ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Modular space telescope could be assembled by robot
• Overlooked plants defy drought
• Age-specific strategies are needed when caring for older individuals with HIV
• Developing brain regions in children hardest hit by sleep deprivation
• Retroviral diseases: Children who keep HIV in check
• Business cycle drives the spread of viral diseases
• Help for fishing vessels to locate their catch
• Key component for wireless communication with terahertz frequencies
• Low energy electric field found suitable for quick magnetic recording
• Unraveling roundworm nerve regeneration mechanism could aid nerve injury treatment
• Invasive insects: Underestimated cost to the world economy
• Nobel Prize in Physics 2016: Secrets of exotic matter revealed
• A new exercise partner is the key to exercising more
• Health determined by social relationships at work
• Lord of the Rings: Archaeologists unveil new findings from Greek warrior's tomb
• Survival of the fittest in materials discovery
• Historical records may underestimate global sea level rise
• English shoppers ditch the carrier bag
• Researchers bring theorized mechanism of conduction to life
• Air bag bike helmets have promise
• Vast majority of impoverished fathers involved with their children
• Why 'managerial derailment' affects women more than men
• Fossil from oldest ancestor of modern sea turtles
• New protein bridges chemical divide for 'seamless' bioelectronics devices
• Gene found that raises risk of childhood ear infections
• Researchers closer than ever to a universal flu vaccine
• Early development reveals axolotl mysteries
• Dog stool microbiome predicts canine inflammatory bowel disease
• Cold and bubbly: The sensory qualities that best quench thirst
• New RNA stem cell editing reduces unintended genetic complications
• Rats have greater episodic memory than previously thought
• Color-changing smart material sensor to alert user to get out of sun
• Preliminary Zika vaccines prevent neurological disorders in newborn mice
• Parents' age and the risk for autism and schizophrenia: Is the connection real?
• Drug delivery quantified through nanoparticles inside a cell
• Zika infects neural cells related to skull formation, affecting their function
• HIV cure hope thanks to collaboration
• Ice cores reveal a slow decline in atmospheric oxygen over the last 800,000 years
• Our galaxy's most-mysterious star is even stranger than astronomers thought
• Human stem cells treat spinal cord injury side effects in mice
• Acne sufferers' cells may be protected against aging
• Ethical challenges of genome editing
• How a fluctuating brain network may make us better thinkers
• BMI genotype and breast cancer risk
• Targeting norovirus 'noxiousness'
• Water vapor sets some oxides aflutter
• New strategy to accelerate plant breeding by turbocharging gene banks
• Analysis of DNA from early settlers of the pacific overturns leading genetic model
• Unique bacterial chemist in the war on potatoes
• Hearing the same sound twice in each ear helps insects locate their mates
• How safe and effective are new drugs for stroke prevention?
• Study identifies risk factors for physical decline among survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome
• Salt's secret success in ancient Chaco Canyon
• Receptor to slow breast cancer metastasis identified
• How the brain makes new memories while preserving the old
• Does meditation keep emotional brain in check?
• Breakthrough in mapping nicotine addiction could help researchers improve treatment
• Nanoscale electronic motion sensor could be used as a DNA sequencer
• Coronavirus and neurological disease: Direct link
• More information on how cancer and sugar-sweetened beverages are link

Modular space telescope could be assembled by robot Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:10 AM PDT Seeing deep into space requires large telescopes. The larger the telescope, the more light it collects, and the sharper the image it provides. For example, NASA's Kepler space observatory, with a mirror diameter of under one meter, is searching for exoplanets orbiting stars up to 3,000 light-years away. By contrast, the Hubble Space Telescope, with a 2.4-meter mirror, has studied stars more than 10 billion light-years away. Now astronomers are proposing a space observatory that would have a primary mirror with a diameter of 100 meters -- 40 times larger than Hubble's. Space telescopes, which provide some of the clearest images of the universe,

Overlooked plants defy drought Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:08 AM PDT A feature thought to make plants sensitive to drought could actually hold the key to them coping with it better, according to new findings .

Age-specific strategies are needed when caring for older individuals with HIV Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:54 AM PDT A new article highlights the differences between older and younger adults living with HIV, and offers age-specific strategies on how to provide care. Older individuals differ from younger patients with HIV in many ways -- for example, they tend to have an increased risk for late or missed diagnoses, differing side effects from antiretroviral therapies, and increased comorbidities. Only a few existing treatment guidelines make distinctions when it comes to care by age, however.

