ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

First direct evidence of cosmic inflation

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 09:58 AM PDT

Almost 14 billion years ago, the universe we inhabit burst into existence in an extraordinary event that initiated the Big Bang. In the first fleeting fraction of a second, the universe expanded exponentially, stretching far beyond the view of our best telescopes. All this, of course, was just theory. Researchers now announce the first direct evidence for this cosmic inflation. Their data also represent the first images of gravitational waves, or ripples in space-time. These waves have been described as the "first tremors of the Big Bang." Finally, the data confirm a deep connection between quantum mechanics and general relativity.

Back to life after 1,500 years: Moss brought back to life after 1,500 years frozen in ice

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 09:50 AM PDT

Researchers have demonstrated that, after over 1,500 years frozen in Antarctic ice, moss can come back to life and continue to grow. For the first time, this vital part of the ecosystem in both polar regions has been shown to have the ability to survive century to millennial scale ice ages. This provides exciting new insight into the survival of life on Earth.

Younger men receive faster care for heart attacks, angina compared with women of same age, study shows

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 09:50 AM PDT

In younger adults experiencing heart attacks and angina, men are more likely to receive faster care compared with women, new research shows. In the study, men received faster access to electrocardiograms (ECGs) and fibrinolysis than women, with door-to-ECG and door-to-needle times of 15 and 21 minutes and 28 and 36 minutes, respectively. The study also found that gender-related factors affected access to care for both men and women.

Pathways that direct immune system to turn 'on' or 'off' found

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 09:49 AM PDT

Manipulating the CD80/CD86 pathway may yield new strategies for treating multiple myeloma, new research on dendritic cells suggests. This research focused on the immune system's dendritic cells (DCs), crucial cells that initiate and regulate immune responses. For example, the dendritic cells activate T lymphocytes to fight an infection or cancer. Curiously, they are also known to suppress the immune response. Determining when DCs turn the immune response "on" or "off" is a major question in immunology.

Fighting antibiotic resistance with 'molecular drill bits'

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 09:49 AM PDT

In response to drug-resistant "superbugs" that send millions of people to hospitals around the world, scientists are building tiny, "molecular drill bits" that kill bacteria by bursting through their protective cell walls. Researchers have presented some of the latest developments on these drill bits, better known to scientists as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).

Baby's life saved after 3-D printed devices were implanted restore his breathing

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 09:49 AM PDT

Garrett is just the second person whose life was saved with a new, bioresorbable device. He needed to be on a ventilator at pressure levels that had reached the maximum, and he was not improving. Often on strong medication, and even at times in a medically-induced coma because he would work against the ventilator if he was awake, Garrett's family learned about a procedure that might just change his life.

Risk factors for little-known lung infection identified

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 07:35 AM PDT

Severe and sometimes fatal lung disease caused by a group of bacteria in the same family as those that cause tuberculosis is much more common than previously thought, with Caucasians 55 and older at greatest risk, report researchers. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) include more than 150 types of bacteria that can infect the lungs when inhaled. Unlike tuberculosis, NTM is not contagious and cannot spread from person to person. The infection is treatable, but antibiotic therapy is expensive and can take up to two years. Rates of infection have climbed significantly since the 1980s.

How the science of deer hunting can help patients with diabetes

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 07:35 AM PDT

Body odor is a deer hunter's worst enemy, an alert to animals that an ominous presence is lurking, but the science behind suppressing it to give hunters an edge oddly enough could help researchers develop a life-saving device for diabetes patients. Scientists have now presented the latest advances that tie together these two seemingly unrelated fronts.

Shale could be long-term home for problematic nuclear waste

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 07:35 AM PDT

Shale, the source of the United States' current natural gas boom, could help solve another energy problem: what to do with radioactive waste from nuclear power plants. The unique properties of the sedimentary rock and related clay-rich rocks make it ideal for storing the potentially dangerous spent fuel for millennia, according to geologists studying possible storage sites.

Fast-moving cells in human immune system walk in stepwise manner

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:59 AM PDT

Advanced mathematical tools were applied to answer a basic question in cell biology about how cells move and discovered that the mechanism looks very similar to walking, a team of biologists and engineers reports. Their discovery is an important advance toward developing new pharmacological strategies to treat chronic inflammatory diseases.

Stress undermines empathic abilities in men but increases them in women

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:59 AM PDT

Stressed males tend to become more self-centered and less able to distinguish their own emotions and intentions from those of other people. For women the exact opposite is true. Stress, this problem that haunts us every day, could be undermining not only our health but also our relationships with other people, especially for men. Stressed women, however, become more "prosocial" according to new research.

