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Sunday, April 13, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top News

ScienceDaily: Top News


New combination drug therapy proves very effective in hepatitis C treatments

Posted: 12 Apr 2014 11:58 AM PDT

Treatment options for the 170 million people worldwide with chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are evolving rapidly, although the available regimens often come with significant side effects. Two multi-center clinical trials show promise for a new option that could help lead to both an increase in patients cured with a much more simple and tolerable all oral therapy.

Faraway moon or faint star? Possible exomoon found

Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:41 AM PDT

Titan, Europa, Io and Phobos are just a few members of our solar system's pantheon of moons. Are there are other moons out there, orbiting planets beyond our sun? Researchers have spotted the first signs of an "exomoon," and though they say it's impossible to confirm its presence, the finding is a tantalizing first step toward locating others. The discovery was made by watching a chance encounter of objects in our galaxy, which can be witnessed only once.

Hepatitis C treatment cures over 90 percent of patients with cirrhosis

Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:34 AM PDT

Twelve weeks of an investigational oral therapy cured hepatitis C infection in more than 90 percent of patients with liver cirrhosis and was well tolerated by these patients, according to a new study.

Researchers examine metabolism in defective cells

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT

Mitochondria produce energy for cells through oxidative metabolism, but the process produces toxic byproducts that can accumulate and cause defects in the cell's mitochondria. These defects, in turn, affect the cell's ability to generate energy and can potentially lead to cell death and are associated with aging and various neurological diseases. Researchers have examined how dietary changes at the cell level can affect cell health.

Odds that global warming is due to natural factors: Slim to none

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:34 PM PDT

An analysis of temperature data since 1500 all but rules out the possibility that global warming in the industrial era is just a natural fluctuation in the earth's climate, according to a new study.

Impact of the 1,000 mph supersonic car predicted

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 07:31 AM PDT

What are the aerodynamic characteristics of traveling at 1,000 mph? Simulations have looked at how the car will cope with the supersonic rolling ground, rotating wheels and resulting shock waves in close proximity to the test surface at the record attempt site in Hakskeen Pan, South Africa. Where, in 2015, it will make high speed test runs of up to 800mph, with the full 1,000mph attempt scheduled for 2016.

Better solar cells, better LED light and vast optical possibilities

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 07:29 AM PDT

Changes at the atom level in nanowires offer vast possibilities for improvement of solar cells and LED light. Researchers have discovered that by tuning a small strain on single nanowires they can become more effective in LEDs and solar cells. 

New form of matter: Exotic hadron with two quarks, two anti-quarks confirmed

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT

Physicists have confirmed the existence of exotic hadrons -- a type of matter that cannot be classified within the traditional quark model. "We've confirmed the unambiguous observation of a very exotic state -- something that looks like a particle composed of two quarks and two anti-quarks," said one of the scientists. "The discovery certainly doesn't fit the traditional quark model. It may give us a new way of looking at strong-interaction physics."

Search for elusive dark matter: Looking for traces by studying particles with low masses and interaction rates

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT

The ongoing search for invisible dark matter is a subject of great interest to physicists. Although dark matter has never been seen directly, it is thought to be six times more prevalent in the universe than normal matter.

NASA's Hubble extends stellar tape measure 10 times farther into space

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT

Astronomers now can precisely measure the distance of stars up to 10,000 light-years away -- 10 times farther than previously possible. Astronomers have developed yet another novel way to use the 24-year-old space telescope by employing a technique called spatial scanning, which dramatically improves Hubble's accuracy for making angular measurements. The technique, when applied to the age-old method for gauging distances called astronomical parallax, extends Hubble's tape measure 10 times farther into space.

NASA simulation portrays ozone intrusions from aloft

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT

Outdoor enthusiasts in Colorado's Front Range are occasionally rewarded with remarkable visibility brought about by dry, clear air and wind. But it's what people in the mountainous U.S. West can't see in conditions like this -- ozone plunging down to the ground from high in the stratosphere, the second layer of the atmosphere -- that has attracted the interest of scientists, university scientists and air quality managers.

Nanostructures with applications in infrared and terahertz ranges

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:18 AM PDT

Scientists have created a compound semiconductor of nearly perfect quality with embedded nanostructures containing ordered lines of atoms that can manipulate light energy in the mid-infrared range. More efficient solar cells, less risky and higher resolution biological imaging, and the ability to transmit massive amounts of data at higher speeds are only a few applications that this unique semiconductor will be able to support.

Passive houses save lots of energy

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:17 AM PDT

Housing is the easiest sector to change if we are to reach the climate targets, experts say. Norwegian research shows the housing sector today represents about one-third of the country's energy consumption, or about 35 terawatt hours out of a total of 112 terawatt hours. As a result, it is indirectly one of largest contributors to Norway's greenhouse gas emissions.

The ATM strikes back: Researchers protect money with method borrowed from an aggressive beetle

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:14 AM PDT

Its head and pronotum are usually rusty red, and its abdomen blue or shiny green: the bombardier beetle is approximately one centimeter long and common to Central Europe. At first glance, it appears harmless, but it possesses what is surely the most aggressive chemical defense system in nature. When threatened, the bombardier beetle releases a caustic spray, accompanied by a popping sound. Researchers are now borrowing methods from the bombardier beetle to protect ATMs.

Mercury contamination threatens Antarctic birds

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:20 AM PDT

Mercury contamination in the Antarctic and Subantarctic affects bird populations, reveal researchers. The scientists monitored skuas in Adélie Land and the Kerguelen Islands for ten years and showed that, when these seabirds exhibit high mercury levels in their blood, their breeding success decreases. This is the first time that toxicological measurements have been combined with a population study carried out over such a long period in the Antarctic and Subantarctic.

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