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Altitude sickness may hinder ethnic integration in the world's highest places

Ethnic segregation -- and potential ethnic tension -- in nations straddling the world's steepest terrains may be reinforced by the biological tolerance different peoples have to altitude, according to one of the first studies to examine the effect of elevation on ethnic demographics.

Surprise superconductor

Superconductivity is a rare physical state in which matter is able to conduct electricity -- maintain a flow of electrons -- without any resistance. This phenomenon can only be found in certain materials under specific low-temperature and high-pressure conditions. New research found unexpected superconductivity that could help scientists better understand the structural changes that create this rare phenomenon.

Nuke test radiation can fight poachers who kill elephants, rhinos, hippos

Researchers have developed a new weapon to fight poachers who kill elephants, hippos, rhinos and other wildlife. By measuring radioactive carbon-14 deposited in tusks and teeth by open-air nuclear bomb tests, the method reveals the year an animal died, and thus whether the ivory was taken illegally.

Caterpillars attracted to plant SOS

Plants that emit an airborne distress signal in response to herbivory may actually attract more enemies, according to a new study.

New regulatory autism gene discovered

A new study reports that RORA, a novel candidate gene for autism discovered in a 2010 study, regulates a large number of other genes associated with autism.

Wiggling worms make waves in gene pool

Treating the movements of mutant worms as waveforms allowed for a detailed analysis of the gene networks that control their locomotion.

Breakthrough in El Nino forecasting

Irregular warming of the Eastern Pacific Ocean, dubbed El Niño by Peruvian fishermen, can generate devastating impacts. Being the most important phenomenon of contemporary natural climate variability, it may trigger floods in Latin America, droughts in Australia, and harvest failures in India.

Psychology influences markets

When it comes to economics versus psychology, score one for psychology. Economists argue that markets usually reflect rational behavior -- with the dominant players in a market, such as hedge-fund managers, almost always making well-informed and objective decisions. But psychologists say that markets are not immune from human irrationality. A new analysis supports the latter case, showing that markets are indeed susceptible to psychological phenomena.

Placental cells may prevent viruses from passing from mother to baby

Cells of the placenta may have a unique ability to prevent viruses from crossing from an expectant mother to her growing baby and can transfer that trait to other kinds of cells. The findings could point to new approaches to combat viral infections.

Identifying climate impact hotspots across sectors

One out of 10 people on Earth is likely to live in a climate impact hotspot by the end of this century, if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated. Many more are put at risk in a worst-case scenario of the combined impacts on crop yields, water availability, ecosystems, and health, according to a new study.

Superconductor created from solvent

Researchers have turned a fairly common non-metallic solvent into a superconductor capable of transmitting electrical current with none of the resistance seen in conventional conductors.

Improving crop yields in a world of extreme weather events

When plants encounter drought, they naturally produce abscisic acid (ABA), a stress hormone that helps them cope with the drought conditions. Specifically, the hormone turns on receptors in the plants. Botanists have identified an inexpensive synthetic chemical, quinabactin, that mimics ABA. Spraying ABA on plants improves their water use and stress tolerance, but the procedure is expensive. Quinabactin now offers a cheaper solution.

It's about time: Disrupted internal clocks play role in disease

Researchers have a possible explanation why some alcoholics develop liver disease: Disrupted circadian rhythms can push those vulnerable over the edge to disease. Mice whose internal clocks were out of sync with the light-dark cycle and mice with circadian disruption from a faulty gene were fed diets without and with alcohol. The results showed circadian rhythm disruption and alcohol is a destructive double hit that can lead to alcoholic liver disease.

Astronomer uncovers the hidden identity of an exoplanet

Hovering about 70 light-years from Earth –- that's "next door" by astronomical standards –– is a star astronomers call HD 97658, which is almost bright enough to see with the naked eye. But the real "star" is the planet HD 97658b, not much more than twice the Earth's diameter and a little less than eight times its mass. HD 97658b is a super-Earth, a class of planet for which there is no example in our home solar system.

