ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Flowing electrons help ocean microbes gulp methane
• 'Tree of life' for 2.3 million species released
• In-hospital nocturnal dialysis may be good for the heart
• Reducing catastrophic wildfires through managed burns
• Customized exoskeleton helps veteran walk again
• Beta-glucan-enriched pasta boosts good gut bacteria, reduces bad cholesterol
• Researchers determine how groups make decisions
• Major breakthrough in understanding Alzheimer's disease
• Interactive health data plus incentives may help lower BP and create lasting changes
• Birth control pills pose small but significant stroke risk
• Study ranks U.S. cities based on the urban heat island effect on temperatures
• New findings help explain how molecules are speedily transported into and out of the cell's nucleus
• Identifying typical patterns in the progression towards Alzheimer's disease
• How molecules are speedily transported into and out of the cell’s nucleus
• A new understanding of dengue virus
• Maternal protein deficiency during pregnancy 'memorized' by fetal muscle cells
• Types of athletic training affect how brain communicates with muscles
• A new analysis and approach to watershed management
• New way proposed to chart the cosmos in 3-D
• Artificial intelligence used to improve breast cancer patient outcomes
• Hydrocortisone effects on neurodevelopment for extremely low birthweight infants
• Research offers clues about why people end therapy
• More aggressive blood pressure treatment found to reduce heart disease, save lives
• Microscopic molecules can fight citrus greening bug with less insecticides
• Boost in available wind power for the Midwest with global warming
• How the chameleon climbed to the top of the tree
• 58,046 fruit flies shed light on 100-year old evolutionary question
• Repairing the brain: Two genes unlock potential for treatment of schizophrenia
• 3-D printed guide helps regrow complex nerves after injury
• Southern Ocean: Reconstructing environmental conditions over the past 30,000 years
• Harvesting clues to GMO dilemmas from China's soybean fields
• Teens with bulimia recover faster when parents are included in treatment
• New technique lets scientists better see, study interface where two cells touch
• Tracing the triggers of late-onset Alzheimer's
• When does an image become a health claim?
• Early career disappointment and wellbeing in old age
• Surfing over simulated ripples in graphene
• Imaging method has potential to stratify head and neck cancer patients
• Discovery of a triple barrier that prevents cells from becoming cancerous
• Highly accurate method for measuring luminous efficacy of LEDs
• Unexpected role for the IKK complex in protecting cells from death
• Coordinating traffic down the neuronal highway
• New nebulizer set to replace the need for jabs
• The structural memory of water persists on a picosecond timescale
• Ancient marine animal is evolving genetically despite little change in appearance
• Study highlights possible knowledge gap over effects of some diabetes drugs
• Novel role of mitochondria identified in immune function
• Down syndrome research untangles therapeutic possibilities for Alzheimer's
• New light shed on infertility puzzle, could improve in vitro fertilization
• Surgeons, athletic, musical pros join forces to devise new surgical training program
• Study shows racial disparities in environmental health hazards
• Maternal chronic stress linked to more dental cavities in children
• High protein diets, from both animal and plant sources, improve blood sugar control in diabetic patients
• Excessive daytime sleepiness, long naps linked to increased diabetes risk
• Smoking linked with higher risk of type 2 diabetes
• If mom or dad is a smoker, their teenager is more likely to be a smoker too
• Lower bed occupancy linked to lower hospital death rate
• Tai Chi linked to improved physical capacity in certain common long term conditions
• High dietary sodium, potassium may worsen chronic kidney disease
• Souped-up software reduces guesswork, tedium in computer-aided engineering

Flowing electrons help ocean microbes gulp methane Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:03 PM PDT Good communication is crucial to any relationship, especially when partners are separated by distance. This also holds true for microbes in the deep sea that need to work together to consume large amounts of methane released from vents on the ocean floor. Recent workhas shown that these microbial partners can still accomplish this task, even when not in direct contact with one another, by using electrons to share energy over long distances.

'Tree of life' for 2.3 million species released Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:03 PM PDT A first draft of the tree of life for all 2.3 million named species of animals, plants, fungi and microbes has been released. Thousands of smaller trees have been published over the years for select branches, but this is the first time those results have been combined into a single tree. The end result is a digital resource that is available online for anyone to use or edit, much like a 'Wikipedia' for evolutionary relationships.

