ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Understanding why group singing helps in dementia
• JPL CubeSat clean room: A factory for small spacecraft
• First worldwide survey of religion and science: No, not all scientists are atheists
• Half of Kepler’s giant exoplanet candidates are false positives, study finds
• Stretchable, wearable sensor made with chewing gum
• Interventions may temporarily raise kids' IQs, but there is fadeout over time
• LISA Pathfinder en route to gravitational wave demonstration
• Don’t want to raise a psychopath? Be sensitive to a child’s distress
• What kinds of stars form rocky planets?
• One in 10 globally suffer from foodborne diseases, WHO study finds
• When apps talk behind your back
• How water escapes from Saturn: Magnetic reconnection
• Micro-map of hippocampus lends big hand to brain research
• Dicamba herbicide drift affects non-target plants and pollinators
• Genetic link between heart and neurodevelopmental disease
• Event Horizon Telescope reveals magnetic fields at Milky Way's central black hole
• Few migratory birds adequately protected across migration cycle
• Sharing Lake Superior's secrets
• Faintest galaxy from the early universe, 400 million years after the big bang
• Measuring nanoscale features with fractions of light
• Live together or get married? Study finds similar emotional benefits
• Exposure to violence makes you more likely to lie, cheat
• Protecting ocean species
• Not mere trickery: Effects of behavioral nudges persist despite disclosure
• Brain receptors for hunger hormone control food intake, study shows
• Review of the landscape conservation cooperatives
• Sperm carries information about dad's weight
• First look at gut microbes in an American Indian community
• 'Nanobombs' might deliver agents that alter gene activity in cancer stem cells
• It takes a village, and much more, to quench megacity water demands
• Neurotoxic effects of chemotherapies on cognition in breast cancer survivors
• Mental health courts significantly reduce repeat offenses, jail time
• New plan lays framework for Gulf-wide observing and warning system for red tides
• Jumping spiders can learn to avoid red, toxic bugs; stay alive longer and eat agricultural pests
• New map of paths of hundreds of urban males helps determine how to minimize their violence risk
• Method for higher purity in wheat flour developed
• Sense of purpose in life linked to lower mortality and cardiovascular risk
• European business is willing, but not equipped, for low carbon transition
• Praying for Plan B: How a higher power can inspire climate change action
• Are blood clots in patients with heart-assist pumps decreasing or on the rise in 2015?
• Storing electricity in paper
• First discovery of a hibernating primate outside Madagascar
• Minutest absolute magnetic field measurement
• Tuning chocolate flavor through yeast research
• Weaker breaths in kids linked to early pesticide exposure
• Sexual dysfunction: Overdiagnosed or undertreated?
• A community may benefit from white lies
• Cannabis increases the noise in your brain
• Graphene oxide could make stronger dental fillings
• Can cancer itself damage the heart?
• Affordable Care Act has reduced racial/ethnic health disparities, study shows
• New class of inhibitory compounds developed to aid melanoma treatments
• Engineers develop potential treatment for whooping cough
• Scientists create 'fingerprints' for major drug development targets
• Sediment record in deep coral reefs studied
• New research sheds light on neuronal communication
• Long term effect of natural gas leakage discovered
• Cheap, disposable device for diagnosing disease
• Study reveals non-invasive warning sign of kidney disease progression
• Can slow walking speed in elderly signal Alzheimer's disease hallmarks?

Understanding why group singing helps in dementia Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:36 PM PST Couples where one partner is suffering from dementia can benefit from taking part in group singing.

JPL CubeSat clean room: A factory for small spacecraft Posted: 03 Dec 2015 03:36 PM PST There was a time when you could find spacecraft clean rooms in two sizes -- -- big and bigger. After all, these harsh-white, sterile environments have to handle very large spacecraft, support equipment, and a small legion of highly trained technicians and engineers. But today, more than ever, spacecraft come in all shapes and sizes. The bigger ones already have their clean room needs covered, but what about the little guys? NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has them covered too, with the new Integrated CubeSat Development Laboratory.

First worldwide survey of religion and science: No, not all scientists are atheists Posted: 03 Dec 2015 03:33 PM PST Are all scientists atheists? Do they believe religion and science can co-exist? These questions and others were addressed in the first worldwide survey of how scientists view religion.

