ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Studying meteorites may reveal Mars' secrets of life
• Printable functional 'bionic' ear melds electronics and biology
• Startling survival story at historic Jamestown: Physical evidence of survival cannibalism
• PTSD research: Distinct gene activity patterns from childhood abuse
• Potential novel treatment for influenza discovered: Scientists pursue new therapies as deadly H7N9 flu spreads in China
• Soil may harbor answer to reducing arsenic in rice
• New measurement tool is on target for the fast-growing MEMS industry
• Shaking things up: Researchers propose new old way to purify carbon nanotubes
• Health defects found in fish exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil spill, three years later
• Transfer of ultraprecise time signals over a wireless optical channel demonstrated
• Use of laser light yields versatile manipulation of a quantum bit
• How brain's auditory center transmits information for decisions, actions
• Gentle touch and the bionic eye: Using haptics to improve outcomes for people given visual prosthetics
• New molecule heralds hope for muscular dystrophy treatment
• Genetic mutation linked with typical form of migraine headache
• Seahorse's armor gives engineers insight into robotics designs
• Fossil of great ape sheds light on evolution
• Amphibians living close to farm fields are more resistant to common insecticides
• Scientists weaken HIV infection in immune cells using synthetic agents
• Substances in honey increase honey bee detox gene expression
• Bug's view inspires new digital camera's unique imaging capabilities
• Global networks must be redesigned, experts urge
• New plant protein discoveries could ease global food and fuel demands
• Genomics to reshape endometrial cancer treatment
• Hypothalamus: Brain region may hold key to aging
• Best of both worlds: Towards a quantum Internet with combined optical and electrical technique
• Scientists find dissimilar proteins evolved similar seven-part shape
• Wide-eyed fear expressions may help us -- and others -- to locate threats
• Baby knows best: Fetuses emit hormone crucial to preventing preeclampsia
• New evidence on how fluoride fights tooth decay
• One step closer to a blood test for Alzheimer's
• Scientists retrieve temperature data from Japan Trench observatory
• The biology behind binge eating
• CPR 'hands-only' guidelines may not be best for rural areas
• Outdoor recess time can reduce the risk of nearsightedness in children
• The day NASA's Fermi dodged a 1.5-ton bullet
• Bizarre bone worms emit acid to feast on whale skeletons: Bone-melting substance drills opening for worms to access nutrients
• Researchers look to mathematics, nature, to understand the immune system and its role in cancer
• 'Dirty dozen' invasive species threaten UK
• Amusement rides in U.S. injure 4,400 kids a year: Injuries higher on 'fixed' rides
• Talking tissue boxes and other smart objects may be welcomed by most people
• Bird fossil sheds light on how swift and hummingbird flight came to be
• No link between anesthesia, dementia in elderly
• Consequences of a lifetime of sexual competition revealed
• How 'traffic' in our cells works both for and against us
• Humor styles and bullying in schools: Not a laughing matter
• Storm study reveals a sting in the tail
• Gastric bypass findings could lead to diabetes treatment
• Regional anesthesia technique significantly improves outcomes of hip and knee replacement

Studying meteorites may reveal Mars' secrets of life Posted: 01 May 2013 04:32 PM PDT In an effort to determine if conditions were ever right on Mars to sustain life, a team of scientists has examined a meteorite that formed on the Red Planet more than a billion years ago.

Printable functional 'bionic' ear melds electronics and biology Posted: 01 May 2013 04:32 PM PDT Scientists used off-the-shelf printing tools to create a functional ear that can "hear" radio frequencies far beyond the range of normal human capability. The researchers' primary purpose was to explore an efficient and versatile means to merge electronics with tissue. The scientists used 3-D printing of cells and nanoparticles followed by cell culture to combine a small coil antenna with cartilage, creating what they term a bionic ear.

Startling survival story at historic Jamestown: Physical evidence of survival cannibalism Posted: 01 May 2013 04:18 PM PDT A forensic analysis of 17th-century human remains proves that survival cannibalism took place in historic Jamestown, Virginia. The findings answer a long-standing question among historians about the occurrence of cannibalism at Jamestown during the deadly winter of 1609-1610 known as the "starving time" -- a period during which about 80 percent of the colonists died.

PTSD research: Distinct gene activity patterns from childhood abuse Posted: 01 May 2013 12:44 PM PDT A study of adult civilians with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) has shown that individuals with a history of childhood abuse have distinct, profound changes in gene activity patterns, compared to adults with PTSD but without a history of child abuse.

