ScienceDaily: Top News

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• The molecule 'scanner': World's smallest terahertz detector invented
• New challenges for mercury cleanup
• Young vs. old: Who performs more consistently?
• New way to dramatically raise RNA treatment potency: Proof-of-principle drug candidate powerfully neutralizes myotonic dystrophy defect
• Scientists add new bond to protein engineering toolbox
• Long-term use of some high blood pressure drugs associated with increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women
• Celiac disease patients with ongoing intestine damage at lymphoma risk
• Astronomers image lowest-mass exoplanet around a sun-like star
• New explanation for odd double-layer Martian craters
• Seafood menus from Hawaii reflect long-term ocean changes
• Genes that drive brain cancer revealed
• Carbon emissions to impact climate beyond the day after tomorrow
• Could discovery lead to end of sunburn pain?
• Insulin pills? More intestinal cells than thought can absorb larger particles
• Stem cells found in gum tissue can fight inflammatory disease
• Ozone-protection treaty had climate benefits, too
• Conservation efforts might encourage some to hunt lions
• Centers throughout the brain work together to make reading possible
• 3-D IR images now in full color
• How switch proteins are extracted from the membrane: Proteins hoist the anchor
• Disappearance of coral reefs, drastically altered marine food web on the horizon
• Making a mini Mona Lisa: Nanotechnique creates image on surface less than a third the hair's width
• Reliable communication, unreliable networks
• Close-up view of water pores needed in the eye's lens: Aquaporins could hold clues to cataract
• Great-grandmother's cigarette habit could be the cause of child's asthma
• Questions answered with the pupils of your eyes
• Putting the brakes on pain: Researchers protect GABA neurons from oxidative stress
• Feelings for fetus may vary smoking amount
• Understanding interface properties of graphene paves way for new applications
• Breastfeeding may reduce Alzheimer's risk
• Depressed fish could help in the search for new drug treatments
• Seeing depth through a single lens
• Moss beats human: Simple moss plants outperform us by gene number
• Interface superconductivity withstands variations in atomic configuration
• Immune system molecule promotes tumor resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy
• Not only bone density, but also quality of bone predicts fracture risk
• Looking to the past to predict the future of climate change
• Chronic harvesting threatens tropical tree
• Do antioxidants improve a woman's chances of conceiving?
• Heterogeneous nanoblocks give polymers an edge
• Origin of inflammation-driven pancreatic cancer decoded
• 'Insect soup' holds DNA key for monitoring biodiversity
• New research aids ability to predict solar storms, protect Earth
• Mechanism that allows bacteria to infect plants may inspire cure for eye disease
• Are we there yet? How the brain keeps eyes on the prize
• Practice makes the brain's motor cortex more efficient
• Materials break, then remake, bonds to build strength: Bending synthetic material makes it stronger, not weaker
• Disorder can improve the performance of plastic solar cells
• Researchers dismantle bacteria's war machinery
• Social status and power of action of speakers determine the way their statements are perceived
• Distinct brain disorders biologically linked: Disruption to the gene TOP3B increases susceptibility to schizophrenia and a learning disorder

The molecule 'scanner': World's smallest terahertz detector invented Posted: 05 Aug 2013 07:35 PM PDT Molecules could soon be "scanned" in a fashion similar to imaging screenings at airports, thanks to a new detector.

New challenges for mercury cleanup Posted: 05 Aug 2013 07:34 PM PDT More forms of mercury can be converted to deadly methylmercury than previously thought, according to a new study. The discovery provides scientists with another piece of the mercury puzzle, bringing them one step closer to understanding the challenges associated with mercury cleanup.

Young vs. old: Who performs more consistently? Posted: 05 Aug 2013 07:34 PM PDT Older adults tend to exhibit less variability on cognitive tasks due to higher motivation, a balanced routine, and mood stability, according to new research.

New way to dramatically raise RNA treatment potency: Proof-of-principle drug candidate powerfully neutralizes myotonic dystrophy defect Posted: 05 Aug 2013 07:31 PM PDT Scientists have shown a novel way to dramatically raise the potency of drug candidates targeting RNA, resulting in a 2,500-fold improvement in potency and significantly increasing their potential as therapeutic agents.

Scientists add new bond to protein engineering toolbox Posted: 05 Aug 2013 07:30 PM PDT Proteins are the workhorses of cells, adopting conformations that allow them to set off chemical reactions, send signals and transport materials. But when a scientist is designing a new drug, trying to visualize the processes inside cells, or probe how molecules interact with each other, they can't always find a protein that will do the job they want. Instead, they often engineer their own novel proteins to use in experiments, either from scratch or by altering existing molecules.

