ScienceDaily: Top News

---

• The sun is brightening, but not in China
• Older beats younger when it comes to correcting mistakes
• Crayfish decline in Algonquin Park lakes linked to lack of calcium
• Opioid overdoses linked to higher prescription rates in British Columbia
• Electric eels curl up to deliver even more powerful shocks
• Association between breastfeeding, reduced risk of aggressive breast cancer
• Making heads and tails of embryo development: Lessons from the humble fly
• 'Virtual Week' brain game has potential to help older adults remain independent longer
• Radiotherapeutic bandage shows potential as treatment for skin cancer
• Historian examines environmental cost of tapping alternate sources for water, oil
• Scientists use exhaled breath to detect hypoxia
• Revolutionary research work on glassy materials
• Prevention of mental disorders through physical activity
• Could your job be making you obese?
• Learning in your sleep, the right way
• Oldest DNA sequences may reveal secrets of ancient animal ancestors
• Scientists synthesize hexagonal boron nitride
• Scientists develop a new method for predicting volcanic eruptions
• Nordic Seas cooled 500,000 years before global oceans
• Brain imaging can predict success of large public health campaigns
• New component of Milky Way discovered
• Alerting the immune system's watchmen to improve vaccines
• Black hole has major flare
• Seven key facts about Cassini's Oct. 28 'plume dive'
• Northern climates make a difference with growth hormone treatment
• New incretin-based medicines will allow weight, diabetes control with a single weekly dose
• Robots for future human missions to Mars
• 4G mobile communications system is vulnerable to location tracking
• New treatment option for nonfunctional neuroendocrine tumours of the lung, gastrointestinal tract
• Singing calms baby longer than talking
• Language, immigrant status tied to toxic exposure
• Twitter offers valuable insights into the experience of MRI patients
• Amazonian natives had little impact on land, new research finds
• Group living: For baboons intermediate size is optimal
• Birds require multiple sperm to penetrate eggs to ensure normal embryo development
• Helping kids hear better
• Upcoming UN Climate Summit can't overlook China's support of global coal power
• Researchers create better algorithm for simulating particles in Fermi Sea
• Drug for digestive problem can extend survival for many advanced cancer patients
• Drug-device combination opens potential new path to treat stroke
• Inherited gene variation linked to an increased risk of the most common childhood cancer
• Treatments offer hope for chronic fatigue syndrome
• UK children play instruments as part of family tradition, not to boost social status
• High stress during pregnancy decreases offspring survival, according to mongoose study
• Singing's secret power: The Ice-breaker Effect
• Chicken study reveals evolution can happen much faster than thought
• Brain mechanism for creating durable memories
• More precise due dates for pregnant mothers
• New finding helps explain why many alcohol drinkers also are smokers
• Mammoths might have survived except for bad 'mineral diet'
• New growth charts developed for US children with Down syndrome
• 3-D pancreatic cancer organoid may help predict clinical responses, personalize treatments
• Researchers work on model to help restoration managers with decision-making
• Plant regulatory network simulations reveal a mystery in cytokinin patterning
• Reduced activity of a brain protein linked to post-traumatic stress disorder

The sun is brightening, but not in China Posted: 28 Oct 2015 10:10 AM PDT Haze due to weak winds and air pollution is reducing surface solar radiation in China, which has major consequences for the climate, the environment and the economy, say researchers.

Older beats younger when it comes to correcting mistakes Posted: 28 Oct 2015 10:10 AM PDT Findings from a new study challenge the notion that older adults always lag behind their younger counterparts when it comes to learning new things. The study shows that older adults were actually better than young adults at correcting their mistakes on a general information quiz.

