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Thursday, November 7, 2013

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


Buffet dish sequences may prompt healthier choices

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:24 PM PST

Most people are unaware that food order biases what ends up on their plates: the first food in line is taken the most and biases what else is taken. This influence is so strong that in one study researchers found that two-thirds of an individual's plate is filled with the first three items they encounter, thus food order can be leveraged to encourage selection and intake of healthier foods.

Breastfeeding possible deterrent to autism

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:24 PM PST

The emergence of autism in young children appears to result from dysmyelination of brain neurons, related to inadequate supply of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) in the newborn. The deficiency of IGF in affected infants may be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors yet to be determined. If this hypothesis is correct, breastfeeding in particular could increase IGF levels, thereby compensating for an inborn deficiency of the growth factor.

Earliest record of copulating insects discovered

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:24 PM PST

Scientists have found the oldest fossil depicting copulating insects in northeastern China.

Lower education levels linked to unhealthy diets

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:22 PM PST

People with lower levels of education may eat larger amounts of unhealthy, calorically dense food than those with a higher education level, possibly because they are more physically active.

Presence of human settlements has negative impact on tiger connectivity

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:22 PM PST

Human settlements and roads place greater barriers on tiger dispersal than distance.

Drilling for hydrocarbons can impact aquatic life

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:22 PM PST

The degradation of drilling sumps associated with hydrocarbon extraction can negatively affect aquatic ecosystems.

Clear association between ACE inhibitors, acute kidney injury

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:22 PM PST

New research shows clear association between ACE inhibitors -- drugs used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease -- and acute kidney injury. These and similar drugs are the second most prescribed on the National Health Services in England.

Crime associated with higher mortality rates in Norwegian national study

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:22 PM PST

People with criminal records die younger than those without, shows a comprehensive national study for Norway.

Annual car crash deaths in England, Wales have fallen 40 percent in 50 years

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:22 PM PST

The annual number of car crash deaths in England and Wales has plunged by 41 percent over the past 50 years, despite the increase in drivers on the road.

Stress makes snails forgetful

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:22 PM PST

New research on pond snails has revealed that high levels of stress can block memory processes. Researchers trained snails and found that when they were exposed to multiple stressful events they were unable remember what they had learned.

Children who have autism far more likely to have tummy troubles

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:22 PM PST

Children with autism experience gastrointestinal upsets such as constipation, diarrhea and sensitivity to foods six-to-eight times more often than do children who are developing typically, and those symptoms are related to behavioral problems, including social withdrawal, irritability and repetitive behaviors.

Infected butterflies lead geneticists up the garden path

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:19 PM PST

For animal species that cannot be distinguished using their external characteristics, genetic techniques such as DNA barcoding can help to identify cryptic species. An international team of researchers has now demonstrated how a bacterial infection can mimic cryptic speciation in butterflies. To avoid false results in the future, scientists recommend more in-depth genetic studies.

Floods didn't provide nitrogen 'fix' for earliest crops in frigid north

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:18 PM PST

Floods didn't make floodplains fertile during the dawn of human agriculture in the Earth's far north because the waters were virtually devoid of nitrogen. Instead, the hardy Norsemen and early inhabitants of Russia and Canada can thank cyanobacteria in the floodplains themselves for the abundant grasses that fed game and cattle, a process that continues today.

Russian fireball yields scientific treasure trove: Researchers obtain crucial data from meteoroid impact

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 01:41 PM PST

A team of NASA and international scientists for the first time have gathered a detailed understanding of the effects on Earth from a small asteroid impact. The unprecedented data obtained as the result of the airburst of a meteoroid over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk on Feb. 15, 2013, has revolutionized scientists' understanding of this natural phenomenon.

Movin' on out

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 01:28 PM PST

Recent research shows that individuals in their early 20s -- also known as millennials -- undergo a brand-new life stage not experienced by previous generations: emerging adulthood. A new study examines how moving out on one's own is a critical element in the transition to adulthood.

