ScienceDaily: Top News

---

• Analysis of Marcellus flowback finds high levels of ancient brines
• Global rates of infertility remain unchanged over past 2 decades
• Ants aquaplaning on a pitcher plant
• Birdsong bluster may dupe strange females, but it won't fool partners
• Blood test accurately detects lymphedema, study shows
• Scientists discover how HIV virus gains access to carrier immune cells to spread infection
• Commonly prescribed antibiotic, amoxicillin, ineffective for treating uncomplicated chest infections, study suggests
• Celiac 'epidemics' link to infections early in life
• Cancer cells co-opt immune response to escape destruction
• From Cassini for the holidays: Backlit view of Saturn and its rings
• Shot away from its companion, giant star makes waves: Spitzer captures infrared portrait
• Ozone levels have sizeable impact on worker productivity
• Metamaterials experts show a way to reduce electrons' effective mass to nearly zero
• MRIs reveal signs of brain injuries not seen in CT scans
• Tracking the origins of HIV
• Host cholesterol secretion likely to influence gut microbiota
• States aiming to promote healthy eating through sales taxes often miss the target
• From super to ultra: Just how big can black holes get?
• Small, portable sensors allow users to monitor exposure to pollution on their smart phones
• Curbing car travel could be as effective as cutting calories
• Internet outages in the US doubled during Hurricane Sandy
• The Green Revolution is wilting
• Cancer study overturns current thinking about gene activation
• The best-laid plans: How we update our goals based on new information
• Reappraisal defuses strong emotional responses to Israel-Palestine conflict
• Study of pipestone artifacts overturns a century-old assumption
• Long-terms benefits follow brain surgery for certain forms of epilepsy
• How hepatitis C virus reprograms human liver cells
• Spread of cancer cells may be slowed by targeting of protein
• Mistaking OCD for ADHD has serious consequences
• Liquid metal used to create wires that stretch eight times their original length
• Sleeping pills owe half their benefits to placebo effect, study finds
• Psychologists: Scrooge's transformation parallels real life-changing experiences
• Survival of the females: Horse embryo study provides important new information
• New process to make one-way flu vaccine discovered
• Patients with diabetes may not receive best treatment to lower heart disease risk, study suggests
• Crisis in Syria has Mesopotamian precedent, experts say
• Silent stroke can cause Parkinson's disease
• Children's meetings offline with people met online examined in new study
• TV and the internet: a marriage made in entertainment heaven
• Oxytocin, social sharing and recovery from trauma
• 'Glitch’ in pulsar ‘glitch’ theory
• Long-term survival rates after less-invasive repair of abdominal aneurysm the same as with 'open' procedure
• Chemical that fends off harm to organs: Purines fend off surgery-related damage
• Bad news for bats: Deadly fungus persists in caves
• Botany experiment will try out zero gravity aboard space station
• A cosmic holiday ornament, Hubble-style
• Industrial chemicals: A new breed of stable anti-aromatic compound
• Immediate health risk must be weighed against radiation-induced cancer risk
• Bugs in the Christmas tree
• pH measurements: How to see the real face of electrochemistry and corrosion?
• A mathematical formula to decipher the geometry of surfaces like that of cauliflower
• Prehistoric ghosts revealing new details: Synchrotron helps identify previously unseen anatomy preserved in fossils
• Antibiotics based on a new principle may defeat MRSA
• Schrödinger's cat has a light touch: Quantum physics used to observe delicate systems
• Consequences of abandoning alpine meadows: Scrubs now encroaching on land that had been cultivated for centuries
• Bullying by childhood peers leaves a trace that can change the expression of a gene linked to mood
• Enzyme linked to aggressive prostate cancer identified
• Progress reported in quest to create objective method of detecting pain
• Who's zooming who? Frogs, fractals and the tree of life

Analysis of Marcellus flowback finds high levels of ancient brines Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:35 PM PST Brine water that flows back from gas wells in the Marcellus Shale region after hydraulic fracturing is many times more salty than seawater, with high contents of various elements, including radium and barium. The chemistry is consistent with brines formed during the Paleozoic era, a new study found.

Global rates of infertility remain unchanged over past 2 decades Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:35 PM PST In 2010, almost 50 million couples worldwide were unable to have a child after five years of trying. Infertility rates have hardly changed over the past 20 years, according to a new study.

