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Astronomers discover densest galaxy ever

Imagine the distance between the sun and the star nearest to it -- a star called Alpha Centauri. That's a distance of about four light years. Now, imagine as many as 10,000 of our suns crammed into that relatively small space. That is about the density of a galaxy that was recently discovered by an international team of astronomers led by a Michigan State University faculty member.

Older is wiser, at least economically

The brains of older people are slowing but experience more than makes up for the decline. Researchers came up with this conclusion after asking the participants a series of financially related questions.

Uphill for the trees of the world

You'll need to get out your mountain boots to go for a walk in the woods in the future. A new study shows that forests are to an increasing extent growing on steep slopes all over the world.

Europe-wide studies published on cormorant-fishery conflicts

Findings from a major Europe-wide study into cormorant-fishery conflicts are published this week, providing one of the most detailed ecological and socio-economic investigations of these fish-eating birds, their impacts and implications for their management.

Cross-ethnic friendships in schools make youths feel less vulnerable, safer

A new study found that cross-ethnic friendships in urban middle schools help make youths feel safer and less vulnerable. Researchers examined 536 Latino and 396 African American sixth graders from 66 classrooms in 10 urban American middle schools. The research suggests that these friendships increased feelings of safety and decreased those of vulnerability because no one ethnic group is numerically more powerful than any other group.

Late Cretaceous Period was likely ice-free

For years, scientists have thought that a continental ice sheet formed during the Late Cretaceous Period more than 90 million years ago when the climate was much warmer than it is today. Now, researchers have found evidence suggesting that no ice sheet formed at this time. This finding could help environmentalists and scientists predict what Earth's climate will be as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise.

Dangers and potential of nanomaterials examined

After a decade of rapidly growing industrial use, unimaginably tiny particles surround us everywhere, every day, in everything we do. Used in the manufacturing of cosmetics, clothing, paints, food, drug delivery systems and many other familiar products we all use daily, little is known about the effects these materials have on health. Scientists are now finding inhalation of engineered nanomaterials negatively impacts gestational development in animal models.

Emissions and costs of power plant cycling necessary for increased wind and solar calculated

New research quantifies the potential impacts of increasing wind and solar power generation on the operators of fossil-fueled power plants in the West. To accommodate higher amounts of wind and solar power on the electric grid, utilities must ramp down and ramp up or stop and start conventional generators more frequently to provide reliable power for their customers -- a practice called cycling.

Responsive interactions key to toddlers' ability to learn language

Responsive interactions are the key to toddlers' ability to learn language, according to a new study. Researchers studied 36 two-year-olds, who learned new verbs either through training with a live person, live video chat technology such as Skype, or prerecorded video instruction. Children learned new words only when conversing with a person live and in the video chat, both of which involve responsive social interactions, thus highlighting the importance of responsive interactions for language learning.

Managed care reduces hospitalizations in nursing home residents with advanced dementia

Nursing home residents with advanced dementia commonly experience burdensome, costly interventions that do not improve their quality of life or extend their survival. Now a new study suggests that providing intensive primary care services may result in less burdensome and less costly care for these terminally ill residents.

Playing with blocks may help children's spatial, math thinking

Playing with blocks may help preschoolers develop the kinds of skills that support later learning in science, technology, engineering, and math, according to a new study that examined over a hundred three-year-olds of various socioeconomic levels. Researchers emphasized the importance of the study's implications because block building and puzzle play can improve children's spatial skills that in turn support complex mathematical problem solving in middle and high school.

Warning of potential side effects of a product can increase its sales

Drug ads often warn of serious side effects, from nausea and bleeding to blindness, even death. New research suggests that, rather than scaring consumers away, these warnings can improve consumers' opinions and increase product sales when there is a delay between seeing the ad and deciding to buy or consume the product.

Oldest existing lizard-like fossil hints at scaly origins

The fossilized remains of a reptile closely related to lizards are the oldest yet to be discovered. Two new fossil jaws discovered in Vellberg, Germany provide the first direct evidence that the ancestors of lizards, snakes and tuatara (known collectively as lepidosaurs), were alive during the Middle Triassic period -- around 240 million years ago.