Half of Kepler’s giant exoplanet candidates are false positives, study finds Posted: 03 Dec 2015 01:30 PM PST An international team made a 5-year radial velocity campaign of Kepler's giant exoplanet candidates, using the SOPHIE spectrograph (Observatory of Haute-Provence, France), and found that 52.3% were actually eclipsing binaries, while 2.3% were brown dwarfs.

Stretchable, wearable sensor made with chewing gum Posted: 03 Dec 2015 01:03 PM PST Body sensors, which were once restricted to doctors' offices, have come a long way. They now allow any wearer to easily track heart rate, steps and sleep cycles around the clock. Soon, they could become even more versatile -- with the help of chewing gum. Scientists report a unique sensing device made of gum and carbon nanotubes that can move with your most bendable parts and track your breathing.

Interventions may temporarily raise kids' IQs, but there is fadeout over time Posted: 03 Dec 2015 01:01 PM PST A meta-analysis shows that the beneficial effects of interventions to raise intelligence in young children fade over time.

LISA Pathfinder en route to gravitational wave demonstration Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:25 PM PST ESA's LISA Pathfinder lifted off earlier Dec. 3, 2015 on a Vega rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on its way to demonstrate technology for observing gravitational waves from space. Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime, predicted a century ago by Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

Don’t want to raise a psychopath? Be sensitive to a child’s distress Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:21 PM PST How do you stop a child, especially one who has experienced significant adversity, from growing up to be a psychopath? Responsive, empathetic caregiving -- especially when children are in distress -- helps prevent boys from becoming callous, unemotional adolescents, according to a new study of children raised in foster care.

What kinds of stars form rocky planets? Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:03 PM PST As astronomers continue to find more and more planets around stars beyond our own Sun, they are trying to discover patterns and features that indicate what types of planets are likely to form around different kinds of stars. This will hopefully inform and make more efficient the ongoing planet hunting process, and also help us better understand our own Solar System's formation.

One in 10 globally suffer from foodborne diseases, WHO study finds Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:02 PM PST One out of every 10 people worldwide suffer from foodborne diseases annually, and children and the poor suffer most, according to the findings of a World Health Organization task force.

When apps talk behind your back Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:02 PM PST Almost 9 percent of popular apps downloaded from Google Play interact with websites that could compromise users' security and privacy, according to a new study. Researchers are now developing a tool that allows users to evaluate the riskiness of individual apps before downloading them.

How water escapes from Saturn: Magnetic reconnection Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:02 PM PST Researchers have discovered how water ions escape from Saturn's environment. Water ions find a place to exhaust out of the magnetosphere at a reconnection point -- basically where magnetic fields from one environment disconnect and reconnect with magnetic fields from another environment.

Micro-map of hippocampus lends big hand to brain research Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:02 PM PST A new detailed map of the hippocampal region of the brain is helping the scientific community accelerate research and develop better treatments for patients suffering from epilepsy and other neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Dicamba herbicide drift affects non-target plants and pollinators Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:02 PM PST Dicamba herbicide drift onto plants growing adjacent to farm fields causes significant delays in flowering, as well as reduced flowering, of those plants, and results in decreased visitation by honey bees, according to researchers.

Genetic link between heart and neurodevelopmental disease Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:02 PM PST Children with significant congenital heart disease have a far better chance of surviving today than in decades past, thanks to major advances in surgery. But some infants who recover from repairs to their hearts later show the effects of delays in brain development. But why? In a new study, researchers reported exome sequence analyses of more than 1,200 children and their parents and showed that children with both congenital heart disease and neurodevelopmental delays share certain genetic mutations that thwart the normal development of both the heart and the brain.

Event Horizon Telescope reveals magnetic fields at Milky Way's central black hole Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:02 PM PST For the first time, astronomers have detected magnetic fields just outside the event horizon of the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

Few migratory birds adequately protected across migration cycle Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:01 PM PST Scientists have called for a greater international collaborative effort to save the world's migratory birds, many of which are at risk of extinction due to loss of habitat along their flight paths. More than 90 per cent of the world's migratory birds are inadequately protected due to poorly coordinated conservation around the world, a new study reveals.

