ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Scientists study tie between insecticides and bee health
• Mississippi farmers, beekeepers and protecting bees
• Innovating bridge repair: Avoiding the rush-hour nightmare
• New tool on horizon for surgeons treating cancer patients
• Simplifying recycling of rare-earth magnets
• Not like riding a bike: New motor memories need stabilizing
• US mid-continent seismicity linked to high-rate injection wells
• Staying cool: Saharan silver ants' heat-deflecting adaptations
• Oklahoma earthquakes linked to oil and gas drilling
• X-ray imaging reveals secrets in battery materials
• Evidence from ivory DNA identifies two main elephant poaching hotspots
• Majority rules when baboons vote with their feet
• Viral commuters: How influenza viruses use transportation systems in the US
• Three-year-olds help victims of injustice
• Galactic crashes fuel quasars
• Musicians don't just hear in tune, they also see in tune
• Sequential immunizations could be the key to HIV vaccine
• Researchers bring to life proteins' motion
• Kennewick Man closely related to Native Americans, geneticists say
• Scientists identify progenitor cells for blood, immune system
• Protein 'comet tails' propel cell recycling process
• Single enzyme's far-reaching influence in human biology, disease
• Sequencing Ebola's secrets
• Diet that mimics fasting appears to slow aging
• Specific roles of adult neural stem cells may be determined before birth
• Molecular cause of heart condition identified
• Drug approved to treat osteoporosis shows promise in pre-clinical diabetes research
• Single gene turns colorectal cancer cells back into normal tissue in mice
• Jet contrails affect surface temperatures
• Biomedical breakthrough: Carbon nanoparticles you can make at home
• Link found between neighborhood quality, cellular aging
• Cataract culprits: Genes linked to cataract formation identified
• Best practices highlighted to prevent infections during healthcare laundry process
• Active volcanism on Venus
• Stem cell exosomes used to induce damaged mouse hearts to self-repair
• MRSA contamination found in supermarket sausages and minced pork in UK
• Protein plays unexpected role in embryonic stem cells
• Plants make big decisions with microscopic cellular competition
• Graphic novella could help prevent hearing loss in Spanish-speaking agricultural workers
• Emotional brains 'physically different' from rational ones
• Magnetic field discovery gives clues to galaxy-formation processes
• Risk of major sea level rise in England, Northern Europe
• Hubble views a bizarre cosmic quartet
• New model to study HIV latency in brain cells
• Future oncology explores role of biomarkers and next generation sequencing
• Abdominal blood clots may indicate undiagnosed cancer
• Saturn's moon Titan's atmosphere even more Earth-like than previously thought
• Brain receptor found to significantly affect cocaine addiction
• Researchers examine infectious bacterium's natural defenses
• Adult craze for human breast milk purchased online poses serious health risks
• Nightingales show off their fathering skills through song
• Researchers help identify gene mutation that can trigger lymphoblastic leukemia
• Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: More than just picky eating
• Researchers design placenta-on-a-chip to better understand pregnancy
• Some common anti-nausea medications used post-operatively could increase patients' arrhythmia risk
• Faster, not stronger: How a protein regulates gene expression
• Potential downside to domestic surgical tourism
• Supermassive black hole at center of distant spiral galaxy 'weighed'
• Female managers do not reduce gender wage gap, study finds
• Average 'dead zone' predicted for Gulf of Mexico in 2015

Scientists study tie between insecticides and bee health Posted: 18 Jun 2015 02:44 PM PDT Scientists are studying the relationships between pesticides and row crops, farmers and beekeepers, and factors influencing honeybee health.

Mississippi farmers, beekeepers and protecting bees Posted: 18 Jun 2015 02:43 PM PDT Researchers are looking at the relationships between pesticides and row crops, farmers and beekeepers, and factors influencing honeybee health. This story focuses on the Mississippi Honey Bee Stewardship Program.

Innovating bridge repair: Avoiding the rush-hour nightmare Posted: 18 Jun 2015 12:03 PM PDT Researchers have been testing a solution that would significantly reduce this cost and avoid the kind of construction zone traffic interruptions that make rush-hour commutes a nightmare.

