostructured materials Posted: 28 Oct 2013 03:47 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new approach to designing novel nanostructured materials through an inverse design framework using genetic algorithms. The study is the first to demonstrate the application of this methodology to the design of self-assembled nanostructures, and could help speed up the materials discovery process. It also shows the potential of machine learning and "big data" approaches.

Toxic ocean conditions during major extinction 93.9 million years ago quantified: Doesn't take much sulfide to impact ocean life Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT Biogeochemists report that oxygen-free and hydrogen sulfide-rich waters extended across roughly five percent of the ocean 93.9 million years ago -- far more than the modern ocean's 0.1 percent but much less than previous estimates for this event. Across this event, a major biological extinction in the marine realm took place. The new work shows that only portions of the ocean need to contain sulfide to greatly impact biota.

Common bias known as 'endowment effect' not present in hunter-gatherer societies Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT Psychology and behavioral economics have experimentally identified a laundry list of common biases that cause people to act against their own apparent interests. One of these biases -- the mere fact of possessing something raises its value to its owner -- is known as the "endowment effect." A new interdisciplinary study has delved into whether this bias is truly universal, and whether it might have been present in humanity's evolutionary past.

Moderate exercise not only treats, but prevents depression Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT Physical activity is being increasingly recognized as an effective tool to treat depression. New research has taken the connection one step further, finding that moderate exercise can actually prevent episodes of depression in the long term. This is the first longitudinal review to focus exclusively on the role that exercise plays in maintaining good mental health and preventing the onset of depression later in life.

Mercury: Enduring contaminant legacy of the California Gold Rush transported by floods Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT An unintended legacy of California's gold rush, which began in 1848, endures today in the form of mercury-laden sediment. New research shows that sediment-absorbed mercury is being transported by major floods from the Sierra Nevada mountains to Central Valley lowlands.

Americans would pay to help monarch butterflies Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:29 PM PDT Americans place high value on butterfly royalty. A just-released study suggests they are willing to support monarch butterfly conservation at high levels, up to about $6.5 billion dollars if extrapolated to all US households. If even a small percentage of the population acted upon this reported willingness, the cumulative effort would likely translate into a large, untapped potential for conservation of the iconic butterfly.

Neutrons, electrons and theory reveal secrets of natural gas reserves Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:29 PM PDT Gas and oil deposits in shale have no place to hide. A new technique provides an inside look at pores and reveals structural information potentially vital to today's energy needs.

Researchers turn to technology to discover a novel way of mapping landscapes Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:29 PM PDT Using computer technology to map patterns of land cover reveals types of landscapes and holds applications for numerous fields in research and planning.

Snakes on the brain: Are primates hard-wired to recognize snakes? Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:29 PM PDT Was the evolution of high-quality vision in our ancestors driven by the threat of snakes? New work supports this theory. In a new paper, researchers show that there are specific nerve cells in the brains of rhesus macaque monkeys that respond to images of snakes.

Super-thin membranes clear the way for chip-sized pumps Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:29 PM PDT A super-thin silicon membrane could now make it possible to drastically shrink the power source of lab-on-a-chip devices, paving the way for diagnostic devices the size of a credit card.

Breakthrough in study of aluminum should yield new technological advances Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:29 PM PDT Researchers have announced a scientific advance that has eluded researchers for more than 100 years -- a platform to fully study and understand the aqueous chemistry of aluminum, one of the world's most important metals. It should open the door to significant advances in electronics and many other fields, ranging from manufacturing to construction, agriculture and drinking water treatment.

Older heart patients need personalized preventive care Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:28 PM PDT Health-care providers should personalize preventive care for cardiovascular disease patients age 75 and older. The benefits of preventive strategies must be balanced with the risks and tradeoffs of various interventions for older patients, and patients should be involved in the decision-making process.

Gold mining ravages Peru Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:28 PM PDT For the first time, researchers have been able to map the true extent of gold mining in the biologically diverse region of Madre De Dios in the Peruvian Amazon. The team combined field surveys with airborne mapping and high-resolution satellite monitoring to show that the geographic extent of mining has increased 400% from 1999 to 2012 and that the average annual rate of forest loss has tripled since the Great Recession of 2008.

