| Mapping out how to save species  | Using colorful world maps, a new study maps out priority areas for protection to save species and preserve biodiversity. The scale is 100 times finer than previous assessments. | Read More »  Exotic alloys for potential energy applications  | "Thermoelectric materials," used in wine refrigerators and spacecraft, promise to help deliver greener energy in the future. | Read More » Gene deletion affects early language and brain white matter  | A chromosomal deletion is associated with changes in the brain's white matter and delayed language acquisition in youngsters from Southeast Asia or with ancestral connections to the region, said an international consortium led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine. However, many such children who can be described as late-talkers may overcome early speech and language difficulties as they grow. | Read More » Ritalin shows promise in treating addiction  | ADHD drug helps improve brain functional connectivity in cocaine addiction, according to a new study. | Read More » Radiation from airport scanners: The dose we actually get is low  | A new report has found that people absorb less radiation from airport X-ray backscatter scanner than they do while standing in line waiting for the scan itself. | Read More » Helping SAD sufferers sleep soundly  | Researchers report that individuals with seasonal affective disorder -- a winter depression that leads to loss of motivation and interest in daily activities -- have misconceptions about their sleep habits similar to those of insomniacs. | Read More » Aerial mosquito spraying study finds no immediate public health risks  | In what researchers say is the first public health study of the aerial mosquito spraying method to prevent West Nile virus, a new study analyzed emergency department records from Sacramento area hospitals during and immediately after aerial sprayings in the summer of 2005. | Read More » Protein is involved with colon cancer cell's ability to invade other cells  | Understanding how the protein km23-1 enables in the spread of colon cancer may lead to new treatments for the disease, according to researchers. | Read More » Breakthrough in Internet bandwidth: New fiber optic technology could ease Internet congestion, video streaming  | A team of engineers has devised a new fiber optic technology that promises to increase bandwidth dramatically. | Read More » Prevailing view of how the brain is wired overturned?  | A series of studies topples convention by showing that sensory information travels to two places at once: not only to the brain's mid-layer (where most axons lead), but also directly to its deeper layers. | Read More » Polymer coatings a key step toward oral delivery of protein-based drugs  | In a new study, a "bioadhesive" coating significantly improved the intestinal absorption into the bloodstream of nanoparticles that someday could carry protein drugs such as insulin. Such a step is necessary for drugs taken by mouth, rather than injected directly into the blood. | Read More » Pneumonia revealed in a cough: Coughs give vital clues to the presence or absence of pneumonia in children  | A new method, which analyzes the sounds in a child's cough, could soon be used in poor, remote regions to diagnose childhood pneumonia reliably. According to researchers, this simple technique of recording coughs with a microphone on the patient's bedside table, has the potential to revolutionize the management of childhood pneumonia. | Read More » Brain cancer: A circuitous route to therapy resistance  | Scientists have discovered a cause of resistance to therapy in cases of brain cancer. Microglia cells migrate into tumors and supply cancer cells with a substance needed for the repair of DNA damage. The cells thus escape programmed cell death (apoptosis). Blocking this resistance mechanism might lead to more effective treatments for malignant brain cancer. | Read More » Could a diet high in fish and flax help prevent broken hips?  | Higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood may reduce the risk for hip fractures in postmenopausal women, recent research suggests. | Read More » Low self-control promotes selfless behavior in close relationships  | When faced with the choice of sacrificing time and energy for a loved one or taking the self-centered route, people's first impulse is to think of others, according to new research. | Read More » New maps depict impact of HIV in America  | New interactive online maps that show the latest HIV prevalence data for 20 US cities by ZIP code or census tract. AIDSVu also includes new city snapshots displaying HIV prevalence alongside various social determinants of health -- such as poverty, lack of health insurance and educational attainment. | Read More » Biochemists identify protease substrates important for bacterial growth and development  | Scientists describe using a combination of biochemistry and mass spectrometry to "trap" scores of new candidate substrates of the protease ClpXP to reveal how protein degradation is critical to cell cycle progression and bacterial development. The new understanding could lead to identifying new antibiotic targets. | Read More » Global warming may affect soil microbe survival, with unknown consequences on soil fertility and erosion  | Researchers have discovered for the first time that temperature determines where key soil microbes can thrive — microbes that are critical to forming topsoil crusts in arid lands. And of concern, the scientists predict that in as little as 50 years, global warming may push some of these microbes out of their present stronghold with unknown