ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Fierce 2012 magnetic storm barely missed Earth: Earth dodged huge magnetic bullet from the sun

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 12:49 PM PDT

On July 23, 2012, a huge magnetic storm propelled by two nearly simultaneous coronal mass ejections on the sun plowed through Earth's orbit. Luckily, Earth was on the other side of the sun at the time. Had the outburst hit Earth, however, it would have rivaled the largest magnetic storm to strike Earth in recorded history, possibly wreaking havoc with the electrical grid, satellites and GPS.

Bees capable of learning feats with tasty prize in sight

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 11:25 AM PDT

Bumblebees are capable of some remarkable learning feats, especially when they might get a tasty reward, according to two studies. In the first study, the researchers found bees capable of learning to solve increasingly complex problems, an example of scaffold learning. In a second study, the researchers found bees learned by watching and communicating with other bees, a process called social learning.

'Breaking bad': Insect pests in the making

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 11:08 AM PDT

Of thousands of known species of Drosophila fruit flies, just one is a known crop pest, depositing eggs inside ripening fruit so its maggots can feed and grow. New research shows the similarities and crucial differences between this pest and its close relatives -- and that one related fly has potential to also become a pest.

Ipilimumab in advanced melanoma: Added benefit for non-pretreated patients not proven

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 11:08 AM PDT

In 2012, researchers determined a considerable added benefit for ipilimumab in pretreated patients. However, there were no suitable data for non-pretreated patients. Since the treatment effects presented by the manufacturer were not interpretable, an added benefit of ipilimumab in non-pretreated patients with advanced melanoma is not proven.

Strongest evidence yet of two distinct human cognitive systems

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 11:07 AM PDT

Cognitive scientists may have produced the strongest evidence yet that humans have separate and distinct cognitive systems with which they can categorize, classify, and conceptualize their worlds. The systems also may have different courses of decline in cognitive aging, which would have ramifications for remediation and compensation in dementia.

Canadian drinking-age laws have significant effect on deaths among young males

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 11:07 AM PDT

Canada's drinking-age laws have a significant effect on youth mortality, a study demonstrates. The study's author writes that when compared to Canadian males slightly younger than the minimum legal drinking age, young men who are just older than the drinking age have significant and abrupt increases in mortality, especially from injuries and motor vehicle accidents.

New window into quantum physics opened with superconductivity in LEDs

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 11:05 AM PDT

Physicists hae proposed a novel and efficient way to leverage the strange quantum physics phenomenon known as entanglement. The approach would involve combining light-emitting diodes with a superconductor to generate entangled photons and could open up a rich spectrum of new physics as well as devices for quantum technologies, including quantum computers and quantum communication.

Amazon inhales more carbon than it emits, NASA finds

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 10:08 AM PDT

A new NASA-led study seven years in the making has confirmed that natural forests in the Amazon remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they emit, therefore reducing global warming. This finding resolves a long-standing debate about a key component of the overall carbon balance of the Amazon basin.

Much misinformation tweeted after 2013 Boston Marathon bombing

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:47 AM PDT

Researchers have found that misinformation spread widely on Twitter after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing despite efforts by users to correct rumors that were inaccurate. If that information is incorrect, especially in a crisis, it's hard for the social media community to gain control and push out accurate information, new research shows.

New heart failure symptom: Shortness of breath while bending over

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 09:46 AM PDT

A novel heart failure symptom in advanced heart failure patients has been identified by cardiologists: shortness of breath while bending over, such as when putting on shoes. The condition, which cardiologists named "bendopnea" (pronounced "bend-op-nee-ah"), is an easily detectable symptom that can help doctors diagnose excessive fluid retention in patients with heart failure, according to the findings.

Video-game device with goal of preventing patient falls

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:39 AM PDT

Infrared motion-capture technology used in video games is making its way to hospital rooms, where researchers hope to learn new ways to prevent falls among hospital patients. The device looks like a thin black box. The system works by sending a grid pattern of infrared light, invisible to the human eye, into a room, and then examining how objects and persons in the room distort the pattern. The machine analyzes these distortions to make a 3-D map, showing a patient, her bed and tray table, and everything else in the room. If the system detects a person on the floor, it automatically reviews the preceding events as the person moved to the floor, and can detect if that represents a fall.

