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ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

New details about H7N9 influenza infections that suddenly appeared in China

Brain can plan actions toward things the eye doesn't see

People can plan strategic movements to several different targets at the same time, even when they see far fewer targets than are actually present, according to a new study.

Altered brain structure in pathological narcissism

A far-reaching disorder of the self-esteem is denoted as a narcissistic personality disorder. Persons with pathological narcissism on the one hand suffer from feelings of inferiority, while on the other hand projecting themselves to the world as arrogant, disparaging and self-absorbed. One of the key features of a narcissistic personality disorder is the lack of empathy. Although patients suffering from such a disorder are well able to recognize what other persons feel, think and intent, they display little compassion.

Scientists date prehistoric bacterial invasion still present in today's plant and animal cells

How long ago did bacteria invade the one-celled ancestors of plants and animals to become energy-producing mitochondria and photosynthesizing chloroplasts? Researchers developed a statistical way to analyze the variation in genes common to mitochondria, chloroplasts and the eukaryotic nucleus to more precisely date these events. They found that the cyanobacterial invasion of plants took place millions of years more recently than thought.

Metamorphosis of moon's water ice explained

Using data gathered by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, scientists believe they have solved a mystery from one of the solar system's coldest regions -- a permanently shadowed crater on the moon. They have explained how energetic particles penetrating lunar soil can create molecular hydrogen from water ice. The finding provides insight into how radiation can change the chemistry of water ice throughout the solar system.

Biological fitness trumps other traits in mating game

When a new species emerges following adaptive changes to its local environment, the process of choosing a mate can help protect the new species' genetic identity and increase the likelihood of its survival. But of the many observable traits in a potential mate, which particular traits does a female tend to prefer?

A shot in the arm for old antibiotics

Slipping bacteria some silver could give old antibiotics new life, scientists report. This could pave the way for new therapies for drug-resistant and recurrent infections.

Estrogen is a new weapon against urinary tract infection in postmenopausal women

Estrogen stimulates the production of the body's own antibiotic and strengthens the cells in the urinary tract, according to a new study. The results show that estrogen supplements may help menopausal women to ward off recurrent urinary tract infections.

Less is more: Novel cellulose structure requires fewer enzymes to process biomass to fuel

Improved methods for breaking down cellulose nanofibers are central to cost-effective biofuel production and the subject of new research. Scientists are investigating the unique properties of crystalline cellulose nanofibers to develop novel chemical pretreatments and designer enzymes for biofuel production from cellulosic -- or non-food -- plant-derived biomass.

How neural stem cells create new and varied neurons

A new study examining the brains of fruit flies reveals a novel stem cell mechanism that may help explain how neurons form in humans.

Simple and inexpensive process to make a material for CO2 adsorption

Researchers have developed a novel, simple method to synthesize hierarchically nanoporous frameworks of nanocrystalline metal oxides such as magnesia and ceria by the thermal conversion of well-designed metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

HIV-derived antibacterial shows promise against drug-resistant bacteria

Scientists have developed antibacterial compounds, derived from the outer coating of HIV, that could be potential treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections and appear to avoid generating resistance.

A new model -- and possible treatment -- for staph bone infections

Osteomyelitis -- a debilitating bone infection most frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus ("staph") bacteria – is particularly challenging to treat. Now, investigators have identified a staph-killing compound that may be an effective treatment for osteomyelitis, and they have developed a new mouse model that will be useful for testing this compound and for generating additional therapeutic strategies.

Dietary fructose causes liver damage in animal model

The role of dietary fructose in the development of obesity and fatty liver diseases remains controversial, with previous studies indicating that the problems resulted from fructose and a diet too high in calories. However, a new study conducted in an animal model showed that fructose rapidly caused liver damage even without weight gain. The researchers found that over the six-week study period liver damage more than doubled in the animals fed a high-fructose diet as compared to those in the control group.

Fate of the heart: Researchers track cellular events leading to cardiac regeneration

Scientists have visually monitored the dynamic cellular events that take place when cardiac regeneration occurs in zebrafish after cardiac ventricular injury. Their findings provide evidence that various cell lines in the heart are more plastic, or capable of transformation into new cell types, than previously thought.

A battery made of wood?

