ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Revealed: New insights on causes of sudden cardiac death in the young
• NASA scientists discover unexpected mineral on Mars
• New origins for farmed rice discovered
• Rates of nonmedical prescription opioid use, opioid use disorder double in 10 years
• Drug monitoring programs reduce opioid deaths, study shows
• Digital strategies show promise for emergency heart and stroke care
• Gender gap found in cardiac arrest care, outcomes
• 94 million-year-old climate change event holds clues for future
• The universe: Learning about the future from the distant past
• X-ray echoes of a shredded star provide close-up of 'killer' black hole
• The universe is crowded with black holes, astronomers predict
• More reasons to eat your broccoli
• Scientists reveal sub-Saharan Africa's legacy of past migrations over last 4,000 years
• How huanglongbing affects oranges' detachment force, fruit properties
• New study helps determine which older adults might need help taking medications
• Bioplastic, biofabric tested for cucumber production
• Teachers optimistic about Common Core writing standards, but not tests
• Tele-psychiatry reaches rural kids in need
• New system that uses sound to alleviate water shortage
• As Alaska warms, methane emissions appear stable
• Some older adults live well, despite advancing years and the burdens of chronic diseases
• Study addresses safety concerns for older adults with diagnosed, undiagnosed dementia
• Compound shown to reduce brain damage caused by anesthesia in early study
• Rare moth in severe decline at its last English site
• Memory loss caused by West Nile virus explained
• The world's oldest farmers were insects
• Contagious cancers are spreading among several species of shellfish
• Particle zoo in a quantum computer
• New knowledge about DNA repair can be turned into cancer inhibitors
• Canada spends over $400 million on medicine that harms seniors
• Has breast MRI been performed upside down?
• Young bowhead whales may cease growing lengthwise to grow head and baleen plates
• Get a clue: Biochemist studies fruit fly to understand Parkinson's disease, muscle wasting
• New clues to COPD linked to proteostasis imbalance caused by cigarette smoke
• Opportunists with a home advantage
• Lizard tail adaptations may reflect predators' color vision capabilities
• Understanding how chemical changes in the brain affect Alzheimer's disease
• Wild boars and wart hogs may have an internal compass
• New targeted drug effectively dissolves blood clots, has fewer side effects
• Empowering addiction treatment patients to engage in care may improve overall health
• Australia 20 years after gun reform: No mass shootings, declining firearm deaths
• New heart failure therapy could prevent substantial number of deaths, study finds
• Blacks with AFib at greater risk for adverse outcomes
• Barrier screens reduce damage from brown marmorated stink bug
• Novel combination therapy shows strong response in phase 1 trial
• Neutralizing acidic forest soils boosts tree growth, causes spike in nitrogen export
• Smoking may have negative effects on sperm quality
• Treatment of humans, pigs may reduce endemic tapeworm infection
• Psychiatric diagnostic tools may not be valid for African Americans
• Impulsive children raised in caring families drink less during adolescence
• Hip implants: Metal wear impairs bone-forming cells' function
• Absence of a single protein spurs muscle aging in mice
• Bees are more productive in the city than in surrounding regions
• One-third of hospitals in developing world lack running water
• Researchers to study how to reduce carbon dioxide in ranch soil
• Mental training for soccer tactics
• Students make your plant spin, and they have other Internet of Things innovations, too
• Service robot Floka’s big debut
• Acoustics researcher finds explanation for auroral sounds
• Childhood antibiotic treatments reduce diversity, stability of intestinal microbiota

Revealed: New insights on causes of sudden cardiac death in the young Posted: 22 Jun 2016 04:24 PM PDT Genetic testing has shed new light on the deaths of nearly 500 young Australians and New Zealanders who died from sudden cardiac death in a three-year period, suggests a new report.

NASA scientists discover unexpected mineral on Mars Posted: 22 Jun 2016 02:04 PM PDT Scientists have discovered an unexpected mineral in a rock sample at Gale Crater on Mars, a finding that may alter our understanding of how the planet evolved.

New origins for farmed rice discovered Posted: 22 Jun 2016 01:43 PM PDT Chew on this: rice farming is a far older practice than we knew. In fact, the oldest evidence of domesticated rice has just been found in China, and it's about 9,000 years old.

