ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• BOSS quasars unveil a new era in the expansion history of the universe
• New studies shed light on what it cost to vaccinate girls against HPV in low income countries
• How elderly go from being perceived as capable consumer to 'old person'
• Smoking parents often expose children to tobacco smoke in their cars
• Divorce costs thousands of American women health insurance coverage
• The aftermath of calculator use in college classrooms
• Snap judgments during speed dating
• Emotional disconnection disorder threatens marriages, researcher says
• Dance intervention improves self-rated health of girls with internalizing problems
• Fasting time prior to blood lipid tests appears to have limited association with lipid levels
• Catch and release of rare cancer cells inspired by jellyfish
• Jellyfish-inspired device that captures cancer cells from blood samples could enable better patient monitoring
• Saving lives could start at shift change: A simple way to improve hospital handoff conversations
• L-DOPA therapy for Angelman syndrome may have both benefits and unanticipated effects, study suggests
• Erosion has a point, and an edge
• Cold weather increases carbon monoxide dangers
• Housing quality associated with children's burn injury risk
• Nurse practitioners: The right prescription to ease doctor shortage?
• Head injury and pesticide exposure leads to triple the risk of Parkinson’s disease
• Cilia guide neuronal migration in developing brain
• Meditation appears to produce enduring changes in emotional processing in the brain
• A better route to xylan: Researchers find new access to abundant biomass for advanced biofuels
• 'Strain tuning' reveals promise in nanoscale manufacturing
• New power generation technique: Hybrid nanomaterial converts light and thermal energy into electrical current
• Infants mimic unusual behavior when accompanied by language
• Species persistence or extinction: Through a mathematical lens
• Desecrated ancient temple sheds light on early power struggles at Tel Beth-Shemesh
• Genetic link between pancreatitis and alcohol consumption
• Humans are slowly but surely losing intellectual and emotional abilities, article suggests
• How chronic inflammation can cause cancer
• List of diseases spread by deer tick grows, including malaria-like problems and potentially fatal encephalitis
• No more diabetes: Not all bariatric surgeries are created equal when it comes to getting rid of diabetes and unwanted pounds
• Partisanship shapes views on political, non-political issues
• Gene sequencing project identifies abnormal gene that launches rare childhood leukemia
• Early clinical observations in the fungal meningitis outbreak
• Genome sequencing of Burkitt Lymphoma reveals unique mutation
• New live vaccine approach for SARS and novel coronaviruses discovered
• Patients shy away from asking healthcare workers to wash hands
• Ultrasound gel and infections: Researchers propose guidelines to reduce risk
• Smart drug improves survival in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia
• Bringing measuring accuracy to radical treatment
• Job stress and mental health problems contribute to higher rates of physician suicide
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory's supercomputer named world’s most powerful
• New study shows effects of climate conditions on bark beetle outbreaks
• First noiseless single photon amplifier
• Call for global monitoring of infectious diseases in dogs and cats
• Undersea gas leaks off Israel’s coast discovered
• Genetic defense mechanism may offer biological clue to racial disparities in kidney disease
• Mobile apps make reading fun for children with dyslexia, occupational therapist says
• New way to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen: Breakthrough for solar energy conversion and storage?
• Children’s headaches rarely indicate a need for eyeglasses, study finds
• Soothing sounds during cataract surgery reduces patient anxiety
• Physicians often fail to disclose conflicts of interest on social media
• Combination of PI3-kinase and PARP inhibitors may offer new treatment option for triple-negative breast cancers
• Systematic incarceration of African American males is a wrong, costly path
• Researchers unlock ancient Maya secrets with modern soil science
• Black patients with kidney cancer have poorer survival than whites, study finds
• Expert: Time to break the beta blocker habit?
• Did wild birds cause the 2010 deadly West Nile virus outbreak in Greece?
• Scientists unravel the mystery of marine methane oxidation

BOSS quasars unveil a new era in the expansion history of the universe Posted: 12 Nov 2012 07:43 PM PST BOSS, the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, is mapping a huge volume of space to measure the role of dark energy in the evolution of the universe. BOSS is the largest program of the third Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III) and has just announced the first major result of a new mapping technique, based on the spectra of over 48,000 quasars with redshifts up to 3.5, meaning that light left these active galaxies up to 11.5 billion years in the past.

