|  New method to detect genetic defects in egg cells could double success rate of IVF  | Infertility affects up to 15 percent of couples around the world, and in vitro fertilization (IVF) is one way to treat this common condition. A study reveals a safe, accurate, and low-cost method to select genetically normal embryos for the IVF procedure and thereby increase a couple's chance of producing a healthy child. | Read More » Concussion tests' marketing outpaces scientific evidence, new review says  | Computerized neurocognitive testing for concussions is widely used in amateur and professional sports, but little research over the past decade proves its effectiveness, a paper published this month says. The review updates a 2005 look at the available research on computerized neurocognitive testing. The authors still urge caution with their use and point out a need for more peer-reviewed studies. | Read More » Early detection of blinding eye disease could be as easy as scanning barcode  | A new optical device puts the power to detect eye disease in the palm of a hand. The tool -- about the size of a hand-held video camera -- scans a patient's entire retina in seconds and could aid primary care physicians in the early detection of a host of retinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration. | Read More » Increasing personal savings, 'Groundhog Day' way  | Thinking about time as a cycle of recurring experiences -- a reality Bill Murray's character knows all too well in the movie Groundhog Day -- may help us to put more money away into our savings, according to new research. | Read More » Researchers find potential new treatment approach for pancreatic cancer  | Scientists believe they have discovered a new way to make chemotherapy treatment more effective for pancreatic cancer patients. Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis and limited treatment options and is highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. | Read More » Starless cloud cores reveal why some stars are bigger than others  | Massive stars -- those at least 8 times the mass of our Sun -- present an intriguing mystery: how do they grow so large when the vast majority of stars in the Milky Way are considerably smaller? Massive stars -- those at least 8 times the mass of our Sun -- present an intriguing mystery: how do they grow so large when the vast majority of stars in the Milky Way are considerably smaller? To find the answer, astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array telescope to survey the cores of some of the darkest, coldest, and densest clouds in our Galaxy to search for the telltale signs of star formation. | Read More » Deepwater Horizon study shows possible oil impact on dolphins  | Bottlenose dolphins in Louisiana's Barataria Bay have lung damage and adrenal hormone abnormalities not previously seen in other dolphin populations, according to a new peer-reviewed study. | Read More » Brain repair after injury, Alzheimer's disease  | Scientists have developed an innovative technology to regenerate functional neurons after brain injury. The technology may be developed into a new therapeutic treatment for traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other neurological disorders. | Read More » Young killer cells protect against infectious mononucleosis  | Most people are carriers of the Epstein-Barr Virus, which can trigger infectious mononucleosis. Those who become infected as adults are more at risk of becoming ill from it. By contrast, children who become infected are protected by their innate immune system. This is because young "natural killer cells" fight off infectious mononucleosis, as immunologists have now shown. The researchers are now testing vaccinations that could protect young people from the illness. | Read More » Religion is good for business, shows study  | Those looking for honest companies to invest in might want to check out businesses based in more religious communities, suggests a new paper. The study found that businesses with head offices in places with high levels of "religiosity" were less likely to experience stock price crashes as a result of not disclosing bad financial news. | Read More » Lactation consultant visits spur breastfeeding among women who usually resist it  | In two separate clinical trials, researchers have found that periodic meetings with a lactation consultant encourages women traditionally resistant to breastfeeding to do so, at least for a few months — long enough for mother and child to gain health benefits. | Read More » Study confirms target of potent chronic leukemia drug  | A new study helps confirm that a molecule targeted by the experimental drug ibrutinib is critical for the development of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the most common form of adult leukemia. | Read More » New evidence that computers change the way we learn  | People who use computers regularly are constantly mapping the movements of their hand and computer mouse to the cursor on the screen. Now, researchers have shown that all that pointing and clicking (the average computer user performs an impressive 7,400 mouse clicks per week) changes the way the brain generalizes movements. | Read More » Inadequate pregnancy weight gain a risk factor for infant mortality  | Women who do not gain enough weight during pregnancy are at increased risk of losing their baby in its first year of life, according to a new study. Gaining more weight than recommended was not a risk factor for infant mortality, but may be related to subsequent maternal health problems. Study authors urge that childbearing women have pregnancy weight gain goals specific to their BMI. | Read More » Saving dollars while helping babies  | Amid soaring health-care costs, nurse home visits can save health dollars while helping families, says a study. For every $1 spent on nurse home visits for newborns, $3 were saved in health expenditures. Program participants had 59 percent fewer