ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Vitamin D can help infection-prone patients avoid respiratory tract infection
• Wearable technology can monitor rehabilitation
• Large study identifies risk factors for multiple myeloma
• Climate warming unlikely to cause near-term extinction of ancient Amazon trees, but multiple threats to the forest remain
• Researchers find first evidence of Ice Age wolves in Nevada
• Team solves mystery associated with DNA repair
• Light used to remotely trigger biochemical reactions
• Engineers roll up their sleeves -- and then do same with inductors
• Three new species of venomous primate identified; May help protect rare primate from illegal trades
• Age not factor in immunity to viruses, researchers find
• Ebola virus uses a protein decoy to subvert the host immune response
• Psychosocial distress associated with increased stroke risk
• Study reveals a remarkable symmetry in black hole jets
• Congenital heart defects could have their origin during very early pregnancy
• Researchers identify target to help protect kidney patients’ heart health
• Dark Ages scourge enlightens modern struggle between humans and microbes
• Key gene for brain development
• Predatory fungi are listening for worms, then devouring prey
• NASA probes prepare for mission-ending moon impact
• Tracing humanity's African ancestry may mean rewriting 'out of Africa' dates
• Bubble study could improve industrial splash control
• 'Two-faced' cells discovered in colon cancer
• New culprit in castration-resistant prostate cancer
• Insurance industry paying increasing attention to climate change
• Cancer scientists identify a new layer of complexity within human colon cancer: Shed light on resistance to treatment
• Lowering barriers to DNA-based nanomanufacturing
• Pheromone helps mice remember where to find a mate
• Building better structural materials
• For every species of mammal, 300 arthropod species lurk in rainforest
• Sharp rise in admissions for certain drug combinations over 10 years
• Study promoting coffee drinking benefits needs more research, says dentist
• Video-game users: Who are sports gamers?
• Generic drugs often have incorrect safety labeling, study suggests
• Novel process is low-cost route to ultrathin platinum films
• Uncovering a flaw in drug testing for chronic anxiety disorder
• Time restrictions on TV advertisements ineffective in reducing youth exposure to alcohol ads
• Predicting risk of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death: There's a computer model for that
• Too many antibiotics? Bacterial ecology that lives on humans has changed in last 100 years
• Your Christmas tree and its genome have remained very much the same over the last 100 million years
• Medical researchers discover new potential chemotherapy
• More than 200 genes identified for Crohn's Disease
• Viruses cooperate or conquer to cause maximum destruction
• Two new genetic mutations associated with Cowden syndrome identified
• Intestinal immune cells play an unexpected role in immune surveillance of the bloodstream
• New study brings long-sought vaccines for deadly parasite closer to reality
• Mouse brain cells activated, reactivated in learning and memory
• Wooden hip be lovely? Replacing damaged bones with implants based on wood
• Student engineers cook up devices for better cooking
• Easy, at-home exercise program can help cancer patients
• Aerobic exercise boosts brain power, review finds
• Head-mounted cameras could help robots understand social interactions
• No more lying about your age: Scientists can now gauge skin’s true age with new laser technique
• Venus transit and lunar mirror could help astronomers find worlds around other stars
• Mars rover Curiosity can be positioned with eclipses
• New biomarker for bone marrow cancer: Discovery suggests new ways of treating multiple myeloma
• Social synchronicity: Research finds a connection between bonding and matched movements
• Cloud forest trees drink water through their leaves
• MicroRNA-218 targets medulloblastoma, most aggressive childhood brain cancer
• Common anesthetic agents can be harmful for the development of the fetus
• Disaster map predicts bleak future for mammals

Vitamin D can help infection-prone patients avoid respiratory tract infection Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:31 PM PST Treating infection-prone patients over a 12-month period with high doses of vitamin D reduces their risk of developing respiratory tract infection -- and consequently their antibiotic requirement, according to a new study by researchers in Sweden.

Wearable technology can monitor rehabilitation Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:30 PM PST Wearable technology is not only for sports and fashion enthusiasts; it can also be used to monitor and aid clinical rehabilitation, according to new research.

Large study identifies risk factors for multiple myeloma Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:30 PM PST Multiple myeloma is a type of leukemia which affects B lymphocytes. There have been some indications that exposure to pesticides or chlorinated solvents increases the risk of developing this cancer. New research provides a large (from 22 centres across Europe), matched control study into lifetime risk of multiple myeloma. Researchers find that risk of multiple myeloma is related to farm work, printing and cleaning. But although exposure to pesticides seemed to be a risk, exposure to organic solvents was not.