In-hospital nocturnal dialysis may be good for the heart Posted: 18 Sep 2015 03:03 PM PDT In-hospital nocturnal dialysis may be good for patients' hearts as well as their kidneys, a new study suggests.

Reducing catastrophic wildfires through managed burns Posted: 18 Sep 2015 12:22 PM PDT A new article suggests catastrophic wildfire danger could be reduced by increasing use of planning burning in land management plans.

Customized exoskeleton helps veteran walk again Posted: 18 Sep 2015 12:20 PM PDT Former Canadian soldier Trevor Greene, who survived a debilitating brain injury while on duty in Afghanistan in 2006, has recovered his ability to walk again with the help of a customized exoskeleton, his personal determination and support of researchers.

Beta-glucan-enriched pasta boosts good gut bacteria, reduces bad cholesterol Posted: 18 Sep 2015 12:20 PM PDT People fed beta-glucan-enriched pasta for two months showed increased populations of beneficial bacteria in their intestinal tracts, and reduced populations of non-beneficial bacteria. They also showed reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol. This work is part of a broad effort to identify potential prebiotics -- foods that could encourage the growth of health-promoting bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.

Researchers determine how groups make decisions Posted: 18 Sep 2015 12:20 PM PDT Researchers have developed a model that explains how groups make collective decisions when no single member of the group has access to all possible information or the ability to make and communicate a final decision. The de-centralized decision-making model shows how positive feedback during the exploration process proves useful for making good and quick decisions.

Major breakthrough in understanding Alzheimer's disease Posted: 18 Sep 2015 12:20 PM PDT Researchers believe that periodic clearance of a specific protein across the blood brain barrier could hold tremendous potential for new therapies.

Interactive health data plus incentives may help lower BP and create lasting changes Posted: 18 Sep 2015 12:19 PM PDT Taking small steps with an interactive health platform improved blood pressure, earned incentives. Eighty-five percent of the platform's most engaged users lowered their blood pressure to non-hypertensive.

Birth control pills pose small but significant stroke risk Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:26 AM PDT Birth control pills cause a small but significant increase in the risk of the most common type of stroke, according to a comprehensive report. Worldwide, more than 100 million women currently use oral contraceptives or have used them in the past. In the United States, there are about 40 brands of oral contraceptives and 21 brands of emergency contraceptive pills.

Study ranks U.S. cities based on the urban heat island effect on temperatures Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:26 AM PDT A new study using a new method for calculating urban heat island intensities clarifies the conflict on whether urban density or sprawl amplify these effects more. It also provides a ranking of the top urban heat island cities among the 50 largest metropolitan statistical areas.

New findings help explain how molecules are speedily transported into and out of the cell's nucleus Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:26 AM PDT The nuclear pore complex, a gateway into and out of the nucleus, is capable of an impressive feat: allowing large molecules to pass through, both selectively and quickly. Researchers have now identified the molecular mechanism that makes this possible.

Identifying typical patterns in the progression towards Alzheimer's disease Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:21 AM PDT How the brain progresses from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer's-type dementia has been an enigma for the scientific community. However, a recent study has shed light on this progression by showing the typical patterns of the brain's progression to dementia.

How molecules are speedily transported into and out of the cell’s nucleus Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:20 AM PDT The nuclear pore complex, a gateway into and out of the nucleus, is capable of an impressive feat: allowing large molecules to pass through, both selectively and quickly. Researchers have now identified the molecular mechanism that makes this possible.

A new understanding of dengue virus Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:20 AM PDT An international consortium of scientists worked to map out the antigenic differences in various strains of dengue virus. Dengue has been around for hundreds of years and has spread throughout the tropics and subtropics, and more than a third of the world's population presently lives in areas where dengue virus is found, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Maternal protein deficiency during pregnancy 'memorized' by fetal muscle cells Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:20 AM PDT Research in rat models confirms a molecular link between activation of the amino acid response signal and the cell autophagy pathway, which is transferred from pregnant mothers' skeletal muscles to the placenta and the fetus.

