ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Learning is not a spectator sport
• Building the electron superhighway
• Take your PICC: New guide aims to decrease dangers from long-term IV devices
• Microbiologists describe new insights into human neurodegenerative disease
• Anticonvulsant effects of valproic acid uncovered
• New method to treat antibiotic resistant MRSA: Bacteriophages
• Viruses flourish in guts of healthy babies
• Application of new spectroscopy method to capture reactions in photosynthesis
• Discovery of a highly efficient catalyst eases way to hydrogen economy
• Larger-sized portions, packages and tableware lead to higher consumption of food and drink
• Birds reveal the evolutionary importance of love
• Combo of three antibiotics can kill deadly staph infections
• Filling a void in stem cell therapy
• Findings could shed light on cancer, aging
• Catalyst addresses engine efficiency, emissions quandary
• It's time to stop thinking in terms of food versus fuel
• New leukemia gene stops blood cells 'growing up'
• Lung 'filtering' technique can reduce transplant rejection
• Southwest Pacific reveals some of its secrets
• Amazonia: Soil carbon stocks examined
• Modulation of brain cholesterol: New line of research in Alzheimer's disease treatment?
• You're not irrational, you're just quantum probabilistic
• World's longest continental volcano chain in Australia
• Increased memory with a flash of light
• Real X-ray vision: See-through brains ready for study
• 10K genomes project explores contribution of rare variants to human disease, risk factors
• Sierra Nevada snowpack lowest in five centuries
• Racial disparities in pain of children with appendicitis in EDs
• Rating hospital readmissions
• Low vitamin D among elderly associated with decline in cognition, dementia
• First realization of an electric circuit with a magnetic insulator using spin waves
• Key component for terahertz wireless networks
• Biodiesel made easier, cleaner with waste-recycling catalyst
• Three new studies converge on promising new target for addiction treatment
• 'Life's Simple 7' and diabetes care program reduce risk of heart failure
• Drug resistance in cancer patients linked to oxygen-bearing molecules in body, study finds
• Smokers at higher risk of losing their teeth, research shows
• Rocky planets may be habitable depending on their 'air conditioning system'
• World has lost three percent of its forests since 1990
• Does social capital explain community-level differences in organ donor designation?
• Elite tennis players feel the heat at Australian Open as summers intensify
• World's turtles face plastic deluge danger
• Switched before birth: Study shows protein creates tumor-fighting cells
• Nutritional deficiencies common before weight loss surgery
• Optogenetics: Light switch generates cellular second messenger
• Protein NBS1 crucial for macrophage functional activity
• Large-scale illegal trade in hundreds of wild-collected ornamental plants in Southeast Asia
• Size matters: The more DNA the better
• Photonic chip activated for communication with light
• Perfect swimming strokes? Boost sports performance with wearable technology
• Strategies to decrease bacterial colonization
• Skills gap preventing low-energy technology from reaching full potential
• Long sleep and high blood copper levels go hand in hand
• Alzheimer's-disease-related proteases control axonal guidance by regulating growth cone dynamics
• Researchers work to improve antibiotic effectiveness
• Elephants born when mothers are stressed age faster, produce fewer offspring
• Pedaling like a Tour de France winner is a losing strategy for most of us
• Swinging on 'monkey bars': Motor proteins caught in the act
• An even more versatile optical chip
• Mediterranean diet plus olive oil associated with reduced breast cancer risk

Learning is not a spectator sport Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:05 PM PDT MOOC providers currently offer thousands of courses and have enticed millions of students to enroll. The emphasis in MOOCs is often on lecture videos that students watch and learn from. However, a new study shows that this central approach of MOOCs -- having students watch to learn -- is ineffective. Instead, the emphasis on interactive activities as advocated by Carnegie Mellon University's Simon Initiative helps students learn about six times more.

Building the electron superhighway Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:05 PM PDT Scientists have invented a new way to view and create what they are calling 'an electron superhighway' in an organic semiconductor. This approach promises to allow electrons to flow faster and farther -- aiding the hunt for flexible electronics, organic solar cells, and other low-cost alternatives to silicon.

Take your PICC: New guide aims to decrease dangers from long-term IV devices Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:56 PM PDT More than a billion times a year, American hospital patients get tiny tubes inserted into their veins to deliver medicine and more. But these devices carry risks as well as benefits -- especially those designed to stay in the body for days or weeks. A newly published, research-based guide shows doctors and nurses which kind of device to use, in which patient, for the best and safest result -- and which to avoid at all costs.

