ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Evolutionary biology: New approach to tackle global challenges in food security, emerging diseases and biodiversity loss

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:40 AM PDT

Solving global challenges in food security, emerging diseases and biodiversity loss requires evolutionary thinking, argues a new study. For the first time, an international team of nine scientists has reviewed progress in addressing a broad set of challenges in agriculture, medicine and environmental management using approaches that consider evolutionary histories and the likelihood of rapid adaptation to human activities.

Protein that causes frontotemporal dementia also implicated in Alzheimer's disease

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:40 AM PDT

Low levels of the naturally occurring protein progranulin exacerbate cellular and cognitive dysfunction, while raising levels can prevent abnormalities in an Alzheimer's model.

Smart, eco-friendly new battery made of seeds and pine resin

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:40 AM PDT

Present-day lithium batteries are efficient but involve a range of resource and environmental problems. Using materials from alfalfa (lucerne seed) and pine resin and a clever recycling strategy, researchers have now come up with a highly interesting alternative.

Scientists make droplets move on their own

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:38 AM PDT

Droplets are simple spheres of fluid, not normally considered capable of doing anything on their own. But now researchers have made droplets of alcohol move through water. In the future, such moving droplets may deliver medicines.

Signature of aging in brain identified by scientists

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:38 AM PDT

Evidence of a unique 'signature' that may be the 'missing link' between cognitive decline and aging has been found by researchers. The scientists believe that this discovery may lead, in the future, to treatments that can slow or reverse cognitive decline in older people.

Predicting landslides with light

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:38 AM PDT

A team of researchers in Italy are expanding the reach of optical fiber sensors 'to the hills' by embedding them in shallow trenches within slopes to detect and monitor both large landslides and slow slope movements.

Tooth buried in bone shows prehistoric predators tangled across land, sea

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:06 AM PDT

Before dinosaurs, it was thought the top aquatic and terrestrial predators didn't often interact. But researchers have discovered that the smaller of the two apex predators was potentially targeting the larger animal.

Simulations reveal an unusual death for ancient stars

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:05 AM PDT

Certain primordial stars -- between 55,000 and 56,000 times the mass of our sun, or solar masses -- may have died unusually. In death, these objects -- among the universe's first generation of stars -- would have exploded as supernovae and burned completely, leaving no remnant black hole behind.

Hand size appears to stay constant, providing natural 'ruler'

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:05 AM PDT

People tend to perceive their dominant hand as staying relatively the same size even when it's magnified, lending support to the idea that we use our hand as a constant perceptual 'ruler' to measure the world around us.

Self-made billionaires more likely to give than inheritors

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:04 AM PDT

Billionaires who have built their own fortunes are more likely to pledge to donate a large portion of their wealth to charities, than those who are heirs to family fortunes, a study has shown. The researchers examined written testaments of wealthy philanthropists who have signed up to The Giving Pledge, a venture which encourages billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth to charitable causes.

On the trail of the truffle flavor

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:04 AM PDT

Truffles, along with caviar, are among the most expensive foods in the world. Because they grow underground, people use trained dogs or pigs to find them. But the distinctive smell of truffles is not only of interest to gourmets. A group of scientists have discovered that the smell of white truffles is largely produced by soil bacteria which are trapped inside truffle fruiting bodies.

Remote healthcare for an aging population

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:03 AM PDT

An aging population and an increased incidence of debilitating illnesses such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease means there is pressure on technology to offer assistance with healthcare - monitoring and treatment. Research points to remote monitoring as offering a way to improve patient care and even accelerate medical research.

Ultra-fast semiconductor nano-lasers turn on and off faster than any before

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:03 AM PDT

Physicist have develop ultra-fast semiconductor nano-lasers. One thousand billion operations per second – this peak value has now been achieved by semiconductor nano-lasers.

Investigating 'underground' habitat of Listeria bacteria

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:03 AM PDT

The literature describes Listeria as ubiquitous bacteria with widespread occurrence. Yet they only become a problem for humans and animals when they contaminate food processing facilities, multiply, and enter the food chain in high concentrations. An infection with Listeria monocytogenes can even be fatal for humans or animals with weakened immune systems.

Mimicking brain cells to boost computer memory power

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:03 AM PDT

Researchers have brought ultra-fast, nano-scale data storage within striking reach, using technology that mimics the human brain. The researchers have built a novel nano-structure that offers a new platform for the development of highly stable and reliable nanoscale memory devices.

New data on combination treatments for melanoma

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:03 AM PDT

Combination therapy with both BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib and MEK inhibitor cobimetinib achieves greater progression-free survival and response rates than vemurafenib plus placebo in BRAF-mutation positive melanoma, according to phase III data.

Nivolumab shows signs of superior response rate compared to standard chemotherapy in advanced melanoma

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:03 AM PDT

The monoclonal antibody nivolumab achieves superior response rates and a longer duration of response than standard chemotherapy in patients whose melanoma has progressed after treatment with ipilimumab, according to phase III data.

Asking parents smart questions can help obese kids lose weight

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:02 AM PDT

Preventing childhood obesity may begin at home, but there's plenty nurses can do to help parents embrace healthy lifestyle choices, says one expert. For tips about diet and exercise to stick, clinicians need to take the time to interview families about their habits, she adds.

Cells from placentas safe for patients with multiple sclerosis, study shows

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 06:02 AM PDT

Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) were able to safely tolerate treatment with cells cultured from human placental tissue, according to a study. "This is the first time placenta-derived cells have been tested as a possible therapy for multiple sclerosis," said the lead investigator of the study. "The next step will be to study larger numbers of MS patients to assess efficacy of the cells, but we could be looking at a new frontier in treatment for the disease."

