ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Acoustic cloaking device hides objects from sound

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 03:47 PM PDT

Engineers have demonstrated the world's first three-dimensional acoustic cloak. The new device reroutes sound waves to create the impression that the cloak and anything beneath it are not there. The phenomenon works in all three dimensions, no matter which direction the sound is coming from or where the observer is located, and holds potential for future applications such as sonar avoidance and architectural acoustics.

Long-term warming likely to be significant despite recent slowdown

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 03:47 PM PDT

A new study shows Earth's climate likely will continue to warm during this century on track with previous estimates, despite the recent slowdown in the rate of global warming.

Diets high in animal protein may help prevent functional decline in elderly individuals

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 01:31 PM PDT

A diet high in protein, particularly animal protein, may help elderly individuals function at higher levels physically, psychologically, and socially, according to a study. The research suggests that as people age, their ability to absorb or process protein may decline. To compensate for this loss, protein requirements may increase with age.

Prosocial youth less likely to associate with deviant peers, engage in problem behaviors

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 01:30 PM PDT

Prosocial behaviors, or actions intended to help others, remain an important area of focus for researchers interested in factors that reduce violence and other behavioral problems in youth. However, little is known regarding the connection between prosocial and antisocial behaviors. A new study by a human development expert found that prosocial behaviors can prevent youth from associating with deviant peers, thereby making the youth less likely to exhibit antisocial or problem behaviors, such as aggression and delinquency.

Scientists 'herd' cells in new approach to tissue engineering

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 12:19 PM PDT

An electrical current can be used to orchestrate the flow of a group of cells, engineers have discovered. This achievement sets the stage for more controlled forms of tissue engineering and for potential applications such as 'smart bandages' that use electrical stimulation to help heal wounds. "This is the first data showing that direct current fields can be used to deliberately guide migration of a sheet of epithelial cells," said the study's lead author.

Link between missing DNA, birth defects confirmed

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 12:19 PM PDT

The genetic basis for a particular human syndrome that involves cleft palate, epilepsy and respiratory difficulties has been identified by researchers. Better understanding of these genes could help guide treatments for related conditions. "Epilepsy and cleft palate affect tens of thousands of children in the U.S. alone each year," authors said, "and respiratory failure is a particular problem in premature and low birth weight babies. Finding the causative genes for these conditions could have some very clinically important implications."

Substance naturally found in humans effective in fighting brain damage from stroke

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 12:19 PM PDT

A molecular substance that occurs naturally in humans and rats was found to 'substantially reduce' brain damage after an acute stroke and contribute to a better recovery, according to a newly released animal study. The study was the first ever to show that the peptide AcSDKP provides neurological protection when administered one to four hours after the onset of an ischemic stroke.

Solar policy pathways for U.S. states examined

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 11:15 AM PDT

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has published a report that aligns solar policy and market success with state demographics. By organizing the 48 contiguous states into four peer groups based on shared non-policy characteristics, the research team was able to contextualize the impact of various solar policies on photovoltaic installations.

Lack of sleep, stress describe a mother's experience after child's ALL treatment

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 11:15 AM PDT

Many months after their child's diagnosis and treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 46 percent of mothers exhibited symptoms of clinical anxiety and 26 percent of mothers showed depressive symptoms. The researchers chose to work with mothers in this maintenance period of relative stability following treatment so as to avoid making further demands on mothers during the acute period of their child's illness. This allowed them to look at the mid- and longer-term effects of a child's diagnosis on a mother's wellbeing.

Ocean food web is key in the global carbon cycle

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 11:15 AM PDT

Nothing dies of old age in the ocean. Everything gets eaten and all that remains of anything is waste. But that waste is pure gold to an oceanographer. In a study of the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle, oceanographers used those nuggets to their advantage. They incorporated the lifecycle of phytoplankton and zooplankton -- small, often microscopic animals at the bottom of the food chain -- into a novel mechanistic model for assessing the global ocean carbon export.