New studies shed light on what it cost to vaccinate girls against HPV in low income countries Posted: 12 Nov 2012 07:17 PM PST Two new studies examined the cost of delivering the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to primary school girls in Tanzania. Both studies found that the cost of HPV vaccine delivery to adolescent girls may be substantially higher compared with the cost of delivering a new vaccine to an infant where the delivery schedule matches the existing infant immunization schedule.

How elderly go from being perceived as capable consumer to 'old person' Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:14 PM PST Many baby boomers want to improve the way people view aging, but a researcher has found they often reinforce negative stereotypes of old age when interacting with their own parents, coloring the way those seniors experience their twilight years.

Smoking parents often expose children to tobacco smoke in their cars Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:14 PM PST A new study suggests that parents may not recognize the dangers of smoking in their cars with a child present.

Divorce costs thousands of American women health insurance coverage Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:14 PM PST About 115,000 American women lose private health insurance every year in the wake of divorce, a study shows.

The aftermath of calculator use in college classrooms Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:14 PM PST Math instructors promoting calculator usage in college classrooms may want to rethink their teaching strategies, experts say. They have proposed the need for further research regarding calculators' role in the classroom after conducting a limited study with undergraduate engineering students.

Snap judgments during speed dating Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST For speed daters, first impressions are everything. But it's more than just whether someone is hot or not. Researchershave found that people make such speed-dating decisions based on a combination of two different factors that are related to activity in two distinct parts of the brain.

Emotional disconnection disorder threatens marriages, researcher says Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST An interpersonal communication researchers found when one spouse suffers from alexithymia, the partners can experience loneliness and a lack of intimate communication that lead to poor marital quality.

Dance intervention improves self-rated health of girls with internalizing problems Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST A dance intervention program improved the self-rated health of Swedish girls with internalizing problems, such as stress and psychosomatic symptoms.

Fasting time prior to blood lipid tests appears to have limited association with lipid levels Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST Fasting prior to blood lipid tests appears to have limited association with lipid subclass levels, suggesting that fasting for routine lipid level determinations may be unnecessary.

Catch and release of rare cancer cells inspired by jellyfish Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST A research team has developed a novel device that may one day have broad therapeutic and diagnostic uses in the detection and capture of rare cell types, such as cancer cells, fetal cells, viruses and bacteria.

Jellyfish-inspired device that captures cancer cells from blood samples could enable better patient monitoring Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST Tumor cells circulating in a patient's bloodstream can yield a great deal of information on how a tumor is responding to treatment and what drugs might be more effective against it. But first, these rare cells have to be captured and isolated from the many other cells found in a blood sample. Scientists are now working on microfluidic devices that can isolate circulating tumor cells.

Saving lives could start at shift change: A simple way to improve hospital handoff conversations Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:13 PM PST At hospital shift changes, doctors and nurses exchange crucial information about the patients they're handing over -- or at least they strive to. In reality, they might not spend enough time talking about the toughest cases, according to a new study.

L-DOPA therapy for Angelman syndrome may have both benefits and unanticipated effects, study suggests Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:12 PM PST New research from the University of North Carolina provides a neurological justification for this therapeutic approach, but researchers caution there could be unanticipated effects.

Erosion has a point, and an edge Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:12 PM PST Erosion caused by flowing water does not only smooth out objects, but can also form distinct shapes with sharp points and edges, researchers have found. Their findings reveal the unexpected ways that erosion can affect landscapes and artificial materials.

Cold weather increases carbon monoxide dangers Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:12 PM PST With temperatures dropping and cold weather settling in, people will turn to gas furnaces, space heaters and fireplaces for warmth. Not so fast, caution pulmonologists from Harris Health System, who recommend that everyone get those devices checked for carbon monoxide leaks. Known as the silent killer, carbon monoxide is the gas byproduct of the incomplete combustion of fuel used in cars, gasoline engines, stoves, lanterns, burning charcoal or wood, gas ranges, fireplaces and heaters.

Housing quality associated with children's burn injury risk Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:10 PM PST New study finds that many children may be at heightened risk for fire and scald burns by virtue of living in substandard housing.

Nurse practitioners: The right prescription to ease doctor shortage? Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:10 PM PST Reports indicate that Michigan faces a physician shortage much larger than the national average, and it will grow as millions of Americans qualify for insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

Head injury and pesticide exposure leads to triple the risk of Parkinson’s disease Posted: 12 Nov 2012 02:10 PM PST A new study shows that people who have had a head injury and have lived or worked near areas where the pesticide paraquat was used may be three times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease.