Types of athletic training affect how brain communicates with muscles Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:20 AM PDT The brains of endurance trainers communicate with muscles differently than those of strength trainers or sedentary individuals, new research shows. While it is not immediately clear why the communication between the brain and muscle was different as a result of different types of exercise, one researcher said it offers leads for new means of research into neuromechanical differences in muscle function, muscle performance, muscle stiffness and other areas.

A new analysis and approach to watershed management Posted: 18 Sep 2015 10:20 AM PDT The first continent-wide, multi-factor analysis of climate and land cover effects on watersheds in the United States, published today, provides a broad new assessment of runoff, flooding and storm water management options for use by such professionals as land use and town planners and water quality managers.

New way proposed to chart the cosmos in 3-D Posted: 18 Sep 2015 08:38 AM PDT If only calculating the distance between Earth and far-off galaxies was as easy as pulling out the old measuring tape. Now researchers are proposing a new way to calculate distances in the cosmos using mysterious bursts of energy.

Artificial intelligence used to improve breast cancer patient outcomes Posted: 18 Sep 2015 08:38 AM PDT Researchers are working on a way to use artificial intelligence to predict a patient's response to two common chemotherapy medications used to treat breast cancer -- paclitaxel and gemcitabine. They are hoping to one day remove the guesswork from breast cancer treatment with this technique.

Hydrocortisone effects on neurodevelopment for extremely low birthweight infants Posted: 18 Sep 2015 08:38 AM PDT First placebo-controlled study on stress dose hydrocortisone and neurodevelopment shows that higher doses of hydrocortisone are not associated with brain injury or neurodevelopmental impairments, but may not be effective in reducing risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Research offers clues about why people end therapy Posted: 18 Sep 2015 08:38 AM PDT Researchers long have known many people end cognitive behavioral therapy before the recommended course of treatment has ended, but why that happens has remained something of a mystery. New research involving patients being treated for anxiety has suggested some answers.

More aggressive blood pressure treatment found to reduce heart disease, save lives Posted: 18 Sep 2015 08:14 AM PDT A landmark clinical trial is underway, and has found that a more intensive management of high blood pressure reduces heart disease rates and saves lives.

Microscopic molecules can fight citrus greening bug with less insecticides Posted: 18 Sep 2015 08:14 AM PDT Laboratory tests show that polymer molecules impregnated with imidacloprid use 200 times less of the insecticide, yet still kill as many insects that carry the devastating citrus greening bacterium.

Boost in available wind power for the Midwest with global warming Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:54 AM PDT Mother Nature will be delivering a future gift of 2 percent more wind energy in the Midwest, U.S. if regional climate models are correct, according to new research.

How the chameleon climbed to the top of the tree Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:54 AM PDT The chameleon's exceptional tree-climbing ability is dependent on vital ball-and-socket joints in its wrists and ankles, according to new research. The study also finds that chameleons have twice the number of wrist and ankle skeletal elements than previously thought, and explains how they evolved to live in the trees.

58,046 fruit flies shed light on 100-year old evolutionary question Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:54 AM PDT In flies, small wings are normally rounder than large wings. Researchers bred fruit flies to change that relationship as a way to explore the limits of evolution and shed light on a question that biologists have puzzled over for the last 100 years.

Repairing the brain: Two genes unlock potential for treatment of schizophrenia Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:54 AM PDT Research has linked the abnormal behavior of two genes (BDNF and DTNBP1) to the underlying cause of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a devastating mental disorder that affects nearly 1 percent of the total human population. These findings have provided a new target for schizophrenia treatment.

3-D printed guide helps regrow complex nerves after injury Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:50 AM PDT Scientists have developed a first-of-its-kind, 3-D printed guide that helps regrow both the sensory and motor functions of complex nerves after injury. The groundbreaking research has the potential to help more than 200,000 people annually who experience nerve injuries or disease.

Southern Ocean: Reconstructing environmental conditions over the past 30,000 years Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:50 AM PDT In the last 30,000 years there was, at times, more mixing in the Southern Ocean than previously thought. This meant that vast quantities of nutrients were available to phytoalgae, which in turn contributed to storing the greenhouse gas CO2 during the last glacial period.

