ScienceDaily: Top News

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• It's basic: Alternative fuel cell technology reduces cost
• How does water melt? Layer by layer!
• What satellites can tell us about how animals will fare in a changing climate
• Researchers explain why feather shafts change shape when under stress
• Kangaroo mother care helps premature babies thrive 20 years later, study shows
• Type of psychotherapy matters in treatment of irritable bowel syndrome
• Having a Meltdown at Work? Blame It on Your Passion
• Sawdust reinvented into super sponge for oil spills
• Hydraulic fracturing fluids affect water chemistry from gas wells
• Researchers' findings offer clue on how to block biofilm shields of bacterial infections
• New nonsurgical repair of the most common heart defect found in extremely premature newborns shown to be effective
• Drinking 'settings' tied to college sexual assault
• Anesthetic cream best for relieving vaccination pain in infants
• Details of information processing in the brain revealed
• Get better customer service by choosing your words wisely
• Researchers develop new approach for better big data prediction
• Why we walk on our heels instead of our toes: Longer virtual limbs
• New robot has a human touch
• Enzyme that regulates DNA repair may offer new precision treatments for breast and ovarian cancer
• Silent heart attack in women
• Fasting kills cancer cells of most common type of childhood leukemia,study shows
• Baby boomers on a bender: Emerging trends in alcohol binge and use disorders among older adults
• A new light on stellar death
• Public willing to pay to reduce toxic algae, but maybe not enough
• Jersey was a must-see tourist destination for Neanderthals for over 100,000 years
• The antibody that normalizes tumor vessels
• How the Antarctic Ice Sheet is affecting climate change
• Aging process increases DNA mutations in important type of stem cell
• Mysterious 'crater' on Antarctica indication of vulnerable ice sheet
• Winds of rubies and sapphires strike the sky of giant planet
• 'Rewired' cells show promise for targeted cancer therapy
• Loss of ARID1A protein drives onset, progress of colon cancer
• ALMA finds compelling evidence for pair of infant planets around young star
• Bone marrow-derived cells are source of key kidney disease biomarker SuPAR
• Spinning black hole swallowing star explains superluminous event
• New compound eases neuropathic pain from light touch
• Versatile optical laser will enable innovative experiments at atomic-scale measurements
• Famine alters metabolism for successive generations
• A $5 fix for a nasty parasite
• Antarctic site promises to open a new window on the cosmos
• Rural communities see steep increase in babies born with opioid withdrawal
• Smoking down, number of lives saved up as more countries embrace tobacco control measures
• Meeting patients' socioeconomic needs can improve cardiovascular risk factors
• Applying the '80/20 rule' to social costs
• New blood draw protocol could minimize risk for critically ill children
• Study shows effectiveness of testimonial warning labels on tobacco products
• New laser scanning test to assess fire-damaged concrete
• How physical exercise aids in stroke recovery
• Wind farms play key role in cutting carbon emissions, study finds
• How to avoid congestion of mobile network
• New diamond harder than ring bling
• Bullying makes men leave the labor market
• The first-in-human clinical trial targeting Alzheimer's tau protein
• The song of silence: Innate mechanism for birds hearing their own species is based on the silence
• Researchers' discovery of new verbal working memory architecture has implications for artificial intelligence
• Dual loss of TET proteins prompts lethal upsurge in inflammatory T cells in a mouse model of lymphoid cancer
• How hearing loss can change the way nerve cells are wired
• Men should avoid rock music when playing board games, say scientists
• Why plants eat feces when they could eat flesh
• High school football players, 1956-1970, did not have increase of neurodegenerative diseases

It's basic: Alternative fuel cell technology reduces cost Posted: 12 Dec 2016 01:00 PM PST The best road to zero-emission vehicles lies in fuel-cell technology. It preserves the advantages of gasoline automobiles, with low upfront costs, long driving range and fast refueling. But he also believes a new fuel-cell technology may be necessary. A new paper offers a strategic roadmap.

