| The arithmetic of gun control Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:17 PM PDT Aiming to quell heated national debate about gun control with factual answers, two mathematicians have designed parameters to measure how to best prevent both one-on-one killings and mass shootings in the United States.  |
| Evolution on the inside track: How viruses in gut bacteria change over time Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:15 PM PDT The digestive tract is home to a vast colony of bacteria, as well as the myriad viruses that prey upon them. Because the bacteria species vary from person to person, so does this viral population, the virome. By closely analyzing the virome of one individual over two-and-a-half years, researchers have uncovered new insights on the virome can change and evolve -- and why the virome of one person can vary so greatly from that of another.  |
| Sudden decline in testosterone may cause Parkinson's disease symptoms in men Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:15 PM PDT The results of a new study by neurological researchers show that a sudden decrease of testosterone, the male sex hormone, may cause Parkinson's like symptoms in male mice.  |
| Hubble eyes a mysterious old spiral Posted: 26 Jul 2013 10:58 AM PDT A striking cosmic whirl is the center of galaxy NGC 524, as seen with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This galaxy is located in the constellation of Pisces, some 90 million light-years from Earth.  |
| Estrogen's effects on fat depends on where it's located Posted: 26 Jul 2013 10:12 AM PDT Why women tend to accumulate fat in the stereotypical "pear" shape, with more fat in the buttocks and thighs (a shape that's thought to be healthier than men's stereotypical "apple" shape, with more fat around the belly), is still unclear. A new study gathers clues to help understand the role of estrogen's effects on fat.  |
| Gadget genius: Nanotechnology breakthrough is big deal for electronics Posted: 26 Jul 2013 09:16 AM PDT Researchers have developed giant surfactants, or surface coatings, which could lead to lighter laptops, slimmer televisions and crisper smartphone displays.  |
| Materialism and loneliness: Is there really a vicious cycle? Posted: 26 Jul 2013 09:16 AM PDT Despite being much-maligned, materialism is not always bad for consumers. Loneliness may cause materialism, but the opposite is not necessarily true, according to a new study.  |
| Potential well water contaminants highest near natural gas drilling Posted: 26 Jul 2013 09:16 AM PDT Researchers tested 100 samples from water wells in and near the Barnett Shale natural gas drilling area and found elevated levels of potential contaminants such as arsenic closest to active gas extraction sites. Increased presence of these metals could be due to a variety of factors, including industrial accidents such as faulty gas well casings or mechanical vibrations from natural gas drilling activity disturbing particles in neglected water well equipment.  |
| Cellular mechanisms for attention in brain uncovered Posted: 26 Jul 2013 09:16 AM PDT The ability to pay attention to relevant information while ignoring distractions is a core brain function. Without the ability to focus and filter out "noise," we could not effectively interact with our environment. Despite much study of attention in the brain, the cellular mechanisms responsible for the effects of attention have remained a mystery. Now, researchers have shed new light on this cellular process.  |
| Removing complexity layers from the universe's creation Posted: 26 Jul 2013 09:15 AM PDT Understanding complexity in the early universe may require combining simpler models to interpret cosmological observations. Complicated statistical behavior observed in complex systems such as early universe can often be understood if it is broken down into simpler ones. Physicists have just published results pertaining to theoretical predictions of such cosmological systems' dynamics.  |
| What can plants reveal about global climate change? Posted: 26 Jul 2013 08:22 AM PDT While the media continues to present climate change as a controversial issue, many scientists are working hard to gather data, collaborate across disciplines, and use experimental and modeling techniques to track how organisms and ecosystems are responding to the current changes in our Earth's global environment. What role do plants play in helping to regulate climate change and how will they fare in future times?  |
| Drug-eluting stents, heart attack and bleeding risks: One-year results of ADAPT-DES trial Posted: 26 Jul 2013 08:22 AM PDT Patients who receive a drug-eluting stent and demonstrate high platelet reactivity on clopidogrel are more likely to have blood clots form on the stent and to suffer a heart attack; however, these patients are less likely to develop bleeding complications.  |