Crayfish decline in Algonquin Park lakes linked to lack of calcium Posted: 28 Oct 2015 10:08 AM PDT Researchers have linked the localized near-extinction of a native crayfish species in four lakes in Algonquin Park to declining calcium levels. Crayfish shed their protective carapace -- the upper exoskeleton that is primarily composed of calcium carbonate -- several times during their life cycle and, as a result, have high calcium requirements. The researchers found that lack of calcium in the lakes has contributed to a decline in crayfish populations.

Opioid overdoses linked to higher prescription rates in British Columbia Posted: 28 Oct 2015 09:39 AM PDT Strong painkillers known as prescription opioids appear to be overprescribed in some regions of British Columbia, Canada, resulting in higher rates of overdose and death, according to a new study.

Electric eels curl up to deliver even more powerful shocks Posted: 28 Oct 2015 09:36 AM PDT Electric eels temporarily paralyze their prey by shocking them with electricity using a series of brief, high-voltage pulses, much as a Taser would do. Now, a researcher has discovered that the eels can double the power of their electrical discharge by curling up their bodies. In bringing their tail up and around, the eels sandwich prey between the two poles of their electric organ, which runs most of the length of their long, flexible bodies.

Association between breastfeeding, reduced risk of aggressive breast cancer Posted: 28 Oct 2015 06:51 AM PDT Breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk of developing an aggressive form of breast cancer called hormone-receptor negative, a large international study shows. Hormone-receptor-negative (HRN) breast cancers are more likely to be aggressive and life-threatening. This subtype is more commonly diagnosed in women under age 50.

Making heads and tails of embryo development: Lessons from the humble fly Posted: 28 Oct 2015 06:51 AM PDT Proteins usually responsible for the destruction of virally infected or cancerous cells in our immune system have been found to control the release from cells of a critical growth factor governing head and tail development in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). This may help explain how these perforin-like proteins function in human brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder.

'Virtual Week' brain game has potential to help older adults remain independent longer Posted: 28 Oct 2015 06:51 AM PDT Just one month of training on a 'Virtual Week' computer brain game helps older adults significantly strengthen prospective memory -- a type of memory that is crucial for planning, everyday functioning and independent living, an international team of scientists has demonstrated.

Radiotherapeutic bandage shows potential as treatment for skin cancer Posted: 28 Oct 2015 06:51 AM PDT A radiotherapeutic bandage is being evaluated by researchers for efficacy against squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in an animal model. These results could confirm the viability of a new and improved strategy for the radiotherapeutic treatment of skin cancer in the clinic.

Historian examines environmental cost of tapping alternate sources for water, oil Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:52 AM PDT Saudi Arabia is one of the top oil producing countries in the world. However, a professor of history says it may have never earned that reputation if not for a quest to find drinking water in the late 19th century, because of drought and repeated cholera outbreaks.

Scientists use exhaled breath to detect hypoxia Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:51 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated a technique that may enable real-time, in-flight detection of hypoxia in pilots. The findings indicate that volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis could identify biomarkers of hypoxia.

Revolutionary research work on glassy materials Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:49 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a new method of manufacturing glass.

Prevention of mental disorders through physical activity Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:49 AM PDT Adults who perform high or mild levels of total physical activity present higher levels of mental health than those performing low levels of physical activity, a study concludes. They also found that the level of exercise performed in leisure time is inversely related to vulnerability to mental disorders.

Could your job be making you obese? Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:49 AM PDT Research reveals link between having to make lots of decisions at work and increased BMI. The findings suggest for the first time that these two psychological measures of control at work may actually have very different effects on our waistlines, so should be assessed separately.

Learning in your sleep, the right way Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:49 AM PDT You can swot up on vocabulary in your sleep, but only if you don't confuse your brain in the process. Researchers have invited people to their sleep lab for a Dutch language course.

Oldest DNA sequences may reveal secrets of ancient animal ancestors Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:49 AM PDT Researchers have discovered early conserved DNA sequences from almost 700 million years ago.