What’s so bad about feeling happy?

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:59 AM PDT

Why is being happy, positive and satisfied with life the ultimate goal of so many people, while others steer clear of such feelings? It is often because of the lingering belief that happiness causes bad things to happen, says a researcher. A new article reviews the concept of aversion to happiness, and looks at why various cultures react differently to feelings of well-being and satisfaction.

Simpler gas distribution using buoyant transfer system

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:59 AM PDT

A new, fully mobile solution for offloading natural gas from ships to land may lead to increased distribution to new markets around the world. International demand for natural gas is high, and there are plentiful deposits to be found in many places. Gas is also more environment-friendly than other fossil fuels. The challenge lies in making it less difficult to transport to consumers -- and researchers are looking to do just that.

Who’s afraid of math? Study finds some genetic factors

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:58 AM PDT

A new study of math anxiety shows how some people may be at greater risk to fear math not only because of negative experiences, but also because of genetic risks related to both general anxiety and math skills. The results don't mean that math anxiety can be blamed solely or even mostly on genetic factors, the researchers emphasized. In this study, genetic factors explained about 40 percent of the individual differences in math anxiety.

How diabetes drugs may work against cancer

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:58 AM PDT

A major mitochondrial pathway that imbues cancer cells with the ability to survive in low-glucose environments has been pinpointed by researchers. By identifying cancer cells with defects in this pathway or with impaired glucose utilization, the scientists can predict which tumors will be sensitive to these anti-diabetic drugs known to inhibit this pathway.

Early detection of stomach cancer: New hope from new research

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:58 AM PDT

New hope for the early detection of stomach cancer has been revealed with the identification of four new biomarkers in the blood of human cancer patients. Stomach or gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world and the second leading cause of death due to cancer. It is typically without symptoms, so is rarely caught in its early stages.

Positive memories of exercise spur future workouts

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:58 AM PDT

Getting motivated to exercise can be a challenge, but new research shows that simply remembering a positive memory about exercise may be just what it takes to get on the treadmill. This is the first study to explore how positive memories can influence future workouts, and underscores the power of memory's directive influence in a new domain with practical applications: exercise behaviors.

Democrats, Republicans see each other as mindless, unless they pose a threat

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 06:58 AM PDT

We are less likely to humanize members of groups we don't belong to—except, under some circumstances, when it comes to members of the opposite political party. A new study suggests that we are more prone to view members of the opposite political party as human if we view those individuals as threatening.

Colon cancer incidence rates decreasing steeply in older Americans, study shows

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:48 AM PDT

Colon cancer incidence rates have dropped 30 percent in the US in the last 10 years among adults 50 and older due to the widespread uptake of colonoscopy, with the largest decrease in people over age 65. Like incidence, mortality rates have also declined most rapidly within the past decade. From 2001 to 2010, rates decreased by approximately 3 percent per year in both men and women, compared with declines of approximately 2 percent per year during the 1990s.

Improved mass spectrometric method for proteomic analyses presented by Immunologists

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:47 AM PDT

When it comes to analyzing cell components or body fluids or developing new medications, there is no way around mass spectrometry. Mass spectrometry is a highly sensitive method of measurement that has been used for many years for the analysis of chemical and biological materials. A new breakthrough discovery offers new perspectives for research on the immune and nervous system.

Eat more, die young: Why eating a diet very low in nutrients can extend lifespan

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:47 AM PDT

A new evolutionary theory claims that consuming a diet very low in nutrients can extend lifespan in laboratory animals, a finding which could hold clues to promoting healthier aging in humans. Scientists have known for decades that severely restricted food intake reduces the incidence of diseases of old age, such as cancer, and increases lifespan. The most widely accepted theory is that this effect evolved to improve survival during times of famine.

Earthquakes caused by clogged magma a warning sign of volcanic eruption

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:47 AM PDT

New research examined earthquake swarms caused by mounting volcanic pressure which may signal an imminent eruption. The research team studied Augustine Volcano in Alaska which erupted in 2006 and found that precursory earthquakes were caused by a block in the lava flow. 36 hours before the first magmatic explosions, a swarm of 54 earthquakes was detected across the 13-station seismic network on Augustine Island. By analyzing the resulting seismic waves, the authors found that the earthquakes were being triggered from sources within the volcano's magma conduit.

