ScienceDaily: Top News

---

• Two for one in solar power: New process could revolutionize solar energy harvesting
• Scientists invent self-healing battery electrode
• Graphene nanoribbons for 'reading' DNA
• Near-future heat and precipitation extremes predicted
• Volcano discovered smoldering under a kilometer of ice in West Antarctica: Heat may increase rate of ice loss
• Oxygen, phosphorus and early life on Earth
• Protein coding 'junk genes' may be linked to cancer
• Environmental toxins linked to heart defects
• Heart disease number one cause of pregnancy-related deaths in California
• Childhood cancer treatment takes toll on hearts of survivors
• 'Mini-kidney' structures generated from human stem cells for first time
• CPR for 38 minutes or longer improves chance to survive cardiac arrest
• New device offers hope to people blinded due to incurable eye disorders
• Eye injuries in NHL cost franchises more than $32 million
• Residents of most polluted US Cities have increased risk of dry eye syndrome
• Large-scale analysis describes inappropriate lab testing throughout medicine
• Study finds donor age not a factor in most corneal transplants
• Safety in numbers? Not so for corals
• Inflammatory skin damage blocked by bleach solution in animal study
• Promising approach to improve outcome for children with high-risk leukemia
• iPads help children with autism develop language
• Nanoparticles to probe mystery sperm defects linked to infertility
• Gentle pasteurization of milk – with microwaves
• Medication errors common on admission to mental health units

Two for one in solar power: New process could revolutionize solar energy harvesting Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:57 PM PST A process that could revolutionize solar energy harvesting has been efficiently demonstrated in solution for the first time.

Scientists invent self-healing battery electrode Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:57 PM PST Researchers have made the first battery electrode that heals itself, opening a new and potentially commercially viable path for making the next generation of lithium ion batteries for electric cars, cell phones and other devices. The secret is a stretchy polymer that coats the electrode, binds it together and spontaneously heals tiny cracks that develop during battery operation, according to the research.

Graphene nanoribbons for 'reading' DNA Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:56 PM PST One of the methods used for examining the molecules in a liquid consists in passing the fluid through a nano-sized hole so as to detect their passage. Researchers have found a way to improve this technique by using a material with unique properties: graphene.

Near-future heat and precipitation extremes predicted Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:56 PM PST Unlike long-term climate predictions, forecasts about the next twenty to fifty years are fraught with major uncertainties. In spite of this, however, ETH-Zurich scientists have now managed to make projections about the future distribution of heat and precipitation extremes.

Volcano discovered smoldering under a kilometer of ice in West Antarctica: Heat may increase rate of ice loss Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:56 PM PST A temporary seismic array in Marie Byrd Land in West Antarctica recorded two bursts of activity in 2010 and 2011. Careful analysis of the events shows they originate from a subglacial volcano at the leading end of a volcanic mountain chain. The volcano is unlikely to erupt through the kilometer of ice that covers it but it will melt enough ice to change the way the ice in its vicinity flows.

Oxygen, phosphorus and early life on Earth Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:55 PM PST Two billion years ago the Earth system was recovering from perhaps the single-most profound modification of its surface environments: the oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans. This led to a series of major changes in global biogeochemical cycles.

Protein coding 'junk genes' may be linked to cancer Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:55 PM PST By using a new analysis method, researchers have found close to one hundred novel human gene regions that code for proteins. A number of these regions are so-called pseudogenes, which may be linked to cancer. The expectation is now that this recently developed protein analysis method will open up a whole new field of research.

Environmental toxins linked to heart defects Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:54 PM PST Children's congenital heart defects may be associated with their mothers' exposure to specific mixtures of environmental toxins during pregnancy, according to research.

Heart disease number one cause of pregnancy-related deaths in California Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:54 PM PST Heart disease is the leading cause of women's pregnancy-related deaths in California — but nearly one-third could be prevented.

Childhood cancer treatment takes toll on hearts of survivors Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:54 PM PST Cancer treatment takes a toll on the hearts of child survivors, according to research.

'Mini-kidney' structures generated from human stem cells for first time Posted: 17 Nov 2013 12:54 PM PST Diseases affecting the kidneys represent a major and unsolved health issue worldwide. The kidneys rarely recover function once they are damaged by disease, highlighting the urgent need for better knowledge of kidney development and physiology.

