ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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• U.S. experiences warm and dry June; drought expands to 56% of lower 48
• June global temperatures fourth highest on record
• Dairy researchers identify bacterial spoilers in milk
• Fifty metric tons of marine debris from Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
• Sweat glands grown from newly identified stem cells
• Solar corona revealed in super-high-definition
• Radiation damage bigger problem in microelectronics than previously thought
• Severe flu increases risk of Parkinson's
• Highly transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity
• Better security for web and mobile applications
• Genetic markers for testosterone, estrogen level regulation identified
• River networks on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, point to a puzzling geologic history
• Paramedics can speed treatment for severe heart attacks with use of ECGs
• Stone Age tools help to streamline modern manufacturing
• Unique mechanism identified in bacteria as potential target for developing new antibiotics
• Key to life in the desert: What new research reveals about the importance of soil crusts
• Eradicating weed species in New Zealand poses a larger challenge than expected
• Stem cell research aids understanding of cancer
• 3-D tumor models improve drug discovery success rate
• Beneficial bacteria may help ward off infection
• Cell research opens new avenues in combating neurodegenerative diseases
• Anxiety disorders in poor moms likely to result from poverty, not mental illness, study suggests
• Parkinson's: Newly discovered antibody could facilitate early diagnosis
• Go-fast 'dimples' may be the secret to running success
• Dominant deer hinds choose the best food
• How hosts recognize bacteria
• 'Seeds' of massive black holes found at the center of the Milky Way galaxy
• Vitamin D may protect lung function in smokers

U.S. experiences warm and dry June; drought expands to 56% of lower 48 Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:55 PM PDT The average temperature for the contiguous U.S. during June was 71.2°F, 2.0°F above the 20th century average, ranking as the 14th warmest June on record. Scorching temperatures during the second half of the month broke or tied over 170 all-time temperature records in cities across America. June temperatures also contributed to a record-warm first half of the year and the warmest 12-month period the nation has experienced since recordkeeping began in 1895.

June global temperatures fourth highest on record Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:49 PM PDT The globally averaged temperature for June 2012 marked the fourth warmest June since record keeping began in 1880. The combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces was 61.03°F, 1.13°F above the 20th century average. June 2012 also marks the 36th consecutive June and 328th consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last below-average temperature June was June 1976 and the last below-average temperature month was February 1985.

Dairy researchers identify bacterial spoilers in milk Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:15 PM PDT Our days of crying over spoiled milk could be over, thanks to food scientists. Milk undergoes heat treatment -- pasteurization -- to kill off microbes that can cause food spoilage and disease, but certain bacterial strains can survive this heat shock as spores and cause milk to curdle in storage.

Fifty metric tons of marine debris from Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:07 PM PDT NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette arrived back in its homeport of Honolulu a few days ago after a month in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The team of 17 scientists collected nearly 50 metric tons of marine debris, which threatens monk seals, sea turtles and other marine life in the coral reef ecosystem, in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI).

Sweat glands grown from newly identified stem cells Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:01 PM PDT To date, few fundamentals have been known about the most common gland in the body, the sweat glands that are essential to controlling body temperature, allowing humans to live in the world's diverse climates. Now, in a tour de force, researchers have identified, in mice, the stem cell from which sweat glands initially develop as well as stem cells that regenerate adult sweat glands.

Solar corona revealed in super-high-definition Posted: 20 Jul 2012 04:55 PM PDT Astronomers have just released the highest-resolution images ever taken of the Sun's corona, or million-degree outer atmosphere, in an extreme-ultraviolet wavelength of light. The 16-megapixel images were captured by NASA's High Resolution Coronal Imager, or Hi-C. The Hi-C telescope provides five times more detail than the next-best observations by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Radiation damage bigger problem in microelectronics than previously thought Posted: 20 Jul 2012 04:54 PM PDT The amount of damage that radiation causes in electronic materials may be at least 10 times greater than previously thought. That is the surprising result of a new characterization method that uses a combination of lasers and acoustic waves to that allows scientists to peer through solid materials to pinpoint the size and location of detects buried deep inside with unprecedented precision.

Severe flu increases risk of Parkinson's Posted: 20 Jul 2012 10:57 AM PDT Severe influenza doubles the odds that a person will develop Parkinson's disease later in life, according to researchers.

Highly transparent solar cells for windows that generate electricity Posted: 20 Jul 2012 10:57 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new transparent solar cell that is an advance toward giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity while still allowing people to see outside.

Better security for web and mobile applications Posted: 20 Jul 2012 10:57 AM PDT When it comes to computer security, who checks the checker? Computer scientists have developed a new tool that could lead to increased security and enhanced performance for commonly used web and mobile applications. Called RockSalt, the clever bit of code can verify that native computer programming languages comply with a particular security policy.

Genetic markers for testosterone, estrogen level regulation identified Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:35 AM PDT Scientists have identified genetic markers that influence a protein involved in regulating estrogen and testosterone levels in the bloodstream.

