ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Shrubs lend insight into a glacier's past
• U.S. Healthcare: Newly insured patients may have trouble finding primary care physicians
• Study links improved consumer welfare to increased prescription drug advertising efforts
• Rapid changes in climate don't slow some lizards
• Scientists image brain structures that deteriorate in Parkinson's
• Preventive screening for sudden cardiac death in young athletes debated
• Autism risk for developing children exposed to air pollution: Infant brain may be affected by air quality
• Metabolic protein launches sugar feast that nurtures brain tumors
• New crab species discovered off the coast of Belize
• Chameleon-like changes in world's most abundant phytoplankton
• 'Pac-Man' moons: Cassini finds a video gamers' paradise at Saturn
• Did you see that? How could you miss it?
• Ancient microbes found living beneath the icy surface of Antarctic lake
• This week's forecast: Sunny with a 40 percent chance of flu
• Using biomarkers from prehistoric human feces to track settlement and agriculture
• New hope for setback-dogged cancer treatment
• Evolutionary mode routinely varies amongst morphological traits within fossil species lineages
• Watermelon genome decoded: Scientists find clues to disease resistant watermelons
• Use of stem cells in personalized medicine
• Flexible, low-voltage circuits made using nanocrystals
• To get the best look at a person's face, look just below the eyes
• Gastric bypass surgery helps diabetes but doesn't cure it, study suggests
• Alaska's iconic Columbia Glacier expected to stop retreating in 2020
• Brain area's role in learning identified
• Students at cooperative schools are more engaged
• Possible new treatment for Ewing sarcoma
• Bioengineered marine algae expands environments where biofuels can be produced
• Sensor detects bombs on sea floor
• Survival gene may be key to controlling HIV and hepatitis
• Novel power system for space travel tested
• Seizures linked to surgery drugs can be prevented by anesthetics, experts say
• New device hides, on cue, from infrared cameras
• BioMAP screening procedure could streamline search for new antibiotics
• Personalities influence workforce planning
• Deciphering bacterial doomsday decisions
• Model sheds light on chemistry that sparked origin of life
• Lack of nutrients and metabolic syndrome linked to different subtypes of depression
• Swans have crash landings and hip injuries are more common than previously thought
• Combination of two pharmaceuticals proves effective in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, study suggests
• Fertility: Putrescine water may be fountain of youth for human eggs
• Grapefruit–medication interactions increasing
• Fostering Curiosity: Mars Express relays rocky images
• Burning more calories is easier when working out with someone you perceive as better
• How does a volcanic crater grow? Grab some TNT and find out
• Drugs limiting excess mucus could save lives
• First 'breathing lung' transplant in United States
• Smelling a white odor
• Alarming 15-fold increase in inflatable bouncer-related injuries among children
• Modeling the breaking points of metallic glasses
• Water resources management and policy in a changing world: Where do we go from here?
• Funneling the sun's energy
• Impaired blood vessel function found in cystic fibrosis patients
• Microbial 'missing link' discovered after man impales hand on tree branch
• Dendroecology, an ally of the conservation for biodiversity
• Risk aversity visible in the brain
• Using computational biology for the annotation of proteins
• New methods for cooling of ions developed
• Polar perils: Activity in the Arctic is on the increase, but how safe is it to operate there?
• Mmolecular mechanisms leading to basal cell carcinoma initiation uncovered
• New biomaterials promote neuroregeneration after a brain injury

Shrubs lend insight into a glacier's past Posted: 26 Nov 2012 04:27 PM PST The stems of shrubs have given researchers a window into a glacier's past, potentially allowing them to more accurately assess how they're set to change in the future.

U.S. Healthcare: Newly insured patients may have trouble finding primary care physicians Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:44 PM PST A significant percentage of the primary care physicians most likely to care for newly insured patients may be not be accepting new patients. The investigators note that strategies designed to increase and support these "safety-net" physicians could help ensure that newly covered patients have access to primary care.