Cattle flatulence doesn't stink with biotechnology: Farmers could improve air quality by using hormones

According to animal scientists, emerging biotechnologies can reduce the environmental impact of cattle production. Feed supplements and synthetic hormones will not affect humans, but they will increase food production. Efficient animals can produce more food for hungry people.

Mapping the benefits of our ecosystems

We rely on our physical environment for many things – clean water, land for crops or pastures, storm water absorption, and recreation, among others. Yet it has been challenging to figure out how to sustain the many benefits people obtain from nature — so-called "ecosystem services" — in any given landscape because an improvement in one may come at the cost of another.

Protein essential for cognition and mental health identified

The ability to maintain mental representations of ourselves and the world -- the fundamental building block of human cognition -- arises from the firing of highly evolved neuronal circuits, a process that is weakened in schizophrenia. In a new study, researchers pinpoint key molecular actions of proteins that allow the creation of mental representations necessary for higher cognition that are genetically altered in schizophrenia.

Calming your dog's anxiety during noisy fourth of July

Have a dog with noise phobias, especially fireworks? A psychologist explains three main ways calm dogs' fears.

Brain differences seen in depressed preschoolers

A key brain structure that regulates emotions works differently in preschoolers with depression compared with their healthy peers, according to new research.

Head Start children and parents show robust gains in new intervention

An eight-week intervention involving 141 preschoolers in a Head Start program and their parents produced significant improvements in the children's behavior and brain functions supporting attention and reduced levels of parental stress that, in turn, improved the families' quality of life.

Biomedical research revealing secrets of cell behavior

Scientists are using mathematical modeling and synthetic biology techniques to gain a closer look at what determines transitions of the body's cells from one state to another. For example how particular cells combine to produce multi-cellular organisms. A deeper comprehension of what drives this transformational process could reveal ways to bioengineering cells and gene networks that could fight diseases.

Mixed results for acupuncture to improve in vitro fertilization rates

Acupuncture, when used as a complementary or adjuvant therapy for in vitro fertilization may be beneficial depending on baseline pregnancy rates of a fertility clinic, according to new research.

Hearing loss from loud blasts may be treatable

Long-term hearing loss from loud explosions, such as blasts from roadside bombs, may not be as irreversible as previously thought, according to a new study.

Age affects how married couples handle conflict

Arguing with your spouse about where to go on vacation or how to handle the kids? As you age, you may be more likely to handle such disagreements by changing the subject, according to new research. The study followed older couples over a 13-year period and found that as couples aged, both husbands and wives increased their tendency to avoid conflict, for example by changing the subject or diverting attention away from the conflict.

A tick's spit leads to an entire lesson in blood clotting

There really is such a thing as tick spit -- that is, the saliva of a tick. And there's something about it that might help fight heart disease and stroke.

Controlling blood pressure, cholesterol may significantly cut heart disease risk

Controlling both your high blood pressure and high cholesterol may cut your risk for heart disease by half or more. Fewer than one in three patients had both conditions under control, in a national data review. Minorities, older people and those with diabetes may benefit most from managing both conditions.

Removing nerves connecting kidney to the brain shown to reduce high blood pressure

A new technique that involves removing the nerves connecting the kidney to the brain has shown to significantly reduce blood pressure and help lower the risk of stroke, heart and renal disease in patients.

Vitamin C helps control gene activity in stem cells

Vitamin C affects whether genes are switched on or off inside mouse stem cells, and may thereby play a previously unknown and fundamental role in helping to guide normal development in mice, humans and other animals.

Promising target found in treating deadly brain cancer

Researchers have identified a promising target for treating glioblastoma, one that appears to avoid many of the obstacles that typically frustrate efforts to develop effective treatments for this deadliest of cancers.

Inactivation of taste genes causes male sterility

Scientists report the surprising finding that two proteins involved in oral taste detection also play a crucial role in sperm development. In addition, the human form of one protein is blocked by the lipid-lowering drug clofibrate, perhaps linking this and related compounds to the rising global incidence of human infertility.

