SPAM: FeedaMail: ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

Significant advance reported with genetically modified poplar trees

Forest geneticists have created genetically modified poplar trees that grow faster, have resistance to insect pests and are able to retain expression of the inserted genes for at least 14 years, a report has just announced.

Exposing the roots of the lithium battery problem

Researchers have discovered that the dendrite problem that can cause lithium-ion batteries to short-circuit, overheat and possibly catch fire originates below the surface of the lithium electrode and not at the surface as has been widely believed.

Researchers develop advanced 3D 'force microscope'

Researchers have developed a three-dimensional microscope that will yield unparalleled study of membrane proteins and how they interact on the cellular level. These microscopes could help pharmaceutical companies bring drugs to market faster.

Bonobos stay young longer: Unlike humans and chimpanzees bonobos retain elevated thyroid hormones well into adulthood

Despite the fact that chimpanzees and bonobos share similar starting conditions at birth they develop different behavioural patterns later in life. These differences might be caused by different hormone levels.

Study: Pay kids to eat fruits, vegetables

Researchers observed three schools adjust to new school lunch standards that require a serving of fruits or vegetables on every student's tray -- whether the child intends to eat it or not. Students discarded 70 percent of the extra fruits and vegetables -- wasting about $3.8 million each day.

Self-worth boosts ability to overcome poverty

For people in poverty, remembering better times – such as past success – improves brain functioning by several IQ points and increases their willingness to seek help from crucial aid services, a new study finds.

Economically valuable sweet-gum trees: Taxonomy and nine new combinations

Trees in the sweet-gum family Altingiaceae are well-known for their quality timber, use as ornamentals, the source of styrax, and from Chinese medicine. The three previously recognized genera Liquidambar, Altingia and Semiliquidambar have been puzzling botanists for a while due to the morphological similarities between the different genera, which makes their separation and description a challenge. A new taxonomic synopsis provides a new analysis including nine new combinations.

Researchers show genetic overlap in schizophrenia, cognitive ability

Investigators have discovered, for the first time, a direct evidence of a genetic overlap between schizophrenia and general cognitive ability.

CEOs tend to overstay their welcome, hurting firm performance, new study finds

The longer CEOs stay in power – and a new study suggests most of them do, exceeding the optimal tenure length by about three years – the more likely chief executives are to limit outside sources of market and customer information, ultimately hurting firm performance.

Climate change puts 40% more people at risk of absolute water scarcity, study says

Water scarcity impacts people's lives in many countries already today. Future population growth will increase the demand for freshwater even further. Yet in addition to this, on the supply side, water resources will be affected by projected changes in rainfall and evaporation. Climate change due to unabated greenhouse-gas emissions within our century is likely to put 40 percent more people at risk of absolute water scarcity than would be without climate change, a new study shows.

DNA motor 'walks' along nanotube, transports tiny particle

Researchers have created a new type of molecular motor made of DNA and demonstrated its potential by using it to transport a nanoparticle along the length of a carbon nanotube.

Hack the planet? Geoengineering research, ethics, governance explored

Experts have described the proposed Oxford Principles to govern geoengineering research and surveyed the technical hurdles, ethics and regulatory issues related to deliberately manipulating the planet's climate.

Home-making post-disaster

When it comes time to rebuild, victims of home-destruction are often given only the bare essentials and told to make do. That is nowhere near enough says recent Concordia University doctoral graduate, Devora Neumark. In a new paper published in Housing, Theory and Society she argues that a powerful way to overcome the traumas associated with domicide and reconstitute a sense of home is to engage in house-beautification practices.

Targeted synthesis of natural products with light

Photoreactions are essential for the syntheses of many natural substances. Since many of these substances are also useful as active medical agents, chemists try to produce them synthetically. But in most cases only one of the possible products has the right spatial structure to make it effective. Researchers have now developed a methodology for one of these photoreactions that allows them to produce only the specific molecular variant desired.

Uranium (IV) found to be mobile in a natural wetland

Researchers studying a natural wetland near a decommissioned uranium mine in Limousin, France, have shown that under certain circumstances the uranium present in the wetland could be more mobile than previously believed.

Epidemic of escherichia coli infections traced to one strain of bacteria

In the past decade, a single strain of Escherichia coli, or E. coli, has become the main cause of bacterial infections in women and the elderly by invading the bladder and kidneys, according to a new study.

Infrared sheds light on single protein complexes

Researchers have used spectroscopy for label-free chemical and structural imaging of proteins with nanoscale spatial resolution and with sensitivity to single protein complexes of less than one attogram (10-18 gram).

New global study reveals how diet and digestion in cows, chickens and pigs drives climate change 'hoofprint'

The resources required to raise livestock and the impacts of farm animals on environments vary dramatically depending on the animal, the type of food it provides, the kind of feed it consumes and where it lives, according to a new study that offers the most detailed portrait to date of "livestock ecosystems" in different parts of the world.

A roly-poly pika gathers much moss: High-fiber salad bar may help lagomorphs survive climate change

In some mountain ranges, Earth's warming climate is driving rabbit relatives known as pikas to higher elevations or wiping them out. But biologists discovered that roly-poly pikas living in rockslides near sea level in Oregon can survive hot weather by eating more moss than any other mammal.

Assessing the impact of climate change on a global scale

Thirty research teams in 12 different countries have systematically compared state-of-the-art computer simulations of climate change impact to assess how climate change might influence global drought, water scarcity and river flooding in the future.

