ScienceDaily: Top News

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• New species of duckbilled dinosaur neatly fills an evolutionary gap
• Lead exposure impacts children's sleep
• Protein's work in eye lens suggests a way to tame cancer
• Thyroid cancer biomarker assays may show inaccurate readings
• Ancient mass extinction led to dominance of tiny fish, paleontologist shows
• HIV spreads faster as violent conflict looms
• Massive northeast Greenland glacier is rapidly melting
• Researchers train Watson AI to 'chat,' spark more creativity in humans
• Researchers identify liver pathway linked to negative impacts of high-fat, high-cholesterol diet
• Grabbing a parasite by the tail: Team solves 'jumping gene' mystery
• Molecular mechanism at root of familial amyloidosis and other diseases
• Increased deforestation could substantially reduce Amazon basin rainfall
• Blood sample new way of detecting cancer
• Framework for teaching networks developed
• For better sales, connect with coworkers
• Lenalidomide plus rituximab produces durable responses in mantle cell lymphoma patients
• Team of appraisers across six states find home buyers will pay premium for solar homes
• Study sheds light on side effects of COX-2 drugs
• 'Spooky action at a distance' is really real
• NASA's Cassini finds monstrous ice cloud in south polar region of On Saturn's moon Titan
• Less effective antimalarial therapies can help fight malaria better
• Shocking new way to get the salt out
• Carbon accumulation by US forests may slow over the next 25 years
• Program addresses unique challenges affecting female same-sex couples
• New study explores how anxiety can aggravate asthma
• Fossilized bees were finicky pollen collectors
• Entrepreneurial activity breeds entrepreneurial passion
• Eggs without yolk can hatch too
• Researchers discover other enzyme critical to maintaining telomere length
• Extinction can spread from predator to predator
• Wild birds choose love over food
• Smart but shy: What women want in a sperm donor
• Blanket approach to asthma treatment not ideal, researchers find
• New class of materials for organic electronics
• Timing is everything for renewable energy use
• Genetics: 'Origins code' for DNA
• Urban gardens and human health
• Psychiatric assessments for predicting violence are ineffective
• Study offers new recommendations for TB vaccine testing in humans
• New risk tools spot patients at high risk of diabetes complications
• Receptors on bone cells connected to inflammatory bone loss, bone formation
• Quantum dots made from fool's gold boost battery performance
• More young adults are failing to launch or 'boomerang' home, study shows
• Doctors, patients making decisions together could reduce number of antibiotics prescribed for acute respiratory infections
• Worrying about work when you are not at work
• Melanoma's genetic trajectories are charted in new study
• Reducing misdiagnosis: Time for the next chapter in improving patient safety
• Mechanical heart valve prosthesis superior to biological
• Workers in UK are not being protected from occupational diseases and deaths, argues expert
• Researchers call for investment in cancer control in low- and middle-income countries
• Preschoolers need more outdoor time at child care centers
• Sharks' hunting ability destroyed under climate change
• Youth involvement in justice system linked to increased risk of early death
• Declining snowpacks may cut many nations' water
• New study finds financial incentives to help pregnant women stop smoking are highly cost-effective
• Adolescent bariatric surgery reverses type 2 diabetes in 95 percent of teens, achieves major weight loss and improves quality of life
• Power up: Cockroaches employ a 'force boost' to chew through tough materials

New species of duckbilled dinosaur neatly fills an evolutionary gap Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:11 PM PST A previously undiscovered dinosaur species showcases an evolutionary transition from an earlier duckbilled species to that group's descendants. The findings highlight how the new species of duckbilled dinosaur neatly fills a gap that had existed between an ancestral form with no crest and a descendant with a larger crest, providing key insight into the evolution of elaborate display structures in these gigantic extinct herbivores.

Lead exposure impacts children's sleep Posted: 12 Nov 2015 01:14 PM PST Lead exposure in early childhood are associated with increased risk for sleep problems and excessive daytime sleepiness in later childhood, new research shows. This is the first longitudinal, population-based study that investigated early lead exposure to sleep problems.

