ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Calcium supplements linked to significantly increased heart attack risk, study suggests
• Caesarean section delivery may double risk of childhood obesity: May be due to different gut bacteria
• Turtles more closely related to birds than lizards and snakes, genetic evidence shows
• Bark beetle may impact air quality, climate
• Docs slower to drop ‘Black box’ drugs when access to drug reps is restricted
• IUDs, implants most effective birth control, study suggests
• The goldilocks effect: Babies choose ‘Just right’ experiences
• NASA Ames helps re-enter the Dragon
• Fukushima's radiation effects: World experts to assess impacts from Japanese power plant
• Fever during pregnancy more than doubles the risk of autism or developmental delay
• Sociologists' research study finds everyday tax talk is 'morally charged'
• RNA: From messenger to guardian of genome integrity
• Hacking code of leaf vein architecture solves mysteries, allows predictions of past climate
• Factors behind past lemur species extinctions put surviving species in 'ecological retreat'
• Stem-cell-growing surface enables bone repair
• Americans find doing their own taxes simpler than improving diet and health
• Hormone plays surprise role in fighting skin infections
• Wearing two different hats: Moral decisions may depend on the situation
• An introduced bird competitor tips the balance against Hawaiian species
• Big step toward quantum computing: Efficient and tunable interface for quantum networks
• How immune cells change wiring of developing mouse brain
• A whale of a discovery: New sensory organ found in rorqual whales
• Geological record shows air up there came from below
• Reverse engineering epilepsy's 'miracle' diet
• Taking solar technology up a notch: New inexpensive, environmentally friendly solar cell shines with potential
• Treating pain with transplants: Reduced pain from integrating embryonic cells into adult mouse spinal cord
• Children's body fat linked to Vitamin D insufficiency in mothers
• Elusive quasiparticles realized: Repulsive polarons in an ultracold quantum gas
• Chronic pain is relieved by cell transplantation in lab study
• New ways sleep-wake patterns are like clockwork
• New species top 10 list: Underworld worm, walking cactus creature, blue tarantula, sneezing monkey, and more
• Common acne medication doubles risk of eye infection, study suggests
• Hazelnuts: New source of key fat for infant formula that's more like mother's milk
• Beetle-infested pine trees contribute more to air pollution and haze in forests
• Seagrasses can store as much carbon as forests
• 'Obesity genes' may influence food choices, eating patterns
• Wind-driven Mars tumbleweed rover to roll through rocky terrain?
• Make no mistake -- male bosses' errors matter
• Resilient people more satisfied with life
• Rapid coral death by a deadly chain reaction
• Two-dimensional layered materials for high-performance electronics
• Visual perception system unconsciously affects our preferences
• Well-connected brains make you smarter in older age
• Genetic markers to predict male fertility identified
• Fire beetles may revolutionize early-warning systems for forest fires
• Aggregating instead of stabilizing: New insights into the mechanisms of heart disease
• Phthalates in PVC floors taken up by the body in infants
• Genetic study sheds light on evolution and may help prevent extinction of the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey
• Artificial leaf device produces hydrogen in water using only sunlight
• Non-invasive intracellullar 'thermometer' with fluorescent proteins developed
• Nomads of the Galaxy: What does it mean to have quadrillions of planets adrift in Milky Way?
• Viral infections in infancy not linked to childhood wheezing, study suggests
• Dark shadows on Mars: Scene from durable NASA rover
• Light pollution transforming insect communities
• Not a one-way street: Evolution shapes environment of Connecticut lakes
• How ion bombardment reshapes metal surfaces
• Human-like spine morphology found in aquatic eel fossil
• Pathological aging brains contain the same amyloid plaques as Alzheimer’s disease

Calcium supplements linked to significantly increased heart attack risk, study suggests Posted: 23 May 2012 05:07 PM PDT Calcium supplements might increase the risk of having a heart attack, and should be "taken with caution," concludes new research. Furthermore, boosting overall calcium intake from dietary sources confers no significant advantage in terms of staving off heart disease and stroke, the findings indicate.