New tool on horizon for surgeons treating cancer patients Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:59 AM PDT Surgeons could know while their patients are still on the operating table if a tissue is cancerous, according to researchers who describe an automated droplet-based surface sampling probe that accomplishes in about 10 minutes what now routinely takes 20 to 30 minutes.

Simplifying recycling of rare-earth magnets Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:59 AM PDT Researchers have now pioneered a process that could enable the efficient recycling of two rare-earth metals, neodymium and dysprosium. These elements comprise the small, powerful magnets that are found in many high-tech devices. In contrast to the massive and energy-intensive industrial process currently used to separate rare earths, the new method works nearly instantaneously at room temperature and uses standard laboratory equipment.

Not like riding a bike: New motor memories need stabilizing Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:59 AM PDT Well-practiced motor skills like riding a bike are extremely stable memories that can be effortlessly recalled after years or decades. In contrast, a new study shows that changes to motor skill memories occurring over the course of a single practice session are not immediately stable.

US mid-continent seismicity linked to high-rate injection wells Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:59 AM PDT A dramatic increase in the rate of earthquakes in the central and eastern US since 2009 is associated with fluid injection wells used in oil and gas development, says a new study.

Staying cool: Saharan silver ants' heat-deflecting adaptations Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:58 AM PDT Researchers have discovered two strategies that enable Saharan silver ants to stay cool in one of the world's hottest environments. They are the first to demonstrate that the ants use a coat of uniquely shaped hairs to control electromagnetic waves over an extremely broad range from the solar spectrum to the thermal radiation spectrum and that different physical mechanisms are used in different spectral bands to realize the same biological function of reducing body temperature.

Oklahoma earthquakes linked to oil and gas drilling Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:58 AM PDT A new study finds that the recent spike in triggered earthquakes in Oklahoma is primarily due to the injection of wastewater produced during oil production.

X-ray imaging reveals secrets in battery materials Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:58 AM PDT In a new study, researchers explain why one particular cathode material works well at high voltages, while most other cathodes do not. The insights could help battery developers design rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that operate at higher voltages.

Evidence from ivory DNA identifies two main elephant poaching hotspots Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:58 AM PDT Biologists have used DNA evidence to trace the origin of illegal ivory and help police an international trade that is decimating African elephant populations. New results show that over the past decade, ivory has largely come from just two areas in Africa.

Majority rules when baboons vote with their feet Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:58 AM PDT Olive baboon troops decide where to move democratically, despite their hierarchical social order, according to a new report. At the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya, biologists conducted the first-ever group-level GPS tracking study of primates, finding that any individual baboon can contribute to a troop's collective movement.

Viral commuters: How influenza viruses use transportation systems in the US Posted: 18 Jun 2015 11:57 AM PDT In increasingly mobile modern societies, long-distance transmission can rapidly spread pathogens. A new study suggests that both airline and commuter road travel influence flu virus distribution in the continental US.

Three-year-olds help victims of injustice Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:46 AM PDT Young children are just as likely to respond to the needs of another individual as they are to their own, new research shows.

Galactic crashes fuel quasars Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:46 AM PDT Using the Hubble Space Telescope's infrared vision, astronomers have unveiled some of the previously hidden origins of quasars, the brightest objects in the universe. A new study finds that quasars are born when galaxies crash into each other and fuel supermassive, central black holes.

Musicians don't just hear in tune, they also see in tune Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:45 AM PDT Auditory melodies can enhance a musician's visual awareness of written music, particularly when the two match, a new experiment shows. That is the conclusion of the latest scientific experiment designed to puzzle out how the brain creates an apparently seamless view of the external world based on the information it receives from the eyes.

Sequential immunizations could be the key to HIV vaccine Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:45 AM PDT Scientists have thought for some time that multiple immunizations, each tailored to specific stages of the immune response, could be used to generate a special class of HIV-fighting antibodies, so-called broadly neutralizing antibodies. New findings provide the first evidence supporting this approach.

Researchers bring to life proteins' motion Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:45 AM PDT A new study expands scientists' understanding of proteins' normal functioning. Researchers identified how proteins move and change their shape in order to perform specific jobs. This advancement fills a gap in scientific knowledge that persisted for more than 30 years.

Kennewick Man closely related to Native Americans, geneticists say Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:44 AM PDT DNA from the 8,500-year-old skeleton of an adult man found in 1996, in Washington, is more closely related to Native American populations than to any other population in the world, according to an international collaborative study.