How does water melt? Layer by layer! Posted: 12 Dec 2016 12:59 PM PST Scientists have solved a controversial question concerning the melting of ice: it melts in a layer-by-layer fashion.

What satellites can tell us about how animals will fare in a changing climate Posted: 12 Dec 2016 12:59 PM PST From the Arctic to the Mojave Desert, terrestrial and marine habitats are quickly changing. Satellites are particularly well-suited to observe habitat transformation and help scientists forecast what animals might do next, suggest experts.

Researchers explain why feather shafts change shape when under stress Posted: 12 Dec 2016 12:59 PM PST Researchers,for the first time, have revealed why the shape of the feather shaft changes from round to square when it's put under stress.

Kangaroo mother care helps premature babies thrive 20 years later, study shows Posted: 12 Dec 2016 12:59 PM PST Better behaved, larger brains, higher paychecks: a new groundbreaking study finds that Kangaroo Mother Care has enduring benefits 20 years later.

Type of psychotherapy matters in treatment of irritable bowel syndrome Posted: 12 Dec 2016 12:27 PM PST The type of psychotherapy used to treat the gastrointestinal disorder irritable bowel syndrome makes a difference in improving patients' daily functioning, new research has found.

Having a Meltdown at Work? Blame It on Your Passion Posted: 12 Dec 2016 12:27 PM PST A novel strategy to save your professional reputation is outlined in a new report: Reframe your distress as passion for the project.

Sawdust reinvented into super sponge for oil spills Posted: 12 Dec 2016 12:26 PM PST Oil spills could be cleaned up in the icy, rough waters of the Arctic with a chemically modified sawdust material that absorbs up to five times its weight in oil and stays afloat for at least four months.

Hydraulic fracturing fluids affect water chemistry from gas wells Posted: 12 Dec 2016 12:25 PM PST Pressure, temperature and fluid composition play an important role in the amount of metals and other chemicals found in wastewaters from hydraulically fractured gas reservoirs, according to researchers.

Researchers' findings offer clue on how to block biofilm shields of bacterial infections Posted: 12 Dec 2016 12:25 PM PST Fatty acids known as oxylipins play a critical role in the formation of the biofilm shield that protects disease-causing bacteria from antibiotics, research reveals for the first time.

New nonsurgical repair of the most common heart defect found in extremely premature newborns shown to be effective Posted: 12 Dec 2016 12:25 PM PST A new minimally invasive technique for repairing the most common cardiac birth defect in extremely premature newborns can be performed safely with a high success rate in babies as small as 755 grams – about 1.6 pounds – only a few days after birth.

Drinking 'settings' tied to college sexual assault Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:46 AM PST Although alcohol is believed to play a role in college sexual assaults, there is no evidence that male students' binge drinking per se boosts their odds of becoming a perpetrator, according to a study.

Anesthetic cream best for relieving vaccination pain in infants Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:46 AM PST For babies under age one year, lidocaine cream, combined with a small amount of sugar given by mouth and infant soothing, can help relieve pain from routine vaccinations, according to a study.

Details of information processing in the brain revealed Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:46 AM PST New research shows that when we're paying attention to something, that information is processed in a continuous manner. But when we're trying to ignore something, we perceive and experience information in waves or frames, like scenes in a movie. We are better at prioritizing certain times when we are not attending to that space in the world. research shows that the two processes for attending to space and attending to time interact with one another.

Get better customer service by choosing your words wisely Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:46 AM PST The next time you make a complaint to your cellphone or cable company, don't get personal.

Researchers develop new approach for better big data prediction Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:46 AM PST A new approach for analyzing big data has been developed that can drastically improve the ability to make accurate predictions about medicine, complex diseases, social science phenomena, and other issues.

Why we walk on our heels instead of our toes: Longer virtual limbs Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:46 AM PST While many animals walk on the balls of their feet, humans use a heel-first stride. Researchers suggest that this gives humans the advantage of longer 'virtual limbs.'