Rates of nonmedical prescription opioid use, opioid use disorder double in 10 years Posted: 22 Jun 2016 01:43 PM PDT Nonmedical use of prescription opioids more than doubled among adults in the United States from 2001-2002 to 2012-2013, based on a new American study.

Drug monitoring programs reduce opioid deaths, study shows Posted: 22 Jun 2016 01:43 PM PDT The implementation of state prescription drug monitoring programs was associated with the prevention of approximately one opioid-related overdose death every two hours on average nationwide, according to a new study.

Digital strategies show promise for emergency heart and stroke care Posted: 22 Jun 2016 01:43 PM PDT A new scientific statement reviews current research on the effectiveness and safety of using mobile devices, social media, visual media and crowdsourcing to improve emergency heart and stroke treatments.

Gender gap found in cardiac arrest care, outcomes Posted: 22 Jun 2016 01:43 PM PDT Women treated at a hospital after cardiac arrest may be less likely than men to receive potentially life-saving procedures. The number of cardiac arrest patients treated at hospitals increased and in-hospital death rates have fallen for both sexes, however women were less likely to survive, according to a new study.

94 million-year-old climate change event holds clues for future Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:54 AM PDT A major climate event millions of years ago that caused substantial change to the ocean's ecological systems may hold clues as to how the Earth will respond to future climate change, a researcher said.

The universe: Learning about the future from the distant past Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:54 AM PDT Our universe came to life nearly 14 billion years ago in the Big Bang -- a tremendously energetic fireball from which the cosmos has been expanding ever since. Today, space is filled with hundreds of billions of galaxies, including our solar system's own galactic home, the Milky Way. But how exactly did the infant universe develop into its current state, and what does it tell us about our future?

X-ray echoes of a shredded star provide close-up of 'killer' black hole Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:50 AM PDT Billions of years ago in the heart of a distant galaxy, a monster black hole shredded a passing star and emitted X-rays. Now astronomers are using X-ray echoes to study a newly awakened black hole for the first time.

The universe is crowded with black holes, astronomers predict Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT Astronomers have presented one of the most complete models of matter in the universe and predict hundreds of massive black hole mergers each year observable with the second generation of gravitational wave detectors.

More reasons to eat your broccoli Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT Broccoli and related vegetables in the Brassica family are loaded with health-promoting compounds known as phenolics. Researchers have identified a large number of candidate genes controlling phenolic compound accumulation in broccoli. These genes will be used in future breeding programs to pack even more phenolic compounds into broccoli and other Brassica vegetables.

Scientists reveal sub-Saharan Africa's legacy of past migrations over last 4,000 years Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT Researchers have revealed that the genetic ancestries of many of sub-Saharan Africa's populations are the result of historical DNA mixing events, known as admixture, within the last 4,000 years.

How huanglongbing affects oranges' detachment force, fruit properties Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT Researchers evaluated the effects of huanglongbing (HLB) symptom severity on fruit detachment force and fruit mechanical properties in sweet oranges as indicators of potential HLB-influenced preharvest fruit drop and postharvest damage and breakdown. Analyses showed that fruits from severely HLB-symptomatic sweet orange trees are more likely to have problems with preharvest fruit drop and postharvest pressure damage and breakdown, but may have less puncture damage in harvesting, transportation, packing, and juice processing.

New study helps determine which older adults might need help taking medications Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT Older men were 1.5 to 2 times as likely as women to need help with their medications, new research shows. The odds of needing help were 3 to 5 times greater among people with memory challenges.

Bioplastic, biofabric tested for cucumber production Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT Trials in field and high tunnel cucumber cropping systems compared performance and decomposition (after use) among two bioplastic films and four experimental spunbond, nonwoven biofabrics. Results suggested that biofabrics would be most useful to growers when soil warming is not necessary (e.g., in warm climates), but when moisture conservation and weed control are critical. Permeable biofabrics may also be useful to growers who are dependent on sprinkler irrigation or rainfall to meet crop water demands.

Teachers optimistic about Common Core writing standards, but not tests Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT Teachers believe the Common Core standards in their states can improve how they teach writing, but they also find plenty of shortcomings with the standards -- and with the associated state writing tests in particular, new research shows.

Tele-psychiatry reaches rural kids in need Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT Experts estimate that as many as 1 in 5 children in the United States have behavioral health issues. However, of these children, only 20 percent receive mental health services. Now, a study shows that video-based mental health services are bridging the gap by providing care to underserved areas.

