Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for October 3, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- How a 'mistake' in a single-cell organism is actually a rewrite essential to life- Researchers apply transmission electron microscopy through unique graphene liquid cell (w/ Video)
- Physicists 'entangle' microscopic drum's beat with electrical signals
- Wealth inequality can promote cooperation
- Blocking nerve cells could prevent symptoms of eczema
- New small-molecule catalyst does the work of many enzymes
- 3-D printing: Making your own saves energy, scientist says
- Reading literary fiction improves 'mind-reading' skills, research shows
- Possible culprits in congenital heart defects identified
- Reaction rate of many molecules depends on their shape
- Sieving through 'junk' DNA reveals cancer-causing genetic mutations
- Silencing sudden death: Study targets genetics of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Neglect of 'science communication environment' puts vaccine acceptance at risk
- Brain stimulation affects compliance with social norms
- Facebook and Twitter may yield clues to preventing the spread of disease
Space & Earth news
BP wins reprieve over compensation for oil spill
A US court has given BP a boost in its fight to limit how much it must pay in compensation for the 2010 oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
How to treat ship wastewater efficiently and effectively
Ship-source polluting discharges constitute a criminal offence under EU law, with operators facing increasing scrutiny. Even the discharge of bilge water - seawater that collects in a ship and must be pumped out - has to be done within tight regulations, as it often mixes with oil and toxic chemicals.
Large lakes in Finland OK, coastal water quality poor
A new assessment of the ecological status of Finland's waters shows that 85% of the surface area of our lakes and 65% of our rivers are in a good or very good state. However, three-quarters of the surface area of our coastal waters are in a worse state. The main problem is eutrophication.The ecological status of large lakes and northern Finnish waters, in particular, is largely good or very good. In contrast, small lakes suffer from eutrophication.
When animal waste provides greener fertilisers
Reducing the environmentally damaging fertilisers is one of the challenges of modern agriculture. A solution based on animal waste could be an option.
Using algae to lock away greenhouse gas
The University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research is developing green technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, using algae.
Spain sees link between quakes and offshore gas storage plant
Spain's government said Thursday that a wave of small earthquakes that have rattled the country's eastern coast could be caused by a large offshore gas storage plant.
Cows' carbon hoofprint is smaller than thought
(Phys.org) —The carbon hoofprint of dairy cows may be smaller than previously thought, report Cornell researchers.
Comet ISON and Mars imaged together during close approach
Comet ISON made its closest approach to Mars yesterday (October 1, 2013) at a distance of 10.5 million km (6.5 million miles). While we await to find out if attempts to image the comet by spacecraft on the surface (update: those images are in—see them here) and in orbit of Mars were successful, astronomers from Earth were able to capture the two planetary bodies together.
Could the US government shutdown hammer Earth and Mars missions?
As Day 2 of the United States government shutdown continues, some short-term effects are already in evidence when it comes to Earth and space.
Accurate maps of streams could aid in more sustainable development of Potomac River watershed
Where a stream ends is clear, but where it begins can be more difficult to discern. Researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science have developed a new method to solve this problem, resulting in a new map of the Potomac River watershed stream network that significantly improves the information needed for assessing the impact of urbanization on aquatic ecosystems.
Scientists warn of 'deadly trio' risk to ailing oceans
Marine scientists warned Thursday that our oceans are declining more rapidly than previously thought—becoming ever warmer and more acidic and losing oxygen at an alarming rate.
Scientists to explore Caribbean faults, volcanoes
The man whose research team discovered the Titanic shipwreck is now leading a mission to investigate major faults and underwater volcanoes in the northern and eastern Caribbean to collect information that could help manage natural disasters.
Shale oil boom fuel Argentina's dreams
Argentina is investing heavily in shale oil, hoping to ride it to energy self-sufficiency and end dependence on imports that cost billions of dollars each year.
Two years later, NASA workers still mourn end of shuttle
Few engineers at Kennedy Space Center invested as much in the space-shuttle program as Darrell Gheen, who worked all 135 flights from 1981 to 2011.
Native tribes' traditional knowledge can help US adapt to climate change
New England's Native tribes, whose sustainable ways of farming, forestry, hunting and land and water management were devastated by European colonists four centuries ago, can help modern America adapt to climate change.
Warmer oceans could raise mercury levels in fish
Rising ocean surface temperatures caused by climate change could make fish accumulate more mercury, increasing the health risk to people who eat seafood, Dartmouth researchers and their colleagues report in a study in the journal PLOS ONE.
