ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Simulating black hole radiation with lasers: Lasers produce the first Hawking radiation ever detected
• International team to drill beneath massive Antarctic ice shelf
• New test for consciousness in 'comatose' patients
• New advances in the study of silicon structure
• Draft roadmap for cloud computing technology
• Cybersecurity workforce framework issued for public comment
• New reports urges more detailed utility metering to improve building efficiency
• California making headway in battle against childhood obesity but successes are uneven
• Physicists chip away at mystery of antimatter imbalance
• Are electron tweezers possible? Apparently so
• Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders vary widely across clinics
• Fish flu: Genetics approach may lead to treatment
• Sound, digested: New software tool provides unprecedented searches of sound, from musical riffs to gunshots
• People with Parkinson's disease more likely to have leg restlessness than restless leg syndrome
• 'Tis better to give than to receive? Life scientists find that giving support offers health benefits -- to the giver
• Potential new NASA mission would reveal the hearts of undead stars
• Americans using more fossil fuels
• Computer trained to evaluate breast cancer
• Obese monkeys lose weight on drug that attacks blood supply of fat cells
• Greenhouse gas index continues to climb
• Scientists prepare for coming ATTREX climate study
• NASA releases radar movie of asteroid 2005 YU55
• Lipid blocks influenza infection
• Neurological disorder impacts brain cells differently
• Ancient lunar dynamo may explain magnetized moon rocks
• No need to shrink guts to have a larger brain
• Former football players prone to late-life health problems, study finds
• Researchers develop eButton, an easier way to monitor food intake, exercise, and lifestyle
• Biochemical factor important in tumor metastasis unraveled
• First proof of principle for treating rare bone disease
• Big, little, tall and tiny: Learning spatial terms improves children's spatial skills
• First of its kind gene map of sulfate-reducing bacterium created
• Looks do matter in job interviews, according to new study
• Chemists reveal the force within you: New method for visualizing mechanical forces on cell surface
• Do plants perform best with family or strangers? Researchers consider social interactions
• Clear vision despite a heavy head: Model explains the choice of simple movements
• Young woman with amnesia unable to hold a single face in short-term memory ... unless it's Paris Hilton!
• Methane may be answer to 56-million-year question: Ocean could have contained enough methane to cause drastic climate change
• Lose the fat and improve the gums, dental researchers find
• Weird world of water gets a little weirder
• Fast new test for terrible form of food poisoning
• Tear drops may rival blood drops in testing blood sugar in diabetes
• Aerial robot system can save firefighter lives, study suggests
• Breakthrough in understanding the genetics of high blood pressure
• Extreme antisocial personality predicts gang membership, finds study based on survey of male prisoners
• Biologists slow the aging process in fruit flies: Study has implications for humans
• Long-term carbon storage in Ganges basin may portend global warming worsening
• Fundamental discovery casts enzymes in new light
• New analysis of carbon accounting, biomass use, and climate benefits
• Dairy foods may improve bone health during diet and exercise in overweight premenopausal women
• Prior vaccination is the decisive factor to be revaccinated
• Depression and chronic stress accelerates aging
• Chemists develop compounds capable of forming heath-resistant, economic and biocompatible gels
• Temperature differences give rise to electricity

Simulating black hole radiation with lasers: Lasers produce the first Hawking radiation ever detected Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:05 PM PST A team of Italian scientists has fired a laser beam into a hunk of glass to create what they believe is an optical analogue of the Hawking radiation that many physicists expect is emitted by black holes.

International team to drill beneath massive Antarctic ice shelf Posted: 09 Nov 2011 04:43 PM PST An international team of researchers funded by NASA and the U.S. National Science Foundation will travel next month to one of Antarctica's most active, remote and harsh spots to determine how changes in the waters circulating under an active ice sheet are causing a glacier to accelerate and drain into the sea.

New test for consciousness in 'comatose' patients Posted: 09 Nov 2011 04:36 PM PST Researchers have developed a portable test which will permit a simpler and less expensive diagnosis of 'vegetative' patients who still have consciousness, despite the fact that they do not have the means to express it.

