ScienceDaily: Top News

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• 100s of deaths in 2 cities in 2003 heatwave due to human-made climate change
• Research reveals why males outnumber females in bird world
• Two groundbreaking studies reflect new paradigm in breast cancer research
• HIV study confirms clinically viable vaccine paving the way for future treatments
• Frogs that can take the heat expected to fare better in a changing world
• Chewed plants help detect viruses in wild mountain gorillas, monkeys
• Some major scoliosis surgeries can be avoided, look-back study suggests
• Sensing trouble: New way to detect hidden damage in bridges, roads
• New neurons reveal clues about an individual's autism
• Mystery solved? Biologists find a unique version of a filament-forming protein in human cells that insects lack
• Mitochondria are exploited in cancer for tumor cell motility, metastatic competence
• New clues could help scientists harness the power of photosynthesis
• Marine heatwave triggers dramatic ecosystem transition
• The debut of a robotic stingray, powered by light-activated rat cells
• Surprising planet with three suns discovered
• Missing link in epigenetics could explain conundrum of disease inheritance
• Catalyst efficiency improved for clean industries
• Robot helps study how first land animals moved 360 million years ago
• Rapid TB test accuracy in West Africa compromised by mycobacterium diversity
• Too much homework can lead to bad grades in investing
• Probing quantum phenomena in a tiny transistor
• Paying with paper or plastic?
• Extra-coding RNAs regulate DNA methylation in the adult brain
• Results of first study assessing clinical impact of ESMO-MCBS
• Model for predicting coastal storm damage in the North Sea
• Beating heart of the Crab Nebula
• More frequent exercise therapy benefits bone strength in very low weight pre-term infants
• Tunable wetting and adhesion of graphene demonstrated
• Critical care health care professionals have high rates of burnout syndrome
• How cooperation emerges in competing populations
• Like humans, lowly cockroach uses a GPS to get around, scientists find
• Cancer cell lines predict drug response and accelerate personalized medicine
• How the 'graying biomedical workforce' affects scientific funding in the US
• Why architects should let the microbes in
• High blood pressure by itself is not necessarily an emergency
• Effect of cholesterol medicine on inflammatory diseases mapped
• Study looks at factors that influence retention of newly licensed nurses within hospitals
• How the bacterial protective shell is adapted to challenging environments
• Researchers identify bacterial infection as a possible cause of bladder condition
• New rapid gene test for mitochondrial disease
• Acupressure reduced fatigue in breast cancer survivors
• Combination chemo-radiation therapy may help preserve larynx for patients with laryngeal cancer
• Vision-threatening stages of diabetic retinopathy associated with higher risk of depression
• Researcher finds link between parenting styles and workplace behaviors
• The benefits of exercise during pregnancy
• Rhesus macaques may be preying on bird eggs in Silver Springs
• Breast cancer cells: The importance of keeping silent
• How solar energy can be transformed into fuel
• Weathering of rocks by mosses may explain climate effects during the Late Ordovician
• Understanding tsunamis with EM fields
• Researchers report record performance for bismuth-based Zintl material
• Obscure virus found in women with unexplained infertility
• Nicotine exposure during pregnancy nearly twice as high as reported
• Children who watch lots of TV may have poor bone health later in life
• Exploring ways to 'coexist with wildlife'
• Butterflies' wing patterns change with the seasons
• Astronomers find evidence for ‘direct collapse’ black hole
• Running barefoot helps optimize technique, reduces risk of injury, study shows
• Brain inflammation linked to depression in multiple sclerosis
• Quantum processor for single photons

100s of deaths in 2 cities in 2003 heatwave due to human-made climate change Posted: 07 Jul 2016 06:50 PM PDT Scientists have specified how many deaths can be attributed to human-made climate change during an extreme heatwave. Researchers calculate that in Paris, the hottest city in Europe during the heatwave in summer 2003, 506 out of 735 summer deaths recorded in the French capital were due to a heatwave made worse by human-made climate change. The impact was less severe in London, with an additional 64 deaths out of a total of 315 heat-related deaths.

Research reveals why males outnumber females in bird world Posted: 07 Jul 2016 06:50 PM PDT New research reveals why males are outnumbering females in the bird world. Female birds 'fly the nest' from sparsely populated breeding sites leaving behind small groups of lonely males. The research is the first to show the causes of skewed sex ratios among small and declining bird populations.

Two groundbreaking studies reflect new paradigm in breast cancer research Posted: 07 Jul 2016 02:20 PM PDT In a new paradigm of breast cancer research, physicians are fast-tracking promising new experimental drugs for further study, while immediately dropping drugs that don't work.