Caesarean section delivery may double risk of childhood obesity: May be due to different gut bacteria Posted: 23 May 2012 05:07 PM PDT Caesarean section delivery may double the risk of subsequent childhood obesity, finds new research.

Turtles more closely related to birds than lizards and snakes, genetic evidence shows Posted: 23 May 2012 05:03 PM PDT Having recently looked at more than a thousand of the least-changed regions in the genomes of turtles and their closest relatives, biologists have confirmed that turtles are most closely related to crocodilians and birds rather than to lizards, snakes, and tuataras.

Bark beetle may impact air quality, climate Posted: 23 May 2012 05:02 PM PDT If you've traveled to a forested national park out West in recent years, you may have noticed two things. First, a growing number of lodgepole pine trees are dying, victims of the bark beetle. And secondly, atmospheric haze, caused in part by tiny solid particles suspended in the air, is becoming a problem. A new study shows these two phenomena may be related, tied together by chemistry and climate change factors.

Docs slower to drop ‘Black box’ drugs when access to drug reps is restricted Posted: 23 May 2012 05:02 PM PDT After years of reducing their contact with pharmaceutical sales representatives, physicians now risk an unintended consequence: Doctors who rarely meet with pharmaceutical sales representatives — or who do not meet with them — are much slower to drop medicines with the Food and Drug Administration's "black box" warnings and to adopt first-in-class therapies.

IUDs, implants most effective birth control, study suggests Posted: 23 May 2012 05:02 PM PDT A study to evaluate birth control methods has found dramatic differences in their effectiveness. Women who used birth control pills, the patch or vaginal ring were 20 times more likely to have an unintended pregnancy than those who used longer-acting forms such as an intrauterine device (IUD) or implant.

The goldilocks effect: Babies choose ‘Just right’ experiences Posted: 23 May 2012 05:02 PM PDT Infants ignore information that is too simple or too complex, focusing instead on situations that are "just right," according to a new study. Dubbed the "Goldilocks effect" by the people that discovered it, the attention pattern sheds light on how babies learn to make sense of a world full of complex sights, sounds, and movements.

NASA Ames helps re-enter the Dragon Posted: 23 May 2012 03:12 PM PDT Decades of rigorous research, testing and development performed in the Entry Systems and Technology Division at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., has garnered Ames' thermal protection engineers the respect of not just other government agencies, but also commercial entities. The successful re-entry in late May or early June of the cutting-edge Dragon spacecraft from its demonstration flight to the International Space Station will be enabled in part by thermal protection system (TPS) technologies developed, tested and flight-qualified at Ames. Developed by Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s (SpaceX), Hawthorne, Calif., the capsule will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket also built by SpaceX, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Fukushima's radiation effects: World experts to assess impacts from Japanese power plant Posted: 23 May 2012 02:05 PM PDT World experts on the effects of atomic radiation have agreed to start an assessment of the radiological impact of the events at the TEPCO (Fukushima-Daiichi) nuclear power plant following the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Fever during pregnancy more than doubles the risk of autism or developmental delay Posted: 23 May 2012 01:19 PM PDT Mothers who had fevers during their pregnancies were more than twice as likely to have a child with autism or developmental delay than were mothers of typically developing children, and that taking medication to treat fever countered its effect.

Sociologists' research study finds everyday tax talk is 'morally charged' Posted: 23 May 2012 01:19 PM PDT A new study by sociologists demonstrates how everyday "tax talk" is morally charged and how many Americans associate the income tax with a violation of the moral principle that hard work should be rewarded.

RNA: From messenger to guardian of genome integrity Posted: 23 May 2012 01:13 PM PDT A new and unexpected role for RNA is identified: the defence of genome integrity and stability. New research shows that an until now unknown class of RNA -- the newly christened DDRNA -- plays a key role in activation of the molecular alarms necessary to safeguard our genome when DNA damage from internal or external factors occurs.

