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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 23, 2014:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Field study shows how sailfish use their bill to catch fish- From liability to viability: Genes on the Y chromosome prove essential for male survival
- Hundreds of genetic mutations found in healthy blood of a supercentenarian
- The hemihelix: Scientists discover a new shape using rubber bands (w/ video)
- Study shows women's menstrual cycle phase impacts sexual preference for composers of more complex music
- Superconducting qubit array points the way to error-free quantum computers
- Researchers find fish 'yells' to be heard over human made noise
- Chameleon crystals could enable active camouflage (w/ video)
- Physicist demonstrates dictionary definition was dodgy
- Male-biased tweeting
- Man among first in US to get 'bionic eye' (Update)
- Classifying sequence variants in human disease
- New target for prostate cancer resistant to anti-hormone therapies
- Study suggests mysterious bio-duck sounds in southern ocean come from minke whales
- Spacewalking astronauts complete urgent repair job (Update)
Astronomy & Space news
US astronauts to step out on spacewalk for repairs
Two US astronauts are preparing to step out on a brief spacewalk Wednesday to install a backup computer at the International Space Station after one failed earlier this month.
ESA's weightless plants fly on a Dragon
(Phys.org) —It is a race against time for ESA's Gravi-2 experiment following launch last Friday on the Dragon space ferry. Stowed in Dragon's cargo are lentil seeds that will be nurtured into life on the International Space Station.
Preparing for manned missions to Mars, engineer trains on Hawaii volcano
(Phys.org) —Chemical Engineering doctoral student Anne Caraccio is currently living in isolation on the slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. She is participating in one of three University of Hawaii led missions that simulate the conditions future space explorers will experience living on Mars, a project known as HI-SEAS (Hawai'i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation). The current mission will last four months for the six-member crew, and two future missions will extend to eight and then 12 months.
Experiment seeks changes in yeast's genetic expression in microgravity conditions
Growing knowledge in a given field takes time, attention, and…water? It does when you're talking about plant studies aboard the International Space Station (ISS). All of these things and some scientific know-how come into play as astronauts find out just how green their thumbs are while assisting researchers on the ground.
How many moons does Venus have?
There are dozens upon dozens of moons in the Solar System, ranging from airless worlds like Earth's Moon to those with an atmosphere (most notably, Saturn's Titan). Jupiter and Saturn have many moons each, and even Mars has a couple of small asteroid-like ones. But what about Venus, the planet that for a while, astronomers thought about as Earth's twin?
Video evidence of 26 atom-bomb-scale asteroid impacts since 2000
At a press conference on Tuesday at the Museum of Flight, three prominent astronauts supporting the B612 Foundation presented a visualization of new data showing the surprising frequency at which the Earth is hit by asteroids. The astronauts were guests of the Seattle Museum for a special series of public events on Earth Day 2014.
Soviet space capsule up for sale in Belgium
For those who have everything, how about a Soviet-era space capsule dating back to the 1970s, when it carried three cosmonauts into space?
Some astronauts at risk for cognitive impairment, animal studies suggest
Johns Hopkins scientists report that rats exposed to high-energy particles, simulating conditions astronauts would face on a long-term deep space mission, show lapses in attention and slower reaction times, even when the radiation exposure is in extremely low dose ranges.
First-of-its-kind NASA space-weather project
A NASA scientist is launching a one-to-two-year pilot project this summer that takes advantage of U.S. high-voltage power transmission lines to measure a phenomenon that has caused widespread power outages in the past.
Telescope tech using membrane optics moves to Phase 2
(Phys.org) —The United States military's advanced research arm (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA) never bored with the topic of finding smaller, less expensive launch vehicles, is now in Phase 2 of a program called MOIRE. The program is for creating first-ever images using lightweight membrane optics. MOIRE could help redefine how orbital telescopes are built, launched and used. MOIRE stands for the Membrane Optical Imager for Real-Time Exploitation. DARPA said, "MOIRE aims to create technologies that would enable future high-resolution orbital telescopes to provide real-time video and images of the Earth from Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO)—roughly 22,000 miles above the planet's surface." This would be a step forward; size and cost constraints have prevented placing large-scale imaging satellites in GEO.
Team builds world's first CubeSat microgravity laboratory
(Phys.org) —A dozen astronauts have walked on the moon, and several rovers have been piloted on Mars, giving us a good understanding of these off-world environments. But when it comes to asteroids, scientists enter uncharted territory.
A star's early chemistry shapes life-friendly atmospheres
Born in a disc of gas and rubble, planets eventually come together as larger and larger pieces of dust and rock stick together. They may be hundreds of light-years away from us, but astronomers can nevertheless watch these planets as they form.
Spacewalking astronauts complete urgent repair job (Update)
Spacewalking astronauts easily replaced a dead computer outside the International Space Station on Wednesday and got their orbiting home back up to full strength.
Technology news
Microsoft expands ad-free Bing search for schools
Microsoft is expanding a program that gives schools the ability to prevent ads from appearing in search results when they use its Bing search engine. The program, launched in a pilot program earlier this year, is now available to all U.S. schools, public or private, from kindergarten through the 12th grade.