Water in stratosphere plays key role in Earth's climate
Water vapor changes in the stratosphere contribute to warmer temperatures and likely play an important role in the evolution of Earth's climate, says a research team led by a Texas A&M University professor.
Professor calls for national earthquake early warning system
(Phys.org) —Richard Allen, Director of Berkeley's Seismology Laboratory and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences is calling for the installation of a national early warning system to alert people to an impending earthquake. In his Comment piece published by Nature, Allen scolds politicians and other public officials for not putting an early warning system in place before the next major quake occurs.
Researchers use climate model to better understand electricity in the air
(Phys.org) —Electrical currents born from thunderstorms are able to flow through the atmosphere and around the globe, causing a detectable electrification of the air even in places with no thunderstorm activity.
Researchers find that bright nearby double star Fomalhaut is actually a triple
(Phys.org) —The nearby star system Fomalhaut – of special interest for its unusual exoplanet and dusty debris disk – has been discovered to be not just a double star, as astronomers had thought, but one of the widest triple stars known.
Technology news
UTX may furlough 5K workers due to gov't shutdown
United Technologies Corp. says it may furlough more than 5,000 workers if the U.S. government shutdown continues into next month.
Second life for waste paper in the construction industry
Cellulose, the primary ingredient in paper, is a highly efficient insulator and could offer the construction industry an effective, environmentally friendly alternative to convention insulation. However, until now there has been no easy way for builders to use cellulose.
Into the future with solar living: A building as an energy source
The Solar Decathlon is the world's most challenging sustainable building university-level competition and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. A team of Austrian research institutions has entered the competition with the high-tech "LISI - Living Inspired by Sustainable Innovation" energy-plus house, which generates more energy than is consumed by its occupants.
The Internet in kentucky: Life in the slow lane for many
The Internet has become an important source of information for employment, health, news, entertainment, and shopping. And while many of these activities can be easily performed with a basic level of broadband speed, an increasing number of applications and activities—like distance learning—require high-speed broadband to perform adequately. Research and analysis conducted by the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information and the Gatton College of Business and Economics' Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) show that only a handful of Kentucky counties, which include about one-half of the state's population, are nationally competitive with respect to high-speed Internet infrastructure and utilization.
The shape of things to come
Researchers are providing a vision for creatively rethinking how the manufacturing industry can perform sustainably in a changing world.
Pakistan's Sindh to block Skype, WhatsApp
Pakistan's southern Sindh province will block access to online communication networks including Skype and WhatsApp for three months in a bid to curb terrorism, officials said Thursday.
Tesla shares fall further on Model S fire
Shares of Tesla Motors are down another 5 percent as investors in the high-flying company assess the fallout from a fire in one of its $70,000 electric cars.
US, Japan to deploy new radar, drones in next year
The United States and Japan moved Thursday to modernize and expand their defense alliance to counter new 21st century challenges including the continuing threat from nuclear-armed North Korea and potential aggression from China over disputed territory.
Rdio launches free listening on mobile devices
Digital music service Rdio (AR'-dee-oh) is launching its free Internet radio service in the U.S., Canada and Australia on Thursday.
Noises off: The machine that rubs out noise (w/ Video)
Future hearing aids could be adjusted by the wearer to remove background noise using new technology that could also be used to clean up and search YouTube videos.
French lawmakers vote to curb Amazon free deliveries
French lawmakers on Thursday approved a bill that will prevent Amazon from offering free deliveries of discounted books.
Chips with everything
It looks just like a memory stick but that is where the similarity ends. Inside, the tiny black box is far more sophisticated, contains considerably more technology and is offering a revolution in space dosimetry. The tiny device is just one of many applications for a pixel detector technology developed at CERN.
Apple exec hopes to get iTunes Radio international
Top Apple executive Eddy Cue says he's "very pleased" with the initial rollout of iTunes Radio and hopes to have it running internationally as soon as possible.
'Pirate' wanted online black market to change world
The man known as "Dread Pirate Roberts" saw the potential for his online black market for drugs and other illegal wares as a way to free the world from government "coercion."
Antivirus software often fails to deter hackers
At a time when millions of computer users face increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, the antivirus software they rely on to keep their information safe frequently fails to do the job.
Twitter's IPO problem: More people know it than use it
By all rights, Twitter should be wildly popular with mainstream America. World leaders, the pope, even Justin Bieber post updates there.
Intel faces threat from chip-making upstart
Even as it reels from the slowdown in personal-computer chip sales, Intel Corp. faces a new and worrisome threat from a growing group of rivals led by a puny upstart.
Silk Road wound through dark side of the Internet
There is a dark side to the Internet, and it can be used for evil as well as for good.
