ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Genes may thwart seniors' exercise gains
• Big data tackles tiny molecular machines
• Blood poisoning increases the risk of blood clots, new research shows
• Little Foot is oldest complete Australopithecus, new stratigraphic research shows
• Link between diabetes, pancreatic cancer found
• Atomically thick metal membranes
• Bone lengthening technique proves useful in patients with cleft palate
• New approach to chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment
• Motion, muscles don't always work in lockstep, researchers find in surprising new study
• New cell line should accelerate embryonic stem cell research
• Older adults: Build muscle and you'll live longer
• Number of days without rain to dramatically increase in some world regions
• Drivers with hemianopia fail to detect pedestrians, study shows
• Critical role of one gene to our brain development
• Impacts of climate change in Switzerland: Adaptation and climate change mitigation must go hand in hand
• Blood test identifies brain damage from concussion in ice hockey
• An experiment recreates the crust of Saturn's moon Europa
• Patients with schizophrenia have impaired ability to imitate, brain mapping confirms
• Fighting for oral dominance: Good fungi keep bad ones in check in healthy mouths
• Emotion detectors could make driving safer
• Nanoscale optical switch breaks miniaturization barrier
• Autism, intellectual disability incidence linked with environmental factors
• Stroke survivors may lose month of healthy life for 15-minute delay in treatment
• Husband's health, attitude loom large for happy long-term marriages
• Vitamin D hypothesis challenged: Some racial disparities in childbirth more environmental than genetic
• Fish species unique to Hawaii dominate deep coral reefs in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
• Reversible mechanism that increases muscle elasticity discovered
• Immune cells need each other to combat deadly lung-invading fungus

Genes may thwart seniors' exercise gains Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT The ACE I/D gene and how its variations -- the ID, DD, and II genotypes -- cause some seniors' to lose out on the benefits of exercise, new research shows. These findings suggest that the ACE I/D genotype may be a significant factor in how well seniors respond to exercise. This insight could be used to develop more effective, individualized, and senior-friendly exercise recommendations for improving physical function and preventing in disability.

Big data tackles tiny molecular machines Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT Open, feed, cut. Such is the humdrum life of a motor molecule that eats and excretes damaged proteins and turns them into harmless peptides for disposal. The why is obvious: Without these trash bins, the Escherichia coli bacteria they serve would die. And thanks to new research, the how is becoming clearer. Researchers have combined genetic and structural data to begin to solve one of the most compelling mysteries in biology: how proteins perform the regulatory mechanisms in cells upon which life depends.

Blood poisoning increases the risk of blood clots, new research shows Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT The world's largest study of the correlation between blood poisoning and the risk of blood clots is underway. In recent years there has been a growing level of interest for the correlation between the risk of blood clots and infections such as blood poisoning. The researchers hope that the new knowledge can be utilized to ensure better prevention and earlier treatment.

Little Foot is oldest complete Australopithecus, new stratigraphic research shows Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT After 13 years of meticulous excavation of the nearly complete skeleton of the Australopithecus fossil named Little Foot, South African and French scientists have now convincingly shown that it is probably around 3 million years old.

Link between diabetes, pancreatic cancer found Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT There is an association between pancreatic cancer and diabetes, new research indicates. While the numbers of pancreatic cancer in the population are relatively low, the study suggests a screening program should be considered. "The priority on screening should be on patients with new-onset diabetes but can later be expanded to long-standing diabetic patients," concluded the lead author.

Atomically thick metal membranes Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:14 AM PDT For the first time researchers have shown that freestanding metal membranes consisting of a single layer of atoms can be stable under ambient conditions. The success and promise of atomically thin carbon, in which carbon atoms are arranged in a honeycomb lattice, also known as graphene has triggered enormous enthusiasm for other two dimensional materials, for example, hexagonal boron nitride and molybdenum sulphide. These materials share a common structural aspect, namely, they are layered materials that one can think of as individual atomic planes that can be pulled away from their bulk 3D structure.

Bone lengthening technique proves useful in patients with cleft palate Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:13 AM PDT A technique called distraction osteogenesis can create increased length of the upper jaw in patients with cleft lip and palate deformities, report researchers. In this technique, hardware is placed to gradually "stretch" bone in the desired direction. The researchers studied the bone-lengthening approach because the maxilla often regresses toward its original position after standard surgical advancement techniques.

