ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Consistent blood pressure control may cut rate of second stroke in half
• First genome methylation mapping in fruit fly
• New way to filter light: May provide first directional selectivity for light waves
• Antidepressants during pregnancy linked to preterm birth
• Cancer researchers find key protein link
• Adult cancer drugs show promise against an aggressive childhood brain tumor
• Biomarkers predict effectiveness of radiation treatments for cancer
• Chronic stress in early life causes anxiety, aggression in adulthood, neurobiologists find
• New guidance system could improve minimally invasive surgery
• Seasonal Arctic summer ice extent still hard to forecast, study says
• Controlling electron spins by light
• Four in 10 infants lack strong parental attachments
• Foraging bats can warn each other away from their dinners
• Inspiration linked to bipolar disorder risk
• To grow or not to grow: A step forward in adult vertebrate tissue regeneration
• A tale of two species: How woodrats keep to two species
• 'Mini heart' invented to help return venous blood
• Potential target for treating mitochondrial disorders
• New function for important player in immune response uncovered
• Dynamics behind Arctic ecosystems revealed
• A more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, methane emissions will leap as Earth warms
• The first insects were not yet able to smell well: Odorant receptors evolved long after insects migrated from water to land
• Scientists watch nanoparticles grow: Analysis allows tailoring materials for switchable windows and solar cells
• Students on field course bag new spider species
• Hubble sees Mars-bound comet sprout multiple jets
• Dying cells in fruit fly alert neighboring cells to protect themselves: As a result, neighbors become harder to kill
• Natural plant compounds may assist chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy approach to Alzheimer's studied in fly models
• Caffeinated fruit flies help identify potential genes affecting insecticide resistance
• Inherited muscle diseases: 'Sunday driver' gene headed the wrong way
• DNA provides information on origins of yeast, helps evolutionaly biologists
• Smoke-free air policies seem to protect the heart
• Drug strengthens analgesic effect of opioids without increasing constipation
• Ultra-thin light detectors: Metamaterials and quantum cascade structures combined for first time
• Data mining disaster: Computer technology can mine data from social media during disasters
• Record quantum entanglement of multiple dimensions: Two Schrödinger cats which could be alive, dead, or in 101 other states simultaneously
• Computing with slime: Logical circuits built using living slime molds
• One gene, many tissues
• In mapping feat, scientists pinpoint neurons where select memories grow
• Gen X obesity a major problem for healthcare, workforce
• Mass participation experiment reveals how to create the perfect dream
• Targeting enforcement where needed most in Africa's heart of biodiversity
• Indian rhinoceroses: Reproductive tract tumors reduce female fertility in early stages
• Some breast cancer tumors hijack patient epigenetic machinery to evade drug therapy
• Natural history must reclaim its place, experts say

Consistent blood pressure control may cut rate of second stroke in half Posted: 27 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PDT Stroke survivors who consistently control their blood pressure may reduce the likelihood of a second stroke by more than 50 percent. Less than a third of stroke survivors maintained consistent blood pressure control more than 75 percent of the time. Researchers determined results after controlling for age, sex and prior history of stroke, heart disease and other factors. Blood pressure was considered "controlled" at 140 mmHg over 90 mmHg or lower.

First genome methylation mapping in fruit fly Posted: 27 Mar 2014 11:24 AM PDT The first mapping of genome methylation in the fruit-fly Drosophila melanogaster has been released by a team of scientists. This paper represents a major advance in the study of DNA methylation in insects. No previous study has succeeded in pinpointing the location of DNA methylation in the fly genome.

New way to filter light: May provide first directional selectivity for light waves Posted: 27 Mar 2014 11:24 AM PDT Light waves can be defined by three fundamental characteristics: their color (or wavelength), polarization, and direction. While it has long been possible to selectively filter light according to its color or polarization, selectivity based on the direction of propagation has remained elusive. But now, for the first time, researchers have produced a system that allows light of any color to pass through only if it is coming from one specific angle; the technique reflects all light coming from other directions.

Antidepressants during pregnancy linked to preterm birth Posted: 27 Mar 2014 11:01 AM PDT Antidepressant medications taken by pregnant women are associated with increased rates of preterm birth, research shows. This finding reinforces the notion that antidepressants should not be used by pregnant women in the absence of a clear need that cannot be met through alternative approaches, say researchers.

Cancer researchers find key protein link Posted: 27 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PDT A new understanding of proteins at the nexus of a cell's decision to survive or die has implications for researchers who study cancer and age-related diseases. Experiments and computer analysis of two key proteins revealed a previously unknown binding interface that could be addressed by medication.

Adult cancer drugs show promise against an aggressive childhood brain tumor Posted: 27 Mar 2014 10:57 AM PDT The quest to improve survival of children with a high-risk brain tumor has investigators to two drugs already used to treat adults with breast, pancreatic, lung and other cancers. Researchers demonstrated that the drugs pemetrexed and gemcitabine killed cells from mouse and human brain tumors, called group 3 medulloblastoma, growing in the laboratory. Medulloblastoma is diagnosed in about 400 children annually in the U.S., making it the most common pediatric brain tumor.