New advances in the study of silicon structure Posted: 09 Nov 2011 04:36 PM PST Amorphous silicon is one of the key materials in the manufacturing of next-generation solar panels and flat-screen televisions. A recent study has revealed that the energy of amorphous silicon – the state in which it exhibits the greatest stability – is 50% lower than the value commonly accepted until now. According to the researchers, this information is important for understanding the structure of the material and improving its properties.

Draft roadmap for cloud computing technology Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:13 PM PST The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology has released for public comment a draft "roadmap" that is designed to foster federal agencies' adoption of cloud computing, support the private sector, improve the information available to decision makers and facilitate the continued development of the cloud computing model.

Cybersecurity workforce framework issued for public comment Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:13 PM PST The U.S. National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education (NICE) has published for public comment a draft document that classifies the typical duties and skill requirements of cybersecurity workers.

New reports urges more detailed utility metering to improve building efficiency Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:13 PM PST A new interagency report recommends systematic consideration of new metering technologies, called submetering, that can yield up-to-date, finely grained snapshots of energy and water usage in commercial and residential buildings to guide efficiency improvements and capture the advantages of a modernized electric power grid.

California making headway in battle against childhood obesity but successes are uneven Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:13 PM PST A new study offers hope that California may finally be getting a handle on its 30-year battle with childhood obesity, but also showcases a patchwork of progress that leaves the majority of counties in the state still registering increases in obesity rates among California's school-age children.

Physicists chip away at mystery of antimatter imbalance Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:13 PM PST Why there is stuff in the universe is one of the long-standing mysteries of cosmology. A team of researchers has just concluded a 10-year-long study of the fate of neutrons in an attempt to resolve the question, the most sensitive such measurement ever made. The universe, they concede, has managed to keep its secret for the time being, but they've succeeded in significantly narrowing the number of possible answers.

Are electron tweezers possible? Apparently so Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:13 PM PST A recent paper demonstrates that the beams produced by modern electron microscopes can be used not just to look at nanoscale objects, but to move them around, position them and perhaps even assemble them.

Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders vary widely across clinics Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:13 PM PST To diagnose autism spectrum disorders, clinicians typically administer a variety of tests or scales and use information from observations and parent interviews to classify individuals into subcategories listed in standard psychiatric diagnostic manuals. This process of forming "best-estimate clinical diagnoses" has long been considered the gold standard, but a new study demonstrates that these diagnoses are widely variable across centers, suggesting that this may not be the best method for making diagnoses.

Fish flu: Genetics approach may lead to treatment Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:13 PM PST A research team has provided the first look at a genetic structure that may play a critical role in the reproduction of the infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV), more commonly known as the "fish flu."

Sound, digested: New software tool provides unprecedented searches of sound, from musical riffs to gunshots Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:12 PM PST Audio engineers have developed a novel artificial intelligence system for understanding and indexing sound, a unique tool for both finding and matching previously un-labeled audio files.

People with Parkinson's disease more likely to have leg restlessness than restless leg syndrome Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:12 PM PST People with Parkinson's disease may be more likely to have a movement disorder called leg motor restlessness, but not true restless legs syndrome as previous studies have suggested, according to a new study.

'Tis better to give than to receive? Life scientists find that giving support offers health benefits -- to the giver Posted: 09 Nov 2011 12:22 PM PST Providing support to a loved one offers benefits, to the giver, not just the recipient, a new neuroimaging study reveals.

Potential new NASA mission would reveal the hearts of undead stars Posted: 09 Nov 2011 12:22 PM PST Neutron stars have been called the zombies of the cosmos, shining on even though they're technically dead, and occasionally feeding on a neighboring star if it gets too close. They are born when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses under its own gravity, crushing the matter in its core and blasting away its outer layers in a supernova explosion that can outshine a billion suns. A proposed mission called the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) would unveil the dark heart of a neutron star.

