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Monday, February 10, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top News

Looking back to the cradle of our universe: Astronomers spot what may be one of most distant galaxies known
Pacific trade winds stall global surface warming ... for now
Cochlear implant with no exterior hardware can be wirelessly recharged
Breakthrough approach to quickly identify new drug candidates from genome sequence
Largest evolutionary study of sponges sheds new light on animal evolution

Looking back to the cradle of our universe: Astronomers spot what may be one of most distant galaxies known

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 02:31 PM PST

NASA's Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes have spotted what might be one of the most distant galaxies known, harkening back to a time when our universe was only about 650 million years old (our universe is 13.8 billion years old). The galaxy, known as Abell2744 Y1, is about 30 times smaller than our Milky Way galaxy and is producing about 10 times more stars, as is typical for galaxies in our young universe.

Pacific trade winds stall global surface warming ... for now

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

Heat stored in the western Pacific Ocean caused by an unprecedented strengthening of the equatorial trade winds appears to be largely responsible for the hiatus in surface warming observed over the past 13 years. The strongest trade winds have driven more of the heat from global warming into the oceans; but when those winds slow, that heat will rapidly return to the atmosphere causing an abrupt rise in global average temperatures, scientists say.

Cochlear implant with no exterior hardware can be wirelessly recharged

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

Cochlear implants -- medical devices that electrically stimulate the auditory nerve -- have granted at least limited hearing to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide who otherwise would be totally deaf. Existing versions of the device, however, require that a disk-shaped transmitter about an inch in diameter be affixed to the skull, with a wire snaking down to a joint microphone and power source that looks like an oversized hearing aid around the patient's ear. Researchers have now developed a new, low-power signal-processing chip that could lead to a cochlear implant that requires no external hardware.

Breakthrough approach to quickly identify new drug candidates from genome sequence

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:23 PM PST

In research that could ultimately lead to many new medicines, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have developed a potentially general approach to design drugs from genome sequence.

Largest evolutionary study of sponges sheds new light on animal evolution

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:38 AM PST

Most genes involved in complex processes are present in sponges, new research shows. Sponges or Porifera -- there are over 8,000 species currently recognised -- are the most basal phylum of metazoans. They represent a rich animal diversity found throughout the world, from tropical climates to the arctic poles, and they are an excellent model to study metazoan evolution.

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

Astronomers discover oldest star: Formed shortly after the Big Bang 13. 7 billion years ago
Looking back to the cradle of our universe: Astronomers spot what may be one of most distant galaxies known
Pacific trade winds stall global surface warming ... for now
Cochlear implant with no exterior hardware can be wirelessly recharged

Astronomers discover oldest star: Formed shortly after the Big Bang 13. 7 billion years ago

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 05:08 PM PST

A team of astronomers has discovered the oldest known star in the Universe, which formed shortly after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago. The discovery has allowed astronomers for the first time to study the chemistry of the first stars, giving scientists a clearer idea of what the Universe was like in its infancy.

Looking back to the cradle of our universe: Astronomers spot what may be one of most distant galaxies known

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 02:31 PM PST

Pacific trade winds stall global surface warming ... for now

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

Cochlear implant with no exterior hardware can be wirelessly recharged

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

Mass extinction may not cause all organisms to 'shrink': Aquatic invertebrates varied in size after mass extinction event

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 03:47 PM PST

The sizes of organisms following mass extinction events may vary more than previously thought, which may be inconsistent with the predictions of the so-called "Lilliput effect."

Female mice prefer unfamiliar male songs: Females discern male mouse songs to avoid inbreeding

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 03:47 PM PST

Female mice prefer songs of mice that are different from their parents when selecting a mate.

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

Europe's oldest footprints uncovered on English coast
Drop in crime rates are less where Wal-Mart builds, study shows
'Steak-knife' teeth reveal ecology of oldest land predators
Opening 'the X-files' helped researchers to understand why women and men differ in height
Fish biomass in the ocean may be 10 times higher than estimated: Stock of mesopelagic fish changes from 1,000 to 10,000 million tons
Toxin in seafood causes kidney damage in mice at levels considered safe for consumption
Study shows yogurt consumption reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes

Europe's oldest footprints uncovered on English coast

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:45 AM PST

The earliest human footprints outside of Africa have been uncovered, on the English coast, by a team of scientists. Their discovery offers researchers an insight into the migration of pre-historic people hundreds of thousands of years ago when Britain was linked by land to continental Europe.

Drop in crime rates are less where Wal-Mart builds, study shows

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST

The study titled "Rolling back prices and raising crime rates? The Wal-Mart effect on crime in the United States," released last month shows that the crime decline was stunted in counties where Wal-Mart expanded in the 1990s.

