ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Gut microbes affect circadian rhythms and metabolism in mice
• Frequent travel is damaging to health and wellbeing, according to new study
• Marriage can lead to dramatic reduction in heavy drinking in young adults
• Our elegant brain: Motor learning in the fast lane
• Lab experiment mimics early-stage planetary formation process
• Body size increase did not play a role in the origins of homo genus, new analysis suggests
• What would the world look like to someone with a bionic eye?
• Quantum states in a nano-object manipulated using a mechanical system
• The uneasy, unbreakable link of money and medicine
• Shifting winds, ocean currents doubled endangered Galápagos penguin population
• Cassiopeia's hidden gem: The closest rocky, transiting planet
• Are animal models still essential to biological research?
• Small tilt in magnets makes them viable memory chips
• Earliest evidence of reproduction in a complex organism
• Four million years at Africa's salad bar
• Character traits outweigh material benefits in assessing value others bring to us
• Potential new therapy approaches to reverse kidney damage identified
• How an important enzyme used in drug production recognizes its substrate
• Quantum behavior of millimeter-sized magnets unraveled: Superconducting qubit and magnetic sphere hybrid
• Better together: Graphene-nanotube hybrid switches
• Scientists study ‘peanut-shaped’ asteroid near earth
• Brain teaser: 3-D printed 'tissue' to help combat disease
• Researchers clear the way for fast plasmonic chips
• Cattle movement estimation study sheds light on disease risk
• Yo-yo dieting not associated with increased cancer risk
• Study uncovers communication strategies couples can use to address financial uncertainty
• Look into my pupils: Pupil mimicry may lead to increased trust
• Combination therapy may be more effective against the most common ovarian cancer
• Soiree in the stream: Studying connections between mountain water supply, urban demand
• Computer games can pick up dyslexia in minority pupils
• New survey enhances precision of distinguishing between expectable vs. worrisome early childhood misbehavior
• Bitcoin virtual currency users and motivations: A haven for criminals?
• Goose barnacles helping solve the mystery of the crash site of MH370
• Proving nanoparticles in sunscreen products
• Smart driver seat that responds to gestures
• Glaciers melting faster than ever
• If you're using drugs, scientists want to help you avoid addiction
• Study sheds surprising light on the causes of cerebral palsy
• Common medications for dementia could cause harmful weight loss
• Urine test for early stage pancreatic cancer possible after biomarker discovery
• Even moderate picky eating can have negative effects on children's health
• Want to boost your toddler's development? Put a toy chicken on your head
• 'Brain training' app may improve memory, daily functioning of people with schizophrenia
• Gout medications might be useful in treating alcohol-induced liver disease

Gut microbes affect circadian rhythms and metabolism in mice Posted: 03 Aug 2015 06:27 PM PDT A new study found evidence that gut microbes affect circadian rhythms and metabolism in mice.

Frequent travel is damaging to health and wellbeing, according to new study Posted: 03 Aug 2015 06:25 PM PDT Researchers investigated how frequent, long-distance travel is represented in mass and social media. They found that the images portrayed do not take into account the damaging side effects of frequent travel such as jet-lag, deep vein thrombosis, radiation exposure, stress, loneliness and distance from community and family networks.

Marriage can lead to dramatic reduction in heavy drinking in young adults Posted: 03 Aug 2015 06:25 PM PDT Research on alcohol-use disorders consistently shows problem drinking decreases as we age. Now, researchers have found evidence that marriage can cause dramatic drinking reductions even among people with severe drinking problems. Scientists believe findings could help improve clinical efforts to help these people, inform public health policy changes and lead to more targeted interventions for young adult problem drinkers.

Our elegant brain: Motor learning in the fast lane Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:55 PM PDT To learn new motor skills, neurons within the cerebellum engage in elegant, virtually mathematical, computations to quickly compare expected and actual sensory feedback. They then quickly readjust, changing the strength of connections between other neurons to form new patterns in the brain in order to accomplish the task at hand, researchers report.

Lab experiment mimics early-stage planetary formation process Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:55 PM PDT Physicists have directly observed, for the first time, how highly charged dust-sized particles attract and capture others to build up clusters particle by particle. This process can lead to the formation of "granular molecules" whose configurations resemble those of simple chemical molecules.

