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Former missile-tracking telescope helps reveal fate of baby pulsar

A radio telescope once used to track ballistic missiles has helped astronomers determine how the magnetic field structure and rotation of the young and rapidly rotating Crab pulsar evolves with time.

First look at diverse life below rare tallgrass prairies

For the first time, biologists have gotten a peek at a vitally important community that once called the tallgrass prairie home: The diverse assortment of microbes that thrived in the dark, rich soils beneath the grass.

Making electrical contact along 1-D edge of 2-D materials

Scientists have demonstrated it is possible for an atomically thin two-dimensional material to have electrical contact along its one-dimensional edge. The contact architecture offers a new assembly technique for layered materials that prevents contamination at interfaces.

Is global heating hiding out in the oceans? Parts of Pacific warming 15 times faster than in past 10,000 years

In a reconstruction of Pacific Ocean temperatures in the last 10,000 years, researchers have found that its middle depths have warmed 15 times faster in the last 60 years than they did during apparent natural warming cycles in the previous 10,000.

Gene found to foster synapse formation in the brain

Researchers say they have found that a gene already implicated in human speech disorders and epilepsy is also needed for vocalizations and synapse formation in mice. The finding, they say, adds to scientific understanding of how language develops, as well as the way synapses — the connections among brain cells that enable us to think — are formed.

New techniques produce cleanest graphene yet

Researchers demonstrate for the first time that it's possible to electrically contact an atomically thin 2D material only along its 1D edge. With this new contact architecture, they've developed a new assembly technique for layered materials that prevents contamination at the interfaces, and, using graphene as the model 2D material, show that these two methods in combination result in the cleanest graphene yet realized.

Molecule that orients neurons for high definition sensing identified

Many animals have highly developed senses, such as vision in carnivores, touch in mice, and hearing in bats. New research has uncovered a brain molecule that can explain the existence of such finely-tuned sensory capabilities, revealing how brain cells responsible for specific senses are positioned to receive incoming sensory information.

Most detailed picture yet of key AIDS protein

Scientists have determined the first atomic-level structure of the tripartite HIV envelope protein—long considered one of the most difficult targets in structural biology and of great value for medical science.

Critical gene in retinal development and motion sensing identified

Our vision depends on exquisitely organized layers of cells within the eye's retina, each with a distinct role in perception. Researchers say they have taken an important step toward understanding how those cells are organized to produce what the brain "sees." Specifically, they report identification of a gene that guides the separation of two types of motion-sensing cells, offering insight into how cellular layering develops in the retina, with possible implications for the brain's cerebral cortex.

Scent marking - the mammalian equivalent of showy plumage

The smell of urine may not strike people as pleasant, but female mice find it as attractive as cologne. Researchers have confirmed that male house mice that excel at scent-marking their territory also have more offspring. This is likely because mouse females are able to infer mate quality from the males' scent mark deposits.

Exposure to cortisol-like medications before birth may contribute to emotional problems, brain changes

Neonatologists seem to perform miracles in the fight to support the survival of babies born prematurely. To promote their survival, cortisol-like drugs called glucocorticoids are administered frequently to women in preterm labor to accelerate their babies' lung maturation prior to birth, a substance naturally released by the body when stressed. But the levels of glucocorticoids administered to promote lung development are higher than that achieved with typical stress, similar to the body's reaction to extreme stresses.

Sex determiner gene of honey bee more complicated than thought

Bee colonies consist of a queen bee, lots of female worker bees and some male drones. The gene that determines the sex of the bees is much more complex than has been assumed up until now and has developed over the course of evolution very quickly.

Fresher blood donations may be better for recipients

Although clinical evidence is lacking on the relationship between the storage time of red blood cells and outcomes in transfused patients, these authors are advocating for a modernized blood management system — similar to inventory management systems seen in the retail sector — to potentially reduce patient complications.

Magnetic 'force field' shields giant gas cloud during collision with Milky Way

Doom may be averted for the Smith Cloud, a gigantic streamer of hydrogen gas that is on a collision course with the Milky Way Galaxy. Astronomers have discovered a magnetic field deep in the cloud's interior, which may protect it during its meteoric plunge into the disk of our Galaxy.

