الثلاثاء، 12 نوفمبر 2013

ScienceDaily: Top News

ScienceDaily: Top News

Global precipitation linked to global warming

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 03:55 PM PST

A new study shows that observed changes in global (ocean and land) precipitation are directly affected by human activities and cannot be explained by natural variability alone.

Marine biology: Feast and famine on the abyssal plain

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 03:55 PM PST

Marine biologists have long been puzzled by the fact that marine snow does not supply enough food to support all the animals and microbes living in deep-sea sediments. A new article shows that blooms of algae or animals near the sea surface can deliver as much food to deep-sea organisms as would normally arrive over years or even decades.

An intersection of math and biology: Clams and snails inspire robotic diggers and crawlers

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 01:15 PM PST

Engineering has always taken cues from biology. Natural organisms and systems have done well at evolving to perform tasks and achieve objectives within the limits set by nature and physics. That is one of the reasons engineers are studying snails. Snails can move in any direction -- horizontally, vertically, and upside down -- on various surfaces, be it sand, shells, tree barks or slick walls and smooth glass. One of the reasons for this is the sticky substance on their underbellies, which acts as a powerful lubricant and reduces friction during movement.

New method gives accurate picture of gas storage by microscopic cages

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 01:15 PM PST

Researchers accurately calculate the uptake of gas molecules by synthetic zeolites. The work may help more rapid development of materials for hydrogen storage, catalysis, environmental remediation and molecular sieves.

Bacteria may allow animals to send quick, voluminous messages

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 01:15 PM PST

Twitter clips human thoughts to a mere 140 characters. Animals' scent posts may be equally as short, relatively speaking, yet they convey an encyclopedia of information about the animals that left them. Researcher now show that the detailed scent posts of hyenas are, in part, products of symbiotic bacteria, microbes that have a mutually beneficial relationship with their hosts.

Mathematical analysis helps untangle bacterial chromosomes

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 01:14 PM PST

A team of researchers has analyzed how tangled DNA is unknotted and unlinked during the process of E. coli cell division, an understanding that could improve human health by leading to the design of better antibacterial drugs.

Of hurricanes, fungus and Parkinson's disease

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 01:14 PM PST

Researchers trying to understand the link between volatile organics and illness discovered a link between one such compound and Parkinson's-like symptoms.

Biosensor could help detect brain injuries during heart surgery

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 11:41 AM PST

Engineers and cardiology experts have teamed up to develop a fingernail-sized biosensor that could alert doctors when serious brain injury occurs during heart surgery.

Threats to our clean water: Impacts to human and marine environments

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 11:40 AM PST

Despite the abundance of water on our planet, it remains a precious and sought after life sustaining resource. Without the technology to provide safe, clean water to the masses, the general public would be consuming massive amounts of deadly bacteria daily. This is a case of the natural environment endangering humans. However, this can go both ways. Every year humans endanger the lives of millions of marine animals by (accidentally) contaminating their water with oil. Oil spills dump thousands of tons of oil into the ocean every year affecting many species of animals.

Martian moon samples will probably have bits of Mars too

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 11:05 AM PST

Researchers have helped to confirm the idea that the surface of Phobos contains tons of dust, soil, and rock blown off the Martian surface by large projectile impacts. That means a sample-return mission planned by the Russian space agency could sample two celestial bodies for the price of one.

Nurture impacts nature: Experiences leave genetic mark on brain, behavior

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 10:14 AM PST

New human and animal research released demonstrates how experiences impact genes that influence behavior and health. New insights have been made into how experience might produce long-term brain changes in behaviors like drug addiction and memory formation.

Spitzer and ALMA reveal a star's bubbly birth

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 09:50 AM PST

Combined observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the newly completed Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile have revealed the throes of stellar birth as never before in the well-studied object known as HH 46/47.

Gene speeds kidney disease progression, failure in blacks, regardless of diabetes status

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 09:21 AM PST

A large study found that African Americans with the APOL1 gene variant experience faster progression of chronic kidney disease and have a significantly increased risk of kidney failure, regardless of their diabetes status.

