ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Astrophysicist find supermassive black holes in quasar nearest Earth
• Songbird habitat affects reproduction, survival
• Scientists warn leaders of dangers of thawing permafrost
• Soaking up carbon dioxide and turning it into valuable products
• Four-day school week can improve academic performance, study finds
• Massive study reports challenges in reproducing published psychology findings
• Imaging techniques set new standard for super-resolution in live cells
• Cervical pessary does not reduce the rate of preterm births or neonatal complications in twin gestations
• A new technique to make drugs more soluble
• 'Brainbow' reveals surprising data about visual connections in brain
• HIV particles do not cause AIDS, our own immune cells do
• To track winter flounder, researchers look to ear bones
• Growth hormone reduces risk of osteoporosis fractures in older women
• Interrupting sitting with walking breaks improves children's blood sugar
• Antibiotic use linked to type 2 diabetes diagnosis
• Research identifies a protein that helps determine the fate of RNA
• Surprised? Cholinergic neurons send broadcasts enabling us to learn from the unexpected
• Circadian genes go to sleep every day at the periphery of the nucleus
• Fish oil-diet benefits may be mediated by gut microbes
• Scientists reveal cellular clockwork underlying inflammation
• Creative and neurotic: Is neuroticism fueled by overthinking?
• Data backs limits on deep-sea fishing by depth
• Viral infection in colon cancer stem cells mimicked; druggable target identified
• Mammary gland is shaped by adaptive immune system during development
• The DNA damage response goes viral: A way in for new cancer treatments
• Parkinson’s disease brain cells at risk of burnout, like an overheating motor
• Alzheimer’s disease thought to be accelerated by an abnormal build-up of fat in the brain
• Chemistry professor discovers color sensor compound for anions
• Getting a picture of the molecules in a cell in just minutes
• About 10 percent of mothers experienced depression two years after Hurricane Katrina
• To get girls more interested in computer science, make classrooms less 'geeky'
• Intensity of desert storms may affect ocean phytoplankton
• Generating potentially safer stem cells in the laboratory
• Cause of resilience to tinnitus and potential drug therapy identified
• Evidence suggests subatomic particles could defy the standard model
• Safety of microfocused ultrasound with visualization in darker skin types
• 21-gene recurrence score and receipt of chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer
• Framework for value-based pricing of cancer drugs
• Is lack of guidance on The Sunshine Act hampering publication of clinical trial results?
• Interstellar seeds could create oases of life
• Many physicians overestimate their ability to assess patients' risk of Ebola
• Dry eyes: Progress in diagnosis and treatment
• Probiotics show no impact preventing gastrointestinal colonization with drug-resistant bugs in ICU
• Charging a lithium-ion battery efficiently with a solar cell
• A new virus in liver cancer
• New fossil skulls reveal insights about penguin brain evolution
• Mating with the wrong insect may cut yellow fever mosquito populations
• Soils protect the natural environment
• Nasal spray device for mental illness
• Bacterial warfare
• Taking a cue from nature: Turning alcohols into alkylating agents
• Health workers wasting expensive malaria drugs in Nigeria
• Humus depletion induced by climate change?
• How dynamin mediates membrane constriction and scission
• Mystery of polar bear Knut's disease finally solved
• Bitter pill: Monarchs, milkweed and self-medication in a changing world
• Successful boron-doping of graphene nanoribbon
• Exploding the drug deadlock: Repurposing nitroglycerin for anti-cancer treatments
• How the mind sharpens the senses
• Suicide: Difficulty making good choices is one of the factors that make certain people vulnerable to suicide

Astrophysicist find supermassive black holes in quasar nearest Earth Posted: 27 Aug 2015 12:45 PM PDT Astrophysicists have found two supermassive black holes in Markarian 231, the nearest quasar to Earth. The discovery of two supermassive black holes -- one larger one and a second, smaller one -- are evidence of a binary black hole and suggests that supermassive black holes assemble their masses through violent mergers.

Songbird habitat affects reproduction, survival Posted: 27 Aug 2015 12:44 PM PDT A professor who studies birds around the world has discovered trends in how the offspring grow, how parents care for the young and how well the young survive based on where they live.

Scientists warn leaders of dangers of thawing permafrost Posted: 27 Aug 2015 12:44 PM PDT WHRC scientists have counseled the State Department on policies that could control permafrost thaw, including reducing global carbon emissions from fossil fuel use and deforestation, and limiting emissions of 'black carbon,' sooty particles that darken snow and ice and hasten Arctic warming.