Protein's work in eye lens suggests a way to tame cancer Posted: 12 Nov 2015 12:59 PM PST How does a protein called connexin put the clamps on cancer? Researchers have now reported an explanation. In the future, cancer therapies could potentially be based on connexin molecules, the study suggests.

Thyroid cancer biomarker assays may show inaccurate readings Posted: 12 Nov 2015 12:59 PM PST Two thyroid cancer biomarkers go through a clumping cycle that may interfere with cancer detection tests. New research explores a driving force behind the problem: a protein with a sweet tooth.

Ancient mass extinction led to dominance of tiny fish, paleontologist shows Posted: 12 Nov 2015 12:59 PM PST According to new research, a mass extinction 359 million years ago known as the Hangenberg event triggered a drastic and lasting transformation of Earth's vertebrate community.

HIV spreads faster as violent conflict looms Posted: 12 Nov 2015 12:59 PM PST A new analysis of HIV incidence in 36 sub-Saharan African countries finds that new HIV infections rise significantly in the five years before armed conflict breaks out. The new study tracked HIV incidence statistics in 36 sub-Saharan countries from 1990 through 2012 and correlated them with periods of conflict and peace in each country. The research team was therefore able to calculate how the incidence rose and fell in each country in relation to violence, while controlling for other factors such as economic development, refugee influx, and the year of the region's broader epidemic, which generally peaked in 1996.

Massive northeast Greenland glacier is rapidly melting Posted: 12 Nov 2015 12:04 PM PST A glacier in northeast Greenland that holds enough water to raise global sea levels by more than 18 inches has come unmoored from a stabilizing sill and is crumbling into the North Atlantic Ocean. Losing mass at a rate of 5 billion tons per year, glacier Zachariae Isstrom entered a phase of accelerated retreat in 2012.

Researchers train Watson AI to 'chat,' spark more creativity in humans Posted: 12 Nov 2015 10:46 AM PST Researchers have programmed IBM's Watson so that he can have a real-time, Q&A conversation about ways to creatively solve problems in a wide-variety of professions. It's similar to a Google search, but without getting multiple, potentially-related links. This new interactive system allows Watson to give answers in paragraph form.

Researchers identify liver pathway linked to negative impacts of high-fat, high-cholesterol diet Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:49 AM PST It's no secret that a high-fat, high-cholesterol "junk food" diet has been linked to major health problems, including high blood cholesterol and the buildup of plaques in the arteries, known as atherosclerosis. Now new research has identified a pathway in the liver, controlled by a protein known as BAF60a, that contributes to these negative effects by stimulating the production of bile—which helps the body to absorb more cholesterol and other fats from the foods we eat.

Grabbing a parasite by the tail: Team solves 'jumping gene' mystery Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:39 AM PST Deep within your DNA, a tiny parasite lurks, waiting to pounce from its perch and land in the middle of an unsuspecting healthy gene. If it succeeds, it can make you sick. Like a jungle cat, this parasite sports a long tail. But until now, little was known about what role that tail plays in this dangerous jumping.

Molecular mechanism at root of familial amyloidosis and other diseases Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:39 AM PST A team of local researchers has proposed a molecular mechanism that may be responsible for the development of life-threatening diseases called amyloidoses. The best known of such diseases is Alzheimer's disease, but there are many others that are receiving increased scrutiny, in part because of mounting evidence linking them to atherosclerosis and aging.

Increased deforestation could substantially reduce Amazon basin rainfall Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:39 AM PST Continued deforestation of the Amazon rainforest could diminish the amount of rain that falls in the Amazon River basin, finds a new study. These declines in rainfall could potentially alter the region's climate, disrupting rainforest ecosystems and impacting local economies, according to the study's authors.

Blood sample new way of detecting cancer Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:37 AM PST A new RNA test of blood platelets can be used to detect, classify and pinpoint the location of cancer by analyzing a sample equivalent to one drop of blood. Using this new method for blood-based RNA tests of blood platelets, researchers have been able to identify cancer with 96 per cent accuracy, scientists report.

