ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Synthetic stool can cure C. difficile infection, study suggests
• Reduction in air pollution from wood stoves associated with significantly reduced risk of death
• Concerns raised over the effectiveness of a costly and invasive procedure for melanoma
• Cancer screening unlikely to benefit patients with a short life expectancy: Less than 10 years and risks are likely to outweigh benefits
• Triple mix of blood pressure drugs and painkillers linked to kidney problems
• Nobel laureate James Watson puts forth novel hypothesis on curing late-stage cancers
• Cognitive benefit of lifelong bilingualism
• Being bored at work can make us more creative
• Cheating slime mold gets the upper hand
• Lung cancer patients live longer if they use beta-blockers while receiving radiotherapy
• First oral drug for spinal cord injury improves movement in mice
• Australia's stampeding dinosaurs take a dip: Largely tracks of swimming rather than running animals
• SOFIA spots recent starbursts in the Milky Way galaxy's center
• Hubble reveals rogue planetary orbit for Fomalhaut b
• NASA telescopes see weather patterns in brown dwarf
• NASA, ESA telescopes find evidence for asteroid belt around Vega
• Two-drug combination may slow deadly thyroid cancer
• First 'bone' of the Milky Way identified
• Weight counseling decreases despite rise in obesity
• Bottom-up approach provides first characterization of pyroelectric nanomaterials
• New approach for simulating supernovas
• Testing Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 in outer space
• Post-operative intravenous acetaminophen may help reduce use of morphine in infants
• Failure rate of antibiotic treatment for gonorrhea documented
• Vitamin D supplementation does not reduce knee pain, cartilage loss in patients with osteoarthritis
• Intensive training for aphasia: Even older patients can improve
• Hold the diet soda? Sweetened drinks linked to depression, coffee tied to lower risk
• Oscillating gel gives synthetic materials the ability to 'speak': Material rebuilds itself through chemical communication
• Obesity drops among children enrolled in NY state Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program
• Pythons, lionfish and now willow invade Florida's waterways
• Chemists devise inexpensive, benchtop method for marking and selecting cells
• Cluster mission indicates turbulent eddies may warm the solar wind
• Female athletes three times more likely to suffer from anterior cruciate ligament ruptures
• New marker of drug response may speed pace of lung cancer prevention trials
• New telescopes to give researchers glimpse of the beginning of time
• Counting the twists in a helical light beam: New device could help advance future optical communications
• 'Tricorder' closer to reality: Portable X-ray source could put medical diagnosis and terrorism prevention in the palm of the hand
• Jurassic ecosystems were similar to modern: Animals flourish among lush plants
• Fussy babies spend more time in front of the TV
• Global warming beneficial to ratsnakes
• Stem cell materials could boost research into key diseases
• Earth-size planets common in galaxy: Perhaps 17 percent of sun-like stars have Earth-size planets within the orbit of Mercury
• Researchers work to counter spear phishing attacks
• 2012 was warmest and second most extreme year on record for the contiguous U.S.
• Icing on a lake: Blocks of hydrocarbon ice might decorate surface of lakes and seas on Saturn's moon Titan
• A new point of reference for offshore energy development
• Concentrated solar power with thermal energy storage can help utilities' bottom line, study shows
• Blood brothers (and sisters): Sibling study discovers genetic region linked to control of key blood-clotting protein
• New biochip technology uses tiny whirlpools to corral microbes
• First study of Oregon's Hmong reveals surprising influences on cancer screenings
• Teens susceptible to hepatitis B infection despite vaccination as infants
• Genetic matchmaking saves endangered frogs
• An underground airport, tube-travelling pigeons and giant locusts: Cultural research into London Underground
• Postpartum depression prevalent in under-developed countries, could impact baby health and mortality
• Prescription drug misuse remains a top public health concern
• Unwed couples still favor traditional household roles
• Simulated Mars mission reveals body's sodium rhythms
• Why obese people have higher rates of asthma
• Genes and obesity: Fast food isn't only culprit in expanding waistlines -- DNA is also to blame
• Graphene oxide soaks up radioactive waste: U.S., Russian researchers collaborate on solution to toxic groundwater woes

Synthetic stool can cure C. difficile infection, study suggests Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST A newly developed synthetic "poop" can cure nasty gastrointestinal infections caused by Clostridium difficile, a toxin-producing bacterium, a new study suggests.

