Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for July 29, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Model-independent measurement of dark matter mass could lead to future discoveries- Physicists use dysprosium to put bounds on maximum speed of electrons
- Insect larvae turn pan-ready with home appliance Farm 432
- Tetrapod nanocrystals light the way to stronger polymers
- Smart home security device gets even smarter over time
- Social amoebae travel with a posse, have amazingly complicated social lives
- Scotland lunar-calendar find sparks Stone Age rethink
- Natural affinities—unrecognized until now—may have set stage for life to ignite
- New research shows social monogamy evolved as result of competition
- Pulsating star sheds light on exoplanet
- Of bears and berries: Return of wolves aids grizzly bears in Yellowstone
- Global warming endangers South American water supply, study finds
- Visio.M e-mobility project unveils remote control driving technology
- Seemingly competitive co-catalysts cooperate to accelerate chemical reaction
- Researchers discover novel material for cooling of electronic devices
Space & Earth news
Oregon's sunnyside turnoff fire
NASA's Aqua satellite captured an image of smoke from northern Oregon's Sunnyside Turnoff Fire on July 25 as the satellite passed overhead in space.
NASA selects eight physical science research proposals
NASA's Physical Science Research Program will fund eight proposals to help investigate how complex fluids and macromolecules behave in microgravity. The investigations will be conducted aboard the International Space Station.
Scientists collect water near site of blown well
Scientists are trying to figure out if a gas well that blew wild last week off the Louisiana coast is polluting the Gulf of Mexico.
Russian cargo ship docks with space station
(AP)—Russia's space agency says that its cargo ship has docked successfully with the International Space Station.
Thai navy deployed to fight oil spill
Thai naval vessels joined efforts Sunday to stop hundreds of barrels of oil from a pipeline leak in the Gulf of Thailand reaching the kingdom's beaches.
Catching aerosols in a CATS eye
Quick looks by a special CATS-eye attached to the International Space Station will help scientists catalog and track particles in Earth's atmosphere and act as a pathfinder for a new satellite planned for 2021.
Dance of the X-rays
Like car tail lights streaking through a busy city at night, this unique image records over a thousand movements made by ESA's XMM-Newton space telescope as it shifts its gaze from one X-ray object to another.
Environmental risks of pipeline underestimated
A new UNSW-led study modelling the impacts of an approved $47 million pipeline pumping water from the Macquarie River to the city of Orange reveals far greater risks to river health than those estimated by the environmental assessment.
Field test could lead to reducing CO2 emissions worldwide
An injection of carbon dioxide, or CO2, has begun at a site in southeastern Washington to test deep geologic storage. Battelle researchers based at Pacific Northwest National Laboratoryare injecting 1,000 tons of CO2 one-half mile underground to see if the greenhouse gas can be stored safely and permanently in ancient basalt flows.
Scientists find large Gulf dead zone, but smaller than predicted
NOAA-supported scientists found a large Gulf of Mexico oxygen-free or hypoxic "dead" zone, but not as large as had been predicted. Measuring 5,840 square miles, an area the size of Connecticut, the 2013 Gulf dead zone indicates nutrients from the Mississippi River watershed are continuing to affect the nation's commercial and recreational marine resources in the Gulf.
New knowledge about permafrost improving climate models
New research findings from the Centre for Permafrost (CENPERM) at the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, document that permafrost during thawing may result in a substantial release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and that the future water content in the soil is crucial to predict the effect of permafrost thawing. The findings may lead to more accurate climate models in the future.
Earthquakes trigger undersea methane reservoirs: study
Earthquakes can rip open sub-sea pockets of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, according to a study by German and Swiss scientists published on Sunday.
Global warming endangers South American water supply, study finds
Chile and Argentina may face critical water storage issues due to rain-bearing westerly winds over South America's Patagonian Ice-Field to moving south as a result of global warming.
Ice-free Arctic winters could explain amplified warming during Pliocene
Year-round ice-free conditions across the surface of the Arctic Ocean could explain why the Earth was substantially warmer during the Pliocene Epoch than it is today, despite similar concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to new research carried out at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Pulsating star sheds light on exoplanet
A team of researchers has devised a way to measure the internal properties of stars—a method that offers more accurate assessments of their orbiting planets.
