ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Potential immune benefits of strong vitamin D status in healthy individuals
• Fear factor increases, emotions decrease in books written in last 50 years
• Older grandfathers pass on autism risk through generations
• Women abused as children more likely to have children with autism
• 97 percent of UK doctors have given placebos to patients at least once
• Follow-up study describes declining efficacy of malaria vaccine candidate over 4 years
• Gulf War illness linked to physical changes in brain fibers that process pain
• Robot-delivered speech and physical therapy a success
• Genetic evidence that new therapies targeting Parkinson's disease may cause harm
• Herschel discovers some of the youngest stars ever seen
• Sun in the way will affect Mars missions in April
• Mars Curiosity rover exits 'safe mode'
• Humanoid robot helps train children with autism
• Natural climate swings contribute more to increased monsoon rainfall than global warming
• Brain mapping reveals neurological basis of decision-making in rats
• Sustainable Development Goals must sustain people and planet, experts say
• Maternal diabetes impairs methylation of imprinted gene in oocytes
• Can intraplate earthquakes produce stronger shaking than at plate boundaries?
• Bacteria with vuvuzelas: Microbes use a channel protein as a syringe for toxins
• Baffling blood problem explained: 60-year-old health mystery solved
• Biodiversity does not reduce transmission of disease from animals to humans, researchers find
• Advances in preventing dangerous blood clots
• Properly planned roads could help rather than harm the environment, say experts
• Discovery of new drug to combat malaria
• Stem cells entering heart can be tracked with nano-hitchhikers
• Scientists discover 'lubricant' for Earth's tectonic plates: Hidden magma layer could play role in earthquakes
• Computers choose national basketball champion
• How two brain areas interact to trigger divergent emotional behaviors
• Tests underscore potential hazards of green laser pointers
• Voyager 1 has entered a new region of space, sudden changes in cosmic rays indicate
• Better cartilage repairs possible using stem cells
• Sleep consolidation of interfering auditory memories in starlings
• Some Alaskan trout use flexible guts for the ultimate binge diet
• Financial benefits of plant-based, Mediterranean diet
• 'Brain waves' challenge area-specific view of brain activity
• Atypical brain circuits may cause slower gaze shifting in infants who later develop autism
• Spiral beauty graced by fading supernova
• Why red algae never colonized dry land
• 'End of men'? Not even close
• Atypical brain circuits may cause slower gaze shifting in infants who later develop autism
• Somatic symptom disorder: New disorder could classify millions of people as mentally ill

Potential immune benefits of strong vitamin D status in healthy individuals Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:28 PM PDT Research shows that improving vitamin D status by increasing its level in the blood could have a number of non-skeletal health benefits. The study reveals for the first time that improvement in the vitamin D status of healthy adults significantly impacts genes involved with a number of biologic pathways associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases.

Fear factor increases, emotions decrease in books written in last 50 years Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:28 PM PDT The use of words with emotional content in books has steadily decreased throughout the last century, according to new research. The emotional content of published English has been steadily decreasing over the past century, with the exception of words associated with fear, an emotion which has resurged over the past decades.

Older grandfathers pass on autism risk through generations Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:28 PM PDT Men who have children at older ages are more likely to have grandchildren with autism compared to younger grandfathers, according to new research. This is the first time that research has shown that risk factors for autism may accumulate over generations.

Women abused as children more likely to have children with autism Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:28 PM PDT Women who experienced physical, emotional, or sexual abuse as children are more likely to have a child with autism than women who were not abused.

97 percent of UK doctors have given placebos to patients at least once Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:28 PM PDT A survey of UK doctors found that 97 percent have prescribed placebo treatments to patients at least once in their career. Researchers discovered that 97 percent of doctors have used 'impure' placebo treatments, while 12 percent have used 'pure' placebos. 'Impure' placebos are treatments that are unproven, or more commonly non-essential physical examinations and blood tests performed to reassure patients. 'Pure' placebos are treatments such as sugar pills which contain no active ingredients.

Follow-up study describes declining efficacy of malaria vaccine candidate over 4 years Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:28 PM PDT Long-term follow-up of a phase II study from researchers in Kenya shows that the efficacy of a malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S, wanes over time and varies with exposure to the malaria parasite.

Gulf War illness linked to physical changes in brain fibers that process pain Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:28 PM PDT Researchers have found what they say is evidence that veterans who suffer from "Gulf War Illness" have physical changes in their brains not seen in unaffected individuals. Brain scans of 31 veterans with the illness, compared to 20 control subjects, revealed anomalies in the bundles of nerve fibers that connect brain areas involved in the processing and perception of pain and fatigue.

Robot-delivered speech and physical therapy a success Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:26 PM PDT In one of the earliest experiments using a humanoid robot to deliver speech and physical therapy to a stroke patient, researchers saw notable speech and physical therapy gains and significant improvement in quality of life.

Genetic evidence that new therapies targeting Parkinson's disease may cause harm Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:26 PM PDT Researchers have completed a small study that shows genetic and clinical evidence that therapies targeting the expression of alpha-synuclein -- a gene whose function is involved in the development and progression of Parkinson's disease -- may accelerate disease progression and increase the risk of physical incapacitation and dementia. If replicated, the findings will have profound implications for therapies under development for Parkinson's disease.