Nerve cells can work in different ways with same result

Epilepsy, irregular heartbeats and other conditions caused by malfunctions in the body's nerve cells, also known as neurons, can be difficult to treat. The problem is that one medicine may help some patients but not others. Doctors' ability to predict which drugs will work with individual patients may be influenced by recent University of Missouri research that found seemingly identical neurons can behave the same even though they are built differently under the surface.

Lack of immune cell receptor impairs clearance of amyloid beta protein from the brain

Identification of a protein that appears to play an important role in the immune system's removal of amyloid beta protein from the brain could lead to a new treatment strategy for Alzheimer's disease.

Environmental policy: Tallying the wins and losses of policy

In the past decade, China has sunk some impressive numbers to preserve its forests, but until now there hasn't been much data to give a true picture of how it has simultaneously affected both the people and the environment. Scientists now offer a complete picture of the environmental and socioeconomic effects of payments for ecosystem services programs.

Getting kids to eat their veggies: A new approach to an age-old problem

Every parent has a different strategy for trying to get his or her kid to eat more vegetables, from growing vegetables together as a family to banning treats until the dinner plate is clean. New research suggests that teaching young children an overarching, conceptual framework for nutrition may do the trick.

Gene mutations caused by a father's lifestyle can be inherited by multiple generations

Gene mutations caused by a father's lifestyle can be inherited by his children, even if those mutations occurred before conception. These findings show that mutations in the germ-line are present in all cells of the children, including their germ cells. This means that a father's lifestyle may affect the DNA of multiple generations and not just his immediate offspring.

New way discovered to block inflammation

Researchers have discovered a mechanism that triggers chronic inflammation in Alzheimer's, atherosclerosis and type-2 diabetes. The results suggest a common biochemical thread to multiple diseases and point the way to a new class of therapies that could treat chronic inflammation in these non-infectious diseases without crippling the immune system. Alzheimer's, atherosclerosis and type-2 diabetes -- diseases associated with aging and inflammation -- affect more than 100 million Americans.

Inner-city women's health issues to childhood traumas

Researchers have traced chronic health problems of adult inner-city women to traumas from childhood abuse and neglect.

After the shooting, political violence lives on in kids' behavior problems

Even short-term exposure to political violence may have long-lasting effects on children's adjustment and behavior, says a new study.

Scientists show how DHA resolves inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a major factor in problems from arthritis to cardiovascular disease, and DHA is known to help. New research in The FASEB Journal, explains why DHA is important in reducing inflammation, and provides an important lead to finding new drugs that will help bring people back to optimal health. Researchers found that macrophages use DHA to produce "maresins," which are the "switch" that turns inflammation off and switches on resolution.

Biochemical role of crucial TonB protein in bacterial iron transport and pathogenesis

Scientists have discovered the role of the membrane protein TonB in bacteria that cause a wide variety of diseases, including typhoid fever, plague, meningitis and dysentery. Results may lead to new and improved human and animal antibiotics.

How the body aids and abets the spread of cancer

The very system that is meant to protect the body from invasion may be a traitor. These new findings reveal that infection-fighting white blood cells play a role in activating cancer cells and facilitating their spread to secondary tumors. This research has significant implications for both the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Breakthrough discovery into the regulation of a key cancer drug target

New research offers insights into how the genome is regulated by signalling molecules within human cells.

Exercise-induced improvements in glycemic control and type 2 diabetes

Exercise-induced improvements in glycemic control are dependent on the pre-training glycemic level, and although moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can improve glycemic control, individuals with ambient hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) are more likely to be nonresponders, according to new research.

Early childhood respiratory infections may be potential risk factor for type 1 diabetes

Respiratory infections in early childhood may be a potential risk factor for developing type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), according to a new study.

Scientists help explain visual system's remarkable ability to recognize complex objects

Two new studies pave the way to better computer object recognition and future therapies for visual disorders.