Technology news
Apple China supplier imposes overtime, hires minors (Update)
Three Chinese factories making Apple products impose excessive overtime and employ minors, a US-based advocacy group said Monday, in the latest allegations of labour violations against the US tech giant's suppliers.
Foreign airlines urged to use GPS at San Francisco
The Federal Aviation Administration is advising all foreign airlines to use a GPS system instead of visual approaches when landing at San Francisco International Airport in the wake of the deadly Asiana Airlines crash.
Russian war games play on former US aircraft carrier
Russian video game publisher 1C Company boarded a former US aircraft carrier to re-write the Cuban Missile Crisis that had super powers on the brink of nuclear war in 1962.
Thousands in Germany protest NSA surveillance
(AP)—Thousands of people are taking to the streets in Germany to protest against the alleged widespread surveillance of Internet users by U.S. intelligence services.
Co-founder of Russia's biggest search engine dies
(AP)—Russia's largest search engine, Yandex, says its co-founder Ilya Segalovich has died. He was 48.
New device will help optimise swimming
A miniaturised data logger that can record speed and movement in the water will soon be available to help swimmers analyse their performance.
Investor contests condition in latest Dell offer
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is warning that the latest offer from Dell's founder to buy the struggling computer maker bypasses an important shareholder safeguard.
BMW pulls wraps off i3 electric car
BMW AG is showing off the production model of its new i3 electric compact that uses carbon-fiber materials to keep the weight down and improve driving performance.
New technology allows scientists, school children to examine biological details (w/ Video)
Many scientists agree that the best way to learn the anatomy of any species is to utilize donor bodies. However, thousands of junior high, high school and college students, and university researchers do not have access to specific animals. Now, new computer technology is making highly sophisticated biological systems available for viewing by students and researchers. In a new study, a scientist from the University of Missouri's School of Medicine found that 3D computer modeling can complement the study of biological systems for many species.
Time to train for world's first fleet of marine drones
An odd underwater ballet has been unfolding in the Mediterranean port of Toulon these past few days.
Shift to mobile hits tech giants' bottom line
With the shift to mobile Internet gaining pace, some of the big tech firms are adapting and others are not.
Dutch city patently the world's most inventive
From cancer-busting ultrasound techniques to ways to boost vitamins in tomatoes, Dutch tech-hub Eindhoven's avalanche of patents has just earned it the crown of "most inventive city in the world."
New technology to enable development of 4G solar cells
Professor Ravi Silva of the University of Surrey's Advanced Technology Institute has identified the range of combinations of organic and inorganic materials that will underpin new 4th generation solar cell technology – opening the door for more efficient, cost-effective and larger scale solar power generation.
Visio.M e-mobility project unveils remote control driving technology
Fully autonomous cars may still be the stuff of science fiction. Remote driving technology, however, may be much closer than we think. Scientists at the Technische Universität München believe that full-size remote control cars could be hitting the roads within the next five to ten years. So if your next rental car turns up to your door driverless, the chances are that the actual driver is sitting in the car rental headquarters.
UCLA scientists double efficiency of novel solar cell
Nearly doubling the efficiency of a breakthrough photovoltaic cell they created last year, UCLA researchers have developed a two-layer, see-through solar film that could be placed on windows, sunroofs, smartphone displays and other surfaces to harvest energy from the sun.
Economic analysis shows 3-D printing is ready for showtime
It may seem like a stretch to envision a 3D printer in every home. However, a Michigan Technological University researcher is predicting that personal manufacturing, like personal computing before it, is about to enter the mainstream in a big way.
Insect larvae turn pan-ready with home appliance Farm 432
Scientists concerned about world hunger, dwindling resources and wasteful processes are looking more closely into alternative prospects for protein, and edible insects are of considerable interest. An Austrian industrial designer, Katharina Unger, who "rethinks systems and design strategies," and studied at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, has proposed a way to harvest and eat insects via a domestic harvesting machine.
Medicine & Health news
FDA warns of steroids in vitamin B supplement
(AP)—The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to avoid a vitamin B dietary supplement from Healthy Life Chemistry by Purity First because it contains two potentially dangerous anabolic steroids.