emergency care episodes, safer home environments and lower rates of maternal anxiety. | Read More » Anxiety linked to higher long-term risk of stroke  | A new study is the first study to link anxiety to a greater risk of stroke. | Read More » Birth of black hole kills the radio star  | Astronomers have discovered a new population of exploding stars that "switch off" their radio transmissions before collapsing into a Black Hole. These exploding stars use all of their energy to emit one last strong beam of highly energetic radiation -- known as a gamma-ray burst -- before they die. | Read More » Assumption about mercury in the Arctic overturned  | A team of scientists from the U.S., Russia, and Canada has compared fish from two Russian rivers, the Lena and the Mezen, and found mercury concentrations to be much lower than expected. | Read More » Why it snows so much in the frozen north  | Scientists have long puzzled over the seemingly ceaseless drizzle of snow drifting down from arctic clouds. Now they may have an explanation. | Read More » Researchers grow liquid crystal 'flowers' that can be used as lenses  | A team of material scientists, chemical engineers and physicists has made another advance in their effort to use liquid crystals as a medium for assembling structures. Their earlier studies produced patterns of "defects," useful disruptions in the repeating patterns found in liquid crystals, in nanoscale grids and rings. The new study adds a more complex pattern out of an even simpler template: a three-dimensional array shaped like a flower. | Read More » 91 new species described by California Academy Of Sciences in 2013  | In 2013, researchers at the California Academy of Sciences discovered 91 new plant and animal species and two new genera, enriching our understanding of the complex web of life on Earth and strengthening our ability to make informed conservation decisions. The new species, previously unknown to science, include 38 different ants, 12 fishes, 14 plants, eight beetles, two spiders, one reptile, and one amphibian. | Read More » Key drug receptor: Atom-level simulation of a G protein-coupled receptor could lead to improved drug design  | The successful atom-level simulation of a G protein-coupled receptor could lead to improved drug design, blazing the path for specialized scientific projects on cloud computer systems. | Read More » Essential factor for Lyme disease transmission identified  | Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, hitchhikes in ticks for dissemination to mammalian hosts -- including humans. A new article identifies HrpA, an RNA helicase, as a crucial player in the transmission from ticks to mammals. Scientists have analyzed the molecular function of the HrpA protein and explored its role in the bacterium's complicated life cycle, in particular for transmission of the pathogen. | Read More » Natural gas saves water, even when factoring in water lost to hydraulic fracturing  | A new study finds that in Texas, the US state that annually generates the most electricity, the transition from coal to natural gas for electricity generation is saving water and making the state less vulnerable to drought. | Read More » Optical rogue waves: The storm in a test tube  | Random processes in nature often underlie a so-called normal distribution that enables reliable estimation for the appearance of extreme statistical events. Meteorological systems are an exception to this rule, with extreme events appearing at a much higher rate than could be predicted from long-term observation at much lower magnitude. One such example is the appearance of unexpectedly strong storms, yet another are rare reports of waves of extreme height in the ocean, which are also known as rogue waves or monster waves. | Read More » Toy commercials continue to transmit different values to boys and girls  | Dolls for the girls, cars for the boys. A study which analyzed 595 toy advertisements broadcast on television at Christmas 2009, 2010 and 2011 showed that they promoted values that associate beauty with girls and strength and power with boys. | Read More » Producing electricity on the Moon at night  | Scientists have proposed a system of mirrors, processed lunar soil and a heat engine to provide energy to vehicles and crew during the lunar night. This would preclude the need for batteries and nuclear power sources such as those used by the Chinese rover that recently landed on the moon. The lunar night lasts approximately 14 days, during which temperatures as low as -150 ºC have been recorded. This complicates vehicle movement and equipment functioning on the lunar surface, requiring the transport of heavy batteries from Earth or the use of nuclear energy, as exemplified by the Chinese rover Yutu. | Read More » Birth control at the zoo: vets meet the elusive goal of hippo castration  | One method for controlling zoo animal populations is male castration. For hippopotami, however, this is notoriously difficult, as the pertinent male reproductive anatomy proves singularly elusive. Veterinarians have now demonstrated a successful method for castrating male hippos. | Read More » An earthquake or a snow avalanche has its own shape  | Predicting earthquakes or snow avalanches is difficult, but to for instance reduce the related risks it is of high importance to know if an avalanche event is big or small. Researchers found that such events or say the acoustic sound bursts coming from the tearing of paper have a typical form independent of whether they are big or small. | Read More » Dual catalysts help synthesize alpha-olefins into new organic compounds  | Chemists have developed a method to convert chemicals known as alpha-olefins into new organic compounds. Combining a pair of catalytic reactions in sequence converted inexpensive chemicals into new organic compounds that are highly sought after by researchers in medicine and the life sciences. | Read More » | |
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