Scientists synthesize hexagonal boron nitride Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:49 AM PDT Researchers have assiduously studied the relationship between insulators and conductors. The international team has extensively tested layered hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) – an insulating two-dimensional material (2-D) of remarkable properties. All the atoms in 2-D layer materials are exposed to the surface, the related physical and chemical properties are strongly influenced by adjoining materials and sometimes surface corrugation.

Scientists develop a new method for predicting volcanic eruptions Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:49 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new method which could more accurately determine the conditions needed for a volcano to erupt.

Nordic Seas cooled 500,000 years before global oceans Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:49 AM PDT The cooling of the Nordic Seas towards modern temperatures started in the early Pliocene, half a million years before the global oceans cooled. A new study of fossil marine plankton demonstrates this.

Brain imaging can predict success of large public health campaigns Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:40 AM PDT In a new study, brain activity in 50 smokers in Michigan was able to predict the outcome of an anti-smoking advertising campaign sent to 800,000 in New York, demonstrating the promise of neuroscience to inform and improve public health campaigns.

New component of Milky Way discovered Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:40 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered a previously unknown component of the Milky Way. By mapping out the locations of a class of stars that vary in brightness called Cepheids, a disc of young stars buried behind thick dust clouds in the central bulge has been found.

Alerting the immune system's watchmen to improve vaccines Posted: 28 Oct 2015 05:40 AM PDT As the days get colder and shorter, we carve jack-o-lanterns and drink pumpkin spice lattes. But one fall tradition can actually keep you healthy: getting your flu shot. Like all vaccines, the flu shot trains the immune system to fend off infection, but some need help to produce the full effect. Researchers now report a new way to help improve vaccines using molecules that more effectively direct the immune system.

Black hole has major flare Posted: 28 Oct 2015 04:14 AM PDT The baffling and strange behaviors of black holes have become somewhat less mysterious recently, with new observations from NASA's Explorer missions Swift and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR. The two space telescopes caught a supermassive black hole in the midst of a giant eruption of X-ray light, helping astronomers address an ongoing puzzle: How do supermassive black holes flare?

Seven key facts about Cassini's Oct. 28 'plume dive' Posted: 28 Oct 2015 04:10 AM PDT NASA's Cassini spacecraft will sample the ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Wednesday, Oct. 28, when it flies through the moon's plume of icy spray.

Northern climates make a difference with growth hormone treatment Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:49 AM PDT The rate of growth in children varies with the season while higher latitude and greater summer daylight exposure makes a significant difference in results for children treated with growth hormone, according to new research.

New incretin-based medicines will allow weight, diabetes control with a single weekly dose Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:49 AM PDT The new generation of incretin-based medicines will allow a coordinated action against the combination diabetes/obesity, also known as diabesity, in some cases with only a single weekly dose, and with the likelihood of additional beneficial effects on other health complications related to this condition, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

Robots for future human missions to Mars Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:49 AM PDT Scientists have developed a communication solution that can allow orbiting space station in outer space to maintain uninterrupted contact with robots working on the surface of a planet. The technology also has potential industrial applications, such as to reduce lags and jitters in mobile gaming. The technology is an important step forward for initiatives such as the human mission to Mars. Before humans can land on Mars, the planet needs infrastructure, such as housing and laboratories, which need to be built by robots. These robots need to be controlled by astronauts from a space station orbiting the planet.

4G mobile communications system is vulnerable to location tracking Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:49 AM PDT The study uncovered several vulnerabilities using monitoring of mobile communications and setting up fake base stations in laboratory environments.

New treatment option for nonfunctional neuroendocrine tumours of the lung, gastrointestinal tract Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:49 AM PDT The efficacy of the agent everolimus in treating nonfunctional neuroendocrine tumours of lung or gastrointestinal origin has been demonstrated by researchers. Progression-free survival of patients was successfully extended by seven months and the risk of progression of the disease fell by 52%. Everolimus was well tolerated and side-effects were consistent with the known profile.

