ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Feeding by tourists compromises health of already-endangered iguanas, study finds
• First in-depth analysis of primate eating habits
• How water dissolves stone, molecule by molecule
• NASA Goddard planetary instruments score a hat trick
• Discovery of partial skeleton suggests ruggedly built, tree-climbing human ancestor
• Researchers create nonlinear light-generating zero-index metamaterial
• US stroke deaths declining due to improved prevention, treatment
• 'Spinning trap' developed to measure electron roundness
• New genetic research finds shark, human proteins stunningly similar
• Hummingbird metabolism unique in burning glucose, fructose equally
• New Jersey Shore likely faces unprecedented flooding by mid-century
• You can't get entangled without a wormhole: Physicist finds entanglement instantly gives rise to a wormhole
• New method of DNA editing allows synthetic biologists to unlock secrets of a bacterial genome
• Coffee or beer? The choice could affect your genome
• Probiotic therapy alleviates autism-like behaviors in mice
• How mosquitoes are drawn to human skin and breath
• How vision dims: Chemists crack code of cataract creation
• Astronomers discover planet that shouldn't be there
• Sharks prefer to sneak up from behind: Caribbean reef sharks can tell if a human is facing toward them
• Gene found to be crucial for formation of certain brain circuitry
• Deep-sea study reveals cause of 2011 tsunami: Unusually thin, slippery geological fault found
• Experiment is first to simulate warming of Arctic permafrost
• An ecosystem-based approach to protect the deep sea from mining
• Crop-infecting virus forces aphids to spread disease
• DNA helicity, elasticity explained on nanoscale
• Mother lemon sharks 'home' to their birthplace to give birth
• New guidelines rule out same-day return to play for athletes with concussion
• Laser light at useful wavelengths from semiconductor nanowires
• Brain shape affects children's learning capacities
• Soft mini-robots: Micro-robots will become soft and move like biological organisms, experts predict
• Geoengineering approaches to reduce climate change unlikely to succeed
• Origin of Alzheimer's gene mutation discovered
• Telemedicine brings Parkinson's care to 'anyone, anywhere'
• Researchers unravel role of Rb tumor suppressor in aggressive breast cancer
• Estrogen: Not just produced by ovaries
• Study gives new meaning to 'let your fingers do the walking'
• Active component of grape seed extract effective against cancer cells
• Shining light on damage from daily sun exposure: Better sunscreens needed
• Could a vaccine help ward off MS?
• Stomach 'clock' tells us how much to eat
• Tune in, turn on, power up
• Inflammation linked to obesity in adults may be protective in young children
• Predicting ovarian cancer survival by counting tumor-attacking immune cells
• Structure of key pain-related protein unveiled
• Heart failure after heart attack is driven by immune cells made in spleen
• How our nerves keep firing

Feeding by tourists compromises health of already-endangered iguanas, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:01 PM PST Feeding wildlife is an increasingly common tourist activity, but a new study shows that already-imperilled iguanas are suffering further physiological problems as a result of being fed by tourists.

First in-depth analysis of primate eating habits Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:00 PM PST From insect-munching tamarins to leaf-loving howler monkeys, researchers have compiled the most thorough review of primate eating habits to date.

How water dissolves stone, molecule by molecule Posted: 05 Dec 2013 03:56 PM PST Scientists have combined cutting-edge experimental techniques and computer simulations to find a new way of predicting how water dissolves crystalline structures like those found in natural stone and cement.

NASA Goddard planetary instruments score a hat trick Posted: 05 Dec 2013 03:56 PM PST Planetary instruments from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., hit the trifecta on Dec. 4, running three experiments of the same kind at different places in space.

Discovery of partial skeleton suggests ruggedly built, tree-climbing human ancestor Posted: 05 Dec 2013 03:56 PM PST A human ancestor characterized by "robust" jaw and skull bones was a muscular creature and more adaptive to its environment than previously thought, scientists have discovered. Researchers found a partial skeleton dated to 1.34 million years (Paranthropus boisei) in north Tanzania. The bones suggest the creature was more ruggedly built than previously thought.