Body clocks, chronic lung diseases linked, new research suggests

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:46 AM PDT

The body clock's natural rhythm could be utilized to improve current therapies to delay the onset of chronic lung diseases. "This research is the first to show that a functioning clock in the lung is essential to maintain the protective tissue function against oxidative stress and fibrotic challenges. We envisage a scenario whereby chronic rhythm disruption (e.g., during aging or shift work) may compromise the temporal coordination of the antioxidant pathway, contributing to human disease," authors explain.

Designing future vaccinations against HIV could depend on research on the protein gp41

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:46 AM PDT

For the first time, an allosteric interaction (that is, a regulation mechanism whereby enzymes can be activated or de-activated) between a protein, which forms part of the sheath of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the antibody 2F5 (FAB), a potent virus neutralizer has been discovered. This important scientific breakthrough could help specialists to understand the mechanisms behind generating immune responses and help towards the design of future vaccines against the HIV  virus.

Why did humans replace Neanderthals? Paleo diet didn't change, the climate did

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:46 AM PDT

Why were Neanderthals replaced by anatomically modern humans around 40,000 years ago? One popular hypothesis states that a broader dietary spectrum of modern humans gave them a competitive advantage on Neanderthals. Geochemical analyses of fossil bones seemed to confirm this dietary difference. Indeed, higher amounts of nitrogen heavy isotopes were found in the bones of modern humans compared to those of Neanderthals. However, these studies did not look at possible isotopic variation of nitrogen isotopes in the food resource themselves. In fact, environmental factors such as aridity can increase the heavy nitrogen isotope amount in plants, leading to higher nitrogen isotopic values in herbivores and their predators even without a change of subsistence strategy.

New system to aid cardiovascular risk diagnosis developed

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:46 AM PDT

A new software to aid cardiovascular risk diagnosis based on fundus image processing has been developed by researchers. The application makes it easier to measure the vessels and it allows clinical staff to have more uniform information. At the same time, it is capable of determining characteristics that could imply a higher cardiovascular risk when the child reaches adulthood.

Many parents have infant-feeding, TV, activity practices which may increase obesity risk

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:45 AM PDT

A majority of parents in a new study reported infant feeding and activity behaviors believed to increase the child's risk for later obesity. In addition, these behaviors varied according to the self-reported race and ethnicity of the parents. "What this study taught us is that we can do better. While we don't know the exact causes of obesity, families of all races and ethnicities need early counseling to lead healthier lives. That counseling should be culturally-tailored, and we are hoping our research sheds light on the best ways to do that," remarked a practicing pediatrician.

Study identifies most common, costly reasons for mental health hospitalizations for kids

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:45 AM PDT

Nearly one in 10 hospitalized children have a primary diagnosis of a mental health condition, and depression alone accounts for $1.33 billion in hospital charges annually, according to a new analysis. The study is the first to examine frequency and costs associated with specific inpatient mental health diagnoses for children, and is a step towards creating meaningful measures of the quality of pediatric hospital care.

New treatment for binge eating disorder

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:45 AM PDT

A grant to study a new treatment for binge eating disorder has been awarded, and research will cover a three-year period. The new treatment helps patients to identify specific patterns which trigger their binge eating and relies on several strategies to change eating in high risk moments.

Time out: Spanking babies is surprisingly common, U.S. study finds

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 06:09 PM PDT

The same hands that parents use to lovingly feed, clothe and bathe their babies are also commonly used to spank their bundles of joy. A new study found that 30 percent of 1-year-old children were spanked at least once in the past month by their mother, father or both parents. A long-time topic of debate, spanking children is a common practice among U.S. parents.

Three quarters of people with seasonal, pandemic flu have no symptoms

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 05:32 PM PDT

Around 1 in 5 of the population were infected in both recent outbreaks of seasonal flu and the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, but just 23% of these infections caused symptoms, and only 17% of people were ill enough to consult their doctor. These findings come from a major new community-based study comparing the burden and severity of seasonal and pandemic influenza in England over 5 years.

High-tech materials purify water with sunlight

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 05:32 PM PDT

Sunlight plus a common titanium pigment might be the secret recipe for ridding pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other potentially harmful pollutants from drinking water. Scientists reported that they have combined several high-tech components to make an easy-to-use water purifier that could work with the world's most basic form of energy, sunlight, in a boon for water purification in rural areas or developing countries.

Potentially safer, greener alternative to BPA could come from papermaking waste

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 05:31 PM PDT

A waste product from making paper could yield a safer, greener replacement for the potentially harmful chemical BPA, now banned from baby bottles but still used in many plastics. Scientists made the BPA alternative from lignin, which gives wood its strength, and they say it could be ready for the market within five years.