Long-term use of some high blood pressure drugs associated with increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women Posted: 05 Aug 2013 07:26 PM PDT Older women who take certain types of medication to combat high blood pressure may be putting themselves at greater risk for developing breast cancer, according to a new study.

Celiac disease patients with ongoing intestine damage at lymphoma risk Posted: 05 Aug 2013 07:26 PM PDT Celiac disease patients with ongoing intestine damage have a greater than 2-fold increased risk of lymphoma vs. celiac patients whose intestines healed.

Astronomers image lowest-mass exoplanet around a sun-like star Posted: 05 Aug 2013 01:36 PM PDT Using infrared data from the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, an international team of astronomers has imaged a giant planet around the bright star GJ 504. Several times the mass of Jupiter and similar in size, the new world, dubbed GJ 504b, is the lowest-mass planet ever detected around a star like the sun using direct imaging techniques.

New explanation for odd double-layer Martian craters Posted: 05 Aug 2013 12:25 PM PDT The surface of Mars it pocked by more than 600 "double-layered ejecta" DLE craters, but how these odd craters formed has been a mystery. A new study makes the case that glacial ice, possibly tens of meters thick at the time of impacts millions of years ago, may be responsible for the unique features of DLEs.

Seafood menus from Hawaii reflect long-term ocean changes Posted: 05 Aug 2013 12:24 PM PDT The colorful restaurant menus that thousands of tourists bring home as souvenirs from Hawaii hold more than happy memories of island vacations. They also contain valuable data that are helping a trio of researchers track long-term changes to important fisheries in the Aloha State.

Genes that drive brain cancer revealed Posted: 05 Aug 2013 12:24 PM PDT Medical researchers have identified 18 new genes responsible for driving glioblastoma multiforme, the most common -- and most aggressive -- form of brain cancer in adults.

Carbon emissions to impact climate beyond the day after tomorrow Posted: 05 Aug 2013 12:24 PM PDT Future warming from fossil fuel burning could be more intense and longer-lasting than previously thought. This prediction emerges from a new study that includes insights from episodes of climate change in the geologic past to inform projections of human-made future climate change.

Could discovery lead to end of sunburn pain? Posted: 05 Aug 2013 12:24 PM PDT The painful, red skin that comes from too much time in the sun is caused by a molecule abundant in the skin's epidermis, a new study shows. Blocking this molecule, called TRPV4, greatly protects against the painful effects of sunburn. The research, which was conducted in mouse models and human skin samples, could yield a way to combat sunburn and possibly several other causes of pain.

Insulin pills? More intestinal cells than thought can absorb larger particles Posted: 05 Aug 2013 12:24 PM PDT A new study reports that the small intestine uses more cells than scientists had realized to absorb microspheres large enough to contain therapeutic protein drugs, such as insulin. The finding in rats is potentially good news for developing a means for oral delivery of such drugs.

Stem cells found in gum tissue can fight inflammatory disease Posted: 05 Aug 2013 11:33 AM PDT Stem cells found in mouth tissue can not only become other types of cells but can also relieve inflammatory disease, according to a new study. The study indicates that the stem cells in the gingiva -- obtained via a simple biopsy of the gums -- may have important medical applications in the future.

Ozone-protection treaty had climate benefits, too Posted: 05 Aug 2013 11:33 AM PDT The global treaty that headed off destruction of Earth's protective ozone layer has also prevented major disruption of global rainfall patterns, even though that was not a motivation for the treaty, according to a new study.

Conservation efforts might encourage some to hunt lions Posted: 05 Aug 2013 11:33 AM PDT Some East African Maasai pastoralists may be hunting lions as a form of political protest, according to a new study.

Centers throughout the brain work together to make reading possible Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:37 AM PDT A combination of brain scans and reading tests has revealed that several regions in the brain are responsible for allowing humans to read.

3-D IR images now in full color Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:37 AM PDT Researchers have created the first technique to offer full color IR tomography, a non-destructive 3D imaging process that provides molecular-level chemical information of unprecedented detail on biological and other specimens with no need to stain or alter the specimen.

How switch proteins are extracted from the membrane: Proteins hoist the anchor Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:36 AM PDT Researchers have for the first time successfully reproduced the recycling process of proteins regulating cellular transport in a biophysical experiment. In doing so, they traced in detail the way the central switch protein Rab is being extracted from the lipid membrane.

Disappearance of coral reefs, drastically altered marine food web on the horizon Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:36 AM PDT If history's closest analog is any indication, the look of the oceans will change drastically in the future as the coming greenhouse world alters marine food webs and gives certain species advantages over others.

