ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Crayfish species proves to be the ultimate survivor
• Judging adolescents' actions: Teens mature intellectually before they mature emotionally
• New generation of virtual humans helping to train psychologists
• Ancient records shed light on Italian earthquakes (Aquila area)
• Birds that live with varying weather sing more versatile songs
• Situation dire for threatened rhino species, researcher finds
• Unexpected variation in immune genes poses difficulties for transplantation
• Fragile X and Down syndromes share signalling pathway for intellectual disability
• Giant moa had climate change figured out
• New approach to treat acute liver failure
• Researchers invent new tool to study single biological molecules
• Relaxors: Nanoscale properties of materials that can be used in electronic devices to change temperature or shape
• Supernova progenitor found? New research identifies star system that may explode
• Irony seen through the eye of MRI
• Predatory beetles eavesdrop on ants' chemical conversations to find best egg-laying sites
• Research may lead to new approach to detect prostate cancer
• Students with strong hearts and lungs may make better grades
• Dangerous experiment in fetal engineering
• New drug shows promise for kidney disease
• People with Allergies May Have Lower Risk of Brain Tumors
• Bears, scavengers count on all-you-can-eat salmon buffet lasting for months
• Major step taken towards 'unbreakable' message exchange
• Bacterial community inside the plant root: Plants choose soil bacteria that they allow into their roots
• Bilingualism 'can increase mental agility'
• Novel double-stranded DNA structure produced through mechanical stretching
• How the cell swallows
• Strawberry extract protects against UVA rays, study suggests

Crayfish species proves to be the ultimate survivor Posted: 03 Aug 2012 04:38 PM PDT Red swamp crayfish, known as one of the most successful invaders on earth, is able to feed off the land as well as getting food from its usual source in the water.

Judging adolescents' actions: Teens mature intellectually before they mature emotionally Posted: 03 Aug 2012 12:31 PM PDT Determining when a teenage brain becomes an adult brain is not an exact science but it's getting closer, according to an expert.

New generation of virtual humans helping to train psychologists Posted: 03 Aug 2012 11:06 AM PDT New technology has led to the creation of virtual humans who can interact with therapists via a computer screen and realistically mimic the symptoms of a patient with clinical psychological disorders, according to new research.

Ancient records shed light on Italian earthquakes (Aquila area) Posted: 03 Aug 2012 10:19 AM PDT When a damaging earthquake struck the area of L'Aquila in central Italy in 2009, it was the latest in the region's long history of strong and persistent quakes. But according to a new study the historical record on ancient and medieval earthquakes comes with its own shortcomings that must be addressed before the seismic history of L'Aquila can be useful in assessing the current seismic hazard in this area.

Birds that live with varying weather sing more versatile songs Posted: 03 Aug 2012 10:19 AM PDT A new study of North American songbirds reveals that birds that live with fluctuating weather are more flexible singers. Mixing it up helps birds ensure that their songs are heard no matter what the habitat.

Situation dire for threatened rhino species, researcher finds Posted: 03 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT A researcher hopes his recent finding confirming the extinction of the Javan rhinoceros in Vietnam pushes the public to protect the last remaining group of these prehistoric creatures living in Indonesia.

Unexpected variation in immune genes poses difficulties for transplantation Posted: 03 Aug 2012 09:11 AM PDT Human HLA genes -- the genes that allow our immune system to tell the difference between our own cells and foreign invaders -- are evolving much more rapidly than previously thought, according to a new article. The resulting degree of variation improves our ability to fight off disease, but could also present challenges to current worldwide efforts aimed at identifying potential donors for patients undergoing stem cell transplantation.

Fragile X and Down syndromes share signalling pathway for intellectual disability Posted: 03 Aug 2012 09:10 AM PDT Intellectual disability due to Fragile X and Down syndromes involves similar molecular pathways, researchers report. The two disorders share disturbances in the molecular events that regulate the way nerve cells develop dendritic spines, the small extensions found on the surface of nerve cells that are crucial for communication in the brain.

Giant moa had climate change figured out Posted: 03 Aug 2012 08:44 AM PDT An international team of scientists has used ancient DNA from bones of giant extinct New Zealand birds to show that significant climate and environmental changes did not have a large impact on their populations.

New approach to treat acute liver failure Posted: 03 Aug 2012 08:11 AM PDT Acute liver failure is a life-threatening disease. Unfortunately, few treatment options exist. Now researchers have developed a new treatment approach based on a mouse model. In a recent study, the liver failure was reversed and the mice recovered completely.

Researchers invent new tool to study single biological molecules Posted: 03 Aug 2012 08:08 AM PDT Researchers have developed new microscope technology to study single biological molecules with unprecedented accuracy and precision.

Relaxors: Nanoscale properties of materials that can be used in electronic devices to change temperature or shape Posted: 03 Aug 2012 08:08 AM PDT Physicists have determined important information about the nanoscale properties of materials called relaxors, which can be used in electronic devices to change temperature or shape. The discoveries may help maximize efficient use of relaxors to create better medical ultrasound, sensors and heart implants.

