ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Power outage? Robots to the rescue

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 03:25 PM PDT

Big disasters almost always result in big power failures. Not only do they take down the TV and fridge, they also wreak havoc with key infrastructure like cell towers. That can delay search and rescue operations at a time when minutes count. Engineers have now developed a tabletop model of robotic first responders that can bring power to places that need it the most —- like communications towers.

Mechanized human hands: System designed to improve hand function lost to nerve damage

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 02:26 PM PDT

Engineers have developed and successfully demonstrated the value of a simple pulley mechanism to improve hand function after surgery. The device, tested in cadaver hands, is one of the first instruments ever created that could improve the transmission of mechanical forces and movement while implanted inside the body.

On the road to artificial photosynthesis

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 12:08 PM PDT

The excessive atmospheric carbon dioxide that is driving global climate change could be harnessed into a renewable energy technology that would be a win for both the environment and the economy. That is the lure of artificial photosynthesis in which the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide is used to produce clean, green and sustainable fuels. However, finding a catalyst for reducing carbon dioxide that is highly selective and efficient has proven to be a huge scientific challenge. New experimental results have revealed the critical influence of the electronic and geometric effects in the carbon dioxide reduction reaction and might help make the problem easier to tackle.

Longstanding bottleneck in crystal structure prediction solved

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 12:08 PM PDT

The various patterns that atoms of a solid material can adopt, called crystal structures, can have a huge impact on its properties. Being able to accurately predict the most stable crystal structure for a material has been a longstanding challenge for scientists. Researchers calculated the lattice energy of benzene, a simple yet important molecule in pharmaceutical and energy research, to sub-kilojoule per mole accuracy -- a level of certainty that allows polymorphism to be resolved.

New discovery could pave way for spin-based computing: Novel oxide-based magnetism follows electrical commands

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 12:08 PM PDT

Electricity and magnetism rule our digital world. Semiconductors process electrical information, while magnetic materials enable long-term data storage. A research team has now discovered a way to fuse these two distinct properties in a single material, paving the way for new ultrahigh density storage and computing architectures.

How to make stronger, 'greener' cement: New formula could cut greenhouse-gas emissions

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT

Concrete is the world's most-used construction material, and a leading contributor to global warming, producing as much as one-tenth of industry-generated greenhouse-gas emissions. Now a new study suggests a way in which those emissions could be reduced by more than half -- and the result would be a stronger, more durable material.

Efficiently harvesting hydrogen fuel from Sun using Earth-abundant materials

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT

Scientists have a new efficient way of producing hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water. By combining a pair of solar cells made with a mineral called perovskite and low cost electrodes, scientists have obtained a 12.3 percent conversion efficiency from solar energy to hydrogen, a record using Earth-abundant materials as opposed to rare metals.

Agonizing rabies deaths can be stopped worldwide

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT

Ridding the world of rabies in humans is cost-effective and achievable through mass dog vaccination programs, an international team of researchers says. A rabies vaccine has long existed. Even so, the disease kills an estimated 69,000 people worldwide -- that's 189 each day. Forty percent of them are children, mostly in Africa and Asia. The disease is spread primarily through the saliva of infected dogs. Once a person develops symptoms, the chance that he or she will die is nearly 100-percent.

Earth's water is older than the sun: Likely originated as ices that formed in interstellar space

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT

Water was crucial to the rise of life on Earth and is also important to evaluating the possibility of life on other planets. Identifying the original source of Earth's water is key to understanding how life-fostering environments come into being and how likely they are to be found elsewhere. New work found that much of our solar system's water likely originated as ices that formed in interstellar space.

Stone Age tools: Innovation was local, not imported, in Eurasia more than 300,000 years ago

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT

Analysis of stone artifacts from the excavation of a 300,000-year-old site in Armenia shows that new technologies evolved locally, rather than being imported from outside, as previously thought.

Amino acids? Interstellar molecules are branching out

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT

Scientists have for the first time detected a carbon-bearing molecule with a 'branched' structure in interstellar space. The discovery of iso-propyl cyanide opens a new frontier in the complexity of molecules found in regions of star formation, and bodes well for the presence of amino acids, for which this branched structure is a key characteristic.

