ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Hiring more minority teachers in schools gives fairer perception of discipline
• Fingerprinting erosion
• Reward, aversion behaviors activated through same brain pathways
• Telomerase targeting drug demonstrates benefit in myelofibrosis treatment
• Neuron responsible for alcoholism found
• The springy mechanics of large and small gecko toe pad adhesion
• Many North American birds may lose part of range under climate change scenarios
• Animal without synapses feeds by external digestion using global, local cellular control
• Seal pups listen for long distance calls to locate their mothers
• Only above-water microbes play a role in cave development
• Seeing the forest and the trees, all three trillion of them
• Change in environment can lead to rapid evolution
• Evidence that Earth's first mass extinction was caused by critters not catastrophe
• For 2-D boron, it's all about that base
• Feeling blue and seeing blue: Sadness may impair color perception
• Making fuel from light
• Phagraphene, a 'relative' of graphene, discovered
• Insights into the mechanisms of fine-tuning wheat for diverse environments
• Silk bio-ink could help advance tissue engineering with 3-D printers
• New symptom may help identify sleep apnea in older women
• Reversible Writing with Light
• Blueberry extract could help fight gum disease and reduce antibiotic use
• Exposure to phthalates could be linked to pregnancy loss
• The symmetry of the universe
• 3D printing revives bronze-age music
• Marine creature's magic trick explained
• Study uses internet, social media to show how fracking documentary influenced public perception, political change
• Building efficiency software now available
• Spine surgery: Findings could cut costs for osteoporosis patients, facilities
• Cooperative carbon capture by a novel material that mimics a plant enzyme
• Psychological consequences remain profound in coastal areas of Tohoku
• Quick way to determine bacterias' antibiotic resistance
• Super solar cells collect higher energy photons 30 times better
• Language acquisition: From sounds to the meaning
• How does your microbiome grow?
• Bisexual and questioning women have higher risk of eating disorders
• Risk of financial crisis higher than previously estimated
• Two-color X-rays give scientists 3-D view of the unknown
• Soil area the size of Berlin lost each year due to water erosion in the EU
• Risk of cognitive impairment in children born prematurely may be predicted using MRI after birth
• Potential of disk-shaped small structures, coccoliths, to promote efficient bioenergy production
• Explaining crocodiles in Wyoming
• Forensic examiners pass the face matching test
• Male seahorse and human pregnancies remarkably alike
• Ancient cold period could provide clues about future climate change
• Cellular recycling complexes may hold key to chemotherapy resistance
• Biodiversity belowground is just as important as aboveground
• Cosmic recycling: Hot bright young stars born within a nebula
• Flu study, on hold, yields new vaccine technology
• Parasitized bees are self-medicating in the wild
• Antipsychotics inappropriately prescribed to people with intellectual disabilities
• How wind sculpted Earth's largest dust deposit

Hiring more minority teachers in schools gives fairer perception of discipline Posted: 02 Sep 2015 04:13 PM PDT Black students in schools with more black teachers have more positive attitudes and higher perceptions of fairness in school discipline, according to a new study. The study also found white students who attend schools with a higher number of minority teachers are more likely to believe discipline from school officials is fair as well.

Fingerprinting erosion Posted: 02 Sep 2015 04:13 PM PDT Watershed health and water quality issues are a growing concern. Researchers examined the sediments traveling downstream toward Lake Winnipeg using a technique called color fingerprinting. The color of a particular sediment is key to identifying the specific origin of the erosion.

Reward, aversion behaviors activated through same brain pathways Posted: 02 Sep 2015 04:13 PM PDT New research may help explain why drug treatments for addiction and depression don't work for some patients. The conditions are linked to reward and aversion responses in the brain. And the research suggests that some treatments simultaneously stimulate reward and aversion responses, resulting in a net zero effect.

Telomerase targeting drug demonstrates benefit in myelofibrosis treatment Posted: 02 Sep 2015 04:13 PM PDT Imetelstat, a novel drug that targets telomerase, has demonstrated potential value in treating patients with myelofibrosis, according to the results of a new study.

Neuron responsible for alcoholism found Posted: 02 Sep 2015 12:56 PM PDT Scientists have pinpointed a population of neurons in the brain that influences whether one drink leads to two, which could ultimately lead to a cure for alcoholism and other addictions. Their study finds that alcohol consumption alters the structure and function of neurons in the dorsomedial striatum, a part of the brain known to be important in goal-driven behaviors

The springy mechanics of large and small gecko toe pad adhesion Posted: 02 Sep 2015 12:55 PM PDT Functional morphologists and polymer scientists show that geckos have a spring-like mechanism in their bodies to enhance adhesion as they become larger. A few years ago the same authors invented the flexible adhesive Geckskin. It mimics a gecko's ability to strongly yet easily attach and detach their feet to walk on walls and ceilings.

