ScienceDaily: Top News

---

• SIDS risks vary by infant age: Bed sharing remains greatest risk factor for sleep related infant deaths
• Labs characterize carbon for lithion-ion batteries
• Older adults nearly twice as likely to have memories affected by distractions
• Bones of elephant ancestor unearthed: Meet the gomphothere
• Running for life: How speed restricts evolutionary change of the vertebral column
• Rethinking fish farming to offset its public health and environmental risks
• Genome-wide analysis reveals genetic similarities among friends: Study finds truth to 'friends are the family you choose'
• Months before their first words, babies' brains rehearse speech mechanics
• Embryology: Doppler effect influences segmentation
• Researchers demonstrate novel, tunable nanoantennas
• Squishy robots: Phase-changing material could allow even low-cost robots to switch between hard and soft states
• Bothered by hot flashes? Acupuncture might be the answer, analysis suggests
• Serendipity at the Smithsonian: The 107-year 'journey' of the beetle Rhipidocyrtus muiri
• Quantum computers? World's first photonic router
• Technology produces clean-burning hydrogen fuel cheaply using carbon nanotubes
• Potential Alzheimer's disease risk factor and risk reduction strategies become clearer
• Physical fitness associated with less pronounced effect of sedentary behavior
• Prehistoric ‘bookkeeping’ tokens continued long after invention of writing
• 'Noisy' memory in schizophrenia
• Flashes of light on a superconductor
• Validity of Change in DSM-5 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Age of Onset Criterion confirmed
• Sunscreens do not fully protect against the development of melanoma, mouse study suggests
• How cannabis compound could slow tumor growth
• Weighty issue: Stress and high-fat meals combine to slow metabolism in women
• Pumping efficiency into electrical motors
• Genetic recipe to turn stem cells to blood
• Domestication syndrome: White patches, baby faces and tameness explained by mild neural crest deficits
• Every full moon, Landsat looks to the moon
• Stem cell scientists lay TRAP for disease

SIDS risks vary by infant age: Bed sharing remains greatest risk factor for sleep related infant deaths Posted: 14 Jul 2014 06:39 PM PDT Sudden infant death syndrome and other sleep-related causes of infant mortality have several known risk factors, but little is known if these factors change for different age groups.

Labs characterize carbon for lithion-ion batteries Posted: 14 Jul 2014 03:24 PM PDT Researchers have found a universal descriptor of charge-transfer binding properties for carbon-based lithium-ion batteries. The model is based on intrinsic electronic characteristics of materials used as battery anodes. These include the material's quantum capacitance (the ability of the material to absorb charge) and the material's absolute Fermi level, which determines how many lithium ions may bond to the electrodes.

Older adults nearly twice as likely to have memories affected by distractions Posted: 14 Jul 2014 03:24 PM PDT Older people are nearly twice as likely as their younger counterparts to have their memory and cognitive processes impaired by environmental distractions.

Bones of elephant ancestor unearthed: Meet the gomphothere Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT An ancient ancestor of the elephant, once believed to have disappeared from North America before humans ever arrived there, might actually have roamed the continent longer than previously thought. Archaeologists have uncovered the first evidence that gomphotheres were once hunted in North America.

Running for life: How speed restricts evolutionary change of the vertebral column Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:24 PM PDT One of the riddles of mammal evolution is explained: the conservation of the number of trunk vertebrae. Dutch and American researchers have shown that this conservation is due to the role of speed in survival of fast running mammals. They measured variation of 774 skeletons of fast and slow species. The researchers found that a combination of developmental and biomechanical problems prevents evolutionary change in the number of trunk vertebrae in fast, but not in slow mammals.

Rethinking fish farming to offset its public health and environmental risks Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:23 PM PDT As government agencies recommend greater consumption of seafood for its health benefits, a new analysis urges medical and public health professionals to consider the environmental and health impact of seafood sourcing, particularly aquaculture, or the farming of fish, shellfish and crustaceans.