Hundreds in Mexico protest telecommunications law
Hundreds of students and activists marched in Mexico's capital Tuesday to protest a telecommunications law being debated by the Senate that they say will allow the government to arbitrarily censor Internet content.
Attacks on payment systems trail other cybercrimes
Target's massive data breach last year caused consumers to panic and drew attention to Internet crime. Yet a new study finds that breaches on retailer payment systems are less common than other kinds of attacks.
IBM Watson Group to transform the consumer shopping experience
Imagine having access to your own personal shopping assistant anytime, anywhere. Thanks to a partnership between IBM and Fluid Inc., the ultimate shopping advisor, powered by Watson, is poised to transform the consumer shopping experience.
New social networks connect cooks and diners
If the latest development in culinary social media catches on, the trendiest restaurants may no longer be restaurants.
Zynga founder Pincus leaving operations role
Online game maker Zynga says company founder Mark Pincus is stepping down as chief product officer, less than a year after he was replaced as the company's CEO.
LinkedIn to anchor new San Francisco high-rise
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee says the professional networking site LinkedIn will expand its presence in the city by anchoring a high-rise office building under construction.
Brazil passes trailblazing Internet privacy law
Brazil's Congress on Tuesday passed comprehensive legislation on Internet privacy in what some have likened to a web-user's bill of rights, after stunning revelations its own president was targeted by US cyber-snooping.
Internet TV case: US justices skeptical, concerned
Grappling with fast-changing technology, U.S. Supreme Court justices debated Tuesday whether they can protect the copyrights of TV broadcasters to the shows they send out without strangling innovations in the use of the internet.
Finalists named in Bloomberg European city contest
Amsterdam wants to create an online game to get unemployed young people engaged in finding jobs across Europe. Schaerbeek, Belgium, envisions using geothermal mapping to give households personalized rundowns of steps to save energy. Gdansk, Poland, is proposing to require officials to debate ideas from citizens.
Brazil leader wants Internet to be run 'by all' (Update 2)
Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff took aim at US dominance of the Internet Wednesday, appealing for a new system that would make running of the online world "open to all."
Facebook profits nearly triple to $642 mn; mobile soars
Facebook profits nearly tripled in the first quarter to $642 million on a 72 percent surge in revenues, helped by strong gains in mobile users and mobile advertising.
Faster computation of electromagnetic interference on an electronic circuit board
As electronic components on electronic circuit boards continue to shrink, problems of electromagnetic compatibility are arising. Such problems include unwanted 'noise' effects due to electromagnetic interference and susceptibility. "Electromagnetic interference is a critical problem for the electronics industry," explains Xian-Ke Gao from the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing in Singapore. "Engineers are keen to understand how the electronic circuits react. However, it is difficult to measure such effects experimentally, because disassembling the device would affect the physical testing."
UN study: Cellphones can improve literacy
A study by the U.N. education agency says cellphones are getting more and more people to read in countries where books are rare and illiteracy is high.
WhatsApp says it now has half billion users
WhatsApp now has 500 million regular, active users around the world, the free mobile messaging service being acquired by Facebook said.
Jacket works like a mobile phone
A fire is raging in a large building and the fire leader is sending a message to all firefighters at the scene. But they don't need a mobile phone – they simply check their jacket sleeves and read the message there.
Is nuclear power the only way to avoid geoengineering?
"I think one can argue that if we were to follow a strong nuclear energy pathway—as well as doing everything else that we can—then we can solve the climate problem without doing geoengineering." So says Tom Wigley, one of the world's foremost climate researchers, in the current issue of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Refusing to take significant action on climate change now makes it more likely that geoengineering will eventually be needed to address the problem, Wigley explains in an exclusive Bulletin interview.
Google online maps go back in time
Google on Wednesday added virtual time travel to its Internet offerings.
A key to enjoying massive online photo files may be giving up some control
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft Research Cambridge, United Kingdom, have found people who have massive online photo collections might actually enjoy their archives more by giving up a bit of control. Their 14-month study showed that people reflected more on past events and developed a renewed interest in their online photos when a device called Photobox would randomly print four or five of those photos at varying intervals each month.
Amazon Prime wins streaming deal with HBO
Amazon scored a deal Wednesday to distribute old shows from premium cable TV channel HBO to its monthly Prime subscribers, landing a blow on rival Netflix in the streaming video battle.
Tech Tips: Add 2nd layer of protection online
If the Heartbleed security threat teaches us anything, it's that passwords don't offer total protection.
'Off-the-shelf' equipment used to digitize insects in 3-D
Scientists have developed a cost-effective, off-the-shelf system to obtain natural-color 3D models of insects, according to results published April 23, 2014, in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Chuong Nguyen from CSIRO in Australia, and colleagues.
US urged to drop India WTO case on solar
Environmentalists Wednesday urged the United States to drop plans to haul India to the WTO to open its solar market, saying the action would hurt the fight against climate change.
Apple increases stock buyback, will split stock
Apple plans to buy back an additional $30 billion of its stock, raise its quarterly dividend by 8 percent and split its stock for the first time in nine years.