consequences to soil fertility and erosion. | Read More » Surgeons report melanoma recurs after 10 years in more than 6 percent of patients  | Recurrence of melanoma skin cancer 10 or more years after initial treatment is more common than previously thought, occurring in more than one in 20 patients. However, according to a new study, these patients tend to live longer after their cancer returns than patients whose melanoma recurs in the first three years. | Read More » Gas-giant exoplanets cling close to their parent stars  | Gemini Observatory's Planet-Finding Campaign finds that, around many types of stars, distant gas-giant planets are rare and prefer to cling close to their parent stars. The impact on theories of planetary formation could be significant. | Read More » Early brain stimulation may help stroke survivors recover language function  | Non-invasive brain stimulation may help stroke survivors recover language function. Survivors treated with the technique regained more language function than those who did not get treatment. | Read More » After Great Dane success, cancer doc eyes brain tumors  | A success story with a 12 year old Great Dane, sets the stage for a trial in human glioblastoma of the vaccine that led to the dog's dramatic and prolonged improvement. | Read More » Researchers reformulate the model of mitochondrial function  | New findings will mean rewriting the biochemistry textbooks. The study redefines the functioning of mitochondria and explains how cells generate energy from nutrients. | Read More » Large dead zone forming in the Gulf  | Ocean experts had predicted a large "dead zone" area in the Gulf of Mexico this year, and according to the results from a researcher just back from studying the region, those predictions appear to be right on target. | Read More » Key step in protein synthesis revealed  | Scientists have trapped the ribosome, a protein-building molecular machine essential to all life, in a key transitional state that has long eluded researchers. Now, for the first time, scientists can see how the ribosome performs the precise mechanical movements needed to translate genetic code into proteins without making mistakes. | Read More » Brain's 'garbage truck' may hold key to treating Alzheimer's and other disorders  | Scientists point to a newly discovered system by which the brain removes waste as a potentially powerful new tool to treat neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease. In fact, scientists believe that some of these conditions may arise when the system is not doing its job properly. | Read More » A second amyloid may play a role in Alzheimer's disease  | A protein secreted with insulin travels through the bloodstream and accumulates in the brains of individuals with type 2 diabetes and dementia, in the same manner as the amyloid beta (Αβ) plaques that are associated with Alzheimer's disease, a study by researchers with the UC Davis Alzheimer's Disease Center has found. | Read More » Algae shows promise as pollution-fighter, fuel-maker  | A hardy algae species is showing promise in both reducing power plant pollution and making biofuel, based on new research. | Read More » World's food supply got a little more plentiful: Resistance gene found against ug99 wheat stem rust pathogen  | Scientists have identified a gene that gives wheat plants resistance to one of the most deadly races of the wheat stem rust pathogen, called Ug99. | Read More » A look inside children's minds  | Ever wondered what's going on inside young children's brains when they're looking at things? Researchers have used optical neuroimaging for the first time on 3-and 4-year-olds to determine which areas of the brain are activated in "visual working memory." | Read More » Type 1 diabetes: Can insulin-producing cells be regenerated?  | Scientists have published new results concerning type I diabetes. Researchers have shown that in mice, the pancreas contains cells capable of being converted into insulin-producing cells, something that can be done at any age. | Read More » 'Big givers' get punished for being nonconformists  | People punish generous group members by rejecting them socially -- even when the generosity benefits everyone -- because the "big givers" are nonconformists, according to a new study. | Read More » Telomere length influences cancer cell differentiation  | Researchers have discovered that forced elongation of telomeres (extensions on the end of chromosomes) promotes the differentiation of cancer cells, probably reducing malignancy, which is strongly associated with a loss of cell differentiation. | Read More » Factory insurance would fight blight  | Automakers and other private firms should be required by law to carry insurance policies to pay for tearing down their factories and buildings, recommends a hard-hitting study. | Read More » Food contaminants worsen metabolic problems in obese mice  | Certain food contaminants are suspected of triggering metabolic disorders, or of worsening them, particularly when they accompany a high-fat diet. | Read More » Insulin differs between ethnicities, study finds  | People have differing abilities to release and react to insulin depending on ethnicity, according to a new study. | Read More » The power of imitation: Already in infancy, imitation promotes a general pro-social orientation toward others  | Being mimicked increases pro-social behavior in adults, yet little is known about its social effect on children. Researchers in Germany have now investigated whether the fact of being imitated had an influence on infants' pro-social behavior and on young children's trust in another person. | Read More » Keeping