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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top News

ScienceDaily: Top News


Synthetic stool can cure C. difficile infection, study suggests

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST

A newly developed synthetic "poop" can cure nasty gastrointestinal infections caused by Clostridium difficile, a toxin-producing bacterium, a new study suggests.

Reduction in air pollution from wood stoves associated with significantly reduced risk of death

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST

Male deaths from all-causes, but particularly cardiovascular and respiratory disease, could be significantly reduced with a decrease in biomass smoke (smoke produced by domestic cooking and heating and woodland fires), a new article suggests.

Concerns raised over the effectiveness of a costly and invasive procedure for melanoma

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST

A special report finds that thousands of melanoma patients around the world are undergoing an expensive and invasive procedure called sentinel node biopsy, despite a lack of clear evidence and concerns that it may do more harm than good.

Cancer screening unlikely to benefit patients with a short life expectancy: Less than 10 years and risks are likely to outweigh benefits

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST

Breast and colorectal cancer screening should be targeted towards patients with a life expectancy greater than 10 years: for any shorter life expectancy the harms are likely to outweigh the benefits, concludes a new study.

Triple mix of blood pressure drugs and painkillers linked to kidney problems

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST

Patients who take a triple combination of blood pressure drugs and common painkillers are at an increased risk of serious kidney problems, especially at the start of treatment, finds a new study.

Nobel laureate James Watson puts forth novel hypothesis on curing late-stage cancers

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:16 PM PST

In a new paper he regards "among my most important work since the double helix," Nobelist James Watson sets forth a novel hypothesis regarding the role of oxidants and antioxidants in cancers that are currently incurable, notably in late-stage metastatic cancers.

Cognitive benefit of lifelong bilingualism

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:15 PM PST

Older bilinguals expend less energy when performing a cognitive flexibility task. The findings suggest the value of regular stimulating mental activity across the lifetime. As people age, cognitive flexibility -- the ability to adapt to unfamiliar or unexpected circumstances -- and related "executive" functions decline. Recent studies suggest lifelong bilingualism may reduce this decline -- a boost that may stem from the experience of constantly switching between languages.

Being bored at work can make us more creative

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:15 PM PST

Most of us think of being bored at work as a negative experience, but a new study suggests it can have positive results including an increase in creativity because it gives us time to daydream.

Cheating slime mold gets the upper hand

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:15 PM PST

A  'cheater' mutation (chtB) in Dictyostelium discoideum, a free living slime mould able to co-operate as social organism when food is scarce, allows the cheater strain to exploit its social partner, finds a new study. The mutation ensures that when mixed with 'normal' Dictyostelium  more than the fair share of cheaters become spores, dispersing to a new environment, and avoiding dying as stalk cells.

First oral drug for spinal cord injury improves movement in mice

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:14 PM PST

An experimental oral drug given to mice after a spinal cord injury was effective at improving limb movement after the injury, a new study shows.

Australia's stampeding dinosaurs take a dip: Largely tracks of swimming rather than running animals

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 04:02 PM PST

Queensland paleontologists have discovered that the world's only recorded dinosaur stampede is largely made up of the tracks of swimming rather than running animals.

SOFIA spots recent starbursts in the Milky Way galaxy's center

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:58 PM PST

Researchers using the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have captured new images of a ring of gas and dust seven light-years in diameter surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and of a neighboring cluster of extremely luminous young stars embedded in dust cocoons.

Hubble reveals rogue planetary orbit for Fomalhaut b

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST

Newly released Hubble Space Telescope images of a vast debris disk encircling the nearby star Fomalhaut and a mysterious planet circling it may provide forensic evidence of a titanic planetary disruption in the system.

NASA telescopes see weather patterns in brown dwarf

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:26 PM PST

Astronomers have discovered what appears to be a large asteroid belt around the star Vega, the second brightest star in northern night skies. The scientists used data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory. The discovery of an asteroid belt-like band of debris around Vega makes the star similar to another observed star called Fomalhaut. The data are consistent with both stars having inner, warm belts and outer, cool belts separated by a gap. This architecture is similar to the asteroid and Kuiper belts in our own solar system.

NASA, ESA telescopes find evidence for asteroid belt around Vega

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 03:22 PM PST

Astronomers have discovered what appears to be a large asteroid belt around the star Vega, the second brightest star in northern night skies. The scientists used data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory. The discovery of an asteroid belt-like band of debris around Vega makes the star similar to another observed star called Fomalhaut. The data are consistent with both stars having inner, warm belts and outer, cool belts separated by a gap. This architecture is similar to the asteroid and Kuiper belts in our own solar system.

Two-drug combination may slow deadly thyroid cancer

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST

A combination of the drugs pazopanib and paclitaxel shows promise in slowing anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC), according to a new study. The two drugs together resulted in greater anti-cancer activity in ATC than either drug alone, according to new research.