WSU innovation improves drowsy driver detection
Researchers at Washington State University Spokane have developed a new way to detect when drivers are about to nod off behind the wheel.
Pentagon scientists show off life-size Atlas robot
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel got a first-hand look at a life-size robot that resembles Hollywood's "Terminator," the latest experiment by the Pentagon's hi-tech researchers.
Robot scouts rooms people can't enter
(Phys.org) —Firefighters, police officers and military personnel are often required to enter rooms with little information about what dangers might lie behind the door. A group of engineering students at Arizona State University is working on a project that would help alleviate that uncertainty.
Security and privacy concerns regarding connected vehicles
(Phys.org) —A majority of Americans, Australians and Britons believe that connected-vehicle technology will make driving safer, but most are also concerned about security and privacy, according to a University of Michigan survey.
Osaka team fine-tunes quadruped robot Pneupard (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) —Click, clunk, whir, pitter-patter go the footsteps of numerous quadruped robots worldwide, but a recent report focuses on one walking robot, Pneupard, a project from Osaka University. Tuesday's IEEE Spectrum said Pneupard, the four-limbed robot powered by pneumatic muscles, has been fine-tuned by its researchers. The original version of Pneupard that the team designed had a lot of pneumatic muscles; controlling the robot became a huge challenge, said the update, and the researchers decided this time around to go lean and mean on the robot's anatomy. The second version has fewer muscles. This made it easier for control and exploring different gaits.
Medicine & Health news
Catching more than fish: Ugandan town crippled by AIDS
When you risk your life fishing on dangerous seas, a drink in the bars back on shore seem a welcome relief, but in Uganda, it has created a culture with staggering rates of HIV.
Early sign of kidney disease often ignored, study says
(HealthDay)—Too much protein in your urine—an early sign of kidney disease and a risk factor for heart disease—often goes undetected and untreated, a new study finds.
Computer screening could help patients and healthcare
A trial of a new patient care model, which uses over-the-phone consultations and computers to help better understand the needs of the patient, has begun this week, led by researchers at the University of Adelaide.
What makes some cancers more deadly?
A Flinders University researcher is searching for answers as to why some leukaemia sufferers live a normal lifespan while others succumb to the disease within months.
Researchers investigate best living arrangements for abused or neglected children
(Medical Xpress)—University of York researchers are launching a new multi-disciplinary project to examine what works best for abused or neglected children – going into care or staying at home with support.
Uniting community development efforts could benefit members of underserved communities
Research shows that wealth inequality creates barriers to community development, due to the widespread effects of poverty. A report by the United Nations Children's Fund shows that more than one in five children in the United States falls below the poverty line. Although many organizations address poverty, they often serve similar demographics and may compete for clients and resources. Recently, University of Missouri researchers studied Cooperative Extension's efforts to link community development organizations and concluded Extension is the hub that can improve resource access for members of underserved communities.
New survey looks at caring for families of dementia patients
Placing a family member with dementia in residential care is a difficult decision in a carer's life, which is why a new QUT study is looking to uncover what factors can make the transition easier.
Norovirus in food outlets to be mapped for first time
The University of Liverpool is leading a £2 million Food Standards Agency (FSA) project to map the occurrence of norovirus in food premises and industry workers.
Scientists identify cancer specific cell for potential targeted treatment of gastric cancer
New research by the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore and National University Hospital Singapore suggests that a variant of a cell surface protein is an ideal target for developing drugs to treat gastric cancer
More Americans in their golden years are going hungry
In a country as wealthy as the United States, it may come as a surprise that one in 12 seniors do not have access to adequate food due to lack of money or other financial resources. They are food insecure.
Chemical companies shore up supplement science
As evidence mounts showing the potential health benefits of probiotics, antioxidants and other nutritional compounds, more and more people are taking supplements. And the chemical industry is getting in on the action. But legitimate skepticism about supplements' health effects could deter growth, so the industry is responding with clinical research to shore up health claims, according to the cover story in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly news magazine of the American Chemical Society.
Florida university opens TB lab in Haiti
The University of Florida on Wednesday opened a state-of-the-art lab in Haiti to train researchers to better understand and fight tuberculosis.
ASTRO issues guideline on the role of postoperative radiation therapy for endometrial cancer
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has issued a new guideline, "The Role of Postoperative Radiation Therapy for Endometrial Cancer: An ASTRO Evidence-Based Guideline," that details the use of adjuvant radiation therapy in the treatment of endometrial cancer. The guideline's executive summary is published in the May-June 2014 issue of Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO), the official clinical practice journal of ASTRO.
Bioethicists use theatrical narratives to bridge the gap between society and science
A pair of bioethics experts have added "playwright" to their resumes in an effort to aid the genomics community in grappling with an onslaught of ethical issues as genomic science transitions to bedside healthcare, a decade after the human genome was first sequenced.
Lower birth weight, less breastfeeding linked to adult inflammation and disease
Individuals born at lower birth weights as well as those breastfed less than three months or not at all are more likely as young adults to have higher levels of chronic inflammation that contributes to cardiovascular disease, according to a new Northwestern University study.