Microbiologists describe new insights into human neurodegenerative disease Posted: 14 Sep 2015 12:27 PM PDT Microbiology researchers studying a soil bacterium have identified a potential mechanism for neurodegenerative diseases. A role for the protein HSD10 had been suspected in patients with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, but no direct connection had previously been established. This new breakthrough suggests that HSD10 reduces oxidative stress, promotes cell repair and prevents cellular death.

Anticonvulsant effects of valproic acid uncovered Posted: 14 Sep 2015 12:27 PM PDT Researchers have identified the mechanism by which valproic acid controls epileptic seizures, and by doing so, also revealed an underlying factor of seizures.

New method to treat antibiotic resistant MRSA: Bacteriophages Posted: 14 Sep 2015 12:27 PM PDT A senior molecular biology major knows MRSA as the infection that took his dad's leg. Now he is exacting revenge on the bacteria by unlocking the power of a new MRSA-killer: bacteriophage.

Viruses flourish in guts of healthy babies Posted: 14 Sep 2015 12:27 PM PDT Bacteria aren't the only nonhuman invaders to colonize the gut shortly after a baby's birth. Viruses also set up house there, according to new research. The study is one of the first surveys of viruses that reside in the intestine, beginning the work of defining a healthy gut virome.

Application of new spectroscopy method to capture reactions in photosynthesis Posted: 14 Sep 2015 12:27 PM PDT A new spectroscopy method is bringing researchers closer to understanding -- and artificially replicating -- the solar water-splitting reaction at the heart of photosynthetic energy production.

Discovery of a highly efficient catalyst eases way to hydrogen economy Posted: 14 Sep 2015 12:26 PM PDT Hydrogen could be the ideal fuel: Whether used to make electricity in a fuel cell or burned to make heat, the only byproduct is water; there is no climate-altering carbon dioxide. Like gasoline, hydrogen could also be used to store energy. Scientists now report a hydrogen-making catalyst containing phosphorus and sulfur -- both common elements -- and cobalt, a metal that is 1,000 times cheaper than platinum.

Larger-sized portions, packages and tableware lead to higher consumption of food and drink Posted: 14 Sep 2015 12:26 PM PDT A new review has produced the most conclusive evidence to date that people consume more food or non-alcoholic drinks when offered larger sized portions or when they use larger items of tableware. The research suggests that eliminating larger-sized portions from the diet completely could reduce energy intake by up to 16 percent among UK adults or 29 percent among US adults.

Birds reveal the evolutionary importance of love Posted: 14 Sep 2015 12:26 PM PDT Humans are extremely choosy when it comes to mating, only settling down after a long screening process involving nervous flirtations, awkward dates, humiliating rejections and the occasional lucky strike. But evolution is an unforgiving force -- isn't this choosiness rather a costly waste of time and energy when we should just be 'going forth and multiplying?' What, if anything, is the evolutionary point of it all? A new study may have the answer.

Combo of three antibiotics can kill deadly staph infections Posted: 14 Sep 2015 10:52 AM PDT Three antibiotics that, individually, are not effective against a drug-resistant staph infection can kill the deadly pathogen when combined as a trio, according to researchers. They have killed the bug -- methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- in test tubes and laboratory mice, and believe the same strategy may work in people.

Filling a void in stem cell therapy Posted: 14 Sep 2015 09:47 AM PDT A new approach uses injectable hydrogels to boost the survival of transplanted stem cells and to improve the repair and regeneration of bodily tissues.

Findings could shed light on cancer, aging Posted: 14 Sep 2015 09:47 AM PDT Researchers have found molecular evidence of how a biochemical process controls the lengths of protective chromosome tips, a potentially significant step in ultimately understanding cancer growth and aging.

Catalyst addresses engine efficiency, emissions quandary Posted: 14 Sep 2015 09:47 AM PDT A catalyst being developed by researchers could overcome one of the key obstacles still preventing automobile engines from running more cleanly and efficiently.

It's time to stop thinking in terms of food versus fuel Posted: 14 Sep 2015 09:47 AM PDT Experts predict farmers can sustainably, and affordably, meet humanity's growing demand for food and fuel.

New leukemia gene stops blood cells 'growing up' Posted: 14 Sep 2015 09:46 AM PDT Scientists have identified a gene -- FOXC1 -- that, if switched on, causes more aggressive cancer in a fifth of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, according to a study.

