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Saturday, September 8, 2012

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


Fathers biologically attuned to their children when sleeping nearby, research reveals

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 01:52 PM PDT

Mothers aren't the only ones who are biologically adapted to respond to children. New research shows that dads who sleep near their children experience a drop in testosterone. Previous research from humans and other species suggests this decrease might make men more responsive to their children's needs and help them focus on the demands of parenthood.

How sea otters can reduce CO2 in the atmosphere: Appetite for sea urchins allows kelp to thrive

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 01:14 PM PDT

A new study suggest that a thriving sea otter population that keeps sea urchins in check will in turn allow kelp forests to prosper and help reverse a principal cause of global warming.

New approach to cosmic lithium in the early universe

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 01:14 PM PDT

Astrophysicists have explored a discrepancy between the amount of lithium predicted by the standard models of elemental production during the Big Bang and the amount of lithium observed in the gas of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy near to our own.

Hubble resolves globular cluster M 4 into multitude of glowing orbs

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 11:51 AM PDT

A sparkling picture taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the center of globular cluster M 4. The power of Hubble has resolved the cluster into a multitude of glowing orbs, each a colossal nuclear furnace.

Precautions for tick-borne disease extend 'beyond Lyme'

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 11:23 AM PDT

This year's mild winter and early spring were a bonanza for tick populations in the eastern United States. Reports of tick-borne disease rose fast. While Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, new research results emphasize that it is not the greatest cause for concern in most Southeastern states.

First look at structure of vital molecule

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 10:16 AM PDT

Molybdenum is an essential metal required in all living beings from bacteria to plants to humans. But as vital as this metal is, no one understood the importance of the structure of a vital molecule that interacts with molybdenum until now.

Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) early in life results in high levels of anxiety; Soy mitigates effects, study shows

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 10:16 AM PDT

New research led by researchers at North Carolina State University shows that exposure to the chemical bisphenol A early in life results in high levels of anxiety by causing significant gene expression changes in a specific region of the brain called the amygdala. The researchers also found that a soy-rich diet can mitigate these effects.

Arizona's Sun Corridor: White roofs can combat urban heat islands, but not without impact on regional hydroclimate

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 10:16 AM PDT

A team of researchers in Arizona has found that warming resulting from megapolitan expansion is seasonally dependent, with greatest warming occurring during summer and least during winter. Among the most practical ways to combat urbanization-induced warming -- the painting of building's roofs white -- was found to disrupt regional hydroclimate, highlighting the need for evaluation of tradeoffs associated with combating urban heat islands.

Work with germ-killing copper could save thousands of lives

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 10:15 AM PDT

When Adam Estelle graduated from the University of Arizona's materials science and engineering program four years ago, he had no idea he would be involved in saving thousands of lives. Now, Estelle is working with technology based on copper alloys that kill bacteria, fungi and viruses. The metals can be fashioned into everything from IV poles to sinks to bed rails -- just about anything that is frequently touched in hospitals.

Scientists cast doubt on Heisenberg's uncertainty principle

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 09:51 AM PDT

Werner Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, formulated by the theoretical physicist in 1927, is one of the cornerstones of quantum mechanics. The principle has bedeviled quantum physicists for nearly a century, until recently, when researchers demonstrated the ability to directly measure the disturbance caused by measuring a property of something, and confirm that Heisenberg was too pessimistic.

Novel surgery removes rare tumor, rebuilds face and jaw

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 09:51 AM PDT

Using a novel surgical approach, it's possible to rebuild a functional lower jaw and mouth, and preserve a patient's ability to eat and speak after removing an invasive facial tumor, according to a new report.

World record set for highest surface area material

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 09:51 AM PDT

The internal surface area of just one gram of the synthetic material NU-110 could cover one-and-a-half football fields. That extremely high surface area could make the material especially promising for natural gas storage applications.

Stress prompts some to retain as much salt as eating fries, study finds

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 09:50 AM PDT

When stressed, about 30 percent of blacks hold onto too much sodium, the equivalent of eating a small order of fast food French fries or a small bag of potato chips, according to new research.

