ScienceDaily: Top News

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• What the blank makes quantum dots blink?
• Physicians should help families with decisions about end-of-life care
• Chocolate for your heart
• Lung transplant survival rates good for cystic fibrosis patients
• Radiation experts unite to streamline cancer clinical trials
• Legalizing medical marijuana does not increase use among adolescents
• Personal experience a major driver in decision for or against flu vaccination
• 'Death-associated protein' promotes cancer growth in most aggressive breast cancers
• More dialysis patients living in poor neighborhoods
• Vitamin D status related to immune response to HIV-1
• Ebola news coverage linked to public panic
• Environmental activism works, study shows
• Group memberships boost self-esteem more than friends alone
• View of 'nature as capital' uses economic value to help achieve a sustainable future
• Bacterial genome scalpel can identify key gene regions
• Lab mimicry opens a window to the deep interiors of stars and planets
• Conservation policies could improve human health
• Toothed whales have survived millions of years without key antiviral proteins
• Gene therapy prevents Parkinson's disease in animal model
• Family ties: Social structure matters in species conservation
• Small thunderstorms may add up to massive cyclones on Saturn
• New type of gecko-like gripper created
• Bringing anti-cancer technology to market
• Palm oil price change could save tigers, other species
• Why did the dinosaur cross the equator, then not stay there?
• 'Crosstalk' gives clues to diabetes
• New study finds battlegound state polling worked until 2012 election
• New honeycomb-inspired design delivers superior protection from impact
• Accelerated warming of continental shelf off northeast coast of U.S.
• Arctic Ocean rapidly becoming more corrosive to marine species
• Rheumatoid arthritis and giant cell arteritis linked with solar cycles
• Avocados may hold the answer to beating leukemia
• Buckle up for fast ionic conduction
• Researchers discover new enzyme, link to iron in vitamin A synthesis
• New commercial method for producing medical isotope
• Study points to drug target for Huntington’s disease
• Mutation in zinc transport protein may inhibit successful breastfeeding
• Microbe mobilizes 'iron shield' to block arsenic uptake in rice
• Bacteria could help clean groundwater contaminated by uranium ore processing
• New petition seeks to save elephants, end ivory importation in United States
• Bumble bees in the last frontier, Alaska
• Polar bears aren't the only victims of climate change
• Law enforcement officers should be authorized to administer naloxone
• Can phone data detect real-time unemployment?
• Leaving on a biofueled jet plane
• Why is scratching an itch so rewarding?
• Scientists find genetic variants key to understanding origins of ovarian cancer
• Active clinician support, assistance are critical to successfully quitting smoking
• Genetic switch lets marine diatoms do less work at higher carbon dioxide
• World's thinnest lightbulb: Graphene gets bright
• Deaths attributable to cigarettes for 12 smoking-related cancers
• Newfound groups of bacteria are mixing up the tree of life
• Body's response to injury, inflammation may hinder wound healing in diabetes
• Origins of Red Sea's mysterious 'cannon earthquakes' revealed
• Elder abuse is common around the world
• Unveiling the ancient climate of Mars
• Scientists grow multiple brain structures and make connections between them
• Cells 'dance' as they draw together during early embryo development
• Breakthrough points to cure for debilitating heart and lung disease
• First full genome of a living organism sequenced and assembled using technology the size of smartphone

What the blank makes quantum dots blink? Posted: 15 Jun 2015 04:16 PM PDT Quantum dots promise an astounding range of applications, if scientists can conquer their annoying habit of blinking. Researchers recently ran simulations that offer new insights into the problem.

Physicians should help families with decisions about end-of-life care Posted: 15 Jun 2015 04:15 PM PDT About 20 percent of Americans spend time in an intensive care unit around the time of their death, and most deaths follow a decision to limit life-sustaining therapies. Physicians have a responsibility to provide recommendations to families of dying patients, a critical care physician writes.

Chocolate for your heart Posted: 15 Jun 2015 04:15 PM PDT Eating up to 100 g of chocolate every day is linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk. The calculations showed that compared with those who ate no chocolate higher intake was linked to an 11% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 25% lower risk of associated death.

Lung transplant survival rates good for cystic fibrosis patients Posted: 15 Jun 2015 04:15 PM PDT The five-year survival rate for Canadians with cystic fibrosis who have received a lung transplant is 67 percent, new research finds. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections, obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.

