ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Clues to role of magnetism in iron-based superconductors uncovered

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 12:38 PM PDT

New measurements of atomic-scale magnetic behavior in iron-based superconductors are challenging conventional wisdom about superconductivity and magnetism.

Primary care physicians can be critical resource for abused women in rural areas

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT

Many primary care physicians in rural communities do not routinely screen women for intimate partner violence, according to public health researchers. Rural women who are exposed to such violence have limited resources if they seek help. However, the United States Preventive Services Task Force now recommends IPV screening in the primary care setting.

Laser device may end pin pricks, improve quality of life for diabetics

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a way to use a laser to measure people's blood sugar, and, with more work to shrink the laser system to a portable size, the technique could allow diabetics to check their condition without pricking themselves to draw blood. In a new article, the researchers describe how they measured blood sugar by directing their specialized laser at a person's palm.

Hot-spring bacteria reveal ability to use far-red light for photosynthesis

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:15 AM PDT

Bacteria growing in near darkness use a previously unknown process for harvesting energy and producing oxygen from sunlight, scientists have discovered. The discovery lays the foundation for further research aimed at improving plant growth, harvesting energy from the sun, and understanding dense blooms like those now occurring on Lake Erie and other lakes worldwide.

Sunlight, not microbes, key to carbon dioxide in Arctic

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:15 AM PDT

The vast reservoir of carbon stored in Arctic permafrost is gradually being converted to carbon dioxide after entering the freshwater system in a process thought to be controlled largely by microbial activity. However, researchers say that sunlight and not bacteria is the key to triggering the production of CO2 from material released by Arctic soils.

X-ray laser probes tiny quantum tornadoes in superfluid droplets

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:15 AM PDT

An experiment at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory revealed a well-organized 3-D grid of quantum 'tornadoes' inside microscopic droplets of supercooled liquid helium -- the first time this formation has been seen at such a tiny scale. The findings by an international research team provide new insight on the strange nanoscale traits of a so-called 'superfluid' state of liquid helium.

Severe drought is causing the western US to rise like a spring uncoiling

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:15 AM PDT

The severe drought gripping the western United States in recent years is changing the landscape well beyond localized effects of water restrictions and browning lawns. Scientists have used GPS data to discover that the growing, broad-scale loss of water is causing the entire western US to rise up like an uncoiled spring.

How hummingbirds evolved to detect sweetness

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:14 AM PDT

Hummingbirds' ability to detect sweetness evolved from an ancestral savory taste receptor that is mostly tuned to flavors in amino acids. Feasting on nectar and the occasional insect, the tiny birds expanded throughout North and South America, numbering more than 300 species over the 40 to 72 million years since they branched off from their closest relative, the swift.

Cause of global warming hiatus found deep in the Atlantic Ocean

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:14 AM PDT

Observations show that the heat absent from the Earth's surface for more than a decade is plunging deep in the north and south Atlantic Ocean, and is part of a naturally occurring cycle. Subsurface warming in the ocean explains why global average air temperatures have flatlined since 1999, despite greenhouse gases trapping more solar heat at Earth's surface.

First direct evidence of 'spin symmetry' in atoms

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:14 AM PDT

Physicists have observed the first direct evidence of symmetry in the magnetic properties -- or nuclear 'spins' -- of atoms. The advance could spin off practical benefits such as the ability to simulate and better understand exotic materials such as superconductors.

Novel recycling methods: Fluorescent fingerprint of plastics

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:13 AM PDT

A new process has been developed that will greatly simplify the process of sorting plastics in recycling plants. The method enables automated identification of polymers, facilitating rapid separation of plastics for re-use.

Fish and coral smell a bad neighborhood: Marine protected areas might not be enough to help overfished reefs recover

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:13 AM PDT

Pacific corals and fish can both smell a bad neighborhood, and use that ability to avoid settling in damaged reefs. Damaged coral reefs emit chemical cues that repulse young coral and fish, discouraging them from settling in the degraded habitat, according to new research. The study shows for the first time that coral larvae can smell the difference between healthy and damaged reefs when they decide where to settle.

Impact of race, ethnicity in motor complete spinal cord injury

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 10:26 AM PDT

Researchers have examined racial and ethnic influences in the outcomes of patients with motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI). Findings included small but significant differences in self-care and mobility at discharge.

Difficulty assessing effort drives motivation deficits in schizophrenia, study finds

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 09:48 AM PDT

Individuals with schizophrenia often have trouble engaging in daily tasks or setting goals for themselves, and a new study suggests the reason might be their difficulty in assessing the amount of effort required to complete tasks. The research can assist health professionals in countering motivation deficits among patients with schizophrenia and help those patients function normally by breaking up larger, complex tasks into smaller, easier-to-grasp ones.

