الخميس، 20 أكتوبر 2016

ScienceDaily: Top News

ScienceDaily: Top News

Biomass heating could get a 'green' boost with the help of fungi

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 10:28 AM PDT

In colder weather, people have long been warming up around campfires and woodstoves. Lately, this idea of burning wood or other biomass for heat has surged in popularity as an alternative to using fossil fuels. Now scientists report a step toward a "greener" way to generate heat with biomass. Rather than burning it, which releases pollutants, they let fungi break it down to release heat.

Tiny gold particles could be key to developing a treatment for pancreatic cancer

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 10:27 AM PDT

A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is often a death sentence because chemotherapy and radiation have little impact on the disease. In the U.S. this year, some 53,000 new cases will be diagnosed, and 42,000 patients will die of the disease. But research could eventually lead to a new type of treatment based on gold nanoparticles.

Neurodevelopmental model of Zika may provide rapid answers

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 10:24 AM PDT

A newly study demonstrates fetal death and brain damage in early chick embryos similar to microcephaly—a rare birth defect linked to the Zika virus.

Scientists find link between tropical storms, decline of river deltas

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 10:21 AM PDT

A change in the patterns of tropical storms is threatening the future of the Mekong River delta in Vietnam, research shows, indicating a similar risk to other deltas around the world.

Doubling down on DNA

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 10:21 AM PDT

Millions of years ago, one species of frog diverged into two species. Millions of years later, the two frogs became one again, but with a few extra chromosomes due to whole genome duplication. Such is the curious case of the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, a frog whose genome contains nearly double the number of chromosomes as the related Western clawed frog, Xenopus tropicalis.

Single gene linked to some cases of autism spectrum disorder

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 09:26 AM PDT

Scientists have linked mutations in a single gene to autism in people who have a rare tumor syndrome typically diagnosed in childhood. The findings, in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), may lead to a better understanding of the genetic roots of autism in the wider population.

Gene deletion points way to flu treatment

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 09:25 AM PDT

Researchers kept mice from getting the flu by removing a gene that regulates their immune system. According to the study, mice missing the gene Trim29 eliminated human influenza virus within 48 hours, protecting them from infection.

New research explores what it means when a child loses a pet

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 09:25 AM PDT

Given the relatively short lifespans of many pets, it's not unusual for children to witness the realities of life played out in their homes. New research focuses on how children understand death in these moments, and the ideas, feelings and responses they have when their pets die.

With new model, buildings may 'sense' internal damage

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 09:24 AM PDT

When a truck rumbles by a building, vibrations can travel up to the structure's roof and down again, generating transient tremors through the intervening floors and beams. Now researchers have developed a computational model that makes sense of such ambient vibrations, picking out key features in the noise that give indications of a building's stability. The model may be used to monitor a building over time for signs of damage or mechanical stress.

Drinking an ice slurry/water mix helps body cope with exertion in hot weather

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 09:23 AM PDT

Temperature of water consumed may be as important as the amount when trying to manage thermoregulation, indicates new report.

Ups and downs of water escape from Mars

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 09:22 AM PDT

After investigating the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet for a full Martian year, NASA's MAVEN mission has determined that the escaping water does not always go gently into space. Hydrogen in Mars' upper atmosphere comes from water vapor in the lower atmosphere. An atmospheric water molecule can be broken apart by sunlight, releasing the two hydrogen atoms from the oxygen atom that they had been bound to. Several processes at work in Mars' upper atmosphere may then act on the hydrogen, leading to its escape.

Older men cling to 1950's, '60's blueprint of masculinity

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 08:09 AM PDT

Older men adhere closely to an idealized masculinity script that is incompatible with the realities of later life, a new study suggests. The mismatch between aging and the often ageless expectations of popular masculinity leaves senior men without a blueprint to behave or handle emotions, according to a new literature review.