Supernova progenitor found? New research identifies star system that may explode Posted: 03 Aug 2012 07:30 AM PDT Type Ia supernovae are violent stellar explosions. Observations of their brightness are used to determine distances in the universe and have shown scientists that the cosmos is expanding at an accelerating rate. But there is still too little known about the specifics of the processes by which these supernovae form. New research identifies a star system, prior to explosion, which will possibly become a type Ia supernova.

Irony seen through the eye of MRI Posted: 03 Aug 2012 07:30 AM PDT In the cognitive sciences, the capacity to interpret the intentions of others is called "Theory of Mind" (ToM). This faculty is involved in the understanding of language, in particular by bridging the gap between the meaning of the words that make up a statement and the meaning of the statement as a whole. In recent years, researchers have identified the neural network dedicated to ToM, but no one had yet demonstrated that this set of neurons is specifically activated by the process of understanding of an utterance. This has now been accomplished: researchers have shown that the activation of the ToM neural network increases when an individual is reacting to ironic statements. The findings represent an important breakthrough in the study of Theory of Mind and linguistics, shedding light on the mechanisms involved in interpersonal communication.

Predatory beetles eavesdrop on ants' chemical conversations to find best egg-laying sites Posted: 03 Aug 2012 07:29 AM PDT Predatory beetles can detect the unique alarm signal released by ants that are under attack by parasitic flies, and the beetles use those overheard conversations to guide their search for safe egg-laying sites on coffee bushes.

Research may lead to new approach to detect prostate cancer Posted: 03 Aug 2012 07:29 AM PDT An undergraduate student's technique for detecting certain metabolites in urine samples could lead to a simpler and more accurate way to test for prostate cancer.

Students with strong hearts and lungs may make better grades Posted: 03 Aug 2012 07:29 AM PDT Having a healthy heart and lungs may be one of the most important factors for middle school students to make good grades in math and reading, according to new findings.

Dangerous experiment in fetal engineering Posted: 03 Aug 2012 06:45 AM PDT A new paper uses extensive Freedom of Information Act findings to detail a risky and extremely troubling off-label medical intervention employed in the U.S. on pregnant women to intentionally engineer the development of their fetuses for sex normalization purposes. Mothers are told the drug is safe but there is no such evidence.

New drug shows promise for kidney disease Posted: 03 Aug 2012 06:45 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated in the laboratory that a new drug is effective in treating a very common kidney disease -- although it will be a few years before it becomes available for clinical testing.

People with Allergies May Have Lower Risk of Brain Tumors Posted: 03 Aug 2012 06:44 AM PDT New research adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that there's a link between allergies and reduced risk of a serious type of cancer that starts in the brain.

Bears, scavengers count on all-you-can-eat salmon buffet lasting for months Posted: 03 Aug 2012 06:44 AM PDT Watersheds need both steep, cold-running streams and meandering streams of warmer water to keep options open for salmon. Preserving that sort of varied landscape serves not just salmon, it provides an all-summer buffet that animals need to sustain themselves the rest of the year.

Major step taken towards 'unbreakable' message exchange Posted: 03 Aug 2012 05:29 AM PDT Single particles of light, also known as photons, have been produced and implemented into a quantum key distribution (QKD) link, paving the way for unbreakable communication networks.

Bacterial community inside the plant root: Plants choose soil bacteria that they allow into their roots Posted: 03 Aug 2012 05:29 AM PDT Soil is the most species-rich microbial ecosystem in the world. From this incredible diversity, plants specifically choose certain species, give them access to the root and so host a unique, carefully selected bacterial community from which they then benefit in a variety of ways. To achieve this, the plant's immune system must be able to tell which of these bacteria are friends and which foes.

Bilingualism 'can increase mental agility' Posted: 03 Aug 2012 05:29 AM PDT Bilingual children outperform children who speak only one language in problem-solving skills and creative thinking, according to new research.

Novel double-stranded DNA structure produced through mechanical stretching Posted: 03 Aug 2012 05:29 AM PDT Researchers' findings address a scientific debate that had lasted for 16 years over the existence of a double-stranded DNA structure.

How the cell swallows Posted: 03 Aug 2012 05:29 AM PDT Scientists have combined the power of two kinds of microscope to produce a 3-dimensional movie of how cells 'swallow' nutrients and other molecules by engulfing them. The study is the first to follow changes in the shape of the cell's membrane and track proteins thought to influence those changes. It also provides ample data to investigate this essential process further.

Strawberry extract protects against UVA rays, study suggests Posted: 03 Aug 2012 05:29 AM PDT An experiment has shown that strawberry extract added to skin cell cultures acts as a protector against ultraviolet radiation as well as increasing its viability and reducing damage to DNA. The study opens the door to the creation of photoprotective cream made from strawberries.

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