Black market site owner faces US murder plot charge
The accused mastermind of the online black market website Silk Road, arrested this week, has been charged in a murder-for-hire plot, court documents show.
Tesla says car fire began in battery after crash
A fire that destroyed a Tesla electric car near Seattle began in the vehicle's battery pack, officials said, creating challenges for firefighters who tried to put out the flames.
Optical wireless may be the answer to dropped calls, and more
Anyone who has tried to make a cell phone call from a crowded football stadium has had a taste of what engineers call spectrum crunch.
New app turns Van Gogh fans into art detectives
Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum on Thursday launched a new app for tablets allowing users to turn "art detective" when looking at the Dutch master's paintings.
Tesla S electric car tops registrations in Norway
An electric car model has topped the list of new car registrations in Norway for the first time, a car industry group said Thursday.
3-D printing: Making your own saves energy, scientist says
3D printing isn't just cheaper, it's also greener, says Michigan Technological University's Joshua Pearce.
Medicine & Health news
'Killer hornets' leave 42 dead in China: Xinhua
Swarms of hornets have killed 42 people in northwestern China in recent months, state media said Thursday, as temperatures rise and development drives the stinging insects into cities.
'Critical gaps' in breast cancer research
Critical gaps in breast cancer research could see the loss of around 185,000* lives by 2030 if they are not urgently addressed, according to a major new study co-authored by researchers from King's College London.
Doctors, nurses and pharmacists act to reduce prescribing errors in Scottish hospitals
A new national prescribing chart developed by doctors, pharmacists and nurses is to be piloted in Scotland as one measure in a campaign to reduce prescribing errors.
Believers consume fewer drugs than atheists
Young Swiss men who say that they believe in God are less likely to smoke cigarettes or pot or take ecstasy pills than Swiss men of the same age group who describe themselves as atheists. Belief is a protective factor against addictive behaviour. This is the conclusion reached by a study funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Universities develop tissue diagnostic tool to look inside patients' bones
A hip fracture after the age of 65 could lead to death for one out of four people, but UK scientists are working on a method that will help diagnose weakened bones before they break and provide more effective treatment should a break happen.
New bio bank to resolve legal and ethical issues
When researchers collect human tissue in a so-called bio bank, the purpose is usually to learn about various diseases and improve curing of them. But at the University of Copenhagen a group of researchers are in the process of creating a bio bank, which will generate knowledge about the legal and ethical aspects of bio banking as well as contributing to medical research. The project has been selected as one of the University of Copenhagen's interdisciplinary star programmes.
Can eating watercress help fight breast cancer?
The University of Reading is playing a leading role in a new study which will examine the effects of eating watercress on breast cancer patients.
Alcoholism treatment before, after liver transplantation reduces relapse
New research reports that liver transplant recipients who receive substance abuse treatment before and after transplantation have much lower alcohol relapse rates than those untreated or only treated prior to transplantation. A second study determines that continued alcohol abuse following liver transplantation decreases graft survival, further highlighting the importance of preventing alcohol relapse. Both studies are published in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society.
Three hours is enough to help prevent mental health issues in teens
The incidence of mental health issues amongst 509 British youth was reduced by 25 to 33% over the 24 months following two 90-minute group therapy sessions, according to a study led by Dr. Patricia Conrod of the University of Montreal and its affiliated Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Centre. "Almost one-in-four American 8 to 15 year olds has experienced a mental health disorder over the past year. We know that these disorders are associated with a plethora of negative consequences," Conrod said. "Our study shows that teacher delivered interventions that target specific risk factors for mental health problems can be immensely effective at reducing the incidence of depression, anxiety and conduct disorders in the long term."
Fallout from increase in high-deductible plans examined
(HealthDay)—The expected increase in high-deductible health plan (HDHP) enrollment due to implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) highlights the need for more research into the health impact of HDHPs, according to a perspective piece published online Oct. 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Molecular imaging predicts risk for abdominal aortic aneurysms
Several newly identified markers could provide valuable insight to predict the risk of rupture abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), according to new research published in the October issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Imaging with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has shown that dense white blood cells in the outermost connective tissue in the vascular wall, increased C-reactive protein and a loss of smooth muscle cells in the middle layer of the vascular wall are all factors that may indicate future AAA rupture.
International study shows efficacy of new gastric cancer drug
This international trial, published in The Lancet, is one of the largest phase III trials in second-line treatment of gastric cancer. Standard care for advanced gastric cancer, known as first-line treatment, is based on chemotherapy, but it only offers a median survival of 8 to 10 months.
