ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Amplifier helps diamond spy on atoms
• Synesthesia linked to a hyper-excitable brain
• Starlings help to explain irrational preferences
• Being told painting is fake changes brain's response to art
• 'Alien' eggs benefit mockingbirds
• Mystery of car battery's current solved
• New tool offers unprecedented access for root studies
• Can nerve growth factor gene therapy prevent diabetic heart disease?
• Hypertension treatment associated with long-term improvement in life expectancy
• Increase in resting heart rate over 10-year period linked with increased risk of heart disease death
• Mediterranean diet gives longer life, Swedish study suggests
• A single cell endoscope
• First Earth-size planets beyond our solar system: Smallest exoplanets ever confirmed around a star like our sun
• Will Antarctic worms warm to changing climate?
• How bacteria build homes inside healthy cells
• Self-healing electronics could work longer and reduce waste
• Forest health versus global warming: Fuel reduction likely to increase carbon emissions
• New take on impacts of low dose radiation
• Breastfeeding promotes healthy growth
• New evidence for complex molecules on Pluto's surface
• Boron nanoribbons reveal surprising thermal properties in bundles
• Nanometer-scale growth of cone cells tracked in living human eye
• New device for rapid, mobile detection of brain injury
• New method significantly reduces production costs of fuel cells
• Scientists identify an innate function of vitamin E
• New candidate vaccine neutralizes all tested strains of malaria parasite
• Cerebrospinal fluid test can pick up Alzheimer's before symptoms appear
• Climate sensitivity greater than previously believed
• Sensing the deep ocean
• Turn 'signals' for neuron growth identified
• Ion channel makes African naked mole-rat insensitive to acid-induced pain
• Ironing out the details of the Earth's core
• Human skull is highly integrated: Study sheds new light on evolutionary changes
• The role of Internet pharmacies in prescription drug abuse

Amplifier helps diamond spy on atoms Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:44 PM PST An 'amplifier' molecule placed on the tip of a diamond could help scientists locate and identify individual atoms, scientists believe.

Synesthesia linked to a hyper-excitable brain Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:40 PM PST Hyper-excitability' in regions of the brain may underlie synesthesia, an unusual condition where some people experience a 'blending of the senses', new researchers suggest.

Starlings help to explain irrational preferences Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:31 PM PST Research into decision-making by European starlings may help to explain why many animals, including humans, sometimes exhibit irrational preferences.

Being told painting is fake changes brain's response to art Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:26 PM PST Being told that a work of art is authentic or fake alters the brain's response to the visual content of artwork, academics have found.

'Alien' eggs benefit mockingbirds Posted: 20 Dec 2011 04:48 PM PST Mockingbirds rarely remove the 'alien' eggs parasitic cowbirds lay in their nests because keeping them dilutes the risk of their own eggs being attacked.

Mystery of car battery's current solved Posted: 20 Dec 2011 04:33 PM PST Chemists have solved the 150 year-old mystery of what gives the lead-acid battery, found under the bonnet of most cars, its unique ability to deliver a surge of current.

New tool offers unprecedented access for root studies Posted: 20 Dec 2011 02:26 PM PST Due to the difficulty of accessing root tissue in intact live plants, research of these hidden parts has always lagged behind research on the more visible parts of plants. But now: a new technology could revolutionize root research.

Can nerve growth factor gene therapy prevent diabetic heart disease? Posted: 20 Dec 2011 02:26 PM PST New research has investigated if nerve growth factor gene therapy can prevent diabetic heart failure and small vascular disease in mice.

Hypertension treatment associated with long-term improvement in life expectancy Posted: 20 Dec 2011 02:26 PM PST Patients with systolic hypertension who were treated with the diuretic chlorthalidone for 4.5 years as part of a clinical trial had a significantly lower rate of death and a gain in life expectancy free from cardiovascular death about 20 years later compared to patients who received placebo, according to a new study.