Reintroduction experiments give new hope for plant on brink of extinction

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:39 AM PDT

A critically endangered plant known as marsh sandwort is inching back from the brink of extinction thanks to the efforts of a plant ecologist. Although it used to occur all along the west coast, from San Diego to Washington state, this wetland plant with delicate white flowers had dwindled to one population in a boggy wetland in San Luis Obispo County.

Bright future for protein nanoprobes

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:39 AM PDT

Surprising new rules for creating ultra-bright light-emitting crystals that are less than 10 nanometers in diameter have been discovered by a team of researchers. These ultra-tiny but ultra-bright nanoprobes should be a big asset for biological imaging, especially deep-tissue optical imaging of neurons in the brain.

Climatologists offer explanation for widening of Earth's tropical belt

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:38 AM PDT

Climatologists posit that the recent widening of the tropical belt is primarily caused by multi-decadal sea surface temperature variability in the Pacific Ocean. This variability includes the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (a long-lived El Niño-like pattern of Pacific climate variability) and anthropogenic pollutants, which act to modify the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Until now there was no clear explanation for what is driving the widening.

Child ADHD stimulant medication use leads to BMI rebound in late adolescence

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:38 AM PDT

New research indicates that thee earlier ADHD medication began in children, and the longer the medication was taken, the slower the BMI growth in earlier childhood but the more rapid the BMI rebound in late adolescence, typically after discontinuation of medication. The study, thought to be the most comprehensive analysis of ADHD and stimulant use in children to date, analyzed the electronic health records of 163,820 children, ages 3 to 18.

Sea anemone is genetically half animal, half plant

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:38 AM PDT

Evolutionary and developmental biologists have discovered that sea anemones display a genomic landscape with a complexity of regulatory elements similar to that of fruit flies or other animal model systems. This suggests that this principle of gene regulation is already 600 million years old and dates back to the common ancestor of human, fly and sea anemone.

New lens design drastically improves kidney stone treatment

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:37 AM PDT

Engineers have reversed a decades-long trend of decreasing efficiency in lithotripsy machines by designing simple modifications to shock wave lenses. The incidence of kidney stones in the United States has more than doubled during the past two decades, due at least in part to the expanding waistlines of its citizens. The condition has also been linked to hot, humid climates and high levels of stress -- a combination of living environments that seems to have led to a rise in kidney stone rates of veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Children exposed to methamphetamine before birth have increased cognitive problems

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:37 AM PDT

Youngsters exposed to methamphetamine before birth had increased cognitive problems at age 7.5 years, highlighting the need for early intervention to improve academic outcomes and reduce the potential for negative behaviors. The researchers studied 151 children exposed to methamphetamine before birth and 147 who were not exposed to the drug. They found the children with prenatal methamphetamine exposure were 2.8 times more likely to have cognitive problem scores than children who were not exposed to the drug.

Nineteen new speedy praying mantis species discovered that hide and play dead to avoid capture

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:37 AM PDT

A scientist has discovered 19 new species of praying mantis from Central and South America. The new species of bark mantises were discovered in tropical forests and also found among existing museum collections. As highly visual predators, the bark mantis species appear to be active hunters that pursue prey as opposed to ambush hunters that wait for prey to come close.

Study of complete RNA collection of fruit fly uncovers unprecedented complexity

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:36 AM PDT

New research has revealed the transcriptome of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster in unprecedented detail, identifying thousands of new genes, transcripts and proteins. The study shows that the Drosophila genome is far more complex than previously suspected and suggests that the same will be true of the genomes of other higher organisms.