Framework for teaching networks developed Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:37 AM PST A new framework could help future scientists improve their understanding of all types of networks, from social media channels to beehives. The work included over 30 network science researchers, educators, teachers and students to set up a framework that any school can adapt to teach students the concept of a network from the ground up.

For better sales, connect with coworkers Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:37 AM PST For successful salespeople, it's all about who you know -- particularly within your own firm. A new study finds that developing strong internal relationships leads to a significant increase in sales volume.

Lenalidomide plus rituximab produces durable responses in mantle cell lymphoma patients Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:37 AM PST The drug combination rituximab plus lenalidomide has been found to be effective and produced long-term responses in patients with mantle cell lymphoma, scientists report.

Team of appraisers across six states find home buyers will pay premium for solar homes Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:36 AM PST Photovoltaics added value to homes in six markets, according to a new report. They engaged a team of seven appraisers from across the six states to determine the value that solar photovoltaic systems added to single-family homes using the industry-standard paired-sales valuation technique, which compares recent sales of comparable homes to estimate the premium buyers would pay for PV.

Study sheds light on side effects of COX-2 drugs Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:36 AM PST It's been about a decade since the promise of COX-2 inhibitors -- drugs that relieve arthritis pain and inflammation without the gastrointestinal side effects of other painkillers -- was tempered by the realization that they could cause heart problems in some patients.

'Spooky action at a distance' is really real Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:36 AM PST Einstein was wrong about at least one thing: There are, in fact, 'spooky actions at a distance,' as now proven by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

NASA's Cassini finds monstrous ice cloud in south polar region of On Saturn's moon Titan Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:35 AM PST New observations made near the south pole of Titan by NASA's Cassini spacecraft add to the evidence that winter comes in like a lion on this moon of Saturn.

Less effective antimalarial therapies can help fight malaria better Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:35 AM PST Scientists have found that the more effective way to beat malaria is to use less effective drugs some of the time: simultaneously using a non-artemisinin therapy amongst more effective artemisinin-based combinations slows the spread of artemisinin-resistant parasites.

Shocking new way to get the salt out Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:35 AM PST A research team has come up with an innovative approach that, unlike most traditional desalination systems, does not separate ions or water molecules with filters, which can become clogged, or boiling, which consumes great amounts of energy. The new system uses shockwaves to remove salt from water.

Carbon accumulation by US forests may slow over the next 25 years Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:35 AM PST Currently, the carbon sequestered in US forests partially offsets the nation's carbon emissions and reduces the overall costs of achieving emission targets to address climate change -- but that could change over the next 25 years.

Program addresses unique challenges affecting female same-sex couples Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:35 AM PST Relationship education programs for heterosexual couples have shown effectiveness in improving relationships and their stability. However, researchers explain that these programs contain considerable heterosexual bias and fail to address challenges for same-sex couples, such as discrimination and lack of social support, most notably lack of support from their own families.

New study explores how anxiety can aggravate asthma Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:35 AM PST A new study involved mimicking asthma symptoms to see how anxiety sensitivity affected asthma sufferers. The researchers recruited 101 college undergraduates who reported having asthma. The experiment aimed to mimic asthma symptoms by having study participants breathe in-and-out through a narrow straw, about the width of a coffee-stirrer straw.

Fossilized bees were finicky pollen collectors Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:35 AM PST The ancestors of honeybees, living 50 million years ago, were fairly choosy when it came to feeding their offspring. According to the study, the pollen that these insects collected for their larvae always originated from the same plants.

Entrepreneurial activity breeds entrepreneurial passion Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:35 AM PST The more effort one ploughs into one's company's success, the more enthusiastic about one's own entrepreneurial activity one becomes. Experiencing success on a regular basis and the the possibility of free choice are two factors that play an important role in this context, researchers report.

Eggs without yolk can hatch too Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:32 AM PST Most animals reproduce by laying eggs. As the embryo develops, its feeds on the egg yolk. No egg yolk, no offspring, then? Not always. Biologists have discovered an exception to the rule: the eggs of nematodes (roundworms) can also hatch without egg yolk.