Biomarkers predict effectiveness of radiation treatments for cancer Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:37 AM PDT The effectiveness of radiation treatments for patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck has been reviewed by an international team of researchers. They identified two biomarkers that were good at predicting a patient's resistance to radiation therapy. "While our findings are encouraging, and a step toward personalized medicine, we hope to do more of this research with a larger, randomized trial," the authors conclude.

Chronic stress in early life causes anxiety, aggression in adulthood, neurobiologists find Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:36 AM PDT In experiments to assess the impacts of social stress upon adolescent mice, both at the time they are experienced and during adulthood, a laboratory team conducted many different kinds of stress tests and means of measuring their impacts. The research indicates that a 'hostile environment in adolescence disturbs psychoemotional state and social behaviors of animals in adult life,' the team says.

New guidance system could improve minimally invasive surgery Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:36 AM PDT A computerized process that could make minimally invasive surgery more accurate and streamlined using equipment already common in the operating room has been developed by researchers.

Seasonal Arctic summer ice extent still hard to forecast, study says Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:36 AM PDT Scientists analyzed 300 summer Arctic sea ice forecasts from 2008 to 2013 and found that forecasts are quite accurate when sea ice conditions are close to the downward trend that has been observed in Arctic sea ice for the last 30 years. However, forecasts are not so accurate when sea ice conditions are unusually higher or lower compared to this trend.

Controlling electron spins by light Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:35 AM PDT Topological insulators are considered a very promising material class for the development of future electronic devices. A research team has discovered, how light can be used to alter the physical properties of the electrons in these materials.

Four in 10 infants lack strong parental attachments Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:35 AM PDT In a study of 14,000 US children, 40 percent lack strong emotional bonds -- what psychologists call 'secure attachment' -- with their parents that are crucial to success later in life, according to a new report. The researchers found that these children are more likely to face educational and behavioral problems.

Foraging bats can warn each other away from their dinners Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:35 AM PDT A new call that some bats use to tell other foraging bats to 'back off' from bugs they've claimed for themselves has been identified by scientists. This sound, called a 'frequency-modulated bout,' warns other bats away from prey. The researchers are first to report this ultrasonic social call produced exclusively by flying, foraging male big brown bats, in a new article.

Inspiration linked to bipolar disorder risk Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:33 AM PDT Inspiration has been linked with people at risk of developing bipolar disorder for the first time in a study. For generations, artists, musicians, poets and writers have described personal experiences of mania and depression, highlighting the unique association between creativity and bipolar disorder -- experiences which are backed up by recent research. But, until now, the specific links between inspiration -- the generation of ideas that form the basis of creative work -- and bipolar disorder has received little attention.

To grow or not to grow: A step forward in adult vertebrate tissue regeneration Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:33 AM PDT The reason why some animals can regenerate tissues after severe organ loss or amputation while others, such as humans, cannot renew some structures has always intrigued scientists. In a study, a research group provided new clues to solve this central question by investigating regeneration in an adult vertebrate model: the zebrafish.

A tale of two species: How woodrats keep to two species Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:31 AM PDT A pair of new studies look at the surprising variety of factors that prevent two closely related species of woodrats from becoming a single hybrid species despite the existence of hybrid individuals where the two species come into contact. After finding that two closely related species could interbreed and produce hybrid offspring, scientists set out to determine why only 14 percent of the population in a "contact zone" had genetic signatures from both species.

'Mini heart' invented to help return venous blood Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:31 AM PDT A new organ has been invented to help return blood flow from veins lacking functional valves. A rhythmically contracting cuff made of cardiac muscle cells surrounds the vein acting as a 'mini heart' to aid blood flow through venous segments. The cuff can be made of a patient's own adult stem cells, eliminating the chance of implant rejection.

Potential target for treating mitochondrial disorders Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:31 AM PDT Mitochondria are essential for proper cellular functions. Mitochondrial defects are often observed in a variety of diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, and are the hallmarks of a number of untreatable genetic mitochondrial disorders whose manifestations range from muscle weakness to organ failure. Scientists have identified a protein whose inhibition could hold the key to alleviating suffering caused by such disorders.

New function for important player in immune response uncovered Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:17 AM PDT A new function of AID, a crucial enzyme for the immune response has been uncovered by researchers. The discovery helps explain a rare genetic disorder that causes an immunodeficiency syndrome. AID initiates a mechanism whereby a break occurs in the DNA, within the antibody genes, and a segment is removed. The free ends on either side of the removed fragment must be rejoined to repair the DNA strand and, thus, produce a new class of antibody.

Dynamics behind Arctic ecosystems revealed Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:17 AM PDT Species such as the musk ox, Arctic fox and lemming live in the harsh, cold and deserted tundra environment. However, they have often been in the spotlight when researchers have studied the impact of a warmer climate on the countryside in the north. Until now, the focus has been concentrated on individual species, but an international team of biologists has now published an important study of entire food-web dynamics.