New view of supernova death throes in 3-D

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:36 AM PDT

A powerful, new three-dimensional model provides fresh insight into the turbulent death throes of supernovas, whose final explosions outshine entire galaxies and populate the universe with elements that make life on Earth possible. It shows how the turbulent mixing of elements inside stars causes them to expand, contract, and spit out matter before they finally detonate.

Geographers create 'easy button' to calculate river flows from space

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:22 AM PDT

The frustrated attempts of a graduate student to quantify the amount of water draining from Greenland's melting ice sheet led him to discover a new way to measure river flows from outer space. The new approach relies exclusively on measurements of a river's width over time, which can be obtained from freely available satellite imagery.

Archaeologists discover earliest complete example of a human with cancer, from 3,000 years ago

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:22 AM PDT

Archaeologists have found the oldest complete example in the world of a human with metastatic cancer in a 3,000 year-old skeleton. The skeleton of the young adult male was found in a tomb in modern Sudan in 2013 and dates back to 1200BC. Analysis has revealed evidence of metastatic carcinoma, cancer which has spread to other parts of the body from where it started, from a malignant soft-tissue tumour spread across large areas of the body, making it the oldest convincing complete example of metastatic cancer in the archaeological record.

Coercivity of material changed by patterning surface

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:20 AM PDT

Researchers have found a way to reduce the coercivity of nickel ferrite (NFO) thin films by as much as 80 percent by patterning the surface of the material, opening the door to more energy efficient high-frequency electronics, such as sensors, microwave devices and antennas.

Follow the ant trail for drug design: Ant behavior inspires software design

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:20 AM PDT

New drugs often fail because they cause undesirable side effects. Researchers have now developed simulation software that predicts the properties of active agents and virtually builds new ones. The software's search process is modeled after the behavior of ants. In order to allow the software to search for new composite agents, the research team uses an ant algorithm. Like an ant colony on the search for food, the algorithm screens through the molecular building blocks for components with the desired properties. Depending on the strength of the desirable and undesirable effects of the virtual products, the building blocks receive a 'grade'. In the ant world, this would equate to marking the trail to food with pheromones.

Scent of the familiar: You may linger like perfume in your dog's brain

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:20 AM PDT

An area of the canine brain associated with reward responds more strongly to the scents of familiar humans than it does to the scents of other humans, or even to those of familiar dogs. This is among the first brain-imaging studies of dogs responding to biological odors. When humans smell the perfume or cologne of someone they love, they may have an immediate, emotional reaction that's not necessarily cognitive.

In IBS, non-GI issues more powerful than symptoms in patients' health perceptions

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:19 AM PDT

Social relationships, fatigue and other coexisting medical problems have a stronger effect on how patients with irritable bowel syndrome rate their overall health than the severity of their gastrointestinal symptoms, a study has found. "Self-reported health has been found to be a strong and robust predictor for mortality and morbidity even when controlled for the presence of disease symptoms," a researcher explains. "However, very few studies have looked at self-reported health in relation to gastrointestinal disease."

Mental health on the go: Reducing anxiety with smartphone app

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:19 AM PDT

Playing a science-based mobile gaming app for 25 minutes can reduce anxiety in stressed individuals, according to research. The study suggests that 'gamifying' a scientifically-supported intervention could offer measurable mental health and behavioral benefits for people with relatively high levels of anxiety. The game is based on an emerging cognitive treatment for anxiety called attention-bias modification training. The treatment involves training patients to ignore a threatening stimulus (such as an angry face) and to focus instead on a non-threatening stimulus (such as a neutral or happy face). This type of training has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress among people suffering from high anxiety.

Exposure to snuff smoke in non-smokers fell by 90 percent after tobacco control laws in Spain

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:18 AM PDT

A biomarker of exposure to snuff smoke in non-smokers has been reviewed in a new study, and also their perception before and after the entry into force of two Spanish laws. Law 28/2005 which entered into force in January 2006 partially prohibited the consumption of snuff in public. Five years later, in January 2011, the second law of snuff (Law 42/2010) which extended the ban on smoking in all enclosed spaces such as bars and restaurants and some outdoor spaces such as hospital grounds came into force.

