ScienceDaily: Top News

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• An extra hour of TV beyond recommendations diminishes toddlers' kindergarten chances
• A complex story behind genes, environment, diabetes and obesity
• Dogs yawn more often in response to owners' yawns than strangers
• Dementia risk tied to blood sugar level, even with no diabetes
• Eavesdropping plants prepare to be attacked
• Chocolate may help keep brain healthy
• Carbon under pressure exhibits interesting traits
• Cognitive decline with age is normal, routine, but not inevitable
• Sudden cardiac arrest survival odds greater at fitness facilities
• Simple math sheds new light on a long-studied biological process
• Type 1 diabetes drug strikingly effective in clinical trial
• Scientists use genome sequencing to demonstrate herbal remedy causes upper urinary tract cancers
• UCSB study reveals that overthinking can be detrimental to human performance
• First hundred thousand years of our universe
• Scientists create tiny bendy power supply for even smaller portable electronics
• Making connections in the eye: Wiring diagram of retinal neurons is first step toward mapping the human brain
• Synthetic polymers enable cheap, efficient, durable alkaline fuel cells
• Micro-machines for the human body: Researchers adapt microscopic technology for bionic body parts and other medical devices
• Children and magnets have a dangerous attraction, end up in the ER
• Strangers invade the homes of giant bacteria
• The temperature tastes just right: Scientists discover previously unknown thermal sensor in insects linked to taste, smell
• Scientists find key signal that guides brain development
• NIH, Lacks family reach understanding to share genomic data of HeLa cells
• New proto-mammal fossil sheds light on evolution of earliest mammals
• Motional layers found in the brain: Neurobiologists discover elementary motion detectors in the fruit fly
• A 'rocking' receptor: Crucial brain-signaling molecule requires coordinated motion to turn on
• Why don’t we all get Alzheimer's disease?
• Regulating electron 'spin' may be key to making organic solar cells competitive
• Q-glasses could be a new class of solids
• Climate change threatens U.S. estuaries
• New high-tech laser method allows DNA to be inserted 'gently' into living cells
• Quasar observed in six separate light reflections
• Gold 'nanoprobes' hold the key to treating killer diseases
• Of stars and stripes: NASA satellites used to predict zebra migrations
• If we landed on Europa, what would we want to know?
• Breast cancer surgery linked to swollen arm syndrome
• New role for Tamoxifen in saving high-risk breast cancer patients
• Monarch butterflies migration path tracked by generations for first time
• This is your brain on Vivaldi and Beatles
• The Odd Couple: Two very different gas clouds in the galaxy next door
• Diets of pregnant women contain harmful, hidden toxins
• Protein changes are discovered that control whether a gene functions are discovered
• Immune function restored in spinal injured mice
• Freezing sperm taken directly from testicles is effective option for infertile couples
• Arctic Ocean more vulnerable to human-induced changes than Antarctic Ocean
• Psychologists say 'group narcissism' linked to negative attitudes toward immigrants

An extra hour of TV beyond recommendations diminishes toddlers' kindergarten chances Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:50 PM PDT Every hourly increase in daily television watching at 29 months of age is associated with diminished vocabulary and math skills, classroom engagement (which is largely determined by attention skills), victimization by classmates, and physical prowess at kindergarten.

A complex story behind genes, environment, diabetes and obesity Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:50 PM PDT While it is well known that there is a strong genetic basis to both diabetes and obesity, and that they are linked, researchers say that there are many rare genetic variants involved, which will pose a significant challenge in the quest to develop effective therapies. The study shows that many different defects in overweight or obesity genes are involved, most of which are very rare.

Dogs yawn more often in response to owners' yawns than strangers Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT Dogs yawn contagiously when they see a person yawning, and respond more frequently to their owner's yawns than to a stranger's, according to new research.

Dementia risk tied to blood sugar level, even with no diabetes Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:48 PM PDT Diabetes is a risk factor for dementia. But now a study has found that higher blood sugar levels are associated with higher dementia risk, even among people who do not have diabetes.

Eavesdropping plants prepare to be attacked Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:46 PM PDT In a world full of hungry predators, prey animals must be constantly vigilant to avoid getting eaten. But plants face a particular challenge when it comes to defending themselves.

Chocolate may help keep brain healthy Posted: 07 Aug 2013 05:44 PM PDT Drinking two cups of hot chocolate a day may help older people keep their brains healthy and their thinking skills sharp, according to a new study.