Cellular alchemy: How to make insulin-producing cells from gut cells

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 11:15 AM PDT

Introducing three proteins that control the regulation of DNA in the nucleus -- called transcription factors -- into an immune-deficient mouse turned a specific group of cells in the gut lining into beta-like cells. "Our results demonstrate that the intestine could be an accessible and abundant source of functional insulin-producing cells," says the lead author of the study. "Our ultimate goal is to obtain epithelial cells from diabetes patients who have had endoscopies, expand these cells, add PMN to them to make beta-like cells, and then give them back to the patient as an alternate therapy."

Free online software helps speed up genetic discoveries

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 11:14 AM PDT

Microarray analysis -- a complex technology commonly used in many applications such as discovering genes, disease diagnosis, drug development and toxicological research -- has just become easier and more user-friendly. Scientists have created free software that makes detection of genetic components of disease faster and easier; could help speed up genetic discoveries.

Why antisocial youth are less able to see perspective of others

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 10:36 AM PDT

Adolescents with antisocial personality disorder inflict serious physical and psychological harm on both themselves and others. However, little is yet known about the underlying neural processes. Researchers have pinpointed a possible explanation: Their brain regions responsible for social information processing and impulse control are less developed.

Land cover change over five years across North America revealed

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 10:36 AM PDT

A new set of maps featured in the CEC's North American Environmental Atlas depicts land cover changes in North America's forests, prairies, deserts and cities, using satellite images from 2005 and 2010.

MRI to 'see through' metal screws developed to follow patients after hip fracture surgery

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 10:36 AM PDT

People who sustain the most common type of hip fracture are at increased risk of complications. A special type of MRI has been developed that can show a detailed image following fracture repair, without the distortion caused by metal surgical screws that are problematic in standard MRIs. Each year, more than 340,000 people suffer a broken hip in the United States.

Magnet hospitals have higher quality of care, researcher finds

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:43 AM PDT

Research provides insight on the factors contributing to the differences between Magnet® and Non-Magnet hospitals as well as an analysis of the links between Magnet Recognition and better nurse-reported quality of care. Magnet recognition is considered a leading source for measuring organizational success in nursing. The research team found a clear positive correlation between positive nurses work environments and nurse-reported quality of care.

After major earthquake, silence: Dynamic stressing of a global system of faults results in rare seismic silence

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:43 AM PDT

In the global aftershock zone that followed the major April 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake, seismologists noticed an unusual pattern -- a dynamic 'stress shadow,' or period of seismic silence when some faults near failure were temporarily rendered incapable of a large rupture. Why did this rare period of quiet occur?

Improving safety, effectiveness of lithium therapy: Closer than ever

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:43 AM PDT

Lithium, one of the oldest and most widely used drugs to treat neuropsychiatric illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, has a serious drawback -- toxicity. In a continued effort to find a safer form of lithium, researchers have discovered that lithium salicylate, an alternative salt form, might be the answer.

Education boosts brain function long after school, study shows

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:43 AM PDT

Education significantly improves mental functioning in seniors even four decades after finishing school, shows a new study. The study shows that people who attended school for longer periods performed better in terms of cognitive functioning than those who did not. Using data from individuals aged around 60, the researchers found a positive impact of schooling on memory scores. The fact that young people or their parents did not choose whether to go longer to school strongly suggests that schooling is the cause rather than personal characteristics that would affect this choice and could also explain the differences in cognitive function.

Gesturing with hands a powerful tool for children's math learning

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:42 AM PDT

Children who use their hands to gesture during a math lesson gain a deep understanding of the problems they are taught, according to new research. Previous research has found that gestures can help children learn. This study in particular was designed to answer whether abstract gesture can support generalization beyond a particular problem and whether abstract gesture is a more effective teaching tool than concrete action.

Tracking neighborhood eating habits to promote healthier diets

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:42 AM PDT

Using checkout grocery data from Montreal neighborhoods as a tool to combat unhealthy food choices, a new study has developed a way for health agencies to track Montreal consumers' food choices, neighborhood by neighborhood. This novel approach could pave the way to better monitoring of consumers' behavior and more targeted efforts to encourage healthier diets.