Developing brain regions in children hardest hit by sleep deprivation Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:53 AM PDT The effects of acute sleep deprivation in children has been the focus of new study for the first time. They discovered that the brain in five to 12-year-olds responds differently to sleep deprivation compared to adults: The reduced amount of sleep leads to an increased need for deep sleep in maturing areas of the brain. This affects posterior regions of the brain, which are involved in vision, spatial perception and processing multi-sensorial input.

Retroviral diseases: Children who keep HIV in check Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:53 AM PDT Some HIV-infected – and untreated – children do not develop AIDS. A new study shows that they control the virus in a different way from the few infected adults who remain disease-free, and sheds light on the reasons for this difference.

Business cycle drives the spread of viral diseases Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:53 AM PDT Epidemics spread faster during economic booms because more people are traveling, new research shows. This report also notes that school shutdowns and transportation network closures are seldom efficient measures.

Help for fishing vessels to locate their catch Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:53 AM PDT Big Data means that professional fishermen will soon be getting their own decision-making tool. It will tell them where fish shoals are located, and how their vessels can be operated as economically as possible, report researchers.

Key component for wireless communication with terahertz frequencies Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:53 AM PDT An ultrahigh speed, wireless communication network using THz instead of GHz frequencies is now one step closer. Researchers have shown that it is possible to effectively transmit signal waves with THz frequencies through the existing fiber optic network.

Low energy electric field found suitable for quick magnetic recording Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:52 AM PDT A novel, highly energy efficient and ultrafast magnetization control scheme has been successfully demonstrated by international team of scientists. With low-energy terahertz photons, the team succeeded to make a magnet wobble in a trillionth of a second.

Unraveling roundworm nerve regeneration mechanism could aid nerve injury treatment Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:52 AM PDT The detailed molecular mechanisms behind regrowth of severed nerves in roundworms have been explained by researchers in a new report. This could lead to treatments promoting human recovery from nerve injury, they say.

Invasive insects: Underestimated cost to the world economy Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:52 AM PDT Invasive insects cause at least 69 billion euros of damage per annum worldwide, say investigators, whose study brought together the largest database ever developed on economic damage attributable to invasive insects worldwide. Covering damage to goods and services, health care costs and agricultural losses, this study considered 737 articles, books and reports.

Nobel Prize in Physics 2016: Secrets of exotic matter revealed Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:16 AM PDT The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics is being awarded to David J. Thouless, F. Duncan M. Haldane, and J. Michael Kosterlitz "for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter."

A new exercise partner is the key to exercising more Posted: 04 Oct 2016 05:15 AM PDT Researchers have been investigating whether having an exercise companion increases the amount of exercise we do. Researchers found that finding a new exercise companion increased the amount of exercise people took. This was increased even more when the new partner was emotionally supportive.

Health determined by social relationships at work Posted: 03 Oct 2016 06:41 PM PDT Whether you're an engineer, a nurse, or a call center worker, you are likely to spend an average of one third of your day on the job. In a new meta-analysis covering 58 studies and more than 19,000 people across the globe, psychologists have shown that how strongly we identify with the people or organization where we work is associated with better health and lower burnout.

Lord of the Rings: Archaeologists unveil new findings from Greek warrior's tomb Posted: 03 Oct 2016 06:40 PM PDT A rare discovery of four gold rings in the tomb of a wealthy Bronze Age warrior undisturbed for 3,500 years prompts a new consideration of Greek history, report archaeologists.

Survival of the fittest in materials discovery Posted: 03 Oct 2016 06:36 PM PDT Research has paved the way for the development of dynamically-evolving polymers that form spontaneously by adapting to their environment, which may lead to a number of product possibilities including drug delivery, food science and cosmetics.

Historical records may underestimate global sea level rise Posted: 03 Oct 2016 03:44 PM PDT New research shows that the longest and highest-quality records of historical ocean water levels may underestimate the amount of global average sea level rise that occurred during the 20th century.

English shoppers ditch the carrier bag Posted: 03 Oct 2016 03:33 PM PDT Around 90% of people in England now take their own bags with them when food shopping as a result of the plastic carrier bag charge, new research has revealed. This has increased from 70% before the charge was introduced and was independent of age, gender or income.

Researchers bring theorized mechanism of conduction to life Posted: 03 Oct 2016 03:30 PM PDT Using recent innovations in 2-D materials, scientists have realized a mechanism of conduction that could someday lead to new forms of energy conversion and higher-resolution scanning machines, such as those used in airports and quality control for manufacturing.

Air bag bike helmets have promise Posted: 03 Oct 2016 03:29 PM PDT Drop tests from as high as two meters show air bag helmet may reduce impact by as much as six-fold compared to traditional bike helmets, report investigators.

