ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Monsoon mission: Better way to predict Indian weather?

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 03:21 PM PDT

To better understand global weather patterns and increase scientific collaboration between the US and India, researchers have completed a month-long cruise studying summer monsoon conditions in the Bay of Bengal.

Breakthroughs need in-depth knowledge, not just cross-collaboration, study shows

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 03:21 PM PDT

Most high-impact innovation happens when knowledge and people from different fields are brought together to create something new, previous research has found. But new findings show that truly new, paradigm-busting ideas with long-term potential need profound knowledge in a narrow domain. Organizations that ignore that in favor of recombining what's already known will miss out on the greatest potential breakthroughs.

A walk around the office can reverse vascular dysfunction caused by hours at a computer

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 12:59 PM PDT

Across the country, many employees are seated at desks for the majority of an eight-hour workday. As technology creates an increase in sedentary lifestyles, the impact of sitting on vascular health is a rising concern. Now, researchers have found that when a person sits for six straight hours, vascular function is impaired -- but by walking for just 10 minutes after a prolonged period of sitting, vascular health can be restored.

Insect diversity decreases in gardens with non-native plants, study shows

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 12:59 PM PDT

Non-native plants reduce the diversity of insect populations in gardens, even where the non-native plants are closely related to the native plants, new research shows. The goal of this research was to understand how the composition of the plants that homeowners plant in their yards affects herbivore communities.

Pigment from fossils identified, revealing color of extinct animals

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 12:58 PM PDT

Scientists have revealed how pigment can be detected in mammal fossils, a discovery that may end the guesswork in determining the colors of long extinct species.

King crabs threaten Antarctic ecosystem due to warming ocean

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 12:58 PM PDT

King crabs may soon become high-level predators in Antarctic marine ecosystems where they haven't played a role in tens of millions of years, according to a new study.

How sign language users learn intonation

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 12:23 PM PDT

A spoken language is more than just words and sounds. Speakers use changes in pitch and rhythm, known as prosody, to provide emphasis, show emotion, and otherwise add meaning to what they say. In a new study, three linguists look at intonation (a key part of prosody) in ASL and find that native ASL signers learn intonation in much the same way that users of spoken languages do.

Cut through the confusion: Asking questions can demystify research

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:52 AM PDT

An expert encourages everyone to learn more about interpreting scientific and medical research.

Identifying common objectives helpful for crop wild relative researchers

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:51 AM PDT

Collecting genetic information from crop wild relatives may preserve valuable traits but takes cooperation, experts say. Over the past few decades, research efforts to collect the genetic information from these species has increased. However, developing effective partnerships between scientists, private landowners and government entities is crucial to the success of this research, they add.

Which dermal fillers 'stick together' best? New method helps plastic surgeons choose the best product

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:51 AM PDT

With booming interest in dermal fillers for minimally invasive treatment of facial lines and wrinkles, plastic surgeons are looking for evidence to help them choose the product that will give the best results for their patients. A new, validated method provides standard ratings of cohesivity for currently available hyaluronic acid (HA) gel fillers.

New single-molecule tool to observe enzymes at work

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:51 AM PDT

A team of scientists has created an innovative tool to directly detect the delicate, single-molecule interactions between DNA and enzymatic proteins. This tool should provide fast and reliable characterization of the different mechanisms cellular proteins use to bind to DNA strands -- information that could shed new light on the atomic-scale interactions within our cells and help design new drug therapies against pathogens by targeting enzymes that interact with DNA.

New drug improves outcome in treatment resistant kidney cancer

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:51 AM PDT

A new drug for renal cell carcinoma slowed the growth of advanced kidney cancer in patients who became resistant to the first-line therapies that had previously kept it in check, according to results from a clinical trial.

Weight loss surgery offers new hope to children, adolescents with Prader-Willi Syndrome

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:47 AM PDT

Obesity is a leading cause of complications and death in children suffering from Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), yet there are few effective treatment options for these patients. In a new study, researchers found that bariatric surgery, specifically laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), resulted in substantial weight loss with no apparent adverse effect on growth in a small group of severely overweight patients with PWS. PWS is a rare genetic condition that causes a wide range of problems including a constant desire to consume food, which is driven by a permanent feeling of hunger.

New research into completers, non-completers of offending behaviour programs could have implications for practice

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:47 AM PDT

A new study has highlighted the importance of ensuring high-risk and impulsive offenders complete rehabilitation programs and that some offenders require extra support to engage with the programs.   