Scanning electron microscopes: Getting rid of bad vibrations

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:17 AM PDT

Scanning electron microscopes are extremely sensitive and even subtle movements going on around them can affect their accuracy. Vibration control tables already exist to dampen these sometimes barely perceptible disturbances. But now a new kind of isolation platform for the first time integrates sensors and actuators into the mount – resulting in a platform that is more cost-effective and compact than its predecessors.

Analysis of 50 years of hit songs yields tips for advertisers

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 08:13 AM PDT

Researchers have analyzed 50 years' worth of hit songs to identify key themes that marketing professionals can use to craft advertisements that will resonate with audiences. The researchers used computer programs to run textual analysis of the lyrics for all of the selected songs and analyzed the results to identify key themes. The researchers identified 12 key themes, and related terms, that came up most often in the hit songs. These themes are loss, desire, aspiration, breakup, pain, inspiration, nostalgia, rebellion, jaded, desperation, escapism and confusion.

Hubble revisits the Monkey Head Nebula

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:40 AM PDT

To celebrate its 24th year in orbit, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has released a beautiful new image of part of NGC 2174, also known as the Monkey Head Nebula. This colorful region is filled with young stars embedded within bright wisps of cosmic gas and dust.

Electronic media associated with poorer well-being in children

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:39 AM PDT

The use of electronic media, such as watching television, using computers and playing electronic games, was associated with poorer well-being in children. Researchers noted that using electronic media can be a sedentary behavior and sedentary behavior is associated with adverse health outcomes, and may be detrimental at a very young age. Similarly, less monitoring by mothers of the time their children spent watching TV or playing video games appears to be associated with higher BMI for children at age 7 and increasing deviance from child BMI norms between the ages of 5 to 9 years.

Suppressing unwanted memories reduces their unconscious influence on behavior

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:39 AM PDT

Researchers have shown that, contrary to what was previously assumed, suppressing unwanted memories reduces their unconscious influences on subsequent behavior, and have shed light on how this process happens in the brain.

Real-looking snow in Disney's 'Frozen' based in simulations that predict blast scenarios

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:39 AM PDT

Simulation-based engineering science allows researchers to predict the effects of building explosions and analyze the response of building materials to those threats. Researchers developed the Material Point Method, a computer-generated tool that not only creates blast scenarios that informs blast and impact resistant materials and design, but also is crossing over into Hollywood animation -- most recently, Disney's Oscar-winning animated film, Frozen.

Some truth to the 'potent pot myth'

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:39 AM PDT

People who smoke high-potency cannabis end up getting higher doses of the active ingredient, new research from the Netherlands shows. Although they reduce the amount they puff and inhale to compensate for the higher strength, they still take in more of the active ingredient than smokers of lower potency cannabis.

Researchers take on fighting disastrous consequences of extreme changes in climate before they occur

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:37 AM PDT

How can communities dodge future disasters from Mother Nature before she has dealt the blow? Researchers are taking a unique approach to the issue and gaining input and support from community stakeholders.

Stretchable antenna for wearable health monitoring

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:37 AM PDT

Engineering researchers have developed a new, stretchable antenna that can be incorporated into wearable technologies, such as health monitoring devices. The researchers wanted to develop an antenna that could be stretched, rolled or twisted and always return to its original shape, because wearable systems can be subject to a variety of stresses as patients move around.

Simple changes to homework improved student learning

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:37 AM PDT

A new educational study offers evidence that simple and inexpensive changes to existing courses can help students learn more effectively. The study found that making a few changes to homework assignments significantly boosted student learning in an undergraduate engineering course.

The frozen truth about glaciers, climate change and our future

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:37 AM PDT

Researchers use years of Tibet and Himalayas analysis to better predict glacial response to global climate change.

Sepsis study comparing three treatment methods shows same survival rate

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:37 AM PDT

A five-year, randomized clinical trial at 31 academic hospitals showed that survival of patients with septic shock was the same regardless of whether they received treatment based on specific protocols or the usual high-level of care. Sepsis affects more than 800,000 Americans annually, is the ninth leading cause of disease-related deaths and is the most expensive condition treated in US hospitals, costing more than $20 billion per year.

