ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Vampire bats’ saliva is specially evolved for blood-feeding
• Arctic snow not darkening due to soot, dust
• Mass gains of Antarctic Ice Sheet greater than losses
• Halloween skies to include dead comet flyby
• 'Everything in moderation' diet advice may lead to poor metabolic health in US adults
• NASA spots the 'Great Pumpkin': Halloween asteroid a treat for radar astronomers
• Saturn's geyser moon shines in close flyby views
• Chemical complexity promises improved structural alloys for next-gen nuclear energy
• Large igneous provinces linked to extinction events
• Solving 80-year-old mystery, chemist discovers way to isolate single-crystal ice surfaces
• What we know about how neonicotinoids affect bees
• Scientists get first glimpse of conductivity that could break size barriers for memory
• Pregnancy antibiotics no cause for concern, study says
• Self-injury: Raising the profile of a dangerous behavior
• New immunotherapy treatment may clear cancer-causing HPV infections faster
• Diet lacking soluble fiber promotes weight gain, mouse study suggests
• The lying game
• Researchers identify association between reproductive factors and risk of death
• Researchers discover new way to measure if a person is pre-diabetic
• Obese pregnant women who lose weight save money, have healthier newborns, study shows
• Researchers discover simple, affordable diagnostic kit for chikungunya
• Treatment of severe acne hampered by antibiotic overuse, delays in prescribing more potent medication
• Kids meals, toys, and TV advertising: A triple threat to child health
• Tug of war among bacteria
• Reptile pets: Food insects shuttle allergens into homes
• Working memory: Underlying processes are more complex than we thought
• African lion survival may be dependent on corridor creation
• New insight into how neurons regulate their activity
• Factor found to balance medically useful stem cell qualities
• Researchers advance understanding of mountain watersheds
• Researchers shed light on protein-related diseases
• Babe Ruth and earthquake hazard maps
• Why some insects kill their mothers
• Hair-GEL online tool gives bird's eye view of hair follicle formation
• Caught in the act: New wasp species emerging
• Gut bacteria could be blamed for obesity, diabetes
• Improving risk-cost-benefit analysis
• To scratch an itch is a hairy problem
• 'Superhero' microbiome bacteria protect against deadly symptoms during infection
• Beyond the temples, ancient bones reveal the lives of the Mayan working class
• Protein complex links cellular metabolism to gene expression, offers potential therapeutic target
• Farming on Mars? The Martian raises questions about soil
• Rashes often associated with viruses in children

Vampire bats’ saliva is specially evolved for blood-feeding Posted: 30 Oct 2015 07:08 PM PDT Researchers have said some of the venomous contents in the bats' saliva likely evolved by recruiting ancestral genes to produce new transcript molecules rather than by creating completely new gene sequences.

Arctic snow not darkening due to soot, dust Posted: 30 Oct 2015 07:05 PM PDT A new study shows that degrading satellite sensors, not soot or dust, are responsible for the apparent decline in reflectivity of inland ice across northern Greenland.

Mass gains of Antarctic Ice Sheet greater than losses Posted: 30 Oct 2015 07:05 PM PDT A new study says that an increase in Antarctic snow accumulation that began 10,000 years ago is currently adding enough ice to the continent to outweigh the increased losses from its thinning glaciers.

Halloween skies to include dead comet flyby Posted: 30 Oct 2015 04:00 PM PDT The large space rock that will zip past Earth this Halloween is most likely a dead comet that, fittingly, bears an eerie resemblance to a skull. Scientists observing asteroid 2015 TB145 with NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, have determined that the celestial object is more than likely a dead comet that has shed its volatiles after numerous passes around the sun.

'Everything in moderation' diet advice may lead to poor metabolic health in US adults Posted: 30 Oct 2015 01:13 PM PDT Diet diversity, as defined by less similarity among the foods people eat, may be linked to lower diet quality and worse metabolic health, according to researchers.