HIV study confirms clinically viable vaccine paving the way for future treatments Posted: 07 Jul 2016 02:19 PM PDT In the study, researchers worked with a species of Old World monkeys, rhesus macaques to reproduce the trial results of RV144, the only HIV vaccine that has been tested and shown to reduce the rate of HIV acquisition in a phase III clinical trial.

Frogs that can take the heat expected to fare better in a changing world Posted: 07 Jul 2016 02:19 PM PDT Amphibians that tolerate higher temperatures are likely to fare better in a world affected by climate change, disease and habitat loss, according to two recent studies.

Chewed plants help detect viruses in wild mountain gorillas, monkeys Posted: 07 Jul 2016 02:19 PM PDT Chewed bark, leaves and fruit discarded by mountain gorillas provide a simple way to test the endangered apes for viruses without disturbing them, according to scientists studying mountain gorillas and golden monkeys in East-Central Africa.

Some major scoliosis surgeries can be avoided, look-back study suggests Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:11 PM PDT In a look-back study of medical records, researchers concluded that a major operation to fuse the spines of children with a rare form of severe, early-onset scoliosis can be eliminated in many cases.

Sensing trouble: New way to detect hidden damage in bridges, roads Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:11 PM PDT Engineers have documented a new approach for monitoring the structural health of roads, bridges and other structures. The method applies a noninvasive medical imaging technique to a carbon nanotube-based sensor.

New neurons reveal clues about an individual's autism Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:11 PM PDT Hallmarks of early brain overgrowth have been discovered in cells of people with autism. These findings suggest that it is possible to use stem cell reprogramming technologies developed in the past decade to model the earliest stages of complex disorders and to evaluate potential therapeutic drugs.

Mystery solved? Biologists find a unique version of a filament-forming protein in human cells that insects lack Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:11 PM PDT Biologists have found a unique version of a filament-forming protein in human cells that insects lack. Providing structural support and protection against such conditions as blistering, cataracts and dementia, intermediate filament proteins (IFs) reside in every cell in the human body.

Mitochondria are exploited in cancer for tumor cell motility, metastatic competence Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:11 PM PDT Scientists have identified a specific network of proteins present in mitochondria of tumor cells that is essential for maintaining a clean function of mitochondria, enabling not only the proliferation of tumor cells but also their ability to move and invade distant organs. By understanding the players involved, the scientists were able to turn off individual subunits within the network, which greatly reduced the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread, suggesting an attractive new therapeutic target.

New clues could help scientists harness the power of photosynthesis Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:11 PM PDT A discovery has been made that could enable scientists to design better ways to use light energy and to engineer crop plants that more efficiently harness the energy of the sun. The identification of a gene needed to expand light harvesting in photosynthesis into the far-red-light spectrum provides clues to the evolution of oxygen-producing photosynthesis, an evolutionary advance that changed the history of life on Earth.

Marine heatwave triggers dramatic ecosystem transition Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:11 PM PDT Rapid warming off the western coast of Australia has transformed large stretches of kelp forests into tropical and subtropical marine ecosystems, a new study reports.

The debut of a robotic stingray, powered by light-activated rat cells Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:10 PM PDT Researchers have created a robotic mimic of a stingray that's powered and guided by light-sensitive rat heart cells. The work exhibits a new method for building bio-inspired robots by means of tissue engineering.

Surprising planet with three suns discovered Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:10 PM PDT A team of astronomers have used the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope to image the first planet ever found in a wide orbit inside a triple-star system. The orbit of such a planet had been expected to be unstable, probably resulting in the planet being quickly ejected from the system. But somehow this one survives. This unexpected observation suggests that such systems may actually be more common than previously thought.

Missing link in epigenetics could explain conundrum of disease inheritance Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:10 PM PDT The process by which a mother's diet during pregnancy can permanently affect her offspring's attributes, such as weight, could be strongly influenced by genetic variation in an unexpected part of the genome, according to research. The discovery could shed light on why many human genetic studies have previously not been able to fully explain how certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, are inherited.

Catalyst efficiency improved for clean industries Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:10 PM PDT Researchers have developed a way to use less platinum in chemical reactions commonly used in the clean energy, green chemicals, and automotive industries, according to a new article.

Robot helps study how first land animals moved 360 million years ago Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:09 PM PDT When early terrestrial animals began moving about on mud and sand 360 million years ago, the powerful tails they used as fish may have been more important than scientists previously realized. That's one conclusion from a new study of African mudskipper fish and a robot modeled on the animal.