Reduction in air pollution from wood stoves associated with significantly reduced risk of death Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST Male deaths from all-causes, but particularly cardiovascular and respiratory disease, could be significantly reduced with a decrease in biomass smoke (smoke produced by domestic cooking and heating and woodland fires), a new article suggests.

Concerns raised over the effectiveness of a costly and invasive procedure for melanoma Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST A special report finds that thousands of melanoma patients around the world are undergoing an expensive and invasive procedure called sentinel node biopsy, despite a lack of clear evidence and concerns that it may do more harm than good.

Cancer screening unlikely to benefit patients with a short life expectancy: Less than 10 years and risks are likely to outweigh benefits Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST Breast and colorectal cancer screening should be targeted towards patients with a life expectancy greater than 10 years: for any shorter life expectancy the harms are likely to outweigh the benefits, concludes a new study.

Triple mix of blood pressure drugs and painkillers linked to kidney problems Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST Patients who take a triple combination of blood pressure drugs and common painkillers are at an increased risk of serious kidney problems, especially at the start of treatment, finds a new study.

Nobel laureate James Watson puts forth novel hypothesis on curing late-stage cancers Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST In a new paper he regards "among my most important work since the double helix," Nobelist James Watson sets forth a novel hypothesis regarding the role of oxidants and antioxidants in cancers that are currently incurable, notably in late-stage metastatic cancers.

Cognitive benefit of lifelong bilingualism Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:15 PM PST Older bilinguals expend less energy when performing a cognitive flexibility task. The findings suggest the value of regular stimulating mental activity across the lifetime. As people age, cognitive flexibility -- the ability to adapt to unfamiliar or unexpected circumstances -- and related "executive" functions decline. Recent studies suggest lifelong bilingualism may reduce this decline -- a boost that may stem from the experience of constantly switching between languages.

Being bored at work can make us more creative Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:15 PM PST Most of us think of being bored at work as a negative experience, but a new study suggests it can have positive results including an increase in creativity because it gives us time to daydream.

Cheating slime mold gets the upper hand Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:15 PM PST A  'cheater' mutation (chtB) in Dictyostelium discoideum, a free living slime mould able to co-operate as social organism when food is scarce, allows the cheater strain to exploit its social partner, finds a new study. The mutation ensures that when mixed with 'normal' Dictyostelium  more than the fair share of cheaters become spores, dispersing to a new environment, and avoiding dying as stalk cells.

Lung cancer patients live longer if they use beta-blockers while receiving radiotherapy Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:15 PM PST Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer survive longer if they are taking beta-blockers while receiving radiotherapy, according to a new study.

First oral drug for spinal cord injury improves movement in mice Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:14 PM PST An experimental oral drug given to mice after a spinal cord injury was effective at improving limb movement after the injury, a new study shows.

Australia's stampeding dinosaurs take a dip: Largely tracks of swimming rather than running animals Posted: 08 Jan 2013 04:02 PM PST Queensland paleontologists have discovered that the world's only recorded dinosaur stampede is largely made up of the tracks of swimming rather than running animals.

SOFIA spots recent starbursts in the Milky Way galaxy's center Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:58 PM PST Researchers using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have captured new images of a ring of gas and dust seven light-years in diameter surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and of a neighboring cluster of extremely luminous young stars embedded in dust cocoons.

Hubble reveals rogue planetary orbit for Fomalhaut b Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST Newly released Hubble Space Telescope images of a vast debris disk encircling the nearby star Fomalhaut and a mysterious planet circling it may provide forensic evidence of a titanic planetary disruption in the system.

NASA telescopes see weather patterns in brown dwarf Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:26 PM PST Astronomers have discovered what appears to be a large asteroid belt around the star Vega, the second brightest star in northern night skies. The scientists used data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory. The discovery of an asteroid belt-like band of debris around Vega makes the star similar to another observed star called Fomalhaut. The data are consistent with both stars having inner, warm belts and outer, cool belts separated by a gap. This architecture is similar to the asteroid and Kuiper belts in our own solar system.

NASA, ESA telescopes find evidence for asteroid belt around Vega Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:22 PM PST Astronomers have discovered what appears to be a large asteroid belt around the star Vega, the second brightest star in northern night skies. The scientists used data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory. The discovery of an asteroid belt-like band of debris around Vega makes the star similar to another observed star called Fomalhaut. The data are consistent with both stars having inner, warm belts and outer, cool belts separated by a gap. This architecture is similar to the asteroid and Kuiper belts in our own solar system.