Genetic study pushes back timeline for first significant human population expansion

Using new genetic tools, the authors conclude that the first significant expansion of human populations appears to be much older than the emergence of farming and herding, dating back to the Paleolithic (60,000-80,000 years ago) rather than Neolithic age (10,000 years ago). They also suggest that strong Paleolithic expansions may have favored the emergence of sedentary farming in some populations during the Neolithic.

Neurological basis for lack of empathy in psychopaths

When individuals with psychopathy imagine others in pain, brain areas necessary for feeling empathy and concern for others fail to become active and be connected to other important regions involved in affective processing and decision-making, reports a new study.

How stress can rewire brain making benign smells malodorous

In evolutionary terms, smell is among the oldest of the senses. New research shows how anxiety or stress can rewire the brain, linking centers of emotion and olfactory processing, to make typically benign smells malodorous.

Northern moths may fare better under climate warming than expected

Moths in northern Finland are less susceptible to rising temperatures than expected, suggesting high latitude moth populations around the world may be partly buffered from the effects of rapid climate warming, according to a new Dartmouth-Finnish study based on the most extensive analyses yet conducted of seasonal patterns in forest animals.

HPV linked to growing number of young adults with oropharyngeal cancer

The human papillomavirus (HPV) may be to blame for the alarming increase of young adults with oropharyngeal cancer, according to researchers.

iPhones for the eyes: Smart phone photography to help diagnose eye disease

Researchers describe the relatively simple technique of fundus photography in eyes using a smartphone, an inexpensive app for the smartphone, and instruments that are readily available in an ophthalmic practice.

Vaccine against pneumococcal infections has led to widespread reduction in serious disease

Vaccination with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine-7 [PCV7 -- a vaccine that covers 7 strains (serotypes) of Streptococcus pneumoniae is linked to overall decreases in the rate of serious infections caused by this bacterium, such as pneumonia and meningitis, referred to as invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), but small increases in IPD caused by serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae not covered by the vaccine, according to a new study.

Acupuncture or counselling plus usual care may improve depression symptoms

Acupuncture or counselling plus usual care 'may improve' depression symptoms.

New adsorbent is more effective and environmentally friendly for treating wastewater

A new adsorbent for removing emerging contaminants from wastewater that is more effective, reusable and eco-friendly, has been developed.

No age-related differences in post-concussion symptoms

Do young athletes fare worse after sustaining a sports-related concussion than older athletes? To find out, researchers compared symptoms associated with concussion in middle/high school-age athletes with those in college-age athletes to determine whether age-related differences exist. These researchers found no significant differences between the two age groups in the number or severity of sports-related concussion symptoms or in the amount of time it took for athletes' concussion symptoms to return to baseline values.

Having children lowers mortality in people with type 1 diabetes, women more than men

New research shows that having children lowers mortality in people with type 1 diabetes, but for women more than men.

MicroRNA-31 might predict lung-cancer spread

A new study suggests that measuring levels of miR-31 in tumor tissue might accurately determine whether the most common form of lung cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. The findings could lead to improvements in the ability of doctors to stage and treat certain patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Living better with heart failure by changing what you eat

Just 21 days of following a low-sodium DASH diet lowered blood pressure and improved heart function for older adults living with a common type of heart failure.

Researchers successfully test model for implant device reactions

A team of researchers has used mathematical modeling to develop a computer simulation they hope will one day improve the treatment of dangerous reactions to medical implants such as stents, catheters and artificial joints. Results from their computational model of foreign-body reactions to implants were consistent with biological models in lab tests.

Reliable method detects suicidal propensity

A simple measurement of the sweat gland activity of a depressed person can determine if he or she is suicidal -- with 97 percent accuracy. Now another large clinical study confirms the correlation.

Fat and obesity gene also affects hip fracture

Researchers have demonstrated a strong association between the FTO (fat and obesity) gene and hip fracture in women. While the gene is already well known to affect diabetes and obesity, this is the first study to show that its high-risk variant can increase the risk of hip fracture by as much as 82 percent.

Adjusting bacteria in intestines may lead to obesity treatments

A drug that appears to target specific intestinal bacteria in the guts of mice may create a chain reaction that could eventually lead to new treatments for obesity and diabetes in humans, according to a team of researchers.