Ants aquaplaning on a pitcher plant Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:35 PM PST An insect-trapping pitcher plant in Venezuela uses its downward pointing hairs to create a 'water slide' on which insects slip to their death, new research reveals.

Birdsong bluster may dupe strange females, but it won't fool partners Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:35 PM PST Male birds use their song to dupe females they have just met by pretending they are in excellent physical condition. Just as some men try to cast themselves in a better light when they approach women, so some male birds seek to portray that they are fitter than they really are. But males do not even try to deceive their long-term partners, who are able to establish his true condition by his song.

Blood test accurately detects lymphedema, study shows Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:35 PM PST Scientists have identified a set of proteins circulating in blood whose levels accurately flag the presence of lymphedema. The findings spur optimism that this common but relatively neglected condition, which affects an estimated 10 million people in the United States, finally will be amenable to detection (and, eventually, treatment) with 21st-century techniques.

Scientists discover how HIV virus gains access to carrier immune cells to spread infection Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:35 PM PST Scientists have identified how HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, enters the cells of the immune system enabling it to be dispersed throughout an organism.

Commonly prescribed antibiotic, amoxicillin, ineffective for treating uncomplicated chest infections, study suggests Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:33 PM PST The antibiotic amoxicillin, that doctors typically prescribe for common lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) such as bronchitis, is no more effective at relieving symptoms than the use of no medication, even in older patients. The findings are from the largest randomised placebo controlled trial of antibiotics for acute uncomplicated LRTI to date.

Celiac 'epidemics' link to infections early in life Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:33 PM PST Celiac disease affects about 1% of the population but occasional 'epidemics' have been noticed along with a seasonal variation in number of cases diagnosed. New research indicates that repeated infections early in life increases the risk for celiac disease.

Cancer cells co-opt immune response to escape destruction Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:33 PM PST Researchers report that tumor cells use stress signals to subvert responding immune cells, exploiting them to actually boost conditions beneficial to cancer growth.

From Cassini for the holidays: Backlit view of Saturn and its rings Posted: 18 Dec 2012 12:36 PM PST Just in time for the holidays, NASA's Cassini spacecraft, in orbit around Saturn for more than eight years now, has delivered another glorious, backlit view of the planet Saturn and its rings.

Shot away from its companion, giant star makes waves: Spitzer captures infrared portrait Posted: 18 Dec 2012 12:33 PM PST Like a ship plowing through still waters, the giant star Zeta Ophiuchi is speeding through space, making waves in the dust ahead. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has captured a dramatic, infrared portrait of these glowing waves, also known as a bow shock.

Ozone levels have sizeable impact on worker productivity Posted: 18 Dec 2012 12:32 PM PST Researchers assessed the impact of pollution on agricultural worker productivity using daily variations in ozone levels. Their results show that ozone, even at levels below current air-quality standards in most parts of the world, has significant negative impacts on worker productivity. Their findings suggest that environmental protection is important for promoting economic growth and investing in human capital in contrast to its common portrayal as a tax on producers.

Metamaterials experts show a way to reduce electrons' effective mass to nearly zero Posted: 18 Dec 2012 12:32 PM PST The field of metamaterials involves augmenting materials with specially designed patterns, enabling those materials to manipulate electromagnetic waves and fields in previously impossible ways. Now, researchers have come up with a theory for moving this phenomenon onto the quantum scale, laying out blueprints for materials where electrons have nearly zero effective mass. Such materials could make for faster circuits with novel properties.

MRIs reveal signs of brain injuries not seen in CT scans Posted: 18 Dec 2012 12:32 PM PST Hospital MRIs may be better at predicting long-term outcomes for people with mild traumatic brain injuries than CT scans, the standard technique for evaluating such injuries in the emergency room, according to a new clinical trial.

Tracking the origins of HIV Posted: 18 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST Human immunodeficiency virus may have affected humans for much longer than is currently believed. Researchers now think that the genomes of an isolated West African human population provide important clues about how the disease has evolved.

Host cholesterol secretion likely to influence gut microbiota Posted: 18 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST For more than half a century, researchers have known that the bacteria that colonize the gastrointestinal tract of mammals influence their host's cholesterol metabolism. Now, researchers show that changes in cholesterol metabolism induced by diet can alter the gut flora.

States aiming to promote healthy eating through sales taxes often miss the target Posted: 18 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST Increasing sales taxes on sugary foods to promote healthier food choices among grocery store shoppers is unlikely to be effective because many consumers are unaware of the tax differences on food items sold in grocery stores, according to a new study.