Scientists solve the riddle of deep ocean carbon

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:47 AM PDT

A crucial process has been identified to explain the reason why dissolved organic carbon (DOC) levels in the deep oceans are constant despite a continuous supply from the surface ocean.

Opening up product design to the consumer through 3-D printing

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:47 AM PDT

Through the use of 3D printing, product designers can enable the consumer to design their own everyday products thereby creating more meaningful products for people and more value for companies.

Chemical exposure linked to rising diabetes, obesity risk

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:44 AM PDT

Emerging evidence ties endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure to two of the biggest public health threats facing society -- diabetes and obesity. EDCs contribute to health problems by mimicking, blocking or otherwise interfering with the body's natural hormones. By hijacking the body's chemical messengers, EDCs can alter the way cells develop and grow. Known EDCs include bisphenol A (BPA) found in food can linings and cash register receipts, phthalates found in plastics and cosmetics, flame retardants and pesticides. The chemicals are so common that nearly every person on Earth has been exposed to one or more.

New tech automatically 'tunes' powered prosthetics while walking

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:43 AM PDT

When amputees receive powered prosthetic legs, the power of the prosthetic limbs needs to be tuned by a prosthetics expert so that a patient can move normally -- but the prosthetic often needs repeated re-tuning. Biomedical engineering researchers have developed software that allows powered prosthetics to tune themselves automatically, making the devices more functionally useful and lowering the costs associated with powered prosthetic use.

A light touch: Embedded optical sensors could make robotic hands more dexterous

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:43 AM PDT

Optical sensors may be uniquely suited for use in robotic hands, according to researchers who have developed a three-fingered soft robotic hand with multiple embedded fiber optic sensors. They also have created a new type of stretchable optical sensor.

Novel tag developed for squid, jellyfish

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:34 AM PDT

Invertebrates, such as squid and jellyfish, play a crucial role in the marine food web and are also vital commercial fisheries. Despite their importance, little is known about their natural behaviors or how their environment influences those behaviors or physiology.

Ancestral background can be determined by fingerprints

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:34 AM PDT

It is possible to identify an individual's ancestral background based on his or her fingerprint characteristics, new research shows -- a discovery with significant applications for law enforcement and anthropological research.

Men more likely to be seen as 'creative thinkers'

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:34 AM PDT

People tend to associate the ability to think creatively with stereotypical masculine qualities, according to new research. The findings suggest that the work and achievements of men tend to be evaluated as more creative than similar work and achievements produced by women.

Antarctic warming stimulates diversity of soil fungi

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:34 AM PDT

A landmark study predicts that climate change will have a major impact on life in Antarctica this century. Scientists say that results indicated that by 2100 there would be 25 percent more soil fungal 'species' in the most rapidly warming parts of Antarctica.

How ocean circulation changed atmospheric CO2

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:34 AM PDT

Changes to overturning circulation in the Southern Ocean as a result of temperatures over Antarctica play key role in carbon uptake by the oceans.

Gone fishing: Loss of ocean predators has impact on climate change strategies

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:33 AM PDT

As Australia engages in debate over shark culling, new research says unsustainable harvesting of larger fish will affect how we tackle climate change. A group of scientists warns the loss of top order predators through excessive culling or over-fishing has serious environmental ramifications.

Attacking acute myeloid leukemia

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:33 AM PDT

A team of researchers has demonstrated that a molecule isolated from sea sponges and later synthesized in the lab, can halt the growth of acute myeloid leukemia cells and could open the door to a new treatment for leukemia.

Researcher advocates ending Medicare coverage of controversial mammography tool

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:33 AM PDT

A costly tool used on nearly all mammograms does not increase cancer detection rates and should no longer be covered by Medicare, argues a family physician and comparative effectiveness researcher.

Flu infection reveals many paths to immune response

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:33 AM PDT

A new study of influenza infection in an animal model broadens understanding of how the immune system responds to flu virus, showing that the process is more dynamic than usually described, engaging a broader array of biological pathways. The researchers say their findings may offer key insights for designing more effective vaccines in general.

Self-assembling material that grows, changes shape could lead to artificial arteries

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:25 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a way of assembling organic molecules into complex tubular tissue-like structures without the use of moulds or techniques like 3-D printing.