Increase in resting heart rate over 10-year period linked with increased risk of heart disease death Posted: 20 Dec 2011 02:26 PM PST In a study that enrolled nearly 30,000 apparently healthy men and women, those who had an increase in their resting heart rate over a 10-year period had an increased risk of death from all causes and from ischemic heart disease, according to a new study.

Mediterranean diet gives longer life, Swedish study suggests Posted: 20 Dec 2011 12:41 PM PST A Mediterranean diet with large amounts of vegetables and fish gives a longer life, according to Swedish research. A number of studies since the 1950s have shown that a Mediterranean diet, based on a high consumption of fish and vegetables and a low consumption of animal-based products such as meat and milk, leads to better health.

A single cell endoscope Posted: 20 Dec 2011 12:40 PM PST Researchers have developed a nanowire endoscope that can provide high-resolution optical images of the interior of a single living cell, or precisely deliver genes, proteins, therapeutic drugs or other cargo without injuring or damaging the cell.

First Earth-size planets beyond our solar system: Smallest exoplanets ever confirmed around a star like our sun Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:40 AM PST NASA's Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-size planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system. The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are too close to their star to be in the so-called habitable zone where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface, but they are the smallest exoplanets ever confirmed around a star like our sun. The discovery marks the next important milestone in the ultimate search for planets like Earth. The new planets are thought to be rocky. Kepler-20e is slightly smaller than Venus, measuring 0.87 times the radius of Earth. Kepler-20f is slightly larger than Earth, measuring 1.03 times its radius. Both planets reside in a five-planet system called Kepler-20, approximately 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra.

Will Antarctic worms warm to changing climate? Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:39 AM PST Researchers are examining tiny worms that inhabit the frigid sea off Antarctica to learn not only how these organisms adapt to the severe cold, but how they will survive as ocean temperatures increase.

How bacteria build homes inside healthy cells Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:39 AM PST Bacteria are able to build camouflaged homes for themselves inside healthy cells. A team that revealed how a pair of proteins from the bacteria Legionella pneumophila, which causes Legionnaires disease, alters a host protein in order to divert raw materials within the cell for use in building and disguising a large structure that houses the bacteria as it replicates.

Self-healing electronics could work longer and reduce waste Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:39 AM PST Engineers have developed a self-healing system that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit in less time than it takes to blink. As a crack propagates, microcapsules filled with liquid metal break open and the liquid fills the gap, restoring electrical flow. The technology is especially attractive for applications where repair is impossible, such as a battery, or finding the source of a failure is difficult, such as an air- or spacecraft.

Forest health versus global warming: Fuel reduction likely to increase carbon emissions Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:39 AM PST Forest thinning to help prevent or reduce severe wildfire will release more carbon to the atmosphere than any amount saved by successful fire prevention. There may be valid reasons to thin forests – such as restoration of forest structure or health, wildlife enhancement or public safety – but increased carbon sequestration is not one of them.

New take on impacts of low dose radiation Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:39 AM PST Working with a special line of human breast cells, researchers have shown that for low dose levels of ionizing radiation cancer risks may not be directly proportional to dose. This contradicts the standard model for predicting biological damage from ionizing radiation, which holds that risk is directly proportional to dose at all levels of irradiation.

Breastfeeding promotes healthy growth Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:39 AM PST Breastfed children follow a different growth pattern than non-breastfed children, new research shows. Breastfeeding lowers the levels of the growth hormones IGF-I and insulin in the blood, which means that growth is slightly slower. This is believed to reduce the risk of overweight and diabetes later in life.

New evidence for complex molecules on Pluto's surface Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:38 AM PST Astronomers have discovered a strong ultraviolet-wavelength absorber on Pluto's surface, providing new evidence that points to the possibility of complex hydrocarbon and/or nitrile molecules lying on the surface.