Some 'healthy' vegetable oils may actually increase risk of heart disease

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 09:21 AM PST

Some vegetable oils that claim to be healthy may actually increase the risk of heart disease, and health officials should reconsider cholesterol-lowering claims on food labelling, states an analysis.

Visualizing the past: Nondestructive imaging of ancient fossils

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 09:21 AM PST

Well-preserved plant fossils are rare, and traditional techniques to study their internal structure, by necessity, damage the sample. A new study integrates high-resolution X-ray imaging, 3-D image segmentation, and computer animation to visualize fossil conifer seed cones without destroying the material. The technique captures X-ray images that provide virtual cross-sections of the specimen and then combines the images to produce a 3-D reconstruction.

Key link responsible for colon cancer initiation, metastasis

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 09:21 AM PST

An research team has shown that a key genetic culprit, called CXCR2, is implicated in the tumor formation, growth and progression in a mouse model of colon cancer.

Methane-munching microorganisms meddle with metals

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 08:26 AM PST

A pair of microbes on the ocean floor "eats" methane in a unique way, and a new study provides insights into their surprising nutritional requirements. Learning how these methane-munching organisms make a living in these extreme environments could provide clues about how the deep-sea environment might change in a warming world.

Nanotech drug smugglers

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 08:25 AM PST

Tiny capsules of carbon are invisible to the chemical gatekeeper that flushes potentially harmful substances out of our bodies' cells, according to new research. The finding might allow a pharmaceutical to be smuggled into cells even when multidrug resistance has evolved.

Hospitals Vary in Monitoring, Treatment of Children with Brain Injury

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 08:25 AM PST

Hospitals vary in management of children with traumatic brain injury, particularly in monitoring and preventing the harmful effects of increased intracranial pressure (ICP), according to a study.

Molecular interplay explains many immunodeficiencies

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 07:25 AM PST

Scientists have described an exquisitely balanced interplay of four molecules that trigger and govern antibody production in immune cells. As well as being an important basic science discovery, it helps explain why people with mutations in any one of the associated genes cannot fight infection effectively, and develop rare and crippling immunodeficiency disorders.

Discovery may lead to new treatments for allergic diseases

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 07:25 AM PST

A collaboration among researchers in Israel and the United States has resulted in the discovery of a new pathway with broad implications for treating allergic diseases -- particularly eosinophil-associated disorders. Researchers have discovered how this pathway kills eosinophils before they can cause havoc. Eosinophils are normal cellular blood components, but when the body produces too many eosinophils they can cause a variety of eosinophilic disorders.

Green poison-dart frog varies mating call to suit situation

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 07:24 AM PST

In the eyes of a female poison-dart frog, a red male isn't much brighter than a green one. This does not however mean that the mating behavior of the green and red variants of the same species of frog is exactly the same.

Understanding immune system memory -- in a roundabout way

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 07:24 AM PST

While the principle of immune memory has been known for decades, the exact molecular mechanisms underpinning it have remained a mystery. Scientists have now unraveled part of that mystery, identifying the role of a gene called STAT3, which acts as a kind of roundabout, directing chemical messenger molecules to various destinations.

Geeks, jocks and shocks: Student perceptions of high-achieving classmates

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 07:22 AM PST

Imagine a new student is to join your class. The only thing you know about them is that they were the best in their previous class for the following subject…

New FDA proposal trying to eliminate trans fat

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 07:20 AM PST

Experts support the recent FDA proposal to eliminate trans fat from the food supply.

Brainstem abnormalities found in SIDS infants, in all sleep environments

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 06:17 AM PST

Investigators report that infants dying suddenly and unexpectedly, in both safe and unsafe sleep environments, have underlying brainstem abnormalities and are not all normal prior to death.

Poor, young breast cancer patients may experience delays in seeking care

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 06:17 AM PST

Researchers who sought to determine why breast cancers are more deadly in young women found that only a minority of young women experience long delays between the time they detect a breast abnormality and the time they receive a diagnosis, but delays in seeking care are more common in women with fewer financial resources.