Updated systemic sclerosis criteria improve disease classification
New classification criteria for systemic sclerosis have just been published and are more sensitive than the 1980 criteria, enabling earlier identification and treatment of this disabling autoimmune disease. The 2013 criteria, developed by a joint committee commissioned by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), are published in the ACR journal, Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Component of citrus fruits found to block the formation of kidney cysts
A new study published today in British Journal of Pharmacology has identified that a component of grapefruit and other citrus fruits, naringenin, successfully blocks the formation of kidney cysts.
Whole-exome sequencing IDs genetic cause in quarter of cases
(HealthDay)—For patients with suspected genetic disorders, whole-exome sequencing identifies the underlying genetic defect in 25 percent of cases, according to a study published online Oct. 2 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Maths can carry weight in the battle against obesity
A study at the Biometris group of Wageningen UR shows that the 'drive' to lose weight peaks several months before people actually start following a diet in practice, while it is low a few months before they stop dieting. The scientists used a mathematical computer model that combines all kinds of stimuli to increase or diminish food intake, indicated by the term 'drive'. A better understanding of this phenomenon can help with reaching a stable healthy body weight and may prevent the well-known yoyo-effect.
Scientists identify potential new drug for inherited cancer
Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a new drug candidate for an inherited form of cancer with no known cure.
New pain-free treatment for prostate cancer? Not quite
If you or someone close to you has lived with prostate cancer, you've probably come across dozens of emerging treatments in your hours of Googling. One such treatment, focal therapy, has been dubbed the "new pain-free treatment for prostate cancer". But don't hold your breath; it's still in its experimental phases.
Improving intensive care
Researchers from a team at the Cicely Saunders Institute, King's College London, and Intensive Care Specialists and Palliative Care Specialists at King's College Hospital have discovered and tested a new way to improve care and communication for patients and their families in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The research published today in open access journal BMC Medicine is the result of a three year study to develop and test ways to improve communication and support in Intensive Care.
Advanced technology for gene expression analysis can facilitate drug development
When developing new drugs, monitoring cellular responses to candidate compounds is essential for assessing their efficacy and safety. Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies report a new method to monitor and quantify the activity of gene promoters during the response to a drug, using the advanced gene expression analysis method CAGE followed by single-molecule sequencing. This research paves the way to a more precise analysis of cellular responses to drugs, at the level of individual promoters.
New advances in the study of human mitochondrial DNA
A study concerning the evolution of mitochondrial DNA, performed by researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), has allowed to determine the frequency and pattern of heteroplasmy in the complete mitochondrial genome using a representative sample of the European population. This phenomenon, which indicates the presence of different mitochondrial DNA types in a cell or an individual, can be found in more than half of the population. The data obtained indicates that many of the newly arising mutations found never reach fixation at the population level due to the effect of evolutionary mechanisms such as genetic drift or selection. The study, published in PLOS ONE, may open a new perspective on medical, evolutionary and forensic research.
Progress in the prediction of epilepsy surgery
According to this research, developed by researchers of the UPM, CSIC and the Princesa Hospital, personality style, intelligence quotient and hemisphere of seizure origin are factors that would help to predict successfully these surgeries, what would be helpful for surgeons. Researchers reached these conclusions by using predictive models based on machine learning techniques.
The pain lingers for white teen girls who are told they are too fat
(Medical Xpress)—White teenage girls who are told by their parents or friends that they are too fat have more depressive symptoms when they are young adults, according to new research from Purdue University.
Alzheimer's collaboration brings time-course to equation
Scientists from Western Australia and across the nation have shown the accumulation of a protein in the brain occurs 20 years before symptoms of Alzheimer's occur, in a groundbreaking study that could prove beneficial for early intervention.
Liquorice alleviates troublesome symptoms following intubation
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), liquorice is regarded as a "panacea". A recent study by the University Department of Anaesthetics, General Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Therapy at the MedUni Vienna has now, for the first time, scientifically confirmed the healing properties of this natural substance.
Five regular meals a day reduce obesity risk among adolescents
A regular eating pattern may protect adolescents from obesity, according to a Finnish population-based study with more than 4,000 participants. When eating five meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks - a day, even those with a genetic predisposition to obesity had no higher body mass index (BMI) than their controls.
Power of precision medicine shown in successful treatment of patient with disabling OCD
A multidisciplinary team led by a geneticist and psychiatrist from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's (CSHL) Stanley Institute for Cognitive Genomics today publish a paper providing a glimpse of both the tremendous power and the current limitations of what is sometimes called "precision medicine."