Vast majority of impoverished fathers involved with their children Posted: 03 Oct 2016 03:28 PM PDT A new study suggests criticism of impoverished and African-American fathers for not being involved in the lives of their children is largely unfounded and that even in cases of incarceration, most low-income fathers are connected to their children.

Why 'managerial derailment' affects women more than men Posted: 03 Oct 2016 03:28 PM PDT Gender bias can influence how supervisors view a manager's long-term potential, a new study shows. While past studies have used performance reviews and other formal measures to identify gender bias, these researchers focused on informal evaluations of managers' potential.

Fossil from oldest ancestor of modern sea turtles Posted: 03 Oct 2016 03:25 PM PDT The earliest ancestors of modern sea turtles may have come from the Deep South in the United States, new evidence suggests. Working with two relatively complete turtle skeletons, the fossils help solve a long-standing debate as to whether this animal was a unique species. They also provide insights into the evolutionary history of living species of sea turtles, including the Kemp's Ridley, Loggerhead and the endangered Green sea turtle.

New protein bridges chemical divide for 'seamless' bioelectronics devices Posted: 03 Oct 2016 03:25 PM PDT Peptides that could help bridge the gap where artificial meets biological have been unveiled by researchers, offering the potential to harness biological rules to exchange information between the biochemistry of our bodies and the chemistry of our devices.

Gene found that raises risk of childhood ear infections Posted: 03 Oct 2016 03:25 PM PDT A gene region that raises the risk a child will have a middle ear infection, known to doctors as acute otitis media, has been discovered by researchers. The finding may offer an early clue to helping doctors develop more effective treatments to prevent one of the most common childhood illnesses.

Researchers closer than ever to a universal flu vaccine Posted: 03 Oct 2016 12:14 PM PDT Seasonal flu vaccines work by generating antibodies that bind to the virus and prevent it from infecting cells. Universal flu vaccines do this as well, but go one step further by recruiting white blood cells to destroy infected cells, explain experts. New research builds upon an earlier discovery of a class of antibodies capable of neutralizing the most dangerous types of Influenza viruses.

Early development reveals axolotl mysteries Posted: 03 Oct 2016 12:01 PM PDT In the amphibian world, the axolotl is the replacement-parts king. This endangered Mexican salamander serves as its own NAPA store for lost body parts, able to fully regenerate limbs, tail, heart, spine and eyes -- making it a model of curiosity for regenerative biologists.

Dog stool microbiome predicts canine inflammatory bowel disease Posted: 03 Oct 2016 12:01 PM PDT A pattern of microbes that is indicative of inflammatory bowel disease has been identified in dogs. With more than 90 percent accuracy, the team used that information to predict which dogs had IBD. However, they also determined that the gut microbiomes of dogs and humans are not similar enough to use dogs as animal models for humans with this disease.

Cold and bubbly: The sensory qualities that best quench thirst Posted: 03 Oct 2016 12:01 PM PDT Oral perceptions of coldness and carbonation help to reduce thirst, research shows. The findings could guide sensory approaches to increase fluid intake in populations at risk for dehydration, including the elderly, soldiers, and athletes.

New RNA stem cell editing reduces unintended genetic complications Posted: 03 Oct 2016 12:01 PM PDT An international collaboration of government, university, and industry resources showed the promise of using RNA as a safe way to both make and modify induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) from patient cells for clinical applications in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and personalized medicine.

Rats have greater episodic memory than previously thought Posted: 03 Oct 2016 11:56 AM PDT Anyone who has ever spotted a familiar face at a party but been unable to place where or when they last met that person knows the difference between episodic memory and familiarity.

Color-changing smart material sensor to alert user to get out of sun Posted: 03 Oct 2016 11:54 AM PDT According to the American Cancer Society approximately 5.4 million basal and squamous cell skin cancers are diagnosed each year. Yet, the sun does contribute to the production of Vitamin D, which is necessary for bone health, and perhaps even useful in preventing some cancers. So how does one know how much sun exposure is enough? Now researchers have developed a color-changing wearable that can notify users of their total exposure, allowing them to achieve a balance. A user wears the 0.5" by 0.5" millimeter sized flexible patch and is notified of total UV exposure by the change in color. When the sensor turns orange, the user has reached the World Health Organization recommended daily dose of Vitamin D.

Preliminary Zika vaccines prevent neurological disorders in newborn mice Posted: 03 Oct 2016 11:36 AM PDT Two vaccines against Zika virus have successfully conveyed immunity from female mice to pups conceived weeks after the mother's vaccination.

