ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Surprise: One organism responsible for nitrification instead of two

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 10:49 AM PST

It could never be found until recently, in a fish tank a few floors below a university microbiology department: one single organism able to perform the complete process of nitrification. Microbiologists used to think that two distinct groups of bacteria were responsible for the stepwise oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via nitrite. This discovery has implications for climate research and wastewater treatment, say the scientists involved in the study.

Functional human liver cells grown in the lab

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:43 AM PST

A new technique for growing human hepatocytes in the laboratory has now been described by a team of researchers. This groundbreaking development could help advance a variety of liver-related research and applications, from studying drug toxicity to creating bio-artificial liver support for patients awaiting transplantations.

Using sphere packing models to explain the structure of forests

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:42 AM PST

Explaining the complex structure of tropical forests is one of the great challenges in ecology. An issue of special interest is the distribution of different sizes of trees, something which is of particular relevance for biomass estimates. A team of modellers has now developed a new method that can be used to explain the tree size distribution in natural forests. To do so, the scientists use principles from stochastic geometry. Using this approach, it is possible to assess the structure of natural forests across the world more quickly, and produce more accurate biomass estimates.

Remote lakes are affected by warming climate, research shows

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:42 AM PST

The rate of carbon burial in remote lakes has doubled over the last 100 years, researchers say, suggesting even isolated ecosystems are feeling the effects of our changing climate. 

Robot to help passengers find their way at airport

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:42 AM PST

A robot in the "Spencer" project is now all set to face the real world at the major international airport Schiphol in Amsterdam. Its mission: to help passengers find their way around the airport.

Looking for cosmic superaccelerators

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:42 AM PST

The Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina, an international large-scale experiment to study cosmic rays, will be continued until 2025 and extended to "AugerPrime". The observatory will be upgraded with new scintillation detectors for a more detailed measurement of gigantic air showers. This is required to identify cosmic objects that accelerate atomic particles up to highest energies.

Specifically controlling the structure of macromolecules

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:42 AM PST

Researchers will develop new synthesis processes for long-chain molecules in order to characterize and construct them with so far unreached precision. This will result in an innovative leap in a number of material classes, they say.

Oxytocin increases social altruism

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:42 AM PST

Nowadays, much emphasis is placed on sustainability. The degree to which people are willing to donate their own money for this depends on their level of oxytocin. Scientists have discovered that the willingness to donate increases with the quantity of this bonding hormone. However, oxytocin only has an effect with regard to social sustainability projects. The hormone does not increase the ability to participate in the case of purely environmentally oriented projects.

Mathematical proof for hot hand shooting in basketball

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:40 AM PST

A study brings the idea of the lucky streak back to the attention of the research community, offering sound mathematical proof in its favor.

Bat immune receptors are one of a kind

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:40 AM PST

In bats, Toll-like receptors, the first-line defense mechanism against invading pathogens, are different from other mammals. This suggests that the way bats recognize certain pathogens may be different than in other species and help explain why bats appear to suffer little from some pathogens which cause serious disease or mortality in other mammals.

Global warming will be faster than expected

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:40 AM PST

Global warming will progress faster than what was previously believed. The reason is that greenhouse gas emissions that arise naturally are also affected by increased temperatures. This has been confirmed in a new study that measures natural methane emissions.

Ancient genetic components of sex determination in ants

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:40 AM PST

Yin and Yang, Venus and Mars, the Moon and the Sun, however you want to describe it, becoming a female or a male can make a big difference in your life, and not just for human beings. Researchers have discovered the two ancient genetic components of sex determination in ants.

Recommended levels of activity rarely achieved by obese children and those with liver disease

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:40 AM PST

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is most common form of chronic liver disease in children and adolescents in western countries, and yet new research indicates that obese children rarely achieve recommended levels of activity.

Rice basket study rethinks roots of human culture

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:38 AM PST

Although teaching is useful, it is not essential for cultural progress because people can use reasoning and reverse engineering of existing items to work out how to make tools, suggests a new article.