Multiple birth pregnancies can cost 20 times more than singletons

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 06:15 AM PST

As multiple birth pregnancies can cost nearly 20 times more than singleton pregnancies, strategies to minimize multiple embryo transfer should be considered, researchers argue.

Changing the conversation: Polymers disrupt bacterial communication

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 06:15 AM PST

Artificial materials based on simple synthetic polymers can disrupt the way in which bacteria communicate with each other, a new study has shown.

Levitating foam liquid under the spell of magnetic fields

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 06:15 AM PST

No better solution to studying ever-draining foams than applying a strong magnetic field to keep the liquid in the foam at a standstill by levitating its water molecules. Foams fascinate, partly due to their short lifespan. Foams change as fluid drains out of their structure over time. It is precisely their ephemeral nature which has, until now, prevented scientists from experimentally probing their characteristic dynamics further. Instead, foams have often been studied theoretically. Now scientists have devised a method of keeping foams in shape using a magnet, which allows their dynamics to be investigated experimentally.

Waste could help fuel low carbon energy and transport

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 06:13 AM PST

In a time when society – and nature itself – are threatened by climate change, it seems fair to ask: Does recycling still matter? Two Swedish scientists say it does.

What are you scared of?

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 06:13 AM PST

What do bullies and sex have in common? Based on work by scientists, it seems that the same part of the brain reacts to both. The researchers found that – at least in mice – different types of fear are processed by different groups of neurons, even if the animals act out those fears in the same way. The findings could have implications for addressing phobias and panic attacks in humans.

Warning system for all crisis situations

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 06:13 AM PST

Natural disasters do not respect political boundaries. To deal effectively with this kind of crisis situation, alerts need to reach the affected areas in a seamless, cross–border way. This is exactly what Alert4All does. The system allows new alert channels to be added at any time and can send out fully automated, multilingual notifications to the general public.

How zinc starves lethal bacteria to stop infection

Posted: 11 Nov 2013 06:11 AM PST

Researchers have found that zinc can 'starve' one of the world's most deadly bacteria by preventing its uptake of an essential metal.

Fast-mutating DNA sequences shape early development; Guided evolution of uniquely human traits

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 05:44 PM PST

What does it mean to be human? According to scientists the key lies, ultimately, in the billions of lines of genetic code that comprise the human genome. The problem, however, has been deciphering that code. But now, researchers have discovered how the activation of specific stretches of DNA control the development of uniquely human characteristics -- and tell an intriguing story about the evolution of our species.

'Saving our Fish' needs more than ban on discarding

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 05:43 PM PST

Banning the practice of throwing unmarketable or over-quota fish back into the sea is just one of the measures needed to deliver sustainable fisheries, according to new research.

Exercise during pregnancy gives newborn brain development head start

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 05:43 PM PST

As little as 20 minutes of moderate exercise three times per week during pregnancy enhances the newborn child's brain development, according to researchers. This head-start could have an impact on the child's entire life.

Cause of genetic disorder found in 'dark matter' of DNA

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:44 PM PST

Pancreatic agenesis results in babies being born without a pancreas, leaving them with a lifetime of diabetes and problems digesting food. In a breakthrough for genetic research, scientists found that the condition is most commonly caused by mutations in a newly identified gene regulatory element in a remote part of the genome, which can now be explored thanks to advances in genetic sequencing.

Racial difference in blood clotting warrants closer look at heart attack medications

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:44 PM PST

Blood clot formation follows a different molecular route in African-Americans versus European-Americans, providing a new understanding of the effects of race on heart disease. The finding could one day help doctors provide more individualized treatment of heart disease and other blood-clot-related illnesses.

Single-cell genome sequencing gets better

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:44 PM PST

Researchers have generated the most complete genome sequences from single E. coli cells and individual neurons from the human brain. Preliminary data suggest that individual neurons from the same brain have different genetic compositions. The breakthrough comes from a new single-cell genome sequencing technique that confines genome amplification to fluid-filled wells with a volume of just 12 nanoliters.

Teens with late bedtimes have lower grades

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:43 PM PST

Late bedtimes during the school year, especially in younger teens, predicted lower cumulative grade point average and more emotional distress by college age.
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