The EDGE: ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines -- for Wednesday, August 29, 2012

ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines

for Wednesday, August 29, 2012

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Softer fast food restaurant lighting and music can cut calorie intake 18 percent (August 28, 2012) -- Your mood for food can be changed by a restaurant’s choice of music and lighting, leading to increased satisfaction and reduced calorie intake, according to a new study. ... > full story

Small family size increases wealth of descendants but reduces evolutionary success (August 28, 2012) -- Evolutionary biologists have long puzzled over this because natural selection is expected to have selected for organisms that try to maximize their reproduction. But in industrialized societies around the world, increasing wealth coincides with people deliberately limiting their family size -- the so-called 'demographic transition'. In a new study, researchers reject a popular theory put forward to explain the phenomenon. This 'adaptive' hypothesis proposes that low fertility may boost evolutionary success in the long term by increasing offspring wealth, which in turn eventually increases the number of long-term descendants because richer offspring end up having more children. ... > full story

Less is more for reef-building corals: Surprisingly more flexible corals are more sensitive to environment disturbances (August 28, 2012) -- Researchers have made a discovery that challenges a major theory in the field of coral reef ecology. The general assumption has been that the more flexible corals are, regarding which species of single-celled algae they host in coral tissues, the greater ability corals will have to survive environmental stress. However, scientists documented that the more flexible corals are, the more sensitive to environment disturbances they are. ... > full story

Chimpanzees create 'social traditions': Unique handclasp grooming behavior reveals local difference (August 28, 2012) -- Researchers have revealed that chimpanzees are not only capable of learning from one another, but also use this social information to form and maintain local traditions. A recent study shows that the way in which chimpanzees groom each other depends on the community to which they belong. Specifically, it is the unique handclasp grooming behaviour that reveals this local difference. ... > full story

Curiosity rover plays first song transmitted from another planet (August 28, 2012) -- For the first time in history, a recorded song has been beamed back to Earth from another planet. Students, special guests and news media gathered at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., today to hear "Reach for the Stars" by musician will.i.am after it was transmitted from the surface of Mars by the Curiosity rover. ... > full story

NASA's Kepler discovers multiple planets orbiting a pair of stars (August 28, 2012) -- Coming less than a year after the announcement of the first circumbinary planet, Kepler-16b, NASA's Kepler mission has discovered multiple transiting planets orbiting two suns for the first time. This system, known as a circumbinary planetary system, is 4,900 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. ... > full story

NASA sees Hurricane Isaac affecting the Northern Gulf Coast (August 28, 2012) -- NASA and NOAA satellites continue to provide detailed information on Hurricane Isaac as the storm bears down on the US Gulf coast. NASA's TRMM and Terra satellites captured imagery, and NOAA's GOES-13 satellite provided animations of Isaac's march toward the coast Aug. 28. ... > full story

Why are there so many species of beetles and so few crocodiles? (August 28, 2012) -- Why are there so many species of beetles and so few crocodiles? The answer may be ecological limits to species number, scientists report. ... > full story

Adverse effects of mining industry provoke hard questions for medical humanitarian organizations (August 28, 2012) -- Increasingly humanitarian organizations will find themselves responding to health emergencies provoked by the adverse effects of mining and other extractive industries, setting up a potential clash to do with the core principles and values at the heart of humanitarian medicine, according to an expert. ... > full story

More research needed on the best treatment options for multidrug-resistant TB (August 28, 2012) -- The use of newer drugs, a greater number of effective drugs, and a longer treatment regimen may be associated with improved survival of patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, according to a large study. ... > full story

There are reasons – but not good ones – to avoid a flu vaccine this year (August 28, 2012) -- It can fly through the air or hitch a ride on a handshake, hug or kiss. "It" is seasonal flu. There are many reasons to get an annual flu vaccine, but a physician offers a tongue-in-cheek "Top 10 Reasons Not to get a Flu Shot." ... > full story

Aspirin may help men with prostate cancer live longer, study suggests (August 28, 2012) -- Men who have been treated for prostate cancer, either with surgery or radiation, could benefit from taking aspirin regularly, says a new study. ... > full story

Male snails babysit for other dads: Family secrets of marine whelk Solenosteira macrospira (August 28, 2012) -- Pity the male of the marine whelk, Solenosteira macrospira. He does all the work of raising the young, from egg-laying to hatching -- even though few of the baby snails are his own. Throw in extensive promiscuity and sibling cannibalism, and the species has one of the most extreme life histories in the animal kingdom. ... > full story

Magnetic vortex reveals key to spintronic speed limit (August 28, 2012) -- Spintronics use electron spin to write and read information. To mobilize this emerging technology, scientists must understand exactly how to manipulate spin as a carrier of computer code. Now, scientists have precisely measured a key parameter of electron interactions called non-adiabatic spin torque that is essential to the development of spintronic devices. This unprecedented precision guides the reading and writing of digital information and sets the spintronic speed limit. ... > full story