NASA spots the 'Great Pumpkin': Halloween asteroid a treat for radar astronomers Posted: 30 Oct 2015 11:09 AM PDT NASA scientists are tracking the upcoming Halloween flyby of asteroid 2015 TB145 with several optical observatories and the radar capabilities of the agency's Deep Space Network at Goldstone, California. The asteroid will fly past Earth at a safe distance slightly farther than the moon's orbit on Oct. 31 at 10:01 a.m. PDT (1:01 p.m. EDT). Scientists are treating the flyby of the estimated 1,300-foot-wide (400-meter) asteroid as a science target of opportunity, allowing instruments on "spacecraft Earth" to scan it during the close pass.

Saturn's geyser moon shines in close flyby views Posted: 30 Oct 2015 09:54 AM PDT NASA's Cassini spacecraft has begun transmitting its latest images of Saturn's icy, geologically active moon Enceladus, acquired during the dramatic Oct. 28 flyby in which the probe passed about 30 miles (49 kilometers) above the moon's south polar region. The spacecraft will continue transmitting its data from the encounter for the next several days.

Chemical complexity promises improved structural alloys for next-gen nuclear energy Posted: 30 Oct 2015 09:46 AM PDT Researchers are investigating ways to design structural materials that develop fewer, smaller flaws under irradiation. Radiation can harm spacecraft, nuclear power plants and high-energy accelerators. Nuclear reactions produce energetic particles -- ions and neutrons -- that can damage materials as their energy disperses, causing the formation of flaws that evolve over time. Advanced structural materials that can withstand radiation are a critical national need for nuclear reactor applications.

Large igneous provinces linked to extinction events Posted: 30 Oct 2015 09:45 AM PDT Mass extinction events are sometimes portrayed in illustrations of volcanic eruptions causing widespread destruction. According to experts this interpretation may have some truth behind it, but not in the instantaneous way we might think.

Solving 80-year-old mystery, chemist discovers way to isolate single-crystal ice surfaces Posted: 30 Oct 2015 09:44 AM PDT A chemist has discovered a way to select specific surfaces of single-crystal ice for study, a long-sought breakthrough that could help researchers answer essential questions about climate and the environment.

What we know about how neonicotinoids affect bees Posted: 30 Oct 2015 09:44 AM PDT A second summary in as many years on the scientific evidence about the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on bees has been published by scientists. The research team was asked to update its findings by the chief scientific adviser of the United Kingdom government, which has banned the use of three neonicotinoid insecticides. Current evidence suggests that bumblebees and solitary bees are more severely affected by neonicotinoids than honeybees.

Scientists get first glimpse of conductivity that could break size barriers for memory Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:19 AM PDT Scientists have made the first direct images showing that electrical currents can flow along the boundaries between tiny magnetic regions of a material that normally doesn't conduct electricity. The results could have major implications for magnetic memory storage.

Pregnancy antibiotics no cause for concern, study says Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:19 AM PDT The four out of ten women who use antibiotics during pregnancy can breathe easy, as a comprehensive new study shows that the two most often prescribed drugs have no adverse outcome on the child's physical development.

Self-injury: Raising the profile of a dangerous behavior Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:17 AM PDT Nonsuicidal self-injury is not officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as a mental disorder, which means insurance may not cover treatment - despite estimates that anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of adolescents suffer from it. New research lays out a case for recognizing the condition, as profiled in a new report.

New immunotherapy treatment may clear cancer-causing HPV infections faster Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:17 AM PDT A new therapeutic vaccine, GTL001, developed to clear HPV strains 16 and 18 – the types most likely to cause cancer – is being evaluated for safety in a Phase I clinical trial.

Diet lacking soluble fiber promotes weight gain, mouse study suggests Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:17 AM PDT A new study highlights the importance of the gut microbiome in maintaining intestinal and metabolic health and suggests that eating more foods high in soluble fiber may help prevent metabolic disease and obesity.

The lying game Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:15 AM PDT New research is leading towards a clearer understanding of how humans behave when they bend the truth. But gathering reliable research data is a tricky proposition, and so research has been difficult to conduct to date.

Researchers identify association between reproductive factors and risk of death Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:11 AM PDT Reproductive factors in women, such as a later starting age of menstruation, having children, breastfeeding and use of oral contraceptives, are associated with a reduced risk of death, according to new research. A better understanding of how these factors can influence long-term health could help in the development of clinical strategies to improve women's health.