Bedtime for toddlers: Timing is everything

The bedtime you select for your toddler may be out of sync with his or her internal body clock, which can contribute to difficulties for youngsters attempting to settle in for the night, according to a new study.

Importance of food as key provider of vitamins and nutrients

While dietary supplements can help some people meet their nutrition needs, eating a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods is the best way for most people to obtain the nutrients they need to be healthy and reduce their risk of chronic disease, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Lower Rio Grande Basin study shows shortfall in future water supply

Reclamation released the Lower Rio Grande Basin Study that evaluated the impacts of climate change on water demand and supply imbalances along the Rio Grande from Fort Quitman, Tex., to the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of climate change, a projected 86,438 acre-feet of water per year will need to be added to the 592,084 acre-feet per year of supply shortfall predicted in the existing regional planning process in 2060.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Prescribing an apple a day to all adults aged 50 and over would prevent or delay around 8,500 vascular deaths such as heart attacks and strokes every year in the UK -- similar to giving statins to everyone over 50 years who is not already taking them -- according to a study.

Experts discover whether it's better to be right or be happy

Doctors see many couples who lead unnecessarily stressful lives by wanting to be right rather than happy.

Study: Moderate alcohol consumption boosts body's immune system

Medical science has known for years that people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol actually have a reduced risk of death. Now, new research adds a fascinating twist: moderate drinking may actually bolster our immune system and help it fight off infection.

Are we hard-wired to follow celebrity medical advice?

A paper published asks why so many people follow medical advice from celebrities when so much of it is ill-informed and some of it is potentially harmful.

Sporting success does affect birth rates

Births in a Catalan region of Spain increased by 16 percent nine months after FC Barcelona won three major football trophies in 2009, finds a study.

US researchers ponder modern day virgin births

At this time of year, many recount the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary. But reports consistent with virgin births are also a modern day phenomenon, according to a study.

Will stem cell therapy help cure spinal cord injury?

A systematic survey of the scientific literature shows that stem cell therapy can have a statistically significant impact on animal models of spinal cord injury, and points the way for future studies.

Non-specialist psychosocial interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders

Many children with intellectual disability or lower functioning autism spectrum disorders, particularly those in low and middle income countries, do not receive psychosocial treatment interventions for their condition. If non-specialists were able to deliver such care, more children may be able to receive treatment.

TV ads nutritionally unhealthy for kids, study finds

The nutritional value of food and drinks advertised on children's television programs is worse than food shown in ads during general air time, according to new study.

Sunlight adaptation region of Neanderthal genome found in up to 65 percent of modern East Asian population

With the Neanderthal genome now published, for the first time, scientists have a rich new resource of comparative evolution. For example, recently, scientists have shown that humans and Neanderthals once interbreed, with the accumulation of elements of Neanderthal DNA found in up to 5 percent in modern humans. Scientist have found evidence of accumulation of a Neanderthal DNA region found on chromosome 3 that contains 18 genes, with several related to UV-light adaptation, including the Hyal2 gene. Their results reveal this region was positively selected and enriched in East Asians, ranging from up to 49 percent in Japanese to 66 percent in Southern Chinese.

3-D Tissue Printing: Cells from the eye inkjet printed for the first time

Scientists have used inkjet printing technology to successfully print cells taken from the eye for the very first time.

Diet quality links old, young

Understanding how dietary habits are connected through the generations could have valuable benefits for community health, a new study shows.

Spiders are partial to a side order of pollen with their flies

Spiders may not be the pure predators we generally believe, after a study found that some make up a quarter of their diet by eating pollen. Biologists have now demonstrated that orb web spiders -- like the common garden variety -- choose to eat pollen even when insects are available.

How hypergravity impacts electric arcs

A new study on electric discharge behavior under intense gravitational forces shows that its dynamic changes as gravity increases. Arc discharges are common in everyday conditions like welding or in lightning storms. But in altered gravity, not as much is known about the behavior of electric discharges.

Dogs recognize familiar faces from images

So far the specialized skill for recognizing facial features holistically has been assumed to be a quality that only humans and possibly primates possess. Although it's well known, that faces and eye contact play an important role in the communication between dogs and humans, this was the first study, where facial recognition of dogs was investigated with eye movement tracking.

Oil- and metal-munching microbes dominate deep sandstone formations

Halomonas are a hardy breed of bacteria. They can withstand heat, high salinity, low oxygen, utter darkness and pressures that would kill most other organisms. These traits enable these microbes to eke out a living in deep sandstone formations that also happen to be useful for hydrocarbon extraction and carbon sequestration, researchers report in a new study.

Algae to crude oil: Million-year natural process takes minutes in the lab

Engineers have created a chemical system that continually produces useful crude oil minutes after they pour in raw algae material -- a green paste with the consistency of pea soup. The technology eliminates the need to dry the algae and recycles ingredients such as phosphorus, cutting costs. The work has been licensed to a biofuels company which is working with an industrial partner to build a pilot plant.

44% of adults worry e-cigarettes will encourage kids to start smoking tobacco

Adults nationwide are concerned about the use of e-cigarettes by children and teens, with 44 percent indicating worries that the devices will encourage kids to use tobacco products.

First battery-powered invisibility cloak designed

Researchers have proposed the first design of a cloaking device that uses an external source of energy to significantly broaden its bandwidth of operation.

Harry Potter-style invisibility cloaks: A real possibility next Christmas?