Researchers create nonlinear light-generating zero-index metamaterial Posted: 05 Dec 2013 02:17 PM PST Researchers have used a unique optical metamaterial with zero-index refraction to generate phase mismatch–free nonlinear light, an important step towards efficient light generation for future quantum networks and light sources.

US stroke deaths declining due to improved prevention, treatment Posted: 05 Dec 2013 02:17 PM PST Better blood pressure control, stop-smoking programs and faster treatment are a few of the reasons for a dramatic decline in US stroke deaths in recent decades.

'Spinning trap' developed to measure electron roundness Posted: 05 Dec 2013 02:17 PM PST Researchers have developed a method of spinning electric and magnetic fields around trapped molecular ions to measure whether the ions' tiny electrons are truly round -- research with major implications for future scientific understanding of the universe.

New genetic research finds shark, human proteins stunningly similar Posted: 05 Dec 2013 01:58 PM PST Despite widespread fascination with sharks, the world's oldest ocean predators have long been a genetic mystery. The first deep dive into a great white shark's genetic code has fished up big surprises behind a design so effective it has barely changed since before dinosaurs roamed.

Hummingbird metabolism unique in burning glucose, fructose equally Posted: 05 Dec 2013 01:58 PM PST Hummingbird metabolism is a marvel of evolutionary engineering. These tiny birds can power all of their energetic hovering flight by burning the sugar contained in the floral nectar of their diet.

New Jersey Shore likely faces unprecedented flooding by mid-century Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:22 AM PST Geoscientists estimate that the New Jersey shore will likely experience a sea-level rise of about 1.5 feet by 2050 and of about 3.5 feet by 2100 -- 11 to 15 inches higher than the average for sea-level rise globally over the century.

You can't get entangled without a wormhole: Physicist finds entanglement instantly gives rise to a wormhole Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:22 AM PST Quantum entanglement is one of the more bizarre theories to come out of the study of quantum mechanics -- so strange, in fact, that Albert Einstein famously referred to it as "spooky action at a distance."

New method of DNA editing allows synthetic biologists to unlock secrets of a bacterial genome Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:21 AM PST A group researchers has demonstrated the use of an innovative DNA engineering technique to discover potentially valuable functions hidden within bacterial genomes.

Coffee or beer? The choice could affect your genome Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:21 AM PST Coffee and beer are polar opposites in the beverage world -- coffee picks you up, and beer winds you down. Now researchers have discovered that the beverages may also have opposite effects on your genome. Working with a kind of yeast that shares many important genetic similarities with humans, the researchers found that caffeine shortens and alcohol lengthens telomeres -- the end points of chromosomal DNA, implicated in aging and cancer.

Probiotic therapy alleviates autism-like behaviors in mice Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:19 AM PST Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed when individuals exhibit characteristic behaviors, decreased social interactions, and impaired communication. Curiously, many with ASD also suffer from gastrointestinal issues, like abdominal cramps and constipation. Guided by this co-occurrence of brain and gut problems, researchers are investigating a bacterium that alleviates GI and behavioral symptoms in autistic-like mice, introducing a potentially transformative probiotic therapy for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

How mosquitoes are drawn to human skin and breath Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:18 AM PST Scientists have found that the very receptors in the mosquito's maxillary palp that detect carbon dioxide are ones that detect skin odors as well, thus explaining why mosquitoes are attracted to skin odor -- smelly socks, worn clothes, bedding -- even in the absence of carbon dioxide. Using a chemical computational method they developed, the researchers identified affordable, safe and pleasant-smelling compounds that could find use in mosquito control.

How vision dims: Chemists crack code of cataract creation Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:16 AM PST Groundbreaking new findings by chemists about how cataracts form could be used to help prevent the world's leading cause of blindness, which currently affects nearly 20 million people worldwide.

Astronomers discover planet that shouldn't be there Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:16 AM PST Astronomers have discovered the most distantly orbiting planet found to date around a single, sun-like star. Weighing in at 11 times Jupiter's mass and orbiting its star at 650 times the average Earth-Sun distance, planet HD 106906 b is unlike anything in our own Solar System and defies current planet formation theories.