Soaking up carbon dioxide and turning it into valuable products Posted: 27 Aug 2015 12:44 PM PDT Researchers have incorporated molecules of porphyrin CO2 catalysts into the sponge-like crystals of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to create a molecular system that not only absorbs carbon dioxide, but also selectively reduces it to CO, a primary building block for a wide range of chemical products.

Four-day school week can improve academic performance, study finds Posted: 27 Aug 2015 12:44 PM PDT Shortening the school week to four days has a positive impact on elementary school students' academic performance in mathematics, according to researchers.

Massive study reports challenges in reproducing published psychology findings Posted: 27 Aug 2015 12:42 PM PDT Psychologists have completed a major review of the findings of 100 psychology studies. Less than half could be reproduced.

Imaging techniques set new standard for super-resolution in live cells Posted: 27 Aug 2015 11:37 AM PDT Scientists can now watch dynamic biological processes with unprecedented clarity in living cells using new imaging techniques. The new methods dramatically improve on the spatial resolution provided by structured illumination microscopy, one of the best imaging methods for seeing inside living cells.

Cervical pessary does not reduce the rate of preterm births or neonatal complications in twin gestations Posted: 27 Aug 2015 11:20 AM PDT Having twins accounts for only 1.5% of all births but 25% of preterm births, the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. Successful strategies for reducing singleton preterm births include prophylactic use of progesterone and cervical cerclage in patients with a prior history of preterm birth. To investigate whether the use of a cervical pessary might reduce premature births of twins, an international team of researchers conducted a large, multicenter, international randomized clinical trial (RCT) of approximately 1200 twin pregnancies. They report that placement of a cervical pessary did not reduce spontaneous preterm births or reduce neonatal complications.

A new technique to make drugs more soluble Posted: 27 Aug 2015 11:20 AM PDT Before Ibuprofen can relieve your headache, it has to dissolve in your bloodstream. The problem is Ibuprofen, in its native form, isn't particularly soluble.  Its rigid, crystalline structures -- the molecules are lined up like soldiers at roll call -- make it hard to dissolve in the bloodstream. To overcome this, manufacturers use chemical additives to increase the solubility of Ibuprofen and many other drugs, but those additives also increase cost and complexity.

'Brainbow' reveals surprising data about visual connections in brain Posted: 27 Aug 2015 11:19 AM PDT Research may lead to reevaluation of the current understanding of information flow and neural circuit maturation in the visual system.

HIV particles do not cause AIDS, our own immune cells do Posted: 27 Aug 2015 11:19 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that HIV does not cause AIDS by the virus's direct effect on the host's immune cells, but rather through the cells' lethal influence on one another. In a new study, the researchers revealed that the HIV 'death pathway' -- how 95 percent of cells die from the virus -- is only initiated if the virus is passed from cell-to-cell, not if cells are infected by free-floating viral particles.

To track winter flounder, researchers look to ear bones Posted: 27 Aug 2015 11:19 AM PDT Researchers are turning to an unusual source -- otoliths, the inner ear bones of fish -- to identify the nursery grounds of winter flounder, the protected estuaries where the potato chip-sized juveniles grow to adolescence. The research could aid the effort to restore plummeting winter flounder populations along the East Coast of the US.

Growth hormone reduces risk of osteoporosis fractures in older women Posted: 27 Aug 2015 11:19 AM PDT For years after it was administered, growth hormone continued to reduce the risk of fractures and helped maintain bone density in postmenopausal women who had osteoporosis.

Interrupting sitting with walking breaks improves children's blood sugar Posted: 27 Aug 2015 11:19 AM PDT Taking 3-minute breaks to walk in the middle of a TV marathon or other sedentary activity can improve children's blood sugar compared to continuously sitting, according to a new study.

Antibiotic use linked to type 2 diabetes diagnosis Posted: 27 Aug 2015 11:18 AM PDT People who developed type 2 diabetes tended to take more antibiotics in the years leading up to the diagnosis than people who did not have the condition, according to a new study.

Research identifies a protein that helps determine the fate of RNA Posted: 27 Aug 2015 10:02 AM PDT RNA can be translated into protein or transformed into gene-regulating molecules. A newly discovered 'reader' protein recognizes a chemical instruction tag affixed to RNA, an important step in determining the RNA's destiny. Because of the fundamental processes involved, this research has implications for cells' normal function and disease.

