ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Study sheds light on pregnancy complications and overturns common belief
• Natural plant protein converted into drug-delivery vehicles
• New animal model may lead to treatments for common liver disease
• Diving shrews: Heat before you leap
• Quantum computing, no cooling required: Room-temperature quantum bits store data for nearly two seconds
• Epigenetics alters genes in rheumatoid arthritis
• Bees can 'turn back time,' reverse brain aging
• Researchers moving towards ending threat of West Nile virus
• First photo of shadow of single atom
• Controversy clarified: Why two insulators together can transport electricity
• Feel-good glass for windows
• Exposure to violence has long-term stress effects among adolescents
• Adult stem cells from bone marrow: Cell replacement/tissue repair potential in adult bone marrow stem cells in animal model
• Increase in track-related injuries found among youth in the United States
• Bugs inspire better X-rays: Nanostructures modeled like moth eyes may boost medical imaging
• Motion sensors detect horse lameness earlier than veterinarians
• How cellular pathways converge to regulate food intake and body weight
• Genetic 911: Cells' emergency systems revealed
• Some diabetes drugs may increase risk of bladder cancer
• New class of unconventional superconductors
• New insights into power-generating windows
• Giraffes are living proof that cells' pressure matters
• Thumbs down on fireworks, warns trauma expert
• US Healthcare: ACA young adult mandate had big impact on extending health-care coverage, experts say
• Pakistan's national mammal makes comeback
• Obesity, larger waist size associated with better outcomes in heart failure patients
• West coast of North America experiencing decreasing trends in salmon spawning
• Young rapidly spinning star flaunts its X-ray spots in McNeil's Nebula
• Researchers closer to understanding how proteins regulate immune system
• Global warming favors proliferation of toxic cyanobacteria
• Strength in numbers: Physicists identify new quantum state allowing three -- but not two -- atoms to stick together
• Cosmic skyrocket: Geyser of hot gas flowing from a newborn star
• Hidden portals in Earth's magnetic field
• The 'Flame' burns bright in new WISE image
• Fish learn to cope in a high carbon dioxide world, new study suggests
• Novel vaccine for strain of foot-and-mouth disease
• Social bats pay a price with new fungal disease: Study determines which bats are headed for extinction
• Amniotic fluid yields alternatives to embryonic stem cells
• Two species fused to give rise to plant pest a few hundred years ago
• Molecular clues to link between childhood maltreatment and later suicide
• Childhood adversity increases risk for depression and chronic inflammation
• Five or more cups of coffee a day reduce the chance of IVF success by around 50 percent
• Why smoking is 'BAD' for the Fallopian tube, and increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy
• A high intake of certain dietary fats associated with lower live birth rates in IVF
• Organic tomatoes contain higher levels of antioxidants than conventional tomatoes, study suggests
• Searching for an ancient syphilis DNA in newborns
• The big sleep: How do you anesthetize a hippopotamus?
• Rare map related to America‘s 'birth certificate' discovered in Munich University Library
• Artificial cerebellum than enables robotic human-like object handling developed
• Warmer Baltic Sea may promote harmful algal blooms

Study sheds light on pregnancy complications and overturns common belief Posted: 03 Jul 2012 05:05 PM PDT Women who have a specific type of antibody that interferes with blood vessel function are at risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes and that other antibodies in the same family thought to cause pregnancy complications do not put women at risk, new research shows.

Natural plant protein converted into drug-delivery vehicles Posted: 03 Jul 2012 05:05 PM PDT Finding biocompatible carriers that can get drugs to their targets in the body involves significant challenges. Researchers have now shown a new approach for making vesicles and fine-tuning their shapes. By starting with a protein that is found in sunflower seeds, they used genetic engineering to make a variety of protein molecules that assemble into vesicles and other useful structures.

New animal model may lead to treatments for common liver disease Posted: 03 Jul 2012 04:01 PM PDT Scientists have developed the laboratory opossum as a new animal model to study the most common liver disease in the nation -- afflicting up to 15 million Americans -- and for which there is no cure.

Diving shrews: Heat before you leap Posted: 03 Jul 2012 04:01 PM PDT How does the world's smallest mammalian diver survive icy waters to catch its prey? A recent study of American water shrews has surprised researchers by showing that the animals rapidly elevate body temperature immediately before diving into cold water.

Quantum computing, no cooling required: Room-temperature quantum bits store data for nearly two seconds Posted: 03 Jul 2012 03:19 PM PDT Using a pair of impurities in ultra-pure, laboratory-grown diamonds, researchers have created room-temperature quantum bits, and store information in them for nearly two seconds -- an increase of nearly six orders of magnitude over the lifespan of earlier systems. The work is a critical first step in the eventual construction of a functional quantum computer, as well as a host of other potential applications.

