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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


Evolution too slow to keep up with climate change

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 02:57 PM PDT

Many vertebrate species would have to evolve about 10,000 times faster than they have in the past to adapt to the rapid climate change expected in the next 100 years, a new study has found.

Breakthrough study reveals biological basis for sensory processing disorders in kids

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 11:35 AM PDT

In a groundbreaking new study, researchers have found that children affected with sensory processing disorders have quantifiable differences in brain structure, showing a biological basis for the disease that sets it apart from other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Chemical/bioengineers use adhesion to combine advantages of silicones and organic materials

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 11:35 AM PDT

Bioengineers have found a way to strongly adhere hydrogels to hydrophobic silicone substrates, an innovation that provides a valuable new tool for microscale biotechnology.

New class of highly potent antimalarial compounds discovered

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 11:33 AM PDT

Despite renewed global efforts for eradication, malaria continues to exert devastating effects on human health. An estimated 220 million people are infected each year by malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. This enormous infection burden leads to some 660,000 lives lost to malaria each year, the majority of these young children in sub-Saharan Africa. While a vaccine to prevent malaria remains elusive, we depend on antimalarial compounds both to treat infections and prevent disease.

School policies reduce student drinking –- if they're perceived to be enforced

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 11:33 AM PDT

Anti-alcohol policies on middle and high school campuses do work, but only if students believe they will be enforced. Harsh punishment doesn't deter drinking, but counseling does.

Wildfires may contribute more to global warming than previously predicted

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:41 AM PDT

Wildfires produce a witch's brew of carbon-containing particles, as anyone downwind of a forest fire can attest. But measurements taken during the 2011 Las Conchas fire near Los Alamos National Laboratory show that the actual carbon-containing particles emitted by fires are very different than those used in current computer models, providing the potential for inaccuracy in current climate-modeling results.

Flash memory: Silicon oxide memories transcend a hurdle

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:41 AM PDT

A laboratory working on next-generation "flash" memory technology has demonstrated a 1-kilobit silicon oxide memory chip with embedded diodes that keep voltage from leaking and corrupting data.

Avoidance strategies can be valuable stress reliever, says study on work/life/school balance

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:41 AM PDT

If achieving a work/life balance wasn't hard enough, researchers say many of us are juggling a third factor: school. That creates conflicts, often resulting in dissatisfaction in the area that caused that conflict. But avoidance techniques can help, their most recent study shows.

Parasites in cat feces: Potential public health problem?

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:41 AM PDT

Each year in the United States, cats deposit about 1.2 million metric tons of feces into the environment, and that poop is carrying with it what may be a vast and underappreciated public health problem, say scientists.

Chemistry riddle solved

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:40 AM PDT

Chemists have explained the structure of a non-classical carbocation. They have captured the 2-norbornyl cation as a crystal and determining beyond doubt the structure of this unusual and instable carbon compound. The 2-norbornyl cation is a non-classical carbocation, a molecule with a positively charged carbon atom that enters into five instead of three bonds with other atoms.

5-D optical memory in glass could record the last evidence of civilization

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:39 AM PDT

Using nanostructured glass, scientists have, for the first time, experimentally demonstrated the recording and retrieval processes of five dimensional digital data by femtosecond laser writing. The storage allows unprecedented parameters including 360 TB/disc data capacity, thermal stability up to 1000 degrees C and practically unlimited lifetime.

Putting the right worker in the right job

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 09:39 AM PDT

A new study suggests that if an employee's personality doesn't fit the job requirements, he or she will not be motivated by external factors.

Dip, dip, hooray -- Kids eat more veggies with flavored dips

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:59 AM PDT

Many parents have a difficult time persuading their preschool-aged children to try vegetables, let alone eat them regularly. Food and nutrition researchers have found that by offering a dip flavored with spices, children were more likely to try vegetables -- including those they had previously rejected.