Carbon under pressure exhibits interesting traits Posted: 07 Aug 2013 12:54 PM PDT High pressures and temperatures cause materials to exhibit unusual properties, some of which can be special. Understanding such new properties is important for developing new materials for desired industrial uses and also for understanding the interior of Earth, where everything is hot and squeezed.

Cognitive decline with age is normal, routine, but not inevitable Posted: 07 Aug 2013 12:53 PM PDT Research on biochemical processes is making it clear that cognitive decline with age is a natural part of life, and scientists are tracking the problem down to highly specific components of the brain. Virtually everyone loses memory-making and cognitive abilities as they age. But of considerable interest is that it may not have to be that way.

Sudden cardiac arrest survival odds greater at fitness facilities Posted: 07 Aug 2013 12:53 PM PDT People experiencing sudden cardiac arrest at exercise facilities have a higher chance of survival than at other indoor locations, likely due to early CPR and access to an automated external defibrillator. The findings underscore the importance of having AEDs in places where people exert themselves and are at greater risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

Simple math sheds new light on a long-studied biological process Posted: 07 Aug 2013 12:51 PM PDT One of the most basic and intensively studied processes in biology —- one which has been detailed in biology textbooks for decades —- has gained a new level of understanding, thanks to the application of simple math to a problem that scientists never before thought could benefit from mathematics.

Type 1 diabetes drug strikingly effective in clinical trial Posted: 07 Aug 2013 12:51 PM PDT An experimental drug designed to block the advance of type 1 diabetes in its earliest stages has proven strikingly effective over two years in about half of the patients who participated in the phase 2 clinical trial.

Scientists use genome sequencing to demonstrate herbal remedy causes upper urinary tract cancers Posted: 07 Aug 2013 12:51 PM PDT Genomic sequencing experts have partnered with pharmacologists to reveal a striking mutational signature of upper urinary tract cancers caused by aristolochic acid, a plant compound contained in herbal remedies used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments such as arthritis, gout and inflammation.

UCSB study reveals that overthinking can be detrimental to human performance Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:45 AM PDT Trying to explain riding a bike is difficult because it is an implicit memory. The body knows what to do, but thinking about the process can often interfere. So why is it that under certain circumstances paying full attention and trying hard can actually impede performance? A new study reveals part of the answer.

First hundred thousand years of our universe Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:45 AM PDT Researchers have taken the furthest look back through time yet -- 100 years to 300,000 years after the Big Bang -- and found tantalizing new hints of clues as to what might have happened.

Scientists create tiny bendy power supply for even smaller portable electronics Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:42 AM PDT Scientists have created a powerful micro-supercapacitor, just nanometers thick and less than half a centimeter across, that could help electronics companies develop mobile phones and cameras that are smaller, lighter and thinner than ever before.

Making connections in the eye: Wiring diagram of retinal neurons is first step toward mapping the human brain Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:42 AM PDT Using a combination of human and artificial intelligence, scientists have mapped all the wiring among 950 neurons within a tiny patch of the mouse retina.

Synthetic polymers enable cheap, efficient, durable alkaline fuel cells Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:42 AM PDT A new cost-effective polymer membrane can decrease the cost of alkaline batteries and fuel cells by allowing the replacement of expensive platinum catalysts without sacrificing important aspects of performance.

Micro-machines for the human body: Researchers adapt microscopic technology for bionic body parts and other medical devices Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:42 AM PDT Tiny sensors and motors tell your smartphone screen to rotate and your camera to focus. But now researchers have found a way to print biocompatible components for these micro-machines, making them ideal for use in medical devices like bionic arms.

Children and magnets have a dangerous attraction, end up in the ER Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:42 AM PDT Cases involving children ingesting magnets quintupled between 2002 and 2011, with ingestion of multiple magnets generally resulting in more serious outcomes, including emergency surgery.

Strangers invade the homes of giant bacteria Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:41 AM PDT Life is not a walk in the park for the world's largest bacteria, that live as soft, noodle-like, white strings on the bottom of the ocean depths. Without being able to fend for themselves, they get invaded by parasitic microorganisms that steal the nutrition, that they have painstakingly retrieved. This newly discovered bizarre deep ocean relationship may ultimately impact ocean productivity, report researchers.

The temperature tastes just right: Scientists discover previously unknown thermal sensor in insects linked to taste, smell Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:41 AM PDT Animals have evolved very sensitive temperature sensors to detect the relatively narrow margin in which they can survive. Until recently, scientists knew little about how these sensors operated. Now, scientists have discovered a previously unknown molecular temperature sensor in fruit flies responsible for sensing tastes and smells. These types of sensors are present in disease-spreading insects like mosquitoes and may help scientists better understand how insects target humans and spread disease.

