ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Carcinogens linked to cancer stem cells, but spinach can help
• Apple peel compound boosts brown fat, reduces obesity in mice
• Discovery increases understanding how bacteria spread
• Scientists gain understanding of self-cleaning gecko foot hair
• Children exposed to HIV in the womb at increased risk for hearing loss
• Role of cellular protein demonstrated in regulation of binge eating
• 'Master molecule' may improve stem cell treatment of heart attacks
• Muscular dystrophy: MG53 protein is shown to repair cell and tissue damage
• Asymmetry may provide clue to superconductivity
• Structure of RNAi complex now crystal clear
• Researchers estimate ice content of crater at moon's south pole
• Trouble on the horizon for genetically modified crops?
• Healthy muscle mass linked to healthy bones, but there are gender differences
• Soon after the Big Bang, heavier elements emerge: Tin-100, a doubly magic nucleus
• New drugs, new ways to target androgens in prostate cancer therapy
• Respect matters more than money for happiness in life
• Online weight loss programs that feature successful dieters may help
• All things big and small: The brain's discerning taste for size
• Graphene is a tunable plasmonic medium
• Chemical analysis of pottery reveals first dairying in Saharan Africa nearly 7,000 years ago
• Megapixel camera? Try gigapixel
• How humans predict other's decisions
• Taming light with graphene
• Poor role models: Children say two-thirds of parents do 'almost no physical activity'
• Molecule thought cancer foe actually helps thyroid tumors grow
• Scientists identify protein required to regrow injured nerves in limbs
• Proposed drug may reverse Huntington's disease symptoms: Single treatment gives long-term improvement in animals
• Melting sea ice threatens emperor penguins
• Preserved frogs hold clues to deadly pathogen
• Gold nanoparticles capable of 'unzipping' DNA
• Nano-pesticides: Solution or threat for a cleaner and greener agriculture?
• Stars, jets and batteries: Multi-faceted magnetic phenomenon confirmed in the laboratory for the first time
• Earliest record of mating fossil vertebrates: Nine pairs of fossilized turtles died while mating 47 million years ago
• Health check for European streams
• Surgery 'Reanimates' smile in patients with facial paralysis
• Understanding of spinal muscular atrophy improved with use of stem cells
• Solar nanowire array may increase percentage of sun's frequencies available for energy conversion
• Sorghum should be in the biofuel crop mix, experts say
• New clue to unexplained excited delirium deaths
• Very Large Telescope takes a close look at the War and Peace Nebula
• Why the vibrant city of Palmyra was located in the middle of what is now the Syrian Desert
• Risk factors for heart attack remain low seven years after gastric bypass
• Restoring streamside forests helps songbirds survive the winter in California's Central Valley
• Noisy environments make young songbirds shuffle their tunes: Baby songbirds shape their species' playlist
• Resveratrol may be natural exercise performance enhancer
• Low/moderate drinking in early pregnancy has no adverse effects on children aged five, study suggests
• Mother goats do not forget their kids
• Eat less meat and farm efficiently to tackle climate change

Carcinogens linked to cancer stem cells, but spinach can help Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:32 PM PDT Researchers for the first time have traced the actions of a known carcinogen in cooked meat to its complex biological effects on microRNA and cancer stem cells. They also found that spinach can help prevent some of the damage done by this carcinogen.

Apple peel compound boosts brown fat, reduces obesity in mice Posted: 20 Jun 2012 06:28 PM PDT Obesity and its associated problems such as diabetes and fatty liver disease are increasingly common global health concerns. A new study shows that a natural substance found in apple peel can partially protect mice from obesity and some of its harmful effects.

Discovery increases understanding how bacteria spread Posted: 20 Jun 2012 01:24 PM PDT A researcher is moving closer to understanding how infection is caused by the spread of bacteria.

Scientists gain understanding of self-cleaning gecko foot hair Posted: 20 Jun 2012 01:24 PM PDT Wall-climbing robots, bioadhesives or other sticky substances can benefit greatly from a recent discovery about the self-cleaning and reuse abilities of a gecko. The sticky yet clean attribute of this discovery is the gecko toe pad and its ability to repeatedly attach and detach to a surface.