Epigenetics alters genes in rheumatoid arthritis Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:25 PM PDT Researchers have investigated a mechanism usually implicated in cancer and in fetal development, called DNA methylation, in the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. They found that epigenetic changes due to methylation play a key role in altering genes that could potentially contribute to inflammation and joint damage.

Bees can 'turn back time,' reverse brain aging Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:25 PM PDT Scientists have discovered that older honey bees effectively reverse brain aging when they take on nest responsibilities typically handled by much younger bees. While current research on human age-related dementia focuses on potential new drug treatments, researchers say these findings suggest that social interventions may be used to slow or treat age-related dementia.

Researchers moving towards ending threat of West Nile virus Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:25 PM PDT Mosquitoes are buzzing once again, and with that comes the threat of West Nile virus. Scientists are making every effort to put an end to this potentially serious infection.

First photo of shadow of single atom Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:25 PM PDT Scientists have captured the first image of the shadow of a single atom. They trapped single atomic ions of the element ytterbium and exposed them to a specific frequency of light. Under this light the atom's shadow was cast onto a detector, and a digital camera was then able to capture the image.

Controversy clarified: Why two insulators together can transport electricity Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:25 PM PDT In 2004, researchers discovered something amazing: If the two materials, SrTiO3 and LaAlO3, both of which are electrical insulators, are joined together, a thin, electrically conducting region is formed at their interface. Over the subsequent three years, a number of hypotheses were proposed to explain this effect, which has led to controversy ever since.

Feel-good glass for windows Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT Daylight acts on our body clock and stimulates the brain. Researchers have made use of this knowledge and developed a coating for panes of glass that lets through more light. Above all, it promotes the passage through the glass of those wavelengths of light that govern our hormonal balance.

Exposure to violence has long-term stress effects among adolescents Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT Children who are exposed to community violence continue to exhibit a physical stress response up to a year after the exposure, suggesting that exposure to violence may have long-term negative health consequences, according to new research.

Adult stem cells from bone marrow: Cell replacement/tissue repair potential in adult bone marrow stem cells in animal model Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT Researchers report promising results from using adult stem cells from bone marrow in mice to help create tissue cells of other organs, such as the heart, brain and pancreas -- a scientific step they hope may lead to potential new ways to replace cells lost in diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

Increase in track-related injuries found among youth in the United States Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT With the 2012 summer Olympic games about to take place in London, children everywhere are looking forward to watching their sports idols and role models take center stage. While the Olympics may inspire some to try a new sport, such as track, parents should be aware that this participation does not come without risk of injury.

Bugs inspire better X-rays: Nanostructures modeled like moth eyes may boost medical imaging Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT Using the compound eyes of the humble moth as their inspiration, physicists have developed new nanoscale materials that could someday reduce the radiation dosages received by patients getting X-rayed, while improving the resolution of the resulting images.

Motion sensors detect horse lameness earlier than veterinarians Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT Equine veterinarians have developed a way to detect lameness using a motion detection system called the "Lameness Locator." Now, researchers have found that the Lameness Locator can detect lameness earlier than veterinarians using the traditional method of a subjective eye test.

How cellular pathways converge to regulate food intake and body weight Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:17 PM PDT In the complex chain of molecular events that underlie eating behaviors and body weight, the AMPK enzyme has proven to be a critical link. New research further elucidates AMPK's role, and could yield new treatment strategies for both metabolic diseases and cancers.

Genetic 911: Cells' emergency systems revealed Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:17 PM PDT Toxic chemicals wreak havoc on cells, damaging DNA and other critical molecules. A new study reveals how a molecular emergency-response system shifts the cell into damage-control mode and helps it survive such attacks by rapidly producing proteins that counteract the harm.

Some diabetes drugs may increase risk of bladder cancer Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:17 PM PDT An increased risk of bladder cancer is linked to the use of pioglitazone, a medication commonly used to treat Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

New class of unconventional superconductors Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:15 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a new class of exotic unconventional superconductors. When a superconductor is cooled below its 'critical temperature', the fluid of electrons, which is responsible for the conduction of electricity through the material, undergoes a radical re-organization. The electrons form 'Cooper pairs' and these Cooper pairs condense into a single, collective quantum state, which means they all behave as a single entity. This allows the manifestation of quantum-mechanical effects, which are normally confined to the world of sub-microscopic particles, on a scale that is visible to the naked eye.

New insights into power-generating windows Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:15 PM PDT Researchers have calculated how much electricity can be generated using power-generating windows, so-called luminescent solar concentrators. These are windows which have been fitted with a thin film of material that absorbs sunlight and directs it to narrow solar cells at the perimeter of the window. New research shows the relationship between the color of the material used and the maximum amount of power that can be generated. Such power-generating windows offer potential as a cheap source of solar energy.

