ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Slower melting ice cream in pipeline, thanks to new ingredient
• With tobacco, what you don't know can kill you sooner
• Brush-off: Researchers devise a hairbrush that's easy to clean
• New approach to modeling Amazon seasonal cycles developed
• Men who buy sex have much in common with sexually coercive men
• Human body has gone through four stages of evolution
• Single mothers much more likely to live in poverty than single fathers, study finds
• Some with low-risk prostate cancer not likely to succumb to the disease
• Plastic in 99 percent of seabirds by 2050
• New type of prion may cause, transmit neurodegeneration
• Short sleepers are four times more likely to catch a cold
• Evidence of ancient life discovered in mantle rocks deep below the seafloor
• Sea temperature changes linked to mystery North Pacific ecosystem shifts
• Research in mice shows potential value of antidepressant in some stroke victims
• Gene leads to nearsightedness when kids read
• Older people getting smarter, but not fitter
• Forget cash: Plastic is the new sign of criminal activity
• Dialect influences Appalachian students' experiences in college
• Endangered animals can be identified by rate of genetic diversity loss
• New material science research may advance tech tools
• Species lines blur between two sparrows in New England's tidal marshes
• Medication treatment for opioid use disorders in primary care increases patient access
• Raising pay can reduce smoking rates
• Benefits for COPD patients using digital health application
• Gaming computers offer huge, untapped energy savings potential
• 'Grey Swans': Rare but predictable storms could pose big hazards
• Predictor of child vocabulary in early speech
• Lyme disease testing: Canadians may receive false-positives from some US labs
• Heart rate, heart rate variability in older adults linked to poorer function
• Nocturnal, compass-guided insects have a sense for turbulence too
• We've all got a blind spot, but it can be shrunk
• Clinic notes should be re-engineered to meet needs of physicians
• Circuit in the Eye Relies on Built-in Delay to See Small Moving Objects
• As wind-turbine farms expand, research shows they could offer diminishing returns
• Researchers examine risk factors/patient outcomes associated with colorectal cancer
• Infection with multiple HIV-1 variants leads to poorer clinical outcomes
• Preventive medicine experts speak out about reducing firearm violence
• Five-color nutritional labelling system is the most effective for consumers
• Closer to a treatment for 'asthma of the esophagus'
• Using ultrathin sheets to discover new class of wrapped shapes
• Scientists propose attacking bioenergetic metabolism to improve anti-cancer therapies
• 'Eat me' signal whets appetites for tumor-devouring dendritic cells
• Exclusive breastfeeding and the effect on postpartum multiple sclerosis relapses
• Religion, physicians and surrogate decision-makers in the intensive care unit
• Examining service delivery, patient outcomes in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program
• Deciphering olfactory receptor codes
• Scientists 'squeeze' light one particle at a time
• Vitamin D may play key role in preventing macular degeneration
• DNA-guided 3-D printing of human tissue is unveiled
• Scientists create designer proteins that control enzyme activity
• 'Happy Meals' bill could improve healthfulness of fast food meals for kids in New York City
• Alzheimer’s disease: Overlooked for 30 years, there is a new kid on the block
• How neurons get their branching shapes
• Epigenomic changes are key to innate immunological memory
• Come here and be quiet! Genes physically held in silencing 'lock-down' in embryonic stem cells
• Millipede research 2.0: New dimension in documenting new species
• Watching more TV as a young adult predicts obesity
• Television viewing linked to higher injury risk in hostile people
• The structure of DNA made visible
• Motion of supramolecular machines successfully controlled through simple mechanical manipulation

Slower melting ice cream in pipeline, thanks to new ingredient Posted: 31 Aug 2015 06:30 PM PDT Childhood memories of sticky hands from melting ice cream cones could soon become obsolete, thanks to a new food ingredient.

With tobacco, what you don't know can kill you sooner Posted: 31 Aug 2015 03:29 PM PDT The public shows "considerable lack of knowledge" about the risk associated with different types of tobacco products, researchers say. What people can benefit from is knowing the varying levels of risk associated with different tobacco products, according to public health researchers, who found that a large number of people aren't aware of the differences.

Brush-off: Researchers devise a hairbrush that's easy to clean Posted: 31 Aug 2015 03:29 PM PDT A researcher is working to make everyday objects easier to maintain so they last longer and don't end up in a landfill. His first such creation is an easy-to-clean hairbrush.