Harvesting clues to GMO dilemmas from China's soybean fields Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:50 AM PDT China's struggle -- mirrored across the globe -- to balance public concern over the safety of genetically modified crops with a swelling demand for affordable food crops has left a disconnect: In China's case, shrinking fields of domestic soybean -- by law non-GM -- and massive imports of cheaper soybeans that are the very GM crop consumers profess to shun.

Teens with bulimia recover faster when parents are included in treatment Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:55 AM PDT Involving parents in the treatment of adolescents with bulimia nervosa is more effective than treating the patient individually, according to a new study.

New technique lets scientists better see, study interface where two cells touch Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:55 AM PDT Cellular interactions that trigger the production of myelin are especially hard to pinpoint. That's because the crucial point of contact between two types of cells -- the connection between axons, along which nerve impulses travel, and glial cells, which support neurons -- is essentially hidden. Now, in a new article, researchers explain a new method to more precisely capture how brain cells interact.

Tracing the triggers of late-onset Alzheimer's Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:38 AM PDT In a sprawling review of more than 200 articles examining the suggested link between infections of the mouth and Alzheimer's disease (AD), two researchers -- one, an original mapper of the oral microbiome; the other, a scientist who has worked considerably on the connection between oral infection and AD -- have surveyed the current body of research, and point to potential oral microbial culprits.

When does an image become a health claim? Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:38 AM PDT Images on food and dietary supplement packaging might lead people—appropriately or inappropriately—to infer the health benefits of those products. A study has now shown that people often misremember written health claims on product packages, but that this problem is worse when the packages also feature a health-related image.

Early career disappointment and wellbeing in old age Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:38 AM PDT Men who fail to reach their early career goals can experience a reduced sense of wellbeing much later in life, experts report. Study results revealed that men who had held a greater number of jobs (an indicator of career instability) between leaving school at age 15 and age 27 were less likely to feel their lives were manageable in old age. Upward social mobility was associated with the feeling in older age that life was comprehensible.

Surfing over simulated ripples in graphene Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:38 AM PDT Scientists elucidate the theory governing the characteristics of curved or rippled graphene using a simulation model based on an optical lattice.

Imaging method has potential to stratify head and neck cancer patients Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT A potential new way to predict which patients with head and neck cancer may benefit most from chemotherapy has been identified by researchers. These patients commonly receive pre-treatment induction chemotherapy, before either surgery or radiotherapy, to reduce the risk of disease spread. However the effectiveness of such treatment is reduced in tumors with poor blood flow.

Discovery of a triple barrier that prevents cells from becoming cancerous Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT Researchers have identified for the first time the triple mechanism that stops chromosome separation in response to situations that compromise the integrity of the genetic information. The loss of this response capacity is characteristic of cancerous cells.

Highly accurate method for measuring luminous efficacy of LEDs Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT A new method will help with discovering the most efficient lamps, which may save billions in lighting costs in the future.

Unexpected role for the IKK complex in protecting cells from death Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT The IKK complex protects cells from death by inactivating RIPK1, thereby revealing an unexpected NF-kB-independent new role of the IKK complex, investigators have revealed.

Coordinating traffic down the neuronal highway Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT A protein that regulates the growth of neurons by transporting key metabolic enzymes to the tips of neural cells has been identified by an international team of researchers. Their findings open up new avenues for design of drugs for ataxia, a motor coordination disorder.

New nebulizer set to replace the need for jabs Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT A revolutionary nebulizer could one day deliver life-saving cancer drugs and vaccines traditionally given by injection. Cheap, light-weight and portable, the advanced nebuliser delivers precise drug doses to patients with life-threatening or debilitating lung conditions including cancer, tuberculosis, asthma and cystic fibrosis.

The structural memory of water persists on a picosecond timescale Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT The local structural dynamics of liquid water, such as how quickly water molecules change their binding state, has now been characterized by a team of scientists. Using innovative ultrafast vibrational spectroscopies, the researchers show why liquid water is unique when compared to most other molecular liquids.

Ancient marine animal is evolving genetically despite little change in appearance Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT Scientists have decoded the first lingulid brachiopod genome, from Lingula anatina collected at Amami Island, Japan. A new article presents the results of their analysis of over 34,000 genes comprising the L. anatina genome and shows that despite Lingula's reputation as a "living fossil" its genome is actively evolving.