Neuroscientists discover brain circuits involved in emotion
Neuroscientists have discovered a brain pathway that underlies the emotional behaviours critical for survival.
New study finds 2.5 million basketball injuries to high school athletes in six seasons
Basketball is a popular high school sport in the United States with 1 million participants annually. A recently published study by researchers in the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital is the first to compare and describe the occurrence and distribution patterns of basketball-related injuries treated in emergency departments and the high school athletic training setting among adolescents and teens.
Abridged food education program for children still helpful
(HealthDay)—An abbreviated version of the Nutrition Detectives Program improves students' food-label literacy, according to a study published online April 10 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
Cancer patients need anxiety, depression screening
(HealthDay)—It is important to recognize and treat anxiety or depression among cancer patients, according to a clinical guideline published online April 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Picture books aren't just fun: Moms are exposing toddlers to rich information about animals
Children hear as much sophisticated information about animals when parents read picture book stories about animals as when they read flashcard-type animal vocabulary books, according to a new study from the University of Waterloo.
Researchers tackle 'virtually ignored' psychological study of spite
Some of the world's nastiest behavior grows out of spite, the dark art of hurting an opponent even when it comes at a price to yourself.
Saudi announces 11 new MERS infections (Update)
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced 11 new cases of MERS, including a 13-year-old child, as its acting health minister vowed to keep the public better informed about the coronavirus.
For many older men, impotence is treatable without drugs
(HealthDay)—A new study reminds men with erectile dysfunction that there's help out there that doesn't require a prescription: diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes.
Coming up with explanations helps children develop cause-and-effect thinking skills
(Medical Xpress)—Asking children to come up with explanations—even to themselves—enhances their cause-and-effect learning abilities, according to new psychology research from The University of Texas at Austin.
ASU engineers help make advances in virtual artificial heart implantation
(Medical Xpress)—Some firsts in the history of artificial heart implantation are being achieved by an Arizona State University research group and medical professionals at Phoenix Children's Hospital.
Overnight home use of artificial pancreas 'feasible and beneficial'
(Medical Xpress)—Children with type 1 diabetes have been able to use pioneering artificial pancreas technology, developed at the University of Cambridge, for the first time overnight at home without the supervision of researchers.
Neurobiology online course to attempt world's largest memory experiment
A free, massively open online course (MOOC) on Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life will begin Monday, April 28, and will include what may become the world's largest memory experiment.
Study identifies enzymes that help fix cancer-causing DNA defects
(Medical Xpress)—Purdue University researchers have identified an important enzyme pathway that helps prevent new cells from receiving too many or too few chromosomes, a condition that has been directly linked to cancer and other diseases.
New study examines disparities in Medicaid spending on children in the welfare system
(Medical Xpress)—In the new health-care climate of the federal Affordable Care Act and efforts to expand Medicaid to accommodate more individuals and children, the need to closely examine ways to best use government funding is becoming increasingly evident.
Disease-causing IgE antibodies are regulated to avoid allergic responses
The immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody released by the immune system is a pivotal defense against gut parasites and toxins. However, the same antibody when misdirected can also cause allergic responses to food or substances in the environment. An international team led by researchers at the A*STAR Singapore Immunology Network has now discovered a regulatory mechanism that keeps IgE levels in check.
Enzyme that silences DNA activity may be crucially involved in health and cancer
Cancers can develop when the complex molecular networks that control the activity of DNA are disrupted. Researchers from the A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore, led by Dmitry Bulavin, have studied Wip1, an enzyme central to these molecular networks that may both help to keep cells healthy but also become part of the problem when things go wrong. The team's findings suggest that this enzyme, and its associated signaling pathways, could be a target for the development of new drugs to combat some types of cancer. They may also explain why some cancers are resistant to drug therapy.
Contributions of a 'sorting nexin' protein to learning impairments in Down's syndrome
Every year, roughly 1 in 1,000 children worldwide are born with Down's syndrome. This developmental disorder, associated with potentially severe intellectual and learning disabilities among other characteristics, is caused by the presence of a third copy of chromosome 21, resulting in abnormal activity levels for the more than 300 genes on this chromosome. Scientists have had difficulty identifying the core genes responsible for the disorder, but Wanjin Hong's team at the A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore have identified a gene with an important role in brain signaling that is one possible culprit1.
Virtual bacteria shed light on cystic fibrosis infections
The two species of bacteria are genetically similar – both contagious, both drug-resistant, both preying upon people with cystic fibrosis or weakened immune systems – yet they go about their sinister work very differently. There is much to be learned both from how they are alike and how they differ, and so researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have recreated them in electronic form, building an elaborate computer model of each so that scientists can better understand them, better compare them and find new and better ways to stop them.
'Blood lab' inside a mobile phone could detect cancer
Plans to design a smart phone app that can detect leukaemia will be among the innovations presented by Northumbria University researchers at the Centre for Life this weekend.
Can video games make your brain level up?
Video games have got a bad press in the past mostly due to the accusation that they make people who play them more violent.
Targeting drugs to reduce side effects
(Medical Xpress)—Consider ice cream – the base of which is frozen cream. Ingredients are then added to make different flavours. All these flavours are distinctly different but are created from the same foundation.