New approach to modeling Amazon seasonal cycles developed Posted: 31 Aug 2015 03:29 PM PDT Engineers have developed a new approach, opposite to climate models, to correct inaccuracies using a high-resolution atmospheric model that more precisely resolves clouds and convection and parameterizes the feedback between convection and atmospheric circulation. The new simulation strategy paves the way for better understanding of the water and carbon cycles in the Amazon, enabling researchers to learn more about the role of deforestation and climate change on the forest, authors say.

Men who buy sex have much in common with sexually coercive men Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:38 PM PDT Men who buy sex have less empathy for women in prostitution than men who don't buy sex and are more likely to report having committed rape and other acts of sexual aggression, according to a new study. The study of 101 men in the Boston area who buy sex and 101 men who do not -- all of whom were promised confidentiality -- indicates that the perspective of sex buyers has similarities to that of sexual aggressors.

Human body has gone through four stages of evolution Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:38 PM PDT Research into 430,000-year-old fossils collected in northern Spain found that the evolution of the human body's size and shape has gone through four main stages.

Single mothers much more likely to live in poverty than single fathers, study finds Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:37 PM PDT Single mothers earn significantly less than single fathers, and they are penalized for each additional child they have even though the income of single fathers remains the same or increases with each added child in their family. Men also make more for every additional year they invest in education, further widening the gender gap, reports a new study.

Some with low-risk prostate cancer not likely to succumb to the disease Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:37 PM PDT Men with relatively unaggressive prostate tumors and whose disease is carefully monitored by urologists are unlikely to develop metastatic prostate cancer or die of their cancers, according to results of a study that analyzed survival statistics up to 15 years.

Plastic in 99 percent of seabirds by 2050 Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:37 PM PDT Researchers from CSIRO and Imperial College London have assessed how widespread the threat of plastic is for the world's seabirds, including albatrosses, shearwaters and penguins, and found the majority of seabird species have plastic in their gut.

New type of prion may cause, transmit neurodegeneration Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:37 PM PDT Multiple System Atrophy, a neurodegenerative disorder with similarities to Parkinson's disease, is caused by a newly discovered type of prion, according to two new research papers.

Short sleepers are four times more likely to catch a cold Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:37 PM PDT A new study led by a sleep researcher supports what parents have been saying for centuries: to avoid getting sick, be sure to get enough sleep.

Evidence of ancient life discovered in mantle rocks deep below the seafloor Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:37 PM PDT Ancient rocks harbored microbial life deep below the seafloor, reports scientists. This first-time evidence was contained in drilled rock samples of Earth's mantle -- thrust by tectonic forces to the seafloor during the Early Cretaceous period. The discovery confirms a long-standing hypothesis that interactions between mantle rocks and seawater can create potential for life even in hard rocks deep below the ocean floor.

Sea temperature changes linked to mystery North Pacific ecosystem shifts Posted: 31 Aug 2015 01:37 PM PDT Researchers have long been puzzled by two rapid and widespread changes in the abundance and distribution of North Pacific plankton and fish species that impacted the region's economically important salmon fisheries. Now, researchers suggest that longer, less frequent climate fluctuations may be contributing to abrupt and unexplained ecosystem shifts in the North Pacific.

Research in mice shows potential value of antidepressant in some stroke victims Posted: 31 Aug 2015 11:41 AM PDT Working with mice, researchers have added to evidence that a commonly prescribed antidepressant called fluoxetine helps stroke victims improve movement and coordination, and possibly why.

Gene leads to nearsightedness when kids read Posted: 31 Aug 2015 11:41 AM PDT Vision researchers have discovered a gene that causes myopia, but only in people who spend a lot of time in childhood reading or doing other 'nearwork.'

Older people getting smarter, but not fitter Posted: 31 Aug 2015 11:41 AM PDT Older populations are scoring better on cognitive tests than people of the same age did in the past -- a trend that could be linked to higher education rates and increased use of technology in our daily lives, say population researchers.

Forget cash: Plastic is the new sign of criminal activity Posted: 31 Aug 2015 11:05 AM PDT The ERAD Prepaid Card Reader is a small, handheld device that uses wireless connectivity to allow law enforcement officers in the field to check the balance of cards.

Dialect influences Appalachian students' experiences in college Posted: 31 Aug 2015 11:03 AM PDT Language diversity isn't always celebrated on campus, a linguist writes in a new article, callomg dialect the 'last acceptable personal trait to make fun of.'

Endangered animals can be identified by rate of genetic diversity loss Posted: 31 Aug 2015 11:02 AM PDT A new study presents a novel approach for identifying vertebrate populations at risk of extinction by estimating the rate of genetic diversity loss, a measurement that could help researchers and conservationists better identify and rank species that are threatened or endangered.