Cilia guide neuronal migration in developing brain Posted: 12 Nov 2012 12:03 PM PST A new study demonstrates the dynamic role cilia play in guiding the migration of neurons in the embryonic brain. Cilia are tiny hair-like structures on the surfaces of cells, but here they are acting more like radio antennae. In developing mouse embryos, researchers were able to see cilia extending and retracting as neurons migrate. The cilia appear to be receiving signals needed for neurons to find their places.

Meditation appears to produce enduring changes in emotional processing in the brain Posted: 12 Nov 2012 12:03 PM PST A new study has found that participating in an eight-week meditation training program can have measurable effects on how the brain functions even when someone is not actively meditating. The researchers also found differences in those effects based on the specific type of meditation practiced.

A better route to xylan: Researchers find new access to abundant biomass for advanced biofuels Posted: 12 Nov 2012 12:03 PM PST Researchers have identified a gene in rice plants whose suppression improves both the extraction of xylan and the overall release of the sugars needed to make biofuels.

'Strain tuning' reveals promise in nanoscale manufacturing Posted: 12 Nov 2012 12:03 PM PST Researcher combined theoretical and experimental studies to understand and control the self-assembly of insulating barium zirconium oxide nanodots and nanorods within barium-copper-oxide superconducting films.

New power generation technique: Hybrid nanomaterial converts light and thermal energy into electrical current Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:56 AM PST Researchers have created a hybrid nanomaterial that can be used to convert light and thermal energy into electrical current. The team built a prototype thermoelectric generator they hope can eventually produce milliwatts for use in devices such as self-powering sensors, low-power electronic devices and implantable biomedical micro-devices, they said. They have also coupled gold nanoparticles with copper sulfide nanoparticles for potential use in cancer therapy.

Infants mimic unusual behavior when accompanied by language Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:56 AM PST A new study shows the power of language in infants' ability to understand the intentions of others. The results, based on two experiments, show that introducing a novel word for the impending novel event had a powerful effect on the infants' tendency to imitate the behavior. Infants were more likely to imitate behavior, however unconventional, if it had been named, than if it remained unnamed, the study shows.

Species persistence or extinction: Through a mathematical lens Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:56 AM PST A new study uses mathematical modeling to study Allee effects, the phenomenon by which a population's growth declines at low densities.

Desecrated ancient temple sheds light on early power struggles at Tel Beth-Shemesh Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:56 AM PST In a finding unparalleled in the archaeological record, researchers have uncovered evidence of the desecration of a sacred temple at the excavation of Tel Beth-Shemesh in Israel.

Genetic link between pancreatitis and alcohol consumption Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:55 AM PST A new study reveals a genetic link between chronic pancreatitis and alcohol consumption. Researchers found a genetic variant on chromosome X near the claudin-2 gene (CLDN2) that predicts which men who are heavy drinkers are at high risk of developing chronic pancreatitis.

Humans are slowly but surely losing intellectual and emotional abilities, article suggests Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:55 AM PST Human intelligence and behavior require optimal functioning of a large number of genes, which requires enormous evolutionary pressures to maintain. A provocative theory suggests that we are losing our intellectual and emotional capabilities because the intricate web of genes endowing us with our brain power is particularly susceptible to mutations and that these mutations are not being selected against in our modern society.

How chronic inflammation can cause cancer Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:55 AM PST A new study has found that interleukin-15 (IL-15) alone can cause large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia, a rare and usually fatal form of cancer. The researchers developed a treatment for the leukemia that showed no discernible side effects in an animal model. The study shows that IL-15 is also overexpressed in patients with LGL leukemia and that it causes similar cellular changes, suggesting that the treatment should also benefit people with the malignancy.

List of diseases spread by deer tick grows, including malaria-like problems and potentially fatal encephalitis Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:55 AM PST An emerging tick-borne disease that causes symptoms similar to malaria is expanding its range in areas of the northeast where it has become well-established, according to new research.

No more diabetes: Not all bariatric surgeries are created equal when it comes to getting rid of diabetes and unwanted pounds Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:52 AM PST There are more than 72 million obese people in the United States, and tens of millions of them have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, an epidemic that continues to grow at a rapid pace. The good news is that certain types of bariatric surgery are proving to be effective options in eliminating diabetes and reducing weight. A recent study found that 36 percent of gastric bypass patients did not need diabetes medication two weeks after surgery and 67 percent were medication free after one year.