Radiation experts unite to streamline cancer clinical trials Posted: 15 Jun 2015 04:06 PM PDT Regulations on radiation exposure have been a critical bottleneck in starting up new cancer trials, but now radiation experts are pioneering a new streamlined system to reduce the time taken to set up clinical trials involving radiotherapy and other forms of ionising radiation, such as PET scans.

Legalizing medical marijuana does not increase use among adolescents Posted: 15 Jun 2015 04:06 PM PDT A nationwide study analyzing 24 years of data (1991 to 2014) from over one million American adolescents in the 48 contiguous states has found no evidence that legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes leads to increased use among teenagers.

Personal experience a major driver in decision for or against flu vaccination Posted: 15 Jun 2015 04:06 PM PDT Convincing someone to receive the annual flu vaccine goes beyond clever messaging and well-written public service announcements, research finds. A study outlines both the barriers and facilitators that motivate people in their flu vaccine decisions.

'Death-associated protein' promotes cancer growth in most aggressive breast cancers Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:29 PM PDT Although traditionally understood to induce death in cancer cells, researchers have discovered that the DAPK1 protein is actually essential for growth in breast and other cancers with mutations in the TP53 gene. This discovery indicates DAPK1 may be a promising new therapeutic target for many of the most aggressive cancers.

More dialysis patients living in poor neighborhoods Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:29 PM PDT The percentage of adults beginning kidney dialysis who lived in zip codes with high poverty rates increased from 27.4 percent during the 1995-2004 time period to 34 percent in 2005-2010.

Vitamin D status related to immune response to HIV-1 Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:29 PM PDT Vitamin D plays an important part in the human immune response and deficiency can leave individuals less able to fight infections like HIV-1. Now an international team of researchers has found that high-dose vitamin D supplementation can reverse the deficiency and also improve immune response.

Ebola news coverage linked to public panic Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:28 PM PDT A team of researchers fit a mathematical contagion model for the spread of disease to Twitter and Google search trend data in the wake of the US Ebola outbreak of October 2014 and discovered that media reports incited sizable public concern before a 'boredom' effect prevailed.

Environmental activism works, study shows Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:26 PM PDT The environmental movement is making a difference -- nudging greenhouse gas emissions down in states with strong green voices, according to a study. Scientists have found a way to tell if a state jumping on the environmental bandwagon can mitigate other human factors -- population growth and economic affluence -- known to hurt the environment.

Group memberships boost self-esteem more than friends alone Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:26 PM PDT Belonging to multiple groups that are important to you boosts self-esteem much more than having friends alone, new research has found. The researchers compared group memberships to the number of friends people had, and found that having a large network of friends did not predict self-esteem, but belonging to multiple groups did. The authors argue that groups provide benefits that interpersonal ties alone do not; namely, meaning, connection, support and a sense of control over our lives.

View of 'nature as capital' uses economic value to help achieve a sustainable future Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:26 PM PDT A series of reports outlines how governments, organizations and corporations are successfully moving away from short-term exploitation of the natural world and embracing a long-term vision of 'nature as capital' -- the ultimate world bank upon which the health and prosperity of both the human race and the planet depend. The number of success stories is increasing.

Bacterial genome scalpel can identify key gene regions Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:26 PM PDT In a study that twists nature's arm to gain clues into the varied functions of the bacterial genome, researchers utilize a precision scalpel to excise target genomic regions that are expendable. This strategy can also elucidate gene regions that are essential for bacterial survival.

Lab mimicry opens a window to the deep interiors of stars and planets Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:26 PM PDT The matter that makes up distant planets and even-more-distant stars exists under extreme pressure and temperature conditions. This includes members of a family of seven elements called the noble gases, some of which -- such as helium and neon -- are household names. New work used laboratory techniques to mimic stellar and planetary conditions, and observe how noble gases behave under these conditions, in order to better understand the atmospheric and internal chemistry of these celestial objects.

Conservation policies could improve human health Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:26 PM PDT An analysis of four years of data on disease, climate, demographics, public health services and land use change in 700 municipalities within the Brazilian Amazon reveals that measures taken to protect ecosystems and the environment might also deliver public health benefits.

Toothed whales have survived millions of years without key antiviral proteins Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:26 PM PDT Researchers have determined that toothed whales lack functional Mx genes -- a surprising discovery, since all 56 other sequenced mammals in the study possess these genes to fight off viruses like HIV, measles and flu.

Gene therapy prevents Parkinson's disease in animal model Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:26 PM PDT Gene therapy to reduce production of a brain protein prevented development of Parkinson's disease in an animal study, researchers report. The findings could lead to new understanding of how genetic and environmental factors converge to cause the disease, and the development of effective treatments to prevent disease progression.