Stem cell study paves the way for patient therapies

Posted: 26 Nov 2015 07:38 AM PST

Stem cells that have been specifically developed for use as clinical therapies are fit for use in patients, an independent study of their genetic makeup suggests. The research -- which focused on human embryonic stem cells -- paves the way for clinical trials of cell therapies to treat conditions such as Parkinson's disease, age-related degeneration of the eyes and spinal cord injury.

How a genetic locus protects adult blood-forming stem cells

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 08:31 PM PST

A particular location in DNA, called the Dlk1-Gtl2 locus, plays a critical role in protecting hematopoietic, or blood-forming, stem cells -- a discovery revealing a critical role of metabolic control in adult stem cells, and providing insight for potentially diagnosing and treating cancer, according to researchers from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research.

Shedding light on oil behaviors before the next spill

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 08:31 PM PST

There are still critical research gaps hampering efforts to both assess the environmental impacts of crude oil spills and to effectively remediate them, a Canadian, comprehensive scientific report has concluded.

New gene map reveals cancer's Achilles heel

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 08:31 PM PST

Scientists have mapped out the genes that keep our cells alive, creating a long-awaited foothold for understanding how our genome works and which genes are crucial in disease like cancer.

Closing the loop on an HIV escape mechanism

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 08:31 PM PST

The motion of a specific protein in a human cell regulates whether HIV will infect other cells, a collaborative six-university research team has found. The finding may lead to promising new ways to thwart the virus that causes AIDS.

Researchers assess use of drug-susceptible parasites to fight drug resistance

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 08:30 PM PST

A new model for evaluating a potential new strategy in the fight against drug-resistant diseases has been developed by experts. The strategy would take advantage of parasite refugia--host populations not treated with drugs, thereby serving as 'safe zones' where parasites don't develop drug resistance. When parasites from refugia mix with their drug-resistant counterparts in the general population, they could reduce the incidence of drug-resistance overall, which may help prolong a drug's effectiveness, say the researchers.

Heart disease patients who sit a lot have worse health even if they exercise

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 08:30 PM PST

Patients with heart disease who sit a lot have worse health even if they exercise, reveals research. Patients in the study wore an activity monitor during their waking hours for nine days. The monitors allowed the researchers to measure how long patients spent being sedentary, or doing light, moderate or vigorous levels of physical activity. The researchers also assessed various markers of health including body mass index (BMI, in kg/m2) and cardiorespiratory fitness.

No benefit found for use of probiotic Bifidobacterium breve in preemies

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 08:30 PM PST

Despite being safe to administer, there is no benefit in using the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve (BBG-001) to prevent late-onset sepsis or necrotising enterocolitis in very preterm children, the results of a phase 3 randomised controlled trial shows.

Progesterone supplements do not improve outcomes for recurrent miscarriages, study shows

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 08:30 PM PST

Progesterone supplements in the first trimester of pregnancy do not improve outcomes in women with a history of unexplained recurrent miscarriages, new research shows. The findings mark the end of a five year trial and provide a definitive answer to 60 years of uncertainty on the use of progesterone treatment for women with unexplained recurrent losses.

New technology promises fast, accurate stroke diagnosis

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 11:37 AM PST

A new approach to identifying biomarkers in blood has proven successful in helping diagnose stroke, and the technology could be expanded to diagnose such conditions as concussion, some forms of dementia, and some types of cancer and heart disease.

Overweight, obesity early in life increase risk of cardiac death

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 11:36 AM PST

Overweight and obesity throughout adulthood, and especially elevated weight in early adulthood, were associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac death in a 32-year study of more than 72,000 women, new research concludes.

Data scientists create world's first therapeutic venom database

Posted: 25 Nov 2015 09:51 AM PST

What doesn't kill you could cure you. A growing interest in the therapeutic value of animal venom has led data scientists to create the first catalog of known animal toxins and their physiological effects on humans.