Hacking Gmail with 92 percent success

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 09:48 AM PDT

Computer scientists have identified a weakness believed to exist in Android, Windows and iOS mobile operating systems that could be used to obtain personal information from unsuspecting users. They demonstrated the hack in an Android phone.

Alternate mechanism of species formation picks up support, thanks to a South American ant

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 09:48 AM PDT

A newly discovered species of ant supports a controversial theory of species formation. The ant, only found in a single patch of eucalyptus trees on the São Paulo State University campus in Brazil, branched off from its original species while living in the same colony, something thought rare in current models of evolutionary development.

How cellular guardians of the intestine develop

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 09:48 AM PDT

New research sheds light on the development of a unique class of immune cells known as intraepithelial lymphocytes found in the thin layer of tissue lining the intestine. This work may help lead to new insights into inflammatory diseases of the gut, including Inflammatory Bowel Disorder and celiac disease, as well as cancer.

Some anti-inflammatory drugs affect more than their targets

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 09:48 AM PDT

Three commonly used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs alter the activity of enzymes within cell membranes, researchers have found. Their finding suggests that, if taken at higher-than-approved doses and/or for long periods of time, these prescription-level nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other drugs that affect the membrane may produce wide-ranging and unwanted side effects.

Viruses take down massive algal blooms, with big implications for climate

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 09:48 AM PDT

Humans are increasingly dependent on algae to suck up climate-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sink it to the bottom of the ocean. Now, by using a combination of satellite imagery and laboratory experiments, researchers have evidence showing that viruses infecting those algae are driving the life-and-death dynamics of the algae's blooms, even when all else stays essentially the same, and this has important implications for our climate.

Potential risk factors for urinary tract infections in young girls

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 09:47 AM PDT

Young girls with an intense, red, itchy rash on their outer genital organs may be at increased risk of developing urinary tract infections (UTIs). The treatment may be as simple as better hygiene and avoiding potential irritants such as bubble baths and swimming pools.

Children with autism have extra synapses in brain: May be possible to prune synapses with drug after diagnosis

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 09:47 AM PDT

Children and adolescents with autism have a surplus of synapses in the brain, and this excess is due to a slowdown in a normal brain "pruning" process during development, according to a new study. Because synapses are the points where neurons connect and communicate with each other, the excessive synapses may have profound effects on how the brain functions.

Neanderthals 'overlapped' with modern humans for up to 5,400 years

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 09:37 AM PDT

Neanderthals and modern humans were both living in Europe for between 2,600 and 5,400 years, according to a new article. For the first time, scientists have constructed a robust timeline showing when the last Neanderthals died out.

Physicists have chilled the world's coolest molecule

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 08:59 AM PDT

Physicists have chilled the world's coolest molecules. The tiny titans in question are bits of strontium monofluoride, dropped to 2.5 thousandths of a degree above absolute zero through a laser cooling and isolating process called magneto-optical trapping. They are the coldest molecules ever achieved through direct cooling, and they represent a physics milestone likely to prompt new research in areas ranging from quantum chemistry to tests of the most basic theories in particle physics.

Reading 'Fifty Shades' linked to unhealthy behaviors

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 08:59 AM PDT

Young adult women who read 'Fifty Shades of Grey' are more likely than nonreaders to exhibit signs of eating disorders and have a verbally abusive partner, finds a new study. Further, women who read all three books in the blockbuster "Fifty Shades" erotic romance series are at increased risk of engaging in binge drinking and having multiple sex partners.

Water window imaging opportunity

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 08:58 AM PDT

Ever heard of the water window? It consists of radiations in the 3.3 to 4.4 nanometer range, which are not absorbed by the water in biological tissues. A new theoretical study identifies the physical mechanism needed to efficiently generate harmonic radiations at high laser intensities that occur beyond the saturation threshold of atoms and molecules. These findings are aimed at improving conventional methods of coherent radiation production to reach the water window.

Arctic sea ice influenced force of Gulf Stream

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 08:58 AM PDT

The force of the Gulf Stream was significantly influenced by the sea ice situation in the Fram Strait in the past 30,000 years. On the basis of biomarkers in deposits on the seafloor, geologists managed for the first time to reconstruct when and how the marine region between Greenland and Svalbard was covered with ice in the past and in what way the Gulf Stream reacted when the sea ice cover suddenly broke up.