Impact of whooping cough vaccination revealed
The most comprehensive study to date of the family of bacteria that causes whooping cough points to more effective vaccine strategies and reveals surprising findings about the bacteria's origin and evolution. The new results could alter public health strategies to control this respiratory disease, which kills 195,000 children worldwide each year.
WHO hits back at anti-vaccine deniers
The World Health Organization hit back on Wednesday against vaccine deniers who claim that immunisation is pointless, risky and that the body is better off fighting disease unaided.
Scientists discover how a killer fungus attacks HIV patients
Researchers have discovered that a type of white blood cell carries a deadly fungus into the brains of HIV positive patients, causing meningitis which kills more than 600,000 people a year.
LED exposure is not harmful to human dermal fibroblasts
There was a time when no one thought about light bulbs—one blew, you screwed another one in. Nowadays, it's more complicated, as energy efficiency concerns have given rise to a slew of options, including incandescent, compact fluorescent lights, and light emitting diodes.
Insurance status affects where young adults seek health care
Perhaps due to a lack of or inconsistent insurance coverage, young adults age 18 to 25 tend to go to the doctor's office less often than children or adolescents, yet have higher rates of emergency room use, finds a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The study found that of the nearly 3,800 young adults surveyed in 2009, 21 percent had health insurance for only part of the year while 27 percent were completely uninsured.
Skin cancer rates five times higher than in 70s
(Medical Xpress)—The rates of people diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, are now five times higher than 40 years ago, according to figures announced by Cancer Research UK.
Offenders turn to mental health services
Adult criminal offenders in Western Australian are eight times more likely than non-offenders to use community-based mental health services in the year before their first sentence, a UWA study has found.
Researchers identify how the immune system distinguishes viral from endogenous RNAs
When viruses infect cells, they take control of cellular metabolism and hijack cellular resources for the production of viral proteins. This process is dependent on viral RNA molecules that are delivered directly to (in the case of RNA viruses) and/or newly synthesized in the host cell, and provide the blueprints for the fabrication of viral proteins by the cell's translational apparatus.
Loss of memory in Alzheimer's mice models reversed through gene therapy
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia and affects some 400,000 people in Spain alone. However, no effective cure has yet been found. One of the reasons for this is the lack of knowledge about the cellular mechanisms which cause alterations in nerve transmissions and the loss of memory in the initial stages of the disease.
Midlife occupational and leisure-time physical activity limits mobility in old age
Strenuous occupational physical activity in midlife increases the risk of mobility limitation in old age, whereas leisure-time physical activity decreases the risk. This is found in a study which followed up 5,200 public sector employees for 28 years. The study was conducted at the Gerontology Research Center in Finland and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.
ADHD drug may help preserve our self-control resources
Methylphenidate, also known as Ritalin, may prevent the depletion of self-control, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Non-uniform genetic mutations identified in lung cancers could lead to targeted treatment
The research, published in the journal Oncotarget, explored tumour heterogeneity – where different cells have different appearances or their own DNA signatures within the same cancer. Such differences could make it difficult to design effective, targeted treatment strategies.
Toward unraveling the Alzheimer's mystery
Getting to the bottom of Alzheimer's disease has been a rapidly evolving pursuit with many twists, turns and controversies. In the latest crook in the research road, scientists have found a new insight into the interaction between proteins associated with the disease. The report, which appears in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience, could have important implications for developing novel treatments.
Genetics risk, prenatal smoking may predict behavioral problems
Researchers have found evidence of an interaction between prenatal smoking and genetic risk factors that increase aggressive behavior in children, especially in girls.
Researchers compare hip width and sexual behavior
In a new study, women who were more inclined to have one-night stands had wider hips, reveals Colin A. Hendrie of the University of Leeds in the UK. He is the lead author of a study into how a woman's build influences her sexual behavior, published in Springer's journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Airport security-style technology could help doctors decide on stroke treatment
A new computer program could help doctors predict which patients might suffer potentially fatal side-effects from a key stroke treatment.
Physical activity keeps hippocampus healthy in people at risk for Alzheimer's disease
A study of older adults at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease shows that moderate physical activity may protect brain health and stave off shrinkage of the hippocampus– the brain region responsible for memory and spatial orientation that is attacked first in Alzheimer's disease. Dr. J. Carson Smith, a kinesiology researcher in the University of Maryland School of Public Health who conducted the study, says that while all of us will lose some brain volume as we age, those with an increased genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease typically show greater hippocampal atrophy over time. The findings are published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
High-calorie and low-nutrient foods in kids' TV
Fruits and vegetables are often displayed in the popular Swedish children's TV show Bolibompa, but there are also plenty of high-sugar foods. A new study from the University of Gothenburg explores how food is portrayed in children's TV programmes as well as the link between young children's TV viewing, dietary habits and weight status.
In lab tests, the antimicrobial ingredient triclosan spurs growth of breast cancer cells
Some manufacturers are turning away from using triclosan as an antimicrobial ingredient in soaps, toothpastes and other products over health concerns. And now scientists are reporting new evidence that appears to support these worries. Their study, published in the ACS journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, found that triclosan, as well as another commercial substance called octylphenol, promoted the growth of human breast cancer cells in lab dishes and breast cancer tumors in mice.
