ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Surprising results from smoke inhalation study
• Walk this way: Scientists and physiology students describe how a motor protein 'steps out'
• Perfectly spherical gold nanodroplets produced with the smallest-ever nanojets
• Novel chemical route to form organic molecules
• Managing private and public adaptation to climate change
• Discovery of plant 'nourishing gene' brings hope for increased crop seed yield and food security
• Superconducting current limiter guarantees electricity supply of the Boxberg power plant
• NIH study shows 32 million Americans have autoantibodies that target their own tissues
• Particle-free silver ink prints small, high-performance electronics
• Horse fly named in honor of Beyonce
• What can be done to slow climate change?
• New clue in battle against Australian Hendra virus: African bats have antibodies that neutralize deadly virus
• Cold winters caused by warmer summers, research suggests
• Newly identified type of immune cell may be important protector against sepsis
• World's smallest magnetic data storage unit
• Diverse ecosystems are crucial climate change buffer
• Genes and disease mechanisms behind a common form of muscular dystrophy discovered
• How stem cell implants help heal traumatic brain injury
• Discovery could help stem smoking-related diseases
• Diet counts: Iron intake in teen years can impact brain in later life
• One-third of car fuel consumption is due to friction loss
• Pivotal immune cell in Type 1 diabetes in humans identified
• New nanotech technique for lower-cost materials repair
• First major genetic mutation associated with hereditary prostate cancer risk
• First step toward treatment for painful flat feet
• Atrial arrhythmias detected by pacemakers increase risk of stroke
• Cause of rare immune disease identified: Genetic mutation leads to cold allergy, immune deficiency and autoimmunity
• Gym benefits help Medicare plans recruit healthy seniors

Surprising results from smoke inhalation study Posted: 13 Jan 2012 06:10 PM PST A new study includes some unexpected findings about the immune systems of smoke-inhalation patients.

Walk this way: Scientists and physiology students describe how a motor protein 'steps out' Posted: 13 Jan 2012 06:06 PM PST Scientists have discovered the unique "drunken sailor" gait of dynein, a protein that is critical for the function of every cell in the body and whose malfunction has been associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Lou Gehrig's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Perfectly spherical gold nanodroplets produced with the smallest-ever nanojets Posted: 13 Jan 2012 05:54 PM PST Scientists have developed a new method for optical manipulation of matter at the nanoscale. Using 'plasmonic hotspots' – regions with electric current that heat up very locally – gold nanostructures can be melted and made to produce the smallest nanojets ever observed. The tiny gold nanodroplets formed in the nanojets, are perfectly spherical, which makes them interesting for applications in medicine.

Novel chemical route to form organic molecules Posted: 13 Jan 2012 07:20 AM PST Scientists have discovered a novel chemical route to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons -- complex organic molecules such as naphthalene carrying fused benzene rings -- in ultra-cold regions of interstellar space.

Managing private and public adaptation to climate change Posted: 13 Jan 2012 07:20 AM PST New research has found that individuals and the private sector have an important role to play in the provision of public policies to help society adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Discovery of plant 'nourishing gene' brings hope for increased crop seed yield and food security Posted: 13 Jan 2012 07:20 AM PST Scientists have discovered a "nourishing gene" which controls the transfer of nutrients from plant to seed -- a significant step which could help increase global food production.

Superconducting current limiter guarantees electricity supply of the Boxberg power plant Posted: 13 Jan 2012 07:20 AM PST For the first time, a superconducting current limiter based on YBCO strip conductors has now been installed at a power plant. At the Boxberg power plant of Vattenfall, the current limiter protects the grid for own consumption that is designed for 12,000 volts and 800 amperes against damage due to short circuits and voltage peaks.

NIH study shows 32 million Americans have autoantibodies that target their own tissues Posted: 13 Jan 2012 06:38 AM PST More than 32 million people in the United States have autoantibodies, which are proteins made by the immune system that target the body's tissues and define a condition known as autoimmunity, a study shows. The first nationally representative sample looking at the prevalence of the most common type of autoantibody, known as antinuclear antibodies (ANA), found that the frequency of ANA is highest among women, older individuals, and African-Americans.

Particle-free silver ink prints small, high-performance electronics Posted: 13 Jan 2012 06:36 AM PST Materials scientists have developed a new reactive silver ink for printing high-performance electronics on ubiquitous, low-cost materials such as flexible plastic, paper or fabric substrates. The reactive ink has several advantages over particle-based inks: low processing temperature, high conductivity, and the ability to print very small features.

Horse fly named in honor of Beyonce Posted: 13 Jan 2012 06:36 AM PST A previously unnamed species of horse fly whose appearance is dominated by its glamorous golden lower abdomen has been named in honor of American pop diva, Beyonce -- a member of the former group Destiny's Child, that recorded the 2001 hit single, "Bootylicious."

