ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Room-temperature lithium metal battery closer to reality
• Remember where you're going? How scent helps
• Your brain may be what interests that guy checking you out
• Mechanism that unwinds DNA may function similar to an oil rig 'pumpjack'
• New cause of strong earthquakes found
• Fish fins can sense touch
• Precise visualization of myocardial injury
• Nanoparticle reduces targeted cancer drug's toxicity
• Couch potatoes may have smaller brains later in life
• Research finds new target in search for why statin drugs sometimes cause problems for some patients
• Forget butterflies and bees, box like an ant
• Research uncovers more inherited genetic mutations linked to ovarian cancer
• Study challenges widely accepted theory of Yellowstone formation
• Healing the soil
• Starting age of marijuana use may have long-term effects on brain development
• Beliefs about all-knowing gods fosters co-operation
• Study sheds light on source of drug addicts risk-taking behavior
• Genetics help fish thrive in toxic environments, collaborative study finds
• Leukemia's surroundings key to its growth
• Two in five individuals with schizophrenia have attempted suicide
• 'LIGHTSABR,' a cheap, portable drug-discovery system developed
• Water plus magma equals increased explosivity
• Overconfidence, loss aversion are key predictors for investment mistakes
• Most accurate optical single-ion clock worldwide
• Study of Asian common toad reveals three divergent groups
• Prostate cancer survivors' risk of heart disease studied
• Exercise and meditation together help beat depression
• Plankton carries carbon to safe resting spot, ocean study reveals
• Radical carbon dioxide removal projects could be a risky business
• Alcohol also damages the liver by allowing bacteria to infiltrate
• A new method furthers understanding of evolutionary genetics
• New method opens crystal clear views of biomolecules
• The new health 'desert'? Reliable weight loss programs hard to find
• Better definition needed for reasonable medical certainty in child abuse cases
• Improving quality of life for the seriously ill
• Scientists write document explaining Zika Virus, urge vigilance
• New study reveals visual working memory may provide clues to autism's social struggles
• Whooping cranes' predatory behavior key for adaptation, survival
• Rise in marijuana in U.S. use not as high as previously reported
• Spin waves out of waste heat: Researchers present new findings on magnetic spin waves
• Half of the Amazonian tree species are endangered
• More measurement precision in a short time
• Strategy for increasing survival of mothers, newborns in South Asia
• Study offers treatment hope for sleep disordered breathing
• Prelinguistic infants can categorize colors
• Atherosclerosis: A short cut to inflammation
• Clams help date duration of ancient methane seeps in the Arctic
• Drones learn to search forest trails for lost people
• Baby physics
• 'Electronic nose' will help to diagnose diseases
• Light, manganese to discover the source of submerged Roman marble
• Terahertz wireless technology could bring fiber-optic speeds out of a fiber
• Attention problems persist in childhood leukemia survivors treated with chemotherapy alone
• Pregnancy and PTSD: Surprising findings could help moms-to-be at risk
• Chemical cages: New technique advances synthetic biology
• A star's moment in the spotlight
• Fossil record disappears at different rates
• Penguin parents: Inability to share roles increases their vulnerability to climate change
• Climate change will delay transatlantic flights
• Childhood maltreatment predicts range of negative outcomes in bipolar patients

Room-temperature lithium metal battery closer to reality Posted: 10 Feb 2016 02:06 PM PST Rechargeable lithium metal batteries offer energy storage capabilities far superior to today's workhorse lithium-ion technology that powers our smartphones and laptops. But these batteries are not in common use today because, when recharged, they spontaneously grow treelike bumps called dendrites that can trigger short-circuiting and cause a potential safety hazard.

Remember where you're going? How scent helps Posted: 10 Feb 2016 02:06 PM PST In bloodhounds and neutrophils, getting the scent is not enough. Dogs and immune cells have to remember the chemoattractant they are pursuing, even when it momentarily fades out or threatens to overwhelm.

Your brain may be what interests that guy checking you out Posted: 10 Feb 2016 02:06 PM PST Modern men increasingly value brains over beauty when choosing long-term mates, say researchers. While the common view is that our mate choices are evolutionarily "hardwired" in our brains and therefore minimally responsive to changing conditions, some evolutionary scientists now argue that humans are programmed to respond with great flexibility to changing environments.

