ScienceDaily: Top News

---

• Computer rendering: Graduate student brings extinct plants 'back to life'
• How nerve cells flexibly adapt to acoustic signals
• Development of new cell models that report circadian clock function
• Protein researchers closing in on the mystery of schizophrenia
• Climate paradox deciphered from the Miocene era
• Eye of the beholder: Improving the human-robot connection
• Taking iron improves women's exercise performance, study shows
• Controversy over nitrogen's ocean 'exit strategies' resolved
• Tibetan Plateau was larger than previously thought, geologists say
• Appearance of night-shining clouds has increased
• Greenland ice cores show industrial record of acid rain, success of US Clean Air Act
• Viral hepatitis more deadly than HIV in Europe
• Positive outcomes for hepatitis C transplant patients
• Sensitive balance in immune system: How one molecule can affect health outcomes
• Devil in disguise: Small coral-eating worm may mean big trouble for reefs
• New self-healing plastics developed
• Splice variants reveal connections among autism genes
• Global poverty could be up to a third higher than reported
• Scientists grow cartilage to reconstruct nose
• Sneak a peek through the mist to technology of the future
• 3-D printing cancer cells to mimic tumors
• 'Body hack' app by math researchers shortcuts jet-lag recovery
• Scientists report success growing cartilage to reconstruct nostrils and implanting tissue-engineered vaginal organs into humans
• Laboratory-grown vaginas implanted in patients
• Antennae help flies 'cruise' in gusty winds
• A modern twist on Young's slits
• Multilayer polymers spring into action: Mechanical vibrations turned into electrical energy
• Forever clean? Metal–organic 'micromushrooms' repel all
• Possible new target to attack flu virus identified
• Getting to the root of Parkinson's disease
• Name of new weakly electric fish species reflects hope for peace in Central Africa

Computer rendering: Graduate student brings extinct plants 'back to life' Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT Most fossilized plants are fragments indistinguishable from a stick, but a graduate student hopes a new technique will allow paleontologists to more precisely identify these fossils. A graduate student showed the power of this technique by turning a 375 million-year-old lycopod fossil into a life-like rendering.

How nerve cells flexibly adapt to acoustic signals Posted: 11 Apr 2014 07:31 AM PDT Nerve cells flexibly adapt to acoustic signals, research has shown. Depending on the input signal, neurons generate action potentials either near or far away from the cell body. Nerve cells ensure that the various kinds of input signals are optimally processed -- and thus allow us to perceive both small and large acoustic arrival time differences well, and thereby localize sounds in space.

Development of new cell models that report circadian clock function Posted: 11 Apr 2014 07:31 AM PDT The development of robust new liver and fat cell models that report circadian clock function have been developed by scientists. The consequences of modern life -- eating and staying up later, shift work, cell phone addiction, travel -- all disturb internal clocks. These clocks are found in the brain where they regulate sleep, and also throughout the body, where they regulate much of our physiology and metabolism. Disrupting these clocks is called circadian misalignment which has been linked to metabolic problems. These new cellular clock models could help scientists find new drugs that reset or help restore robust rhythms to metabolic clocks.

Protein researchers closing in on the mystery of schizophrenia Posted: 11 Apr 2014 07:31 AM PDT Schizophrenia is a severe disease for which there is still no effective medical treatment. In an attempt to understand exactly what happens in the brain of a schizophrenic person, researchers have analyzed proteins in the brains of rats that have been given hallucinogenic drugs. This may pave the way for new and better medicines.

Climate paradox deciphered from the Miocene era Posted: 11 Apr 2014 07:31 AM PDT A supposed climate paradox from the Miocene era has been deciphered by means of complex model simulations. When the Antarctic ice sheet grew to its present-day size around 14 million years ago, it did not get colder everywhere on the Earth, but there were regions that became warmer. This appears to be a physical contradiction, and this research aims to address that.

Eye of the beholder: Improving the human-robot connection Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:23 AM PDT Researchers are programming robots to communicate with people using human-like body language and cues, an important step toward bringing robots into homes.

Taking iron improves women's exercise performance, study shows Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:23 AM PDT Women who take iron supplements experience a marked improvement in their exercise performance, a new study shows. Iron supplementation improved women's exercise performance, in terms of both the highest level they could achieve at 100% exertion (maximal capacity) and their exercise efficiency at a submaximal exertion. Women who were given iron were able to perform a given exercise using a lower heart rate and at a higher efficiency.

Controversy over nitrogen's ocean 'exit strategies' resolved Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:23 AM PDT A decades-long debate over the dominant way that nitrogen is removed from the ocean may now be settled. Researchers found that both of the nitrogen 'exit strategies,' denitrification and anammox, are at work in the oceans. The debate centers on how nitrogen -- one of the most important food sources for ocean life and a controller of atmospheric carbon dioxide -- becomes converted to a form that can exit the ocean and return to the atmosphere where it is reused in the global nitrogen cycle.

