ScienceDaily: Top News

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• NASA views our perpetual ocean
• Farmers of 800-years-ago could teach us how to protect the Amazon -- with raised farming beds
• Consumerism and its antisocial effects can be turned on -- or off
• Nanotechnology used to hunt for hidden pathogens
• Aspirin reduces cancer risk: Is it time to include it in cancer prevention guidelines?
• Immune cells, 'macrophages' become activated by body temperature
• Social stress changes immune system gene expression in primates
• Summer temperature variability may increase mortality risk for elderly with chronic disease
• Identical DNA codes discovered in different plant species
• Neurological support for Adam Smith's 'theories of morality'
• Study links toxic component in herbal remedies to kidney failure and cancer
• Genetic regulator of fat metabolism and muscle fitness discovered
• Two genetic deletions in human genome linked to the development of aggressive prostate cancer
• Rough terrain can channel a tornado's damaging winds, new research suggests
• Study debunks common myth that urine is sterile
• Forest insects and diseases arrive in US via imported plants
• Loss of predators in Northern Hemisphere affecting ecosystem health
• Life expectancy may affect when you get married, divorced, have kids
• Opening the gate to robust quantum computing: New technique for solid-state quantum info processing
• Head and body lice appear to be the same species, genetic study finds
• Black flies may have a purpose after all
• A bit touchy: Plants' insect defenses activated by touch
• NASA spacecraft spot something new on the sun
• 'Nanobubbles' plus chemotherapy equals single-cell cancer targeting
• High-resolution atomic imaging of specimens in liquid by TEM using graphene liquid cell
• Higher altitude of islands increases their number of exclusive species
• Faster, cheaper way found to cool electronic devices
• Novel compound demonstrates anti-leukemic effect in zebrafish, shows promise for human treatment
• Maternal obesity, diabetes associated with autism, other developmental disorders
• New technique determines which patients with homocystinuria are most likely to respond to vitamin B6 treatment based on their genotypes
• Cells on the move: Why some cells stay on track and others don't
• Obesity accounts for 21 percent of U.S. health care costs, study finds
• Bright future for alternative energy with greener solar cells

NASA views our perpetual ocean Posted: 09 Apr 2012 05:44 PM PDT The swirling flows of tens of thousands of ocean currents were captured in a scientific visualization created by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Farmers of 800-years-ago could teach us how to protect the Amazon -- with raised farming beds Posted: 09 Apr 2012 02:59 PM PDT In the face of mass deforestation of the Amazon, recent findings indicate that we could learn from its earliest inhabitants who managed their farmland sustainably. Research shows for the first time that indigenous people, living in the savannas around the Amazonian forest, farmed without using fire. Instead early inhabitants practiced 'raised-field' farming, which involved constructing small agricultural mounds with wooden tools. These raised fields provided better drainage, soil aeration and moisture retention: ideal for an environment that experiences both drought and flooding.

Consumerism and its antisocial effects can be turned on -- or off Posted: 09 Apr 2012 02:59 PM PDT Money doesn't buy happiness. Neither does materialism: research shows that people who place a high value on wealth, status, and stuff are more depressed and anxious and less sociable than those who do not. Now new research shows that materialism is not just a personal problem. It's also environmental.

Nanotechnology used to hunt for hidden pathogens Posted: 09 Apr 2012 02:59 PM PDT Researchers have developed a novel technique that may give doctors a faster and more sensitive tool to detect pathogens associated with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease. The new nanoparticle-based technique also may be used for detection of other microbes that have challenged scientists for centuries because they hide deep in human tissue and are able to reprogram cells to successfully evade the immune system.

Aspirin reduces cancer risk: Is it time to include it in cancer prevention guidelines? Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:45 PM PDT New data demonstrates aspirin's potential role in reducing the risk of cancer death bring us considerably closer to the time when cancer prevention can be included in clinical guidelines for the use of aspirin in preventative care.