Lung 'filtering' technique can reduce transplant rejection Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:47 AM PDT A new technique to recondition poorly functioning lungs and remove donor white blood cells has been used by researchers in an attempt to increase the number of lungs available for transplant, and at the same time reduce the risk of acute rejection.

Southwest Pacific reveals some of its secrets Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:47 AM PDT The Southwest Pacific ocean and the strong currents that travel through it play a major role in the world's climate. A research program has allowed a great many in situ observations to be collected which were previously lacking. In parallel, scientists from around fifteen international laboratories have developed high-resolution digital models. This work has led to significant advances in our understanding of the dynamics of this ocean and its influence on the climate.

Amazonia: Soil carbon stocks examined Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:47 AM PDT Along with the oceans and forests, soils are one of the planet's main carbon reservoirs. In the 20th century, carbon stocks fell dramatically due to deforestation, intensive farming and the associated poor cultivation practices. Consequently, large amounts of carbon have been emitted into the atmosphere in the form of CO2 contributing to global warming. Now researchers have published a summary on soil organic carbon stocks changes in Amazonia.

Modulation of brain cholesterol: New line of research in Alzheimer's disease treatment? Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:46 AM PDT Two research teams have just shown, in a rodent model, that overexpressing an enzyme that can eliminate excess cholesterol from the brain may have a beneficial action on the tau component of the disease, and completely correct it.

You're not irrational, you're just quantum probabilistic Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:46 AM PDT The next time someone accuses you of making an irrational decision, just explain that you're obeying the laws of quantum physics. A new trend taking shape in psychological science not only uses quantum physics to explain humans' (sometimes) paradoxical thinking, but may also help researchers resolve certain contradictions among the results of previous psychological studies.

World's longest continental volcano chain in Australia Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:46 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the world's longest known chain of continental volcanoes, running 2,000 kilometers across Australia, from the Whitsundays in North Queensland to near Melbourne in central Victoria. The volcanic chain was created over the past 33 million years, as Australia moved northwards over a hotspot in Earth's mantle.

Increased memory with a flash of light Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:46 AM PDT The burgeoning field of optogenetics has seen another breakthrough with the creation of a new plant-human hybrid protein molecule called OptoSTIM1, researchers report.

Real X-ray vision: See-through brains ready for study Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:46 AM PDT A new technique for creating transparent tissue has been developed that can be used to illuminate 3-D brain anatomy at very high resolutions. In recent years, generating see-through tissue--a process called optical clearing--has become a goal for many researchers in life sciences because of its potential to reveal complex structural details of our bodies, organs, and cells--both healthy and diseased--when combined with advanced microscopy imaging techniques.

10K genomes project explores contribution of rare variants to human disease, risk factors Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:45 AM PDT Rare genetic variants are changes in DNA that are carried only by relatively few people in a population. The UK10K study was designed to explore the contribution of these rare genetic variants to human disease and its risk factors. The largest population genome sequencing effort to date has been published.

Sierra Nevada snowpack lowest in five centuries Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:45 AM PDT Snowpack in California's Sierra Nevada in 2015 was at the lowest level in the past 500 years, according to a new report. The research is the first to show how the 2015 snowpack compares with snowpack levels for the previous five centuries. California's current record-setting drought began in 2012, the researchers note in their report.

Racial disparities in pain of children with appendicitis in EDs Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:45 AM PDT Black children were less likely to receive any pain medication for moderate pain and less likely to receive opioids for severe pain than white children in a study of racial disparities in the pain management of children with appendicitis in emergency departments, according to an article.

Rating hospital readmissions Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:45 AM PDT The clinical and social characteristics of a hospital's patient population explain 50 percent of the difference in readmission rates between the best- and the worst-performing hospitals, a new report suggests.

Low vitamin D among elderly associated with decline in cognition, dementia Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:45 AM PDT Vitamin D insufficiency among the elderly is highly correlated with accelerated cognitive decline and impaired performance, particularly in domains such as memory loss that are associated with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, researchers have found.

First realization of an electric circuit with a magnetic insulator using spin waves Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:45 AM PDT Researchers have found that it is possible to make an electric circuit with a magnetic insulator. This was first deemed impossible. The circuit is realized using spin waves: wave-like perturbations in the magnetic properties of a material. Their discovery is interesting for the development of novel, energy-efficient electronic devices, particularly integrated circuits.

Key component for terahertz wireless networks Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:45 AM PDT Researchers have developed what they believe to be the first viable strategy for multiplexing radiation in the terahertz range. Terahertz rays may one day enable wireless data networks that are many times faster than today's cellular or Wi-Fi networks. Multiplexing -- the ability to send multiple data streams down a single medium -- is critical for any communications network, including those that use terahertz waves.