Study links improved consumer welfare to increased prescription drug advertising efforts Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:44 PM PST More people are better off thanks to the impact of an influx of direct-to-consumer advertising spending than they would be without those marketing efforts, according to a new study.

Rapid changes in climate don't slow some lizards Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:43 PM PST One tropical lizard's tolerance to cold is stiffer than scientists had suspected. A new study shows that the Puerto Rican lizard Anolis cristatellus has adapted to the cooler winters of Miami. The results also suggest that this lizard may be able to tolerate temperature variations caused by climate change.

Scientists image brain structures that deteriorate in Parkinson's Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:43 PM PST A new imaging technique developed at MIT offers the first glimpse of the degeneration of two brain structures affected by Parkinson's disease.

Preventive screening for sudden cardiac death in young athletes debated Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:42 PM PST While ensuring the safety of high school and college athletes is hardly controversial, the method and associated costs of doing so are hotly debated. Conducting electrocardiographic screenings of all young competitive athletes in the United States would cost up to $69 billion over 20 years and save about 4,813 lives, making the cost per life saved over $10 million, according to a new study.

Autism risk for developing children exposed to air pollution: Infant brain may be affected by air quality Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:42 PM PST Scientists have demonstrated that polluted air -- whether regional pollution or coming from local traffic sources -- is associated with autism.

Metabolic protein launches sugar feast that nurtures brain tumors Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:40 PM PST PKM2 slips into nucleus to promote cancer; potential biomarker and drug approach discovered.

New crab species discovered off the coast of Belize Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:39 PM PST Areopaguristes tudgei is a new species of hermit crab recently discovered on the barrier reef off the coast of Belize.

Chameleon-like changes in world's most abundant phytoplankton Posted: 26 Nov 2012 01:39 PM PST Biologists have identified both the enzyme and molecular mechanism critical for controlling a chameleon-like process that allows one of the world's most abundant ocean phytoplankton, once known as blue-green algae, to maximize light harvesting for photosynthesis.

'Pac-Man' moons: Cassini finds a video gamers' paradise at Saturn Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:11 PM PST You could call it "Pac-Man, the Sequel." Scientists with NASA's Cassini mission have spotted a second feature shaped like the 1980s video game icon in the Saturn system, this time on the moon Tethys. (The first was found on Mimas in 2010). The pattern appears in thermal data obtained by Cassini's composite infrared spectrometer, with warmer areas making up the Pac-Man shape.

Did you see that? How could you miss it? Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST A psychology study shows that people do not recall things they have seen -- or at least walked by -- hundreds of times.

Ancient microbes found living beneath the icy surface of Antarctic lake Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST A pioneering study reveals, for the first time, a viable community of bacteria that survives and ekes out a living in a dark, salty and subfreezing environment beneath nearly 20 meters of ice in one of Antarctica's most isolated lakes.

This week's forecast: Sunny with a 40 percent chance of flu Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST Scientists have developed a system to predict the timing and severity of seasonal influenza outbreaks that could one day help health officials and the general public better prepare for them. The system adapts techniques used in modern weather prediction to turn real-time, web-based estimates of influenza infection into local forecasts of seasonal flu.

Using biomarkers from prehistoric human feces to track settlement and agriculture Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST Geoscientists have used a biomarker from human feces in a new way to establish the first human presence, the arrival of grazing animals and human population dynamics in a landscape.

New hope for setback-dogged cancer treatment Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST Several drugs companies have ineffectively tried to produce antibodies that bind to the IGF-1 receptor on the cell surface, which has a critical part to play in the development of cancer. Scientists have now ascertained how these antibodies work, and can explain why only some cancer patients are helped by IGF-1 blockers during clinical tests. The researchers also present a means by which drugs of this kind could help more cancer patients.

Evolutionary mode routinely varies amongst morphological traits within fossil species lineages Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST This new study uses model selection methods available only in the last several years and is an excellent example of an emerging revolution in scientific inquiry as new techniques are used to breathe new life into old data.