Community-based weight loss program aids diabetes management
Weight loss and control of blood sugar can reduce the risk of complications in patients with diabetes but this is difficult for many to achieve. A University of California, San Diego School of Medicine randomized controlled trial of obese adults with type 2 diabetes suggests that participants enrolled in a community-based structured weight loss program are able to shed more pounds, improve blood sugar control and reduce or eliminate insulin use and other medications compared to a control group.
RI Hospital physician: Legalizing medical marijuana doesn't increase use among adolescents
Parents and physicians concerned about an increase in adolescents' marijuana use following the legalization of medical marijuana can breathe a sigh of relief. According to a new study at Rhode Island Hospital which compared 20 years worth of data from states with and without medical marijuana laws, legalizing the drug did not lead to increased use among adolescents. The study is published online in advance of print in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The surface area of the digestive tract 'only' as large as a studio apartment
The internal surface area of the gastro-intestinal tract has long been considered to be between 180 and 300 square meters. Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy have used refined microscopic techniques that indicate a much smaller area.
Female intuition could be linked to lower exposure to testosterone in women while in womb
So-called "female intuition" could actually have a biological component, related to the lower prenatal exposure to testosterone women receive in the womb. This would lead them to have a "more intuitive and less reflective" attitude to life than men. These are the results of a study carried out by Spanish researchers from the University of Granada, the Barcelona Pompeu Fabra University and the Middlesex University of London, in an article recently published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.
Study finds long-term survival of human neural stem cells transplanted into primate brain
A team of researchers in Korea who transplanted human neural stem cells (hNSCs) into the brains of nonhuman primates and assessed cell survival and differentiation after 22 and 24 months found that the hNSCs had differentiated into neurons at 24 months and did not cause tumors.
Autologous stem cell therapy improves motor function in chronic stroke victims
People who have had a stroke, often suffer motor deficits with little potential to restore neurological function. However, a study conducted in Taiwan, that will be published in a future issue of Cell Transplantation, but is currently freely available on-line, has found that when one group of stroke victims had their own peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) injected directly into the brain and a similar group did not, those who received the PBSCs experienced some "improvement in stroke scales and functional outcome." Those in the PBSC-injected group also received injections of the growth factor granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), known to be potentially neuroprotective.
Novel compound halts cocaine addiction and relapse behaviors
A novel compound that targets an important brain receptor has a dramatic effect against a host of cocaine addiction behaviors, including relapse behavior, a University at Buffalo animal study has found.
New scale useful for predicting sick leave for back pain
(HealthDay)—A new user-friendly 10-item rating scale is useful for predicting the duration of sick leave in patients with acute lumbar back pain, according to a study published in the April 20 issue of Spine.
Statins may reduce risk of progression of renal cancer
(HealthDay)—Use of statins is associated with a reduced risk of progression of localized renal cell carcinoma, according to research published in the April issue of The Journal of Urology.
Review: sugar-sweetened drink intake tied to elevated BP
(HealthDay)—Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake is associated with elevated blood pressure (BP), according to a review published in the May 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
FDA proposes accelerated medical device approval plan
(HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed a new program that would provide expedited access to high-risk medical devices intended for patients with serious conditions whose medical needs are not met by current technology.
Protein clusters implicated in neurodegenerative diseases actually serve to protect brain cells
People diagnosed with Huntington's disease, most in their mid-thirties and forties, face a devastating prognosis: complete mental, physical, and behavioral decline within two decades. "Mutant" protein clusters, long blamed for the progression of the genetic disease, have been the primary focus of therapies in development by pharmaceutical companies. But according to new research from Prof. Gerardo Lederkremer and Dr. Julia Leitman of Tel Aviv University's Department of Cell Research and Immunology, in collaboration with Prof. Ulrich Hartl of the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, these drugs may not only be ineffective—they may pose a serious threat to patients.
A little wine might help kidneys stay healthy
(HealthDay)—An occasional glass of wine might help keep your kidneys healthy, new research suggests.
Pollutants from coal-burning stoves strongly associated with miscarriages in Mongolia
Burning coal for domestic heating may contribute to early fetal death according to a new study by experts from The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – the coldest capital city in the world.
Cyber buddy is better than 'no buddy'
A Michigan State University researcher is looking to give exercise enthusiasts the extra nudge they need during a workout, and her latest research shows that a cyber buddy can help.
Iron consumption can increase risk for heart disease, study says
A new study from the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington has bolstered the link between red meat consumption and heart disease by finding a strong association between heme iron, found only in meat, and potentially deadly coronary heart disease.
People with mild cognitive impairment may die at higher rate than people without condition
Mayo Clinic research studying the relationship between death and the two types of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) suggests that people who have these conditions die at a higher rate than people without MCI. The research was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014.