Sharing Lake Superior's secrets Posted: 03 Dec 2015 11:25 AM PST A husband-and-wife team, inspired by beauty of Lake Superior area, found an ancient 2,000-mile-long underground crack formed in multiple stages.

Faintest galaxy from the early universe, 400 million years after the big bang Posted: 03 Dec 2015 11:24 AM PST Astronomers have detected a very compact and faint early galaxy that was forming 400 million years after the big bang.

Measuring nanoscale features with fractions of light Posted: 03 Dec 2015 11:02 AM PST Researchers are seeing the light, but in an altogether different way. And how they are doing it just might be the semiconductor industry's ticket for extending its use of optical microscopes to measure computer chip features that are approaching 10 nanometers, tiny fractions of the wavelength of light. They report measurements of lines as thin as 16 nanometers wide on a SEMATECH-fabricated wafer were accurate to one nanometer.

Live together or get married? Study finds similar emotional benefits Posted: 03 Dec 2015 11:02 AM PST When it comes to emotional health, young couples -- especially women -- do just as well moving in together as they do getting married, according to a new national study.

Exposure to violence makes you more likely to lie, cheat Posted: 03 Dec 2015 11:02 AM PST Can watching a violent movie make you more likely to lie, cheat or steal? What about reading a violent book? While that may seem like a stretch, a new research study shows it may be the case. The study finds that exposure to human violence is strongly linked to an increase in cheating for monetary gain.

Protecting ocean species Posted: 03 Dec 2015 11:00 AM PST A new study offers strategic guidance on the placement of marine protected areas to meet global conservation goals. The research also shows that the United States ranks near the bottom in terms of supporting formal marine protected areas that could safeguard marine biodiversity.

Not mere trickery: Effects of behavioral nudges persist despite disclosure Posted: 03 Dec 2015 11:00 AM PST A team of researchers investigated whether the common assumption that defaults don't work if people are aware of them is true. The researchers found that warning people that they were about to be nudged, or informing them after the fact and allowing them to change their decisions, did not significantly diminish the effectiveness of the default option.

Brain receptors for hunger hormone control food intake, study shows Posted: 03 Dec 2015 10:59 AM PST Activating receptors in the brain for the body's hunger hormone increases food-related behaviors, such as gathering, storing and consuming food, a finding that has implications for the treatment of obesity, according to researchers.

Review of the landscape conservation cooperatives Posted: 03 Dec 2015 10:58 AM PST Because fish, wildlife, habitats, and cultural resources extend beyond political boundaries, there is a national need to develop resource management strategies across jurisdictions and sectors, says a new congressionally mandated report.

Sperm carries information about dad's weight Posted: 03 Dec 2015 10:58 AM PST Turns out dads are also eating for two. A study reveals that a man's weight affects the heritable information contained in sperm. The sperm cells of lean and obese men possess different epigenetic marks, notable at gene regions associated with the control of appetite. The comparisons, which included 13 lean men and 10 obese men, offer one biological explanation for why children of obese fathers are themselves more predisposed to obesity.

First look at gut microbes in an American Indian community Posted: 03 Dec 2015 10:58 AM PST Very little is known about how the diversity of gut microbes might vary among different groups of people, and whether and how those variations might play into well-recognized health disparities. Now, researchers have taken a step toward filling those gaps with the first descriptions of the gut microbiomes of individuals in a Native-American community.

'Nanobombs' might deliver agents that alter gene activity in cancer stem cells Posted: 03 Dec 2015 09:22 AM PST Nanoparticles that swell and burst when exposed to near-infrared laser light have been developed by researchers. These 'nanobombs' might overcome a biological barrier that has blocked development of agents that work by altering the activity -- the expression -- of genes in cancer cells. The agents might kill cancer cells outright or stall their growth, suggest scientists.

It takes a village, and much more, to quench megacity water demands Posted: 03 Dec 2015 09:22 AM PST A novel way to begin understanding what happens to the globe when large cities -- think Beijing, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo -- reach far to get the water they need has been proposed by a group of scientists.

