ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Many solve civil justice problems on their own, rarely involving attorneys, says study

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:39 PM PDT

Many of life's problems are also civil legal problems, but people don't see them that way. As a result, they often deal with them on their own, and rarely involve lawyers or courts, or even other third parties – and it's rarely because of cost. Those were among the findings in a recent report based on an extensive survey in a Midwestern American city.

Maturing brain flips function of amygdala in regulating stress hormones

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:39 PM PDT

In contrast to evidence that the amygdala stimulates stress responses in adults, researchers have found that the amygdala has an inhibitory effect on stress hormones during the early development of nonhuman primates. This finding adds to evidence for a developmental switch in amygdala function and connectivity.

Why NASA studies the ultraviolet sun

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:28 PM PDT

You cannot look at the sun without special filters, and the naked eye cannot perceive certain wavelengths of sunlight. Solar physicists must consequently rely on spacecraft that can observe this invisible light before the atmosphere absorbs it.

Space station inspired robot to help heal sick children

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:22 PM PDT

The same companies which developed the robotic arms that helped astronauts build the International Space Station have now created a new research platform. Called KidsArm, this robot allows surgeons to quickly navigate to surgical sites in the body. It has an advanced imaging and control system that makes it extremely precise, and it is designed to explore the potential for automating certain demanding tasks in minimally invasive pediatric surgery.

GPIM spacecraft to validate use of 'green' propellant

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:20 PM PDT

Milestone progress is being made in readying NASA's Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) for launch in 2016, a smallsat designed to test the unique attributes of a high-performance, non-toxic, "green" fuel on orbit.

How the sun caused an aurora this week

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:17 PM PDT

On the evening of Aug. 20, 2014, the International Space Station was flying past North America when it flew over the dazzling, green blue lights of an aurora. On board, astronaut Reid Wiseman captured this image of the aurora, seen from above.

Ozone-depleting compound persists, NASA research shows

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 02:35 PM PDT

NASA research shows Earth's atmosphere contains an unexpectedly large amount of an ozone-depleting compound from an unknown source decades after the compound was banned worldwide.

New satellite data will help farmers facing drought

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 02:25 PM PDT

NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite mission, scheduled to launch this winter, will collect the kind of local data agricultural and water managers worldwide need. SMAP uses two microwave instruments to monitor the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of soil on Earth's surface. Together, the instruments create soil moisture estimates with a resolution of about 6 miles (9 kilometers), mapping the entire globe every two or three days.

Paleolithic diet may have included snails 10,000 years earlier than previously thought

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:46 PM PDT

Paleolithic inhabitants of modern-day Spain may have eaten snails 10,000 years earlier than their Mediterranean neighbors. Snails were widespread in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, but it is still unknown when and how they were incorporated into human diets.

Orb-weaving spiders living in urban areas may be larger

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:46 PM PDT

A common orb-weaving spider may grow larger and have an increased ability to reproduce when living in urban areas.

Missing Protein Restored in Patients with Muscular Dystrophy

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:44 PM PDT

A research team has succeeded in restoring a missing repair protein in skeletal muscle of patients with muscular dystrophy, a scientific first. The team has offered a proof-of-principle study and restored the missing protein in skeletal muscle of patients with muscular dystrophy. Three patients carrying a dysferlin mutation received a single systemic dose of a proteasome inhibitor. After only a few days the patients' musculature produced the missing dysferlin protein at levels that could be therapeutically effective.

Exercise may protect older women from irregular heartbeat

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:44 PM PDT

Increasing the amount or intensity of physical activity can cut the chances of older women developing a life-threatening irregular heartbeat, according to new research. Researchers found that post-menopausal women who were the most physically active had a 10 percent lower risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF), compared to women with low levels of physical activity, even if they were obese. Obesity is an important risk factor for atrial fibrillation.

Water leads to chemical that gunks up biofuels production

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:43 PM PDT

Trying to understand the chemistry that turns plant material into the same energy-rich gasoline and diesel we put in our vehicles, researchers have discovered that water in the conversion process helps form an impurity which, in turn, slows down key chemical reactions.