People with more education may recover better from traumatic brain injury
People with more years of education may be better able to recover from a traumatic brain injury, according to a study published in the April 23, 2014, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Marijuana use may increase heart complications in young, middle-aged adults
Marijuana use may result in cardiovascular-related complications—even death—among young and middle-aged adults, according to a French study reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Stem cells in circulating blood affect cardiovascular health, study finds
New research suggests that attempts to isolate an elusive adult stem cell from blood to understand and potentially improve cardiovascular health – a task considered possible but very difficult – might not be necessary.
Rural microbes could boost city dwellers' health
The greater prevalence of asthma, allergies and other chronic inflammatory disorders among people of lower socioeconomic status might be due in part to their reduced exposure to the microbes that thrive in rural environments, according to a new scientific paper.
Man among first in US to get 'bionic eye' (Update)
A degenerative eye disease slowly robbed Roger Pontz of his vision. Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a teenager, Pontz has been almost completely blind for years. Now, thanks to a high-tech procedure that involved the surgical implantation of a "bionic eye," he's regained enough of his eyesight to catch small glimpses of his wife, grandson and cat.
Touch influences how infants learn language
(Medical Xpress)—Tickling a baby's toes may be cute but it's also possible that those touches could help babies learn the words in their language. Research from Purdue University shows that a caregiver's touch could help babies to find words in the continuous stream of speech.
Deliberation is staunchest ally of selfishness
(Medical Xpress)—Over the last two years, Yale psychologist David Rand and colleagues have investigated what makes people willing to help each other. Their latest research shows that while initial reactions are shaped by daily experience, deliberation consistently favors selfishness.
New target for prostate cancer resistant to anti-hormone therapies
Prostate cancer becomes deadly when anti-hormone treatments stop working. Now a new study suggests a way to block the hormones at their entrance.
Classifying sequence variants in human disease
Sequencing an entire human genome is faster and cheaper than ever before, leading to an explosion of studies comparing the genomes of people with and without a given disease. Often clinicians and researchers studying genetic contributions to a certain disease encounter variations that appear to be responsible, only to find other people with the same mutation who don't have the disease or who are affected to a lesser degree.
Study shows aspirin can reduce colorectal cancer risks for those with specific gene
The humble aspirin may have just added another beneficial effect beyond its ability to ameliorate headaches and reduce the risk of heart attacks: lowering colon cancer risk among people with high levels of a specific type of gene.
Hearing quality restored with bionic ear technology used for gene therapy
Researchers at UNSW Australia have for the first time used electrical pulses delivered from a cochlear implant to deliver gene therapy, thereby successfully regrowing auditory nerves.
Study shows women's menstrual cycle phase impacts sexual preference for composers of more complex music
(Medical Xpress)—An intriguing study conducted by Benjamin Charlton, of the University of Sussex, has resulted in findings that suggest women prefer male composers that produce complex pieces of music when at the most fertile point in their menstrual cycle. In his paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Charlton describes his study that involved subjecting volunteer women to snippets of music and querying them regarding their desire to have a short or long term (sexual) relationship with the composer, based solely on the music they'd created.
Hundreds of genetic mutations found in healthy blood of a supercentenarian
Genetic mutations are commonly studied because of links to diseases such as cancer; however, little is known about mutations occurring in healthy individuals. In a study published online in Genome Research, researchers detected over 400 mutations in healthy blood cells of a 115-year-old woman, suggesting that lesions at these sites are largely harmless over the course of a lifetime.
Biology news
Former Iron Curtain still barrier for deer
The Iron Curtain was traced by an electrified barbed-wire fence that isolated the communist world from the West. It was an impenetrable Cold War barrier—and for some inhabitants of the Czech Republic it still is.
Study to examine welfare aspects of cat containment
The first study of its kind will assess the impact that electronic containment systems may have on cat welfare.
New alfalfa variety resists ravenous local pest
(Phys.org) —Cornell plant breeders have released a new alfalfa variety with some resistance against the alfalfa snout beetle, which has ravaged alfalfa fields in nine northern New York counties and across the St. Lawrence River in Canada.
Secret life of cells revealed with new technique
(Phys.org) —A new technique that allows researchers to conduct experiments more rapidly and accurately is giving insights into the workings of proteins important in heart and muscle diseases.
Research suggests ELABELA hormone plays a key role in endoderm and heart development
The binding of hormones to their receptors plays a key role in the development of many organs of the body. The apelin receptor is expressed in the developing embryo, coming online many hours prior to its presently known ligand, apelin. Organisms that lack apelin have less severe developmental defects than those lacking the receptor, leading scientists to believe that there is an alternative ligand for the apelin receptor that is expressed during the very early stages of development.
Researchers detail newly discovered deer migration
A team of researchers including University of Wyoming scientists has documented the longest migration of mule deer ever recorded, the latest development in an initiative to understand and conserve ungulate migration in Wyoming.
Explainer: How do homing pigeons navigate?
Pigeons have extraordinary navigational abilities. Take a pigeon from its loft and let it go somewhere it has never been before and it will, after circling in the sky for while, head home. This remarkable capacity extends to places tens even hundreds of kilometres from its home and is all the more remarkable to humans because we are apparently incapable of it ourselves.