Neurotoxic effects of chemotherapies on cognition in breast cancer survivors Posted: 03 Dec 2015 09:22 AM PST Cancer-related cognitive impairment is often referred to as 'chemobrain' and anthracycline-based chemotherapy may have greater negative effects on particular cognitive domains and brain network connections than nonanthracycline-based regimens, according to an article.

Mental health courts significantly reduce repeat offenses, jail time Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:29 AM PST Mental health courts are effective at reducing repeat offending, and limiting related jail time, for people with mental health problems – especially those who also have substance use problems – shows new research.

New plan lays framework for Gulf-wide observing and warning system for red tides Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:29 AM PST The GCOOS-RA today released a new plan that will help protect humans and marine life from the negative impacts caused by harmful algal blooms, or HABs.

Jumping spiders can learn to avoid red, toxic bugs; stay alive longer and eat agricultural pests Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:28 AM PST Learning to distinguish the color red means jumping spiders can stay alive longer and eat pests ranging from caterpillars to beetles to flies, many of which damage agricultural products. Jumping spiders are fairly ubiquitous: More than 5,000 species are found on every continent except Antarctica.

New map of paths of hundreds of urban males helps determine how to minimize their violence risk Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:28 AM PST Gunshot violence is the leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-old African American males and the second leading cause of death among 10- to 24-year-olds males overall in the United States. A new study is the first to outline the details of how an individual's location and activities influence that risk.

Method for higher purity in wheat flour developed Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:28 AM PST A new test helps millers assure wheat flour purity. The test introduces sophisticated molecular methods that focus on high, endosperm purity in flour extracted from wheat kernels.

Sense of purpose in life linked to lower mortality and cardiovascular risk Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:28 AM PST People who have a higher sense of purpose in life are at lower risk of death and cardiovascular disease, reports a pooled data analysis.

European business is willing, but not equipped, for low carbon transition Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:26 AM PST Most European business leaders have prepared strategies to respond to climate change, but with a lack of focus on innovation, those strategies are likely to be ineffective for a 2°C trajectory, suggests a new article.

Praying for Plan B: How a higher power can inspire climate change action Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:13 AM PST Religion can be a 'lynchpin' for achieving widespread global action on climate change, suggests a new article. The study found people around the world were willing to act on climate change, by both reducing their carbon footprints and supporting government action, to promote a more caring and moral society.

Are blood clots in patients with heart-assist pumps decreasing or on the rise in 2015? Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:13 AM PST Evidence-based data indicate that left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have saved many lives. However, starting in 2011 device failures due to clots forming inside these pumps (pump thrombosis) appeared to rise dramatically. There is some indication that these failures may now be declining, but data analysis and interpretation are complex. Several studies suggest that management of patients with LVADs may have to change.

Storing electricity in paper Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:13 AM PST Researchers have developed power paper -- a new material with an outstanding ability to store energy. The material consists of nanocellulose and a conductive polymer.

First discovery of a hibernating primate outside Madagascar Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:12 AM PST Up to now, three species of lemurs on Madagascar were the only primates known to hibernate. Researchers at Vetmeduni Vienna in Austria, now show for the first time that another primate species that lives in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and China, the pygmy slow loris, also uses hibernation to save energy. The results were published in Scientific Reports this week.

Minutest absolute magnetic field measurement Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:12 AM PST Every measurement is potentially prone to systematic error. The more sensitive the measurement method, the more important it is to make sure it is also accurate. This is key for example in measuring magnetic fields in physics experiments. Now, physicists have developed an extremely high-precision method for the determination of magnetic fields.

Tuning chocolate flavor through yeast research Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:12 AM PST The yeasts used to ferment cocoa during chocolate production can modify the aroma of the resulting chocolate, research shows. The investigators noted striking differences in aroma among the chocolates made from fermentations using different robust yeasts.

Weaker breaths in kids linked to early pesticide exposure Posted: 03 Dec 2015 08:12 AM PST A new study links early exposure to organophosphate pesticides -- widely used in agriculture -- to reduced lung capacity in kids. The findings are the first to show exposure effects on lung health in children.