Researchers discover other enzyme critical to maintaining telomere length Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:31 AM PST Since the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the enzyme telomerase in 1984, identifying other biological molecules that lengthen or shorten the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes has been slow going. Now, researchers report uncovering the role of an enzyme crucial to telomere length and say the new method they used to find it should speed discovery of other proteins and processes that determine telomere length.

Extinction can spread from predator to predator Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:31 AM PST The extinction of one carnivore species can trigger the demise of fellow predators, conservation biologists have confirmed. A ground-breaking study has backed up theories and previous laboratory research demonstrating the phenomenon of horizontal extinction cascades, where extinctions of carnivore species can have a ripple effect across species triggering further unexpected extinctions of other carnivores.

Wild birds choose love over food Posted: 12 Nov 2015 09:31 AM PST Wild birds will sacrifice access to food in order to stay close to their partner over the winter, according to a new study.

Smart but shy: What women want in a sperm donor Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:38 AM PST A study of men who donate sperm via informal online websites and forums has found those who are intelligent but not extroverted are more desirable to women when choosing a donor.

Blanket approach to asthma treatment not ideal, researchers find Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:38 AM PST Research into the effects of dust mite and cockroach allergens has found that different types of asthma respond differently to a new experimental treatment. The study also suggests that an antibody treatment which blocks that receptor, already in use for rheumatoid arthritis, could be an effective treatment for asthma.

New class of materials for organic electronics Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:17 AM PST Polymeric carbon nitride is an organic material with interesting optoelectronic properties. As an inexpensive photocatalyst, it can be used to facilitate water splitting using sunlight. Research has now investigated for the first time how light creates charge carriers in this class of materials and established details about charge mobility and lifetimes. They discovered surprising characteristics in their investigations that provide prospects for new applications, in conjunction with graphene for example.

Timing is everything for renewable energy use Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:17 AM PST As the world prepares for the UN climate talks in Paris later this month, researchers warn that there's no time to waste in shifting to renewable energy sources if we are to avoid dangerous climate change. That's especially true when it comes to bioenergy, which causes a temporary increase in carbon dioxide levels that is later removed as replacement biostocks grow.

Genetics: 'Origins code' for DNA Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:16 AM PST The source of any life involves the duplication (or replication) of DNA, a mechanism that is essential to cell division. A team of biologists has recently performed the most exhaustive analysis to date of thousands of sites (called origins) where this replication of the genome is initiated in multicellular organisms.

Urban gardens and human health Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:16 AM PST Researchers assess the human health risk of exposure to metals in urban gardens by assessing their oral bioaccessibility.

Psychiatric assessments for predicting violence are ineffective Posted: 12 Nov 2015 06:16 AM PST Standard approaches for investigating risk of violence in psychiatric patients and prisoners are inaccurate and should be abandoned in all future studies, according to researchers.

Study offers new recommendations for TB vaccine testing in humans Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:59 AM PST A study provides new clues to what went wrong with a landmark TB vaccine trial in South Africa. The vaccine -- tested in nearly 2,800 infants -- did not offer extra protection against developing tuberculosis, which last year killed 1.5 million people. South Africa has the second highest rate of TB cases and the highest rate of drug-resistant TB in Africa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New risk tools spot patients at high risk of diabetes complications Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:57 AM PST People with diabetes who are at high risk of blindness and amputation because of their condition could get better preventative treatment thanks to two new risk prediction tools recently created.

Receptors on bone cells connected to inflammatory bone loss, bone formation Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:57 AM PST Receptors on bone cells activate bone loss in contact with bacteria that cause inflammation in patients resulting in loosening of the teeth, loosening dental and orthopaedic implants or arthritis. The discovery indicates that the so-called Toll-like receptors also play an important role in the formation of new bone.

Quantum dots made from fool's gold boost battery performance Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:55 AM PST Vanderbilt engineers have discovered that adding quantum dots made from fool's gold to the electrodes of standard lithium batteries can substantially boost their performance.

More young adults are failing to launch or 'boomerang' home, study shows Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:55 AM PST More children in the Western world are staying at home longer, but their parents often pay the price as tensions flare and conflict damages relationships, an international literature review shows.