Ecuador shocked by inhumane practices at gay conversion clinics
Sent to a center offering to "cure" her attraction to women, Denisse Freire was raped and tortured—in a practice Ecuadoran authorities admit has been tolerated for too long.
SAfrica: Initiation deaths a problem, doctor says
(AP)—This is a grim time of year for a hospital in the rolling hills of South Africa's Eastern Cape province, where mattresses are laid on floors to cope with the stream of young men with severe injuries from botched circumcisions at initiation ceremonies.
Pets on frontline as Taiwan battles rabies outbreak
Taiwan Sunday called on citizens to vaccinate their pet cats and dogs against rabies as health officials stepped up attempts to combat the deadly disease following a string of outbreaks among wild ferret-badgers.
Coronary artery disease continues to be neglected in women, despite it killing at least as many women as men
Despite coronary artery disease (CAD) killing at least as many women as men each year, women are still today less likely to receive preventive recommendations, such as lipid-lowering therapy, aspirin, and lifestyle advice, than are men at a similar risk level. The challenges for women with CAD are outlined in a paper in this month's edition of Global Heart, the journal of the World Heart Federation.
Study shows wide variation in head and neck cancer care
Just three in every hundred head and neck cancer patients in England receive the ideal standard of care, according to a new study.
No money for diapers: A depressing reality for poor mothers
Low-income mothers who cannot afford diapers are also more likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety, Yale University researchers write in the August issue of the journal Pediatrics.
Perrigo to buy Elan for $8.6B, seeks tax savings (Update)
U.S. drugmaker Perrigo agreed Monday to buy Ireland's Elan for $8.6 billion in a deal that should allow the rapidly growing company to reduce its tax bill and boost its royalty stream.
Examination of lymph nodes provides more accurate breast cancer prognosis
After a breast cancer operation, the removed tumour is always examined, as its subtype can provide an indication of how aggressive the disease is. The patient's lymph nodes are not analysed in the same way. Yet the breast tumour can sometimes appear to be of a less aggressive type while the subtype in the lymph nodes gives a different and more worrying picture.
Young cannabis-smokers aware of the health risks
Young Swiss men who drink alcohol and smoke tobacco or cannabis read up on addictive substances more frequently than their abstinent peers. They report their knowledge of the health risks as very good whereas abstainers rate themselves as poorer in this respect. Preventive measures that are solely based on providing information come up short for informed young consumers. These insights were gained by researchers from the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Zurich.
Danes contract Salmonella infections abroad
In 2012 the number of Salmonella cases increased slightly after the record low incidence in 2011. Nearly half of the Danes who contracted Salmonella were infected abroad. Among people infected in Denmark, Danish pork and beef were estimated to be the major sources of Salmonella cases, while no cases could be attributed to Danish broiler meat.
Brain implant aims to stifle drug highs
What happens if addicts get no high from the drugs they take? Researchers at Case Western Reserve and Illinois State universities have received a $390,000 National Institute on Drug Abuse grant to help answer the question.
Study predicts potential surge in medically-attended injuries
New research from The Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), signals that emergency and outpatient healthcare providers may need to prepare for higher demand for treatment among younger patients with mild and moderate injuries. As federal and state policies encouraging people to be covered by health insurance go into effect, researchers estimate the potential for more than 730,000 additional medically attended injuries annually, or a 6.1 percent increase if all currently uninsured children and young adults (ages 0-26) become insured. The estimates are based on 2008 injury data from the National Health Interview Survey. The study was published in this month's Clinical Pediatrics.
Head hits can be reduced in youth football
Less contact during practice could mean a lot less exposure to head injuries for young football players, according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Virginia Tech.
Looking at outcomes important to patients may improve results of cataract surgery
Cataract surgery can lead to good results from a clinical standpoint yet have poor outcomes from the patient's point of view, reports a study, "Analyzing Patient-Reported Outcomes to Improve Cataract Care", appearing in the August issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.
PTSD after traumatic events: Which teens are at risk?
While most children cannot be shielded from emotionally traumatic events, clinicians can target those who are most vulnerable to developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to a large study from Boston Children's Hospital. Findings appear online in the August issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, accompanied by an editorial.