From super to ultra: Just how big can black holes get? Posted: 18 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST Some of the biggest black holes in the Universe may actually be even bigger than previously thought, according to a study using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Small, portable sensors allow users to monitor exposure to pollution on their smart phones Posted: 18 Dec 2012 10:31 AM PST Computer scientists have built a small fleet of portable pollution sensors that allow users to monitor air quality in real time on their smart phones. The sensors could be particularly useful to people suffering from chronic conditions, such as asthma, who need to avoid exposure to pollutants. CitiSense is the only air-quality monitoring system that delivers real-time data to users' cell phones and home computers -- at any time.

Curbing car travel could be as effective as cutting calories Posted: 18 Dec 2012 10:31 AM PST Those considering how to maintain a healthy weight during holiday festivities, or looking ahead to New Year's resolutions, may want to think twice before reaching for traditional staples like cookies or candy – or the car keys. A new study suggests that both daily automobile travel and calories consumed are related to body weight, and reducing either one, even by a small amount, correlates with a reduction in body mass index.

Internet outages in the US doubled during Hurricane Sandy Posted: 18 Dec 2012 10:31 AM PST Scientists who track Internet outages throughout the world noted a spike in outages due to Hurricane Sandy, with almost twice as much of the Internet down in the US as usual.

The Green Revolution is wilting Posted: 18 Dec 2012 10:31 AM PST The Green Revolution has stagnated for key food crops in many regions of the world, according to a new study.

Cancer study overturns current thinking about gene activation Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:15 AM PST A new Australian study shows that large regions of the genome -- amounting to roughly 2 percent -- are epigenetically activated in prostate cancer. Regions activated contain many prostate cancer-specific genes, including PSA (prostate specific antigen) and PCA3, the most common prostate cancer markers. Until now, these genes were not known to be regulated epigenetically.

The best-laid plans: How we update our goals based on new information Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:15 AM PST Humans are adept at setting goals and updating them as new situations arise -- for example, a person who is playing a video game may switch to a new goal when their phone rings. Now, researchers have identified mechanisms that govern how the brain incorporates information about new situations into our existing goals.

Reappraisal defuses strong emotional responses to Israel-Palestine conflict Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:15 AM PST Reappraisal is a widely-used cognitive strategy that can help people to regulate their reactions to emotionally charged events. Now, new research suggests that reappraisal may even be effective in changing people's emotional responses in the context of one of the most intractable conflicts worldwide: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Study of pipestone artifacts overturns a century-old assumption Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:15 AM PST In a new study, the first to actually test pipestone from quarries across the upper Midwest, researchers conclude that those who buried ceremonial pipes in a famous mound site in southeastern Ohio got the stone – and perhaps even the finished, carved pipes – from Illinois. The findings offer new insight into the Hopewell people, who lived in the region from about 100 B.C. to A.D. 400.

Long-terms benefits follow brain surgery for certain forms of epilepsy Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:14 AM PST Brain surgery for certain difficult forms of epilepsy often reduces or eliminates seizures for more than 15 years after the procedure, according to new research by neurologists.

How hepatitis C virus reprograms human liver cells Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:14 AM PST Hepatitis C virus has evolved to invade and hijack the basic machinery of the human liver cell to ensure its survival and spread. Researchers have discovered how hepatitis C binds with and re-purposes a basic component of cellular metabolism known as a microRNA to help protect and replicate the virus.

Spread of cancer cells may be slowed by targeting of protein Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:14 AM PST The spread of cancer cells may be slowed by targeting the protein km23-1, according to researchers.

Mistaking OCD for ADHD has serious consequences Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:14 AM PST Obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder appear very similar, but have very different neuropsychological roots. New evidence demonstrates that there are enormous consequences if they're mistaken for each other, and that ritalin, if misprescribed to children with OCD, will only worsen their symptoms.

Liquid metal used to create wires that stretch eight times their original length Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:14 AM PST Researchers have created conductive wires that can be stretched up to eight times their original length while still functioning. The wires can be used for everything from headphones to phone chargers, and hold potential for use in electronic textiles.

Sleeping pills owe half their benefits to placebo effect, study finds Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:12 AM PST Half of the benefit of taking sleeping pills comes from the placebo effect, according to a major new study.

