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Saturday, October 20, 2012

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


Cholera discovery could revolutionize antibiotic delivery

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 12:32 PM PDT

Scientists have made a discovery that could help revolutionize antibiotic treatment of deadly bacteria. They have explained how Vibrio cholerae became a deadly pathogen thousands of years ago. Two genes within V. cholerae's genome make it toxic and deadly. The bacterium acquired these genes when a bacterial virus or bacteriophage called CTX-phi infected it.

Researchers explore how the brain perceives direction and location

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 12:32 PM PDT

Neurobiologists have studied the activity of special brain cells that make possible spatial navigation -- the process by which you establish where "here" is and how you get from here to "there."

Science reveals the power of a handshake

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:13 AM PDT

New neuroscience research is confirming an old adage about the power of a handshake: strangers do form a better impression of those who proffer their hand in greeting.

Daily vibration may combat prediabetes in youth

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:12 AM PDT

Daily sessions of whole-body vibration may combat prediabetes in adolescents. In mice that mimic over-eating adolescents headed toward diabetes, 20 minutes of daily vibration for eight weeks restored a healthy balance of key pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators and was better than prescription drugs at reducing levels of hemoglobin A1c, the most accurate indicator of average blood glucose levels, according to new research.

Take control: Exploring how self-discipline works and how we might boost it

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:12 AM PDT

Self-control helps us keep our cool, get things done, and resist the things that tempt us. Numerous studies have found evidence for the idea of self-control as a limited resource, but emerging research suggests that this model may not tell the whole story. New research explores the various mechanisms -- metabolic, cognitive, motivational, affective -- thought to underlie self-control.

Breakthrough offers new route to large-scale quantum computing

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:12 AM PDT

In a key step toward creating a working quantum computer, researchers have developed a method that may allow the quick and reliable transfer of quantum information throughout a computing device.

Weight loss does not lower heart disease risk from type 2 diabetes, study suggests

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:12 AM PDT

An intensive diet and exercise program resulting in weight loss does not reduce cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke in people with longstanding type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

Pediatric studies show the flu's deadly danger, the benefits of school vaccinations

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:12 AM PDT

New data shows the fatal risk that influenza poses even for children without underlying health conditions and the effectiveness of school-based vaccination programs in protecting student populations. Together, these findings support the crucial public health message that families should take the flu virus seriously every year.

Plant-based foods may offer reduced risk for aggressive prostate cancer

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:11 AM PDT

A new study finds that a high intake of flavonoids, a group of compounds found in plants, may lower the risk for highly aggressive prostate cancer.

Key player in Parkinson's disease neuron loss pinpointed

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:11 AM PDT

By reprogramming skin cells from Parkinson's disease patients with a known genetic mutation, researchers have identified damage to neural stem cells as a powerful player in the disease. The findings may lead to new ways to diagnose and treat the disease.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is both under and over diagnosed, study suggests

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 11:11 AM PDT

Scientists have completed one of the largest studies on ADHD in the United States. The study shows that ADHD is both under and over diagnosed, a finding with important implications for both prevalence and treatment needs.

Astronomers uncover a surprising trend in galaxy evolution

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 10:54 AM PDT

A comprehensive study of hundreds of galaxies observed by the Keck telescopes in Hawaii and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has revealed an unexpected pattern of change that extends back 8 billion years, or more than half the age of the universe.

Beneficial mold packaged in bioplastic

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 10:06 AM PDT

Aflatoxins are highly toxic carcinogens produced by several species of Aspergillus fungi. But not all Aspergillus produce aflatoxin. Some, in fact, are considered beneficial. One such strain, dubbed K49, is now being recruited to battle these harmful Aspergillus relatives, preventing them from contaminating host crops like corn with the carcinogen. Scientists have now devised a new method of applying K49 as a frontline defense against aflatoxin contamination in corn.

Studies target high rates of HIV medication errors among hospitalized patients

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 10:05 AM PDT

New research concludes that despite advances in electronic medical records, mistakes are still commonly made in the prescription of antiretroviral medications for hospitalized HIV-positive patients. At the same time, a trio of studies suggests however, that electronic records in combination with increased clinical education can help to greatly decrease medical errors.

Cell mechanism findings could one day be used to engineer organs

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 10:05 AM PDT

Biologists have teamed up with mechanical engineers to conduct cell research that provides information that may one day be used to engineer organs.

Bowhead whales: Ancient DNA sheds light on Arctic whale mysteries

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 10:05 AM PDT

Scientists have published the first range-wide genetic analysis of the bowhead whale using hundreds of samples from both modern populations and archaeological sites used by indigenous Arctic hunters thousands of years ago.