Why do humans pig out?
Researchers from University of Copenhagen have discovered big differences in the variability of eating habits among pigs. The newly published study showed that for some (pigs with certain genetic variants) overeating was normal behavior and for a particular group of pigs there was clear evidence they were genetically programmed to eat more food than others. The study was led by professor Haja Kadarmideen and is the first study in the world looking at pig to human comparative genetic mapping to reveal key genes on the human genome that are known to be involved in human obesity.
The structure of language influences learning
There are words that convey a meaning, like verbs, nouns or adjectives, and others, like articles or conjunctions that sustain them, providing a structure for the sentence. A few years ago some scientists of the International School for Advanced Studies of Trieste, together with collaborators from other Universities, showed that the order of the two categories of words within a sentence is important for language acquisition in infants already in their first year of life.
Triple-negative breast cancer target for drug development identified
Often deadly "triple-negative" breast cancers might be effectively treated in many cases with a drug that targets a previously unknown vulnerability in the tumors, according to a UC San Francisco researcher who described her discovery in a study published online October 3, 2013 in the journal Cancer Cell.
Rett syndrome gene dysfunction redefined
Whitehead Institute researchers have redefined the function of a gene whose mutation causes Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental autism spectrum disorder. This new research offers an improved understanding of the defects found in the neurons of Rett syndrome patients and could lead to novel therapies for the disease.
Why blame feels hard to take
When something we do produces a positive result, we actually perceive it differently than we would if that same action yielded a negative result. In particular, people feel a greater connection between voluntary actions and their outcomes if those outcomes are good than if they are bad. The discovery, reported on October 3 in Current Biology, yields important insight into notions about personal responsibility.
Key cellular auto-cleaning mechanism mediates the formation of plaques in Alzheimer's brain
Autophagy, a key cellular auto-cleaning mechanism, mediates the formation of amyloid beta plaques, one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. It might be a potential drug target for the treatment of the disease, concludes new research from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan. The study sheds light on the metabolism of amyloid beta, and its role in neurodegeneration and memory loss.
Metabolic means to preserving egg supply and fertility
The stresses that come with aging, chemotherapy treatments, and environmental exposures all threaten fertility. But what if there were a way to preserve women's limited egg supply? Researchers reporting on studies conducted in frog and mouse eggs in the Cell Press journal Molecular Cell on October 3rd may have found a way.
Target for new Rx class for inflammatory disorders discovered
Research led by Charles Nichols, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, describes a powerful new anti-inflammatory mechanism that could lead to the development of new oral medications for atherosclerosis and inflammatory bowel disorders (IBS). The findings are published in PLOS ONE.
Stem cells help repair traumatic brain injury by building a 'biobridge'
University of South Florida researchers have suggested a new view of how stem cells may help repair the brain following trauma. In a series of preclinical experiments, they report that transplanted cells appear to build a "biobridge" that links an uninjured brain site where new neural stem cells are born with the damaged region of the brain.
Scientists discover new role for cell dark matter in genome integrity
University of Montreal researchers have discovered how telomerase, a molecule essential for cancer development, is directed to structures on our genome called telomeres in order to maintain its integrity and in turn, the integrity of the genome. In an article published in the journal Molecular Cell, the scientists explain how they discovered that telomerase molecules are rallied together by a molecule called TERRA, a so-called "non-coding RNA" having no known function in the cell. The scientists used cutting edge microscopy techniques to visualize and track the telomerase molecules as they were ferried to telomeres by TERRA. "Non-coding RNAs constitute the "dark matter of the genome", as they are abundant but their function is largely unknown", explained Dr. Pascal Chartrand, senior investigator and professor of biochemistry.
New treatments for hay fever and house dust mite allergy successfully tested
Researchers have successfully tested treatments for people with allergies to grasses and to dust mites.
Pills made from poop cure serious gut infections
Doctors have found a way to put healthy people's poop into pills that can cure serious gut infections—a less yucky way to do "fecal transplants." Canadian researchers tried this on 27 patients and cured them all after strong antibiotics failed to help.
Our voices reveal relationship status and could be used to detect infidelity, study finds
Think your partner is cheating? His or her voice may be a dead giveaway. New research by Albright College associate professor of psychology Susan Hughes, Ph.D., has found that men and women alter their voices when speaking to lovers versus friends and that such variations can potentially be used to detect infidelity.
Drowsy Drosophila shed light on sleep and hunger
Why does hunger keep us awake and a full belly make us tired? Why do people with sleep disorders such as insomnia often binge eat late at night? What can sleep patterns tell us about obesity?
