ScienceDaily: Top News

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• 'Ultracold' molecules promising for quantum computing, simulation
• Water-rich gem points to vast 'oceans' beneath Earth's surface, study suggests
• Quantum chaos in ultracold gas discovered
• Key heart failure culprit discovered in tiny piece of RNA
• Building new drugs just got easier
• Microbes help to battle infection: Gut microbes help develop immune cells, study finds
• Material rivaling graphene may be mined out of rocks
• Blood sugar testing with no sharps
• Good vibes for catalytic chemistry: A way to make better catalysts for meds, industry and materials
• Breast cancer gene could play critical role in obesity, diabetes
• Bighead carp: From 5 to 150 centimeters in 37 million years
• A plague of fleas: Tiny Eurasian exotic is upending watery ecosystems across the northern Great Lakes
• Large waist linked to poor health, even among those in healthy body mass index ranges
• Immune system's redesigned role in fighting cancerous tumors
• Chronic pain research delves into brain: New insight into how brain responds to pain
• Wishing to be another gender: Links to ADHD, autism spectrum disorders
• First thin films of spin ice reveal cold secrets
• VLT spots largest yellow hypergiant star: Mix of new and old observations reveals exotic binary system
• Laser and radar unveil the secrets of Roman bridges
• Racing cars on walls would be possible, according to student paper
• New fossil find: Precursor of European rhinos found in Vietnam
• Antibody could be used to target tumor-causing protein, study shows
• New biomarker holds promise for monitoring heart disease
• Lignin breakthroughs serve as GPS for plant research
• Crowdsourced rain samples map Hurricane Sandy's evolution
• Higher levels of cerebrospinal fluid predict faster cognitive loss in Parkinson's disease
• New gene for bipolar disorder discovered

'Ultracold' molecules promising for quantum computing, simulation Posted: 12 Mar 2014 12:02 PM PDT Researchers have created a new type of 'ultracold' molecule, using lasers to cool atoms nearly to absolute zero and then gluing them together, a technology that might be applied to quantum computing, precise sensors and advanced simulations.

Water-rich gem points to vast 'oceans' beneath Earth's surface, study suggests Posted: 12 Mar 2014 12:02 PM PDT The first terrestrial discovery of ringwoodite confirms the presence of massive amounts of water 400 to 700 kilometers beneath Earth's surface. Ringwoodite is a form of the mineral peridot, believed to exist in large quantities under high pressures in the transition zone. Ringwoodite has been found in meteorites but, until now, no terrestrial sample has ever been unearthed because scientists haven't been able to conduct fieldwork at extreme depths.

Quantum chaos in ultracold gas discovered Posted: 12 Mar 2014 12:01 PM PDT Researchers have discovered that even simple systems, such as neutral atoms, can possess chaotic behavior, which can be revealed using the tools of quantum mechanics. The ground-breaking research opens up new avenues to observe the interaction between quantum particles.

Key heart failure culprit discovered in tiny piece of RNA Posted: 12 Mar 2014 12:01 PM PDT A small, but powerful, new player in the onset and progression of heart failure has been discovered by cardiovascular researchers. The researchers have also shown how they successfully blocked the newly discovered culprit to halt the debilitating and chronic life-threatening condition in its tracks.

Building new drugs just got easier Posted: 12 Mar 2014 12:00 PM PDT A method for modifying organic molecules has been developed that significantly expands the possibilities for developing new pharmaceuticals and improving old ones. The innovation makes it easier to modify existing organic compounds by attaching biologically active "functional group" to drug molecules. A typical small-molecule drug derives its activity from such functional groups, which are bound to a relatively simple backbone structure consisting chiefly of carbon atoms.

Microbes help to battle infection: Gut microbes help develop immune cells, study finds Posted: 12 Mar 2014 10:26 AM PDT Beneficial gut bacteria are necessary for the development of innate immune cells -- specialized types of white blood cells that serve as the body's first line of defense against invading pathogens -- new research has found. The research suggests that a healthy population of gut microbes can actually provide a preventative alternative to antibiotics.

Material rivaling graphene may be mined out of rocks Posted: 12 Mar 2014 10:26 AM PDT Will one-atom-thick layers of molybdenum disulfide, a compound that occurs naturally in rocks, prove to be better than graphene for electronic applications? There are many signs that might prove to be the case. But physicists have shown that the nature of the phenomena occurring in layered materials are still ill-understood and require further research.