Ancient, humble critter proves: Newer isn’t always better

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 08:16 AM PDT

Tiny sea creatures called rhabdopleurids reside on the ocean floor, building homes of collagen on the shells of dead clams. Rhabdopleurid colonies are small, and the critters are by no means the dominant animals in their ecosystem. But they have lived this way -- and survived -- for more than 500 million years. And in doing so, they have outlasted more elaborate species that also descended from a common ancestor, according to a new study.

Rust never sleeps: Observations of electron hopping in iron oxide hold consequences for environment and energy

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 06:58 AM PDT

A multi-institutional team has directly observed electron hopping in iron oxide particles, a phenomenon that holds huge significance for a broad range of environment- and energy-related applications.

Strategy developed to improve delivery of medicines to the brain

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 06:55 AM PDT

New research offers a possible strategy for treating central nervous system diseases, such as brain and spinal cord injury, brain cancer, epilepsy, and neurological complications of HIV. The experimental treatment method allows small therapeutic agents to safely cross the blood-brain barrier in laboratory rats by turning off P-glycoprotein, one of the main gatekeepers preventing medicinal drugs from reaching their intended targets in the brain.

Towards computing with water droplets: Superhydrophobic droplet logic

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 05:20 AM PDT

Researchers in Finland have developed a new concept for computing, using water droplets as bits of digital information. This was enabled by the discovery that upon collision with each other on a highly water-repellent surface, two water droplets rebound like billiard balls.

Archaeologists uncover 'lost garden' in quest for Richard III

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 05:20 AM PDT

Archaeologists from the UK who are leading the search for the lost grave of King Richard III announced that they have made a new advance in their quest. They have uncovered evidence of the lost garden of Robert Herrick -- where, historically, it is recorded there was a memorial to Richard III. Now the "time tomb team" as they have become to be known has discovered paving stones which they believe belong to the garden.

Melanoma manifests differently in children than in adults, study finds

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:24 AM PDT

Physicians studying melanoma and related conditions occurring in childhood recently published results of their experience with cases of pathologically confirmed childhood melanoma. They found evidence that the disease manifests differently in children than in adults, particularly with regard to the likelihood and significance of lymph node metastases.

The birdy smell of a compatible partner

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:23 AM PDT

New evidence shows that birds may choose their mate with the help of smell. They prefer a dissimilar mate because this gives their young a more efficient immune system.

The pocket radar: Thumbtack-sized distance and motion sensor developed

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:23 AM PDT

Today's parking assistant systems enable drivers to safely park their cars even in the narrowest of gaps. Such sophisticated parking aids require millimeter precision control and rely on precise all-around radar distance measurement. Researchers have now succeeded in integrating the necessary radar technology into millimeter-sized chip housings.

Needle beam could eliminate signal loss in on-chip optics

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:23 AM PDT

An international team of researchers has demonstrated a new type of light beam that propagates without spreading outwards, remaining very narrow and controlled along an unprecedented distance. This "needle beam," as the team calls it, could greatly reduce signal loss for on-chip optical systems and may eventually assist the development of a more powerful class of microprocessors.

Red flag raised on offbeat hearts

Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:18 AM PDT

An estimated 2.5 million Americans suffer from irregular heartbeats -- also known as atrial fibrillation. The incidence of this potentially life changing cardiovascular condition is on the rise and expected to more than double by 2050.

Raised antibody levels linked to greater long term risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Posted: 06 Sep 2012 04:08 PM PDT

Men and women with raised levels of an antibody known as rheumatoid factor in their blood have up to a 26-fold greater long term risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, a new study finds.

Diagnostic chest radiation before age 30 may increase breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers

Posted: 06 Sep 2012 04:08 PM PDT

Women carrying a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes (which control the suppression of breast and ovarian cancer) who have undergone diagnostic radiation to the chest before the age of 30 are more likely to develop breast cancer than those who carry the gene mutation but who have not been exposed, a new study reveals.

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