Particular brain connections linked to positive human traits

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:25 AM PDT

There is a strong correspondence between a particular set of connections in the brain and positive lifestyle and behavior traits, according to a new study. The researchers point out that their results resemble what psychologists refer to as the 'general intelligence g-factor': a variable first proposed in 1904 that's sometimes used to summarize a person's abilities at different cognitive tasks. While the new results include many real-life measures not included in the g-factor -- such as income and life satisfaction, for instance -- those such as memory, pattern recognition and reading ability are strongly mirrored.

Maintaining healthy DNA delays menopause

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:25 AM PDT

An international study of nearly 70,000 women has identified more than 40 regions of the human genome involved in governing at what age a woman goes through menopause. The study found that two-thirds of those regions contain genes that act to keep DNA healthy. It also found the first genetic evidence of a link between the timing of menopause and breast cancer, corroborating previous conclusions from observational evidence.

Connecting Alzheimer's disease, immune system

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 09:25 AM PDT

Researchers investigate how genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease may influence a key type of immune cell. Their results lay the groundwork for designing better therapeutic strategies and better prediction tools for risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Do mothers react to more info about chemical risks? The answer may surprise you

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 07:32 AM PDT

Mothers who are pregnant or have young children would be expected to be more concerned about protecting their offspring from environmental risks that are reported most in the news, but a new study raises doubts about that conventional wisdom.

Finding a way to boost efficiency of CIGS solar cells

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 07:30 AM PDT

Researchers have revealed the structure of the buffer layer in a CIGS (copper-indium-gallium-selenide) solar cell at SPring8, the world's largest third-generation synchrotron radiation facility. They found that the buffer layer was composed of two layers: an upper Zn(OH)2 layer and a lower Zn(S, O) layer. By removing the upper Zn(OH)2 layer, the solar conversion efficiency was doubled.

Early exposure to tobacco can cause behavioral problems in children

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 07:30 AM PDT

Researchers have analyzed data on pre- and postnatal exposure to tobacco in the homes of 5,200 primary school children, and have found that early exposure to tobacco can lead to behavioral problems in children.

The citizen and the embryo: Birth weight affects social trust, Danish study shows

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 07:30 AM PDT

Low birth weight is statistically correlated with low levels of social trust, a new study suggests. The findings deepen our understanding of what keeps society together.

First UK Biobank genetic study reveals new links between lung disease and smoking behavior

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 07:30 AM PDT

Smokers who survive their habit into old age may hold the key to better lung health for all, according to a study. The new discoveries may one day help scientists develop better treatments for diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a life-threatening condition that affects millions of people.

Liquid water flows on today's Mars: NASA confirms evidence

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 06:41 AM PDT

New findings from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars. Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. These darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time.

Immunotherapy superior to chemotherapy for lung cancer in international trial

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 06:35 AM PDT

"Game-changing results" have been announced by a team of scientists using the immunotherapy drug nivolumab to treat certain lung cancers that failed to respond to first-line therapies.

Crested floatingheart: The lovely looking lily-like plant that clogs canals

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 06:35 AM PDT

Instead of freezing unwanted crested floatinghearts and bringing them to a local landfill, many homeowners toss them into canals, say researchers who have compiled data to quantify the seriousness that crested floatingheart poses for canals. Crested floatinghearts reproduce mostly by way of ramets, an asexual form of multiplying. Gettys is trying to find out how many "babies" a single plant can make.

Early maturing girls at great risk of alcohol abuse without close parental supervision

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 06:35 AM PDT

Inadequate parental supervision during early adolescence forecasts a host of behavior problems, including problem drinking. A new study reveals that early maturing girls given the most autonomy had the highest rates of alcohol abuse, with intoxication frequency increasing an average of 234 percent.

Predicting arrhythmias so as to prevent them

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 06:34 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered how to predict some cardiac arrhythmias several steps before they even occur. It's a finding that could lead to an improved cardiac device, with equipment designed to detect when arrhythmias are about to occur and then act to prevent them, investigators say.

Researchers discover a new mechanism of proteins to block HIV

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 06:25 AM PDT

There is little doubt that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, is devastating. More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV and more than 47,000 people are diagnosed annually. Now, researchers have made a discovery in how specialized proteins can inhibit the virus, opening the door for progress in the fight against HIV and for the production of advanced therapeutics to combat the disease.

Multi-gene test enables some breast cancer patients to safely avoid chemotherapy

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 06:25 AM PDT

The best evidence to date has been provided that suggests that a 21-gene test done on the tumor can identify breast cancer patients who can safely avoid chemotherapy.