A sliver of wood coated with tin could make a tiny, long-lasting, efficient and environmentally friendly battery, say scientists.

Evolution of an outbreak: Complications from contaminated steroid injections

Magnetic resonance imaging at the site of injection of a contaminated lot of a steroid drug to treat symptoms such as back pain resulted in earlier identification of patients with probable or confirmed fungal spinal or paraspinal infection, allowing early initiation of medical and surgical treatment.

'Ugly' finding: Unattractive workers suffer more

People who are considered unattractive are more likely to be belittled and bullied in the workplace, according to a first-of-its-kind study.

Drug shows surprising efficacy as treatment for chronic leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma

Clinical studies suggest that the novel, targeted agent ibrutinib shows real potential is a safe, effective, treatment for adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and for patients with mantle cell lymphoma.

Mindfulness can increase wellbeing and reduce stress in school children

Mindfulness -- a mental training that develops sustained attention that can change the ways people think, act and feel -- could reduce symptoms of stress and depression and promote wellbeing among school children, according to a new study.

Scientists identify emotions based on brain activity

For the first time, scientists have identified which emotion a person is experiencing based on brain activity. The study combines functional magnetic resonance imaging and machine learning to measure brain signals to accurately read emotions in individuals. The findings illustrate how the brain categorizes feelings, giving researchers the first reliable process to analyze emotions. Until now, research on emotions has been long stymied by the lack of reliable methods to evaluate them.

Current global food production trajectory won't meet 2050 needs

Crop yields worldwide are not increasing quickly enough to support estimated global needs in 2050, according to a new study.

Carbon nanotube harpoon catches individual brain-cell signals

Neuroscientists may soon be modern-day harpooners, snaring individual brain-cell signals instead of whales with tiny spears made of carbon nanotubes.

Some parents want their child to redeem their broken dreams

Some parents desire for their children to fulfill their own unrealized ambitions, just as psychologists have long theorized, according to a new first-of-its-kind study.

Powerful new technique to reveal protein function

A new technique allows scientists to study the function of individual proteins in individual cell types in a living organism, providing deeper insights into protein function by isolating its function. Until now there was no tool for this.

Stroke symptoms associated with developing memory and thinking problems, even without stroke

People who experience any stroke symptoms —- but do not have a stroke —- may also be more likely to develop problems with memory and thinking, according to new research.

New technology reduces, controls CT radiation exposure in children: CT scan radiation reduced by 37 percent

Patients at certain hospitals are being exposed to significantly less radiation during CT scans because of new technology that allows doctors to more tightly control radiation doses. The first-of-its-kind imaging software reduced overall radiation exposure from CT scans by 37 percent.

Origins of 'The Hoff' crab revealed

The history of a new type of crab, nicknamed 'The Hoff' because of its hairy chest, which lives around hydrothermal vents deep beneath the Southern Ocean and Indian Ocean, has been revealed for the first time.

New microfluidic chip can help identify unwanted particles in water and food

Researchers have developed a new microfabrication technique to develop three-dimensional microfluidic devices in polymers. The devices can be used in the analysis of cells and could prove useful in counterterrorism measures and in water and food safety concerns.

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans are on prescription drugs

Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half take two, researchers say.

Was prehistoric rock art strategically placed to reveal a cosmological puzzle?

Recently, the discoveries of prehistoric rock art have become more common. With these discoveries, according to one researcher, comes a single giant one -- all these drawing and engravings map the prehistoric peoples' cosmological world.

Urban trees remove fine particulate air pollution, save lives

Biologists have estimated how much fine particulate matter is removed by trees in 10 cities, their impact on PM2.5 concentrations and associated values and impacts on human health.

Dusty surprise around giant black hole

ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer has gathered the most detailed observations ever of the dust around the huge black hole at the centre of an active galaxy. Rather than finding all of the glowing dust in a doughnut-shaped torus around the black hole, as expected, the astronomers find that much of it is located above and below the torus. These observations show that dust is being pushed away from the black hole as a cool wind — a surprising finding that challenges current theories and tells us how supermassive black holes evolve and interact with their surroundings.

Expressly unfit for the laboratory: Little correlation between microbial gene expression and environmental conditions in the lab

A new study challenges the orthodoxy of microbiology, which holds that in response to environmental changes, bacterial genes will boost production of needed proteins and decrease production of those that aren't. The study found that for bacteria in the laboratory there was little evidence of adaptive genetic response.

