ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Evolution can select for evolvability, biologists find
• Genes uniquely expressed by brain's immune cells
• Baby boys at higher risk of death, disability in preterm births
• Drug trial for top parasitic killer of the Americas
• No peak in sight for evolving bacteria
• New studies may explain fractures in some who take osteoporosis drugs
• Spintronics: Nano magnets arise at 2-D boundaries
• Protein interplay in muscle tied to life span
• Scientists nearing forecasts of long-lived wildfires
• Dogs likely originated in Europe more than 18,000 years ago, biologists report
• Distant artificial atoms cooperate by sharing light: Future applications in advanced quantum devices
• Quantum world record smashed: Quantum state survives at room temperature for 39 minutes
• Hydrogen fuel from sunlight? Low-cost, long-lasting water splitter made of silicon and nickel
• First detailed map of global forest change
• World's most irreplaceable protected areas identified
• Toward new quantum possibilities: Seeing a photon without absorbing it
• Penguin-inspired propulsion system
• Large graphene crystals with exceptional electrical properties created
• Dengue fever mystery in two US cities: Both exposed to risk
• Why seedlings always grow towards the light
• Mid-nineteenth century Chinese maps controlled water and directed labor
• Senescence is normal process in embryo, not only linked to aging, cancer
• Jupiter mystery solved: Why the giant planet's mysterious Great Red Spot has not disappeared
• State child restraint laws leave many unprotected
• Antibiotic resistance an international issue; could be addressed with education
• Bleeding symptom leads scientists to intracellular trafficker's role in virus propagation
• Glowing worms illuminate the roots of behavior
• Hubble views an old and mysterious cluster
• Potential new treatment for sepsis
• Older adults with severe mental illness challenge healthcare system
• Lack of sleep in teens linked to higher risk of illness
• Probiotics reduce piglet pathogens
• Genetic signature identified for leading cause of infant hospitalizations worldwide
• Early stages breast cancer could soon be diagnosed from blood samples
• Hubble reveals first scrapbook pictures of Milky Way's formative years
• Mind-reading robots coming ever closer
• Amazon rainforest more able to withstand drought than previously thought
• Electron beams and radio signals from the surface of the Sun
• Controversial cholesterol guidelines biggest change in 25 years
• Accidental discovery dramatically improves electrical conductivity
• Tiny 'Lego' blocks build Janus nanotubes with potential for new drugs and water purification
• Single-atom bit forms smallest memory in the world
• Are probiotics a promising treatment strategy for depression?
• Researcher helping to solve moon's water puzzles
• Surgeons often profoundly affected by surgical complications
• Women with asthma could face delay in becoming pregnant
• Cognitive scientists ID mechanism central to early childhood learning, social behavior
• Gene linked to common intellectual disability
• Microbiome changed by gluten increases incidences of type 1 diabetes
• Widespread use of opioid medications in nonsurgical hospital patients
• Plant oil suppresses viability of human prostate cancer cells

Evolution can select for evolvability, biologists find Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:34 PM PST Evolution does not have foresight. But organisms with a greater capacity to evolve may fare better in changing environments. This raises the question: Does evolution favor characteristics that increase a species' ability to evolve? For several years, biologists have attempted to provide evidence that natural selection has acted on evolvability. Now a new article offers clear evidence that the answer is yes.

Genes uniquely expressed by brain's immune cells Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:34 PM PST Investigators have used a new sequencing method to identify a group of genes used by the brain's immune cells -- called microglia -- to sense pathogenic organisms, toxins or damaged cells that require their response. Identifying these genes should lead to better understanding of the role of microglia both in normal brains and in neurodegenerative disorders.

Baby boys at higher risk of death, disability in preterm births Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:34 PM PST Groundbreaking global studies on preterm birth and disability carried out by almost 50 researchers at 35 institutions and launched in association with World Prematurity Day finds baby boys are at a higher risk of death and disability due to preterm birth than baby girls. These disabilities range from learning problems and blindness to deafness and motor problems, including cerebral palsy.

Drug trial for top parasitic killer of the Americas Posted: 14 Nov 2013 04:34 PM PST According to results of the first-ever Phase 2 clinical trial in Bolivia, the drug candidate E1224 showed good safety and was effective at clearing the parasite causing Chagas disease, but had little to no sustained efficacy one year after treatment. On the other hand, standard therapy, benznidazole, was effective long term but continued to be associated with side effects. The results point to alternative dosing regimens and possible combination therapies to improve patient care.