networks under control: New approach can control large complex networks, from cells to power grids  | The need to ensure the proper functioning of the world's many underlying networks -- such as the Internet, power grids and global air transportation -- is increasing. But controlling networks is very difficult. A research team has developed the first broadly applicable computational approach identifying interventions that can both rescue complex networks from the brink of failure and reprogram them to a desired task. The approach to control could have a transformative impact on the complex networks field. | Read More » Researchers unearth data in animal habitat selection that counters current convention  | Scientists have long presumed that animals settle on breeding territories according to the ideal free model. But settlement data often show that, in fact, animals do not select high quality habitat. Indeed, here we report that young common loons have a striking tendency to settle on breeding lakes that resemble their natal lake in terms of both size and pH. | Read More » Link shown between Crohn's disease and virus  | A new study reveals that all children with Crohn's disease that were examined had a commonly occurring virus -- an enterovirus -- in their intestines. This link has previously not been shown for this chronic inflammatory intestinal disorder. | Read More » Improving measurements by reducing quantum noise  | The principle of interferometry is often used in high precision measurements: A beam is split in two parts, which then interfere, yielding intricat interference patterns, from which very precise data can be obtained. Usually, this is done with photons or small massive particles such as electrons or neutrons. At the Vienna University of Technology, an interferometer has now been built which instead uses Bose-Einstein-condensates, consisting of hundreds of atoms. | Read More » Humans play role in Australia's 'angry' hot summer  | Human influences through global warming are likely to have played a role in Australia's recent "angry" hot summer, the hottest in Australia's observational record, new research has found. | Read More » River deep, mountain high: New study reveals clues to lifecycle of world's iconic mountains  | Scientists have discovered the reasons behind the lifespan of some of the world's iconic mountain ranges. The study has revealed that interactions between landslides and erosion, caused by rivers, explains why some mountain ranges exceed their expected lifespan. | Read More » No more leakage of explosive electrolytes in batteries  | A research team from South Korea has found a new physical organogel electrolyte with two unique characteristics: an irreversible thermal gelation and a high value of the Li+ transference number. | Read More » Sterilizing Mars spacecraft is largely a waste of money, two experts argue  | Two university researchers say environmental restrictions have become unnecessarily restrictive and expensive -- on Mars. | Read More » Protein in blood exerts natural anti-cancer protection  | Researchers have discovered that decorin, a naturally occurring protein that circulates in the blood, acts as a potent inhibitor of tumor growth modulating the tumor microenvironment. | Read More » Molecule drives aggressive breast cancer  | Recent studies have shown a gene known to coordinate initial development of the eye (EYA1) is a powerful breast tumor promoter in mice. The gene EYA1 was also shown to be overexpressed in a genetic breast cancer subtype called luminal B. | Read More » Chemists work to desalt the ocean for drinking water, one nanoliter at a time  | By creating a small electrical field that removes salts from seawater, chemists have introduced a new method for the desalination of seawater that consumes less energy and is dramatically simpler than conventional techniques. The new method requires so little energy that it can run on a store-bought battery. | Read More » Making hydrogenation greener: Using iron as catalyst for widely used chemical process, replacing heavy metals  | Researchers have discovered a way to make the widely used chemical process of hydrogenation more environmentally friendly -- and less expensive. | Read More » Research in fruit flies provides new insight into Barrett's esophagus  | Research focused on the regulation of the adult stem cells that line the gastrointestinal tract of Drosophila suggests new models for the study of Barrett's esophagus. Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which the cells of the lower esophagus transform into stomach-like cells. In most cases this transformation has been thought to occur directly from chronic acid indigestion. A new study suggests a change in stem cell function for this transformation. | Read More » Researchers Discover Species-Recognition System in Fruit Flies  | A team of researchers has discovered a sensory system in the foreleg of the fruit fly that tells male flies whether a potential mate is from a different species. The work addresses a central problem in evolution that is poorly understood: how animals of one species know not to mate with animals of other species. | Read More » What makes a video go viral? More than just good content  | If you want your homegrown video to go viral, you'd better have more than just good content. Find someone to endorse it, the more well known the better. | Read More » Turning off cells in habit-associated brain region prevents rats from learning to run maze on autopilot  | Neuroscientists have now shown that they can prevent habits from taking root. Our daily routines can become so ingrained that we perform them automatically, such