New material science research may advance tech tools Posted: 31 Aug 2015 11:02 AM PDT Hard, complex materials with many components are used to fabricate some of today's most advanced technology tools. However, little is still known about how the properties of these materials change under specific temperatures, magnetic fields and pressures. New research advances the understanding of how materials can be manipulated.

Species lines blur between two sparrows in New England's tidal marshes Posted: 31 Aug 2015 11:02 AM PDT Among birds, the line between species is often blurry. Some closely related species interbreed where their ranges overlap, producing hybrid offspring. In the coastal marshes of New England, this has been happening between the Saltmarsh Sparrow and Nelson's Sparrow. Research finds that appearance alone is not enough to identify these hybrid zone birds.

Medication treatment for opioid use disorders in primary care increases patient access Posted: 31 Aug 2015 11:02 AM PDT Expanding the number of sites offering office-based opioid treatment with buprenorphine utilizing addiction nurse care managers, trainings and technical support resulted in more physicians becoming waivered to prescribe buprenorphine and more patients accessing treatment at sites across Massachusetts, a study concludes.

Raising pay can reduce smoking rates Posted: 31 Aug 2015 11:02 AM PDT In addition to restricting when and where tobacco is used at work, research shows that employers can do something else to reduce smoking: raise wages.

Benefits for COPD patients using digital health application Posted: 31 Aug 2015 10:58 AM PDT COPD patients who used a digital health application to report their daily symptoms and received same-day treatment recommendations from their health care provider experienced fewer and less severe COPD exacerbation symptoms, which led to an improvement in daily symptom control, lung function, and activity status, a study has concluded.

Gaming computers offer huge, untapped energy savings potential Posted: 31 Aug 2015 10:58 AM PDT In the world of computer gaming, bragging rights are accorded to those who can boast of blazing-fast graphics cards, the most powerful processors, the highest-resolution monitors, and the coolest decorative lighting. They are not bestowed upon those crowing about the energy efficiency of their system. If they were, gaming computers worldwide might well be consuming billions of dollars less in electricity use annually, with no loss in performance, according to new research.

'Grey Swans': Rare but predictable storms could pose big hazards Posted: 31 Aug 2015 10:58 AM PDT Researchers have used computer models to show that severe tropical cyclones could hit a number of coastal cities worldwide that are widely seen as unthreatened by such powerful storms.

Predictor of child vocabulary in early speech Posted: 31 Aug 2015 10:58 AM PDT At 12 months old, your infant's ability to group objects according to the names associated with them -- as opposed to their appearance alone -- offers a glimpse into how his or her vocabulary will develop by the time they are 18 months, researchers found. The study examined whether individual differences in the precision of 12-month-olds' ability to link language and object categories was related to both their present and future vocabulary growth.

Lyme disease testing: Canadians may receive false-positives from some US labs Posted: 31 Aug 2015 10:58 AM PDT Lyme disease is becoming increasingly common in Canada, and Canadians with Lyme disease symptoms may seek diagnoses from laboratories in the United States, although many of the results will be false-positives, according to a new commentary article.

Heart rate, heart rate variability in older adults linked to poorer function Posted: 31 Aug 2015 10:58 AM PDT A higher resting heart rate and lower heart rate variability in older adults at high risk of heart disease are associated with poorer ability to function in daily life as well as future decline, according to a new research.

Nocturnal, compass-guided insects have a sense for turbulence too Posted: 31 Aug 2015 10:58 AM PDT When nocturnal insects make their high-flying journeys through the darkness of night, they may have more than an internal compass to guide them on their way. Researchers now show that Silver Y moths (Autographa gamma) also rely on turbulence cues to keep themselves from drifting off course in the wind.

We've all got a blind spot, but it can be shrunk Posted: 31 Aug 2015 10:58 AM PDT The human eye includes an unavoidable blind spot. That's because the optic nerve that sends visual signals to the brain must pass through the retina, which creates a hole in that light-sensitive layer of tissue. When images project to that precise location, we miss them. As reported in a new article, this blind spot can be effectively 'shrunk' with training, despite the fact that the hole in our visual field cannot be.

Clinic notes should be re-engineered to meet needs of physicians Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:44 AM PDT When physicians prepare for patient visits, one of their first steps is to review clinic notes or health records that recap their patients' medical history. Since the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, approximately 78 percent of office-based physicians have adopted electronic health records (EHR). However, previous research found only 38 percent of physicians were highly satisfied with the system, and many believe the way a patient's health information is displayed in EHRs reduces the efficiency and productivity of patient care. Now, in a new study, researchers say it is time to redesign EHR documentation tools to better meet the needs of physicians in order to deliver the best care to patients.