Rare mutations increase risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have identified and validated two rare gene mutations that appear to cause the common form of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that strikes after the age of 60. The two mutations occur in a gene called ADAM10, which now becomes the second pathologically-confirmed gene for late-onset AD and the fifth AD gene overall.

Vitamin D alone does little to protect bone health in postmenopausal women

While calcium supplements noticeably improved bone health in postmenopausal women, vitamin D supplements did not reduce bone turnover, according to a recent study.

Cheats of the bird world: Cuckoo finches fool host parents

Cuckoo finches that lay more than one egg in their victims' nests have a better chance of bamboozling host parents into fostering their parasitic young, a study has found.

Tiny camera records details of scene without losing sight of the big picture

To capture all the details of a scene, you might take many photos at close range. To get the whole scene at once, you could use a wide-angle or fisheye lens; but without an large lens you would be sacrificing the fine resolution that would help you catch that partial footprint you might otherwise have missed. Now a new type of miniature camera system promises to give users a big picture view without sacrificing high-resolution.

Deep sea ecosystem may take decades to recover from Deepwater Horizon spill

The deep-sea soft-sediment ecosystem in the immediate area of the 2010's Deepwater Horizon well head blowout and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will likely take decades to recover from the spill's impacts, according to a new scientific article.

New genus of electric fish discovered in 'lost world' of South America

A previously unknown genus of electric fish has been identified in a remote region of South America by team of international researchers. The Akawaio penak, a thin, eel-like electric fish, was discovered in the shallow, murky waters of the upper Mazaruni River is northern Guyana.

China's synthetic gas plants would be greenhouse giants

Coal-powered synthetic natural gas plants being planned in China would produce seven times more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional natural gas plants, and use up to 100 times the water as shale gas production, according to a new study.

Fundamental physicists discover surprise new use for super-chilled neutrons to measure the movement of viruses

First evidence that ultra-cold neutrons interact with moving nano-sized particles provides a new tool for chemists, biologists and engineers. Billiard-ball collisions may also explain inaccuracies in 60-year-old experiments to measure the lifetime of the neutron and explain the origin of matter in the universe.

New multifunctional topological insulator material with combined superconductivity

Most materials show one function, for example, a material can be a metal, a semiconductor, or an insulator. Metals such as copper are used as conducting wires with only low resistance and energy loss. Superconductors are metals which can conduct current even without any resistance, although only far below room temperature. Semiconductors, the foundation of current computer technology, show only low conduction of current, while insulators show no conductivity at all. Physicists have recently been excited about a new exotic type of materials, so-called topological insulators. A topological insulator is insulating inside the bulk like a normal insulator, while on the surface it shows conductivity like a metal. When a topological insulator is interfaced with a superconductor, a mysterious particle called Majorana fermion emerges, which can be used to fabricate a quantum computer that can run much more quickly than any current computer.

Melatonin helps control weight gain as it stimulates the appearance of 'beige fat' that can burn calories instead of storing them, study suggests

Spanish scientists have discovered that melatonin consumption helps control weight gain because it stimulates the appearance of 'beige fat', a type of fat cell that burns calories instead of storing them. White adipose tissue stores calories leading to weight gain whereas 'beige fat' (also known as 'good or thinning fat') helps regulate body weight control, hence its metabolic benefits.

The cool glow of star formation: First light of powerful new camera

A new instrument called ArTeMiS has been successfully installed on APEX — the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. APEX is a 12-meter diameter telescope located high in the Atacama Desert, which operates at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths — between infrared light and radio waves in the electromagnetic spectrum — providing a valuable tool for astronomers to peer further into the Universe. The new camera has already delivered a spectacularly detailed view of the Cat's Paw Nebula.

The future of the suburbs

Few living environments are more universally maligned than the suburbs. The suburbs stand accused of being boring, homogeneous, inefficient, car-oriented, and sterile. Some critics even argue that the suburbs make people fat. While criticisms mount, however, a large proportion of the world's population continues to live in the suburban fringes of growing cities. What factors will affect the future of the suburbs? What changes do planners need to accommodate in planning the next generation of urban growth?