Biodiesel made easier, cleaner with waste-recycling catalyst Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:45 AM PDT Researchers have devised a way of increasing the yield of biodiesel by using the waste left over from its production process. Using simple catalysis, the researchers have been able to recycle a non-desired by-product produced when biodiesel is formed from vegetable oil, and convert this into an ingredient to produce even more biodiesel.

Three new studies converge on promising new target for addiction treatment Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:05 AM PDT Three studies implicating metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGluR2) as a new molecular target for the treatment of addiction have been published simultaneously.

'Life's Simple 7' and diabetes care program reduce risk of heart failure Posted: 14 Sep 2015 08:05 AM PDT One in four middle-aged adults who survive to age 85 will develop heart failure, according to current estimates. Intervention programs to improve lifestyles are widely advocated, but do they actually work? Investigators in the US and Taiwan independently examined programs that may reduce cardiovascular risk and concluded that both programs will reduce lifetime risk of heart failure.

Drug resistance in cancer patients linked to oxygen-bearing molecules in body, study finds Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:29 AM PDT Increased levels of certain chemically reactive, oxygen-containing molecules in the body can cause patients to become resistant to cancer drugs such as chemotherapy, according to researchers.

Smokers at higher risk of losing their teeth, research shows Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:28 AM PDT Regular smokers have a significantly increased risk of tooth loss, a new study has confirmed. Male smokers are up to 3.6 times more likely to lose their teeth than non-smokers, whereas female smokers were found to be 2.5 times more likely.

Rocky planets may be habitable depending on their 'air conditioning system' Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:27 AM PDT The quest for potentially habitable planets is often interpreted as the search for an Earth twin. And yet, some rocky planets outside our Solar System may in fact be more promising candidates for further research. Scientists have run 165 climate simulations for exoplanets that permanently face their 'sun' with the same side. They discovered that two of the three possible climates are potentially habitable.

World has lost three percent of its forests since 1990 Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:27 AM PDT The globe's forests have shrunk by three per cent since 1990 -- an area equivalent to the size of South Africa -- despite significant improvements in conservation over the past decade.

Does social capital explain community-level differences in organ donor designation? Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:27 AM PDT The characteristics of one's community may be as important as individual factors on the decision to become an organ donor, a new study has found. The research shows an association between social capital and organ donor registrations. To increase donations, the research suggests that future health policies adopt a community-level focus.

Elite tennis players feel the heat at Australian Open as summers intensify Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:27 AM PDT Melbourne summer temperatures have been steadily climbing over the past 25 years, but even more so during the two weeks of the Australian Open in late January, new data analysis reveals.

World's turtles face plastic deluge danger Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:27 AM PDT More than half the world's sea turtles have ingested plastic or other human rubbish, an international study has revealed. The study found the east coasts of Australia and North America, Southeast Asia, southern Africa, and Hawaii were particularly dangerous for turtles due to a combination of debris loads and high species diversity.

Switched before birth: Study shows protein creates tumor-fighting cells Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:27 AM PDT Revealing a biological combat strategy worthy of a five-star general, researchers have shown how a cell surface receptor -- a specialized protein which communicates signals between a cell and the outside world -- can mobilize immune cells to attack, rather than protect, malignant tumors.

Nutritional deficiencies common before weight loss surgery Posted: 14 Sep 2015 07:27 AM PDT Malnutrition is a known complication of weight loss surgery, but findings from a small study show many obese people may be malnourished before they undergo the procedure.

Optogenetics: Light switch generates cellular second messenger Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:32 AM PDT Optogenetics is a quickly expanding field of research which has revolutionized neurobiological and cellbiological research around the world. It uses natural or tailored light-sensitive proteins in order to switch nerve cells on and off without electrodes with unprecedented accuracy in respect to time and location. The discovery of the light-gated ion channel channelrhodopsin in algae in 2002 was a key finding for this field.

Protein NBS1 crucial for macrophage functional activity Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:31 AM PDT Protein NBS1, which plays a key role in DNA damage repair, is required for macrophage functional activity, researchers explain. The protein also has implications for understanding the immune defects observed in patients with Nijmegen breakage syndrome and other related disorders.

Large-scale illegal trade in hundreds of wild-collected ornamental plants in Southeast Asia Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:31 AM PDT Southeast Asia is a widely recognized center of illegal wildlife trade -- both as the source region for species ranging from seahorses to tigers, and as a global consumer of ivory carvings, wild pets, and traditional Chinese medicinal products.

