ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Researchers have breakthrough on how persistent bacteria avoid antibiotics

Posted: 29 Dec 2013 08:20 AM PST

The mechanism by which some bacteria are able to survive antibacterial treatment has been revealed for the first time.  Their work could pave the way for new ways to control such bacteria. 

Surgery vs. non-invasive treatment -- which is better for herniated discs?

Posted: 27 Dec 2013 01:18 PM PST

For patients with herniated discs in the lower (lumbar) spine, surgery leads to greater long-term improvement in pain, functioning, and disability compared to nonsurgical treatment, concludes an eight year follow-up study.

Researchers point to digital gains in human recognition

Posted: 26 Dec 2013 03:16 PM PST

Human beings are highly efficient at recognizing familiar faces, even from very poor quality images.

Fate of eels

Posted: 26 Dec 2013 11:31 AM PST

The European eel is one of the world's many critically endangered species. Comprehensive protection is difficult because many details of the eel's complex life cycle remain unknown. In a multidisciplinary study, biologists and oceanographers recently demonstrated the crucial influence of ocean currents on eel recruitment. They did so by using, among others, a state-of-the-art ocean model, in combination with genetic studies.

Extensive use of antibiotics in agriculture creating public health crisis, study shows

Posted: 26 Dec 2013 08:53 AM PST

Citing an overabundance in the use of antibiotics by the agriculture and aquaculture industries that poses a threat to public health, an economics professor has proposed a solution in the form of user fees on the non-human use of antibiotics.

New genetic risk factor for type 2 diabetes revealed

Posted: 26 Dec 2013 08:53 AM PST

An international team of researchers in Mexico and the United States has uncovered a new genetic clue that contributes to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly the elevated risk among Mexican and other Latin American populations.

Epigenetics enigma resolved

Posted: 26 Dec 2013 08:53 AM PST

Scientists have obtained the first detailed molecular structure of a member of the Tet family of enzymes. The finding is important for the field of epigenetics because Tet enzymes chemically modify DNA, changing signposts that tell the cell's machinery "this gene is shut off" into other signs that say "ready for a change."

New drug candidates show promise for cure for Chagas disease

Posted: 26 Dec 2013 08:53 AM PST

A team of Canadian researchers has developed a class of compounds which may help eradicate a neglected tropical disease that is currently hard to kill in its chronic form.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent slows rate of progression of neurodegenerative disease

Posted: 24 Dec 2013 03:36 PM PST

Among patients with familial amyloid polyneuropathy, a lethal, genetic neurodegenerative disease, use of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent diflunisal compared with placebo for two years reduced the rate of progression in neurological impairment and preserved quality of life, according to a study.

Use of antidepressant does not improve symptoms from stomach disorder

Posted: 24 Dec 2013 03:36 PM PST

Among patients with idiopathic (of unknown cause) gastroparesis, use of the antidepressant nortriptyline compared with placebo for 15 weeks did not result in improvement in overall symptoms, according to a study.

Using maths, researchers seek to improve success in transplants

Posted: 24 Dec 2013 03:35 PM PST

Given that 10.5 % of patients who receive a transplant reject the new organ, researchers are working in the design of a tool capable of preventing this problem. The process consists in knowing the type of proteins in charge of metabolizing the drugs (enzymes) for each patient which would, helped by a mathematical model, allow to establish the exact dose needed of the immunosuppressive drugs required.

New approach to vertex connectivity could maximize networks' bandwidth

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:19 PM PST

Computer scientists are constantly searching for ways to squeeze ever more bandwidth from communications networks. Now a new approach to understanding a basic concept in graph theory, known as "vertex connectivity," could ultimately lead to communications protocols -- the rules that govern how digital messages are exchanged -- that coax as much bandwidth as possible from networks.

Laser demonstration reveals bright future for space communication

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:19 PM PST

The completion of the 30-day Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration or LLCD mission has revealed that the possibility of expanding broadband capabilities in space using laser communications is as bright as expected.

Walking the walk: What sharks, honeybees and humans have in common

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:19 PM PST

In the first study of human hunter-gatherer movement patterns, a team led by UA anthropologist David Raichlen has found that the tribe's movements while foraging can be described by a mathematical pattern called a Lévy walk -- a pattern that also is found in the movements of many other animals, from sharks to honey bees.

Gene that influences the ability to remember faces identified

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:14 PM PST

New findings suggest the oxytocin receptor, a gene known to influence mother-infant bonding and pair bonding in monogamous species, also plays a special role in the ability to remember faces. This research has important implications for disorders in which social information processing is disrupted, including autism spectrum disorder. In addition, the finding may lead to new strategies for improving social cognition in several psychiatric disorders.

Cone snails are for life, not just at Christmas

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:13 PM PST

Those who fly to tropical shores this Christmas in search of sea and sun may be unaware that an exotic shell picked from the beach could potentially bring relief to many thousands of people suffering life-threatening illnesses. 

Democracy pays

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:13 PM PST

Individuals do not always obey the rules, and often exploit the willingness of others to cooperate in the case of tax evasion. Institutions, such as the police, provide protection from misconduct, but such institutions don't just come about spontaneously -- they cost money. An interdisciplinary team of researchers has now used an experimental game to investigate the conditions under which institutions of this kind can nevertheless arise.

Attacking fungal infection, one of world's major killers

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 03:13 PM PST

Fungal infections take more than 1.3 million lives each year worldwide, nearly as many as tuberculosis, in addition to contributing to blindness, asthma and other major health problems. A researcher has made it his mission to reduce the death toll and severe disability that fungi can cause.

Role of chronic medical conditions in readmissions

Posted: 23 Dec 2013 08:48 AM PST

In new findings, researchers find that the most frequent reasons for readmission were often related, either directly or indirectly, to patients' underlying chronic medical conditions (comorbidities), providing a new opportunity for focus in reducing readmission rates.