New system that uses sound to alleviate water shortage Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT New research shows how a special tool called a noise logger can detect leaks accurately and efficiently, before major roadwork is required.

As Alaska warms, methane emissions appear stable Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:49 AM PDT Analysis of nearly three decades of air samples from Alaska's North Slope shows little change in long-term methane emissions despite significant Arctic warming over that time period, according to new research.

Some older adults live well, despite advancing years and the burdens of chronic diseases Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:48 AM PDT Researchers in a new study report that 'adapter' older adults who were more vigorous than expected, based on their disease burden, lived longer lives when compared to those who were more frail than expected based on their disease burden. These 'adapters' could have unique characteristics, perhaps some undefined coping mechanism, that should be studied further, suggested the researchers.

Study addresses safety concerns for older adults with diagnosed, undiagnosed dementia Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:48 AM PDT Researchers have examined how often older adults who have diagnosed and undiagnosed dementia engage in potentially unsafe activities.

Compound shown to reduce brain damage caused by anesthesia in early study Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:48 AM PDT An experimental drug prevented learning deficits in young mice exposed repeatedly to anesthesia, researchers report. The study results may have implications for children who must have several surgeries, and so are exposed repeatedly to general anesthesia. Past studies have linked such exposure to a higher incidence of learning disabilities, attention deficits and hyperactivity.

Rare moth in severe decline at its last English site Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:48 AM PDT Numbers of a rare species of moth -- found only in York in England -- have tumbled in recent years, a team of scientists has discovered. The Dark Bordered Beauty (Epione vespertaria) is found on Strensall Common, an area of protected lowland heath near York. This is the last known English site for the moth, although there is a handful of populations in Scotland, where the moth is also rare.

Memory loss caused by West Nile virus explained Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:48 AM PDT Thousands of West Nile virus survivors live with neurological problems such as memory loss that last for years. New research shows that these long-term problems may be due to the patient's own immune system destroying parts of their neurons, which suggests that intervening in the immune response may help prevent brain damage or help patients recover.

The world's oldest farmers were insects Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:46 AM PDT An international team of researchers has discovered the oldest fossil evidence of agriculture, not by humans, but by insects.

Contagious cancers are spreading among several species of shellfish Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:46 AM PDT Direct transmission of cancer among marine animals may be much more common than once thought, new research suggests. The cancer, known as disseminated neoplasia, is a leukemia-like disease that affects bivalves in many parts of the world.

Particle zoo in a quantum computer Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:46 AM PDT Physicists in Innsbruck have realized the first quantum simulation of lattice gauge theories, building a bridge between high-energy theory and atomic physics. Research teams describe how they simulated the creation of elementary particle pairs out of the vacuum by using a quantum computer.

New knowledge about DNA repair can be turned into cancer inhibitors Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:46 AM PDT A molecular mechanism that reads so-called epigenetic information and boosts repair of lesions in our DNA has been discovered by scientists. This knowledge can be used to develop new targeted cancer treatment in which 'inhibitor molecules' can prevent cancer cells from repairing themselves, they report.

Canada spends over $400 million on medicine that harms seniors Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:46 AM PDT Canada spends more than $400 million annually on drugs prescribed to seniors even though the medicines should be avoided for older patients, according to new research.

Has breast MRI been performed upside down? Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:46 AM PDT A new phase 1 clinical trial evaluated the differences between pre-operative prone and supine MRI exams in 12 women undergoing lumpectomy for breast cancer. Researchers demonstrated that considerable deformity of the breast and tumor position occurs when patients are imaged in the prone position.

Young bowhead whales may cease growing lengthwise to grow head and baleen plates Posted: 22 Jun 2016 11:46 AM PDT Young bowhead whales may cease growing lengthwise and undergo severe bone loss to help grow their enormous head and baleen plates, according to a study.

Get a clue: Biochemist studies fruit fly to understand Parkinson's disease, muscle wasting Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:51 AM PDT By studying the fruit fly, researchers have found a connection between a gene called clueless and genes that cause Parkinson's disease.