Researchers discover new way to measure if a person is pre-diabetic Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:11 AM PDT A new discovery may allow physicians to warn patients years before the onset of diabetes, therefore allowing them to change their lifestyle patterns potentially avoiding the diagnosis of a chronic disease.

Obese pregnant women who lose weight save money, have healthier newborns, study shows Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:11 AM PDT Severely obese women who maintained or lost weight during pregnancy had healthier babies and lower health care costs, a recent study shows. The work compared 82 severely obese pregnant women with 85 healthy weight women. The obese mothers experienced more medical problems during pregnancy, higher medical costs and longer lengths of hospital stay compared to non-obese women. Twenty-six percent of the obese mothers maintained or lost weight during pregnancy and experienced lower medical costs and gave birth to healthier infants.

Researchers discover simple, affordable diagnostic kit for chikungunya Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:10 AM PDT A novel and affordable diagnostic test for chikungunya will soon be available thanks to new research. The formerly unknown virus, now named Eilat virus, is related to chikungunya and other mosquito-borne viruses and was collected in Israel's Negev Desert about three decades ago.

Treatment of severe acne hampered by antibiotic overuse, delays in prescribing more potent medication Posted: 30 Oct 2015 08:10 AM PDT Physicians who treat severe acne leave too many patients on ineffective antibiotics for far too long before prescribing more potent needed therapy with the medication isotretinoin, sometimes known by its former brand name Accutane, a medical records analysis concludes.

Kids meals, toys, and TV advertising: A triple threat to child health Posted: 30 Oct 2015 07:52 AM PDT Fast food companies advertise children's meals on TV with ads that feature toy premiums, and it has been suggested that the use of these toy premiums may prompt children to request eating at fast food restaurants. In a new study, researchers found that the more children watched television channels that aired ads for children's fast food meals, the more frequently their families visited those fast food restaurants.

Tug of war among bacteria Posted: 30 Oct 2015 07:52 AM PDT As hide-outs for bacteria, biofilms cause problems for antibiotic treatment or the cleaning of medical tubes. They contribute to the spreading of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. A biofilm is created when bacteria attach to surfaces and multiply. Gradually, bacterial subpopulations can develop different properties although they originated from the same cell. However, very little is known about how this heterogeneity contributes to the development of structure in such biofilms

Reptile pets: Food insects shuttle allergens into homes Posted: 30 Oct 2015 07:52 AM PDT Reptiles are becoming increasingly popular as pets. The number of reptile pets, such as lizards, turtles and snakes, has doubled in the past ten years. Researchers recently showed that grasshoppers used as reptile food can be a source of allergies.

Working memory: Underlying processes are more complex than we thought Posted: 30 Oct 2015 07:52 AM PDT In order to retain a piece of information for a short time, working memory is required. The underlying processes are considerably more complex than hitherto assumed. Two brain states must alternate rhythmically in order for a piece of information to be successfully maintained.

African lion survival may be dependent on corridor creation Posted: 30 Oct 2015 07:52 AM PDT Across Africa, lion populations are threatened by continued reductions in their range and associated genetic isolation. A new study published this month in Landscape Ecology shows that strategic directional fencing and/or corridors aimed at directing lions between protected areas may be a viable solution for lion conservation. Landscape connectivity is critical to the survival of the African lion.

New insight into how neurons regulate their activity Posted: 29 Oct 2015 04:08 PM PDT Each neuron has a highly specialized structural region, the axon initial segment (AIS), whose primary role is in the generation and sending of these messages. Now researchers have discovered that this AIS plasticity can happen quickly, influencing the way cells fire action potentials.

Factor found to balance medically useful stem cell qualities Posted: 29 Oct 2015 04:08 PM PDT Each of us develops from an unspecialized single cell into hundreds of different specific cell types. Stem cells multiply (proliferate) and mature (differentiate) in the womb to become muscle, bone, nerves, etc. Now researchers have discovered that a key protein controls stem cell properties that could make them more useful in regenerative medicine.

Researchers advance understanding of mountain watersheds Posted: 29 Oct 2015 04:08 PM PDT Scientists may be able to predict the distribution of pore space in the subsurface of mountain watersheds by looking at the state of stress in the earth's crust.