Parents don't fully understand biobank research, study finds
Researchers who collect genetic samples from children for medical research need to explain the process more clearly to parents, according to a new study that suggests many parents don't fully understand the finer details about how these samples will be used and stored. The study was published in June in Genetics in Medicine.
FDA updates oral nizoral label to reflect safety concerns
(HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved label changes for Nizoral (ketoconazole) oral tablets and added a Medication Guide detailing various associated safety concerns.
HIV-associated lymphoma survival has not improved during the antiretroviral therapy era
Stable survival rates were observed for HIV-associated lymphoma patients during the antiretroviral therapy (ART) era in the US, according to a new study published July 26 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Saudi man dies of MERS virus: ministry
A Saudi man has died of the coronavirus MERS and another has contracted the virus, the health ministry said on Saturday, bringing the kingdom's deaths from the virus to 39.
Intent to harm: Willful acts seem more damaging
How harmful we perceive an act to be depends on whether we see the act as intentional, reveals new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Living longer, living healthier
A new study, conducted by David Cutler, the Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics, shows that, even as life expectancy has increased over the past two decades, people have become increasingly healthier later in life.
Higher cancer incidences found in regions near refineries and plants that release benzene
The incidence of a particular type of blood cancer is significantly higher in regions near facilities that release the chemical benzene into the environment. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. This and other studies like it will be critical to identifying and enacting public health policies to decrease or prevent cancer.
Researchers explore genetic links between nicotine, cancer using 'next-generation sequencing'
Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute have taken a closer look at the role that nicotine plays in cancer, finding new consequences of nicotine stress on breast tissue and insight into the influence of nicotine on normal cells.
Targeting melanoma
University scientists have made a significant advance in their ability to target skin cancer.
Nearly all men survive testicular cancer
Survival for testicular cancer has risen by almost 30 per cent in the last 40 years, with nearly all men now beating the disease, according to figures published by Cancer Research UK.
Different motivations for high-risk activities revealed for the first time
(Medical Xpress)—For over 50 years the motive for high-risk activities has been thought of simply as "sensation seeking". New research unequivocally challenges that simplistic view.
Researchers identify genetic mutation linked to congenital heart disease
A mutation in a gene crucial to normal heart development could play a role in some types of congenital heart disease—the most common birth defect in the U.S. The finding, from a team in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, could help narrow the search for genes that contribute to this defect, which affects as many as 40,000 newborns a year. The findings were published in a recent issue of in Human Mutation.
Fish oil found to help serious pregnancy complications
Taking fish oil during pregnancy could limit the effects of serious complications such as gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and miscarriage as well as enhancing fetal growth, according to researchers at The University of Western Australia.
Getting to the heart of genetic cardiac defects
(Medical Xpress)—With modern surgical techniques increasingly able to save babies born with heart defects, biomedical researchers are hunting for ways to manage the subsequent rising prevalence of congenital heart disease.
Surgical anesthetic appears to treat drug-resistant depression
Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has long been considered the most effective treatment of medication-resistant or refractory depression, millions of people who might benefit don't take advantage of it because of the treatment's side effects and public misperception of the procedure.
Pfizer sells key vaccine cheaply to poor countries
Drugmaker Pfizer Inc. has agreed to provide hundreds of millions of doses of its lucrative vaccine against pneumonia and meningitis at a fraction of the usual price for young children in poor countries.
Hepatitis C: New points system helps with disease prognosis
Between 40,000 and 80,000 Austrians suffer from hepatitis C. With new infections the prompt and appropriate treatment is of great importance as this can prevent it developing into a chronic illness which in turn can progress to inoperable liver cancer. Now a research team led by scientists of the MedUni Vienna has succeeded in developing a points system enabling a better prognosis as to whether the illness will become chronic or whether the acute hepatitis C will spontaneously heal itself.
Study unravels genetics behind debilitating inflammatory disease Takayasu arteritis
Researchers have uncovered the genetics behind what makes some people susceptible to Takayasu arteritis, a debilitating disease that can lead to poor circulation, easy tiredness in the legs and arms, organ damage and stroke.
