ScienceDaily: Top News

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• NASA taps the power of zombie stars in two-in-one instrument
• How our bodies interact with our minds in response to fear and other emotions
• Higher mercury levels in humans associated with increased risk for diabetes
• Microalgae produce more oil faster for energy, food or products
• Widely used filtering material adds arsenic to beers
• Do cells in the blood, heart and lungs smell the food we eat?
• Reducing waste of food: A key element in feeding billions more people
• New light shed on ancient Egyptian port and ship graveyard
• Device keeps human liver alive outside body
• Schoolboy finds 300 million year old fossil
• New foot-and-mouth vaccine is safer and cheaper to produce
• How communities effectively punish antisocial behavior
• New link between heart disease and red meat: New understanding of cardiovascular health benefits of vegan, vegetarian diets
• Final chapter to 60-year-old blood group mystery
• Brain's stress circuits undergo profound learning early in life, scientists find
• New separation process advances stem cell therapies
• Air pollution stunts coral growth
• Global burden of dengue is triple current estimates
• Engineered T cells kill tumors but spare normal tissue in an animal model
• Finding genes for childhood obesity: Genome wide study identifies genetic variants associated with childhood obesity
• Retinoic acid gradient visualized for the first time in an embryo
• Engineering algae to make the 'wonder material' nanocellulose for biofuels and more
• First tests of old patent medicine remedies from a museum collection
• Ready for debut: Fruit-juice-infused chocolate with 50 percent less fat
• Lift weights to lower blood sugar? White muscle helps keep blood glucose levels under control
• Novel serum biomarker bilirubin predicted lung cancer risk in smokers
• Fetal exposure to excessive stress hormones in the womb linked to adult mood disorders
• Flies model a potential sweet treatment for Parkinson's disease
• Two-step ovarian cancer immunotherapy made from patients' own tumor benefits three quarters of trial patients
• Screening blood samples for cancer-driving mutations more comprehensive than analyzing traditional tumor biopsy
• Motor skills research nets good news for middle-aged
• Accidental discovery may lead to improved polymers
• New emissions standards would fuel shift from coal to natural gas

NASA taps the power of zombie stars in two-in-one instrument Posted: 08 Apr 2013 12:53 AM PDT Neutron stars have been called the zombies of the cosmos. They shine even though they're technically dead, occasionally feeding on neighboring stars if they venture too close. Interestingly, these unusual objects, born when a massive star extinguishes its fuel and collapses under its own gravity, also may help future space travelers navigate to Mars and other distant destinations. NASA recently selected a new mission called the Neutron-star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) to not only reveal the physics that make neutron stars the densest objects in nature, but also to demonstrate a groundbreaking navigation technology that could revolutionize the agency's ability to travel to the far reaches of the solar system and beyond.

How our bodies interact with our minds in response to fear and other emotions Posted: 07 Apr 2013 06:15 PM PDT New research has shown that the way our minds react to and process emotions such as fear can vary according to what is happening in other parts of our bodies.

Higher mercury levels in humans associated with increased risk for diabetes Posted: 07 Apr 2013 06:15 PM PDT A new study found that higher levels of mercury exposure in young adults increased their risks for type 2 diabetes later in life by 65 percent.

Microalgae produce more oil faster for energy, food or products Posted: 07 Apr 2013 06:15 PM PDT Scientists have described technology that accelerates microalgae's ability to produce many different types of renewable oils for fuels, chemicals, foods and personal-care products within days using standard industrial fermentation.

Widely used filtering material adds arsenic to beers Posted: 07 Apr 2013 03:35 PM PDT The mystery of how arsenic levels in beer sold in Germany could be higher than in the water or other ingredients used to brew the beer has been solved, scientists say.

Do cells in the blood, heart and lungs smell the food we eat? Posted: 07 Apr 2013 03:35 PM PDT In a discovery suggesting that odors may have a far more important role in life than previously believed, scientists have found that heart, blood, lung and other cells in the body have the same receptors for sensing odors that exist in the nose. It opens the door to questions about whether the heart, for instance, "smells" that fresh-brewed cup of coffee or cinnamon bun.

