ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Extinct giant sea scorpion gets an eye exam, with surprising results
• Hi-ho! Astronomers discover seven dwarf galaxies with new telescope
• NASA spacecraft observes further evidence of dry ice gullies on Mars
• DARPA taps Lawrence Livermore to develop world's first neural device to restore memory
• 'Mississippi Baby' now has detectable HIV, researchers find
• Drinking alcohol provides no heart health benefit, new study shows
• Leading scientists express rising concern about 'microplastics' in the ocean
• Evidence of super-fast deep earthquake: Rare high-speed rupture off Russia and similar phenomena on shallow fault zones
• Uncertainty gives scientists new confidence in search for novel materials
• Powerful new source of up-to-date information on economic activity
• Inherited 'memory' of poor nutrition during pregnancy passed through sperm of male offspring
• On the link between periodontitis and atherosclerosis
• Neutron crystallography resolves long-standing molecular mystery
• Bacterial colonization prior to catching flu may protect against severe illness
• Sun-like stars reveal their ages
• Silicon oxide for better computer memory: Use of porous silicon oxide reduces forming voltage, improves manufacturability
• Want a higher GPA in college? Join a gym
• Hunger for vegetable oil means trouble for Africa's great apes
• Mediterranean fish stocks show steady decline
• What you eat may affect your body's internal biological clock
• Chimp intelligence 'runs in families,' environment less important
• New compound treats both blindness, diabetes in animal studies
• Computer security: 'Melbourne Shuffle' secures data in the cloud
• Radio-burst discovery deepens astrophysics mystery
• Link between antibiotics, bacterial biofilms and chronic infections found
• Invasion of yellow crazy ant in a Seychelles UNESCO palm forest: Threats and solutions
• Hubble spots spiral bridge of young stars linking two ancient galaxies
• How antioxidants can accelerate cancers, and why they don't protect against them
• Working to loosen the grip of severe mental illness
• The bigger the better: Cigarette warning labels prompt quit attempts
• Patient-specific stem cells and personalized gene therapy
• Natural birth may strengthen immune system, mouse study shows
• Advancing the limits for ultrafast nano-devices
• Taking account of environment of bees to better evaluate insecticide-related risks
• How coffee protects against Parkinson's
• Why weight-loss surgery cures diabetes: New clues
• Teaching the brain to reduce pain
• Distinguishing psoriasis from eczema: New diagnostic test
• How to uncover the true face of atomic nuclei
• Speeding up data storage by a thousand times with 'spin current'
• New class of anti-arthritis drugs effectively treats multiple inflammatory diseases
• Low back pain? Don't blame the weather
• Climate change may bring more kidney stones
• Men's hot flashes: Hypnotic relaxation therapy may ease the discomfort that guys don't talk about
• New window into high-energy processes on the sun
• Vasectomy may increase risk of aggressive prostate cancer
• New medication shows promise in treating common skin disease
• Bacteria found in bladders of healthy women differ from those in women with incontinence
• Protein found that pushes breast cancer cells to metastasize
• Signal in may send cancer's cellular factories into overdrive

Extinct giant sea scorpion gets an eye exam, with surprising results Posted: 10 Jul 2014 03:36 PM PDT Poor peepers are a problem, even if you are a big, bad sea scorpion. One minute, you're an imperious predator, scouring the shallow waters for any prey in sight. The next, thanks to a post-extinction eye exam, you're reduced to trolling for weaker, soft-bodied animals you stumble upon at night.

Hi-ho! Astronomers discover seven dwarf galaxies with new telescope Posted: 10 Jul 2014 03:36 PM PDT Meet the seven new dwarf galaxies. Astronomers, using a new type of telescope made by stitching together telephoto lenses, recently discovered seven celestial surprises while probing a nearby spiral galaxy. The previously unseen galaxies may yield important insights into dark matter and galaxy evolution, while possibly signaling the discovery of a new class of objects in space.

NASA spacecraft observes further evidence of dry ice gullies on Mars Posted: 10 Jul 2014 03:30 PM PDT Repeated high-resolution observations made by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) indicate the gullies on Mars' surface are primarily formed by the seasonal freezing of carbon dioxide, not liquid water. The first reports of formative gullies on Mars in 2000 generated excitement and headlines because they suggested the presence of liquid water on the Red Planet, the eroding action of which forms gullies here on Earth. Mars has water vapor and plenty of frozen water, but the presence of liquid water on the neighboring planet, a necessity for all known life, has not been confirmed.