Researchers pinpoint sources of fibrosis-promoting cells that ravage organs

Scientists have tracked down and quantified the diverse origins of cells that drive fibrosis, the incurable, runaway wound-healing that scars and ultimately destroys organs such as the lungs, liver and kidneys.

Stem cell gene therapy for sickle cell disease advances toward clinical trials

Researchers have successfully established the foundation for using hematopoietic (blood-producing) stem cells from the bone marrow of patients with sickle cell disease to treat the disease.

Croc supersense: Multi-sensory organs in crocodylian skin sensitive to touch, heat, cold, environment

Previously misunderstood multi-sensory organs in the skin of crocodylians are sensitive to touch, heat, cold, and the chemicals in their environment, new research finds. These sensors have no equivalent in any other vertebrate.

Teens' self-consciousness linked with specific brain, physiological responses

Teenagers are famously self-conscious, acutely aware and concerned about what their peers think of them. A new study reveals that this self-consciousness is linked with specific physiological and brain responses that seem to emerge and peak in adolescence.

The ribosome: New target for antiprion medicines

The key to treating neurodegenerative prion diseases such as mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease may lie in the ribosome, the protein synthesis machinery of the cell. Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative diseases caused by misfolding of prion proteins. Examples of prion diseases are scrapie in sheep, mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in human.

The brightest students smoke less, Spanish study finds

Good students smoke less, according to a new Spanish study. The research highlights the fact that high school students whose parents do not approve of their smoking also smoke fewer cigarettes.

Mouse study predicts cancer drug responsiveness in human tumors

A research team has found that genetically engineered mouse models were able to accurately predict human response to a standard chemotherapy drug combination commonly used in the clinic.

Neuroblastoma: Autophagy protects from chemotherapy

Cells can digest parts of themselves in a process called autophagy. This is a survival strategy that helps them overcome starvation and other conditions of depletion. In therapy-resistant cases of neuroblastoma, scientists in Germany have now discovered an enzyme which promotes autophagy and thus protects cancer cells from treatment through chemotherapy. Blocking this enzyme might make cancer cells more sensitive to treatment.

Pre-pregnancy diabetes increases risk of MRSA among new mothers

Pregnant women with diabetes are more than three times as likely as mothers without diabetes to become infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) before hospital discharge, according to a new study.

Hijacking stress response in cancer

NRF2 works as a "master gene" that turns on stress response by increasing numerous antioxidants and pollutant-detoxifying genes to protect the lungs from variety of air pollutants such as diesel exhaust and cigarette smoke. However, researchers have found for the first time that NRF2 signaling also plays a role in the growth of tumor cells by altering metabolic pathways.

Neighborhood residents with lowest incomes most likely to care about their communities

Some may assume that low-income residents of run-down, crime-ridden neighborhoods do not care about their communities. However, research suggests otherwise.

New hardware design protects data in the cloud

A new hardware design makes data encryption more secure by disguising cloud servers' memory-access patterns.

Dark energy survey set to seek out supernovae

The largest ever search for supernovae – exploding stars up to 10 billion times brighter than the Sun – is beginning this August. For the next five years, the Dark Energy Survey (DES) will look for these cosmic explosions, which can be used to measure precisely the growth of the universe over time.

Gamblers like noisy slot machines -- it reinforces the rewarding feeling after a win

Winning sounds on slot machines make gambling more exciting, according to a new study. Moreover, their work shows that sounds also cause players to overestimate the number of times they won while playing on slot machines.

People show more humorous creativity when primed with thoughts of death

Humor is an intrinsic part of human experience. It plays a role in every aspect of human existence, from day-to-day conversation to television shows. Yet little research has been conducted to date on the psychological function of humor. In human psychology, awareness of the impermanence of life is just as prevalent as humor. According to the Terror Management Theory, knowledge of one's own impermanence creates potentially disruptive existential anxiety, which the individual brings under control with two coping mechanisms, or anxiety buffers: rigid adherence to dominant cultural values, and self-esteem bolstering.