Surprised? Cholinergic neurons send broadcasts enabling us to learn from the unexpected Posted: 27 Aug 2015 10:01 AM PDT Neuroscientists have discovered a set of cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain that broadcast messages throughout the cerebral cortex, rapidly informing multiple distributed subregions of any surprising rewards or punishments -- what scientists call reinforcers. It's a way we learn from the unexpected.

Circadian genes go to sleep every day at the periphery of the nucleus Posted: 27 Aug 2015 10:01 AM PDT Mobility between different physical environments in the cell nucleus regulates the daily oscillations in the activity of genes that are controlled by the internal biological clock, according to a new study. Eventually, these findings may lead to novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diseases linked with disrupted circadian rhythm.

Fish oil-diet benefits may be mediated by gut microbes Posted: 27 Aug 2015 10:01 AM PDT Diets rich in fish oil versus diets rich in lard (e.g., bacon) produce very different bacteria in the guts of mice, reports a new study. The researchers transferred these microbes into other mice to see how they affected health. The results suggest that gut bacteria share some of the responsibility for the beneficial effects of fish oil and the harmful effects of lard.

Scientists reveal cellular clockwork underlying inflammation Posted: 27 Aug 2015 10:01 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered key cellular functions that help regulate inflammation -- a discovery that could have important implications for the treatment of allergies, heart disease, and certain forms of cancer. The discovery explains how two particular proteins, Tollip and Tom1, work together to contribute to the turnover of cell-surface receptor proteins that trigger inflammation.

Creative and neurotic: Is neuroticism fueled by overthinking? Posted: 27 Aug 2015 10:01 AM PDT Psychologists have presented a new theory for why neurotic unhappiness and creativity go hand-in-hand. The authors argue that the part of the brain responsible for self-generated thought is highly active in neuroticism, which yields both of the trait's positives (e.g., creativity) and negatives (e.g., misery).

Data backs limits on deep-sea fishing by depth Posted: 27 Aug 2015 10:01 AM PDT Researchers have evidence in support of a clearly defined depth limit for deep-sea fishing in Europe. The findings come just as the European Union considers controversial new legislation to manage deep-sea fisheries, including a ban on trawling below 600 meters.

Viral infection in colon cancer stem cells mimicked; druggable target identified Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:20 AM PDT Researchers targeting colorectal cancer stem cells – the root cause of disease, resistance to treatment and relapse – have discovered a mechanism to mimic a virus and potentially trigger an immune response to fight the cancer like an infection.

Mammary gland is shaped by adaptive immune system during development Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:20 AM PDT In experiments with mouse tissue, researchers have discovered that the adaptive immune system, generally associated with fighting infections, plays an active role in guiding the normal development of mammary glands, the only organs -- in female humans as well as mice -- that develop predominately after birth, beginning at puberty.

The DNA damage response goes viral: A way in for new cancer treatments Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:20 AM PDT Researchers show how DNA repair proteins sound the alarm to threats, pointing to a novel cancer therapy.

Parkinson’s disease brain cells at risk of burnout, like an overheating motor Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:20 AM PDT The death of brain cells in Parkinson's disease may be caused by a form of cellular energy crisis in neurons that require unusually high quantities of energy to carry out their job of regulating movement, researchers have reported.

Alzheimer’s disease thought to be accelerated by an abnormal build-up of fat in the brain Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:20 AM PDT People with Alzheimer's disease have fat deposits in the brain. For the first time since the disease was described 109 years ago, researchers have discovered accumulations of fat droplets in the brain of patients who died from the disease and have identified the nature of the fat.

Chemistry professor discovers color sensor compound for anions Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT A chemistry professor has uncovered a major development in the study of anions, negatively-charged molecules such as chloride, bromide and nitrate, which have strategic roles within the human body. These molecules can also act as pollutants, some of which are vital to our health whilst others might actually harm us. The chemistry behind the detection of anions is still in its infancy and an easy, reliable and robust method of detection has eluded chemists... until now.

Getting a picture of the molecules in a cell in just minutes Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT Scientists can now take a peek into a single plant cell and -- within minutes -- get a view of the small molecules, including metabolites, hormones, nutrients, and lipids, inside it.

About 10 percent of mothers experienced depression two years after Hurricane Katrina Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT About 10 percent of mothers experienced chronic, persistent depressive symptoms two years after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,800 people, displacing hundreds of thousands and causing widespread damage estimated at more than $100 billion, according to a new study.

To get girls more interested in computer science, make classrooms less 'geeky' Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT A new study found that three times as many female high school students were interested in enrolling in a computer science class if the classroom was designed to be less 'geeky' and more inviting.