Scientists find key signal that guides brain development Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:40 AM PDT Scientists have decoded an important molecular signal that guides the development of a key region of the brain known as the neocortex. The largest and most recently evolved region of the brain, the neocortex is particularly well developed in humans and is responsible for sensory processing, long-term memory, reasoning, complex muscle actions, consciousness and other functions.

NIH, Lacks family reach understanding to share genomic data of HeLa cells Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:40 AM PDT The National Institutes of Health has reached an understanding with the family of the late Henrietta Lacks to allow biomedical researchers controlled access to the whole genome data of cells derived from her tumor, commonly known as HeLa cells. These cells have already been used extensively in scientific research and have helped make possible some of the most important medical advances of the past 60 years. These include the development of modern vaccines, cancer treatments, in vitro fertilization techniques, and many others. HeLa cells are the most widely used human cell lines in existence today. Access to the whole genome data of these cells will be a valuable reference tool for researchers using HeLa cells in their research.

New proto-mammal fossil sheds light on evolution of earliest mammals Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:40 AM PDT A newly discovered fossil reveals the evolutionary adaptations of a 165-million-year-old proto-mammal, providing evidence that traits such as hair and fur originated well before the rise of the first true mammals. Biologists have now described the biological features of this ancient mammalian relative, named Megaconus mammaliaformis.

Motional layers found in the brain: Neurobiologists discover elementary motion detectors in the fruit fly Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:35 AM PDT Recognizing movement and its direction is one of the first and most important processing steps in any visual system. By this way, nearby predators or prey can be detected and even one's own movements are controlled. More than fifty years ago, a mathematical model predicted how elementary motion detectors must be structured in the brain. However, which nerve cells perform this job and how they are actually connected remained a mystery.

A 'rocking' receptor: Crucial brain-signaling molecule requires coordinated motion to turn on Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:34 AM PDT Full activation of a protein ensemble essential for communication between nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord requires the rocking motion of some of the ensemble's segments. The ensemble is known to be defective in neurological disorders like epilepsy and Parkinson's so this insight has important implications.

Why don’t we all get Alzheimer's disease? Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:34 AM PDT Scientists offer an explanation for why we all don't get Alzeimer's disease. Though one might think the brains of people who develop Alzheimer's disease possess building blocks of the disease absent in healthy brains, for most sufferers, this is not true.

Regulating electron 'spin' may be key to making organic solar cells competitive Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:34 AM PDT Organic solar cells that use carbon-based molecules to convert light to electricity have not been able to match the efficiency silicon-based cells. Now, researchers have discovered a synthetic, high-performance polymer that could make inexpensive, highly efficient organic solar panels a reality.

Q-glasses could be a new class of solids Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:01 AM PDT There may be more kinds of stuff than we thought. Scientists have reported possible evidence for a new category of solids, things that are neither pure glasses, crystals, nor even exotic quasicrystals.

Climate change threatens U.S. estuaries Posted: 07 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT The USA's 28 National Estuarine Research Reserves are experiencing the negative effects of human and climate-related stressors. A national study points to three East Coast reserves as the most sensitive to climate change.

New high-tech laser method allows DNA to be inserted 'gently' into living cells Posted: 07 Aug 2013 09:59 AM PDT Many methods exist for inserting DNA into a cell, but they tend to be clumsy and destructive, imprecise or damaging to other cells in the process. Now scientists have developed the most precise method ever used to "transfect" DNA into cells. Using a laser and optical tweezers, the team's approach is a breakthrough in precision and control at the single-cell level.

Quasar observed in six separate light reflections Posted: 07 Aug 2013 09:59 AM PDT Quasars are active black holes -- primarily from the early universe. Using a special method where you observe light that has been bent by gravity on its way through the universe, a group of physics students have observed a quasar whose light has been deflected and reflected in six separate images. This is the first time a quasar has been observed with so many light reflections.

Gold 'nanoprobes' hold the key to treating killer diseases Posted: 07 Aug 2013 09:58 AM PDT Researchers have developed a technique to help treat fatal diseases more effectively. They are using gold nanoprobes to identify different types of cells, so that they can use the right ones in stem cell therapies.