Watermelon genome decoded: Scientists find clues to disease resistant watermelons Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST Scientists have sequenced the watermelon genome — information that could dramatically accelerate watermelon breeding toward production of a more nutritious, tastier and more resistant fruit.

Use of stem cells in personalized medicine Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST Researchers report concrete steps in the use of human stem cells to test how diseased cells respond to drugs. Their success highlights a pathway toward faster, cheaper drug development for some genetic illnesses, as well as the ability to pre-test a therapy's safety and effectiveness on cultured clones of a patient's own cells.

Flexible, low-voltage circuits made using nanocrystals Posted: 26 Nov 2012 11:30 AM PST Electronic circuits are typically integrated in rigid silicon wafers, but flexibility opens up a wide range of applications in a world where electronics are becoming more pervasive. Finding materials with the right mix of performance and manufacturing cost, however, remains a challenge. Now researchers have shown that nanoscale particles, or nanocrystals, of the semiconductor cadmium selenide can be "printed" or "coated" on flexible plastics to form high-performance electronics.

To get the best look at a person's face, look just below the eyes Posted: 26 Nov 2012 11:29 AM PST They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. However, to get a real idea of what a person is up to, according to new research, the best place to check is right below the eyes.

Gastric bypass surgery helps diabetes but doesn't cure it, study suggests Posted: 26 Nov 2012 11:29 AM PST After gastric bypass surgery, diabetes goes away for some people -- often even before they lose much weight. So does that mean gastric surgery "cures" diabetes? Not necessarily, according to the largest community-based study of long-term diabetes outcomes after bariatric surgery. For most people, diabetes either never remitted after gastric surgery or relapsed within five years.

Alaska's iconic Columbia Glacier expected to stop retreating in 2020 Posted: 26 Nov 2012 11:29 AM PST The wild and dramatic cascade of ice into the ocean from Alaska's Columbia Glacier, an iconic glacier featured in the documentary "Chasing Ice" and one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world, will cease around 2020, according to a new study.

Brain area's role in learning identified Posted: 26 Nov 2012 11:29 AM PST An area of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex is responsible for decisions made on the spur of the moment, but not those made based on prior experience or habit, according to a new study from substance abuse researchers. The distinction is critical to understanding the neurobiology of decision-making, particularly with regard to substance abuse.

Students at cooperative schools are more engaged Posted: 26 Nov 2012 11:29 AM PST Student engagement is not independent of the type of school attended. Nor is it independent of the organizational development of the school. The school's organizational style affects the work of its teaching staff, which, in turn, has repercussions on the performance and engagement of their students.

Possible new treatment for Ewing sarcoma Posted: 26 Nov 2012 11:28 AM PST Discovery of a new drug with high potential to treat Ewing sarcoma, an often deadly cancer of children and young adults, and the previously unknown mechanism behind it, come hand-in-hand in a new study.

Bioengineered marine algae expands environments where biofuels can be produced Posted: 26 Nov 2012 11:28 AM PST Biologists have demonstrated for the first time that marine algae can be just as capable as fresh water algae in producing biofuels.

Sensor detects bombs on sea floor Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:13 AM PST A sensor has been developed to detect undetonated explosives on the sea floor. It is based on technology used to find mineral deposits underground.

Survival gene may be key to controlling HIV and hepatitis Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:13 AM PST A newly discovered gene that is essential for embryo survival could also hold the key to treating and potentially controlling chronic infections such as HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis. The gene, called Arih2, is fundamental to the function of the immune system -- making critical decisions about whether to switch on the immune response to an infection.

Novel power system for space travel tested Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:13 AM PST Engineers have demonstrated a new concept for a reliable nuclear reactor that could be used on space flights.

Seizures linked to surgery drugs can be prevented by anesthetics, experts say Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:13 AM PST Two drugs commonly given during cardiac surgery can lead to convulsive seizures, but anesthetics can help cut the risk, according to new research.