Hubble sees galaxy in a spin

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 08:42 AM PDT

NGC 3344 is a glorious spiral galaxy around half the size of the Milky Way, which lies 25 million light-years distant. We are fortunate enough to see NGC 3344 face-on, allowing us to study its structure in detail.

Mars soil sample delivered for analysis inside rover

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 08:38 AM PDT

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has ingested its first solid sample into an analytical instrument inside the rover, a capability at the core of the two-year mission.

How to prove a sexual addiction: Criteria for diagnosing 'hypersexual disorder' tested

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 07:28 AM PDT

Experts have tested a proposed set of criteria to define "Hypersexual Disorder" (HD), as a new mental health condition, and found the proposed criteria to be reliable and valid. The results will influence whether HD should be included in the forthcoming revised fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders considered the "bible" of psychiatry.

Goodness, gracious, great balls of lightning!

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 07:28 AM PDT

Australian scientists have unveiled a new theory which explains the mysterious phenomenon known as ball lightning.

Young people who go out drinking start earlier and consume more and more alcohol

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 07:27 AM PDT

Teenagers and university students are unaware of the negative consequences of alcohol consumption or the chances of developing an addiction as a result. In addition, they start at a younger and younger age and drink more and stronger alcohol according to a new study.

Obama has better leadership skills, survey shows

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 07:26 AM PDT

A new survey that evaluated the leadership skills of President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney has found that Obama scored significantly better than Romney in most leadership categories and in overall leadership skill.

Foster kids do equally well when adopted by gay, lesbian or heterosexual parents, study suggests

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 06:45 AM PDT

High-risk children adopted from foster care do equally well when placed with gay, lesbian and heterosexual parents, psychologists report.

Solar power used to study elephants in Africa

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 06:45 AM PDT

A team of elephant researchers has transformed a remote corner of southern Africa into a high-tech field camp run entirely on sunlight. The seasonal solar-powered research camp gives scientists a rare opportunity to quietly observe, videotape and photograph wild elephants at Mushara waterhole, an isolated oasis in Etosha National Park in Namibia.

Forest fires linked to high temperatures two years before

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 06:45 AM PDT

Researchers analyzed the impact of interannual and seasonal climate variability on the fires occurred in Catalonia, Spain, last summer. The study concludes that summer fires, related to summer climate conditions, are correlated with antecedent climate conditions, especially winter and spring ones with a lag time of two years. The results suggest that precipitation and temperature conditions regulate fuel flammability and fuel structure. According to the correlations observed, the study provides a model to produce long-term predictions.

How the brain forms categories

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 06:29 AM PDT

Neurobiologists have investigated how the brain is able to group external stimuli into stable categories. They found the answer in the discrete dynamics of neuronal circuits.

Presidential debates offer body language tips for job interviews

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 06:29 AM PDT

Considering President Barack Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney are seeking the nation's top job, watching Monday's Presidential debate could be just the prep needed to ace your next job interview. While pointing fingers, interrupting and smirking are never recommended in a professional setting, job seekers can learn a lot from the candidates' speech and body language.

Sharp rise in children admitted to hospital with throat infections since 1999

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 05:21 AM PDT

The number of children admitted to hospital in England for acute throat infections increased by 76 per cent between 1999 and 2010, according to new research.

First micro-structure atlas of human brain completed

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 05:21 AM PDT

Scientists have built the first atlas of white-matter microstructure in the human brain. The project's final results have the potential to change the face of neuroscience and medicine over the coming decade.

No survival advantage with peripheral blood stem cells versus bone marrow, study suggests

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 04:15 AM PDT

Medical researchers conducted a two-year clinical trial comparing two-year survival probabilities for patients transplanted with peripheral blood stem cells or bone marrow stem cells from unrelated donors.

Common risky behaviors of children struck by motor vehicles outlined

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 04:15 AM PDT

Pediatricians have outlined the risky behavior of child pedestrians who are struck by cars -- including darting into the street, crossing in the middle of the block, and crossing while using an electronic device.

Evolution: New understandings of how populations change over time

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 04:14 AM PDT

Since 1859, when Darwin's classic work "On the Origin of Species" was published, we have known that populations change over the course of time.  The ability to adapt to changing surroundings is the basis for evolution and is crucial for animals and plants to come to terms with new environmental conditions, for example as a consequence of climate change.  Despite the obvious importance of the process, however, we still do not understand the underlying mechanisms.  It is clear that organisms change their DNA in response to selection pressures.  But how? 

Low calcium diet linked to higher risk of hormone condition in women

Posted: 18 Oct 2012 03:59 PM PDT

A low calcium diet is associated with a higher risk of developing a common hormone condition in women, known as primary hyperparathyroidism, a new study suggests.

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