Size matters: The more DNA the better Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:31 AM PDT Variation in genome size may be much more important than previously believed, new research suggests. It is clear that, at least sometimes, a large genome is a good genome.

Photonic chip activated for communication with light Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:31 AM PDT Sending information with the help of light is an exciting prospect for future technologies. It requires 'light chips', made of a special glass. Scientists have now managed to equip these light chips - which were already known for their extremely low losses - with new 'active' functionalities, such as generating, strengthening, and modulating light. Their chip is capable of creating a very wide light spectrum that runs from blue to infrared, spanning wavelengths of 470 to 2130 nanometers. By doing so they have made a light chip with the largest frequency range ever.

Perfect swimming strokes? Boost sports performance with wearable technology Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:31 AM PDT Scientists have developed wearable technology for improving sports performance. Wearable sensors can be attached to, say, a swimmer's hand paddles or an archers' equipment. From there, data is wirelessly transferred to the coach's smartphone or tablet. The sensors embedded in the paddles provide surprisingly precise and varied data on the wearer's swimming technique. This covers stroke length and changes in it during swimming, the relationship between the outward stroke and recovery, the structure of the stroke and the average pull, the hand position and the pressure exerted by the stroke in different directions.

Strategies to decrease bacterial colonization Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:31 AM PDT Among the bacterial infections that are most difficult to treat, chronic infections associated with bacterial biofilms are one of the most hazardous. Bacterial biofilms are densely packed communities of microbial cells surrounded with secreted polymers. A chemist's new doctoral thesis has studied ways to decrease the bacterial colonization.

Skills gap preventing low-energy technology from reaching full potential Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:30 AM PDT Heat-pump technology is a part of a low-carbon strategy to replace gas boilers in buildings in the UK. However, new research suggests that if the UK is to meet its climate and energy goals then the current vocational education and training is inadequate and ill-prepared to do so.

Long sleep and high blood copper levels go hand in hand Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:30 AM PDT People who sleep fewer than 6 hours or more than 10 hours per night suffer from low-grade inflammation more often than people who sleep 7-8 hours per night. Earlier studies have found a relation between reduced sleep and low-grade inflammation, according to one of the study researchers. Furthermore, low-grade inflammation occurs in overweight, depression and diabetes. This new study is the first to analyze the association between sleep duration and serum micronutrient concentrations in a large sample, and it found a link between high serum copper concentration and long sleep duration.

Alzheimer's-disease-related proteases control axonal guidance by regulating growth cone dynamics Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:30 AM PDT BACE1 is the major drug target for Alzheimer's disease, but we know surprisingly little about its normal function in the central nervous system (CNS). Researchers now show that this protease is critically involved in axonal guidance processes in thalamic and hippocampal neurons.

Researchers work to improve antibiotic effectiveness Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:28 AM PDT A new group of antibiotics has been discovered that may provide relief to some of the more than two million people in the United States affected by antibiotic resistance.

Elephants born when mothers are stressed age faster, produce fewer offspring Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:28 AM PDT Elephants born into stressful situations have fewer offspring and age faster, researchers have found. The scientists investigating how the process of aging affects animals made the discovery after being given access to a unique record of the lives and deaths of more than 10,000 elephants from Myanmar spanning three generations and almost a century.

Pedaling like a Tour de France winner is a losing strategy for most of us Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:28 AM PDT Pedaling like Chris Froome or Alberto Contador might seem appealing, but researchers have found that for most of us it's likely to reduce rather than improve our cycling performance. That's an incidental finding from a project aimed at improving calculations estimating VO2Max, a common measure of aerobic fitness.

Swinging on 'monkey bars': Motor proteins caught in the act Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:28 AM PDT The first images of motor proteins in action have been released by scientists. These proteins are vital to complex life, forming the transport infrastructure that allows different parts of cells to specialize in particular functions. Until now, the way they move has never been directly observed.

An even more versatile optical chip Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:28 AM PDT Telecommunication networks will soon have to exploit the quantum properties of light. A team is paving the way to this technological revolution by removing the technical barriers of quantum photonics through optical chips. Researchers recently generated directly cross-polarized photon pairs on a chip, a first in quantum optics. Polarization will now be among the controllable parameters for harnessing light, helping the creation of low cost, high performance, energy efficient technologies.

Mediterranean diet plus olive oil associated with reduced breast cancer risk Posted: 14 Sep 2015 06:28 AM PDT Eating a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil was associated with a relatively lower risk of breast cancer in a study of women in Spain, according to a new article.

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