Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 18, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Nano compartments may aid drug delivery, fuel cell design- Rats' and bats' brains work differently on the move
- Astrophysicists find five-planet system with most Earth-like exoplanet yet
- New coating could enable major boost in solar-cell efficiency
- Most distant blazar is a high-energy astrophysics puzzle
- How not to Excel: Austerity economics paper is coding-flawed
- Researchers use Moore's Law to calculate that life began before Earth existed
- First steps of synapse building is captured in live zebra fish embryos
- Learned helplessness in flies and the roots of depression
- When it comes to survival of the fittest, stress is a good thing
- Sea-ice ecosystem possibly triggered evolution of baleen whales and penguins
- Learning disabilities affect up to 10 percent of children, study finds
- No 'silver bullet' for science standards
- Neural activity in bats measured in-flight
- Electronic zippers control DNA strands
Space & Earth news
Stage set for battle over Canada-US pipeline
A lengthy battle over the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which aims to funnel oil from Canada's tar sands to coastal Texas, heads to the most hotly contested area along the route Thursday.
And now to the weather: Climate science on the front foot
The Climate Commission's latest report, released recently, and some of the media that arose from it are excellent examples of science and journalists working together to talk about climate change and extreme weather. But examples like this are too rare: in Australia, we find that the mainstream news media is reluctant to mention climate change, talking about extreme weather events as freak accidents. And the situation isn't helped by scientists who are reluctant to speak out on their research.
Image: Fires in Australia
In the Kimberley region of Western Australia, there are two distinct seasons: a wet season between December and March and a dry season between May and October. Reversals in the direction of prevailing winds are the driving force behind the seasonal shift.
European lawmakers tighten rules on ship-breaking industry
The ship-breaking industry, which critics say harms the environment and exploits low-paid workers in developing countries, faces tougher controls if plans approved by European lawmakers Thursday come into force.
EPA blamed for delaying asbestos study in Montana
(AP)—Internal investigators have faulted the Environmental Protection Agency over years of delays in completing health studies needed to guide the cleanup of a Montana mining town where hundreds of people have died from asbestos exposure.
Olympic Coast Sanctuary report is 'first step' in addressing effects of climate change
A new report on the potential effects of climate change on NOAA's Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary uses existing observations and science-based expectations to identify how climate change could affect habitats, plants and animals within the sanctuary and adjacent coastal areas.
Solar satellite arrives at Vandenberg AFB for launch
(Phys.org) —NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) satellite arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Tuesday, April 16, to begin its final preparations for launch currently scheduled no earlier than May 28. IRIS will improve our understanding of how heat and energy move through the deepest levels of the sun's atmosphere, thereby increasing our ability to forecast space weather. Following final checkouts, the IRIS spacecraft will be placed inside an Orbital Sciences Pegasus rocket. Deployment of the Pegasus from the L-1011 carrier aircraft is targeted for 7:27 p.m. PDT at an altitude of 39,000 feet at a location over the Pacific Ocean about 100 miles northwest of Vandenberg AFB off the central coast of California south of Big Sur.
Three years after Gulf spill, BP fights huge fines
Three years after a deadly explosion on a BP-leased drilling rig unleashed the worst environmental disaster in US history, the British energy giant is fighting to avoid billions in fines.
This weekend's Lyrid meteor shower: How to see it
Feeling a little meteor-starved lately? Me too. It's been a meteor shower desert since the Quadrantids of early January. That's about to change. This weekend brings the celestial version of April showers with the annual appearance of the Lyrids.
Protecting tidal wetlands: Scientists study tidal flow, sediment movement in salt marsh
(Phys.org) —According to a 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global sea level is expected to increase one half meter or more over the next century. Along the Mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, relative sea-level rise is about two times higher than the global rise.
Image: IceBridge flight over Baffin Island
(Phys.org) —IceBridge closed out the fourth week of its Arctic campaign with a flight over the striking landscape of eastern Greenland's Geikie Peninsula and a survey of a Canadian ice cap before taking two days off over the weekend. Soon the mission will return to Thule to finish up Arctic flights for 2013.
Age matters when it comes to adapting to the effects of climate change
A new study of Antarctic clams reveals that age matters when it comes to adapting to the effects of climate change. The research provides new insight and understanding of the likely impact of predicted environmental change on future ocean biodiversity.
Ammonia: Fertiliser to be handled with care
Fertiliser manufacturing has been implicated in a string of disasters prior to the deadly explosion on Wednesday that wrecked a facility in Texas.
Remote-sensing study quantifies permafrost degradation in Arctic Alaskan wetlands
A team of geoscientists from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) using newly available remote-sensing technology has achieved unprecedented detail in quantifying subtle, long-period changes in the water levels of shallow lakes and ponds in hard-to-reach Arctic wetlands.
90 million laser shots bring wind satellite back on track
(Phys.org) —Developing new ways of monitoring Earth is always demanding, but ESA's Aeolus mission has faced some particularly difficult technical challenges. However, with the success of intense high-energy tests on its novel laser there is now light at the end of the tunnel for this unique mission.
Did diamonds begin on the ancient ocean floor?