Tibetan Plateau was larger than previously thought, geologists say Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT The Tibetan Plateau -- the world's largest, highest, and flattest plateau -- had a larger initial extent than previously documented, Earth scientists have demonstrated. Known as the "Roof of the World," the Tibetan Plateau covers more than 970,000 square miles in Asia and India and reaches heights of over 15,000 feet. The plateau also contains a host of natural resources, including large mineral deposits and tens of thousands of glaciers, and is the headwaters of many major drainage basins.

Appearance of night-shining clouds has increased Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT First spotted in 1885, silvery blue clouds sometimes hover in the night sky near the poles, appearing to give off their own glowing light. Known as noctilucent clouds, this phenomenon began to be sighted at lower and lower latitudes -- between the 40th and 50th parallel -- during the 20th century, causing scientists to wonder if the region these clouds inhabit had indeed changed -- information that would tie in with understanding the weather and climate of all Earth.

Greenland ice cores show industrial record of acid rain, success of US Clean Air Act Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:18 AM PDT Detailed ice core measurements show smog-related ratios leveling off in 1970, and suggest these deposits are sensitive to the same chemicals that cause acid rain. By analyzing samples from the Greenland ice sheet, atmospheric scientists found clear evidence of the U.S. Clean Air Act. They also discovered a link between air acidity and how nitrogen is preserved in layers of snow.

Viral hepatitis more deadly than HIV in Europe Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:18 AM PDT Mortality from viral hepatitis is significantly higher than from HIV/AIDS across EU countries, according to study results. Globally, deaths from both viral hepatitis and HIV increased from 1990-2010 with HIV/AIDS ranking 6th (1.47 million deaths) and viral hepatitis B and C combined ranking 9th, with 1.29 million deaths in 2010.

Positive outcomes for hepatitis C transplant patients Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:18 AM PDT There is new hope for the notoriously difficult-to-treat population of liver transplant patients with recurring hepatitis C, researchers have announced. Hepatitis C infection is a common cause of liver transplantation, with virus-related diseases comprising 40% of primary indications for liver transplantation in Europe among patients with cirrhosis. More than 5,500 liver transplantations are currently performed in Europe per year.

Sensitive balance in immune system: How one molecule can affect health outcomes Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:18 AM PDT The protein c-FLIPR plays a key role in controlling a 'cellular suicide' process named 'apoptosis.' Scientists have described the significance of c-FLIPR for the immune system in detail: In the presence of an excess of this molecule, mice can fight infectious diseases better, but they develop autoimmune diseases as they get older. The inhibitory effect of c-FLIPR on apoptosis is the underlying cause in both cases.

Devil in disguise: Small coral-eating worm may mean big trouble for reefs Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:17 AM PDT A coral-eating flatworm has been identified as a potential threat for coral reefs. It is barely possible to see the parasitic worm Amakusaplana acroporae when it sits on its favorite hosts, the staghorn coral Acropora, thanks to its excellent camouflage. However, the researchers found that the small flatworm could cause significant damage to coral reefs.

New self-healing plastics developed Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:14 AM PDT Scratches in the car finish or cracks in polymer material: Self-healing materials can repair themselves by restoring their initial molecular structure after the damage. Scientists have now developed a chemical crosslinking reaction that ensures good short-term healing properties of the material under mild heating.

Splice variants reveal connections among autism genes Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:13 AM PDT A new aspect of autism has been discovered, revealing that proteins involved in autism interact with many more partners than previously known. The scientists isolated hundreds of new variants of autism genes from the human brain, and then screened their protein products against thousands of other proteins to identify interacting partners. Proteins produced by alternatively-spliced autism genes and their many partners formed a biological network that produced an unprecedented view of how autism genes are connected.

Global poverty could be up to a third higher than reported Posted: 10 Apr 2014 04:46 PM PDT With over one billion people in the world living on less than $1.25 per day, the World Bank aims to end 'extreme poverty' by 2030. But new research suggests that global poverty figures could be underestimated by up to a third, and calls for more robust measurement in the future. The World Bank figures are widely used by the international community and play a significant role in international strategies to reduce poverty.

Scientists grow cartilage to reconstruct nose Posted: 10 Apr 2014 04:46 PM PDT Scientists report first ever successful nose reconstruction surgery using cartilage grown in the laboratory. Cartilage cells were extracted from the patient's nasal septum, multiplied and expanded onto a collagen membrane. The so-called engineered cartilage was then shaped according to the defect and implanted.

Sneak a peek through the mist to technology of the future Posted: 10 Apr 2014 04:46 PM PDT A tabletop display with personal screens made from a curtain of mist that allow users to move images around and push through the fog-screens and onto the display, will be unveiled at an international conference.