Restoring order in brain: Brain cell regeneration may alleviate symptoms of Alzheimer's disease

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:42 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered that when they re-established a population of new cells in the part of the brain associated with behavior, some symptoms of Alzheimer's disease significantly decreased or were reversed altogether. While memory loss is a common symptom of Alzheimer's, other behavioral manifestations -- depression, loss of inhibition, delusions, agitation, anxiety, and aggression -- can be even more challenging for victims and their families to live with. The research was conducted on mouse models; it provides a promising target for Alzheimer's symptoms in human beings as well.

Empathy chimpanzees offer is key to understanding human engagement

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:42 AM PDT

New findings show that chimpanzees exhibit flexibility in their empathy, just as humans do. This may help explain the evolution of how and when humans engage with others and choose to offer flexibility, and how we can do so more.

More secure communications thanks to quantum physics

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:40 AM PDT

One of the recent revelations by Edward Snowden is that the U.S. National Security Agency is currently developing a quantum computer. Physicists aren't surprised by this news; such a computer could crack the encryption that is commonly used today in no time and would therefore be highly attractive  for the NSA.

Soil microbes shift as shrubs invade remnant hill prairies

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:40 AM PDT

Perched high on the bluffs of the big river valleys in the Midwest are some of the last remnants of never-farmed prairie grasslands. These patches, edged by forest, are slowly being taken over by shrubs. A recent study examined the soil microbes on nine patches, also called "balds," that had varying degrees of shrub invasion and found an interesting shift in the composition of the microbial community.

Concerns and considerations with the naming of Mars craters

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:40 AM PDT

Recently initiatives that capitalise on the public's interest in space and astronomy have proliferated, some putting a price tag on naming space objects and their features, such as Mars craters. The International Astronomical Union would like to emphasize that such initiatives go against the spirit of free and equal access to space, as well as against internationally recognized regulations. Hence no purchased names can ever be used on official maps and globes.

Time versus money? Placing a value on buyer's remorse

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:39 AM PDT

From a product's price to its convenience, ease of use, and number of overall features, many factors play into getting the most "bang for your buck." According to a new study, when it comes to weighing tradeoffs, selecting something more expensive based on perceived value might lead to buyer's remorse in the long run. 

Cancer cells don't take 'drunken' walks through body

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:38 AM PDT

Biologists have believed that cancers cells spread through the body in a slow, aimless fashion, resembling a drunk who can't walk three steps in a straight line. They now know that's true in a flat petri dish, but not in the three-dimensional space of an actual body. This finding is important because it should lead to more accurate results for scientists studying how cancer spreads through the body, often leading to a grim prognosis. To address this dimensional disagreement, the study's authors have produced a new mathematical formula that they say better reflects the behavior of cells migrating through 3D environments.

How Twitter shapes public opinion

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:38 AM PDT

How exactly does Twitter, with its 241 million users tweeting out 500 million messages daily, shape public opinion? That question was tackled by a group of researchers in China, who investigated how opinions evolve on Twitter by gathering about 6 million messages (tweeted over a six month period), which they ran through algorithms and analyzed. The work reveals several surprises about how Twitter shapes public opinion, researchers say.

Chip-scale tunable laser to enable bandwidth-on-demand in advanced optical networks

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:37 AM PDT

Researchers have demonstrated the smallest wavelength-tunable laser fabricated by microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. The laser features a wide tuning range which enables telecommunications providers to cost-effectively expand system capacity in advanced optical networks to support high data packets at ultra fast speed. By having one laser, instead of several, that can generate light over a range of wavelengths, the network infrastructure is greatly simplified, and inventory and operational costs are dramatically reduced, thus strengthening the capability of telecommunications providers to deliver bandwidth-on-demand services at higher profit margins.

Bending the light with a tiny chip: Silicon chip acts as a lens-free projector, may one day fit in cell phones

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PDT

Traditional projectors -- like those used to project a film or classroom lecture notes -- pass a beam of light through a tiny image, using lenses to map each point of the small picture to corresponding points on a large screen. A tiny silicon chip eliminates the need for bulky and expensive lenses, and instead projects the image electronically by 'bending the light' with no mechanically moving parts.