'Cloaking' device uses ordinary lenses to hide objects across range of angles

Posted: 29 Sep 2014 05:52 AM PDT

Inspired perhaps by Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, scientists have recently developed several ways -- some simple and some involving new technologies -- to hide objects from view. The latest effort not only overcomes some of the limitations of previous devices, but it uses inexpensive, readily available materials in a novel configuration.

While the Arctic is melting, the Gulf Stream remains

Posted: 28 Sep 2014 01:13 PM PDT

The melting Arctic is not the source for less saline Nordic Seas. It is the Gulf Stream that has provided less salt. A new study documents that the source of fresher Nordic Seas since 1950 is rooted in the saline Atlantic as opposed to Arctic freshwater that is the common inference.

Human genome was shaped by an evolutionary arms race with itself

Posted: 28 Sep 2014 12:47 PM PDT

An evolutionary arms race between rival elements within the genomes of primates drove the evolution of complex regulatory networks that orchestrate the activity of genes in every cell of our bodies, researach shows. The arms race is between mobile DNA sequences known as 'retrotransposons' (a.k.a. 'jumping genes') and the genes that have evolved to control them.

Early sign of pancreatic cancer identified by researchers

Posted: 28 Sep 2014 12:47 PM PDT

A sign of the early development of pancreatic cancer –- an upsurge in certain amino acids that occurs before the disease is diagnosed and symptoms appear -- has been identified by a team of researchers. Although the increase isn't large enough to be the basis of a new test for early detection of the disease, the findings will help researchers better understand how pancreatic cancer affects the rest of the body.

Adding cediranib to chemotherapy improves progression-free survival for metastatic or recurrent cervical cancer, phase II trial shows

Posted: 28 Sep 2014 09:56 AM PDT

For patients with cervical cancer that has recurred after treatment or has spread elsewhere in the body, adding the experimental drug cediranib to standard chemotherapy improves tumor shrinkage and adds a modest improvement in progression-free survival, researchers report.

Pertuzumab adds 16 months survival benefit to trastuzumab and chemotherapy treatment for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer

Posted: 28 Sep 2014 09:56 AM PDT

Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread to other parts of their body live around 16 months longer if treated with a combination of pertuzumab, trastuzumab and chemotherapy compared to those treated with trastuzumab and chemotherapy alone, updated results from the CLEOPATRA study reveal.

Crizotinib treatment effective against ROS1-positive lung cancer, study suggests

Posted: 27 Sep 2014 11:59 AM PDT

Treatment with the targeted therapy drug crizotinib effectively halted the growth of lung tumors driven by rearrangements of the ROS1 gene in a small clinical trial.

French studies measure benefits of colorectal cancer screening

Posted: 27 Sep 2014 11:59 AM PDT

The introduction of biennial colorectal cancer screening in a region of France increased the rate of diagnosis of high risk pre-cancerous adenomas (sometimes called polyps) by 89%, researchers have reported.

Customizing chemotherapy in lung cancer: New phase II data reported

Posted: 27 Sep 2014 11:59 AM PDT

Measuring the expression levels of an enzyme involved in DNA synthesis can help predict the response of lung cancers to certain treatments, a Korean study has shown. In a randomized phase II study, researchers showed that patients whose lung cancers expressed low levels of an enzyme called thymidylate synthase experienced a greater benefit from treatment with the combination of pemetrexed and cisplatin than those whose tumors expressed high levels.

Chemotherapy: Rolapitant reduces nausea and vomiting in phase III trial

Posted: 27 Sep 2014 11:58 AM PDT

Rolapitant reduces nausea and vomiting in patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy, according to the results of a phase III trial.

Second-line afatinib significantly improves progression-free survival in recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer, phase III trial shows

Posted: 27 Sep 2014 11:58 AM PDT

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor afatinib significantly improved progression-free survival compared to methotrexate in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy, the results of a phase III trial show.

Anamorelin shown to improve appetite and body mass in patients with cancer anorexia-cachexia

Posted: 27 Sep 2014 11:58 AM PDT

A new drug, anamorelin, improves appetite and body mass in patients with advanced lung cancer who are suffering cancer anorexia and cachexia, according to phase III data.

Cancer during pregnancy: chemotherapy and radiotherapy are safe for babies, studies suggest

Posted: 27 Sep 2014 11:58 AM PDT

Children who are exposed to chemotherapy or radiotherapy while in the womb suffer no negative impacts on mental or cardiac development, international studies have shown. "When chemotherapy is administered after the first trimester of pregnancy, we cannot discern any problems in the children," says lead author of a study on the topic.

Bacterial genome important to fuel and chemical production sequenced

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 06:35 PM PDT

Researchers sequence the entire genome of the Clostridium autoethanogenum bacterium, which is used to sustainably produce fuel and chemicals from a range of raw materials, including gases derived from biomass and industrial wastes.

Predicting electric power outages before they happen

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 06:35 PM PDT

Power outages are often the result of automated protection measures that ensure power surges or downed power lines don't injure people, damage trees, damage appliances or impact other parts of the grid.

Smelly discovery challenges effectiveness of antimicrobial textiles

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 12:04 PM PDT

Anti-odor clothing may not be living up to its promise, and a researcher is saying it could all be a matter of how the product was tested.

'Milky Way explorer' tours the solar system

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 12:04 PM PDT

Imagine seeing the Sun, planets, and a myriad other objects in our Solar System as you have never seen them before -- in invisible radio light! The National Radio Astronomy Observatory released a new Solar System installment of its Milky Way Explorer.

Children with autism more sedentary than their peers, study shows

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 11:10 AM PDT

Children with autism are more sedentary than their typically-developing peers, a study shows, averaging 50 minutes less a day of moderate physical activity and 70 minutes more each day sitting.