How lizards regenerate their tails: Researchers discover genetic 'recipe'

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:43 PM PDT

By understanding the secret of how lizards regenerate their tails, researchers may be able to develop ways to stimulate the regeneration of limbs in humans. Now, a team of researchers is one step closer to solving that mystery. The scientists have discovered the genetic "recipe" for lizard tail regeneration, which may come down to using genetic ingredients in just the right mixture and amounts.

Severing nerves may shrink stomach cancers: Botox injections slow growth of stomach tumors in mice

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 01:43 PM PDT

Nerves may play a critical role in stomach cancer growth and that blocking nerve signals using surgery or Botox® (onabotulinumtoxinA) could be an effective treatment for the disease. Stomach cancer is the fourth-leading type of cancer and the second-highest contributor to cancer mortality worldwide, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 25 percent.

Seals and sea lions likely spread tuberculosis to humans

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 11:00 AM PDT

Scientists who study tuberculosis have long debated its origins. New research shows that tuberculosis likely spread from humans in Africa to seals and sea lions that brought the disease to South America and transmitted it to Native people there before Europeans landed on the continent.

Life can persist in cold, dark world: Life under Antarctic ice explored

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 11:00 AM PDT

The first breakthrough article to come out of a massive U.S. expedition to one of Earth's final frontiers shows that there's life and an active ecosystem one-half mile below the surface of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, specifically in a lake that hasn't seen sunlight or felt a breath of wind for millions of years. The life is in the form of microorganisms that live beneath the enormous Antarctic ice sheet and convert ammonium and methane into the energy required for growth.

Jurassic mammals were picky eaters, new study finds

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 10:59 AM PDT

New analyses of tiny fossil mammals from Glamorgan, South Wales are shedding light on the function and diets of our earliest ancestors, a team reports. Mammals and their immediate ancestors from the Jurassic period (201-145 million years ago) developed new characteristics - such as better hearing and teeth capable of precise chewing.

Enhanced communication key to successful teamwork in dynamic environments

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 09:32 AM PDT

Organizations of all types are increasingly creating teams whose members have diverse professional backgrounds. While the allure of these cross-functional teams is their ability to use their diverse knowledge to solve complex problems, not all such teams are able to reach their full potential. New research finds what these teams need to be successful.

Experts denounce clinical trials of unscientific, 'alternative' medicines

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 09:32 AM PDT

Experts call for an end to clinical trials of 'highly implausible treatments' such as homeopathy and reiki. Over the last two decades, such complementary and alternative medicine treatments have been embraced in medical academia despite budget constraints and the fact that they rest on dubious science, they say.

Scientists learn more about rare skin cancer that killed Bob Marley

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 09:32 AM PDT

Acral melanomas, the rare type of skin cancer that caused musician Bob Marley's death, are genetically distinct from other types of skin cancer. Acral melanoma most often affects the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, nail-beds and other hairless parts of the skin. Unlike other more common types of melanoma, it's not caused by UV damage from the sun.

Newborn screening expansion offers early diagnosis and treatment to infants with SCID

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:20 AM PDT

Data from 11 newborn screening programs showed that newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) can be successfully implemented across public health newborn screening programs. SCID babies are born without a developed immune system and are subject to a wide variety of life-threatening infections.

Teen sleeplessness piles on risk for obesity

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT

Teenagers who don't get enough sleep may wake up to worse consequences than nodding off during chemistry class. According to new research, risk of being obese by age 21 was 20 percent higher among 16-year-olds who got less than six hours of sleep a night, compared with their peers who slumbered more than eight hours.

Severe infections with hospitalization after prostate biopsy rising in Sweden

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:17 AM PDT

Transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy is the gold standard for detecting prostate cancer, but international reports have suggested that the number of risks associated with the procedure is increasing. In a new nationwide population-based study, Swedish researchers found that six percent of men filled a prescription for antibiotics for a urinary tract infection within 30 days after having a prostate biopsy, with a twofold increase in hospital admissions over five years.

Sleepy college students stressed by jobs

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:17 AM PDT

College students are typically more sleep deprived than the rest of us and often ignore the health benefits of adequate slumber, said a researcher who studies the topic. "Sleep is extremely important to overall health," one researcher said. "Poor sleep has short-term consequences on mood, concentration, higher learning and can lead to the dangers involved in drowsy driving. "It also has long-term ramifications on our overall health. Research has found links between poor sleep and diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity."