Blood sugar testing with no sharps Posted: 12 Mar 2014 10:23 AM PDT Measuring blood sugar when you have diabetes usually involves pricking your finger and using a glucose monitor for the test. While this approach can give people with diabetes vital information about whether they need to take insulin or eat something sugary, it is nevertheless painful and inconvenient. Now, an international research team is one step closer to an entirely non-invasive blood sugar test.

Good vibes for catalytic chemistry: A way to make better catalysts for meds, industry and materials Posted: 12 Mar 2014 10:23 AM PDT Chemists have discovered how vibrations in chemical bonds can be used to predict chemical reactions and thus design better catalysts to speed reactions that make medicines, industrial products and new materials.

Breast cancer gene could play critical role in obesity, diabetes Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:48 AM PDT The gene known to be associated with breast cancer susceptibility, BRCA 1, plays a critical role in the normal metabolic function of skeletal muscle, according to a new study. Mutations in the BRCA1 gene may also put people at increased risk for metabolic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes, this research indicates.

Bighead carp: From 5 to 150 centimeters in 37 million years Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:47 AM PDT During excavations in the open lignite-mining pit Na Duong in Vietnam, scientists discovered the world's oldest bighead carp. With a length of only 5 centimeters, Planktophaga minuta is also the smallest known fossil representative of this East Asian group. Modern bighead carp are among the largest members of the carp family, reaching a length of up to 1.5 meters and a weight of 50 kilograms.

A plague of fleas: Tiny Eurasian exotic is upending watery ecosystems across the northern Great Lakes Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:46 AM PDT The spiny water flea, aka Bythotrephes, is devouring its way through the Great Lakes and into the surrounding inland waters, including Minnesota's Voyageurs National Park, disrupting an entire ecosystem from the bottom up.

Large waist linked to poor health, even among those in healthy body mass index ranges Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:45 AM PDT Having a big belly has consequences beyond trouble squeezing into your pants. It's detrimental to your health, even if you have a healthy body mass index (BMI), a new international collaborative study has found. Men and women with large waist circumferences were more likely to die younger, and were more likely to die from illnesses such as heart disease, respiratory problems, and cancer after accounting for body mass index, smoking, alcohol use and physical activity.

Immune system's redesigned role in fighting cancerous tumors Posted: 12 Mar 2014 07:31 AM PDT Solid tumors were eradicated in laboratory mice by researchers using a novel combination of two targeted agents. These two synergistic therapies stimulate an immune response, ultimately allowing solid tumors to act as their own cancer-fighting vaccine. "Instead of administering a cancer vaccine to destroy tumors, we hope to modify the immune system to allow the patient's own tumor to act as a cancer vaccine," explained the lead author

Chronic pain research delves into brain: New insight into how brain responds to pain Posted: 12 Mar 2014 07:31 AM PDT New insights into how the human brain responds to chronic pain could eventually lead to improved treatments for patients, researchers say. Chronic pain is common throughout the world. More than 100 million Americans are believed to be affected by chronic pain. "People living with chronic headache and other forms of chronic pain may experience reduced quality of life, as the pain often prevents them from working, amongst other things. It is therefore imperative that we understand the causes of chronic pain, not just attempt to treat the symptoms with medication," the lead author said.

Wishing to be another gender: Links to ADHD, autism spectrum disorders Posted: 12 Mar 2014 07:31 AM PDT Children and teenagers with an autism spectrum disorder or those who have attention deficit and hyperactivity problems are much more likely to wish to be another gender. This is the conclusion of the first study to compare the occurrence of such gender identity issues among children and adolescents with and without specific neurodevelopmental disorders. Participant children were between 6 and 18 years old. They either had no neurodevelopmental disorder, or they were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a medical neurodevelopmental disorder such as epilepsy, or neurofibromatosis.

First thin films of spin ice reveal cold secrets Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:27 AM PDT Thin films of spin ice have been shown to demonstrate surprising properties which could help in the development of applications of magnetricity, the magnetic equivalent of electricity.