(Phys.org) —Geology professor Dan Schulze calls this singular gem from the remote Guaniamo region of Venezuela the "Picasso" diamond. The blue luminescent, high-resolution image of a diamond formed over a billion years ago reminds him of some paintings from Picasso's Blue Period. Like a cubist masterpiece, its striking irregular and anomalous features carry timeless secrets and yield new perspectives on life and the Earth's early history.
Novel analysis method levels the quasar playing field
(Phys.org) —In the nearly six decades since quasars were discovered, the list of these energetic galaxies powered by supermassive black holes has grown to more than 100,000 – enough examples to reveal important information about the quasar population as a whole. But attempts to conduct a celestial census of these powerful objects have been limited by a fundamental problem: Although quasars are bright, they also span billions of light years in distance from Earth. Just as with stars in an urban sky, the closest quasars can be seen even if they are dim, while the oldest and most distant ones can be seen only if they are bright. This means astrophysicists have to study a sample with big differences among individual members, including distance, age, brightness and type of radiation emitted.
Research team looks to Kickstarter to fund swarming 'coralbots' to repair damaged coral
(Phys.org) —Researchers from Hariot-Watt University's Centre for Marine Biodiversity and Biotechnology, in Edinburgh, Scotland have started a Kickstarter project with the aim of securing funds to assist in the development of swarms of undersea robots whose mission is to restore damaged coral reefs.
Astronomers amazed at timing of Markarian 421 'blazer'
(Phys.org) —The field of view from Earth is being flooded with the brightest display of gamma rays ever seen, the BBC is reporting, at a time when space researchers around the world have just coincidently trained their instruments in the direction from where it's being emitted—the active galaxy Markarian 421.
Sea-ice ecosystem possibly triggered evolution of baleen whales and penguins
The circum-Antarctic Southern Ocean is an important region for global marine food webs and carbon cycling because of sea-ice formation and its unique plankton ecosystem. The origin of its ecosystems can be traced back to the emergence of the Antarctic ice sheets approximately 33.6 million years ago. This discovery was made by an international team including scientists from the Goethe University and the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt, Germany. Their study, published today in Science, shows that the development of the sea-ice ecosystem possibly triggered further adaptation and evolution of larger organisms such as baleen whales and penguins.
Superstorm Sandy shook the US: 'Standing waves' in Atlantic caused seismicity as far as Seattle
When superstorm Sandy turned and took aim at New York City and Long Island last October, ocean waves hitting each other and the shore rattled the seafloor and much of the United States – shaking detected by seismometers across the country, University of Utah researchers found.
Where does charcoal, or black carbon, in soils go?
(Phys.org) —Scientists have uncovered one of nature's long-kept secrets—the true fate of charcoal in the world's soils. The ability to determine the fate of charcoal is critical to knowledge of the global carbon budget, which in turn can help understand and mitigate climate change. However, until now, researchers only had scientific guesses about what happens to charcoal once it's incorporated into soil. They believed it stayed there. Surprisingly, most of these researchers were wrong.
Most distant blazar is a high-energy astrophysics puzzle
(Phys.org) —Blazars are the brightest of active galactic nuclei, and many emit very high-energy gamma rays. New observations of the blazar known as PKS 1424+240 show that it is the most distant known source of very high-energy gamma rays, but its emission spectrum now appears highly unusual in light of the new data.
Astrophysicists find five-planet system with most Earth-like exoplanet yet
(Phys.org) —NASA's Kepler mission has discovered two new planetary systems that include three super-Earth-size planets in the "habitable zone," the range of distance from a star where the surface temperature of an orbiting planet might be suitable for liquid water.
Technology news
Power to the people: Student devotes energy to his fellow Nigerians
Like many Nigerians, MIT graduate student Chidube Ezeozue grew up frustrated by his nation's erratic electrical grid.
Explainer: What is hydroelectricity?
Hydroelectricity is an established power-generation technology with over 100 years of commercial operation. Hydroelectricity is produced when moving water rotates a turbine shaft; this movement is converted to electricity with an electrical generator.
Improving communication to aid the efficiency of public transport
An efficient transport system doesn't only rely on clear roads and unobstructed rail and tram routes. Communication lines - such as mobile and broadband networks - also have to be kept free and moving for the whole public transport infrastructure to work safely and without hitch.
New high-performance cave automatic virtual environment that functions with gesture recognition
The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya BarcelonaTech (UPC) presents a new multi-projector CAVE, designed and built in its entirety by the Virtual Modelling, Visualisation, Interaction and Virtual Reality Research Group (MOVING). This immersive virtual reality system is a pioneering design at world level that is adaptable and based on widely available consumer electronics and computer technology. It consists of four 3 m2 walls (including the floor) that function as screens and has 40 commercial, low-cost projectors that are controlled by 12 PCs. Low cost, versatility and high resolution are some of the characteristics of the new CAVE, which works with a range of projector models that can be substituted at any moment for more modern or cheaper ones.
NIST tests in New York City suggest how to improve emergency radio communications
Radio communications can be unreliable in underground tunnels and other large, complicated structures, posing a safety hazard for emergency responders. New tests of wireless emergency safety equipment by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have defined the challenges more precisely and suggest how emergency communications might be improved.
EU OKs $2.7bn Siemens takeover of UK rail firm
The European Union's antitrust body has cleared a 1.74 billion pound ($2.7 billion) takeover of a British rail technology company by German industrial conglomerate Siemens.