The visual brain colors black and white images

The perception and processing of color has fascinated neuroscientists for a long time, as our brain influences our perception of it to such a degree that colors could be called an illusion. One mystery was: What happens in the brain when we look at black-and-white photographs? Do our brains fill in the colors?

Norwegian Vikings purchased silk from Persia

The Norwegian Vikings were more oriented towards the East than we have previously assumed, according to new research. After four years of in-depth investigation of the silk trade of the Viking Age, archeologists may change our perceptions of the history of the Norwegian Vikings. The silk trade was far more comprehensive than was previously assumed.

Automatic location of fishing gear

In the grey light of morning and squally weather a fishing boat stops its engine. The fisherman knows he is outside the baseline and has to notify the Coastguard before setting his nets. He phones the office in Sortland and states his GPS coordinates in order to avoid collision with other boats' fishing gear.

Can an oil bath solve the mysteries of the quantum world?

For the past eight years, two French researchers have been bouncing droplets around a vibrating oil bath and observing their unique behavior. What sounds like a high-school experiment has in fact provided the first ever evidence that the strange features of the quantum world can be reproduced on a macroscopic scale.

New methods improve quagga and zebra mussel identification

The earliest possible detection of quagga and zebra mussels has long been a goal of biologists seeking to discover their presence in water bodies. A new sampling method improves the accuracy of quagga and zebra mussel detection while still at the microscopic larval stage.

Racism linked with gun ownership and opposition to gun control in white Americans

A new study has found that higher levels of racism in white Americans is associated with having a gun in the home and greater opposition to gun control policies.

New knowledge about serious muscle disease

Recent research sheds light on previously unknown facts about muscular dystrophy at molecular level. The breakthrough is hoped to improve future diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Researchers have developed a method that will make it easier to map the proteins that have an important kind of sugar monomer, mannose, attached. This is an important finding, as mannose deficiency can lead to diseases such as muscular dystrophy.

Stress eaters may compensate by eating less when times are good

When faced with stress, some people seem to lose their appetite while others reach for the nearest sweet, salty, or fatty snack. Conventional wisdom tells us that stress eaters are the ones who need to regulate their bad habits, but new research suggests that stress eaters show a dynamic pattern of eating behavior that could have benefits in non-stressful situations.

Europeans do not consume enough vitamins, minerals

A study has analyzed intake of 17 basic micronutrients in people's diets across eight European countries. The results reveal that, although vitamin D is the most extreme case, European citizens - across all age and sex ranges - do not consume sufficient iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6 and folic acid.

Women working in Head Start programs report poor physical, mental health

Women working in Head Start, the nation's largest federally funded early childhood education program, report higher than expected levels of physical and mental health problems.

Residents weigh global benefits, local risks in views of climate change measures

A survey of Indiana residents tracks public acceptance of potential measures to address climate change in their communities.

Neuroscientists determine how treatment for anxiety disorders silences fear neurons

Neuroscientists report that exposure therapy, a common treatment for anxiety disorders, remodels an inhibitory junction in the mouse brain. The findings improve the understanding of how exposure therapy suppresses fear responses and may aid in the development of more effective treatments for anxiety disorders.

Brain researchers discover how retinal neurons claim best connections

Scientists have discovered how retinal neurons claim prime real estate in the brain by controlling the abundance of a protein called aggrecan. The discovery could shed light on how to repair the injured brain.

Scientists modify Botox for the treatment of pain

Scientists have manufactured a new bio-therapeutic molecule that could be used to treat neurological disorders such as chronic pain and epilepsy.

Study explains how a job-market system lands couples in the same city

A new study in the growing "market design" field of economics explains how a job-market algorithm helps land couples in the same locations.

Treating gum disease by bringing needed immune cells to inflamed tissue

The red, swollen and painful gums and bone destruction of periodontal disease could be treated by beckoning the right kind of immune system cells to the inflamed tissues, according to a new animal study. Their findings offer a new therapeutic paradigm for a condition that afflicts 78 million people in the US alone.

Long-term use of prescription painkillers increases risk of depression

The study has discovered a link between chronic use of pain-relieving medication and increase in the risk of developing major depression.