Novel gene predicts both breast cancer relapse, response to chemotherapy

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:06 AM PDT

Scientists have made it easier to predict both breast cancer relapses and responses to chemotherapy, through the identification of a unique gene. The newly found marker could help doctors classify each breast cancer patient and customize a treatment regimen that is more effective.

Gene therapy protects mice from lethal heart condition, researchers find

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:06 AM PDT

A new gene therapy has been shown to protect mice from a life-threatening heart condition caused by muscular dystrophy. About one in 3,500 children, mostly boys, are born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). They experience a progressive wasting away of muscles, starting in the legs and pelvis. Children with DMD have difficulty walking, and most need wheelchairs by age 12.

The power of salt: Power generation from where river water and seawater meet

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:05 AM PDT

Where the river meets the sea, there is the potential to harness a significant amount of renewable energy, according to a team of mechanical engineers. The researchers evaluated an emerging method of power generation called pressure retarded osmosis (PRO), in which two streams of different salinity are mixed to produce energy. In principle, a PRO system would take in river water and seawater on either side of a semi-permeable membrane. Through osmosis, water from the less-salty stream would cross the membrane to a pre-pressurized saltier side, creating a flow that can be sent through a turbine to recover power.

Turning waste from rice, parsley and other foods into biodegradable plastic

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:05 AM PDT

Your chairs, synthetic rugs and plastic bags could one day be made out of cocoa, rice and vegetable waste rather than petroleum, scientists are now reporting. The novel process they developed and their results could help the world deal with its agricultural and plastic waste problems.

Coronary arteries hold heart-regenerating cells

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:05 AM PDT

Endothelial cells residing in the coronary arteries can function as cardiac stem cells to produce new heart muscle tissue, investigators have discovered. The heart has long been considered to be an organ without regenerative potential, said one expert. Recent findings, however, have demonstrated that new heart muscle cells are generated at a low rate, suggesting the presence of cardiac stem cells. The source of these cells was unknown.

Treating pain by blocking the 'chili-pepper receptor'

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:05 AM PDT

Biting into a chili pepper causes a burning spiciness that is irresistible to some, but intolerable to others. Scientists exploring the chili pepper's effect are using their findings to develop a new drug candidate for many kinds of pain, which can be caused by inflammation or other problems. They have now reported their progress on the compound, which is being tested in clinical trials.

Sunblock poses potential hazard to sea life

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:05 AM PDT

The sweet and salty aroma of sunscreen and seawater signals a relaxing trip to the shore. But scientists are now reporting that the idyllic beach vacation comes with an environmental hitch. When certain sunblock ingredients wash off skin and into the sea, they can become toxic to some of the ocean's tiniest inhabitants, which are the main course for many other marine animals.

Record decline of ice sheets: Scientists map elevation changes of Greenlandic and Antarctic glaciers

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:05 AM PDT

Researchers have for the first time extensively mapped Greenland's and Antarctica's ice sheets with the help of the ESA satellite CryoSat-2 and have thus been able to prove that the ice crusts of both regions momentarily decline at an unprecedented rate. In total the ice sheets are losing around 500 cubic kilometers of ice per year.

Diabetes calculator helps identify patients at risk of disease

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:04 AM PDT

A new online tool will help doctors predict which patients are most likely to develop diabetes. Experts say it could offer a cost-effective way to identify people with diabetes, as it avoids the need for significant investment in screening.

Seeing a molecule breathe through scattering of light pulses

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:04 AM PDT

For the first time, chemists have succeeded in measuring vibrational motion of a single molecule with a femtosecond time resolution. The study reveals how vibration of a single molecule differs from the behavior of larger molecular groups. Seeing a single organic bipyridylethylene (BPE) molecule vibrate as a function of time was possible through the scattering of the light pulses. The method is known as time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (tr-CARS).

Moms trust moms on the net, study shows

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:04 AM PDT

Facebook groups for mothers are overtaking the traditional mums-and-bubs and playgroup environments as a source of trusted advice, and offer a largely untapped marketing tool for businesses wanting to sell their products, an Australian study has found.