Family ties: Social structure matters in species conservation Posted: 15 Jun 2015 01:24 PM PDT Many animal species, including humans, live and breed in groups with complex social organizations. The impact of this social structure on the genetic diversity of animals has been a source of disagreement between scientists. A new study showed that social structure is important to maintain the genetic diversity within species. The researchers provide a new mathematical model that can be used by population geneticists and ecologists to better predict how social groups will influence the way species maintain genetic diversity and evolve, and ultimately help in the conservation of species.

Small thunderstorms may add up to massive cyclones on Saturn Posted: 15 Jun 2015 12:25 PM PDT Atmospheric scientists propose a possible mechanism for Saturn's polar cyclones: Over time, small, short-lived thunderstorms across the planet may build up angular momentum, or spin, within the atmosphere -- ultimately stirring up a massive and long-lasting vortex at the poles.

New type of gecko-like gripper created Posted: 15 Jun 2015 12:25 PM PDT Researchers are developing a new kind of gripper, motivated by the ability of animals like the gecko to grip and release surfaces. Like the gecko, the gripper has 'tunable adhesion,' meaning that, despite having no moving parts, its effective stickiness can be tuned from strong to weak. Unlike the gecko and other artificial imitators that rely on structures with complex shapes, the team's gripper uses a simpler, two-material structure that is easier to mass-produce.

Bringing anti-cancer technology to market Posted: 15 Jun 2015 12:24 PM PDT New technology involves use of an antibody-based cancer therapy that down-regulates a plethora of pathways associated with resistant disease. The approach could advance treatment for patients with many forms of cancer, including breast, colorectal, lung, skin, and other epithelial-derived cancers.

Palm oil price change could save tigers, other species Posted: 15 Jun 2015 12:24 PM PDT Palm oil is widely used in food and cosmetics. But the conversion of forests to oil palm plantations has devastated many species, including tigers and elephants. A new study shows willingness among consumers to pay higher supermarket prices for palm oil made by companies that help to protect endangered species.

Why did the dinosaur cross the equator, then not stay there? Posted: 15 Jun 2015 12:24 PM PDT A remarkably detailed picture of the climate and ecology during the Triassic Period explains why dinosaurs failed to establish dominance near the equator for 30 million years.

'Crosstalk' gives clues to diabetes Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:28 AM PDT Sometimes, listening in on a conversation can tell you a lot. A diabetes researcher is listening in on crosstalk between the cells that control the body's response to sugar, helping us to understand, and perhaps ultimately treat, diabetes.

New study finds battlegound state polling worked until 2012 election Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:28 AM PDT A statistical analysis of poll performance in battleground states over the last three presidential elections shows polling firms produced estimates that were fairly accurate in 2004 and 2008, but underestimated support for President Obama in 2012.

New honeycomb-inspired design delivers superior protection from impact Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:28 AM PDT Researchers have developed a groundbreaking new energy-absorbing structure to better withstand blunt and ballistic impact. The technology, called negative stiffness honeycombs, can be integrated into car bumpers, military and athletic helmets and other protective hardware.

Accelerated warming of continental shelf off northeast coast of U.S. Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:28 AM PDT A new study shows that water temperatures off the northeast coast of the US have been trending upward, with unprecedented warming occurring over the last 13 years. The study also suggests a connection between sea level anomalies and water temperature along the continental shelf.

Arctic Ocean rapidly becoming more corrosive to marine species Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:28 AM PDT New research shows that surface waters of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas could reach levels of acidity that threaten the ability of animals to build and maintain their shells by 2030, with the Bering Sea reaching this level of acidity by 2044.

Rheumatoid arthritis and giant cell arteritis linked with solar cycles Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:28 AM PDT A rare collaboration of physicists and medical researchers finds a correlation between rheumatoid arthritis and giant cell arteritis and solar cycles.

Avocados may hold the answer to beating leukemia Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:27 AM PDT Rich, creamy, nutritious and now cancer fighting. New research reveals that molecules derived from avocados could be effective in treating a form of cancer. AML is a devastating disease and proves fatal within five years for 90 per cent of seniors over age 65. This new avocado-derived drug could one day significantly increase life expectancy and quality of life for AML patients.

Buckle up for fast ionic conduction Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:27 AM PDT Material engineers found that the performance of ion-conducting ceramic membranes that are so important in industry depends largely on their strain and buckling profiles. For the first time, scientists can now selectively manipulate the buckling profile, and thus the physical properties, allowing new technical applications of these membranes.