Researchers annotate genome of the smallest known fungal plant pathogen
Researchers sequenced and analyzed the genome of Mixia osmundea, the smallest fungal plant pathogen (13.6 million bases) to date, to provide insight into its mode of pathogenicity and reproductive biology.
How Australia got the hump with one million feral camels
A new study by a University of Exeter researcher has shed light on how an estimated one million-strong population of wild camels thriving in Australia's remote outback have become reviled as pests and culled on a large scale.
Cell division speed influences gene architecture
Speed-reading is a technique used to read quickly. It involves visual searching for clues to meaning and skipping non-essential words and/ or sentences. Similarly to humans, biological systems are sometimes under selective pressure to quickly "read" genetic information. Genes that need to be read quickly are usually small, as the smaller the encoding message, the easier it will be to read them quickly. Now, researchers from Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC, Portugal) and Centre for Molecular and Structural Biomedicine (University of Algarve, Portugal) discovered that, besides size, the gene architecture is also important to the optimization of the "reading" process. This study was now published in the open access scientific journal eLife.
Picky male black widow spiders prefer well-fed virgins
New University of Toronto Scarborough research shows that male black widow spiders prefer their female mates to be well-fed virgins – a rare example of mate preference by male spiders.
First sex determining genes appeared in mammals 180 million years ago
The Y chromosome, which distinguishes males from females at the genetic level, appeared some 180 million years ago. It originated twice independently in all mammals. The team of professor Henrik Kaessmann at the Center for Integrative Genomics and the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics managed to date these events that are crucial for both mammalian evolution and our lives, because the Y chromosome determines whether we are born as a boy or girl. The results of this research have just been published in Nature.
Citizen scientists match research tool when counting sharks
Shark data collected by citizen scientists may be as reliable as data collected using automated tools, according to results published April 23, 2014, in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Gabriel Vianna from The University of Western Australia and colleagues.
Sloth guts are designed for hanging upside down, study finds
Three-toed sloths have a unique abdominal design—their innards fixed to their lower ribs to avoid squashing the lungs while hanging upside down, a study said Wednesday.
In the 'slime jungle' height matters
(Phys.org) —In communities of microbes, akin to 'slime jungles', cells evolve not just to grow faster than their rivals but also to push themselves to the surface of colonies where they gain the best access to oxygen, new research shows.
Spying on plant communication with tiny bugs
Internal communications in plants share striking similarities with those in animals, new research reveals. With the help of tiny insects, scientists were able to tap into this communication system. Their results reveal the importance of these communications in enabling plants to protect themselves from attack by insect pests.
Personality determines whether tarantulas copulate with males or cannibalize them
Sexual cannibalism in spiders – the attack and consumption of males by females before or after copulation – is very widespread. A new investigation analyses the reason behind such extreme behaviour, at times even before the females have ensured the sperm's fertilisation of their eggs.
Ravens understand the relations among others
Like many social mammals, ravens form different types of social relationships – they may be friends, kin, or partners and they also form strict dominance relations. From a cognitive perspective, understanding one's own relationships to others is a key ability in daily social life ("knowing who is nice or not"). Yet, understanding also the relationships group members have with each other sets the stage for "political" maneuvers ("knowing who might support whom").
Study suggests mysterious bio-duck sounds in southern ocean come from minke whales
(Phys.org) —A diverse group of researchers from several countries conducting research in the oceans around Antarctica and near Australia, has concluded that the mystery noises heard in the area for decades, are emitted by minke whales. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, the team describes how they attached sensors to two minke whales last year and how doing so helped to identify the minke whale as the source of what have come to be known as "bio-duck" sounds—because they have a distinctive quack like quality.
Too many chefs: Smaller groups exhibit more accurate decision-making
The trope that the likelihood of an accurate group decision increases with the abundance of brains involved might not hold up when a collective faces a variety of factors—as often happens in life and nature. Instead, Princeton University researchers report that smaller groups actually tend to make more accurate decisions while larger assemblies may become excessively focused on only certain pieces of information.
Microbes provide insights into evolution of human language
Big brains do not explain why only humans use sophisticated language, according to researchers who have discovered that even a species of pond life communicates by similar methods.
Field study shows how sailfish use their bill to catch fish
(Phys.org) —A large team of European researchers has finally revealed the purpose of the long, thin, needle-like bill sported by the famous sailfish. It's used, they report in their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, to sneak into fish schools to capture prey unaware, and then to stun and slash to capture food.
Researchers find fish 'yells' to be heard over human made noise
(Phys.org) —A pair of researchers in the Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures at Auburn University in Alabama has found that one type of fish responds to environmental noise by increasing the volume of its own calls. In their paper published in the journal Behavioral Ecology, Daniel Holt and Carol Johnston describe a study they undertook that involved recording blacktail shiners trying to communicate over artificially induced noise in a tank of water in their lab.
From liability to viability: Genes on the Y chromosome prove essential for male survival
Despite a well-documented history of dramatic genetic decay, the human Y chromosome has over the course of millions of years of evolution managed to preserve a small set of genes that has ensured not only its own survival but also the survival of men. Moreover, the vast majority of these tenacious genes appear to have little if any role in sex determination or sperm production.
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