Making a mini Mona Lisa: Nanotechnique creates image on surface less than a third the hair's width Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:11 AM PDT Scientists have "painted" the Mona Lisa on a substrate surface approximately 30 microns in width -- or one-third the width of a human hair. The team's creation, the "Mini Lisa," demonstrates a technique that could potentially be used to achieve nanomanufacturing of devices because the team was able to vary the surface concentration of molecules on such short-length scales.

Reliable communication, unreliable networks Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:11 AM PDT A new model of wireless networks that better represents the real world could lead to more robust communications protocols.

Close-up view of water pores needed in the eye's lens: Aquaporins could hold clues to cataract Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:11 AM PDT Researchers have achieved dynamic, atomic-scale views of a protein needed to maintain the transparency of the lens in the human eye. The work could lead to new insights and drugs for treating cataract and a variety of other health conditions.

Great-grandmother's cigarette habit could be the cause of child's asthma Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:10 AM PDT A study finds for the first time that the third generation's asthma may be linked to maternal smoking.

Questions answered with the pupils of your eyes Posted: 05 Aug 2013 10:10 AM PDT Patients who are otherwise completely unable to communicate can answer yes or no questions within seconds with the help of a simple system -- consisting of just a laptop and camera -- that measures nothing but the size of their pupils. The tool takes advantage of changes in pupil size that naturally occur when people do mental arithmetic. It requires no specialized equipment or training at all.

Putting the brakes on pain: Researchers protect GABA neurons from oxidative stress Posted: 05 Aug 2013 08:34 AM PDT In a mouse model of neuropathic pain, researchers used antioxidants to preserve GABA neurons post-injury. The result: Less pain behavior.

Feelings for fetus may vary smoking amount Posted: 05 Aug 2013 08:34 AM PDT In a small new study, researchers report that pregnant smokers who felt less emotional attachment to their fetuses may have smoked more than women with greater feelings of attachment.

Understanding interface properties of graphene paves way for new applications Posted: 05 Aug 2013 08:34 AM PDT Researchers have revealed more about graphene's mechanical properties and demonstrated a technique to improve the stretchability of graphene -- developments that should help engineers and designers come up with new technologies that make use of the material.

Breastfeeding may reduce Alzheimer's risk Posted: 05 Aug 2013 08:34 AM PDT Mothers who breastfeed their children may have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease, with longer periods of breastfeeding also lowering the overall risk, a new study suggests.

Depressed fish could help in the search for new drug treatments Posted: 05 Aug 2013 08:29 AM PDT Antidepressant normalizes the behavior of zebrafish with a defective stress hormone receptor.

Seeing depth through a single lens Posted: 05 Aug 2013 08:29 AM PDT Researchers have developed a way for photographers and microscopists to create a 3D image through a single lens, without moving the camera.

Moss beats human: Simple moss plants outperform us by gene number Posted: 05 Aug 2013 08:29 AM PDT At the genetic level, mosses are more complex than humans: Scientists have now describe 32,275 protein-encoding genes from the moss Physcomitrella patens. This is about 10,000 genes more than the human genome contains. Mosses are tiny plants with a simple body plan: They have no roots, no flowers and do not produce seeds. Therefore, they were for a long time they were considered to be simple organisms also at the genetic level.

Interface superconductivity withstands variations in atomic configuration Posted: 05 Aug 2013 08:28 AM PDT Scientists discover that critical temperature remains constant across interface superconductors regardless of changes in electron doping levels, challenging leading theories.

Immune system molecule promotes tumor resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy Posted: 05 Aug 2013 08:28 AM PDT Scientists have shown for the first time that a signaling protein involved in inflammation also promotes tumor resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy.

Not only bone density, but also quality of bone predicts fracture risk Posted: 05 Aug 2013 06:26 AM PDT In a new study, bone histomorphometry and infrared spectroscopy revealed abnormal bone properties in children with vertebral fractures and in children after solid organ transplantation. Bone compositional changes in children with vertebral fractures and after different types of organ transplantation have not been reported previously.

Looking to the past to predict the future of climate change Posted: 05 Aug 2013 06:26 AM PDT Climate changes how species interact with one another -- and not just today. Scientists are studying trends from fossil records to understand how climate change impacted the world in the ancient past and to identify ways to predict how things may change in the future, according to a new study.

Chronic harvesting threatens tropical tree Posted: 05 Aug 2013 06:26 AM PDT Chronic harvesting of a tropical tree that many local communities in Western Africa depend on can alter the tree's reproduction and drastically curtail fruit and seed yields over the tree's lifetime, according to a new study.