Climate warming unlikely to cause near-term extinction of ancient Amazon trees, but multiple threats to the forest remain Posted: 13 Dec 2012 04:29 PM PST A new genetic analysis has revealed that many Amazon tree species are likely to survive human-caused climate warming in the coming century, contrary to previous findings that temperature increases would cause them to die out.

Researchers find first evidence of Ice Age wolves in Nevada Posted: 13 Dec 2012 03:11 PM PST A research team recently unearthed fossil remains from an extinct wolf species in a wash northwest of Las Vegas, revealing the first evidence that the Ice Age mammal once lived in Nevada.

Team solves mystery associated with DNA repair Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:23 PM PST Scientists have long sought to understand how a DNA repair protein, known as RecA in bacterial cells, helps broken DNA find a way to bridge the gap. In a new study, researchers report they have identified how the RecA protein does its job.

Light used to remotely trigger biochemical reactions Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:23 PM PST Since Edison's first bulb, heat has been a mostly undesirable byproduct of light. Now researchers are turning light into heat at the point of need, on the nanoscale, to trigger biochemical reactions remotely on demand. The method makes use of materials derived from unique microbes -- thermophiles -- that thrive at high temperatures but shut down at room temperature.

Engineers roll up their sleeves -- and then do same with inductors Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:23 PM PST On the road to smaller, high-performance electronics, researchers have smoothed one speed bump by shrinking a key, yet notoriously large element of integrated circuits. Three-dimensional rolled-up inductors have a footprint more than 100 times smaller without sacrificing performance. The research team used industry-standard two-dimensional processing to pattern metal lines on a very thin dielectric film before rolling, creating a spiral inductor.

Three new species of venomous primate identified; May help protect rare primate from illegal trades Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:23 PM PST A venomous primate with two tongues would seem safe from the pet trade, but the big-eyed, teddy-bear face of the slow loris (Nycticebus sp.) has made them a target for illegal pet poachers throughout the animal's range in southeastern Asia and nearby islands. Researchers recently identified three new species of slow loris. The primates had originally been grouped with another species.

Age not factor in immunity to viruses, researchers find Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:23 PM PST A new study shows a specialized class of immune cells, known as T cells, can respond to virus infections in an older person with the same vigour as T cells from a young person.

Ebola virus uses a protein decoy to subvert the host immune response Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:23 PM PST In a new study, researchers have discovered a potentially important mechanism by which the Ebola virus alters and evades the immune response of its infected host.

Psychosocial distress associated with increased stroke risk Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:22 PM PST Psychosocial distress is associated with increased risk of stroke deaths and strokes in people over age 65, according to a new study. Psychosocial distress includes depression, stress and a negative outlook and dissatisfaction with life. The impact of psychosocial distress on stroke risk did not differ by race or sex.

Study reveals a remarkable symmetry in black hole jets Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:19 PM PST Black holes range from modest objects formed when individual stars end their lives to behemoths billions of times more massive that rule the centers of galaxies. A new study using data from NASA's Swift satellite and Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope shows that high-speed jets launched from active black holes possess fundamental similarities regardless of mass, age or environment. The result provides a tantalizing hint that common physical processes are at work.

Congenital heart defects could have their origin during very early pregnancy Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:17 PM PST The origins of congenital heart defects could be traced right back to the first stages of embryonic development, according to a new study.

Researchers identify target to help protect kidney patients’ heart health Posted: 13 Dec 2012 02:16 PM PST Blocking the receptor for endothelin lowers novel cardiovascular risk factors in patients with chronic kidney disease independent of blood pressure, according to a new study. The findings suggest that blocking the receptor may provide heart-related benefits to these patients. Sixty million people globally have chronic kidney disease.

Dark Ages scourge enlightens modern struggle between humans and microbes Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:15 PM PST New discoveries help explain how the stealthy agent of Black Death avoids tripping a self-destruct mechanism inside germ-destroying cells. The host defense mechanism pyroptosis ("going up in flames") eliminates places for the germs to reproduce and signals the recruitment of disease-fighting cells. Specifically, the findings may hold ideas for biodefense vaccines against plague, and more generally offer clues to controlling excessive inflammatory responses in arthritis, heart and lung diseases, colitis and autoimmune disorders.

Key gene for brain development Posted: 13 Dec 2012 12:14 PM PST Neurobiologists have discovered one of the key genes required to make a brain. Mutations in this gene, called TUBB5, cause neurodevelopmental disease in children.