Mechanism that unwinds DNA may function similar to an oil rig 'pumpjack' Posted: 10 Feb 2016 02:01 PM PST DNA is unwound by a type of "pumpjack" mechanism, similar to the way one operates on an oil rig, a team of scientists suggests. This finding is based on new close-up images of the proteins that unwind DNA inside the nucleus of a yeast cell and could offer insight into ways that DNA replication can go awry and trigger disease.

New cause of strong earthquakes found Posted: 10 Feb 2016 02:01 PM PST A geologic event known as diking can cause strong earthquakes -- with a magnitude between 6 and 7, according to an international research team. Diking can occur all over the world but most often occurs in areas where Earth's tectonic plates are moving apart, such as Iceland, Hawaii and parts of Africa in the East African Rift System.

Fish fins can sense touch Posted: 10 Feb 2016 01:58 PM PST The human fingertip is a finely tuned sensory machine, and even slight touches convey a great deal of information about our physical environment. It turns out, some fish use their pectoral fins in pretty much the same way. And do so through a surprisingly similar biological mechanism to mammals -- humans included.

Precise visualization of myocardial injury Posted: 10 Feb 2016 01:57 PM PST In a world-first, researchers have performed cardiac MRI imaging using a 7T MRI scanner in a patient-based study. 7T MRI imaging is a powerful new technology that allows high resolution images of the beating heart, and has the capability to provide valuable information of the myocardial (heart muscle) tissue structures.

Nanoparticle reduces targeted cancer drug's toxicity Posted: 10 Feb 2016 01:57 PM PST In one of the first efforts to date to apply nanotechnology to targeted cancer therapeutics, researchers have created a nanoparticle formulation of a cancer drug that is both effective and nontoxic -- qualities harder to achieve with the free drug.

Couch potatoes may have smaller brains later in life Posted: 10 Feb 2016 01:57 PM PST Poor physical fitness in middle age may be linked to a smaller brain size 20 years later, according to a new study.

Research finds new target in search for why statin drugs sometimes cause problems for some patients Posted: 10 Feb 2016 11:34 AM PST Statin drugs interact with a gap junction protein called GJC3 that releases ATP, a major signaling molecule for inflammation in the body, new research shows. This discovery provides a significant new target in the search for why statin drugs can sometimes cause harmful effects such as muscle toxicity in some patients.

Forget butterflies and bees, box like an ant Posted: 10 Feb 2016 11:27 AM PST Boxer Muhammad Ali famously declared his intent to 'float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,' but perhaps boxers should look to another type of insect for inspiration: the trap-jaw ant. In a new study, entomologists measured the speed at which different species of trap-jaw ants strike one another during antenna-boxing bouts.

Research uncovers more inherited genetic mutations linked to ovarian cancer Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:54 AM PST Previous research has established a link between genetic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes to an increased risk of developing ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal cancer in women. A recent publication documents the efforts of a team of researchers to determine if inherited genetic mutations other than BRCA1 and BRCA2 can also put a woman at risk of developing these diseases.

Study challenges widely accepted theory of Yellowstone formation Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:53 AM PST Understanding the complex geological processes that form supervolcanoes could ultimately help geologists determine what triggers their eruptions. A new study using an advanced computer model casts doubt on previously held theories about the Yellowstone supervolcano's origins, adding to the mystery of Yellowstone's formation.

Healing the soil Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:53 AM PST Chicago's history of industrialization and urbanization left its mark on the soil. Soil acts as a sponge, and can host contaminants for years. In Chicago, the waste from industrial manufacturing causes undesirable toxic organic chemicals, heavy metals, and other chemicals to linger in the soil. A non-profit youth development center hopes to repurpose the lots into useful spaces for the community. However, the poor quality soils in the lots create challenges.

Starting age of marijuana use may have long-term effects on brain development Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:53 AM PST The age at which an adolescent begins using marijuana may affect typical brain development, according to researchers. Scientists describe how marijuana use, and the age at which use is initiated, may adversely alter brain structures that underlie higher order thinking.

Beliefs about all-knowing gods fosters co-operation Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:52 AM PST Beliefs about all-knowing, punishing gods -- a defining feature of religions ranging from Christianity to Hinduism -- may have played a key role in expanding co-operation among far-flung peoples and led to the development of modern-day states.