Partisanship shapes views on political, non-political issues Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:52 AM PST A pre-election survey found that party affiliation alters how people react to political as well as non-political issues, including how individuals assess their own financial well-being. The results suggest that partisanship is often a substitute for knowledge and personal experience, researchers said.

Gene sequencing project identifies abnormal gene that launches rare childhood leukemia Posted: 12 Nov 2012 10:52 AM PST Research has identified a fusion gene responsible for almost 30 percent of a rare subtype of childhood leukemia with an extremely poor prognosis. The finding offers the first evidence of a mistake that gives rise to a significant percentage of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) cases in children. AMKL accounts for about 10 percent of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The discovery paves the way for desperately needed treatment advances.

Early clinical observations in the fungal meningitis outbreak Posted: 12 Nov 2012 08:32 AM PST A new article describes the diagnosis and treatment protocol established in a Roanoke, Va. hospital to care for dozens of patients presenting with suspected fungal meningitis related to contaminated epidural spinal injections. This unprecedented surge of patients seeking care for a rare central nervous system (CNS) infection required physicians to react quickly with little data to guide treatment decisions. The authors suggest that the data collected from these cases may fill information gaps and inform current and future therapy for fungal meningitis patients.

Genome sequencing of Burkitt Lymphoma reveals unique mutation Posted: 12 Nov 2012 08:31 AM PST In the first broad genetic landscape mapped of a Burkitt lymphoma tumor, scientists identified 70 mutations, including several that had not previously been associated with cancer and a new one that was unique to the disease.

New live vaccine approach for SARS and novel coronaviruses discovered Posted: 12 Nov 2012 08:31 AM PST Researchers have found that accelerating the rate of mutations in the coronavirus responsible for deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome cripples the virus's ability to cause disease in animals.

Patients shy away from asking healthcare workers to wash hands Posted: 12 Nov 2012 08:31 AM PST According to a new study, most patients at risk for healthcare-associated infections agree that healthcare workers should be reminded to wash their hands, but little more than half would feel comfortable asking their physicians to wash. The study points to the need for patient empowerment to improve hand hygiene of healthcare workers.

Ultrasound gel and infections: Researchers propose guidelines to reduce risk Posted: 12 Nov 2012 08:31 AM PST Guidelines have been proposed by epidemiologists to reduce the risk of infection from contaminated gels. The recommendations are based on the authors' own experiences with an outbreak traced to contaminated ultrasound transmission gel.

Smart drug improves survival in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia Posted: 12 Nov 2012 08:31 AM PST A new study has found acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients given a new type of 'smart drug' in addition to chemotherapy treatment are 22 per cent less likely to relapse and around 13 per cent less likely to die from their disease.

Bringing measuring accuracy to radical treatment Posted: 12 Nov 2012 07:14 AM PST An international team of scientists has determined for the first time the absolute density of active substances called radicals found in a state of matter known as plasma, in a new study. These findings could have important implications for medicine -- for example, for stimulating tissue regeneration, or to induce a targeted antiseptic effect in vivo without affecting neighboring tissues.

Job stress and mental health problems contribute to higher rates of physician suicide Posted: 12 Nov 2012 07:14 AM PST Despite high access to health care, doctors are less likely to seek mental health treatment; trouble at work is associated with higher suicide risk for physicians, according to new research.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory's supercomputer named world’s most powerful Posted: 12 Nov 2012 07:13 AM PST The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is again home to the most powerful computer in the world, according to the Top500 list, a semiannual ranking of computing systems around the world.

New study shows effects of climate conditions on bark beetle outbreaks Posted: 12 Nov 2012 07:10 AM PST A recent study by a team of scientists confirms the important role climate plays on bark beetle outbreaks. Based on three decades of bark beetle outbreaks in Oregon and Washington, the researchers developed a statistical probability model to quantify the contribution of various climate conditions, such as temperature and precipitation, on outbreak levels and to estimate expected amounts of damage to lodgepole pine forests (e.g. total area with beetle outbreaks).

First noiseless single photon amplifier Posted: 12 Nov 2012 07:10 AM PST Research physicists have demonstrated the first device capable of amplifying the information in a single particle of light without adding noise. The next step will be to build additional quantum teleportation into the experiment, which will make the noiseless amplifier more directly useful for long-distance communication.

Call for global monitoring of infectious diseases in dogs and cats Posted: 12 Nov 2012 07:10 AM PST Most emerging infectious diseases of humans come from animals. International health agencies monitor these diseases, but they do so only for humans and livestock, not for companion dogs and cats. A new study recommends a global system is needed to monitor infectious diseases of companion dogs and cats.

