ScienceDaily: Top News

---

• Pain diaries may slow patient recovery, study shows
• New insights into survival outcomes of Asian Americans diagnosed with cancer
• Report reveals alarming lack of water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities
• Global water use may outstrip supply by mid-century
• Smoking in front of your kids may increase their risk of heart disease as adults
• Experiments reveal key components of the body's machinery for battling deadly tularemia
• Archaeologists discover Maya 'melting pot'
• Ascension of marine diatoms linked to vast increase in continental weathering
• Snake robots learn to turn by following the lead of real sidewinders
• Wandering Jupiter accounts for our strange solar system
• Quantum correlation can imply causation
• Ocean circulation changing: Ten years of ocean monitoring uncovers secrets of changing UK winters
• Mathematicians solve 60-year old-problem
• Along with antiretroviral medications, doctors may prescribe exercise for people with HIV
• Archaea: Surviving in hostile territory
• Zinc deficiency linked to immune system response, particularly in older adults
• High-definition scans suggest effects of smoking may be seen in unborn babies
• Favorable 15-year survival outcomes for older prostate cancer patients with low-risk disease
• Best look yet at 'warm dense matter' at cores of giant planets
• Chemical fingerprints of ancient supernovae found
• Knowledge of location sharing by apps prompts privacy action
• Atlantic Ocean overturning, responsible for mild climate in northwestern Europe, is slowing
• Policy makers should not discount the damages from future climate tipping points
• Colliding stars explain enigmatic 17th century explosion
• Catch-release-repeat: Novel technique for handling molecules
• Potential for ALS treatment found in three proteins
• Scientists use DNA sequencing to trace the spread of drug-resistant TB
• Association between migraine, carpal tunnel syndrome found
• Number of births may affect mom's future heart health, cardiologists find
• A stiff new layer in Earth's mantle
• Magnets can control heat and sound
• Simple tasks help protect your credit
• Pregnancy complications in women with sickle cell disease
• Flower-enriched farms boost bee populations
• Access to clean water: Question of lifestyle and fairness
• Research into brain's ability to heal itself offers hope for novel treatment of traumatic brain injury
• Genomewide screen of learning in zebrafish identifies enzyme important in neural circuit
• Spontaneous coronary artery disease identified as inherited
• Suggestions for Nudging Children toward Healthier Food Choices
• 'Violence-free' zones improve behavior, performance in middle, high school students
• Statistician helps resolve dispute about how gene expression is controlled
• Rush to crush risks medicine effectiveness
• Key to the long-term storage of dissolved organic carbon in the deep ocean
• World's largest asteroid impacts found in central Australia
• Blood thinning drug helps in understanding a natural HIV barrier
• Skin microbiome may hold clues to protect threatened gold frogs from lethal fungus
• How much math, science homework is too much?
• Stress granules ease the way for cancer metastasis
• Profound, debiliating fatigue found to be a major issue for autoimmune disease patients in new national survey
• Majority of new pediatricians satisfied with first jobs; work matches lifestyle, family and career goals
• Delayed retirement could increase inequalities among seniors
• Conservation works: Forests for water in eastern Amazonia
• Cattle-killer: Two parasites are better than one
• Research identifies novel steps in Dementia progression
• South Pole telescope expands cosmic search
• Exercise linked to improved erectile, sexual function in men
• Unmanned aircraft for utility inspections of energy pipelines
• Sweeping prostate cancer review upends widely held view on radiation
• Blood test for patients on acne medication deemed unnecessary
• Stress management techniques improve long-term mood and quality of life for women with breast cancer

Pain diaries may slow patient recovery, study shows Posted: 23 Mar 2015 03:25 PM PDT A study is calling into question the worth of pain diaries, showing that patients who kept daily pain diaries following a serious back injury reported a significantly slower recovery than those who didn't record their symptoms.