Hacking code of leaf vein architecture solves mysteries, allows predictions of past climate Posted: 23 May 2012 11:57 AM PDT Life scientists have discovered new laws leaves follow as they grow and evolve. These easy-to-apply mathematical rules can be used to better predict the climates of the past, as determined from the fossil record. This research has a range of fundamental implications in global ecology, and can improve prediction and interpretation of climate in the deep past from leaf fossils.

Factors behind past lemur species extinctions put surviving species in 'ecological retreat' Posted: 23 May 2012 11:57 AM PDT At least 17 species of lemurs have vanished on Madagascar over the last 2,000 years, with human activity likely a central factor. New research examined eight of those extinctions, and findings suggest that surviving species don't necessarily benefit when competitors die out.

Stem-cell-growing surface enables bone repair Posted: 23 May 2012 11:57 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that a special surface, free of biological contaminants, allows adult-derived stem cells to thrive and transform into multiple cell types. Their success brings stem cell therapies another step closer.

Americans find doing their own taxes simpler than improving diet and health Posted: 23 May 2012 11:56 AM PDT Most Americans (52 percent) have concluded that figuring out their income taxes is easier than knowing what they should and shouldn't eat to be healthier, according to a new survey.

Hormone plays surprise role in fighting skin infections Posted: 23 May 2012 11:56 AM PDT Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are molecules produced in the skin to fend off infection-causing microbes. Vitamin D has been credited with a role in their production and in the body's overall immune response, but scientists say a hormone previously associated only with maintaining calcium homeostasis and bone health is also critical, boosting AMP expression when dietary vitamin D levels are inadequate.

Wearing two different hats: Moral decisions may depend on the situation Posted: 23 May 2012 10:55 AM PDT An individual's sense of right or wrong may change depending on their activities at the time -- and they may not be aware of their own shifting moral integrity -- according to a new study looking at why people make ethical or unethical decisions.

An introduced bird competitor tips the balance against Hawaiian species Posted: 23 May 2012 10:55 AM PDT Tens of thousands of birds native to Hawaii have been lost in the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, when the Japanese white-eye, a small perching bird originally introduced to Hawaii in 1929 to control insects, increased in numbers. The increase was initiated in a restoration area on the refuge.

Big step toward quantum computing: Efficient and tunable interface for quantum networks Posted: 23 May 2012 10:55 AM PDT Quantum computers may someday revolutionize the information world. But in order for quantum computers at distant locations to communicate with one another, they have to be linked together in a network. While several building blocks for a quantum computer have already been successfully tested in the laboratory, a network requires one additonal component: A reliable interface between computers and information channels. Austrian physicists now report the construction of an efficient and tunable interface for quantum networks.

How immune cells change wiring of developing mouse brain Posted: 23 May 2012 10:55 AM PDT Researchers have shown in mice how immune cells in the brain target and remove unused connections between brain cells during normal development. This research sheds light on how brain activity influences brain development, and highlights the newly found importance of the immune system in how the brain is wired, as well as how the brain forms new connections throughout life in response to change.

A whale of a discovery: New sensory organ found in rorqual whales Posted: 23 May 2012 10:32 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a sensory organ in rorqual whales that coordinates its signature lunge-feeding behavior -- and may help explain their enormous size. Rorquals are a subgroup of baleen whales -- including blue, fin, minke and humpback whales. They are characterized by a special, accordion-like blubber layer that goes from the snout to the navel. The blubber expands up to several times its resting length to allow the whales to engulf large quantities of prey-laden water, which is then expelled through the baleen to filter krill and fish. The study details the discovery of an organ at the tip of the whale's chin, lodged in the ligamentous tissue that connects their two jaws.

Geological record shows air up there came from below Posted: 23 May 2012 10:32 AM PDT The influence of the ground beneath us on the air around us could be greater than scientists had previously thought, according to new research that links the long-ago proliferation of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere to a sudden change in the inner workings of our planet.

Reverse engineering epilepsy's 'miracle' diet Posted: 23 May 2012 10:32 AM PDT Researchers link seizure resistance to a protein that modifies cellular metabolism in the brain. The findings, which shed light on the extremely low-carb ketogenic diet, may lead to the development of new treatments for epilepsy.

