ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

---

• New test scans all genes simultaneously to identify single mutation causing child's rare genetic disease
• Action video games bolster sensorimotor skills, study finds
• Superconducting circuits, simplified
• Scientific breakthrough will help design antibiotics of the future
• Mysterious Midcontinent Rift is a geological hybrid
• Are male brains wired to ignore food for sex? Nematode study points to basic biological mechanisms
• Amphibian communities collapse in wake of viral outbreak
• Male and female brains aren't equal when it comes to fat
• Jet lag can cause obesity by disrupting the daily rhythms of gut microbes
• Oh, brother! Having a sibling makes boys selfless, study suggests
• Brain surgery, by robot, through the cheek
• Change your walking style, change your mood
• Researcher adds to evidence linking autism to air pollutants
• Effects of high-risk Parkinson's mutation are reversible, study in animal model suggests
• Dinosaur breathing study shows that noses enhanced smelling and cooled brain
• Rediscovering Venus to find faraway Earths: Measuring gravitational pull of a planet should speed search
• Solar energy that doesn't block the view

New test scans all genes simultaneously to identify single mutation causing child's rare genetic disease Posted: 18 Oct 2014 09:26 AM PDT Sequencing the DNA of children with mystery genetic disorders produced a definitive diagnosis in 40 percent of one hospital's most complex cases -- a quantum leap from the field's 5-percent success rate 20 years ago.

Action video games bolster sensorimotor skills, study finds Posted: 17 Oct 2014 08:11 AM PDT People who play action video games such as Call of Duty or Assassin's Creed seem to learn a new sensorimotor skill more quickly than non-gamers do, psychology researchers have found.

Superconducting circuits, simplified Posted: 17 Oct 2014 08:11 AM PDT New circuit design could unlock the power of experimental superconducting computer chips.

Scientific breakthrough will help design antibiotics of the future Posted: 17 Oct 2014 07:13 AM PDT Computer simulations have been used to show how bacteria are able to destroy antibiotics -- a breakthrough which will help develop drugs which can effectively tackle infections in the future.

Mysterious Midcontinent Rift is a geological hybrid Posted: 16 Oct 2014 10:28 AM PDT Geologists have a new explanation for the formation of the Midcontinent Rift, an ancient 2,000-mile-long underground crack that starts in Lake Superior and runs south. The rift is a geological hybrid, having formed in three stages: it started as an enormous narrow crack in the Earth's crust; that space then filled with an unusually large amount of volcanic rock; and, finally, the igneous rocks were forced to the surface, forming some of the Upper Midwest's beautiful scenery.

Are male brains wired to ignore food for sex? Nematode study points to basic biological mechanisms Posted: 16 Oct 2014 09:35 AM PDT Choosing between two good things can be tough. When animals must decide between feeding and mating, it can get even trickier. In a discovery that might ring true even for some humans, researchers have shown that male brains -- at least in nematodes -- will suppress the ability to locate food in order to instead focus on finding a mate.

Amphibian communities collapse in wake of viral outbreak Posted: 16 Oct 2014 09:35 AM PDT Two closely related viruses that have been introduced to northern Spain in recent years have already led to the collapse of three different species of amphibian -- the common midwife toad, the common toad, and the alpine newt -- in the protected area of Picos de Europa National Park. In all, six amphibian species have suffered from severe disease and mass mortality and researchers say that the viruses appear to be on the move.

Male and female brains aren't equal when it comes to fat Posted: 16 Oct 2014 09:35 AM PDT Researchers have found that male and female brains respond in remarkably different ways to high-fat meals. Those differences in the brain lead to greater inflammation and increased health risks in males that indulge on fatty foods in comparison to females, a new study in mice shows. The findings may help to explain observed differences in obesity outcomes between women and men and suggest that dietary advice should be made more sex-specific.

Jet lag can cause obesity by disrupting the daily rhythms of gut microbes Posted: 16 Oct 2014 09:35 AM PDT Organisms ranging from bacteria to humans have circadian clocks to help them synchronize their biological activities to the time of day. A study now reveals that gut microbes in mice and humans have circadian rhythms that are controlled by the biological clock of the host in which they reside. Disruption of the circadian clock in the host alters the rhythms and composition of the microbial community, leading to obesity and metabolic problems.

Oh, brother! Having a sibling makes boys selfless, study suggests Posted: 16 Oct 2014 07:04 AM PDT A study found that siblings uniquely promote sympathy and altruism. Boys and girls benefited equally -- a surprise since girls generally benefit more from friendships. However, researchers found that hostile relationship with a sibling made boys more likely to have behavior problems.

Brain surgery, by robot, through the cheek Posted: 15 Oct 2014 12:25 PM PDT Engineers have developed a surgical robot designed to perform brain surgery by entering through the cheek instead of the skull that can operate on a patient in an MRI scanner. Additionally, the engineers have designed the system so that much of it can be made using 3-D printing in order to keep the price low.

Change your walking style, change your mood Posted: 15 Oct 2014 11:32 AM PDT Our mood can affect how we walk -- slump-shouldered if we're sad, bouncing along if we're happy. Now researchers have shown it works the other way too -- making people imitate a happy or sad way of walking actually affects their mood.

Researcher adds to evidence linking autism to air pollutants Posted: 15 Oct 2014 08:21 AM PDT Pollution's impact on autism rates in North Carolina is similar to results of previous pollution autism studies in California, a new study reports. This report is has added to a growing body of evidence that links autism to air pollutants such as those generated by cars and trucks.

Effects of high-risk Parkinson's mutation are reversible, study in animal model suggests Posted: 15 Oct 2014 06:04 AM PDT Researchers have found vital new evidence on how to target and reverse the effects caused by one of the most common genetic causes of Parkinson's.

Dinosaur breathing study shows that noses enhanced smelling and cooled brain Posted: 14 Oct 2014 02:08 PM PDT It's been millions of years since T. rex took its last breath, but a team led by Ohio University scientists is breathing life back into dinosaurs using high-powered computer simulations to model airflow through dinosaur snouts. The research has important implications for how dinosaurs used their noses to not only breathe but to enhance the sense of smell and cool their brains.

Rediscovering Venus to find faraway Earths: Measuring gravitational pull of a planet should speed search Posted: 14 Oct 2014 12:25 PM PDT As the search for Earth-like planets wages on, a team of researchers may have found a way to speed up the process. The team is developing a new laser-based technology known as the green astro-comb to obtain information about the mass of a distant planet. Using this information, astronomers will be able to determine whether distant exoplanets are rocky worlds like Earth or less dense gas giants like Jupiter.

Solar energy that doesn't block the view Posted: 19 Aug 2014 05:02 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new type of solar concentrator that when placed over a window creates solar energy while allowing people to actually see through the window. It is called a transparent luminescent solar concentrator and can be used on buildings, cell phones and any other device that has a flat, clear surface.

You are subscribed to email updates from Most Popular News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States