No peak in sight for evolving bacteria Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:22 AM PST There's no peak in sight -- fitness peak, that is -- for the bacteria being studied in one American lab. Scientists there have been running an evolutionary bacteria experiment for 25 years, generating more than 50,000 generations. In a paper published, the author compares it to hiking.

New studies may explain fractures in some who take osteoporosis drugs Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:22 AM PST Research with baboons may help explain why some people who take bone-strengthening drugs like bisphosphonates are at risk for atypical fractures in the long bones in their legs.

Spintronics: Nano magnets arise at 2-D boundaries Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:22 AM PST According to a new theory, imperfections in certain two-dimensional materials create the conditions by which nanoscale magnetic fields arise.

Protein interplay in muscle tied to life span Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST Biologists have uncovered a complicated chain of molecular events that leads from insulin to protein degradation in muscles and significantly diminished life span in fruit flies. The new study, which may have broad implications across species, identifies the fly version the mammalian protein activin as the central culprit in the process.

Scientists nearing forecasts of long-lived wildfires Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST Scientists have developed a new computer modeling technique that offers the promise, for the first time, of producing continually updated daylong predictions of wildfire growth throughout the lifetime of long-lived blazes. The technique combines detailed computer simulations with newly available satellite observations.

Dogs likely originated in Europe more than 18,000 years ago, biologists report Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST Wolves likely were domesticated by European hunter-gatherers more than 18,000 years ago, and gradually evolved into dogs that became household pets, biologists report.

Distant artificial atoms cooperate by sharing light: Future applications in advanced quantum devices Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST Scientists have shown for the first time that atoms can work collectively rather than independently of each other to share light. Quantum physicists have long discussed such an effect, but it has not been seen before in an experiment.

Quantum world record smashed: Quantum state survives at room temperature for 39 minutes Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST A normally fragile quantum state has been shown to survive at room temperature for a world record 39 minutes, overcoming a key barrier towards building ultrafast quantum computers.

Hydrogen fuel from sunlight? Low-cost, long-lasting water splitter made of silicon and nickel Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST Scientists have created a silicon-based water splitter that is both low-cost and corrosion-free. The novel device -- a silicon semiconductor coated in an ultrathin layer of nickel -- could help pave the way for large-scale production of clean hydrogen fuel from sunlight.

First detailed map of global forest change Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST Scientist have created the first high-resolution global map of forest extent, loss and gain, a resource that greatly improves our ability to understand human and naturally-induced forest changes and the local to global implications of these changes on environmental, economic and other natural and societal systems, members of the team say.

World's most irreplaceable protected areas identified Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST A new scientific study has identified the protected areas most critical to preventing extinctions of the world's mammals, birds and amphibians. Resulting from an international collaboration, this analysis provides practical advice for improving the effectiveness of protected areas in conserving global biodiversity.

Toward new quantum possibilities: Seeing a photon without absorbing it Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:19 AM PST Scientists can detect an optical photon twice. Light is of fundamental importance. It allows us to see the world around us and record pictures of our environment. It enables communication over long distances through optical fibers. All current methods of detecting light share a common property: absorption and thus destruction of a photon. It has been a long-standing dream to be able to watch individual photons fly by without absorbing them. Scientists have now for the first time realized a device which leaves the photon untouched upon detection. This provides new possibilities for using single photons in quantum communication and quantum information processing.

Penguin-inspired propulsion system Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:24 AM PST Scientists who have explored leveraging penguins' "rocket" properties to create new propulsion technologies with high maneuverability and improved hydrodynamic efficiency, are creating a penguin-inspired propulsion system that uses a novel spherical joint mechanism.

Large graphene crystals with exceptional electrical properties created Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:24 AM PST Researchers are using oxygen to grow large single graphene crystals on copper. Large single-crystal graphene is of great interest because the grain boundaries in polycrystalline material have defects, and eliminating such defects makes for a better material.

Dengue fever mystery in two US cities: Both exposed to risk Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:24 AM PST As dengue fever continues to spread from Key West north into the Florida mainland, it remains a mystery as to why this dangerous mosquito-borne illness is not yet common around Tucson, Arizona -- even though outbreaks routinely occur in nearby Mexico and mosquitoes that can carry dengue are now common in the state, according to a new research.

Why seedlings always grow towards the light Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:21 AM PST Scientists have discovered how cells in the stems of seedlings use blue light to grow towards the light. During earlier research the discovery was made that the cells in the seedling stems responded to blue light used in the microscope. The scientists have now discovered how the blue light causes small structures in the cell, the microtubules, to grow perpendicular to their normal growth direction.

