Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for January 17, 2014:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Acoustic lens generates tunable 'sound bullets' for ultrasound applications- Fighting flies: Biologists identify sex-specific brain cells in male flies that promote aggression
- Clever chemistry improves a new class of antibiotics
- Energy storage in miniaturized capacitors may boost green energy technology
- Histamine control of Tourette syndrome
- Scientists find 3-D material that mimics 2-D graphene
- First instance of ball lightning captured on video and spectrographs
- Highly efficient broadband terahertz radiation from metamaterials
- Sperm-bots are made to move in desired direction (w/ Video)
- Europe launches RoboEarth: 'Wikipedia for Robots'
- Google contact lens could be option for diabetics
- Hybrid nanowire-nanoparticle palladium catalyst achieves unprecedented catalytic lifetimes for chemical synthesis
- Some planet-like Kuiper belt objects don't play "nice"
- New world record set for longest duration echo in a man-made structure
- Carbon nanotube sponge shows improved water clean-up
Astronomy & Space news
Australian scientists to 'listen' to the formation of black holes
(Phys.org) —Australia's participation in the discovery of gravitational waves - and the ability to 'listen' to the formation of black holes - will receive a big boost on January 21.
Image: Antares and sunspots at sunrise
An Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket is seen on the launch pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va., on Jan. 8, 2014. Dark blemishes can be clearly seen on the face of the sun.
NASA video shows GPM's journey to Japan
(Phys.org) —Pack it up, put it on a plane and fly it to Japan. It sounds simple enough, but a new video from NASA shows when your package is a satellite, it's anything but.
California NASA center renamed for Neil Armstrong
The memory of Neil Armstrong lives on at a NASA center.
NASA tests Orion spacecraft parachute jettison over Arizona
Engineers testing the parachute system for NASA's Orion spacecraft increased the complexity of their tests Thursday, Jan. 16, adding the jettison of hardware designed to keep the capsule safe during flight.
'Standing on a comet': Rosetta mission will contribute to space weather research
(Phys.org) —A comet-bound spacecraft that's been in sleep mode for more than two years is scheduled to wake up on the morning of Jan. 20—beginning the home stretch of its decade-long journey to a mile-wide ball of rock, dust and ice.
ALMA discovers a formation site of a giant planetary system
A team of Japanese astronomers has obtained a firm evidence of formatino of a giant planetary system around a young star by the observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This result has a transformative impact on the theories of planet formation and gives us a clue to the origin of a wide variety of planetary systems.
Big year for European space activities
Europe will expand its space presence this year through missions with a more practical application for Earthlings—notably the Galileo constellation of navigation satellites, the European Space Agency (ESA) said Friday.
Hubble and Galaxy Zoo find bars and baby galaxies don't mix
(Phys.org) —Harnessing the power of both the Hubble Space Telescope and the citizen science project Galaxy Zoo, scientists from the University of Portsmouth have found that bar-shaped features in spiral galaxies accelerate the galaxy aging process.
Lichen on Mars
Humans cannot hope to survive life on Mars without plenty of protection from the surface radiation, freezing night temperatures and dust storms on the red planet. So they could be excused for marveling at humble Antarctic lichen that has shown itself capable of going beyond survival and adapting to life in simulated Martian conditions.
Some planet-like Kuiper belt objects don't play "nice"
The Kuiper belt—the region beyond the orbit of Neptune inhabited by a number of small bodies of rock and ice—hides many clues about the early days of the Solar System. According to the standard picture of Solar System formation, many planetesimals were born in the chaotic region where the giant planets now reside. Some were thrown out beyond the orbit of Neptune, while others stayed put in the form of Trojan asteroids (which orbit in the same trajectory as Jupiter and other planets). This is called the Nice model.
Technology news
China loses 27.8 million microblog users in 2013 (Update)
The number of online microblog users in China dropped by more than 27.8 million last year, marking the first major decline in popularity of a social media genre that has offered a way to share unfiltered information in a country with strict controls.
UPC researchers study for Camper how to make more comfortable shoes
Researchers from the Biomedical Engineering Research Centre (CREB) of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya / BarcelonaTech (UPC) have carried out a biomechanical study of the shoes manufactured by the Majorcan Camper brand. Fifty-four volunteers tried six designs of men's and women's footwear that were analysed using optical motion capture systems, force plates, in-shoe pressure measurement devices and electromyography (EMG) sensors. The aim was to determine the parameters that affect how comfortable Camper's shoes are.