New clues to COPD linked to proteostasis imbalance caused by cigarette smoke Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:51 AM PDT Free radicals can reach the endoplasmic reticulum, a cellular organelle that is critical in manufacturing and transporting fats, steroids, hormones and various proteins, and alter its function by oxidizing and damaging its most abundant and crucial to protein folding chaperone, Protein Disulfide Isomerase (PDI).

Opportunists with a home advantage Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:49 AM PDT Preferred food, territories or mating opportunities - reasons for conflicts between neighboring groups are manifold in social living animals. Confrontations with conspecifics of neighboring groups are often hostile and members of the same group defend their territory cooperatively. However, common defense presents also a collective action problem: Not all group members participate in each conflict, but still enjoy the benefits of a joint territory. In order to examine which factors influence participation and outcome of intergroup encounters, behavioral scientists observed Verreaux's sifakas in Madagascar. They showed that these primates seem to decide whether to join a given encounter opportunistically, based on individual incentives and the actual circumstances.

Lizard tail adaptations may reflect predators' color vision capabilities Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:48 AM PDT Juveniles of numerous lizard species have a vividly blue-colored tail that likely serves to deflect predator attacks toward the detachable tail rather than the lizard's body. Now researchers have found that certain differences in blue and UV light reflectance in lizard tails are likely adaptations to predators with different color vision capabilities.

Understanding how chemical changes in the brain affect Alzheimer's disease Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:48 AM PDT A new study is helping to explain why the long-term use of common anticholinergic drugs used to treat conditions like allergies and overactive bladder lead to an increased risk of developing dementia later in life. The study used mouse models to show that long-term suppression of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine -- a target for anticholinergic drugs -- results in dementia-like changes in the brain.

Wild boars and wart hogs may have an internal compass Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:47 AM PDT New research suggests for the first time that wild boars and wart hogs have an internal magnetic compass that helps them orient themselves as they forage for food and inhabit new areas.

New targeted drug effectively dissolves blood clots, has fewer side effects Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:47 AM PDT The main objective of emergency assistance in critical conditions associated with the blockage of blood vessels is to quickly dissolve the clot. To this end, scientists have developed a magnetically controlled drug that can be condensed on a blood clot by means of a magnetic field and can dissolve clots up to 4,000 times more efficiently than ordinary enzyme-based drugs. The new study will also help reduce drug dosage, thus avoiding numerous side effects.

Empowering addiction treatment patients to engage in care may improve overall health Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:47 AM PDT In the first trial of an intervention focused on increasing alcohol and drug treatment patients' engagement in their own health care, researchers found that patients who received six intervention sessions had greater involvement in managing their health and health care than those receiving fewer sessions.

Australia 20 years after gun reform: No mass shootings, declining firearm deaths Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:47 AM PDT Since gun law reform and the Firearms Buyback program 20 years ago, Australia has seen an accelerating decline in intentional firearm deaths and an absence of fatal mass shootings, a new report shows after a landmark study.

New heart failure therapy could prevent substantial number of deaths, study finds Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:47 AM PDT A study estimates that almost 28,500 deaths could be prevented each year in the US through use of a new FDA-approved class of cardiovascular medication that helps reduce mortality in patients diagnosed with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, the percentage of blood pumped from the heart with each contraction.

Blacks with AFib at greater risk for adverse outcomes Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:47 AM PDT Blacks with atrial fibrillation have nearly double the risk of stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease and mortality from all causes than their white counterparts, new research shows.

Barrier screens reduce damage from brown marmorated stink bug Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:00 AM PDT Barrier screens with different mesh sizes were evaluated for their ability to exclude the brown marmorated stink bug, provide entry to beneficial species, and produce high marketable yield in organically grown bell peppers. Fine-mesh plots were determined to effectively exclude insects and reduce stink bug injury on peppers. For areas with smaller stink bug populations, lighter colored, and/or wider meshes were recommended, while finer meshes were found appropriate for areas with higher stink bug pressure.

Novel combination therapy shows strong response in phase 1 trial Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:00 AM PDT A phase 1 clinical trial testing a novel combination therapy slowed the growth of cancer in the majority of trial participants.

Neutralizing acidic forest soils boosts tree growth, causes spike in nitrogen export Posted: 22 Jun 2016 08:00 AM PDT A legacy of acid rain has acidified forest soils throughout the northeastern US, lowering the growth rate of trees. In an attempt to mitigate this trend, in 1999 scientists added calcium to an experimental forest in New Hampshire. Tree growth recovered, but a decade later there was a major increase in the nitrogen content of stream water draining the site.

