ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Blue skies and water ice discovered on Pluto
• Opposites don't attract when learning how to use a prosthesis
• Plant biosensor could help African farmers fight parasitic 'witchweed'
• Caution: Weird material shrinks when warm
• Smoking, heavy alcohol use are associated with epigenetic signs of aging
• Wet paleoclimate of Mars revealed by ancient lakes at Gale Crater
• Faster design, better catalysts
• Menopause diminishes impact of good cholesterol
• Seeing in a new light
• Inside-out plants let biologists watch how cellulose forms
• Math story time at home bolsters achievement in school
• Artificial lung demonstrates how aerosols move and behave in deepest part of lungs
• New clues about how humans become tool users
• Surgeons restore hand, arm movement to quadriplegic patients
• Machines have nothing on mom when it comes to listening
• Environmental memories transmitted from a father to his grandchildren
• Ancient genome from Africa sequenced for the first time
• Study ties restless legs syndrome to heart, kidney problems
• Beetles provide clues about the genetic foundations of parenthood
• EpiPens save lives but can cut like a knife
• Evolution of kangaroo-like jerboas sheds light on limb development
• One in eight children at risk for measles, analysis shows
• Scientists build a digital piece of a rat's brain
• Epidural, spinal anesthesia safe for cesarean deliveries, study finds
• Breast cancer genomic analysis reveals invasive lobular carcinoma subtypes
• Researchers learn how to grow old brain cells
• Antioxidants cause malignant melanoma to metastasize faster
• Difficulty processing speech may be an effect of dyslexia, not a cause
• Study examines cancer-care outcomes among American hospitals
• Affordable Care Act helps Virginia improve HIV outcomes
• Why elephants rarely get cancer
• Fracking industry wells associated with premature birth
• Preventing memory loss before symptoms appear
• Waste water treatment plants fail to completely eliminate new chemical compounds
• Sex change hormonal treatments alter brain chemistry
• Researchers compare direct gene vs blood cell-mediated therapy of spinal cord injury
• Multilaminar model explains structure of chromosomal aberrations in cancer cells
• 'Alarm clock' of a leukemia-causing oncogene identified
• Treatment for rare bleeding disorder is effective, research shows
• Unexpected connections: Calcium refill mechanisms in nerve cells affects gene expression
• 'Blind analysis' could reduce bias in social science, biology research
• Popular crime shows may help reduce sexual assault
• Lab-grown 3D intestine regenerates gut lining in dogs
• More 'global' individuals contribute less
• Frequent school moves hurt low-income childrens' math scores
• Major flu drug report underway
• Therapy reduces the risk of fragility fractaures by 40 percent
• New study shows that varying walking pace burns more calories
• Bio-inspired robotic finger looks, feels and works like the real thing
• Protein research uncovers potential new diagnosis, therapy for breast cancer
• A quantum simulator of impossible physics
• Breakthrough for electrode implants in the brain
• Don’t look at me like that or I’ll swerve
• Living in fear: Mental disorders as risk factors for chronic pain in teenagers
• Tropical ants in Europe
• Decrease in antimicrobial use in animals in Denmark
• Treating aortic aneurysms through virtual reality
• Women and men react differently to infidelity, study shows
• NOAA declares third ever global coral bleaching event
• College labor market still in high gear

Blue skies and water ice discovered on Pluto Posted: 08 Oct 2015 02:39 PM PDT The first color images of Pluto's atmospheric hazes, returned by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft last week, reveal that the hazes are blue.

Opposites don't attract when learning how to use a prosthesis Posted: 08 Oct 2015 02:35 PM PDT Upper limb amputees, who typically struggle to learn how to use a new prosthesis, would be more successful if fellow amputees taught them, new research suggests. Most usually learn by watching a non-amputee demonstrate the device during physical therapy and rehabilitation sessions. A study that measured arm movements and analyzed brain patterns found that people do better when they learn from someone who looks like them.

Plant biosensor could help African farmers fight parasitic 'witchweed' Posted: 08 Oct 2015 02:35 PM PDT Striga, also known as witchweed, is a parasitic plant that affects 100 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers have made a discovery that could lead to more effective ways to protect farmers' crops.

Caution: Weird material shrinks when warm Posted: 08 Oct 2015 02:35 PM PDT Most materials swell when warm, and shrink when cool. But some weird materials do the opposite. Although thermal expansion, and the cracking and warping that often result, occurs everyday -- in buildings, electronics, and almost anything else exposed to wide temperature swings -- physicists have trouble explaining why solids behave that way. New research into a material that has negative thermal expansion may lead to a better understanding of why materials change volume with temperature at all.

