ScienceDaily: Top News

---

• The weaker sex: Male honey bees more susceptible than females to widespread intestinal parasite
• Scientists identify 'molecular fossil' in fungi
• Researchers collaborate to reduce effects of aging eye
• Feast or fancy? Black widows shake for love
• Poison-breathing bacteria may be boon to industry, environment
• New study reveals links between alcoholic liver disease, circadian clock
• Breakthrough technology enables gene silencing to heal wounds
• New discovery on Giant Cell Arteritis sheds light on cause
• Patients with learning disabilities become 'invisible' in hospitals, says study
• Engineering solutions for soldiers on the battlefield
• Statin use reduces delirium in critically ill patients
• 45 years on: How serotonin makes schistosome parasites move
• Higher vitamin D levels associated with better cognition, mood in Parkinson's disease patients
• Changes in brain gray matter volume associated with memory deficits in early Parkinson's disease
• Risk factor identified for life-threatening disease in preemies
• Single class of queen pheromones stops worker reproduction in ants, bees, wasps
• Receptors discovered that help plants manage environmental change, pests, wounds
• Soil production breaks geologic speed record

The weaker sex: Male honey bees more susceptible than females to widespread intestinal parasite Posted: 18 Jan 2014 09:25 AM PST A research team has found that male European honey bees, or drones, are much more susceptible than female European honey bees, known as workers, to a fungal intestinal parasite called Nosema ceranae. Originally from Asia, Nosema ceranae has rapidly spread throughout the world, and may contribute to the high number of colony deaths now observed in many regions of the northern hemisphere. These findings demonstrate the delicate nature of male honey bees, which are important to honey bee colony reproduction, to a well-distributed parasite.

Scientists identify 'molecular fossil' in fungi Posted: 17 Jan 2014 04:13 PM PST All but a few eukaryotes die without oxygen, and they respond dynamically to changes in the level of oxygen available to them. Scientists used genetic analysis to pinpoint an evolutionary switch in regulating response to low oxygen levels in fungi.

Researchers collaborate to reduce effects of aging eye Posted: 17 Jan 2014 04:13 PM PST Aging gracefully may not be an option for the 40 million people worldwide who are blind or have significant visual impairment. It's reported that 65% of those with visual impairment and 82% of those who are blind are over 50 years of age. Ophthalmic leaders from around the world address "the aging eye" to focus attention on unmet needs and accelerate the translation of research findings into effective clinical care.

Feast or fancy? Black widows shake for love Posted: 17 Jan 2014 12:37 PM PST Biologists have found that courting male black widow spiders shake their abdomens to produce carefully pitched vibrations and avoid potential attacks by females -- who otherwise may misinterpret the advances as the vibrations of prey.

Poison-breathing bacteria may be boon to industry, environment Posted: 17 Jan 2014 12:37 PM PST Buried deep in the mud along the banks of a remote salt lake near Yosemite National Park are colonies of bacteria with an unusual property: they breathe a toxic metal to survive. Researchers discovered the bacteria on a recent field expedition to Mono Lake in California, and their experiments with this unusual organism show that it may one day become a useful tool for industry and environmental protection.

New study reveals links between alcoholic liver disease, circadian clock Posted: 17 Jan 2014 12:37 PM PST Researchers have revealed a putative role for the circadian clock in the liver in the development of alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver disease.

Breakthrough technology enables gene silencing to heal wounds Posted: 17 Jan 2014 07:39 AM PST Researchers have developed a tissue scaffold that can deliver gene therapy to wounds over a period of several weeks.

New discovery on Giant Cell Arteritis sheds light on cause Posted: 17 Jan 2014 06:06 AM PST New research has revealed -- for the first time -- how the condition Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) may be caused by a certain group of white blood cells called 'neutrophils'. GCA (also known as temporal arteritis) is a condition which causes severe inflammation in the blood vessels and primarily affects the elderly.

Patients with learning disabilities become 'invisible' in hospitals, says study Posted: 17 Jan 2014 06:05 AM PST Hospital patients with learning disabilities face longer waits and mismanaged treatment due to a failure to understand them by nursing staff, says a new report.

Engineering solutions for soldiers on the battlefield Posted: 17 Jan 2014 06:01 AM PST University students have won a national competition thanks to a revolutionary helmet they designed for use by soldiers on the battlefield. The contest required the students to build a piece of equipment, using the Thales Arduino open-source electronic microprocessor platform, which tied in with certain business areas - transport, aerospace, defense and security. The students designed an innovative helmet that monitors soldiers' heartbeat and temperature along with other factors such as their body position.

Statin use reduces delirium in critically ill patients Posted: 17 Jan 2014 05:58 AM PST Continued use of statins may help prevent delirium in critically ill patients who received statins before hospital admission, according to a new study of 470 intensive care patients in the UK.

45 years on: How serotonin makes schistosome parasites move Posted: 16 Jan 2014 04:03 PM PST Schistosoma mansoni and its close relatives are parasitic flatworms that affect millions worldwide and kill an estimated 250,000 people a year. A study identifies a new part of the molecular pathway that controls parasite movement. And because coordinated movement is essential for the schistosome life cycle in its human host, this protein is a promising new drug target.

Higher vitamin D levels associated with better cognition, mood in Parkinson's disease patients Posted: 16 Jan 2014 04:02 PM PST A new study exploring vitamin D levels in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) opens up the possibility of a new avenue of early intervention that may delay or prevent the onset of cognitive impairment and depression.

Changes in brain gray matter volume associated with memory deficits in early Parkinson's disease Posted: 16 Jan 2014 04:02 PM PST Research by a team of investigators suggests that the free recall memory deficits common even in early stages Parkinson's disease are related to structural changes in the brain, specifically parietal cortical gray matter volume.

Risk factor identified for life-threatening disease in preemies Posted: 16 Jan 2014 01:20 PM PST Many premature infants suffer a life-threatening bowel infection called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Researchers have now identified a marker to identify those infants who are at risk for the infection, enabling doctors to employ early preventive strategies.

Single class of queen pheromones stops worker reproduction in ants, bees, wasps Posted: 16 Jan 2014 12:08 PM PST A new study has found that the chemical structure of queen pheromones in wasps, ants and some bees is strikingly similar, even though these insects are separated by millions of years of evolution and each evolved eusociality independently of the other. The results suggest that queen pheromones used by divergent groups of social insects evolved from conserved signals of a common solitary ancestor.

Receptors discovered that help plants manage environmental change, pests, wounds Posted: 16 Jan 2014 12:08 PM PST Researchers have found adenosine triphosphate receptor in plants and believe it to be a vital component in the way plants respond to dangers, including pests, environmental changes and plant wounds. This discovery could lead to herbicides, fertilizers and insect repellants that naturally work with plants to make them stronger.

Soil production breaks geologic speed record Posted: 16 Jan 2014 12:08 PM PST New measurements from mountains in New Zealand show that rock can transform into soil more than twice as fast as previously believed possible.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610