Researchers shed light on protein-related diseases Posted: 29 Oct 2015 04:08 PM PDT Some proteins turn into liquid droplets on the way to becoming toxic solids implicated in neurodegenerative diseases and other genetic disorders, researchers have now discovered. The results are important because the human genome is filled with proteins that have similar sequences and almost all understanding of these proteins so far has focused on pathological states.

Babe Ruth and earthquake hazard maps Posted: 29 Oct 2015 04:08 PM PDT Researchers have turned to an unusual source -- Major League Baseball -- to help learn why maps used to predict shaking in future earthquakes often do poorly.

Why some insects kill their mothers Posted: 29 Oct 2015 04:08 PM PDT Among social insects, why does it pay for workers to help the queen in some situations but then also pay to kill her in others? What explains why some queens get killed and not others, and why kill her at all? One expert explored these questions, and found that by eliminating the queen, a matricidal worker frees the way for workers to lay male eggs.

Hair-GEL online tool gives bird's eye view of hair follicle formation Posted: 29 Oct 2015 03:55 PM PDT Researchers have created a resource to help uncover the molecular controls that generate skin and hair. Playfully titled Hair-GEL (gene expression library), the database relies on the fundamental genetic principle that a blueprint for developing tissues is encoded by genes that are differentially activated in specific cell types.

Caught in the act: New wasp species emerging Posted: 29 Oct 2015 03:55 PM PDT Recent evolutionary changes for the fruit fly known as the 'apple maggot' is having a domino effect on three predatory wasp species, researchers have discovered.

Gut bacteria could be blamed for obesity, diabetes Posted: 29 Oct 2015 03:55 PM PDT An excess of bacteria in the gut can change the way the liver processes fat and could lead to the development of metabolic syndrome, according to health researchers. Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and excess body fat around the waist. People experiencing three or more of these conditions are considered to have metabolic syndrome and are vulnerable to liver and heart diseases. Approximately 20 to 25 percent of adult Americans have the syndrome.

Improving risk-cost-benefit analysis Posted: 29 Oct 2015 12:02 PM PDT The effects of new technologies and discoveries -- from nuclear power to medical treatments -- often must be inferred long before they are experienced, forcing policymakers to rely on risk, cost and benefit analyses when deciding whether to use them. A new article critically examines these analytical methods, considering how they should be used and how they can be abused.

To scratch an itch is a hairy problem Posted: 29 Oct 2015 12:02 PM PDT An insect lands on your arm, moving the tiny hairs on your skin just enough to make you want to scratch. Researchers have shed light on why light brushing movements like this on our hairy skin make us scratch. Surprisingly, the spinal neurons involved in the tingling sensation caused by a light touch are different from those transmitting pain or a 'chemical' itch, the latter elicited by a mosquito bite or a skin wound that is healing.

'Superhero' microbiome bacteria protect against deadly symptoms during infection Posted: 29 Oct 2015 12:02 PM PDT Once the most powerful and revolutionary of drugs, antibiotics appear to have reached their limits, due to the ability of bacteria to rapidly evolve resistance to the medicines. Now a team of scientists has found E. coli in microbiome capable of protecting the body from infectious diseases, which may help prevent antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

Beyond the temples, ancient bones reveal the lives of the Mayan working class Posted: 29 Oct 2015 11:12 AM PDT Most of what we know about Mayan civilization relates to kings, queens and their elaborate temples. To understand what life was like for the 99 percent, one researcher turned to ancient animal bones.

Protein complex links cellular metabolism to gene expression, offers potential therapeutic target Posted: 29 Oct 2015 10:49 AM PDT Researchers have identified a link between cellular metabolism and gene expression, one they say has potentially far-reaching implications for cancer risk prediction and treatment.

Farming on Mars? The Martian raises questions about soil Posted: 29 Oct 2015 10:49 AM PDT In the recent sci-fi hit, The Martian, the main character, astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon), manages to grow potatoes on the planet with a mix of ingenuity, science, and a bit of Hollywood make-believe. Could it work?

Rashes often associated with viruses in children Posted: 29 Oct 2015 10:49 AM PDT Sniffles, stomach bugs, fever and sore throats are often associated with viruses, but rashes are common in children with viral infections as well. Rashes can be itchy and painful for kids and difficult for parents trying to determine if they are a symptom of something serious or just an everyday annoyance.

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