Body size increase did not play a role in the origins of homo genus, new analysis suggests Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:53 PM PDT A new analysis of early hominin body size evolution suggests that the earliest members of the Homo genus (which includes our species, Homo sapiens) may not have been larger than earlier hominin species.

What would the world look like to someone with a bionic eye? Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:52 PM PDT While major advancements have been made in vision recovery technologies, the vision provided by those devices might be very different from what scientists and patients have assumed.

Quantum states in a nano-object manipulated using a mechanical system Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:52 PM PDT Scientists have used resonators made from single-crystalline diamonds to develop a novel device in which a quantum system is integrated into a mechanical oscillating system. For the first time, the researchers were able to show that this mechanical system can be used to coherently manipulate an electron spin embedded in the resonator -- without external antennas or complex microelectronic structures.

The uneasy, unbreakable link of money and medicine Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:51 PM PDT After centuries of concerns about the potentially compromising role of money in medicine, the debate remains irreconcilable and the link remains indivisible, a new article suggets. Even the reforms of Obamacare, the author writes, may not change much.

Shifting winds, ocean currents doubled endangered Galápagos penguin population Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:51 PM PDT Shifting winds, ocean currents doubled endangered Galápagos penguin population, new research shows. The Galápagos Islands, a chain of islands 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) west of mainland Ecuador, are home to the only penguins in the Northern Hemisphere. The 48-centimeter (19-inch) tall black and white Galápagos penguins landed on the endangered species list in 2000 after the population plummeted to only a few hundred individuals and are now considered the rarest penguins in the world.

Cassiopeia's hidden gem: The closest rocky, transiting planet Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:51 PM PDT A star in the constellation Cassiopeia has a planet in a three-day orbit that transits, or crosses in front of its star. At a distance of just 21 light-years, it is by far the closest transiting planet to Earth, which makes it ideal for follow-up studies. Moreover, it is the nearest rocky planet confirmed outside our solar system.

Are animal models still essential to biological research? Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:51 PM PDT A new article covers the use of animal models in scientific research. The use of animals in scientific research prompts regular debate and it can be difficult to garner a clear picture of the actual need for animal models.

Small tilt in magnets makes them viable memory chips Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:50 PM PDT Engineers have found a new way to switch the polarization of nanomagnets without the need for an external magnetic field. The advance brings the semiconductor industry a major step closer to moving high-density storage from hard disks onto integrated circuits, and could soon lead to instant-on computers that operate with far greater speed and use significantly less power.

Earliest evidence of reproduction in a complex organism Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:48 PM PDT A new study of 565 million-year-old fossils has identified how some of the first complex organisms on Earth -- possibly some of the first animals to exist -- reproduced, revealing the origins of our modern marine environment.

Four million years at Africa's salad bar Posted: 03 Aug 2015 12:48 PM PDT As grasses grew more common in Africa, most major mammal groups tried grazing on them at times during the past 4 million years, but some of the animals went extinct or switched back to browsing on trees and shrubs, according to a new study.

Character traits outweigh material benefits in assessing value others bring to us Posted: 03 Aug 2015 08:12 AM PDT When it comes to making decisions involving others, the impression we have of their character weighs more heavily than do our assessments of how they can benefit us, a team of researchers has found.

Potential new therapy approaches to reverse kidney damage identified Posted: 03 Aug 2015 08:12 AM PDT Cell plasticity program resulting from kidney damage can be targeted to reverse kidney disease and fibrosis, new research suggests. The study demonstrated the importance of an embryonic cellular process called EMT (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition) as a potential therapeutic target for reversing kidney disease. Embryos cannot develop without EMT.

How an important enzyme used in drug production recognizes its substrate Posted: 03 Aug 2015 07:51 AM PDT The mechanism by which an enzyme used in industrial production of an important drug for type-2 diabetes recognizes its target has been demonstrated by a group of researchers. This finding will further design of novel biocatalysts for industrial production of chiral amine compounds, crucial building blocks in the synthesis of some pharmaceutical drugs.

Quantum behavior of millimeter-sized magnets unraveled: Superconducting qubit and magnetic sphere hybrid Posted: 03 Aug 2015 07:51 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated that it is possible to exchange a quantum bit, the minimum unit of information used by quantum computers, between a superconducting quantum-bit circuit and a quantum in a magnet called a magnon. This result is expected to contribute to the development of quantum interfaces and quantum repeaters.