DARPA taps Lawrence Livermore to develop world's first neural device to restore memory Posted: 10 Jul 2014 02:53 PM PDT The Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) up to $2.5 million to develop an implantable neural device with the ability to record and stimulate neurons within the brain to help restore memory, DARPA officials announced this week.

'Mississippi Baby' now has detectable HIV, researchers find Posted: 10 Jul 2014 12:19 PM PDT The child known as the 'Mississippi baby' -- an infant seemingly cured of HIV that was reported as a case study of a prolonged remission of HIV infection in the New England Journal of Medicine last fall -- now has detectable levels of HIV after more than two years of not taking antiretroviral therapy without evidence of virus, according to the pediatric HIV specialist and researchers involved in the case.

Drinking alcohol provides no heart health benefit, new study shows Posted: 10 Jul 2014 12:19 PM PDT Reducing the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed, even for light-to-moderate drinkers, may improve cardiovascular health, including a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, lower body mass index and blood pressure, according to a new multi-center study. The latest findings call into question previous studies which suggest that consuming light-to-moderate amounts of alcohol may have a protective effect on cardiovascular health.

Leading scientists express rising concern about 'microplastics' in the ocean Posted: 10 Jul 2014 11:16 AM PDT Microplastics -- microscopic particles of plastic debris -- are of increasing concern because of their widespread presence in the oceans and the potential physical and toxicological risks they pose to organisms.

Evidence of super-fast deep earthquake: Rare high-speed rupture off Russia and similar phenomena on shallow fault zones Posted: 10 Jul 2014 11:16 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the first evidence that deep earthquakes, those breaking at more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) below Earth's surface, can rupture much faster than ordinary earthquakes. The finding gives seismologists new clues about the forces behind deep earthquakes as well as fast-breaking earthquakes that strike near the surface.

Uncertainty gives scientists new confidence in search for novel materials Posted: 10 Jul 2014 11:16 AM PDT Scientists have found a way to estimate uncertainties in computer calculations that are widely used to speed the search for new materials for industry, electronics, energy, drug design and a host of other applications. The technique should quickly be adopted in studies that produce some 30,000 scientific papers per year.

Powerful new source of up-to-date information on economic activity Posted: 10 Jul 2014 11:15 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new data infrastructure for measuring economic activity. The infrastructure uses aggregated and de-identified data on transactions and account balances from Check, a mobile payments app, to produce accurate and comprehensive measures of consumers' spending and income on a daily basis.

Inherited 'memory' of poor nutrition during pregnancy passed through sperm of male offspring Posted: 10 Jul 2014 11:15 AM PDT When a pregnant mother is undernourished, her child is at a greater risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes, in part due to so-called 'epigenetic' effects. A new study in mice demonstrates that this 'memory' of nutrition during pregnancy can be passed through sperm of male offspring to the next generation, increasing risk of disease for her grandchildren as well -- but raises questions over how long such effects will continue to have an impact.

On the link between periodontitis and atherosclerosis Posted: 10 Jul 2014 11:15 AM PDT Chronic oral infection with the periodontal disease pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis, not only causes local inflammation of the gums leading to tooth loss but also is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis. A new study reveals how the pathogen evades the immune system to induce inflammation beyond the oral cavity.

Neutron crystallography resolves long-standing molecular mystery Posted: 10 Jul 2014 11:14 AM PDT Scientists have solved a long-standing mystery in biology, by identifying the molecular structure of a vital biological chemical. The debate -- which has raged within the scientific community for years -- boils down to something as simple as a hydrogen atom: is it there, or is it not?

Bacterial colonization prior to catching flu may protect against severe illness Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:10 AM PDT Severe illness and even death are likely to result if you develop another respiratory infection after catching the flu. Now, however, a team of researchers has determined that if you reverse the order of infection, pneumococcus bacteria may actually protect against a bad case of the flu. The bacterial protein pneumolysin, a bacterial virulence factor, might protect certain immune system cells (macrophages) in the alveoli of the lungs, preventing inflammation and, thus, pneumonia.

Sun-like stars reveal their ages Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:10 AM PDT A new technique for measuring the age of a star using its spin -- gyrochronology -- is coming into its own. Today astronomers are presenting the gyrochronological ages of 22 sun-like stars. Before this, only two sun-like stars had measured spins and ages.