First 'bone' of the Milky Way identified

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST

Our Milky Way is a spiral galaxy -- a pinwheel-shaped collection of stars, gas and dust. It has a central bar and two major spiral arms that wrap around its disk. Since we view the Milky Way from the inside, its exact structure is difficult to determine. Astronomers have identified a new structure in the Milky Way: a long tendril of dust and gas that they are calling a "bone."

Weight counseling decreases despite rise in obesity

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST

While the number of overweight and obese Americans has increased, the amount of weight counseling offered by primary care physicians has decreased -- especially for patients with high blood pressure and diabetes -- according to researchers.

Bottom-up approach provides first characterization of pyroelectric nanomaterials

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST

By taking a "bottom-up" approach, researchers have observed for the first time that "size does matter," in regards "pyroelectricity," -- the current/voltage developed in response to temperature fluctuations that enables technologies such as infrared sensors, night-vision, and energy conversion units, to name a few.

New approach for simulating supernovas

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST

Researchers are trying to bridge the gap between studies of supernova blasts and the remnants they leave behind. They hope to use a relatively new computer code to show more of the evolution from blast to remnant.

Testing Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 in outer space

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST

A team of physicists have stirred the physics community with an intriguing idea yet to be tested experimentally: The world's most iconic equation, Albert Einstein's E=mc2, may be correct or not depending on where you are in space.

Post-operative intravenous acetaminophen may help reduce use of morphine in infants

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST

Among infants undergoing major surgery, postoperative use of intermittent intravenous paracetamol (acetaminophen) for the management of pain resulted in a lower cumulative morphine dose over 48 hours.

Vitamin D supplementation does not reduce knee pain, cartilage loss in patients with osteoarthritis

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:22 PM PST

In a two-year randomized trial, patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis who received vitamin D supplementation did not have a significant difference in knee pain or cartilage volume loss compared to patients who received placebo.

Intensive training for aphasia: Even older patients can improve

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:21 PM PST

Older adults who have suffered from aphasia for a long time can nevertheless improve their language function and maintain these improvements in the long term, according to a new study.

Hold the diet soda? Sweetened drinks linked to depression, coffee tied to lower risk

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:21 PM PST

New research suggests that drinking sweetened beverages, especially diet drinks, is associated with an increased risk of depression in adults while drinking coffee was tied to a slightly lower risk.

Oscillating gel gives synthetic materials the ability to 'speak': Material rebuilds itself through chemical communication

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 01:16 PM PST

Self-moving gels can give synthetic materials the ability to "act alive" and mimic primitive biological communication, scientists have found. In a new paper, researchers demonstrate that a synthetic system can reconfigure itself through a combination of chemical communication and interaction with light.

Pythons, lionfish and now willow invade Florida's waterways

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 12:12 PM PST

Foreign invaders such as pythons and lionfish are not the only threats to Florida's natural habitat. The native Carolina Willow is also starting to strangle portions of the St. Johns River.

Chemists devise inexpensive, benchtop method for marking and selecting cells

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 12:11 PM PST

Chemists have found an easier way to perform one of the most fundamental tasks in molecular biology. Their new method allows scientists to add a marker to certain cells, so that these cells may be easily located and/or selected out from a larger cell population.

Cluster mission indicates turbulent eddies may warm the solar wind

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 11:52 AM PST

The sun ejects a continuous flow of electrically charged particles and magnetic fields in the form of the solar wind -- and this wind is hotter than it should be. A new study of data obtained by European Space Agency's Cluster spacecraft may help explain the mystery.

New telescopes to give researchers glimpse of the beginning of time

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 11:19 AM PST

Where do we come from? What is the universe made of? Will the universe exist only for a finite time or will it last forever? These are just some of the questions that physicists are working to answer in the high desert of northern Chile.

Counting the twists in a helical light beam: New device could help advance future optical communications

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST

At a time when communication networks are scrambling for ways to transmit more data over limited bandwidth, a type of twisted light wave is gaining new attention. Called an optical vortex or vortex beam, this complex beam resembles a corkscrew, with waves that rotate as they travel. Now, applied physicists have created a new device that enables a conventional optical detector (which would normally only measure the light's intensity) to pick up on that rotation.

'Tricorder' closer to reality: Portable X-ray source could put medical diagnosis and terrorism prevention in the palm of the hand

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST

The hand-held scanners, or tricorders, of the Star Trek movies and television series are one step closer to reality now that an engineering team has invented a compact source of X-rays and other forms of radiation. The radiation source, which is the size of a stick of gum, could be used to create inexpensive and portable X-ray scanners for use by doctors, as well as to fight terrorism and aid exploration on this planet and others.