Singing calms baby longer than talking Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:45 AM PDT In a new study, infants remained calm twice as long when listening to a song, which they didn't even know, as they did when listening to speech.

Language, immigrant status tied to toxic exposure Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:45 AM PDT Economically disadvantaged immigrant neighborhoods of non-English speaking Latinos are more likely to be exposed to cancer-causing air toxins than comparable communities of any other racial group in the United States, new research shows.

Twitter offers valuable insights into the experience of MRI patients Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:45 AM PDT Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be a stressful experience for many people, but clinicians have few ways to track the thoughts and feelings of their patients regarding this procedure. While the social networking site Twitter is known for breaking news and celebrity tweets, it may also prove to be a valuable feedback tool for medical professionals looking to improve the patient experience, according to a new study.

Amazonian natives had little impact on land, new research finds Posted: 28 Oct 2015 02:45 AM PDT Natives of Amazonia had limited impact on the forests and land surrounding them, suggests new research. The findings reinforce how vulnerable Amazonian forests may be to logging and mining.

Group living: For baboons intermediate size is optimal Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:38 PM PDT Intermediate-sized groups provide the most benefits to wild baboons, new research reveals. The researchers compiled their findings based on observing five social wild baboon groups in East Africa over 11 years.

Birds require multiple sperm to penetrate eggs to ensure normal embryo development Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:36 PM PDT Unlike humans, birds require multiple sperm to penetrate an egg to enable their chicks to develop normally.

Helping kids hear better Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:36 PM PDT A first-of-its-kind study discovered that many hard-of-hearing children who receive optimal, early services are able to 'catch up or significantly close the gaps with their hearing peers,' say researchers.

Upcoming UN Climate Summit can't overlook China's support of global coal power Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:36 PM PDT When global leaders converge on Paris on Nov. 30 for the 2015 United Nations climate change conference, they should create guidelines and incentives for developing nations to cooperate with one another on lower-carbon energy projects, according to a new report. Failure to do so could contribute to an unchecked expansion of coal energy in developing counties, which has already accelerated in recent years with the help of Chinese firms going global.

Researchers create better algorithm for simulating particles in Fermi Sea Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:36 PM PDT A team of researchers has created a new, more precise algorithm for simulating particle interactions when a single impurity is introduced into a Fermi sea. The algorithm shows that when these particles interact, the transition from quasiparticle to bound molecule in a polarized two-dimensional system is smooth. The new method may have implications for understanding the behavior of impurities in a variety of systems.

Drug for digestive problem can extend survival for many advanced cancer patients Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:36 PM PDT Advanced cancer patients given a drug designed to relieve constipation caused by pain killers lived longer with less tumor progression than those who did not receive or respond to the drug, researchers report. This is the first study in humans to associate opioid blockade with longer survival. It suggests that methylnaltrexone, approved in 2008 for prevention of opioid-induced constipation, should play a larger role in cancer therapy.

Drug-device combination opens potential new path to treat stroke Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:36 PM PDT Scientists developing novel nanotherapeutics for clearing obstructed blood vessels have teamed up stroke researchers to develop a new, highly effective drug-device combination for treating life-threatening blood clots in patients with stroke.

Inherited gene variation linked to an increased risk of the most common childhood cancer Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:36 PM PDT For two generations of one family, inherited variation in the ETV6 gene linked to an increased risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Treatments offer hope for chronic fatigue syndrome Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:36 PM PDT Two treatments for chronic fatigue syndrome have long term benefits for people affected by chronic fatigue syndrome. The team was following up patients who took part in a study published in 2011. In that study they looked at four potential treatments for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and found that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and graded exercise therapy (GET) achieved better outcomes than standard medical care (SMC) and adaptive pacing therapy (APT) at one year.

UK children play instruments as part of family tradition, not to boost social status Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:34 PM PDT British parents encourage their children to play musical instruments as part of a family tradition and not to boost their social status as Americans do, research says.