Two-drug combination may slow deadly thyroid cancer Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST A combination of the drugs pazopanib and paclitaxel shows promise in slowing anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), according to a new study. The two drugs together resulted in greater anti-cancer activity in ATC than either drug alone, according to new research.

First 'bone' of the Milky Way identified Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST Our Milky Way is a spiral galaxy -- a pinwheel-shaped collection of stars, gas and dust. It has a central bar and two major spiral arms that wrap around its disk. Since we view the Milky Way from the inside, its exact structure is difficult to determine. Astronomers have identified a new structure in the Milky Way: a long tendril of dust and gas that they are calling a "bone."

Weight counseling decreases despite rise in obesity Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST While the number of overweight and obese Americans has increased, the amount of weight counseling offered by primary care physicians has decreased -- especially for patients with high blood pressure and diabetes -- according to researchers.

Bottom-up approach provides first characterization of pyroelectric nanomaterials Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST By taking a "bottom-up" approach, researchers have observed for the first time that "size does matter," in regards "pyroelectricity," -- the current/voltage developed in response to temperature fluctuations that enables technologies such as infrared sensors, night-vision, and energy conversion units, to name a few.

New approach for simulating supernovas Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST Researchers are trying to bridge the gap between studies of supernova blasts and the remnants they leave behind. They hope to use a relatively new computer code to show more of the evolution from blast to remnant.

Testing Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 in outer space Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST A team of physicists have stirred the physics community with an intriguing idea yet to be tested experimentally: The world's most iconic equation, Albert Einstein's E=mc2, may be correct or not depending on where you are in space.

Post-operative intravenous acetaminophen may help reduce use of morphine in infants Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST Among infants undergoing major surgery, postoperative use of intermittent intravenous paracetamol (acetaminophen) for the management of pain resulted in a lower cumulative morphine dose over 48 hours.

Failure rate of antibiotic treatment for gonorrhea documented Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST In an examination of the effectiveness of cefixime, the only oral cephalosporin antimicrobial recommended for treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhea) infections, researchers found a clinical treatment failure rate of nearly 7 percent for patients treated at a clinic in Toronto.

Vitamin D supplementation does not reduce knee pain, cartilage loss in patients with osteoarthritis Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST In a two-year randomized trial, patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis who received vitamin D supplementation did not have a significant difference in knee pain or cartilage volume loss compared to patients who received placebo.

Intensive training for aphasia: Even older patients can improve Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:21 PM PST Older adults who have suffered from aphasia for a long time can nevertheless improve their language function and maintain these improvements in the long term, according to a new study.

Hold the diet soda? Sweetened drinks linked to depression, coffee tied to lower risk Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:21 PM PST New research suggests that drinking sweetened beverages, especially diet drinks, is associated with an increased risk of depression in adults while drinking coffee was tied to a slightly lower risk.

Oscillating gel gives synthetic materials the ability to 'speak': Material rebuilds itself through chemical communication Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:16 PM PST Self-moving gels can give synthetic materials the ability to "act alive" and mimic primitive biological communication, scientists have found. In a new paper, researchers demonstrate that a synthetic system can reconfigure itself through a combination of chemical communication and interaction with light.

Obesity drops among children enrolled in NY state Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program Posted: 08 Jan 2013 12:12 PM PST New York children participating in a federal nutrition program had healthier eating behaviors and lower rates of obesity two years after improvements to the program were undertaken, according to a new study.

Pythons, lionfish and now willow invade Florida's waterways Posted: 08 Jan 2013 12:12 PM PST Foreign invaders such as pythons and lionfish are not the only threats to Florida's natural habitat. The native Carolina Willow is also starting to strangle portions of the St. Johns River.

Chemists devise inexpensive, benchtop method for marking and selecting cells Posted: 08 Jan 2013 12:11 PM PST Chemists have found an easier way to perform one of the most fundamental tasks in molecular biology. Their new method allows scientists to add a marker to certain cells, so that these cells may be easily located and/or selected out from a larger cell population.

Cluster mission indicates turbulent eddies may warm the solar wind Posted: 08 Jan 2013 11:52 AM PST The sun ejects a continuous flow of electrically charged particles and magnetic fields in the form of the solar wind -- and this wind is hotter than it should be. A new study of data obtained by European Space Agency's Cluster spacecraft may help explain the mystery.

Female athletes three times more likely to suffer from anterior cruciate ligament ruptures Posted: 08 Jan 2013 11:21 AM PST Female athletes are three times more likely to suffer from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures, one of the most common knee injuries, compared to male athletes.