Taking solar technology up a notch: New inexpensive, environmentally friendly solar cell shines with potential Posted: 23 May 2012 10:32 AM PDT The limitations of conventional and current solar cells include high production cost, low operating efficiency and durability, and many cells rely on toxic and scarce materials. Researchers have now developed a new solar cell that, in principle, will minimize all of these solar energy technology limitations. In particular, the device is the first to solve the problem of the Grätzel cell, a promising low-cost and environmentally friendly solar cell with a significant disadvantage: it leaks. The dye-sensitized cell's electrolyte is made of an organic liquid, which can leak and corrode the solar cell itself.

Treating pain with transplants: Reduced pain from integrating embryonic cells into adult mouse spinal cord Posted: 23 May 2012 10:32 AM PDT Transplanting embryonic cells into adult mouse spinal cord can alleviate persistent pain. The research suggests that reduced pain results from successful integration of the embryonic cells into the host spinal cord. The findings open avenues for clinical strategies aimed not just at treating the symptoms of chronic debilitating pain, but correcting the underlying disease pathology.

Children's body fat linked to Vitamin D insufficiency in mothers Posted: 23 May 2012 10:31 AM PDT Children are more likely to have more body fat during childhood if their mother has low levels of Vitamin D during pregnancy, according to scientists. Low vitamin D status has been linked to obesity in adults and children, but little is known about how variation in a mother's status affects the body composition of her child.

Elusive quasiparticles realized: Repulsive polarons in an ultracold quantum gas Posted: 23 May 2012 10:31 AM PDT In quantum physics physical processes in condensed matter and other many-body systems can often be described with quasiparticles. For the first time physicists have succeeded in experimentally realizing a new quasiparticle – a repulsive polaron -- in an ultracold quantum gas.

Chronic pain is relieved by cell transplantation in lab study Posted: 23 May 2012 10:30 AM PDT Chronic pain, by definition, is difficult to manage, but a new study shows how a cell therapy might one day be used not only to quell some common types of persistent and difficult-to-treat pain, but also to cure the conditions that give rise to them.

New ways sleep-wake patterns are like clockwork Posted: 23 May 2012 10:30 AM PDT Researchers have discovered new ways neurons work together to ease the transition between sleep and wakefulness. Their findings provide additional insights into sleep-wake patterns and offer methods to explore what may disrupt them.

New species top 10 list: Underworld worm, walking cactus creature, blue tarantula, sneezing monkey, and more Posted: 23 May 2012 10:30 AM PDT The top 10 new species list has just been released. It includes a teensy attack wasp, night-blooming orchid, underworld worm, ancient "walking cactus" creature, blue tarantula, Nepalese poppy, giant millipede, sneezing monkey, fungus named for cartoon character and beautiful jellyfish.

Common acne medication doubles risk of eye infection, study suggests Posted: 23 May 2012 08:50 AM PDT Acne patients who take oral medications like Accutane double their risk of developing an eye infection compared to those who do not, new research suggests. Researchers say that the use of inexpensive artificial tears or eyedrops, which are available over-the-counter at the local pharmacy, can minimize the risk.

Hazelnuts: New source of key fat for infant formula that's more like mother's milk Posted: 23 May 2012 08:50 AM PDT Scientists are reporting development of a healthy "designer fat" that, when added to infant formula, provides a key nutrient that premature babies need in high quantities, but isn't available in large enough amounts in their mothers' milk. The new nutrient, based on hazelnut oil, also could boost nutrition for babies who are bottle-fed for other reasons.

Beetle-infested pine trees contribute more to air pollution and haze in forests Posted: 23 May 2012 08:50 AM PDT The hordes of bark beetles that have bored their way through more than six billion trees in the western US and British Columbia since the 1990s do more than damage and kill pine, spruce and other trees. A new study finds that these pests can make trees release up to 20 times more of the organic substances that foster haze and air pollution in forested areas.