Smoking, heavy alcohol use are associated with epigenetic signs of aging Posted: 08 Oct 2015 02:35 PM PDT Cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol use cause epigenetic changes to DNA that reflect accelerated biological aging in distinct, measurable ways, according to research. The researchers estimated biological age using a previously validated epigenetic "clock" , calculated the difference between biological age and chronological age, and assessed the relationship between tobacco and alcohol use and premature aging.

Wet paleoclimate of Mars revealed by ancient lakes at Gale Crater Posted: 08 Oct 2015 12:29 PM PDT Scientists have described ancient water flows and lakes on Mars, and what this might mean about the ancient climate.

Faster design, better catalysts Posted: 08 Oct 2015 12:29 PM PDT While the cleaning of car exhausts is among the best known applications of catalytic processes, it is only the tip of the iceberg. Practically the entire chemical industry relies on catalytic reactions. Therefore, catalyst design plays a key role in improving these processes. An international team of scientists has now developed a concept, that elegantly correlates geometric and adsorption properties. They validated their approach by designing a new platinum-based catalyst for fuel cell applications.

Menopause diminishes impact of good cholesterol Posted: 08 Oct 2015 12:28 PM PDT What has previously been known as good cholesterol -- high density lipoprotein -- has now been shown to be not so good in protecting women against atherosclerosis while they are transitioning through menopause, research shows.

Seeing in a new light Posted: 08 Oct 2015 12:28 PM PDT New discoveries at the cellular and molecular levels have been made about how the eye processes light. The findings improve the scientific understanding of the signaling cascade necessary for phototransduction -- the process by which light is converted into electrical signals in the photoreceptor cells in the retina of the eye.

Inside-out plants let biologists watch how cellulose forms Posted: 08 Oct 2015 12:28 PM PDT Researchers have been able to watch the interior cells of a plant synthesize cellulose for the first time by tricking the cells into growing on the plant's surface, according to a new paper. Cellulose, the structural component of cell walls that enables plants to stay upright, is the most abundant biopolymer on earth. It's a critical resource for pulp and paper, textiles, building materials, and renewable biofuels.

Math story time at home bolsters achievement in school Posted: 08 Oct 2015 12:22 PM PDT Use of an iPad app that fosters parent-child interactions around math markedly increases children's math achievement across the school year, especially for children with parents who are habitually anxious about math.

Artificial lung demonstrates how aerosols move and behave in deepest part of lungs Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:29 AM PDT A life-sized artificial human lung is the first diagnostic tool for understanding in real time how tiny particles behave in the deepest part of the human lungs. It could shed light on airborne pollution risks, and be used for the evaluation/design respiratory system drugs.

New clues about how humans become tool users Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:28 AM PDT New research gives researchers a unique glimpse at how humans develop an ability to use tools in childhood while nonhuman primates -- such as capuchin monkeys and chimpanzees -- remain only occasional tool users.

Surgeons restore hand, arm movement to quadriplegic patients Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:27 AM PDT A pioneering surgical technique has restored some hand and arm movement to patients immobilized by spinal cord injuries in the neck, reports a new study. The researchers assessed outcomes of nerve-transfer surgery in nine quadriplegic patients with spinal cord injuries in the neck. Every patient in the study reported improved hand and arm function.

Machines have nothing on mom when it comes to listening Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:26 AM PDT More than 99% of the time, two words are enough for people with normal hearing to distinguish the voice of a close friend or relative amongst other voices. His study involved playing recordings to Canadian French speakers, who were asked to recognize on multiple trials which of the ten male voices they heard was familiar to them. "Merci beaucoup" turned out to be all they needed to hear.

Environmental memories transmitted from a father to his grandchildren Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:26 AM PDT If you have diabetes, or cancer or even heart problems, maybe you should blame it on your dad's behavior or environment. Or even your grandfather's. That's because, in recent years, scientists have shown that, before his offspring are even conceived, a father's life experiences involving food, drugs, exposure to toxic products and even stress can affect the development and health not only of his children, but even of his grandchildren. But, despite a decade of work in the area, scientists haven't been able to understand much about how this transmission of environmental memories over several generations takes place. Scientists think that they have now found a key part of the molecular puzzle. They have discovered that proteins known as histones, which have attracted relatively little attention until now, may play a crucial role in the process.

Ancient genome from Africa sequenced for the first time Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:26 AM PDT The first ancient human genome from Africa to be sequenced has revealed that a wave of migration back into Africa from Western Eurasia around 3,000 years ago was up to twice as significant as previously thought, and affected the genetic make-up of populations across the entire African continent.