Mid-nineteenth century Chinese maps controlled water and directed labor Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:21 AM PST A sequence of twelve maps from the mid-nineteenth century reveal that they were accurate enough for planning and executing middle-sized water control projects for the department of Dengchuan in southwest China.

Senescence is normal process in embryo, not only linked to aging, cancer Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:20 AM PST Two studies describe senescence as a normal and critical process during embryogenesis. They attribute a completely new and unexpected role to this process, which was always linked to aging and cancer.

Jupiter mystery solved: Why the giant planet's mysterious Great Red Spot has not disappeared Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:19 AM PST Based on what scientists understand about fluid dynamics, Jupiter's Great Red Spot should have disappeared centuries ago. Astronomers now think they can explain why. Their work also provides insight into persistent ocean eddies and vortices that contribute to star and planet formation.

State child restraint laws leave many unprotected Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:19 AM PST Child restraint laws across many states have gaps that leave unprotected passengers highly vulnerable to vehicle-crash injuries, a study has found. The findings show that many child restraint laws lag behind existing research on vehicular safety and fail to follow guidelines adopted by medical experts.

Antibiotic resistance an international issue; could be addressed with education Posted: 14 Nov 2013 09:22 AM PST Antibiotic resistance is an international reality whose solution includes better educating physicians about using bacteria-fighting tools, says an infectious disease physician.

Bleeding symptom leads scientists to intracellular trafficker's role in virus propagation Posted: 14 Nov 2013 09:22 AM PST Researchers find a new important clue to how deadly rodent-borne viruses harness ERGIC-53 to ensure their reproductive success.

Glowing worms illuminate the roots of behavior Posted: 14 Nov 2013 09:22 AM PST Researchers have developed a system to image brain activity in multiple awake and unconstrained worms. The technology, which makes it possible to study the genetics and neural circuitry associated with animal behavior, can also be used as a high-throughput screening tool for drug development targeting autism, depression, and other brain disorders.

Hubble views an old and mysterious cluster Posted: 14 Nov 2013 09:22 AM PST The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured the best ever image of the globular cluster Messier 15, a gathering of very old stars that orbits the center of the Milky Way. This glittering cluster contains over 100 000 stars, and could also hide a rare type of black hole at its center.

Potential new treatment for sepsis Posted: 14 Nov 2013 09:21 AM PST Sepsis is the leading cause of in-hospital death and there is no specific treatment for it. Now, research suggests a protein called recombinant human annexin A5 may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of this disease.

Older adults with severe mental illness challenge healthcare system Posted: 14 Nov 2013 09:21 AM PST Although older adults with serious mental illness didn't have more recorded physical illness and had fewer outpatient visits to primary care physicians, they made more medical emergency department visits and had considerably longer medical hospitalizations than older adults without mental illness according to a study.

Lack of sleep in teens linked to higher risk of illness Posted: 14 Nov 2013 09:21 AM PST Newly released findings have found that acute illnesses, such as colds, flu, and gastroenteritis were more common among healthy adolescents who got less sleep at night. Additionally, the regularity of teens' sleep schedules was found to impact their health.

Probiotics reduce piglet pathogens Posted: 14 Nov 2013 09:21 AM PST Piglets fed probiotic Enterococcus faecium showed reduced numbers of potentially pathogenic Escherichia coli strains in their intestines, according to a team of German researchers. The research is important, because in 2006 the European Union prohibited the feeding of antibiotics to livestock as growth promoters. Therefore, the research team sought to investigate whether probiotics could substitute for antibiotics, by reducing pathogen populations in the intestines.

Genetic signature identified for leading cause of infant hospitalizations worldwide Posted: 14 Nov 2013 08:36 AM PST Scientists have identified the genetic signature of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the leading cause of infant hospitalizations around the world. The work is a key step toward a better understanding of the immune response to RSV, which will aid the development of a vaccine and a tool that could allow physicians to determine the severity of the infection when symptoms first develop.

Early stages breast cancer could soon be diagnosed from blood samples Posted: 14 Nov 2013 08:36 AM PST A new blood test for the early detection of breast cancer was shown in preliminary studies to successfully identify the presence of breast cancer cells from serum biomarkers.

Hubble reveals first scrapbook pictures of Milky Way's formative years Posted: 14 Nov 2013 08:36 AM PST NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided the first visual evidence showing how our home galaxy, the Milky Way, assembled itself into the majestic pinwheel of stars we see today. Perusing Hubble's deep-sky surveys, astronomers traced 400 galaxies similar to our Milky Way at various stages of construction over a time span of 11 billion years.