Intelsat to raise $472 million in public offering
Satellite operator Intelsat SA says it expects to raise around $471.7 million from an initial public offering
Interview: Israel's Olmert begins tech venture
(AP)—Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert joined forces Thursday with a leading Kazakh industrialist and an Israeli entrepreneur to launch a new high-tech venture.
Digital public library with vast archive opens
(AP)—Some of the country's top research institutions have combined to launch a massive online archive.
GM says diesel Chevrolet Cruze gets 46 mpg
General Motors Co. says the new diesel version of the Chevrolet Cruze gets 46 miles per gallon on the highway, making it more efficient than some hybrids.
LinkedIn spruces up mobile app to widen appeal
Online professional networking service LinkedIn is dressing up its mobile application to impress people who are increasingly scrolling through content on smartphones.
Chipmaker TSMC gets tablet, smartphone boost in 1Q
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest contract chip manufacturer, reported an 18 percent jump in first quarter profit as increased global sales of smartphones and tablet computers boosted demand for sophisticated processors.
Nokia cuts losses but sales continue to plummet
Nokia continues to take a hammering in the smartphone market, with sales for the handset maker falling by 20 percent in the first three months of the year.
New system to combat online banking fraud
A security solution which protects against the most serious threat to online banking customers, responsible for millions in annual losses, is being rolled out across Europe by a Cambridge University spin-out.
Taking the pulse of the crowd
If everyone in the crowd at a sports event or concert or even the players had wireless heart monitors fitted, commentators and those behind the sound desk could get a real measure of the sense of the collective excitement on each side and in the case of sport share the enthusiasm or for a concert adjust the set list to keep up the excitement. The same technology might also perhaps be used to help reduce panic should there be a fire or other scare at such events.
Verizon rakes in wireless fees in 1Q
Verizon says its profit rose 16 percent in the latest quarter as revenue from wireless service kept rising at a rate that's the envy of the industry.
Yahoo adds two more applications to mobile arsenal (Update)
Yahoo is taking the next step in its effort to make some of its most popular services more appealing and accessible to the growing audience connecting to the Internet on smartphones and tablet computers.
Sat-nav warns London lorry drivers of cyclists
A British firm has unveiled a sat-nav system that warns lorry drivers when they are approaching roads where they are at high risk of hitting a cyclist.
Silly phone game puts illiterate Pakistanis in touch with potential employers
A silly telephone game that became a viral phenomenon in Pakistan has demonstrated some serious potential for teaching poorly educated people about automated voice services and provided a new tool for them to learn about jobs, say researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Pakistan's Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
IBM to shed up to 1,400 jobs in France by end 2014
Computing giant IBM is to next week present a plan to slash between 1,200 and 1,400 jobs in France over the next two years, union leaders said on Thursday.
New app helps Icelanders avoid accidental incest
You meet someone, there's chemistry, and then come the introductory questions: What's your name? Come here often? Are you my cousin? In Iceland, a country with a population of 320,000 where most everyone is distantly related, inadvertently kissing cousins is a real risk.
UK Supreme Court rules for news-clipping service
The British Supreme Court has decided in favor of news-clipping service Meltwater in its long-running dispute with UK newspaper publishers, who accused Meltwater of copyright infringement because of the way it distributes excerpts of stories online without paying any licensing fees.
Google buying $39M fiber service in Utah for $1
Terms of an agreement between Google Inc. and Provo, Utah, show the company will pay $1 for a fiber-optic system that cost $39 million to build.
Google 1Q earnings rise 16 pct to top Street views (Update)
Google's latest quarterly results provided further proof that the Internet search leader is figuring out how to make more money as Web surfers migrate from personal computers to mobile devices.
IBM 1Q net down on software, mainframe deals delay (Update)
IBM Corp.'s first-quarter net income fell 1 percent due to delays in closing several of the technology company's large software and mainframe computer deals. The results fell short of Wall Street's expectations, sending IBM's stock lower in after-hours trading.
Microsoft profit rises on higher Windows revenue
US technology giant Microsoft on Thursday reported a 19 percent year-on-year increase in profit to $6.06 billion for the quarter ending March 31.
Battery low? Give your mobile some water
A power source for your mobile phone can now be as close as the nearest tap, stream, or even a puddle, with the world's first water-activated charging device.
Tuning in: Twitter launches music app (Update)
Twitter has launched a service that lets people find music they like and tweet songs from iTunes, Spotify and Rdio.
Robot hands gain a gentler touch
(Phys.org) —What use is a hand without nerves, that can't tell what it's holding? A hand that lifts a can of soda to your lips, but inadvertently tips or crushes it in the process?
New coating could enable major boost in solar-cell efficiency
Throughout decades of research on solar cells, one formula has been considered an absolute limit to the efficiency of such devices in converting sunlight into electricity: Called the Shockley-Queisser efficiency limit, it posits that the ultimate conversion efficiency can never exceed 34 percent for a single optimized semiconductor junction.
Medicine & Health news
Reducing the pain of movement in intensive care
Monitoring pain and providing analgesics to patients in intensive care units (ICUs) during non-surgical procedures, such as turning and washing, can not only reduce the amount of pain but also reduce the number of serious adverse events including cardiac arrest, finds new research in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care.