What can be done to slow climate change? Posted: 12 Jan 2012 04:34 PM PST Scientists have detailed 14 key air pollution control measures that, if implemented, could slow the pace of global warming, improve health and boost agricultural production.

New clue in battle against Australian Hendra virus: African bats have antibodies that neutralize deadly virus Posted: 12 Jan 2012 04:34 PM PST A new study on African bats provides a vital clue for unraveling the mysteries in Australia's battle with the deadly Hendra virus.

Cold winters caused by warmer summers, research suggests Posted: 12 Jan 2012 04:34 PM PST Scientists have offered up a convincing explanation for the harsh winters recently experienced in the Northern hemisphere: increasing temperatures and melting ice in the Arctic regions creating more snowfall in the autumn months at lower latitudes.

Newly identified type of immune cell may be important protector against sepsis Posted: 12 Jan 2012 11:22 AM PST Investigators have discovered a previously unknown type of immune cell, a B cell that can produce the important growth factor GM-CSF, which stimulates many other immune cells. They also found that these novel cells may help protect against the overwhelming, life-threatening immune reaction known as sepsis.

World's smallest magnetic data storage unit Posted: 12 Jan 2012 11:22 AM PST Scientists have built the world's smallest magnetic data storage unit. It uses just twelve atoms per bit, the basic unit of information, and squeezes a whole byte (8-bit) into as few as 96 atoms.

Diverse ecosystems are crucial climate change buffer Posted: 12 Jan 2012 11:22 AM PST Preserving diverse plant life will be crucial to buffer the negative effects of climate change and desertification in in the world's drylands, according to a new landmark study.

Genes and disease mechanisms behind a common form of muscular dystrophy discovered Posted: 12 Jan 2012 10:43 AM PST Continuing a series of groundbreaking discoveries begun in 2010 about the genetic causes of the third most common form of inherited muscular dystrophy, scientists have identified the genes and proteins that damage muscle cells, as well as the mechanisms that can cause the disease.

How stem cell implants help heal traumatic brain injury Posted: 12 Jan 2012 08:26 AM PST Researchers have identified key molecular mechanisms by which implanted human neural stem cells aid recovery from traumatic axonal injury.

Discovery could help stem smoking-related diseases Posted: 12 Jan 2012 07:06 AM PST Sufferers of smoking-related lung diseases could have their debilitating symptoms reduced following the discovery of a potential new treatment.

Diet counts: Iron intake in teen years can impact brain in later life Posted: 12 Jan 2012 06:58 AM PST Researchers have found that a lack of iron in the diet during the teenage years can have a negative impact on the brain years later, making the brain more susceptible to such disorders as Alzheimer's. Further, the researchers have identified a common set of genes that influence both iron and brain structure.

One-third of car fuel consumption is due to friction loss Posted: 12 Jan 2012 06:58 AM PST No less than one-third of a car's fuel consumption is spent in overcoming friction, and this friction loss has a direct impact on both fuel consumption and emissions. However, new technology can reduce friction by anything from 10 to 80 percent in various components of a car, according to a new study.

Pivotal immune cell in Type 1 diabetes in humans identified Posted: 12 Jan 2012 06:58 AM PST Researchers have demonstrataed -- for the first time in human tissues -- the specific immune system T cells which trigger the destruction of Type 1 diabetes in the pancreas. The finding is an important advance that verifies in humans several important disease characteristics shown in mouse studies and provides a key focal point for interrupting the disease process.

New nanotech technique for lower-cost materials repair Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:38 PM PST Polymer scientists and engineers have discovered how to make nano-scale repairs to a damaged surface equivalent to spot-filling a scratched car fender rather than re-surfacing the entire part.

First major genetic mutation associated with hereditary prostate cancer risk Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:37 PM PST After a 20-year quest to find a genetic driver for prostate cancer that strikes men at younger ages and runs in families, researchers have identified a rare, inherited mutation linked to a significantly higher risk of the disease.

First step toward treatment for painful flat feet Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:37 PM PST Scientists have made an advance in understanding the causes of adult-acquired flat feet -- a painful condition particularly affecting middle-aged women.

Atrial arrhythmias detected by pacemakers increase risk of stroke Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:33 PM PST Silent atrial fibrillation is very common and may be the cause of many strokes that previously could not be explained. In all, atrial fibrillation may be responsible for nearly one in five strokes.

Cause of rare immune disease identified: Genetic mutation leads to cold allergy, immune deficiency and autoimmunity Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:33 PM PST Investigators have identified a genetic mutation in three unrelated families that causes a rare immune disorder characterized by excessive and impaired immune function. Symptoms of this condition include immune deficiency, autoimmunity, inflammatory skin disorders and cold-induced hives, a condition known as cold urticaria.

Gym benefits help Medicare plans recruit healthy seniors Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:33 PM PST Medicare Advantage plans are not allowed to exclude unhealthy (and costly) seniors, but new research shows that they have effectively used gym memberships to bring healthier (and more profitable) members into their subscriber base.

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