as taking the same route to work every day. Some behaviors, such as smoking or biting your fingernails, become so habitual that we can't stop even if we want to. | Read More » Sea lampreys turning up the heat  | Scientists found that male sea lampreys have a secondary sex characteristic that creates heat when they get near a female lamprey, something the females find hard to say no to. | Read More » Social networks shape monkey 'culture' too  | Of course Twitter and Facebook are all the rage, but the power of social networks didn't start just in the digital age. A new study on squirrel monkeys finds that monkeys with the strongest social networks catch on fastest to the latest in foraging crazes. They are monkey trendsters. | Read More » Scientists discern signatures of old versus young stem cells  | A chemical code scrawled on histones -- the protein husks that coat DNA in every animal or plant cell -- determines which genes in that cell are turned on and which are turned off. Now, researchers have taken a new step in the deciphering of that histone code. | Read More » A telescope for your eye: New contact lens design may improve sight of patients with macular degeneration  | Contact lenses correct eyesight but do nothing to improve blurry vision of those suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness among older adults in the western world. Now a team of researchers has created a slim, telescopic contact lens that can switch between normal and magnified vision. With refinements, the system could offer AMD patients a relatively unobtrusive way to enhance their vision. | Read More » New system uses low-power Wi-Fi signal to track moving humans -- even behind walls  | A system being developed at MIT could give all of us the ability to spot people in different rooms using low-cost Wi-Fi technology. | Read More » How 'parrot dinosaur' switched from four feet to two as it grew  | Tracking the growth of dinosaurs and how they changed as they grew is difficult. Using a combination of biomechanical analysis and bone histology, palaeontologists from Beijing, Bristol, and Bonn have shown how one of the best-known dinosaurs switched from four feet to two as it grew. | Read More » Higher genetic risk tied to lifetime asthma suffering  | Children with more genetic risks for asthma are not only more likely to develop the condition at a young age, but they are also more likely to continue to suffer with asthma into adulthood. The finding is one of the latest to come from a 40-year longitudinal study of New Zealanders. | Read More » Fatty acids found in fish linked to lower risk of breast cancer  | A high intake of fatty acids found in fish is associated with a 14 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer in later life, a new study finds. | Read More » Lithium reduces risk of suicide in people with mood disorders, review finds  | The drug lithium is an effective treatment for reducing the risk of suicide and possibly deliberate self harm in people with mood disorders, an evidence review finds. | Read More » Scientists discover new mechanism regulating the immune response  | Scientists in Finland have discovered a new mechanism regulating the immune response that can leave a person susceptible to autoimmune diseases. | Read More » Avengers-style Helicarrier is still pie in the sky  | Physics students calculate the four-propeller powered giant aircraft seen in the Avengers would not be possible with modern technology. | Read More » Complex activity patterns emerge from simple underlying laws, ant experiments show  | A new study uses mathematical modeling and experiments on ants to show that a group is capable of developing flexible resource management strategies and characteristic responses of its own. | Read More » Scientists turn muscular dystrophy defect on and off in cells  | For the first time, scientists have identified small molecules that allow for complete control over a genetic defect responsible for the most common adult onset form of muscular dystrophy. | Read More » A new bizarrely shaped spoon worm, Arhynchite hayaoi, from Japan  | A new species of the peculiarly shaped spoon worms has been recently discovered in Japan. These animals, formally referred to as echiurans, derive their name from their elongated spoon-like projection (the proboscis), issuing from a barrel-like roundish body (the trunk). The new species, once abundant on sandy flats in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan, somehow remained undescribed because of previous misidentification with a known species. | Read More » Beautiful but hiding unpleasant surprise: Three new species of fetid fungi from New Zealand  | Scientists describe three new species of fungi from New Zealand. The new species belong to the genus Gymnopus and are mostly distinguished by their unpleasant odor typical for the subgroup of Gymnopus historically described in the genus Micromphale. The species live mostly on dead tree trunks and are seen in colonies from just a few up to hundreds of fruitbodies. | Read More » Better antibiotics: Atomic-scale structure of ribosome with molecule that controls its motion  | Scientists have created an atomic-scale structure of a bacterial ribosome attached to a molecule that controls its motion. The image is also a possible roadmap to better antibiotics. Somewhere in its twists and turns could be a weakness that a new antibiotic can target. | Read More » Acid reflux surgery could help prevent rejection in lung transplant patients  | A procedure to treat acid reflux could help prevent chronic rejection in lung transplant patients, according to a new study. | Read More » Dendritic cell