Predatory fungi are listening for worms, then devouring prey Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:52 AM PST For over 25 years, Paul Sternberg has been studying worms -- how they develop, why they sleep, and, more recently, how they communicate. Now, he has flipped the script a bit by taking a closer look at how predatory fungi may be tapping into worm conversations to gain clues about their whereabouts.

NASA probes prepare for mission-ending moon impact Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:30 AM PST Twin lunar-orbiting NASA spacecraft that have allowed scientists to learn more about the internal structure and composition of the moon are being prepared for their controlled descent and impact on a mountain near the moon's north pole at about 2:28 p.m. PST (5:28 p.m. EST) Monday, Dec. 17.

Tracing humanity's African ancestry may mean rewriting 'out of Africa' dates Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST New research may lead to a rethinking of how, when and from where our ancestors left Africa. Explorations in the Iringa region of southern Tanzania yielded fossils and other evidence that records the beginnings of our own species, Homo sapiens. New research may be key to answering questions about early human occupation and the migration out of Africa about 60,000 to 50,000 years ago, which led to modern humans colonizing the globe.

Bubble study could improve industrial splash control Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST For the first time, scientists witnessed the details of the full, ultrafast process of liquid droplets evolving into a bubble when they strike a surface. Their research determined that surface wetness affects the bubble's fate. This research could one day help eliminate bubbles formed during spray coating, metal casting and ink-jet printing. It also could impact studies on fuel efficiency and engine life by understanding the splashing caused by fuel hitting engine walls.

'Two-faced' cells discovered in colon cancer Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST A "two-faced" group of cells at work in human colon cancer can either suppress or promote tumor growth. These cells are a subset of T-regulatory (Treg) cells, known to suppress immune responses in healthy people. The discovery of Treg diversity in cancer and its role in control of cancer inflammation may lead to new approaches for therapeutics.

New culprit in castration-resistant prostate cancer Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST Scientists have discovered a molecular switch that enables advanced prostate cancers to spread without stimulation by male hormones, which normally are needed to spur the cancer's growth. They say that identifying the previously unknown protein function could serve as a treatment target for prostate cancers that are no longer controlled by hormone-blocking drugs.

Insurance industry paying increasing attention to climate change Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST The insurance industry, the world's largest business with $4.6 trillion in revenues, is making larger efforts to manage climate change-related risks, according to a new study.

Cancer scientists identify a new layer of complexity within human colon cancer: Shed light on resistance to treatment Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST Cancer scientists have found a way to follow single tumor cells and observe their growth over time. The team discovered that biological factors and cell behavior -- not only genes -- drive tumor growth, contributing to therapy failure and relapse.

Lowering barriers to DNA-based nanomanufacturing Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST Two major barriers to advancement of DNA nanotechnology beyond the research lab have been knocked down. This emerging technology employs DNA as a programmable building material for nanometer-scale structures. Many applications are envisioned, and researchers recently demonstrated synthetic membrane channels made from DNA. Until now, however, design processes were hobbled by a lack of feedback; assembly was slow and often of poor quality. Now researchers have removed these obstacles.

Pheromone helps mice remember where to find a mate Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST Scientists have found that male mice produce a pheromone that provokes females and competitor males to remember a preference for the place where the pheromone was previously encountered. The research shows that the pheromone stimulates very rapid learning of spatial cues associated with its location, so that females remember a preference for this location when they return to the area.

Building better structural materials Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST When materials are stressed, they eventually change shape. Initially these changes are elastic, and reverse when the stress is relieved. When the material's strength is exceeded, the changes become permanent. This could result in the material breaking or shattering, but it could also re-shape the material, such as a hammer denting a piece of metal. Understanding this last group of changes is the focus of new research.

For every species of mammal, 300 arthropod species lurk in rainforest Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:23 AM PST During 2003-2004 scientists sampled the rainforest canopy from canopy cranes, inflatable platforms, balloons, climbing ropes and along the forest floor to collect a total of 130,000 insects.

Sharp rise in admissions for certain drug combinations over 10 years Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:22 AM PST Substance abuse treatment admissions for addiction involving combined use of benzodiazepine and narcotic pain relievers rose a total of 569.7 percent, to 33,701, from 2000 to 2010, according to a new report. Overall substance abuse treatment admissions of people ages 12 and older in the same period rose 4 percent, to 1.82 million, the agency said.