New approach to chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment Posted: 14 Mar 2014 08:13 AM PDT A novel and unique approach to treating Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), a form of blood cancer that often requires repeated chemotherapy treatments to which it grows resistant, as been developed by scientists. Unlike other novel therapies that have shown promise in the treatment of CLL, this approach is unique because it does not directly target proteins within the B-cell receptor pathway, but instead uses novel model systems that reverse the pro-survival effects of the microenvironment.

Motion, muscles don't always work in lockstep, researchers find in surprising new study Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:51 AM PDT Animals 'do the locomotion' every day, whether it's walking down the hall to get some coffee or darting up a tree to avoid a predator. And until now, scientists believed the inner workings of movement were pretty much the same. But in a first-of-its-kind study on wild green anole lizards, biologists have discovered that the link between muscle function and movement is a lot more complicated than anyone realized.

New cell line should accelerate embryonic stem cell research Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:51 AM PDT A new line of human embryonic stem cells that have the ability to develop into a far broader range of tissues than most existing cell lines has been created by researchers. The cells, called naïve embryonic stem cells, normally appear at the earliest stages of embryonic development. They retain the ability to turn into any of all the different types of cells of the human body -- a capacity called "pluripotency."

Older adults: Build muscle and you'll live longer Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:51 AM PDT The more muscle mass older Americans have, the less likely they are to die prematurely, new research shows. The findings add to the growing evidence that overall body composition -- and not the widely used body mass index, or BMI -- is a better predictor of all-cause mortality. "In other words, the greater your muscle mass, the lower your risk of death," said the study's co-author. "Thus, rather than worrying about weight or body mass index, we should be trying to maximize and maintain muscle mass."

Number of days without rain to dramatically increase in some world regions Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:51 AM PDT By the end of the 21st century, some parts of the world can expect as many as 30 more days a year without precipitation, according to a new study. Ongoing climate change caused by human influences will alter the nature of how rain and snow falls; areas that are prone to dry conditions will receive their precipitation in narrower windows of time. Computer model projections of future conditions indicate that regions such as the Amazon, Central America, Indonesia, and all Mediterranean climate regions around the world will likely see the greatest increase in the number of "dry days" per year, going without rain for as many as 30 days more every year. California, with its Mediterranean climate, is likely to have five to ten more dry days per year.

Drivers with hemianopia fail to detect pedestrians, study shows Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:50 AM PDT A diagnosis of hemianopia, or blindness in one-half of the visual field in both eyes as the result of strokes, tumors or trauma often means the end of driving. Researchers set out to determine the extent to which people with hemianopia can compensate for the lost vision when driving, with a long term goal of developing and evaluating devices and training that will assist them to drive more safely. The findings suggest that the scanning patterns employed by some drivers with hemianopia may be insufficient for safe driving.

Critical role of one gene to our brain development Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:50 AM PDT A gene linked to intellectual disability is critical to the earliest stages of the development of human brains, new research has confirmed. An international research team explains in a new paper how mutations in USP9X are associated with intellectual disability. These mutations, which can be inherited from one generation to the next, have been shown to cause disruptions to normal brain cell functioning.

Impacts of climate change in Switzerland: Adaptation and climate change mitigation must go hand in hand Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:36 AM PDT Southern Switzerland emerges as a hotspot of the effects of climate change. And the bark beetle is putting spruces all over Switzerland under increasing pressure, because an additional generation of pests could hatch each year due to the rising temperatures. Also, about half of the remaining glacial ice will already have melted away by 2035.

Blood test identifies brain damage from concussion in ice hockey Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:36 AM PDT Half way into last year's season, 35 of 288 players in the Swedish Hockey League had already had a concussion. Researchers who surveyed all of the players in the league's 12 clubs, have now developed a method that can show just an hour after the injury how severe the concussion is, if there is a risk of long-term symptoms and about when the player can return to the game.

An experiment recreates the crust of Saturn's moon Europa Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:36 AM PDT Water, salts and gases dissolved in the huge ocean that scientists believe could exist below Europa´s icy crust can rise to the surface generating the enigmatic geological formations associated to red-tinged materials that can be seen on this Jupiter's satellite. This is confirmed by the experiment carried out in the laboratory with water, carbon dioxide and magnesium sulfate.

Patients with schizophrenia have impaired ability to imitate, brain mapping confirms Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:35 AM PDT A brain-mapping study of patients with schizophrenia has found that areas associated with the ability to imitate are impaired, providing new support for the theory that deficits in this basic cognitive skill may underlie the profound difficulty with social interactions that characterize the disorder. According to psychologists, imitation is something that we all do whenever we learn a new skill, whether it is dancing or how to behave in specific social situations.