Reducing waste of food: A key element in feeding billions more people Posted: 07 Apr 2013 03:35 PM PDT Families can be key players in a revolution needed to feed the world, and could save money by helping to cut food losses now occurring from field to fork to trash bin, an expert said. He described that often-invisible waste in food — 4 out of every 10 pounds produced in the United States alone — and the challenges of feeding a global population of 9 billion.

New light shed on ancient Egyptian port and ship graveyard Posted: 07 Apr 2013 12:07 PM PDT New research illuminates Thonis-Heracleion, a sunken port-city that served as the gateway to Egypt in the first millennium BC. This obligatory port of entry, known as 'Thonis' by the Egyptians and 'Heracleion' by the Greeks, was where seagoing ships probably unloaded their cargoes to have them assessed by temple officials and taxes extracted before transferring them to Egyptian ships that went upriver.

Device keeps human liver alive outside body Posted: 07 Apr 2013 12:01 PM PDT In a world first, a donated human liver has been 'kept alive' outside a human being and then successfully transplanted into a patient in need of a new liver.

Schoolboy finds 300 million year old fossil Posted: 07 Apr 2013 11:58 AM PDT A schoolboy has discovered what appears to be an extremely rare fossil of footprints from more than 300 million years ago.

New foot-and-mouth vaccine is safer and cheaper to produce Posted: 07 Apr 2013 11:54 AM PDT A new vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease that is safer to produce and easier to store has been developed.

How communities effectively punish antisocial behavior Posted: 07 Apr 2013 11:45 AM PDT New research provides an insight into how groups of people tackle social dilemmas and effectively punish those engaging in anti-social behavior.

New link between heart disease and red meat: New understanding of cardiovascular health benefits of vegan, vegetarian diets Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:33 AM PDT A compound abundant in red meat and added as a supplement to popular energy drinks has been found to promote atherosclerosis -- or the hardening or clogging of the arteries.

Final chapter to 60-year-old blood group mystery Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:33 AM PDT Researchers have solved a 60-year-old mystery by identifying a gene that can cause rejection, kidney failure and even death in some blood transfusion patients. In this study they identified the gene that underlies the Vel blood group and will lead to the development of more reliable blood tests and reduce the risk for transfusion patients who lack this blood group.

Brain's stress circuits undergo profound learning early in life, scientists find Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:33 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that stress circuits in the brain undergo profound learning early in life. Using a number of cutting edge approaches, including optogenetics, scientists have shown stress circuits are capable of self-tuning following a single stress. These findings demonstrate that the brain uses stress experience during early life to prepare and optimize for subsequent challenges.

New separation process advances stem cell therapies Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:33 AM PDT A new separation process that depends on an easily-distinguished physical difference in adhesive forces among cells could help expand production of stem cells generated through cell reprogramming. The separation process could also lead to improvements in the reprogramming technique itself and expand disease modeling.

Air pollution stunts coral growth Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:32 AM PDT A new study has found that pollution from fine particles in the air -- mainly the result of burning coal or volcanic eruptions -- can shade corals from sunlight and cool the surrounding water resulting in reduced growth rates.

Global burden of dengue is triple current estimates Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:32 AM PDT The global burden of dengue infection is more than triple current estimates from the World Health Organization, according to a multinational study.

Engineered T cells kill tumors but spare normal tissue in an animal model Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:32 AM PDT Researchers devised a next gen cancer immune approach in which the activation signal for T cells is physically dissociated from a second costimulatory signal for immune cells. The two CARs carry different antigen specificity -- mesothelin and a-folate receptor. Mesothelin is primarily associated with mesothelioma and ovarian cancer, and a-folate receptor with ovarian cancer.

Finding genes for childhood obesity: Genome wide study identifies genetic variants associated with childhood obesity Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:31 AM PDT A new study has revealed promising targets for the development of new drugs against childhood obesity. Researchers have identified four genes newly associated with childhood obesity and an increased burden of rare genetic deletions and rearrangements in severely obese children. Gaining a better basic understanding of obesity will open new doors to clinically relevant research.