Study promoting coffee drinking benefits needs more research, says dentist Posted: 13 Dec 2012 11:22 AM PST Heavy coffee drinkers have a lower chance of dying from oral cancer, says new research but a dentist is still not ready to recommend coffee drinking to his patients.

Video-game users: Who are sports gamers? Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:27 AM PST From Gran Turismo to WWE Smackdown, sports-based video games represent a wide variety of pursuits. When it comes to the people who actually play those games, however, little is known. How do sports video game players fit their games into a larger sports-related context? How does their video game play inform their media usage and general sports fandom?

Generic drugs often have incorrect safety labeling, study suggests Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:27 AM PST Medical researchers have found that more than two-thirds of generic drugs have safety-warning labels that differ from the equivalent brand-name drug. The majority of generics showed relatively small differences across their labels, but 9 percent showed differences of more than 10 side effects. Errors included out-of-date information, incomplete data and, in one case, information for the wrong drug altogether.

Novel process is low-cost route to ultrathin platinum films Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:25 AM PST A research group has developed a relatively simple, fast and effective method of depositing uniform, ultrathin layers of platinum atoms on a surface. Platinum is a widely used industrial catalyst as well as a key component in microelectronics, so the discovery may have widespread application in the design and manufacture of platinum-based devices.

Uncovering a flaw in drug testing for chronic anxiety disorder Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:25 AM PST Trials for experimental drugs are often done on laboratory mice because of their genetic similarity to humans. But now a study has found that, when it comes to chronic neurological disorders, researchers may be using the wrong kind of mouse.

Time restrictions on TV advertisements ineffective in reducing youth exposure to alcohol ads Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:25 AM PST Efforts to reduce underage exposure to alcohol advertising by implementing time restrictions have not worked, according to new research.. The report concluded that time restrictions on alcohol advertising actually increase teen exposure, because companies move the advertising to late night.

Predicting risk of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death: There's a computer model for that Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:25 AM PST A new computer model of the heart predicted risk of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in patients with an inherited heart rhythm disorder. Though computer models of the human heart have been around since the 1960s, scientists believe they're the first to prove that computer simulation can generate clinically relevant data.

Too many antibiotics? Bacterial ecology that lives on humans has changed in last 100 years Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:25 AM PST A new study has demonstrated that ancient DNA can be used to understand ancient human microbiomes. The microbiomes from ancient people have broad reaching implications for understanding recent changes to human health, such as what good bacteria might have been lost as a result of our current abundant use of antibiotics and aseptic practices.

Your Christmas tree and its genome have remained very much the same over the last 100 million years Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:25 AM PST Biologist have shown that the genome of conifers such as spruce, pine, and fir has remained very much the same for over 100 million years. This remarkable genomic stability explains the resemblance between today's conifers and fossils dating back to the days when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Medical researchers discover new potential chemotherapy Posted: 13 Dec 2012 10:25 AM PST Medical researchers have discovered that knocking out a particular "partner" gene is the Achilles' heel of some cancers.

More than 200 genes identified for Crohn's Disease Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:18 AM PST More than two hundred gene locations have now been identified for the chronic bowel condition Crohn's Disease, in a study that analysed the entire human genome.

Viruses cooperate or conquer to cause maximum destruction Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:18 AM PST Scientists have discovered new evidence about the evolution of viruses, in work that will change our understanding about the control of infectious diseases such as winter flu. Researchers conducted experiments to manipulate a virus to see if it could evolve the ability to switch its behavior according to how many other viruses infect a host.

Two new genetic mutations associated with Cowden syndrome identified Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:17 AM PST Researchers have uncovered two new genes associated with Cowden syndrome -- a difficult-to-recognize, under-diagnosed condition that carries high risks of breast, thyroid, and other cancers.

Intestinal immune cells play an unexpected role in immune surveillance of the bloodstream Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:17 AM PST Researchers have found that dendritic cells in the intestinal lining collect antigens from both intestinal contents and the circulation, leading to the generation of T cells that suppress inflammation. Disruption of that regulatory system may lead to the development of autoimmune disorders, inflammatory bowel disease or food allergies.

New study brings long-sought vaccines for deadly parasite closer to reality Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:17 AM PST One major cause of illness from food-borne diseases is the parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). New insights into how the immune system combats T. gondii are provided in a new study. The findings could lead to the development of long-sought vaccines to protect against T. gondii and related parasites.

Mouse brain cells activated, reactivated in learning and memory Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:13 AM PST Memories are made of this, the song says. Now neuroscientists have for the first time shown individual mouse brain cells being switched on during learning and later reactivated during memory recall.