Outdated practice of annual cervical-cancer screenings may cause more harm than good

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:59 AM PDT

For decades, women between the ages of 21 and 69 were advised to get annual screening exams for cervical cancer. In 2009, however, accumulating scientific evidence led major guideline groups to agree on a new recommendation that women be screened less frequently: every three years rather than annually.

Tiny new catfish species found in Rio Paraíba do Sul basin, Brazil

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:58 AM PDT

A new diminutive species of catfish was found in Rio ParaĆ­ba do Sul basin in Brazil. The genus to which the new Pareiorhina hyptiorhachis belongs represents a group of species endemic to Brazil. Although the new species is only around 3 cm in length it is still larger than the smallest catfish that is only 1 cm when sexually mature.

Novel nanoparticle delivers powerful RNA interference drugs

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:58 AM PDT

Silencing genes that have malfunctioned is an important approach for treating diseases such as cancer and heart disease. One effective approach is to deliver drugs made from small molecules of ribonucleic acid, or RNA, which are used to inhibit gene expression. The drugs, in essence, mimic a natural process called RNA interference.

Contaminated ultrasound gel tied to outbreak of healthcare-associated infections

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:58 AM PDT

After a 2011 outbreak of P. aeruginosa, investigators determined contaminated ultrasound gel was the source of bacteria causing the healthcare-associated infection. The findings emphasize the need for increased scrutiny of contaminated medical products.

Your primary school language reveals if you move away or stay behind

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:53 AM PDT

The way you speak in primary school reveals if you will stay behind in your native part of the country or head for the big city to get an education, according to new research.

3-D structures built out of liquid metal

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:53 AM PDT

Researchers have developed three-dimensional printing technology and techniques to create free-standing structures made of liquid metal at room temperature.

Graphene on its way to conquer Silicon Valley

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:53 AM PDT

The remarkable material graphene promises a wide range of applications in future electronics that could complement or replace traditional silicon technology. Researchers have now paved the way for the integration of graphene into the current silicide based technology.

Suspicions confirmed: Brain tumors in children have a common cause

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:53 AM PDT

An overactive signaling pathway is a common cause in cases of pilocytic astrocytoma, the most frequent type of brain cancer in children. In all 96 cases studied, researchers found defects in genes involved in a particular pathway. Hence, drugs can be used to help affected children by blocking components of the signaling cascade.

Space-time is not the same for everyone

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:53 AM PDT

Before the Big Bang, space-time as we know it did not exist. So how was it born? The process of creating normal space-time from an earlier state dominated by quantum gravity has been studied for years. Recent analyses suggest a surprising conclusion: not all elementary particles are subject to the same space-time.

Neandertals shared speech and language with modern humans, study suggests

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:52 AM PDT

Fast-accumulating data seem to indicate that our close cousins, the Neandertals, were much more similar to us than imagined even a decade ago. But did they have anything like modern speech and language? And if so, what are the implications for understanding present-day linguistic diversity? Modern language and speech can be traced back to the last common ancestor we shared with the Neandertals roughly half a million years ago, according to new research.

Ancient Egyptian leader makes surprise appearance at archaeological dig in Israel

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 08:52 AM PDT

As modern Egypt searches for a new leader, Israeli archaeologists have found evidence of an ancient Egyptian leader in northern Israel. At a site in Tel Hazor National Park, north of the Sea of Galilee, archeologists have unearthed part of a unique Sphinx belonging to one of the ancient pyramid-building pharaohs.

Sleepless nights can turn lovers into fighters

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:51 AM PDT

Relationship problems can keep us awake at night. But new research suggests that sleepless nights also can worsen lovers' fights.

Rate of aging may be determined in the womb and linked to birthweight, study reveals

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:48 AM PDT

Scientists have found that key metabolites in blood -- chemical 'fingerprints' left behind as a result of early molecular changes before birth or in infancy -- could provide clues to a person's long-term overall health and rate of aging in later life.