Immune cells, 'macrophages' become activated by body temperature Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:45 PM PDT Scientists have identified the mechanism through which TRPM2 is activated by body temperature with hydrogen peroxide produced by immune reactions.

Social stress changes immune system gene expression in primates Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:45 PM PDT The ranking of a monkey within her social environment and the stress accompanying that status dramatically alters the expression of nearly 1,000 genes, a new scientific study reports. The research is the first to demonstrate a link between social status and genetic regulation in primates on a genome-wide scale, revealing a strong, plastic link between social environment and biology.

Summer temperature variability may increase mortality risk for elderly with chronic disease Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:45 PM PDT Seemingly small changes in summer temperature swings -- as little as 1°C more than usual -- may shorten life expectancy for elderly people with chronic medical conditions, and could result in thousands of additional deaths each year, new research suggests.

Identical DNA codes discovered in different plant species Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:44 PM PDT Researchers solved a major biological question by using a groundbreaking computer algorithm to find identical DNA sequences in different plant and animal species.

Neurological support for Adam Smith's 'theories of morality' Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:43 PM PDT The part of the brain we use when engaging in egalitarian behavior may also be linked to a larger sense of morality, researchers have found. Their conclusions, which offer scientific support for Adam Smith's theories of morality, are based on experimental research.

Study links toxic component in herbal remedies to kidney failure and cancer Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:43 PM PDT Aristolochic acid (AA), a component of a plant used in herbal remedies since ancient times, leads to kidney failure and upper urinary tract cancer (UUC) in individuals exposed to the toxin, according to a new study.

Genetic regulator of fat metabolism and muscle fitness discovered Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:43 PM PDT While exercise is accepted universally as the most beneficial prescription physicians can write, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that generate its widespread health benefits. Scientists have shed light on this mystery by discovering that a genetic factor, KLF15, governs the body's ability to burn fat during exercise.

Two genetic deletions in human genome linked to the development of aggressive prostate cancer Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:42 PM PDT Investigators have discovered two inherited-genetic deletions in the human genome linked to development of aggressive prostate cancer. The findings indicate a man's risk of developing prostate cancer either triples or quadruples, depending on the genetic variant they inherit.

Rough terrain can channel a tornado's damaging winds, new research suggests Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:41 PM PDT A doctoral student noticed storm damage far from the path a tornado took through hilly Alabama terrain. He's using a tornado simulator to confirm rough terrain can channel a tornado's damaging winds.

Study debunks common myth that urine is sterile Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:41 PM PDT Researchers have determined that bacteria are present in the bladders of some healthy women, which discredits the common belief that normal urine is sterile.

Forest insects and diseases arrive in US via imported plants Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:39 AM PDT The importation of plants from around the world has become a major industry in the United States, valued at more than $500 billion. According to a new study that economic boon has also had devastating effects on the environment. Researchers found that almost 70 percent of the most damaging non-native forest insects and diseases currently afflicting US forests arrived via imported live plants.

Loss of predators in Northern Hemisphere affecting ecosystem health Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:39 AM PDT A survey done on the loss in the Northern Hemisphere of large predators, particularly wolves, concludes that current populations of moose, deer, and other large herbivores far exceed their historic levels and are contributing to disrupted ecosystems. They are crippling the growth of young trees and reducing biodiversity. This also contributes to deforestation and results in less carbon sequestration, a potential concern with climate change.

Life expectancy may affect when you get married, divorced, have kids Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:39 AM PDT Major life decisions such as marriage, divorce, abortion, having a child and attending university may be subconsciously influenced by how long people believe they will live, according to a new study.

Opening the gate to robust quantum computing: New technique for solid-state quantum info processing Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:39 AM PDT Scientists have overcome a major hurdle facing quantum computing: How to protect quantum information from degradation by the environment while simultaneously performing computation in a solid-state quantum system.