Intensity of desert storms may affect ocean phytoplankton Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT Scientists have determined that once iron is deposited in the ocean, it has a very short residence time, spending only six months in surface waters before sinking into the deep ocean. This high turnover of iron signals that large seasonal changes in desert dust may have dramatic effects on surface phytoplankton that depend on iron.

Generating potentially safer stem cells in the laboratory Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT A finding reveals why the transformation process of differentiated cells into stem cells results in significant damage to the DNA. Researchers have managed to rectify this damage using a simple modification to the culture medium, which produces potentially safer stem cells for use in regenerative medicine.

Cause of resilience to tinnitus and potential drug therapy identified Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT Researchers have identified in an animal model the molecular mechanisms behind resilience to noise-induced tinnitus and a possible drug therapy that could reduce susceptibility to this chronic and sometimes debilitating condition.

Evidence suggests subatomic particles could defy the standard model Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT A team of physicists has found new hints of particles -- leptons, to be more precise -- being treated in strange ways not predicted by the Standard Model. The discovery could prove to be a significant lead in the search for non-standard phenomena.

Safety of microfocused ultrasound with visualization in darker skin types Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT Microfocused ultrasound treatment to tighten and lift skin on the face and neck appeared to be safe for patients with darker skin types in a small study that resulted in only a few temporary adverse effects, according to a new report.

21-gene recurrence score and receipt of chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT Use of the 21-gene recurrence test score was associated with lower chemotherapy use in high-risk patients and greater use of chemotherapy in low-risk patients compared with not using the test among a large group of Medicare beneficiaries, according to a new article.

Framework for value-based pricing of cancer drugs Posted: 27 Aug 2015 09:19 AM PDT At a time when cancer drug prices are rising rapidly, an innovative new study provides the framework for establishing value-based pricing for all new oncology drugs entering the marketplace.

Is lack of guidance on The Sunshine Act hampering publication of clinical trial results? Posted: 27 Aug 2015 08:17 AM PDT A research article has concluded that a lack of professional guidance on how to interpret elements of The Physician Payments Sunshine Act (2010) may be having a "chilling effect" on physicians' desire to participate in clinical trials and publish results.

Interstellar seeds could create oases of life Posted: 27 Aug 2015 08:16 AM PDT Astrophysicists now show that if life can travel between the stars (a process called panspermia), it would spread in a characteristic pattern that we could potentially identify.

Many physicians overestimate their ability to assess patients' risk of Ebola Posted: 27 Aug 2015 08:16 AM PDT While most primary care physicians responding to a survey expressed confidence in their ability to identify potential cases of Ebola and communicate Ebola risks to their patients, when asked how they would care for hypothetical patients who might have been exposed to Ebola, less than 70 percent gave answers fitting CDC guidelines. Those least likely to encounter an Ebola patient were most likely to choose overly intense management of patients actually at low risk.

Dry eyes: Progress in diagnosis and treatment Posted: 27 Aug 2015 08:16 AM PDT Do you have problems with dry eyes? If so, you're not alone -- it's one of the most common reasons for patient visits to eye care professionals. Recent years have seen significant progress in management of patients with dry eyes, according to new research.

Probiotics show no impact preventing gastrointestinal colonization with drug-resistant bugs in ICU Posted: 27 Aug 2015 08:16 AM PDT Probiotics show no benefit for preventing or eliminating gastrointestinal colonization with drug-resistant organisms in patients in the intensive care unit compared to standard care, according to new research.

Charging a lithium-ion battery efficiently with a solar cell Posted: 27 Aug 2015 08:16 AM PDT Researchers have wired four perovskite solar cells in series to enhance the voltage and directly photo-charged lithium batteries with 7.8 percent efficiency -- the most efficient reported to date, the researchers believe.

A new virus in liver cancer Posted: 27 Aug 2015 08:16 AM PDT More than a cause of a simple infection, viruses are often involved in the development of serious diseases. Such is the case with liver cancer, which often develops in an organ that has been weakened by hepatitis B or C virus. Researchers have just identified the role of a new virus, hitherto unsuspected, in the occurrence of a rare type of liver cancer.

New fossil skulls reveal insights about penguin brain evolution Posted: 27 Aug 2015 08:16 AM PDT Although flightless in air, penguins have a number of adaptations which allow them glide effortlessly through the water. And some of these adaptations are in an unlikely part of their anatomy -- their brains. Recent finds of fossil penguins from 35-million-year-old sediments in Antarctica have begun to shed light on the changes in penguin brains that accompanied their transition to water.