Calculating waiting time at security control
Thermal imaging cameras at airports could calculate queues and check-in times better than systems that make estimates using Bluetooth and WiFi on passengers' mobiles.
Engineering solutions for soldiers on the battlefield
Students from the University of Southampton have won a national competition thanks to a revolutionary helmet they designed for use by soldiers on the battlefield.
Obama backs limits on NSA phone collections
President Barack Obama is ordering changes to the government's massive collection of phone records that he says will end the program "as it currently exists."
PS4 and Xbox One fuel US videogame industry sales
NPD Group reported Thursday that new consoles from Sony and Microsoft powered a winning holiday season for the videogame industry in the United States.
US driver acquitted over Google Glass ticket
A US woman thought to be the first person to get a traffic ticket for wearing Google Glass was found not guilty.
Nintendo forecasts net loss, slashes Wii U sales target
Nintendo on Friday warned it would swing back into the red this fiscal year as the Japanese gaming giant slashed its sales target for the Wii U console, blaming poor sales over the key holiday season.
Taiwan's Acer posts third full-year net loss in a row
Taiwan's struggling personal computer maker Acer on Friday reported its third consecutive full-year net loss due to falling sales and a write-off of raw materials inventory.
NSA phone data control may come to end
A senior administration official says President Barack Obama will call for stripping the National Security Agency's ability to store phone data from millions of Americans.
Surveillance threatens US business climate, democracy, researchers say
Mass surveillance by U.S. intelligence agencies is jeopardizing America's reputation as a safe place to do business, according to a Stanford scholar.
Engineer designs digital solution for pesticide drift
(Phys.org) —It's a problem that plagues farmers and haunts environmentalists: how to reduce pesticide applications and ensure they are used most effectively. A Cornell engineer has come up with a novel, high-tech solution, using ultrasound sensors to better match sprays to their vineyard and orchard targets.
Warning computer hackers shortens their intrusion
(Phys.org) —Cybercrime has grown to define the criminal landscape of the 21st century. Yet, cybersecurity research has focused on the crime – computer system attacks – and on counter measures to it, while largely ignoring perpetrator behavior during such attacks. However, University of Maryland researchers now are exploring the conduct of the computer intruders. In a groundbreaking new study, they show for the first time that the appearance of a warning banner upon entry significantly shortens the time an intruder remains on an attacked system.
Let it roll: Low-resistance tires save drivers money
(Phys.org) —Drivers who switch to tires with low rolling resistance can save an average of nearly $150 a year, says a University of Michigan researcher.
IBM to invest over $1.2B in cloud services
IBM plans to invest over $1.2 billion to expand its cloud services operations.
Venture investments, number of deals up in 4Q
Funding for U.S. startups increased 20 percent in the final three months of 2013 as venture capitalists poured more money into more deals, according to a report released Friday.
Target breach linked to global cybercrime, researchers say
The massive data breach at US retailer Target is probably linked to a broader global network of cybercrime that may have affected other merchants, security researchers said.
Starbucks to roll out fix for weakness in iPhone app
Starbucks Corp. said it will soon roll out an update for its iOS mobile application, which a security expert says had a critical flaw that potentially exposed customer data to computer-savvy phone thieves.
IPhones account for 42% of smartphones owned in the US
Apple Inc.'s iPhone is owned by more than 40 percent of smartphone users in the U.S., giving the Cupertino, Calif., tech company a larger share of the national smartphone market than any of its rivals, according to a report Thursday.
Review: HP wants you to pay monthly for ink, and maybe you should
Most of us have printers at home, and if you're like me, the trip to the store to buy ink is just depressing.
Retail breaches could fuel push for safer cards
The Target credit and debit card and personal information breach, which last week was revealed to have affected more consumers than originally thought and which may be linked to attacks on other retailers, is expected to prompt U.S. retailers to speed up the adoption of more secure "chip cards" which are now used in Europe.
High court takes cases on cellphone searches
The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether police need a warrant to search the cellphones of people they have arrested.
Intel to cut staff in face of stagnant earnings
US chip giant Intel said Friday it will trim its workforce by five percent this year as it shifts from personal computers to powering mobile gadgets.