Study ties restless legs syndrome to heart, kidney problems Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:25 AM PDT Those with restless legs syndrome are at higher risk for stroke, heart and kidney disease, and earlier death, a database study of Veterans found. Studies in the past had suggested such links, but the new research provides the strongest evidence yet.

Beetles provide clues about the genetic foundations of parenthood Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:24 AM PDT Researchers have identified many of the genetic changes that take place in burying beetles as they assume the role of parent. These findings may provide clues about the fundamental genetics of parenthood in insects and other animals, say the authors.

EpiPens save lives but can cut like a knife Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:24 AM PDT Epinephrine autoinjectors can be life-saving for patients experiencing anaphylaxis -- a life-threatening emergency -- but according to a new case series, the most commonly used autoinjector appears to be contributing to injuries in children.

Evolution of kangaroo-like jerboas sheds light on limb development Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:22 AM PDT With their tiny forelimbs and long hindlimbs and feet, jerboas are oddly proportioned creatures that look something like a pint-size cross between a kangaroo and the common mouse. How these 33 species of desert-dwelling rodents from Northern Africa and Asia evolved their remarkable limbs over the past 50 million years from a five-toed, quadrupedal ancestor shared with the modern mouse to the three-toed bipedal jerboa is detailed in a new paper.

One in eight children at risk for measles, analysis shows Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:22 AM PDT Gaps in measles vaccination rates place one in eight children at risk for becoming sick from the highly contagious illness, according to an analysis of American national vaccination coverage.

Scientists build a digital piece of a rat's brain Posted: 08 Oct 2015 11:22 AM PDT If you want to learn how something works, one strategy is to take it apart and put it back together again. For 10 years, a global initiative called the Blue Brain Project has been attempting to do this digitally with a section of juvenile rat brain. The project presents a first draft of this reconstruction, which contains over 31,000 neurons, 55 layers of cells, and 207 different neuron subtypes.

Epidural, spinal anesthesia safe for cesarean deliveries, study finds Posted: 08 Oct 2015 10:12 AM PDT New research could ease the minds of expectant mothers who may be nervous about epidurals or spinal anesthesia for childbirth. According to ASA practice guidelines, spinal or epidural anesthesia is preferred for most cesarean deliveries. However, general anesthesia may be administered in some cases, such as an emergency cesarean delivery.

Breast cancer genomic analysis reveals invasive lobular carcinoma subtypes Posted: 08 Oct 2015 10:12 AM PDT Researchers analyzed hundreds of breast cancer samples to reveal genetic drivers of invasive lobular carcinoma, the second most commonly diagnosed invasive form of breast cancer. The work, the researchers said, could lead to personalized treatment approaches for the disease.

Researchers learn how to grow old brain cells Posted: 08 Oct 2015 10:12 AM PDT A new technique allows scientists to study diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's using cells from human patients. Historically, animal models -- from fruit flies to mice -- have been the go-to technique to study the biological consequences of aging, especially in tissues that can't be easily sampled from living humans, like the brain. Over the past few years, researchers have increasingly turned to stem cells to study various diseases in humans.

Antioxidants cause malignant melanoma to metastasize faster Posted: 08 Oct 2015 10:11 AM PDT Antioxidants can double the rate of melanoma metastasis in mice, new research shows. The results reinforce previous findings that antioxidants hasten the progression of lung cancer. People with cancer or an elevated risk of developing the disease should avoid nutritional supplements that contain antioxidants, the researchers say.

Difficulty processing speech may be an effect of dyslexia, not a cause Posted: 08 Oct 2015 10:10 AM PDT The cognitive skills used to learn how to ride a bike may be the key to a more accurate understanding of developmental dyslexia. And, they may lead to improved interventions. Scientists investigated how procedural learning how individuals with dyslexia learn speech sound categories. They found that learning complex auditory categories through procedural learning is impaired in dyslexia.

Study examines cancer-care outcomes among American hospitals Posted: 08 Oct 2015 10:10 AM PDT Efforts to rank hospitals by long-term survival rates have been hindered by the readily available administrative data derived from Medicare claims, which lacks information about cancer stage. A new study finds that risk-adjusted Medicare claims data -- without information about the cancer stage of individual patients -- may be sufficient to calculate the long-term survival rates at hospitals providing cancer care in the United States.

Affordable Care Act helps Virginia improve HIV outcomes Posted: 08 Oct 2015 10:10 AM PDT Low-income HIV patients enrolled in Affordable Care Act health-care plans achieved better outcomes and the resulting cost savings allowed the state of Virginia to support care for more patients, according to a groundbreaking study.