Potential novel treatment for influenza discovered: Scientists pursue new therapies as deadly H7N9 flu spreads in China Posted: 01 May 2013 12:44 PM PDT An experimental drug has shown promise in treating influenza, preventing lung injury and death from the virus in preclinical studies, according to new research. The scientists found that a drug called Eritoran can protect mice from death after they have been infected with a lethal dose of influenza virus.

Soil may harbor answer to reducing arsenic in rice Posted: 01 May 2013 12:44 PM PDT Agricultural researchers are studying whether a naturally occurring soil bacterium, referred to as UD1023, can create an iron barrier in rice roots that reduces arsenic uptake.

New measurement tool is on target for the fast-growing MEMS industry Posted: 01 May 2013 11:51 AM PDT As markets for miniature, hybrid machines known as MEMS grow and diversify, researchers have introduced a long-awaited measurement tool that will help growing numbers of device designers, manufacturers and customers to see eye to eye on eight dimensional and material property measurements that are key to device performance.

Shaking things up: Researchers propose new old way to purify carbon nanotubes Posted: 01 May 2013 11:51 AM PDT An old, somewhat passé, trick used to purify protein samples based on their affinity for water has found new fans: materials scientists are using it to divvy up solutions of carbon nanotubes, separating the metallic nanotubes from semiconductors. They say it's a fast, easy and cheap way to produce high-purity samples of carbon nanotubes for use in nanoscale electronics and many other applications.

Health defects found in fish exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil spill, three years later Posted: 01 May 2013 11:51 AM PDT Three years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, crude oil toxicity continues to sicken a sentinel Gulf Coast fish species, according to new findings.

Transfer of ultraprecise time signals over a wireless optical channel demonstrated Posted: 01 May 2013 11:51 AM PDT By bouncing eye-safe laser pulses off a mirror on a hillside, researchers have transferred ultra-precise time signals through open air with unprecedented precision equivalent to the "ticking" of the world's best next-generation atomic clocks.

Use of laser light yields versatile manipulation of a quantum bit Posted: 01 May 2013 11:51 AM PDT By using light, researchers have manipulated the quantum state of a single atomic-sized defect in diamond -- the nitrogen-vacancy center -- in a method that not only allows for more unified control than conventional processes, but is more versatile, and opens up the possibility of exploring new solid-state quantum systems.

How brain's auditory center transmits information for decisions, actions Posted: 01 May 2013 11:51 AM PDT When a pedestrian hears the screech of a car's brakes, she has to decide whether, and if so, how, to move in response. Is the action taking place blocks away, or 20 feet to the left? One of the primal mechanisms we depend on -- acting on the basis of information gathered by our sense of hearing -- is yielding its secrets. Surprising results fill in a key piece of the puzzle about how mammals act on the basis of sound cues.

Gentle touch and the bionic eye: Using haptics to improve outcomes for people given visual prosthetics Posted: 01 May 2013 11:51 AM PDT Normal vision is essentially a spatial sense that often relies upon touch and movement during and after development. Training with haptic, touch, technology could improve outcomes for the blind children and older people fitted with visual prosthetic devices.

New molecule heralds hope for muscular dystrophy treatment Posted: 01 May 2013 11:51 AM PDT There's hope for patients with myotonic dystrophy, the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults. A new small molecule has been shown to break up the protein-RNA clusters that cause the disease in living human cells, an important first step toward developing a pharmaceutical treatment for the as-yet untreatable disease.

Genetic mutation linked with typical form of migraine headache Posted: 01 May 2013 11:51 AM PDT Scientists have identified a genetic mutation that is strongly associated with a typical form of migraine.

Seahorse's armor gives engineers insight into robotics designs Posted: 01 May 2013 10:21 AM PDT The tail of a seahorse can be compressed to about half its size before permanent damage occurs, engineers have found. The tail's flexibility is due to its structure, made up of bony, armored plates, which slide past each other. Researchers are hoping to use a similar structure to create a flexible robotic arm, which could be used in medical devices, underwater exploration and unmanned bomb detection and detonation.

Fossil of great ape sheds light on evolution Posted: 01 May 2013 10:21 AM PDT An integrative anatomy expert says the shape of an 11.8-million-year-old specimen's pelvis indicates that it lived near the beginning of the great ape evolution, after the lesser apes had started to develop separately but before the great ape species began to diversify.

Amphibians living close to farm fields are more resistant to common insecticides Posted: 01 May 2013 10:20 AM PDT Amphibian populations living close to agricultural fields have become more resistant to a common insecticide and are actually resistant to multiple common insecticides, according to two recent studies.

Scientists weaken HIV infection in immune cells using synthetic agents Posted: 01 May 2013 10:20 AM PDT HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is notorious for hiding within certain types of cells, where it reproduces at a slowed rate and eventually gives rise to chronic inflammation, despite drug therapy. But researchers recently discovered that synthetic anti-inflammatory substances distantly related to the active ingredient of marijuana may be able to take the punch out of HIV while inside one of its major hideouts -- immune cells called macrophages.