Face matching for passports and IDs incredibly fallible

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:59 AM PDT

New research finds face matching, as when customs agents check passports, to be incredibly fallible, with error rates between 10 and 20 percent under ideal, laboratory-induced conditions, and much worse in more realistic settings.

Anesthetic technique improves quality of recovery for women having breast cancer surgery

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:58 AM PDT

Anesthesiologists using a technique similar to a dental freeze can improve the quality of recovery and decrease recovery time for breast cancer surgery patients, according to a new study. The paravertebral block technique uses ultrasound to precisely guide a needle to intercostal nerves reaching the breast and deliver local anesthetic to freeze these nerves. In total, five blocks are needed to freeze the five nerves involved. The freeze blocks the transmission of pain from the breast where surgeons can perform full or partial mastectomies, or even reconstructive breast surgery. At the same time, patients are given an intravenous drug called propofol which allows them to sleep through the surgery and continue breathing on their own, without needing a breathing tube or a ventilator.

To drink or not to drink: Decision-making center of brain identified

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:58 AM PDT

Although choosing to do something because the perceived benefit outweighs the financial cost is something people do daily, little is known about what happens in the brain when a person makes these kinds of decisions. Studying how these cost-benefit decisions are made when choosing to consume alcohol, a researcher identified distinct profiles of brain activity that are present when making these decisions.

Saturn and Jupiter: X-ray laser spies deep into giant gas planets

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:58 AM PDT

Using DESY's X-ray laser FLASH, researchers took a sneak peek deep into the lower atmospheric layers of giant gas planets such as Jupiter or Saturn. The observations reveal how liquid hydrogen becomes a plasma, providing information on the material's thermal conductivity and its internal energy exchange -- important ingredients for planetary models.

Cosmetic treatment can open door to bacteria

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:49 AM PDT

Many people have 'fillers' injected into their facial tissue to give them 'bee-stung lips' or to smooth out their wrinkles. Unfortunately, a lot of cosmetic treatment customers experience unpleasant side effects in the form of tender subcutaneous lumps that are difficult to treat and which -- in isolated cases -- have led to lesions that simply will not heal. Research recently published now supports that, despite the highest levels of hygiene, this unwanted side effect is caused by bacterial infection.

California and Arizona amaze with two new species of desert poppy

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:49 AM PDT

Not quite desert roses, two new species of desert poppies from North America amaze with their simple beauty. The newly described plants are found in the deserts of California and Arizona and have a vibrant yellow colored flowers, typical for all the desert dwellers from the Eschscholzia genus of the poppy family.

Potential heart attack drug without side effects under development

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:49 AM PDT

A team of scientists combining molecular pharmacology and medicinal chemistry reveal new insights into a specific protein belonging to the family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). After successfully combining two molecules, they are a step closer to creating a brand new class of drug that is more targeted and could possess minimal side effects.

Speed trap for fish catches domestic trout moving too slow

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:49 AM PDT

Researchers have documented dramatic differences in the swimming ability of domesticated trout and their wilder relatives. The study calls into question the ability of hatcheries to mitigate more than a century of disturbances to wild fish populations.

Statins may lower blood clot risk following joint replacement surgery

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:13 AM PDT

New, first-of-its-kind research has found that statins, when used in conjunction with conventional blood clot prevention therapies, significantly reduced the risk for venous thromboembolic events following total joint replacement surgery. The number of total hip and total knee replacement surgeries continues to rise each year (more than one million were performed in 2011). And while these procedures are safe and effective, and diminish pain and restore mobility in the vast majority of patients, there is a risk for side effects, including the rare formation of a VTE -- a blood clot located within a deep vein in the thigh or calf following surgery.

Hip, knee replacements may boost cardiovascular health in osteoarthritis patients

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:13 AM PDT

Total joint replacement may reduce the risk for 'cardiac events,' including heart attack and stroke, and boost long-term survival, new research shows. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Osteoarthritis ─ a progressive disease of the joints affecting a third of persons over the age of 65 ─ causes pain and limits mobility. The researchers concluded that the results are probably due to the increased capability for moderate physical activity (such as a brisk walk several times a week), which has "direct benefits for hypertension, obesity and diabetes, all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and all of which are highly prevalent in individuals with osteoarthritis."