Cut flowers last longer with silver nanotechnology

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:03 AM PDT

Once cut and dunked in a vase of water, flowers are susceptible to bacterial growth that shortens the length of time one has to enjoy the blooms. A few silver nanoparticles sprinkled into the water, might be the answer to longer-lasting cut flowers according to new research.

Investigational therapy focuses on slowing progression in mild to moderate Alzheimer's

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 07:58 AM PDT

Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease currently have no treatment options to slow brain cell deterioration. Researchers are studying an investigational drug that proposes to do just that.

Economic disparities impact infant health, experts show

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:17 AM PDT

Women who are poor experience higher cortisol levels in pregnancy and give birth to infants with elevated levels of the stress hormone, putting them at greater risk for serious disease later in life, according to a new research. "By improving the health and well-being of socially disadvantaged women you may help to improve the health and well-being of their children and therefore society overall," the lead researcher said.

Repeat emergency department visits for acute heart failure suggest need for better outpatient care

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:17 AM PDT

Almost one-third of acute heart failure syndrome patients seen in hospital emergency departments in one American study during 2010 had ED visits during the following year, findings that suggest a lack of appropriate outpatient care. The authors note that acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS) -- an increase in symptoms that requires urgent care -- accounts for more than 675,000 ED visits and one million hospitalizations in the U.S. each year, incurring around $31 million in costs.

Paving the way for cyborg moth 'biobots'

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:17 AM PDT

Researchers have developed methods for electronically manipulating the flight muscles of moths and for monitoring the electrical signals moths use to control those muscles. The work opens the door to the development of remotely-controlled moths, or 'biobots,' for use in emergency response.

Abusive leadership infects entire team

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:17 AM PDT

Supervisors who are abusive to individual employees can actually throw the entire work team into conflict, hurting productivity, finds new research led by a business scholar. Supervisors who belittle and ridicule workers not only negatively affect those workers' attitudes and behaviors, but also cause team members to act in a similar hostile manner toward one another, research indicates.

Review of clinical treatment of bronchiolitis in infants reveals over-reliance on one test

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:17 AM PDT

The importance of physicians using all available clinical assessment tools when considering how to treat patients is the focus of a new article. The study examined how pediatric emergency medicine physicians treat a respiratory tract infection called bronchiolitis in infants, and how they incorporate factors such as respiratory exam, imaging tools and blood tests when deciding on treatment.

Is China's 50 percent cesarean section delivery rate too high?

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:16 AM PDT

Efforts must be made to decrease China's increasing cesarean section rate, suggests a new article. China has one of the highest caesarean delivery rates in the world. Of 16 million babies born in 2010, approximately half were by caesarean. Although the exact rate is not known, the current Chinese language literature on caesarean rates in China reports total caesarean rates ranging from 36% to 58%. However, before the 1980s, the caesarean rate was below 5% and it did not rise above 10% until after 1990.

Worker bees ‘know’ when to invest in their reproductive future

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:16 AM PDT

When a colony of honeybees grows to about 4,000 members, it triggers an important first stage in its reproductive cycle: the building of a special type of comb used for rearing male reproductive, called drones.

A semi-artificial leaf faster than 'natural' photosynthesis

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:16 AM PDT

Cooperation between chemists and biologists has resulted in a new method for the very efficient integration of photosynthetic proteins in photovoltaics. Their research offers a new immobilization strategy that yields electron transfer rates exceeding for the first time rates observed in natural photosynthesis. This discovery opens the possibility for the construction of semi-artificial leaves functioning as photovoltaic devices with drastically increased performance.

Type-1, type-2 diabetes caused by same underlying mechanism? Toxic clumps of hormone amylin may be to blame

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:16 AM PDT

New findings provide compelling evidence that juvenile-onset or type-1 diabetes and type-2 diabetes are both caused by the formation of toxic clumps of a hormone called amylin. The results suggest that type-1 and type-2 diabetes could both be slowed down and potentially reversed by medicines that stop amylin forming these toxic clumps.

Untangling DNA: The channel that relaxes DNA

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:13 AM PDT

A simple and effective way of unraveling the often tangled mass of DNA is to "thread" the strand into a nano-channel. A new study used simulations to measure the characteristics that this channel should have in order to achieve maximum efficiency.