Facebook memes can evolve like genes
(Phys.org) —What started as a politically liberal Facebook meme in support of health care reform morphed as it spread across the social network into hundreds of thousands of variations—some just a few words from the original, but others centered on taxes, beer, or Star Wars' villain Jabba the Hutt.
Your home could soon be like the Jetsons'
For decades, futurists have been predicting the era of the "smart" home, where you don't need to be home to lock your doors, dim your lights or adjust your thermostats. But except for the homes of the wealthy and a few hobbyists, the smart home has been a dream of the distant future. The necessary gadgets have been too expensive and too difficult to configure, and there have been few standards to ensure that the various pieces would work together.
Commentary: Say goodbye to the Internet we've known
If you like how cable television works, you're going to love how a court decision this week could change the Internet.
Cyberattack traced to hacked refrigerator, researchers report
Call it the attack of the zombie refrigerators. Computer security researchers said this week they discovered a large "botnet" which infected Internet-connected home appliances and then delivered more than 750,000 malicious emails.
Google contact lens could be option for diabetics
Brian Otis gingerly holds what looks like a typical contact lens on his index finger. Look closer. Sandwiched in this lens are two twinkling glitter-specks loaded with tens of thousands of miniaturized transistors. It's ringed with a hair-thin antenna. Together these remarkable miniature electronics can monitor glucose levels in tears of diabetics and then wirelessly transmit them to a handheld device.
Europe launches RoboEarth: 'Wikipedia for Robots'
Let the robot race begin. Expectations are high for RoboEarth, a new European-funded system to speed the development of human-serving robots. Scientists from five major European technical universities have gathered in the Netherlands this week for its launch and to demonstrate possible applications.
Medicine & Health news
Pakistan's Peshawar world's 'largest reservoir' of polio, WHO reports (Update)
The World Health Organization on Friday declared Pakistan's troubled northwestern city of Peshawar as the world's "largest reservoir" of endemic polio and called for urgent action to boost vaccination.
Thai teen pregnancy on the rise as sex education misses the young
Days away from giving birth and living apart from her family, 16-year-old Ying is one of a growing number of Thai teenagers to fall pregnant every year in a country where sex education is focused on the married.
S. Korea culls ducks after suspected bird flu test
South Korea on Friday started culling thousands of poultry after a preliminary test indicated the first possible outbreak of bird flu since 2011, officials said.
Mental health of Spanish men worsened with the crisis, study reports
Experts and social organizations have warned of the negative effects that the economic crisis could mean for the health of the population. But it was not easy to demonstrate with data what is happening. A new comparative analysis of the last two National Health Surveys revealed a rise in mental health problems in men (from 15% in 2006 to 17% in 2012), which contrasts on the other hand with a decrease in women (25% in 2006 to 23% in 2012).
Researchers deploy large-scale HIV intervention project in South Africa
A large-scale human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) intervention/education effort aimed at helping South African men take a proactive role in the prevention of that disease has proven successful, an important development considering that country has the largest number of HIV infections in the world.
Is Europe equipped with enough medical oncologists? Horizon still unknown
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) has welcomed a recent survey that shows the number of medical oncologists in Western Europe appears to be keeping pace with the rising toll of cancer.
Turkey approves controversial health legislation
Turkey's president has approved legislation that critics say could give authorities new powers to prosecute doctors for providing care deemed unauthorized.
Researchers collaborate to reduce effects of the aging eye
Aging gracefully may not be an option for the 40 million people worldwide who are blind or have significant visual impairment. It's reported that 65% of those with visual impairment and 82% of those who are blind are over 50 years of age. In a special issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS), ophthalmic leaders from around the world address "the aging eye" to focus attention on unmet needs and accelerate the translation of research findings into effective clinical care.
New discovery on Giant Cell Arteritis sheds light on cause
New research from Queen Mary University of London has revealed – for the first time – how the condition Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) may be caused by a certain group of white blood cells called 'neutrophils'. GCA (also known as temporal arteritis) is a condition which causes severe inflammation in the blood vessels and primarily affects the elderly.
Vitamin D supplements reduce pain in fibromyalgia sufferers
Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) typically have widespread chronic pain and fatigue. For those with low vitamin D levels, vitamin D supplements can reduce pain and may be a cost-effective alternative or adjunct to other treatment, say researchers in the current issue of Pain.