Many North American birds may lose part of range under climate change scenarios Posted: 02 Sep 2015 12:55 PM PDT Over 50 percent of nearly 600 surveyed bird species may lose more than half of their current geographic range across three climate change scenarios through the end of the century in North America.

Animal without synapses feeds by external digestion using global, local cellular control Posted: 02 Sep 2015 12:55 PM PDT A multicellular marine animal without organs, Trichoplax's feeding behavior may include cellular coordination, resulting in external food digestion.

Seal pups listen for long distance calls to locate their mothers Posted: 02 Sep 2015 12:55 PM PDT Antarctic fur seal pups identify the mother's vocal pitch at longer distance and use other components of the vocal signature at closer range to identify their mother in densely populated breeding colonies.

Only above-water microbes play a role in cave development Posted: 02 Sep 2015 11:08 AM PDT Only the microbes located above the water's surface contribute to the development of hydrogen-sulfide-rich caves, suggests an international team of researchers. Since 2004, researchers have been studying the Frasassi cave system, an actively developing limestone cave system located 1500 feet underground in central Italy.

Seeing the forest and the trees, all three trillion of them Posted: 02 Sep 2015 10:49 AM PDT A new international study estimates that there are more than 3 trillion trees on Earth, about seven and a half times more than some previous estimates. But the total number of trees has plummeted by roughly 46 percent since the start of human civilization. The results provide the most comprehensive assessment of tree populations ever produced and offer new insights into a class of organism that helps shape most terrestrial biomes.

Change in environment can lead to rapid evolution Posted: 02 Sep 2015 10:49 AM PDT A new study is showing that rapid evolution can occur in response to environmental changes.

Evidence that Earth's first mass extinction was caused by critters not catastrophe Posted: 02 Sep 2015 09:34 AM PDT The Earth's first mass extinction event 540 million years ago was caused not by a meteorite impact or volcanic super-eruption but by the rise of early animals that dramatically changed the prehistoric environment.

For 2-D boron, it's all about that base Posted: 02 Sep 2015 08:20 AM PDT If two-dimensional boron can be made at all, the material's substrate will have a significant impact on its final form, according to scientists.

Feeling blue and seeing blue: Sadness may impair color perception Posted: 02 Sep 2015 08:20 AM PDT The world might seem a little grayer than usual when we're down in the dumps and we often talk about 'feeling blue' -- new research suggests that the associations we make between emotion and color go beyond mere metaphor. The results of two studies indicate that feeling sadness may actually change how we perceive color.

Making fuel from light Posted: 02 Sep 2015 08:20 AM PDT Photosynthesis has given life to the planet. While scientists have been studying and mimicking the natural phenomenon in the laboratory for years, understanding how to replicate the chemical process behind it has largely remained a mystery -- until now.

Phagraphene, a 'relative' of graphene, discovered Posted: 02 Sep 2015 08:20 AM PDT A group of scientists using computer generated simulation have predicted the existence of a new two-dimensional carbon material, a 'patchwork.'

Insights into the mechanisms of fine-tuning wheat for diverse environments Posted: 02 Sep 2015 08:18 AM PDT A researcher has helped identify the last major vernalization gene in wheat. Vernalization genes define when the plant begins to flower and is critical for adaptation to different environments. The finding will help wheat breeders design wheat varieties that can adapt and thrive in changing environments around the world.

Silk bio-ink could help advance tissue engineering with 3-D printers Posted: 02 Sep 2015 08:18 AM PDT Advances in 3-D printing have led to new ways to make bone and some other relatively simple body parts that can be implanted in patients. But finding an ideal bio-ink has stalled progress toward printing more complex tissues with versatile functions -- tissues that can be loaded with pharmaceuticals, for example. Now scientists have developed a silk-based ink that could open up new possibilities toward that goal.

New symptom may help identify sleep apnea in older women Posted: 02 Sep 2015 08:18 AM PDT Obstructive sleep apnea may be underdiagnosed in postmenopausal women. A new study strongly associates the condition's traditional risk factors with nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting), suggesting that it may be an additional screening factor for doctors to consider.

Reversible Writing with Light Posted: 02 Sep 2015 08:18 AM PDT The medium is the message. Scientists have now given new meaning to this maxim: An innovative method they have now demonstrated for getting nanoparticles to self-assemble focuses on the medium in which the particles are suspended; these assemblies can be used, among other things, for reversibly writing information.

Blueberry extract could help fight gum disease and reduce antibiotic use Posted: 02 Sep 2015 07:26 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that wild blueberry extract could help prevent dental plaque formation.

