ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Exceptionally strong and lightweight new metal
• Arms race between Ebola virus and bats, waged for millions of years
• The link between imagery and performance
• Crows caught on camera fashioning special hook tools
• U.S. demonstrates production of fuel for missions to the solar system and beyond
• NASA suspends 2016 launch of InSight mission to Mars
• Research links inorganic mercury exposure to damaged cell processes
• Vitamin D levels linked to weight-loss surgery outcomes
• Infectious disease spread is fueled by international trade
• Metabolic pathway in cyanobacteria could yield better biofuels, bioproducts from photosynthesis
• Evolocumab: No hint of added benefit
• Hydrogen production efforts advanced by research
• Milestone achieved with plutonium-238 sample
• Jefferson Lab Accelerator delivers its first 12 GeV electrons
• Are you a 'harbinger of failure?'
• Effectiveness of pain medications for patients receiving treatment for lung condition
• Long-term outcomes of preventing premature menopause during chemotherapy
• South Africa's child mortality reduction deemed 'a successful failure'
• Not enough YAP means too much deadly inflammation inside the brain
• Towards the rational use of medicines
• Blocking fat transport linked to longevity
• Behavioral studies from mobile crowd-sensing
• Forensic seismology tested on 2006 munitions depot 'cook-off' in Baghdad
• Precise molecular fingerprinting on the fly
• The components of imitation
• Gullies on Mars sculpted by dry ice rather than liquid water

Exceptionally strong and lightweight new metal Posted: 23 Dec 2015 07:15 PM PST A team led by researchers has created a super-strong yet light structural metal with extremely high specific strength and modulus, or stiffness-to-weight ratio. To create the super-strong but lightweight metal, the team found a new way to disperse and stabilize nanoparticles in molten metals.

Arms race between Ebola virus and bats, waged for millions of years Posted: 23 Dec 2015 07:15 PM PST Ebola virus and bats have been waging a molecular battle for survival that may have started 25 million years ago, according to a new study. The findings shed light on the biological factors that determine which bat species may harbor the virus between outbreaks in humans and how bats may transmit the virus to people.

The link between imagery and performance Posted: 23 Dec 2015 01:55 PM PST Imagine standing on a basketball court, throwing the basketball and watching it arc into the net. Chances are you'll make that shot without a problem if you've been practicing, according to new research.

Crows caught on camera fashioning special hook tools Posted: 23 Dec 2015 11:11 AM PST Scientists have been given an extraordinary glimpse into how wild New Caledonian crows make and use 'hooked stick tools' to hunt for insect prey. Biologists have captured first recordings documenting how these tropical corvids fashion these particularly complex tools in the wild.

U.S. demonstrates production of fuel for missions to the solar system and beyond Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:10 AM PST The first U.S. production in nearly 30 years of a specialized fuel to power future deep space missions has been completed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee.

NASA suspends 2016 launch of InSight mission to Mars Posted: 23 Dec 2015 03:07 AM PST After thorough examination, NASA managers have decided to suspend the planned March 2016 launch of the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission. The decision follows unsuccessful attempts to repair a leak in a section of the prime instrument in the science payload.

Research links inorganic mercury exposure to damaged cell processes Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:36 PM PST Inorganic mercury, which was previously thought to be a less harmful form of the toxic metal, is very damaging to key cell processes, new research demonstrates.

Vitamin D levels linked to weight-loss surgery outcomes Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:36 PM PST Low levels of vitamin D have long been identified as an unwanted hallmark of weight loss surgery, but new findings from a study of more than 930,000 patient records add to evidence that seasonal sun exposure -- a key factor in the body's natural ability to make the "sunshine vitamin" -- plays a substantial role in how well people do after such operations.

Infectious disease spread is fueled by international trade Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:34 PM PST International trade and travel has literally opened up new vistas for humans, ranging from travel to exotic places to enjoying the products and services of those distant lands. But along with international trade and travel comes the risk of spreading infectious diseases, a growing problem in today's global economy, says a researcher.

Metabolic pathway in cyanobacteria could yield better biofuels, bioproducts from photosynthesis Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:34 PM PST A metabolic pathway previously only suggested to be functional in photosynthetic organisms is actually a major pathway and can enable efficient conversion of carbon dioxide to organic compounds, scientists have discovered.

Evolocumab: No hint of added benefit Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:34 PM PST The manufacturer dossier contained no suitable data for hypercholesterolaemia or for mixed dyslipidaemia, say reviewers, adding that the same applies to the hereditary homozygous form of hypercholesterolaemia.

Hydrogen production efforts advanced by research Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:34 PM PST Advances have been made toward affordable photoelectrochemical production of hydrogen. This work shows that molecular catalysts can be as highly active as the precious metal-based catalysts.