Jurassic ecosystems were similar to modern: Animals flourish among lush plants

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST

In modern ecosystems, animals flourish amid lush vegetation. That was true 150 million years ago too, says a new study by paleontologists. They applied ecological principles to geochemical data from fossil soils and found scientists can infer animal diversity from it: "This illustrates that climate and biota have been ecologically connected for millions of years, indicating human change to global climate will have profound impacts on plants and animals."

Global warming beneficial to ratsnakes

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST

Speculation about how animals will respond to climate change due to global warming led researchers to conduct a study of ratsnakes at three different latitudes -- Ontario, Illinois, and Texas. His findings suggest that ratsnakes will be able to adapt to the higher temperatures by becoming more active at night.

Stem cell materials could boost research into key diseases

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST

Stem cell manufacturing for drug screening and treatments for diseases such as Huntington's and Parkinson's could be boosted by a new method of generating stem cells, a study suggests. Scientists have developed a family of compounds that can support the growth of human embryonic stem cells on a large scale for use in drug testing or treatments.

Earth-size planets common in galaxy: Perhaps 17 percent of sun-like stars have Earth-size planets within the orbit of Mercury

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:20 AM PST

Last year, astronomers were excited to discover that the number of exoplanets increases towards smaller sizes, which suggests that there are many Earth-size planets in the galaxy. A new analysis of three years of Kepler data shows that this increase stops around twice Earth size and holds for planets one to two times the diameter of Earth. Nevertheless, Earth-size planets occur around at least 17 percent of sun-like stars, they conclude.

Researchers work to counter spear phishing attacks

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:18 AM PST

Researchers are working to counter threats from spear phishing. The attacks use knowledge of computer users to gain their trust to break into corporate networks.

2012 was warmest and second most extreme year on record for the contiguous U.S.

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 10:11 AM PST

According to NOAA scientists, 2012 marked the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States with the year consisting of a record warm spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter and a warmer-than-average autumn. The average temperature for 2012 was 55.3°F, 3.2°F above the 20th century average, and 1.0°F above 1998, the previous warmest year.

Icing on a lake: Blocks of hydrocarbon ice might decorate surface of lakes and seas on Saturn's moon Titan

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:36 AM PST

It's not exactly icing on a cake, but it could be icing on a lake. A new paper by scientists on NASA's Cassini mission finds that blocks of hydrocarbon ice might decorate the surface of existing lakes and seas of liquid hydrocarbon on Saturn's moon Titan. The presence of ice floes might explain some of the mixed readings Cassini has seen in the reflectivity of the surfaces of lakes on Titan.

Blood brothers (and sisters): Sibling study discovers genetic region linked to control of key blood-clotting protein

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST

In 2006, the lab of Dr. David Ginsburg at the Life Sciences Institute put a call out for siblings attending the University of Michigan to donate blood for a study of blood-clotting disorders. The samples were collected over three years and have now enabled the researchers to identify the specific parts of the genome responsible for levels of a key substance for blood clotting.

New biochip technology uses tiny whirlpools to corral microbes

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST

Researchers have demonstrated a new technology that combines a laser and electric fields to create tiny centrifuge-like whirlpools to separate particles and microbes by size, a potential lab-on-a-chip system for medicine and research.

Teens susceptible to hepatitis B infection despite vaccination as infants

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST

New research reveals that a significant number of adolescents lose their protection from hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, despite having received a complete vaccination series as infants. Results suggest teens with high-risk mothers and teens whose immune system fails to remember a previous viral exposure are behind HBV reinfection.

Genetic matchmaking saves endangered frogs

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST

What if Noah got it wrong? What if he paired a male and a female animal thinking they were the same species, and then discovered they were not the same and could not produce offspring? As researchers from the Smithsonian's Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project race to save frogs from a devastating disease by breeding them in captivity, a genetic test averts mating mix-ups.

Prescription drug misuse remains a top public health concern

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST

Prescription drug misuse is second only to marijuana as the nation's most prevalent illicit drug problem, with approximately 22 million persons nationwide initiating nonmedical pain reliever use since 2002, according to a new report. The report also shows variations in use by state, with combined 2010 and 2011 data indicating that rates of past year misuse among those aged 12 or older ranged from 3.6 percent in Iowa to 6.4 percent in Oregon.

Simulated Mars mission reveals body's sodium rhythms

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST

Researchers report that -- in contrast to the prevailing dogma -- sodium levels fluctuate rhythmically with 7-day and monthly cycles. The findings, which demonstrate that sodium is stored in the body, have implications for blood pressure control, hypertension and salt-associated cardiovascular risk.