Statin use reduces delirium in critically ill patients
Continued use of statins may help prevent delirium in critically ill patients who received statins before hospital admission, according to a new study of 470 intensive care patients in the UK.
Genomic study identifies subgroups of HER2+ breast cancer with varying sensitivities
Research led by the Translational Genomics Group at Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) in Barcelona has not only shown that HER2+ breast cancer can be classified into four different subtypes, but also unmasked a subtype showing both a greater response to and increased benefit from chemotherapy and anti-HER2 therapy. Such newly, refined classification of different tumor subtypes will ultimately facilitate more effective treatment tailored to a specific tumor as well as advance targeted therapy against HER2+ breast cancer.
Surgeon general urges new resolve to end smoking (Update)
One in 13 children could see their lives shortened by smoking unless the nation takes more aggressive action to end the tobacco epidemic, the U.S. Surgeon General said Friday—even as, astonishingly, scientists added still more diseases to the long list of cigarettes' harms.
Probe highlights risk from South Africa's drug-resistant TB
A long-term probe has found that South Africans with highly drug-resistant TB are "systematically" discharged from hospital without being cured, placing themselves and others at risk, its authors said Friday.
China reports new H7N9 bird flu death
China has reported a new death from the H7N9 bird flu virus, state media said Friday, bringing the toll this year to at least four as the disease returns following its 2013 outbreak.
China starts relaxing one-child policy
China began to implement the loosening of its controversial one-child policy Friday when a province announced it has made it legal for couples to have two children if one parent is an only child.
Is food getting safer?
With all the headlines about foodborne illness in recent years, it might seem that the problem of food contamination is at epic levels. Most recently, poultry contaminated with Salmonella sickened close to 300 people across 18 states, while more than 600 people in 25 states developed Cyclospora infection linked to prepackaged salad greens and cilantro. Before that, a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A infection affecting more than 160 people was linked to an organic frozen berry and pomegranate mix.
Here comes the sun: How vitamin D relaxes blood vessels
It's not just your mood that the dark months of winter can influence. Low levels of sunlight also mean lower levels of vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D deficiency can trigger a range of diseases but until recently little was known about the exact biological mechanisms behind this. A research team at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has now decrypted one of these unknown molecular mechanisms. Vitamin D regulates the elasticity of blood vessels and thus also affects blood pressure amplitude. The results were published earlier this year in the journal Molecular Endocrinology.
Here comes the sun to lower your blood pressure
Exposing skin to sunlight may help to reduce blood pressure and thus cut the risk of heart attack and stroke, a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology suggests.
Most women undergoing conservative surgery for vulvar cancer maintain healthy body image and sex life
A new study finds that most women who undergo conservative surgery for vulvar cancer experience little to no long-term disruption to sexuality and body image. Published early online in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, the study also reveals factors that can increase women's risk of feeling negative emotions after surgery.
Improved shingles vaccination rate among baby boomers
While people over the age of 60 account for more than half of all shingles cases, less than 15% get the vaccination that helps prevent the blistering skin rash, which can cause lingering nerve pain.
Nutrient-based tax could cut nation's medical bills
(Medical Xpress)—To reduce obesity-related disease in America, many policymakers and public health officials have proposed either taxing products that make us fat or taxing individual nutrients in fattening foods, like sugar and fat itself.
Study finds no significant differences between commonly used carotid stenting systems in US
(Medical Xpress)—A study conducted by researchers from several institutions, including the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has found similarly low rates of complication and death among U.S. patients who are treated with the three most common systems for placing stents in blocked carotid arteries of the neck.
A device to prevent falls in the elderly
The EPFL spin-off Gait Up just put an extremely thin motion sensor on the market. It can detect the risk of a fall in an older person and is equally useful for sports and physical therapy.
Parent-teen involvement deters Hispanic youth from substance use, risky sexual behaviors
Without parental guidance, Hispanic youths are at increased risk of contracting HIV because they are more likely to engage in substance abuse and risky sex behaviors, a new University of Michigan study found.
What's mine is mine, what's yours is ... also mine
At 21 months my boy Max still speaks largely in single syllables. "Ba" means "ball", "bath", "bottle" and somewhat surprisingly also "yoghurt". But there is one syllable that appears to have no equal and is often shouted out like some sort of primal scream: "MMMMMMMYYYYYYYY!"