Stem cell transplant does not cure SHIV/AIDS after irradiation of infected rhesus macaques

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT

A new primate model has been developed to test treatments that might cure HIV/AIDS and suggests answers to questions raised by the 'Berlin patient,' the only human thought to have been cured so far.

Researchers engineer 'Cas9' animal models to study disease, inform drug discovery

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:28 AM PDT

A new mouse model to simplify application of the CRISPR-Cas9 system for in vivo genome editing experiments. The researchers successfully used the new 'Cas9 mouse' model to edit multiple genes in a variety of cell types, and to model lung adenocarcinoma, one of the most lethal human cancers.

World's smallest reference material is big plus for nanotechnology

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:28 AM PDT

The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently issued Reference Material 8027, the smallest known reference material ever created for validating measurements of these human-made, ultrafine particles between 1 and 100 nanometers -- billionths of a meter -- in size.

Putting the squeeze on quantum information

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:28 AM PDT

Researchers have shown that information stored in quantum bits can be exponentially compressed without losing information. The achievement is an important proof of principle, and could be useful for efficient quantum communications and information storage.

Unlocking long-hidden mechanisms of plant cell division

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:28 AM PDT

Along with copying and splitting DNA during division, cells must have a way to break safely into two viable daughter cells, a process called cytokinesis. But the molecular basis of how plant cells accomplish this without mistakes has been unclear for many years. Now a detailed new model that for the first time proposes how plant cells precisely position a 'dynamic and complex' structure called a phragmoplast at the cell center during every division and how it directs cytokinesis.

Solar cell compound probed under pressure

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:27 AM PDT

Gallium arsenide a semiconductor composed of gallium and arsenic is well known to have properties that promise practical applications. In the form of nanowires it has particular potential for use in solar cell manufacture and optoelectronics in many of the same applications that silicon is commonly used. But its natural semiconducting ability requires tuning to make it more desirable for use in manufacturing. New work offers a novel approach to such tuning.

Structure of enzyme that makes plant cellulose uncovered

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:26 AM PDT

The structure of the enzyme that makes cellulose has been uncovered by researchers, a finding that could lead to easier ways of breaking down plant materials to make biofuels and other products and materials. The research also provides the most detailed glimpse to date of the complicated process by which cellulose -- the foundation of the plant cell wall and the most abundant organic compound on the planet -- is produced.

Yoga, meditation may help train brain to help people control computers with their mind

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:25 AM PDT

People who practice yoga and meditation long term can learn to control a computer with their minds faster and better than people with little or no yoga or meditation experience, new research by biomedical engineers shows. The research could have major implications for treatments of people who are paralyzed or have neurodegenerative diseases.

Brazilian zoologists discovered the first obligate cave-dwelling flatworm in South America

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:25 AM PDT

Typical cave-dwelling organisms, unpigmented and eyeless, were discovered in a karst area located in northeastern Brazil. The organisms were assigned to a new genus and species of freshwater flatworm and may constitute an oceanic relict. They represent the first obligate cave-dwelling flatworm in South America.

Brain chemical potential new hope in controlling Tourette Syndrome tics

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:23 AM PDT

A chemical in the brain plays a vital role in controlling the involuntary movements and vocal tics associated with Tourette Syndrome, a new study has shown. The research could offer a potential new target for the development of more effective treatments to suppress these unwanted symptoms.

New organic semiconductor material: Organic tin in polymers increases their light absorption

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:13 AM PDT

Researchers have integrated organic tin into semiconducting polymers (plastics) for the first time. Semiconducting polymers can be used, for example, for the absorption of sun light in solar cells. By incorporating organic tin into the plastic, light can be absorbed over a wide range of the solar spectrum.

How physical exercise protects the brain from stress-induced depression

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:13 AM PDT

Physical exercise has many beneficial effects on human health, including the protection from stress-induced depression. However, until now the mechanisms that mediate this protective effect have been unknown. In a new study in mice, researchers show that exercise training induces changes in skeletal muscle that can purge the blood of a substance that accumulates during stress, and is harmful to the brain.

Coping techniques help patients with COPD improve mentally, physically

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:07 AM PDT

Coaching patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to manage stress, practice relaxation and participate in light exercise can boost a patient's quality of life and can even improve physical symptoms, researchers report.