Of stars and stripes: NASA satellites used to predict zebra migrations Posted: 07 Aug 2013 09:29 AM PDT One of the world's longest migrations of zebras occurs in the African nation of Botswana, but predicting when and where zebras will move has not been possible until now. Using NASA rain and vegetation data, researchers can track when and where arid lands begin to green, and for the first time anticipate if zebras will make the trek or, if the animals find poor conditions en route, understand why they will turn back.

If we landed on Europa, what would we want to know? Posted: 07 Aug 2013 09:23 AM PDT Most of what scientists know of Jupiter's moon Europa they have gleaned from a dozen or so close flybys from NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1979 and NASA's Galileo spacecraft in the mid-to-late 1990s. Even in these fleeting, paparazzi-like encounters, scientists have seen a fractured, ice-covered world with tantalizing signs of a liquid water ocean under its surface. Such an environment could potentially be a hospitable home for microbial life. But what if we got to land on Europa's surface and conduct something along the lines of a more in-depth interview? What would scientists ask?

Breast cancer surgery linked to swollen arm syndrome Posted: 07 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT Breast cancer survivors who have extensive surgery are four times more likely to develop the debilitating disorder arm lymphoedema.

New role for Tamoxifen in saving high-risk breast cancer patients Posted: 07 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT New research has revealed women with a strong genetic predisposition to breast cancer who take the cancer prevention tablet Tamoxifen after their first tumor have a substantially reduced risk of developing a new breast cancer.

Monarch butterflies migration path tracked by generations for first time Posted: 07 Aug 2013 06:46 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have mapped that migration pattern of monarch butterflies across the continent over an entire breeding season. That information might help conserve a creature increasingly threatened by loss of habitat and food sources.

This is your brain on Vivaldi and Beatles Posted: 07 Aug 2013 06:43 AM PDT Listening to music activates large networks in the brain, but different kinds of music are processed differently. A team of researchers has developed a new method for studying music processing in the brain during a realistic listening situation. Using a combination of brain imaging and computer modeling, they found areas in the auditory, motor, and limbic regions to be activated during free listening to music.

The Odd Couple: Two very different gas clouds in the galaxy next door Posted: 07 Aug 2013 06:43 AM PDT ESO's Very Large Telescope has captured an intriguing star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud -- one of the Milky Way's satellite galaxies. A sharp new image reveals two distinctive glowing clouds of gas: red-hued NGC 2014, and its blue neighbour NGC 2020. While they are very different, they were both sculpted by powerful stellar winds from extremely hot newborn stars that also radiate into the gas, causing it to glow brightly.

Diets of pregnant women contain harmful, hidden toxins Posted: 07 Aug 2013 06:42 AM PDT Pregnant women regularly consume food and beverages containing toxins believed to pose potential risks to developing fetuses, suggesting that health care providers must do more to counsel their patients about the dangers of hidden toxins in the food supply.

Protein changes are discovered that control whether a gene functions are discovered Posted: 06 Aug 2013 05:35 PM PDT Changes to proteins called histones, which are associated with DNA, can control whether or not a gene is allowed to function. The changes may be important in maintaining the genes' "expression potential" so that future cells behave as their parent cells did. The discovery may have implications for the study of diseases such as cancer.

Immune function restored in spinal injured mice Posted: 06 Aug 2013 05:35 PM PDT Scientists have shown that is possible to restore immune function in spinal injured mice. People with spinal cord injury often are immune compromised, which makes them more susceptible to infections. Why these people become immune-suppressed is not known, but the study found that a disorder called autonomic dysreflexia can cause immune suppression.

Freezing sperm taken directly from testicles is effective option for infertile couples Posted: 06 Aug 2013 01:59 PM PDT Frozen sperm taken by biopsy from testicles in men with no sperm in their semen is as effective as fresh sperm taken by biopsy in helping couples conceive through in vitro fertilization, according to a recent study.

Arctic Ocean more vulnerable to human-induced changes than Antarctic Ocean Posted: 06 Aug 2013 12:55 PM PDT Scientists have found evidence suggesting that the Arctic Ocean is more vulnerable to human-induced changes than the Antarctic Ocean.

Psychologists say 'group narcissism' linked to negative attitudes toward immigrants Posted: 06 Aug 2013 10:29 AM PDT Psychologists trying to understand the polarizing debate on illegal immigration have published a new study that addresses why some Americans feel the way they do about undocumented Latino immigrants. They found that something called "group-level narcissism" -- a feeling of entitlement and superiority that goes beyond patriotism -- plays a role in fueling negative attitudes.

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