New device hides, on cue, from infrared cameras Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:13 AM PST Now you see it, now you don't. A new device can absorb 99.75 percent of infrared light that shines on it. When activated, it appears black to infrared cameras.

BioMAP screening procedure could streamline search for new antibiotics Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:13 AM PST Researchers have developed a new strategy for finding novel antibiotic compounds, using a diagnostic panel of bacterial strains for screening chemical extracts from natural sources.

Personalities influence workforce planning Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:13 AM PST What if factory foremen treated their workers less like the machines they operate, and more like people, with personality strengths and differences? Surely the workers would benefit, but might the employers also see positive results in the workplace, as well as being able to cut costs?

Deciphering bacterial doomsday decisions Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:13 AM PST Like a homeowner prepping for a hurricane, the bacterium Bacillus subtilis uses a long checklist to prepare for survival in hard times. Scientists have discovered that B. subtilis begins survival preparations well in advance of making the ultimate decision of whether to "hunker down" and form a spore.

Model sheds light on chemistry that sparked origin of life Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:13 AM PST The question of how life began on a molecular level has been a longstanding problem in science. However, recent mathematical research sheds light on a possible mechanism by which life may have gotten a foothold in the chemical soup that existed on the early Earth.

Lack of nutrients and metabolic syndrome linked to different subtypes of depression Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:12 AM PST A low intake of folate and vitamin B12 increases the risk of melancholic depressive symptoms, according to a study among nearly 3,000 middle-aged and elderly Finnish subjects.

Swans have crash landings and hip injuries are more common than previously thought Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:12 AM PST Injuries to mute swans' hips are believed to be uncommon. However, new evidence suggests that such injuries are more frequent than suspected but are under-recorded because of difficulties in diagnosis. They show that computerized tomography is far better suited to examine the hip joint than classical radiographic methods.

Combination of two pharmaceuticals proves effective in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, study suggests Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:12 AM PST A new substance class for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases now promises increased efficacy paired with fewer side effects. To achieve this, a team of scientists have combined two already approved pharmaceutical substances with each other using a chemical linker structure. The objectives of this combination are to ensure maximum brain cell protection on the one hand and the suppression of unwanted side effects on the other.

Fertility: Putrescine water may be fountain of youth for human eggs Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:11 AM PST A scientist has discovered a critical reason why women experience fertility problems as they get older. The breakthrough also points to a simple solution that could increase the viability of egg cells for women in their late 30s and older -- putrescine water.

Grapefruit–medication interactions increasing Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:11 AM PST The number of prescription drugs that can have serious adverse effects from interactions with grapefruit are markedly increasing, yet many physicians may be unaware of these effects, states a new article.

Fostering Curiosity: Mars Express relays rocky images Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:09 AM PST For the first time, ESA's Mars orbiter has relayed scientific data from NASA's Curiosity rover on the Red Planet's surface. The data included detailed images of 'Rocknest3' and were received by ESA's deep-space antenna in Australia.

Burning more calories is easier when working out with someone you perceive as better Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:09 AM PST Research finds burning more calories is easier when working out with someone you perceive as better.

How does a volcanic crater grow? Grab some TNT and find out Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:09 AM PST A new study examines maar craters, which resemble the bowl-like cavities formed by meteorites but are in some ways more mysterious.

Drugs limiting excess mucus could save lives Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:09 AM PST Respiratory conditions that restrict breathing such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common killers worldwide. But no effective treatments exist to address the major cause of death in these conditions – excess mucus production. Now, researchers have described the molecular pathway responsible for excess mucus in airway cells and have used that information to design a series of new drugs that inhibit that pathway.

First 'breathing lung' transplant in United States Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:09 AM PST Experimental technology could transform field of lung transplantation. First there was the "heart in a box," a revolutionary experimental technology that allows donor hearts to be delivered to transplant recipients warm and beating rather than frozen in an ice cooler. Now that same technology is being used to deliver "breathing lungs."

Smelling a white odor Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:12 AM PST Scientists have applied the principles of white color and white noise to create a white smell.