| Isolated psychiatric episodes rare, but possible, in common form of autoimmune encephalitis Posted: 26 Jul 2013 08:20 AM PDT A small percentage of people diagnosed with a mysterious neurological condition may only experience psychiatric changes - such as delusional thinking, hallucinations, and aggressive behavior - according to a new study.  |
| Too much of a good thing? Overactive immune response blocks itself Posted: 26 Jul 2013 07:33 AM PDT As part of the innate immune system natural killer cells play an important role in immune responses. For a long time they have been known as the first line of defense in the fight against infectious diseases. Therefore, researchers assumed that the body needs as many active NK cells as possible. However, scientists have now shown that the principle "the more the better" does not apply to this type of immune cells.  |
| New way to create 'gradients' for understanding molecular interactions Posted: 26 Jul 2013 07:33 AM PDT Scientists use tools called gradients to understand how molecules interact in biological systems. Researchers have developed a new technique for creating biomolecular gradients that is both simpler than existing techniques and that creates additional surface characteristics that allow scientists to monitor other aspects of molecular behavior.  |
| Glass scaffolds help heal bone, show promise as weight-bearing implants Posted: 26 Jul 2013 07:33 AM PDT Researchers have developed a type of glass implant that could one day be used to repair injured bones in the arms, legs and other areas of the body that are most subject to the stresses of weight.  |
| Gold nanoparticles improve photodetector performance Posted: 26 Jul 2013 07:33 AM PDT Using nanoparticles of gold, researchers have found a way to boost the performance of mineral molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which is found in light-sensing photodetectors used in a wide range of technologies, such as environmental sensing, process control in factories, and optical communication devices.  |
| Global warming to cut snow water storage 56 percent in Oregon watershed Posted: 26 Jul 2013 06:24 AM PDT A new report projects that by the middle of this century there will be an average 56 percent drop in the amount of water stored in peak snowpack in the McKenzie River watershed of the Oregon Cascade Range -- and that similar impacts may be found on low-elevation maritime snow packs around the world.  |
| Scientists ID compounds that target amyloid fibrils in Alzheimer's, other brain diseases Posted: 26 Jul 2013 06:24 AM PDT Scientists report an advance toward "structure-based drug design," with the potential to delay or treat Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, type II diabetes, ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) and many other degenerative diseases.  |
| Chronic fatigue syndrome: Inherited virus can cause cognitive dysfunction and fatigue Posted: 26 Jul 2013 06:24 AM PDT Many experts believe that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has several root causes including some viruses. Now, researchers suggest that a common virus, Human Herpesvirus 6, may cause some CFS cases.  |
| Quantum of sonics: Bonded, not stirred Posted: 26 Jul 2013 06:24 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new way to join materials together using ultrasound. Ultrasound -- sound so high it cannot be heard -- is normally used to smash particles apart in water. Scientists found that if particles were coated with phosphate, they could instead bond together into strong agglomerates, about the size of grains of sand.  |
| Removing pollutants and contaminants from wastewater Posted: 26 Jul 2013 06:24 AM PDT Scientists have developed several effective processes for eliminating persistent pollutants from wastewater. Some of these processes generate reactive species which can be used to purify even highly polluted landfill leachate while another can also remove selected pollutants which are present in very small quantities with polymer adsorber particles.  |
| Traditional forest management reduces fungal diversity Posted: 26 Jul 2013 06:23 AM PDT In the beech groves of Navarre, biologists have analyzed the influence exerted by forestry management on the fungi populations that decompose wood.  |
| New cornea transplant technique provides improved vision, faster recovery, study suggests Posted: 26 Jul 2013 06:23 AM PDT A new cornea transplant technique called DMEK provides significantly improved vision and faster recovery from surgery than standard cornea transplants.  |
| Discussing violence acts as 'a stronger bond than blood ties' for gang members Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:53 AM PDT Gang members trust one another more than their own family members if they have shared incriminating information about a violent act they are planning, says a new Oxford University study. Researchers analysed phone conversations between gangs wiretapped by the police in the 1990s. They found that the more contact two members had over the phone, the higher the level of cooperation they had on future tasks. The findings are published in the journal Rationality and Society.  |