Scientists use microchip approach to visualize human breast cancer proteins

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 06:25 AM PDT

Scientists present a new molecular toolkit to investigate protein assemblies natively formed in the context of human disease. BRCA1 gene regulatory complexes from cancer cells were visualized for the first time.

Prototype lab in a needle could make real-time, mobile laboratory testing a reality

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 06:25 AM PDT

A lab in a needle device has been created by researchers that could provide instant results to routine lab tests, accelerating treatment and diagnosis by days.

Over three-quarters of people with cancer worldwide have no access to safe surgery

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 06:25 AM PDT

Over 80 percent of the 15 million people diagnosed with cancer worldwide in 2015 will need surgery, but less than a quarter will have access to proper, safe, affordable surgical care when they need it, according to a major new Commission examining the state of global cancer surgery.

New research puts us closer to DIY spray-on solar cell technology

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT

A new study puts us closer to do-it-yourself spray-on solar cell technology—promising third-generation solar cells utilizing a nanocrystal ink deposition that could make traditional expensive silicon-based solar panels a thing of the past.

Monkeys and humans see optical illusions in similar way

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:31 AM PDT

Monkeys perceive visual illusions in the same way great apes and humans see them, according to researchers.

Why is an object’s size perceived the same regardless of changes in distance? Neural mechanism of size constancy clarified

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:25 AM PDT

Scientists have found that neurons in the monkey visual cortical area V4*1, one of the areas in the visual cortex, calculate the size of an object based on information on its retinal image size and the distance from the object.

Early life infections may be a risk factor for Celiac disease in childhood

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:25 AM PDT

Children with frequent infections in the first 18 months of life have a slightly increased risk of later developing celiac disease compared with children who have few infections, conclude researchers. Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disease triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. In recent decades there has been a marked increase in the prevalence of celiac disease and it is believed that one per cent of the population in Western countries.

Praise from the boss doesn't always motivate us, study finds

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:24 AM PDT

 Receiving praise and recognition in the workplace motivates us for simple tasks but not for more complex projects, according to a new study. The research found that individuals reported lower intrinsic motivation if they expected to receive a verbal reward for a complex task -- in other words, they enjoyed the task less, and had a reduced desire to do it.

Fewer, larger radiotherapy doses prove effective for prostate cancer patients

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:24 AM PDT

Giving fewer but higher doses of radiotherapy, is as effective at treating prostate cancer as giving lower doses for a longer period, according to new research. The results could mean men need fewer trips to hospital – over four weeks rather than seven and a half – without reducing the quality and impact of their prostate cancer treatment.

Drones could make forest conservation monitoring significantly cheaper

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:24 AM PDT

Drones could monitor the success of forest regeneration in the tropics, suggests a new study. The researchers say automating the monitoring process leads to equally accurate results and could save a significant amount of time and money.

Biotechnology: Tweaking proteins with 'Tub-tag'

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:24 AM PDT

A rapid and efficient technique for targeted chemoenzymatic functionalization of proteins has been identified by scientists. The new method has a wide range of potential therapeutic applications, they say.

Number of cancer gene tests increases five-fold thanks to improved availability: making prevention easier

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:24 AM PDT

Mutations in the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes are very likely to lead to a form of cancer in people who have them. These mutations can be detected using a genetic test. The introduction of a new drug has improved treatment options and this, coupled with increased awareness and improved access, increased the number of genetic tests carried out at one hospital last year by a factor of five. As a result, more at-risk patients are picked up and early prevention measures can be commenced.

Robots: Our new underwater 'astronauts'

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:24 AM PDT

Soon it may be easier to design, plan and carry out infrastructure operations in deep water.

Blocking light improves preemies' survival rates

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:22 AM PDT

The survival rate of preemies born between 26 to 31 weeks of gestation is improved by blocking light from reaching the intravenously-fed infused nutritious mixture they depend on for survival, researchers have revealed in a new study.

Children with ADHD and their mothers may live less than average population

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:21 AM PDT

Brazilian scientists found that ADHD children and their mothers are more likely to have shorter telomeres, a hallmark of cellular aging, which is associated with increased risk for chronic diseases and conditions like diabetes, obesity and cancer.

Keeping cells in good shape

Posted: 28 Sep 2015 05:21 AM PDT

The Cell Shape and Expression, or Cytospace, investigation examined how physical forces -- including shear stress, stiffness, surface tension, and gravity -- change the relationships among these proteins, interfering with cell architecture and changing the geometric form, or shape, of the cell.