ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Early Earth less 'Hellish' than previously thought
• Long-term effects of childhood asthma influenced by socioeconomic status
• Report urges individualized, cholesterol-targeted approach to heart disease, stroke
• Small algae with great potential
• Strategic self-sabotage? MRSA inhibits its own growth
• Delay in age of walking can herald muscular dystrophy in boys with cognitive delays
• Like my body odor, like my politics: People are attracted to the body odor of others with similar political beliefs
• Largest ever study of awareness during general anesthesia identifies risk factors and consequences
• Run, cheetah, run: New algorithm enables cheetah robot to run and jump, untethered, across grass
• Protein secrets of Ebola virus
• Zebrafish genes linked to human respiratory diseases
• New way to predict hurricane strength, destruction
• This is your brain on snacks: Brain stimulation affects craving, consumption
• Everyday discrimination impacts mental health
• Scientists come closer to the industrial synthesis of a material harder than diamond
• The science behind swimming: From whales to larvae, common principles at work in swimming
• Skin cancer risks higher for soldiers serving abroad
• Genetics reveals patients susceptible to drug-induced pancreatitis
• Rolling 'neat' nanotube fibers: Acid-free approach leads to strong conductive carbon threads
• Fracking: Gas leaks from faulty wells linked to contamination in some groundwater
• One in five men reports violence toward intimate partners
• Vitamin E intake critical during 'the first 1,000 days'
• To curb violent tendencies, start young
• Moss plants brought back to life after having been frozen in Antarctic ice for 1,500 years
• Brain development in schizophrenia strays from normal path
• Martian meteorite yields more evidence of the possibility of life on Mars
• 'Jaws' lived in Doncaster, England: Archeologists dig up evidence of sharks and swamps 310 million years ago
• New drug target could prevent major global cause of maternal death
• Hitting the jackpot on a dig in Gernsheim: Long lost Roman fort discovered
• Technological leap in treating PCB contamination in the environment: Three new bacteria could break down PCB
• Hypersensitivity to non-painful events may be part of pathology in fibromyalgia
• Schizophrenia not a single disease but multiple genetically distinct disorders
• Heart attack: One care lapse can be fatal
• Experts raise concern over unnecessary treatment of mild hypertension in low risk people
• Glaciers in northern Antarctic Peninsula melting faster than ever despite increased snowfall
• How an ancient vertebrate uses familiar tools to build a strange-looking head
• Muscular dystrophy: Repair the muscles, not the genetic defect
• Study sheds new light on why batteries go bad
• Rules of thumb for climate change turned upside down: Wet and dry regions recalculated
• Three's a charm: Detectors reveal entangled photon triplets
• Healing power of 'rib-tickling' found by researchers
• Epilepsy breakthrough may lead to non-pharmacological therapies
• Extreme insect: Genetic analysis of a species of African midge that can survive harsh conditions
• Glaucoma: New culprit found by researchers
• Boosting armor for nuclear-waste eating microbes
• Proteins such as tumor markers can be easily, sensitively detected by their scattered light
• Sleep disorders widely undiagnosed in individuals with multiple sclerosis

Early Earth less 'Hellish' than previously thought Posted: 15 Sep 2014 11:09 AM PDT Conditions on Earth during its first 500 million years may have been cool enough to form oceans of water instead of being too hot for life to form. This alternate view of Earth's first geologic eon, called the Hadean, has gained substantial new support from the first detailed comparison of zircon crystals that formed more than 4 billion years ago with those formed contemporaneously in Iceland, which has been proposed as a possible geological analog for early Earth.

Long-term effects of childhood asthma influenced by socioeconomic status Posted: 15 Sep 2014 10:29 AM PDT Asthma is associated with attention and behavioral issues in children, yet little existing research examines how socioeconomic status may influence the ultimate effects of these difficulties. Now, a researcher has found that the overall outcomes for children with asthma are influenced by socioeconomic inequalities.