A more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, methane emissions will leap as Earth warms Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:17 AM PDT New research indicates that for each degree that the Earth's temperature rises, the amount of methane entering the atmosphere from microorganisms dwelling in lake sediment and freshwater wetlands -- the primary sources of the gas -- will increase several times.

The first insects were not yet able to smell well: Odorant receptors evolved long after insects migrated from water to land Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:16 AM PDT An insect's sense of smell is vital to its survival. Only if it can trace even tiny amounts of odor molecules is it is able to find food sources or avoid enemies. According to scientists, many proteins involved in the highly sensitive odor perception of insects emerged rather late in the evolutionary process.

Scientists watch nanoparticles grow: Analysis allows tailoring materials for switchable windows and solar cells Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:16 AM PDT With DESY's X-ray light source PETRA III, scientists have observed the growth of nanoparticles live. The study shows how tungsten oxide nanoparticles are forming from solution. These particles are used for example for smart windows, which become opaque at the flick of a switch, and they are also used in particular solar cells.

Students on field course bag new spider species Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:16 AM PDT As a spin-off of their Tropical Biodiversity course in Malaysian Borneo, a team of biology students discover a new spider species, build a makeshift taxonomy lab, write a joint publication and send it off to a major taxonomic journal. The new species Crassignatha danaugirangensis was named after the field center's idyllic setting at the Danau Girang oxbow lake.

Hubble sees Mars-bound comet sprout multiple jets Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT A new image of a comet at 353 million miles from Earth shows two jets of dust coming off the comet's nucleus in opposite directions.

Dying cells in fruit fly alert neighboring cells to protect themselves: As a result, neighbors become harder to kill Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:12 AM PDT Cells usually self-destruct when irreparable glitches occur in their DNA. Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, helps insure that cells with damaged DNA do not grow and replicate to produce more mutated cells. Apoptosis thereby helps protect and insure the survival of the organism. Scientists now report that a dying Drosophila melanogaster larvae cell alerts neighboring cells that they are in danger of suffering a similar fate.

Natural plant compounds may assist chemotherapy Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT Plant compounds present in carrots and parsley may one day support more effective delivery of chemotherapy treatments, new research has found. Specific plant compounds are able to inhibit transport mechanisms in the body that select what compounds are absorbed into the body, and eventually into cells. These same transport mechanisms are known to interfere with cancer chemotherapy treatment.

Immunotherapy approach to Alzheimer's studied in fly models Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT The results of using fly models to investigate passive immunotherapy to block amyloid-²42 peptides of amyloid plaques that damage the brain cells of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are now presented by researchers. The scientists are investigating passive immunotherapy, one of the most promising approaches to blocking the amyloid-β42 (Aβ42) peptide, the main component of the amyloid plaques that damage the brain cells of patients with AD.

Caffeinated fruit flies help identify potential genes affecting insecticide resistance Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:14 AM PDT To understand genetic mechanisms underlying insecticide resistance, scientists employed fruit flies and caffeine, a stimulant surrogate for xenobiotics in lab studies on resistance. Crop pests are capable of outwitting the chemical compounds known as xenobiotics that are devised to kill them. This development of resistance to insecticides is a serious problem because it threatens crop production and thereby can influence the availability and costs of many foods as well as the economy.

Inherited muscle diseases: 'Sunday driver' gene headed the wrong way Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:14 AM PDT Skeletal muscle cells with unevenly spaced nuclei, or nuclei in the wrong location, are telltale signs of inherited muscle diseases. Scientists now report on findings from research to determine what goes wrong during myogenesis, the formation and maintenance of muscle tissue, to produce these inherited muscle diseases.

DNA provides information on origins of yeast, helps evolutionaly biologists Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:14 AM PDT A problem in evolutionary biology has been turned into a new tool to better understand phylogeny in closely related species. Resequencing ribosomal DNA in closely related yeast species has given them new information about the origins of modern yeast strains and a useful tool for evolutionary biologists.

Smoke-free air policies seem to protect the heart Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT Policies prohibiting tobacco smoking in workplaces and other public spaces may substantially improve public health by reducing heart disease and death, according to a new study on the impact of Michigan's statewide smoking ban. In their study, researchers found a statistically significant reduction in cardiovascular disease and death with related hospitalizations decreasing by 2.03 percent from 65,329 to 64,002.

Drug strengthens analgesic effect of opioids without increasing constipation Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT Scientists have developed a new drug that multiplies the analgesic effect of opioids (drugs for treating intense pain), without increasing constipation, one of the most common side-effects of these drugs, among which is morphine.

Ultra-thin light detectors: Metamaterials and quantum cascade structures combined for first time Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT A new, extremely thin kind of light detectors has been developed. Two very different technologies were combined for the first time: metamaterials and quantum cascade structures. Subtle interactions of electrons and light make them so valuable for technology: ultra-thin systems of semiconductor layers can turn electrical voltage into light. But they can also be used the other way around and serve as light detectors.