Parents' age and the risk for autism and schizophrenia: Is the connection real? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 11:28 AM PDT A new study indicates that parents who reproduce later in life are more likely to have children who develop autism disorders. Later reproduction was not, however, associated with increased risk for schizophrenia in offspring.

Drug delivery quantified through nanoparticles inside a cell Posted: 03 Oct 2016 11:23 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that the success of delivery of drugs from nanoparticles can be quantified inside a cell.

Zika infects neural cells related to skull formation, affecting their function Posted: 03 Oct 2016 11:18 AM PDT Cranial neural crest cells -- which give rise to the bones and cartilage of the skull -- are vulnerable to Zika virus. The discovery, made by infecting in vitro cultures of human cells, offers a potential mechanism for how children born with the virus can have smaller-than-average skulls and disproportionate facial features.

HIV cure hope thanks to collaboration Posted: 03 Oct 2016 11:14 AM PDT Researchers are hopeful of a cure for HIV after treating the first patient with a promising new treatment that could kill all traces of the virus. A partnership sparked by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is behind this collaborative UK effort for the new treatment, which is a first-of-its-kind.

Ice cores reveal a slow decline in atmospheric oxygen over the last 800,000 years Posted: 03 Oct 2016 11:11 AM PDT Researchers have compiled 30 years of data to construct the first ice core-based record of atmospheric oxygen concentrations spanning the past 800,000 years. The record shows that atmospheric oxygen has declined 0.7 percent relative to current atmospheric-oxygen concentrations, a reasonable pace by geological standards, the researchers said. During the past 100 years, however, atmospheric oxygen has declined by a comparatively speedy 0.1 percent because of the burning of fossil fuels, which consumes oxygen and produces carbon dioxide.

Our galaxy's most-mysterious star is even stranger than astronomers thought Posted: 03 Oct 2016 11:03 AM PDT A star known by the unassuming name of KIC 8462852 in the constellation Cygnus has been raising eyebrows both in and outside of the scientific community for the past year. In 2015 a team of astronomers announced that the star underwent a series of very brief, non-periodic dimming events while it was being monitored by NASA's Kepler space telescope, and no one could quite figure out what caused them. A new study has deepened the mystery.

Human stem cells treat spinal cord injury side effects in mice Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:59 AM PDT People with spinal cord injuries suffer from many complications in addition to paralysis and numbness. Some of these problems are caused by a lack of the neurotransmitter GABA in the injured spinal cord. Now research in mice is showing that human embryonic stem cells differentiated into medial ganglionic eminence (MGE)-like cells, which produce GABA, may help alleviate two of the most severe side effects -- chronic neuropathic pain and bladder dysfunction.

Acne sufferers' cells may be protected against aging Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:30 AM PDT People who have previously suffered from acne are likely to have longer telomeres (the protective repeated nucleotides found at the end of chromosomes) in their white blood cells, meaning their cells could be better protected against aging, scientists have discovered. Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences found at the end of chromosomes which protect them from deteriorating during the process of replication. Telomeres gradually break down and shrink as cells age, eventually leading to cell death which is a normal part of human growth and aging.

Ethical challenges of genome editing Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:16 AM PDT Preventing the transmission of inherited genetic diseases, and increasing food production rates in farmed animals are two potential applications of genome editing technologies that require urgent ethical scrutiny, according to a new report. The first findings of a new review have now been published, looking at the potential impact of recent advances in genome editing such as the CRISPR-Cas9 system across many areas of biological research.

How a fluctuating brain network may make us better thinkers Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:13 AM PDT For the past 100 years, scientists have understood that different areas of the brain serve unique purposes. Only recently have they realized that the organization isn't static. Rather than having strictly defined routes of communication between different areas, the level of coordination between different parts of the brain seems to ebb and flow. Now, by analyzing the brains of a large number of people at rest or carrying out complex tasks, researchers at have learned that the integration between those brain regions also fluctuates. When the brain is more integrated, people do better on complex tasks.

BMI genotype and breast cancer risk Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:11 AM PDT Being overweight is associated with decreased risk of breast cancer before menopause and increased risk after menopause, report scientists.

Targeting norovirus 'noxiousness' Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:10 AM PDT Human noroviruses are the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis. Worldwide, about 200,000 children under age 5 die from norovirus infections every year. As of yet, no vaccines or antiviral agents have been licensed to treat the disease. Now researchers have determined the structural basis for norovirus "neutralization" by a human IgA antibody.