Children exposed to HIV in the womb at increased risk for hearing loss Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:40 PM PDT Children exposed to HIV in the womb may be more likely to experience hearing loss by age 16 than are their unexposed peers.

Role of cellular protein demonstrated in regulation of binge eating Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:40 PM PDT Researchers have demonstrated in experimental models that blocking the Sigma-1 receptor, a cellular protein, reduced binge eating and caused binge eaters to eat more slowly.

'Master molecule' may improve stem cell treatment of heart attacks Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:39 PM PDT A single protein molecule may hold the key to turning cardiac stem cells into blood vessels or muscle tissue, a finding that may lead to better ways to treat heart attack patients.

Muscular dystrophy: MG53 protein is shown to repair cell and tissue damage Posted: 20 Jun 2012 12:38 PM PDT Throughout the lifecycle, injury to the body's cells occurs naturally, as well as through trauma. Cells have the ability to repair and regenerate themselves, but a defect in the repair process can lead to cardiovascular, neurological, muscular or pulmonary diseases. Recent discoveries of key genes that control cell repair have advanced the often painstaking search for ways to enhance the repair process. A new study reports that the protein MG53, previously shown to be the key initiator in the cell membrane repair process, has the potential to be used directly as a therapeutic approach to treating traumatic tissue damage.

Asymmetry may provide clue to superconductivity Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:33 AM PDT Physicists are reporting intriguing new details regarding the quirky electronic properties of high-temperature superconductors (HTS). They discovered an asymmetric electronic order that extends into the superconducting temperature range in a recently discovered iron-based HTS. The asymmetric feature also bears a striking resemblance to the "pseudogap" order found in copper-based HTSs.

Structure of RNAi complex now crystal clear Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:32 AM PDT Researchers have determined and analyzed the crystal structure of a yeast Argonaute protein bound to RNA, which plays a key role in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway that silences genes.

Researchers estimate ice content of crater at moon's south pole Posted: 20 Jun 2012 11:11 AM PDT NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has returned data that indicate ice may make up as much as 22 percent of the surface material in a crater located on the moon's south pole. The team of NASA and university scientists using laser light from LRO's laser altimeter examined the floor of Shackleton crater. They found the crater's floor is brighter than those of other nearby craters, which is consistent with the presence of small amounts of ice. This information will help researchers understand crater formation and study other uncharted areas of the moon.

Trouble on the horizon for genetically modified crops? Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT Pests are adapting to genetically modified crops in unexpected ways, including dominant resistance not previously observed in the lab, researchers have discovered. The findings underscore the importance of closely monitoring and countering pest resistance to biotech crops.

Healthy muscle mass linked to healthy bones, but there are gender differences Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT A new study looked at skeletal muscle mass and bone health across the life span and discovered distinct differences in how muscle affects the two layers of bone in men and women.

Soon after the Big Bang, heavier elements emerge: Tin-100, a doubly magic nucleus Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT A few minutes after the Big Bang the universe contained no other elements than hydrogen and helium. Physicists have now succeeded in producing tin-100, a very unstable yet important element for understanding the formation of heavier elements.

New drugs, new ways to target androgens in prostate cancer therapy Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT Prostate cancer cells require androgens including testosterone to grow. A recent review describes new classes of drugs that target androgens in novel ways, providing alternatives to the traditional methods that frequently carry high side effects.

Respect matters more than money for happiness in life Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT New research suggests that overall happiness in life is more related to how much you are respected and admired by those around you, not to the status that comes from how much money you have stashed in your bank account.

Online weight loss programs that feature successful dieters may help Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT A Web-based program featuring successful strategies of others who have lost weight may be an effective strategy for weight loss, according to researchers.

All things big and small: The brain's discerning taste for size Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT The brain organizes objects based on their physical size, with a specific region of the brain reserved for recognizing large objects and another reserved for small objects, according to a new article. These findings could have major implications for fields like robotics, and could lead to a greater understanding of how the brain organizes and maps information.