Herschel discovers some of the youngest stars ever seen Posted: 20 Mar 2013 04:28 PM PDT Astronomers have found some of the youngest stars ever seen, thanks to the Herschel space observatory. Dense envelopes of gas and dust surround the fledgling stars known as protostars, making their detection difficult. The 15 newly observed protostars turned up by surprise in a survey of the biggest site of star formation near our solar system, located in the constellation Orion. The discovery gives scientists a peek into one of the earliest and least understood phases of star formation.

Sun in the way will affect Mars missions in April Posted: 20 Mar 2013 04:24 PM PDT The positions of the planets next month will mean diminished communications between Earth and NASA's spacecraft at Mars. Mars will be passing almost directly behind the sun, from Earth's perspective. The sun can easily disrupt radio transmissions between the two planets during that near-alignment. To prevent an impaired command from reaching an orbiter or rover, mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., are preparing to suspend sending any commands to spacecraft at Mars for weeks in April. Transmissions from Mars to Earth will also be reduced.

Mars Curiosity rover exits 'safe mode' Posted: 20 Mar 2013 04:22 PM PDT NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has returned to active status and is on track to resume science investigations, following two days in a precautionary standby status, "safe mode."

Humanoid robot helps train children with autism Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:52 PM PDT An interdisciplinary team of mechanical engineers and autism experts have developed an adaptive robotic system and used it to demonstrate that humanoid robots can be powerful tools for enhancing the basic social learning skills of children with autism.

Natural climate swings contribute more to increased monsoon rainfall than global warming Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:52 PM PDT Natural swings in the climate have significantly intensified Northern Hemisphere monsoon rainfall, showing that these swings must be taken into account for climate predictions in the coming decades.

Brain mapping reveals neurological basis of decision-making in rats Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:52 PM PDT Scientists have discovered how memory recall is linked to decision-making in rats, showing that measurable activity in one part of the brain occurs when rats in a maze are playing out memories that help them decide which way to turn. The more they play out these memories, the more likely they are to find their way correctly to the end of the maze.

Sustainable Development Goals must sustain people and planet, experts say Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:52 PM PDT Scientists are arguing for a set of six Sustainable Development Goals that link poverty eradication to protection of Earth's life support. The researchers argue that in the face of increasing pressure on the planet's ability to support life, adherence to out-dated definitions of sustainable development threaten to reverse progress made in developing countries over past decades.

Maternal diabetes impairs methylation of imprinted gene in oocytes Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:52 PM PDT For the first time, researchers have shown that poorly controlled maternal diabetes has an adverse effect on methylation of the maternal imprinting gene Peg3, contributing to impaired development in offspring.

Can intraplate earthquakes produce stronger shaking than at plate boundaries? Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:52 PM PDT New information about the extent of the 1872 Owens Valley earthquake rupture, which occurs in an area with many small and discontinuous faults, may support a hypothesis that these types of quakes could produce stronger ground shaking than plate boundary earthquakes underlain by oceanic crust, like many of those taking place along the San Andreas fault.

Bacteria with vuvuzelas: Microbes use a channel protein as a syringe for toxins Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:51 PM PDT The bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens is a constant companion of some roundworms. These worms assault insect larvae, thereby infecting them with the bacteria; the pathogens then attack the cells of their victims with a deadly cocktail of various toxins. Scientists have now discovered that the bacteria use an important toxin complex like a syringe.

Baffling blood problem explained: 60-year-old health mystery solved Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:51 PM PDT Some 200,000 people in Europe and a similar number in North America are "Vel-negative," a rare blood type, difficult for hospitals to identify, that can make blood transfusions turn deadly. For sixty years, researchers hunted -- unsuccessfully -- for the cause of Vel-negative blood. Now scientists have found the culprit -- a tiny protein called SMIM1 -- and created a fast and easy DNA test for it.

Biodiversity does not reduce transmission of disease from animals to humans, researchers find Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:27 AM PDT A new analysis pokes holes in widely accepted theory that connects biodiversity abundance with a reduced disease risk for humans.

Advances in preventing dangerous blood clots Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:27 AM PDT New research may help clinicians determine which patients are at highest risk for post-surgical blood clots in the legs or lungs.

Properly planned roads could help rather than harm the environment, say experts Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:27 AM PDT Two leading ecologists say a rapid proliferation of roads across the planet is causing irreparable damage to nature, but properly planned roads could actually help the environment.

Discovery of new drug to combat malaria Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:27 AM PDT A new project has yielded a promising new antimalarial drug with the potential to cure the mosquito-borne disease and block its transmission with low doses.

Stem cells entering heart can be tracked with nano-hitchhikers Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:27 AM PDT The promise of repairing damaged hearts through regenerative medicine -- infusing stem cells into the heart in the hope that these cells will replace worn out or damaged tissue -- has yet to meet with clinical success. But a highly sensitive visualization technique may help speed that promise's realization.