Americans using more fossil fuels Posted: 09 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST American energy use went back up in 2010 compared to 2009, when consumption was at a 12-year low. The United States used more fossil fuels in 2010 than in 2009, while renewable electricity remained approximately constant, with an increase in wind power offset by a modest decline in hydroelectricity. There also was a significant increase in biomass consumption, according to the most recent energy flow charts.

Computer trained to evaluate breast cancer Posted: 09 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST Computer scientists and pathologists are training computers to analyze breast cancer microscopic images. The computer analysis were more accurate than those conducted by humans.

Obese monkeys lose weight on drug that attacks blood supply of fat cells Posted: 09 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST Obese rhesus monkeys given an experimental anti-obesity drug lost on average 11 percent of their body weight over four weeks. The targeted combination drug selectively attacks blood vessels that support white fat.

Greenhouse gas index continues to climb Posted: 09 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST NOAA's updated Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI), which measures the direct climate influence of many greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, shows a continued steady upward trend that began with the Industrial Revolution of the 1880s.

Scientists prepare for coming ATTREX climate study Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:40 AM PST A consortium of scientists are in the early stages of preparation for a multi-year airborne science campaign to study the humidity and chemical composition of air entering the tropical tropopause layer of the atmosphere between eight and 11 miles (13 to 18 km) high. NASA's Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment, or ATTREX, will conduct this research over the Pacific Ocean from three locations in 2013 and 2014.

NASA releases radar movie of asteroid 2005 YU55 Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:38 AM PST Scientists working with the 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., have generated a short movie clip of asteroid 2005 YU55. The images were generated from data collected at Goldstone on Nov. 7, 2011, between 11:24 a.m. and 1:35 p.m. PST (2:24 p.m. and 4:35 p.m. EST). They are the highest-resolution images ever generated by radar of a near-Earth object.

Lipid blocks influenza infection Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:18 AM PST A natural lipid in the fluid lining the lungs inhibits influenza infections in both cell cultures and mouse models, according to researchers. These findings, combined with previous studies demonstrating effectiveness against respiratory syncytial virus, suggest that the molecule, known as POPG, may have broad antiviral activity. Supplemental POPG could be an important, inexpensive and novel approach for the prevention and treatment of influenza and other respiratory virus infections.

Neurological disorder impacts brain cells differently Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:18 AM PST In a new paper, researchers describe in deeper detail the pathology of a devastating neurological disorder, but also reveal new cellular targets for possibly slowing its development.

Ancient lunar dynamo may explain magnetized moon rocks Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:18 AM PST The presence of magnetized rocks on the surface of the moon, which has no global magnetic field, has been a mystery since the days of the Apollo program. Now a team of scientists has proposed a novel mechanism that could have generated a magnetic field on the moon early in its history.

No need to shrink guts to have a larger brain Posted: 09 Nov 2011 10:13 AM PST The so-called expensive-tissue hypothesis, which suggests a trade-off between the size of the brain and the size of the digestive tract, has been challenged. Researchers have now shown that brains in mammals have grown over the course of evolution without the digestive organs having to become smaller. The researchers have further demonstrated that the potential to store fat often goes hand in hand with relatively small brains -- except in humans, who owe their increased energy intake and correspondingly large brain to communal child care, better diet and their ability to walk upright.

Former football players prone to late-life health problems, study finds Posted: 09 Nov 2011 09:57 AM PST Football players experience repeated head trauma throughout their careers, which results in short and long-term effects to their cognitive function, physical and mental health. Researchers are investigating how other lifestyle factors, including diet and exercise, impact the late-life health of former collision-sport athletes.

Researchers develop eButton, an easier way to monitor food intake, exercise, and lifestyle Posted: 09 Nov 2011 09:57 AM PST People attempting to lose weight won't need to track their daily food intake anymore, thanks to a wearable, picture-taking device. eButton -- a device worn on the chest (like a pin) that contains a miniature camera, accelerometer, GPS, and other sensors -- captures data and information of health activities, eliminating the need for daily self-reporting.