Graphene is a tunable plasmonic medium Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT With a beam of infrared light, scientists have sent ripples of electrons along the surface of graphene and demonstrated that they can control the length and height of these oscillations, called plasmons, using a simple electrical circuit. This is the first time anyone has observed plasmons on graphene, sheets of carbon just one atom thick, and an important step toward using plasmons to process and transmit information in spaces too tight to use light.

Chemical analysis of pottery reveals first dairying in Saharan Africa nearly 7,000 years ago Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:31 AM PDT The first unequivocal evidence that humans in prehistoric Saharan Africa used cattle for their milk nearly 7,000 years ago is described in new research.

Megapixel camera? Try gigapixel Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:31 AM PDT By synchronizing 98 tiny cameras in a single device, electrical engineers have developed a prototype camera that can create images with unprecedented detail. The camera's resolution is five times better than 20/20 human vision over a 120 degree horizontal field. The new camera has the potential to capture up to 50 gigapixels of data, which is 50,000 megapixels. By comparison, most consumer cameras are capable of taking photographs with sizes ranging from 8 to 40 megapixels.

How humans predict other's decisions Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:31 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered two brain signals in the human prefrontal cortex involved in how humans predict the decisions of other people. Their results suggest that the two signals, each located in distinct prefrontal circuits, strike a balance between expected and observed rewards and choices, enabling humans to predict the actions of people with different values than their own.

Taming light with graphene Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:30 AM PDT Scientists have visualized the trapping and confinement of light on graphene, making a sheet of carbon atoms the most promising candidate for optical information processing on the nano-scale, optical detection, and ultrafast optoelectronics.

Poor role models: Children say two-thirds of parents do 'almost no physical activity' Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:30 AM PDT Children who said their parents do almost no physical activity have a 50 per cent greater risk of being unfit than children with more physically active parents, according to new research.

Molecule thought cancer foe actually helps thyroid tumors grow Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:29 AM PDT A molecule widely believed to fight many forms of cancer actually helps deadly thyroid tumors grow, and cancer therapies now being tested in humans might boost the activity of this newly revealed bad guy, researchers say.

Scientists identify protein required to regrow injured nerves in limbs Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:29 AM PDT A protein required to regrow injured peripheral nerves has been identified. The finding, in mice, has implications for improving recovery after nerve injury in the extremities. It also opens new avenues of investigation toward triggering nerve regeneration in the central nervous system, notorious for its inability to heal.

Proposed drug may reverse Huntington's disease symptoms: Single treatment gives long-term improvement in animals Posted: 20 Jun 2012 10:29 AM PDT With a single drug treatment, researchers can silence the mutated gene responsible for Huntington's disease, slowing and partially reversing progression of the fatal neurodegenerative disorder in animal models.

Melting sea ice threatens emperor penguins Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:33 AM PDT At nearly four feet tall, the Emperor penguin is Antarctica's largest sea bird -- and thanks to films like "March of the Penguins" and "Happy Feet," it's also one of the continent's most iconic. If global temperatures continue to rise, however, the Emperor penguins in Terre Adélie, in East Antarctica may eventually disappear, according to a new study.

Preserved frogs hold clues to deadly pathogen Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:32 AM PDT A graduate student has developed a novel means for charting the history of a pathogen deadly to amphibians worldwide.

Gold nanoparticles capable of 'unzipping' DNA Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:32 AM PDT Gold nanoparticles with a slight positive charge work collectively to unravel DNA's double helix. This finding has ramifications for gene therapy research and the emerging field of DNA-based electronics.

Nano-pesticides: Solution or threat for a cleaner and greener agriculture? Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:32 AM PDT Research is urgently needed to evaluate the risks and benefits of nano-pesticides to human and environmental health. Scientists recently performed an extensive analysis of this emerging field of research. The study presents the current scientific state of art on nano-pesticides and identifies direction priorities for future research.

Stars, jets and batteries: Multi-faceted magnetic phenomenon confirmed in the laboratory for the first time Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:32 AM PDT Magnetic instabilities play a crucial role in the emergence of black holes and other cosmic phenomena. The confirmation of such a magnetic instability – the Tayler instability – was successfully achieved for the first time. The findings should be able to facilitate construction of large liquid-metal batteries, which are under discussion as cheap storage facilities for renewable energy.