Boron nanoribbons reveal surprising thermal properties in bundles Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:38 AM PST Researchers looking at the thermal conductivity of bundles boron nanoribbons have found that they have unusually high heat-transfer capabilities. Contrary to past experiments with similar nanomaterial bundles, the study shows that the thermal conductivity of a bundle of boron nanoribbons can be significantly higher than that a single nanoribbon. Experimental results indicate that the geometry of the ribbons is responsible for the higher conductivity and point to potential method for creating a thermal switch.

Nanometer-scale growth of cone cells tracked in living human eye Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:37 AM PST Vision scientists have come up with a novel way to make the measurements in a living human retina by using information hidden within a commonly used technique called optical coherence tomography.

New device for rapid, mobile detection of brain injury Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:37 AM PST Scientists have created a handheld device capable of quickly detecting brain injuries such as hematomas. The prototype for the hematoma detection device is based on the concept of using instrumental motion as a signal in near-infrared imaging.

New method significantly reduces production costs of fuel cells Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:37 AM PST Researchers have developed a new and significantly cheaper method of manufacturing fuel cells. A noble metal nanoparticle catalyst for fuel cells is prepared using atomic layer deposition.

Scientists identify an innate function of vitamin E Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:37 AM PST It's rubbed on the skin to reduce signs of aging and consumed by athletes to improve endurance but scientists now have the first evidence of one of vitamin E's normal body functions. The powerful antioxidant found in most foods helps repair tears in the plasma membranes that protect cells from outside forces and screen what enters and exits, new research shows.

New candidate vaccine neutralizes all tested strains of malaria parasite Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:37 AM PST A new candidate malaria vaccine has the potential to neutralize all strains of the most deadly species of malaria parasite.

Cerebrospinal fluid test can pick up Alzheimer's before symptoms appear Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:35 AM PST Analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid can detect whether a person has Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear. Researchers have studied biomarkers that offer more reliable diagnosis and, in the longer term, the possibility of effective new treatments.

Climate sensitivity greater than previously believed Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:35 AM PST Many of the particles in the atmosphere are produced by the natural world, and it is possible that plants have in recent decades reduced the effects of the greenhouse gases to which human activity has given rise. One consequence of this is that the climate may be more sensitive to emissions caused by human activity than we have previously believed.

Sensing the deep ocean Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:26 AM PST Sensorbots are spherical devices equipped with biogeochemical sensors, that promise to open a new chapter in the notoriously challenging exploration of earth's largest ecosystem -- the ocean.

Turn 'signals' for neuron growth identified Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:26 AM PST Researchers have discovered how spinning microparticles can direct the growth of nerve fiber, a discovery that could allow for directed growth of neuronal networks on a chip and improve methods for treating spinal or brain injuries.

Ion channel makes African naked mole-rat insensitive to acid-induced pain Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:25 AM PST Researchers have found out why the African naked mole-rat, one of the world's most unusual mammals, feels no pain when exposed to acid. The animals have an altered ion channel in their pain receptors that is inactivated by acid and makes the animals insensitive to this type of pain.

Ironing out the details of the Earth's core Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:25 AM PST Identifying the composition of the earth's core is key to understanding how our planet formed and the current behavior of its interior. While it has been known for many years that iron is the main element in the core, many questions have remained about just how iron behaves under the conditions found deep in the earth. Now, a team led by mineral-physics researchers has homed in on those behaviors by conducting extremely high-pressure experiments on the element.

Human skull is highly integrated: Study sheds new light on evolutionary changes Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:22 AM PST Scientists studying a unique collection of human skulls have shown that changes to the skull shape thought to have occurred independently through separate evolutionary events may have actually precipitated each other.

The role of Internet pharmacies in prescription drug abuse Posted: 19 Dec 2011 05:38 PM PST Efforts to halt the growing abuse of prescription drugs must include addressing the availability of these drugs on the Internet and increasing physician awareness of the dangers posed by Internet pharmacies, according to experts.

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