Water research tackles growing grassland threat: Trees

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:07 AM PDT

Biologists are studying streams to prevent tallgrass prairies from turning into shrublands and forests. By looking at 25 years of data on the Konza Prairie Biological Station, they are researching grassland streams and the expansion of nearby woody vegetation, such as trees and shrubs. They have found that burn intervals may predict the rate of woody vegetation expansion along streams.

Surprising diversity of antibody family provides clues for HIV vaccine design

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT

Scientists have described how a single family of antibodies that broadly neutralizes different strains of HIV has evolved remarkably diverse structures to attack a vulnerable site on the virus. The findings provide clues for the design of a future HIV vaccine.

New protein players found in key disease-related metabolic pathway

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT

Cells rely on the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway—which senses the availability of nutrients—to coordinate their growth with existing environmental conditions. Now researchers have identified a family of proteins that negatively regulate the branch upstream of mTORC1 that senses amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.

Strategic or random? How the brain chooses

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT

The brain can temporarily disconnect information about past experience from decision-making circuits, thereby triggering random behavior, a study has demonstrated. The new studies look at how the brain generates strategic and random behavior, and how it switches between the two modes.

Modified vitamin D shows promise as treatment for pancreatic cancer

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT

A vitamin D-derivative makes tumors vulnerable to chemotherapy, a new study shows. By attacking a wound repair mechanism called fibrosis, the findings may also have implications for other tough-to-treat tumors, such as lung, kidney and liver cancer, researchers report.

How the ends of chromosomes are maintained for cancer cell immortality

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT

Maintaining telomeres is a requisite feature of cells that are able to continuously divide and also a hallmark of human cancer. Telomeres are much like the plastic cap on the ends of shoelaces -- they keep the ends of DNA from fraying. In a new study, researchers describe a mechanism for how cancer cells take over one of the processes for telomere maintenance to gain an infinite lifespan.

Severe childhood epilepsies: Large international study pinpoints synapse genes with major roles

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT

An international research team has identified gene mutations causing severe, difficult-to-treat forms of childhood epilepsy. Many of the mutations disrupt functioning in the synapse, the junction at which nerve cells intercommunicate.

Dinosaur family tree gives fresh insight into rapid rise of birds

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT

The study shows that the familiar anatomical features of birds – such as feathers, wings and wishbones – all first evolved piecemeal in their dinosaur ancestors over tens of millions of years. However, once a fully functioning bird body shape was complete, an evolutionary explosion began, causing a rapid increase in the rate at which birds evolved. This led eventually to the thousands of avian species that we know today.

A galaxy of deception: Hubble snaps what looks like a young galaxy in the local Universe

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:21 AM PDT

Astronomers usually have to peer very far into the distance to see back in time, and view the Universe as it was when it was young. This new image of galaxy DDO 68, otherwise known as UGC 5340, was thought to offer an exception. This ragged collection of stars and gas clouds looks at first glance like a recently-formed galaxy in our own cosmic neighborhood. But, is it really as young as it looks?

Sugars in the cornfield: Plants use defenses against pests, but they don't always work

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:21 AM PDT

Grasses and crops such as maize attach sugars to chemical defenses called benzoxazinoids to protect themselves from being poisoned by their own protective agents. Then, when an insect starts feeding, a plant enzyme removes the sugar to deploy the active toxin. Scientists have now discovered why this defensive strategy fails to work against Spodoptera larvae. Armyworms deactivate the maize chemical defense by reattaching the sugar in the opposite configuration.

Celiac disease: A wriggly solution to a first-world problem

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:09 AM PDT

Groundbreaking results were achieved in a clinical trial using hookworms to reduce the symptoms of celiac disease. The results are good news for sufferers of other inflammatory conditions such as asthma and Crohn's disease. In the small trial run over a year, 12 participants were each experimentally infected with 20 Necator americanus (hookworm) larvae. They were then given gradually increasing doses of gluten, with their daily dose in the final stage being equivalent to a medium-sized bowl of spaghetti.

Discovery may lead to better treatments for autoimmune diseases, bone loss

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:09 AM PDT

Scientists have developed an approach to creating treatments for osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases that may avoid the risk of infection and cancer posed by some current medications.