Data mining disaster: Computer technology can mine data from social media during disasters Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT Computer technology that can mine data from social media during times of natural or other disaster could provide invaluable insights for rescue workers and decision makers, according to scientists.

Record quantum entanglement of multiple dimensions: Two Schrödinger cats which could be alive, dead, or in 101 other states simultaneously Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT Scienitists have managed to create an entanglement of 103 dimensions with only two photons. The record had been established at 11 dimensions. The discovery could represent a great advance toward the construction of quantum computers with much higher processing speeds than current ones, and toward a better encryption of information.

Computing with slime: Logical circuits built using living slime molds Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:03 AM PDT A future computer might be a lot slimier than the solid silicon devices we have today. Researchers have revealed details of logic units built using living slime molds, which might act as the building blocks for computing devices and sensors.

One gene, many tissues Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:03 AM PDT Genes are the "code" for building the biological elements that form an organism. The DNA that makes up genes contains the instructions to synthesize proteins, but it's wrong to think that, for a given gene, these instructions are always the same for all parts of the organisms. In actual fact, the gene varies depending on the tissue where it is located (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, olfactory epithelium, etc.); in particular, what varies is the point in the "string" of code at which protein synthesis starts.

In mapping feat, scientists pinpoint neurons where select memories grow Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:01 AM PDT Memories are difficult to produce, often fragile, and dependent on any number of factors -- including changes to various types of nerves. In the common fruit fly -- a scientific doppelganger used to study human memory formation—these changes take place in multiple parts of the insect brain. Scientists have now been able to pinpoint a handful of neurons where certain types of memory formation occur.

Gen X obesity a major problem for healthcare, workforce Posted: 27 Mar 2014 06:59 AM PDT If current trends continue, Australia's Generation X will overtake Baby Boomers for poor health, including rates of obesity and diabetes, which could have huge implications for healthcare and the workforce. Researchers compared the health status of Baby Boomers (born from 1946-1965) and Generation X (1966-1980) at the same age range of 25-44 years and found that Generation X had significantly poorer levels of self-rated health, and higher levels of obesity and diabetes compared with Boomers, with no real difference in physical activity between the two groups.

Mass participation experiment reveals how to create the perfect dream Posted: 26 Mar 2014 06:27 PM PDT Psychologists have announced the results of a two-year study into dream control. The experiment shows that it is now possible for people to create their perfect dream, and so wake up feeling especially happy and refreshed. Researchers also discovered that people's dreams were especially bizarre around the time of a full moon.

Targeting enforcement where needed most in Africa's heart of biodiversity Posted: 26 Mar 2014 03:22 PM PDT Scientists seeking a more efficient way of protecting the heart of Africa's wildlife -- the Greater Virunga Landscape -- have developed a method to make the most of limited enforcement resources, according to a new study.

Indian rhinoceroses: Reproductive tract tumors reduce female fertility in early stages Posted: 26 Mar 2014 03:19 PM PDT Reproduction of the Indian rhinoceros faces greater difficulties than was previously recognized. Researchers discovered that benign vaginal and cervical tumors cause infertility even in young females. This substantially affects breeding success in zoological gardens.

Some breast cancer tumors hijack patient epigenetic machinery to evade drug therapy Posted: 26 Mar 2014 12:37 PM PDT A breast cancer therapy that blocks estrogen synthesis to activate cancer-killing genes sometimes loses its effectiveness because the cancer takes over epigenetic mechanisms, including permanent DNA modifications in the patient's tumor, once again allowing tumor growth, according to an international team of scientists.

Natural history must reclaim its place, experts say Posted: 26 Mar 2014 11:23 AM PDT Scientists argue that the study of natural history has waned in recent decades in developed countries. Declining course requirements and support for herbaria are among the documented evidence. Yet costly mistakes in policy relating to natural resources, agriculture, and health might have been avoided by paying attention to organisms' natural history, and future policies will be improved if natural history knowledge is used and expanded. New technologies offer ways to increase natural history research partnerships.

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ScienceDaily: Living Well News

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• Public smoking bans linked with rapid fall in preterm births, child hospital visits for asthma
• Antidepressants during pregnancy linked to preterm birth
• Online gaming augments players' social lives, study shows
• People unwilling to swallow soda tax, size restrictions
• Smoke-free air policies seem to protect the heart
• Obesity, diabetes pre-programmed in womb? Fetal response to glucose associated with mother's insulin sensitivity
• Peaches inhibit breast cancer metastasis in mice
• Baseball Pitchers, Volleyball Spikers Have Something in Common: Similar Shoulder, Elbow Injuries
• Moving public assistance payments from cash to plastic cuts crime, research shows

Public smoking bans linked with rapid fall in preterm births, child hospital visits for asthma Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:22 PM PDT The introduction of laws banning smoking in public places and workplaces in North America and Europe has been quickly followed by large drops in rates of preterm births and children attending hospital for asthma, according to the first systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effect of smoke-free legislation on child health.