3-D printing cancer cells to mimic tumors Posted: 10 Apr 2014 04:46 PM PDT A 3-D model of a cancerous tumor using a 3-D printer has been successfully created by researchers. The model consists of a grid structure, 10 mm in width and length, made from gelatin, alginate and fibrin, which recreates the fibrous proteins that make up the extracellular matrix of a tumor. "With further understanding of these 3D models, we can use them to study the development, invasion, metastasis and treatment of cancer using specific cancer cells from patients. We can also use these models to test the efficacy and safety of new cancer treatment therapies and new cancer drugs," the lead author stated.

'Body hack' app by math researchers shortcuts jet-lag recovery Posted: 10 Apr 2014 04:46 PM PDT A different kind of jet-lag mobile app released today by mathematicians reveals previously unknown shortcuts that can help travelers snap their internal clocks to new time zones as efficiently as possible.

Scientists report success growing cartilage to reconstruct nostrils and implanting tissue-engineered vaginal organs into humans Posted: 10 Apr 2014 04:43 PM PDT Two new articles report the first ever successful operations in humans to reconstruct the alar wings of the nose (nostrils), and to implant tissue-engineered vaginal organs in women with a rare syndrome that causes the vagina to be underdeveloped or absent, in both cases using the patients' own tissue.

Laboratory-grown vaginas implanted in patients Posted: 10 Apr 2014 04:43 PM PDT Scientists reported the first human recipients of laboratory-grown vaginal organs. They have described long-term success in four teenage girls who received vaginal organs that were engineered with their own cells.

Antennae help flies 'cruise' in gusty winds Posted: 10 Apr 2014 01:03 PM PDT Researchers combined bursts of air, digital video cameras, and a variety of software and sensors to explain a mechanism for a fruit fly's 'cruise control' in flight -- revealing a relationship between a fly's vision and its wind-sensing antennae.

A modern twist on Young's slits Posted: 10 Apr 2014 01:02 PM PDT A landmark experiment on wave interference from the early 1800s is revisited using gold nanoparticles. In the eighteenth century, scientists faced a conundrum: is light a wave or a particle? One of strongest pieces of evidence to support the 'wave view' -- the landmark double-slit experiment -- was reported in 1804 by the scientist Thomas Young. Young passed coherent light through two closely spaced slits and observed a set of interference fringes, a result that occurs with wave phenomena like sound or water. This observation became the basis for the modern wave theory of light.

Multilayer polymers spring into action: Mechanical vibrations turned into electrical energy Posted: 10 Apr 2014 01:02 PM PDT Flexible plastics that turn mechanical vibrations into electrical energy could spur the development of self-powered sensors and devices. The shrinking dimensions and decreased power consumption of modern electronic gadgets have created opportunities for energy harvesting processes that tap into free, green energy from the environment. Vibration harvesters, for example, produce small amounts of electricity from everyday mechanical disturbances such as wind currents, traffic noise or footsteps.

Forever clean? Metal–organic 'micromushrooms' repel all Posted: 10 Apr 2014 01:02 PM PDT A clever chemical transformation yields surface-bound microstructures that efficiently drive away oil- and water-based contaminants. Natural surfaces that repel water, such as lotus leaves or butterfly wings, often have a rough, microscale texture that traps air beneath the liquid droplet. By mimicking these biological structures, researchers have developed 'superhydrophobic' coatings that are highly resistant to wetting. One trick unknown to nature, however, is the ability to repel hydrocarbon-based oils that have much lower surface tension than water and tend to spread out rather than bead up.

Possible new target to attack flu virus identified Posted: 10 Apr 2014 12:36 PM PDT A protein produced by the influenza A virus helps it outwit one of our body's natural defense mechanisms, researchers have found. That makes the protein a potentially good target for antiviral drugs directed against the influenza A virus. When an influenza virus infects a human cell, it uses some of the host's cellular machinery to make copies of itself, or replicate. In this study, the researchers discovered that a protein produced by human body cells, DDX21, blocks this replication process.

Getting to the root of Parkinson's disease Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:19 AM PDT Working with human neurons and fruit flies, researchers have identified and then shut down a biological process that appears to trigger a particular form of Parkinson's disease present in a large number of patients. The new research builds on a growing body of knowledge about the origins of Parkinson's disease, whose symptoms appear when dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain degenerate.

Name of new weakly electric fish species reflects hope for peace in Central Africa Posted: 10 Apr 2014 07:30 AM PDT Two new species of weakly electric fishes from the Congo River basin have been discovered. One of them, known from only a single specimen, is named 'Petrocephalus boboto.' 'Boboto' is the word for peace in the Lingala language, the lingua franca of the Congo River, reflecting the authors' hope for peace in troubled Central Africa.

You are subscribed to email updates from All Top News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610