ScienceDaily: Top News

New NOAA report examines national oil pollution threat from shipwrecks

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:31:31 EDT

NOAA presented to the U.S. Coast Guard a new report that finds that 36 sunken vessels scattered across the U.S. seafloor could pose an oil pollution threat to the nation's coastal marine resources. Of those, 17 were recommended for further assessment and potential removal of both fuel oil and oil cargo.

The mammoth's lament: How cosmic impact sparked devastating climate change

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:55:55 EDT

Researchers have found evidence of a major cosmic event near the end of the Ice Age. The ensuing climate change forced many species to adapt or die.

Women who smoke during pregnancy increase the risk of both obesity and gestational diabetes in their daughters

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:54:54 EDT

Women who smoke during pregnancy increase the risk of both obesity and gestational diabetes, in their daughters.

Bed sharing leads to fivefold increase in risk of crib death for babies whose parents do not smoke

Mon, 20 May 2013 18:54:54 EDT

Parents who share a bed with their breastfed baby could face a fivefold increase in the risk of crib death, even if the parents do not smoke, according to a new study.

NASA Mars rover Curiosity drills second rock target

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:32:32 EDT

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has used the drill on its robotic arm to collect a powdered sample from the interior of a rock called "Cumberland." Plans call for delivering portions of the sample in coming days to laboratory instruments inside the rover. This is only the second time that a sample has been collected from inside a rock on Mars.

Practice makes perfect? Not so much, new research finds

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:39:39 EDT

Turns out, that old "practice makes perfect" adage may be overblown. New research finds that a copious amount of practice is not enough to explain why people differ in level of skill in two widely studied activities, chess and music.

Human-like opponents lead to more aggression in video game players

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:39:39 EDT

Video games that pit players against human-looking characters may be more likely to provoke violent thoughts and words than games where monstrous creatures are the enemy, according to a new study.

Iron-platinum alloys could be new-generation hard drives

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:39:39 EDT

Researchers have found a convenient way to make layered iron-platinum alloys and tailor their properties, a promising material for a potential new generation of data storage media.

How bilinguals switch between languages

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:38:38 EDT

Individuals who learn two languages at an early age seem to switch back and forth between separate "sound systems" for each language, according to new research. The research addresses enduring questions in bilingual studies about how bilingual speakers hear and process sound in two different languages.

Parasitic wasps use calcium pump to block fruit fly immunity

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:37:37 EDT

Parasitic wasps switch off the immune systems of fruit flies by draining calcium from the flies' blood cells, a finding that offers new insight into how pathogens break through a host's defenses. Researchers say their findings have uncovered an important component of cellular immunity, one that parasites have learned to take advantage of.

Do salamanders' immune systems hold the key to regeneration?

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:37:37 EDT

Salamanders' immune systems are key to their remarkable ability to regrow limbs, and could also underpin their ability to regenerate spinal cords, brain tissue and even parts of their hearts, scientists have found. In new research, scientists have found that when immune cells known as macrophages were systemically removed, salamanders lost their ability to regenerate a limb and instead formed scar tissue.

Non-wetting fabric that drains sweat invented

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:36:36 EDT

Waterproof fabrics that whisk away sweat could be the latest application of microfluidic technology developed by bioengineers.

Gym class reduces probability of obesity, study finds for first time

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:36:36 EDT

Little is known about the effect of physical education on child weight, but a new study finds that increasing the amount of time that elementary schoolchildren spent in gym class reduces the probability of obesity.

Timing of cancer radiation therapy may minimize hair loss

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:36:36 EDT

Discovering that mouse hair has a circadian clock - a 24-hour cycle of growth followed by restorative repair - researchers suspect that hair loss in humans from toxic cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy might be minimized if these treatments are given late in the day.

Ant study could help future robot teams work underground

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:32:32 EDT

Future teams of subterranean search and rescue robots may owe their success to the lowly fire ant, a much-despised insect whose painful bites and extensive networks of underground tunnels are all-too-familiar to people living in the southern United States.