Giraffes are living proof that cells' pressure matters Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:15 PM PDT A model that describes dividing cells within human tissues from the perspective of physicists could help further the understanding of cancer growth. Physicists have explored the relative impact of the mechanical pressure induced by dividing cells in biological tissues. This approach complements traditional studies on genetic and biochemical signalling mechanisms to explain experimental observations of how biological tissues evolve.

Thumbs down on fireworks, warns trauma expert Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:15 PM PDT Thumb and finger loss account for 32 percent of all reported injuries due to fireworks - imagining not being able to text for life is more potent than personal safety to today's generation, says a trauma surgeon.

US Healthcare: ACA young adult mandate had big impact on extending health-care coverage, experts say Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:15 PM PDT The number of young adults age 19 to 25 who are covered by their parents' employer-provided health insurance policies increased dramatically with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study.

Pakistan's national mammal makes comeback Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:14 PM PDT The markhor – a majestic wild goat species – is making a remarkable comeback in Pakistan due to conservation efforts.

Obesity, larger waist size associated with better outcomes in heart failure patients Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:14 PM PDT A slim waist and normal weight are usually associated with better health outcomes, but that's not always the case with heart failure patients, according to a new study. Researchers found that in both men and women with advanced heart failure, obesity — as indicated by a high body mass index (BMI) — and a higher waist circumference were factors that put them at significantly less risk for adverse outcomes.

West coast of North America experiencing decreasing trends in salmon spawning Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:29 AM PDT The number of adult sockeye salmon produced per spawner has been decreasing over the last decade or more along the western coast of North America, from Washington state up through British Columbia and southeast Alaska.

Young rapidly spinning star flaunts its X-ray spots in McNeil's Nebula Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:29 AM PDT X-ray observations have revealed something curious about the young star that illuminates McNeil's Nebula, a glowing jewel of cosmic dust in the Orion constellation: The object is a protostar rotating once a day, or 30 times faster than the sun. The stellar baby also has distinct birthmarks -- two X-ray-emitting spots, where gas flows from a surrounding disk, fueling the infant star.

Researchers closer to understanding how proteins regulate immune system Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:28 AM PDT Researchers have revealed how white blood cells move to infection or inflammation in the body; findings which could help lead to developing drug therapies for immune system disorders.

Global warming favors proliferation of toxic cyanobacteria Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:26 AM PDT Cyanobacterial populations, primitive aquatic microorganisms, are frequently-encountered in water bodies especially in summer. Their numbers have increased in recent decades and scientists suspect that global warming may be behind the phenomenon, and are particularly concerned by the increase in toxic cyanobacteria, which affect human and animal health.

Strength in numbers: Physicists identify new quantum state allowing three -- but not two -- atoms to stick together Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:25 AM PDT A recent quantum mechanics study has discovered a new bound state in atoms that may help scientists better understand matter and its composition. The yet-unnamed bound state, which the physicists simply refer to as "our state" in their study, applies to three identical atoms loosely bound together -- a behavior called three-body bound states in quantum mechanics. In this state, three atoms can stick together in a group but two cannot. Additionally, in some cases, the three atoms can stick together even when any two are trying to repel each other and break the connection.

Cosmic skyrocket: Geyser of hot gas flowing from a newborn star Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:25 AM PDT Resembling a Fourth of July skyrocket, Herbig-Haro 110 is a geyser of hot gas from a newborn star that splashes up against and ricochets from the dense core of a cloud of molecular hydrogen.

Hidden portals in Earth's magnetic field Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:05 AM PDT A favorite theme of science fiction is "the portal" -- an extraordinary opening in space or time that connects travelers to distant realms. A good portal is a shortcut, a guide, a door into the unknown. If only they actually existed. It turns out that they do, sort of, and a researcher has figured out how to find them.

The 'Flame' burns bright in new WISE image Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:58 AM PDT A new image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, shows the candle-like Flame nebula lighting up a cavern of dust. The Flame nebula is part of the Orion complex, a turbulent star-forming area located near the constellation's star-studded belt.

Fish learn to cope in a high carbon dioxide world, new study suggests Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:41 AM PDT Some coral reef fish may be better prepared to cope with rising carbon dioxide in the world's oceans -- thanks to their parents. Encouraging new findings show that some fish may be less vulnerable to high CO2 and an acidifying ocean than previously feared.

Novel vaccine for strain of foot-and-mouth disease Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:41 AM PDT Agricultural researchers have developed a novel vaccine for one of the seven strains of foot-and-mouth disease, paving the way for the development of the others.

Social bats pay a price with new fungal disease: Study determines which bats are headed for extinction Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:40 AM PDT The impact on bat populations of a deadly fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome may depend on how gregarious the bats are during hibernation. Species that hibernate in dense clusters even as their populations get smaller will continue to transmit the disease at a high rate, dooming them to continued decline, according to a new study.