Study sheds light on source of drug addicts risk-taking behavior Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:52 AM PST New insight has been gained into how the brains of drug addicts may be wired differently. The findings show that while drug users have very strong motivation to seek out 'rewards,' they exhibit an impaired ability to adjust their behavior and are less fulfilled once they have achieved what they desire. This disconnect between the craving for a drug and inability to regulate behavior may be key to breaking the cycle of addiction.

Genetics help fish thrive in toxic environments, collaborative study finds Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:52 AM PST A 10-year collaborative project has discovered how the Atlantic molly is able to live in toxic hydrogen sulfide water. These fish live in caves and springs throughout Mexico and thrive in water so toxic that most forms of life die within minutes.

Leukemia's surroundings key to its growth Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:52 AM PST A type of cancer found primarily in children can grow only when signaled to do so by other nearby cells that are noncancerous, new research shows. The study contributes to a growing body of research that implicates the environment around a cancer in its spread -- an area of study that holds promise for new alternatives to treat the disease.

Two in five individuals with schizophrenia have attempted suicide Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:52 AM PST Those with schizophrenia who'd been physically abused during childhood were five times more likely to have attempted suicide, a new study shows. The lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts among individuals with schizophrenia was 39.2 percent compared to 2.8 percent of those without the disorder, according to the study.

'LIGHTSABR,' a cheap, portable drug-discovery system developed Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:52 AM PST A device that can do the functional equivalent of high-throughput compound screening on an ultra-miniaturized scale has been developed by researchers.

Water plus magma equals increased explosivity Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:52 AM PST When water interacts with magma, it can dramatically increase the explosivity of the eruption. However, water in the eruption cloud can also increase the rate at which the particles aggregate into larger clumps, allowing them to settle out faster. The five-week-long 2008 Okmok eruption in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska was explosive due to the interaction of the magma with the abundant water inside the caldera.

Overconfidence, loss aversion are key predictors for investment mistakes Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:49 AM PST A personal financial planning expert has identified several risk factors for people who are more likely to make investment mistakes during a down market. Overconfidence tops the list.

Most accurate optical single-ion clock worldwide Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:49 AM PST Atomic clock experts have built an optical single-ion clock which attains an accuracy which had only been predicted theoretically so far. Their optical ytterbium clock achieved a relative systematic measurement uncertainty of 3 E-18.

Study of Asian common toad reveals three divergent groups Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:49 AM PST A research project has tested the hypothesis that Asian common toad populations across Southeast Asia are genetically similar owing to their commensal nature and high dispersive ability. To the researchers' surprise, three genetically divergent groups of toads were found, each in a different geographic area (mainland Southeast Asia, coastal Myanmar and the islands of Java and Sumatra).

Prostate cancer survivors' risk of heart disease studied Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:49 AM PST A cardio-oncology program is focusing on modulating the risk factors for cardiovascular disease in men, especially those receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to treat their prostate cancer.

Exercise and meditation together help beat depression Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:48 AM PST A mind and body combination of exercise and meditation, done twice a week for only two months, reduced the symptoms for a group of students by 40 percent.

Plankton carries carbon to safe resting spot, ocean study reveals Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:48 AM PST The ocean's power to rein in carbon and protect the environment is vast but not well-understood. But now, an international team of scientists has begun to illuminate how the ocean plucks carbon from the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming, and shuttles it to the bottom of the sea.

Radical carbon dioxide removal projects could be a risky business Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:48 AM PST Radical ways of removing CO2 from the atmosphere could prove to be a risky business -- according to an environmental scientist. Techniques put forward include growing crops to be burned in power stations, large-scale tree plantations, adding biochar to soil and using chemicals to extract CO2 from the atmosphere. But most, if not all, of these methods pose environmental risks.

Alcohol also damages the liver by allowing bacteria to infiltrate Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:47 AM PST Alcohol itself can directly damage liver cells. Now researchers report evidence that alcohol is also harmful to the liver for a second reason -- it allows gut bacteria to migrate to the liver, promoting alcohol-induced liver disease. The study was conducted in mice and in laboratory samples.

A new method furthers understanding of evolutionary genetics Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:46 AM PST The ultimate goal of evolutionary biology is to understand how mutations in DNA shape the growth and behavior of all living things. Standard research tools facilitate genetic studies of closely related individuals -- for example, the variation of lactose intolerance between humans. But understanding the differences between long-separated species has remained a challenge. New research breaks through this roadblock by focusing on distantly related species of yeast.

