|  Chemotherapy helps elderly patients with small cell lung cancer  | Researchers conclude that chemotherapy is associated with a greater than six-month improvement in median survival among elderly patients with small-cell lung cancer, even in patients over the age of 80 years. | Read More » Youthful stem cells from bone can heal the heart  | Researchers have discovered that when it comes to the regeneration of heart tissue, cortical bone-derived stem cells might do a better job than the heart's own stem cells. This finding challenges longstanding assumptions about which cells are the most effective at repairing damaged heart tissue after heart attacks. | Read More » Electronics advance moves closer to a world beyond silicon  | Researchers have made a significant advance in the function of metal-insulator-metal, or MIM diodes, a technology premised on the assumption that the speed of electrons moving through silicon is simply too slow. For the extraordinary speed envisioned in some future electronics applications, these innovative diodes solve problems that would not be possible with silicon-based materials as a limiting factor. | Read More » Psychologist discovers intricacies about lying  | How you remember a lie may be impacted profoundly by how you lie, according to a new study. The study examines two kinds of lies -- false descriptions and false denials -- and the different cognitive machinery that we use to record and retrieve them. | Read More » Only known hibernating primate has unique sleep patterns  | Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs are the only primates known to hibernate, and new research suggests their sleep patterns during hibernation are markedly different from those of ground squirrels, which also hibernate at similar temperatures. | Read More » Hibernating lemurs hint at the secrets of sleep  | By studying hibernation, scientists are providing a window into why humans sleep. Observations of a little-known primate called the fat-tailed dwarf lemur in captivity and the wild has revealed that it goes for days without the deepest part of sleep during its winter hibernation season. The findings support the idea that sleep plays a role in regulating body temperature and metabolism. | Read More » DNA changes during pregnancy persist into childhood  | Even before they are born, babies accumulate changes in their DNA through a process called DNA methylation that may interfere with gene expression, and in turn, their health as they grow up. But until now it's been unclear just how long these changes during the prenatal period persist. In a new study, researchers establish that signs of DNA methylation persist through early childhood. | Read More » Pacific flights create most amount of ozone  | The amount of ozone created from aircraft pollution is highest from flights leaving and entering Australia and New Zealand, a new study has shown. The findings could have wide-reaching implications for aviation policy as ozone is a potent greenhouse gas with comparable short-term effects to those of carbon dioxide. | Read More » Heart attack death rates unchanged in spite of faster care at hospitals  | Heart attack deaths have remained the same, even as hospital teams have gotten faster at treating heart attack patients with emergency angioplasty, according to a new study. | Read More » Clinical tool classifies pots on lung scans of smokers  | A new clinical risk calculator has been developed that classifies, nine out of ten times, which spots or lesions are benign and malignant on an initial lung computed tomography scan among individuals at high risk for lung cancer. | Read More » Look at what i'm saying: Engineers show brain depends on vision to hear  | Bioengineers have discovered our understanding of language may depend more heavily on vision than previously thought: under the right conditions, what you see can override what you hear. | Read More » Wheat research indicates rise in mean temperature would cut yields  | Wheat producers know that growing a healthy, high-yielding wheat crop takes skill and hard work. Quality drought-tolerant varieties that are resistant to pests and disease are important. And cooperation from Mother Nature in terms of temperature and precipitation doesn't hurt, either. To quantify the impact of genetic improvement in wheat, disease and climate change over a 26-year period, researchers examined wheat variety yield data from Kansas performance tests, along with location-specific weather and disease data. | Read More » Discovery shows cerebellum plays important role in sensing limb position and movement  | New findings show, for the first time, the link between the brain's cerebellum and proprioception, or the body's ability to sense movement and joint and limb position. A new study uncovers a previously unknown perceptual deficit among cerebellar patients, suggesting that damage to this portion of the brain can directly impact a person's ability to sense the position of their limbs and predict movement. This discovery could prompt future researchers to reexamine physical therapy tactics for cerebellar patients, who often have impaired coordination or appear clumsy. | Read More » Gravity variations over Earth much bigger than previously thought  | Scientists have created the highest-resolution maps of Earth's gravity field to date -- showing gravitational variations up to 40 percent larger than previously assumed. New gravity maps revealed the variations of free-fall gravity over Earth were much bigger than previously thought. | Read More » Your finger's pulse holds the key to your heart's health  | A new technique to measure the stiffness of the aorta, a common risk factor