One, two, buckle my shoe: Importance of language to learning math Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:20 PM PDT The language a child speaks affects the rate at which they learn number words, and hearing number words in natural conversation – not just in counting routines – is a critical part of learning the meaning of numbers.

Nurturing may protect kids from brain changes linked to poverty Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:20 PM PDT Researchers have identified changes in the brains of children growing up in poverty. Those changes can lead to lifelong problems like depression, learning difficulties and limitations in the ability to cope with stress. But the study showed that the extent of those changes was influenced strongly by whether parents were attentive and nurturing.

Eliminating unexplained traffic jams: New algorithm to alleviate traffic flow instabilities Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:15 AM PDT If integrated into adaptive cruise-control systems, a new algorithm could mitigate the type of freeway backup that seems to occur for no reason.

Flow from a nanoscale fluid jet measured: Jet measures 20 to 150 nanometers in diameter, just a few hundred water molecules across Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:15 AM PDT Scientists have measured the flow from a fluid jet so tiny that it would require more than 8,000 years to fill a two-liter soda bottle.

Scientists wary of shale oil and gas as U.S. energy salvation Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:15 AM PDT After 10 years of production, shale gas in the United States cannot be considered commercially viable, according to scientists. They argue that while the use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling for "tight oil" is an important contributor to U.S. energy supply, it is not going to result in long-term sustainable production or allow the U.S. to become a net oil exporter.

Carbon worlds may be waterless, NASA study finds Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:15 AM PDT Planets rich in carbon, including so-called diamond planets, may lack oceans, according to NASA-funded theoretical research.

NASA's great observatories begin deepest-ever probe of the universe Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:12 AM PDT NASA's Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra space telescopes are teaming up to look deeper into the universe than ever before. With a boost from natural "zoom lenses" found in space, they should be able to uncover galaxies that are as much as 100 times fainter than what these three great observatories typically can see.

Cassini gets new views of Titan's Land of Lakes Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:06 AM PDT With the sun now shining down over the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan, a little luck with the weather, and trajectories that put the spacecraft into optimal viewing positions, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has obtained new pictures of the liquid methane and ethane seas and lakes that reside near Titan's north pole. The images reveal new clues about how the lakes formed and about Titan's Earth-like "hydrologic" cycle, which involves hydrocarbons rather than water.

Last command sent to Planck space telescope Posted: 28 Oct 2013 11:05 AM PDT The Planck space telescope has been turned off after spending nearly 4.5 years soaking up the relic radiation from the Big Bang and studying the evolution of stars and galaxies throughout the history of the universe.

Child brides at funerals Posted: 28 Oct 2013 10:50 AM PDT Having children early and in rapid succession are major factors fueling high infant mortality rates in the South Asian countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan where one in 14 births to young mothers ends with the death of the child within the first year.

Climate change has silver lining for grizzy bears Posted: 28 Oct 2013 10:50 AM PDT Global warming and forest disturbances may have a silver lining for threatened species of grizzly bears in Alberta, Canada.

Rats and mice chewing their way to success Posted: 28 Oct 2013 10:49 AM PDT Rodents appeared in Asia 12 million years ago and spread across the Old World in less than 2 million years. Their unique masticatory apparatus has long been suspected a key reason for this evolutionary success. The brilliant X-ray beams at the European Synchrotron allowed a team of scientists to study several hundred specimens, extant and extinct, in great detail and identify two key evolutionary moments in the acquisition of this masticatory apparatus.

Who counts as a man, who counts as a woman Posted: 28 Oct 2013 10:49 AM PDT Gender is no longer determined solely by biological factors, according to a new study that examined various case studies. Results indicate that biological factors, such as genitals and chromosomes, used to be the ultimate determiner of gender, but that is slowly changing.