Hepatitis C treatments not being used for more than half of patients

More than half of chronic hepatitis C patients studied in a new research project were not treated for the potentially fatal disease, either because they couldn't withstand current therapies or because they, or their doctors, were waiting for new treatments.

Designing an acoustic diode: Novel design for brighter, clearer ultrasound images and improve diagnosis and therapy

Most people know about ultrasound through its role in prenatal imaging: those grainy, grey outlines of junior constructed from reflected sound waves. A new technology called an "acoustic diode" may dramatically improve future ultrasound images by changing the way sound waves are transmitted.

Problem of gender differences on physics assessments remains unsolved

Women consistently score lower than men on common assessments of conceptual understanding of physics. Despite previous claims that the causes of this gender gap have been pinpointed, the problem remains unsolved and poorly understood.

Sugar intake not directly related to liver disease

Despite current beliefs, sugar intake is not directly associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to a new study. Rather, high-calorie diets promote the progression of this serious form of liver disease.

Simulation, team training improves performance, patient safety

A study conducted by an inter-professional team found that simulation-based operating room team training of medical and nursing students resulted in more effective teamwork by improving attitudes, behaviors, interaction and overall performance leading to potential increased patient safety and better clinical outcomes.

Study offers new theory of cancer development

Researchers have devised a way to understand patterns of aneuploidy -- an abnormal number of chromosomes -- in tumors and predict which genes in the affected chromosomes are likely to be cancer suppressors or promoters. They propose that aneuploidy is a driver of cancer rather than a result of it.

How protein suicide assure healthy cell structures

Centrioles are tiny structures in the cell that play an important role in cell division and in the assembly of cilia and flagella. Changes in the number of centrioles are involved in diseases, such as cancer or infertility. The manipulation of these structures is being discussed for diagnosis and therapeutics.

Segregation in American schools still problematic, despite best efforts

As American schools struggle with issues of race, diversity and achievement, a new study has split the difference in the ongoing discussion of resegregation. Yes, black, white and Hispanic students were less likely to share classrooms in 2010 than in 1993, but no, that increase in segregation is usually not the result of waning efforts to reduce it.

Leading cause of heart disease ignored in North America's poorest communities

A leading cause of heart disease remains overlooked in North America's most impoverished communities, researchers assert. Chagas disease has rendered a heavy health and economic toll, yet insufficient political and medical support for gathering specific data, providing diagnosis and treatment, and developing new tools has impeded much-needed breakthroughs.

Cellular tail length tells human disease tale

A molecular biologist's adventures in pond scum have led her and four student researchers to discover a mutation that can make cilia, the microscopic antennae on our cells, grow too long. When the antennae aren't the right size, the signals captured by them get misinterpreted. The result can be fatal. They have discovered that the regulatory gene CNK2 is present in cilia and controls the length of these hair-like projections.

Aerobic exercise benefits memory in persons with MS

A research study provides the first evidence for beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on brain and memory in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

A new model for organ repair

Researchers have a new model for how the kidney repairs itself, a model that adds to a growing body of evidence that mature cells are far more plastic than had previously been imagined.

Scientists discover why newborns get sick so often

If you think cold and flu season is tough, trying being an infant. A new research finding sheds light on why newborns appear to be so prone to getting sick with viruses -- they are born without one of the key proteins needed to protect them.

Increasing rate of knee replacements linked to obesity among young

Contrary to popular myth, it is not the aging Baby Boomer or weekend warrior that is causing the unprecedented increase in knee replacement surgeries. Data gathered by more than 125 orthopedic surgeons from 22 states across the US show a more mundane culprit: rising rates of obesity among those under the age of 65.

Scientists develop candidate vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus

An experimental vaccine to protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a leading cause of illness and hospitalization among very young children, elicited high levels of RSV-specific antibodies when tested in animals.

Women under 60 with diabetes at much greater risk for heart disease

Results of a study found that young and middle-aged women with type 2 diabetes are at much greater risk of coronary artery disease than previously believed.

Direct link established between stimulus-response learning, substance abuse

A neuroscientist has found that the region of the brain involved in stimulus-response learning is directly linked to the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. More specifically, she discovered that people who resorted to stimulus-response learning smoked more, had double the consumption of alcohol and were more likely to use cannabis.

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Friday, November 1, 2013

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