Beliefs drive investors more than preferences (August 28, 2012) -- New research casts doubt on the widely held theory that individual investors’ decisions are driven mainly by their feelings toward losses and gains. ... > full story

Protein found to regulate red blood cell size and number (August 28, 2012) -- By examining the results of genome-wide association studies in conjunction with experiments on mouse and human red blood cells, researchers have identified the protein cyclin D3 as regulating the number of cell divisions RBC progenitors undergo, which ultimately affects the resulting size and quantity of RBCs. ... > full story

Pretend play may not be as crucial to child development as believed, new study shows (August 28, 2012) -- Pretend play that involves uses of the imagination to create a fantasy world or situation can be fun for preschool children, but a new study finds that it is not as crucial to a child's development as currently believed. ... > full story

Kindergarten readiness: Are shy kids at an academic disadvantage? (August 28, 2012) -- Researchers have identified specific attributes among young children that affect school performance. ... > full story

Evaluate children's stress after natural disasters (August 28, 2012) -- Some children, depending on other stressors, may have a harder time recovering from natural disasters. ... > full story

Why retire later? (August 28, 2012) -- What if every US worker got an automatic 10 percent pay raise at age 55? According to a new study, most people would work quite a bit longer to enjoy the extra income before they retired. ... > full story

Metabolism in the brain fluctuates with circadian rhythm (August 28, 2012) -- The rhythm of life is driven by the cycles of day and night, and most organisms carry in their cells a common, (roughly) 24-hour beat. In animals, this rhythm emerges from the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus. Take it out of the brain and keep it alive in a lab dish and this "brain clock" will keep on ticking for days. A new study reveals that the brain clock itself is driven, in part, by metabolism. ... > full story

Heightened visual awareness by following brains natural rhythms? (August 28, 2012) -- Like a melody that keeps playing in your head even after the music stops, researchers have shown that the beat goes on when it comes to the human visual system. Researchers used periodic visual stimuli and electroencephalogram recordings and found, one, that they could precisely time the brain's natural oscillations to future repetitions of the event, and, two, that the effect occurred even after the prompting stimuli was discontinued. These rhythmic oscillations lead to a heightened visual awareness of the next event, meaning controlling them could lead to better visual processing when it matters most, such as in environments like air traffic control towers. ... > full story

Gene that predicts happiness in women discovered (August 28, 2012) -- Sorry guys, this happiness gene is for women. A new study has found a gene that appears to make women happy, but it doesn't work for men. ... > full story

Having to make quick decisions helps witnesses identify the bad guy in a lineup (August 28, 2012) -- Eyewitness identification evidence is often persuasive in the courtroom and yet current eyewitness identification tests often fail to pick the culprit. Even worse, these tests sometimes result in wrongfully accusing innocent suspects. Now, psychological scientists are proposing a radical alternative to the traditional police lineup that focuses on eyewitnesses' confidence judgments. ... > full story

Bright Arctic clouds formed by exhaust from final space shuttle launch (August 28, 2012) -- Scientists are tracking the rapid transport of the exhaust plume from the final launch of the space shuttle in July 2011. The team has found that the plume moved quickly to the Arctic, forming unusually bright polar mesospheric clouds there a day after launch. ... > full story

Study of tribe could help find East Asian skin color genes (August 28, 2012) -- Genetic investigation of a Malaysian tribe may tell scientists why East Asians have light skin but lower skin cancer rates than Europeans, according to a team of international researchers. Understanding the differences could lead to a better way to protect people from skin cancer. ... > full story

Unforeseen regulation of the anti-bacterial immune response discovered (August 28, 2012) -- New research holds promise for the improved prevention and treatment of bacterial infections and the life-threatening complications of chronic inflammation that can result from them. ... > full story

Space-warping white dwarfs produce gravitational waves (August 28, 2012) -- Gravitational waves, much like the recently discovered Higgs boson, are notoriously difficult to observe. Scientists first detected these ripples in the fabric of space-time indirectly, using radio signals from a pulsar-neutron star binary system. The find, which required exquisitely accurate timing of the radio signals, garnered its discoverers a Nobel Prize. Now a team of astronomers has detected the same effect at optical wavelengths, in light from a pair of eclipsing white dwarf stars. ... > full story

Better vaccines for tuberculosis could save millions of lives (August 28, 2012) -- Cases of one of the world's deadliest diseases -- tuberculosis -- are rising at an alarming rate, despite widespread vaccination. Reasons for the ineffectiveness of the vaccine, especially in regions where this infectious disease is endemic, as well as arguments for replacing the existing vaccine with novel synthetic vaccines, are now being presented. ... > full story