for heart disease, involves measuring the pulse in the finger or on the arm, combined with an individual's age and body mass index. | Read More » LED light bulbs brighter and more energy efficient than ever  | LED light bulbs can be brighter and more energy efficient than ever, thanks to a new high performance LED driver. The new driver powers LED light bulbs with an innovative approach called multi-level PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation), which delivers remarkable improvements in terms of light quality and energy efficiency, when compared to pulse width modulation and linear driver approaches currently used in LED products. | Read More » Discovery helps to unlock brain's speech-learning mechanism  | By studying songbirds, scientists are uncovering the mechanism that allows juveniles to learn speech through imitation. | Read More » Chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections linked to pregnancy complications  | Becoming infected with chlamydia or gonorrhoea in the lead-up to, or during, pregnancy, increases the risk of complications, such as stillbirth or unplanned premature birth, indicates new research. | Read More » Back of pack health warnings make little impact on teen smokers  | Back of pack picture or text warnings depicting the dangers of smoking, make little impact on teen smokers, particularly those who smoke regularly, suggests new research. | Read More » Northeastern US forests transformed by human activity over 400 years  | Forests in the northeastern US have been radically transformed over the last four centuries by human activity, and their relationship with climate factors like rainfall weakened. | Read More » Ashtray availability, signage may determine success of smoke-free legislation  | Signs banning smoking may not have as much of an impact on secondhand smoke concentrations as the presence of ashtrays or ashtray equivalents. | Read More » Dishonest deeds lead to 'cheater's high,' as long as no one gets hurt, study finds  | People who get away with cheating when they believe no one is hurt by their dishonesty are more likely to feel upbeat than remorseful afterward, according to new research. | Read More » What scientists can see in your urine  | Researchers have determined the chemical composition of human urine. The study, which took more than seven years and involved a team of nearly 20 researchers, has revealed that more than 3,000 chemicals or "metabolites" can be detected in urine. The results are expected to have significant implications for medical, nutritional, drug and environmental testing. | Read More » Rare earth metal essential element for methane-munching acid-volcano microbe  | Microbiologists have shown that the rare earth metal Cerium is essential for the methane-oxidizing bacteria, which they discovered in 2007 in an Italian hot, acid volcanic mudpot. It is the first time that a rare earth metal is identified as a condition for life. | Read More » New insight into how Cheetahs catch their prey  | A new research study has revealed that the cheetah, the world's fastest land animal, matches and may even anticipate the escape tactics of different prey when hunting, rather than just relying on its speed and agility as previously thought. | Read More » Cheaper Chinese solar panels are not due to low-cost labor  | A study of the photovoltaic industries in the US and China shows that China's dominance in solar panel manufacturing is not driven solely by cheaper labor and government support, but by larger-scale manufacturing and resulting supply-chain benefits. | Read More » Splitting pollen to view internal wall  | Researchers have cut sections through pollen grains and make it possible to view a three dimensional image of the internal wall. This positions them to determine how the characteristics of the internal wall help to classify plants of particular interest. | Read More » What is the brain telling us about the diagnoses of schizophrenia?  | We live in the most exciting and unsettling period in the history of psychiatry since Freud started talking about sex in public. On the one hand, the American Psychiatric Association has introduced the fifth iteration of the psychiatric diagnostic manual, DSM-V, representing the current best effort of the brightest clinical minds in psychiatry to categorize the enormously complex pattern of human emotional, cognitive, and behavioral problems. On the other hand, in new and profound ways, neuroscience and genetics research in psychiatry are yielding insights that challenge the traditional diagnostic schema that have long been at the core of the field. | Read More » Children with behavioral problems more at risk of inflammation, health problems later in life  | Children with behavioral problems may be at risk of many chronic diseases in adulthood including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, as well as inflammatory illnesses (conditions which are caused by cell damage). Researchers found that children with behavioral problems at the age of 8, had higher levels of two proteins (C-reactive protein -- CRP; and Interleukin 6 -- IL-6) in their blood when tested at the age of 10. Having raised levels of CRP and IL-6 can be an early warning sign that a person may be at risk of chronic or inflammatory conditions later in life. | Read More » Robotic therapy aids kids' handwriting skills  | Researchers are working to develop an exciting new robotic device that helps children to practice and improve their hand coordination. | Read More » Religious leaders can be key to biological diversity  | Leaders of the major world religions can play a key role in preserving biological diversity. A new study