Why elephants rarely get cancer Posted: 08 Oct 2015 10:10 AM PDT A new study could explain why elephants rarely get cancer. The results show that elephants have extra copies of a gene encoding a tumor suppressor, p53. Further, elephants may have a more robust mechanism for killing damaged cells at risk for becoming cancerous. The findings suggest extra p53 could explain elephants' enhanced cancer resistance.

Fracking industry wells associated with premature birth Posted: 08 Oct 2015 08:05 AM PDT Expectant mothers who live near active natural gas wells operated by the fracking industry in Pennsylvania are at an increased risk of giving birth prematurely and for having high-risk pregnancies, new research suggests.

Preventing memory loss before symptoms appear Posted: 08 Oct 2015 08:05 AM PDT A clinical trial is looking at removing a key protein from the brain to prevent memory loss at least a decade before symptoms are noticed in healthy older adults. The trial is focused on an investigational treatment to reduce the impact of the protein beta amyloid.

Waste water treatment plants fail to completely eliminate new chemical compounds Posted: 08 Oct 2015 08:05 AM PDT Fish caught near waste water plants display a higher rate of endocrine disruptors, researchers have found. Deformities, feminization and fall in reproductive capacity are some of the effects that living organisms can be afflicted by due to changes in the endocrine system caused by these compounds.

Sex change hormonal treatments alter brain chemistry Posted: 08 Oct 2015 08:05 AM PDT Hormonal treatments administered as part of the procedures for sex reassignment have well-known and well-documented effects on the secondary sexual characteristics of the adult body, shifting a recipient's physical appearance to that of the opposite sex. New research indicates that these hormonal treatments also alter brain chemistry.

Researchers compare direct gene vs blood cell-mediated therapy of spinal cord injury Posted: 08 Oct 2015 08:04 AM PDT Compared with direct gene injection, cell-mediated GDNF gene delivery led to considerably more pronounced preservation of myelinated fibers in the remote segments of the spinal cord (5 vs 3 mm from the epicenter), and this might depend on the expansion of the therapeutic influence in cell-mediated therapy over long distances as a result of the migration of the transplanted cells.

Multilaminar model explains structure of chromosomal aberrations in cancer cells Posted: 08 Oct 2015 08:04 AM PDT The organization of DNA packaged in chromosomes during cell division has been very difficult to study experimentally. Researchers have found that the structure of translocations in cancer cells shows that chromosomes are formed by thin plates of chromatin.

'Alarm clock' of a leukemia-causing oncogene identified Posted: 08 Oct 2015 08:04 AM PDT Mutations in DNMT3A gene cause MEIS1 activacion, triggering leukemia, a research team demonstrates.

Treatment for rare bleeding disorder is effective, research shows Posted: 08 Oct 2015 07:14 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have shown that the relative safety and effectiveness of treatment, eltrombopag, in children with persistent or chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), as part of an international duo of studies.

Unexpected connections: Calcium refill mechanisms in nerve cells affects gene expression Posted: 08 Oct 2015 07:13 AM PDT SOCE (Store Operated Calcium Entry) is a process by which Calcium ions slowly enter cells to refill depleted calcium stores. This process in nerve cells is now thought to play a role in maintaining the levels of dopamine, a vital neurotransmitter in the brains of Drosophila flies. If SOCE operates in a similar way in mammalian neurons, it might provide new pathways to explore the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

'Blind analysis' could reduce bias in social science, biology research Posted: 08 Oct 2015 07:13 AM PDT A technique used widely in particle physics and cosmology could help other disciplines reduce unintended bias in research, research shows. Biology, psychology and the social sciences should adopt blind analysis, where researchers cannot see the actual data until after they have finished debugging their analysis.

Popular crime shows may help reduce sexual assault Posted: 08 Oct 2015 07:12 AM PDT Viewers of 'Law and Order' have a better grasp of sexual consent than viewers of other crime dramas such as 'CSI' or 'NCIS,' suggesting that individuals who watch programs in which sexual predators are punished may avoid sexual predatory behavior in real life, research suggests.

Lab-grown 3D intestine regenerates gut lining in dogs Posted: 08 Oct 2015 06:51 AM PDT Working with gut stem cells from humans and mice, scientists have successfully grown healthy intestine atop a 3-D scaffold made of a substance used in surgical sutures.

More 'global' individuals contribute less Posted: 08 Oct 2015 06:51 AM PDT The more individuals perceive themselves as "citizens of the world," the less likely they are to contribute to collective public goods and the more likely to hitch a "free ride" on the contributions of other citizens, new research indicates.