New marker of drug response may speed pace of lung cancer prevention trials Posted: 08 Jan 2013 11:21 AM PST Testing medicines to prevent lung cancer requires treating many thousands of high-risk individuals and then waiting five, 10 or 15 years to discover which of them develop cancer and which, if any, experience survival benefit from the treatment. A new study proposes a possible point on the way to benefit, which if validated, could dramatically reduce the number of patients needed and time required to test drugs for lung cancer prevention.

New telescopes to give researchers glimpse of the beginning of time Posted: 08 Jan 2013 11:19 AM PST Where do we come from? What is the universe made of? Will the universe exist only for a finite time or will it last forever? These are just some of the questions that physicists are working to answer in the high desert of northern Chile.

Counting the twists in a helical light beam: New device could help advance future optical communications Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST At a time when communication networks are scrambling for ways to transmit more data over limited bandwidth, a type of twisted light wave is gaining new attention. Called an optical vortex or vortex beam, this complex beam resembles a corkscrew, with waves that rotate as they travel. Now, applied physicists have created a new device that enables a conventional optical detector (which would normally only measure the light's intensity) to pick up on that rotation.

'Tricorder' closer to reality: Portable X-ray source could put medical diagnosis and terrorism prevention in the palm of the hand Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST The hand-held scanners, or tricorders, of the Star Trek movies and television series are one step closer to reality now that an engineering team has invented a compact source of X-rays and other forms of radiation. The radiation source, which is the size of a stick of gum, could be used to create inexpensive and portable X-ray scanners for use by doctors, as well as to fight terrorism and aid exploration on this planet and others.

Jurassic ecosystems were similar to modern: Animals flourish among lush plants Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST In modern ecosystems, animals flourish amid lush vegetation. That was true 150 million years ago too, says a new study by paleontologists. They applied ecological principles to geochemical data from fossil soils and found scientists can infer animal diversity from it: "This illustrates that climate and biota have been ecologically connected for millions of years, indicating human change to global climate will have profound impacts on plants and animals."

Fussy babies spend more time in front of the TV Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST Moms, especially those who are obese, are more likely to use TV to entertain and soothe infants who are more fussy and active, according to researchers. The finding adds to the growing body of knowledge that may help explain the escalating rate of obesity and inactivity in US children, and has led to behavioral and educational strategies that may help mothers combat these effects.

Global warming beneficial to ratsnakes Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST Speculation about how animals will respond to climate change due to global warming led researchers to conduct a study of ratsnakes at three different latitudes -- Ontario, Illinois, and Texas. His findings suggest that ratsnakes will be able to adapt to the higher temperatures by becoming more active at night.

Stem cell materials could boost research into key diseases Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST Stem cell manufacturing for drug screening and treatments for diseases such as Huntington's and Parkinson's could be boosted by a new method of generating stem cells, a study suggests. Scientists have developed a family of compounds that can support the growth of human embryonic stem cells on a large scale for use in drug testing or treatments.

Earth-size planets common in galaxy: Perhaps 17 percent of sun-like stars have Earth-size planets within the orbit of Mercury Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST Last year, astronomers were excited to discover that the number of exoplanets increases towards smaller sizes, which suggests that there are many Earth-size planets in the galaxy. A new analysis of three years of Kepler data shows that this increase stops around twice Earth size and holds for planets one to two times the diameter of Earth. Nevertheless, Earth-size planets occur around at least 17 percent of sun-like stars, they conclude.

Researchers work to counter spear phishing attacks Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:18 AM PST Researchers are working to counter threats from spear phishing. The attacks use knowledge of computer users to gain their trust to break into corporate networks.

2012 was warmest and second most extreme year on record for the contiguous U.S. Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:11 AM PST According to NOAA scientists, 2012 marked the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States with the year consisting of a record warm spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter and a warmer-than-average autumn. The average temperature for 2012 was 55.3°F, 3.2°F above the 20th century average, and 1.0°F above 1998, the previous warmest year.

Icing on a lake: Blocks of hydrocarbon ice might decorate surface of lakes and seas on Saturn's moon Titan Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:36 AM PST It's not exactly icing on a cake, but it could be icing on a lake. A new paper by scientists on NASA's Cassini mission finds that blocks of hydrocarbon ice might decorate the surface of existing lakes and seas of liquid hydrocarbon on Saturn's moon Titan. The presence of ice floes might explain some of the mixed readings Cassini has seen in the reflectivity of the surfaces of lakes on Titan.