Psychologists: Scrooge's transformation parallels real life-changing experiences Posted: 18 Dec 2012 09:12 AM PST Psychologists studied 14 people who had sudden life-changing experiences. They say Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation fits right in. George Bailey from "It's a Wonderful Life" is another realistic movie character who embodies sudden change.

Survival of the females: Horse embryo study provides important new information Posted: 18 Dec 2012 08:20 AM PST It is well known that many mammals are able to adjust the ratio of male and female young depending on the surrounding conditions at the time of conception. A recent study provides important information on how the survival of female embryos may be enhanced under conditions that would otherwise favor the birth of males.

New process to make one-way flu vaccine discovered Posted: 18 Dec 2012 08:19 AM PST A new process to make a one-time, universal influenza vaccine has been discovered. Researchers found a way to make the one-time vaccine by using recombinant genetic engineering technology that does not use a seasonal virus. Instead, the new vaccine uses a virus' small fragment that does not vary among the different strains of flu viruses.

Patients with diabetes may not receive best treatment to lower heart disease risk, study suggests Posted: 18 Dec 2012 08:19 AM PST For some people with diabetes, there may be such a thing as too much care. Traditional treatment to reduce risks of heart disease among patients with diabetes has focused on lowering all patients' blood cholesterol to a specific, standard level.

Crisis in Syria has Mesopotamian precedent, experts say Posted: 18 Dec 2012 08:19 AM PST New research has revealed intriguing parallels between modern day and Bronze-Age Syria as the Mesopotamian region underwent urban decline, government collapse, and drought.

Silent stroke can cause Parkinson's disease Posted: 18 Dec 2012 08:19 AM PST Scientists have for the first time identified why a patient who appears outwardly healthy may develop Parkinson's disease.

Children's meetings offline with people met online examined in new study Posted: 18 Dec 2012 08:16 AM PST Few parents feel entirely comfortable with their children meeting their online acquaintances in real life. But a new study sets out to put the risks and benefits of such meetings in perspective.

TV and the internet: a marriage made in entertainment heaven Posted: 18 Dec 2012 08:16 AM PST If you have bought a new television lately, the chances are it is a lot smarter than your old one. Smart TVs, also known as connected or hybrid televisions, featuring integrated internet connectivity, currently account for around a third of TV sales in Europe. They are the end point in a huge and rapidly expanding value chain driven by the intensifying convergence of television and the internet.

Oxytocin, social sharing and recovery from trauma Posted: 18 Dec 2012 08:15 AM PST Therapists have long known that people who've had a traumatic experience feel the need to talk about what they've been through. This process is called 'social sharing' and can take place for days, weeks, months or years after the event.

'Glitch’ in pulsar ‘glitch’ theory Posted: 18 Dec 2012 08:15 AM PST Researchers have called in to question a 40 year-old theory explaining the periodic speeding up or 'glitching' of pulsars. A pulsar is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star formed from the remains of a supernova. It emits a rotating beam of electromagnetic radiation, which can be detected by powerful telescopes when it sweeps past the Earth, rather like observing the beam of a lighthouse from a ship at sea. Pulsars rotate at extremely stable speeds, but occasionally they speed up in brief events described as 'glitches' or 'spin-ups'. The prevailing theory is that these events arise as a rapidly spinning superfluid within the star transfers rotational energy to the star's crust, the component that is tracked by observations. However, academics have used a mathematical model to disprove this.

Long-term survival rates after less-invasive repair of abdominal aneurysm the same as with 'open' procedure Posted: 18 Dec 2012 08:13 AM PST Despite earlier signs that a less-invasive surgery is safer and better than "open" operations to repair potentially lethal abdominal aortic aneurysms, a new study shows survival rates after four years are similar for both procedures.

Chemical that fends off harm to organs: Purines fend off surgery-related damage Posted: 18 Dec 2012 06:43 AM PST Anesthesia is quite safe these days. But sometimes putting a patient under to fix one problem, such as heart damage, can harm a different organ, such as a kidney. Now a group of researchers has found a group of molecules -- called purines -- that fend off damage during anesthesia.

Bad news for bats: Deadly fungus persists in caves Posted: 18 Dec 2012 06:42 AM PST Researchers have found that the organism that causes deadly white-nose syndrome persists in caves long after it has killed the bats in those caves.

Botany experiment will try out zero gravity aboard space station Posted: 18 Dec 2012 06:42 AM PST Gravity: It's the law in these parts. But to reach the stars, humans may have to learn to live outside the law.