New insights into survival outcomes of Asian Americans diagnosed with cancer Posted: 23 Mar 2015 03:25 PM PDT Numerous studies have documented racial differences in deaths from cancer among non-Hispanic whites and African Americans, but little has been known about survival outcomes for Asian Americans who have been diagnosed with cancer, until now. A new study examined cancer patients in eight different Asian American subgroups and found their cancer-specific mortality was substantially lower than that of non-Hispanic white patients.

Report reveals alarming lack of water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities Posted: 23 Mar 2015 03:25 PM PDT The World Health Organization and UNICEF have commissioned the first comprehensive, multi-country analysis on water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) services in health care facilities, calling for global action to push toward 100 percent coverage of these services through new policies, collaboration, monitoring and training.

Global water use may outstrip supply by mid-century Posted: 23 Mar 2015 03:25 PM PDT Population growth could cause demand for water to outpace supply by mid-century if current use levels continue. But it wouldn't be the first time this has happened, a new study finds. Using a mathematical model to analyze historic data, the researchers identified a regularly recurring pattern of time periods when demand for water outstripped supply, and shortages were resolved by technological advancements. The model projects a similar period of innovation could occur in coming decades.

Smoking in front of your kids may increase their risk of heart disease as adults Posted: 23 Mar 2015 03:25 PM PDT Kids exposed to their parents' smoking had a higher risk of developing clogged arteries in adulthood than those with non-smoking parents. Researchers stressed that parents should not smoke if they want to provide the best long-term cardiovascular health for their children.

Experiments reveal key components of the body's machinery for battling deadly tularemia Posted: 23 Mar 2015 01:24 PM PDT Key molecules that trigger the immune system to launch an attack on the bacterium that causes tularemia have been discovered by researchers. Tularemia is a highly infectious disease that kills more than 30 percent of those infected, if left untreated. It can be readily transmitted by air, insect bites or through contaminated food or water.

Archaeologists discover Maya 'melting pot' Posted: 23 Mar 2015 01:23 PM PDT Archaeologists working in Guatemala has unearthed new information about the Maya civilization's transition from a mobile, hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a sedentary way of life. They have found evidence that mobile communities and settled groups came together for construction projects and public ceremonies.

Ascension of marine diatoms linked to vast increase in continental weathering Posted: 23 Mar 2015 01:23 PM PDT A team of researcher has used mathematical modeling to show that continental erosion over the last 40 million years has contributed to the success of diatoms, a group of tiny marine algae that plays a key role in the global carbon cycle.

Snake robots learn to turn by following the lead of real sidewinders Posted: 23 Mar 2015 01:22 PM PDT Researchers who develop snake-like robots have picked up a few tricks from real sidewinder rattlesnakes on how to make rapid and even sharp turns with their undulating, modular device. Working with colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Zoo Atlanta, they have analyzed the motions of sidewinders and tested their observations on CMU's snake robots.

Wandering Jupiter accounts for our strange solar system Posted: 23 Mar 2015 01:22 PM PDT Jupiter may have swept through the early solar system like a wrecking ball, destroying a first generation of inner planets before retreating into its current orbit, according to a new study. The findings help explain why our solar system is so different from the hundreds of other planetary systems that astronomers have discovered in recent years.

Quantum correlation can imply causation Posted: 23 Mar 2015 12:06 PM PDT Contrary to the statistician's slogan, in the quantum world, certain kinds of correlations do imply causation. New research shows that in quantum mechanics, certain kinds of observations will let you distinguish whether there is a common cause or a cause-effect relation between two variables. The same is not true in classical physics.

Ocean circulation changing: Ten years of ocean monitoring uncovers secrets of changing UK winters Posted: 23 Mar 2015 12:06 PM PDT A groundbreaking project to observe and analyse regular data about ocean circulation and how it impacts on Britain's climate has reached a ten-year milestone, giving valuable new insights into how ocean currents can affect global warming.