River networks on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, point to a puzzling geologic history Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:35 AM PDT New findings suggest the surface of Saturn's largest moon may have undergone a recent transformation. For many years, Titan's thick, methane- and nitrogen-rich atmosphere kept astronomers from seeing what lies beneath. Saturn's largest moon appeared through telescopes as a hazy orange orb, in contrast to other heavily cratered moons in the solar system. Researchers have now analyzed images of Titan's river networks and determined that in some regions, rivers have created surprisingly little erosion.

Paramedics can speed treatment for severe heart attacks with use of ECGs Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:35 AM PDT A new program that trains emergency medical service technicians to read electrocardiograms so that they can evaluate patients with chest pain, and expedite treatment for the severe heart condition known as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, a serious form of heart attack, has excellent results and should become the standard of care, according to two new studies.

Stone Age tools help to streamline modern manufacturing Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:35 AM PDT Innovative research uses laser microscopes to explore how stone tools were used in prehistory, and the process has helped streamline surface measurement techniques for modern manufacturers.

Unique mechanism identified in bacteria as potential target for developing new antibiotics Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:34 AM PDT Researchers have identified a unique mechanism in bacteria that has the potential to serve as a target for developing new antibiotics for diseases such as AIDS and soft tissue infections including respiratory and urogenital tracts, which are currently difficult to treat.

Key to life in the desert: What new research reveals about the importance of soil crusts Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:34 AM PDT Biological soil crust organisms found to play an active role in the development of soil structures and the allocation of water and nutrients.

Eradicating weed species in New Zealand poses a larger challenge than expected Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:33 AM PDT New Zealand is a very weedy country. Indigenous plant species are matched in number by naturalized, exotic species, and about 20 new invaders are discovered each year. Thus, a weed eradication program has been under way for the past 10 years, but completely eradicating an unwanted plant species is much more difficult than it might seem.

Stem cell research aids understanding of cancer Posted: 20 Jul 2012 06:22 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a novel marker that plays an important role in our understanding of how cancer develops in the liver, pancreas and esophagus.

3-D tumor models improve drug discovery success rate Posted: 20 Jul 2012 06:22 AM PDT Imagine millions of cancer cells organized in thousands of small divots. Hit these cells with drugs and when some cells die, you have a candidate for a cancer drug. But a new review argues that these 2-D models in fact offer very little information about a potential drug's effects in the body and may often give researchers misleading results.

Beneficial bacteria may help ward off infection Posted: 20 Jul 2012 06:22 AM PDT Scientists have explored the role of Lactobaccilus reuteri -- a natural resident of the human gut -- to protect against food-borne infection.

Cell research opens new avenues in combating neurodegenerative diseases Posted: 20 Jul 2012 06:22 AM PDT Scientists have uncovered how the internal mechanisms in nerve cells wire the brain. The findings open up new avenues in the investigation of neurodegenerative diseases by analyzing the cellular processes underlying these conditions.

Anxiety disorders in poor moms likely to result from poverty, not mental illness, study suggests Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:33 AM PDT Poor mothers are more likely to be classified as having the mental illness known as generalized anxiety disorder because they live in poverty -- not because they are suffering from a psychiatric disorder, according to researchers.

Parkinson's: Newly discovered antibody could facilitate early diagnosis Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:30 AM PDT Conditions such as Parkinson's disease are a result of pathogenic changes to proteins. In the neurodegenerative condition of Parkinson's disease, which is currently incurable, the alpha-synuclein protein changes and becomes pathological. Until now, there have not been any antibodies that could help to demonstrate the change in alpha-synuclein associated with the disease. Medical researchers have now discovered a new antibody that actually possesses this ability.

Go-fast 'dimples' may be the secret to running success Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:30 AM PDT In the run-up to London's 2012 Olympic Games, research revealed by a sports science expert has highlighted how the design of running shoes could boost an athlete's performance.

Dominant deer hinds choose the best food Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:30 AM PDT When food is abundant, it seems that animals do not have to compete but dominant deer hinds still uphold rivalry and select the most nutritious food to maintain their status. This is the case according to a study carried out on the Albacete experimental deer farm in Spain.

How hosts recognize bacteria Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:30 AM PDT We are surrounded by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. The fact that we nevertheless do not fall prey to infections is thanks to certain cellular sensor molecules such as toll-like receptors (TLR), which recognize the molecular structure of pathogens and intercede by ensuring an often completely unnoticeable elimination of the invaders. Their immune-activating abilities were only detected in 1998, a discovery which was awarded with the Nobel Prize. Now scientists are examining the complex recognition of bacteria.

'Seeds' of massive black holes found at the center of the Milky Way galaxy Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:30 AM PDT Many galaxies contain enormous amounts of molecular gas in small areas near their nuclei. Highly condensed molecular gas is a birthplace of lots of stars. Moreover, it is considered to closely relate to activities of galactic nuclei. Therefore, it is important to investigate the physical state and chemical properties of molecular gas at galaxy centers through observation. To obtain detailed observation data, it is best to survey the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in which our solar system exists.

Vitamin D may protect lung function in smokers Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:18 AM PDT Vitamin D deficiency is associated with worse lung function and more rapid decline in lung function over time in smokers, suggesting that vitamin D may have a protective effect against the effects of smoking on lung function, according to a new study.

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