Researchers discover new enzyme, link to iron in vitamin A synthesis Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:22 AM PDT A research team's discovery of new information about how plants synthesize carotenoids, precursors for vitamin A that are essential for plant development and survival, and human health, could help scientists increase the levels of provitamin A in food crops and reduce global vitamin A deficiency.

New commercial method for producing medical isotope Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:22 AM PDT The effort to secure a stable, domestic source of a critical medical isotope has reached an important milestone as researchers demonstrated the production, separation and purification of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99).

Study points to drug target for Huntington’s disease Posted: 15 Jun 2015 11:22 AM PDT Scientists have established conclusively that an activating protein, called "Rhes," plays a pivotal role in focusing the toxicity of Huntington's disease.

Mutation in zinc transport protein may inhibit successful breastfeeding Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:29 AM PDT It has long been known that zinc, an essential trace element, is passed to infants through mother's breast milk. The levels of zinc in mother's milk and the effects of zinc deficiency in infants have been previously studied, but the role of zinc in breast development and function in lactating mothers is a relatively new area of research. Now researchers have determined that zinc plays an important role in a woman's ability to successfully breastfeed her child.

Microbe mobilizes 'iron shield' to block arsenic uptake in rice Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:29 AM PDT A soil microbe that mobilizes an 'iron shield' to block the uptake of toxic arsenic in rice has been discovered by researchers. The finding gives hope that a natural, low-cost solution -- a probiotic for rice plants -- may be in sight to protect this global food source from accumulating harmful levels of one of the deadliest poisons on the planet. Rice currently is a staple in the diet of more than half the world's population.

Bacteria could help clean groundwater contaminated by uranium ore processing Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:29 AM PDT A strain of bacteria that 'breathes' uranium may hold the key to cleaning up polluted groundwater at sites where uranium ore was processed to make nuclear weapons, scientists say. A group discovered the bacteria in soil at an old uranium ore mill in Rifle, Colorado. The research is part of a US Department of Energy program to see if microorganisms can lock up uranium that leached into the soil years ago.

New petition seeks to save elephants, end ivory importation in United States Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:29 AM PDT Recent genomic research has prompted a petition that calls for the reclassification of African elephants from one threatened species to two endangered species, forest elephant and savannah elephant, to protect both from imminent extinction.

Bumble bees in the last frontier, Alaska Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:29 AM PDT A decline in bumble bee populations in Europe and North America has been documented in a number of recent publications. Meanwhile, little is known about bee populations in Alaska, where native bee pollination is critical to the maintenance of subarctic ecosystems. Researchers have now completed a two-year study on bumble bees in agricultural areas in the region.

Polar bears aren't the only victims of climate change Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:29 AM PDT From heat waves to damaged crops to asthma in children, climate change is a major public health concern, argues a researcher. Climate change is about more than melting ice caps and images of Earth on fire, he said, believing that bioethicists could help reframe current climate change discourse.

Law enforcement officers should be authorized to administer naloxone Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:29 AM PDT One way to reduce the nation's number of opioid-related deaths, states an American drug policy expert, is through the timely administration of naloxone, the life-saving overdose antidote. New research highlights law enforcement's overdose prevention efforts and addresses the legal risk associated with their administration of naloxone.

Can phone data detect real-time unemployment? Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:28 AM PDT Mobile phone data can provide rapid insight into employment levels, precisely because people's communications patterns change when they are not working, a study concludes.

Leaving on a biofueled jet plane Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:28 AM PDT Researchers have developed a catalytic process for converting sugarcane biomass into a new class of aviation fuel and lubricant base oils that could help biorefineries achieve net life-cycle greenhouse gas savings of up to 80 percent.

Why is scratching an itch so rewarding? Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:28 AM PDT Researchers may be closer to understanding why scratching evokes a rewarding and pleasurable sensation in patients with chronic itch. Using advanced fMRI, they looked at brain activity while chronic itch patients and healthy subjects scratched. They found areas of the brain involved in motor control and reward processing were more activated in chronic itch patients while they scratched. This may help explain the addictive scratching experienced by these patients.

Scientists find genetic variants key to understanding origins of ovarian cancer Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:28 AM PDT New research is bringing the origins of ovarian cancer into sharper focus.The study highlights the discovery of three genetic variants associated with mucinous ovarian carcinomas (MOCs), offering the first evidence of genetic susceptibility in this type of ovarian cancer.