Perfectionism is a bigger than perceived risk factor in suicide: Psychology expert

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:09 AM PDT

Experts are calling for closer attention to perfectionism's potential destructiveness, adding that clinical guidelines should include perfectionism as a separate factor for suicide risk assessment and intervention. 'There is an urgent need for looking at perfectionism with a person-centered approach as an individual and societal risk factor, when formulating clinical guidelines for suicide risk assessment and intervention, as well as public health approaches to suicide prevention,' says one researcher.

Chemists recruit anthrax to deliver cancer drugs

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:09 AM PDT

With some tinkering, a deadly protein becomes an efficient carrier for antibody drugs, researchers have discovered. "Anthrax toxin is a professional at delivering large enzymes into cells," says one researcher. "We wondered if we could render anthrax toxin nontoxic, and use it as a platform to deliver antibody drugs into cells."

Autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammations: Advancing research

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:08 AM PDT

Multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and lupus are autoimmune diseases in which the immune cells can no longer differentiate between friend and foe and thus attack the body's own tissue. Here, the immunoproteasome, which supplies the immune system with information on processes within the cell, plays a central role. Chemists have now discovered a way to inhibit its functionality, thereby laying the foundation for possible optimizations of existing medications.

Simple blood test could be used as tool for early cancer diagnosis

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:08 AM PDT

High levels of calcium in blood, a condition known as hypercalcemia, can be used by GPs as an early indication of certain types of cancer, according to a study by researchers. Hypercalcaemia is the most common metabolic disorder associated with cancer, occurring in 10 to 20 per cent of people with cancer. While its connection to cancer is well known, this study has, for the first time, shown that often it can predate the diagnosis of cancer in primary care.

ADHD: Brains not recognizing angry expressions

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:07 AM PDT

The characteristics of facial expression recognition of children with ADHD has been initially identified by researchers by measuring hemodynamic response in the brain. They showed that children with ADHD showed significant hemodynamic response to the happy expression but not to the angry expression. This difference in the neural basis for the recognition of facial expression might be responsible for impairment in social recognition and the establishment of peer-relationships.

How brain handles tactile sensations: New findings

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:04 AM PDT

The traditional understanding in neuroscience is that tactile sensations from the skin are only assembled to form a complete experience in the cerebral cortex, the most advanced part of the brain. However, this is challenged by new research findings that suggest both that other levels in the brain play a greater role than previously thought, and that a larger proportion of the brain's different structures are involved in the perception of touch.

Tool to help communities stay environmentally, socially 'healthy'

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:04 AM PDT

A new way to measure the 'health' of poor regional communities has been developed by geographers who aim to improve the wellbeing of people by guiding sustainable development practices to help avoid social and environmental collapse. The researchers have pioneered a methodology that examines the balance between factors such as; standards of living, natural resources, agriculture, industry and the economy. The results help identify critical limits, beyond which regions risk tipping into ecological and social downturn, or even collapse.

Biomarkers, stem cells offer new ways to treat deadly gut disease in premature babies

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:02 AM PDT

Two major breakthroughs in the treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis suggest that there may finally be a way to stop this lethal disease of prematurity. The condition creates an inexplicable combination of inflammation and infection that causes parts of the intestine to die. NEC progresses at a ruthless speed, leaving physicians with few options -- typically supportive care, emergency surgery or antibiotics.

Cell division: New technique reveals a role for histones

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:02 AM PDT

Proteins known as histones give structure to DNA, which coils around them like string on spools. But as is so often the case in biology, it turns out there is more to these structures than meets the eye.

Massive weight loss increases risk of complications in body-shaping surgery

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:02 AM PDT

Patients who lost more than 100 pounds and those who shed weight through bariatric surgery had the highest risk of complications from later surgical procedures to reshape their leaner bodies, a new study shows.

Natural selection causes early migration, shorter parental care for shorebirds

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:25 AM PDT

All bird migrations are fraught with danger – from the risk of not finding enough food, to facing stormy weather, and most importantly – trying not to be eaten along the way. Raptors such as peregrine falcons are the main predators of migratory birds, and huge flocks of congregating shorebirds can be easy pickings. In a new paper, researchers provide new evidence that shorebird species can adopt substantially different ways of dealing with this predation pressure.

Dengue fever, malaria in the Himalayas

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:22 AM PDT

Research by Nepalese and German scientists analyzes the current situation of malaria and Dengue fever in the Himalayan country of Nepal, and highlights how they profit from climate change and globalization.