Compound in Mediterranean diet makes cancer cells 'mortal'

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:43:43 EDT

New research suggests that a compound abundant in the Mediterranean diet takes away cancer cells' "superpower" to escape death.

Amazon River exhales virtually all carbon taken up by rainforest

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:43:43 EDT

Woody plant matter is almost completely digested by bacteria living in the Amazon River. This tough stuff plays a major part in fueling the river's breath. The finding has implications for global carbon models, and for the ecology of the Amazon and the world's other rivers. Until recently, people believed much of the rainforest's carbon floated down the Amazon River and ended up deep in the ocean.

Fastest measurements ever made of ion channel proteins

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:42:42 EDT

Engineers have used miniaturized electronics to measure the activity of individual ion-channel proteins with temporal resolution as fine as one microsecond, producing the fastest recordings of single ion channels ever performed. They designed a custom integrated circuit to perform these measurements, in which an artificial cell membrane and ion channel are attached directly to the surface of the amplifier chip.

Coming into existence: Lab sets a new record for creating heralded photons

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:42:42 EDT

A new experiment establishes a heralding efficiency that might allow loopholes to be eliminated in the validation of spooky action-at-a-distance in quantum reality.

Leading explanations for whooping cough's resurgence don't stand up to scrutiny

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:42:42 EDT

Whooping cough has exploded in the United States and some other developed countries in recent decades, and many experts suspect ineffective childhood vaccines for the alarming resurgence.

Molecular trigger for Alzheimer's disease identified

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:42:42 EDT

Researchers have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer's disease -- when the fundamental structure of a protein molecule changes to cause a chain reaction that leads to the death of neurons in the brain.

Nanoantennas improve infrared sensing

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:29:29 EDT

Engineers have used a pattern of nanoantennas to develop a new way of turning infrared light into mechanical action, opening the door to more sensitive infrared cameras and more compact chemical-analysis techniques.

Not just blowing in the wind: Compressing air for renewable energy storage

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:28:28 EDT

A comprehensive study into the potential for compressed air energy storage in the Pacific Northwest has identified two locations in Washington state that could store enough Northwest wind energy combined to power about 85,000 homes each month.

Combined wood and tobacco smoke exposure increases risk and symptoms of COPD

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:27:27 EDT

People who are consistently exposed to both wood smoke and tobacco smoke are at a greater risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and for experiencing more frequent and severe symptoms of the disease, as well as more severe airflow obstruction, than those who are exposed to only one type of smoke.

Prenatal exposure to traffic is associated with respiratory infection in young children

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:27:27 EDT

Living near a major roadway during the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of respiratory infection developing in children by the age of 3, according to a new study.

Air pollution and noise pollution increase cardiovascular risk

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:27:27 EDT

Both fine-particle air pollution and noise pollution may increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to new research.

Breakup of physician, drug company relationship could improve health care, cut cost

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:37:37 EDT

A new report suggests that improved health care and significant reductions in drug costs might be attained by breaking up the age-old relationship between physicians and drug company representatives who promote the newest, more costly and often unnecessary prescription drugs.

Far-reaching, microvascular damage found in uninjured side of brain after stroke

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:37:37 EDT

An animal-model study finds far-reaching microvascular damage in the uninjured side of the brain after a stroke. The findings suggest repair of the protective blood-brain barrier may help prevent this breach in the days following the acute injury.

Telerehabilitation allows accurate assessment of patients with low back pain

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:37:37 EDT

A new "telerehabilitation" approach lets physical therapists assess patients with low back pain over the Internet, with good accuracy compared with face-to-face examinations, reports a new study.

Advance in nanotech gene sequencing technique

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:37:37 EDT

The allure of personalized medicine has made new, more efficient ways of sequencing genes a top research priority. One promising technique involves reading DNA bases using changes in electrical current as they are threaded through a nanoscopic hole. Now, physicists has used solid-state nanopores to differentiate single-stranded DNA molecules containing sequences of a single repeating base.