Mating with the wrong insect may cut yellow fever mosquito populations Posted: 27 Aug 2015 07:18 AM PDT Asian tiger mosquitoes can drive down yellow fever mosquito populations when the female chooses the wrong male with which to mate, UF/IFAS scientists say. Both insects transmit chikungunya and dengue, dangerous diseases affecting millions of people worldwide.

Soils protect the natural environment Posted: 27 Aug 2015 07:18 AM PDT No matter where you live, soils protect the natural environment around you.

Nasal spray device for mental illness Posted: 27 Aug 2015 07:17 AM PDT Researchers have tested a new device for delivering hormone treatments for mental illness through the nose. This method was found to deliver medicine to the brain with few side effects.

Bacterial warfare Posted: 27 Aug 2015 07:17 AM PDT Researchers demonstrate how gram-negative bacteria deliver toxins to kill neighboring bacteria.

Taking a cue from nature: Turning alcohols into alkylating agents Posted: 27 Aug 2015 07:17 AM PDT Researchers have developed a dual catalyst system that directly installs alkyl groups -- fragments containing singly bonded carbon and hydrogen atoms that have extremely useful properties for drug discovery -- onto compounds called heteroarenes. The reported transformation is the first to successfully use alcohols as reagents in the so-called alkylation reaction.

Health workers wasting expensive malaria drugs in Nigeria Posted: 27 Aug 2015 07:17 AM PDT Health providers trained to perform malaria rapid diagnostic tests are still prescribing valuable malaria medicines to patients who do not have malaria, according to new research.

Humus depletion induced by climate change? Posted: 27 Aug 2015 07:09 AM PDT The yields of many important crops in Europe have been stagnating since the 1990s. As a result, the input of organic matter into the soil -- the crucial source for humus formation -- is decreasing. Scientists suspect that the humus stocks of arable soils are declining due to the influence of climate change. Humus, however, is a key factor for soil functionality, which is why this development poses a threat to agricultural production -- and, moreover, in a worldwide context.

How dynamin mediates membrane constriction and scission Posted: 27 Aug 2015 07:09 AM PDT Cells continually form membrane vesicles that are released into the cell. If this vital process is disturbed, nerve cells, for example, cannot communicate with each other. The protein molecule dynamin is essential for the regulated formation and release of many vesicles. Scientists have now elucidated this process and demonstrated how specific mutations impair the function of dynamin in disease.

Mystery of polar bear Knut's disease finally solved Posted: 27 Aug 2015 07:09 AM PDT Knut, the famous polar bear of the Berlin Zoological Garden died of encephalitis. However, the cause of his disease has remained elusive until now. Biologists have now solved the case: The bear suffered from an autoimmune disease called 'anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis'. Knut is the first wild or domestic animal in which this form of encephalitis has been demonstrated.

Bitter pill: Monarchs, milkweed and self-medication in a changing world Posted: 27 Aug 2015 05:38 AM PDT The milkweed plants growing in 40 cube-shaped chambers on a hilltop at the University of Michigan Biological Station provide a glimpse into the future that allows researchers to ask a question: How will monarch butterflies fare?

Successful boron-doping of graphene nanoribbon Posted: 27 Aug 2015 05:37 AM PDT Physicists have succeeded in synthesizing boron-doped graphene nanoribbons and characterizing their structural, electronic and chemical properties. The modified material could potentially be used as a sensor for the ecologically damaging nitrogen oxides, scientists report.

Exploding the drug deadlock: Repurposing nitroglycerin for anti-cancer treatments Posted: 27 Aug 2015 05:37 AM PDT For over a century, nitroglycerin has been used medically – particularly in the treatment of angina, or chest pain. It is a safe, cheap and effective treatment. Now, researchers have found that nitroglycerin could be repurposed to treat cancer.

How the mind sharpens the senses Posted: 27 Aug 2015 05:36 AM PDT A study conducted with experienced scholars of Zen-Meditation shows that mental focusing can induce learning mechanisms, similar to physical training. Researchers discovered this phenomenon during a scientifically monitored meditation retreat.

Suicide: Difficulty making good choices is one of the factors that make certain people vulnerable to suicide Posted: 27 Aug 2015 05:36 AM PDT Few people who face challenges or live with severe depression commit suicide. Some people are clearly more vulnerable than others. A series of studies has shown that the way in which a person makes decisions is among the main factors that determines whether that person is protected from or vulnerable to suicide. High-risk decision-making was prevalent among many parents of individuals who committed suicide, which may serve to explain its apparent "inheritability".

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