ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Plant genetic advance could lead to more efficient conversion of plant biomass to biofuels
• Not all obese people develop metabolic problems linked to excess weight
• New version of common antibiotic could eliminate risk of hearing loss
• Quantum channel made of light
• Why reform of China's one-child policy has had little effect in boosting fertility levels

Plant genetic advance could lead to more efficient conversion of plant biomass to biofuels Posted: 02 Jan 2015 02:27 PM PST Plant geneticists have sorted out the gene regulatory networks that control cell wall thickening by the synthesis of the three polymers, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The advance may help manipulate the polymer-forming processes to improve the efficiency of biofuel production.

Not all obese people develop metabolic problems linked to excess weight Posted: 02 Jan 2015 02:27 PM PST Obesity does not always go hand in hand with metabolic changes in the body that can lead to diabetes, heart disease and stroke, according to new research. In addition, obese people who didn't have these metabolic problems when the study began did not develop them even after they gained more weight.

New version of common antibiotic could eliminate risk of hearing loss Posted: 02 Jan 2015 02:27 PM PST A commonly used antibiotic can be modified to eliminate the risk that it will cause hearing loss, a study in mice has demonstrated. The newly patented antibiotic, N1MS, cured urinary tract infection in mice just as well as sisomcicin, but did not cause deafness, study results show. The study presents a promising new approach to generating a new class of novel, nontoxic antibiotics, researchers say.

Quantum channel made of light Posted: 02 Jan 2015 12:04 PM PST In experiments using ultracold atoms and laser light, researchers have measured a stepwise change in conductivity as the atoms pass through tiny structures. This is the first time that this quantum effect has been observed for electrically neutral particles.

Why reform of China's one-child policy has had little effect in boosting fertility levels Posted: 02 Jan 2015 12:01 PM PST The 2013 reforms aimed at relaxing China's 'one-child policy' are likely to have little effect on the country's long-term demographic trends and the problem of China's shrinking workforce, a new study shows. It explores why China has only partially lifted its family planning restrictions, suggesting that local governments rely on the income from fines imposed on couples who violate the one-child policy, known as 'social maintenance fees'. It also argues that it is hard to dislodge the old system because of 'policy inertia' due to the vast family planning bureaucracy involved in implementing the one-child policy.

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