Transistor made from just one molecular monolayer made to work on computer chip

Electronic components built from single molecules using chemical synthesis could pave the way for smaller, faster and more green and sustainable electronic devices. Now for the first time, a transistor made from just one molecular monolayer has been made to work where it really counts. On a computer chip.

Snail trail reveals ancient human migration

Geneticists have used snails to uncover evidence of an ancient human migration from the Pyrenean region of France to Ireland.

Flu shot likely prevented 13 million illnesses, 110,000 hospitalizations from 2005-2011

Approximately 13 million illnesses and over 110,00 hospitalizations may have been averted by the flu vaccine over the last 6 years in the US, according to new calculations.

Snail genetic tracks reveal ancient human migration: Mesolithic humans may have carried snail species from France to Ireland

Some snails in Ireland and the Pyrenees are genetically almost identical, perhaps because they were carried across the Atlantic during an 8000-year-old human migration. The snail genetics tie in with studies of human genetics and the colonization of Ireland, according to new research.

Protected areas provide African birds with stepping stones to survival

The protected area network in Tanzania is playing a vital role in the survival of savannah bird species as they move west in response to climate and environmental changes, according to new research.

App to protect private data on iOS devices finds almost half of other apps access private data

Almost half of the mobile apps running on Apple's iOS operating system access the unique identifier of the devices where they're downloaded, computer scientists have found. In addition, more than 13 percent access the devices' location and more than 6 percent the address book. The researchers developed a new app that detects what data the other apps running on an iOS device are trying to access.

Realistic 3-d tumor created through tissue engineering using silk scaffolds

Medical researchers have developed a highly realistic three-dimensional (3-D) tumor model. As it replicates the conditions in the body, it is able to track the effectiveness and progress of drug therapy. Their model has the potential to be a more effective method for studying tumors than in-vitro and even in-vivo methods.

One in four stroke patients suffer PTSD

One in four people who survive a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) suffer from symptoms of PTSD within the 1st year post-event, and one in nine experience chronic PTSD more than a year later. The data suggest that each year nearly 300,000 stroke/TIA survivors will develop PTSD symptoms as a result of their health scare.

54% of pregnant women use insecticides that are harmful to the fetus, Spanish study shows

Pregnancy and infancy are the periods of greatest vulnerability to the use of household insecticides. This is one of the findings of the first study of its kind to be carried out in Spain, which concludes that more than half of expectant mothers routinely use these chemical compounds. Spanish researchers have described the use of domestic pesticides during pregnancy and the first year of life in nearly 2,500 women and children.

Archaeologists make significant find of early 1800s artifacts on university campus

Archaeologists have uncovered a significant site on a university campus that has yielded thousands of artifacts from the early 1800s and is offering a glimpse into the lives of students of the era.

Virus combination effective against deadly brain tumor

A combination of the myxoma virus and the immune suppressant rapamycin can kill glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and deadliest malignant brain tumor, according to new research. Researchers says the combination has been shown to infect and kill both brain cancer stem cells and differentiated compartments of glioblastoma multiforme.

Potential drug compound attacks Parkinson's on two fronts

Scientists have found a compound that could counter Parkinson's disease in two ways at once. Scientists now describe a "dual inhibitor" that attacks a pair of proteins closely associated with development of Parkinson's disease.

Hospital reduces incidence of hospital-associated C. difficile by 70 percent

Rhode Island Hospital has reduced the incidence of hospital-associated Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections by 70 percent and reduced annual associated mortality in patients with hospital-associated C. difficile by 64 percent through successive implementation of five rigorous interventions. A major cause of morbidity and mortality in the US, C. difficile can cause life-threatening infections that occur most frequently in patients who have received antibiotic therapy.

'Forrest Gump' mice show too much of a good thing, can be bad

A line of genetically modified mice that scientists call "Forrest Gump" because, like the movie character, they can run far but they aren't smart, is furthering the understanding of a key neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Scientists say the mice show what happens when too much of this neurotransmitter becomes available in the brain.