Fighting for oral dominance: Good fungi keep bad ones in check in healthy mouths Posted: 13 Mar 2014 02:35 PM PDT Human mouths contain a balanced mix of microbes which, when disrupted, can lead to oral diseases. A new study compares the bacteria and fungi present in the mouths of healthy individuals with those from patients infected with HIV and illustrates why oral candidiasis (aka 'thrush') is a common complication of HIV infection.

Emotion detectors could make driving safer Posted: 13 Mar 2014 02:30 PM PDT Technology now allows us to read facial expressions and identify which of the seven universal emotions a person is feeling: fear, anger, joy, sadness, disgust, surprise, or suspicion. This is very useful in video game development, medicine, marketing, and, perhaps less obviously, in driver safety. We know that in addition to fatigue, the emotional state of the driver is a risk factor.

Nanoscale optical switch breaks miniaturization barrier Posted: 13 Mar 2014 02:29 PM PDT An ultra-fast and ultra-small optical switch has been invented that could advance the day when photons replace electrons in the innards of consumer products ranging from cell phones to automobiles. The new optical device can turn on and off trillions of times per second. It consists of individual switches that are only one five-hundredths the width of a human hair (200 nanometers) in diameter. This size is much smaller than the current generation of optical switches and it easily breaks one of the major technical barriers to the spread of electronic devices that detect and control light: miniaturizing the size of ultrafast optical switches.

Autism, intellectual disability incidence linked with environmental factors Posted: 13 Mar 2014 02:29 PM PDT An analysis of 100 million US medical records reveals that autism and intellectual disability rates correlate with genital malformation incidence in newborn males, an indicator exposure to harmful environmental factors. The study also finds that Autism and intellectual disability incidence decreases dramatically in states with stronger regulations on diagnosis.

Stroke survivors may lose month of healthy life for 15-minute delay in treatment Posted: 13 Mar 2014 01:45 PM PDT Every 15-minute delay in delivering a clot-busting drug after stroke robs survivors of an average month of healthy life. Streamlining the time from symptom onset to clot-busting treatment by just one minute means one less day of disability for a survivor. While all stroke patients benefit from faster treatment, younger patients seem to gain more benefit than older patients.

Husband's health, attitude loom large for happy long-term marriages Posted: 13 Mar 2014 01:44 PM PDT A husband's agreeable personality and good health appear crucial to preventing conflict among older couples who have been together a long time, according to a study. The report found that such characteristics in wives play less of a role in limiting marital conflict, perhaps because of different expectations among women and men in durable relationships.

Vitamin D hypothesis challenged: Some racial disparities in childbirth more environmental than genetic Posted: 13 Mar 2014 12:42 PM PDT A new study investigating racial disparities in birth outcomes shows that contrary to some theories, vitamin D is unlikely to play a role in differences in preterm birth and low birth weight between African-Americans and whites. "For years there has been this hypothesis that African-Americans have worse birth outcomes because they have more melanin in their skin which reflects the sun and therefore lowers levels of Vitamin D," said the study's author. "But in examining the relationship between ultraviolet exposure and birth outcomes nationwide, there was no evidence to support this."

Fish species unique to Hawaii dominate deep coral reefs in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Posted: 13 Mar 2014 12:42 PM PDT Deep coral reefs in Papahanaumokakea Marine National Monument may contain the highest percentage of fish species found nowhere else on Earth, according to a study. In waters 100-300 feet deep, nearly 50 percent of fish observed over a two-year period were unique to Hawaii -- higher than any other marine ecosystem. The study also found that on some deeper reefs, more than 90 percent were endemic.

Reversible mechanism that increases muscle elasticity discovered Posted: 13 Mar 2014 09:31 AM PDT A new form of mechanical memory that adjusts the elasticity of muscles to their history of stretching has been discovered. Using highly sensitive atomic force microscopes, the researchers detected a chemical reaction that increases the elasticity of muscle proteins. Crucially, this reaction targets molecules that have been exposed to a stretching force. This finding changes our understanding of how muscles respond to stretching and may lead to new treatments of muscle disorders.

Immune cells need each other to combat deadly lung-invading fungus Posted: 13 Mar 2014 09:25 AM PDT Although long recognized as an essential defense against the lung-invading fungus Asperfillus fumigatus, Neutrophils actually require a little help from fellow immune cells, according to a study. The work suggests that although neutrophils alone may contain the fungus initially (these cells are the first on the scene), they need help from inflammatory monocytes for sustained control of infection.

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