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Saturday, June 29, 2013

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


NASA launches satellite to study how sun's atmosphere is energized

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 11:48 AM PDT

NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spacecraft launched Thursday at 7:27 p.m. PDT (10:27 p.m. EDT) from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The mission to study the solar atmosphere was placed in orbit by an Orbital Sciences Corporation Pegasus XL rocket.

Large-scale quantum chip validated: Prototype quantum optimization chip operates as hoped

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 10:10 AM PDT

A team of scientists has verified that quantum effects are indeed at play in the first commercial quantum optimization processor.

Microscopy technique could help computer industry develop 3-D components

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 10:10 AM PDT

A technique developed several years ago at NIST for improving optical microscopes now has been applied to monitoring the next generation of computer chip circuit components, potentially providing the semiconductor industry with a crucial tool for improving chips for the next decade or more.

Major changes needed for coral reef survival

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 10:10 AM PDT

To prevent coral reefs around the world from dying off, deep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions are required, says a new study. Researchers find that all existing coral reefs will be engulfed in inhospitable ocean chemistry conditions by the end of the century if civilization continues along its current emissions trajectory.

Study links cardiac hormone-related inflammatory pathway with tumor growth

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 10:10 AM PDT

A cardiac hormone signaling receptor abundantly expressed both in inflamed tissues and cancers appears to recruit stem cells that form the blood vessels needed to feed tumor growth, a new study finds.

Are college student hook-ups linked to anxiety and depression?

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 10:09 AM PDT

As narratives of "hook-up" culture take center stage in popular media, behavioral researchers are starting to ask what psychological consequences, if any, may be in store for young adults who engage in casual sex.

Cancer risks double when two carcinogens present at 'safe' levels, epigenetics study finds

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 10:07 AM PDT

New research has found that low doses of arsenic and estrogen -- even at levels low enough to be considered "safe" for humans if they were on their own -- can cause cancer in prostate cells.

Scientists view 'protein origami' to help understand, prevent certain diseases

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 09:07 AM PDT

Scientists using sophisticated imaging techniques have observed a molecular protein folding process that may help medical researchers understand and treat diseases such as Alzheimer's, Lou Gehrig's and cancer. The study verifies a process that scientists knew existed but with a mechanism they had never been able to observe, according to researchers.

Dendritic cell therapy improves kidney transplant survival, team finds

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 08:32 AM PDT

A single systemic dose of special immune cells prevented rejection for almost four months in a preclinical animal model of kidney transplantation, according to experts. Their findings could lay the foundation for eventual human trials of the technique.

Specialized treatment helps cholesterol patients who suffer side effects from statins

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 08:31 AM PDT

Up to 15 percent of patients on cholesterol-lowering statin medications experience muscle pain or other side effects, and many stop taking the drugs. But a study has found that a specialized lipid clinic helps "statin-intolerant" patients control their cholesterol.

Better antibiotics: Atomic-scale structure of ribosome with molecule that controls its motion

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 07:31 AM PDT

Scientists have created an atomic-scale structure of a bacterial ribosome attached to a molecule that controls its motion. The image is also a possible roadmap to better antibiotics. Somewhere in its twists and turns could be a weakness that a new antibiotic can target.

Acid reflux surgery could help prevent rejection in lung transplant patients

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 07:31 AM PDT

A procedure to treat acid reflux could help prevent chronic rejection in lung transplant patients, according to a new study.

Climate change threatens forest survival on drier, low-elevation sites

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 07:31 AM PDT

Predicted increases in temperature and drought in the coming century may make it more difficult for conifers such as ponderosa pine to regenerate after major forest fires on dry, low-elevation sites, in some cases leading to conversion of forests to grass or shrub lands, a report suggests.

Cattle grazing and clean water are compatible on public lands, study finds

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 07:31 AM PDT

Cattle grazing and clean water can coexist on national forest lands, according to new research.

Boat noise stops fish finding home

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 07:31 AM PDT

Boat noise disrupts orientation behavior in larval coral reef fish, according to new research. Reef fish are normally attracted by reef sound but the study, conducted in French Polynesia, found that fish are more likely to swim away from recordings of reefs when boat noise is added.

Tiny nanocubes help scientists tell left from right

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 07:29 AM PDT

A team of scientists has developed a new, simpler way to discern molecular handedness, known as chirality, which could improve drug development, optical sensors and more.

Is it alive or dead? How to measure the thermal signatures of single cells and assess their biological activity

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 07:29 AM PDT

To the ancients, probing the philosophical question of how to distinguish the living from the dead centered on the "mystery of the vital heat." To modern microbiology, this question was always less mysterious than it was annoying -- researchers have known that biological processes should produce thermal signatures, even within single cells, but nobody ever knew how to measure them. Now, a group of mechanical engineers in Korea have discovered a way to measure the "thermal conductivity" of three types of cells taken from human and rat tissues and placed in individual micro-wells.

The 'gold' standard: A rapid, cheap method of detecting dengue virus

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:21 AM PDT

Researchers are reporting the development of an easy to use, low cost method of detecting dengue virus in mosquitoes based on gold nanoparticles. The assay is able to detect lower levels of the virus than current tests, and is easy to transport and use in remote regions.

Higher genetic risk tied to lifetime asthma suffering

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:21 AM PDT

Children with more genetic risks for asthma are not only more likely to develop the condition at a young age, but they are also more likely to continue to suffer with asthma into adulthood. The finding is one of the latest to come from a 40-year longitudinal study of New Zealanders.

New system uses low-power Wi-Fi signal to track moving humans -- even behind walls

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:21 AM PDT

A system being developed at MIT could give all of us the ability to spot people in different rooms using low-cost Wi-Fi technology.

How 'parrot dinosaur' switched from four feet to two as it grew

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:21 AM PDT

Tracking the growth of dinosaurs and how they changed as they grew is difficult. Using a combination of biomechanical analysis and bone histology, palaeontologists from Beijing, Bristol, and Bonn have shown how one of the best-known dinosaurs switched from four feet to two as it grew.

Time is of the essence for reducing the long-term effects of iron deficiency

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:21 AM PDT

Iron deficiency is a worldwide problem, especially in developing countries and among infants and pregnant women. In infancy, iron deficiency is associated with poorer cognitive, motor, and social-emotional outcomes. In a new study, researchers report on a 25-year follow-up of infants studied in Costa Rica for iron deficiency.

Scientists discover new mechanism regulating the immune response

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:21 AM PDT

Scientists in Finland have discovered a new mechanism regulating the immune response that can leave a person susceptible to autoimmune diseases.

Avengers-style Helicarrier is still pie in the sky

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:19 AM PDT

Physics students calculate the four-propeller powered giant aircraft seen in the Avengers would not be possible with modern technology.

Complex activity patterns emerge from simple underlying laws, ant experiments show

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:19 AM PDT

A new study uses mathematical modeling and experiments on ants to show that a group is capable of developing flexible resource management strategies and characteristic responses of its own.

Scientists turn muscular dystrophy defect on and off in cells

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 06:17 AM PDT

For the first time, scientists have identified small molecules that allow for complete control over a genetic defect responsible for the most common adult onset form of muscular dystrophy.

Lithium reduces risk of suicide in people with mood disorders, review finds

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 04:06 PM PDT

The drug lithium is an effective treatment for reducing the risk of suicide and possibly deliberate self harm in people with mood disorders, an evidence review finds.

Fatty acids found in fish linked to lower risk of breast cancer

Posted: 27 Jun 2013 04:06 PM PDT

A high intake of fatty acids found in fish is associated with a 14 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer in later life, a new study finds.

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