New robot has a human touch Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:46 AM PST Most robots achieve grasping and tactile sensing through motorized means, which can be excessively bulky and rigid. Scientists have now devised a way for a soft robot to feel its surroundings internally, in much the same way humans do. Stretchable optical waveguides act as curvature, elongation and force sensors in a soft robotic hand.

Enzyme that regulates DNA repair may offer new precision treatments for breast and ovarian cancer Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:38 AM PST Researchers have identified an enzyme called UCHL3 that regulates the BRCA2 pathway, which is important for DNA repair, report scientists.

Silent heart attack in women Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:38 AM PST Women often neglect their own heart health during the holidays and can suffer serious health problems, suggests a new report.

Fasting kills cancer cells of most common type of childhood leukemia,study shows Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:36 AM PST Intermittent fasting inhibits the development and progression of the most common type of childhood leukemia, researchers have found.

Baby boomers on a bender: Emerging trends in alcohol binge and use disorders among older adults Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:36 AM PST Trends of self-reported past-month binge alcohol use and alcohol use disorder were examined among adults age 50 and older. The researchers found significant increases in past-year alcohol use, past-month alcohol use, past-month binge drinking, and alcohol use disorders.

A new light on stellar death Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:36 AM PST Back in 2015 when astronomers discovered an intense flare in a distant galaxy, they considered it the brightest supernova ever observed. Now, astrophysicists offer an entirely different interpretation based on new astronomical observation data.

Public willing to pay to reduce toxic algae, but maybe not enough Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:36 AM PST A collaboration of universities and government agencies has identified three key agricultural management plans for curtailing harmful algal blooms. They have also identified a looming funding gap for enacting those plans.

Jersey was a must-see tourist destination for Neanderthals for over 100,000 years Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:34 AM PST Neanderthals kept coming back to a coastal cave site in Jersey from at least 180,000 years ago until around 40,000 years ago. researchers report. As part of a re-examination of La Cotte de St Brelade and its surrounding landscape, archaeologists have taken a fresh look at artefacts and mammoth bones originally excavated from within the site's granite cliffs in the 1970s.

The antibody that normalizes tumor vessels Posted: 12 Dec 2016 10:34 AM PST Scientists have discovered that their antisepsis antibody also reduces glioma, lung and breast cancer progression in mice, outlines a new report.

How the Antarctic Ice Sheet is affecting climate change Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:58 AM PST An international team of researchers has concluded that the Antarctic Ice Sheet actually plays a major role in regional and global climate variability -- a discovery that may also help explain why sea ice in the Southern Hemisphere has been increasing despite the warming of the rest of the Earth.

Aging process increases DNA mutations in important type of stem cell Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:58 AM PST Researchers who looked at the effect of aging on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) found that genetic mutations increased with the age of the donor who provided the source cells, according to study results.

Mysterious 'crater' on Antarctica indication of vulnerable ice sheet Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:58 AM PST The East Antarctic ice sheet is more vulnerable than expected, due to a strong wind that brings warm air and blows away the snow. Scientists combined climate models, satellite observations and on-site measurements.

Winds of rubies and sapphires strike the sky of giant planet Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:58 AM PST Signs of powerful changing winds have been detected on a planet 16 times larger than Earth, over 1,000 light years away -- the first time ever that weather systems have been found on a gas giant outside our solar system -- according to new research.

'Rewired' cells show promise for targeted cancer therapy Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:58 AM PST A major challenge in truly targeted cancer therapy is cancer's suppression of the immune system. Synthetic biologists now have developed a general method for 'rewiring' immune cells to flip this action around. When cancer is present, molecules secreted at tumor sites render many immune cells inactive. The researchers genetically engineered human immune cells to sense the tumor-derived molecules in the immediate environment and to respond by becoming more active, not less.

Loss of ARID1A protein drives onset, progress of colon cancer Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:58 AM PST A team of scientists has developed a model system in mice that allows them to look closely at how a protein often mutated in human cancer exerts its tumor-silencing effects. The new findings shed light on how epigenetic processes contribute to gene regulation and the onset of colon cancer.