The deep Greenland Sea is warming faster than the world ocean

Recent warming of the Greenland Sea Deep Water is about ten times higher than warming rates estimated for the global ocean. Scientists analyzed temperature data from 1950 to 2010 in the abyssal Greenland Sea, which is an ocean area located just to the south of the Arctic Ocean.

With carbon nanotubes, a path to flexible, low-cost sensors: Potential applications range from air-quality monitors to electronic skin

Researchers are showing the way toward low-cost, industrial-scale manufacturing of a new family of electronic devices. A leading example is a gas sensor that could be integrated into food packaging to gauge freshness, or into compact wireless air-quality monitors. Flexible pressure and temperature sensors could be built into electronic skin. All these devices can be made with carbon nanotubes, sprayed like ink onto flexible plastic sheets or other substrates.

Wormlike hematite photoanode breaks the world-record for solar hydrogen production efficiency

Scientists have developed a "wormlike" hematite photoanode that can convert sunlight and water to clean hydrogen energy with a record-breaking high efficiency of 5.3 percent.

Turning plastic bags into high-tech materials

Researchers have developed a process for turning waste plastic bags into a high-tech nanomaterial.

Commonly prescribed statin linked to memory impairment, study in rats suggests

New research that looked at whether two commonly prescribed statin medicines, used to lower low-density lipoprotein or 'bad cholesterol' levels in the blood, can adversely affect cognitive function has found that one of the drugs tested caused memory impairment in rats.

Alpine archaeology reveals high life through the ages

Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of human activity in the high slopes of the French Alps dating back over 8000 years.

Chemical synthesis: A simple technique for highly functionalized compounds

Researchers have demonstrated a technique that allows direct functionalization of alkenes without the need for metallic reagents, photolysis or extreme reaction conditions.

Uncovering factors at the heart of muscle weakness

Researchers show how orange, apple and grapefruit juices affect the absorption of certain prescription drugs into the body.

A day in the life of the mysterious odd-clawed spider Progradungula otwayensis

Biologists have provided a first-time glimpse into the natural history of the enigmatic spider species Progradungula otwayensis. Lurking in the hollows of old myrtle beech trees and thus hard to collect, this extraordinary spider is an endemic species confined strictly to the beautiful Great Otway National Park.

Unstable chromosomes linked to less favorable response to radiation therapy and surgery in prostate cancer patients

Detailed evaluation of a prostate cancer tumor biopsy may predict treatment outcomes for image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) or surgery for prostate cancer, according to new research.

Biological risk factor in obesity-related cancers: Insulin disruption

It is estimated that over a third of the new cancer cases expected to occur in the U.S. in 2013 will be related to overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition. Thanks to the work of one researcher, we may better understand why.

Low testosterone may be linked to heart problems

Men who have low testosterone levels may have a slightly elevated risk of developing or dying from heart disease, according to a recent study.

Study findings may explain delayed onset of heart disease in women

A biological ability to compensate for the body's reduced response to insulin may explain why women typically develop heart disease 10 years later than men.

Model to study human response to bacteria that cause peptic ulcers developed

Researchers have developed a model that helps scientists and clinicians understand that complex interactions of a type of bacteria that is the leading cause of peptic ulcers. The discovery may inform changes in the ways doctors treat patients.

Recent highlights in molecular biology and evolution

Research has found a greater number of "escaping genes" on the X chromosome than have been previously detected, with implications for the understanding of mental impairment in humans.

Environmental threat turned sustainable business for the Gulf of California

Considered a threat to the biodiversity of marine ecosystems of the Gulf of California, the cannonball jellyfish Stomolophus meleagris is intended to be exploited commercially throughout the Mexican Pacific coast where it is present, thanks to the fishing potential recently discovered.

Proton therapy cuts side effects for pediatric head, neck cancer patients

The precise targeting and limited dosing of radiation via proton therapy is proving to be an advantage in ongoing efforts to reduce treatment side effects among head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study of pediatric patients.