Scientists identify progenitor cells for blood, immune system Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:44 AM PDT Scientists have identified characteristics of a family of daughter cells, called MPPs, which are the first to arise from stem cells within bone marrow that generate the entire blood system

Protein 'comet tails' propel cell recycling process Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:44 AM PDT Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Lou Gehrig's, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's disease, all result in part from a defect in autophagy -- one way a cell removes and recycles misfolded proteins and pathogens. Researchers show for the first time that the formation of ephemeral compartments key in this process require actin polymerization by a complex of seven proteins, which creates 'comet tails.'

Single enzyme's far-reaching influence in human biology, disease Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:44 AM PDT Every cell in the body uses phosphorylation, the process of adding a chemical tag to control a protein's function and fate, such as when it moves from one part of a cell to another or binds to other proteins. Now, researchers have made a surprisingly simple discovery: The modification of more than 100 secreted proteins is the work of a single enzyme called Fam20C.

Sequencing Ebola's secrets Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:44 AM PDT More than 200 additional genomes from Ebola virus samples have been sequenced by an international team of researchers, in order to capture the fullest picture yet of how the virus is transmitted and how it has changed over the long-term outbreak.

Diet that mimics fasting appears to slow aging Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:44 AM PDT Study shows broad health benefits from periodic use of diet that mimics fasting in mice and yeast -- which appear to translate to humans, also.

Specific roles of adult neural stem cells may be determined before birth Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:42 AM PDT Adult neural stem cells, which are commonly thought of as having the ability to develop into many type of brain cells, are in reality pre-programmed before birth to make very specific types of neurons, at least in mice, according to a study.

Molecular cause of heart condition identified Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:42 AM PDT Researchers have teased apart the molecular basis for differences in behavior between healthy cells and those from patients with a cardiac condition and identified a drug treatment that partially restores function to diseased cells.

Drug approved to treat osteoporosis shows promise in pre-clinical diabetes research Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:42 AM PDT A drug commonly used to treat osteoporosis in humans also stimulates the production of cells that control insulin balance in diabetic mice, researchers have found. While other compounds have been shown to have this effect, the drug (Denosumab) is already FDA approved and could more quickly move to clinical trials as a diabetes treatment.

Single gene turns colorectal cancer cells back into normal tissue in mice Posted: 18 Jun 2015 10:42 AM PDT Anti-cancer strategies generally involve killing off tumor cells. However, cancer cells may instead be coaxed to turn back into normal tissue simply by reactivating a single gene. Researchers found that restoring normal levels of a human colorectal cancer gene in mice stopped tumor growth and re-established normal intestinal function within only four days.

Jet contrails affect surface temperatures Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:22 AM PDT High in the sky where the cirrus ice crystal clouds form, jet contrails draw their crisscross patterns. Now researchers have found that these elevated ice cloud trails can influence temperatures on the ground and affect local climate, according to a team of geographers.

Biomedical breakthrough: Carbon nanoparticles you can make at home Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:22 AM PDT Researchers have found an easy way to produce carbon nanoparticles that are small enough to evade the body's immune system, reflect light in the near-infrared range for easy detection, and carry payloads of pharmaceutical drugs to targeted tissues. The new approach generates the particles in a few hours and uses only a handful of ingredients, including store-bought molasses.

Link found between neighborhood quality, cellular aging Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:22 AM PDT Regardless of chronological age, people who live in neighborhoods with high crime, noise, and vandalism are biologically more than a decade older than those who do not, according to a study.

Cataract culprits: Genes linked to cataract formation identified Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:21 AM PDT When cataracts encroach on the eyes, the only effective remedy is to surgically replace the eyes' lenses with synthetic substitutes. But what if scientists found a way to delay or prevent cataracts from forming in the first place? Researchers may have found such an opportunity by identifying the prime suspects in the formation of cataracts -- deficiency of two genes that encode regulatory proteins.

Best practices highlighted to prevent infections during healthcare laundry process Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:21 AM PDT Proper laundering and handling are important in achieving and maintaining the hygienically clean quality of healthcare fabrics and textiles delivered to the point of care, according to a new review that highlights evidence-based strategies to inhibit potentially serious contamination. The review is based on findings and recommendations from peer-reviewed studies, as well as current standards and guidelines.