Antibiotic reduction campaigns do not necessarily reduce resistance
Antibiotic use—and misuse—is the main driver for selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria. This has led many countries to implement interventions designed to reduce overall antibiotic consumption. Now, using methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as an example, Laura Temime of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers, Paris, and collaborators warn that simply reducing antibiotics consumption does not necessarily reduce resistance. The research is published online ahead of print in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Study shows job training results in competitive employment for youth with autism
A Virginia Commonwealth University study¹ shows intensive job training benefits youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), one of the most challenging disabilities in the world where only 20 percent find employment. Published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, the study demonstrates that nine months of intensive internship training, in conjunction with an engaged hospital, can lead to high levels of competitive employment in areas such as cardiac care, wellness, ambulatory surgery and pediatric intensive care units.
Topical analgesic may provide pain-free 'skin glue' repair of cuts in children
More than 50% of children who were given a topical analgesic had no pain during wound repair with "skin glue," according to the results of a randomized controlled trial reported in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Plant-based compound may inhibit HIV
A compound found in soybeans may become an effective HIV treatment without the drug resistance issues faced by current therapies, according to new research by George Mason University researchers.
Diets lacking omega-3s lead to anxiety, hyperactivity in teens
Diets lacking omega-3 fatty acids—found in foods like wild fish, eggs, and grass-fed livestock—can have worsened effects over consecutive generations, especially affecting teens, according to a University of Pittsburgh study.
Saliva from heavy cell phone users shows increased risk factors for cancer, says researcher
Scientists have long been worried about the possible harmful effects of regular cellular phone use, but so far no study has managed to produce clear results. Currently, cell phones are classified as carcinogenic category 2b – potentially carcinogenic to humans – by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). A new Tel Aviv University study, though, may bring bad news.
New study finds increase in nonfatal food-related choking among children in the US
Choking is a leading cause of injury among children, especially for children 4 years of age and younger. A new study by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined nonfatal food-related choking among children 14 years of age or younger from 2001through 2009. During the nine-year study period, more than 12,000 children were treated each year in U.S. emergency departments for injuries from choking on food, which equals 34 children each day.
Premature aging of immune cells in joints of kids with chronic arthritis
The joints of children with the most common form of chronic inflammatory arthritis contain immune cells that resemble those of 90-year-olds, according to a new study led by researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published in the August issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism, suggest that innovative treatment approaches could aim to prevent premature aging of immune cells.
Major changes urged for cancer screening and treatment
To address the growing problem of people being overdiagnosed and overtreated for cancer, a group of scientists convened by the National Cancer Institute and chaired by a UC San Francisco breast cancer expert is proposing a major update of the way the nation approaches diseases now classified as "cancer."
Study suggests worsening trends in back pain management
Patient care could be enhanced and the health care system could see significant cost savings if health care professionals followed published clinical guidelines to manage and treat back pain, according to researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and published in the July 29 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.
Physicians should counsel patients about sex life after cardiac event
Healthcare professionals are urged to counsel heart and stroke patients on how to resume a healthy sex life, according to a joint statement published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation and the European Heart Journal. It is the first scientific statement to offer detailed guidance for patients.
Playing college football linked with high blood pressure risk
College football players, especially linemen, may develop high blood pressure over the course of their first season, according to a small study in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
Math model predicts effects of diet, physical activity on childhood weight
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have created and confirmed the accuracy of a mathematical model that predicts how weight and body fat in children respond to adjustments in diet and physical activity. The results will appear online July 30 in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.
Decision aids reduce men's conflict about PSA screening, but don't change their decisions
Men who decide to be screened for prostate cancer and those who forgo PSA screening stick with their decisions after receiving materials explaining the risks and benefits of the test. The decision aids greatly increased their knowledge about screening and reduced their conflict about what to do, but did not have an impact on their screening decision when measured a year later.