Scientists discover 'lubricant' for Earth's tectonic plates: Hidden magma layer could play role in earthquakes Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:27 AM PDT Scientists have found a layer of liquefied molten rock in Earth's mantle that may be acting as a lubricant for the sliding motions of the planet's massive tectonic plates. The discovery may carry far-reaching implications, from solving basic geological functions of the planet to a better understanding of volcanism and earthquakes.

Computers choose national basketball champion Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:25 AM PDT When Georgia Tech opens the doors to the Georgia Dome next month as the host institution for the 2013 Final Four, expect third-seeded Florida to walk out as the national champion. That's the prediction from of a new college basketball ranking system, a computerized model that has chosen the men's basketball national champ in three of the last five years.

How two brain areas interact to trigger divergent emotional behaviors Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:25 AM PDT New research for the first time explains exactly how two brain regions interact to promote emotionally motivated behaviors associated with anxiety and reward. The findings could lead to new mental health therapies for disorders such as addiction, anxiety, and depression.

Tests underscore potential hazards of green laser pointers Posted: 20 Mar 2013 10:59 AM PDT Using a low-cost apparatus designed to quickly and accurately measure the properties of handheld laser devices, researchers tested 122 laser pointers and found that nearly 90 percent of green pointers and about 44 percent of red pointers tested were out of compliance with federal safety regulations.

Voyager 1 has entered a new region of space, sudden changes in cosmic rays indicate Posted: 20 Mar 2013 10:42 AM PDT Thirty-five years after its launch, Voyager 1 appears to have travelled beyond the influence of the Sun and exited the heliosphere, according to a new study.

Better cartilage repairs possible using stem cells Posted: 20 Mar 2013 10:38 AM PDT Using adult stem cells is a good way of culturing better-quality cartilage to repair worn hips and knees. New cartilage that has good properties can be grown in particular by cultivating adult stem cells in combination with a small quantity of cells from the patient's own cartilage. In the long run this increases the likelihood of a cartilage implant being successful, provided it is carried out in time.

Sleep consolidation of interfering auditory memories in starlings Posted: 20 Mar 2013 10:32 AM PDT Sleep plays an important role in the brain's ability to consolidate learning when two new potentially competing tasks are learned in the same day, according to a new study that measured starlings' ability to recognize new songs.

Some Alaskan trout use flexible guts for the ultimate binge diet Posted: 20 Mar 2013 10:32 AM PDT The stomach and intestines of certain trout double to quadruple in size during month-long eating binges in Alaska each August. The rest of the year, the fish live off their reserves and their digestive tracks shrink. It's the first time researchers have documented fish gut flexibility in the wild.

Financial benefits of plant-based, Mediterranean diet Posted: 20 Mar 2013 08:53 AM PDT People who followed a six-week cooking program and followed simple, plant-based recipes decreased their total food spending, purchased healthier food items and improved their food security.

'Brain waves' challenge area-specific view of brain activity Posted: 20 Mar 2013 08:51 AM PDT Our understanding of brain activity has traditionally been linked to brain areas – when we speak, the speech area of the brain is active. New research shows that this view may be overly rigid. The entire cortex, not just the area responsible for a certain function, is activated when a given task is initiated. Furthermore, activity occurs in a pattern: waves of activity roll from one side of the brain to the other.

Atypical brain circuits may cause slower gaze shifting in infants who later develop autism Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:56 AM PDT Infants at 7 months of age who go on to develop autism are slower to reorient their gaze and attention from one object to another when compared to 7-month-olds who do not develop autism, and this behavioral pattern is in part explained by atypical brain circuits.

Spiral beauty graced by fading supernova Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:52 AM PDT About 35 million light-years from Earth, in the constellation of Eridanus (The River), lies the spiral galaxy NGC 1637. Back in 1999 the serene appearance of this galaxy was shattered by the appearance of a very bright supernova. Astronomers studying the aftermath of this explosion with ESO's Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile have provided us with a stunning view of this relatively nearby galaxy.

Why red algae never colonized dry land Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:50 AM PDT The first red alga genome has just been sequenced. The genome of Chondrus crispus, also known by the Breton name 'pioka', turns out to be small and compact for a multicellular organism. It has fewer genes than several other species of unicellular algae, which raises a number of questions about the evolution of red algae. This low number of genes could explain why these organisms never colonized dry land, unlike their green counterparts-from which all terrestrial plants are descended.

'End of men'? Not even close Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:44 AM PDT A report on gender in the professions shows that males retain lion's share of power and prestige in post-recession economy.

Atypical brain circuits may cause slower gaze shifting in infants who later develop autism Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:44 AM PDT Children who are later diagnosed with autism have subtle but measurable differences in attention as early as 7 months of age, finds a new study. Results indicate a precursor to "sticky attention" problems seen in children with autism.

Somatic symptom disorder: New disorder could classify millions of people as mentally ill Posted: 19 Mar 2013 05:23 PM PDT Millions of people could be mislabeled as mentally ill when psychiatry's bible of diagnoses is updated in May, warns a doctor.

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