Better together: Graphene-nanotube hybrid switches Posted: 03 Aug 2015 07:50 AM PDT Researchers have combined two unlikely materials to make a digital switch that could improve high speed computing.

Scientists study ‘peanut-shaped’ asteroid near earth Posted: 03 Aug 2015 07:31 AM PDT A mile-long asteroid that raced past Earth July 25 at about 45,000 miles per hour – at a safe distance of 4.5 million miles – was imaged by radar telescopes so that astronomers could discern its precise orbit and physical shape.

Brain teaser: 3-D printed 'tissue' to help combat disease Posted: 03 Aug 2015 07:30 AM PDT A bench-top brain that accurately reflects actual brain tissue would be significant for researching not only the effect of drugs, but brain disorders like schizophrenia, and degenerative brain disease. Researchers have now completed 3-D printing a six-layered structure similar to brain tissue, in which cells are accurately placed and remain in their designated layer.

Researchers clear the way for fast plasmonic chips Posted: 03 Aug 2015 07:30 AM PDT Researches have developed a new method for optical communication on a chip, which will give a possibility to decrease the size of optical and optoelectronic elements and increase the computer performance several tenfold. According to their article, they have proposed the way to completely eliminate energy losses of surface plasmons in optical devices.

Cattle movement estimation study sheds light on disease risk Posted: 03 Aug 2015 07:30 AM PDT A new study helps with estimating cattle movement to determine disease risk. This study predicts movement within types of premises in counties, such as from one small cow/calf producer to feedlots in two different counties at a given distance or from one producer to another. Privacy concerns in the U.S. generally prevent animal health officials from obtaining and sharing full cattle movement data.

Yo-yo dieting not associated with increased cancer risk Posted: 03 Aug 2015 07:29 AM PDT The first comprehensive study of its kind finds weight cycling, repeated cycles of intentional weight loss followed by regain, was not associated with overall risk of cancer in men or women.

Study uncovers communication strategies couples can use to address financial uncertainty Posted: 03 Aug 2015 07:29 AM PDT Money can be a significant source of conflict in relationships, particularly during stressful times. New research details techniques romantic couples can use to address financial uncertainty, highlighting the importance of communication in managing uncertainty and reducing stress.

Look into my pupils: Pupil mimicry may lead to increased trust Posted: 03 Aug 2015 07:29 AM PDT People often mimic each other's facial expressions or postures without even knowing it, but new research shows that they also mimic the size of each other's pupils, which can lead to increased trust. The findings reveal that participants who mimicked the dilated pupils of a partner were more likely to trust that partner in an investment game, but only when the partner was part of the same ethnic group.

Combination therapy may be more effective against the most common ovarian cancer Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:37 AM PDT High-grade serous ovarian cancer often responds well to the chemotherapy drug carboplatin, but why it so frequently comes back after treatment has been a medical mystery. Now a team of researchers has discovered that a subset of tumor cells that don't produce the protein CA125, a biomarker used to test for ovarian cancer, has an enhanced ability to repair their DNA and resist programmed cell death — which allows the cells to evade the drug and live long enough to regrow the original tumor.

Soiree in the stream: Studying connections between mountain water supply, urban demand Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:37 AM PDT In an unprecedented effort to understand the connections between mountain water supply and urban demand, more than 50 researchers from 22 different lab groups and seven universities gathered to study the Red Butte Creek watershed in a collaborative, three-day venture.

Computer games can pick up dyslexia in minority pupils Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:35 AM PDT While pupils from minority groups are over-represented in Norwegian special needs education, practically no children from these groups are diagnosed with dyslexia. As a consequence many miss out on important help. Researchersare studying whether a computer game can pick up dyslexia in pupils from minority groups.

New survey enhances precision of distinguishing between expectable vs. worrisome early childhood misbehavior Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:35 AM PDT Researchers are using a novel dimensional method for distinguishing misbehavior that is expectable in early childhood versus that which is cause for clinical concern. Using a survey developed by the researchers to enhance precision of clinical identification in early childhood the Multidimensional Assessment Profile of Disruptive Behavior (MAP-DB), scientists obtained mothers' reports of their preschoolers' irritability at multiple time points. They used these irritability patterns to predict which preschoolers would exhibit problems that interfered with their ability to regulate their behavior and learning and participate in daily life activities.