New method opens crystal clear views of biomolecules Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:46 AM PST A scientific breakthrough gives researchers access to the blueprint of thousands of molecules of great relevance to medicine and biology. The novel technique, opens up an easy way to determine the spatial structures of proteins and other molecules, many of which are practically inaccessible by existing methods.

The new health 'desert'? Reliable weight loss programs hard to find Posted: 10 Feb 2016 10:46 AM PST People with medically serious weight problems can rarely find or have access to proven, reliable programs to help them shed pounds, new research concludes.

Better definition needed for reasonable medical certainty in child abuse cases Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:24 AM PST Physicians use different definitions of "reasonable medical certainty" when testifying as expert witnesses in child abuse cases. The variability is troubling because it could result in flawed rulings, according to researchers.

Improving quality of life for the seriously ill Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:24 AM PST Being diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening illness is distressing enough but a dearth of cohesive services often compounds the difficulty, according to a researcher.

Scientists write document explaining Zika Virus, urge vigilance Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:24 AM PST Public concerns about Zika have triggered scientists to write a new Extension document to explain the virus. Meanwhile, state mosquito control agencies and the Florida Department of Health monitor local areas for diseases and for these mosquito species.

New study reveals visual working memory may provide clues to autism's social struggles Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:21 AM PST Poor visual working memory can play an important role in the struggles experienced by autistic children, according to a new study. The aim of this study was to compare the working memory profiles of autistic children with typically developing children. The results suggest that children with autism have much worse visual working memory compared to typically developing students.

Whooping cranes' predatory behavior key for adaptation, survival Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:21 AM PST The whooping crane, with its snowy white plumage and trumpeting call, is one of the most beloved American birds, and one of the most endangered. As captive-raised cranes are re-introduced in Louisiana, they are gaining a new descriptor: natural killer. A new study suggests Louisiana cranes are faring well thanks in part to their penchant for hunting reptiles and amphibians.

Rise in marijuana in U.S. use not as high as previously reported Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:21 AM PST Researchers report an estimated 12.5 percent of adults living in the United States use marijuana, but this research also shows that the rate of pot use did not double from 2002 to 2013 — as had been reported in the fall — but instead increased by about 20 percent. Meanwhile, the rate of problems related to the drug has remained steady.

Spin waves out of waste heat: Researchers present new findings on magnetic spin waves Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:19 AM PST Principles of the conversion from heat currents to magnonic spin currents have been discovered by researchers. Spin waves, or magnons, are fundamental excitations in magnetic materials which transport energy and angular momentum. The latter allows to make use of them for the transmission of information within magnetic solids.

Half of the Amazonian tree species are endangered Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:17 AM PST One in two tree species in the Amazon could be endangered. Experts have revealed that, according to the predicted deforestation scenarios, 36% to 57% of Amazonian species are at risk of disappearing, i.e. up to 8,700 species out of the 15,000 estimated during the first inventory of the Amazonian Basin, published two years ago.

More measurement precision in a short time Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:16 AM PST Researchers have thoroughly analyzed the noise processes in their optical lattice clock with neutral strontium atoms. This analysis proves that their optical atomic clock has reached the best stability worldwide thanks to a newly developed laser system whose frequency is extremely stable. This allows high-precision measurements in a short time and considerably facilitates the future reduction of the total measurement uncertainty.

Strategy for increasing survival of mothers, newborns in South Asia Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:16 AM PST In several South Asian countries, midwifery is not an established profession. As a result, complications in both mothers and newborns are extremely common. Now a researcher has been commissioned by the UN to work in Nepal, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. In her thesis, she presents a strategy on how the midwifery profession can be established in low-income countries - and in this way, improve the health of mothers and newborns.

Study offers treatment hope for sleep disordered breathing Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:13 AM PST People with a condition linked to obesity that causes them to stop breathing in their sleep could be helped by new research. The study could lead to new treatments for the condition called central sleep apnoea -- which occurs during sleep disordered breathing and is linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Prelinguistic infants can categorize colors Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:13 AM PST Researchers have revealed that infants aged between 5 and 7 months hold the representation of color categories in their brain, even before the acquisition of language.

Atherosclerosis: A short cut to inflammation Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:13 AM PST The enzyme Dicer processes RNA transcripts, cutting them into short segments that regulate the synthesis of specific proteins. A research team has shown that Dicer promotes the development of atherosclerosis, thus identifying a new drug target.