Rapid TB test accuracy in West Africa compromised by mycobacterium diversity Posted: 07 Jul 2016 12:09 PM PDT A study now suggests that in West Africa tests to identify Mtbc in culture miss a substantial fraction of cases, with dire consequences for the patients and for TB control efforts.

Too much homework can lead to bad grades in investing Posted: 07 Jul 2016 11:27 AM PDT Investors who do their own research and write down their investment predictions stick with their investment strategy even if subsequent information shows their original analysis was wrong.

Probing quantum phenomena in a tiny transistor Posted: 07 Jul 2016 11:27 AM PDT Nearly 1,000 times thinner than a human hair, nanowires can only be understood with quantum mechanics. Using quantum models, physicists have figured out what drives the efficiency of a silicon-germanium (Si-Ge) core-shell nanowire transistor.

Paying with paper or plastic? Posted: 07 Jul 2016 11:25 AM PDT The way we pay may influence how much we value and feel committed to our purchase, a new study indicates. It appears that going cashless may come at a price.

Extra-coding RNAs regulate DNA methylation in the adult brain Posted: 07 Jul 2016 11:24 AM PDT A special form of RNA called extra-coding RNA, or ecRNA, controls the careful targeting to add or remove methyl groups to chromosomal DNA of the adult neuron. The ecRNAs are fundamental regulators of DNA methylation patterns in the adult brain through interaction with DNA methyltransferase enzymes, are involved in creation of memories, and the ecRNAs may offer a promising future therapeutic avenue to treat neuropsychiatric disease.

Results of first study assessing clinical impact of ESMO-MCBS Posted: 07 Jul 2016 11:24 AM PDT Details of the first study by one of Europe's largest cancer centers assessing the clinical impact and feasibility of the ESMO Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale in a real-life context are now available to the public.

Model for predicting coastal storm damage in the North Sea Posted: 07 Jul 2016 10:18 AM PDT A system for predicting storm damage by waves in northern areas of the North Sea has been developed by mathematicians. The north-east Scottish coast was found to be more exposed to swell arriving from the North Atlantic and the Norwegian Sea, while the central and southern coasts were more exposed to local wind-sea waves and to storms generated in the wider North Sea.

Beating heart of the Crab Nebula Posted: 07 Jul 2016 10:18 AM PDT Peering deep into the core of the Crab Nebula, this close-up image reveals the beating heart of one of the most historic and intensively studied remnants of a supernova, an exploding star.

More frequent exercise therapy benefits bone strength in very low weight pre-term infants Posted: 07 Jul 2016 10:18 AM PDT A new study investigated whether increasing the frequency of physical activity intervention to twice daily has a greater effect on bone strength compared to a once daily intervention or no intervention at all. The findings demonstrate that the bone mass response to exercise in very low birth weight pre-term infants is dose-related.

Tunable wetting and adhesion of graphene demonstrated Posted: 07 Jul 2016 10:18 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated doping-induced tunable wetting and adhesion of graphene, revealing new and unique opportunities for advanced coating materials and transducers. The study suggests for the first time that the doping-induced modulation of the charge carrier density in graphene influences its wettability and adhesion.

Critical care health care professionals have high rates of burnout syndrome Posted: 07 Jul 2016 10:17 AM PDT A new report on burnout syndrome in critical care health care professionals gives key stakeholders guidance on mitigating the development of burnout syndrome and calls for initiating research to examine ways to prevent as well as treat burnout syndrome.

How cooperation emerges in competing populations Posted: 07 Jul 2016 10:17 AM PDT Social behavior like reaching a consensus is a matter of cooperation. However, individuals in populations often spontaneously compete and only cooperate under certain conditions. These problems are so ubiquitous that physicists have now developed models to understand the underlying logic that drives competition. A new study shows the dynamics of competing agents with an evolving tendency to collaborate that are linked through a network modeled as a disordered square lattice.

Like humans, lowly cockroach uses a GPS to get around, scientists find Posted: 07 Jul 2016 10:11 AM PDT Rats, men and cockroaches appear to have a similar GPS in their heads that allows them to navigate new surroundings, researchers have discovered.

Cancer cell lines predict drug response and accelerate personalized medicine Posted: 07 Jul 2016 10:11 AM PDT Research has shown that patient-derived cancer cell lines harbor most of the same genetic changes found in patients' tumors, and could be used to learn how tumors are likely to respond to new drugs, increasing the success rate for developing new personalized cancer treatments.

How the 'graying biomedical workforce' affects scientific funding in the US Posted: 07 Jul 2016 10:11 AM PDT As a result of the 'graying of the biomedical workforce' in the United States, many suspect that a preference for older, more experienced researchers in the competitive government grant application process is driving younger scientists away from academia. But a new government study into how the National Institutes of Health awards R01 grants questions this explanation.