Personality predicts social learning in wild monkeys: Bold or anxious baboons learn to solve tasks from other baboons

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:11 AM PDT

Baboons learn from other baboons about new food sources -- but only if they are bold or anxious. The results suggest that personality plays a key role in social learning in animals, something previously ignored in animal cognition studies. Researchers examined how personality influenced whether baboons solved foraging tasks and whether they then demonstrated to others how to solve the tasks. They found bolder baboons did both.

New software records vast amounts of hyerspectral data in real time

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:07 AM PDT

Cameras with hyperspectral sensors can observe far more than the human eye. Unlike the retina, which has only three color receptors (red, green and blue), these sensors can generate 130 different color values per pixel. Using this high-grade color resolution, an entire range of different materials can be differentiated impeccably -- even if, at first glance, they appear the same to the human eye. Researchers are now unveiling the SpectralFinder -- a software application that can record vast amounts of hyperspectral data on a mobile platform and analyze them in real time.

Timid jumping spider uses ant as bodyguard

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT

Ants are the unlikely guardians of jumping spiders in their battle against aggressive spitting spiders. A timid jumping spider uses the scent of ants as a secret weapon to save itself from becoming the somewhat soggy prey of the predatory spitting spider. The downside to this plan is that jumping spiders are also a favorite snack of its very own saviors. To overcome this additional hazard, the spider has made yet another plan in the form of an ant-proof nest.

LED lamps: Less energy, more light

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT

LEDs are durable and save energy. Now researchers have found a way to make LED lamps even more compact while supplying more light than commercially available models. The key to success: transistors made of the semiconductor material gallium nitride.

Exotic plant species alter ecosystem productivity

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT

Biologists have reported an increase in biomass production in ecosystems colonized by non-native plant species. In the face of climate change, these and other changes to ecosystems are predicted to become more frequent, according to the researchers.

Milky Way amidst a 'Council of Giants'

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT

We live in a galaxy known as the Milky Way -- a vast conglomeration of 300 billion stars, planets whizzing around them, and clouds of gas and dust floating in between. Though it has long been known that the Milky Way and its orbiting companion Andromeda are the dominant members of a small group of galaxies, the Local Group, which is about 3 million light years across, much less was known about our immediate neighborhood in the universe. Now, a new article maps out bright galaxies within 35-million light years of the Earth, offering up an expanded picture of what lies beyond our doorstep.

Plaques detected in brain scans forecast cognitive impairment

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:03 AM PDT

Brain imaging using radioactive dye can detect early evidence of Alzheimer's disease that may predict future cognitive decline among adults with mild or no cognitive impairment, according to a 36-month follow-up study. Alzheimer's disease -- which currently has no cure -- afflicts an estimated five million U.S. adults, and is the sixth-leading cause of death among adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prior studies have found that changes in the brain begin years, and possibly decades, before cognitive symptoms emerge. A biomarker that could accurately identify those at greatest risk for cognitive decline could help clinicians better evaluate and treat patients, while also accelerating the testing of drugs to treat the disease.

Effective thermal camouflage and invisibility device for soldiers created

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:03 AM PDT

Scientists have created a thermal illusion device to control thermal camouflage and invisibility using thermotic materials. Every natural object exhibits thermal signatures. However, if these signals are blocked or masked, then these objects become undetectable. The new device can block thermal signatures (leading to invisibility) and provide illusionary camouflage at the same time. This cloaking technology is cost-effective, easily scalable, as well as applicable to even bigger objects (such as soldiers on night missions), and it has also overcome limitations like narrow bandwidth and polarization-dependence. The technology is ready to roll out for military applications.

Galaxies in the early universe mature beyond their years

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 06:39 PM PDT

An international team of researchers has discovered the most distant examples of galaxies in the early universe that were already mature and massive. The mature galaxies were found at a record-breaking distance of 12 billion light years, seen when the universe was just 1.6 billion years old. Their existence at such an early time raises new questions about what forced them to grow up so quickly.