Exposure to phthalates could be linked to pregnancy loss Posted: 02 Sep 2015 07:26 AM PDT A new study of more than 300 women suggests that exposure to certain phthalates -- substances commonly used in food packaging, personal-care and other everyday products -- could be associated with miscarriage, mostly between 5 and 13 weeks of pregnancy.

The symmetry of the universe Posted: 02 Sep 2015 07:23 AM PDT Why did anti-matter disappear almost completely from our universe, whereas matter did not? Scientists are attempting to solve this mystery at the European research institute at CERN. Now they published the most precise measurement of the properties of light atomic nuclei and anti-nuclei ever made.

3D printing revives bronze-age music Posted: 02 Sep 2015 07:23 AM PDT An archaeologist has 3D-printed a replica of an iron-age artifact to revive a rich musical culture in ancient Ireland, uncovering evidence that the artifact may have been a mouthpiece from an iron-age horn and not a spear-butt as previously thought.

Marine creature's magic trick explained Posted: 02 Sep 2015 07:23 AM PDT Crystal structures on the sea sapphire's back appear differently depending on the angle of reflection, scientists report, solving an unanswered question about this creature.

Study uses internet, social media to show how fracking documentary influenced public perception, political change Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:35 AM PDT A new study is the first to use the Internet and social media to systematically show how a documentary film reshaped public perception and ultimately led to municipal bans on hydraulic fracking.

Building efficiency software now available Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:35 AM PDT A set of automated calibration techniques for tuning residential and commercial building energy efficiency software models to match measured data is now available as an open source code. The Autotune code is available on GitHub.

Spine surgery: Findings could cut costs for osteoporosis patients, facilities Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:35 AM PDT New findings from an interventional radiology department have shown that a more expensive option isn't necessarily more effective for spine augmentation.

Cooperative carbon capture by a novel material that mimics a plant enzyme Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:35 AM PDT Scientists discovered a material that exhibits an unprecedented mechanism for carbon dioxide capture-and-release with only small shifts in temperature. The material's structure closely resembles an enzyme found in plants that captures carbon dioxide for conversion into nutrients.

Psychological consequences remain profound in coastal areas of Tohoku Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:33 AM PDT A second round of aggregate findings from a study has revealed that depressive symptoms continue to be higher in coastal areas than in inland areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the tsunami that followed.

Quick way to determine bacterias' antibiotic resistance Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:33 AM PDT Bacteria's ability to become resistant to antibiotics is a growing issue in health care: Resistant strains result in prolonged illnesses and higher mortality rates. One way to combat this is to determine bacteria's antibiotic resistance in a given patient, but that often takes days -- and time is crucial in treatment. Scientists have developed a technique that can sort antibiotic-resistant from 'susceptible' bacteria, and it happens in a matter of minutes.

Super solar cells collect higher energy photons 30 times better Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:33 AM PDT A team of scientists have created solar cells that collect higher energy photons at 30 times the concentration of conventional solar cells, the highest luminescent concentration factor ever recorded.

Language acquisition: From sounds to the meaning Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:32 AM PDT Without understanding the 'referential function' of language (words as 'verbal labels', symbolizing other things) it is impossible to learn a language. Is this implicit knowledge already present early in infants?

How does your microbiome grow? Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:32 AM PDT The reproduction rates of the bacteria in one's gut may be a good indicator of health or disease, scientists say. In their examination of human microbiome data, the research group found that particular changes in bacterial growth rates are uniquely associated with type II diabetes; others are tied to inflammatory bowel disease, for example.

Bisexual and questioning women have higher risk of eating disorders Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:32 AM PDT Young women who are attracted to both sexes or who are unsure about who they are attracted to are more likely to develop an eating disorder than those attracted to only one sex, according to a new study.

Risk of financial crisis higher than previously estimated Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:32 AM PDT The risk of a financial crisis is substantially higher than previously estimated, according to new research that accounts for multiple levels of interconnectedness in the financial system.

Two-color X-rays give scientists 3-D view of the unknown Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:15 AM PDT Scientists can now get a high-resolution view of a sample or the details of the first steps in ultra-fast processes, thanks to new research.

Soil area the size of Berlin lost each year due to water erosion in the EU Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:13 AM PDT A recent assessment has found that water erodes 970 million tonnes of soil every year in the EU. This would mean a one metre-depth loss of soil from an area corresponding to the size of the city of Berlin, or a one centimetre loss from an area twice the size of Belgium. The fact that it takes 100 years to form 1 cm of new soil under natural temperate grasslands gives an idea of the magnitude of the problem of soil loss in the EU.

