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Sunday, September 28, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top News

ScienceDaily: Top News


New poison dart frog species discovered in Donoso, Panama

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 06:36 PM PDT

A bright orange poison dart frog with a unique call has been discovered in Donoso, Panama. Because this new frog species appears to be found in only a very small area, habitat loss and collecting for the pet trade are major threats to its existence. The authors recommend the formulation of special conservation plans to guarantee its survival.

New molecule found in space connotes life origins

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 06:36 PM PDT

Hunting from a distance of 27,000 light years, astronomers have discovered an unusual carbon-based molecule contained within a giant gas cloud in interstellar space. The discovery suggests that the complex molecules needed for life may have their origins in interstellar space.

Countries must work together to stop organ traffickers, says researcher

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 06:36 PM PDT

The author of new research into organ trafficking has called for a concerted international effort to confront the problem. Although there is no internationally agreed definition, 'organ trafficking' is broadly defined as situations in which people are tricked into giving up organs, may sell them for financial gain but are not paid for as agreed.

Preference for built-up habitats could explain rapid spread of tree bumblebee in UK

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 12:04 PM PDT

Tree bumblebee populations could be spreading because the bees readily live alongside humans in towns and villages. This sets the species apart from other common British bumblebees -- which could explain how tree bumblebees have managed to colonize much of the UK while many other bumblebee species have been declining.

Biochemists solve 'address problem' in cells that leads to lethal kidney disease

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 06:13 AM PDT

Research published by biochemists may lead to a new treatment, or even a cure, for a rare, genetic kidney disease that afflicts children, and may provide important insights into treatments for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative diseases.

Exploring connection between empathy, neurohormones and aggression

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 06:13 AM PDT

Researchers examined whether assessed or elicited empathy would lead to situation-specific aggression on behalf of another person, and to explore the potential role of two neurohormones in explaining a connection between empathy and aggression.

Secret to raising well behaved teens? Maximize their zzzzz's

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 05:58 AM PDT

While American pediatricians warn sleep deprivation can stack the deck against teenagers, a new study reveals youth's irritability and laziness aren't down to attitude problems but lack of sleep. This paper exposes the negative consequences of sleep deprivation caused by early school bells, and shows that altering education times not only perks up teens' mood, but also enhances learning and health.

Skin pigment renders sun's UV radiation harmless using projectiles

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 05:58 AM PDT

The pigment of the skin protects the body from the sun's dangerous UV rays, but researchers have not until recently known how this works. Now they report that skin pigment converts the UV radiation into heat through a rapid chemical reaction that shoots protons from the molecules of the pigment.

More than 70% of young oncologists in Europe suffer symptoms of burnout

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 05:55 AM PDT

Across Europe, more than 70% of young cancer specialists are showing signs of burnout, the largest survey of its kind has revealed. The results have prompted calls for serious action to address the issue at all levels. Burnout could lead to serious personal consequences for the doctor such as anxiety, depression, alcohol or substance abuse and suicide, researchers warned.

Protein 'map' could lead to potent new cancer drugs

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 05:55 AM PDT

Chemists have gained fresh insights into how a disease-causing enzyme makes changes to proteins and how it can be stopped. The scientists hope their findings will help them to design drugs that could target the enzyme, known as N-myristoyltransferase (NMT), and potentially lead to new treatments for cancer and inflammatory conditions.

Experts call for moratorium on use of new internet domain .health

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:58 PM PDT

As the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers moves forward with plans to launch health-related generic top-level domains, such as .health and .doctor, a coalition of health policy academics and clinicians are raising concerns about a process they say 'favor[s] business interests and the generation of profits over the future integrity of the Health Internet.'

Turmeric compound boosts regeneration of brain stem cells

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:58 PM PDT

A bioactive compound found in turmeric promotes stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the brain, reveals new research. The findings suggest aromatic turmerone could be a future drug candidate for treating neurological disorders, such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease.

Talk therapy – not medication – best for social anxiety disorder, large study finds

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 05:56 PM PDT

While antidepressants are the most commonly used treatment for social anxiety disorder, new research suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective and, unlike medication, can have lasting effects long after treatment has stopped.

Sand dunes reveal biodiversity secrets in Australia

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 03:27 PM PDT

Ancient, acidic and nutrient-depleted dunes in Western Australia are not an obvious place to answer a question that has vexed tropical biologists for decades. But the Jurien Bay dunes proved to be the perfect site to unravel why plant diversity varies from place to place. Scientists show that environmental filtering -- but not a host of other theories -- determines local plant diversity in one of Earth's biodiversity hotspots.

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


Efficiently harvesting hydrogen fuel from Sun using Earth-abundant materials

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 11:12 AM PDT

Scientists have a new efficient way of producing hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water. By combining a pair of solar cells made with a mineral called perovskite and low cost electrodes, scientists have obtained a 12.3 percent conversion efficiency from solar energy to hydrogen, a record using Earth-abundant materials as opposed to rare metals.