ALMA finds compelling evidence for pair of infant planets around young star Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:58 AM PST New ALMA observations contain compelling evidence that two newborn planets, each about the size of Saturn, are in orbit around a young star known as HD 163296. These planets, which are not yet fully formed, revealed themselves by the dual imprint they left in both the dust and the gas portions of the star's protoplanetary disk.

Bone marrow-derived cells are source of key kidney disease biomarker SuPAR Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:58 AM PST A protein that is a reliable biomarker for chronic kidney disease originates in the bone marrow, new research suggests. This discovery of where the suPAR protein is an important step towards earlier detection -and possible prevention -- of a disease suffered by one in 10 adults, kills 48,000 people and costs Medicare $49 billion each year

Spinning black hole swallowing star explains superluminous event Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:57 AM PST An extraordinarily brilliant point of light seen in a distant galaxy, and dubbed ASASSN-15lh, was thought to be the brightest supernova ever seen. But new observations from several observatories, including ESO, have now cast doubt on this classification. Instead, a group of astronomers propose that the source was an even more extreme and very rare event -- a rapidly spinning black hole ripping apart a passing star that came too close.

New compound eases neuropathic pain from light touch Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:57 AM PST Slightest touch can evoke pain in patients suffering from nerve injuries. Researchers have suppressed this type of pain in mice. They applied a chemical substance to the skin which blocked the action of an ion channel which is responsible for the perception of light touch. Activation of this channel also leads to severe pain after injuries, which the substance eliminated. The method could work in humans.

Versatile optical laser will enable innovative experiments at atomic-scale measurements Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:57 AM PST The European X-ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) facility, near Hamburg, Germany, was built with one objective -- to provide pulses of light short enough, bright enough, and of small enough wavelength to observe processes that would otherwise be too fast and/or too infrequent to measure in real-time.

Famine alters metabolism for successive generations Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:57 AM PST A famine that afflicted China between 1959 and 1961 is associated with an increased hyperglycemia risk not only among people who were born then, but also among the children they had a generation later.

A $5 fix for a nasty parasite Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:57 AM PST Engineers are the first to demonstrate that the attachment of oocysts to environmental biofilms is a calcium-mediated process -- a crucial step toward the development of an improved detection method for Cryptosporidium parvum, an infectious, sometimes deadly, parasite.

Antarctic site promises to open a new window on the cosmos Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:57 AM PST Antarctica might be one of the most inhospitable regions on the planet, but it is a mecca for astronomers. Its cold, dry air enables observations that can't be done elsewhere on Earth. The South Pole has hosted telescopes for decades. Now, researchers are eyeing a new location -- Dome A, which offers a unique opportunity to study the universe at little-explored terahertz radio frequencies.

Rural communities see steep increase in babies born with opioid withdrawal Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:57 AM PST The number of babies born with drug withdrawal symptoms from opioids grew substantially faster in rural communities than in cities, a new study suggests.

Smoking down, number of lives saved up as more countries embrace tobacco control measures Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:57 AM PST Between 2008 and 2014, more than 53 million people in 88 countries stopped smoking due to tobacco control measures, which means that more than 22 million smoking-related deaths have been averted, say authors of a new report.

Meeting patients' socioeconomic needs can improve cardiovascular risk factors Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:57 AM PST Patients enrolled in a program designed to help meet socioeconomic needs that can affect their health had modest but significant improvements in several key cardiovascular risk factors, report investigators.

Applying the '80/20 rule' to social costs Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:57 AM PST An analysis of the lives of nearly a thousand people shows that a small group who had poor childhood 'brain health' accounts for the lion's share of social costs when they reach adulthood. Twenty percent of participants accounted for 81 percent of criminal convictions, 77 percent of fatherless childrearing, 78 percent of prescriptions filled, 66 percent of welfare benefits, 57 percent of hospital nights, 54 percent of cigarettes smoked and 36 percent of insurance claims.