Report urges individualized, cholesterol-targeted approach to heart disease, stroke Posted: 15 Sep 2014 10:29 AM PDT A recent guideline for using statins to reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease has wavered too far from the simple cholesterol goals that have saved thousands of lives in the past decade, and doesn't adequately treat patients as individuals, experts say.

Small algae with great potential Posted: 15 Sep 2014 10:29 AM PDT The single most important calcifying algae of the world's oceans is able to simultaneously adapt to rising water temperatures and ocean acidification through evolution. A unique long-term experiment with the species Emiliania huxleyi shows that the evolutionary potential of the algae is much greater than previously thought. In their laboratory evolution experiment, the scientists have shown for the first time that evolutionary adaptations to multiple stress factors do not necessarily interfere with each other.

Strategic self-sabotage? MRSA inhibits its own growth Posted: 15 Sep 2014 10:29 AM PDT A bacterial mystery has finally been uncovered. Against all logic, the most predominant strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in North American produces an enzyme that degrades skin secretions into compounds that are toxic to itself.

Delay in age of walking can herald muscular dystrophy in boys with cognitive delays Posted: 15 Sep 2014 09:08 AM PDT The timing of a toddler's first steps is an important developmental milestone, but a slight delay in walking is typically not a cause of concern by itself. Now a duo of researchers has found that when walking and cognitive delays occur in concert, the combination could comprise the earliest of signals heralding a rare but devastating disorder known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Like my body odor, like my politics: People are attracted to the body odor of others with similar political beliefs Posted: 15 Sep 2014 09:08 AM PDT A new study reveals that people find the smell of others with similar political opinions to be attractive, suggesting that one of the reasons why so many spouses share similar political views is because they were initially and subconsciously attracted to each other's body odor.

Largest ever study of awareness during general anesthesia identifies risk factors and consequences Posted: 15 Sep 2014 08:45 AM PDT Accidental awareness is one of the most feared complications of general anesthesia for both patients and anesthetists. Patients report this failure of general anesthesia in approximately 1 in every 19,000 cases, according to a new report. Known as accidental awareness during general anesthesia, it occurs when general anesthesia is intended but the patient remains conscious. This incidence of patient reports of awareness is much lower than previous estimates of awareness, which were as high as 1 in 600.

Run, cheetah, run: New algorithm enables cheetah robot to run and jump, untethered, across grass Posted: 15 Sep 2014 08:45 AM PDT Speed and agility are hallmarks of the cheetah: The big predator is the fastest land animal on Earth, able to accelerate to 60 mph in just a few seconds. As it ramps up to top speed, a cheetah pumps its legs in tandem, bounding until it reaches a full gallop.

Protein secrets of Ebola virus Posted: 15 Sep 2014 08:44 AM PDT The current Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, which has claimed more than 2000 lives, has highlighted the need for a deeper understanding of the molecular biology of the virus that could be critical in the development of vaccines or antiviral drugs to treat or prevent Ebola hemorrhagic fever.

Zebrafish genes linked to human respiratory diseases Posted: 15 Sep 2014 08:44 AM PDT Hundreds of novel genes in the zebrafish have been identified that could be functionally identical to the human genes required for forming motile cilia, hair-like structures on the surface of airway cells. These are required for removing dust and pathogens from the human airway. The study showed that the loss of these genes is linked to development of defective motile cilia, which could be the cause of some respiratory diseases.

New way to predict hurricane strength, destruction Posted: 15 Sep 2014 08:42 AM PDT A new study demonstrates a different way of projecting a hurricane's strength and intensity that could give the public a better idea of a storm's potential for destruction.

This is your brain on snacks: Brain stimulation affects craving, consumption Posted: 15 Sep 2014 08:42 AM PDT Magnetic stimulation of a brain area involved in "executive function" affects cravings for and consumption of calorie-dense snack foods, reports a study. After stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), young women experience increased cravings for high-calorie snacks -- and eat more of those foods when given the opportunity, according to the researchers.

Everyday discrimination impacts mental health Posted: 15 Sep 2014 07:21 AM PDT Researchers have determined that African Americans and Caribbean blacks who experience discrimination of multiple types are at substantially greater risk for a variety of mental disorders including anxiety, depression and substance abuse.