Antidepressants during pregnancy linked to preterm birth Posted: 27 Mar 2014 11:01 AM PDT Antidepressant medications taken by pregnant women are associated with increased rates of preterm birth, research shows. This finding reinforces the notion that antidepressants should not be used by pregnant women in the absence of a clear need that cannot be met through alternative approaches, say researchers.

Online gaming augments players' social lives, study shows Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT Online social behavior isn't replacing offline social behavior in the gaming community, new research shows. Instead, online gaming is expanding players' social lives. "Gamers aren't the antisocial basement-dwellers we see in pop culture stereotypes, they're highly social people," says the lead author of a paper. "This won't be a surprise to the gaming community, but it's worth telling everyone else. Loners are the outliers in gaming, not the norm."

People unwilling to swallow soda tax, size restrictions Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:15 AM PDT Those hoping to dilute Americans' taste for soda, energy drinks, sweetened tea, and other sugary beverages should take their quest to school lunchrooms rather than legislative chambers, according to a recent study by media and health policy experts. Soda taxes and beverage portion size restrictions were unpalatable to the 1,319 U.S. adults questioned in a fall 2012 survey as part of a study.

Smoke-free air policies seem to protect the heart Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT Policies prohibiting tobacco smoking in workplaces and other public spaces may substantially improve public health by reducing heart disease and death, according to a new study on the impact of Michigan's statewide smoking ban. In their study, researchers found a statistically significant reduction in cardiovascular disease and death with related hospitalizations decreasing by 2.03 percent from 65,329 to 64,002.

Obesity, diabetes pre-programmed in womb? Fetal response to glucose associated with mother's insulin sensitivity Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:08 PM PDT Direct evidence has been shown that fetal brain response to a dose of sugar given orally to its mother is associated with the mother's insulin sensitivity. This may indicate that the risk of subsequent obesity and diabetes may be pre-programmed in the womb. The authors conclude: "Lower maternal insulin sensitivity is associated with slower fetal brain responses. These findings provide the first evidence of a direct effect of maternal metabolism on fetal brain activity and suggest that central insulin resistance may be programmed during fetal development."

Peaches inhibit breast cancer metastasis in mice Posted: 25 Mar 2014 01:44 PM PDT Treatments with peach extract inhibit breast cancer metastasis in mice, new research demonstrates. Scientists say that the mixture of phenolic compounds present in the peach extract are responsible for the inhibition of metastasis, according to the study. This work builds upon previous work released a few years ago, which showed that peach and plum polyphenols selectively killed aggressive breast cancer cells.

Baseball Pitchers, Volleyball Spikers Have Something in Common: Similar Shoulder, Elbow Injuries Posted: 24 Mar 2014 03:14 PM PDT Baseball and volleyball players share the similar arm injuries due to overuse of their shoulders and elbows. In both circumstances, the shoulder muscles generate and transmit an incredible amount of energy and serve as the transition point where built up energy is transferred from the rest of the body down the arm. After too many pitches or serves, these shoulder muscles get overworked and tend to cause the shoulder to tighten up.

Moving public assistance payments from cash to plastic cuts crime, research shows Posted: 24 Mar 2014 11:54 AM PDT Counties that change their delivery of public assistance benefits from paper checks to an electronic benefit transfer system -- using debit cards -- see their street crimes drop significantly, according to a study. The study is the first to empirically examine whether the introduction of an EBT system, which reduces the amount of cash circulated on the streets, will disrupt criminal activities that rely on the ease and relative anonymity of cash transactions.

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ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

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• Solar system has a new most-distant member
• Million suns shed light on fossilized plant
• Brain differences in college-aged occasional drug users
• Sensing gravity with acid: Scientists discover role for protons in neurotransmission
• Simple, like a neutron star: How neutron stars are like (and unlike) black holes
• Strange materials cropping up in condensed matter laboratories
• DNA from fossils reveal origin of Norwegian lemmings
• Gene silencing instructions acquired through 'molecular memory' tags on chromatin

Solar system has a new most-distant member Posted: 26 Mar 2014 12:37 PM PDT The Solar System has a new most-distant member, bringing its outer frontier into focus. New work reports the discovery of a distant dwarf planet, called 2012 VP113, which was found beyond the known edge of the Solar System. This is likely one of thousands of distant objects that are thought to form the so-called inner Oort cloud. The work indicates the potential presence of an enormous planet, not yet seen, but possibly influencing the orbit of inner Oort cloud objects.

Million suns shed light on fossilized plant Posted: 25 Mar 2014 06:04 PM PDT Scientists have used one of the brightest lights in the Universe to expose the biochemical structure of a 50 million-year-old fossil plant to stunning visual effect. The team of palaeontologists, geochemists and physicists investigated the chemistry of exceptionally preserved fossil leaves from the Eocene-aged 'Green River Formation' of the western United States by bombarding the fossils with X-rays brighter than a million suns produced by synchrotron particle accelerators.