Substances in honey increase honey bee detox gene expression Posted: 01 May 2013 10:20 AM PDT A new study shows that some components of the nectar and pollen grains bees collect to manufacture food increase expression of detoxification genes that help keep honey bees healthy.

Bug's view inspires new digital camera's unique imaging capabilities Posted: 01 May 2013 10:19 AM PDT An insect-inspired device uses hemispherical, compound optics to capture wide, undistorted fields of view.

Global networks must be redesigned, experts urge Posted: 01 May 2013 10:19 AM PDT The increasing interdependencies between the world's technological, socio-economic, and environmental systems have the potential to create global catastrophic risks. We may have to redesign global networks,or else they could turn into "global time bombs," experts say.

New plant protein discoveries could ease global food and fuel demands Posted: 01 May 2013 10:19 AM PDT New discoveries of the way plants transport important substances across their biological membranes to resist toxic metals and pests, increase salt and drought tolerance, control water loss and store sugar can have profound implications for increasing the supply of food and energy for our rapidly growing global population.

Genomics to reshape endometrial cancer treatment Posted: 01 May 2013 10:19 AM PDT The most in-depth look yet at endometrial cancer shows that adding genomics-based testing to the standard diagnostic workup could change the recommended course of treatment for some women.

Hypothalamus: Brain region may hold key to aging Posted: 01 May 2013 10:18 AM PDT While the search continues for the Fountain of Youth, researchers may have found the body's "fountain of aging": the brain region known as the hypothalamus. For the first time, scientists report that the hypothalamus of mice controls aging throughout the body. Their discovery of a specific age-related signaling pathway opens up new strategies for combating diseases of old age and extending lifespan.

Best of both worlds: Towards a quantum Internet with combined optical and electrical technique Posted: 01 May 2013 10:18 AM PDT Scientists have achieved a breakthrough in quantum science that brings the prospect of a network of ultra-powerful quantum computers -- connected via a quantum internet -- closer to reality. The team is the first to have detected the spin, or quantum state, of a single atom using a combined optical and electrical approach.

Scientists find dissimilar proteins evolved similar seven-part shape Posted: 01 May 2013 10:17 AM PDT Solving the structure of a critical human molecule involved in cancer, scientists have found what they call a good example of structural conservation —- dissimilar genes that keep very similar shapes.

Wide-eyed fear expressions may help us -- and others -- to locate threats Posted: 01 May 2013 10:16 AM PDT Wide-eyed expressions that typically signal fear seem to enlarge our visual field making it easier to spot threats at the same time they enhance the ability of others to locate the source of danger, according to new research.

Baby knows best: Fetuses emit hormone crucial to preventing preeclampsia Posted: 01 May 2013 10:16 AM PDT Listening to the hormonal 'conversation' between mother and fetus could reveal new opportunities for preeclampsia detection and prevention.

New evidence on how fluoride fights tooth decay Posted: 01 May 2013 08:28 AM PDT In an advance toward solving a 50-year-old mystery, scientists are reporting new evidence on how the fluoride in drinking water, toothpastes, mouth rinses and other oral-care products prevents tooth decay.

One step closer to a blood test for Alzheimer's Posted: 01 May 2013 07:13 AM PDT Scientists are much closer to developing a screening test for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists retrieve temperature data from Japan Trench observatory Posted: 01 May 2013 07:13 AM PDT With the successful retrieval of a string of instruments from deep beneath the seafloor, an international team of scientists has completed an unprecedented series of operations to obtain crucial temperature measurements of the fault that caused the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

The biology behind binge eating Posted: 01 May 2013 07:13 AM PDT Female rats are much more likely to binge eat than male rats, according to new research that provides some of the strongest evidence yet that biology plays a role in eating disorders.

CPR 'hands-only' guidelines may not be best for rural areas Posted: 01 May 2013 07:13 AM PDT Hands-only CPR (CPR without mouth-to-mouth resuscitation), may not be the best method for rural or remote areas or for anyone who has to wait more than a few minutes for an ambulance, a new study suggests.

Outdoor recess time can reduce the risk of nearsightedness in children Posted: 01 May 2013 07:12 AM PDT A study conducted in Taiwan, the first to use an education policy intervention, finds that when children are required to spend recess time outdoors their risk of nearsightedness is reduced. A separate study in Danish children is the first to show a direct correlation between seasonal fluctuations in daylight, eye growth and the rate of nearsightedness progression.

