| NASA's OPALS to beam data from space via laser  | NASA will use the International Space Station to test a new communications technology that could dramatically improve spacecraft communications, enhance commercial missions and strengthen transmission of scientific data. | Read More »  Distant earthquakes trigger tremors at U.S. waste-injection sites, says study  | Large earthquakes from distant parts of the globe are setting off tremors around waste-fluid injection wells in the central United States, says a new study. Furthermore, such triggering of minor quakes by distant events could be precursors to larger events at sites where pressure from waste injection has pushed faults close to failure, say researchers. Among the sites covered are central Oklahoma, western Texas and southern Colorado. | Read More » Geothermal power facility induces earthquakes, study finds  | An analysis of earthquakes in the area around the Salton Sea Geothermal Field in southern California has found a strong correlation between seismic activity and operations for production of geothermal power, which involve pumping water into and out of an underground reservoir. | Read More » Cry analyzer seeks clues to babies' health  | Researchers have developed a new tool that analyzes the cries of babies, searching for clues to potential health or developmental problems. Slight variations in cries, mostly imperceptible to the human ear, can be a "window into the brain" that could allow for early intervention. | Read More » Writing computer programs using ordinary language: Systems convert ordinary language to code  | Researchers have demonstrated that, for a few specific tasks, it's possible to write computer programs using ordinary language rather than special-purpose programming languages. The work may be of some help to programmers, and it could let nonprogrammers manipulate common types of files -- like word-processing documents and spreadsheets -- in ways that previously required familiarity with programming languages. | Read More » Hippo pathway to better cancer treatment? Unusual key to regulating cell growth  | Researchers have discovered a potential new pathway to treat cancer by asking some odd questions about the size of animals. | Read More » Researchers regenerate retina in mice using neuronal reprogramming  | Researchers in Spain have managed to regenerate the retina in mice using neuronal reprogramming. There are currently several lines of research that explore the possibility of tissue regeneration through cell reprogramming. One of the mechanisms being studied is reprogramming through cell fusion. | Read More » Higher BMI increases risk of gallstones, especially in women, study finds  | New research reveals a causal association between elevated body mass index (BMI) and increased risk of gallstone disease. Results show women are at greater risk of developing gallstones. | Read More » Parental divorce in childhood is linked to raised inflammation in adulthood  | People who experience parental divorce during childhood have higher levels of an inflammatory marker in the blood which is known to predict future health, according to new research from the United Kingdom. | Read More » Insect discovery sheds light on climate change  | Biologists have discovered a new, extinct family of insects that will help scientists better understand how some animals responded to global climate change and the evolution of communities. | Read More » Nerves play key role in triggering prostate cancer and influencing its spread  | Researchers have found that nerves play a critical role in both the development and spread of prostate tumors. Their findings, using both a mouse model and human prostate tissue, may lead to new ways to predict the aggressiveness of prostate cancer and to novel therapies for preventing and treating the disease. | Read More » The brain processes complex stimuli more cumulatively than we thought  | A new study reveals that the representation of complex features in the brain may begin in a hierarchically lower brain region than previously thought. | Read More » Snakes devour more mosquito-eating birds as climate change heats forests  | Rising temperatures threaten wild birds, including the Missouri-native Acadian flycatcher, by making snakes more active, according to biologists. They noted that farmers, public health officials and wildlife managers should be aware of complex indirect effects of climate change in addition to the more obvious influences of higher temperatures and irregular weather patterns. | Read More » Why do we enjoy listening to sad music?  | Sad music might actually evoke positive emotions, reveals a new study by Japanese researchers. | Read More » Ground-breaking new method of 'starving' cancer cells  | Researchers have discovered a novel way of killing cancer cells. The scientists found a new potential treatment for cancer, which leaves the body's healthy cells undamaged, unlike traditional therapies such as radiotherapy. | Read More » Whole chickens from farmers markets may have more pathogenic bacteria  | Raw, whole chickens purchased from farmers markets throughout Pennsylvania contained significantly higher levels of bacteria that can cause foodborne illness compared to those purchased from grocery stores in the region, according to a small-scale study. | Read More » Understanding bulls' gene-rich Y chromosomes may improve herd fertility  | The Y chromosomes of cattle have more genes and are more active than the Y chromosomes of other primates, according to researchers. | Read More » First full genome sequencing for autism: Promise for future diagnosis, prevention and treatment  | New research has found that full genome sequencing provides the definitive look at wide ranging genetic variations associated with ASD. Inherited, de novo and X-linked genetic alterations found in one half of the affected families sequenced included four newly identified risk genes, nine known and eight candidate ASD risk genes, and in genes associated with fragile X, epilepsy or related syndromes. Some families had a combination of genes involved. | Read More » Killer whale genetics: Redefining stock structure in a marine top predator  | By collecting 462 skin samples from both resident and transient wild killer whales in the northern North Pacific and characterizing individual genetic variability using two different genetic markers (mitochondrial DNA and nuclear microsatellites), scientists have discovered further subdivision within the whale stocks than was previously believed. In fact, the evidence is so strong that the researchers believe it's time to revise the killer whale stocks in the region. | Read More » Caribbean's native predators unable to stop aggressive lionfish population growth  | "Ocean predator" conjures up images of sharks and barracudas, but the voracious red lionfish is out-eating them all in the Caribbean -- and Mother Nature appears unable to control its impact on local reef fish. That leaves human intervention as