Wooden hip be lovely? Replacing damaged bones with implants based on wood Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:13 AM PST Could aging and damaged bones be replaced with implants based on wood? That's the question Italian researchers hope to answer.

Student engineers cook up devices for better cooking Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:11 AM PST Students in, of all things, a robotics class use engineering skills and advice from a chef to rig up devices to more accurately control cooking temperatures.

Easy, at-home exercise program can help cancer patients Posted: 13 Dec 2012 09:11 AM PST A brief, at-home exercise program -- dubbed the Rapid, Easy, Strength Training program, or REST, -- was sufficient to increase cancer patients' mobility and reduce fatigue.

Aerobic exercise boosts brain power, review finds Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:18 AM PST The physical benefits of regular exercise and remaining physically active, especially as we age, are well documented. However, it appears that it is not only the body which benefits from exercise, but the mind too. The evidence for this is published in a new review that focuses on the importance of physical activity in keeping and potentially improving cognitive function throughout life.

Head-mounted cameras could help robots understand social interactions Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:18 AM PST What is everyone looking at? It's a common question in social settings because the answer identifies something of interest, or helps delineate social groupings. Those insights someday will be essential for robots designed to interact with humans, so researchers have developed a method for detecting where people's gazes intersect. The researchers tested the method using groups of people with head-mounted video cameras.

No more lying about your age: Scientists can now gauge skin’s true age with new laser technique Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:18 AM PST While most of us can recognize the signs of lost youth when we peer into the mirror each morning, scientists do not have a standardized way to measure the extent of age damage in skin. Now a group of Taiwanese researchers has used a specialized microscope to peer harmlessly beneath the skin surface to measure natural age-related changes in the sizes of skin cells.

Venus transit and lunar mirror could help astronomers find worlds around other stars Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:17 AM PST On June 6, 2012, Venus passed directly between Earth and the sun, in a so-called transit where the planet appears as a silhouette against the solar disk, something that will not happen again until Dec. 5, 2117. A team of Italian astronomers used the opportunity to perform an unusual and challenging experiment, looking at the sunlight reflected off the moon ('moonlight') to see how it changed during the transit. This technique could help scientists to find planets in orbit around other stars.

Mars rover Curiosity can be positioned with eclipses Posted: 13 Dec 2012 08:17 AM PST Observations from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity when Mars' moon Phobos crosses in front of the sun, like in September, help us to understand exactly where the rover is on the red planet. Researchers in Spain have developed a method for achieving precisely this.

New biomarker for bone marrow cancer: Discovery suggests new ways of treating multiple myeloma Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:42 AM PST Singapore scientists have identified FAIM, a molecule that typically prevents cell death, as a potential biomarker to identify an incurable form of cancer in the bone marrow. Patients with this form of cancer usually do not get cured with current standard treatments such as chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, with an average survival of only about four years.

Social synchronicity: Research finds a connection between bonding and matched movements Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:42 AM PST Humans have a tendency to spontaneously synchronize their movements. Although this type of synchronous body movement has been observed widely, its neurological mechanism and its role in social interactions remain obscure. In a new study, researchers found that body-movement synchronization between two participants increases following a short session of cooperative training, suggesting that our ability to synchronize body movements is a measurable indicator of social interaction.

Cloud forest trees drink water through their leaves Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:42 AM PST Using water flow sensors and plastic "leaves" that measure wetness, biologists have discovered that trees living in tropical montane cloud forests drink through their leaves as well as their roots. This survival strategy, also adopted by California's redwoods, tides the trees over during dry seasons, but could lead to problems as clouds disappear because of global climate change.

MicroRNA-218 targets medulloblastoma, most aggressive childhood brain cancer Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:42 AM PST A new study shows that in medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor of children, microRNA-218 is especially low. The article also shows that adding microRNA-218 to neural stem cells engineered to develop medulloblastoma decreases the development of the cancer.

Common anesthetic agents can be harmful for the development of the fetus Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:41 AM PST An anesthetic regimen typically used during surgery on pregnant mothers appears to have a negative effect on the development of the fetus, new study shows. Contrary to previous research findings, it has now emerged that the combination of nitrous oxide and isoflurane can change the gene expression of brain tissues and may be related to the elevated neuronal cell death as indicated by an increased number of apoptotic cells in frontal cortical levels compared with the control.

Disaster map predicts bleak future for mammals Posted: 13 Dec 2012 07:41 AM PST Mammals could be at a greater risk of extinction due to predicted increases in extreme weather conditions, according to a new paper.

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