The day NASA's Fermi dodged a 1.5-ton bullet Posted: 01 May 2013 07:12 AM PDT NASA scientists don't often learn that their spacecraft is at risk of crashing into another satellite. But when Julie McEnery, the project scientist for NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, checked her email on March 29, 2012, she found herself facing this precise situation.

Bizarre bone worms emit acid to feast on whale skeletons: Bone-melting substance drills opening for worms to access nutrients Posted: 01 May 2013 06:19 AM PDT Only within the past 12 years have marine biologists come to learn about the eye-opening characteristics of mystifying sea worms that live and thrive on the skeletons of whale carcasses. Now, scientists at describe how Osedax, mouthless and gutless "bone worms," excrete a bone-melting acid to gain entry to the nutrients within whale bones.

Researchers look to mathematics, nature, to understand the immune system and its role in cancer Posted: 01 May 2013 06:18 AM PDT Can patterns in tree branches or the meandering bends in a river provide clues that could lead to better cancer therapies? According to a new study, these self-similar, repeating patterns in nature known as fractals help scientists better understand how the immune system is organized and may one day be used to help improve stem cell transplant outcomes in leukemia patients by predicting the probability of transplant complications.

'Dirty dozen' invasive species threaten UK Posted: 01 May 2013 06:18 AM PDT Parts of the UK are at greater risk of invasion by non-native aquatic species than previously thought, according to new research. The first to include human factors in models used to predict where invasive species will arrive and spread, the study shows the Thames, Anglian and Humber river basins are most vulnerable.

Amusement rides in U.S. injure 4,400 kids a year: Injuries higher on 'fixed' rides Posted: 01 May 2013 06:18 AM PDT On average, a child is treated in an emergency department every other hour in the US for injuries on amusement rides, according to the first national study to examine those types of accidents in depth. Researchers investigated amusement ride injuries from 1990 to 2010 and found nearly 93,000 children were injured on rides including roller coasters, merry-go-rounds and coin-operated rides. The study finds consistent safety standards are needed.

Talking tissue boxes and other smart objects may be welcomed by most people Posted: 01 May 2013 06:18 AM PDT Just as people have embraced computers and smart phones, they may also give their blessing to talking tissue boxes and other smart objects, according to researchers.

Bird fossil sheds light on how swift and hummingbird flight came to be Posted: 01 May 2013 06:18 AM PDT A tiny bird fossil discovered in Wyoming offers clues to the precursors of swift and hummingbird wings. The fossil is unusual in having exceptionally well-preserved feathers, which allowed the researchers to reconstruct the size and shape of the bird's wings in ways not possible with bones alone.

No link between anesthesia, dementia in elderly Posted: 01 May 2013 06:07 AM PDT Elderly patients who receive anesthesia are no more likely to develop long-term dementia or Alzheimer's disease than other seniors, according to new research. The study analyzed thousands of patients using the Rochester Epidemiology Project -- which allows researchers access to medical records of nearly all residents of Olmsted County, Minn. -- and found that receiving general anesthesia for procedures after age 45 is not a risk factor for developing dementia.

Consequences of a lifetime of sexual competition revealed Posted: 01 May 2013 06:07 AM PDT Males that spend all their time reacting to their rivals die earlier and are less able to mate later in life according to new research. It reveals how fruit flies that are subjected to continual competition from mating rivals, mate for longer and produce more offspring in early life. But they pay a high price – a shorter lifespan and reduced mating ability later in life.

How 'traffic' in our cells works both for and against us Posted: 01 May 2013 06:07 AM PDT A mechanism that permits essential substances to enter our cells while at the same time removing from them harmful components also has a "down side." This negativeaspect prevents vital drugs, such as anti-cancer drugs, from achieving their designed functions, while also enabling bacterial cells to develop resistance to penetration of antibiotics.

Humor styles and bullying in schools: Not a laughing matter Posted: 01 May 2013 06:06 AM PDT There is a clear link between children's use of humor and their susceptibility to being bullied by their peers, according to a major new study.

Storm study reveals a sting in the tail Posted: 01 May 2013 06:06 AM PDT Meteorologists have gained a better understanding of how storms like the one that battered Britain in 1987 develop, making them easier to predict.

Gastric bypass findings could lead to diabetes treatment Posted: 01 May 2013 06:06 AM PDT Scientists have shed new light on why gastric bypass often sends diabetes into remission rapidly, opening the door to developing treatment with the same effect.

Regional anesthesia technique significantly improves outcomes of hip and knee replacement Posted: 01 May 2013 05:58 AM PDT A highly underutilized anesthesia technique called neuraxial anesthesia, also known as spinal or epidural anesthesia, improves outcomes in patients undergoing hip or knee replacement, according to a new study.

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