Milestone achieved with plutonium-238 sample Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:34 PM PST With the production of 50 grams of plutonium-238, researchers have restored a US capability dormant for nearly 30 years and set the course to provide power for NASA and other missions.

Jefferson Lab Accelerator delivers its first 12 GeV electrons Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:33 PM PST The newly upgraded accelerator at the US Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has delivered full-energy electrons as part of commissioning activities for the ongoing 12 GeV Upgrade project.

Are you a 'harbinger of failure?' Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:33 PM PST Some consumers have an unerring knack for buying unpopular products. Amazingly, the same group of consumers has an outsized tendency to purchase all kinds of failed products, time after time, flop after flop. The study calls the people in this group "harbingers of failure" and suggests they provide a new window into consumer behavior.

Effectiveness of pain medications for patients receiving treatment for lung condition Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:31 PM PST Use of NSAIDs vs opiates resulted in no significant difference in measures of pain but was associated with more rescue medication (additional medicine needed due to uncontrolled pain) among patients with malignant pleural effusions (excess fluid accumulates around the lungs that is a complication of cancer) undergoing pleurodesis (a treatment for this condition that closes up the pleural space), according to a study.

Long-term outcomes of preventing premature menopause during chemotherapy Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:31 PM PST Compared with receiving chemotherapy alone, women with breast cancer who also received the hormonal drug triptorelin to achieve ovarian suppression had a higher long-term probability of ovarian function recovery, without a statistically significant difference in pregnancy rate or disease-free survival, according to a study.

South Africa's child mortality reduction deemed 'a successful failure' Posted: 22 Dec 2015 01:30 PM PST As the 25-year period for the UN Millennium Development Goals concludes on Dec. 31, 2015, to be replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals, a deeper analysis of factors outside defined goals is necessary to learn why some countries failed, say experts.

Not enough YAP means too much deadly inflammation inside the brain Posted: 22 Dec 2015 08:31 AM PST Inside the brain, a protein called YAP, best known for its ability to help right-size our developing hearts and livers, appears to have the different but equally important task of helping control inflammation, say researchers.

Towards the rational use of medicines Posted: 22 Dec 2015 08:31 AM PST Rational use of medicines remains to be one of the most challenging problems in health systems worldwide. Now researchers have conducted a practical study to assess the impact of introducing evidence-based principles to the practice of medicine procurement in order to manage budget expenditures on medicines of a multidisciplinary health facility for the period of 2011-2014.

Blocking fat transport linked to longevity Posted: 22 Dec 2015 08:31 AM PST Everybody knows that a buildup of the wrong kind of fats can cause cardiovascular disease. A new study in nematode worms and mice also finds that a protein that transports fats around the body can hinder protective processes in cells and affect life span.

Behavioral studies from mobile crowd-sensing Posted: 22 Dec 2015 08:30 AM PST Using mobile phones for research is not new. However, interpreting the data collected from volunteers' own smart phones-which has the potential to emulate randomized trials-can advance research into human behavior. Scientists have just demonstrated the potential of using smart phones for conducting large-scale behavioral studies.

Forensic seismology tested on 2006 munitions depot 'cook-off' in Baghdad Posted: 22 Dec 2015 05:47 AM PST Curious seismologists who looked at the recordings made by a seismic station four miles away from the "cook-off" of an ammunition holding area in Iraq in 2006 found they could distinguish, mortars, rockets, improvised explosive devices, helicopters and drones. Seismology is increasingly being used for investigative purposes, they said, not just to detect earthquakes.

Precise molecular fingerprinting on the fly Posted: 22 Dec 2015 05:23 AM PST Frequency-agile laser frequency combs take real-time multicolour snapshots of absorbing samples, report researchers in a new article.

The components of imitation Posted: 22 Dec 2015 05:23 AM PST We learn many things through imitation: how to walk, play an instument, sports, and more. What are the processes in the brain responsible for imitation? For some years now, science has been examining the role of mirror neurons, but there is still much to understand, report experts.

Gullies on Mars sculpted by dry ice rather than liquid water Posted: 22 Dec 2015 05:22 AM PST Mars's gullies may be formed by dry ice processes rather than flowing liquid water, as previously thought. Scientists show that, during late winter and spring, underneath the seasonal CO2 ice layer heated by the sun, intense gas fluxes can destabilize the regolith material and induce gas-lubricated debris flows which look like water-sculpted gullies on Earth. Since 2000, the cameras in orbit around Mars have transmitted numerous images of small valleys cut into slopes, similar in shape to gullies formed by flowing water on Earth. The gullies seem less than a few million years old-and sometimes less than a few years old.

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