Active volcanism on Venus Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:21 AM PDT Researchers combing through the data from the Venus Express mission have found new evidence of active lava flows on Earth's nearest neighbor.

Stem cell exosomes used to induce damaged mouse hearts to self-repair Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:21 AM PDT A little more than a decade ago, researchers discovered that all cells secrete tiny communications modules jammed with an entire work crew of messages for other cells. Today, a team of researchers is harnessing the communications vesicles excreted by stem cells and using them to induce the damaged heart to repair itself.

MRSA contamination found in supermarket sausages and minced pork in UK Posted: 18 Jun 2015 09:21 AM PDT A survey carried out earlier this year has found the first evidence of the 'superbug' bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in sausages and minced pork obtained from supermarkets in the UK. However, researchers stress that this does not pose a significant immediate risk to the public.

Protein plays unexpected role in embryonic stem cells Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:42 AM PDT A protein long believed to only guard the nucleus also regulates gene expression and stem cell development, scientists report. The discovery gives a new understanding to genetic diseases that are caused by mutations in these proteins.

Plants make big decisions with microscopic cellular competition Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:41 AM PDT Like other multicellular creatures, plants must coordinate activity among many different types of cells and tissues. Messages, demands, warnings and alerts shuttle among cells near and far. These messages determine what jobs cells take on and how they work together to build and maintain tissues and organs. A team of researchers has identified a mechanism that some plant cells use to receive complex and contradictory messages from their neighbors.

Graphic novella could help prevent hearing loss in Spanish-speaking agricultural workers Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:41 AM PDT In the Mountain West region, noise-induced hearing loss is common among Spanish-speaking agricultural workers due to their proximity to noise produced by heavy farm equipment and livestock, according to a US Department of Health and Human Services 2013 study. Now researchers are interested in what effect a digital graphic novella will have on Spanish-speaking agricultural workers receiving information about hearing loss and hearing protection.

Emotional brains 'physically different' from rational ones Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:41 AM PDT Researchers have found physical differences in the brains of people who respond emotionally to others' feelings, compared to those who respond more rationally.

Magnetic field discovery gives clues to galaxy-formation processes Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:41 AM PDT Magnetic field structure of nearby galaxy provides new insights on how spiral arms form, and how gas can be funneled inward to fuel star formation at the galaxy's center.

Risk of major sea level rise in England, Northern Europe Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:38 AM PDT Global warming leads to the ice sheets on land melting and flowing into the sea, which consequently rises. New calculations show that the sea level in Northern Europe may rise more than previously thought. There is a significant risk that the seas around Scandinavia, England, the Netherlands and northern Germany will rise by up to about 1.5 meters in this century.

Hubble views a bizarre cosmic quartet Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:38 AM PDT A new image shows a gathering of four cosmic companions. This quartet forms part of a group of galaxies known as the Hickson Compact Group 16, or HCG 16 -- a galaxy group bursting with dramatic star formation, tidal tails, galactic mergers and black holes.

New model to study HIV latency in brain cells Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:38 AM PDT Over 35 million people worldwide are currently infected by HIV. Antiviral therapies can keep the virus from multiplying. However, no drug can cure infection so far, because various cell types continue to carry the virus in a latent, i.e. quiescent, state. Scientists have now established a model for latent HIV infection of brain cells. The researchers used this model to identify various compounds that affect latency of the virus in the brain.

Future oncology explores role of biomarkers and next generation sequencing Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:38 AM PDT Highlighting the seismic shift in cancer research and treatment that is underway due to biomarkers and next generation sequencing, a new article offers multiple review articles summarizing the opportunities presented by improvements in molecular testing and analysis.

Abdominal blood clots may indicate undiagnosed cancer Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:38 AM PDT A blood clot in an abdominal vein may be an indicator of undiagnosed cancer, new research suggests. The study also suggests that these clots predict poorer survival in patients with liver and pancreatic cancer.

Saturn's moon Titan's atmosphere even more Earth-like than previously thought Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:38 AM PDT Scientists have observed how a widespread polar wind is driving gas from the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan. The team analyzed data gathered over seven years by the international Cassini probe, and found that the interactions between Titan's atmosphere, and the solar magnetic field and radiation, create a wind of hydrocarbons and nitriles being blown away from its polar regions into space. This is very similar to the wind observed coming from the Earth's polar regions.