Seagrasses can store as much carbon as forests Posted: 23 May 2012 08:48 AM PDT Seagrasses are a vital part of the solution to climate change and, per unit area, seagrass meadows can store up to twice as much carbon as the world's temperate and tropical forests.

'Obesity genes' may influence food choices, eating patterns Posted: 23 May 2012 08:48 AM PDT Blame it on your genes? Researchers say individuals with variations in certain "obesity genes" tend to eat more meals and snacks, consume more calories per day and choose the same high fat, sugary foods.

Wind-driven Mars tumbleweed rover to roll through rocky terrain? Posted: 23 May 2012 08:48 AM PDT New research shows that a wind-driven "tumbleweed" Mars rover would be capable of moving across rocky Martian terrain -- findings that could also help with designing the best possible vehicle.

Make no mistake -- male bosses' errors matter Posted: 23 May 2012 08:47 AM PDT Male leaders who make mistakes are judged more harshly than women in the same situation.

Resilient people more satisfied with life Posted: 23 May 2012 08:47 AM PDT When confronted with adverse situations such as the loss of a loved one, some people never fully recover from the pain. Others, the majority, pull through and experience how the intensity of negative emotions (e.g. anxiety, depression) grows dimmer with time until they adapt to the new situation. A third group is made up of individuals whose adversities have made them grow personally and whose life takes on new meaning, making them feel stronger than before.

Rapid coral death by a deadly chain reaction Posted: 23 May 2012 08:47 AM PDT Most people are fascinated by the colorful and exotic coral reefs, which form habitats with probably the largest biodiversity. But human civilization is the top danger to these fragile ecosystems through climate change, oxygen depletion and ocean acidification. Industrialization, deforestation and intensive farming in coastal areas are changing dramatically the conditions for life in the oceans. Now scientists have investigated how and why the corals die when exposed to sedimentation. According to their findings, oxygen depletion, together with an acidification of the environment, creates a chain reaction that leads to coral death.

Two-dimensional layered materials for high-performance electronics Posted: 23 May 2012 08:46 AM PDT Researchers have developed a method to build graphene-based transistors compatible with semiconductor industry processes. This technology shows a 2-3x performance enhancement over the current approach to graphene transistors.

Visual perception system unconsciously affects our preferences Posted: 23 May 2012 07:30 AM PDT New research shows that the brain's visual perception system automatically and unconsciously guides decision-making through valence perception. The findings offer important insights into consumer behavior in ways that traditional consumer marketing focus groups cannot address. For example, asking individuals to react to package designs, ads or logos is ineffective. Instead, companies can use this type of brain science to more effectively assess how unconscious visual valence perception contributes to consumer behavior.

Well-connected brains make you smarter in older age Posted: 23 May 2012 07:29 AM PDT Brains that maintain healthy nerve connections as we age help keep us sharp in later life, new research has found.

Genetic markers to predict male fertility identified Posted: 23 May 2012 07:29 AM PDT Scientists have identified a gene expression fingerprint associated with very low pregnancy rates in semen donors with normal seminal quality.

Fire beetles may revolutionize early-warning systems for forest fires Posted: 23 May 2012 07:21 AM PDT Black fire beetles of the genus Melanophila possess unusual infrared sensors. It seems that they use these to detect forest fires, even from great distances, since their wood-eating larvae can only develop in freshly burned trees. Scientists have been wondering for a long time how sensitive these biological IR sensors really are. Researchers have concluded that the beetles' sensors might even be more sensitive that uncooled infrared sensors designed by humans. Having this natural model opens up new perspectives, such as for early warning systems for forest fires.

Aggregating instead of stabilizing: New insights into the mechanisms of heart disease Posted: 23 May 2012 07:21 AM PDT Researchers have gained new insights into the mechanisms of heart disease.

Phthalates in PVC floors taken up by the body in infants Posted: 23 May 2012 07:21 AM PDT Phthalates from PVC flooring materials is taken up by our bodies, according to new research. Phthalates are substances suspected to cause asthma and allergies, as well as other chronic diseases in children. The study shows that children can ingest these softening agents with food but also by breathing and through the skin.