CPR for 38 minutes or longer improves chance to survive cardiac arrest Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:11 PM PST Performing CPR for 38 minutes or longer can improve a patient's chance of surviving cardiac arrest, according to a study.

New device offers hope to people blinded due to incurable eye disorders Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:11 PM PST Research shows promising data about a device that helps people who have lost their vision due to a blinding genetic disease to recognize common objects. In the study, the researchers found when the objects' outlines had been enhanced, there was increased recognition. The device, called the Argus II, is the first FDA-approved retinal implant for adults with retinitis pigmentosa.

Eye injuries in NHL cost franchises more than $32 million Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:11 PM PST Research shows that wearing visors in the National Hockey League (NHL) could cause a four-fold decrease in the risk of eye injuries. Furthermore, the study found that eye injuries over the last 10 seasons have cost the NHL and its associated franchises more than $32 million in missed games.

Residents of most polluted US Cities have increased risk of dry eye syndrome Posted: 16 Nov 2013 02:11 PM PST Residents of major cities with high levels of air pollution have an increased risk of dry eye syndrome, according to a study. Study subjects in and around Chicago and New York City were found to be three to four times more likely to be diagnosed with dry eye syndrome compared to less urban areas with relatively little air pollution.

Large-scale analysis describes inappropriate lab testing throughout medicine Posted: 15 Nov 2013 05:36 PM PST A new study finds that, on average, 30 percent of all lab tests are probably unnecessary -- and equally as many necessary tests may be going unordered.

Study finds donor age not a factor in most corneal transplants Posted: 15 Nov 2013 12:44 PM PST Ten years after a transplant, a cornea from a 71-year-old donor is likely to remain as healthy as a cornea from a donor half that age, according to a study. Corneas from donors over age 71 perform slightly less well, but still remain healthy for the majority of transplant recipients after 10 years, the study found.

Safety in numbers? Not so for corals Posted: 15 Nov 2013 11:14 AM PST Traditionally, it was assumed that corals do not face a risk of extinction unless they become very rare or have a very restricted range. A team of scientists has revealed that global changes in climate and ocean chemistry affect corals whether scare or abundant, and often it is the dominant, abundant corals with wide distributions that are affected the most.

Inflammatory skin damage blocked by bleach solution in animal study Posted: 15 Nov 2013 10:02 AM PST Processes that age and damage skin are impeded by dilute bleach solution, according to a new study by researchers working with mice.

Promising approach to improve outcome for children with high-risk leukemia Posted: 15 Nov 2013 10:00 AM PST Results from a new study is showing that a drug withdrawn from the market in 2010 may enhance the effectiveness of bone marrow transplants for select pediatric leukemia patients. Combining the drug gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) with conventional chemotherapy may improve the outcome of bone marrow transplantation for some children battling high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

iPads help children with autism develop language Posted: 15 Nov 2013 10:00 AM PST Some parents in a recent study were able to converse with their children for the first time with the help of language development programs on an iPad. Turns out children with autism can learn speech later than previously thought.

Nanoparticles to probe mystery sperm defects linked to infertility Posted: 15 Nov 2013 07:47 AM PST A way of using nanoparticles to investigate the mechanisms underlying 'mystery' cases of infertility has been developed by scientists. The technique could eventually help researchers to discover the causes behind cases of unexplained infertility and develop treatments for affected couples. The method involves loading porous silica nanoparticle 'envelopes' with compounds to identify, diagnose or treat the causes of infertility.

Gentle pasteurization of milk – with microwaves Posted: 15 Nov 2013 07:46 AM PST In the EU-funded project MicroMilk, researchers have developed a novel method for pasteurization of milk with microwaves. The system preserves the valuable components of milk, and is also suitable for heating viscous and concentrated dairy products due to minimized fouling formation. As a result, cleaning efforts can be reduced and detergents are saved. In the follow-up project MicroMilk Demo, the system will be transferred into industrial practice.

Medication errors common on admission to mental health units Posted: 15 Nov 2013 06:44 AM PST A recent study found that medication errors were common on admission to mental health services.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610