Doctors still prescribe antibiotics too often, study finds (Update)
Repeated warnings that antibiotics don't work for most sore throats and bronchitis have failed to stop overuse: U.S. doctors prescribed these drugs for most adults seeking treatment at a rate that remained high over more than a decade, researchers found.
Old remedy shows promise as new chemo drug for bladder cancer
An old home remedy called ipecac syrup, once stocked in medicine cabinets in case of accidental poisoning, is showing promise as a new chemotherapy drug for bladder cancer.
Innovative approach could ultimately end deadly disease of sleeping sickness
A tag team of two bacteria, one of them genetically modified, has a good chance to reduce or even eliminate the deadly disease African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, researchers at Oregon State University conclude in a recent mathematical modeling study.
New study suggests changing bacterial mix may lead to painful sex after menopause
The mix of bacteria in the vagina changes as women go through menopause. And a certain mix is typical after menopause in women who have vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA), a common cause of vaginal dryness and sexual pain, finds a team at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland. They suspect these bacteria may play a role in causing VVA and that personalized probiotics or other ways to manage the bacterial mix might prevent or treat VVA in the future. Their study was published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society.
How depression blurs memories
To pinpoint why depression messes with memory, researchers took a page from Sesame Street's book.
How Instagram can ruin your dinner
Warning Instagrammers: you might want to stop taking so many pictures of your food. New research out of Brigham Young University finds that looking at too many pictures of food can actually make it less enjoyable to eat.
Method for 'designer babies' in the ethical spotlight
European bioethicists raised the red flag Thursday over an American patent for a method that could allow people to choose genetic traits like eye colour in children sired from donor eggs or sperm.
Demand for doctors remained high in 2012
(HealthDay)—Demand for physicians, particularly primary care physicians remains high, according to a report published by the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters (ASPR).
Expanding scope of nurse practitioners practice discussed
(HealthDay)—Non-physician practitioners could ease the anticipated increased demand for physicians, but broadening their scope of practice is controversial, according to an article published Sept. 10 in Medical Economics.
Government shutdown impacting health care agencies
(HealthDay)—The government shutdown is having a serious impact on health care agencies, according to an article published Oct. 1 in Medical Economics.
IDSA: Oral ingestion viable for fecal microbiome transplant
(HealthDay)—For patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (rCDI), fecal microbiome transplantation via ingestion of fecal microbes is well-tolerated and arrests rCDI, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDWeek), held from Oct. 2 to 6 in San Francisco.
Dreams: Full of meaning or a reflex of the brain?
It's a question that has long fascinated and flummoxed those who study human behavior: From whence comes the impulse to dream? Are dreams generated from the brain's "top" - the high-flying cortical structures that allow us to reason, perceive, act and remember? Or do they come from the brain's "bottom" - the unheralded brainstem, which quietly oversees such basic bodily functions as respiration, heart rate, salivation and temperature control?
Johns Hopkins experts devise a way to cut radiation exposure in children needing repeat brain scans
A team of pediatric neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center has developed a way to minimize dangerous radiation exposure in children with a condition that requires repeat CT scans of the brain. The experts say they reduced exposure without sacrificing the diagnostic accuracy of the images or compromising treatment decisions.
New data-driven machine learning method effectively flags risk for post-stroke dangers
A team of experts in neurocritical care, engineering, and informatics, with the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, have devised a new way to detect which stroke patients may be at risk of a serious adverse event following a ruptured brain aneurysm. This new, data-driven machine learning model, involves an algorithm for computers to combine results from various uninvasive tests to predict a secondary event. Preliminary results were released at the Neurocritical Care Society Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
Study makes important step-forward in mission to tackle parasitic worm infections
Researchers from The Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research (MCCIR), University of Manchester have made an important step forward in finding a potential treatment for an infection that affects over a billion people worldwide.
BMC pediatricians warn that cuts to SNAP program will harm children
(Boston)—In a commentary in this week's issue of Lancet, pediatricians from Boston Medical Center (BMC) call the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program), one of America's most cost-effective and successful public health programs in the country. According to the authors, not only does it make life much better for children and families, it also saves society money. Unfortunately they also point out that despite convincing evidence of the beneficial effects of SNAP on child health, legislators have targeted SNAP for cuts as they struggle to address the federal budget, lagging economy and the U.S. farm bill.
Dampened mTOR signaling linked with the developmental disorder Roberts syndrome
Children born with developmental disorders called cohesinopathies can suffer severe consequences, including intellectual disabilities, limb shortening, craniofacial anomalies, and slowed growth. Researchers know which mutations underlie some cohesinopathies, but have developed little understanding of the downstream signals that are disrupted in these conditions.