Do antioxidants improve a woman's chances of conceiving? Posted: 05 Aug 2013 06:23 AM PDT There is no high quality evidence that antioxidant supplements help to increase a woman's chances of having a baby, according to the results of a new systematic review. The review found women were no more likely to conceive when taking oral antioxidants and that there was limited information about potential harms.

Heterogeneous nanoblocks give polymers an edge Posted: 05 Aug 2013 06:23 AM PDT A new uncovers the effects of size variation in nanoscale blocks used in polymer mixes.

Origin of inflammation-driven pancreatic cancer decoded Posted: 05 Aug 2013 06:23 AM PDT Researchers have revealed the process by which chronic inflammation of the pancreas, pancreatitis, morphs into pancreatic cancer. They say their findings point to ways to identify pancreatitis patients at risk of pancreatic cancer and to potential drug therapies that might reverse the process.

'Insect soup' holds DNA key for monitoring biodiversity Posted: 05 Aug 2013 06:23 AM PDT Scientists have shown that sequencing the DNA of crushed up creepy crawlies can accelerate the monitoring and cataloguing of biodiversity around the world. New research shows that a process known as 'metabarcoding' is much faster than and just as reliable as standard biodiversity datasets assembled with traditional labor-intensive methods. The breakthrough means that changing environments and endangered species can be monitored more easily than ever before. It could help researchers find endangered tree kangaroos in Papua New Guinea, discover which moths will be wiped out by climate change, and restore nature to heathlands in the UK, rubber plantations in China, and oil-palm plantations in Sumatra.

New research aids ability to predict solar storms, protect Earth Posted: 05 Aug 2013 06:20 AM PDT Three new solar modeling developments are bringing scientists closer to being able to predict the occurrence and timing of coronal mass ejections from the sun.

Mechanism that allows bacteria to infect plants may inspire cure for eye disease Posted: 04 Aug 2013 11:45 AM PDT By borrowing a tool from bacteria that infect plants, scientists have developed a new approach to eliminate mutated DNA inside mitochondria -- the energy factories within cells. Doctors might someday use the approach to treat a variety of mitochondrial diseases, including the degenerative eye disease Leber hereditary optic neuropathy.

Are we there yet? How the brain keeps eyes on the prize Posted: 04 Aug 2013 11:45 AM PDT Researchers reveal how the brain remains focused on long-term goals. "Are we there yet?" As anyone who has traveled with young children knows, maintaining focus on distant goals can be a challenge. A new study suggests how the brain achieves this task, and indicates that the neurotransmitter dopamine may signal the value of long-term rewards. The findings may also explain why patients with Parkinson's disease -- in which dopamine signaling is impaired -- often have difficulty in sustaining motivation to finish tasks.

Practice makes the brain's motor cortex more efficient Posted: 04 Aug 2013 11:45 AM PDT Not only does practice make perfect, it also makes for more efficient generation of neuronal activity in the brain's primary motor cortex, say researchers. New findings have shown that practice leads to decreased metabolic activity for internally generated movements, but not for visually guided motor tasks, and suggest the motor cortex is "plastic" and a potential site for the storage of motor skills.

Materials break, then remake, bonds to build strength: Bending synthetic material makes it stronger, not weaker Posted: 04 Aug 2013 11:44 AM PDT Microscopic tears in a new kind of human-made material may actually help the substance bulk up like a bodybuilder at the gym.

Disorder can improve the performance of plastic solar cells Posted: 04 Aug 2013 11:44 AM PDT Instead of mimicking rigid solar cells made of silicon crystals, materials scientists should embrace the inherently disordered nature of plastic polymers, say scientists. Their findings could speed up the development of low-cost, commercially available plastic solar cells and other electronic devices.

Researchers dismantle bacteria's war machinery Posted: 04 Aug 2013 11:44 AM PDT This is a veritable mechanics of aggression on the nanoscale. Certain bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, have the ability to deploy tiny darts. This biological weapon kills the host cell by piercing the membrane. Researchers at EPFL have dismantled, piece by piece, this intriguing little machine. This discovery offers new insight into the fight against pathogens that are increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

Social status and power of action of speakers determine the way their statements are perceived Posted: 04 Aug 2013 11:44 AM PDT The actual standing of speakers within a society's power structure determines how their statements are perceived.

Distinct brain disorders biologically linked: Disruption to the gene TOP3B increases susceptibility to schizophrenia and a learning disorder Posted: 04 Aug 2013 11:44 AM PDT Scientists have shown that schizophrenia and a disorder associated with autism and learning difficulties share a common biological pathway. This is one of the first times that researchers have uncovered genetic evidence for the underlying causes of schizophrenia.

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