indicates that if the world's religious leaders wished to bring about a change, they would be ideally positioned to do so. | Read More » Pest-eating birds mean money for coffee growers  | This is the first time scientists have assigned a monetary value to the pest-control benefits rainforest birds can provide to agriculture. Their study could provide the framework for pest management that helps both farmers and biodiversity. | Read More » No evidence of planetary influence on solar activity  | In 2012, Astronomy & Astrophysics published a statistical study of the isotopic records of solar activity, in which scientists claimed that there is evidence of planetary influence on solar activity. A&A is publishing a new analysis of these isotopic data. It corrects technical errors in the statistical tests performed earlier. They find no evidence of any planetary effect on solar activity. | Read More » Telemedicine initiative allows remote hearing tests for newborns  | A telemedicine initiative is working to make follow-up hearing tests for newborns more accessible in rural areas of Tennessee, while teaching young pediatric audiology and pediatric speech language pathology students to treat patients remotely. | Read More » Robots could one day help surgeons remove hard to reach brain tumors  | Scientists and engineers are teaming up with neurosurgeons to develop technologies that enable less invasive, image-guided removal of hard-to-reach brain tumors. Their technologies combine novel imaging techniques that allow surgeons to see deep within the brain during surgery with robotic systems that enhance the precision of tissue removal. | Read More » Wide range of differences, mostly unseen, among humans  | Bioinformatics researchers have investigated how protein function is affected by changes at the DNA level. Their findings bring new clarity to the wide range of variants, many of which disturb protein function but have no discernible health effect, and highlight especially the role of rare variants in differentiating individuals from their neighbors. | Read More » New computational approaches speed up the exploration of the universe  | Chemical analyzes can take a long time to complete. Now a potentially groundbreaking collaboration between a chemist and a computer scientist shows that time spent on chemical analyzes can be reduced considerably. Among other things this means, that researchers can now speed up the exploration of the chemistry behind the origin of life in our universe. | Read More » Smoking with asthma during pregnancy is particularly dangerous  | New research shows that pregnant women who smoke as well as having asthma are greatly increasing the risk of complications for themselves and their unborn children. | Read More » Hydraulic fracturing in Michigan investigated  | Researchers have just released seven technical reports that together form the most comprehensive Michigan-focused resource on hydraulic fracturing, the controversial natural gas and oil extraction process commonly known as fracking. | Read More » Terramechanics research aims to keep Mars rovers rolling  | Researchers have developed a model that accurately simulates Mars rover mobility over various types of soil and terrain. | Read More » Engineers make golden breakthrough to improve electronic devices  | Chemical engineering team has discovered that a new member of the ultrathin materials family has great potential to improve electronic and thermal devices. The researchers studied molybdenum disulfide and found that manipulating it with gold atoms improves its electrical characteristics. | Read More » Arresting model stops cars  | Researchers in China have developed a mathematical model that could help engineers design a flexible vehicle-arrest system for stopping cars involved in criminal activity or terrorism, such as suspect car bombers attempting break through a check point, without wrecking the car or killing the occupants. | Read More » Authenticated brain waves improve driver security  | One-time entry authentication methods are suitable for to a protected building or a private web page. But, a continuous biometric system is needed for authenticating drivers of vehicles carrying valuable commodities and money, and even public transport vehicles and taxis. Now, such a system based on scanning the driver's brain waves could make hijacks of such vehicles a thing of the past. | Read More » What are the risks of student cyberbullying?  | A new survey of middle and high school student attitudes to cyberbullying and online safety shows that many children are bullied and few understand internet safety. | Read More » Study IDs trouble areas, aims to speed up construction projects  | Researchers have identified factors that cause construction site managers to schedule more time than necessary for specific tasks. Understanding these factors and whether they can be reduced or eliminated could help the industry complete construction projects more quickly. | Read More » Sleep deprivation increases food purchasing the next day  | People who were deprived of one night's sleep purchased more calories and grams of food in a mock supermarket on the following day in a new study. | Read More » People who lie while texting take longer to respond  | Ever been trading a flurry of text messages when there's an awkward pause? Well, new research shows you probably should be suspicious. A new study finds when people lie in digital messages -- texting, social media or instant messaging -- they take longer to respond, make more edits and write shorter responses than usual. | Read More » Global warming has increased risk of record heat  | Researchers calculate that intense