Mice with human immune cells help researchers discover how the mosquito-borne virus depletes blood platelets
Dengue fever, an infectious tropical disease found in more than 100 countries, has no cure and no vaccine. One reason why it has been difficult to develop new drugs for dengue fever is that there are no good animal models of the disease, which only infects humans.
Study reveals information about the genetic architecture of brain's grey matter
An international research team studying the structure and organization of the brain has found that different genetic factors may affect the thickness of different parts of the cortex of the brain.
With population rise, natural laws purge nastiest genes
(Medical Xpress)—As human population grows, disease-causing genetic mutations per individual increase, but each mutation is less harmful, when compared with a population that is not growing, says a Cornell study to be published in November in the journal Genetics.
Protecting neurons in neurodegenerative disease
(Medical Xpress)—Neurobiologist from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research proved that excitability protects motoneurons from degeneration in amyotropic lateral sclerosis, a rare neurodegenerative disease. By modulating excitability they could influence the rate of motor dysfunction and muscle denervation, and slow the progression rate of the disease. This is important because it points to a possible way to delay the progression of this so far incurable disease. Their results are published online in Neuron.
Identifying people by their bodies when faces are no help
Every day we recognize friends, family, and co-workers from afar—even before we can distinctly see a face. New research reveals that when facial features are difficult to make out, we readily use information about someone's body to identify them—even when we don't know we're doing so.
Blocking nerve cells could prevent symptoms of eczema
A new picture of how the nervous system interacts with the immune system to cause the itch and inflammation associated with eczema, a chronic skin disease, could lead to new therapies for the condition, according to University of California, Berkeley, scientists.
Genetic analysis of individuals with autism finds gene deletions
Using powerful genetic sequencing technology, a team of investigators, led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, scanned the genome of hundreds of individuals, and discovered those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were more likely to have gene deletions than were people without the disorder. That means those individuals—seven percent of the study group—had one copy of one or more genes when they should have had two.
Facebook and Twitter may yield clues to preventing the spread of disease
Facebook and Twitter could provide vital clues to control infectious diseases by using mathematical models to understand how we respond socially to biological contagions.
Neglect of 'science communication environment' puts vaccine acceptance at risk
The biggest threat to the contribution that childhood vaccines make to societal well-being doesn't come from deficits in public comprehension, distrust of science, or misinformation campaigns, but rather from the failure of governmental and other institutions to use evidence-based strategies to anticipate and avoid recurring threats to the science communication environment—the myriad everyday channels through which the public becomes apprised of decision-relevant science.
Sieving through 'junk' DNA reveals cancer-causing genetic mutations
Researchers can now identify DNA regions within non-coding DNA, the major part of the genome that is not translated into a protein, where mutations can cause diseases such as cancer.
Possible culprits in congenital heart defects identified
Mitochondria are the power plants of cells, manufacturing chemical fuel so a cell can perform its many tasks. These cellular power plants also are well known for their role in ridding the body of old or damaged cells.
Brain stimulation affects compliance with social norms
Neuroeconomists at the University of Zurich have identified a specific brain region that controls compliance with social norms. They discovered that norm compliance is independent of knowledge about the norm and can be increased by means of brain stimulation.
Silencing sudden death: Study targets genetics of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease in which cardiac muscle thickens, weakening the heart, can be prevented from developing for several months in mice by reducing production of a mutant protein, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard Medical School.
Biology news
EU court rejects Inuit appeal against seal fur ban
Europe's top court on Thursday rejected an appeal by Inuit seal hunters and fur traders against an EU ban on products derived from the Arctic animals.
Bonelli's Eagle: A thirty-year study of European populations
A new scientific research analyses key vital rates in Western Europe Bonelli's Eagle populations between 1980 and 2009. It alerts that North Spain populations are the ones at greatest risk. The research, published on the journal Ecological Monographs, a publication of the Ecological Society of America, is headed by experts Joan Real and Antonio Hernández Matías, from the Conservation Biology Group of the Department of Animal Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona.
Invasive mussel is not harmed by toxins and invades the freshwaters of Europe and North America
While most freshwater mussels react stressfully and weaken when exposed to the toxins in blue-green algae in their water environment, the little zebra mussel is rather indifferent. It is not affected by the toxins, and this helps it outmatch stressed and weakened mussels, report researchers from the University of Southern Denmark. This is bad for the biodiversity, and in some countries the superior zebra mussels imposes great costs to the industry.