Why architects should let the microbes in Posted: 07 Jul 2016 10:11 AM PDT Architectural design is often concerned with energy efficiency or aesthetics, not microbial exposure. But, in a new article environmental engineers make a case for assessing the benefits of having these unseen organisms in our homes. Maybe, they say, instead of pushing all of them out, we should let the right ones in.

High blood pressure by itself is not necessarily an emergency Posted: 07 Jul 2016 08:56 AM PDT Visits to emergency departments for patients with hypertension increased by 64 percent between 2002 and 2012 while hospitalizations for those visits declined by 28 percent. A new study suggests that aggressive home monitoring of blood pressure may be driving patients to emergency departments despite the lack of other emergency conditions, such as stroke.

Effect of cholesterol medicine on inflammatory diseases mapped Posted: 07 Jul 2016 08:56 AM PDT The cholesterol medicine simvastatin, which is one of the most commonly used pharmaceuticals in the world, also has a beneficial effect on the immune defense system with regard to diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers have now explored why this is so, and their findings may result in improved treatment.

Study looks at factors that influence retention of newly licensed nurses within hospitals Posted: 07 Jul 2016 08:56 AM PDT An American sample of new nurses working in hospitals sought to better inform unit-level retention strategies by pinpointing factors associated with job retention among newly licensed nurses.

How the bacterial protective shell is adapted to challenging environments Posted: 07 Jul 2016 08:54 AM PDT New findings on the adaptation of the bacterial cell wall have been released by scientists. The study reveals novel bacterial defense mechanisms against the immune system and how they can become resistant to antibiotics.

Researchers identify bacterial infection as a possible cause of bladder condition Posted: 07 Jul 2016 08:54 AM PDT A research team has identified bacterial infection as a possible cause of Overactive Bladder Syndrome (OAB). OAB is a condition where the bladder muscle spontaneously contracts before the bladder is full. In the USA, it is ranked in the top 10 of common chronic conditions, competing with both diabetes and depression, with a reported prevalence of up to 31-42% in the adult population.

New rapid gene test for mitochondrial disease Posted: 07 Jul 2016 08:54 AM PDT A genetic test has been developed, providing a rapid diagnosis of mitochondrial disorders to identify the first patients with inherited mutations in a new disease gene. The team of medics and scientists working on the study have identified mutations in a gene, known as TMEM126B, involved in energy production in patient's muscles.

Acupressure reduced fatigue in breast cancer survivors Posted: 07 Jul 2016 08:52 AM PDT Acupressure helped reduce persistent fatigue in women who had been treated for breast cancer, a new study finds. Fatigue is one of the most common long-term effects of breast cancer treatment. About a third of women experience moderate to severe fatigue up to 10 years after their treatment ends.

Combination chemo-radiation therapy may help preserve larynx for patients with laryngeal cancer Posted: 07 Jul 2016 08:52 AM PDT Researchers assessed the rates of laryngeal (having to do with the larynx [voice box]) preservation and laryngectomy-free survival in patients receiving the monoclonal antibody cetuximab and radiation therapy (CRT) or radiation therapy alone.

Vision-threatening stages of diabetic retinopathy associated with higher risk of depression Posted: 07 Jul 2016 08:52 AM PDT Researchers examined the association between severity of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema with symptoms of depression and anxiety in adults with diabetes.

Researcher finds link between parenting styles and workplace behaviors Posted: 07 Jul 2016 07:26 AM PDT If you're having problems at work, there's a chance that your parents might share some of the blame, a researcher suggests.

The benefits of exercise during pregnancy Posted: 07 Jul 2016 07:26 AM PDT Women who exercise during pregnancy are more likely to deliver vaginally than those who do not, and show no greater risk of preterm birth, research shows.

Rhesus macaques may be preying on bird eggs in Silver Springs Posted: 07 Jul 2016 07:26 AM PDT A new study in Florida is suggesting that that more needs to be learned about animals' habits and impacts so that park staff can make science-based decisions on how to manage non-native monkeys.

Breast cancer cells: The importance of keeping silent Posted: 07 Jul 2016 07:10 AM PDT Researchers describe a repression mechanism active in hormone-dependent breast cancer cells for the first time. The repression complex of these cells silences genes related with cell proliferation and death, two key processes in cancer. The discovery contributes new knowledge on gene-silencing mechanisms and will help identify new targets for possible future treatments.