Discovery could lead to anti-clotting drugs with less risk of bleeding Posted: 28 Oct 2013 10:49 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a molecular switch that causes small, beneficial clots that stop bleeding to enlarge further during wound healing. By blocking this switch in lab mice, the researchers prevented small clots from growing -- a process that can pose a danger in humans -- while preserving their ability to staunch bleeding. Their findings open up the possibility for developing potent anti-clotting drugs that don't raise the risk of bleeding.

Study of Brazilian Amazon shows 50,000 km of road was built in just three years Posted: 28 Oct 2013 10:48 AM PDT Nearly 17,000 kilometers of road were built in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest every year between 2004 and 2007. Although road-building is a major contributor to deforestation and habitat loss, the way in which road networks develop is still poorly understood. A new study is among the first to measure the number of roads built in a rainforest ecosystem over an extended period of time.

Train your body Posted: 28 Oct 2013 10:47 AM PDT For avid runners, training for the next marathon never stops. While it's important to focus on running faster or farther, physicians encourage runners to expand their training regimen and are providing the following tips for training and protecting the entire body.

Emerging technologies look deeper into the eyes to catch signs of disease Posted: 28 Oct 2013 10:47 AM PDT Some of the most common vision disorders take their toll by damaging blood vessels near the retina. But it's difficult for eye care professionals and researchers to see these vessels with standard techniques. New methods of observation are being developed to get deeper, more detailed views of the retinal vasculature.

Yoga practice beneficial to patients with COPD Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:48 AM PDT Patients with COPD who practice yoga can improve their lung function, according to a study. Researchers found that lung function, shortness of breath, and inflammation all showed significant improvement after patients completed 12 weeks of training.

X-rays overused in ICU: Ultrasound safer, just as effective Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:48 AM PDT A new study shows that the use of ultrasound testing, rather than x-rays or CT scans, in the ICU reduces patient radiation exposure and lowers costs of care.

New imaging research shows increased iron in the brain in early stages of MS Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:48 AM PDT While it's been known for over a century that iron deposits in the brain play a role in the pathology of Multiple Sclerosis, imaging research now helps to answer the question of whether these accumulations are a cause or consequence of the disease. Iron deposits in deep gray matter suggest that the accumulation occurs very early in the disease course.

Crying wolf: Who benefits and when? Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:48 AM PDT A crisis at work can bring out the best in colleagues, often inspiring more cooperation and self-sacrifice. A study has found that the benefits are not shared equally, however, with higher-ranking group members having the most to gain by perceived threats to the group.

Public wants labels for food nanotech -- and they're willing to pay for it Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:47 AM PDT New research finds that people in the United States want labels on food products that use nanotechnology -- whether the nanotechnology is in the food or is used in food packaging. The research also shows that many people are willing to pay more for the labeling.

A noble yet simple way to synthesize new metal-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:47 AM PDT Scientists have found a new way to synthesize highly efficient electrocatalysts based on heteroatom-doped graphene nanosheets.

Social science graduates more likely to get employment than science or arts graduates Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:47 AM PDT Social science graduates are more likely to be employed after their first degree than graduates in other areas such as science and the arts, and a higher proportion are in managerial and senior official roles, a new report says.

No running for the well-heeled Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:47 AM PDT If you often find yourself running after a bus, escaping a burning building or taking part in competitive athletics in high-heeled footwear, you may be storing up knee problems for later in life, according to a study published this month.

Poor motor performance linked to poor academic skills Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:45 AM PDT Children with poor motor performance at school entry were found to have poorer reading and arithmetic skills than their better performing peers during the first three years of school. However, no relationship was found between cardiovascular fitness and academic skills, according to a new study.

Shading system design based on model of the bird-of-paradise flower Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:45 AM PDT An importatke prize is being awarded for an innovative folding mechanism without joints and hinges - the bionic façade shading system Flectofin, and the further developments based on this.

Making rubber from dandelion juice Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:45 AM PDT Rubber can be extracted from the juice of the dandelion. Yet the decisive breakthrough to industrial manufacturing is proving to be a tough step. Scientists are now building the first ever pilot system to extract vast quantities of dandelion rubber for making tires: an important milestone on the path to rubber procurement in Europe.