Head and body lice appear to be the same species, genetic study finds Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:39 AM PDT A new study offers compelling genetic evidence that head and body lice are the same species. The finding is of special interest because body lice can transmit deadly bacterial diseases, while head lice do not.

Black flies may have a purpose after all Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:38 AM PDT Black flies drink blood and spread disease such as river blindness -- creating misery with their presence. A new study, however, demonstrates that the pesky insects can be useful.

A bit touchy: Plants' insect defenses activated by touch Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:38 AM PDT Plants can use the sense of touch to fight off fungal infections and insects, new research shows. The study finds the first evidence that plant resistance -- activated by the plant hormone jasmonate -- is triggered by touch. In a study of Arabidopsis thaliana, biochemists found that touched plants had increased levels of jasmonate and increased resistance to insects and fungal disease.

NASA spacecraft spot something new on the sun Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:38 AM PDT One day in the fall of 2011, a solar scientist did what he always does -- look through the daily images of the sun from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. But on this day he saw something he'd never noticed before: A pattern of cells with bright centers and dark boundaries occurring in the sun's atmosphere, the corona.

'Nanobubbles' plus chemotherapy equals single-cell cancer targeting Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:37 AM PDT Using light-harvesting nanoparticles to convert laser energy into "plasmonic nanobubbles," researchers have developed methods for delivering chemotherapy drugs directly into cancer cells. In tests on drug-resistant cancer, the researchers found the methods were up to 30 times more deadly to cancer cells than traditional chemotherapy and required less than one-tenth the clinical dose.

High-resolution atomic imaging of specimens in liquid by TEM using graphene liquid cell Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:37 AM PDT Scientists have developed a technology that enables engineers to observe processes occurring in liquid media on the smallest possible scale which is less than a nanometer.

Higher altitude of islands increases their number of exclusive species Posted: 09 Apr 2012 10:37 AM PDT In the ecosystems of islands with high mountains, endemic animal and vegetation species are twice as isolated, making them even more exclusive. This finding adds the factor of altitude to wider biodiversity.

Faster, cheaper way found to cool electronic devices Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:39 AM PDT Researchers have developed a more efficient, less expensive way of cooling electronic devices – particularly devices that generate a lot of heat, such as lasers and power devices.

Novel compound demonstrates anti-leukemic effect in zebrafish, shows promise for human treatment Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:39 AM PDT A novel anti-leukemia compound with little toxicity successfully treated zebrafish with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), suggesting its potential to become a new highly targeted therapy for humans -- even those resistant to conventional therapies -- according to new results.

Maternal obesity, diabetes associated with autism, other developmental disorders Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:39 AM PDT A major study of the relationships between maternal metabolic conditions and the risk that a child will be born with a neurodevelopmental disorder has found strong links between maternal diabetes and obesity and the likelihood of having a child with autism or another developmental disability.

New technique determines which patients with homocystinuria are most likely to respond to vitamin B6 treatment based on their genotypes Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:32 AM PDT A new technique, surrogate organism genetics, has been used to "swap" yeast genes with human genes sequenced from patients with homocystinuria to determine the gene variants likely to respond to vitamin B6 treatment.

Cells on the move: Why some cells stay on track and others don't Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:32 AM PDT Cells on the move reach forward with lamellipodia and filopodia, cytoplasmic sheets and rods supported by branched networks or tight bundles of actin filaments. Cells without functional lamellipodia are still highly motile but lose their ability to stay on track, report researchers.

Obesity accounts for 21 percent of U.S. health care costs, study finds Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:32 AM PDT Obesity now accounts for almost 21 percent of U.S. health care costs – more than twice the previous estimates, reports a new study. The research, which is the first to show the causal effect of obesity on medical care costs, uses new methods and makes a stronger case for government intervention to prevent obesity.

Bright future for alternative energy with greener solar cells Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:32 AM PDT Research to green alternative energy technologies has led to a dye-sensitized solar cell that uses a bacteria and dye to generate energy. It is also friendlier to the environment and living organisms.

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