Sharks prefer to sneak up from behind: Caribbean reef sharks can tell if a human is facing toward them Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:16 AM PST "Never turn your back on a shark" is the message from a new article. Biologists contend that sharks can comprehend body orientation and therefore know whether humans are facing them or not. This ability helps sharks to approach and possibly attack their prey from the blind side -- a technique they prefer.

Gene found to be crucial for formation of certain brain circuitry Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:14 AM PST Using a powerful gene-hunting technique for the first time in mammalian brain cells, researchers report on a gene involved in building the circuitry that relays signals through the brain. The gene is a likely player in the aging process, the researchers say. Additionally, in demonstrating the usefulness of the new method, the discovery paves the way for faster progress toward identifying genes involved in complex mental illnesses such as autism and schizophrenia — as well as potential drugs for such conditions.

Deep-sea study reveals cause of 2011 tsunami: Unusually thin, slippery geological fault found Posted: 05 Dec 2013 11:13 AM PST The tsunami that struck Japan's Tohoku region in 2011 was touched off by a submarine earthquake far more massive than anything geologists had expected in that zone. Now, a team of scientists has shed light on what caused the dramatic displacement of the seafloor.

Experiment is first to simulate warming of Arctic permafrost Posted: 05 Dec 2013 09:34 AM PST Although vegetation growth in the Arctic is boosted by global warming, it's not enough to offset the carbon released by the thawing of the permafrost beneath the surface, researchers have found in the first experiment in the Arctic environment to simulate thawing of permafrost in a warming world.

An ecosystem-based approach to protect the deep sea from mining Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:23 AM PST A new paper describes the expert-driven systematic conservation planning process applied to inform science-based recommendations to the International Seabed Authority for a system of deep-sea marine protected areas to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem function in an abyssal Pacific region targeted for nodule mining (e.g. the Clarion–Clipperton fracture zone, CCZ).

Crop-infecting virus forces aphids to spread disease Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:23 AM PST Viruses alter plant biochemistry in order to manipulate visiting aphids into spreading infection.

DNA helicity, elasticity explained on nanoscale Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:22 AM PST A simple mechanical model to effectively implement the well-known double-stranded structure and the elasticity of DNA on a nano-meter scale has been developed, in an effort to more comprehensively explore the nucleic acid containing genetic material of cells.

Mother lemon sharks 'home' to their birthplace to give birth Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:22 AM PST Research conducted in Bimini in The Bahamas spanning almost two decades shows that female lemon sharks that were born there returned 15 years later to give birth to their own young, confirming this behavior for the first time in sharks. The study began in 1995, and has resulted in the capture, tagging, and release of more than 2,000 baby sharks.

New guidelines rule out same-day return to play for athletes with concussion Posted: 05 Dec 2013 07:21 AM PST Any athlete with concussion symptoms should not be allowed to return to play on the same day, according to the latest consensus statement on sports-related concussion.

Laser light at useful wavelengths from semiconductor nanowires Posted: 05 Dec 2013 06:29 AM PST Thread-like semiconductor structures called nanowires, so thin that they are effectively one-dimensional, show potential as lasers for applications in computing, communications, and sensing. Scientists have demonstrated laser action in semiconductor nanowires that emit light at technologically useful wavelengths and operate at room temperature. They now have documented this breakthrough and have disclosed further results showing enhanced optical and electronic performance.

Brain shape affects children's learning capacities Posted: 05 Dec 2013 06:22 AM PST The anatomy of the brain affects cognitive control, an essential skill for learning and academic success. Scientists in this study showed that an asymmetry of the two brain hemispheres relative to a particular pattern of a cortical region could partly explain the performance of 5-year old children during a task designed to measure cognitive control. According to the research team, and depending on the characteristics of their brains, children may have different pedagogical requirements in terms of learning cognitive control.

Soft mini-robots: Micro-robots will become soft and move like biological organisms, experts predict Posted: 05 Dec 2013 06:20 AM PST Increasingly small robots can carry out their functions even inside the human body. No, this isn't a sci-fi dream. The technology is almost ready. However there is still one condition they must meet to be effective: these devices need to have the same "softness" and flexibility as biological tissues.