Delivery by drone: New algorithm lets drones monitor their own health during long package-delivery missions

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 08:58 AM PDT

In the near future, the package that you ordered online may be deposited at your doorstep by a drone: Last December, online retailer Amazon announced plans to explore drone-based delivery, suggesting that fleets of flying robots might serve as autonomous messengers that shuttle packages to customers within 30 minutes of an order. A new algorithm lets drones monitor their own health during long package-delivery missions.

Polio: Mutated virus breaches vaccine protection

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 08:57 AM PDT

Thanks to effective vaccination, polio is considered nearly eradicated. Each year only a few hundred people are stricken worldwide. However, scientists are reporting alarming findings: a mutated virus that was able to resist the vaccine protection to a considerable extent was found in victims of an outbreak in the Congo in 2010. The pathogen could also potentially have infected many people in Germany.

Cellular biology of colorectal cancer: New Insight

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:24 AM PDT

A new role for the protein adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) in suppressing colorectal cancer -- the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. -- has been outlined by new research, providing a better understanding of the illness. "It's not widely appreciated, but there is still plenty of cell growth going on in adults, with the colon being a good example," a researcher said. "On average, we shed and replace about 70 pounds of intestinal tissue annually, so you can imagine that this process requires exquisite control to prevent tumor formation."

Electric sparks may alter evolution of lunar soil

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:24 AM PDT

The moon appears to be a tranquil place, but new modeling suggests that, over the eons, periodic storms of solar energetic particles may have significantly altered the properties of the soil in the moon's coldest craters through the process of sparking -- a finding that could change our understanding of the evolution of planetary surfaces in the solar system.

Feeling bad at work can be a good thing (and vice versa)

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:24 AM PDT

Contrary to popular opinion, it can be good to feel bad at work, whilst feeling good in the workplace can also lead to negative outcomes, researchers say. The commonly-held assumption that positivity in the workplace produces positive outcomes, while negative emotions lead to negative outcomes, may be in need for reconsideration.

Insulin offers new hope for treatment of acute pancreatitis

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:24 AM PDT

Insulin can protect the cells of the pancreas from acute pancreatitis -- a disease for which there is currently no treatment -- researchers report. Acute pancreatitis involves the pancreas digesting itself resulting in severe abdominal pain, vomiting and systemic inflammation.

Your toothpaste's fluorine formed in the stars

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:23 AM PDT

The fluorine that is found in products such as toothpaste was likely formed billions of years ago in now-dead stars of the same type as our sun, according to new research by astronomers.

Smartphone-loss anxiety disorder

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:23 AM PDT

New research outlines the possible coping mechanisms that might be needed following loss or theft of one's smart phone or other digital devices and the security problems that the user might face.

Experimental Ebola drugs must be fairly distributed, tested ethically in clinical trials

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:21 AM PDT

Critical ethical principles need to be adhered to if experimental drugs are to be deployed in the Ebola outbreak, bioethicists say, stating that the patients selected to receive such drugs must not be limited to well-off or well-connected patients -- including health care professionals. These experts also point out that, given the limited supply of experimental drugs and their low probability of success, containment of the epidemic and strengthening health systems in affected regions should be a priority.

Oldest metal object found to date in Middle East

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:15 AM PDT

A copper awl, the oldest metal object found to date in the Middle East, has been discovered during the excavations at Tel Tsaf. The awl dates back to the late 6th millennium or the early 5th millennium BCE, moving back by several hundred years the date it was previously thought that the peoples of the region began to use metals.

Learning to play the piano? Sleep on it!

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:15 AM PDT

According to new research the regions of the brain below the cortex play an important role as we train our bodies' movements and, critically, they interact more effectively after a night of sleep. While researchers knew that sleep helped us the learn sequences of movements (motor learning), it was not known why.

Water and sunlight: The formula for sustainable fuel

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:07 AM PDT

Scientists have replicated one of the crucial steps in photosynthesis, opening the way for biological systems powered by sunlight which could manufacture hydrogen as a fuel.

3-D printers used to create custom medical implants that deliver drugs, chemo

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:06 AM PDT

An innovative method for using affordable, consumer-grade 3D printers and materials has been developed to fabricate custom medical implants that can contain antibacterial and chemotherapeutic compounds for targeted drug delivery. "It is truly novel and a worldwide first to be 3D printing custom devices with antibiotics and chemotherapeutics," said one researcher.

Emergency department nurses aren't like the rest of us

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:06 AM PDT

Emergency department nurses aren't like the rest of us -- they are more extroverted, agreeable and open -- attributes that make them successful in the demanding, fast-paced and often stressful environment of an emergency department, according to a new study.