VLT spots largest yellow hypergiant star: Mix of new and old observations reveals exotic binary system Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:27 AM PDT The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope has revealed the largest yellow star -- and one of the 10 largest stars found so far. This hypergiant has been found to measure more than 1,300 times the diameter of the Sun, and to be part of a double star system, with the second component so close that it is in contact with the main star. Observations spanning over 60 years also indicate that this remarkable object is changing very rapidly.

Laser and radar unveil the secrets of Roman bridges Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:26 AM PDT Discovering hidden arches, visualizing the sloped outline characteristic of the medieval period, finding a Renaissance engraving on a Roman arch or detecting restorations: these are some of the results that have been obtained in a recent study of more than 80 roman and medieval bridges. The assessment was carried out with the help of a ground-penetrating radar, a laser scanner and mathematical models, technology that benefit conservation.

Racing cars on walls would be possible, according to student paper Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:25 AM PDT Driving a racing car at an angle of 90 degrees to the ground could be possible with the right track design, new research suggests. Student researchers wanted to investigate this because it has been previously shown that speedway cars actually travel at their fastest around the steep bends of speedway tracks. The group chose to look at two different vehicles -- an open wheeled Penske-Reynard-Honda racing car and an Audi TT road car -- to compare how different car shapes and characteristics would affect their gravity-defying capabilities.

New fossil find: Precursor of European rhinos found in Vietnam Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:25 AM PDT Scientists have recovered fossils of two previously unknown mammal species that lived about 37 million years ago. The newly described mammals show a surprisingly close relationship to prehistoric species known from fossil sites in Europe. The location: The open lignite-mining Na Duong in Vietnam. Here, the team of scientists was also able to make a series of further discoveries, including three species of fossilized crocodiles and several new turtles.

Antibody could be used to target tumor-causing protein, study shows Posted: 11 Mar 2014 03:47 PM PDT Patients with advanced melanoma and kidney cancer who were treated with a certain antibody that targets a tumor-enhancing protein was safe, which could lead to more treatment options for patients, researchers have found in a phase-1 study. This study sheds light on a therapy that could be used alone or in combination to help patients with a number of cancers.

New biomarker holds promise for monitoring heart disease Posted: 11 Mar 2014 03:46 PM PDT A special newly discovered biomarker, "Gb3," potentially related to the survival of heart disease patients, could change the way the country's No. 1 killer is monitored in the future. The study found that patients with a higher level of the urinary lipid globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) may be at greater risk for near-term death as a result of heart disease. The presence of elevated urinary Gb3, along with other lipids, indicated for the first time that heart disease is linked to lipid abnormalities in organs outside of the heart in patients with common forms of heart disease.

Lignin breakthroughs serve as GPS for plant research Posted: 11 Mar 2014 03:46 PM PDT By thoroughly mapping a single specialized tissue involved in wood formation, scientists have developed the equivalent of turn-by-turn directions for future plant scientists to understand how plants adapt to the environment and to improve plants' productivity and biofuel potential. Lignin, an important and complex polymer responsible for plant growth and development, provides mechanical strength and water transport that enables some trees to grow 100 meters tall. However, lignin must be removed for biofuel, pulp and paper production-a process that involves harsh chemicals and expensive treatments.

Crowdsourced rain samples map Hurricane Sandy's evolution Posted: 11 Mar 2014 03:46 PM PDT As the climate changes in the 21st century, more hurricanes may stray farther north along the eastern seaboard, like Superstorm Sandy did. During Sandy, researchers used crowdsourcing to collect the largest ever dataset of hurricane rain waters and analyze the storm's isotopic fingerprint.

Higher levels of cerebrospinal fluid predict faster cognitive loss in Parkinson's disease Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:40 AM PDT A characteristic pathological feature of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the presence of Lewy bodies, which are formed by intracellular deposits of the protein α-synuclein in neurons. Although several large studies have examined α-synuclein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of PD patients, its role in cognitive decline and dementia had been unexplored. Now, counterintuitive findings offer new insights into PD pathology.

New gene for bipolar disorder discovered Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:39 AM PDT First on top of the world and then in the depths of despair – this is what the extreme mood changes for people with bipolar disorder are like. Two new gene regions that are connected with the prevalent disease have been discovered by an international collaboration of researchers. In addition, they were able to confirm three additional suspect genes. In this unparalleled worldwide study, the scientists are utilizing unprecedented numbers of patients.

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