Need for building and retrofitting critical pipelines in the U.S. Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:44 AM PDT If the U.S. is to meet important challenges of the 21st century, a new paradigm for the building and retrofitting of critical pipeline infrastructure system will be required, one that addresses the conflicting goals of diverse economic, environment, societal, and policy interests, according the engineer who has led the development of a National Pipeline Infrastructure Database.

Problems with Alzheimer’s protein can jam up traffic in the brain Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:44 AM PDT Scientists have known for some time that a protein called presenilin plays a role in Alzheimer's disease, and a new study reveals one intriguing way this happens. It has to do with how important materials travel up and down brain cells.

First hospital in the world to offer patients new device for severely calcified arteries Posted: 28 Oct 2013 08:44 AM PDT Leading interventional cardiologists in New York are the first in the world to use a newly U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved device for the treatment of severely calcified coronary arteries before the placement of a cardiac stent to open a blocked artery.

Smoking long or ultralong cigarettes increases risk of lung cancer Posted: 28 Oct 2013 07:13 AM PDT Smokers of long or ultralong cigarettes are at greater risk for lung and oral cancer than smokers of regular and king-size cigarettes.

Burden of futile care in ICU studied: Patients waiting for care affected negatively Posted: 28 Oct 2013 07:12 AM PDT Researchers studied the opportunity costs of providing futile care to patients in the ICU, finding that care was delayed or compromised for waiting patients when futile care was being provided in a full ICU. Futile treatment was identified by critical care specialists as ICU care from which patients could never receive a benefit, prolonged the dying process, or where the burdens far outweighed the benefits.

Electronic intensive care units effective in providing remote care Posted: 28 Oct 2013 07:12 AM PDT A new study of electronic intensive care units shows them to be an effective way to provide 24-hour intensive care to patients in remote locations.

Exhaled breath biomarker may detect lung cancer Posted: 28 Oct 2013 07:12 AM PDT Researchers recently discovered that lung cancer may be detected in patients by testing their exhaled breath. Preliminary studies suggest that an accurate exhaled breath biomarker could be developed for use as a clinical test.

Beta-blockers may increase adverse cardiac events during noncardiac surgeries Posted: 28 Oct 2013 07:12 AM PDT A recent study shows that patients given beta-blockers may actually be at increased risk of having an adverse cardiac event during a noncardiac surgical procedure.

Your pain, my gain: Feeling pleasure over the misfortune of those you envy is biological Posted: 28 Oct 2013 07:11 AM PDT By measuring the electrical activity of cheek muscles and associated neural responses, researchers show that people are actually biologically responsive to taking pleasure in the pain of others, a reaction known as "Schadenfreude."

El Niño is becoming more active Posted: 28 Oct 2013 07:11 AM PDT A new approach to analyzing geological and biological clues from the past to reconstruct El Niño activity during the past 600 years resolves disagreements and reveals that El Niño has become more active in recent decades. The work may also help yield more accurate El Niño projections with further global warming.

The cyber-centipede: From Linnaeus to big data Posted: 28 Oct 2013 07:11 AM PDT The rates of extinction have lent urgency to the description of new species, but what is the point of names without meaningful data? A new study presents an innovative holistic approach based on the 'cybertype', a 3D computer image that can be downloaded anywhere in the world and a swathe of additional data types to suit modern biology, all illustrated by the 'cyber centipede' Eupolybothrus cavernicolus.

How rats and mice came to have a unique masticatory apparatus, key to their evolutionary success Posted: 28 Oct 2013 07:09 AM PDT Rats and mice are rodents that have been highly successful in evolutionary terms, as evidenced by their 584 present day species and their ability to adapt to very different environments. The reasons for this success are not yet clearly understood: one of them may be their masticatory apparatus, which is unique among rodents.

Virtually numbed: Immersive video gaming alters real-life experience Posted: 28 Oct 2013 07:09 AM PDT Role-playing video games can alter our experience of reality and numb us to important real-life experiences, a new study finds. Spending time immersed as a virtual character or avatar in a role-playing video game can numb you to realizing important body signals in real life.

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