Rare new microbe found in two spacecraft clean rooms

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 01:26 PM PST

A rare, recently discovered microbe that survives on very little to eat has been found in two places on Earth: spacecraft clean rooms in Florida and South America. Microbiologists often do thorough surveys of bacteria and other microbes in spacecraft clean rooms. Fewer microbes live there than in almost any other environment on Earth, but the surveys are important for knowing what might hitch a ride into space. If extraterrestrial life is ever found, it would be readily checked against the census of a few hundred types of microbes detected in spacecraft clean rooms.

Speaking a second language may delay different dementias

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 01:25 PM PST

In the largest study on the topic to date, research shows that speaking a second language may delay the onset of three types of dementias.

Addicts may be seeking relief from emotional lows more than euphoric highs

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:24 PM PST

Researchers are challenging the commonly held view that drug addiction occurs because users are always going after the high. Based on new animal studies, they say the initial positive feelings of intoxication are short lived -- quickly replaced by negative emotional responses which may be more important in understanding substance abuse.

From one collapsing star, two black holes form and fuse

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:24 PM PST

Over billions of years, small black holes can slowly grow into supermassive black holes by taking on mass from their surroundings, and also by merging with other black holes. But this slow process can't explain how supermassive black holes existing in the early universe would have formed less than one billion years after the Big Bang. New findings help to test a model that solves this problem.

Bringing sun's light and energy to interior rooms: Innovative solar technology may lead to interior lighting revolution

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:24 PM PST

Researchers have seen the light -- a bright, powerful light -- and it just might change the future of how building interiors are brightened. In fact, that light comes directly from the sun. And with the help of tiny, electrofluidic cells and a series of open-air "ducts," sunlight can naturally illuminate windowless work spaces deep inside office buildings and excess energy can be harnessed, stored and directed to other applications.

Mothers' relationships can influence adolescent children's relationships

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:24 PM PST

Researchers have found that mothers' relationships can influence adolescent children's relationships with their friends, particularly the negative and antagonistic aspects.

Mending ruptures in client-therapist relationship has positive benefits

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:24 PM PST

In order for prolonged exposure therapy, an evidence-based psychotherapy for post traumatic stress disorder, to reach its full potential, any misperceptions or ruptures in trust and communication between therapist and client need fixing.

'Please feed me': The power of putting a human face on social causes

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:24 PM PST

Companies often put a personal face on products in an attempt to reach a deeper connection with consumers. New research suggests the same idea can be applied to social causes: Putting a human face on the campaign for a social cause actually increases support for it.

Early childhood educators hold key to children's communication skills

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:24 PM PST

Researchers have completed a new examination of peer-reviewed science that reveals how early childhood educators can ignite the growth of language and communication skills in infants and toddlers. Their conclusion: it takes more than baby talk.

Threats to cloud data storage, mobile devices

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:22 PM PST

As more businesses find their way into the cloud, few engage in security measures beyond those provided by the associated cloud storage firm, a new report notes. Even fewer seek heightened data protection because of concerns that usability and access to remote data would be significantly reduced.

Researchers and clinicians unite to answer what will it take to achieve an AIDS-free world?

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 11:13 AM PST

Since the onset of the AIDS pandemic more than three decades ago, researchers from the lab and physicians in the clinic have been working toward one shared goal: an AIDS-free world. This week leading researchers and clinicians discussed recent findings that could bring hope to the estimated 35 million people world-wide who live with HIV.

Multitasking neurons filter and decide: How neural circuits identify information needed for decisions

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 11:13 AM PST

Using brain recordings and a computer model, an interdisciplinary team confounds the conventional wisdom about how the brain sorts out relevant versus irrelevant sensory inputs in making choices.

In dual-career couples, mothers still do the most child care

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 11:13 AM PST

Even in couples most likely to believe in sharing parenting responsibilities, mothers still bear significantly more of the child care load, a new study reveals.

A shot in the dark: Detector on the hunt for dark matter

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 11:12 AM PST

Physicists are using a detector to hunt for an elusive particle called an axion, a leading candidate for the makeup of cold dark matter that accounts for about one-quarter of the mass of the universe.

Monkeys use minds to move two virtual arms

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 11:12 AM PST

Monkeys have learned to control the movement of both arms on an avatar using just their brain activity.