Biochemical factor important in tumor metastasis unraveled Posted: 09 Nov 2011 09:57 AM PST A protein called "fascin" appears to play a critical transformation role in TGF beta mediated tumor metastasis, say researchers.

First proof of principle for treating rare bone disease Posted: 09 Nov 2011 09:57 AM PST Scientists have developed a new genetic approach to specifically block the damaged copy of the gene for a rare bone disease, while leaving the normal copy untouched.

Big, little, tall and tiny: Learning spatial terms improves children's spatial skills Posted: 09 Nov 2011 09:57 AM PST Preschool children who hear their parents describe the size and shape of objects and then use those words themselves perform better on tests of their spatial skills, researchers have found. The study is the first to show that learning to use a wide range of spatial words predicts children's later spatial thinking, which in turn is important in mathematics, science and technology.

First of its kind gene map of sulfate-reducing bacterium created Posted: 09 Nov 2011 09:57 AM PST Critical genetic secrets of a bacterium that holds potential for removing toxic and radioactive waste from the environment have been revealed in a new study. Researchers have created a first-of-its-kind gene map of Desulfovibrio vulgaris, which can be used to identify the genes that determine how these bacteria interact with their surrounding environment.

Looks do matter in job interviews, according to new study Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:58 AM PST People with birthmarks, scars and other facial disfigurements are more likely to receive poor ratings in job interviews, according to a new study.

Chemists reveal the force within you: New method for visualizing mechanical forces on cell surface Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:58 AM PST A new method for visualizing mechanical forces on the surface of a cell provides the first detailed view of those forces, as they occur in real-time. Emory chemists were able to measure something that's never been measured before: The force that one molecule applies to another molecule across the entire surface of a living cell, and as this cell moves and goes about its normal processes.

Do plants perform best with family or strangers? Researchers consider social interactions Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:58 AM PST In the fight for survival, plants are capable of complex social behaviors and may exhibit altruism towards family members, but aggressively compete with strangers. A growing body of work suggests plants recognize and respond to the presence and identity of their neighbors. But can plants cooperate with their relatives?

Clear vision despite a heavy head: Model explains the choice of simple movements Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:56 AM PST The brain likes stereotypes -- at least for movements. Simple actions are most often performed in the same manner. A mathematical model explains why this is the case and could be used to generate more natural robot movements and to adapt prosthetic movements.

Young woman with amnesia unable to hold a single face in short-term memory ... unless it's Paris Hilton! Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST A 22-year-old woman known as "HC" with amnesia since birth as a result of developing only half the normal volume of the hippocampus in her brain, has demonstrated to scientists that the ability to hold a single face or word in short-term memory is impaired. But there's a catch -- only if the information is unfamiliar. When presented with a face such as Hollywood celebrity Paris Hilton and asked to recognize the face a few seconds later, the woman could remember A-list party girl Hilton, but she was unable to remember novel, unfamiliar faces as well as healthy age, education and IQ matched control participants. Moreover, HC's short-term memory was even impaired for faces that were famous, but whom HC did not know, such as former U.S. first lady Hillary Clinton.

Methane may be answer to 56-million-year question: Ocean could have contained enough methane to cause drastic climate change Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST The release of massive amounts of carbon from methane hydrate frozen under the seafloor 56 million years ago has been linked to the greatest change in global climate since a dinosaur-killing asteroid presumably hit Earth nine million years earlier. New calculations by researchers show that this long-controversial scenario is quite possible.

Lose the fat and improve the gums, dental researchers find Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST Researchers found the human body is better at fighting gum disease when fat cells, which trigger inflammation, disappear.

Weird world of water gets a little weirder Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST Strange, stranger, strangest! To the weird nature of one of the simplest chemical compounds -- the stuff so familiar that even non-scientists know its chemical formula -- add another odd twist. Scientists are reporting that good old H2O, when chilled below the freezing point, can shift into a new type of liquid.

Fast new test for terrible form of food poisoning Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST Scientists are reporting development of a fast, reliable new test that could help people avoid a terrible type of food poisoning that comes from eating fish tainted with a difficult-to-detect toxin from marine algae growing in warm waters.