Silicon oxide for better computer memory: Use of porous silicon oxide reduces forming voltage, improves manufacturability Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:10 AM PDT A breakthrough silicon oxide technology for high-density, next-generation computer memory is one step closer to mass production, thanks to a refinement that will allow manufacturers to fabricate devices at room temperature with conventional production methods.

Want a higher GPA in college? Join a gym Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:09 AM PDT For those students looking to bump up their grade point averages during college, the answer may not be spending more time in a library or study hall, but in a gym. New research shows that students who were members of the recreational sports and fitness centers during their freshman and sophomore years had higher GPAs than those who weren't. The research also indicated that students with memberships stayed in school longer.

Hunger for vegetable oil means trouble for Africa's great apes Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:08 AM PDT The vegetable oil found in your popcorn or soap might not be ape friendly, and the situation appears likely to get even worse, according to an analysis. The growing demand for vegetable oil has already led to the conversion of Southeast Asian forest into oil palm plantations, bringing trouble for orangutans in particular. If guidelines are not put in place very soon, researchers say the spread of those large-scale industrial plantations from Asia into Africa will be bad news for great apes there as well.

Mediterranean fish stocks show steady decline Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:08 AM PDT While careful management has helped stabilize or even improve the state of fisheries resources in some parts of Europe, the situation in the Mediterranean has deteriorated over the past 20 years. In a new report evaluating nine fish species, scientists call for stringent monitoring of Mediterranean fishing activities, better enforcement of fisheries regulations, and advanced management plans in Mediterranean waters.

What you eat may affect your body's internal biological clock Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:08 AM PDT Food not only nourishes the body but also affects its internal biological clock, which regulates the daily rhythm of many aspects of human behavior and biology. Researchers provide new insights into how adjusting the clock through dietary manipulation may help patients with various conditions and show that insulin may be involved in resetting the clock.

Chimp intelligence 'runs in families,' environment less important Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:05 AM PDT A chimpanzee's intelligence is largely determined by its genes, while environmental factors may be less important than scientists previously thought, according to a Georgia State University research study.

New compound treats both blindness, diabetes in animal studies Posted: 10 Jul 2014 10:05 AM PDT A chemical compound designed to precisely target part of a crucial cellular quality-control network provided significant protection, in rats and mice, against degenerative forms of blindness and diabetes has been developed by researchers.

Computer security: 'Melbourne Shuffle' secures data in the cloud Posted: 10 Jul 2014 08:19 AM PDT Encryption might not be enough for all that data stored in the cloud. Usage patterns -- which files are accessed and when -- can give away secrets as well. Computer scientists have developed an algorithm to sweep away those digital footprints. They call it the Melbourne Shuffle.

Radio-burst discovery deepens astrophysics mystery Posted: 10 Jul 2014 08:15 AM PDT The discovery of a split-second burst of radio waves by scientists using the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico provides important new evidence of mysterious pulses that appear to come from deep in outer space. Exactly what may be causing such radio bursts represents a major new enigma for astrophysicists.

Link between antibiotics, bacterial biofilms and chronic infections found Posted: 10 Jul 2014 07:15 AM PDT The link between antibiotics and bacterial biofilm formation leading to chronic lung, sinus and ear infections has been found, researchers report. The study results illustrate how bacterial biofilms can actually thrive, rather than decrease, when given low doses of antibiotics. Results of this study may lead to new approach for chronic ear infections in children.

Invasion of yellow crazy ant in a Seychelles UNESCO palm forest: Threats and solutions Posted: 10 Jul 2014 07:15 AM PDT The yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes is ranked amongst the top 100 worst global invasive species and is responsible for catastrophic ecological impacts on islands. A new study examines and assesses the effects and dangers of the introduction of the yellow crazy ant to the unique and often endemic ecosystems of the mature palm forest of the Vallée de Mai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the Seychelles.

Hubble spots spiral bridge of young stars linking two ancient galaxies Posted: 10 Jul 2014 07:14 AM PDT NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has photographed an unusual structure 100,000 light-years long, which resembles a corkscrew-shaped string of pearls and winds around the cores of two colliding galaxies. The unique structure of the star spiral may yield new insights into the formation of stellar superclusters that result from merging galaxies and gas dynamics in this rarely seen process.

How antioxidants can accelerate cancers, and why they don't protect against them Posted: 10 Jul 2014 06:44 AM PDT Two cancer researchers have proposed why antioxidant supplements might not be working to reduce cancer development, and why they may actually do more harm than good. Their insights are based on recent advances in the understanding of the system in our cells that establishes a natural balance between oxidizing and anti-oxidizing compounds. These compounds are involved in so-called redox (reduction and oxidation) reactions essential to cellular chemistry.