Mathematicians solve 60-year old-problem Posted: 23 Mar 2015 12:06 PM PDT A 60-year old maths problem first put forward by Nobel laureate Enrico Fermi has finally been solved. In 1955, a team of physicists, computer scientists and mathematicians led by Fermi used a computer for the first time to try and solve a numerical experiment. The outcome of the experiment wasn't what they were expecting, and the complexity of the problem underpinned the then new field of non-linear physics and paved the way for six decades of new thinking. Chaos theory, popularly referred to as the butterfly effect, is just one of the theories developed to try and solve the 'Fermi-Pasta-Ulam' problem.

Along with antiretroviral medications, doctors may prescribe exercise for people with HIV Posted: 23 Mar 2015 11:28 AM PDT In addition to antiretroviral medications, people with HIV may soon begin receiving a home exercise plan from their doctors, according to a researcher. An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States live with HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Archaea: Surviving in hostile territory Posted: 23 Mar 2015 11:28 AM PDT Many strange creatures live in the deep sea, but few are odder than archaea, primitive single-celled bacteria-like microorganisms. Archaea go to great lengths -- eating methane or breathing sulfur or metal instead of oxygen -- to thrive in the most extreme environments on the planet. Now scientists have discovered something odder still: a remarkable new virus that seemingly infects methane-eating archaea living beneath the ocean's floor.

Zinc deficiency linked to immune system response, particularly in older adults Posted: 23 Mar 2015 11:28 AM PDT Zinc, an important mineral in human health, appears to affect how the immune system responds to stimulation, especially inflammation, new research shows. Zinc deficiency could play a role in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes that involve inflammation. Such diseases often show up in older adults, who are more at risk for zinc deficiency.

High-definition scans suggest effects of smoking may be seen in unborn babies Posted: 23 Mar 2015 11:28 AM PDT The harmful effects of smoking during pregnancy may be reflected in the facial movements of mothers' unborn babies, new research has suggested. The researchers say that the reason for this might be that the fetal central nervous system, which controls movements in general and facial movements in particular did not develop at the same rate and in the same manner as in fetuses of mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy.

Favorable 15-year survival outcomes for older prostate cancer patients with low-risk disease Posted: 23 Mar 2015 11:28 AM PDT Results from a population-based study show favorable survival outcomes among patients with low-risk prostate cancer treated with conservative management initially. The study, which examined men 65 and older, extends previous data examination by the team an additional five years.

Best look yet at 'warm dense matter' at cores of giant planets Posted: 23 Mar 2015 11:27 AM PDT Scientists have precisely measured the temperature and structure of aluminum as it transitions into a superhot, highly compressed concoction known as "warm dense matter."

Chemical fingerprints of ancient supernovae found Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:28 AM PDT A search of nearby galaxies for their oldest stars has uncovered two stars in the Sculptor dwarf galaxy that were born shortly after the galaxy formed, approximately 13 billion years ago. The unusual chemical content of the stars may have originated in a single supernova explosion from the first generation of Sculptor stars.

Knowledge of location sharing by apps prompts privacy action Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:28 AM PDT Many smartphone users know that free apps sometimes share private information with third parties, but few, if any, are aware of how frequently this occurs. An experiment shows that when people learn exactly how many times these apps share that information they rapidly act to limit further sharing.

Atlantic Ocean overturning, responsible for mild climate in northwestern Europe, is slowing Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:27 AM PDT The Atlantic overturning is one of Earth's most important heat transport systems, pumping warm water northwards and cold water southwards. Also known as the Gulf Stream system, it is responsible for the mild climate in northwestern Europe. Scientists now found evidence for a slowdown of the overturning -- multiple lines of observation suggest that in recent decades, the current system has been weaker than ever before in the last century, or even in the last millennium.

Policy makers should not discount the damages from future climate tipping points Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:27 AM PDT Society should set a high carbon tax now to try and prevent climate change reaching a point of no return according to a new study. The study shows that the prospect of an uncertain future tipping point should greatly increase the amount we are willing to pay now to limit climate change.