Adolescent kidney transplant recipients appear to be at higher risk of transplant failure
Patients who received their first kidney transplant at ages 14 to 16 years appear to be at increased risk for transplant failure, with black adolescents having a disproportionately higher risk of graft failure, according to a report published by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Glucose intolerance, diabetes or insulin resistance not linked with pathological features of AD
Glucose intolerance or insulin resistance do not appear to be associated with pathological features of Alzheimer disease (AD) or detection of the accumulation of the brain protein β-amyloid (Αβ), according to a report published by JAMA Neurology.
High H. pylori cure rate for nonbismuth quadruple Tx
(HealthDay)—Optimized nonbismuth quadruple regimens, either hybrid or concomitant, have a cure rate of more than 90 percent for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections, according to a study published in the July issue of Gastroenterology.
Video game 'addiction' more likely with autism, ADHD
(HealthDay)—Boys with autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are more at risk of addictive video game use than typically developing boys, according to new research.
People with mental health problems hit harder by recession
Since the start of the recession, the rate of unemployment for people with mental health problems has risen more than twice as much than for people without mental health problems, according to new research from King's College London.
Migraine is associated with variations in structure of brain arteries
The network of arteries supplying blood flow to the brain is more likely to be incomplete in people who suffer migraine, a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reports. Variations in arterial anatomy lead to asymmetries in cerebral blood flow that might contribute to the process triggering migraines.
Sudden decline in testosterone may cause Parkinson's disease symptoms in men
The results of a new study by neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center show that a sudden decrease of testosterone, the male sex hormone, may cause Parkinson's like symptoms in male mice. The findings were recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Bananas, pain killers do trick for world's oldest man
A US drug company said Friday it was considering a banana-flavored version of its pain reliever after the world's oldest man attributed his longevity to the fruit and the drug.
Water molecules control inactivation and recovery of potassium channels (w/ Video)
Just 12 molecules of water cause the long post-activation recovery period required by potassium ion channels before they can function again. Using molecular simulations that modeled a potassium channel and its immediate cellular environment, atom for atom, University of Chicago scientists have revealed this new mechanism in the function of a nearly universal biological structure, with implications ranging from fundamental biology to the design of pharmaceuticals. Their findings were published online July 28 in Nature.
Molecular robots can help researchers build more targeted therapeutics
Many drugs such as agents for cancer or autoimmune diseases have nasty side effects because while they kill disease-causing cells, they also affect healthy cells. Now a new study has demonstrated a technique for developing more targeted drugs, by using molecular "robots" to hone in on more specific populations of cells.
Breakthrough in detecting DNA mutations could help treat tuberculosis, cancer
The slightest variation in a sequence of DNA can have profound effects. Modern genomics has shown that just one mutation can be the difference between successfully treating a disease and having it spread rampantly throughout the body.
Researchers identify novel mechanism that helps stomach bug cause illness
A seafood contaminant that thrives in brackish water during the summer works like a spy to infiltrate cells and quickly open communication channels to sicken the host, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report.
Impaired visual signals might contribute to schizophrenia symptoms
By observing the eye movements of schizophrenia patients while playing a simple video game, a University of British Columbia researcher has discovered a potential explanation for some of their symptoms, including difficulty with everyday tasks.
Keeping your balance: Identification of key neurons that sense unexpected motion
Professor Kathleen Cullen has been able to identify a distinct and surprisingly small cluster of cells deep within the brain that react within milliseconds to readjust our movements when something unexpected happens, whether it is slipping on ice or hitting a rock when skiing. This finding both overturns current theories about how we learn to maintain our balance as we move through the world, and also has significant implications for understanding the neural basis of motion sickness.
From bacteria to lions – how tiny proteins which control our responses to both could be linked
New research from the University of Birmingham and the University of Cambridge has uncovered a relationship between proteins that control immunity and proteins that control activity in the brain.
Surprising mechanism discovered in polycystic kidney disease
A study by Yale researchers has uncovered a new and unexpected molecular mechanism in the development of polycystic kidney disease, or PKD. The study appears in Nature Genetics.
Quadratic leap in detecting smallest unit of genetic change
Scientists at Rice University and the University of Washington (UW) this week unveiled a groundbreaking new method for detecting minute changes known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human genome. The human genome has more than 6 billion base pairs, and one of the revelations of modern genomics is that even the slightest change in the sequence—a single-nucleotide difference—can have profound effects.
