ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Gas from pollutants, forest fires at potentially toxic levels
• No evidence of polar warming during penultimate interglacial
• Replacing coal with natural gas would reduce global warming
• Droughts threaten Bornean rainforests
• Largest ancient dam built by Maya in Central America
• Coastal populations are healthier than those inland, UK study finds
• New model of Alzheimer's disease developed
• Toughened silicon sponges may make tenacious batteries
• Weight loss today keeps the doctor away
• Asteroid strikes cause the Moon's surface to smooth
• Neurons derived from cord blood cells may represent new therapeutic option
• Frail, older adults with high blood pressure may have lower risk of mortality
• Amnestic mild cognitive impairment doubles risk of death
• Victory stance may be a universal gesture of triumph, not pride
• Force of nature: Defining the mechanical mechanisms in living cells
• To clean up the mine, let fungus reproduce
• Gold nanoparticles could treat prostate cancer with fewer side effects than chemotherapy
• Cannabis 'pharma factory' discovered
• Human cells, worms, frogs and plants share mechanism for asymmetrical patterning: tubulin proteins
• Rodent robbers good for tropical trees
• Genetically engineered bacteria prevent mosquitoes from transmitting malaria
• Gene therapy treatment extends lives of mice with fatal disease
• Low-cal diet's effects seen in fly brain, mouthpart
• Protein found in spider venom could treat muscular dystrophy
• Sun's coronal mass ejection results in aurora show on Earth
• Record-breaking laser shot: National Ignition Facility fires off 192 laser beams delivering more than 500 trillion watts
• Increased recommended dietary Vitamin C could help reduce heart disease, stroke, cancer
• Deadly liver cancer may be triggered by cells changing identity
• Human eye inspires clog-free ink jet printer
• Laser treatment improves appearance in burn scars, study shows
• Carbon-based transistors ramp up speed and memory for mobile devices
• Researchers almost double light efficiency in LC projectors
• Helper T cells, not killer T cells, might be responsible for clearing hepatitis A infection
• Engineering technology reveals eating habits of giant dinosaurs
• Lab-engineered muscle implants restore function in animals
• Brain power shortage: Applying new rules is mentally taxing and costly
• Getting to the bottom of statistics: Software utilizes data from the Internet for interpreting statistics
• Our brains often fail to notice key words that can change the whole meaning of a sentence
• A lifeline of flowers and stones
• Global warming harms lakes
• New tools facilitate matching cancer drugs with gene targets
• TV habits predict kids' waist size and sporting ability
• Tool created to track real-time chemical changes in brain
• Hip reconstruction technique provides good outcomes for athletes, study suggests
• Brain activity changes may reduce risk of Alzheimer's
• Caution needed with new greenhouse gas emission standards: New model provides lifecycle analysis of 'well-to-wheel' oil sands emissions

Gas from pollutants, forest fires at potentially toxic levels Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:48 PM PDT Forest fires and emission of air pollutants, which include fumes from vehicles running on diesel and slow burning of coal and charcoal, release isocyanic acid in the troposphere. In 2011, scientists first detected isocyanic acid in the ambient atmosphere at levels that are toxic to human populations; at concentrations exceeding 1 parts-per-billion by volume (ppbv), human beings could experience tissue decay when exposed to the toxin.

No evidence of polar warming during penultimate interglacial Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:44 PM PDT The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), driven by temperature and salinity gradients, is an important component of the climate system; it transfers an enormous amount of heat via ocean currents and atmospheric circulation to high northern latitudes and hence has bearing on climate in the region.

Replacing coal with natural gas would reduce global warming Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:43 PM PDT A debate has raged in the past couple of years as to whether natural gas is better or worse overall than coal and oil from a global warming perspective. The back-and-forth findings have been due to the timelines taken into consideration, the details of natural gas extraction, and the electricity-generating efficiency of various fuels. A new analysis which focuses exclusively on potential warming and ignores secondary considerations, such as economic, political, or other environmental concerns, finds that natural gas is better for electricity generation than coal and oil under all realistic circumstances.

Droughts threaten Bornean rainforests Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:42 PM PDT At 130 million years old, the rainforests of Southeast Asia are the oldest in the world and home to thousands of plant and animal species, some endemic to these forests. The rainforests also play important roles in modulating regional rainfall as well in the global carbon cycle.

Largest ancient dam built by Maya in Central America Posted: 16 Jul 2012 04:14 PM PDT Archeologists have identified the largest ancient dam built by the Maya in Central America. They reveal new details about sustainable water and land management among the ancient Maya.