Early warning: Internet surveillance predicts disease outbreak
(Medical Xpress)—The habit of Googling for an online diagnosis before visiting a GP can provide early warning of an infectious disease epidemic.
A new regulator of cholesterol levels
A high level of cholesterol in the blood is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. An LMU team has now identified an endogenous regulator of serum cholesterol – which could lead to new therapies for metabolic syndrome.
Not just clean but spotless: Researchers show how cells tidy up
New findings from the team of Claudine Kraft at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) of the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna give insights into how cells dispose of their waste. Malfunctions in this process have been linked to Alzheimer's disease and cancer. The study is published online in the renowned scientific journal Molecular Cell.
Rich or poor, schools fall short on providing physical activity
Schools in wealthier areas are more likely to have a physical education (PE) teacher on staff than are schools in poorer areas, but students in both wealthy and less affluent areas are coming up short with regard to physical activity, finds a new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion.
Amplifying communication between neurons
Neurons send signals to each other across small junctions called synapses. Some of these signals involve the flow of potassium, calcium and sodium ions through channel proteins that are embedded within the membranes of neurons. However, it was unclear whether the flow of potassium ions into the synaptic cleft had a physiological purpose. An international team of researchers including Alexey Semyanov from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute has now revealed that potassium ions that leak out of channel proteins and spill into the synapse augment synaptic signaling between neurons, potentially fulfilling a reinforcement mechanism in learning and memory.
Need a new brand name? Think of your vowels, says new research
A simple shift in a vowel's sound can change the way people think and make decisions about objects – leading to a greater connection between a brand's name and product features a business wants to highlight, says new research from UTSC and UTM.
Two million people eligible for weight loss surgery
Two million people in England could be eligible for weight loss surgery according to new research published today by JRSM Open, the open access companion publication of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. The figure far exceeds previous estimates of eligibility. In the first study to quantify the number of people in England eligible for bariatric surgery, researchers from Imperial College London concluded that people fulfilling the national criteria were more likely to be women, retired, have lower educational qualifications and have lower socioeconomic status.
EU warns of Bisphenol health threat
The EU food safety watchdog warned Friday that exposure levels to Bisphenol A (BPA), already implicated as a health concern for babies, should be cut by a factor of 10.
New insights into facial transplantation
In 2009, the first face transplant was performed at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), and lead surgeon, Dr. Bohdan Pomahac has been pioneering the procedure since. However, understanding the technical challenges, particularly around how the recipient accepts or rejects the donated face, is just beginning. Following any transplant, including facial transplant, T cells in the recipient mount an immune response to the donated tissue, threatening rejection. This process is successfully managed through immunosupression medication so that the recipient is able to tolerate the transplanted face. Now, researchers at BWH have made a discovery that provides new insight into the body's rejection process. Researchers have demonstrated that immune cells, or T cells, involved in the rejection process are significantly of donor origin. These findings are published in Modern Pathology on January 17, 2014.
Study reveals how ecstasy acts on the brain and hints at therapeutic uses
Brain imaging experiments have revealed for the first time how ecstasy produces feelings of euphoria in users.
Truck drivers top list of overweight workers
(HealthDay)—Truck drivers, cleaning-service employees and mechanics are among the most obese groups of workers, new research contends.
Chronic neck pain common among car crash victims, but most don't sue
A new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers is the first large prospective study to evaluate musculoskeletal pain outcomes after motor vehicle collision in the U.S.
High volume of severe sepsis patients may result in better outcomes
A recent study led by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) shows that "practice may make perfect" when it comes to caring for patients with severe sepsis. The study showed that patients admitted to academic medical centers that care for more patients with severe sepsis have significantly lower mortality rates than patients cared for at academic medical centers with lower volumes of sepsis patients. Additionally, the superior outcomes at high volume centers were achieved at similar costs compared to the lower volume medical centers.
FDA OKs mental disability blood test for infants
The Food and Drug Administration has cleared a first-of-a-kind blood test that can help predict intellectual disabilities in infants by analyzing their genetic code.
Research on autism interventions helps parents make better choices
(Medical Xpress)—More children than ever are being diagnosed with autism, which means more parents than ever face a dizzying array of often expensive treatment options. Giving parents and professionals authoritative information is the purpose of a new review spearheaded by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Meet Henry the Hand: A crusading doctor's right-hand man
(HealthDay)—When Dr. Will Sawyer, an infection prevention specialist, dropped off his young children at day care in the late 1980s, he saw something most parents rarely notice: germs, and lots of them.