Working to loosen the grip of severe mental illness Posted: 10 Jul 2014 06:43 AM PDT The underlying brain architecture of a person at rest is basically the same as that of a person performing a variety of tasks, a researcher has found. This is important to the study of mental illness, he says, because it is easier to analyze a brain at rest. "We can now observe people relaxing in the scanner and be confident that what we see is there all the time," says the lead researcher, who feared that the study might find that the brain reorganizes itself for every task.

The bigger the better: Cigarette warning labels prompt quit attempts Posted: 10 Jul 2014 06:43 AM PDT Cigarette warning labels can influence a smoker to try to quit even when the smoker is trying to avoid seeing the labels, according to a survey of thousands of adult smokers in four countries. "Warning labels vary widely from country to country but it's clear that once people see the labels, the same psychological and emotional processes are involved in making people consider quitting smoking," said the study's lead author.

Patient-specific stem cells and personalized gene therapy Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:14 AM PDT Researchers have created a way to develop personalized gene therapies for patients with retinitis pigmentosa, a leading cause of vision loss. The approach, the first of its kind, takes advantage of induced pluripotent stem cell technology to transform skin cells into retinal cells, which are then used as a patient-specific model for disease study and preclinical testing.

Natural birth may strengthen immune system, mouse study shows Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:14 AM PDT New knowledge about the immune system has been uncovered by a mouse study, which indicates that natural birth improves the immune system of the pups. Newborns delivered by natural birth are exposed to more bacteria from the mother. The newborn baby's immune system in this way learns to distinguish between its own harmless molecules and foreign molecules. In the experiment, pups delivered by Caesarean section showed a lower number of cells of a type that plays an important role in preventing reactive immune cells from responding to molecules from the body itself, from the diet and from harmless intestinal bacteria.

Advancing the limits for ultrafast nano-devices Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:14 AM PDT A recent study provides new insights on the physical mechanisms governing the interplay of spin and heat at the nanoscale, and addresses the fundamental limits of ultrafast spintronic devices for data storage and information processing.

Taking account of environment of bees to better evaluate insecticide-related risks Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:13 AM PDT The level of sensitivity of bees to the adverse effects of pesticides varies as a function of environmental conditions, research shows. Scientists observed that a neonicotinoid insecticide disturbed their ability to find their bearings, particularly in a complex landscape and under unfavorable weather conditions.

How coffee protects against Parkinson's Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:13 AM PDT A specific genetic variation discovered by researchers protects against Parkinson's Disease – especially for those who drink a lot of coffee. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's have a complicated background where both genetic factors and exposure to environmental factors are involved. In a study of a million genetic malformations, the research team identified a variant of the GRIN2A gene as a protective factor against Parkinson's. The corresponding protein is part of a complex that is thought to play a role in several neurodegenerative diseases.

Why weight-loss surgery cures diabetes: New clues Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:13 AM PDT Scientists are a step closer to understanding why diabetes is cured in the majority of patients that undergo gastric bypass surgery. "Our research centered on enteroendocrine cells that 'taste' what we eat and in response release a cocktail of hormones that communicate with the pancreas, to control insulin release to the brain, to convey the sense of being full and to optimize and maximize digestion and absorption of nutrients," said the study's team leader.

Teaching the brain to reduce pain Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:12 AM PDT People can be conditioned to feel less pain when they hear a neutral sound, new research has found. This lends weight to the idea that we can learn to use mind-over-matter to beat pain. "We have shown that just as the physiological reaction of saliva secretion was provoked in Pavlov's dogs by the ringing of a bell, an analogous effect occurs regarding the ability to mask pain in humans," said a researcher.

Distinguishing psoriasis from eczema: New diagnostic test Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:12 AM PDT In some patients, the chronic inflammatory skin diseases psoriasis and eczema are similar in appearance. Up to now, dermatologists have therefore had to base their decision on which treatment should be selected on their own experience and an examination of tissue samples. A team of researchers has now analyzed the molecular processes that occur in both diseases and discovered crucial differences. This has enabled them for the first time to gain a detailed understanding of the ways in which the respective disease process occurs.