Alarming 15-fold increase in inflatable bouncer-related injuries among children Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:09 AM PST Researchers found that from 1995 to 2010 there was a 15-fold increase in the number of inflatable bouncer-related injuries that were treated in US emergency departments among children younger than 18 years of age. In 2010 alone, more than 30 children per day, or about one child every 45 minutes, were treated in hospital emergency departments for injuries associated with inflatable bouncers.

Modeling the breaking points of metallic glasses Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:09 AM PST Metallic glass alloys (or liquid metals) are three times stronger than the best industrial steel, but can be molded into complex shapes with the same ease as plastic. These materials are highly resistant to scratching, denting, shattering and corrosion. Mathematical methods developed by scientists will help explain why liquid metals have wildly different breaking points.

Water resources management and policy in a changing world: Where do we go from here? Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:07 AM PST Visualize a dusty place where stream beds are sand and lakes are flats of dried mud. Are we on Mars? In fact, we're on arid parts of Earth, a planet where water covers some 70 percent of the surface.

Funneling the sun's energy Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:07 AM PST Engineers propose a new way of harnessing photons for electricity, with the potential for capturing a wider spectrum of solar energy.

Impaired blood vessel function found in cystic fibrosis patients Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:07 AM PST The first evidence of blood vessel dysfunction has been found in a small cohort of generally healthy young people with cystic fibrosis, researchers report.

Microbial 'missing link' discovered after man impales hand on tree branch Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:07 AM PST Two years ago, a 71-year-old Indiana man impaled his hand on a branch after cutting down a dead tree. The wound caused an infection that led scientists to discover a new bacterium and solve a mystery about how bacteria came to live inside insects.

Dendroecology, an ally of the conservation for biodiversity Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:06 AM PST Researchers suggest the use of dendroecology, the dating of past events through study of tree ring growth, to enhance the management and conservation of the Pinus Nigra within the center of the Iberian Peninsula.

Risk aversity visible in the brain Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:06 AM PST Some people live their lives by the motto "no risk - no fun!" and relish risk-taking. Others are clearly more cautious and focus primarily on safety when investing and for other business activities. Scientists have studied the attitudes towards risk in a group of 56 subjects. They found that in people who preferred safety, certain regions of the brain show a higher level of activation when they are confronted with quite unforeseeable situations.  In addition, they do not distinguish as clearly as risk takers whether a situation is more or less risky than expected.

Using computational biology for the annotation of proteins Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:06 AM PST New research has employed computational techniques to improve the characterization of proteins. The system has allowed scientists to predict, for example, the relationship between two human proteins and telomeres, which led to their possible implication in cellular aging and the development of cancer; this awaits experimental verification.

New methods for cooling of ions developed Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:06 AM PST Among the most important techniques developed in atomic physics over the past few years are methods that enable the storage and cooling of atoms and ions at temperatures just above absolute zero. Scientists have now demonstrated in an experiment that captured ions can also be cooled through contact with cold atoms and may thus be stored in so-called ion traps in a stable condition for longer periods of time. This finding runs counter to predictions that ions would actually be heated through collisions with atoms.

Polar perils: Activity in the Arctic is on the increase, but how safe is it to operate there? Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST Activity in the Arctic is on the increase, but how safe is it to operate there? At latitudes of more than 70 degrees north there are no good Internet systems. Satellite signals are difficult to obtain and other radio frequencies are very patchy.

Mmolecular mechanisms leading to basal cell carcinoma initiation uncovered Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST Researchers have uncovered the molecular mechanisms leading to basal cell carcinoma initiation. One of the most outstanding and unresolved questions in cancer biology is the identification of cells at the origin of cancer and the understanding of the molecular changes that occur in tumor initiating cells from the first oncogenic mutation to the development of invasive cancer.

New biomaterials promote neuroregeneration after a brain injury Posted: 26 Nov 2012 08:05 AM PST A new study looks at the compatibility of polymeric biomaterials in the brain and neuroregeneration potential in areas with some kind of damage or brain injury.

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