Brain differences in college-aged occasional drug users Posted: 25 Mar 2014 04:07 PM PDT Impaired neuronal activity has been found in the parts of the brain associated with anticipatory functioning among occasional 18- to 24-year-old users of stimulant drugs, such as cocaine, amphetamines and prescription drugs such as Adderall. The brain differences, detected using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), are believed to represent an internal hard wiring that may make some people more prone to drug addiction later in life.

Sensing gravity with acid: Scientists discover role for protons in neurotransmission Posted: 25 Mar 2014 12:42 PM PDT While probing how organisms sense gravity and acceleration, scientists uncovered evidence that acid (proton concentration) plays a key role in communication between neurons. Scientists discovered that sensory cells in the inner ear continuously transmit information on orientation of the head relative to gravity and low-frequency motion to the brain using protons as the key means of synaptic signal transmission.

Simple, like a neutron star: How neutron stars are like (and unlike) black holes Posted: 25 Mar 2014 06:44 AM PDT For astrophysicists neutron stars are extremely complex astronomical objects. Research has demonstrated that in certain respects these stars can instead be described very simply and that they show similarities with black holes.

Strange materials cropping up in condensed matter laboratories Posted: 25 Mar 2014 06:42 AM PDT Physicists are using surprising ideas and mathematical tools originating in string theory to guide research into strange materials that are cropping up in condensed matter laboratories. There are a handful of systems that cannot be described by considering electrons (or any other kind of quasi-particle) moving around.

DNA from fossils reveal origin of Norwegian lemmings Posted: 24 Mar 2014 06:02 AM PDT A new ancient DNA study shows that the Norwegian lemming has a unique history. In contrast to other mammals in Fennoscandia, the Norwegian lemming may have survived the last Ice Age in the far north, sealed off from the rest of the world by gigantic ice sheets.

Gene silencing instructions acquired through 'molecular memory' tags on chromatin Posted: 20 Mar 2014 10:11 AM PDT One of the mysteries of modern genetics has been solved: how acquired traits can be passed between generations in a process called epigenetic inheritance. The new work finds that cells don't know to silence some genes based on information hardwired into their DNA sequences, but recognize heritable chemical marks that are added to the genes. These chemical tags serve as a form of molecular memory, allowing cells to recognize the genes and remember to silence them again in each new generation.

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ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

---

• First genome methylation mapping in fruit fly
• Cancer researchers find key protein link
• Seasonal Arctic summer ice extent still hard to forecast, study says
• Foraging bats can warn each other away from their dinners
• To grow or not to grow: A step forward in adult vertebrate tissue regeneration
• A Tale of Two Species: How woodrats keep to two species
• 'Mini heart' invented to help return venous blood
• Potential Target for Treating Mitochondrial Disorders
• New function for important player in immune response uncovered
• Dynamics behind Arctic ecosystems revealed
• A more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, methane emissions will leap as Earth warms
• The first insects were not yet able to smell well: Odorant receptors evolved long after insects migrated from water to land
• Students on field course bag new spider species
• Dying cells in fruit fly alert neighboring cells to protect themselves: As a result, neighbors become harder to kill
• Natural plant compounds may assist chemotherapy
• Gene mutations in flies, humans produce similar epilepsy syndromes
• Caffeinated fruit flies help identify potential genes affecting insecticide resistance
• Inherited muscle diseases: 'Sunday driver' gene headed the wrong way
• DNA provides information on origins of yeast, helps evolutionaly biologists
• Data mining disaster: Computer technology can mine data from social media during disasters
• Computing with slime: Logical circuits built using living slime molds
• One gene, many tissues
• Targeting enforcement where needed most in Africa's heart of biodiversity
• Function of cancer-causing gene explored by researchers
• Indian rhinoceroses: Reproductive tract tumors reduce female fertility in early stages
• Phloem production in Huanglongbing-affected citrus trees
• Some breast cancer tumors hijack patient epigenetic machinery to evade drug therapy
• Natural history must reclaim its place, experts say
• Certain genetic variants may put bladder cancer patients at increased risk of recurrence
• Plant growth enhanced through promotion of pore opening

First genome methylation mapping in fruit fly Posted: 27 Mar 2014 11:24 AM PDT The first mapping of genome methylation in the fruit-fly Drosophila melanogaster has been released by a team of scientists. This paper represents a major advance in the study of DNA methylation in insects. No previous study has succeeded in pinpointing the location of DNA methylation in the fly genome.

Cancer researchers find key protein link Posted: 27 Mar 2014 11:00 AM PDT A new understanding of proteins at the nexus of a cell's decision to survive or die has implications for researchers who study cancer and age-related diseases. Experiments and computer analysis of two key proteins revealed a previously unknown binding interface that could be addressed by medication.