Sexual dysfunction: Overdiagnosed or undertreated? Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:27 AM PST The difference between mild sexual difficulties and clinically diagnosable sexual dysfunction is not a new source of debate among health professionals, but it has been stirred up recently by changes to official diagnostic criteria. A new study estimates the likely impact of these morbidity criteria on the prevalence of sexual dysfunction.

A community may benefit from white lies Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:25 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated that both too much lying and complete honesty may damage social relationships.

Cannabis increases the noise in your brain Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:22 AM PST Several studies have demonstrated that the primary active constituent of cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, induces transient psychosis-like effects in healthy subjects similar to those observed in schizophrenia. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not clear. A new study shows that this active ingredient increases random neural activity, termed neural noise, in the brains of healthy human subjects. The findings suggest that increased neural noise may play a role in the psychosis-like effects of cannabis.

Graphene oxide could make stronger dental fillings Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:22 AM PST Graphene oxide could be used to make super strong dental fillings that don't corrode, according to a new study. Research suggests we chew around 800 times in an average meal; that's almost a million times a year. We put our teeth under huge strain, and often require fillings to repair them. Fillings are typically made of a mixture of metals, such as copper, mercury, silver and tin, or composites of powdered glass and ceramic. Typical metal fillings can corrode and composite fillings are not very strong; Graphene on the other hand is 200 times stronger than steel and doesn't corrode, making it a prime new candidate for dental fillings.

Can cancer itself damage the heart? Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:21 AM PST Both treated and untreated cancer patients showed impaired heart function, report researchers at the end of a study. The finding raises the possibility that cancer itself may damage heart muscle irrespective of exposure to cancer drug therapies.

Affordable Care Act has reduced racial/ethnic health disparities, study shows Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:19 AM PST The Affordable Care Act has significantly improved insurance coverage and use of health care for African Americans and Latinos, according to a new study.

New class of inhibitory compounds developed to aid melanoma treatments Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:19 AM PST A pharmacology researcher has helped create a class of inhibitory compounds that can strongly enhance the effect of anti-tumor drugs for melanoma.

Engineers develop potential treatment for whooping cough Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:19 AM PST Engineers are making progress on a potential Whooping Cough treatment for vulnerable infants. In preclinical testing conducted on animals, the team demonstrated that their antibodies work as a prophylaxis to provide short-term immunity and as a treatment to accelerate recovery.

Scientists create 'fingerprints' for major drug development targets Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:19 AM PST Detailed 'fingerprints' of a class of surface receptors that have proven highly useful for drug development have been created for the first time. These detailed 'fingerprints' show the surprising complexity of how these receptors activate their binding partners to produce a wide range of signaling actions.

Sediment record in deep coral reefs studied Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:19 AM PST The sediments of mesophotic coral reefs, deep reef communities living 30-150 meters below sea level, have been researchered to understand how habitat diversity at these deeper depths may be recorded in the sedimentary record. The findings showed that sediments provide an important record of the bottom dwelling organisms that formed the architecture of coral reef ecosystems and support their high biodiversity today.

New research sheds light on neuronal communication Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:18 AM PST To better understand and address a number of neurological disorders, we need a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate neuronal communication. A new study has revealed an important function of a class of presynaptic proteins previously implicated in neurological disorders in the regulation of synaptic strength.

Long term effect of natural gas leakage discovered Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:18 AM PST As natural gas production increases around the nation, new research shows that it can have a similar impact on climate change as coal if it's allowed to leak while producing electricity.

Cheap, disposable device for diagnosing disease Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:18 AM PST The development of a reusable microfluidic device for sorting and manipulating cells and other micro/nano meter scale objects will make biomedical diagnosis of diseases cheaper and more convenient in regions where medical facilities are sparse or cost is prohibitive.

Study reveals non-invasive warning sign of kidney disease progression Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:18 AM PST Researchers have identified an accessible, non-invasive way to identify patients at risk for progression of kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease is a condition in which damaged kidneys cannot filter blood as well as healthy kidneys. Currently, it is estimated that over 10 million individuals suffer from chronic kidney disease, with the number of those affected continuing to rise.

Can slow walking speed in elderly signal Alzheimer's disease hallmarks? Posted: 03 Dec 2015 05:17 AM PST How fast elderly people walk may be related to the amount of amyloid they have built up in their brains, even if they don't yet have symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study.

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