Possible evidence for dark matter particle presented at UCLA physics symposium

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 06:23 PM PDT

Dark matter, the mysterious substance estimated to make up approximately more than one-quarter of the mass of the universe, is crucial to the formation of galaxies, stars and even life but has so far eluded direct observation. At a recent UCLA symposium attended by 190 scientists from around the world, physicists presented several analyses that participants interpreted to imply the existence of a dark matter particle. The likely mass would be approximately 30 billion electron-volts, said the symposium's organizer.

Girls born small or underweight twice as likely to be infertile in adulthood

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 06:06 PM PDT

Girls born unexpectedly small or underweight seem to be twice as likely to have fertility problems in adulthood as those of normal size at birth, suggests new research. "As medical research and care advances, more infants will be born [with low birthweight or small size] and survive, which in turn might influence future need of infertility treatment," the authors conclude.

Light pollution impairs rainforest regeneration: Seed-dispersing bats avoid feeding in light polluted areas

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 06:06 PM PDT

Increasing light pollution in tropical habitats could be hampering regeneration of rainforests because of its impact on nocturnal seed-dispersers. These new findings show that seed-dispersing bats avoid feeding in light-polluted areas.

New light shed on changing Greenland ice

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 03:28 PM PDT

Research using NASA data is giving new insight into one of the processes causing Greenland's ice sheet to lose mass. A team of scientists used satellite observations and ice thickness measurements gathered by NASA's Operation IceBridge to calculate the rate at which ice flows through Greenland's glaciers into the ocean. The findings of this research give a clearer picture of how glacier flow affects the Greenland Ice Sheet and shows that this dynamic process is dominated by a small number of glaciers. Over the past few years, Operation IceBridge measured the thickness of many of Greenland's glaciers, which allowed researchers to make a more accurate calculation of ice discharge rates. In a new study, researchers calculated ice discharge rates for 178 Greenland glaciers more than one kilometer (0.62 miles) wide.

Impersonating poisonous prey: Evolution of interspecific communication

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 03:28 PM PDT

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery -- especially in the predator/prey/poison cycle. In nature, bright colors are basically neon signs that scream, 'Don't eat me!' But how did prey evolve these characteristics? When did predators translate the meaning?

Natural selection has altered the appearance of Europeans over the past 5,000 years

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 03:27 PM PDT

There has been much research into the factors that have influenced the human genome since the end of the last Ice Age. Anthropologists, geneticists and archaeologists have analyzed ancient DNA from skeletons and found that selection has had a significant effect on the human genome even in the past 5,000 years, resulting in sustained changes to the appearance of people.

New treatment for atrial fibrillation reduces stroke risk

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 03:25 PM PDT

A new nonsurgical technique called the LARIAT Suture Delivery Device is now in use to treat patients with atrial fibrillation, or A-Fib, who cannot tolerate blood thinning medication. A-Fib is the most common heart rhythm disorder that causes the upper chambers of the heart to beat fast and erratically. An estimated 2.7 million Americans are living with the disorder, and if uncontrolled, can have serious consequences including stroke and early death. Currently the condition accounts for more than 20 percent of stroke-related deaths.

Poison centers benefit patients, reduce medical costs

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 03:25 PM PDT

Patients who received help from a poison center had shorter hospital stays and lower hospital charges among those who are the most expensive to treat, according to a study. Poison centers provide 24-hour assistance year round to the public and to medical professionals. While studies show that poison centers reduce system-wide costs, their impact on patient outcomes at the hospital level has not been clear, the study's authors report.

Unique individual with lupus and HIV demonstrates desired immune response to HIV

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 03:25 PM PDT

One person's unique ability to fight HIV has provided key insights into an immune response that researchers now hope to trigger with a vaccine, according to new findings. The person had a rare combination of both lupus and HIV. Lupus, specifically systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE, is a disease in which the immune system attacks the body's cells and tissue.

Small biomass power plants could help rural economies, stabilize national power grid

Posted: 10 Mar 2014 01:15 PM PDT

Researchers have found that creating a bioenergy grid with these small plants could benefit people in rural areas of the country as well as provide relief to an overworked national power grid.