Active clinician support, assistance are critical to successfully quitting smoking Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:09 AM PDT While primary care providers' simply asking patients with high-risk smoking histories about their smoking status did not increase patients' likelihood of quitting, providing more direct assistance -- such as talking about how to quit, recommending or prescribing nicotine replacement or pharmaceutical aids, and following up on recommendations -- significantly improved patients' success in becoming smoke-free, investigators report.

Genetic switch lets marine diatoms do less work at higher carbon dioxide Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:09 AM PDT Rising carbon dioxide lets diatoms return to their evolutionary roots, by skipping steps that concentrate carbon dioxide. Over time, the drifting algae adjust by slowing down their metabolism, scientists report.

World's thinnest lightbulb: Graphene gets bright Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:09 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated -- for the first time -- an on-chip visible light source using graphene, an atomically thin and perfectly crystalline form of carbon, as a filament. They attached small strips of graphene to metal electrodes, suspended the strips above the substrate, and passed a current through the filaments to cause them to heat up.

Deaths attributable to cigarettes for 12 smoking-related cancers Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:09 AM PDT Researchers estimate that 48.5 percent of the nearly 346,000 deaths from 12 cancers among adults 35 and older in 2011 were attributable to cigarette smoking.

Newfound groups of bacteria are mixing up the tree of life Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:09 AM PDT Bacteria, one of the three major branches of the tree of life, are a fuzzy bit of foliage. While scientists know there are many unidentified species, they have not been classified or characterized because no one can culture them. Now biologists have sequenced a community of bacteria, assembled almost 800 nearly complete genomes and found that many of them represent completely new phyla: more than 35 in all.

Body's response to injury, inflammation may hinder wound healing in diabetes Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:09 AM PDT Scientists have found that they could speed up wound healing in diabetic mice by keeping immune cells called neutrophils from producing bacteria-trapping neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs).

Origins of Red Sea's mysterious 'cannon earthquakes' revealed Posted: 15 Jun 2015 10:08 AM PDT For many generations, Bedouin people living in the Abu Dabbab area on the Egyptian Red Sea coast have heard distinct noises -- like the rumbling of a quarry blast or cannon shot -- accompanying small earthquakes in the region. Now, a new study offers an explanation for this uniquely noisy seismic event.

Elder abuse is common around the world Posted: 15 Jun 2015 09:52 AM PDT A new global review reveals that elder abuse -- which includes psychological, physical, and sexual abuse; neglect; and financial exploitation -- is common among community-dwelling older adults and is especially prevalent among minority older adults. Older adults with cognitive and physical impairments or psychosocial distress are also at increased risk of elder abuse. In North and South American epidemiological studies, the prevalence of elder abuse ranged from about 10% among cognitively intact older adults to 47% in older adults with dementia. In Europe, the prevalence varied from 2% in Ireland to 61% in Croatia. In Asia, the highest prevalence was found among older adults in China (36%), while the lowest was reported among older adults in India (14%). In Africa, the prevalence ranged between 30% and 44%.

Unveiling the ancient climate of Mars Posted: 15 Jun 2015 09:52 AM PDT The high seas of Mars may never have existed. According to a new study that looks at two opposite climate scenarios of early Mars, a cold and icy planet billions of years ago better explains water drainage and erosion features seen on the planet today.

Scientists grow multiple brain structures and make connections between them Posted: 15 Jun 2015 09:52 AM PDT Human stem cells can be differentiated to produce other cell types, such as organ cells, skin cells, or brain cells. While organ cells, for example, can function in isolation, brain cells require synapses, or connectors, between cells and between regions of the brain. Researchers now report successfully growing multiple brain structures and forming connections between them in vitro, in a single culture vessel, for the first time.

Cells 'dance' as they draw together during early embryo development Posted: 15 Jun 2015 09:52 AM PDT Cells "dance" as they draw together during early embryo development. Cells within an 8-cell embryo shown to 'dance' to the same rhythm.

Breakthrough points to cure for debilitating heart and lung disease Posted: 15 Jun 2015 09:52 AM PDT A protein that targets the effects of a faulty gene could offer the first treatment targeting the major genetic cause of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH), according to new research.

First full genome of a living organism sequenced and assembled using technology the size of smartphone Posted: 15 Jun 2015 09:47 AM PDT Researchers have for the first time sequenced and assembled de novo the full genome of a living organism, the bacteria Escherichia Coli, using Oxford Nanopore's MinIONTM device, a genome sequencer that can fit in the palm of your hand.

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