Estrogen's effects on fat depends on where it's located
Women have long bemoaned the fact that they tend to store more fat than men, particularly after menopause. Although it's well established that estrogen, the primary sex hormone present during women's childbearing years, is responsible for this effect, exactly how estrogen exerts this influence has been unknown. Previous research has shown that body fat both absorbs estrogen and other sex hormones circulating in the blood as well as produces its own sex hormones, though researchers have been unsure what role that plays in fat accumulation. Also not completely understood is why women tend to accumulate fat in the stereotypical "pear" shape, with more fat in the buttocks and thighs—a shape that's thought to be healthier than men's stereotypical "apple" shape, with more fat around the belly.
Statins suppress Rett syndrome symptoms in mice
Statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs found in millions of medicine cabinets, may help treat Rett Syndrome, according to a study published today in Nature Genetics. The Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) funded this work with generous support from the Rett Syndrome Research Trust UK and Rett Syndrome Research & Treatment Foundation.
Aberrant splicing saps the strength of 'slow' muscle fibers
When you sprint, the "fast" muscle fibers give you that winning kick. In a marathon or just day-to-day activity, however, the "slow," or type 1 fibers, keep you going for hours.
Study identifies therapy that may curb kidney deterioration in patients with rare disorder
A team led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health has overcome a major biological hurdle in an effort to find improved treatments for patients with a rare disease called methylmalonic acidemia (MMA). Using genetically engineered mice created for their studies, the team identified a set of biomarkers of kidney damage—a hallmark of the disorder—and demonstrated that antioxidant therapy protected kidney function in the mice.
Could sleeping stem cells hold key to treatment of aggressive blood cancer?
Scientists studying an aggressive form of leukaemia have discovered that rather than displacing healthy stem cells in the bone marrow as previously believed, the cancer is putting them to sleep to prevent them forming new blood cells.
Team finds essential clue to Huntington's disease solution
Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a solution to a long-standing medical mystery in Huntington's disease (HD).
New modular vaccine design combines best of existing vaccine technologies
A new method of vaccine design, called the Multiple Antigen Presentation System (MAPS), may result in vaccines that bring together the benefits of whole-cell and acellular or defined subunit vaccination. The method, pioneered by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital, permits rapid construction of new vaccines that activate mulitple arms of the immune system simultaneously against one or more pathogens, generating robust immune protection with a lower risk of adverse effects.
Breastfeeding duration appears associated with intelligence later in life
Breastfeeding longer is associated with better receptive language at 3 years of age and verbal and nonverbal intelligence at age 7 years, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics.
Biology news
Human stem cell-derived hepatocytes regenerate liver function
Researchers have generated functional hepatocytes from human stem cells, transplanted them into mice with acute liver injury, and shown the ability of these stem-cell derived human liver cells to function normally and increase survival of the treated animals. This promising advance in the development of cell-based therapies to treat liver failure resulting from injury or disease relied on the development of scalable, reproducible methods to produce stem cell-derived hepatocytes in bioreactors, as described in an article in Stem Cells and Development.
Study shows legacy of pesticides difficult to avoid
A University of Otago study shows that the tell-tale legacy in rural South Island areas of pesticides banned many years ago remains, regardless of the type of sheep and beef farming now taking place on the land.
Cellular network transforms fungus when temperatures rise
(Phys.org) —When the infectious fungus Histoplasma capsulatum feels the temperature start to rise, it undergoes a transformation. As it shifts its shape from long filaments to oval cells, the pathogen switches on genes that equip it to infect its host. New research from Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists has revealed the cellular network that activates these temperature-sensitive changes.
Borneo's orangutans are coming down from the trees
Orangutans might be the king of the swingers, but primatologists in Borneo have found that the great apes spend a surprising amount of time walking on the ground. The research, published in the American Journal of Primatology found that it is common for orangutans to come down from the trees to forage or to travel, a discovery which may have implications for conservation efforts.