Why obese people have higher rates of asthma

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST

A new study has found that leptin, a hormone that plays a key role in energy metabolism, fertility, and bone mass, also regulates airway diameter. The findings could explain why obese people are prone to asthma and suggest that medications that increase leptin-signaling may relieve asthma in obese people.

Genes and obesity: Fast food isn't only culprit in expanding waistlines -- DNA is also to blame

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 09:24 AM PST

Researchers say it's not just what you eat that makes those pants tighter -- it's also genetics. In a new study, scientists discovered that body-fat responses to a typical fast-food diet are determined in large part by genetic factors, and they have identified several genes they say may control those responses.

Graphene oxide soaks up radioactive waste: U.S., Russian researchers collaborate on solution to toxic groundwater woes

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 08:24 AM PST

Graphene oxide has a remarkable ability to quickly remove radioactive material from contaminated water, researchers in the United States and Russia have found. The discovery could be a boon in the cleanup of contaminated sites like the Fukushima nuclear plants damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It could also cut the cost of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") for oil and gas recovery and help reboot American mining of rare earth metals.

Females tagged in wasp mating game

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 08:24 AM PST

The flick of an antenna may be how a male wasp lays claim to his harem, according to new research. A team of biologists found that when a male targeted a female, he would approach from her from the left side, and once in range, uses the tip of his antenna to tap her antenna.

Scientists mimic fireflies to make brighter LEDs: New bio-inspired coating that increases LED efficiency by 55 percent

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 08:24 AM PST

The nighttime twinkling of fireflies has inspired scientists to modify a light-emitting diode (LED) so it is more than one and a half times as efficient as the original. Researchers studied the internal structure of firefly lanterns, the organs on the bioluminescent insects' abdomens that flash to attract mates. The scientists identified an unexpected pattern of jagged scales that enhanced the lanterns' glow, and applied that knowledge to LED design.

Parasitic worms may help treat diseases associated with obesity

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 08:24 AM PST

On the list of undesirable medical conditions, a parasitic worm infection surely ranks fairly high. But parasites are not all bad, according to new research. A study demonstrates that once inside a host, many parasitic worms secrete a sugar-based anti-inflammatory molecule that might actually help treat metabolic disorders associated with obesity.

Researchers develop acrobatic space rovers to explore moons and asteroids

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 06:49 AM PST

Researchers have designed a robotic platform that could take space exploration to new heights. The mission proposed for the platform involves a mother spacecraft deploying one or several spiked, roughly spherical rovers to the Martian moon Phobos. Measuring about half a meter wide, each rover would hop, tumble and bound across the cratered, lopsided moon, relaying information about its origins, as well as its soil and other surface materials.

Heat-resistant corals provide clues to climate change survival

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 06:18 AM PST

In a future shaped by climate change, only the strong -- or heat-resistant -- will survive. A new study opens a window into a genetic process that allows some corals to withstand unusually high temperatures and may hold a key to species survival for organisms around the world.

DNA prefers to dive head first into nanopores

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 06:18 AM PST

A new study from Brown University researchers finds that DNA strands have a natural tendency to be pulled through nanopores headfirst. The research answers some fundamental questions about how DNA interacts with nanopores, which soon may enable lightning fast DNA analysis.

New target for common heart condition identified

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 06:18 AM PST

Researchers have found new evidence that metabolic stress can increase the onset of atrial arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, a common heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. The findings may pave the way for the development of new therapies for the condition which can be expected to affect almost one in four of the UK population at some point in their lifetime.

Computer, electrical engineers working to help biologists cope with big data

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 06:17 AM PST

Computer and electrical engineers are developing computing tools to help biologists analyze all the data produced by today's research instruments.

Space sailing soon: A one-kilometer-long electric sail tether produced

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:41 AM PST

An electric sail (ESAIL) produces propulsion power for a spacecraft by utilizing the solar wind. The sail features electrically charged long and thin metal tethers that interact with the solar wind. Using ultrasonic welding,engineers successfully produced a 1 km long ESAIL tether.

Physics students disprove children's author Roald Dahl's peach calculation

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:41 AM PST

Four students have calculated that it would take 2,425,907 seagulls, rather than the 501 described in Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach, to airlift the giant peach across the Atlantic Ocean.

Molds are able to reproduce sexually: Researchers grow penicillin-producing fungi with new properties

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:41 AM PST

For over 100 years, it was assumed that the penicillin-producing mold fungus, Penicillium chrysogenum, only reproduced asexually through spores. Biologists have now shown for the first time that the fungus also has a sexual cycle, i.e. two "genders."

Flame retardant pollutants found at far-flung locations, including Indonesia, Nepal and Tasmania

Posted: 08 Jan 2013 05:38 AM PST

Chemicals used as flame retardants are present as environmental pollutants at locations around the globe, including remote sites in Indonesia, Nepal and Tasmania, according to a new study.

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