Scientists come closer to the industrial synthesis of a material harder than diamond Posted: 15 Sep 2014 07:21 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new method for the synthesis of an ultrahard material that exceeds diamond in hardness. The material is an ultrahard fullerite, a polymer composed of fullerenes, or spherical molecules made of carbon atoms.

The science behind swimming: From whales to larvae, common principles at work in swimming Posted: 15 Sep 2014 07:21 AM PDT Using simple hydrodynamics, a team of researchers was able to show that a handful of principles govern how virtually every animal -- from the tiniest fish to birds to gigantic whales propel themselves though the water.

Skin cancer risks higher for soldiers serving abroad Posted: 15 Sep 2014 07:19 AM PDT Soldiers deployed to tropical and sunny climates are coming home with increased risk factors for a threat far from the battlefield: skin cancer. "This study demonstrates room for improvement for skin cancer prevention and early detection in the military population, including possible screening of higher-risk personnel," a researcher said.

Genetics reveals patients susceptible to drug-induced pancreatitis Posted: 15 Sep 2014 06:58 AM PDT It has long been recognized that about four per cent of patients who are prescribed particular drugs for IBD go on to develop pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas, which can be fatal. Now researchers have found that 17 percent of patients who have two copies of a particular genetic marker are likely to go on to develop pancreatitis if they are prescribed thiopurine drugs.

Rolling 'neat' nanotube fibers: Acid-free approach leads to strong conductive carbon threads Posted: 15 Sep 2014 06:58 AM PDT The very idea of fibers made of carbon nanotubes is neat, but scientists are making them neat -- literally. The single-walled carbon nanotubes in new fibers line up like a fistful of uncooked spaghetti through a new process.

Fracking: Gas leaks from faulty wells linked to contamination in some groundwater Posted: 15 Sep 2014 06:58 AM PDT A study has pinpointed the likely source of most natural gas contamination in drinking-water wells associated with hydraulic fracturing, and it's not the source many people may have feared.

One in five men reports violence toward intimate partners Posted: 15 Sep 2014 06:56 AM PDT Intimate partner violence is more prevalent than diabetes, research shows. One in five men in the U.S. reports violence towards their spouse or significant other, says a new nationally-representative study. The analysis also found that male aggression toward a partner is associated with warning signs that could come up during routine health care visits, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and insomnia, in addition to better known risks like substance abuse and a history of either experiencing or witnessing violence as a child.

Vitamin E intake critical during 'the first 1,000 days' Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:39 AM PDT Amid conflicting reports about the need for vitamin E and how much is enough, a new analysis published today suggests that adequate levels of this essential micronutrient are especially critical for the very young, the elderly, and women who are or may become pregnant.

To curb violent tendencies, start young Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:38 AM PDT Aggressive children are less likely to become violent criminals or psychiatrically troubled adults if they receive intensive early intervention, says a new study based on more than two decades of research. The study provides some of the strongest evidence yet that violent tendencies can be curbed.

Moss plants brought back to life after having been frozen in Antarctic ice for 1,500 years Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:38 AM PDT Mosses have existed on Earth for more than 400 million years. During this period they survived many climate catastrophes that wiped out more robust organisms such as, for example, dinosaurs. Recently, scientists brought single moss plants back to life after they had been frozen in the Antarctic ice for 1,500 years. Why are these small plants so resilient to climate changes?

Brain development in schizophrenia strays from normal path Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT Schizophrenia is generally considered to be a disorder of brain development and it shares many risk factors, both genetic and environmental, with other neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability. The normal path for brain development is determined by the combined effects of a complex network of genes and a wide range of environmental factors. However, longitudinal brain imaging studies in both healthy and patient populations are required in order to map the disturbances in brain structures as they emerge, researchers say.

Martian meteorite yields more evidence of the possibility of life on Mars Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT A tiny fragment of Martian meteorite 1.3 billion years old is helping to make the case for the possibility of life on Mars, say scientists. The finding are of a 'cell-like' structure, which investigators now know once held water.