Earliest marker for autism found in young infants

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:20 AM PST

Eye contact during early infancy may be a key to early identification of autism, according to a new study. The study reveals the earliest sign of developing autism ever observed -- a steady decline in attention to others' eyes within the first two to six months of life.

Carbon nanotube jungles created to better detect molecules

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:20 AM PST

Researchers have developed a new method of using nanotubes to detect molecules at extremely low concentrations enabling trace detection of biological threats, explosives and drugs.

Volcanic rock probe helps unlock mysteries of how Earth formed

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:19 AM PST

New insights gleaned from volcanic rock are helping scientists better understand how our planet evolved billions of years ago.

Climate change scientists must turn their attention to clean skies, experts urge

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:19 AM PST

Natural aerosols, such as emissions from volcanoes or plants, may contribute more uncertainty than previously thought to estimates of how the climate might respond to greenhouse gas emissions.

RNA controls splicing during gene expression, further evidence of 'RNA world' origin in modern life

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:19 AM PST

RNA is the key functional component of spliceosomes, molecular machines that control how genes are expressed, report scientists. The discovery establishes that RNA, not protein, is responsible for catalyzing this fundamental biological process and enriches the hypothesis that life on Earth began in a world based solely on RNA.

New explanation for infection susceptibility in newborns: It is all about helping beneficial bacteria colonize the gut

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:19 AM PST

Cells that allow helpful bacteria to safely colonize the intestines of newborn infants also suppress their immune systems to make them more vulnerable to infections, according to new research. The study could prompt a major shift in how medicine views the threat of neonatal infections -- and how researchers go about looking for new strategies to stop it, said scientists who conducted the study.

Discovery of HIV 'invisibility cloak' reveals new treatment opportunities

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:19 AM PST

Scientists have discovered a molecular invisibility cloak that enables HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, to hide inside cells of the body without triggering the body's natural defense systems.

X-rays reveal inner structure of Earth's ancient magma ocean

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:19 AM PST

Using the world's most brilliant X-ray source, scientists have for the first time peered into molten magma at conditions of the deep Earth mantle. The analysis revealed that molten basalt changes its structure when exposed to pressure of up to 60 gigapascals.

Newly discovered predatory dinosaur 'king of gore' reveals the origins of T. rex

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:18 AM PST

A dinosaur belonging to the same evolutionary branch as the famous Tyrannosaurus rex has just been discovered. Lythronax argestes possesses several unique features, a short narrow snout with a wide back of the skull with forward-oriented eyes. Lythronax translates as "king of gore."

Don't get sick in July

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 09:21 AM PST

With almost no experience, newly graduated medical students enter teaching hospitals around the country every July, beginning their careers as interns. At the same time, the last year's interns and junior residents take a step up and assume new responsibilities. More experienced physicians share a joke about this changing of the guard: Don't get sick in July.

Clean Air Act has led to improved water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 09:21 AM PST

A new study shows that the reduction of pollution emissions from power plants in the mid-Atlantic is making an impact on the quality of the water that ends up in the Chesapeake Bay.

Inkjet-based circuits created at fraction of time and cost

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 09:20 AM PST

Researchers have developed a novel method to rapidly and cheaply make electrical circuits by printing them with commodity inkjet printers and off-the-shelf materials. For about $300 in equipment costs, anyone can produce working electrical circuits in the 60 seconds it takes to print them.

Three-dimensional carbon goes metallic

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:41 AM PST

A theoretical, three-dimensional form of carbon that is metallic under ambient temperature and pressure has been discovered by an international research team. The findings may significantly advance carbon science.

Perfect faults: A self-correcting crystal may unleash the next generation of advanced communications

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:40 AM PST

Researchers are engineering and measuring a potentially important new class of nanostructured materials for microwave and advanced communication devices. These new multilayered crystalline sandwiches might enable a whole new class of compact, high-performance, high-efficiency components for devices such as cellular phones.

Cocktail novelties inspired by nature's designs

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:40 AM PST

A mathematician and a celebrity chef have combined talents to create two culinary novelties inspired by nature.

New compact atomic clock design uses cold atoms to boost precision

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:40 AM PST

Physicists have demonstrated a compact atomic clock design that relies on cold rubidium atoms instead of the usual hot atoms, a switch that promises improved precision and stability.