Stocking epinephrine in schools might save lives
(HealthDay)—As a pediatrician at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Sarah Denny has seen her share of the life-threatening reactions that can happen with food allergies.
Massage enhances fat reduction with cryolipolysis
(HealthDay)—Post-treatment manual massage improves the efficacy of cryolipolysis on fat reduction, according to a study published online Dec. 11 in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.
Reliable emotion words ID'd to assess patient experience
(HealthDay)—A reliable set of emotion words have been identified that can serve as a tool for experience-based design questionnaires in health care, according to a study published in the December issue of Healthcare.
Research IDs serious cardio events tied to energy drinks
(HealthDay)—Several adverse cardiovascular events following consumption of energy drinks have been reported in the literature, according to a review published in the Jan. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
One-fifth of hospitalizations in advanced GI cancer avoidable
(HealthDay)—For patients with advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancer, about 20 percent of hospitalizations are potentially avoidable, according to a study published online Jan. 13 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Genetic factors conferring diabetes don't affect progression
(HealthDay)—Genetic variants that predispose to diabetes are not associated with the rate of progression from diabetes to requirement of insulin treatment, according to a study published online Nov. 1 in Diabetes Care.
AIDS infections down by a third in S.Africa: UNAIDS
New cases of HIV and AIDS fell sharply in South Africa since ten years ago, a testimony to successful treatment, according to a report by the UN Aids body released Friday.
'Beige' cells key to healthy fat
"Beige fat" cells found in healthy subcutaneous fat in mice play a critical role in protecting the body from the disease risks of obesity, report researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who say their study findings may have implications for therapy of obesity-related illness in humans.
'Psychotic personality' could be key to making people laugh
(Medical Xpress)—Comedians show high levels of psychotic personality traits, according to new research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Age no obstacle to nerve cell regeneration, researchers find
In aging worms at least, it is insulin, not Father Time, that inhibits a motor neuron's ability to repair itself—a finding that suggests declines in nervous system health may not be inevitable.
Study using RNAi reveals previously unknown mice genes linked to cancer development
(Medical Xpress)—A combined team of researchers from Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Icahn School of Medicine has discovered a previously unknown link between absent genes and the growth of tumors. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes a study they conducted using RNAi and how it led to the discovery of a previously unknown genetic link to cancerous tumors.
At arm's length: The plasticity of depth judgment
(Medical Xpress)—People have a distance at which they are best able to judge depth. That distance, it turns out, is dictated by how long people understand their arms to be. Researchers showed this in the Journal of Neuroscience by tricking subjects with virtual reality into thinking their reach was longer than it really was. The result? Their accurate perception of depth via sight moved outward and touch became more sensitive.
What comforts targets of prejudice the most
Rare in history are moments like the 1960s civil rights movement, in which members of a majority group vocally support minority groups in their fight against prejudice. New research not only confirms the power of speaking up for those facing prejudice but also underlines the importance of exactly what is communicated. Looking at YouTube video messages, researchers found that homosexual youth found the most comfort in messages that both supported them and advocated social change.
New study reveals links between alcoholic liver disease and the circadian clock
Researchers from the University of Notre Dame and the Indiana University School of Medicine have revealed a putative role for the circadian clock in the liver in the development of alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver disease.
Histamine control of Tourette syndrome
(Medical Xpress)—Like narcolopsy, Tourettes syndrome is as much an enigma to the neuroscientists that study it, as it is to its sufferers. To say that we really understand nothing about how diseases like Tourettes actually work, is to face reality. Yet the standard method of scientific inquiry has finally begun to give us some substantive clues—recently in narcolepsy, and now also in Tourettes. Using an animal model of the disease, researchers have found that one way, among many, to cause the disease, is to create a deficiency of the enzyme histidine decarboxylase (Hdc). Their new findings, just published in Cell, also suggest similar mechanisms may operate in human disease.
Biology news
Video: Mice can inherit learned sensitivity to smell
Trauma can scar people so indelibly that their children are affected. History provides examples of generations traumatized by war and starvation whose children experience altered physiology. Emory University researchers Kerry Ressler and Brian Dias have showed that an experience linked with a smell can modify the architecture of the nervous systems in later generations.