Colliding stars explain enigmatic 17th century explosion Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:22 AM PDT New observations made with APEX and other telescopes reveal that the star that European astronomers saw appear in the sky in 1670 was not a nova, but a much rarer, violent breed of stellar collision.

Catch-release-repeat: Novel technique for handling molecules Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:22 AM PDT Chemists have developed a method capable of mimicking Nature's ability to sort, capture, transport and release molecules. The technique sets the stage for continuous and efficient manipulation of a broad range of molecules of relevance to human and environmental health.

Potential for ALS treatment found in three proteins Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:10 AM PDT Where ALS comes from and how it progresses are mysteries that continue to vex medical science. But recent research has found three proteins that could shed some light on the mechanisms behind this deadly disease.

Scientists use DNA sequencing to trace the spread of drug-resistant TB Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:10 AM PDT Scientists have for the first time used DNA sequencing to trace the fatal spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis between patients in the UK. TB is spread by inhaling tiny airborne droplets from an infected person. The bacteria can survive in the lungs for long periods without causing symptoms -- known as latent infection.

Association between migraine, carpal tunnel syndrome found Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome are more than twice as likely to have migraine headaches, reports a new study. Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome have symptoms such as hand numbness and weakness, resulting from pressure on the median nerve in the wrist.

Number of births may affect mom's future heart health, cardiologists find Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT Women who give birth to four or more children are more likely to have cardiovascular changes that can be early indicators of heart disease than women who have fewer children, new research finds.

A stiff new layer in Earth's mantle Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT By crushing minerals between diamonds, a new study suggests the existence of an unknown layer inside Earth: part of the lower mantle where the rock gets three times stiffer. The discovery may explain a mystery: why slabs of Earth's sinking tectonic plates sometimes stall and thicken 930 miles underground.

Magnets can control heat and sound Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT Researchers have discovered how to control heat with a magnetic field. The study is the first ever to demonstrate that acoustic phonons -- the elemental particles that transmit both heat and sound -- have magnetic properties.

Simple tasks help protect your credit Posted: 23 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT With mega data breaches coming from entities such as retail stores, insurance providers and restaurant chains, someone could more easily gain access to personal financial information that consumers have legitimately shared with companies. A family resource management specialist explains steps consumers can take to be proactive and protect their financial well-being.

Pregnancy complications in women with sickle cell disease Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:18 AM PDT When compared to healthy pregnant women, pregnant women with a severe form of sickle cell disease are six times more likely to die during or following pregnancy and have an increased risk for stillbirth, high blood pressure, and preterm delivery, a new study reports. New research is the first to estimate several health risks facing pregnant women with SCD and identify those who are at highest risk of complications.

Flower-enriched farms boost bee populations Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:18 AM PDT Flower strips sown into farmers' fields not only attract bees but increase their numbers, new research has shown. Bumblebees are among the most ecologically and economically important pollinators in temperate regions but, like other pollinators, are declining worldwide.

Access to clean water: Question of lifestyle and fairness Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:18 AM PDT eThekwini is a municipality in South Africa, where the town of Durban is located. eThekwini is pointed out as being a good example with regard to the distribution of water to all inhabitants and in 2014, eThekwini was given the Stockholm Industry Water Award. However, many residents feel the system is unfair. For some, getting hold of clean water is a daily battle while others have swimming pools.

Research into brain's ability to heal itself offers hope for novel treatment of traumatic brain injury Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:16 AM PDT Innovative angles of attack in research that focus on how the human brain protects and repairs itself will help develop treatments for one of the most common, costly, deadly and scientifically frustrating medical conditions worldwide: traumatic brain injury.

Genomewide screen of learning in zebrafish identifies enzyme important in neural circuit Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:16 AM PDT Researchers describe the first set of genes important in learning in a zebrafish model. Using an in-depth analysis of one of these genes they found an important relevant signaling pathway. The proteins in this pathway could provide new insights into the development of novel pharmacological targets.