| Rocks can restore our climate ... after 300,000 years Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:49 AM PDT A study of a global warming event that happened 93 million years ago suggests that Earth can recover from high carbon dioxide emissions faster than thought, but that this process takes around 300,000 years after emissions decline.  |
| Fossil shows fish had sucker on its back Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:42 AM PDT A 30-million year-old fossil has revealed how remoras -- also called sharksuckers -- evolved the sucker that enables them to stick to other fishes and 'hitch a ride'.  |
| Molecular monkey arranges X-chromosome activation Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:40 AM PDT X chromosomes are very special genetic material. They differ in number between men and women. To achieve equality between sexes, one out of two X chromosomes in women is silenced. In flies, the opposite happens: in male flies, the only available X chromosome is highly activated, to compensate for the absence of the second X-chromosome. Researchers have now shown how the RNA molecules and proteins involved in the activation find and stick to each other. Similar to a monkey that grabs a liana with hands and feet, one of the proteins holds on to the RNA. Then it moulds the molecular liana with its hands and thus generates a dynamic RNA -- protein meeting place.  |
| Genetic biomarker detects Lewy body dementia Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:40 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the first genetic biomarker to detect Lewy body dementia (LBD), a disease that can be confused with Alzheimer's. This biomarker is found in 20% of cases and differentiates one of the sub-groups of the pathology.  |
| Polymer ribbons for better healing Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:40 AM PDT Researchers have developed hydrogels for tissue regeneration that can be fine-tuned to fit any body part.  |
| Oven-baked fish fingers have fewer furans than when fried Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:40 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that fried fish fingers generate more furanic compounds than those baked in the oven. To be precise, there are three times as many when fried with olive oil and twice as many with sunflower oil. These compounds improve the food's organoleptic characteristics, but are believed to be toxic and carcinogenic.  |
| Pesticides contaminate frogs from Californian national parks Posted: 26 Jul 2013 04:40 AM PDT Pesticides commonly used in California's Central Valley, one of the world's most productive agricultural regions, have been found in remote frog species miles from farmland. Researchers have demonstrated the contamination of Pacific Tree Fogs in remote mountain areas, including national parks; supporting past research on the potential transport of pesticides by the elements.  |
| A faster vessel for charting the brain Posted: 25 Jul 2013 05:24 PM PDT Researchers have created "souped up" versions of the calcium-sensitive proteins that for the past decade or so have given scientists an unparalleled view and understanding of brain-cell communication.  |
| Analysis of 26 networked autism genes suggests functional role in the cerebellum Posted: 25 Jul 2013 05:24 PM PDT Scientists have obtained intriguing insights into two groups of autism candidate genes in the mammalian brain that new evidence suggests are functionally and spatially related. The newly published analysis identifies two networked groupings from 26 genes associated with autism that are overexpressed in the cerebellar cortex, in areas dominated by neurons called granule cells.  |
| Technology/equipment issues account for almost one in four operating room errors, study finds Posted: 25 Jul 2013 05:24 PM PDT Around a quarter of all operating room errors are caused by technology/equipment problems, indicates an analysis of the available evidence.  |
| Certain blood pressure drugs slow dementia deterioration Posted: 25 Jul 2013 05:24 PM PDT A class of drug, called ACE inhibitors, which are used to lower blood pressure, slow the rate of cognitive decline typical of dementia, suggests new research.  |
| Suffocating tumors could lead to new cancer drugs Posted: 25 Jul 2013 05:23 PM PDT Scientists have discovered a new molecule that prevents cancer cells from responding and surviving when starved of oxygen and which could be developed into new treatments for the disease, according to new research.  |
| Physics of running fast: Scientists model 'extraordinary' performance of Bolt Posted: 25 Jul 2013 05:23 PM PDT As the world's best athletes descend on London today to take part in the Olympic Anniversary Games, a group of researchers from Mexico has provided an insight into the physics of one of the greatest athletic performances of all time. Researchers have put forward a mathematical model that accurately depicts the extraordinary feats of Usain Bolt during his 100 meter world record sprint at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.  |