Cockatoos know what is going on behind barriers
How do you know that the cookies are still there although they have been placed out of your sight into the drawer? How do you know when and where a car that has driven into a tunnel will reappear? The ability to represent and to track the trajectory of objects, which are temporally out of sight, is highly important in many aspects but is also cognitively demanding. Alice Auersperg and her team from the University of Vienna and Oxford show that "object permanence" abilities in a cockatoo levels apes and four year old human toddlers. The researchers published their findings in the journal Journal of Comparative Psychology.
Scientists describe Lavasoa Dwarf Lemur as new primate species
The island of Madagascar harbors a unique biodiversity that evolved due to its long-lasting isolation from other land masses. Numerous plant and animal species are found solely on Madagascar. Lemurs, a subgroup of primates, are among the most prominent representatives of the island's unique fauna. They are found almost exclusively on Madagascar. The only exceptions are two species of the genus Eulemur that also live on the Comoros Islands, where they probably have been introduced by humans. Thanks to extensive field research over the past decades, numerous previously unknown lemur species have been discovered. Dwarf lemurs in turn received relatively little attention to date and the diversity within this genus is still not well known. Researchers of the universities of Mainz and Antananarivo have investigated lemur populations in southern Madagascar. Based on fieldwork and laboratory analyses, they now identified a previously unknown species of dwarf lemur.
Early exposure to insecticides gives amphibians higher tolerance later
Amphibians exposed to insecticides early in life—even those not yet hatched—have a higher tolerance to those same insecticides later in life, according to a recent University of Pittsburgh study.
Nepal's Royal Bengal tiger numbers soar
Nepal's number of Royal Bengal tigers in the wild has soared 64 percent to 198 in just four years, according to a government survey released Monday.
US zoo to breed rhino siblings
In a desperate bid to preserve a critically endangered species, a US zoo is taking the controversial step of trying to mate brother and sister captive Sumatran rhinoceroses.
Team charts new understanding of actin filament growth in cells
University of Oregon biochemists have determined how tiny synthetic molecules disrupt an important actin-related molecular machine in cells in one study and, in a second one, the crystal structure of that machine when bound to a natural inhibitor.
Scientist discovers new bird species in Peru's 'cloud forests'
A graduate student at the University of Kansas is the lead author on a recently published description of a new bird species, the Junin Tapaculo, found in the remote Andes Mountains of central Peru.
Researchers find young angelfish grow fake eyes to ward off predators
(Phys.org) —Researchers Oona Lönnstedt and Mark McCormick of James Cook University in Australia, along with Douglas Chivers of the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, have found that young angelfish are able to grow false eyes on demand when exposed to predators. In their paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, the group describes experiments they conducted with angelfish and their predators in their lab.
Undoing a hairpin doubles gene activity
Male fruit flies have one X chromosome per cell, females have two. So genes on the male X must work twice as hard to produce the same amount of protein as its female counterparts. An LMU team has found a new switch involved in making this possible.
Of bears and berries: Return of wolves aids grizzly bears in Yellowstone
A new study suggests that the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park is beginning to bring back a key part of the diet of grizzly bears that has been missing for much of the past century – berries that help bears put on fat before going into hibernation.
'Cowcatcher' enzyme fixes single-strand DNA
Every time one of your cells divides, it exposes its most essential component to great danger: its genome, the sum total of all its genetic information, embodied in the double-stranded helix of DNA. Prior to cell division, this DNA splits into two single strands, each bearing sequences of biochemical bases that form templates for the genomes of the daughter cells. These single strands are particularly vulnerable to assaults by reactive oxygen species—toxic byproducts of respiration—that could cause changes in the genetic information they contain.
Social amoebae travel with a posse, have amazingly complicated social lives
In 2011, Nature announced that scientists had discovered a single-celled organism that is a primitive farmer. The organism, a social amoeba called Dictyostelium discoideum, picks up edible bacteria, carries them to new locations and harvests them like crops.
Natural affinities—unrecognized until now—may have set stage for life to ignite
The chemical components crucial to the start of life on Earth may have primed and protected each other in never-before-realized ways, according to new research led by University of Washington scientists.
New research shows social monogamy evolved as result of competition
Social monogamy, where one breeding female and one breeding male are closely associated with each other over several breeding seasons, appears to have evolved as a mating strategy, new research reveals. It was previously suspected that social monogamy resulted from a need for extra parental care by the father.
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