Spontaneous coronary artery disease identified as inherited Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:16 AM PDT A familial association in spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a type of heart attack that most commonly affects younger women, has been identified by researchers, suggesting a genetic predisposition to the condition.

Suggestions for Nudging Children toward Healthier Food Choices Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:16 AM PDT Strategies aimed at reducing childhood obesity should acknowledge individuals' rational taste preferences and apply insights from behavioral economics to design choice architecture that increases their likelihood of success, say two physician-scientists.

'Violence-free' zones improve behavior, performance in middle, high school students Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:16 AM PDT A youth violence-reduction mentoring program for trouble-plagued schools in urban centers has contributed to improved student behavior and performance at high-risk middle and high schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Richmond, Virginia, according to findings of a new case study.

Statistician helps resolve dispute about how gene expression is controlled Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:00 AM PDT Perhaps surprisingly, a new article outlines that transcription is the dominant step that determines protein abundance. The researchers conclude that more accurate measurement and analysis methods are needed for gene expression to be accurately modeled by scientists.

Rush to crush risks medicine effectiveness Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:00 AM PDT People who take more than four doses of medicine a day appear more likely to crush tablets or open capsules potentially reducing their effectiveness, research has found. Also most of those who modified medication dosage forms didn't seek advice from healthcare professionals, instead turning to family and friends.

Key to the long-term storage of dissolved organic carbon in the deep ocean Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:00 AM PDT Researchers have made strides in the understanding of the mechanisms governing the persistence of dissolved organic carbon for hundreds or thousands of years in the deep ocean. Most of this material is below 1,000 meters deep, but it is not degraded by bacteria. The finding provides new keys to further deepen the understanding of the regulation of the carbon cycle and the global climate.

World's largest asteroid impacts found in central Australia Posted: 23 Mar 2015 08:00 AM PDT A 400 kilometer-wide impact zone from a huge meteorite that broke in two moments before it slammed into the Earth has been found in Central Australia. The crater from the impact millions of years ago has long disappeared. But a team of geophysicists has found the twin scars of the impacts -- the largest impact zone ever found on Earth -- hidden deep in the earth's crust.

Blood thinning drug helps in understanding a natural HIV barrier Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:57 AM PDT A blood thinning agent is helping researchers understand more about the body's natural barriers to HIV. New research reveals how the protein langerin, which is present in genital mucous and acts as a natural HIV barrier during the first stages of contamination, interacts with the drug heparin.

Skin microbiome may hold clues to protect threatened gold frogs from lethal fungus Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:52 AM PDT New information about the relationship between symbiotic microbial communities and amphibian disease resistance has been gained through a new study. A frog-killing fungus known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, or Bd, has already led to the decline of more than 200 amphibian species including the now extinct-in-the-wild Panamanian golden frog.

How much math, science homework is too much? Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:52 AM PDT When it comes to adolescents with math and science homework, more isn't necessarily better -- an hour a day is optimal -- but doing it alone and regularly produces the biggest knowledge gain, according to research.

Stress granules ease the way for cancer metastasis Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:52 AM PDT Tumors that produce more stress granules are more likely to metastasize, according to researchers. The results suggest that drugs to inhibit the formation of these structures might rein in cancer metastasis.

Profound, debiliating fatigue found to be a major issue for autoimmune disease patients in new national survey Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:52 AM PDT Fatigue is a major component of autoimmune disease research team has found. Fatigue described as "profound," "debilitating," and "preventing them from doing the simplest everyday tasks," is a major issue for autoimmune disease (AD) patients, impacting nearly every aspect of their lives.

Majority of new pediatricians satisfied with first jobs; work matches lifestyle, family and career goals Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:52 AM PDT Despite reports indicating job dissatisfaction among some physicians, at least one group of doctors seems to be starting their careers on the right note. The majority of new general pediatricians say the most important factor in their top choice for their first job was lifestyle, spouses or family -- and more than two- thirds believe their current jobs are consistent with their career goals, a new study says.