Smoking may have negative effects on sperm quality Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:58 AM PDT A recent study found that that sperm of men who smoke has a greater extent of DNA damage than that of non-smokers.

Treatment of humans, pigs may reduce endemic tapeworm infection Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:58 AM PDT The transmission of Taenia solium, a pork tapeworm species that infects humans and causes late-onset seizures and epilepsy, can be stopped on a population-wide level with mass treatments of both pigs and humans, researchers have shown.

Psychiatric diagnostic tools may not be valid for African Americans Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:58 AM PDT African Americans perceive depression as a weakness inconsistent with notions of strength in the community, rather than as a health condition, new research shows. The study results have significant implications for the clinical assessment of depression and for the measurement of depression in community surveys.

Impulsive children raised in caring families drink less during adolescence Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:58 AM PDT Years of research have shown that impulsivity in childhood is among the individual vulnerabilities leading to substance abuse, delinquency, as well as aggressive and antisocial behavior in adolescence and adulthood. However, a new study shows that impulsive children who were raised in less coercive families at the age of 6 actually drank less alcohol than their less impulsive peers at the age of 15.

Hip implants: Metal wear impairs bone-forming cells' function Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:58 AM PDT In metal-on-metal pairings, both the shell and head of an implant consist of a cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy, report researchers looking into the safety of hip implants. The release of metal ions into the body has been reported as a result of implant wear. Bone loss (osteolysis) was observed in many cases. Researchers have been able to show now that cobalt and chromium release contributes to bone loss.

Absence of a single protein spurs muscle aging in mice Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:57 AM PDT The loss of the protein Mitofusin 2 in the muscles of young mice speeds up aging and causes early sarcopenia, thus leading to the muscle quality of aged mice, report researchers. Sarcopenia, which is muscle wastage and the accompanied loss of strength, is one of the most weakening conditions of old age and it has no treatment. The scientists propose that stimulating Mitofusin 2 activity would provide a good strategy through which to ameliorate sarcopenia.

Bees are more productive in the city than in surrounding regions Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:57 AM PDT Bees pollinate plants more frequently in the city than in the country even though they are more often infected with parasites, a factor which can shorten their lifespans, researchers report.

One-third of hospitals in developing world lack running water Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:49 AM PDT A study of 430 hospitals in the developing world found that more than one-third lacked running water, a deficiency that can lead to unsanitary conditions for patients in general and dangerous conditions for those who need surgery.

Researchers to study how to reduce carbon dioxide in ranch soil Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:49 AM PDT Researchers hope to reduce possible pollutants emanating from soils in Florida cattle ranches by using a $710,000 federal grant to study soil microbes.

Mental training for soccer tactics Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:48 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new mental training technique for athletes.

Students make your plant spin, and they have other Internet of Things innovations, too Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:48 AM PDT Internet of things, IoT, is a fast expanding network of consumer and industrial devices, i.e., "things". One lab has a growing good reputation for letting the computer science students develop smart IoT devices and services; a new article outlines some of these tricks.

Service robot Floka’s big debut Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:48 AM PDT What must an intelligent apartment provide in order to make everyday life safe, healthy, and comfortable? Robotics experts have developed the service robot Floka. Floka is fitted with a new "social" robotic head that was also developed at CITEC whose facial expressions can signal happiness, worry, interest, or anger.

Acoustics researcher finds explanation for auroral sounds Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:48 AM PDT In 2012, a research group proved that the source of sounds associated with the Northern Lights is located close to the ground at an altitude of approximately 70 meters. Now, by combining his measurements with the temperature profiles measured by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, a researcher has found an explanation for the mechanism that creates the sound.  According to the new inversion layer hypothesis, the popping and crackling sounds associated with the Northern Lights are born when the related geomagnetic storm activates the charges that have accumulated in the atmosphere's inversion layer causing them to discharge.

Childhood antibiotic treatments reduce diversity, stability of intestinal microbiota Posted: 22 Jun 2016 07:47 AM PDT A project followed the development of 39 Finnish infants from birth to the age of three. Half of the children received 9-15 antibiotic treatments during the research period, and the other half did not receive any such treatments. Stool samples were collected from the children monthly between the ages of 2 and 36 months, for a total of 1069 samples.

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