Retinoic acid gradient visualized for the first time in an embryo Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:31 AM PDT In a ground-breaking study, researchers report a new technique that allows them to visualize the distribution of retinoic acid in a live zebrafish embryo, in real-time. This technique enabled them to observe two concentration gradients going in opposing directions along the head-to-tail axis of the embryo, thus providing long-awaited evidence that retinoic acid is a morphogen.

Engineering algae to make the 'wonder material' nanocellulose for biofuels and more Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:29 AM PDT Genes from the family of bacteria that produce vinegar, Kombucha tea and nata de coco have become stars in a project -- which scientists today said has reached an advanced stage -- that would turn algae into solar-powered factories for producing the "wonder material" nanocellulose. They have now reported on advances in getting those genes to produce fully functional nanocellulose.

First tests of old patent medicine remedies from a museum collection Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:29 AM PDT What was in Dr. F. G. Johnson's French Female Pills and other scientifically untested elixirs, nostrums and other quack cures that were the only medicines available to sick people during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries?

Ready for debut: Fruit-juice-infused chocolate with 50 percent less fat Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:29 AM PDT Already renowned as a healthy treat when enjoyed in moderation, chocolate could become even more salubrious if manufacturers embraced new technology for making "fruit-juice-infused chocolate," a scientist says.

Lift weights to lower blood sugar? White muscle helps keep blood glucose levels under control Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:29 AM PDT Researchers have challenged a long-held belief that whitening of skeletal muscle in diabetes is harmful.

Novel serum biomarker bilirubin predicted lung cancer risk in smokers Posted: 07 Apr 2013 10:29 AM PDT Smokers with low bilirubin levels were at increased risk for lung cancer incidence and mortality compared with those who had the highest bilirubin levels, making serum bilirubin a potential biomarker for lung cancer risk prediction.

Fetal exposure to excessive stress hormones in the womb linked to adult mood disorders Posted: 07 Apr 2013 06:08 AM PDT Exposure of the developing fetus to excessive levels of stress hormones in the womb can cause mood disorders in later life and now, for the first time, researchers have found a mechanism that may underpin this process.

Flies model a potential sweet treatment for Parkinson's disease Posted: 07 Apr 2013 06:07 AM PDT Researchers describe experiments that could lead to a new approach for treating Parkinson's disease using a common sweetener, mannitol.

Two-step ovarian cancer immunotherapy made from patients' own tumor benefits three quarters of trial patients Posted: 07 Apr 2013 06:07 AM PDT As many as three quarters of advanced ovarian cancer patients appeared to respond to a new two-step immunotherapy approach -- including one patient who achieved complete remission -- according to new research.

Screening blood samples for cancer-driving mutations more comprehensive than analyzing traditional tumor biopsy Posted: 07 Apr 2013 06:06 AM PDT Researchers using a tool called BEAMing technology, which can detect cancer-driving gene mutations in patients' blood samples, were able to identify oncogenic mutations associated with distinct responses to therapies used to treat patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), according to new research.

Motor skills research nets good news for middle-aged Posted: 05 Apr 2013 03:46 PM PDT People in their 20s don't have much on their middle-aged counterparts when it comes to some fine motor movements, researchers have found. In a simple finger-tapping exercise, study participants' speed declined only slightly with age until a marked drop in ability with participants in their mid-60s.

Accidental discovery may lead to improved polymers Posted: 05 Apr 2013 10:49 AM PDT The discovery of an unexpected side product of polymer synthesis by chemical engineers may have implications for the manufacture of commercial polymers used in sealants, adhesives, toys and even medical implants.

New emissions standards would fuel shift from coal to natural gas Posted: 05 Apr 2013 10:48 AM PDT Tougher EPA air-quality standards could spur an increased shift away from coal and toward natural gas for electricity generation, according to a new study. Complying with stricter regulations on sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and mercury may make nearly two-thirds of the U.S. coal-fired power plants as expensive to run as plants powered by natural gas. The regulations would make 65 percent of U.S. coal plants as expensive as natural gas, even if gas prices rise significantly.

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