|  Chameleons use colorful language to communicate: Chameleons' body regions are 'billboards' for different types of information  | To protect themselves, some animals rapidly change color when their environments change, but chameleons change colors in unusual ways when they interact with other chameleons. Researchers have discovered that these color changes don't happen "out-of-the-blue" -- instead, they convey different types of information during important social interactions. | Read More » Arctic cyclones more common than previously thought  | From 2000 to 2010, about 1,900 cyclones churned across the top of the world each year, leaving warm water and air in their wakes -- and melting sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. That's about 40 percent more than previously thought, according to a new analysis of these Arctic storms. | Read More » Staying ahead of Huntington's disease  | Researchers have made strides in staying ahead of Huntington's disease, a devastating, incurable disorder that results from the death of certain neurons in the brain. | Read More » The mystery of lizard breath: One-way air flow may be 270 million years old  | Air flows mostly in a one-way loop through the lungs of monitor lizards – a breathing method shared by birds, alligators and presumably dinosaurs, according to a new study that may push the evolution of this trait back to 270 million years ago. | Read More » Fire vs. ice: The science of ISON at perihelion  | After a year of observations, scientists waited with bated breath on Nov. 28, 2013, as Comet ISON made its closest approach to the sun, known as perihelion. Would the comet disintegrate in the fierce heat and gravity of the sun? Or survive intact to appear as a bright comet in the pre-dawn sky? | Read More » Different food fish can cause different allergies  | Different fish can cause different allergies when eaten. Research into protein provides new insight into these fish allergies. | Read More » Magpie parents know a baby cuckoo when they see one  | Cuckoos that lay their eggs in the nest of a magpie so that their chicks can be raised by the latter better hope that their young are not raised together with other magpies. The chances of cuckoo fledglings raised in mixed broods being fed by their foster parents are much lower, according to research. | Read More » Most Americans avoid addressing end-of-life issues, according to new study  | During the past two decades, high-profile legal cases surrounding end-of-life decisions have received widespread attention in the United States, prompting increased media focus and numerous debates on the subject. | Read More » Brain's never-before-seen cellular response to concussions could lead to therapy  | A biology student spent the past few summers developing an experiment for observing the brain's cellular response to a concussion. The never-before-seen action could one day lead to therapies that mitigate brain damage following mild traumatic brain injuries. | Read More » Clues about protein mechanism critical to plant growth, yield  | Scientists have made several scientific discoveries demonstrating the significant roles Heterotrimeric G proteins play in plant development and yield. | Read More » Malnourished children still have hope beyond first 1,000 days  | New research is finding that global health workers should not give up on impoverished children after the first 1,000 days. In a longitudinal study of 8,000 children from four poverty-laden countries, health science researchers found that the developmental damage of malnutrition during the first 1,000 days is not irreversible. | Read More » More powerful approach to analyze melanoma's genetic causes  | There may be a better way to analyze the genetic causes of cutaneous melanoma according to a study published. A statistical analysis using the natural and orthogonal interaction model showed increased power over existing approaches for detecting genetic effects and interactions when applied to the genome-wide melanoma dataset. | Read More » Pine plantations provide optimum conditions for natural forests to develop underneath them  | If there is any native forest in the vicinity, tree, fern and herbaceous species typical of these forests penetrate under the pine plantations without any need for action. That way it is possible, to a certain extent, for native forests to be restored, thanks to the process known as ecological succession. | Read More » Alpine glacier, unchanged for thousands of years, now melting: New ice cores suggest Alps have been strongly warming since 1980s  | Less than 20 miles from the site where melting ice exposed the 5,000-year-old body of Ötzi the Iceman, scientists have discovered new and compelling evidence that the Italian Alps are warming at an unprecedented rate. Part of that evidence comes in the form of a single dried-out leaf from a larch tree that grew thousands of years ago. | Read More » Even when test scores go up, some cognitive abilities don't  | In new research, neuroscientists find that even high-performing schools don't influence their students' abstract reasoning. | Read More » Study finds biomaterials repair human heart  | Biological scientists investigated a biomedical application following a coronary artery bypass surgery and found that the application allowed the human body to regenerate its own tissue. | Read More » Researchers show optimal framework for heartbeats  | There is an optimal amount of strain that a beating heart can generate and still beat at its usual rate, once per second. Researchers have now shown that this "sweet spot" depends on the stiffness of the collagen framework that the heart's cells live within. | Read More » Muscular head pumps give long-proboscid fly edge  | A long-proboscid fly with an extra-long, tongue-like proboscis might seem to take extra-long to feed on a flower, but it actually has an advantage over its counterparts with average sized nectar-sipping mouth parts. It can suck up almost all nectar available in a flower in one go, because it has more efficient suction pumps in its head, say researchers. | Read More » More physically active adults have improved cardiorespiratory fitness  | Fewer than half of adults in the United States meet the recommended physical activity guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Often physical inactivity may be associated with overweight and obese individuals, but even healthy, normal-weight Americans sometimes fail to meet physical activity guidelines. Now, researchers have found that simply encouraging healthy adults to be more physically active can improve their cardiorespiratory fitness. | Read More » Nonconcussion