Bird vaccine for West Nile Virus

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:48 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a vaccine to halt the spread of West Nile Virus among common and endangered bird species.

Scientists image vast subglacial water system underpinning West Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:48 AM PDT

In a development that will help predict sea level rise, scientists have used an innovation in radar analysis to accurately image the vast subglacial water system under West Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, detecting a swamp-like canal system several times as large as Florida's Everglades. The new observations suggest dynamics of the subglacial water system may be as important as ocean influences in predicting the fate of Thwaites, which holds substantial potential for triggering sea-level rise.

What warring couples want: Power, not apologies, study shows

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:48 AM PDT

The most common thing that couples want from each other during a conflict is not an apology, but a willingness to relinquish power, according to a new Baylor University study.

H7N9 influenza: History of similar viruses gives cause for concern

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:47 AM PDT

The H7N9 avian flu strain that emerged in China earlier this year has subsided for now, but it would be a mistake to be reassured by this apparent lull in infections. The virus has several highly unusual traits that paint a disquieting picture of a pathogen that may yet lead to a pandemic, according to scientists.

Women who give birth to multiple babies after IVF are at higher risk of breast cancer

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:47 AM PDT

Women who give birth to multiple babies following IVF treatment are at a higher risk of breast cancer than those giving birth to singletons or who remain childless. Investigators said the explanation may not be the multiple pregnancy per se but a maternal trait related to a higher implantation potential and to breast cancer itself.

Women working shifts are at greater risk of miscarriage, menstrual disruption and subfertility

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:47 AM PDT

Shift work, which encourages sleep deprivation and patterns of activity outside the circadian rhythm, has been associated with a greater risk of ill health and loss of well-being in some studies. However, little is known about the effects of shift work on reproductive health and fertility. A new study indicates that working shift patterns is associated with an increased risk of menstrual disruption and subfertility.

Clues from an ancient Viking trading centre: A tantalizing hint of an ancient trading town

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:44 AM PDT

It was a routine archaeological dig, necessitated by the expansion of Norway's main north-south highway, the E6, just north of Trondheim, the country's third largest city. But the finds surprised archaeologists, who now believe they have solved a centuries-old puzzle posed in Norse sagas.

The origin of the turtle shell: Mystery solved

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:44 AM PDT

Biologists have finally solved the riddle of the origin of the turtle shell. By observing the development of different animal species and confirming their results with fossil analysis and genomic data, researchers show that the shell on the turtle's back derives only from its ancestors' ribcage and not from a combination of internal and external bone structures as is often thought.

How nature maintains diversity: Temporal niches are important, study finds

Posted: 09 Jul 2013 06:14 AM PDT

By studying rapidly evolving bacteria as they diversify and compete under varying environmental conditions, researchers have shown that temporal niches are important to maintaining biodiversity in natural systems.

'Scent device' could help detect bladder cancer

Posted: 08 Jul 2013 05:02 PM PDT

Researchers in the United Kingdom have built a device that can read odors in urine to help diagnose patients with early signs of bladder cancer.

Irregular bed times curb young kids' brain power: And may have knock-on effects on health throughout life

Posted: 08 Jul 2013 05:01 PM PDT

Going to bed at different times every night throughout early childhood seems to curb children's brain power, finds a large, long term study.

Health-related website search information may be leaked to third-party tracking entities

Posted: 08 Jul 2013 02:09 PM PDT

Patients who search on free health-related websites for information related to a medical condition may have the health information they provide leaked to third party tracking entities through code on those websites, according to new research.

Seizures late in life may be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease

Posted: 08 Jul 2013 01:19 PM PDT

Patients with epilepsy who had amnestic mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease presented earlier with cognitive decline than patients who did not have epilepsy, according to a new report.

Early, late first exposure to solid food appears associated with development of Type 1 diabetes

Posted: 08 Jul 2013 01:19 PM PDT

Both an early and late first exposure to solid food for infants appears to be associated with the development of Type 1 diabetes mellitus, according to a new study.

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