'Jaws' lived in Doncaster, England: Archeologists dig up evidence of sharks and swamps 310 million years ago Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT Sharks, swamps and a tropical rainforest teeming with life – it's not what comes to mind when you think of Yorkshire, England.  But for the first time evidence of Doncaster's 310-million-year-old past, including a fossilized shark egg case, has been discovered in a derelict mining tip.

New drug target could prevent major global cause of maternal death Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT A new target for drugs that could prevent the deaths of thousands of women in the developing world due to heavy blood loss after childbirth has been identified by researchers. Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) occurs when the uterus fails to contract vigorously after childbirth and the mother loses 500mls or more of blood in the 24 hours after delivery. PPH is responsible for maternal death in 1 in 1,000 deliveries in the developing world.

Hitting the jackpot on a dig in Gernsheim: Long lost Roman fort discovered Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT In the course of an educational dig in Gernsheim in the Hessian Ried, archaeologists have discovered a long lost Roman fort: A troop unit made up out of approximately 500 soldiers (known as a cohort)  was stationed there between 70/80 and 110/120 AD. Over the past weeks, the archaeologists found two V-shaped ditches, typical of this type of fort, and the post holes of a wooden defensive tower as well as other evidence from the time after the fort was abandoned.

Technological leap in treating PCB contamination in the environment: Three new bacteria could break down PCB Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT Scientists have developed a novel approach that could greatly enhance the effectiveness of destroying polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the environment. They discovered three powerful bacteria that can degrade PCBs. In addition, the researchers also developed an effective method of culturing these PCB dechlorinators in large quantities to enhance their degradation efficiency.

Hypersensitivity to non-painful events may be part of pathology in fibromyalgia Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:37 AM PDT New research shows that patients with fibromyalgia have hypersensitivity to non-painful events based on images of the patients' brains, which show reduced activation in primary sensory regions and increased activation in sensory integration areas. Findings suggest that brain abnormalities in response to non-painful sensory stimulation may cause the increased unpleasantness that patients experience in response to daily visual, auditory and tactile stimulation.

Schizophrenia not a single disease but multiple genetically distinct disorders Posted: 15 Sep 2014 05:35 AM PDT Schizophrenia isn't a single disease but a group of eight genetically distinct disorders, each with its own set of symptoms, research shows. The finding could be a first step toward improved diagnosis and treatment for the debilitating psychiatric illness.

Heart attack: One care lapse can be fatal Posted: 14 Sep 2014 06:11 PM PDT Heart attack patients have a 46 percent increased chance of death within a month of discharge if they miss any one of nine types of care, research shows. The nine pathways of care that have been identified are pre-hospital electrocardiogram, acute use of aspirin, restoring blood flow to the heart, prescription at hospital discharge of aspirin, timely use of four types of drug for heart attack and referral for cardiac rehabilitation after discharge from hospital.

Experts raise concern over unnecessary treatment of mild hypertension in low risk people Posted: 14 Sep 2014 06:10 PM PDT Lowering the drug threshold for high blood pressure has exposed millions of low-risk people around the world to drug treatment of uncertain benefit at huge cost to health systems, warn experts. In the US alone, where hypertension is the most common condition for a medical visit, the cost of drug treatment of mild hypertension has been estimated at $32 billion per year. This corresponds to more than 1% of annual healthcare costs and more than one third of total US expenditures on public health.

Glaciers in northern Antarctic Peninsula melting faster than ever despite increased snowfall Posted: 14 Sep 2014 06:10 PM PDT Increased snowfall will not prevent the continued melting of glaciers in the northern Antarctic Peninsula, according to new research. Scientists have discovered that small glaciers that end on land around the Antarctic Peninsula are highly vulnerable to slight changes in air temperature and may be at risk of disappearing within 200 years.

How an ancient vertebrate uses familiar tools to build a strange-looking head Posted: 14 Sep 2014 01:02 PM PDT New research reveals that the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus, a survivor of ancient jawless vertebrates, exhibits a pattern of gene expression that is reminiscent of its jawed cousins, which evolved much, much later.