Bitcoin virtual currency users and motivations: A haven for criminals? Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:34 AM PDT A new study uses Google Trends data in an attempt to understand who uses the anonymous crypto-currency Bitcoin, and for what purposes.

Goose barnacles helping solve the mystery of the crash site of MH370 Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:34 AM PDT On the 29th of July, airplane wreckage washed up on the island of Réunion. It is highly likely that it belongs to the missing Malaysia Airlines airplane MH370. Geologists may be able to identify the site of the crash using the wreckage. Organisms that only live in certain places on earth may be stuck to the debris.

Proving nanoparticles in sunscreen products Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:34 AM PDT Loads of cosmetics like sunscreen lotions contain titanium dioxide. These nanoparticles are contentious. Experts suspect they may have harmful effects on people and the environment. But it is difficult to prove that the particles are in the lotions. Using a new method, these particles can now be calculated.

Smart driver seat that responds to gestures Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:34 AM PDT A multitude of professional drivers suffer from back problems. One cause: driver seats that are inadequately adjusted to each driver's ergonomic needs. Researchers have engineered a driver's seat whose shape and position can be adjusted by using simple hand gestures.

Glaciers melting faster than ever Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:34 AM PDT The World Glacier Monitoring Service has compiled worldwide data on glacier changes for more than 120 years. Together with its National Correspondents in more than 30 countries, the international service just published a new comprehensive analysis of global glacier changes. In this study, observations of the first decade of the 21st century (2001-2010) were compared to all available earlier data from in-situ, air-borne, and satellite-borne observations as well as to reconstructions from pictorial and written sources.

If you're using drugs, scientists want to help you avoid addiction Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:33 AM PDT Abstinence is the best way to avoid drug addiction. But in many societies, drug use is the norm, not the exception, especially by youth. What keeps the majority of users from becoming addicted? How drugs are taken has something to do with it, according to pharmacology researchers.

Study sheds surprising light on the causes of cerebral palsy Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:33 AM PDT Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of physical disability in children. It has historically been considered to be caused by factors such as birth asphyxia, stroke and infections in the developing brain of babies. In a new game-changing study, a research team has uncovered strong evidence for genetic causes of cerebral palsy that turns experts' understanding of the condition on its head.

Common medications for dementia could cause harmful weight loss Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:33 AM PDT Medications commonly used to treat dementia could result in harmful weight loss, according to researchers, and clinicians need to account for this risk when prescribing these drugs to older adults, they say.

Urine test for early stage pancreatic cancer possible after biomarker discovery Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:33 AM PDT A combination of three proteins found at high levels in urine can accurately detect early-stage pancreatic cancer, researchers have found. The discovery could lead to a non-invasive, inexpensive test to screen people at high risk of developing the disease.

Even moderate picky eating can have negative effects on children's health Posted: 03 Aug 2015 05:33 AM PDT Picky eating among children is a common but burdensome problem that can result in poor nutrition for kids, family conflict, and frustrated parents. Although many families see picky eating as a phase, a new study finds moderate and severe picky eating often coincides with serious childhood issues such as depression and anxiety that may need intervention.

Want to boost your toddler's development? Put a toy chicken on your head Posted: 02 Aug 2015 05:44 PM PDT Parents who joke and pretend with their children are teaching them important life skills, research has revealed. The study showed that children as young as 16 months old naturally learn the difference between joking and pretending by picking up on their parents' cues. It also showed understanding the difference between the two allows children the opportunity to learn, imagine, bond, and think in abstract ways.

'Brain training' app may improve memory, daily functioning of people with schizophrenia Posted: 02 Aug 2015 05:44 PM PDT A 'brain training' iPad game may improve the memory of patients with schizophrenia, helping them in their daily lives at work and living independently, according to new research.

Gout medications might be useful in treating alcohol-induced liver disease Posted: 31 Jul 2015 03:26 PM PDT Two commonly used gout medications, which target uric acid and adenosine triphosphate, may offer protection from alcohol-induced liver disease and inflammation, new research suggests. These findings suggest that clinical trials in humans with alcoholic liver disease should be considered.

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