Genetic study sheds light on evolution and may help prevent extinction of the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey Posted: 23 May 2012 07:20 AM PDT Biologists have completed genetic studies on all five snub-nosed monkey species, providing crucial information for the conservation of these rare primates.

Artificial leaf device produces hydrogen in water using only sunlight Posted: 23 May 2012 07:20 AM PDT Scientists have developed, using nanotechnology, a device with semiconductor materials which generate hydrogen independently in water using only sunlight.  This technology, which has been named artificial photosynthesis, was inspired by photosynthesis which occurs naturally. The device is submerged in an aqueous solution which, when illuminated with a light source, forms hydrogen gas bubbles.

Non-invasive intracellullar 'thermometer' with fluorescent proteins developed Posted: 23 May 2012 07:20 AM PDT Biologists have developed a technique to measure internal cell temperatures without altering their metabolism. This finding could be useful when distinguishing healthy cells from cancerous ones, as well as learning more about cellular processes.

Nomads of the Galaxy: What does it mean to have quadrillions of planets adrift in Milky Way? Posted: 23 May 2012 07:18 AM PDT Planets simply adrift in space may not only be common in the cosmos; in the Milky Way Galaxy alone, their number may be in the quadrillions. Three experts discuss what this may mean, including how it is conceivable for a nomad planet to sustain life.

Viral infections in infancy not linked to childhood wheezing, study suggests Posted: 23 May 2012 07:18 AM PDT The number of viral infections during infancy is not associated with wheezing later in childhood, according to a new study.

Dark shadows on Mars: Scene from durable NASA rover Posted: 23 May 2012 06:44 AM PDT Like a tourist waiting for just the right lighting to snap a favorite shot during a stay at the Grand Canyon, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has used a low sun angle for a memorable view of a large Martian crater.

Light pollution transforming insect communities Posted: 22 May 2012 05:08 PM PDT Street lighting is transforming communities of insects and other invertebrates, according to new research. The study shows for the first time that the balance of different species living together is being radically altered as a result of light pollution in our towns and cities. Believed to be increasing by six percent a year globally, artificial lighting is already known to affect individual organisms, but this is the first time that its impact on whole communities has been investigated.

Not a one-way street: Evolution shapes environment of Connecticut lakes Posted: 22 May 2012 05:08 PM PDT Environmental change is the selective force that preserves adaptive traits in organisms and is a primary driver of evolution. However, it is less well known that evolutionary change in organisms also trigger fundamental changes in the environment. Researchers found a prime example of this evolutionary feedback loop in a few lakes in Connecticut, where dams built 300 years ago in Colonial times trapped a fish called the alewife.

How ion bombardment reshapes metal surfaces Posted: 22 May 2012 05:08 PM PDT Ion bombardment of metal surfaces is an important, but poorly understood, nanomanufacturing technique. New research using sophisticated supercomputer simulations has shown what goes on in trillionths of a second. The advance could lead to better ways to predict the phenomenon and more uses of the technique to make new nanoscale products.

Human-like spine morphology found in aquatic eel fossil Posted: 22 May 2012 05:08 PM PDT For decades, scientists believed that a spine with multiple segments was an exclusive feature of land-dwelling animals. But the discovery of the same anatomical feature in a 345-million-year-old eel suggests that this complex anatomy arose separately from -- and perhaps before -- the first species to walk on land.

Pathological aging brains contain the same amyloid plaques as Alzheimer’s disease Posted: 22 May 2012 05:06 PM PDT Pathological aging (PA) is used to describe the brains of people which have Alzheimer's disease (AD)-like pathology but where the person showed no signs of cognitive impairment whilst they were alive. New research shows that PA and AD brains contain similar amyloid β (Aβ) plaques and that while on average AD brains contain more Aβ there was considerable overlap in Aβ subtypes. These results suggest that PA may simply be an early stage of AD.

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