Laser optics plus ultrasound imaging holds promise as a noninvasive test for prostate cancer
Multispectral photoacoustic imaging, which combines laser optics and ultrasound imaging technologies, can reliably distinguish between benign and malignant prostate tissue, a new study indicates.
New ablation technique holds promise for liver cancer patients
A new minimally invasive tumor ablation technique is providing hope for liver cancer patients who can't undergo surgery or thermal ablation, a study shows.
Despite superbug crisis, progress in antibiotic development 'alarmingly elusive'
Despite the desperate need for new antibiotics to combat increasingly deadly resistant bacteria, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved only one new systemic antibiotic since the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) launched its 10 x '20 Initiative in 2010—and that drug was approved two and a half years ago.
Screening breast ultrasound detects cancers missed on mammography in women with dense breasts
Screening breast ultrasound performed after mammography on women with greater than 50% breast density detects an additional 3.4 cancers or high risk lesions per one thousand woman screened, a detection rate just under that of screening mammography alone for women with less dense breasts, a new study shows. Screening mammography detects 4-5 cancers per thousand women screened.
The lone 'sheriff' of the ashtray of Europe
Cancer sufferer Dietmar Erlacher's lonely anti-smoking campaign in Austria, one of Europe's last bastions of the habit, has won him insults, enemies and even several assaults.
War medicine now is helping Boston bomb victims
The bombs that made Boston look like a combat zone have also brought battlefield medicine to their civilian victims. A decade of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has sharpened skills and scalpels, leading to dramatic advances that are now being used to treat the 13 amputees and nearly a dozen other patients still fighting to keep damaged limbs after Monday's attack.
Ricebag to treat soft tissue injuries
University Teknology MARA researchers investigated the effects of rice, barley and mung beans in heated bags for treating soft tissue injuries. Rice displayed superior quality in maintaining heat and can act as a substitute to ice packs or heat gels in treating these injuries.
Local GP intervention a positive step for women living in fear of their partner
A world first trial has found intervention by general practitioners (GPs) in cases of domestic violence made impacts on women's symptoms of depression but not their quality of life.
Australians drink to get drunk but want alcohol reforms
Australians are increasingly drinking alcohol to get drunk but just one in five believe they drink too much.
Clenbuterol in livestock farming may affect results of doping controls in sport
The illegal use of clenbuterol in livestock farming may affect the results of doping controls in sport. This is the conclusion of a study by the Institute of Food Safety, RIKILT Wageningen UR, Netherlands, in partnership with fellow institutes.
Highly endowed research project for developing an artificial sphincter
The lack of control over one's own bowel movements can severely affect an individual's quality of life. Researchers at the University of Basel want to develop an adaptive implant that would be able to contract and relax like a natural muscle. The national research initiative Nano-Tera.ch will provide CHF 2.2 million to support the interdisciplinary research and development of the implant.
Depression: Why life can feel out of control
People with depression often feel their life is out of control. It can evoke feelings that their life is pointless or by merely existing bad things can happen. Research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) suggests that these feeling may be caused by subtle changes in the way depressed people perceive time and process their surroundings.
Nearly 30 percent of women fail to pick up new prescriptions for osteoporosis, study finds
Nearly 30 percent of women failed to pick up their bisphosphonate prescriptions, a medication that is most commonly used to treat osteoporosis and similar bone diseases, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published this week in the journal Osteoporosis International. The failure to pick up these newly prescribed medications, called primary nonadherence, can lead to an increased risk of fractures for these patients.
Liver disease: Understanding it will enable the provision of better treatment
In this prospective study, led by Dr Richard Moreau, INSERM Research Director (Mixed Research Unit 773 "Centre de Recherche biomédicale Bichat-Beaujon"; INSERM/Université Paris Diderot) who is also a practitioner attached to the Hepatology Department of the Beaujon Hospital (AP-HP), researchers studied a cohort of 1343 patients from 12 European countries.
Researchers use Web 2.0 apps to share vaccine study
In a manuscript published today in Immunity, scientists at the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) and the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR) report the results of a comparative study of the molecular immune responses to influenza and pneumococcal vaccines. In addition, cutting-edge web technology was used to improve dissemination of data in order to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery.
Three mutations at BRCA1 gene responsible for breast and ovarian hereditary cancer
Researchers of the hereditary cancer research group at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) conducted a functional and structural study of seven missense variants of the BRCA1 gene concluding that three of these variants are pathogenic, linked to the risk of suffering breast or ovarian cancer. The study has been published in the journal PLoS One
Food poisonings up from raw milk, poultry bacteria
(AP)—Health officials are seeing more food poisonings caused by a bacteria commonly linked to raw milk and poultry.
Study reveals austerity's harmful impact on health in Greece
In one of the most detailed studies of its kind, a team of Greek and U.S. researchers have vividly chronicled the harmful public health impacts of the economic austerity measures imposed on Greece's population in the wake of the global economic crisis.
New ASTRO white paper recommends best practices to improve safety and effectiveness of IGRT
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has issued a new white paper, "Assuring Safety and Quality in Image Guided Delivery of Radiation Therapy," that recommends best practices to improve the safety and effectiveness of image guided radiation therapy (IGRT), according to the manuscript published as an article in press online in Practical Radiation Oncology (PRO), the official clinical practice journal of ASTRO. The executive summary and supplemental material are available online immediately as open-access articles (http://www.practicalradonc.org) and will be published in a 2013 print edition of PRO.