Coastal populations are healthier than those inland, UK study finds Posted: 16 Jul 2012 04:14 PM PDT People living near the coast tend to have better health than those living inland, a new English study shows.

New model of Alzheimer's disease developed Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:32 PM PDT Scientists have developed the first cell-based model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by reprogramming skin cells of Alzheimer's patients to become brain cells that are affected in Alzheimer's. This will allow researchers to work directly on living brain cells suffering from Alzheimer's, which until now had not been possible.

Toughened silicon sponges may make tenacious batteries Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:32 PM PDT Researchers have found a way to make multiple high-performance anodes from a single silicon wafer. The process uses simple silicon to replace graphite as an element in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, laying the groundwork for longer-lasting, more powerful batteries for such applications as commercial electronics and electric vehicles.

Weight loss today keeps the doctor away Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:32 PM PDT Obese individuals visit the doctor more frequently than regular smokers who are at a healthy weight.

Asteroid strikes cause the Moon's surface to smooth Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:31 PM PDT The lunar surface is marred by impact craters, remnants of the collisions that have occurred over the past 4.5 billion years. The Orientale basin, the Moon's most recently formed sizeable crater, stands out from the rest. The crater, which lies along the southwestern boundary between the near and far sides of the moon, appears as a dark spot ringed by concentric circles of ejecta that reach more than 900 kilometers (560 miles) from the impact location. Researchers now propose that whenever a large body slams into the Moon, seismic waves produced during the impact travel through the solid lunar material, inducing seismic shaking that causes landslides and surface settling.

Neurons derived from cord blood cells may represent new therapeutic option Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:29 PM PDT For more than 20 years, doctors have been using cells from blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after childbirth to treat a variety of illnesses, from cancer and immune disorders to blood and metabolic diseases. Now, scientists have found a new way-using a single protein, known as a transcription factor-to convert cord blood (CB) cells into neuron-like cells that may prove valuable for the treatment of a wide range of neurological conditions, including stroke, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.

Frail, older adults with high blood pressure may have lower risk of mortality Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:29 PM PDT A new study suggests that higher blood pressure is associated with lower mortality in extremely frail, elderly adults. The study looked at a nationally representative group of 2,340 adults ages 65 and older. The researchers found that lower blood pressure protected healthier, robust older adults but the same may not be true for their more frail counterparts.

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment doubles risk of death Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:29 PM PDT Researchers have found that people with a form of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease, have twice the risk of dying compared with cognitively normal people. Those with dementia have three times the risk. x

Victory stance may be a universal gesture of triumph, not pride Posted: 16 Jul 2012 12:23 PM PDT When Olympic athletes throw up their arms, clench their fists and grimace after a win, they are displaying triumph through a gesture that is the same across cultures, a new study suggests. New findings suggest this victory pose signals feelings of triumph, challenging previous research that labeled the expression pride.

Force of nature: Defining the mechanical mechanisms in living cells Posted: 16 Jul 2012 12:23 PM PDT Researchers measured mechanical tension at the nanoscale to explore how living cells produce and detect force. The research could lead to a better understanding of how tissues and tumors form and grow, and, ultimately, to how complex living organisms organize themselves.

To clean up the mine, let fungus reproduce Posted: 16 Jul 2012 12:23 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that an Ascomycete fungus that is common in polluted water produces environmentally important minerals during asexual reproduction. The key chemical in the process, superoxide, is a byproduct of fungal growth when the organism produces spores. Once released into the environment, superoxide reacts with the element manganese, producing a highly reactive mineral that aids in the cleanup of toxic metals, degrades carbon substrates, and controls the bioavailability of nutrients.

Gold nanoparticles could treat prostate cancer with fewer side effects than chemotherapy Posted: 16 Jul 2012 12:23 PM PDT Scientists have found a more efficient way of targeting prostate tumors by using gold nanoparticles and a compound found in tea leaves. This new treatment would require doses that are thousands of times smaller than chemotherapy and do not travel through the body inflicting damage to healthy areas.

Cannabis 'pharma factory' discovered Posted: 16 Jul 2012 12:16 PM PDT Researchers have discovered the chemical pathway that cannabis sativa uses to create bioactive compounds, paving the way for the development of marijuana varieties to produce pharmaceuticals or cannabinoid-free industrial hemp.

Human cells, worms, frogs and plants share mechanism for asymmetrical patterning: tubulin proteins Posted: 16 Jul 2012 12:16 PM PDT As organisms develop, their internal organs arrange in a consistent asymmetrical pattern -- heart and stomach to the left, liver and appendix to the right. But how does this happen? Biologists have produced the first evidence that a class of proteins that make up a cell's skeleton -- tubulin proteins -- drives asymmetrical patterning across a broad spectrum of species, including plants, nematode worms, frogs, and human cells, at their earliest stages of development.