A cosmic holiday ornament, Hubble-style Posted: 18 Dec 2012 06:42 AM PST Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have photographed a festive-looking nearby planetary nebula called NGC 5189. The intricate structure of this bright gaseous nebula resembles a glass-blown holiday ornament with a glowing ribbon entwined.

Industrial chemicals: A new breed of stable anti-aromatic compound Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:19 AM PST The novel compound is a new chapter in a story that began in 1825, when English scientist Michael Faraday first isolated benzene from gas lights. Benzene would later be identified as one of a class of compounds known as aromatics, which have immense importance in both biological function and industrial production.

Immediate health risk must be weighed against radiation-induced cancer risk Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:19 AM PST The lifetime risks of cancer from medical radiation may be overemphasized relative to more immediate health risks, according to a new study.

Bugs in the Christmas tree Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:18 AM PST Your Christmas tree may be adorned with lights and glitter. But 25,000 insects, mites, and spiders are sound asleep inside the tree.

pH measurements: How to see the real face of electrochemistry and corrosion? Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:18 AM PST For several decades antimony electrodes have been used to measure the acidity/basicity -- and so to determine the pH value. Unfortunately, they allow for measuring pH changes of solutions only at a certain distance from electrodes or corroding metals. Researchers have now developed a method for producing antimony microelectrodes that allow for measuring pH changes just over the metal surface, at which chemical reactions take place.

A mathematical formula to decipher the geometry of surfaces like that of cauliflower Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:18 AM PST Scientists are describing laws that govern the development of certain complex natural patterns, such as those found on the surface of cauliflower.

Prehistoric ghosts revealing new details: Synchrotron helps identify previously unseen anatomy preserved in fossils Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:17 AM PST Scientists have used synchrotron-based imaging techniques to identify previously unseen anatomy preserved in fossils. Their work on a 50-million-year-old lizard skin identified the presence of teeth (invisible to visible light), demonstrating for the first time that this fossil animal was more than just a skin moult. This was only possible using some of the brightest light in the universe, X-rays generated by a synchrotron.

Antibiotics based on a new principle may defeat MRSA Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:17 AM PST Scientists have presented a new principle for fighting bacterial infections, in other words, a new type of antibiotic. The new antibiotic mechanism is based on selectively blocking the thioredoxin system in the cells, which is crucial to the growth of certain bacteria. Scientists hope to be able to treat such conditions as stomach ulcers, TB and MRSA.

Schrödinger's cat has a light touch: Quantum physics used to observe delicate systems Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:17 AM PST A new paper introduces a novel way to observe very delicate bodies based on quantum physics. Researchers in Spain have shown that groups of photons organized in certain quantum states can gently explore the properties of objects in a non-invasive way. The results overcome for the first time a limit imposed by quantum mechanics, and may permit the observation of unknown properties of ultra-sensitive objects such as individual atoms or living cells.

Consequences of abandoning alpine meadows: Scrubs now encroaching on land that had been cultivated for centuries Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:16 AM PST Agriculture is increasingly vanishing from the Alps. Land that was cultivated for centuries is now being abandoned and scrubs are encroaching on it. This affects not only the landscape, but also the water balance and will in future also have an impact on power generation. These are the conclusions reached by an interdisciplinary research group supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

Bullying by childhood peers leaves a trace that can change the expression of a gene linked to mood Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:16 AM PST A recent study suggests that bullying by peers changes the structure surrounding a gene involved in regulating mood, making victims more vulnerable to mental health problems as they age.

Enzyme linked to aggressive prostate cancer identified Posted: 18 Dec 2012 05:14 AM PST Researchers have identified an enzyme specifically linked to aggressive prostate cancer, and have also developed a compound that inhibits the ability of this molecule to promote the metastatic spread of the cancer.

Progress reported in quest to create objective method of detecting pain Posted: 17 Dec 2012 08:49 PM PST A method of analyzing brain structure using advanced computer algorithms accurately predicted 76 percent of the time whether a patient had lower back pain according to a new study.

Who's zooming who? Frogs, fractals and the tree of life Posted: 17 Dec 2012 08:49 PM PST As ecologists assemble ever larger parts of the tree of life, whose evolutionary branches connect the millions of species on Earth, they need better ways of presenting and organizing information. Now, a biologist has developed a revolutionary way of visualizing the tree of life.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610