ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Largest magnetic fields in the universe
• Scientists identify key fungal species that help explain mysteries of white nose syndrome
• Bacterial blockade: How gut microbes can inactivate cardiac drugs
• Researcher digs into the contested peanut-allergy epidemic
• Behavior of turbulent flow of superfluids is opposite that of ordinary fluids
• Researchers develop system that uses a big data approach to personalized healthcare
• Broad-scale genome tinkering with help of an RNA guide: Biotechnology tool borrowed from pathogenic bacteria
• Centaurs: NASA's WISE finds mysterious centaurs may be comets
• Mechanism behind squids' and octopuses' ability to change color revealed
• Novel mechanism in spinal cord injury discovered: 'See-saw' molecule may offer clues to potential therapies in the long-term
• Rapamycin: Limited anti-aging effects
• Scientists discover surprising importance of 'I Love Q' for understanding neutron stars
• Neuroscientists plant false memories in mice: Location where brain stores memory traces, both false and authentic, pinpointed
• NASA's IRIS telescope offers first glimpse of sun's mysterious atmosphere
• Women's height linked to cancer risk, study finds
• NASA's Van Allen Probes discover particle accelerator in the heart of Earth’s radiation belts
• Potential new target to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma
• Extinct ancient ape did not walk like a human, study shows
• Captured: Mysterious oyster killers
• Microbial who-done-it for biofuels
• Pacific equatorial cold water region explained
• Computer can infer rules of the forest
• Researchers get better metrics on laser potential of key material
• How brain cells change their tune
• Secret of plant geometry revealed: How plants set the angles of their branches
• Starring role discovered for supporting cells in inner ear
• Bad night's sleep? The moon could be to blame
• World-changing technology enables crops to take nitrogen from the air
• Silky brain implants may help stop spread of epilepsy
• Bipolar disorder takes different path in patients who binge eat, study suggests
• Simulated hibernation aids toad work
• New techniques use lasers, LEDs, and optics to 'see' under the skin
• Novel nanometer scaffolds regulate the biological behaviors of neural stem cells
• New nuclear fuel-rod cladding could lead to safer power plants
• Key target responsible for triggering detrimental effects in brain trauma identified
• 18th century specimen reveals new South African weevil genus
• Watching catalysts at work at the atomic scale
• What if quantum physics worked on a macroscopic level? Researchers have successfully entangled optic fibers populated by 500 photons
• Deciphering the air-sea communication: Ocean significantly affects long-term climate fluctuations
• Adenoviruses may pose risk for monkey-to-human leap
• Flow restrictors may reduce young children's accidental ingestion of liquid medications
• Pigeons fly home with a map in their heads
• Elementary physics in a single molecule
• Molluscs vs. bacteria: New finding on marine natural products biosynthesis
• 'Epilepsy in a dish': Stem cell research reveals clues to disease's origins and may aid search for better drugs
• Laser-controlled molecular switch turns blood clotting on, off on command
• 'Weightism' increases risk for becoming, staying obese

Largest magnetic fields in the universe Posted: 26 Jul 2013 01:34 AM PDT Numerical simulations show for the first time the occurrence of an instability in the interior of neutron stars that can lead to gigantic magnetic fields, possibly triggering one of the most dramatic explosions observed in the Universe.

Scientists identify key fungal species that help explain mysteries of white nose syndrome Posted: 25 Jul 2013 05:24 PM PDT Researchers have identified what may be a key to unraveling some of the mysteries of White Nose Syndrome: The closest known non-disease causing relatives of the fungus that causes WNS. A new study outlines research on the evolution of species related to the fungus causing WNS.

Bacterial blockade: How gut microbes can inactivate cardiac drugs Posted: 25 Jul 2013 01:13 PM PDT Researchers have identified a pair of genes which appear to be responsible for allowing a specific strain of bacteria in the human gut to break down Lanoxin -- a widely prescribed cardiac drug -- into an inactive compound, as well as a possible way to turn the process off.

Researcher digs into the contested peanut-allergy epidemic Posted: 25 Jul 2013 01:13 PM PDT The path of the peanut from a snack staple to the object of bans at schools, day care centers and beyond offers important insights into how and why a rare, life-threatening food allergy can prompt far-reaching societal change, according to a researcher.

Behavior of turbulent flow of superfluids is opposite that of ordinary fluids Posted: 25 Jul 2013 12:21 PM PDT A superfluid moves like a completely frictionless liquid, seemingly able to propel itself without any hindrance from gravity or surface tension. The physics underlying these materials -- which appear to defy the conventional laws of physics -- has fascinated scientists for decades.

Researchers develop system that uses a big data approach to personalized healthcare Posted: 25 Jul 2013 12:21 PM PDT Researchers have developed a computer-aided method that uses electronic medical records to offer the promise of rapid advances toward personalized health care, disease management and wellness.