Rodent robbers good for tropical trees Posted: 16 Jul 2012 12:16 PM PDT A groundbreaking yearlong study in Panama suggests that squirrel-like agoutis have taken on the seed-spreading role of extinct mastodons and other elephant-like creatures, helping the black palm tree survive in the rainforest.

Genetically engineered bacteria prevent mosquitoes from transmitting malaria Posted: 16 Jul 2012 12:16 PM PDT Researchers have genetically modified a bacterium commonly found in the mosquito's midgut and found that the parasite that causes malaria in people does not survive in mosquitoes carrying the modified bacterium.

Gene therapy treatment extends lives of mice with fatal disease Posted: 16 Jul 2012 11:27 AM PDT Scientists have found that introducing a missing gene into the central nervous system could help extend the lives of patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) -- the leading genetic cause of infantile death in the world.

Low-cal diet's effects seen in fly brain, mouthpart Posted: 16 Jul 2012 11:27 AM PDT Neurotransmission is increased in fruit fly disease models that eat less, a new study shows. The study utilized a novel system to analyze the impact of diet on life span, motor behavior and neurotransmission, which is believed to underlie most neurological disorders in humans.

Protein found in spider venom could treat muscular dystrophy Posted: 16 Jul 2012 11:26 AM PDT When a stockbroker from the Buffalo suburbs discovered that his grandson had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, he turned to medical researchers for help in developing a treatment. He found a promising new therapy involving spider venom. The therapy is not a cure. But if it works in humans, it could extend lives for years -- maybe even decades.

Sun's coronal mass ejection results in aurora show on Earth Posted: 16 Jul 2012 10:53 AM PDT Over the July 14-15, 2012 weekend and through the early morning of July 16, Earth experienced what's called a geomagnetic storm, which happens when the magnetic bubble around Earth, the magnetosphere, quickly changes shape and size in response to incoming energy from the sun. In this case that energy came from a coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with a July 12 X-class flare.

Record-breaking laser shot: National Ignition Facility fires off 192 laser beams delivering more than 500 trillion watts Posted: 16 Jul 2012 10:45 AM PDT Fifteen years of work by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) team paid off on July 5 with a historic record-breaking laser shot. The NIF laser system of 192 beams delivered more than 500 trillion watts (terawatts or TW) of peak power and 1.85 megajoules (MJ) of ultraviolet laser light to its target. Five hundred terawatts is 1,000 times more power than the United States uses at any instant in time, and 1.85 megajoules of energy is about 100 times what any other laser regularly produces today.

Increased recommended dietary Vitamin C could help reduce heart disease, stroke, cancer Posted: 16 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT The recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, of vitamin C is less than half what it should be, scientists argue in a recent report, because medical experts insist on evaluating this natural, but critical nutrient in the same way they do pharmaceutical drugs and reach faulty conclusions as a result. At higher levels, it could help prevent serious diseases, they say.

Deadly liver cancer may be triggered by cells changing identity Posted: 16 Jul 2012 09:50 AM PDT A rare type of cancer thought to derive from cells in the bile ducts of the liver may actually develop when one type of liver cell morphs into a totally different type, a process scientists used to consider all but impossible. UCSF researchers triggered this kind of cellular transformation -- and caused tumors to form in mice -- by activating just two genes. Their discovery suggests that drugs that are able to target those genes may provide a way to treat the deadly cancer, known as cholangiocarcinoma.

Human eye inspires clog-free ink jet printer Posted: 16 Jul 2012 09:50 AM PDT Clogged printer nozzles waste time and money while reducing print quality. Engineers recently invented a clog-preventing nozzle cover by mimicking the human eye.

Laser treatment improves appearance in burn scars, study shows Posted: 16 Jul 2012 09:50 AM PDT Burn and skin specialists have conclusively shown that use of a pulsed-dye laser tool improves the appearance, texture and elasticity of burn scars. The study compared the use of the laser and compression therapy on scars against compression therapy alone for pediatric burn patients.

Carbon-based transistors ramp up speed and memory for mobile devices Posted: 16 Jul 2012 09:49 AM PDT By using carbon molecules called C60 to build a sophisticated new memory transistor, scientists have found a way to increase both speed and memory on mobile devices -- and the solution is ready to be produced at existing high-tech fabrication facilities.