Slow earthquakes: It's all in the rock mechanics

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:40:40 EDT

Earthquakes that last minutes rather than seconds are a relatively recent discovery, according to an international team of seismologists. Researchers have been aware of these slow earthquakes, only for the past five to 10 years because of new tools and new observations, but these tools may explain the triggering of some normal earthquakes and could help in earthquake prediction.

Fossil brain teaser: New study reveals patterns of dinosaur brain development

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:40:40 EDT

A new study sheds light on how the brain and inner ear developed in dinosaurs. Using high-resolution CT scanning and 3D computer imaging, it was possible to reconstruct and visualise the brain and inner ear of Dysalotosaurus lettowvorbecki -- a small, plant-eating dinosaur, which lived 150 million years ago, in what is now Tanzania.

Link between childhood ADHD and obesity revealed in first long-term study

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:39:39 EDT

A new study found men diagnosed as children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were twice as likely to be obese in a 33-year follow-up study compared to men who were not diagnosed with the condition.

Immune protein could stop diabetes in its tracks, discovery suggests

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:49:49 EDT

Researchers have identified an immune protein that has the potential to stop or reverse the development of type 1 diabetes in its early stages, before insulin-producing cells have been destroyed. The discovery has wider repercussions, as the protein is responsible for protecting the body against excessive immune responses, and could be used to treat, or even prevent, other immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Predicting infectious influenza

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:49:49 EDT

A new computer model could help scientists predict when a particular strain of avian influenza might become infectious from bird to human, according to a new report.

Earth's iron core is surprisingly weak

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:54:54 EDT

Researchers have used a diamond anvil cell to squeeze iron at pressures as high as 3 million times that felt at sea level to recreate conditions at the center of Earth. The findings could refine theories of how the planet and its core evolved.

Mechanism linking key inflammatory marker to cancer identified

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:53:53 EDT

Researchers have revealed how a key player in cell growth, immunity and the inflammatory response can be transformed into a primary contributor to tumor growth.

Archaeological genetics: It's not all as old as it at first seems

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:51:51 EDT

Genomic analyses suggest that patterns of genetic diversity which indicate population movement may not be as ancient as previously believed, but may be attributable to recent events.

Lovelorn frogs bag closest crooner

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:51:51 EDT

What lures a lady frog to her lover? Good looks, the sound of his voice, the size of his pad or none of the above? After weighing up their options, female strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) bag the closest crooner they can. This seemingly short-sighted strategy turns out to be the optimal mate choice strategy for these colorful frogs.

Discovery of a novel medicine for the treatment of chronic wounds

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:50:50 EDT

Every 20 seconds, a limb is lost as a consequence of diabetic foot ulcer that does not heal. To date, medical solutions that can change this situation are very limited. A researchers has now presented a novel medicine for chronic wound treatment that may completely change the lives of millions of patients.

Echolocation: Blind people have the potential to use their 'inner bat' to locate objects, study finds

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:48:48 EDT

New research shows that blind and visually impaired people have the potential to use echolocation, similar to that used by bats and dolphins, to determine the location of an object. The study examined how hearing, and particularly the hearing of echoes, could help blind people with spatial awareness and navigation.

Anabolic steroids may affect future mental health

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:48:48 EDT

There is a link between use of anabolic-androgenic steroids and reduced mental health later in life. This is the main conclusion of a new study on elite male strength athletes. Twenty per cent of the subjects in the study admitted steroid use.

Genetic diversity within tumors predicts outcome in head and neck cancer

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:46:46 EDT

A new measure of the heterogeneity – the variety of genetic mutations – of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer.

One in 10 teens using 'study drugs,' but parents aren't paying attention

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:44:44 EDT

Just one in 100 parents believe their kids have used prescription stimulants to boost grades, according to a new poll.

Bionimbus protected data cloud to enable researchers to analyze cancer data

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:32:32 EDT

The University of Chicago has launched the first secure cloud-based computing system that enables researchers to access and analyze human genomic cancer information without the costly and cumbersome infrastructure normally needed to download and store massive amounts of data.