Broad-scale genome tinkering with help of an RNA guide: Biotechnology tool borrowed from pathogenic bacteria Posted: 25 Jul 2013 12:21 PM PDT Researchers have devised a way to quickly and easily target and tinker with any gene in the human genome. The new tool, which builds on an RNA-guided enzyme they borrowed from bacteria, is being made freely available to researchers who may now apply it to the next round of genome discovery.

Centaurs: NASA's WISE finds mysterious centaurs may be comets Posted: 25 Jul 2013 12:15 PM PDT The true identity of centaurs, the small celestial bodies orbiting the sun between Jupiter and Neptune, is one of the enduring mysteries of astrophysics. Are they asteroids or comets? A new study of observations from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) finds most centaurs are comets.

Mechanism behind squids' and octopuses' ability to change color revealed Posted: 25 Jul 2013 11:17 AM PDT Color in living organisms can be formed two ways: Pigmentation or anatomical structure. Structural colors arise from the physical interaction of light with biological nanostructures. A wide range of organisms possess this ability, but the biological mechanisms underlying the process have been poorly understood. Now researchers have delved deeper to uncover the mechanism responsible for the dramatic changes in color used by such creatures as squids and octopuses.

Novel mechanism in spinal cord injury discovered: 'See-saw' molecule may offer clues to potential therapies in the long-term Posted: 25 Jul 2013 11:17 AM PDT More than 11,000 Americans suffer spinal cord injuries each year, and since over a quarter of those injuries are due to falls, the number is likely to rise as the population ages. The reason so many of those injuries are permanently disabling is that the human body lacks the capacity to regenerate nerve fibers. The best our bodies can do is route the surviving tissue around the injury site.

Rapamycin: Limited anti-aging effects Posted: 25 Jul 2013 11:17 AM PDT The drug rapamycin is known to increase lifespan in mice. Whether rapamycin slows down aging, however, remains unclear. Scientists have now found that rapamycin extends lifespan -- but its impact on aging itself is limited. The life-extending effect seems to be related to rapamycin's suppression of tumors, which represent the main causes of death in these mouse strains.

Scientists discover surprising importance of 'I Love Q' for understanding neutron stars Posted: 25 Jul 2013 11:17 AM PDT Astrophysicists have discovered why scientists can learn a tremendous amount about neutron stars and quark stars without knowing the details of their internal structure.

Neuroscientists plant false memories in mice: Location where brain stores memory traces, both false and authentic, pinpointed Posted: 25 Jul 2013 11:17 AM PDT The phenomenon of false memory has been well-documented: In many court cases, defendants have been found guilty based on testimony from witnesses and victims who were sure of their recollections, but DNA evidence later overturned the conviction. In a step toward understanding how these faulty memories arise, neuroscientists have shown that they can plant false memories in the brains of mice. They also found that many of the neurological traces of these memories are identical in nature to those of authentic memories.

NASA's IRIS telescope offers first glimpse of sun's mysterious atmosphere Posted: 25 Jul 2013 11:16 AM PDT The moment when a telescope first opens its doors represents the culmination of years of work and planning -- while simultaneously laying the groundwork for a wealth of research and answers yet to come. It is a moment of excitement and perhaps even a little uncertainty. On July 17, 2013, the international team of scientists and engineers who supported and built NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, all lived through that moment. As the spacecraft orbited around Earth, the door of the telescope opened to view the mysterious lowest layers of the sun's atmosphere and the results thus far are nothing short of amazing. The data is crisp and clear, showing unprecedented detail of this little-observed region.

Women's height linked to cancer risk, study finds Posted: 25 Jul 2013 11:15 AM PDT The taller a postmenopausal woman is, the greater her risk for developing cancer, according to a new study.

NASA's Van Allen Probes discover particle accelerator in the heart of Earth’s radiation belts Posted: 25 Jul 2013 11:07 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a massive particle accelerator in the heart of one of the harshest regions of near-Earth space, a region of super-energetic, charged particles surrounding the globe called the Van Allen radiation belts. Scientists knew that something in space accelerated particles in the radiation belts to more than 99 percent the speed of light but they didn't know what that something was. New results from NASA's Van Allen Probes now show that the acceleration energy comes from within the belts themselves. Particles inside the belts are sped up by local kicks of energy, buffeting the particles to ever faster speeds, much like a perfectly timed push on a moving swing.

Potential new target to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:54 AM PDT Researchers conclude that Ephrin B2 seems to play an important role in malignant pleural mesothelioma cell lines and tumors.

Extinct ancient ape did not walk like a human, study shows Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:54 AM PDT A new study has found that a 9- to 7-million-year-old ape from Italy did not, in fact, walk habitually on two legs. The findings refute a long body of evidence, suggesting that Oreopithecus had the capabilities for bipedal (moving on two legs) walking.