New research shows how Ryder Cup golfers can have the edge

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:22 AM PDT

Elite golfers can recognize when they enter 'the zone' and can control the experience to perform at their peak for longer, new research has revealed. Previously, research suggested that individuals only become aware they had been in a so-called 'flow' state when they finished the activity, but the study has revealed elite golfers are aware that the phenomenon is happening as they play.

Human papilloma virus vaccination provides long-term protection

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:22 AM PDT

Persistent infection with a high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) type is a necessary prerequisite for the development of dysplasia and neoplasia of the cervix, precursors to cervical cancer. The HPV vaccination has been a subject of heated debate since it was launched. Now researchers have produced a systematic review that shows no decrease in protection over a period of five years following vaccination against HPV types 16 and 18.

Osteoarthritis of the hip: appropriate exercise therapy can alleviate symptoms

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:22 AM PDT

Osteoarthritis of the hip is a progressive degenerative disorder affecting the hip joints, which affects one in 10 adults. The symptoms range from pain after intense joint loading to morning pain/stiffness and impaired mobility in everyday life. To date, no cure exists. Appropriate exercise therapy can, however, delay progression of the disease and alleviate symptoms, as shown in a randomized controlled study.

Cryptogenic strokes may find explanation in heart

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:22 AM PDT

More than half of the patients who have suffered a stroke with no well-defined aetiology have an enlarged left atrial appendage of the heart, according to a study. The results indicate that the enlargement of the left atrial appendage may be an independent risk factor of strokes with cardiac origin.

Calming down immune cells could hold key to melanoma treatment

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:22 AM PDT

Immune cells may be responsible for drug resistance in melanoma patients, according to research. Scientists found that chemical signals produced by a type of immune cell, called macrophages, also act as a survival signal for melanoma cells.

Global sea levels rose up to five meters per century at the end of the last five ice age

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:22 AM PDT

Land-ice decay at the end of the last five ice-ages caused global sea-levels to rise at rates of up to 5.5 metres per century, according to a new study. Researchers developed a 500,000-year record of sea-level variability, to provide the first account of how quickly sea-level changed during the last five ice-age cycles. Scientists also found that more than 100 smaller events of sea-level rise took place in between the five major events.

Live long and phosphor: Blue LED breakthrough for efficient electronics

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:14 AM PDT

In a step that could lead to longer battery life in smartphones and lower power consumption for large-screen televisions, researchers have extended the lifetime of blue organic light emitting diodes by a factor of 10.

Treatment studied to help patients 'burned to the bone'

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:14 AM PDT

Burn researchers examine a new approach for treating painful aftermath of war-defining combat injuries. Those burned by high-velocity explosive devices are at-risk for heterotopic ossification (HO), in which bone develops in places it shouldn't be, outside the skeleton, in joints, muscles and tendons. The painful condition can make it difficult to move and function and commonly affects patients who suffer burns, automobile accidents, orthopedic surgery and blast injuries and other combat wounds.

First mouse model for ALS dementia

Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:20 PM PDT

The first animal model for ALS dementia, a form of ALS that also damages the brain, has been developed by scientists. The advance will allow researchers to directly see the brains of living mice, under anesthesia, at the microscopic level. This will accelerate drug testing by allowing direct monitoring of test drugs in real time to determine if they work.

When David beats Goliath: Smaller birds can dominate larger species, especially when related

Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:20 PM PDT

Body size has long been recognized to play a key role in shaping species interactions, with larger species usually winning conflicts with their smaller counterparts. But a biologist has now found that occasionally, small species of birds can dominate larger species during aggressive interactions, particularly when they interact with distantly related species.

Study supports camels as primary source of MERS-CoV transmission

Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:20 PM PDT

Scientists have provided experimental evidence supporting dromedary camels as the primary reservoir, or carrier, of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. The study involved three healthy camels exposed through the eyes, nose and throat to MERS-CoV isolated from a patient. Each camel developed a mild upper respiratory tract infection consistent with what scientists have observed throughout the Middle East.

Increased risk of venous thromboembolism among NSAIDs users, study shows

Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:20 PM PDT

There is a statistically significant increased risk of venous thromboembolism -- a condition which includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism -- among users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, a study concludes. NSAIDs are one of the most commonly used medications around the world, and they are already well-known for their potential adverse effects.