the most promising solution to the problem of this highly invasive species, said researchers. | Read More » Lionfish expedition: Down deep is where the big, scary ones live  | The first expedition to use a deep-diving submersible to study the Atlantic Ocean lionfish invasion found something very disturbing -- at 300 feet deep, there were still significant populations of these predatory fish, and they were big. Big fish can reproduce much more efficiently than their younger, smaller counterparts, and lionfish can travel. This raises significant new concerns in the effort to control this invasive species that is devastating native fish populations on the Atlantic Coast and in the Caribbean Sea. | Read More » 'Taste sensor' genes in female butterflies vital to species' survival  | Giving the phrase "Mother knows best" a whole new meaning, researchers have identified unique genes in female butterflies that enable them to select the best host plant for their larvae -- and avoid deadly ones. | Read More » Induced seismicity? Recent spike of earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S. may be linked to human activity  | The number of earthquakes has increased dramatically over the past few years within the central and eastern United States. More than 300 earthquakes above a magnitude 3.0 occurred in the three years from 2010-2012, compared with an average rate of 21 events per year observed from 1967-2000. This increase in earthquakes prompts two important questions: Are they natural, or human-made? And what should be done in the future as we address the causes and consequences of these events to reduce associated risks? U.S. Geological Survey scientists have been analyzing the changes in the rate of earthquakes as well as the likely causes, and they have some answers. | Read More » Grazing slugs hinder grassland restoration  | Research shows slugs may be hampering efforts to restore ecologically important grasslands. | Read More » Gang members found to suffer unprecedented levels of psychiatric illness  | Young men who are gang members suffer unprecedented levels of psychiatric illness, placing a heavy burden on mental health services, according to new research. | Read More » A coral symbiont genome decoded for first time  | Scientists have decoded the genome of the algae Symbiodinium minutum. This is a major advance in understanding the complex ecology of coral reefs. | Read More » Novel bicycle saddle prevents chafing, pain and other damage associated with the genital area  | Researchers have developed a novel bicycle saddle that prevents chafing, pain and other damage associated with the genital area as impotence and prostatitis. | Read More » Air pollution responsible for more than 2 million deaths worldwide each year, experts estimate  | More than two million deaths occur globally each year as a direct result of human-caused outdoor air pollution, a new study has found. In addition, while it has been suggested that a changing climate can exacerbate the effects of air pollution and increase death rates, the study shows that this has a minimal effect and only accounts for a small proportion of current deaths related to air pollution. | Read More » Fifty-year-old assumptions about strength muscled aside  | New understanding of where muscles get their power from turns 50 years of strength belief on its head. New insight could aid everything from bodybuilding to cardiac care. | Read More » Understanding the motivations of mass shooters is key to successful law enforcement strategies  | A detailed statistical study of mass shootings in the USA suggests that training law enforcement officers to recognize the psychology and behavioral patterns of perpetrators could improve officers' ability to deal with an on-site shootout or suicide. | Read More » Marital status reduces risk of death from HIV/AIDS for men  | At the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s men who were married were significantly less likely to die of HIV/AIDS than their single counterparts. For women, marital status had little impact on who was more likely to die of the disease. But race proved to be a significant risk factor. | Read More » Early financial arguments are a predictor of divorce  | A researcher finds correlation between financial arguments, decreased relationship satisfaction. | Read More » Promise of 'human computing power' via crowdsourcing to speed medical research  | Utilizing crowdsourcing in medical research can improve the quality, cost, and speed of a research project while engaging large segments of the public and creating novel science. | Read More » Drug delivery: Small packages delivering huge results  | Researchers have developed an efficient system to coat tiny objects, such as bacterial cells, with thin films that assemble themselves which could have important implications for drug delivery as well as biomedical and environmental applications. | Read More » Link between quantum physics and game theory found  | A deep link between two seemingly unconnected areas of modern science has been discovered. | Read More » Interspecies transplant works in first step for new diabetes therapy  | In the first step toward animal-to-human transplants of insulin-producing cells for people with type 1 diabetes, scientists have successfully transplanted islets, the cells that produce insulin, from one species to another. And the islets survived without immunosuppressive drugs. Scientists developed a new method that prevented rejection of the islets, a huge problem in transplants between species, called xenotransplantation. | Read More » On the trail of bacteria: Infrared light allows characterization of pathogens  | Scientists are hot on the trail of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The researchers have developed a technique for the rapid and reliable distinction between strains that can cause chronic infections and those that cannot. Using infrared light and artificial intelligence, the scientists present a sophisticated method for the prediction of disease progression. | Read More » Brain region implicated in emotional disturbance in dementia patients  | A new study has demonstrated that patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) lose the emotional content/color of their memories. These findings explain why FTD patients may not vividly remember an emotionally charged event like a wedding or funeral. | Read More » Daydreaming simulated by computer model  | Scientists have created a virtual model of the brain that daydreams like humans do. They hope the model will help them understand why certain portions of the brain work together when a person is mentally idle. | Read More » Individual atoms imaged in a living catalytic reaction  | Groundbreaking new electron microscopy technology is allowing researchers to observe and analyze single atoms, small clusters and nanoparticles in dynamic in-situ experiments for the first time. | Read More » | |
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