Muscular dystrophy: Repair the muscles, not the genetic defect Posted: 14 Sep 2014 01:02 PM PDT A potential way to treat muscular dystrophy directly targets muscle repair instead of the underlying genetic defect that usually leads to the disease, researchers say. Muscular dystrophies are a group of muscle diseases characterized by skeletal muscle wasting and weakness. Mutations in certain proteins, most commonly the protein dystrophin, cause muscular dystrophy.

Study sheds new light on why batteries go bad Posted: 14 Sep 2014 12:52 PM PDT A comprehensive look at how tiny particles in a lithium ion battery electrode behave shows that rapid-charging the battery and using it to do high-power, rapidly draining work may not be as damaging as researchers had thought -- and that the benefits of slow draining and charging may have been overestimated. The results challenge the prevailing view that 'supercharging' batteries is always harder on battery electrodes than charging at slower rates.

Rules of thumb for climate change turned upside down: Wet and dry regions recalculated Posted: 14 Sep 2014 12:08 PM PDT With a new analysis of land regions, climate researchers are challenging the general climate change paradigm that dry regions are getting drier and wet regions are getting wetter. In some regions they are encountering divergent trends.

Three's a charm: Detectors reveal entangled photon triplets Posted: 14 Sep 2014 12:07 PM PDT Researchers have directly entangled three photons in the most technologically useful state for the first time, thanks in part to superfast, super-efficient single-photon detectors.

Healing power of 'rib-tickling' found by researchers Posted: 13 Sep 2014 11:14 AM PDT Unlike salamanders, mammals can't regenerate lost limbs, but they can repair large sections of their ribs. In a new study, a team of researchers takes a closer look at rib regeneration in both humans and mice.

Epilepsy breakthrough may lead to non-pharmacological therapies Posted: 13 Sep 2014 11:14 AM PDT A breakthrough in detecting early onset of refractory epilepsy in children will lead to effective treatment using non-pharmacological therapies, researchers say. 65 million people around the world today suffer from epilepsy, a condition of the brain that may trigger an uncontrollable seizure at any time, often for no known reason.

Extreme insect: Genetic analysis of a species of African midge that can survive harsh conditions Posted: 13 Sep 2014 11:13 AM PDT Scientists have completed the genetic analysis on a species of African midge, which can survive a wide array of extreme conditions including large variations in temperature, extreme drought and even airless vacuums such as space. The team successfully deciphered the genetic mechanism that makes the midge invulnerable to these harsh conditions.

Glaucoma: New culprit found by researchers Posted: 12 Sep 2014 06:51 PM PDT Endothelial cells in Schlemm's canal -- important for draining fluid from the eye -- are stiffer in eyes with glaucoma than those in healthy eyes, a multi-institution team of researchers has found in a unique study of human ocular cells. The resulting increased flow resistance is responsible for the elevated pressure associated with glaucoma. Therapeutic strategies that alter the stiffness of these cells could lead to a cure for this debilitating disease.

Boosting armor for nuclear-waste eating microbes Posted: 12 Sep 2014 06:51 PM PDT A microbe developed to clean up nuclear waste has just been improved. In earlier research, Gemma Reguera, a microbiologist identified that Geobacter bacteria's tiny conductive hair-like appendages, or pili, did the yeoman's share of remediation. By increasing the strength of the pili nanowires, she improved their ability to clean up uranium and other toxic wastes.

Proteins such as tumor markers can be easily, sensitively detected by their scattered light Posted: 12 Sep 2014 06:51 PM PDT A new biosensor for the scattered light of individual unmarked biomolecules such as proteins and tumor markers may facilitate medical diagnosis. The biodetector uses the interferometric method iSCAT.

Sleep disorders widely undiagnosed in individuals with multiple sclerosis Posted: 12 Sep 2014 06:51 PM PDT Widely undiagnosed sleep disorders may be at the root of the most common and disabling symptom of the disease: fatigue. This is the conclusion of what may be the largest study of sleep problems among individuals with multiple sclerosis, researchers report.

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