Too green to be true? Highly effective method for converting CO2 into methanol

Researchers have developed a highly effective method for converting CO2 into methanol, which can be used as a low-emissions fuel for vehicles.

Hubble spots galaxies in close encounter

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced this vivid image of a pair of interacting galaxies known as Arp 142. When two galaxies stray too close to each other they begin to interact, causing spectacular changes in both objects. In some cases the two can merge — but in others, they are ripped apart.

Key signaling pathway that makes young neurons connect

Neuroscientists have filled in a significant gap in the scientific understanding of how neurons mature, pointing to a better understanding of some developmental brain disorders.

Pluripotent stem cells made from pancreatic cancer cells are first human model of the cancer's progression

Pancreatic cancer carries a dismal prognosis. Researchers and clinicians don't have a non-invasive way to even detect early cells that portent later disease. Scientists have created a research cell line from a patient with advanced pancreatic cancer. This first-of-its-kind human-cell model of pancreatic cancer progression is the first example using induced pluripotent stem cells to model cancer progression directly from a solid tumor and to model pancreatic cancer from early to invasive stages.

Animal study shows promising path to prevent epilepsy

Researchers have identified a receptor in the nervous system that may be key to preventing epilepsy following a prolonged period of seizures. Their findings from studies in mice provide a molecular target for developing drugs to prevent the onset of epilepsy, not just manage the disease's symptoms.

Making a beeline for the nectar: How patterns on flowers help bees spot their first nectar-rich flower

Bumblebees searching for nectar go for signposts on flowers rather than the bull's eye. A new study shows that the markings at the center of a flower are not as important as the markings that will direct the bees to the center.

Thirdhand smoke causes DNA damage

A new study has found for the first time that thirdhand smoke -- the noxious residue that clings to virtually all surfaces long after the secondhand smoke from a cigarette has cleared out -- causes significant genetic damage in human cells.

Changing ocean temperatures, circulation patterns affecting young Atlantic cod food supply

Changing ocean water temperatures and circulation patterns have profoundly affected key Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf zooplankton species in recent decades, and may be influencing the recovery of Atlantic cod and other fish stocks in the region. Researchers have found that zooplankton species critical for the survival of Atlantic cod larvae have declined in abundance in the same areas where Atlantic cod stocks have struggled to rebuild after an extended period of overfishing.

Particle accelerator that can fit on a tabletop opens new chapter for science research

The laser plasma accelerator has accelerated about half a billion electrons to 2 gigaelectronvolts over a distance of about 1 inch. It's a downsizing of a factor of approximately 10,000, and marks a major milestone in the advance toward the day when multi-gigaelectronvolt laser plasma accelerators are standard equipment in research laboratories around the world.

Two-week treatment found to prevent epilepsy in mice gives hope for drug development

Temporal lobe epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures throughout life and often behavioral abnormalities, with devastating impacts on patients and their families. Unfortunately, the condition is often not responsive to anticonvulsants. Now scientists report that targeting a particular signaling pathway in mice can prevent the development of temporal lobe epilepsy with two weeks of treatment, offering hope that researchers will be able to develop effective drugs to mitigate recurrent seizures and the development of epilepsy.

Does your salad know what time it is? Managing vegetables' 'internal clocks' postharvest could have health benefits

Biologists have found there may be potential health benefits to storing fresh produce under day-night cycles of light. In a new study researchers used lighting to alter the circadian rhythms of cabbage, lettuce, spinach, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes and blueberries. The scientists showed how manipulation of circadian rhythms caused cabbage to produce more phytochemicals, including antioxidants.

Uncovering quantum secret in photosynthesis

Scientists have observed the quantum character of light transport through the molecular machines at work in natural photosynthesis. By studying a single machine at a time, they found that this quantum transport is very persistent and robust regardless of environmental changes. These results could pave the way for the construction of solar energy devices with an efficiency surpassing anything we have seen to date.

The link between circadian rhythms and aging: Gene associated with longevity also regulates the body's circadian clock

Human sleeping and waking patterns are largely governed by an internal circadian clock that corresponds closely with the 24-hour cycle of light and darkness. This circadian clock also controls other body functions, such as metabolism and temperature regulation. A new study finds that a gene associated with longevity also regulates the body's circadian clock.

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Thursday, June 20, 2013

FeedaMail: ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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