Slow walking speed linked with premature death in kidney disease patients
Kidney disease patients who have slower walking speed on physical performance tests seem to be more burdened by their disease than patients who perform well on lower extremity physical performance tests, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings indicate that measuring lower extremity physical performance may capture a complex set of skeletal muscle and neurologic impairments that develop in CKD patients and substantially affect their survival.
Phosphate-binding drug does not improve heart health of patients with mild kidney disease
High phosphate levels in the blood carry increased heart-related risks, but taking a drug that targets phosphate does not improve cardiovascular measures in patients with mild kidney disease, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings suggest that, at least for now, reducing dietary intake of phosphate may be the best way for these patients to reduce the mineral's effects on the heart.
Study identifies 'chink in the armor' of Schmallenberg virus
A key building block in the Schmallenberg virus could be targeted by anti-viral drugs, according to a new study led from the University of Leeds.
Famous performers and sportsmen tend to have shorter lives, new study reports
Fame and achievement in performance-related careers may be earned at the cost of a shorter life, according to a study published online today in QJM: An International Journal of Medicine.
Treatment for novel coronavirus shows promise in early lab tests
National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists studying an emerging coronavirus have found that a combination of two licensed antiviral drugs, ribavirin and interferon-alpha 2b, can stop the virus from replicating in laboratory-grown cells. These results suggest that the drug combination could be used to treat patients infected with the new coronavirus, but more research is needed to confirm this preliminary finding. The study appears in the April 18, 2013, issue of Scientific Reports.
Why does smallpox vaccine shield some, not others? It's in the genes, study finds
How well people are protected by the smallpox vaccine depends on more than the quality of the vaccination: individual genes can alter their response, Mayo Clinic research shows. The findings, gathered using sophisticated genomic screening, appear in today's online issue of the journal Genes and Immunity.
Long-term exposure to fine particles of traffic pollution increases risk of heart disease
The association between road traffic and heart disease has been suggested in several studies. In 2012 a large prospective cohort study from Denmark showed that traffic noise was significantly associated with risk of heart attack - for every 10 decibel increase in noise exposure (either at the time of the attack or over the five years preceding it) there was a 12% increased risk.(1)
Mental vulnerability associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease
People deemed to be "mentally vulnerable" are at a significantly increased risk of both fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease, according to results of a large population study from Denmark. The details of the study were presented today at the EuroPRevent 2013 congress in Rome. (1)
Demanding physical work associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Two studies presented at this year's EuroPRevent 2013 congress suggest that demanding physical work has a detrimental effect on an individual's risk of coronary heart disease.
Hormone therapy safe for women, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—A new study has examined the cognitive effects of hormone therapy on memory, language and concentration in menopausal women.
Smoking from hookah not a harmless alternative to cigarettes
(Medical Xpress)—Smoking tobacco through a hookah is a pastime gaining popularity among the college crowd, but many of them mistakenly believe that using the fragrant water pipe is less harmful than smoking cigarettes.
Pocket doctor helps detect skin cancers
(Medical Xpress)—A clever optical device that turns the ordinary iPhone into a personal skin scanner is set to turn cancer detection on its head.
Reading wordless storybooks to toddlers may expose them to richer language, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the University of Waterloo have found that children hear more complex language from parents when they read a storybook with only pictures compared to a picture-vocabulary book. The findings appear in the latest issue of the journal First Language.
Ankle rehab, re-engineered
Ten months ago, Paul Douçot began contemplating his transition from undergraduate mechanical engineering studies to a graduate program in physical therapy. "I didn't want to abandon my engineering background," he said.
Parkinson's discovery could lead to earlier diagnosis
(Medical Xpress)—A new study could help earlier diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, after a Malaysian researcher working for Newcastle University in the UK identified that even early in the disease people experience symptoms.
Lack of alternatives drives teenagers to drink, study warns
(Medical Xpress)—A focus on alcohol-related entertainment in the North East normalises binge drinking among young people, a new study has found. Tim Townshend, of the School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape, aimed to capture how 'ordinary' urban young English people live, which included getting them to keep a diary for a weekend to show how they spent their leisure time. This was followed up by in-depth interviews and focus groups.
Liver cancers armed with many strategies for evading immune response
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) have published findings that help explain how a common and particularly resilient form of liver cancer evades the body's natural antitumor responses. The study, published April 15 in the journal Cancer Research, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), is the first to examine the combined effect of immunosuppression on immune function in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the fifth-most-common cancer in the world and the third-leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally.
Anesthesia increases success rates of turning breech babies, reduces delivery costs, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—When a baby is in the breech position at the end of pregnancy, obstetricians can sometimes turn the baby head-down to enable a safer vaginal birth. In the past, women were not given anesthesia during the turning procedure, which requires the physician to push on the woman's abdomen while monitoring the baby with ultrasound. But a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital shows anesthesia is cost-effective because it increases the likelihood the procedure will work.