Doctors, patients making decisions together could reduce number of antibiotics prescribed for acute respiratory infections Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:55 AM PST When doctors and patients are encouraged to discuss the need for prescribing antibiotics for acute respiratory infections jointly, fewer are prescribed, new research shows. This may be useful in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

Worrying about work when you are not at work Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:55 AM PST In a study of people's ability to detach themselves from work, a researcher used an online questionnaire to survey 103 employees pursuing 1,127 work goals. Overall, the study observed they had more difficulty detaching from work tasks that had been left uncompleted, especially when these were important to them.

Melanoma's genetic trajectories are charted in new study Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:54 AM PST An international team of scientists has mapped out the genetic trajectories taken by melanoma as it evolves from early skin lesions, known as precursors, to malignant skin cancer.

Reducing misdiagnosis: Time for the next chapter in improving patient safety Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:54 AM PST Diagnostic errors involve several types of missed opportunities to make a correct and timely diagnosis; a diagnosis may be missed completely, the wrong one may be provided, or diagnosis may be delayed, all of which can lead to harm from delayed or inappropriate treatments and tests. An estimated 12 million people in the United States experience diagnostic errors annually, but it's time for a change, say researchers.

Mechanical heart valve prosthesis superior to biological Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:54 AM PST A mechanical valve prosthesis has a better survival record than a biological valve prosthesis, according to a large registry study from Sweden. The finding can be highly significant, since the use of biological valve prostheses has increased in all age groups in recent years.

Workers in UK are not being protected from occupational diseases and deaths, argues expert Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:54 AM PST British workers are not being protected from occupational diseases and deaths, argues an expert in a new article.

Researchers call for investment in cancer control in low- and middle-income countries Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:52 AM PST Investments in cancer control -- prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care -- are increasingly needed in low- and, particularly, middle-income countries, where most of the world's cancer deaths occur, a new paper recommends.

Preschoolers need more outdoor time at child care centers Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:52 AM PST Child care centers play a pivotal role when it comes to the physical activity levels of preschoolers, new research confirms. Yet few children get to experience outdoor recess time as it is scheduled. Only 3 in 10 children had at least 60 minutes of a full child-care day outdoors for recess, as is recommended by guidelines.

Sharks' hunting ability destroyed under climate change Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:52 AM PST The hunting ability and growth of sharks will be dramatically impacted by increased carbon dioxide levels and warmer oceans expected by the end of the century, a new study has found.

Youth involvement in justice system linked to increased risk of early death Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:52 AM PST In the US, the chances of being arrested are one in three by age 23. Youth offenders face a greater risk for early death than the rest of the population, according to a new study, that risk increases as a young person becomes more involved in the judicial system. The more serious and prolonged a youth's interaction with the justice system becomes, the more likely he or she is to die prematurely.

Declining snowpacks may cut many nations' water Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:52 AM PST Gradual melting of winter snow helps feed water to farms, cities and ecosystems across much of the world, but this resource may soon be critically imperiled. In a new study, scientists have identified snow-dependent drainage basins across the northern hemisphere currently serving 2 billion people that run the risk of declining supplies in the coming century. The basins take in large parts of the American West, southern Europe, the Mideast and central Asia.

New study finds financial incentives to help pregnant women stop smoking are highly cost-effective Posted: 12 Nov 2015 02:52 AM PST Smoking during pregnancy is among the leading preventable causes of morbidity and death amongst pregnant women and their babies. The first cost-effectiveness analysis of financial incentives to help pregnant women stop smoking has been released by investigators.

Adolescent bariatric surgery reverses type 2 diabetes in 95 percent of teens, achieves major weight loss and improves quality of life Posted: 11 Nov 2015 02:26 PM PST New research shows that three years after undergoing bariatric surgery, adolescents experienced major improvements in their weight, metabolic health, and quality of life.

Power up: Cockroaches employ a 'force boost' to chew through tough materials Posted: 11 Nov 2015 02:07 PM PST New research indicates that cockroaches use a combination of fast and slow twitch muscle fibers to give their mandibles a 'force boost' that allows them to chew through tough materials.

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