Mind-reading robots coming ever closer Posted: 14 Nov 2013 07:25 AM PST If you think with the release of every new i-device the world is getting closer to thought-controlled smart tech and robotic personal assistants, you might be right.

Amazon rainforest more able to withstand drought than previously thought Posted: 14 Nov 2013 07:25 AM PST New research suggests that the Amazon rainforest may be more able to cope with dry conditions than previously predicted. Researchers used a computer model to demonstrate that, providing forest conservation measures are in place, the Amazon rainforest may be more able to withstand periods of drought than has been estimated by other climate models.

Electron beams and radio signals from the surface of the Sun Posted: 14 Nov 2013 07:21 AM PST The sun emits light, but it also emits particle beams. A scientist has now revealed how these beams generate radio waves. These radio waves can tell us about the outer layers of the sun and the interstellar medium without going there. In particular, the radio emissions are produced in small packages, and their shapes are determined by the density changes in the solar wind.

Controversial cholesterol guidelines biggest change in 25 years Posted: 14 Nov 2013 07:19 AM PST New cholesterol guidelines for identifying adults at risk for heart disease represent the biggest change in such expert advice in more than 25 years, and could dramatically affect how patients are treated.

Accidental discovery dramatically improves electrical conductivity Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:49 AM PST Quite by accident, researchers have achieved a 400-fold increase in the electrical conductivity of a crystal simply by exposing it to light. The effect, which lasted for days after the light was turned off, could dramatically improve the performance of devices like computer chips.

Tiny 'Lego' blocks build Janus nanotubes with potential for new drugs and water purification Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:49 AM PST Researchers have created tiny protein tubes named after the Roman god Janus which may offer a new way to accurately channel drugs into the body's cells.

Single-atom bit forms smallest memory in the world Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:48 AM PST One atom equals one bit: According to this design principle, we would like to construct magnetic data memories in the future. Presently, a compound of several million atoms is needed to stabilize a magnetic bit in a way that hard disk data are secure for several years. However, researchers have just made a big step towards a single-atom bit: They fixed a single atom on a surface such that the magnetic spin remained stable for ten minutes.

Are probiotics a promising treatment strategy for depression? Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:47 AM PST Probiotics are not new, but their status as a nutritional buzzword is. Most folks have now heard and seen the term countless times in commercials and advertisements, as yogurt, dietary supplement, natural food product, and even cosmetic companies promote their probiotic-containing products. But what are they, and why are they important?

Researcher helping to solve moon's water puzzles Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:41 AM PST Astrophysicists are applying new techniques to better characterize hydrogen, or water, at the moon's poles and map its distribution.

Surgeons often profoundly affected by surgical complications Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:37 PM PST Many surgeons are seriously affected on an emotional level by major surgical complications, and they often feel that institutional support is inadequate. Those are among the conclusions of a small study published. The findings provide valuable insights into the factors that affect surgeons' reactions to surgical complications and how surgeons could be better supported in their aftermath.

Women with asthma could face delay in becoming pregnant Posted: 13 Nov 2013 06:37 PM PST Women with asthma could take longer to conceive, according to new research.

Cognitive scientists ID mechanism central to early childhood learning, social behavior Posted: 13 Nov 2013 03:25 PM PST A study provides compelling evidence for a new and possibly dominant way for social partners to coordinate joint attention, key for parent-child communication and early language learning. The findings open up new questions about language learning and the teaching of language. They could also have major implications for the treatment of children with early social-communication impairment, such as autism, where joint caregiver-child attention with respect to objects and events is a key issue.

Gene linked to common intellectual disability Posted: 13 Nov 2013 03:24 PM PST Researchers have taken a step forward in unravelling the causes of a commonly inherited intellectual disability, finding that a genetic mutation leads to a reduction in certain proteins in the brain.

Microbiome changed by gluten increases incidences of type 1 diabetes Posted: 13 Nov 2013 03:24 PM PST Research has shown that the intestinal microbiome plays a large role in the development of type 1 diabetes.

Widespread use of opioid medications in nonsurgical hospital patients Posted: 13 Nov 2013 03:24 PM PST A comprehensive analysis of more than 1 million hospital admissions in the United States finds that over 50 percent of all nonsurgical patients were prescribed opioids during their hospitalizations -- often at very high doses.

Plant oil suppresses viability of human prostate cancer cells Posted: 13 Nov 2013 01:25 PM PST Geranylgeraniol, found in linseed oil, Cedrela toona wood oil, sucupira branca fruit oil and more recently, annatto seed oil, may be a new weapon in the arsenal of mevalonate-suppressive isoprenoids with potential synergism in the fight against prostate cancer.

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