How physical exercise protects the brain from stress-induced depression

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:13 AM PDT

Physical exercise has many beneficial effects on human health, including the protection from stress-induced depression. However, until now the mechanisms that mediate this protective effect have been unknown. In a new study in mice, researchers show that exercise training induces changes in skeletal muscle that can purge the blood of a substance that accumulates during stress, and is harmful to the brain.

Dinosaur family tree gives fresh insight into rapid rise of birds

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT

The study shows that the familiar anatomical features of birds – such as feathers, wings and wishbones – all first evolved piecemeal in their dinosaur ancestors over tens of millions of years. However, once a fully functioning bird body shape was complete, an evolutionary explosion began, causing a rapid increase in the rate at which birds evolved. This led eventually to the thousands of avian species that we know today.

A galaxy of deception: Hubble snaps what looks like a young galaxy in the local Universe

Posted: 25 Sep 2014 07:21 AM PDT

Astronomers usually have to peer very far into the distance to see back in time, and view the Universe as it was when it was young. This new image of galaxy DDO 68, otherwise known as UGC 5340, was thought to offer an exception. This ragged collection of stars and gas clouds looks at first glance like a recently-formed galaxy in our own cosmic neighborhood. But, is it really as young as it looks?

False memories could be a side-effect of human ability to learn rules

Posted: 24 Sep 2014 08:30 AM PDT

Our tendency to create false memories could be related to our ability to learn rules according to new research. New research suggests that individuals who are particularly good at learning rules and classifying objects by common properties are also particularly prone to false memory illusions.

'Plasma bubbles' may have aided enemy in fatal Afghan battle

Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:18 AM PDT

Plasma bubbles may have contributed to communications outages during the 2002 battle of Takur Ghar in Afghanistan. A new model could help predict the impact of such bubbles on future military operations.

Search for better biofuels microbes leads to human gut

Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:07 AM PDT

Scientists have scoured cow rumens and termite guts for microbes that can efficiently break down plant cell walls for the production of next-generation biofuels, but some of the best microbial candidates actually may reside in the human lower intestine, researchers report.

Video blinds us to the evidence, study finds

Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:02 AM PDT

Where people look when watching video evidence varies wildly and has profound consequences for bias in legal punishment decisions, a team of researchers at two Law Schools has found.

Best exercise for obese youths analyzed

Posted: 22 Sep 2014 03:00 PM PDT

What exercise program can best fight the 'epidemic' of teen obesity? According to a study, by combining aerobic exercise with resistance training. "Obesity is an epidemic among youth," says one author. "Adolescents who are overweight are typically advised to exercise more, but there is limited evidence on what type of exercise is best in order to lose fat."

Finding hints of gravitational waves in the stars

Posted: 22 Sep 2014 06:12 AM PDT

Scientists have shown how gravitational waves -- invisible ripples in the fabric of space and time that propagate through the universe -- might be 'seen' by looking at the stars. The new model proposes that a star that oscillates at the same frequency as a gravitational wave will absorb energy from that wave and brighten, an overlooked prediction of Einstein's 1916 theory of general relativity. The study contradicts previous assumptions about the behavior of gravitational waves.

ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


New molecule found in space connotes life origins

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 06:36 PM PDT

Hunting from a distance of 27,000 light years, astronomers have discovered an unusual carbon-based molecule contained within a giant gas cloud in interstellar space. The discovery suggests that the complex molecules needed for life may have their origins in interstellar space.

No sign of health or nutrition problems from GMO livestock feed, study finds

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 07:10 AM PDT

A new review study finds there is no evidence in earlier scientific studies indicating that genetically engineered feed crops harmed the health or productivity of livestock and poultry, and that food products from animals consuming such feeds were nutritionally the same as products from animals that ate non-GMO feeds.

Secret to raising well behaved teens? Maximize their zzzzz's

Posted: 26 Sep 2014 05:58 AM PDT

While American pediatricians warn sleep deprivation can stack the deck against teenagers, a new study reveals youth's irritability and laziness aren't down to attitude problems but lack of sleep. This paper exposes the negative consequences of sleep deprivation caused by early school bells, and shows that altering education times not only perks up teens' mood, but also enhances learning and health.

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Interactive website helps lower-income smokers to stop smoking

Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:20 PM PDT

People with lower incomes attempting to quit smoking are 36 percent more likely to succeed if they use a new interactive website called 'StopAdvisor' than if they use a static information website, finds a randomized controlled trial.

Novel modelling approach used to assess effectiveness of new diagnostics for TB

Posted: 24 Sep 2014 06:19 PM PDT

A novel modelling approach has been used to project the effects of new diagnostic methods and algorithms for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) recently endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), looking at the patient, health system and population perspective in Tanzania.