Major 'third-hand smoke' compound causes DNA damage and potentially cancer

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 05:31 PM PDT

Leftover cigarette smoke that clings to walls and furniture is a smelly nuisance, but now research suggests that it could pose a far more serious threat, especially to young children who put toys and other smoke-affected items into their mouths. Scientists reported that one of the tobacco-specific nitrosamines newly formed in "third-hand smoke" damages DNA and could potentially cause cancer.

Bionic plants: Nanotechnology could turn shrubbery into supercharged energy producers

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:33 PM PDT

Plants have many valuable functions: They provide food and fuel, release the oxygen that we breathe, and add beauty to our surroundings. Now, researchers wants to make plants even more useful by augmenting them with nanomaterials that could enhance their energy production and give them completely new functions, such as monitoring environmental pollutants.

Novel membrane reveals water molecules will bounce off a liquid surface

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:33 PM PDT

Consider the nearest water surface: a half-full glass on your desk, a puddle outside your window, or a lake across town. All of these surfaces represent liquid-vapor interfaces, where liquid meets air. Molecules of water vapor constantly collide with these liquid surfaces: Some make it through the surface and condense, while others simply bounce off. The probability that a vapor molecule will bounce, or reflect, off a liquid surface is a fundamental property of water, much like its boiling point. And yet, in the last century, there has been little agreement on the likelihood that a water molecule will bounce off the liquid surface.

Climate change will reduce crop yields sooner than thought

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:33 PM PDT

Global warming of only 2 degrees Celsius will be detrimental to crops in temperate and tropical regions, researchers have determined, with reduced yields from the 2030s onwards. In the study, the researchers created a new data set by combining and comparing results from 1,700 published assessments of the response that climate change will have on the yields of rice, maize and wheat. Due to increased interest in climate change research, the new study was able to create the largest dataset to date on crop responses.

Small-RNA pathway defends genome against enemy within

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:33 PM PDT

For a plant to create reproductive cells, it must first erase a series of tags attached to DNA across the genome that distinguish active and inactive genes. But the marks also keep a host of damaging 'jumping genes' inactive. As the cell wipes away the marks, it activates transposons, which can cause genetic damage. Researchers have discovered a fail-safe mechanism that helps to keep transposons inactive even when these marks are erased.

Southern Ocean iron cycle gives new insight into climate change

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:32 PM PDT

Unique aspects of iron cycling in the Southern Ocean which will better inform scientists about the effects of climate change, research demonstrates. An international team of researchers analyzed the available data taken from all previous studies of the Southern Ocean, together with satellite images taken of the area, to quantify the amount of iron supplied to the surface waters of the Southern Ocean. They found that deep winter mixing, a seasonal process which carries colder and deeper, nutrient-rich water to the surface, plays the most important role in transporting iron to the surface. The iron is then able to stimulate phytoplankton growth which supports the ocean's carbon cycle and the aquatic food chain

Nectar: Sweet reward from plants to attract pollinators

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:32 PM PDT

To make sure that flying pollinators come to flowers to pick up pollen, plants evolved special organs, the nectaries, to attract the animals. Scientists have now identified the sugar transporter that plays a key role in plants' nectar production. SWEET9 transports sugar into extracellular areas of the nectaries where nectar is secreted. Thus, SWEET9 may have been crucial for the evolution of flowering plants that attract and reward pollinators with nectar.

Mercury's contraction much greater than thought, new imaging shows

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:32 PM PDT

New global imaging and topographic data from MESSENGER show that the innermost planet has contracted far more than previous estimates. The results are based on a global study of more than 5,900 geological landforms, such as curving cliff-like scarps and wrinkle ridges, that have resulted from the planet's contraction as Mercury cooled. The findings are key to understanding the planet's thermal, tectonic, and volcanic history, and the structure of its unusually large metallic core.

Thermal vision: Graphene light detector first to span infrared spectrum

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:32 PM PDT

The first room-temperature light detector that can sense the full infrared spectrum has the potential to put heat vision technology into a contact lens. Unlike comparable mid- and far-infrared detectors currently on the market, the new detector doesn't need bulky cooling equipment to work.

Cancer therapy may be too targeted: Genetic landscape of rare cancer acts as guide for future clinical trials

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PDT

Targeted therapies seem to be the future of cancer treatment, but can they be too narrowly focused? In a new study, scientists have found that for a rare cancer of the blood vessel where several mutations can underlie the disease, many different parts of the pathway can be disrupted. For patients with multiple underlying mutations, previously developed therapies that focus on targeting a single component in the pathway will be ineffective.