Frequent school moves hurt low-income childrens' math scores Posted: 08 Oct 2015 06:50 AM PDT Low-income students who change schools frequently are at risk for lower math scores and have a harder time managing their behavior and attention in the classroom than similar students who stay in the same school, according to research.

Major flu drug report underway Posted: 08 Oct 2015 06:49 AM PDT A new landmark report reveals that anti-viral drugs called NAIs (like Tamiflu) have been successful in reducing deaths in flu patients in hospital. The report also reveals that preventative use of the same drugs helps fight flu infection in the home.

Therapy reduces the risk of fragility fractaures by 40 percent Posted: 08 Oct 2015 06:49 AM PDT Osteoporosis, a disease of progressive bone loss, affects 70 percent of the US population older than age 50: one in two women -- and one in five men. These individuals are at risk for fragility fractures, a break that results from a fall, or occurs in the absence of obvious trauma, and most commonly seen in the wrist, the upper arm, the hip, and the spine.

New study shows that varying walking pace burns more calories Posted: 08 Oct 2015 06:49 AM PDT Engineering researchers have found that walking at varying speeds can burn up to 20 percent more calories compared to maintaining a steady pace. The study is one of the first to measure the metabolic cost, or calories burned, of changing walking speeds.

Bio-inspired robotic finger looks, feels and works like the real thing Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:40 AM PDT Most robotic parts used to today are rigid, have a limited range of motion and don't really look lifelike. Inspired by both nature and biology, a scientist has designed a novel robotic finger that looks, feels and works like the real thing. Using shape memory alloy, a 3D CAD model of a human finger, a 3D printer and a unique thermal training technique, this robotic finger could ultimately be adapted for use as a prosthetic device, such as on a prosthetic hand.

Protein research uncovers potential new diagnosis, therapy for breast cancer Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:40 AM PDT Scientists, using clinical specimens from charity Breast Cancer Now's Tissue Bank, have conducted new research into a specific sodium channel that indicates the presence of cancer cells and affects tumor growth rates.

A quantum simulator of impossible physics Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:40 AM PDT In an unusual experiment atoms are made to simulate absurd actions "as if they were actors in a quantum theater."

Breakthrough for electrode implants in the brain Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:40 AM PDT For nearly nine years, researchers at Lund University have been working on developing implantable electrodes that can capture signals from single neurons in the brain over a long period of time - without causing brain tissue damage. They are now one big step closer to reaching this goal, and the results are published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Don’t look at me like that or I’ll swerve Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:39 AM PDT A face with an emotionally charged expression, especially if the emotion is anger, can influence the course of our actions, according to a new study. The distracting effect is potentially dangerous in some situations (for example, when driving).

Living in fear: Mental disorders as risk factors for chronic pain in teenagers Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:39 AM PDT One in four young people have experienced chronic pain and a mental disorder. According to a new report, the onset of pain is often preceded by mental disorders: an above-average rate of incidence of depression, anxiety disorders, and behavioral disorders occurs before the onset of headaches, back pain and neck pain.

Tropical ants in Europe Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:39 AM PDT Biologists have compared a database of modern ants with a database of fossil ants. The analysis has shown in which locations fossilized ants are more related to the ants now living in the same area of the world. Interestingly, ants which lived in Europe 45 to 10 million years ago were more similar to modern ants now living in South East Asia than their European counterparts.

Decrease in antimicrobial use in animals in Denmark Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:39 AM PDT Antimicrobial use in animals has decreased in 2014 due mainly to decreased consumption in the pig production. In general very little of the critically important antimicrobials – which are used to treat humans – is used in the production of livestock. The use of critically important antimicrobials in companion animals has also decreased.

Treating aortic aneurysms through virtual reality Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:37 AM PDT Virtual models can be created in the angiography room thanks to an approach developed by researchers and the university's departments of radiology, radiation oncology, and nuclear medicine.

Women and men react differently to infidelity, study shows Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:37 AM PDT A recent Norwegian study shows that men and women react differently to various types of infidelity. Whereas men are most jealous of sexual infidelity, so-called emotional infidelity is what makes women the most jealous. Evolutionary psychology provides an explanation for why this can be.

NOAA declares third ever global coral bleaching event Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:37 AM PDT As record ocean temperatures cause widespread coral bleaching across Hawaii, scientists confirm the same stressful conditions are expanding to the Caribbean and may last into the new year, prompting the declaration of the third global coral bleaching event ever on record.

College labor market still in high gear Posted: 08 Oct 2015 05:37 AM PDT The job market for college graduates is poised for a third straight year of explosive growth, as companies in most industries seek new talent, according to the largest annual survey of US employers.

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