Amniotic fluid yields alternatives to embryonic stem cells Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:37 AM PDT Stem cells found in amniotic fluid can be transformed into a more versatile state similar to embryonic stem cells, according to a new study. Scientists have succeeded in reprogramming amniotic fluid cells without having to introduce extra genes. The findings raise the possibility that stem cells derived from donated amniotic fluid could be stored in banks and used for therapies and in research, providing a viable alternative to the limited embryonic stem cells currently available.

Two species fused to give rise to plant pest a few hundred years ago Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:37 AM PDT A fungal species native to Iran which attacks grasses is the result of natural hybridization that occurred just a few hundred years ago.

Molecular clues to link between childhood maltreatment and later suicide Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:37 AM PDT Exposure to childhood maltreatment increases the risk for most psychiatric disorders as well as many negative consequences of these conditions. A new study provides important insight into one of the most extreme outcomes, suicide.

Childhood adversity increases risk for depression and chronic inflammation Posted: 03 Jul 2012 10:37 AM PDT When a person injures their knee, it becomes inflamed. When a person has a cold, their throat becomes inflamed. This type of inflammation is the body's natural and protective response to injury. Interestingly, there is growing evidence that a similar process happens when a person experiences psychological trauma. Unfortunately, this type of inflammation can be destructive.

Five or more cups of coffee a day reduce the chance of IVF success by around 50 percent Posted: 03 Jul 2012 09:06 AM PDT Women who drink five or more cups of coffee a day severely reduce their chance of success from IVF treatment. Indeed, Danish investigators who followed up almost 4000 IVF and ICSI patients described the adverse impact as "comparable to the detrimental effect of smoking."

Why smoking is 'BAD' for the Fallopian tube, and increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy Posted: 03 Jul 2012 09:06 AM PDT Cigarette smoke reduces the production of a Fallopian tube gene known as "BAD", which helps explain the link between smoking and ectopic pregnancy.

A high intake of certain dietary fats associated with lower live birth rates in IVF Posted: 03 Jul 2012 09:06 AM PDT Women with a higher intake of dietary saturated fats have fewer mature oocytes available for collection in IVF, according to results of a new study. The study investigated the effect of dietary fat (classified as total, saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, omega 6, omega 3 and trans) on a range of preclinical and clinical outcomes in women having IVF.

Organic tomatoes contain higher levels of antioxidants than conventional tomatoes, study suggests Posted: 03 Jul 2012 09:06 AM PDT Organic tomatoes contain higher levels of phenolic compounds than conventional tomatoes, according to new research. Phenolic compounds are organic molecules found in many vegetables with demonstrated human health benefits.

Searching for an ancient syphilis DNA in newborns Posted: 03 Jul 2012 09:06 AM PDT The ancient bones of newborns are very useful to recover the ancient DNA of the bacteria causing syphilis, the Treponema pallidum pallidum. Scientists were able to obtain the genetic material from the bacteria in more than one individual, in what is considered to be the oldest case known to date. Several previous attempts had only achieved to yield this material in one occasion and from only one individual.

The big sleep: How do you anesthetize a hippopotamus? Posted: 03 Jul 2012 09:06 AM PDT It may rank fairly low in most lists of pressing problems to be solved but an increasing number of zoos and wildlife collections as well as gamekeepers nevertheless need to come up with an answer:  How do you anaesthetize a hippopotamus? Difficulties are posed not only by the undesirability of approaching waking animals but also by hippos' unique skin morphology and by the animals' sensitivity to standard anesthetic methods. A new procedure has now been described.

Rare map related to America‘s 'birth certificate' discovered in Munich University Library Posted: 03 Jul 2012 09:05 AM PDT The American continent was "christened" by the cartographer Martin Waldseemüller. A previously unknown variant of the famous world map from the mapmaker's workshop has unexpectedly turned up in the collections in the University Library in Munich.

Artificial cerebellum than enables robotic human-like object handling developed Posted: 03 Jul 2012 09:05 AM PDT Researchers have developed an artificial cerebellum (a biologically-inspired adaptive microcircuit) that controls a robotic arm with human-like precision. The cerebellum is the part of the human brain that controls the locomotor system and coordinates body movements.

Warmer Baltic Sea may promote harmful algal blooms Posted: 03 Jul 2012 09:05 AM PDT Global warming affects ecosystems in complex ways. Now, a group of scientists have shown that there is an increasing danger of algal blooms and low oxygen levels in the Baltic when temperatures rise. Algal blooms already are a major problem in large parts of the Baltic, concomitant with spread of deoxygenated bottom conditions, without life, over large areas.

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