High stress during pregnancy decreases offspring survival, according to mongoose study Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:34 PM PDT Researchers studying banded mongooses in Uganda have discovered that pups born to females that experienced elevated stress hormones during the later stages of pregnancy are much less likely to survive their first month.

Singing's secret power: The Ice-breaker Effect Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:34 PM PDT A study with adult learners showed groups doing singing bonded faster than others. The study looked at how people attending adult education classes grew closer over seven months. The conclusion -- singing groups bonded more quickly than creative writing or craft classes.

Chicken study reveals evolution can happen much faster than thought Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:34 PM PDT Scientists found two mutations that had occurred in the mitochondrial genomes of the birds in only 50 years, showing a rate of evolution much higher than the widely accepted rate of change in the mitochondrial genome of about 2 percent per million years.

Brain mechanism for creating durable memories Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:34 PM PDT Rehearsing information immediately after being given it may be all you need to make it a permanent memory, a new study suggests. Psychologists found that the same area of the brain activated when laying down a memory is also activated when rehearsing that memory.

More precise due dates for pregnant mothers Posted: 27 Oct 2015 06:34 PM PDT Until now, measuring cervical length has been used to help detect women with a high chance of premature labor -- the shorter the cervix, the more likely labor is imminent. Now researchers suggests that a routine screening could help narrow the estimated date of delivery for pregnant women.

New finding helps explain why many alcohol drinkers also are smokers Posted: 27 Oct 2015 12:49 PM PDT Alcohol and nicotine use have long been known to go hand in hand. Previous research shows that more than 85 percent of US adults who are alcohol-dependent also are nicotine-dependent. Now, researchers have found that nicotine cancels out the sleep-inducing effects of alcohol. It's a finding that sheds light on the reason alcohol and nicotine usage are so closely linked.

Mammoths might have survived except for bad 'mineral diet' Posted: 27 Oct 2015 12:49 PM PDT At the end of the Pleistocene mammoths of Northern Eurasia used to experience chronic mineral hunger. As a result they became extinct due to geochemical stress arising on a background of deep abiotic changes in ecosystems. Most likely they were receiving not enough of essential chemical elements.

New growth charts developed for US children with Down syndrome Posted: 27 Oct 2015 12:49 PM PDT Pediatric researchers have developed the first set of growth charts for US children with Down syndrome since 1988. These new charts provide an important tool for pediatricians to evaluate growth milestones for children and adolescents with this condition. With these new charts, pediatricians will be able to compare each patient's growth patterns with peers of the same age and sex who have Down syndrome.

3-D pancreatic cancer organoid may help predict clinical responses, personalize treatments Posted: 27 Oct 2015 12:49 PM PDT A new method to grow 3-D organoid cultures of pancreatic tumors directly from surgical tissue offers a promising opportunity for testing targeted therapies and personalizing treatments in a rapid, cost-effective manner.

Researchers work on model to help restoration managers with decision-making Posted: 27 Oct 2015 12:49 PM PDT It sounds rather simple: In order to restore the original high level of biodiversity in our rivers, they should be returned to their original state. Yet, researchers have determined it really is not that easy, as efforts often are limited by historical, cultural or economic factors.

Plant regulatory network simulations reveal a mystery in cytokinin patterning Posted: 27 Oct 2015 12:49 PM PDT Cytokinin patterning, an important process in plant development, cannot happen via diffusion alone, researchers have discovered. While investigating a regulatory network in plant roots, they identified unexpected physical constraints on how cytokinin patterns form.

Reduced activity of a brain protein linked to post-traumatic stress disorder Posted: 27 Oct 2015 12:49 PM PDT People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have reduced activity of the protein serum and glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) in their prefrontal cortices, and experimentally reducing the protein's activity in rats leads to PTSD-like behavior, according to a new study. The study suggests that augmenting activity of SGK1 may be therapeutic in PTSD.

You are subscribed to email updates from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States