ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Meditation for anxiety, depression?
• Worker wasps grow visual brains, queens stay in dark
• RAMBO a small but powerful magnet: System allows high-magnetic-field experiments on a tabletop
• 'Ardi' skull reveals links to human lineage
• Newfound planet is Earth-mass but gassy
• New fossils shed light on the origins of lions, tigers, and bears
• Are gifted children getting lost in the shuffle?
• To curb China's haze, air pollution, use water
• New compounds discovered that are hundreds of times more mutagenic
• Costs for complications from cancer surgical care extremely high
• Tiny acts of microbe justice help reveal how nature fights freeloaders
• New technique targets specific areas of cancer cells with different drugs
• China destroys ivory: Wildlife Conservation Society congratulates Chinese Government for sending strong anti-poaching message
• Stimulating brain cells stops binge drinking, animal study finds
• Supernova's super dust factory imaged with ALMA
• Newly discovered three-star system could test Einstein's theory of General Relativity
• Preventing air accidents: New satellite-based system
• Loving touch critical for premature infants
• Dietary fibers protect against asthma, study suggests
• Supervolcano triggers recreated in X-ray laboratory
• Mine landslide triggered earthquakes: Record-breaking slide would bury Central Park 66 feet deep
• Frozen frogs: How amphibians survive the harsh Alaskan winters
• Marriage promotion has failed to stem poverty among single moms
• Suicide risk doesn't differ in children taking two types of commonly prescribed antidepressants
• Researchers map out world's winegrape varieties
• Yeast's lifestyle couples mating with meiosis
• Population stability 'hope' in species' response to climate change
• Online colorectal cancer risk calculator
• Sex matters for microbes
• Important mutation discovered in dairy cattle
• Disparities run deep: Parkinson's patients utilization of deep brain stimulation treatment reduced in demographic groups

Meditation for anxiety, depression? Posted: 06 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST Some 30 minutes of meditation daily may improve symptoms of anxiety and depression, a new analysis of previously published research suggests.

Worker wasps grow visual brains, queens stay in dark Posted: 06 Jan 2014 01:01 PM PST A queen in a paperwasp colony largely stays in the dark. The worker wasps, who fly outside to seek food and building materials, see much more of the world around them. A new study indicates that the brain regions involved in sensory perception also develop differently in these castes, according to the different behavioral reliance on the senses.

RAMBO a small but powerful magnet: System allows high-magnetic-field experiments on a tabletop Posted: 06 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST Researchers have pioneered a tabletop magnetic pulse generator that allows researchers to collect real-time, high-resolution data in a system that couples high magnetic fields and low temperature with direct optical access to the magnet's core.

'Ardi' skull reveals links to human lineage Posted: 06 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST One of the most hotly debated issues in current human origins research focuses on how the 4.4 million-year-old African species Ardipithecus ramidus is related to the human lineage. New research confirms "Ardi's" close evolutionary relationship to humans. Researchers turned to the base of a beautifully preserved partial cranium of Ardi, which reveals a pattern of similarity that links Ardi to Australopithecus and modern humans and but not to apes.

Newfound planet is Earth-mass but gassy Posted: 06 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST An international team of astronomers has discovered the first Earth-mass planet that transits, or crosses in front of, its host star. KOI-314c is the lightest planet to have both its mass and physical size measured. Surprisingly, although the planet weighs the same as Earth, it is 60 percent larger in diameter, meaning that it must have a very thick, gaseous atmosphere.

New fossils shed light on the origins of lions, tigers, and bears Posted: 06 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST A new study discusses the origins of cats and dogs, as well as other carnivorous mammals like bears, seals, and weasels (taxonomically called "carnivoraformes"), and describes new specimens of one of the earliest of these primitive taxa.

Are gifted children getting lost in the shuffle? Posted: 06 Jan 2014 12:59 PM PST Gifted children are likely to be the next generation's innovators and leaders—and yet, the exceptionally smart are often invisible in the classroom, lacking the curricula, teacher input and external motivation to reach full potential. This conclusion comes as the result of the largest scientific study of the profoundly gifted to date, a 30-year study.

To curb China's haze, air pollution, use water Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:32 AM PST A new idea to cut back on air pollution: spray water into the atmosphere from sprinklers atop tall buildings and towers, similar to watering a garden. In an article published, a researcher suggests this course of action as a novel approach to help curb the severe air pollution and heavy haze.

New compounds discovered that are hundreds of times more mutagenic Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:32 AM PST Researchers have discovered novel compounds produced by certain types of chemical reactions -- such as those found in vehicle exhaust or grilling meat -- that are hundreds of times more mutagenic than their parent compounds which are known carcinogens. These compounds were not previously known to exist.

Costs for complications from cancer surgical care extremely high Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:32 AM PST Although complications from surgical care for cancer patients may seem infrequent, the costs associated with such outcomes are extremely high, according to researchers.

Tiny acts of microbe justice help reveal how nature fights freeloaders Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:32 AM PST Researchers have discovered that bacteria prevent layabouts from enjoying the fruit of others' hard work by keeping food generated by the community's productive members away from those microbes that attempt to live on others' leftovers. The process could have uses in agriculture, energy and medicine, as well as provide insight into how species protect themselves from the freeloaders of their kind.

New technique targets specific areas of cancer cells with different drugs Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:27 AM PST Researchers have developed a technique for creating nanoparticles that carry two different cancer-killing drugs into the body and deliver those drugs to separate parts of the cancer cell where they will be most effective.