therapy improves kidney transplant survival, team finds  | A single systemic dose of special immune cells prevented rejection for almost four months in a preclinical animal model of kidney transplantation, according to experts. Their findings could lay the foundation for eventual human trials of the technique. | Read More » Specialized treatment helps cholesterol patients who suffer side effects from statins  | Up to 15 percent of patients on cholesterol-lowering statin medications experience muscle pain or other side effects, and many stop taking the drugs. But a study has found that a specialized lipid clinic helps "statin-intolerant" patients control their cholesterol. | Read More » Climate change threatens forest survival on drier, low-elevation sites  | Predicted increases in temperature and drought in the coming century may make it more difficult for conifers such as ponderosa pine to regenerate after major forest fires on dry, low-elevation sites, in some cases leading to conversion of forests to grass or shrub lands, a report suggests. | Read More » Cattle grazing and clean water are compatible on public lands, study finds  | Cattle grazing and clean water can coexist on national forest lands, according to new research. | Read More » Boat noise stops fish finding home  | Boat noise disrupts orientation behavior in larval coral reef fish, according to new research. Reef fish are normally attracted by reef sound but the study, conducted in French Polynesia, found that fish are more likely to swim away from recordings of reefs when boat noise is added. | Read More » Tiny nanocubes help scientists tell left from right  | A team of scientists has developed a new, simpler way to discern molecular handedness, known as chirality, which could improve drug development, optical sensors and more. | Read More » Is it alive or dead? How to measure the thermal signatures of single cells and assess their biological activity  | To the ancients, probing the philosophical question of how to distinguish the living from the dead centered on the "mystery of the vital heat." To modern microbiology, this question was always less mysterious than it was annoying -- researchers have known that biological processes should produce thermal signatures, even within single cells, but nobody ever knew how to measure them. Now, a group of mechanical engineers in Korea have discovered a way to measure the "thermal conductivity" of three types of cells taken from human and rat tissues and placed in individual micro-wells. | Read More » The 'gold' standard: A rapid, cheap method of detecting dengue virus  | Researchers are reporting the development of an easy to use, low cost method of detecting dengue virus in mosquitoes based on gold nanoparticles. The assay is able to detect lower levels of the virus than current tests, and is easy to transport and use in remote regions. | Read More » Time is of the essence for reducing the long-term effects of iron deficiency  | Iron deficiency is a worldwide problem, especially in developing countries and among infants and pregnant women. In infancy, iron deficiency is associated with poorer cognitive, motor, and social-emotional outcomes. In a new study, researchers report on a 25-year follow-up of infants studied in Costa Rica for iron deficiency. | Read More » Scientists view 'protein origami' to help understand, prevent certain diseases  | Scientists using sophisticated imaging techniques have observed a molecular protein folding process that may help medical researchers understand and treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's and cancer. The study verifies a process that scientists knew existed but with a mechanism they had never been able to observe, according to researchers. | Read More » Large-scale quantum chip validated: Prototype quantum optimization chip operates as hoped  | A team of scientists has verified that quantum effects are indeed at play in the first commercial quantum optimization processor. | Read More » Microscopy technique could help computer industry develop 3-D components  | A technique developed several years ago at NIST for improving optical microscopes now has been applied to monitoring the next generation of computer chip circuit components, potentially providing the semiconductor industry with a crucial tool for improving chips for the next decade or more. | Read More » Major changes needed for coral reef survival  | To prevent coral reefs around the world from dying off, deep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions are required, says a new study. Researchers find that all existing coral reefs will be engulfed in inhospitable ocean chemistry conditions by the end of the century if civilization continues along its current emissions trajectory. | Read More » Study links cardiac hormone-related inflammatory pathway with tumor growth  | A cardiac hormone signaling receptor abundantly expressed both in inflamed tissues and cancers appears to recruit stem cells that form the blood vessels needed to feed tumor growth, a new study finds. | Read More » Are college student hook-ups linked to anxiety and depression?  | As narratives of "hook-up" culture take center stage in popular media, behavioral researchers are starting to ask what psychological consequences, if any, may be in store for young adults who engage in casual sex. | Read More » Cancer risks double when two carcinogens present at 'safe' levels, epigenetics study finds  | New research has found that low doses of arsenic and estrogen -- even at levels low enough to be considered "safe" for humans if they were on their own -- can cause cancer in prostate cells. | Read More » | |