Brain receptor found to significantly affect cocaine addiction Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:34 AM PDT By manipulating the activity of Activin receptors in the brain, researchers report that they were able to increase or decrease cocaine-taking and relapse behavior in animal models. The study focused on receptors in regions of the brain involved in pleasure and reward.

Researchers examine infectious bacterium's natural defenses Posted: 18 Jun 2015 07:34 AM PDT Antibiotics fight bacteria by targeting enzymes essential to the bacterium's survival, like those involved in rebuilding the bacterium's cellular wall. With many deadly bacteria able to resist antibiotics, scientists must work to design new compounds that target important functions in the bacteria to stop them from multiplying. As a spinoff from their research aimed at fighting a specific parasite, researchers may have found a way around an infectious bacterium's natural defenses.

Adult craze for human breast milk purchased online poses serious health risks Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:50 AM PDT The recent craze for human breast milk amongst certain fitness communities, fetishists and chronic disease sufferers is ill advised say the authors of a new study. Failure of women to sanitize properly when expressing milk, the failure to sterilize equipment properly, and the improper or prolonged storage and transportation of milk can expose consumers to bacterial food-borne illnesses like any other raw milk.

Nightingales show off their fathering skills through song Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:32 AM PDT The song of the male nightingale tells females how good a father he will be, according to research. The study shows that better singers will feed their offspring more often, and that they advertise this to potential mates by singing in a more orderly way through repeating song sequences, and using more variable song, including many different 'buzz,' 'whistle' and 'trill' songs.

Researchers help identify gene mutation that can trigger lymphoblastic leukemia Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:32 AM PDT After collecting data on a leukemia-affected family for nearly a decade, an international team of genetic researchers is tracking down a mutation partly responsible for causing the disease. Their findings have 'major implications' for better understanding the genetic basis of several types of cancer, including leukemia.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: More than just picky eating Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:32 AM PDT A new commentary by experts reflects on the clinical impact of the diagnosis of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, and the work that remains in terms of treatments and improved outcomes.

Researchers design placenta-on-a-chip to better understand pregnancy Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:32 AM PDT Researchers have developed a 'placenta-on-a-chip' to study the inner workings of the human placenta and its role in pregnancy. The device was designed to imitate, on a micro-level, the structure and function of the placenta and model the transfer of nutrients from mother to fetus. This prototype is one of the latest in a series of organ-on-a-chip technologies developed to accelerate biomedical advances.

Some common anti-nausea medications used post-operatively could increase patients' arrhythmia risk Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:32 AM PDT Certain commonly prescribed anti-nausea medications given to patients during or after an operation could increase their risk of developing an irregular heartbeat, new research has found.

Faster, not stronger: How a protein regulates gene expression Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:32 AM PDT By measuring the motion of single molecules, scientists have discovered how specialized proteins control gene expression by binding and compacting discrete parts of DNA inside the cell. The findings have significant implications for genetics and cancer research.

Potential downside to domestic surgical tourism Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:28 AM PDT Following surgery, up to 22 percent of surgical patients experience unexpected complications and must be readmitted for post-operative care. A study suggests that for these patients, returning to the same hospital is important for recovery. Readmission to a different hospital was associated with a 26 percent increased risk for dying within 90 days. The results have implications for patients who take part in domestic medical tourism.

Supermassive black hole at center of distant spiral galaxy 'weighed' Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:28 AM PDT Astronomers have measured the mass of the supermassive black hole at the center of NGC 1097 -- a barred spiral galaxy located approximately 45 million light-years away in the direction of the constellation Fornax.

Female managers do not reduce gender wage gap, study finds Posted: 18 Jun 2015 04:28 AM PDT Having a female manager doesn't necessarily equate to higher salaries for female employees, new research shows. In fact, women can sometimes take an earnings hit relative to their male colleagues when they go to work for a female manager.

Average 'dead zone' predicted for Gulf of Mexico in 2015 Posted: 17 Jun 2015 02:52 PM PDT Scientists are expecting that this year's Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone, also called the 'dead zone,' will be approximately 5,483 square miles or about the size of Connecticut -- the same as it has averaged over the last several years.This year marks the first time the results of four models were combined. The four model predictions ranged from 4,344 to 5,985 square miles.

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