Reindeer grazing may counteract effects of climate warming on tundra carbon sink

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:30 PM PDT

Local reindeer grazing history is an important determinant in the response of an ecosystem's carbon sink to climate warming, say researchers. The significance of reindeer grazing history to tundra carbon balances has not been previously studied. The present results may modify climate models that predict the effects of global warming on global carbon cycles. The study shows that it is critical to know the grazing history before the responses of tundra carbon balances to climate warming can be understood. Different tundra systems possess highly varying grazing histories as a result of past and present reindeer management practices.

New gene linked to key heart attack risk factor found by novel gene-finding approach

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:29 PM PDT

A previously unrecognized gene variation that makes humans have healthier blood lipid levels and reduced risk of heart attacks has been found by researchers. But even more significant is how they found the gene, which had been hiding in plain sight. This region of DNA where it was found had been implicated as being important in controlling blood lipid levels in a report from several members of the same research team in 2008. But although this DNA region had many genes, none of them had any obvious link to blood lipid levels. The promise of an entirely new lipid-related gene took another six years and a new approach to find.

Northeast Greenland ice loss accelerating, researchers say

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:29 PM PDT

The last remaining stable portion of the Greenland ice sheet is stable no more, an international team of scientists has discovered. The finding will likely boost estimates of expected global sea level rise in the future. The new result focuses on ice loss due to a major retreat of an outlet glacier connected to a long "river" of ice -- known as an ice stream -- that drains ice from the interior of the ice sheet. The Zachariae ice stream retreated about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) over the last decade, the researchers concluded. For comparison, one of the fastest moving glaciers, the Jakobshavn ice stream in southwest Greenland, has retreated 35 kilometers (21.7 miles) over the last 150 years.

African dust changes India's rainfall: Dust can affect planet's climate, research shows

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:29 PM PDT

Dust in the air in North Africa and West Asia absorbs sunlight west of India, warming the air and strengthening the winds carrying moisture eastward, raining down in India about a week later. The results of this new study explain one way that dust can affect the climate, filling in previously unknown details about Earth's system.

Tequila plant possible sweetener for diabetics, helps reduce blood sugar, weight

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:29 PM PDT

A sweetener created from the plant used to make tequila could lower blood glucose levels for the 26 million Americans and others worldwide who have type 2 diabetes and help them and the obese lose weight, researchers have reported. The main reason it could be valuable, they explained, is that agavins, a natural form of sugar found in the agave plant, are non-digestible and can act as a dietary fiber, so they would not raise blood glucose.

Better-tasting reduced-fat desserts, dressings, sauces: Coming soon?

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:29 PM PDT

Adjusting the calcium level and acidity could be the key to developing new better tasting, more eye-appealing and creamier reduced-fat sauces, desserts and salad dressings, researchers report.

Married women less likely to die from heart disease

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:37 AM PDT

Married women are 28% less likely to die from heart disease than unmarried women, a new study has found. This is despite the fact that marriage makes no difference to women's chances of developing heart disease in the first place. The reasons for this difference are not known, but researchers suggest one explanation could be that the partners of married women may encourage them to seek early medical treatment for symptoms.

Seizures show scale of pangolin peril

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:33 AM PDT

Pangolins, insect-eating mammals that live in tropical parts of Africa and Asia, are under threat from a growing inter-continental illegal trade in the animals and their scales, according to a new report. While poaching of large animals such as elephants and rhinos and the illegal trade in ivory and horn receives widespread attention (in 2012 35,000 elephants were slaughtered for their ivory and 810 rhinos for their horns) the trade in smaller and more common species is often overlooked.

Advance toward developing an oral pain reliever derived from debilitating snail venom

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:28 AM PDT

At least five new experimental substances — based on a tiny protein found in cone snail venom — could someday lead to the development of safe and effective oral medications for the treatment of chronic nerve pain, researchers have reported. They say the substances could potentially be stronger than morphine, with fewer side effects and lower risk of abuse.

Honey offers new approach to fighting antibiotic resistance

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:28 AM PDT

Honey, that delectable condiment for breads and fruits, could be one sweet solution to the serious, ever-growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, researchers say. In addition, several studies have shown that honey inhibits the formation of biofilms, or communities of slimy disease-causing bacteria.

Heart cells respond to stiff environments

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:27 AM PDT

Proteins associated with the regulation of organ size and shape have been found to respond to the mechanics of the microenvironment in ways that specifically affect the decision of adult cardiac stem cells to generate muscular or vascular cells.