Helpful for robotics: Brain uses old information for new movements
Information from the senses has an important influence on how we move. For instance, you can see and feel when a mug is filled with hot coffee, and you lift it in a different way than if the mug were empty. Neuroscientist Julian Tramper discovered that the brain uses two forms of old information in order to execute new movements well. This discovery can be useful for the field of robotics. Tramper will receive his doctorate on Thursday 24 April from Radboud University Nijmegen.
The harms of harsh discipline are softened by a loving mother
The use of harsh discipline of unwanted behaviour in children has long been controversial. Whether verbal (insults, disparaging remarks, threats) or physical (slapping/spanking), harsh discipline at all stages of childhood carries a large risk of manifesting antisocial 'externalising behaviours' in the child, including aggression, delinquency or hyperactivity.
Tell me where you're from and I'll tell you what tastes you prefer
Children love fatty and sugary foods. Or do they? New research contradicts the idea that all children under the age of ten have the same taste in food and highlights the importance of the country of residence, culture and age in these preferences.
Photoacoustics spares healthy lymph nodes in patients with metastasized cancer
If a tumour has spread through the lymph nodes, the decision is often taken to exercise caution and remove extra tissue, to prevent it from spreading further. This often involves the removal of healthy lymph nodes. Photoacoustic detection allows surgeons to see which nodes are affected and which are not, while the operation is in progress. This could cut the number of unnecessary complications following surgery, while still ensuring that all affected tissue is removed. Diederik Grootendorst of the University of Twente's MIRA research institute yesterday defended his PhD thesis based on research into this technique.
Experts unclear how China bird flu infects humans (Update)
Almost three weeks after China reported finding a new strain of bird flu in humans, experts are still stumped by how people are becoming infected when many appear to have had no recent contact with live fowl and the virus isn't supposed to pass from person to person.
Increased brain activity predicts future onset of substance use
Do people get caught in the cycle of overeating and drug addiction because their brain reward centers are over-active causing them to experience greater cravings for food or drugs? In a unique prospective study Oregon Research Institute (ORI) senior scientist Eric Stice, Ph.D., and colleagues tested this theory, called the reward surfeit model. The results indicated that elevated responsivity of reward regions in the brain increased the risk for future substance use, which has never been tested before prospectively with humans. Paradoxically, results also provide evidence that even a limited history of substance use was related to less responsivity in the reward circuitry, as has been suggested by experiments with animals. The research appears in the May 1, 2013 issue of Biological Psychiatry.
Scientists scan the human heart to create digital anatomical library
On April 18th JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) will publish a new video article by Dr. Paul A Iaizzo demonstrating the anatomical reconstruction of an active human heart. The research uses contrast-computed tomography (CT) to allow in-depth 3-D computer modeling of hearts that can be used for prolonged archiving.
Poll shows half of Americans would consider donating a kidney to a stranger
Good news for anyone needing a transplant; a new Mayo Clinic survey shows that the public's support for both living and deceased organ donation is increasing. Eighty-four percent of respondents said they would be very or somewhat likely to consider donating a kidney or a portion of their liver to a close friend or family member in need, and an astounding 49 percent said they would be very or somewhat likely to consider donating a kidney to someone they have never met, which is often referred to as altruistic or "Good Samaritan" kidney donation.
Social gaming promotes healthy behavior, reveals new research
Adding social gaming elements to a behavior tracking program led people to exercise more frequently and helped them decrease their body-mass index, according to new research from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the USC School of Social Work and the University at Buffalo, SUNY.
Should doctors be involved in the concealed-weapons permit process?
In the wake of recent mass shootings such as the one in Newtown, Conn., physicians are increasingly being called on to pass judgment in the permitting process on whether their patient is physically and mentally competent to safely have and use a concealed weapon.
Study says more efforts needed to regulate dietary supplements
Dietary supplements accounted for more than half the Class 1 drugs recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from 2004-12, meaning they contained substances that could cause serious health problems or even death, a new study from St. Michael's Hospital has found.
Cross-cultural similarities in early adolescence
Acquiring self-esteem is an important part of a teenager's development. The way in which adolescents regard themselves can be instrumental in determining their achievement and social functioning. New research from Concordia University shows that the way in which adolescents think about themselves varies across cultural context.
Bursts of brain activity may protect against Alzheimer's disease
Evidence indicates that the accumulation of amyloid-beta proteins, which form the plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, is critical for the development of Alzheimer's disease, which impacts 5.4 million Americans. And not just the quantity, but also the quality of amyloid-beta peptides is crucial for Alzheimer's initiation. The disease is triggered by an imbalance in two different amyloid species—in Alzheimer's patients, there is a reduction in a relative level of healthy amyloid-beta 40 compared to 42.
Science surprise: Toxic protein made in unusual way may explain brain disorder
A bizarre twist on the usual way proteins are made may explain mysterious symptoms in the grandparents of some children with mental disabilities.
Study discovers that stem cell senescence drives aging
Declining levels of the protein BubR1 occur when both people and animals age, and contribute to cell senescence or deterioration, weight loss, muscle wasting and cataracts. Mayo Clinic researchers have shown that adult progenitor or stem cells—important for repair and regeneration of skeletal muscle and maintenance of healthy fat tissue—are subject to cellular senescence, and that clearance of these cells limits age-related deterioration of these tissues. The findings appear today online in the journal Cell Reports.