New feeding tube connectors will improve patient safety

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:06 AM PDT

New feeding tube connectors, designed by an international standards process, will be available soon and will improve patient safety. Small-bore connectors, which are used to join medical devices, components, and accessories to deliver fluids or gases, can allow misconnections with other medical devices. Serious patient harm, including death, can occur if fluids, medications, or nutrition formulas intended for the gastrointestinal tract are administered via the wrong route.

Counseling has limited benefit on young people drinking alcohol, study suggests

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:06 AM PDT

Counseling techniques used to help young people with drinking problems may be of limited benefit, a new study suggests. Researchers found that an approach known as motivational interviewing did not substantially reduce drinking or alter alcohol-related behavior.

Experts question value of common superbug control practices

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:06 AM PDT

The jury is still out on the effectiveness of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) superbug control policies in hospitals, according to leading infectious disease experts. In particular, screening and isolating infected patients -- which have long been regarded as the gold standard MRSA prevention strategy and are required by law in some countries -- have poor evidence for their effectiveness, say the authors.

Models to study polyelectrolytes developed, including DNA and RNA

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:06 AM PDT

A novel and versatile modeling strategy has been developed to simulate polyelectrolyte systems. The model has applications for creating new materials as well as for studying polyelectrolytes, including DNA and RNA. Polyelectrolytes are chains of molecules that are positively or negatively charged when placed in water. Because they are sensitive to changes in their environment, polyelectrolytes hold promise for use in applications such as drug delivery mechanisms.

Does your computer know how you're feeling?

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:05 AM PDT

Researchers have designed a computer program that can accurately recognize users' emotional states as much as 87% of the time, depending on the emotion. The study combined -- for the first time -- two established ways of detecting user emotions: keystroke dynamics and text-pattern analysis.

Ibuprofen posing potential threat to fish, researchers say

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT

Many rivers contain levels of ibuprofen that could be adversely affecting fish health, researchers report. In what is believed to be the first study to establish the level of risk posed by ibuprofen at the country scale, the researchers examined 3,112 stretches of river which together receive inputs from 21 million people.

For secure software: X-rays instead of passport control

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT

Trust is good, control is better. This also applies to the security of computer programs. Instead of trusting "identification documents" in the form of certificates, JOANA, the new software analysis tool, examines the source text (code) of a program. In this way, it detects leaks, via which secret information may get out or strangers may enter the system from outside. At the same time, JOANA reduces the number of false alarms to a minimum.

Important clue found for potential treatments for absence seizures

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT

A group of researchers has succeeded in revealing a principle mechanism of a neural network in the human brain, which will provide an important clue to potential treatments for absence seizures. Absence seizures are believed to be elicited by T-type calcium channels in the thalamic reticular nucleus of the brain that regulate influxes of calcium. These channels enable thalamic reticular nucleus neurons to generate burst firing, leading the neurons to enter a hyper-excited state.

ADHD children make poor decisions due to less differentiated learning processes

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among school children. Pupils with ADHD often make poorer decisions than their unaffected classmates. Researchers have now discovered that different learning and decision-making mechanisms are responsible for these behaviors, and localized the underlying impairments in the brain.

Novel pathway for prevention of heart attack, stroke

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT

A recent study could pave the way for preventing brain and cardiac ischemia induced by atherosclerosis. Finnish researchers have found that the low-expression variant of fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), which is particularly common among Finns, reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. The finding revealed a promising new way to customize a potentially preventive drug for atherosclerosis.

Adherence to diet can be measured from blood

Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT

New results show that it's possible to assess dietary compliance from a blood sample. This is especially useful in controlled dietary intervention studies investigating the health benefits of specific diets. So far, such studies have mainly relied on the participants' self-reported dietary intake, which is often biased, making it more difficult to assess the real health benefits.

White-matter deficits in users of codeine-containing cough syrups

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:39 PM PDT

An imaging study of chronic users of codeine-containing cough syrups (CCS) has found deficits in specific regions of brain white matter and associates these changes with increased impulsivity in codeine-containing cough syrup users. These findings were consistent with results of previous studies of heroin and cocaine addicts. White matter disruptions also correlated with the duration of CCS use.

Questioning the use of acute hemodialysis treatment

Posted: 20 Aug 2014 03:39 PM PDT

A common approach to treating kidney failure by removing waste products from the blood did not improve survival chances for people who suddenly developed the condition, an analysis concludes. The findings suggest acute hemodialysis, an aggressive method that is commonly used for people with sudden kidney failure, may not provide a definitive benefit to the patient.