Captured: Mysterious oyster killers Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:54 AM PDT Researchers have apprehended tiny, elusive parasites that have plagued oysters from British Columbia to California.

Microbial who-done-it for biofuels Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:54 AM PDT Scientists have developed a promising technique for identifying microbial enzymes that can effectively deconstruct biomass into fuel sugars under refinery processing conditions.

Pacific equatorial cold water region explained Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:54 AM PDT A new study reveals for the first time how the mixing of cold, deep waters from below can change sea surface temperatures on seasonal and longer timescales.

Computer can infer rules of the forest Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:54 AM PDT Researchers have devised a computer algorithm that takes intermittent samples -- for example, the number of prey and predating species in a forest once a year, or the concentration of different species in a chemical bath once an hour -- and infer the likely reactions that led to that result. They're working backward from traditional stochastic modeling, which they say could help unravel the hidden laws in fields as diverse as molecular biology to population ecology to basic chemistry.

Researchers get better metrics on laser potential of key material Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:54 AM PDT Researchers have developed more accurate measurements of how efficiently a polymer called MEH-PPV amplifies light, which should advance efforts to develop a new generation of lasers and photonic devices.

How brain cells change their tune Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:53 AM PDT Researchers may have answered a long-standing, fundamental question about how brain cells communicate by showing that brief bursts of chemical energy coming from rapidly moving power plants, called mitochondria, may tune synaptic transmission.

Secret of plant geometry revealed: How plants set the angles of their branches Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:53 AM PDT Researchers have discovered how plants set the angles of their branches relative to gravity. While the other principle features governing the architecture of plants such as the control of the number of branches and positioning around the main shoot are now well understood, scientists have long puzzled over how plants set and maintain the angle of their lateral branches relative to gravity.

Starring role discovered for supporting cells in inner ear Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:53 AM PDT Researchers have found in mice that supporting cells in the inner ear, once thought to serve only a structural role, can actively help repair damaged sensory hair cells, the functional cells that turn vibrations into the electrical signals that the brain recognizes as sound.

Bad night's sleep? The moon could be to blame Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:53 AM PDT Many people complain about poor sleep around the full moon, and now a report offers some of the first convincing scientific evidence to suggest that this really is true. The findings add to evidence that humans -- despite the comforts of our civilized world -- still respond to the geophysical rhythms of the moon, driven by a circalunar clock.

World-changing technology enables crops to take nitrogen from the air Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:50 AM PDT A major new technology enables all of the world's crops to take nitrogen from the air rather than expensive and environmentally damaging fertilizers. Nitrogen fixation, the process by which nitrogen is converted to ammonia, is vital for plants to survive and grow. However, only a very small number of plants, most notably legumes (such as peas, beans and lentils) have the ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere with the help of nitrogen fixing bacteria. The vast majority of plants have to obtain nitrogen from the soil, and for most crops currently being grown across the world, this also means a reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.

Silky brain implants may help stop spread of epilepsy Posted: 25 Jul 2013 09:13 AM PDT Silk has walked straight off the runway and into the lab. According to a new study, silk implants placed in the brain of laboratory animals and designed to release a specific chemical, adenosine, may help stop the progression of epilepsy.

Bipolar disorder takes different path in patients who binge eat, study suggests Posted: 25 Jul 2013 08:27 AM PDT Bipolar disorder evolves differently in patients who also binge eat, a study has found.

Simulated hibernation aids toad work Posted: 25 Jul 2013 08:26 AM PDT A partnership with the Memphis Zoo brought a colony of threatened toads from the Colorado Rockies to Mississippi State University. Researchers there joined the ranks of those trying to learn how to get the animals to breed in captivity. They had no success until they simulated hibernation in the refrigerator.

New techniques use lasers, LEDs, and optics to 'see' under the skin Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:49 AM PDT Scientists report on new non-invasive optical techniques using lasers, light-emitting diodes, and spectroscopic methods to probe and render images from beneath the surface of the skin. The technologies have a wide variety of medical and cosmetic applications such as treating burns, identifying cancer, and speeding the healing of wounds.

Novel nanometer scaffolds regulate the biological behaviors of neural stem cells Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:49 AM PDT The surface characteristics of nanoscaffolds made by nanotechnology are more similar to the three-dimensional topological structure of the extracellular matrix and the effects on the biological behaviors of cells and tissue repair are more beneficial.