When parents need care: Division of labor among siblings

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:34 AM PDT

Siblings are not equally involved in caregiving when their aging parents start needing care. In 75 percent of all cases, only one adult child will become a caregiver. Mothers are primarily cared for by their daughters, whereas sons continue to be less willing to become the sole caregivers for their parents. In families without daughters, brothers frequently divide the caregiving work among them, research shows.

Only one fifth of people with hearing problems wear a hearing aid

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:33 AM PDT

A new study has looked at the habits of 160,000 people in the UK aged 40 to 69 years. It found 10.7 per cent of adults had significant hearing problems when listening to speech in the presence of background noise -- but only 2.1 per cent used a hearing aid. One in 10 middle aged adults had substantial hearing problems and were more likely to be from a working class or ethnic minority background.

Antimony nanocrystals for batteries

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:32 AM PDT

Researchers have succeeded for the first time to produce uniform antimony nanocrystals. Tested as components of laboratory batteries, these are able to store a large number of both lithium and sodium ions. These nanomaterials operate with high rate and may eventually be used as alternative anode materials in future high-energy-density batteries.

Astronomers complete cosmic dust census

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:32 AM PDT

Astronomers have completed a benchmark study of more than 300 galaxies, producing the largest census of dust in the local Universe, the Herschel Reference Survey. Astronomers observed galaxies at far-infrared and sub-millimeter wavelengths and captured the light directly emitted by dust grains.

New device saves loose teeth, jaws damaged by cancer

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:32 AM PDT

Periodontitis can cause teeth to come loose. Mandibular cancer can disfigure a face. With the aid of artificial, foam-rubber-shaped scaffolding, the body can be helped to repair the damage by itself. Using this new method, dentists can insert artificial scaffolding that will determine where the new bone tissue will grow.

Avoiding environmental hazards: Lessons from a tiny worm

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:32 AM PDT

In order to survive, animals must be able to sense what is happening in the environment. Some animals have excellent sight, others a great sense of smell or taste. The senses are used to find food, mates, to avoid toxins and predators. The small worm C. elegans has a set of sensory neurons that detect various conditions in its environment, almost like a sense of smell. It is an ideal organism for studying how animals interact with their environment because its sensing systems and reactions are simple and can be understood at a genetic level.

Why chromosome errors are high in women's eggs

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:32 AM PDT

It is estimated that up to 60 per cent of eggs are affected by errors in how their chromosomes divide, making it the leading cause of infertility. Chromosome errors also lead to conditions such as Down Syndrome and early pregnancy loss. By using state-of-the-art imaging techniques, the researchers examined the most important process present in all cells to prevent chromosome errors – the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint (SAC) – and looked at how it behaves in oocytes (developing female sex cells).

Biodiesel from alligator fat reduces waste

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:30 AM PDT

Animal fat from chicken, pork, beef and even alligators could give an economical, ecofriendly boost to the biofuel industry, according to researchers who reported a new method for biofuel production. The report follows up on their earlier study on the potential use of gator fat as a source of biodiesel fuel.

Novel mechanism for fast regulation of gene expression

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:30 AM PDT

Some mRNAs have a side job unrelated to making the protein they encode, researchers have discovered. They act as regulatory molecules as well, preventing other genes from making protein by marking their mRNA molecules for destruction. "Our findings show that mRNAS, which are typically thought to act solely as the template for protein translation, can also serve as regulatory RNAs, independent of their protein-coding capacity," the lead researcher said. "They're not just messengers but also actors in their own right."

Cardiac Arrest in Pregnant Women More Common Than You’d Think

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:30 AM PDT

Although cardiac arrest during childbirth is rare, it may be two times more common than previously reported in the literature, suggests the first large U.S. study on the potentially deadly condition. The study, based on data for more than 56 million births, also found that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was often successful, and that the survival rate improved between 1998 and 2011.