New blood draw protocol could minimize risk for critically ill children Posted: 12 Dec 2016 08:56 AM PST Researchers report that implementing a checklist-style set of procedures appears to cut almost in half the number of potentially unnecessary blood culture draws in critically ill children without endangering doctors' ability to diagnose and treat life-threatening blood infections.

Study shows effectiveness of testimonial warning labels on tobacco products Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:53 AM PST Cigarette warning labels featuring photos of real smokers who were harmed by their habit are more effective in getting smokers to quit than the text-only labels currently in use, research indicates.

New laser scanning test to assess fire-damaged concrete Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:53 AM PST Laser scanning is a new and viable structural safety technique to detect the damaging effects of fire on concrete, new engineering research has found.

How physical exercise aids in stroke recovery Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:53 AM PST Mice that had free-access to a running wheel were able to maintain ocular dominance plasticity after suffering a stroke, compared to those that didn't, new research shows. These exciting observations have the potential to provide a simple but effective method to protect and rehabilitate patients that are prone to, or have already suffered, a stroke.

Wind farms play key role in cutting carbon emissions, study finds Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:11 AM PST Wind farms have made a significant impact in limiting carbon emissions from other sources of power generation in Great Britain, a study shows.

How to avoid congestion of mobile network Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:11 AM PST Scientists have created a universal mathematical approach to queuing theory. It allows calculating the most efficient operation of the systems where the processing of incoming flow takes place. In particular, it can be used to eliminate queues in shops and banks and eliminate mobile communication congestion during the holidays.

New diamond harder than ring bling Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:11 AM PST Scientists are working to make a diamond that's predicted to be harder than a jeweler's diamond and useful for cutting through ultra-solid materials on mining sites.

Bullying makes men leave the labor market Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:11 AM PST Men and women are almost at an equal risk of being bullied in the workplace, but whereas bullying often causes women to go on prolonged sick leave or use antidepressants, men often choose to leave the labor market altogether for a period of time.

The first-in-human clinical trial targeting Alzheimer's tau protein Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:11 AM PST For the first time, targeting the other feature of Alzheimer's disease, tau, has given fruitful results. In an unprecedented study, active vaccination in humans has resulted in a favorable immune response in 29 out of the 30 patients with only minor side effects.

The song of silence: Innate mechanism for birds hearing their own species is based on the silence Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:10 AM PST Neurons in zebra finch brains operate as a barcode reader to detect songs of the same species during learning, report scientists.

Researchers' discovery of new verbal working memory architecture has implications for artificial intelligence Posted: 12 Dec 2016 06:57 AM PST The neural structure we use to store and process information in verbal working memory is more complex than previously understood--a discovery that has implications for the creation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as speech translation tools.

Dual loss of TET proteins prompts lethal upsurge in inflammatory T cells in a mouse model of lymphoid cancer Posted: 12 Dec 2016 06:57 AM PST Members of the TET family of proteins help protect against cancer by regulating the chemical state of DNA --and thus turning growth-promoting genes on or off. These latest findings illustrate just how important TET proteins are in controlling cell proliferation and cell fate.

How hearing loss can change the way nerve cells are wired Posted: 12 Dec 2016 06:57 AM PST Even short-term blockages in hearing can lead to remarkable changes in the auditory system, altering the behavior and structure of nerve cells that relay information from the ear to the brain, according to a new study.

Men should avoid rock music when playing board games, say scientists Posted: 12 Dec 2016 06:53 AM PST Mozart may enhance a man's performance in board games - while AC/DC may hinder their chances, according to new research.

Why plants eat feces when they could eat flesh Posted: 12 Dec 2016 06:42 AM PST What drives a carnivorous plant to abandon eating meat in favor of a diet of bat feces? Ecologists believe they have the answer. Their ingenious study sheds new light on the evolution of mutualism.

High school football players, 1956-1970, did not have increase of neurodegenerative diseases Posted: 12 Dec 2016 05:49 AM PST Varsity football players from 1956 to 1970 did not have an increased risk of degenerative brain diseases compared with athletes in other varsity sports, new research concludes.

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