Circuit in the Eye Relies on Built-in Delay to See Small Moving Objects Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:43 AM PDT When we move our head, the whole visual world moves across our eyes. Yet we can still make out a bee buzzing by or a hawk flying overhead, thanks to unique cells in the eye called object motion sensors. A new study on mice helps explain how these cells do their job, and may bring scientists closer to understanding how complex circuits are formed throughout the nervous system.

As wind-turbine farms expand, research shows they could offer diminishing returns Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:37 AM PDT A slowdown effect triggered by wind turbines is substantial for large wind farms and results in proportionally less renewable energy generated for each turbine versus the energy that would be generated from an isolated wind turbine, scientists report.

Researchers examine risk factors/patient outcomes associated with colorectal cancer Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:37 AM PDT About 20 percent of colorectal cancer patients have cancers that have spread beyond the colon at the time of their diagnosis. In a new study, researchers provide a detailed comparison of patient outcomes associated with synchronous and sequential colorectal and liver resections in patients with stage IV colorectal cancer, identifying some benchmarks for surgical practice.

Infection with multiple HIV-1 variants leads to poorer clinical outcomes Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:32 AM PDT HIV-1 infection with multiple founder variants points to poorer clinical outcomes than infection with a single variant, according to research. In the study, researchers analyzed large sample sets from two important HIV vaccine efficacy trials -- the Step HIV vaccine clinical trial (HVTN 502) and RV144, the landmark vaccine clinical trial conducted in Thailand -- to evaluate whether genetic characteristics of the founder viral populations could influence markers of clinical outcomes.

Preventive medicine experts speak out about reducing firearm violence Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:32 AM PDT A wide range of critical topics related to firearm violence, from the interaction of alcohol abuse with gun violence, effects of changes to gun laws in various states, how criminals obtain guns in a large US city, to how the public perceives gun violence and gun policies, are the focus of a special published edition of Preventive Medicine.

Five-color nutritional labelling system is the most effective for consumers Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:32 AM PDT The 5-colour nutrition label (5-CNL) is the most effective nutritional information system for allowing consumers to recognize and compare the nutritional quality of foods, a group of researchers concludes.

Closer to a treatment for 'asthma of the esophagus' Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:32 AM PDT Scientists have elucidated the chemical process behind a mysterious gastrointestinal disease that is becoming more frequent every day: the eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), also known as the 'asthma of the esophagus'. The researchers identified a molecule which plays a key role in this condition and that can be a target in a new therapeutic strategy.

Using ultrathin sheets to discover new class of wrapped shapes Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:32 AM PDT Experimental and theoretical physicists and a polymer scientist have teamed up to use much thinner sheets than before to achieve seeking to encapsulate droplets of one fluid within another. Thinner, highly-bendable sheets lift these constraints and allow for a new class of wrapped shapes.

Scientists propose attacking bioenergetic metabolism to improve anti-cancer therapies Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:32 AM PDT Blocking glycolysis -- the molecular mechanism that makes it possible to extract energy from glucose -- is especially damaging to the division of cancer cells, research shows. Specifically acting on this energy-based peculiarity could be effective in treating cancer in combination with chemotherapeutic agents such as taxol, scientists say.

'Eat me' signal whets appetites for tumor-devouring dendritic cells Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:03 AM PDT The therapeutic effect of CD47 blockade as a cancer treatment relies more on dendritic cells than macrophages, scientists report. Anti-CD47-mediated tumor rejection will require both innate and adaptive responses.

Exclusive breastfeeding and the effect on postpartum multiple sclerosis relapses Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:03 AM PDT Women with multiple sclerosis who intended to breastfeed their infants exclusively for two months had a lower risk of relapse during the first six months after giving birth compared with women who did not breastfeed exclusively, according to an article.

Religion, physicians and surrogate decision-makers in the intensive care unit Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:03 AM PDT Religious or spiritual considerations were discussed in 16 percent of family meetings in intensive care units and health care professionals only rarely explored the patient's or family's religious or spiritual ideas, according to an article.

Examining service delivery, patient outcomes in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:03 AM PDT Outpatient human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) health care facilities funded by the federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program were more likely to provide case management, mental health, substance abuse and other support services than those facilities not funded by the program, according to an article.

