ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Building 'invisible' materials with light

Posted: 28 Jul 2014 05:07 AM PDT

A new technique which uses light like a needle to thread long chains of particles could help bring sci-fi concepts such as cloaking devices one step closer to reality.

New species of mayfly discovered in India

Posted: 28 Jul 2014 05:05 AM PDT

Scientists have discovered a new species of mayfly in the southern Western Ghats, a mountain range along the west coast of India. The larvae have light-brown heads with light-yellow antennae, and they grow to be about 4-5 millimeters in length. Adults are also about five millimeters long, and the males and females both lack hind wings.

Hepatitis C virus genotype 1 most prevalent worldwide

Posted: 28 Jul 2014 05:05 AM PDT

In one of the largest prevalence studies to date, researchers from the UK provide national, regional, and global genotype prevalence estimates for the hepatitis C virus. Findings indicate that genotype 1 is the most prevalent worldwide, with over 83 million patients infected of which one-third reside in East Asia.

Dinosaurs fell victim to perfect storm of events, study shows

Posted: 28 Jul 2014 05:05 AM PDT

Dinosaurs might have survived the asteroid strike that wiped them out if it had taken place slightly earlier or later in history, scientists say. They found that in the few million years before a 10km-wide asteroid struck what is now Mexico, Earth was experiencing environmental upheaval. This included extensive volcanic activity, changing sea levels and varying temperatures. At this time, the dinosaurs' food chain was weakened by a lack of diversity among the large plant-eating dinosaurs on which others preyed.

New oral drug regimens cure hardest-to-treat hepatitis C infected patients, could improve treatment uptake

Posted: 28 Jul 2014 05:04 AM PDT

Two new pill-only antiviral drug regimens could provide shorter, more effective treatment options with fewer side effects for the majority of patients infected with hepatitis C, even those most difficult to treat, according to the results of two studies. Around 150 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, a condition that is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. In the USA, numbers of people with HCV-related liver failure and liver cancer are expected to treble by 2030 because of low treatment rates.

Lifestyle choices may affect long-term heart health of childhood cancer survivors

Posted: 28 Jul 2014 05:04 AM PDT

Following a healthy lifestyle may lower childhood cancer survivors' risk of developing the metabolic syndrome, a study shows. The findings indicate that children with cancer and adults who had cancer when they were children should receive information about how their lifestyle may influence their long-term health.

Six new genetic risk factors for Parkinson's found

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:57 PM PDT

Using data from over 18,000 patients, scientists have identified more than two dozen genetic risk factors involved in Parkinson's disease, including six that had not been previously reported. "Unraveling the genetic underpinnings of Parkinson's is vital to understanding the multiple mechanisms involved in this complex disease, and hopefully, may one day lead to effective therapies," said the senior author of the study.

Surgical safety program greatly reduces surgical site infections for heart operations

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:57 PM PDT

A common postoperative complication after open heart operations -- infection at the surgical site -- has been reduced by 77 percent at a Canadian hospital through its participation in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®), according to a new case study.

New tools help neuroscientists analyze 'big data'

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:57 PM PDT

New technologies for monitoring brain activity are generating unprecedented quantities of information. That data may hold new insights into how the brain works -- but only if researchers can interpret it. To help make sense of the data, neuroscientists can now harness the power of distributed computing with Thunder, a library of tools.

'Holy grail' of battery design achieved: Stable lithium anode

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:57 PM PDT

Researchers report that they have taken a big step toward accomplishing what battery designers have been trying to do for decades -- design a pure lithium anode. All batteries have three basic components: an electrolyte to provide electrons, an anode to discharge those electrons, and a cathode to receive them. The nanosphere layer of a newly created battery design resembles a honeycomb: it creates a flexible, uniform and non-reactive film that protects the unstable lithium from the drawbacks that have made it such a challenge.

Climate change and air pollution will combine to curb food supplies

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:57 PM PDT

Many studies have shown the potential for global climate change to cut food supplies. But these studies have, for the most part, ignored the interactions between increasing temperature and air pollution -- specifically ozone pollution, which is known to damage crops. A new study shows that these interactions can be quite significant, suggesting that policymakers need to take both warming and air pollution into account in addressing food security.

New, noncommittal mechanism of drug resistance discovered

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:57 PM PDT

Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi can evade treatment by acquiring mutations in the genes targeted by antibiotics or antifungal drugs. These permanent mutations were once thought to be the only way for drug resistant strains to evolve. Now a new study has shown that microorganisms can use a temporary silencing of drug targets -- known as epimutations -- to gain the benefits of drug resistance without the commitment.

Drugs used to treat lung disease work with body clock

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:56 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered why medication to treat asthma and pneumonia can become ineffective. The findings show that drugs widely used to treat lung diseases work with the body clock. The research found out that cells lining the lung airways have their own body clock which is the time-keeper for lung inflammation - both conditions cause swelling (inflammation) in the lungs.

New drug target can break down cancer's barrier against treatment

Posted: 27 Jul 2014 01:56 PM PDT

Targeting a molecule in blood vessels can make cancer therapy significantly more effective, according to research. Researchers have found that a molecule, called focal adhesion kinase (FAK), signals the body to repair itself after chemotherapy or radiotherapy, which kill cancer cells by damaging DNA. When the researchers removed FAK from blood vessels that grew in melanoma or lung cancer models, both chemotherapy and radiation therapies were far more effective in killing the tumors.