Functional Effects of Human Stem Cell Delivery to Heart Muscle After Heart Attack

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 08:08 AM PDT

Researchers delivered human stem cells seeded in biological sutures to the damaged heart muscles of rats following induced acute myocardial infarction and assessed the effects on cardiac function one week later. The differences in mechanical function at a local and global level when stem cell seeded sutures were used compared to sutures without stem cells have now been documented.

Magnetic oceans and electric Earth

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 08:08 AM PDT

Oceans might not be thought of as magnetic, but they make a tiny contribution to our planet's protective magnetic shield. Remarkably, ESA's Swarm satellites have not only measured this extremely faint field, but have also led to new discoveries about the electrical nature of inner Earth.

It's official: Phonon and magnon are a couple

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 07:45 AM PDT

Scientists have observed, quantified and created a new theoretical model of the coupling of two forms of collective atomic excitation, known as magnons and phonons in crystals of the antiferromagnet manganite (Y,Lu)MnO3, a mineral made of manganese oxide and rare-earth elements called yttrium (Y) and lutetium (Lu). This study could provide an important breakthrough for solving a 100 year old physical problem, and deepen our knowledge of an interesting class of materials called multiferroics, suggests a new report.

Possible clouds on Pluto, next target is reddish

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 07:17 AM PDT

Stern said that Pluto's complex, layered atmosphere is hazy and appears to be mostly free of clouds, but the team has spied a handful of potential clouds in images taken with New Horizons' cameras. "If there are clouds, it would mean the weather on Pluto is even more complex than we imagined," Stern said.

Did LIGO detect black holes or gravastars?

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 05:27 AM PDT

After the first direct detection of gravitational waves that was announced last February by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and made news all over the world, two researchers set out to test whether the observed signal could have been a gravastar or not.

Going for a run could improve cramming for exams

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 05:25 AM PDT

Ever worried that all the information you've crammed in during a study session might not stay in your memory? The answer might be going for a run, according to a new study.

Severe lead poisoning in children: Causes and risk factors

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 05:25 AM PDT

Although national and local policies have reduced the prevalence of lead poisoning in the United States, severe cases still occur.  Whereas, exposures at blood lead levels (BLLs) as low as 5 µg/dL have been associated with long-term irreversible cognitive deficits, more severe exposures at BLLs ?45 µg/dL can result in organ damage and death.  In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers identified sources of exposure and assessed outcomes for children with severe lead poisoning.

Eta Carinae: VLT Interferometer captures raging winds in famous massive stellar system

Posted: 19 Oct 2016 05:25 AM PDT

Astronomers have used the Very Large Telescope Interferometer to image the Eta Carinae star system in the greatest detail ever achieved. They found new and unexpected structures within the binary system, including in the area between the two stars where extremely high velocity stellar winds are colliding. These new insights into this enigmatic star system could lead to a better understanding of the evolution of very massive stars.

Bacterial genes boost current in human cells

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 04:47 PM PDT

Biomedical engineers have harvested genes for ion channels from bacteria that, with a few tweaks, can create and enhance electrical signaling in human cells, making the cells more electrically excitable. The technique could one day be used to treat cardiac arrhythmia or to restore electrical functions to scarred heart or nervous system tissues. It might also prove useful for treating a variety of genetic diseases involving poor conductivity in human sodium and calcium channels, say the researchers.

New 3-D wiring technique brings scalable quantum computers closer to reality

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 04:44 PM PDT

A new extensible wiring technique capable of controlling superconducting quantum bits has now been developed, representing a significant step towards to the realization of a scalable quantum computer.

First dinosaur bones found in Denali National Park

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 04:43 PM PDT

Paleontologists have found the first dinosaur bones in Denali National Park. They also discovered several new dinosaur trackways, which are fossilized impressions left by ancient animals walking through mud that eventually became rock.

Preschoolers correct speaking mistakes even when talking to themselves

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 04:43 PM PDT

One of the differences between adults and preschoolers when it comes to private speech is that adults typically talk to themselves in their heads, while preschoolers talk to themselves aloud, particularly while playing or working on a task. Private speech is a good thing for a child's cognitive development; however, it may be important that children monitor and repair errors in their speech, even when talking to themselves. A recent study found that children do, in fact, monitor their speech for errors, even without a listener.