heat like that in the summer of 2012 is up to four times more likely to occur now than in pre-industrial America, when there was much less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. | Read More » Back from the ice: Research team returns from Fram Strait  | They rammed through ice ridges, took 360-degree pictures of the ice, tracked the movement of icebergs and measured the underwater sounds of an icebreaker crunching through an ice ridge. Those were just a few of the many research objectives achieved by a multinational team of 33 researchers who have just completed a two-week cruise in the icy waters off northeast Greenland. | Read More » Cause of cystic kidneys explained: Novel gene responsible for cystic kidney disease in children identified  | Scientists have identified a new gene that causes cystic kidneys in children and young adults. The research group's results lead to the identification of novel insights into the molecular mechanism underlying NPH, which is a prerequisite for developing pharmacological targets and new therapies for children with nephronophthisis. | Read More » Cell death protein could offer new anti-inflammatory drug target  | Scientists have revealed the structure of a protein that is essential for triggering a form of programmed cell death called necroptosis, making possible the development of new drugs to treat chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. | Read More » Some immune cells appear to aid cancer cell growth  | A new study found that a subset of immune cells provide a niche where cancer stem cells survive. | Read More » Deep-ocean carbon sinks: Basic research on dark ocean microorganisms  | Although microbes that live in the so-called "dark ocean"-- below a depth of some 600 feet where light doesn't penetrate -- may not absorb enough carbon to curtail global warming, they do absorb considerable amounts of carbon and merit further study, according to a study. | Read More » Prion-like proteins drive several diseases of aging  | Two leading neurology researchers have proposed a theory that could unify scientists' thinking about several neurodegenerative diseases and suggest therapeutic strategies to combat them. | Read More » Peering into genetic defects, scientists discover a new metabolic disease  | Scientists have discovered a new disease related to an inability to process Vitamin B12. The disorder is rare but can be devastating. | Read More » Female tiger sharks migrate from Northwestern to Main Hawaiian Islands during fall pupping season  | A quarter of the mature female tiger sharks plying the waters around the remote coral atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands decamp for the populated Main Hawaiian Islands in the late summer and fall, swimming as far as 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles) according to new research. | Read More » Overgrazing turning parts of Mongolian Steppe into desert  | Overgrazing by millions of sheep and goats is the primary cause of degraded land in the Mongolian Steppe, one of the largest remaining grassland ecosystems in the world, researchers say in a new report. The degraded land holds implications both for local food production and global climate. | Read More » Space around others perceived just as our own  | A new study has shown that neurons in our brain 'mirror' the space near others, just as if this was the space near ourselves. The study sheds new light on a question that has long preoccupied psychologists and neuroscientists regarding the way in which the brain represents other people and the events that happens to those people. | Read More » Clues in coral bleaching mystery  | Coral reefs are tremendously important for ocean biodiversity. Unfortunately they have been in great decline in recent years, much of it due to the effects of global climate change. One such effect, called bleaching, occurs when the symbiotic algae that are essential for providing nutrients to the coral either lose their identifying photosynthetic pigmentation and their ability to perform photosynthesis or disappear entirely from the coral's tissue. Without a healthy population of these algae, the coral cannot survive. | Read More » Scientists confirm existence of largest single volcano on earth  | Scientists have uncovered the largest single volcano yet documented on Earth. Covering an area roughly equivalent to the British Isles or the state of New Mexico, this volcano, dubbed the Tamu Massif, is nearly as big as the giant volcanoes of Mars, placing it among the largest in the Solar System. | Read More » Inner-ear disorders may cause hyperactivity  | Behavioral abnormalities are traditionally thought to originate in the brain. But a new study has found that inner-ear dysfunction can directly cause neurological changes that increase hyperactivity. The study, conducted in mice, also implicated two brain proteins in this process, providing potential targets for intervention. | Read More » New system developed to better study behavior, cell function  | A team of researchers has successfully translated a new technology to better study behaviors and cellular function of fruit flies. This powerful genetic tool allows scientists to selectively, rapidly, reversibly, and dose-dependently remotely control behaviors and physiological processes in the fly which shares a significant degree of similarity to humans. | Read More » Body's 'safety procedure' could explain autoimmune disease  | Researchers have found an important safety mechanism in the immune system that may malfunction in people with autoimmune diseases, such as Multiple Sclerosis, potentially paving the way for innovative treatments. | Read More » | |