Deciphering olfactory receptor codes Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:03 AM PDT In animals, numerous behaviors are governed by the olfactory perception of their surrounding world. Whether originating in the nose of a mammal or the antennas of an insect, perception results from the combined activation of multiple receptors located in these organs. Identifying the full repertoire of receptors stimulated by a given odorant would represent a key step in deciphering the code that mediates these behaviors. To this end, a tool has been developed by researchers to do exactly that.

Scientists 'squeeze' light one particle at a time Posted: 31 Aug 2015 09:03 AM PDT A team of scientists have measured a bizarre effect in quantum physics, in which individual particles of light are said to have been 'squeezed' -- an achievement which at least one textbook had written off as hopeless.

Vitamin D may play key role in preventing macular degeneration Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:26 AM PDT Women who are deficient in vitamin D and have a specific high-risk genotype are 6.7 times more likely to develop AMD than women with sufficient vitamin D status and no high risk genotype, scientists report.

DNA-guided 3-D printing of human tissue is unveiled Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:26 AM PDT Researchers have developed a technique to build tiny models of human tissues using a process that turns human cells into a biological equivalent of LEGO bricks. These mini-tissues in a dish can be used to study how particular structural features of tissue affect normal growth or go awry in cancer.

Scientists create designer proteins that control enzyme activity Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:26 AM PDT Scientists have developed a novel approach to control the activity of enzymes through the use of synthetic, antibody-like proteins known as monobodies. The findings have widespread implications for a broad range of industrial, scientific and medical applications in which enzymes are used.

'Happy Meals' bill could improve healthfulness of fast food meals for kids in New York City Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:26 AM PDT A bill to improve the nutritional value of fast food restaurant meals marketed to children could have a wide enough impact to reduce calories, fat, and sodium, according to a new study.

Alzheimer’s disease: Overlooked for 30 years, there is a new kid on the block Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:25 AM PDT Alzheimer's disease is associated with the appearance of characteristic neurotoxic protein aggregates in various regions in the brain. Chemical analysis of these insoluble deposits reveals that they are made up of a family of short protein fragments, referred to as beta-amyloid peptides, which are derived from a precursor protein called APP by the sequential action of two enzymes. Scientists have now made a discovery which extends this picture of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease, and has potentially far-reaching implications for our understanding of the condition.

How neurons get their branching shapes Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:25 AM PDT For more than a hundred years, people have known that dendritic arbors -- the projections that neurons use to receive information from other neurons -- differ in size and shape depending on neuron type. Now, researchers have discovered a factor helps shape dendritic arbors. The work reveals how the protein centrosomin prevents dendrites from branching out.

Epigenomic changes are key to innate immunological memory Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:25 AM PDT Epigenomic changes induced by pathogen infections, mediated by a transcription factor called ATF7, are the underlying mechanism of the memory of innate immunity, new research shows.

Come here and be quiet! Genes physically held in silencing 'lock-down' in embryonic stem cells Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:24 AM PDT A strong physical gene interaction network has been discovered that is responsible for holding genes in a silencing grip during early development. In the same way that people can interact with others in close proximity, say within the same room, or others millions of miles apart, there are also short- and long-range interactions within the genome forming a three-dimensional configuration where different parts of the genome come into contact with each other. The research presents how key decision-making genes which specify the embryo's blueprint for subsequent development are physically clustered in the nucleus of embryonic stem cells and maintained in a silent state.

Millipede research 2.0: New dimension in documenting new species Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:24 AM PDT Thousands of new species are identified every year, and new and efficient methods are needed to document this diversity and to make information about new species available to other scientists and to the interested public. New research is literally adding a new dimension to the task.

Watching more TV as a young adult predicts obesity Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:24 AM PDT The more hours young adults spend watching television each day, the greater the likelihood that they'll have a higher body mass index and bigger waist circumference, a 15-year analysis revealed.

Television viewing linked to higher injury risk in hostile people Posted: 31 Aug 2015 08:24 AM PDT People with hostile personality traits who watch more television than their peers may be at a greater risk for injury, potentially because they are more susceptible to the influence of television on violence and risk-taking behaviors, an analysis has discovered.

The structure of DNA made visible Posted: 31 Aug 2015 07:20 AM PDT From 1952, DNA was sequenced, modified and extensively studied, but no technique was able to produce clear direct images of DNA. Now, researchers have developed a new technique to produce a direct image of the DNA helix and its inner structure.

Motion of supramolecular machines successfully controlled through simple mechanical manipulation Posted: 31 Aug 2015 07:20 AM PDT Researchers have found that molecular machines can be easily manipulated using very small mechanical energy, taking advantage of the property that they aggregate on the surface of water.

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