Window into battery life for next-gen lithium cells

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 04:42 PM PDT

Dendrites, whiskers of lithium that grow inside batteries and can cause fires like those in the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, are the bane of next-generation lithium batteries. While they usually spread under cover of darkness in a closed cell, a team of researchers has spied on them by cutting a window in a battery and filming the dendrites as they grew. Their work could help researchers safely take lithium batteries to the next level.

'Lurking malice' in cloud hosting services, study finds

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 04:35 PM PDT

A study of 20 major cloud hosting services has found that as many as 10 percent of the repositories hosted by them had been compromised -- with several hundred of the "buckets" actively providing malware. Such bad content could be challenging to find, however, because it can be rapidly assembled from stored components that individually may not appear to be malicious.

Donald or Hillary? Tweetcast predicts your vote

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 04:32 PM PDT

What you tweet says a lot about your politics and who you are going to vote for in this highly volatile presidential election, according to TweetCast, an online tool developed by Northwestern University computer scientists. The algorithm, trained on Twitter users, can predict whether citizens will vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Perhaps more surprising, the tool also predicts which states will go blue or red (Democrat or Republican).

Azure-winged magpies show human-like generosity

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 04:31 PM PDT

Azure-winged magpies, an Asian bird species, take any opportunity to provide food to their group members, even without receiving any reward themselves. A team of cognitive biologists showed this type of prosocial behavior experimentally in a bird species for the first time. There are very few other animals that show such human-like generosity.

Monthly record-warm streak ends, September second warmest on record for globe

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 11:47 AM PDT

August's warmth spread into September, contributing to the warmest year to date for the globe, but not enough to continue the recent 16-month streak of record warmth, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Even so, September 2016 ranked as the second warmest September on record.

A new player in appetite control

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 11:15 AM PDT

Brain cells called glial cells play a critical role in controlling appetite and feeding behavior, neuroscientists have discovered. In a study of mice, the researchers found that activating these cells stimulates overeating, and that when the cells are suppressed, appetite is also suppressed. The findings could offer scientists a new target for developing drugs against obesity and other appetite-related disorders, the researchers say.

Employees can get away with unethical behavior when they imitate higher-ups

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 10:31 AM PDT

If higher-ups in a company are getting away with unethical behavior, chances are other employees are too, according to a new paper.

Other people are less attention-grabbing to the wealthy

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 10:31 AM PDT

The degree to which other people divert your attention may depend on your social class, according to new findings. The research shows that people who categorize themselves as being in a relatively high social class spend less time looking at passersby compared with those who aren't as well off, a difference that seems to stem from spontaneous processes related to perception and attention.

Elder abuse under-identified in U.S. emergency departments

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 10:31 AM PDT

Researchers used a nationally-representative dataset to estimate the frequency with which emergency providers make a formal diagnosis of elder abuse. The answer: 1 in 7,700 visits.

Medical ethicists challenge court ruling on lethal injection in Alabama case

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 10:26 AM PDT

Court orders demanding death row inmates to provide "specific, detailed and concrete alternatives" to a state's lethal injection protocol compel those inmates to produce evidence that is impossible to obtain without forcing physicians and other clinicians to violate their medical ethics, according to Harvard bioethicists and legal experts. Such orders, therefore, the experts argue, pose an insurmountable hurdle for inmates seeking alternative methods of execution.

New satellite image database maps the dynamics of human presence on Earth

Posted: 18 Oct 2016 10:24 AM PDT

Built-up areas on the Earth have increased by 2.5 times since 1975. And yet, today 7.3 billion people live and work in only 7.6% of the global land mass. Nine out of the ten most populated urban centres are in Asia, while five out of the ten largest urban centres are in the United States. These are some of the numbers calculated by a new global database which tracks human presence on Earth.
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