Genome-wide analysis reveals genetic similarities among friends: Study finds truth to 'friends are the family you choose' Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:23 PM PDT If you consider your friends family, you may be on to something. A new study finds that friends who are not biologically related still resemble each other genetically.

Months before their first words, babies' brains rehearse speech mechanics Posted: 14 Jul 2014 12:23 PM PDT New research in 7- and 11-month-old infants shows that speech sounds stimulate areas of the brain that coordinate and plan motor movements for speech. The study suggests that baby brains start laying down the groundwork of how to form words long before they actually begin to speak.

Embryology: Doppler effect influences segmentation Posted: 14 Jul 2014 10:40 AM PDT Many animals exhibit segmental patterns that manifest themselves during development. One classical example is the sequential and rhythmic formation the segmental precursors of the backbone, a process that has been linked to the ticking of an oscillator in the embryo -- the "segmentation clock." Researchers now paint a potentially revolutionary picture of the process of developmental segmentation, one controlled by not only the time scale of genetic oscillations, but also by changes in oscillation profile and tissue shortening.

Researchers demonstrate novel, tunable nanoantennas Posted: 14 Jul 2014 09:28 AM PDT Scientists have developed a novel, tunable nanoantenna that paves the way for new kinds of plasmonic-based optomechanical systems, whereby plasmonic field enhancement can actuate mechanical motion. The team's fabrication process shows for the first time an innovative way of fabricating plasmonic nanoantenna structures under the SEM, which avoids complications such as proximity effects from conventional lithography techniques.

Squishy robots: Phase-changing material could allow even low-cost robots to switch between hard and soft states Posted: 14 Jul 2014 09:28 AM PDT In the movie 'Terminator 2,' the shape-shifting T-1000 robot morphs into a liquid state to squeeze through tight spaces or to repair itself when harmed. Now a phase-changing material built from wax and foam, and capable of switching between hard and soft states, could allow even low-cost robots to perform the same feat.

Bothered by hot flashes? Acupuncture might be the answer, analysis suggests Posted: 14 Jul 2014 09:28 AM PDT A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials indicates that acupuncture can affect the severity and frequency of hot flashes for women in natural menopause.

Serendipity at the Smithsonian: The 107-year 'journey' of the beetle Rhipidocyrtus muiri Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:59 AM PDT Serendipity leads scientists to the discovery and description of Rhipidocyrtus muiri -- a 107 year old, lost in collections specimen, which turned out to represent a new genus and species. The long and tortuous history of the enigmatic ripidiine wedge beetle from Borneo is discussed in a recent article.

Quantum computers? World's first photonic router Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:41 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated for the first time a photonic router -- a quantum device based on a single atom that enables routing of single photons by single photons. This achievement is another step toward overcoming the difficulties in building quantum computers.

Technology produces clean-burning hydrogen fuel cheaply using carbon nanotubes Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:41 AM PDT Researchers have developed a technology that could overcome a major cost barrier to make clean-burning hydrogen fuel -- a fuel that could replace expensive and environmentally harmful fossil fuels. The new technology is a novel catalyst that performs almost as well as cost-prohibitive platinum for so-called electrolysis reactions, which use electric currents to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The Rutgers technology is also far more efficient than less-expensive catalysts investigated to-date.

Potential Alzheimer's disease risk factor and risk reduction strategies become clearer Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:40 AM PDT Participation in activities that promote mental activity, and moderate physical activity in middle age, may help protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease and dementia in later life, according to new research.

Physical fitness associated with less pronounced effect of sedentary behavior Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:40 AM PDT Physical fitness may buffer some of the adverse health effects of too much sitting, according to a new study. Sedentary behavior has been linked to an increase risk of obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and premature death. But previous studies of the association have not taken into account the protective impact of fitness, a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality.

Prehistoric ‘bookkeeping’ tokens continued long after invention of writing Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:04 AM PDT An archaeological dig in southeast Turkey has uncovered a large number of clay tokens that were used as records of trade until the advent of writing, or so it had been believed. But the new find of tokens dates from a time when writing was commonplace -- thousands of years after it was previously assumed this technology had become obsolete. Researchers compare it to the continued use of pens in the age of the word processor.