Rats' brains may 'remember' odor experienced while under general anesthesia, study suggests

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:30 AM PDT

Rats' brains may remember odors they were exposed to while deeply anesthetized, suggests research. In the study, rats were exposed to a specific odor while under general anesthesia. Examination of the brain tissue after they had recovered from anesthesia revealed evidence of cellular imprinting, even though the rats behaved as if they had never encountered the odor before.

Program offers parents medical guidance for international adoptions

Posted: 18 Mar 2014 06:30 AM PDT

With thousands of internationally adopted children arriving in the United States each year, there is a growing demand for a specialized health-care support system that helps adoptive parents and children navigate through the international adoption process. Now, pediatric infectious disease specialists in California have created a new program to meet this need.

Progress made for people with cystic fibrosis

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:37 PM PDT

A decade of strategic efforts to improve care has had a key role in improving quality of life and added years to predicted survival for people with cystic fibrosis in the United States. Process outcomes, such as more timely clinic visits, higher rates of flu vaccination, and more effective monitoring of associated problems, including diabetes and depression, have all improved. So too have key clinical outcomes, such as improved lung function and nutritional status, write the authors.

Young women most at risk least likely to be offered HPV vaccine

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:37 PM PDT

Young women who are most at risk of developing cervical cancer are the least likely to be offered the protective HPV jab and to complete the full course when they are, reveals research. These women need to be better targeted to boost the overall uptake of the vaccination program, which was well below the 80% required to make a significant difference to cervical cancer rates during its first three years of operation, say the authors.

'Significant' untapped potential for newborn organ donation in UK

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:37 PM PDT

There is "significant" potential for organ donation to be made from among UK newborns, reveals research. But it is going untapped because of current guidelines on the definition of brainstem death, which run counter to those used by many other developed countries, say the authors. There are fewer children than adults on the waiting list for donated organs, but there are also far fewer potential donors for any child, particularly those of a younger age for whom only small sized organs can be used, the authors point out.

China halves tuberculosis prevalence in just 20 years

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 05:36 PM PDT

Over the last 20 years, China has more than halved its tuberculosis (TB) prevalence, with rates falling from 170 to 59 per 100,000 population. This unrivalled success has been driven by a massive scale-up of the directly observed, short-course (DOTS) strategy, from half the population in the 1990s to the entire country after 2000, according to findings from a 20-year-long analysis of national survey data.

Closer to detecting preeclampsia: Biomarkers found in urine, blood

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 02:45 PM PDT

Researchers have found a set of biomarkers in urine and serum samples that were different between women with preeclampsia, women with normal pregnancies and women who were not pregnant. These biomarkers tell the story of what is happening to the metabolism of women who have developed preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a disease of pregnancy that has its origins in insufficient development of the placenta during the first trimester, but usually only presents itself close to term, causing high blood pressure (hypertension) and proteins in the urine (proteinuria) of the affected women. The syndrome can be dangerous for both mother and unborn child, causing preterm birth and restrictions in fetal growth, along with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life for both.

Hepatitis C remains major problem for HIV patients despite antiretroviral therapy

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 02:43 PM PDT

The risk of hepatitis C-associated serious liver disease persists in HIV patients otherwise benefiting from antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat HIV, a study has found. It has been suggested that ART slows hepatitis C-associated liver fibrosis; however, whether rates of severe liver complications in patients co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C receiving ART were similar to those with just hepatitis C remained unclear.

Children’s preferences for sweeter and saltier tastes are linked to each other and to measures of growth

Posted: 17 Mar 2014 02:43 PM PDT

Children who most prefer high levels of sweet tastes also most prefer high levels of salt taste and, in general, children prefer sweeter and saltier tastes than do adults. These preferences also relate to measures of growth and can have important implications for efforts to change children's diets. Many illnesses of modern society are related to poor food choices. Because children consume far more sugar and salt than recommended, which contributes to poor health, understanding the biology behind children's preferences for these tastes is a crucial first step to reducing their intake.