A new point of reference for offshore energy development Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:30 AM PST A new Department of Energy research facility could help bring the U.S. closer to generating power from the winds and waters along America's coasts and help alleviate a major hurdle for offshore wind and ocean power development.

Concentrated solar power with thermal energy storage can help utilities' bottom line, study shows Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:30 AM PST The storage capacity of concentrating solar power can add significant value to a utility company's optimal mix of energy sources, a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggests.

Blood brothers (and sisters): Sibling study discovers genetic region linked to control of key blood-clotting protein Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST In 2006, the lab of Dr. David Ginsburg at the Life Sciences Institute put a call out for siblings attending the University of Michigan to donate blood for a study of blood-clotting disorders. The samples were collected over three years and have now enabled the researchers to identify the specific parts of the genome responsible for levels of a key substance for blood clotting.

New biochip technology uses tiny whirlpools to corral microbes Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated a new technology that combines a laser and electric fields to create tiny centrifuge-like whirlpools to separate particles and microbes by size, a potential lab-on-a-chip system for medicine and research.

First study of Oregon's Hmong reveals surprising influences on cancer screenings Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST Cervical cancer rates for Hmong women are among the highest in the nation, yet past research has shown that cervical and breast cancer screening rates for this population are low -- in part because of the Hmong's strong patriarchal culture.

Teens susceptible to hepatitis B infection despite vaccination as infants Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST New research reveals that a significant number of adolescents lose their protection from hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, despite having received a complete vaccination series as infants. Results suggest teens with high-risk mothers and teens whose immune system fails to remember a previous viral exposure are behind HBV reinfection.

Genetic matchmaking saves endangered frogs Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST What if Noah got it wrong? What if he paired a male and a female animal thinking they were the same species, and then discovered they were not the same and could not produce offspring? As researchers from the Smithsonian's Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project race to save frogs from a devastating disease by breeding them in captivity, a genetic test averts mating mix-ups.

An underground airport, tube-travelling pigeons and giant locusts: Cultural research into London Underground Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:27 AM PST Did you know that the London Underground once planned to build its own airport? Or that the creators of the first Underground line originally intended that it would terminate in Paris? Or that pigeons regularly get on at Hammersmith and get off at Ladbroke Grove?

Postpartum depression prevalent in under-developed countries, could impact baby health and mortality Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST Two-thirds of mothers with sick babies in Ghana at risk of depression, which could put babies at higher health risks such as low birth weight and poor nutrition.

Prescription drug misuse remains a top public health concern Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST Prescription drug misuse is second only to marijuana as the nation's most prevalent illicit drug problem, with approximately 22 million persons nationwide initiating nonmedical pain reliever use since 2002, according to a new report. The report also shows variations in use by state, with combined 2010 and 2011 data indicating that rates of past year misuse among those aged 12 or older ranged from 3.6 percent in Iowa to 6.4 percent in Oregon.

Unwed couples still favor traditional household roles Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST In interviews with unwed couples, a sociologist found that the conventional notion of male breadwinner and female homemaker still guides some behaviors, even for couples in which the woman is the primary financial provider. The tendency leads some women to avoid marriage.

Simulated Mars mission reveals body's sodium rhythms Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST Researchers report that -- in contrast to the prevailing dogma -- sodium levels fluctuate rhythmically with 7-day and monthly cycles. The findings, which demonstrate that sodium is stored in the body, have implications for blood pressure control, hypertension and salt-associated cardiovascular risk.

Why obese people have higher rates of asthma Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST A new study has found that leptin, a hormone that plays a key role in energy metabolism, fertility, and bone mass, also regulates airway diameter. The findings could explain why obese people are prone to asthma and suggest that medications that increase leptin-signaling may relieve asthma in obese people.

Genes and obesity: Fast food isn't only culprit in expanding waistlines -- DNA is also to blame Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST Researchers say it's not just what you eat that makes those pants tighter -- it's also genetics. In a new study, scientists discovered that body-fat responses to a typical fast-food diet are determined in large part by genetic factors, and they have identified several genes they say may control those responses.

Graphene oxide soaks up radioactive waste: U.S., Russian researchers collaborate on solution to toxic groundwater woes Posted: 08 Jan 2013 08:24 AM PST Graphene oxide has a remarkable ability to quickly remove radioactive material from contaminated water, researchers in the United States and Russia have found. The discovery could be a boon in the cleanup of contaminated sites like the Fukushima nuclear plants damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It could also cut the cost of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") for oil and gas recovery and help reboot American mining of rare earth metals.

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