Touch may alleviate existential fears for people with low self-esteem

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:40 AM PST

As human beings, we all know that we are going to die some day. Most of us deal with this knowledge by trying to live meaningful lives, but people with low self-esteem tend not to see their lives as particularly meaningful. Now, research suggests that touch may help people with low self-esteem in confronting their own mortality.

Nature's great diversity: Remarkable 277 new wasp species from Costa Rica

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:40 AM PST

Costa Rica reveals astonishing biodiversity of braconid wasps, with 277 new species of the tribe Heterospilini described, from a total of 286 attributed to the group. The study is the second part of an extensive two-part study of the braconid subfamily Doryctinae from Costa Rica, to reveal the great species diversity within such a small territory.

Prognostic value of baseline survival determined for 11 types of cancer

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:40 AM PST

Results of a study point out the prognostic value of baseline recorded health-related quality of life for survival for eleven types of cancer: brain, breast, colorectal, esophageal, head and neck, lung, melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and testicular cancer. For each cancer site, at least one health-related quality of life parameter provided additional prognostic information over and above the clinical and sociodemographic variables.

For young baseball players, light bats don't hit too fast

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:40 AM PST

The use of non-wood bats in youth baseball has spurred decades of controversy about whether they propel the ball too fast, in part because of their higher bat-to-ball energy transfer -- the "trampoline effect." A study finds that in some cases non-wood bats do not hit the ball any faster. In the hands of young teen players, for example, lighter non-wood bats hit the ball at wood-like speeds.

Reforms urgently needed to streamline road to Alzheimer's

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:40 AM PST

As the burden of Alzheimer's disease escalates worldwide, efforts to develop effective treatments are failing to keep pace because of the high costs and risks associated with developing Alzheimer's drugs. Reforming Alzheimer's drug development, so it is more streamlined and efficient, would bring down costs and speed progress toward approval of drugs that slow or stop the disease.

Locking down the cloud

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:39 AM PST

A software re-encryption system could allow users to pay for and run applications "in the cloud" without revealing their identity to the cloud host. The same approach would also allow the software providers to lock out malicious users.

Motives assessed for opioid misuse among adolescents

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:39 AM PST

Misuse of prescription opioids among adolescents and young adults has generated significant media coverage, but less attention has been given to differentiating the underlying motives for opioid misuse. Research shows that pain relief, not getting high, was the most prevalent motive for medical misuse of opioids among adolescents. This factor alone motivated 4 in 5 adolescents who misused their prescribed pain medications.

Postmastectomy pain most troubling problem for breast cancer survivors

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:39 AM PST

More than 40 percent of 200,000 U.S. women diagnosed with breast cancer every year undergo surgery. Though treatment advances have significantly reduced mortality from breast cancer, a study published reports that persistent postmastectomy pain is rated by survivors as their most troubling symptom.

Cyber bullying more difficult for teenagers to process psychologically than in-person bullying

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:38 AM PST

Expert adolescent psychologist discusses the psychological ways in which teens experience online bullying versus face-to-face conflict.

Negative effects of road noises on migratory birds

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:38 AM PST

A new study shows that the negative effects of roads on wildlife are largely because of traffic noise.

Customizing treatments for deadly prostate cancer with tumor genomics

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:38 AM PST

A new study is using genomic sequencing to develop customized treatments for men with castration-resistant prostate cancer, a progressive and incurable stage of prostate cancer, which no longer responds to hormone therapies that stop or slow testosterone production.

Genetic aberration paves the way for new treatment of cancer disease

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 07:16 AM PST

Researchers have characterized a genetic aberration on a group of colorectal cancer patients. The discovery gives hope for a new and efficient treatment of colorectal cancer, which is a frequent and often fatal disease.

Personal reflection triggers increased brain activity during depressive episodes

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 07:16 AM PST

Research has found that people experiencing depressive episodes display increased brain activity when they think about themselves.

Volume of nuclear waste could be reduced by 90 percent, says new research

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 07:16 AM PST

Engineers have developed a way to significantly reduce the volume of some higher activity nuclear wastes, which will reduce the cost of interim storage and final disposal.

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