head impacts in contact sports linked to brain changes and lower test scores  | Repeated blows to the head during a season of contact sports may cause changes in the brain's white matter and affect cognitive abilities even if none of the impacts resulted in a concussion. | Read More » Liquid to gel to bone: Temperature-sensitive gelling scaffolds made to regenerate craniofacial bone  | Bioengineers have developed a hydrogel scaffold for craniofacial bone tissue regeneration that starts as a liquid, solidifies into a gel in the body and liquefies again for removal. | Read More » Dietary amino acids improve sleep problems in mice with traumatic brain injury  | Scientists have discovered how to fix sleep disturbances in mice with traumatic brain injuries -- a discovery that could lead to help for hundreds of thousands of people who have long-term and debilitating sleep and wakefulness issues after they suffer concussions. | Read More » Differences in educational achievement owe more to genetics than environment  | The degree to which students' exam scores differ owes more to their genes than to their teachers, schools or family environments, according to new research. The study, which took place in the UK, looked at students' scores for their GCSE's (General Certificate of Secondary Education), a UK-wide examination at the end of compulsory education at 16 years old. | Read More » Imagine bringing video game characters through your house: New system allows for high-accuracy, through-wall, 3-D motion tracking  | Imagine playing a video game like Call of Duty or Battlefield and having the ability to lead your virtual army unit while moving freely throughout your house. Gaming could become this realistic, thanks to new technology that allows for highly accurate, 3-D motion tracking. The new system, dubbed "WiTrack," uses radio signals to track a person through walls and obstructions, pinpointing her 3-D location to within 10 to 20 centimeters -- about the width of an adult hand. | Read More » New results from inside the ozone hole  | Scientists have revealed the inner workings of the ozone hole that forms annually over Antarctica and found that declining chlorine in the stratosphere has not yet caused a recovery of the ozone hole. | Read More » Study finds that pediatric obesity patients like telehealth services  | A pilot program offering telehealth technology to pediatric obesity patients found that a great majority of pediatric patients were satisfied with their telehealth appointment. | Read More » Game-changing shift occurring in cancer discovery, treatment  | Research advances that have come to fruition over the past year demonstrate extraordinary progress in the fight against cancer, according to a new report. The report stresses, however, that recent budget cuts and years-long flat funding can only delay efforts to translate research into effective treatments for millions of individuals with cancer. | Read More » Environment drives genetics in 'Evolution Canyon': Discovery sheds light on climate change  | Researchers studying life from a unique natural environment in Israel discover heat stress seems to influence a species' genetic makeup, a finding that may influence understanding of climate change. | Read More » A penguin's tale: Diet linked to breeding failure  | A study on a Victorian penguin colony has revealed new insight into the link between seabird diet and breeding success. | Read More » Novel bio-inspired method to grow high-quality graphene for high-end electronic devices  | Researchers have successfully developed an innovative one-step method to grow and transfer high-quality graphene on silicon and other stiff substrates, opening up opportunities for graphene to be used in high-value applications that are currently not technologically feasible. | Read More » Hubble discovers water vapor venting from Jupiter's moon Europa  | The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered water vapor erupting from the frigid surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, in one or more localized plumes near its south pole. Europa is already thought to harbor a liquid ocean beneath its icy crust, making the moon one of the main targets in the search for habitable worlds away from Earth. This new finding is the first observational evidence of water vapor being ejected off the moon's surface. | Read More » Congregations' smaller racial groups feel less belonging and are less involved, Baylor study finds  | People who are part of a congregation's largest racial group are more likely to feel they belong and be more involved -- regardless of whether their group is barely half or nearly all of the members. | Read More » New definition for old age  | Age is not just the number of years one has lived, argue population researchers. A new study provides a set of tools for measuring age in all its dimensions. | Read More » Hubble Space Telescope sees evidence of water vapor venting off Jupiter moon  | NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed water vapor above the frigid south polar region of Jupiter's moon Europa, providing the first strong evidence of water plumes erupting off the moon's surface. Previous scientific findings from other sources already point to the existence of an ocean located under Europa's icy crust. Researchers are not yet fully certain whether the detected water vapor is generated by erupting water plumes on the surface, but they are confident this is the most likely explanation. | Read More » New species of horse, 4.4 million years old  | Researchers have discovered a new species of fossil horse from 4.4 million-year-old fossil-rich deposits in Ethiopia. About the size of a small zebra, Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli had three-toed hooves and grazed the grasslands and shrubby woods in the Afar Region. | Read More » Scientists map food security, self-provision of major cities  | Wealthy capital cities vary greatly in their dependence on the global food market. The Australian capital Canberra produces the majority of its most common food in its regional hinterland, while Tokyo primarily ensures its food security through import. The Copenhagen hinterland produces less than half of the consumption of the most common foods. For the first time, researchers have mapped the food systems of capital cities, an essential insight for future food security. | Read More » Suicidality test being brought to market  | A new test should help doctors to decrease the risk of suicidality in patients treated with antidepressants who show certain gene markers. Researchers plan to launch the test immediately as a laboratory developed