Researchers harness the immune system to fight pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer ranks as the fourth-leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and is one of the most deadly forms of cancer, due to its resistance to standard treatments with chemotherapy and radiation therapy and frequently, its late stage at the time of diagnosis. A group of researchers has published results of a clinical trial in which the standard chemotherapy drug for this disease, was paired with an agonist CD40 antibody, resulting in substantial tumor regressions among some patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Seeing light in a new light: Scientists create never-before-seen form of matter

Scientists have managed to coax photons into binding together to form molecules -- a state of matter that, until recently, had been purely theoretical.

'X-shape' not true picture of chromosome structure, new imaging technique reveals

A new method for visualising chromosomes is painting a truer picture of their shape, which is rarely like the X-shaped blob of DNA most of us are familiar with.

Ancient soils reveal clues to early life on Earth

Oxygen appeared in the atmosphere up to 700 million years earlier than we previously thought, according to new research, raising new questions about the evolution of early life.

'Jekyll and Hyde' star morphs from radio to x-ray pulsar and back again

Astronomers have uncovered the strange case of a neutron star with the peculiar ability to transform from a radio pulsar into an X-ray pulsar and back again. This star's capricious behavior appears to be fueled by a nearby companion star and may give new insights into the birth of millisecond pulsars.

Tattoo tributes, mobile memorials and virtual visitations: Grieving in the 21st century

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" may be the traditional view when it comes to death. But "ashes to tattoos" is one unconventional way people have found to honor their dead, as mourning goes skin-deep, mobile, wearable and virtual this century. It's all part of denying the "messiness of the corpse" and "returning" the dead.

Lab chemists help find binding site of protein that allows plant growth

A research team has discovered where a protein binds to plant cell walls, a process that makes it possible for plants to grow. The discovery could lead to bigger harvests for bioenergy.

Engineers build computer using carbon nanotube technology

Silicon chips could soon hit physical limits preventing them from getting smaller and faster. Carbon nanotube technology has been seen as a potential successor. But so far no one's been able to put all the pieces together. Stanford's CNT computer is therefore an important proof of principle. And while this is a bare-bones device, the processes used to create the world's first CNT computer are designed to scale.

Whale mass stranding attributed to sonar mapping for first time

An independent scientific review panel has concluded that the mass stranding of approximately 100 melon-headed whales in the Loza Lagoon system in northwest Madagascar in 2008 was primarily triggered by acoustic stimuli, more specifically, a multi-beam echosounder system operated by a survey vessel contracted by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production (Northern Madagascar) Limited.

Common cosmetic and sunblock ingredient, titanium dioxide, may have potential health risks

Using a particular type of titanium dioxide -- a common ingredient in cosmetics, food products, toothpaste and sunscreen -- could reduce the potential health risks associated with the widely used compound.

Improved smartphone microscope brings single-virus detection to remote locations

Scientists are reporting an advance in smartphone-based imaging that could help physicians in far-flung and resource-limited locations monitor how well treatments for infections are working by detecting, for the first time, individual viruses. Their study on the light-weight device converts the phone into a powerful mini-microscope.

Tiny antennas let long light waves see in infrared

Researchers have developed arrays of tiny nano-antennas that can enable sensing of molecules that resonate in the infrared spectrum. The semiconductor antenna arrays allow long-wavelength light to strongly interact with nano-scale substances, so the arrays could enhance the detection of small volumes of materials.

'Microbial clock' may help determine time of death

An intriguing study may provide a powerful new tool in the quiver of forensic scientists attempting to determine the time of death in cases involving human corpses: A microbial clock.

Lighting up can bring you down in colorectal surgery

The first large study to focus specifically on the effects of smoking after colorectal surgery found that smoking boosts the risk of complications like infection and pneumonia after some of the most common colorectal procedures, such as surgery for colon cancer or inflammatory bowel disease. Lighting up also increases a patient's risk of death after surgery compared with patients who have never smoked.

Researchers use nanoparticles to deliver vaccines to lungs

Many viruses and bacteria infect humans through mucosal surfaces, such as those in the lungs, gastrointestinal tract and reproductive tract. To help fight these pathogens, scientists are working on vaccines that can establish a front line of defense at mucosal surfaces, potentially defending against many infectious diseases.

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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

FeedaMail: ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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