ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ESA experimental spaceplane completes research flight

Posted: 11 Feb 2015 08:11 AM PST

An experimental vehicle to develop an autonomous European reentry capability for future reusable space transportation has completed its mission. ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle flew a flawless reentry and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean just west of the Galapagos islands.

Ground-breaking lung cancer breath test in clinical trial

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 05:16 PM PST

Medical researchers are evaluating a revolutionary device which detects lung cancer in early stages. It is hoped that the LuCID (Lung Cancer Indicator Detection) program will lead to a non-invasive method of diagnosing lung cancer in the early stages.

Twitter the right prescription for sharing health research

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 03:45 PM PST

Using Twitter can help physicians be better prepared to answer questions from their patients, according to new researcher.

The future of electronics, now in 2-D

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 03:45 PM PST

The future of electronics could lie in a material from its past, as researchers work to turn germanium -- the material of 1940s transistors -- into a potential replacement for silicon.

Light reveals new details of Paul Gauguin's creative process

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 03:45 PM PST

French artist Paul Gauguin is well known for his colorful paintings, but he also was a highly experimental printmaker. Little is known, however, about how he created his complex graphic works. Now a team of scientists and art conservators has used a light bulb, an SLR camera and computational power to uncover new details of Gauguin's process -- how he formed, layered and re-used imagery to make 19 unique graphic works.

Exploring the teenage brain, and its drive for immediate reward

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 03:45 PM PST

Teenage exploration and risk taking could be explained by dramatic brain changes that allow planning and encourage the need for immediate reward, according to a neuroscientist.

Can cattle grazing management technique help capture and store carbon in soil?

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 03:45 PM PST

Can beef production help restore ecosystems? Scientists are examining the adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing management technique that involves using small-sized fields to provide short periods of grazing for livestock and long recovery periods for fields. The method mimics the migrations of wild herd animals, such as elk, bison and deer. The science team proposes a whole system science measurement approach in comparing AMP grazing with conventional, continuous grazing methods.

Social network analysis privacy tackled

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 03:45 PM PST

Protecting people's privacy in an age of online big data is difficult, but doing so when using visual representations of such things as social network data may present unique challenges, according to a computer scientist.

Iconic graph at center of climate debate

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 03:45 PM PST

The 'Hockey Stick' graph, a simple plot representing temperature over time, led to the center of the larger debate on climate change, and skewed the trajectory of at least one researcher.

Going negative with carbon

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 03:45 PM PST

A growing number of scientists warn that low-carbon technologies might not be enough to curb global warming. The solution, they say, could require a new suite of carbon-negative technologies that actually remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Formula for predicting innovation

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 03:45 PM PST

Researchers are developing a mathematical technique to predict the emergence of scientific innovation, based on research citations and historical analysis.

World’s first compact rotary 3-D printer-cum-scanner

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 03:42 PM PST

The the world's first compact 3-D printer that can also scan items into digitized models. will be delivered to the United States in March. This user-friendly device allows users without much knowledge of 3-D software to scan any item, then edit the digitized model on the computer and print it out in 3-D.

Structure-based design used as tool for engineering deimmunized biotherapeutics

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 06:24 AM PST

In the first experimental use of algorithms that employ structure-based molecular modeling to optimize deimmunized drug candidates, researchers complement their prior sequence-based deimmunizing algorithms and expand the tool kit of protein engineering technologies to use in next generation drug development.

Mapping the gut microbiome to better understand its role in obesity

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 06:24 AM PST

Several recent science studies have claimed that the gut microbiome -- the diverse array of bacteria that live in the stomach and intestines -- may be to blame for obesity. But one expert says it is not that simple.

What’s new for LHC Run II

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 06:23 AM PST

The most powerful particle accelerator on Earth soon will reawaken for its second run. Scientists explain how the upgraded capabilities of the Large Hadron Collider and its experiments will give access to a previously inaccessible realm of physics.

Bat populations in post-wildfire habitats

Posted: 14 Feb 2015 06:23 AM PST

Researchers are measuring bat populations in post-wildfire forests of Arizona. Bats are considered an indicator species of habitat health.

Larger area analysis needed to understand patterns in ancient prehistory

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 01:48 PM PST

Archaeologists need to study larger areas of land and link those studies to measurable environmental, societal and demographic changes to understand variations in prehistoric societies, according to anthropologists. The large areas are necessary to say anything meaningful about human behavioral response to social and environmental events.

World crop diversity survives in small farms from peri-urban to remote rural locations

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 01:48 PM PST

As much as 75 percent of global seed diversity in staple food crops is held and actively used by a wide range of small farmholders -- workers of less than three to seven acres -- with the rest in gene banks.

Finding winners and losers in global land use

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 01:48 PM PST

An increasingly complex, interconnected world makes it difficult to study sustainability and figure out who the winners and losers are.

New weapon in war against flu pandemics and pneumonia

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 01:47 PM PST

Scientists have developed an antibody which boosts the survival chances for patients suffering from influenza and pneumonia. Proven effective in lab tests, the antibody is now being made suitable for use in humans. The scientists are also using the new antibody to develop a diagnostic kit which can help doctors accurately track the recovery progress of flu and pneumonia patients.

How iron feels the heat

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 11:50 AM PST

Researchers have known that the arrangement of the atoms in a piece of iron changes several times before melting -- but the details of just how and why this property contributes to the metal's thermodynamic stability remained a mystery. Recent work provides evidence for how iron's magnetism plays a role in this curious property -- an understanding that could help researchers develop better and stronger steel.

'NanoGap' for early detection of bladder and kidney cancer under development

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 08:21 AM PST

A new mobile device allows bladder and kidney cancer to be detected at an early stage. Thanks to this method, it is possible to read from DNA cells whether their carrier has bladder or kidney cancer.

Thames study: Rivers can be a major source antibiotic resistance

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 08:21 AM PST

Rivers and streams could be a major source of antibiotic resistance in the environment. A new study found that greater numbers of resistant bacteria exist close to some waste water treatment works, and that these plants are likely to be responsible for at least half of the increase observed.

Promising drug target in certain breast and ovarian cancers

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 08:21 AM PST

Scientists indicate that the pool of patients who can benefit from the drug olaparib is potentially much wider – and offers a ready means of identifying them.

Systems to identify treatment targets for cancer and rare diseases

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 07:47 AM PST

In recent months, several national initiatives for personalized medicine have been announced, including the recently launched precision medicine initiative in the US, driven by rapid advances in genomic technologies and with the promise of cheaper and better healthcare. Significant challenges remain, however, in the management and analysis of genetic information and their integration with patient data.

Patients at higher risk of second stroke identified

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 07:46 AM PST

Risk of recurrent stroke is higher in patients who have low blood flow to the back of the brain, a six-year, multi-center trial has found, and the condition can be visualized using specialized software that analyzes blood flow using standard MRI.

How a wedding engagement changes Twitter feeds

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 05:16 AM PST

By comparing tweets in the months before and after announcing their wedding engagement on Twitter, a study identifies how people change both the words they use and their online personas following the happy news.

Novel strategy to prevent progression of inflammation-associated cancers

Posted: 13 Feb 2015 05:15 AM PST

By targeting the specific pathological function of the 'culprit' molecule rather than inhibiting its gene expression, new approach facilitates development of cancer drugs with fewer side effects.