test. In addition, clinical studies in support of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration submission for market clearance, CE marking and reimbursement will be initiated. | Read More » Toxic substances in banana plants kill root pests  | An international team of researchers has discovered that some banana varieties accumulate specific plant toxins in the immediate vicinity of root tissue that has been attacked by the parasitic nematode Radopholus similis. The toxin is stored in lipid droplets in the body of the nematode and the parasite finally dies. These findings provide important clues for the development of pest-resistant banana varieties. | Read More » Herceptin plus taxol highly effective in low-risk breast cancer  | A remarkable 98.7 percent of certain lower-risk breast cancer patients were cancer free for at least three years after taking a combination of the drugs Herceptin and Taxol, a study has found. | Read More » Cancer 'avalanche effect' refuted  | First, the number of chromosomes in a cell changes, then an avalanche of further mutations occur that transform the cell into a cancer cell, according to a well-known - but untested - theory. A research group in Sweden has now shown that the theory is not correct and constitutes a dead end for research. | Read More » Blood can transmit Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease  | Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare but fatal disease in humans. For the first time, the presence of infectivity in the blood of patients affected by sporadic and the new variant of CJD has been established by scientists. Complementary investigations are underway, but the available results support the contention that CJD might be transmitted by blood transfusion and/or the use of blood derived products. | Read More » Better protection for mangroves with models for successful seedling establishment  | Seedlings of mangroves do not have an easy time to get established. Many forces of nature work against their anchorage in the soil. Human intervention in coastal areas and climate change also make life difficult for mangrove seedlings. | Read More » Fast radio bursts might come from nearby stars  | First discovered in 2007, "fast radio bursts" continue to defy explanation. These cosmic chirps last for only a thousandth of a second. The characteristics of the radio pulses suggested that they came from galaxies billions of light-years away. However, new work points to a much closer origin -- flaring stars within our own galaxy. | Read More » Surprise: Duck-billed dinosaurs had fleshy 'cocks comb'  | A rare, mummified specimen of the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosauraus regalis shows for the first time that those dinosaurs' heads were adorned with a fleshy comb, most similar to the roosters' red crest. | Read More » Light and sound fire scientists' imaginations  | The state of the art in photonics, phononics and phoXonics is discussed in a new open-access review. | Read More » How bats took over the night  | Blessed with the power of echolocation -- reflected sound -- bats rule the night skies. And while it seems that echolocation works together with normal vision to give bats an evolutionary edge, nobody knows exactly how. Now research suggests that bats use vision to keep track of where they're going and echolocation to hunt tiny insects that most nocturnal predators can't see. The findings add to scientific understanding of sensory evolution. | Read More » First step of metastasis halted in mice with breast cancer  | Cell biologists have identified a unique class of breast cancer cells that lead the process of invasion into surrounding tissues. Because invasion is the first step in the deadly process of cancer metastasis, the researchers say they may have found a weak link in cancer's armor and a possible new target for therapy. | Read More » Salmonella jams signals from bacteria-fighting mast cells  | A protein in Salmonella inactivates mast cells -- critical players in the body's fight against bacteria and other pathogens -- rendering them unable to protect against bacterial spread in the body, according to researchers. | Read More » Study of rodent family tree puts brakes on commonly held understanding of evolution  | Rodents can tell us a lot about the way species evolve after they move into new areas, according to a new and exceptionally broad study. | Read More » Collapse of the universe is closer than ever before  | Maybe it happens tomorrow. Maybe in a billion years. Physicists have long predicted that the universe may one day collapse, and that everything in it will be compressed to a small hard ball. New calculations now confirm this prediction -- and they also conclude that the risk of a collapse is even greater than previously thought. | Read More » New study shows link between perfluorinated compounds, diabetes  | Perfluorinated compounds are environmental toxins that are found in fire extinguishing foam and water-repellent textiles, among other items. In a new study, a research team has seen links between high levels of perfluorinated compounds in the blood and diabetes. The research group has previously shown associations between high levels of environmental toxins, such as PCB, pesticides, and phthalates and diabetes. | Read More » Course offers students opportunity to be leaders of social change  | In a new paper, an author describes a unique undergraduate honors elective in social entrepreneurship, which connects the nursing profession to its roots of social innovation and action for change. | Read More » Staph can lurk deep within nose, study finds  | Scientists have revealed that formerly overlooked sites deep inside the nose may be reservoirs for Staphylococcus aureus, a major bacterial cause of disease. | Read More » Dementia risk greatest for older Native-Americans, African-Americans with diabetes  | In the first study to look at racial and ethnic differences in dementia risk among older adults with Type 2 diabetes, researchers found that dementia was much higher among Native-Americans and African-Americans and lowest among Asian-Americans. | Read More » Neuroscience method of optogenetics as good as electrical stimulation  | Researchers have shown that optogenetics -- a technique that uses pulses of visible light to alter the behavior of brain cells -- can be as good as or possibly better than the older technique of using small bursts of electrical current. Optogenetics had been used in small rodent models. Research has shown that optogenetics works effectively in larger, more complex brains. | Read More » | |
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