South Africa says over 1,000 rhinos poached in 2013
More than 1,000 rhinos were poached in South Africa last year, a 50 percent increase from 2012, fuelled by the black-market demand for their horns, the government said Friday.
In the field, the right flower arrangement can improve organic pest control
Studies conducted in an organic lettuce field managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicate that there's more to sweet alyssum than just good looks. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) horticulturist Eric Brennan has identified ways to improve how the pretty white flowers control aphid pests that prey on lettuce leaves. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency.
Consumer understanding needed more than ever in food production
The increasing rejection of farming technology like hormonal growth promotants (HGP) should be regarded as unethical according to a scientist whose paper was recently published in the journal of Animal Production Science.
Washington scientists studying sick grizzly
Scientists at Washington State University are treating a 3-year-old female grizzly bear that has been suffering seizures.
Feast or fancy? Black widows shake for love
(Phys.org) —A team of Simon Fraser University biologists has found that male black widow spiders shake their abdomens to produce carefully pitched vibrations that let females know they have "come a-courting" and are not potential prey.
River water diversions threaten green sturgeon, study shows
(Phys.org) —Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have used laboratory studies to estimate the risk to young green sturgeon, which may be killed by unscreened pipes that divert water from the Sacramento River into adjacent farm fields.
Research underpins effort to map, preserve wildlife in American West
(Phys.org) —Along with global climate change, loss of habitat poses a prime threat to the well-being of Earth's animals. As people farm and develop more land that once teemed with a range of species, biodiversity and animal populations suffer.
Branching for food: How nutrients remodel the fly circulatory system
(Phys.org) —New research from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre suggests that nutrients in the diet may play a role in changing the architecture of blood vessels in the gut and other organs. The study, in fruit flies, found that small changes in their diet alter the nerve signalling guiding branching of new oxygen-delivering tubules – a process reminiscent of adaptive angiogenesis. In turn, this affects how the fly handles and stores different nutrients from its diet.
A new toad from the 'warm valleys' of Peruvian Andes
A new species of toad was discovered hiding in the leaf litter of the Peruvian Yungas. The word is used widely by the locals to describe ecoregion of montane rainforests, and translates as "warm valley" in English. The new species Rhinella yunga was baptized after its habitat preference. The study was published in the open access journal ZooKeys.
A rhythm for development
Development of the nematode C. elegans is directed by rhythmic patterns of protein production. As Helge Grosshans and his team at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) have shown, oscillations with an 8-hour period occur across a wide variety of tissues, structures, cells and genes. The extent of the phenomenon suggests that the process involved could be a fundamental mechanism in the development of many organisms. The findings were published today in Molecular Cell.
Chance determines cell death or normal sugar consumption
Some cells fail by chance, and not due to a genetic defect, to properly initiate the molecular processes for the breakdown of sugar. These cells are unable to grow and subsequently die. This discovery was done by a multidisciplinary team led by Bas Teusink, professor in Systems biology at VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlands. This discovery fundamentally changes our perceptions of such metabolic pathways and their regulation, and could potentially lead to novel ways of treating cancer cells. Einstein said: "God does not play dice". It appears, however, that cells do: the chance of a metabolic failure can be predicted and manipulated, but it is not possible to predict which individual cells will be affected. The results from this study were published in Science on 16 January.
One step at a time, researchers learning how humans walk
(Phys.org) —Humans and some of our hominid ancestors such as Homo erectus have been walking for more than a million years, and researchers are close to figuring out how we do it.
Study finds chimps can use gestures to communicate in their hunt for food
(Phys.org) —Remember the children's game "warmer/colder," where one person uses those words to guide the other person to a hidden toy or treat? Well, it turns out that chimpanzees can play, too.
Fighting flies: Biologists identify sex-specific brain cells in male flies that promote aggression
(Phys.org) —When one encounters a group of fruit flies invading their kitchen, it probably appears as if the whole group is vying for a sweet treat. But a closer look would likely reveal the male flies in the group are putting up more of a fight, particularly if ripe fruit or female flies are present. According to the latest studies from the fly laboratory of California Institute of Technology (Caltech) biologist David Anderson, male Drosophilae, commonly known as fruit flies, fight more than their female counterparts because they have special cells in their brains that promote fighting. These cells appear to be absent in the brains of female fruit flies.
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