How to uncover the true face of atomic nuclei Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:12 AM PDT Protons and neutrons are the basic constituents of atomic nuclei. Are they distributed homogeneously, or perhaps in quartets consisting of two protons and two neutrons? Physicists have recently presented an idea how this issue may be investigated in future experiments.

Speeding up data storage by a thousand times with 'spin current' Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:12 AM PDT A hard drive stores bits in the form of tiny magnetic domains. The directions of the magnetic north and south poles of these domains, which are referred to as the magnetization, determine whether they are a 0 or a 1. Data is stored by changing the direction of the magnetization of the associated bits. At present this is done using a write head to create a local magnetic field, which makes a bit change direction.

New class of anti-arthritis drugs effectively treats multiple inflammatory diseases Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:12 AM PDT Inflammatory diseases can occur simultaneously in distinct sites in the same patient, complicating treatment because a medication effective for one disorder may exacerbate the other. One such example is the anti-arthritic medication dexamethasone, which alleviates joint disease but can worsen periodontal bone disease. A study highlights the effects of a new class of anti-arthritic drugs, specifically DTrp8-ɣMSH (DTrp), that acts via the melanocortin (MC) system to reduce both arthritic joint inflammation and periodontitis.

Low back pain? Don't blame the weather Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:12 AM PDT Sudden, acute episodes of low back pain are not linked to weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind direction and precipitation, researchers have determined. These findings indicate that the risk of low back pain slightly increases with higher wind speed or wind gusts, but was not clinically significant.

Climate change may bring more kidney stones Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:10 AM PDT As daily temperatures increase, so does the number of patients seeking treatment for kidney stones. In a study that may both reflect and foretell a warming planet's impact on human health, a research team found a link between hot days and kidney stones in 60,000 patients in several U.S. cities with varying climates.

Men's hot flashes: Hypnotic relaxation therapy may ease the discomfort that guys don't talk about Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:10 AM PDT Men who experience hot flashes are unlikely to talk much about it, but they may find relief from their silent suffering if they are willing to try an unusual treatment, according to new research. After seven weeks of hypnotic relaxation therapy, a 69-year-old man who had uncontrolled hot flashes following prostate cancer surgery showed a drastic decrease not only in hot flashes but also an impressive improvement in sleep quality, according to the study.

New window into high-energy processes on the sun Posted: 09 Jul 2014 03:22 PM PDT Understanding the sun from afar isn't easy. NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft -- which orbits Mercury, and so is as close as 28 million miles from the sun versus Earth's 93 million miles -- is near enough to the sun to detect solar neutrons that are created in solar flares.

Vasectomy may increase risk of aggressive prostate cancer Posted: 09 Jul 2014 03:22 PM PDT Vasectomy was associated with a small increased risk of prostate cancer, and a stronger risk for advanced or lethal prostate cancer according to a new study. Vasectomy is a common form of contraception in the U.S., with about 15% of men having the procedure. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among U.S. men, so identifying risk factors for lethal prostate cancer is important for public health.

New medication shows promise in treating common skin disease Posted: 09 Jul 2014 03:22 PM PDT An investigational medication shows promise in treating eczema or atopic dermatitis, the most common skin disorder, according to a study. The findings could eventually bring significant relief for many who suffer intense itching and other troubling features of atopic dermatitis, according to the study's lead author.

Bacteria found in bladders of healthy women differ from those in women with incontinence Posted: 09 Jul 2014 01:20 PM PDT Bacteria found in the bladders of healthy women differ from bacteria in women with a common form of incontinence, according to researchers. Approximately 15 percent of women suffer from UUI and yet an estimated 40 -- 50 percent do not respond to conventional treatments. One possible explanation for the lack of response to medication may be the bacteria present in these women. "These findings may have strong implications for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of women with this form of incontinence," said a co-investigator.

Protein found that pushes breast cancer cells to metastasize Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:16 PM PDT Using an innovative tool that captures heretofore hidden ways that cells are regulated, scientists have identified a protein that makes breast cancer cells more likely to metastasize. What's more, the protein appears to trigger cancer's spread in part by blocking two other proteins that are normally linked to neurodegeneration, a finding that suggests these two disease processes could have unexpected ties.

Signal in may send cancer's cellular factories into overdrive Posted: 09 Jul 2014 12:16 PM PDT A network of signals active in almost all types of cancer sends the protein factories in our cells into overdrive, and may help fuel a tumor's uncontrolled growth, new research suggests. The findings may help to explain how cancer cells maintain their high levels of metabolism -- and could uncover future targets for cancer treatment.

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