New nuclear fuel-rod cladding could lead to safer power plants Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:49 AM PDT In the aftermath of Japan's earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was initially driven into shutdown by the magnitude 9.0 quake; its emergency generators then failed because they were inundated by the tsunami. But the greatest damage to the complex, and the greatest release of radiation, may have been caused by explosions of hydrogen gas that built up inside some of the reactors. That hydrogen buildup was the result of hot steam coming into contact with overheated nuclear fuel rods covered by a cladding of zirconium alloy, or "zircaloy" -- the material used as fuel-rod cladding in all water-cooled nuclear reactors, which constitute more than 90 percent of the world's power reactors. When it gets hot enough, zircaloy reacts with steam to produce hydrogen, a hazard in any loss-of-coolant nuclear accident. A team of researchers is developing an alternative that could provide similar protection for nuclear fuel, while reducing the risk of hydrogen production by roughly a thousandfold.

Key target responsible for triggering detrimental effects in brain trauma identified Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:48 AM PDT Researchers studying a type of cell found in the trillions in our brain have made an important discovery as to how it responds to brain injury and disease such as stroke. Scientists have identified proteins which trigger the processes that underlie how astrocyte cells respond to neurological trauma.

18th century specimen reveals new South African weevil genus Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:48 AM PDT An old specimen collected probably between 1772 and 1775 has been found to belong to an unknown, relict South African genus of weevils (snout beetles). This highlights the value of museums as keepers of priceless views of biodiversity against the present loss of richness and rampant human-driven extinction.

Watching catalysts at work at the atomic scale Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:48 AM PDT Developing materials with novel catalytic properties is one of the most important tasks in energy research. It is especially important to understand the dynamic processes involved in catalysis at the atomic scale, such as the formation and breaking of chemical bonds as well as ligand exchange mechanism.

What if quantum physics worked on a macroscopic level? Researchers have successfully entangled optic fibers populated by 500 photons Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:48 AM PDT Quantum physics concerns a world of infinitely small things. But for years, researchers have been attempting to observe the properties of quantum physics on a larger scale, even macroscopic.

Deciphering the air-sea communication: Ocean significantly affects long-term climate fluctuations Posted: 25 Jul 2013 07:48 AM PDT Scientists have investigated the role of heat exchange between ocean and atmosphere in long-term climate variability in the Atlantic. The scientists analyzed meteorological measurements and sea surface temperatures over the past 130 years. It was found that the ocean significantly affects long term climate fluctuations, while the seemingly chaotic atmosphere is mainly responsible for the shorter-term, year-to-year changes.

Adenoviruses may pose risk for monkey-to-human leap Posted: 25 Jul 2013 06:12 AM PDT Adenoviruses commonly infect humans, causing colds, flu-like symptoms and sometimes even death, but now researchers have discovered that a new species of adenovirus can spread from primate to primate, and potentially from monkey to human.

Flow restrictors may reduce young children's accidental ingestion of liquid medications Posted: 25 Jul 2013 06:12 AM PDT Over 500,000 calls are made to poison control centers each year after accidental ingestion of medications by young children, and the number of emergency department visits for unsupervised medication ingestions is rising. In a new study, researchers studied whether adding flow restrictors to bottles can limit the amount of liquid medication a child could access even if child-resistant caps are missing or improperly closed.

Pigeons fly home with a map in their heads Posted: 25 Jul 2013 06:11 AM PDT It is a fascinating phenomenon that homing pigeons always find their way home. Researchers have now carried out experiments demonstrating that pigeons have a spatial map and thus possess cognitive capabilities. In unknown territories, they recognize where they are in relation to their loft and are able to choose their targets themselves.

Elementary physics in a single molecule Posted: 25 Jul 2013 06:11 AM PDT Physicists have succeeded in performing an extraordinary experiment: They demonstrated how magnetism that generally manifests itself by a force between two magnetized objects acts within a single molecule. This discovery is of high significance to fundamental research and provides scientists with a new tool to better understand magnetism as an elementary phenomenon of physics.

Molluscs vs. bacteria: New finding on marine natural products biosynthesis Posted: 25 Jul 2013 06:11 AM PDT The gastropod mollusc Scaphander lignarius -- a marine invertebrate found in North Atlantic and Mediterranean water -- is the first organism, besides bacteria, in which the biosynthesis of lignarenones, organic molecules involved in organism's chemical defence, has been identified.

'Epilepsy in a dish': Stem cell research reveals clues to disease's origins and may aid search for better drugs Posted: 25 Jul 2013 06:09 AM PDT A new stem cell-based approach to studying epilepsy has yielded a surprising discovery about what causes one form of the disease, and may help in the search for better medicines to treat all kinds of seizure disorders.

Laser-controlled molecular switch turns blood clotting on, off on command Posted: 24 Jul 2013 05:04 PM PDT Researchers have designed tiny, light-controlled gold particles that can release DNA controls to switch blood clotting off and on.

'Weightism' increases risk for becoming, staying obese Posted: 24 Jul 2013 05:04 PM PDT Weight discrimination may increase risk for obesity rather than motivating individuals to lose weight, according to new research.

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