Clams help date duration of ancient methane seeps in the Arctic Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:13 AM PST A bed of fossilized, methane dependent clams has for the first time been observed in the high Arctic. It tells the story of a thousand year long methane release event.

Drones learn to search forest trails for lost people Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:08 AM PST Researchers have developed software enabling drones to autonomously detect and follow forest paths. With the new drones, missing persons can be found and rescued quickly in forests and mountain areas.

Baby physics Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:08 AM PST We are born with a basic grasp of physics, just enough not to be surprised when we interact with objects. Scientists discovered this in the past two decades. What they did not know yet was that, as early as five months of age, this 'naive' physics also extends to liquids and materials that do not behave like solids (for example, sand), as demonstrated by a new study.

'Electronic nose' will help to diagnose diseases Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:08 AM PST Scientists have created a gas analyzer -- 'electronic nose' that is able to assess the quality of the food, cosmetic, and medical products, to diagnose diseases by evaluating exhaled gases, and even detect explosives and drugs.

Light, manganese to discover the source of submerged Roman marble Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:08 AM PST The Roman Emperors used to spend their summers in the city of Baia, near Naples. With the passage of time, however, the majority of their luxury villas became immersed under water. Italian and Spanish researchers have now applied microscopic and geochemical techniques to confirm that the marble used to cover these ancient Roman buildings came from Carrara and other marble quarries in Turkey and Greece -- valuable information for archaeologists and historians.

Terahertz wireless technology could bring fiber-optic speeds out of a fiber Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:07 AM PST Scientists have developed a terahertz (THz) transmitter capable of signal transmission at a per-channel data rate of over ten gigabits per second over multiple channels at around 300 GHz. The aggregate multi-channel data rate exceeds one hundred gigabits per second. The transmitter was implemented as a silicon CMOS integrated circuit, which would have a great advantage for commercialization and consumer use.

Attention problems persist in childhood leukemia survivors treated with chemotherapy alone Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:07 AM PST Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients from the contemporary treatment era remain at risk for attention and learning problems later, researchers report. ALL is the most common childhood cancer and among the most curable. The study involved the largest and most comprehensive assessment to date of neurocognitive outcomes in pediatric ALL survivors treated with intensive chemotherapy alone rather than in combination with cranial radiation therapy.

Pregnancy and PTSD: Surprising findings could help moms-to-be at risk Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:07 AM PST For most women, expecting a baby brings intense joy -- and a fair amount of worry. But what about women who have lived through something awful enough to cause post-traumatic stress disorder? Contrary to what researchers expected, a new study shows that pregnancy may actually reduce their PTSD symptoms. Or at the least, it won't cause a flare-up.

Chemical cages: New technique advances synthetic biology Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:07 AM PST A clever means of localizing and confining enzymes and the substrate molecules they bind with has been presented by researchers, speeding up reactions essential for life processes.

A star's moment in the spotlight Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:06 AM PST A newly formed star lights up the surrounding clouds in this new image from ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. Dust particles in the vast clouds that surround the star HD 97300 diffuse its light, like a car headlight in enveloping fog, and create the reflection nebula IC 2631. Although HD 97300 is in the spotlight for now, the very dust that makes it so hard to miss heralds the birth of additional future stars.

Fossil record disappears at different rates Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:06 AM PST Considerably more of the fossil record of creatures such as mammoths, mastodons, camels, horses and ground sloths has been lost in what is now the continental United States and South America than in Alaska and areas near the Bering Strait.

Penguin parents: Inability to share roles increases their vulnerability to climate change Posted: 10 Feb 2016 08:06 AM PST The fixed division of labor between crested penguin parents increases their chicks' vulnerability to food shortages made ever more common by climate change. The parents have been unable to adapt their habits to the challenges of increasingly frequent years of limited food supply and, as a result, will become further threatened by extinction.

Climate change will delay transatlantic flights Posted: 09 Feb 2016 07:39 PM PST Planes flying between Europe and North America will be spending more time in the air due to the effects of climate change, a new study has shown.

Childhood maltreatment predicts range of negative outcomes in bipolar patients Posted: 09 Feb 2016 07:39 PM PST Child maltreatment could predict a range of negative outcomes in patients with bipolar disorder, according to new research, which adds to growing evidence on the enduring mental health impact of childhood abuse and neglect.

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