'Noisy' memory in schizophrenia Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:03 AM PDT The inability to ignore irrelevant stimuli underlies the impaired working memory and cognition often experienced by individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, reports a new study. Our brains are usually good at focusing on the information that we are trying to learn and filtering out the "noise" or thoughts that aren't relevant. However, memory impairment in schizophrenia may be related in part to a problem with this filtering process, which medical researchers have recently studied.

Flashes of light on a superconductor Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:03 AM PDT A new technique has been developed based on applying short flashes of light to observe and analyze the features of a superconductor at high critical temperature, a material with major prospects for technological applications. In addition to providing an explanation for the peculiar behavior of the material, the study also opens to the possibility of controlling its characteristics by means of laser pulses.

Validity of Change in DSM-5 Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Age of Onset Criterion confirmed Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:03 AM PDT A recent study confirms the validity of the DSM-5 change to the age of onset criterion for diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In DSM-5, age of onset criterion for ADHD, previously set at 7 in DSM-IV, has been raised to 12. As explained in DSM-5, age of onset is now set at 12, rather than an earlier age, to reflect the importance of clinical presentation during childhood for accurate diagnosis, while also acknowledging the difficulties in establishing precise childhood onset retrospectively.

Sunscreens do not fully protect against the development of melanoma, mouse study suggests Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:03 AM PDT Sunscreen, even with a sun protection factor (SPF) 50, may not fully protect against the development of melanoma. Sunscreen protects against immediate radiation damage including sunburn, but the radiation can still penetrate and damage the DNA of cells and cause cancer, according to an animal study.

How cannabis compound could slow tumor growth Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:03 AM PDT Scientists have shown how the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, THC, could reduce tumor growth in cancer patients. New research reveals the existence of previously unknown signaling platforms which are responsible for the drug's success in shrinking tumors.

Weighty issue: Stress and high-fat meals combine to slow metabolism in women Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:01 AM PDT A new study in women suggests that experiencing one or more stressful events the day before eating a single high-fat meal can slow the body's metabolism, potentially contributing to weight gain.

Pumping efficiency into electrical motors Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:01 AM PDT Researchers are using new magnetic materials to develop revolutionary electrical motors and generators which promise significant energy savings.

Genetic recipe to turn stem cells to blood Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:01 AM PDT The ability to reliably and safely make in the laboratory all of the different types of cells in human blood is one key step closer to reality. Stem cell researchers have discovered two genetic programs responsible for taking blank-slate stem cells and turning them into both red and the array of white cells that make up human blood.

Domestication syndrome: White patches, baby faces and tameness explained by mild neural crest deficits Posted: 14 Jul 2014 07:01 AM PDT More than 140 years ago, Charles Darwin noticed something peculiar about domesticated mammals. Compared to their wild ancestors, domestic species are more tame, and they also tend to display a suite of other characteristic features, including floppier ears, patches of white fur, and more juvenile faces with smaller jaws. Since Darwin's observations, the explanation for this pattern has proved elusive, but now, a new hypothesis has been proposed that could explain why breeding for tameness causes changes in such diverse traits.

Every full moon, Landsat looks to the moon Posted: 13 Jul 2014 12:59 PM PDT Every full moon, Landsat 8 turns its back on Earth. As the satellite's orbit takes it to the nighttime side of the planet, Landsat 8 pivots to point at the moon. It scans the distant lunar surface multiple times, then flips back around to continue its task of collecting land-cover information of the sunny side of Earth below.

Stem cell scientists lay TRAP for disease Posted: 11 Jul 2014 12:33 PM PDT A 'mouse TRAP' has been set by scientists to capture the early signs of kidney failure, as described by a recent study. Their new transgenic mouse line uses a technique called TRAP to extract cellular and genetic information from a variety of solid organs.

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