Undersea gas leaks off Israel’s coast discovered Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:59 AM PST Most of the efforts in Israel's energy field are being directed at gas buried deep under the Mediterranean seabed. Now a new geophysical study, the first of its kind in Israel, has uncovered a system of active gas springs in the Haifa Bay seabed, at relatively shallow depths, only a few dozen meters below the surface. The study describes the entire system, from its sources under the sea floor through the natural springs emerging from the seabed.

Genetic defense mechanism may offer biological clue to racial disparities in kidney disease Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:59 AM PST Genetic changes that protected their ancestors against fly-borne parasites may partly explain why African-Americans with lupus are up to five times more likely to develop end-stage kidney disease than those of European descent.

Mobile apps make reading fun for children with dyslexia, occupational therapist says Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:59 AM PST Mobile apps and daily visual activities encourage children with dyslexia to participate in reading exercises.

New way to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen: Breakthrough for solar energy conversion and storage? Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:59 AM PST Using the power of the sun and ultrathin films of iron oxide, Israeli researchers have found a novel way to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The breakthrough could lead to less expensive, more efficient ways to store solar energy in the form of hydrogen-based fuels.

Children’s headaches rarely indicate a need for eyeglasses, study finds Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:59 AM PST A new study provides the first clear evidence that vision or eye problems are rarely the cause of recurring headaches in children, even if the headaches usually strike while the child is doing schoolwork or other visual tasks. Many parents assume that frequent headaches mean their child needs glasses, so they ask their doctor to refer their child for an eye exam. This study was conducted by pediatric ophthalmologists who wanted to find reliable answers for parents, family doctors and pediatricians facing this common health question.

Soothing sounds during cataract surgery reduces patient anxiety Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:59 AM PST New research shows that the use of an audio therapy known as binaural beats can significantly reduce patients' anxiety during cataract surgery. The 141-patient study, conducted in Thailand, is the first of its kind in cataract surgery, which is one of the most frequently performed procedures worldwide, with more than 3 million performed annually in the United States.

Physicians often fail to disclose conflicts of interest on social media Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:59 AM PST As the use of Twitter and other social media by physicians and patients rises, more and more physicians seem to forget to do what many consider crucial for building doctor-patient trust: disclose potential conflicts of interest. However, physicians are not entirely at fault: prominent medical societies have failed to lay out comprehensive guidelines for physicians on when and how to disclose a conflict of interest when utilizing social media.

Combination of PI3-kinase and PARP inhibitors may offer new treatment option for triple-negative breast cancers Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:59 AM PST The simultaneous inhibition of two separate and seemingly unrelated pathways could potentially provide an effective treatment for women with triple-negative breast cancer, according to results of two new studies.

Systematic incarceration of African American males is a wrong, costly path Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:07 AM PST Mental health experts have released the first comprehensive report on the correlation between the incarceration of African American males and substance abuse and other health problems in the United States. The authors conclude that the moral and economic costs of current racial disparities in the judicial system are fundamentally avoidable, especially if more resources are spent on education and treatment.

Researchers unlock ancient Maya secrets with modern soil science Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:07 AM PST Soil scientists and archeologists have uncovered evidence that the Maya grew corn sustainably in the lowlands of Tikal, Guatemala, but that they may also have farmed erosion-prone slopes over time.

Black patients with kidney cancer have poorer survival than whites, study finds Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:07 AM PST Among patients with the most common form of kidney cancer, whites consistently have a survival advantage over blacks, regardless of patient and tumor characteristics or surgical treatment. That is the conclusion of a new study, the results of which suggest that additional efforts are needed to prolong the survival of all patients with kidney cancer.

Expert: Time to break the beta blocker habit? Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:07 AM PST First developed in the 1950s, beta blockers have been a mainstay in medicine for decades, used to treat everything from heart disease to stage fright to glaucoma. But some older classes of beta blockers are causing new concerns.

Did wild birds cause the 2010 deadly West Nile virus outbreak in Greece? Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:05 AM PST In 2010, 35 people in Greece died from a West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak, with a further 262 laboratory-confirmed human cases. A new article examines whether wild or migratory birds could have been responsible for importing and amplifying the deadly virus.

Scientists unravel the mystery of marine methane oxidation Posted: 12 Nov 2012 06:05 AM PST Researchers have uncovered how microorganisms on the ocean floor protect the atmosphere from methane.

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