Competition in the quantum world

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:48:48 EDT

Physicists have gained a deep insight into the nature of quantum mechanical phase transitions. Scientists have simulated the competition between two rival dynamical processes at a novel type of transition between two quantum mechanical orders.

Why we need to put the fish back into fisheries

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:48:48 EDT

Overfishing has reduced fish populations and biodiversity across much of the world’s oceans. In response, fisheries are increasingly reliant on a handful of highly valuable shellfish. However, new research shows this approach to be extremely risky.

Molecular marker from pancreatic 'juices' helps identify pancreatic cancer

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:14:14 EDT

Researchers have developed a promising method to distinguish between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis — two disorders that are difficult to tell apart. A molecular marker obtained from pancreatic “juices” can identify almost all cases of pancreatic cancer, their study shows.

Commonly used catheters double risk of blood clots in ICU and cancer patients

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:14:14 EDT

Peripherally inserted central catheters – an often preferred route for delivery of IV medications — increase risk of blood clots in sickest patients.

Engineered microbes grow in the dark

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:11:11 EDT

Scientists have engineered a strain of photosynthetic cyanobacteria to grow without the need for light.

Bacteria use hydrogen, carbon dioxide to produce electricity

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:11:11 EDT

Researchers have engineered a strain of electricity-producing bacteria that can grow using hydrogen gas as its sole electron donor and carbon dioxide as its sole source of carbon.

Kinks and curves at the nanoscale: New research shows 'perfect twin boundaries' are not so perfect

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:04:04 EDT

Since 2004, materials scientists and nanotechnology experts have been excited about a special of arrangement of atoms called a "coherent twin boundary" that can add enormous strength to metals like gold and copper. The CTBs are described as "perfect," appearing like a one-atom-thick plane in models and images. New research shows that these boundaries are not perfect. Even more surprising, the newly discovered kinks and defects appear to be the cause of the CTB's strength.

Roots of future tropical rainfall: Sea level influenced tropical climate during the last ice age

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:04:04 EDT

How will rainfall patterns across the tropical Indian and Pacific regions change in a future warming world? Climate models generally suggest that the tropics as a whole will get wetter, but the models don't always agree on where rainfall patterns will shift in particular regions within the tropics.

Heat-related deaths in Manhattan projected to rise: Killing season may push into spring and fall

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:04:04 EDT

Researchers say deaths in Manhattan linked to warming climate may rise some 20 percent by the 2020s, and, in some worst-case scenarios, 90 percent or more by the 2080s. Higher winter temperatures may partially offset heat-related deaths by cutting cold-related mortality -- but even so, annual net temperature-related deaths might go up a third.

Computational tool translates complex data into simplified two-dimensional images

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:56:56 EDT

Researchers have developed a computational method that enables scientists to visualize and interpret "high-dimensional" data produced by single-cell measurement technologies such as mass cytometry. The method has particular relevance to cancer research and therapeutics.

Origins of life: In early Earth, iron helped RNA catalyze electron transfer

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:56:56 EDT

A new study shows how complex biochemical transformations may have been possible under conditions that existed when life began on the early Earth. The study shows that RNA is capable of catalyzing electron transfer under conditions similar to those of the early Earth.

Frogs, salamanders and climate change

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:37:37 EDT

Increasingly erratic rainfall patterns can lead to declines in southeastern frog and salamander populations, but protecting ponds can improve their plight.

Attacking MRSA with metals from antibacterial clays

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:37:37 EDT

Medical researchers have come up with a new approach for developing effective, topical antibacterial agents -- one that draws on a naturally occurring substance recognized since antiquity for its medicinal properties: clay.

Now we know why old scizophrenia medicine works on antibiotics-resistant bacteria

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:37:37 EDT

An old medicine for schizophrenia is effective at treating something completely different than it was designed for: antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So far it has been a mystery how this old schizophrenia medicine works, but now researchers have figured it out. This can lead to a new medicine against the increasingly threatening antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Youth who have their first drink during puberty have higher levels of later drinking

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:37:37 EDT

The earlier the age at which youth take their first alcoholic drink, the greater the risk of later alcohol problems.