Seasonal Arctic summer ice extent still hard to forecast, study says Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:36 AM PDT Scientists analyzed 300 summer Arctic sea ice forecasts from 2008 to 2013 and found that forecasts are quite accurate when sea ice conditions are close to the downward trend that has been observed in Arctic sea ice for the last 30 years. However, forecasts are not so accurate when sea ice conditions are unusually higher or lower compared to this trend.

Foraging bats can warn each other away from their dinners Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:35 AM PDT A new call that some bats use to tell other foraging bats to 'back off' from bugs they've claimed for themselves has been identified by scientists. This sound, called a 'frequency-modulated bout,' warns other bats away from prey. The researchers are first to report this ultrasonic social call produced exclusively by flying, foraging male big brown bats, in a new article.

To grow or not to grow: A step forward in adult vertebrate tissue regeneration Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:33 AM PDT The reason why some animals can regenerate tissues after severe organ loss or amputation while others, such as humans, cannot renew some structures has always intrigued scientists. In a study, a research group provided new clues to solve this central question by investigating regeneration in an adult vertebrate model: the zebrafish.

A Tale of Two Species: How woodrats keep to two species Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:31 AM PDT A pair of new studies look at the surprising variety of factors that prevent two closely related species of woodrats from becoming a single hybrid species despite the existence of hybrid individuals where the two species come into contact. After finding that two closely related species could interbreed and produce hybrid offspring, scientists set out to determine why only 14 percent of the population in a "contact zone" had genetic signatures from both species.

'Mini heart' invented to help return venous blood Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:31 AM PDT A new organ to help return blood flow from veins lacking functional valves has been invented in an American lab.

Potential Target for Treating Mitochondrial Disorders Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:31 AM PDT Mitochondria are essential for proper cellular functions. Mitochondrial defects are often observed in a variety of diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, and are the hallmarks of a number of untreatable genetic mitochondrial disorders whose manifestations range from muscle weakness to organ failure. Scientists have identified a protein whose inhibition could hold the key to alleviating suffering caused by such disorders.

New function for important player in immune response uncovered Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:17 AM PDT A new function of AID, a crucial enzyme for the immune response has been uncovered by researchers. The discovery helps explain a rare genetic disorder that causes an immunodeficiency syndrome. AID initiates a mechanism whereby a break occurs in the DNA, within the antibody genes, and a segment is removed. The free ends on either side of the removed fragment must be rejoined to repair the DNA strand and, thus, produce a new class of antibody.

Dynamics behind Arctic ecosystems revealed Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:17 AM PDT Species such as the musk ox, Arctic fox and lemming live in the harsh, cold and deserted tundra environment. However, they have often been in the spotlight when researchers have studied the impact of a warmer climate on the countryside in the north. Until now, the focus has been concentrated on individual species, but an international team of biologists has now published an important study of entire food-web dynamics.

A more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, methane emissions will leap as Earth warms Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:17 AM PDT New research indicates that for each degree that the Earth's temperature rises, the amount of methane entering the atmosphere from microorganisms dwelling in lake sediment and freshwater wetlands -- the primary sources of the gas -- will increase several times.

The first insects were not yet able to smell well: Odorant receptors evolved long after insects migrated from water to land Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:16 AM PDT An insect's sense of smell is vital to its survival. Only if it can trace even tiny amounts of odor molecules is it is able to find food sources or avoid enemies. According to scientists, many proteins involved in the highly sensitive odor perception of insects emerged rather late in the evolutionary process.

Students on field course bag new spider species Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:16 AM PDT As a spin-off of their Tropical Biodiversity course in Malaysian Borneo, a team of biology students discover a new spider species, build a makeshift taxonomy lab, write a joint publication and send it off to a major taxonomic journal. The new species Crassignatha danaugirangensis was named after the field center's idyllic setting at the Danau Girang oxbow lake.

Dying cells in fruit fly alert neighboring cells to protect themselves: As a result, neighbors become harder to kill Posted: 27 Mar 2014 08:12 AM PDT Cells usually self-destruct when irreparable glitches occur in their DNA. Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, helps insure that cells with damaged DNA do not grow and replicate to produce more mutated cells. Apoptosis thereby helps protect and insure the survival of the organism. Scientists now report that a dying Drosophila melanogaster larvae cell alerts neighboring cells that they are in danger of suffering a similar fate.

Natural plant compounds may assist chemotherapy Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT Plant compounds present in carrots and parsley may one day support more effective delivery of chemotherapy treatments, new research has found. Specific plant compounds are able to inhibit transport mechanisms in the body that select what compounds are absorbed into the body, and eventually into cells. These same transport mechanisms are known to interfere with cancer chemotherapy treatment.

Gene mutations in flies, humans produce similar epilepsy syndromes Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:14 AM PDT New findings that build on and expand a previous discovery that mutations in the 'prickle' gene in Drosophila were responsible for much more than merely altering the bristles on the fly's body to point them in the wrong direction are now presented by researchers.