Delayed retirement could increase inequalities among seniors Posted: 23 Mar 2015 07:52 AM PDT Raising the age of eligibility for the Old Age Security pension and the Guaranteed Income Supplement in Canada will increase inequalities between older people, researchers say. "This change will force retired people into greater dependence on their private savings to support them as they get older. Research shows that greater privatization of the retirement income system results in growing inequalities among the older population. When you raise the pension eligibility age, you are also opening the door to rising disparities" according to a demographer.

Conservation works: Forests for water in eastern Amazonia Posted: 23 Mar 2015 06:18 AM PDT Large protected areas in the Xingu River Basin have helped shield an Amazonian watershed from the effects observed in its less-protected neighbor, the Araguaia-Tocantins, a study shows.

Cattle-killer: Two parasites are better than one Posted: 23 Mar 2015 06:18 AM PDT An international team of scientists has quantified, for the first time, how co-infection by parasites significantly reduces the severity of the African cattle-killing disease East Coast fever. In east and central Africa, East Coast fever is spread when a tick bites a cow and injects the parasite Theileria parva (T. parva) through its saliva. The resulting disease attacks white blood cells, similar to a fast-moving lymphoma in humans, killing more than a million cattle each year.

Research identifies novel steps in Dementia progression Posted: 23 Mar 2015 06:17 AM PDT Research by biologists has identified new mechanisms potentially driving progression of an aggressive form of dementia. The researchers studied how synapses -- the connections between neurons -- are affected by changes in the protein CHMP2B that are linked to Frontotemporal Dementia. They uncovered mechanisms that controlled growth in synapses causing them to overgrow. These signals are normally involved in immune reactions and have not been seen to function in synapse growth previously.

South Pole telescope expands cosmic search Posted: 23 Mar 2015 06:15 AM PDT The 10-meter SPT, which maps the cosmic microwave background, is the largest telescope ever to make its way to the South Pole. A major upgrade will help scientists to determine the masses of neutrinos and further study cosmic inflation.

Exercise linked to improved erectile, sexual function in men Posted: 23 Mar 2015 06:15 AM PDT Men who exercise more have better erectile and sexual function, regardless of race, according to a recent study. "This study is the first to link the benefits of exercise in relation to improved erectile and sexual function in a racially diverse group of patients," said the senior author of the study.

Unmanned aircraft for utility inspections of energy pipelines Posted: 23 Mar 2015 06:15 AM PDT The first test flight using a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft to inspect an energy pipeline route was completed, a step toward making aerial inspections of energy pipelines safer and more economical, researchers say.

Sweeping prostate cancer review upends widely held view on radiation Posted: 23 Mar 2015 06:15 AM PDT Two new studies have upended the widely held view that it's best to delay radiation treatment as long as possible after the removal of the prostate in order to prevent unwanted side effects. The findings inject hard facts into a debate that has long divided the medical community, with many radiation oncologists preferring adjuvant therapy -- radiation given soon after prostate removal to kill off any remaining cancer cells -- and many urologists preferring salvage therapy -- radiation given later, when prostate-specific antigen tests suggest it's needed.

Blood test for patients on acne medication deemed unnecessary Posted: 23 Mar 2015 04:59 AM PDT For young, healthy women taking spironolactone to treat hormonal acne, frequent office visits and blood draws are an unnecessary health care expense, researchers report. For the approximately 1,000 patients studied, blood tests to monitor potassium levels did not change the course of treatment, but the tests cumulatively totaled up to $80,000.

Stress management techniques improve long-term mood and quality of life for women with breast cancer Posted: 23 Mar 2015 04:59 AM PDT A new study shows that providing women with skills to manage stress early in their breast cancer treatment can improve their mood and quality of life many years later.

You are subscribed to email updates from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States