China destroys ivory: Wildlife Conservation Society congratulates Chinese Government for sending strong anti-poaching message Posted: 06 Jan 2014 10:27 AM PST The Wildlife Conservation Society congratulates China's State Forestry Administration and the General Administration of Customs for destroying confiscated ivory – a major development in the effort to protect elephants from the ravages of ivory poaching.

Stimulating brain cells stops binge drinking, animal study finds Posted: 06 Jan 2014 07:37 AM PST Researchers have found a way to change alcohol drinking behavior in rodents, using the emerging technique of optogenetics, which uses light to stimulate neurons.

Supernova's super dust factory imaged with ALMA Posted: 06 Jan 2014 07:34 AM PST Striking new observations capture, for the first time, the remains of a recent supernova brimming with freshly formed dust. If enough of this dust makes the perilous transition into interstellar space, it could explain how many galaxies acquired their dusty, dusky appearance.

Newly discovered three-star system could test Einstein's theory of General Relativity Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:47 AM PST A newly discovered system of two white dwarf stars and a superdense pulsar -- all packed within a space smaller than the Earth's orbit around the sun -- is enabling astronomers to probe a range of cosmic mysteries, including the very nature of gravity itself.

Preventing air accidents: New satellite-based system Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:44 AM PST A Norwegian, satellite-based system aims to ensure that helicopters and light aircraft are prevented from colliding with power lines and other obstacles.

Loving touch critical for premature infants Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:44 AM PST The benefit that premature infants gain from skin-to-skin contact with their mothers is measurable even 10 years after birth, reports a new study. Physical contact with babies is essential for their physical and psychological development. This lesson has been learned the hard way, as infants neglected in hospitals and orphanages developed many problems, ranging from depression to a more global failure to thrive.

Dietary fibers protect against asthma, study suggests Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:44 AM PST The Western diet probably has more to do with the asthma epidemic than has been assumed so far, because developing asthma is related to the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed. Gut bacteria ferment the dietary fibers contained in them and fatty acids enter the blood as a result, influencing the immune response in the lungs. This has been shown by a Swiss research project.

Supervolcano triggers recreated in X-ray laboratory Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:44 AM PST Scientists have reproduced the conditions inside the magma chamber of a supervolcano to understand what it takes to trigger its explosion. These rare events represent the biggest natural catastrophes on Earth except for the impact of giant meteorites. Using synchrotron X-rays, the scientists established that supervolcano eruptions may occur spontaneously, driven only by magma pressure without the need for an external trigger.

Mine landslide triggered earthquakes: Record-breaking slide would bury Central Park 66 feet deep Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:42 AM PST Last year's gigantic landslide at a Utah copper mine probably was the biggest nonvolcanic slide in North America's modern history, and included two rock avalanches that happened 90 minutes apart and surprisingly triggered 16 small earthquakes, scientists discovered.

Frozen frogs: How amphibians survive the harsh Alaskan winters Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:41 AM PST As winter approaches, many of us hunker down and virtually "hibernate" for the season. Classic hibernation in the wild conjures images of furry bears, but other animals are not so lucky to have immense fat stores or fur to protect them from the elements. Frogs that live at northern latitudes have neither of these, but must find ways to survive the harsh winter season. Their solution? Freezing … but not to death.

Marriage promotion has failed to stem poverty among single moms Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:41 AM PST As the United States marks the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty this month, a new report suggests one recent weapon in the battle has been a disappointing failure.

Suicide risk doesn't differ in children taking two types of commonly prescribed antidepressants Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:40 AM PST A study released today shows there is no evidence that the risk of suicide differs with two commonly prescribed antidepressants prescribed to children and adolescents.

Researchers map out world's winegrape varieties Posted: 06 Jan 2014 06:40 AM PST Researchers have compiled statistics from 44 countries to develop the first database of the world's winegrape varieties and regions.

Yeast's lifestyle couples mating with meiosis Posted: 05 Jan 2014 03:28 PM PST Mating and meiosis -- the specialized cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes in a cell -- are related, but in most yeasts they are regulated separately. Not so in Candida lusitaniae, where the two programs work in unison, according to a new study. Comparison with other species suggests that this fusion may support C. lusitaniae's "haploid lifestyle" of maintaining only one set of chromosomes in each cell.

Population stability 'hope' in species' response to climate change Posted: 05 Jan 2014 03:28 PM PST Stable population trends are a prerequisite for species' range expansion, according to new research.

Online colorectal cancer risk calculator Posted: 03 Jan 2014 05:45 PM PST CRC-PRO, or Colorectal Cancer Predicted Risk Online, is designed to help both patients and physicians determine when screening for colorectal cancer is appropriate. Current guidelines recommend patients are screened at the age of 50. However, with this new tool, physicians will be better able to identify who is truly at risk and when screenings for patients are necessary.

Sex matters for microbes Posted: 03 Jan 2014 05:45 PM PST Researchers have observed mating for the first time in the microbes responsible for African sleeping sickness.

Important mutation discovered in dairy cattle Posted: 03 Jan 2014 05:44 PM PST High milk yield in dairy cows is negatively correlated to fertility. Scientists have now found a mutation in a gene sequence that affects this relationship.

Disparities run deep: Parkinson's patients utilization of deep brain stimulation treatment reduced in demographic groups Posted: 03 Jan 2014 09:12 AM PST Among Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, female, black, and Asian patients are substantially less likely to receive proven deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery to improve tremors and motor symptoms, according to a new report, which identified considerable disparities among Medicare recipients receiving DBS for Parkinson's disease.

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