How solar energy can be transformed into fuel Posted: 07 Jul 2016 07:10 AM PDT A new study look into the quest for sustainable fuel, and how solar energy can be transformed into exactly this. The new procedure uses the sun's thermal energy to convert carbon dioxide and water directly into synthetic fuel.

Weathering of rocks by mosses may explain climate effects during the Late Ordovician Posted: 07 Jul 2016 07:10 AM PDT During the Ordovician period, the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere was about eight times higher than today. It has been hard to explain why the climate cooled and why the Ordovician glaciations took place. A new study shows that the weathering of rock caused by early non-vascular plants had the potential to cause such a global cooling effect.

Understanding tsunamis with EM fields Posted: 07 Jul 2016 07:08 AM PDT New research shows that important focal parameters of tsunamigenic earthquakes -- particularly fault dip direction -- can be extracted from tsunami-borne electromagnetic fields. Such details may contribute to tsunami early warning systems that are more informative for residents of coastal areas.

Researchers report record performance for bismuth-based Zintl material Posted: 07 Jul 2016 07:07 AM PDT An international team of researchers has reported record thermoelectric performance from rarely studied bismuth-based Zintl phases, work that could lead to a new class of thermoelectric material. The new material is non-toxic and can be used at temperatures between 500 degrees and 600 degrees Celsius, or around 1,000 degrees Farenheit.

Obscure virus found in women with unexplained infertility Posted: 07 Jul 2016 07:07 AM PDT The little-known member of the human herpesvirus family called HHV-6A infects the lining of the uterus in 43 percent of women with unexplained infertility but cannot be found in that of fertile women, researchers have discovered. The study also reported that the infection is exacerbated by hormone estradiol. Estradiol fluctuates with the menstrual cycle. High levels may trigger an active infection localized in the uterus.

Nicotine exposure during pregnancy nearly twice as high as reported Posted: 07 Jul 2016 07:07 AM PDT More women may be smoking and exposed to nicotine during pregnancy than previously thought, according to research. The study reveals a significant gap between the number of local, pregnant mothers who report smoking during pregnancy and the number who test positive for nicotine exposure.

Children who watch lots of TV may have poor bone health later in life Posted: 07 Jul 2016 05:34 AM PDT Consistently watching high levels of television during childhood and adolescence were linked with lower peak bone mass at age 20 years in a recent study. Hours of television watching per week were recorded by parental or self-report at 5, 8, 10, 14, 17 and 20 years of age in 1181 participants. Those who consistently watched ?14 hours/week of television had lower bone mineral content than those who watched less television, even after adjusting for height, body mass, physical activity, calcium intake, vitamin D levels, alcohol, and smoking (all at age 20).

Exploring ways to 'coexist with wildlife' Posted: 07 Jul 2016 05:34 AM PDT Although protected areas such as national parks can play a crucial role in conserving wildlife, most species of large carnivores and large herbivores also depend on being able to occupy human-dominated landscapes. This sharing of space is often associated with conflicts between humans and wildlife, and between different groups of humans with divergent interests. In order to achieve a situation that can be described as "coexistence" there is a need to develop a more nuanced and realistic understanding of what this state looks like.

Butterflies' wing patterns change with the seasons Posted: 07 Jul 2016 05:34 AM PDT Tropical butterflies adapt to their environment to improve their chances of survival. The changes are triggered by hormone signals that transmit information about temperature to the butterflies' tissues. A biologist shows how a complex combination of environment, physiology and genetics steers the development of young butterflies.

Astronomers find evidence for ‘direct collapse’ black hole Posted: 07 Jul 2016 05:33 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered evidence for an unusual kind of black hole born extremely early in the universe. They showed that a recently discovered unusual source of intense radiation is likely powered by a "direct-collapse black hole," a type of object predicted by theorists more than a decade ago.

Running barefoot helps optimize technique, reduces risk of injury, study shows Posted: 07 Jul 2016 05:33 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated how barefoot running, when done properly, can considerably decrease the risk of injury as it produces significant changes to foot strike patterns, regardless of the speed of the runner.

Brain inflammation linked to depression in multiple sclerosis Posted: 07 Jul 2016 05:33 AM PDT Patients with multiple sclerosis have higher rates of depression than the general population, including people with other life-long disabling diseases. Symptoms of multiple sclerosis arise from an abnormal response of the body's immune system. Immune response has also been linked to depression, leading researchers to think it could be a shared pathological mechanism that leads to the increased rates of depressive symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Quantum processor for single photons Posted: 07 Jul 2016 05:32 AM PDT Scientists have realized a photon-photon logic gate via a deterministic interaction with a strongly coupled atom-resonator system.

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