Caffeinated fruit flies help identify potential genes affecting insecticide resistance Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:14 AM PDT To understand genetic mechanisms underlying insecticide resistance, scientists employed fruit flies and caffeine, a stimulant surrogate for xenobiotics in lab studies on resistance. Crop pests are capable of outwitting the chemical compounds known as xenobiotics that are devised to kill them. This development of resistance to insecticides is a serious problem because it threatens crop production and thereby can influence the availability and costs of many foods as well as the economy.

Inherited muscle diseases: 'Sunday driver' gene headed the wrong way Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:14 AM PDT Skeletal muscle cells with unevenly spaced nuclei, or nuclei in the wrong location, are telltale signs of inherited muscle diseases. Scientists now report on findings from research to determine what goes wrong during myogenesis, the formation and maintenance of muscle tissue, to produce these inherited muscle diseases.

DNA provides information on origins of yeast, helps evolutionaly biologists Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:14 AM PDT A problem in evolutionary biology has been turned into a new tool to better understand phylogeny in closely related species. Resequencing ribosomal DNA in closely related yeast species has given them new information about the origins of modern yeast strains and a useful tool for evolutionary biologists.

Data mining disaster: Computer technology can mine data from social media during disasters Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT Computer technology that can mine data from social media during times of natural or other disaster could provide invaluable insights for rescue workers and decision makers, according to scientists.

Computing with slime: Logical circuits built using living slime molds Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:03 AM PDT A future computer might be a lot slimier than the solid silicon devices we have today. Researchers have revealed details of logic units built using living slime molds, which might act as the building blocks for computing devices and sensors.

One gene, many tissues Posted: 27 Mar 2014 07:03 AM PDT Genes are the "code" for building the biological elements that form an organism. The DNA that makes up genes contains the instructions to synthesize proteins, but it's wrong to think that, for a given gene, these instructions are always the same for all parts of the organisms. In actual fact, the gene varies depending on the tissue where it is located (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, olfactory epithelium, etc.); in particular, what varies is the point in the "string" of code at which protein synthesis starts.

Targeting enforcement where needed most in Africa's heart of biodiversity Posted: 26 Mar 2014 03:22 PM PDT Scientists seeking a more efficient way of protecting the heart of Africa's wildlife -- the Greater Virunga Landscape -- have developed a method to make the most of limited enforcement resources, according to a new study.

Function of cancer-causing gene explored by researchers Posted: 26 Mar 2014 03:22 PM PDT Developmental biologists are discovering new roles for a specific gene known as Max's Giant Associated protein, or MGA. A little studied protein, MGA appears to control a number of developmental processes, and also may be connected to cancer development.

Indian rhinoceroses: Reproductive tract tumors reduce female fertility in early stages Posted: 26 Mar 2014 03:19 PM PDT Reproduction of the Indian rhinoceros faces greater difficulties than was previously recognized. Researchers discovered that benign vaginal and cervical tumors cause infertility even in young females. This substantially affects breeding success in zoological gardens.

Phloem production in Huanglongbing-affected citrus trees Posted: 26 Mar 2014 12:37 PM PDT Researchers monitored the progression of phloem production over time in field-grown HLB-affected citrus trees to determine how the trees are capable of sustaining new growth. Results showed that new phloem cells are produced during the periodic flushes of vegetative growth and their subsequent collapse and plugging over a six-month period. The weeks immediately before and after the spring and summer flush were determined to be critically important in the management of citrus health.

Some breast cancer tumors hijack patient epigenetic machinery to evade drug therapy Posted: 26 Mar 2014 12:37 PM PDT A breast cancer therapy that blocks estrogen synthesis to activate cancer-killing genes sometimes loses its effectiveness because the cancer takes over epigenetic mechanisms, including permanent DNA modifications in the patient's tumor, once again allowing tumor growth, according to an international team of scientists.

Natural history must reclaim its place, experts say Posted: 26 Mar 2014 11:23 AM PDT Scientists argue that the study of natural history has waned in recent decades in developed countries. Declining course requirements and support for herbaria are among the documented evidence. Yet costly mistakes in policy relating to natural resources, agriculture, and health might have been avoided by paying attention to organisms' natural history, and future policies will be improved if natural history knowledge is used and expanded. New technologies offer ways to increase natural history research partnerships.

Certain genetic variants may put bladder cancer patients at increased risk of recurrence Posted: 26 Mar 2014 06:25 AM PDT In the Western world, bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and the eighth most common in women, with many patients experiencing recurrence after treatment. A new study indicates that inheriting certain DNA sequences can affect a patient's prognosis. The findings may help physicians identify sub-groups of bladder cancer patients who should receive intensive treatment and monitoring.

Plant growth enhanced through promotion of pore opening Posted: 26 Mar 2014 06:18 AM PDT By inducing the pore opening of leaves, researchers have developed a strategy for enhancing photosynthesis and plant growth, which may be applied to crops and fuel plants to support global food production and a sustainable low-carbon society.

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