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Tuesday, October 21, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


Salmonella-infected mice that were given antibiotics became superspreaders

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 06:29 PM PDT

Some people infected with pathogens spread their germs to others while remaining symptom-free themselves. Now, investigators believe they may know why. In a new study, Salmonella-infected mice that were given antibiotics became sicker and began shedding far more bacteria in their feces than they had before.

Mental rest and reflection boost learning, study suggests

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 06:27 PM PDT

A new study, which may have implications for approaches to education, finds that brain mechanisms engaged when people allow their minds to rest and reflect on things they've learned before may boost later learning.

Three people infected with Ebola predicted to fly from West Africa every month if no exit screening takes place

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 06:24 PM PDT

Three Ebola-infected travelers are predicted to depart on an international flight every month from any of the three countries in West Africa currently experiencing widespread Ebola virus outbreaks (Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone), if no exit screening were to take place, according to new modeling research.

See-through sensors open new window into the brain

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 06:23 PM PDT

Developing invisible implantable medical sensor arrays, a team of engineers has overcome a major technological hurdle in researchers' efforts to understand the brain. The team has now described its technology, which has applications in fields ranging from neuroscience to cardiac care and even contact lenses.

Scientists restore hearing in noise-deafened mice, pointing way to new therapies

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 06:23 PM PDT

Scientists have restored the hearing of mice partly deafened by noise, using advanced tools to boost the production of a key protein in their ears. By demonstrating the importance of the protein, called NT3, in maintaining communication between the ears and brain, these new findings pave the way for research in humans that could improve treatment of hearing loss caused by noise exposure and normal aging.

Massive debris pile reveals risk of huge tsunamis in Hawaii

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 09:15 AM PDT

A mass of marine debris discovered in a giant sinkhole in the Hawaiian islands provides evidence that at least one mammoth tsunami, larger than any in Hawaii's recorded history, has struck the islands, and that a similar disaster could happen again, new research finds. Scientists are reporting that a wall of water up to nine meters (30 feet) high surged onto Hawaiian shores about 500 years ago. A 9.0-magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Aleutian Islands triggered the mighty wave, which left behind up to nine shipping containers worth of ocean sediment in a sinkhole on the island of Kauai.

Brain activity provides evidence for internal 'calorie counter'

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 07:55 AM PDT

As you think about how a food will taste and whether it's nutritious, an internal calorie counter of sorts is also evaluating each food based on its caloric density, according to findings from a new neuroimaging study.

Physicists build reversible laser tractor beam

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 07:50 AM PDT

Physicists have built a tractor beam that can repel and attract objects, using a hollow laser beam, bright around the edges and dark in its center. It is the first long-distance optical tractor beam, 100 times larger than previous ones.

New antidepressant: Rapid agent restores pleasure-seeking ahead of other antidepressant action

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 07:50 AM PDT

A drug being studied as a fast-acting mood-lifter restored pleasure-seeking behavior independent of -- and ahead of -- its other antidepressant effects. Within 40 minutes after a single infusion of ketamine, treatment-resistant depressed bipolar disorder patients experienced a reversal of a key symptom -- loss of interest in pleasurable activities -- which lasted up to 14 days. Brain scans traced the agent's action to boosted activity in areas at the front and deep in the right hemisphere of the brain.

Origins of sex discovered: Side-by-side copulation in distant ancestors

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 07:38 AM PDT

A palaeontologist has revealed how the intimate act of sexual intercourse first evolved in our deep distant ancestors. In one of the biggest discoveries in the evolutionary history of sexual reproduction, scientists have found that internal fertilization and copulation appeared in ancient armored fishes, called placoderms, about 385 million years ago in what is now Scotland.

Roman Gladiators ate a mostly vegetarian diet and drank a tonic of ashes after training

Posted: 20 Oct 2014 06:00 AM PDT

Roman gladiators ate a mostly vegetarian diet and drank ashes after training as a tonic. These are the findings of anthropological investigations carried out on bones of warriors found during excavations in the ancient city of Ephesos.

Artificial light, biological clock disruptions, increase breast cancer risk, study finds

Posted: 17 Oct 2014 03:37 PM PDT

The disruption of a person's circadian rhythm -- their 24-hour biological clock -- has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, according to new research. The culprit, in this study in particular, is artificial light. 'Exposure to artificial light leads to a significantly higher risk for developing breast cancer,' said one investigator.

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