Hong Kong seizes elephant tusks worth $1 million
Elephant tusks worth more than $1 million were seized by Hong Kong customs after being discovered hidden under bags of soya in shipments from West Africa, officials said Thursday.
Researchers unveil method for creating 're-specified' stem cells for disease modeling
In a paper in Cell Stem Cell, a team led by researchers in the Boston Children's Hospital's Stem Cell Transplantation Program reports a new approach for turning induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells for in vivo disease modeling.
Koalas in danger as Aussie temperatures soar
Australia's native koala could face a wipeout from increasing temperatures unless "urgent" action is taken to plant trees for shelter as well as eucalypts to eat, a study found Thursday.
Worm resistance being spread by wild hares
Wild hares have been found to be important carriers of sheep worms and are likely to be helping spread resistance to worm drenches, according to new University of Adelaide research.
Researchers find bad bacteria reducer
A substance linked to mood enhancement could be a key to combating bacteria that can cause a serious foodborne illness, NDSU researchers say.
Two million and counting: NYBG digitization project reaches major milestone
Marking a milestone achievement in the global effort to make scientific collections widely available online, The New York Botanical Garden recently added the two-millionth plant specimen to its digital research collection, part of an ambitious project to digitize the 7.3 million dried plant specimens in its William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, the largest herbarium in the Western hemisphere.
Rare research into false killer whales reveals anti-predator partnerships
False killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) are one of the least studied species of ocean dolphin, but new light has been cast on their behavior by a team of marine scientists from New Zealand. The research, published in Marine Mammal Science, reveals how a population off the coast of New Zealand has developed a relationship with bottlenose dolphins to defend themselves from predation.
Leading experts offer advice on generating human induced pluripotent stem cell banks
The ability to make induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from mature cells in the body holds great potential for improved drug screening, disease modeling, and medical treatments for numerous conditions. Establishing well-characterized panels of iPSC lines that reflect the diversity of the human population and include samples from patients with a wide range of diseases will be key to tapping into the potential of iPSCs. In the October 3 issue of the Cell Press journal Cell Stem Cell, leading experts in the field publish several opinion pieces on emerging issues related to generating such iPSC banks, and they provide practical recommendations and creative solutions to address challenges associated with such large-scale efforts.
Two new enigmatic spider species with peculiar living habits from Uruguay
The two new species described from Uruguay, Chaco castanea and Chaco costai, are middle sized spiders that range between 1 and 2 cm in body size. Like all Nemesiids they have elongated body and robust legs with predominantly black-brownish coloration. A recent study in the open access journal Zookeys provides a detailed description of the two news species and a rare glimpse into their living habits.
Genetic study of river herring populations identifies conservation priorities
A genetic and demographic analysis of river herring populations along the U.S. east coast, published October 2 in Evolutionary Applications, has identified distinct genetic stocks, providing crucial guidance for efforts to manage their declining populations.
Health of honey bees adversely impacted by selenium
Traditionally, honey bee research has focused on environmental stressors such as pesticides, pathogens and diseases. Now a research team led by entomologists at the University of California, Riverside has published a study that focuses on an anthropogenic pollutant: selenium (Se).
Genetics used to sort out poorly known—and hunted—whale species
sometimes genetically—one group of whales from another, say researchers attempting to define populations of a medium-sized and poorly understood baleen whale that is sometimes targeted by Japan's scientific whaling program. In a new study, scientists from Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History, Columbia University, NOAA, and other groups are working to define separate groups and subspecies of the Bryde's whale in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
60 possible new species found in Suriname forest
Biologists with a U.S.-based conservation group say six frogs, 11 fish and numerous insects found in remote sections of Suriname's rainforest are among 60 creatures that may be new species.
Diesel exhaust stops honeybees from finding the flowers they want to forage
Exposure to common air pollutants found in diesel exhaust pollution can affect the ability of honeybees to recognise floral odours, new University of Southampton research shows.
Philandering fairywrens keep their species intact
(Phys.org) —A common, chickadee-sized Australian bird is one of the most prolific cheaters in the avian world – and new research suggests that choices made by straying females may actually be keeping the species from diverging into two.
How an aggressive fungal pathogen causes mold in fruits and vegetables
A research team led by a molecular plant pathologist at the University of California, Riverside has discovered the mechanism by which an aggressive fungal pathogen infects almost all fruits and vegetables.
How a 'mistake' in a single-cell organism is actually a rewrite essential to life
A tiny but unexpected change to a segment of RNA in a single-cell organism looks a lot like a mistake, but is instead a change to the genetic information that is essential to the organism's survival.
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