'Steak-knife' teeth reveal ecology of oldest land predators

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:39 AM PST

The first top predators to walk on land were not afraid to bite off more than they could chew, a study has found. Researchers suggest that Dimetrodon, a carnivore that walked on land between 298 million and 272 million years ago, was the first terrestrial vertebrate to develop serrated ziphodont teeth.

Opening 'the X-files' helped researchers to understand why women and men differ in height

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:38 AM PST

Given its unique nature, the X chromosome has often been neglected when performing large-scale genetic studies. Because women have two copies of this chromosome and men only one, identifying genetic associations with X chromosomal genes can be particularly valuable in helping us to understand why some characteristics differ between sexes. Researchers have now identified novel X-chromosomal genetic variants that influence human height.

Fish biomass in the ocean may be 10 times higher than estimated: Stock of mesopelagic fish changes from 1,000 to 10,000 million tons

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:38 AM PST

With a stock estimated at 1,000 million tons so far, mesopelagic fish dominate the total biomass of fish in the ocean. However, scientists have found that their abundance could be at least 10 times higher. The results are based on the acoustic observations conducted during the circumnavigation of the Malaspina Expedition.

Toxin in seafood causes kidney damage in mice at levels considered safe for consumption

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:36 AM PST

Domoic acid accumulates in seafood and is toxic to the brain. Research indicates that the toxin damages kidneys at concentrations that are 100 times lower than what causes neurological effects.

Study shows yogurt consumption reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes

Posted: 05 Feb 2014 03:47 PM PST

New research shows that higher consumption of yogurt, compared with no consumption, can reduce the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes by 28 percent. Scientists found that in fact higher consumption of low-fat fermented dairy products, which include all yogurt varieties and some low-fat cheeses, also reduced the relative risk of diabetes by 24 percent overall.

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

Optogenetic toolkit goes multicolor: Seeing brain functions with light-sensitive proteins
Seven new genetic regions linked to type 2 diabetes
Cochlear implant with no exterior hardware can be wirelessly recharged
Breakthrough approach to quickly identify new drug candidates from genome sequence

Optogenetic toolkit goes multicolor: Seeing brain functions with light-sensitive proteins

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

Researchers have found new light-sensitive proteins that allow scientists to study how multiple sets of neurons interact with each other.

Seven new genetic regions linked to type 2 diabetes

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

Seven new genetic regions associated with type 2 diabetes have been identified in the largest study to date of the genetic basis of the disease. DNA data was brought together from more than 48,000 patients and 139,000 healthy controls from four different ethnic groups.

Cochlear implant with no exterior hardware can be wirelessly recharged

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

Breakthrough approach to quickly identify new drug candidates from genome sequence

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:23 PM PST

ScienceDaily: Living Well News

Thinking skills take biggest hit from anxiety in midlife women with HIV

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 05:07 AM PST

Hot flashes, depression, and most of all, anxiety, affect the thinking skills of midlife women with HIV, so screening for and treating their anxiety may be especially important in helping them function, according to a study just published. The reproductive stage, whether it was premenopause, perimenopause or postmenopause, did not seem to be related to these women's thinking skills.

Women fare worse than men following stroke

Posted: 08 Feb 2014 05:05 AM PST

The good news: More people survive stroke now than 10 years ago due to improved treatment and prevention. The bad news: Women who survive stroke have a worse quality of life than men, according to a study published.

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

Looking back to the cradle of our universe: Astronomers spot what may be one of most distant galaxies known
Cochlear implant with no exterior hardware can be wirelessly recharged
Bio scaffolds categorized by characteristic cell shapes
Policies to reduce energy consumption in Germany missing targets, research shows

Looking back to the cradle of our universe: Astronomers spot what may be one of most distant galaxies known

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 02:31 PM PST

Cochlear implant with no exterior hardware can be wirelessly recharged

Posted: 09 Feb 2014 12:24 PM PST

Bio scaffolds categorized by characteristic cell shapes

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST

Getting in the right shape might be just as important in a biology lab as a gym. Shape is thought to play an important role in the effectiveness of cells grown to repair or replaced damaged tissue in the body. To help design new structures that enable cells to "shape up," researchers have come up with a way to measure, and more importantly, classify, the shapes cells tend to take in different environments.

Policies to reduce energy consumption in Germany missing targets, research shows

Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:38 AM PST

New research has shown that policies to reduce energy consumption in homes are missing their targets. Germany's 2002 regulations were intended to create an 80% reduction by 2050 for energy used for home heating. According to the study, at the present rate reductions could achieve less than 25% by 2050.

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Monday, February 10, 2014