Tear drops may rival blood drops in testing blood sugar in diabetes Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST Scientists are reporting development and successful laboratory testing of an electrochemical sensor device that has the potential to measure blood sugar levels from tears instead of blood -- an advance that could save the world's 350 million diabetes patients the discomfort of pricking their fingers for droplets of blood used in traditional blood sugar tests.

Aerial robot system can save firefighter lives, study suggests Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST A new system built around an unmanned aerial vehicle has faced a real-world test in a West Virginia controlled forest burn, and proved its usefulness.

Breakthrough in understanding the genetics of high blood pressure Posted: 09 Nov 2011 07:42 AM PST A ground-breaking study into the causes of high blood pressure analyzed genetic material in human kidneys in a search for genes that might contribute to high blood pressure. The findings open up new avenues for future investigation into the causes of high blood pressure in humans.

Extreme antisocial personality predicts gang membership, finds study based on survey of male prisoners Posted: 09 Nov 2011 07:42 AM PST Research into the 2011 London riots found they were mostly committed by antisocial persons, less than 20 percent of whom were explicitly gang members. This is because gang membership is primarily for the most antisocial of such persons. New research has identified extreme antisocial personality as a key reason why some criminals join gangs.

Biologists slow the aging process in fruit flies: Study has implications for humans Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:39 AM PST Biologists have identified a gene that slows the aging process. The biologists, working with fruit flies, activated a gene called PGC-1, which increases the activity of mitochondria, the tiny power generators in cells that control cell growth and tell cells when to live and die.

Long-term carbon storage in Ganges basin may portend global warming worsening Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:39 AM PST Scientists have found that carbon is stored in the soils and sediments of the Ganges-Brahmaputra basin for a surprisingly long time, making it likely that global warming could destabilize the pool of carbon there and in similar places on Earth, potentially increasing the rate of CO2 release into the atmosphere.

Fundamental discovery casts enzymes in new light Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:39 AM PST A tree outside an office window provided the inspiration for a discovery that may ultimately lead to drugs with fewer side effects, less expensive biofuels and more.

New analysis of carbon accounting, biomass use, and climate benefits Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:38 AM PST A recent report provides new ideas regarding carbon and energy benefits forests and forest products provide. The report summarizes and analyzes the most recent science regarding forests and carbon accounting, biomass use, and forest carbon offsets.

Dairy foods may improve bone health during diet and exercise in overweight premenopausal women Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:38 AM PST A recent study found that consumption of dairy foods and higher protein resulted in improvements in markers of bone formation and reductions in markers of bone degradation in overweight and obese young women over 16 weeks of diet- and exercise-induced weight loss.

Prior vaccination is the decisive factor to be revaccinated Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:37 AM PST The rate of vaccination in the previous year is the factor that best predicts the number of people to be vaccinated in a new campaign, new research shows. The study also concludes that a significant percentage of people who should be vaccinated against this disease do not get vaccinated, and that a reminding letter post is effective for improving vaccination but only in a limited way.

Depression and chronic stress accelerates aging Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:37 AM PST People with recurrent depressions or those exposed to chronic stress exhibits shorter telomeres in white blood cells.

Chemists develop compounds capable of forming heath-resistant, economic and biocompatible gels Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:37 AM PST Eating a yogurt or a jelly, using a pharmaceutical or cosmetic cream or shampoo... are just some of the numerous everyday actions in which we use gels developed through a process of gelation. Researchers have now developed a new family of compounds that enables to develop gels more resistant to high temperatures with a higher level of biocompatibility and able to work with a variety of organic solvents, and all this with an easy synthesis, scalable and low cost. This family of compounds has significant applications in industries such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics or food industry, among others.

Temperature differences give rise to electricity Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:35 AM PST More than half of today's energy consumption is squandered in useless waste heat, such as the heat from refrigerators and all sorts of gadgets and the heat from factories and power plants. The energy losses are even greater in cars. Automobile motors only manage to utilize 30 per cent of the energy they generate.

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