Progress in the fight against harmful fungi

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:13 AM PDT

One of the world's largest gene libraries for the Candida glabrata yeast, which is harmful to humans, has been developed by researchers. Molecular analysis of the Candida glabrata fungus mutations led to the discovery of 28 new genes that are partly responsible for the yeast's tolerance of common drugs. Infectious diseases caused by fungi, viruses, bacteria and parasites represent the world's number one cause of death. A few dozen types of harmful fungi claim more than 1.5 million human lives every year.

Zipper action triggers bacterial invasion: Scientists discover new strategy germs use to invade cells

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT

The hospital germ Pseudomonas aeruginosa wraps itself into the membrane of human cells. Now researchers have identified a novel mechanism of bacterial invasion, outlining how Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses lipids in the cell membrane to make its way into host cells.

Novel oral anticoagulant prescriptions soar, but at a high cost

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT

Warfarin, the longtime standard treatment for atrial fibrillation, is facing competition from new options in the anticoagulant drug marketplace including dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban. A new study documents the rapid adoption of these novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) into clinical practice. By mid-2013 NOACs accounted for 62% of all new anticoagulant prescriptions yet this represents 98% of total anticoagulant-related drug costs.

First LOFAR observations of 'Whirlpool Galaxy'

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT

Using a radio telescope with frequencies just above those of commercial FM radio stations, a European team of astronomers has obtained the most sensitive image of a galaxy below 1 GHz.

A spectacular landscape of star formation

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT

A new image shows two dramatic star formation regions in the southern Milky Way. The first is of these, on the left, is dominated by the star cluster NGC 3603, located 20,000 light-years away, in the Carina–Sagittarius spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. The second object, on the right, is a collection of glowing gas clouds known as NGC 3576 that lies only about half as far from Earth.

Providing futile treatment prevents other patients from receiving the critical care they need

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:10 AM PDT

Providing futile treatment in the intensive care unit sets off a chain reaction that causes other ill patients needing medical attention to wait for critical care beds, according to a study. The study is the first to show that when unbeneficial medical care is provided, others who might be able to benefit from treatment are harmed, said the study's lead author.

Why elderly are prone to sleep problems

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:10 AM PDT

A group of inhibitory neurons, whose loss leads to sleep disruption in experimental animals, are substantially diminished among the elderly and individuals with Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found. The authors examined the brains of 45 study subjects (median age at death, 89.2), identifying ventrolateral preoptic neurons by staining the brains for the neurotransmitter galanin. They then correlated the actigraphic rest-activity behavior of the 45 individuals in the year prior to their deaths with the number of remaining ventrolateral preoptic neurons at autopsy.

Targeted brain training may help you multitask better

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:10 AM PDT

The area of the brain involved in multitasking and ways to train it have been identified by a research team. The research includes a model to better predict the effectiveness of this training.

Growing up poor affects adults' sense of control, impulsiveness when faced with economic uncertainty

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:10 AM PDT

Growing up poor can influence people's sense of control and in turn may lead them to more impulsive decision-making and quickly give up on challenging tasks in uncertain situations, according to new research.

Solar energy that doesn't block the view

Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:02 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a new type of solar concentrator that when placed over a window creates solar energy while allowing people to actually see through the window. It is called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator and can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a flat, clear surface.

Nuclear magnetic resonance experiments using Earth's magnetic field

Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:02 PM PDT

Earth's magnetic field, a familiar directional indicator over long distances, is routinely probed in applications ranging from geology to archaeology. Now it has provided the basis for a technique which might, one day, be used to characterize the chemical composition of fluid mixtures in their native environments. Researchers have carried out nuclear magnetic resonance experiments using an ultra-low magnetic field comparable to Earth's magnetic field.

How parents juggle work hours may influence kids' weight

Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:02 PM PDT

The way parents balance their work schedules may affect their adolescent children's eating habits, according to researchers. For example, parents who spend time with their adolescent kids after school may increase the likelihood that those children will eat regular dinners, according to the researchers. Adolescents having mothers who stay home before school are more likely to eat breakfast. Regular meals at home can help children and adolescents avoid weight problems.