Risk of cognitive impairment in children born prematurely may be predicted using MRI after birth Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:13 AM PDT School age children who are born prematurely are more likely to have low mathematical achievement, thought to be associated with reduced working memory and number skills, according to a new study.

Potential of disk-shaped small structures, coccoliths, to promote efficient bioenergy production Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:13 AM PDT Researchers have shown that coccolith disks made of calcium carbonate in Emiliania huxleyi, one of the promising biomass resources, potentially perform roles in reducing and enhancing the light that enters the cell by light scattering. Elucidation of the physiological significance of coccolith formation in E. huxleyi can help promote efficient bioenergy production using microalgae.

Explaining crocodiles in Wyoming Posted: 02 Sep 2015 06:10 AM PDT Fifty million years ago, the Cowboy State was crawling with crocodiles. Fossil records show that crocs lounged in the shade of palm trees from southwestern Wyoming to southern Canada during the Cretaceous and Eocene.  Exactly how the middle of the North American continent -- far from the warming effects of the ocean -- stayed so temperate even in winter months has long eluded scientists.

Forensic examiners pass the face matching test Posted: 02 Sep 2015 05:29 AM PDT The first study to test the skills of FBI agents and other law enforcers who have been trained in facial recognition has found they perform better than the average person or even computers on this difficult task. The research suggests trained facial forensic examiners identify faces use analytical methods. CCTV, mobile phone images and automatic face recognition technology has made identification of suspects from facial images an important source of evidence.

Male seahorse and human pregnancies remarkably alike Posted: 02 Sep 2015 05:29 AM PDT Their pregnancies are carried by the males but, when it comes to breeding, seahorses have more in common with humans than previously thought, new research reveals.

Ancient cold period could provide clues about future climate change Posted: 02 Sep 2015 05:29 AM PDT A well-known period of abrupt climate change 12,000 years ago occurred rapidly in northern latitudes but much more gradually in equatorial regions, a discovery that could prove important for understanding and responding to future climate change, scientists say.

Cellular recycling complexes may hold key to chemotherapy resistance Posted: 02 Sep 2015 05:29 AM PDT Upsetting the balance between protein synthesis, misfolding, and degradation drives cancer and neurodegeneration. Recent cancer treatments take advantage of this knowledge with a class of drugs that block protein degradation, known as proteasome inhibitors. Widespread resistance to these drugs limits their success, but researchers have discovered a potential Achilles heel in resistance. With such understandings researchers may be able to target malignancy broadly, and more effectively.

Biodiversity belowground is just as important as aboveground Posted: 02 Sep 2015 05:29 AM PDT Although most of the world's biodiversity is below ground, surprisingly little is known about how it affects ecosystems or how it will be affected by climate change. A new study demonstrates that soil bacteria and the richness of animal species belowground play a key role in regulating a whole suite of ecosystem functions on Earth. The authors call for far more attention to this overlooked world of worms, bugs and bacteria in the soil.

Cosmic recycling: Hot bright young stars born within a nebula Posted: 02 Sep 2015 05:29 AM PDT Dominating this image is part of the nebula Gum 56, illuminated by the hot bright young stars that were born within it. For millions of years stars have been created out of the gas in this nebula, material which is later returned to the stellar nursery when the aging stars either expel their material into space or eject it as supernova explosions. This image was taken with the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope in Chile.

Flu study, on hold, yields new vaccine technology Posted: 02 Sep 2015 05:29 AM PDT Vaccines to protect against an avian influenza pandemic as well as seasonal flu may be mass produced more quickly and efficiently using new technology.

Parasitized bees are self-medicating in the wild Posted: 01 Sep 2015 05:48 PM PDT Bumblebees infected with a common intestinal parasite are drawn to flowers whose nectar and pollen have a medicinal effect, a study shows. The findings suggest that plant chemistry could help combat the decline of bee species.

Antipsychotics inappropriately prescribed to people with intellectual disabilities Posted: 01 Sep 2015 05:48 PM PDT Large numbers of people with intellectual disabilities in the UK are being inappropriately prescribed antipsychotic drugs, finds a new study. Intellectual disability is a lifelong condition that begins before the age of 18 and is characterized by limitations in intellectual functioning (generally indicated by an IQ under 70) and difficulties with one or more life skills. Around 1 percent of the population has an intellectual disability.

How wind sculpted Earth's largest dust deposit Posted: 01 Sep 2015 01:12 PM PDT China's Loess Plateau was formed by wind alternately depositing dust or removing dust over the last 2.6 million years. The new study is the first to explain how the steep-fronted plateau formed: wind blew dust from what is now the Mu Us Desert into the huge pile of consolidated dust known as the Loess Plateau. The plateau is the size of the state of Arizona.

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