Researchers almost double light efficiency in LC projectors Posted: 16 Jul 2012 09:47 AM PDT Researchers have developed new technology to convert unpolarized light into polarized light, which makes projectors that use liquid crystal technology almost twice as energy efficient. The new technology has resulted in smaller, lower cost and more efficient projectors, meaning longer battery life and significantly lower levels of heat.

Helper T cells, not killer T cells, might be responsible for clearing hepatitis A infection Posted: 16 Jul 2012 09:43 AM PDT Helper cells traditionally thought to only assist killer white blood cells may be the frontline warriors when battling hepatitis A infection.

Engineering technology reveals eating habits of giant dinosaurs Posted: 16 Jul 2012 07:12 AM PDT High-tech technology, traditionally usually used to design racing cars and aeroplanes, has helped researchers to understand how plant-eating dinosaurs fed 150 million years ago. A team of international researchers used CT scans and biomechanical modelling to show that Diplodocus -- one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered -- had a skull adapted to strip leaves from tree branches.

Lab-engineered muscle implants restore function in animals Posted: 16 Jul 2012 07:10 AM PDT New research shows that exercise is a key step in building a muscle-like implant in the lab with the potential to repair muscle damage from injury or disease. In mice, these implants successfully prompt the regeneration and repair of damaged or lost muscle tissue, resulting in significant functional improvement.

Brain power shortage: Applying new rules is mentally taxing and costly Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:19 AM PDT Can you teach an old dog (or human) new tricks? Yes, but it might take time, practice, and hard work before he or she gets it right, according to new research. Their work shows that when rules change, our attempts to control our actions are accompanied by a loss of attention to detail.

Getting to the bottom of statistics: Software utilizes data from the Internet for interpreting statistics Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:19 AM PDT Interpreting the results of statistical surveys, e.g., Transparency Internation­al's corruption indices, is not always a simple matter. As Dr. Heiko Paulheim of the Knowledge Engineering Group at the TU Darmstadt's Computer Sciences Dept. put it, "Although methods that will unearth explanations for statistics are available, they are confined to utilizing data contained in the statistics involved. Further, background information will not be taken into account. That is what led us to the idea of applying data-mining methods that we had been studying here to the semantic web in order to obtain further, background infor­ma­tion that will allow us to learn more from statistics."

Our brains often fail to notice key words that can change the whole meaning of a sentence Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:19 AM PDT After a plane crash, where should the survivors be buried? If you are considering where the most appropriate burial place should be, you are not alone. Scientists have found that around half the people asked this question, answer it as if they were being asked about the victims not the survivors. Far from processing every word we read or hear, our brains often do not even notice key words that can change the whole meaning of a sentence, according to new research.

A lifeline of flowers and stones Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:19 AM PDT Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more treatable than previously thought. A novel method has shown to be remarkably effective. The method, called Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), is an intervention aimed at reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Global warming harms lakes Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:19 AM PDT Global warming affects lakes. Based on the example of Lake Zurich, researchers have demonstrated that there is insufficient water turnover in the lake during the winter and harmful Burgundy blood algae are increasingly thriving. The warmer temperatures are thus compromising the successful lake clean-ups of recent decades.

New tools facilitate matching cancer drugs with gene targets Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:04 AM PDT A new study details how a suite of web-based tools provides the research community with greatly improved capacity to compare data derived from large collections of genomic information against thousands of drugs. By comparing drugs and genetic targets, researchers can more easily identify pharmaceuticals that could be effective against different forms of cancer.

TV habits predict kids' waist size and sporting ability Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:03 AM PDT Each hour of TV watched by a two- to four-year- old contributes to his or her waist circumference by the end of grade 4 and his or her ability to perform in sports, according to a new study.

Tool created to track real-time chemical changes in brain Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:03 AM PDT Researchers have found a novel way to monitor real-time chemical changes in the brains of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Hip reconstruction technique provides good outcomes for athletes, study suggests Posted: 15 Jul 2012 09:19 AM PDT A common, painful hip condition in elite athletes may be able to be repaired with an improved surgical technique, according to new research.

Brain activity changes may reduce risk of Alzheimer's Posted: 15 Jul 2012 09:19 AM PDT Activity lingers longer in certain areas of the brain in those with Alzheimer's than it does in healthy people, researchers who created a map of the brain found. The results suggest varying brain activity may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Caution needed with new greenhouse gas emission standards: New model provides lifecycle analysis of 'well-to-wheel' oil sands emissions Posted: 13 Jul 2012 09:29 AM PDT Researchers developed a new model called GHOST (GreenHouse gas emissions of current Oil Sands Technologies), which accounted for the 'upstream' GHG emissions combined with information in the scientific literature on 'downstream' emissions.

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