NASA's IceBridge seeking new view of changing sea ice (August 28, 2012) -- This year scientists working on NASA's Operation IceBridge, a multi-year airborne science mission to study changing ice conditions at both poles, debuted a new data product with the potential to improve Arctic sea ice forecasts. ... > full story

'New England Banksia' a distinct species, botany student shows (August 28, 2012) -- The New England Banksia is largely restricted to the eastern edge of the New England Tableland, and is common in places along Waterfall Way. Researchers have raised this flowering plant, until now classified as a variety of the Hairpin, to the taxonomic level of a distinct species. ... > full story

Strong candidate for possible single-dose malaria cure discovered (August 28, 2012) -- A recently discovered compound from the aminopyridine class not only has the potential to become part of a single-dose cure for all strains of malaria, but might also be able to block transmission of the parasite from person to person, according to a new research. ... > full story

Tropical Storm Isaac can damage your health (August 28, 2012) -- Drastic climate changes brought on by severe storms can spur allergy and asthma symptoms for sufferers across the country. ... > full story

A new look at proteins in living cells (August 28, 2012) -- Scientists have devised a new technique for examining the binding kinetics of membrane proteins. ... > full story

New imaging technique homes in on electrocatalysis of nanoparticles (August 28, 2012) -- A researcher has found a clever way to measure catalytical reactions of single nanoparticles and multiple particles printed in arrays, which will help characterize and improve existing nanoparticle catalysts, and advance the search for new ones. ... > full story

Genome of diploid cotton sequenced (August 28, 2012) -- Scientists have completed the genome sequence and analysis of a diploid cotton -- Gossypium raimondii. ... > full story

Low cost, high efficiency solar technology developed (August 28, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a new solar technology that could make solar energy more affordable, and thus speed-up its market adoption. ... > full story

Antibiotic residues in sausage meat may promote pathogen survival (August 28, 2012) -- Antibiotic residues in uncured pepperoni or salami meat are potent enough to weaken helpful bacteria that processors add to acidify the sausage to make it safe for consumption, according to a new study. ... > full story

Is long-term weight loss possible after menopause? (August 28, 2012) -- Studies have found that it is difficult to keep weight off in the long term. For post-menopausal women, natural declines in energy expenditure could make long-term weight loss even more challenging. A new study finds that in post-menopausal women, some behaviors related to weight loss in the short term are not effective or sustainable for the long term. Interventions targeting these behaviors could improve long-term obesity treatment outcomes. ... > full story

Advanced CT scans accurately assess coronary blockages (August 28, 2012) -- An ultra-fast, 320-detector computed tomography scanner can accurately sort out which people with chest pain need -- or don't need -- an invasive procedure such as cardiac angioplasty or bypass surgery to restore blood flow to the heart, according to an international study. ... > full story

Mechanism provides clues for research into pancreatic diabetes (August 28, 2012) -- Mice develop pancreatic diabetes when they lack certain genes in the E2F group, and to understand how this happens, scientists have focused on the molecular mechanism behind it. ... > full story

Hidden graves of the Holocaust (August 28, 2012) -- A forensic archaeologist has explored the pioneering changes made to the archaeological methodology and techniques used to uncover surviving archaeological remains and landscapes of the Holocaust. ... > full story

Capturing movements of actors and athletes in real time with conventional video cameras (August 28, 2012) -- Within milliseconds, and just with the help of mathematics, computing power and conventional video cameras, computer scientists can automatically capture the movements of several people. The new approach helps not only animation specialists in Hollywood movies but also medical scientists and athletes. ... > full story

Ten year decline in ischemic stroke after acute myocardial infarction (August 28, 2012) -- The risk of ischemic stroke one year after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) dropped by 21% over a ten year period, according to new research. ... > full story

Method to simplify production of proteins used in many types of drugs developed (August 28, 2012) -- Engineering researchers have developed a method to simplify the pharmaceutical production of proteins used in drugs that treat a variety of diseases and health conditions, including diabetes, cancer, arthritis and macular degeneration. ... > full story

Deep brain stimulation changes rhythms to treat Parkinson's disease and tremor (August 28, 2012) -- Deep brain stimulation may stop uncontrollable shaking in patients with Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor by imposing its own rhythm on the brain, according to two recent studies. ... > full story

30-day mortality after acute myocardial infarction drops with improved treatment (August 28, 2012) -- Improved treatment after acute myocardial infarction and less severe patient profile have reduced 30-day mortality over the past 15 years, according to new research. ... > full story

Raccoons spreads dangerous diseases as they invade Europe, Spanish researchers find (August 28, 2012) -- Furry, agile, intelligent and voracious: the raccoon is far from being a cuddly toy, which is what many people believe when they get one as a pet. It is more like an invader that escapes and is able to adapt and survive in new habitats. According to a study, its expansion across Spain and Europe is bringing infectious and parasitic diseases like rabies. ... > full story