Geoengineering approaches to reduce climate change unlikely to succeed Posted: 05 Dec 2013 06:20 AM PST Reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the planet's surface by geoengineering may not undo climate change after all. Researchers used a simple energy balance analysis to explain how the Earth's water cycle responds differently to heating by sunlight than it does to warming due to a stronger atmospheric greenhouse effect. Further, they show that this difference implies that reflecting sunlight to reduce temperatures may have unwanted effects on the Earth's rainfall patterns.

Origin of Alzheimer's gene mutation discovered Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:22 PM PST The age and origin of the E280A gene mutation responsible for early-onset Alzheimer's in a Colombian family with an unusually high incidence of the disease has been traced to a single founder dating from the 16th century.

Telemedicine brings Parkinson's care to 'anyone, anywhere' Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:18 PM PST A new study shows that a neurologist in an office thousands of miles away can deliver effective specialized care to people with Parkinson's disease. For individuals with the condition -- many of whom have never seen a specialist -- these "virtual house calls" could allow them to live independently while effectively manage the symptoms of the disease.

Researchers unravel role of Rb tumor suppressor in aggressive breast cancer Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:18 PM PST The retinoblastoma protein plays a critical role in suppressing the multi-step process of cell migration through the bloodstream, lymphovascular invasion and the metastasis of an aggressive type of breast cancer to the lung, researchers have found.

Estrogen: Not just produced by ovaries Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:14 PM PST A research team reports today that the brain can produce and release estrogen — a discovery that may lead to a better understanding of hormonal changes observed from before birth throughout the entire aging process.

Study gives new meaning to 'let your fingers do the walking' Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST A psychological study has found that skilled typists can't identify the positions of many of the keys on the QWERTY keyboard and probably didn't memorize them even when they first learned to type.

Active component of grape seed extract effective against cancer cells Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST Controlled lab studies of grape seed extract (GSE) show anti-cancer activity without toxicity to healthy cells.

Shining light on damage from daily sun exposure: Better sunscreens needed Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST A low level of daily exposure to a common component of sunlight can cause skin damage at the molecular level after just a few days, new research shows. The findings highlight the need for better sunscreens to protect against these damaging rays.

Could a vaccine help ward off MS? Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST A vaccine used to prevent tuberculosis in other parts of the world may help prevent multiple sclerosis (MS) in people who show the beginning signs of the disease, according to a new study published.

Stomach 'clock' tells us how much to eat Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST Researchers have discovered the first evidence that the nerves in the stomach act as a circadian clock, limiting food intake to specific times of the day.

Tune in, turn on, power up Posted: 04 Dec 2013 03:12 PM PST Human beings don't come with power sockets, but a growing numbers of us have medical implants that run off electricity. To keep our bionic body parts from powering down, a group of researchers is developing a safe, noninvasive, and efficient means of wireless power transmission through body tissue.

Inflammation linked to obesity in adults may be protective in young children Posted: 04 Dec 2013 11:29 AM PST The first study of its kind reveals that the same pro-inflammatory proteins linked to obesity and the metabolic syndrome in adults appear to protect children prior to puberty.

Predicting ovarian cancer survival by counting tumor-attacking immune cells Posted: 04 Dec 2013 11:28 AM PST Scientists develop a new method for counting cancer-fighting cells in ovarian cancer patients.

Structure of key pain-related protein unveiled Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:20 AM PST In a technical tour de force, scientists have determined, at near-atomic resolution, the structure of a protein that plays a central role in the perception of pain and heat.

Heart failure after heart attack is driven by immune cells made in spleen Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:09 AM PST Damage to heart muscle caused by a heart attack turns on immune cells in the spleen that accelerate heart failure.

How our nerves keep firing Posted: 04 Dec 2013 10:09 AM PST Biologists discovered how nerve cells recycle tiny bubbles or "vesicles" that send chemical nerve signals from one cell to the next. The process is much faster and different than two previously proposed mechanisms for recycling the bubbles.

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