Experts examine Mediterranean diet's health effects for older adults
According to a study published in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, a baseline adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MeDiet) is associated with a lower risk of hyperuricemia, defined as a serum uric acid (SUA) concentration higher than 7mg/dl in men and higher than 6mg/dl in women.
Outpatients, hospital patients face growing, but different problems with antibiotic resistance
A new study concludes that problems with antibiotic resistance faced by outpatients may be as bad as those in hospitalized patients, and that more studies of outpatients are needed – both to protect their health and to avoid inappropriate or unnecessary drug use.
Clinical trials helped one woman's fight against cancer
(HealthDay)—Monica Barlow, a 35-year-old from Maryland, was training for a half-marathon when she noticed she couldn't shake a bad cough and ongoing fatigue. After a couple of rounds of antibiotics from an urgent care clinic didn't work, she sought another opinion.
The 'learning curve' of living with Asperger's
(HealthDay)—Asperger's syndrome is disappearing as an official diagnosis, but people who live with its symptoms will continue to struggle.
Guideline changes have Asperger's community on edge
(HealthDay)—People with Asperger's syndrome—mild autism with normal or sometimes superior verbal ability and intelligence—are at a crossroads: Their diagnosis is about to disappear.
Ultrasound model IDs residual joint inflammation in RA
(HealthDay)—A model including ultrasound (US) assessment of the wrist, metacarpophalangeal (MCP), ankle, and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints is highly sensitive for detecting B-mode and Doppler joint inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published in the April issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
Study finds lack of exercise not a factor in health disparities
Health disparities between white and black adults in the South are not connected to a lack of exercise but more likely related to other factors such as access to health care, socioeconomic status and perhaps genetics, according to a Vanderbilt study published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Cold winters freezing out breast cancer treatment
For women diagnosed with a form of breast cancer known as estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer, tamoxifen is an essential drug used in the treatment and prevention of recurring breast cancer. Currently, tamoxifen is used in a one-size-fits-all approach where the same dose is prescribed for every patient. New research at Lawson Health Research Institute has found that in addition to patient-specific genetic factors, lack of exposure to vitamin D during the long winter months affects the body's ability to metabolize the drug.
Child's counting comprehension may depend on objects counted, study shows
such as toys, tiles and blocks—that students can touch and move around, called manipulatives, have been used to teach basic math skills since the 1980s. Use of manipulatives is based on the long-held belief that young children's thinking is strictly concrete in nature, so concrete objects are assumed to help them learn math concepts.
Risk factor for depression can be 'contagious'
A new study with college roommates shows that a particular style of thinking that makes people vulnerable to depression can actually "rub off" on others, increasing their symptoms of depression six months later.
As pedestrian's age rises, so does odds of dying in traffic accident
(HealthDay)—Elderly pedestrians face a much higher risk of being killed in a traffic accident than the young do, a new government report finds.
Patient expresses concern about lack of data on biological drugs
(HealthDay)—A patient with Crohn's disease is concerned about the attempt by the makers of adalimumab to prevent disclosure of trial data submitted during the drug's approval process, according to a personal view piece published online April 16 in BMJ.
English-acculturated hispanics report less sun-safe behavior
(HealthDay)—English-acculturated and bicultural (high English and Spanish acculturation) Hispanic adults report lower engagement in skin cancer-related behaviors, according to a study published online April 17 in JAMA Dermatology.
Relative proportion of MRSA increasing in S. aureus isolates
(HealthDay)—The relative proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is increasing in S. aureus isolates, and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, according to a study published in the April issue of JAMA Dermatology.
Vascular markers linked to cognitive decline in diabetes
(HealthDay)—Stroke and subclinical markers of macrovascular disease are associated with cognitive decline in older adults with type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online April 11 in Diabetes Care.
Community gardens may produce more than vegetables
People who participate in community gardening have a significantly lower body mass index—as well as lower odds of being overweight or obese—than do their non-gardening neighbors. Researchers at the University of Utah reported these and other findings in the American Journal of Public Health published online today.
New research holds promise for treatments for a range of women's health issues
Natural lubricants play an important role in health, including a well-known effect to help prevent osteoarthritis in knee and ankle joints. However, much is still unknown about their role and function in other areas of the body. Researchers for the first time have discovered that the surface of the eye produces "lubricin," the same substance that protects the joints, and have explained its role in this sensory organ. These findings provide new hope for the millions suffering from dry eye disease and complications from contact lens wear and refractive surgery. Dry eye disease is one of the most frequent causes of patient visits to eye care practitioners and occurs predominantly in women.
Topical use of arthritis drug provides relief for dry eye disease
Dry eye disease (DED) is a common condition that causes discomfort, visual disturbance and potentially damaging ocular surface inflammation that greatly impacts a person's quality of life. An estimated nine million people in the United State alone suffer from significant DED; millions more may have milder forms or experience discomfort when exposed to low humidity or contact lens use. DED, the most common reason people visit ophthalmologists, is estimated to cost $55 billion in annual direct and indirect costs to society in the nation alone.
High-salt diet and ulcer bug combine to increase risk of cancer
Numerous epidemiologic studies have shown that a diet high in salt is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer. Now Timothy L. Cover and colleagues of Vanderbilt University show that high dietary salt combined with infection by the ulcer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori greatly increases the risk of cancer. The study was published ahead of print in the journal Infection and Immunity.