Cluster spacecraft detects elusive space wind

A new study provides the first conclusive proof of the existence of a space wind first proposed theoretically over 20 years ago. By analysing data from the European Space Agency's Cluster spacecraft, researchers detected this plasmaspheric wind, so-called because it contributes to the loss of material from the plasmasphere, a donut-shaped region extending above the Earth's atmosphere.

Non-invasive brain stimulation helps stroke patients gain prolonged language recovery

A new study details a technique developed by researchers to improve language function in stroke patients with chronic speech-language impairment.

Long term night shifts linked to doubling of breast cancer risk

Working night shifts for 30 or more years doubles the risk of developing breast cancer, and is not confined to nurses as previous research has indicated, a new study finds.

New generation electronic games boosts kids' physical activity at home

Giving kids new generation "active" electronic games boosts their physical activity at home and has the same effect as stopping them from using the older versions altogether, a new study finds.

Treating TB: What needs to be done to improve treatment rates

People with tuberculosis in China often delay going to see a doctor for more than two weeks. Reasons for this include a poor understanding of TB, increasing costs of treatment not covered by health insurance, and using traditional approaches first. Even after going to a clinic there were still delays in treatment, especially in rural areas, due to a lack of qualified medical staff.

Protocells may have formed in a salty soup

The first cell may have originated in a salty soup in which large biomolecules cluster spontaneously to form a protocell, chemists in the Netherlands have discovered.

Fishing in the sea of proteins: Composition of splicing complex in chloroplasts identified for the first time

To convert a gene into a protein, a cell first crafts a blueprint out of RNA. One of the main players in this process has been identified by researchers. The team "fished" a large complex of proteins and RNA, which is involved in the so-called splicing, from the chloroplasts of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. This cuts non-coding regions out of the messenger RNA, which contains the protein blueprint.

A potentially life-saving protein takes shape

The protein ubiquitin, found in all membranous cells, may hold the key to treating diseases from cancer to Parkinson's. Structural biologists examine an omnipresent but rarely studied form of ubiquitin, the polymeric ubiquitin chains linked by the animo acid Lysine-11. The team finds these chains are remarkably flexible and probably multi-functional.

Brown fat responsible for from heart disease-related deaths in cold winter months

More people die from heart-disease during the winter months, and according to a new study, the increase in mortality is possibly due to the accelerated growth of atherosclerotic plaque in the blood vessels caused by the activation of brown fat by the cold.

Salsalate lowers blood glucose in type 2 diabetes, study suggests

Scientists report that salsalate, a drug used to treat arthritis, lowers blood glucose and improves glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. These findings provide additional evidence that salsalate may be an effective drug to treat type 2 diabetes.

Listening to blood cells: Simple test could use sound waves for diagnosing blood-related diseases

New research reveals that when red blood cells are hit with laser light, they produce high frequency sound waves that contain a great deal of information. Similar to the way one can hear the voices of different people and identify who they are, investigators could analyze the sound waves produced by red blood cells and recognize their shape and size. The information may aid in the development of simple tests for blood-related diseases.

Names for new Pluto moons accepted

The International Astronomical Union has officially recognized the names Kerberos and Styx for the fourth and fifth moons of Pluto respectively (formerly known as P4 and P5). These names were backed by voters in a recently held popular contest, aimed at allowing the public to suggest names for the two recently discovered moons of the most famous dwarf planet in the Solar System.

Comet ISON brings holiday fireworks

Superficially resembling a skyrocket, Comet ISON is hurtling toward the Sun at 48,000 miles per hour. In May 2013, the comet was 403 million miles from Earth, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Drug improves cognitive function in mouse model of Down syndrome

An existing FDA-approved drug improves cognitive function in a mouse model of Down syndrome, according to a new study.

Gene's key role in building the developing brain's scaffolding discovered

Researchers have pinpointed the role of a gene known as Arl13b in guiding the formation and proper placement of neurons in the early stages of brain development. Mutations in the gene could help explain brain malformations often seen in neurodevelopmental disorders.

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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

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