Earliest record of mating fossil vertebrates: Nine pairs of fossilized turtles died while mating 47 million years ago Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:31 AM PDT The fossil record consists mostly of the fragmentary remains of ancient animals and plants. But some finds can provide spectacular insights into the life and environment of ancient organisms. Scientists have just discovered nine pairs of fossilized turtles that perished in the act of mating.

Health check for European streams Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:31 AM PDT In a unique field experiment, ten research groups from nine different countries have studied the ecological status of 100 streams across Europe. This was the first study to make extensive use of leaf-litter breakdown as an assessment method.

Surgery 'Reanimates' smile in patients with facial paralysis Posted: 20 Jun 2012 08:30 AM PDT A surgical technique using a muscle flap from the thigh restores facial motion —- and the ability to smile —- in patients with facial nerve paralysis resulting from neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), reports a new study.

Understanding of spinal muscular atrophy improved with use of stem cells Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:10 AM PDT Scientists have pioneered research on how motor-neuron cell-death occurs in patients with spinal muscular atrophy, offering an important clue in identifying potential medicines to treat this leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers.

Solar nanowire array may increase percentage of sun's frequencies available for energy conversion Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:10 AM PDT Using a nanowire substrate to anchor advanced photovoltaic materials, researchers are able to alleviate strains between materials that otherwise would shorten life spans for photovoltaic products.

Sorghum should be in the biofuel crop mix, experts say Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:09 AM PDT Sweet and biomass sorghum would meet the need for next-generation biofuels to be environmentally sustainable, easily adopted by producers and take advantage of existing agricultural infrastructure.

New clue to unexplained excited delirium deaths Posted: 20 Jun 2012 07:08 AM PDT Research sheds light on unexpected deaths that may be caused by an abnormal cardiac condition called Long QT Syndrome, compounded by a situation of Excited Delirium (ExD) Syndrome.

Very Large Telescope takes a close look at the War and Peace Nebula Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:31 AM PDT ESO's Very Large Telescope has taken the most detailed image so far of a spectacular part of the stellar nursery called the War and Peace Nebula. The view shows many hot young stars, glowing clouds of gas and weird dust formations sculpted by ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds.

Why the vibrant city of Palmyra was located in the middle of what is now the Syrian Desert Posted: 20 Jun 2012 05:31 AM PDT Norwegian archaeologists have solved one of the great puzzles of the Roman Empire: Why was the vibrant city of Palmyra located in the middle of the Syrian Desert?

Risk factors for heart attack remain low seven years after gastric bypass Posted: 20 Jun 2012 04:37 AM PDT Total cholesterol, triglycerides and C-reactive protein levels are among 11 risk factors for heart attack that remained greatly reduced up to seven years after gastric bypass surgery, according to a new study.

Restoring streamside forests helps songbirds survive the winter in California's Central Valley Posted: 19 Jun 2012 08:02 PM PDT Restoring floodplain forests in the Central Valley of California helps songbirds survive through the winter, a finding previously substantiated only for summer nesting birds.

Noisy environments make young songbirds shuffle their tunes: Baby songbirds shape their species' playlist Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT iPod owners aren't the only ones who frequently shuffle their favorite tunes. Baby songbirds do it, too, a new study shows.

Resveratrol may be natural exercise performance enhancer Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT A natural compound found in some fruits, nuts and red wine may enhance exercise training and performance, demonstrates newly published medical research.

Low/moderate drinking in early pregnancy has no adverse effects on children aged five, study suggests Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT Low and moderate weekly alcohol consumption in early pregnancy is not associated with adverse neuropsychological effects in children aged five, suggests a series of new articles. However, high levels of alcohol per week were linked with a lower attention span among five year olds.

Mother goats do not forget their kids Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT Mother goats remember the calls of their kids for up to 11-17 months, scientists have found.

Eat less meat and farm efficiently to tackle climate change Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:59 PM PDT We need to eat less meat and recycle our waste to re-balance the global carbon cycle and reduce our risk of dangerous levels of climate change. New research shows that if today's meat-eating habits continue, the predicted rise in the global population could spell ecological disaster. But changes in our lifestyle and our farming could make space for growing crops for bioenergy and carbon storage.

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