Study highlights possible knowledge gap over effects of some diabetes drugs Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT A gap in scientific knowledge about a family of drugs that are used to treat Type 2 diabetes has been highlighted in a new study.

Novel role of mitochondria identified in immune function Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT A new role for an enzyme involved in cell death has been discovered by scientists. Their study shows how the enzyme, called RIPK3, relays signals between the cell's mitochondria "powerhouses" and the immune system.

Down syndrome research untangles therapeutic possibilities for Alzheimer's Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:11 AM PDT More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Of them, 400,000 also have Down syndrome. Both groups have similar looking brains with higher levels of the protein beta amyloid. In fact, patients with Down syndrome develop the abnormal protein at twice the rate. Results of a pilot study confirms the pathogenic role of beta amyloid in dementia as seen in both AD and Down syndrome.

New light shed on infertility puzzle, could improve in vitro fertilization Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:11 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have revealed communication between the sperm and the fallopian tube that helps prepare the sperm for its final big push into the egg. The finding could improve in vitro fertilization and help couples struggling with infertility.

Surgeons, athletic, musical pros join forces to devise new surgical training program Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:11 AM PDT What do surgeons, elite-level athletes and professional musicians have in common? When they perform, the team -- be it a surgical team, a rowing team or choral ensemble -- must act harmoniously for the greatest chance of success. Athletic and musical coaching groups have developed very successful coaching strategies that improve the performance of their teams.

Study shows racial disparities in environmental health hazards Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:06 AM PDT An online tool used to help identify which California communities are hit hardest by environmental hazards reveals significant disparities by race, according to an analysis.

Maternal chronic stress linked to more dental cavities in children Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:06 AM PDT Chronic maternal stress, when measured by biological markers, has been found for the first time to be associated with a higher prevalence of cavities among children, according to a study. Chronic stress was also found to be linked to lower probabilities of breast feeding and dental visits by children, according to the research.

High protein diets, from both animal and plant sources, improve blood sugar control in diabetic patients Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:06 AM PDT High protein diets improve blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes without any adverse effects on kidney function, new research concludes.

Excessive daytime sleepiness, long naps linked to increased diabetes risk Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:06 AM PDT Daytime sleepiness and taking long naps during the day are both associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, new research shows.

Smoking linked with higher risk of type 2 diabetes Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:06 AM PDT Current smokers and people regularly exposed to second-hand smoke have a significantly increased risk for type 2 diabetes compared with people who have never smoked, according to a new study. The authors estimated 11.7 percent of cases of type 2 diabetes in men and 2.4 percent in women may be attributable to active smoking.

If mom or dad is a smoker, their teenager is more likely to be a smoker too Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:06 AM PDT The more a parent smokes, the more their teenage son or daughter will also smoke. Teenagers are much more likely to smoke and be dependent on nicotine if a parent is dependent on nicotine, especially daughters if their mother is dependent on nicotine, a new study concludes.

Lower bed occupancy linked to lower hospital death rate Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:06 AM PDT Lower bed occupancy is linked to a lower hospital death rate and improved performance against the English four hour waiting target, reveals research.

Tai Chi linked to improved physical capacity in certain common long term conditions Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:06 AM PDT The ancient Chinese exercise Tai Chi is linked to improved physical capacity among older adults with certain common long term conditions, indicates a pooled analysis of the available evidence.

High dietary sodium, potassium may worsen chronic kidney disease Posted: 18 Sep 2015 05:06 AM PDT High dietary intake of sodium and potassium may speed the progression of kidney disease, according to a new study. Researchers found that high urinary excretion levels of both sodium and potassium were linked with faster progression of chronic kidney disease. Additionally, they noted that patients with chronic kidney disease tend to consume sodium above the recommended daily limit. An estimated 26 million people in the United States have chronic kidney disease.

Souped-up software reduces guesswork, tedium in computer-aided engineering Posted: 17 Sep 2015 01:06 PM PDT Engineers recently released a new computer-aided engineering software program, and its users are already calling it a "gift from heaven." Mechanical engineers spent four years developing the software, which assists in optimizing the design of parts for just about anything -- from bicycles and airplanes to bridges and furniture.

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