Water vapor sets some oxides aflutter Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:09 AM PDT A team of scientists has discovered a phenomenon that could have practical applications in solar cells, rechargeable battery electrodes, and water-splitting devices.

New strategy to accelerate plant breeding by turbocharging gene banks Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:09 AM PDT A new study may help scientists sift through vast amounts of plant seeds stored in gene bank facilities across the globe to identify those useful to plant breeders attempting to produce better varieties.

Analysis of DNA from early settlers of the pacific overturns leading genetic model Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:09 AM PDT A scientific team analyzed DNA from people who lived in Tonga and Vanuatu between 2,500 and 3,100 years ago, and were among the first people to live in these islands. The results overturn the leading genetic model for this last great movement of humans to unoccupied but habitable lands.

Unique bacterial chemist in the war on potatoes Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:09 AM PDT An eccentric enzyme known so far only to exist in a single type of bacterium breaks down a toxin related to TNT and pesticides with counterintuitive moves.

Hearing the same sound twice in each ear helps insects locate their mates Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:04 AM PDT An incredibly advanced hearing system which enables a group of insects to listen to the same sound twice with each ear, helping them to locate the sound's origin with pinpoint accuracy, has been discovered by scientists.

How safe and effective are new drugs for stroke prevention? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:04 AM PDT For decades, warfarin was the only oral blood thinner available to reduce the risk of stroke for patients with atrial fibrillation. Warfarin use is cumbersome, because it requires ongoing blood test to monitor the effect and has numerous drug and food interaction. Now a number of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) drugs are available for patients with atrial fibrillation and claim to revolutionize the care for patients with atrial fibrillation.

Study identifies risk factors for physical decline among survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome Posted: 03 Oct 2016 10:04 AM PDT Most survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) decline physically in the five years after hospital discharge, and those at higher levels of risk of decline are older and had greater medical problems prior to hospitalization for ARDS, investigators have found.

Salt's secret success in ancient Chaco Canyon Posted: 03 Oct 2016 09:12 AM PDT Researchers had to go deep to uncover brand new knowledge that they say will "shake up" the archaeological field in the southwestern United States. Various salt compounds found deep in the soil of New Mexico's desert may be the key to understanding how crops were cultivated in ancient Chaco Canyon -- despite the backdrop of what seems an otherwise arid and desolate landscape, according to a study.

Receptor to slow breast cancer metastasis identified Posted: 03 Oct 2016 09:10 AM PDT By therapeutically targeting the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) in breast cancer cells, researchers decreased tumor growth, reduced tumor angiogenesis and recruitment of inflammatory cells, and dramatically decreased metastasis to the lung and the liver.

How the brain makes new memories while preserving the old Posted: 03 Oct 2016 09:08 AM PDT A new mathematical model has been developed that helps to explain how the human brain's biological complexity allows it to lay down new memories without wiping out old ones -- illustrating how the brain maintains the fidelity of memories for years, decades or even a lifetime. This model could help neuroscientists design more targeted studies of memory, and also spur advances in neuromorphic hardware -- powerful computing systems inspired by the human brain.

Does meditation keep emotional brain in check? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 09:07 AM PDT Meditation can help tame your emotions even if you're not a mindful person, suggests a new study. Psychology researchers recorded the brain activity of people looking at disturbing pictures immediately after meditating for the first time. These participants were able to tame their negative emotions just as well as participants who were naturally mindful.

Breakthrough in mapping nicotine addiction could help researchers improve treatment Posted: 03 Oct 2016 09:02 AM PDT A scientific blueprint to end tobacco cravings may be on the way after researchers crystallized a protein that holds answers to how nicotine addiction occurs in the brain.

Nanoscale electronic motion sensor could be used as a DNA sequencer Posted: 03 Oct 2016 08:52 AM PDT Researchers have proposed a design for the first DNA sequencer based on an electronic nanosensor that can detect tiny motions as small as a single atom.

Coronavirus and neurological disease: Direct link Posted: 03 Oct 2016 08:48 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have found proof of a direct association between strain OC 43 of the human coronavirus (HCoV) and neurological disease in humans. Researchers suggest the neuropathological effects of this virus are responsible for approximately 20% of common colds and more severe respiratory conditions in certain vulnerable individuals.

More information on how cancer and sugar-sweetened beverages are link Posted: 03 Oct 2016 08:40 AM PDT A study suggests that age is an important factor in the association between cancer and sugar-sweetened beverages and recommends that intervention programs to reduce consumption of added sugar be focused on lower socio-economic status, young males, as well as cervical cancer survivors.

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