Research suggests transmission of respiratory viruses in utero
The most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), can be transferred during pregnancy to an unborn baby, according to Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital research published online this week in the journal PLOS ONE.
Measles outbreak hits vulnerable Britain
A measles outbreak has hit over 800 people in Britain, a country in which up to two million schoolchildren are believed to be unprotected due to a scare which linked the vaccine with autism, figures revealed Thursday.
Scientists probe the source of a pulsing signal in the sleeping brain
New findings clarify where and how the brain's "slow waves" originate. These rhythmic signal pulses, which sweep through the brain during deep sleep at the rate of about one cycle per second, are assumed to play a role in processes such as consolidation of memory. For the first time, researchers have shown conclusively that slow waves start in the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain responsible for cognitive functions. They also found that such a wave can be set in motion by a tiny cluster of neurons.
Researchers abuzz over caffeine as cancer-cell killer
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers from the University of Alberta are abuzz after using fruit flies to find new ways of taking advantage of caffeine's lethal effects on cancer cells—results that could one day be used to advance cancer therapies for people.
High levels of glutamate in brain may kick-start schizophrenia
An excess of the brain neurotransmitter glutamate may cause a transition to psychosis in people who are at risk for schizophrenia, reports a study from investigators at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) published in the current issue of Neuron.
Evolving genes lead to evolving genes
Researchers have designed a method that can universally test for evolutionary adaption, or positive (Darwinian) selection, in any chosen set of genes, using re-sequencing data such as that generated by the 1000 Genomes Project. The method identifies gene sets that show evidence for positive selection in comparison with matched controls, and thus highlights genes for further functional studies.
Reinventing drug discovery: Promising drug target for ALS
Using a new stem-cell based drug screening technology with the potential to reinvent and greatly reduce the cost of the way new pharmaceuticals are developed, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have found a compound more effective in protecting the neurons killed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – Lou Gehrig's disease – than two drugs that failed in human clinical trials after hundreds of millions of dollars had been invested in them.
First steps of synapse building is captured in live zebra fish embryos
Using spinning disk microscopy on barely day-old zebra fish embryos, University of Oregon scientists have gained a new window on how synapse-building components move to worksites in the central nervous system.
Learning disabilities affect up to 10 percent of children, study finds
Up to 10 per cent of the population are affected by specific learning disabilities (SLDs), such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism, translating to 2 or 3 pupils in every classroom according to a new study.
Rats' and bats' brains work differently on the move
A new study of brain rhythms in bats and rats challenges a widely used model - based on studies in rodents - of how animals navigate their environment. To get a clearer picture of the processes at work in the mammal brain during spatial navigation, neuroscientists must closely study a broad range of animals, say the two University of Maryland College Park scientists involved in the study.
Biology news
Natura 2000 networks: Improving current methods in biodiversity conservation
The world's biodiversity is currently in rapid decline, with human-mediated global change being a principal cause. Europe is no exception, and the Natura 2000 network provides an important conservation tool for biodiversity on a European level. It forms a network of natural and semi-natural sites within the region with high heritage values due to the exceptional flora and fauna they contain. The goal of the Natura 2000 network is to maintain the biological diversity of environments, while taking into account economic, social, cultural and regional logic of sustainable development. A new study published in the open access journal Nature Conservation provides an evaluation of the effectiveness of Natura 2000 and sets objectives and recommendations for the future.
New book explores relentless evolution in a constantly changing world
When we look around in nature, most species seem well adapted to their environment. Scientists have found, however, that species evolve relentlessly and that evolutionary changes occur at a surprisingly rapid pace.
Fertility needs in high-yielding corn production
Although advances in agronomy, breeding, and biotechnology have dramatically increased corn grain yields, soil test values indicate that producers may not be supplying optimal nutrient levels. Moreover, many current nutrient recommendations, developed decades ago using outdated agronomic management practices and lower-yielding, non-transgenic hybrids, may need adjusting.
Rhododendron model illuminates tree disease threat
A new map of the places in Scotland that offer good habitats for one of the most invasive kinds of rhododendron may help control the spread of Sudden Oak Death, a disease that threatens trees and plants like oak, beech, larch and bilberry.
Researchers digest how gut 'bugs' affect health
We might be what our bacteria eat, says a Cornell entomology professor, who is using the tiny fruit fly to investigate this gutsy idea.
Previously unpublished paper by Francis Crick and Jeffries Wyman, "A footnote on allostery"
It is rare that an unpublished piece of research or theory remains significant after half a century. It is also a wonderful example of the boundless curiosity of the late Francis Crick. A previously unpublished work by Francis Crick and Jeffries Wyman from 1965 is now available, together with Jean-Pierre Changeux's recollections on the origins of the theory of Allostery and several important texts by various authors on the subject. These are part of a special issue of the Journal of Molecular Biology (JMB) published at the occasion of a Pasteur/EMBO Conference on Allosteric Interactions in Cell Signaling and Regulation to be held at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, May 14-17, 2013, to mark a half-century of research on this subject.
Puma tracking reveals impact of habitat fragmentation
(Phys.org) —In the first published results of more than three years of tracking mountain lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains, UC Santa Cruz researchers document how human development affects the predators' habits.
Scientists throw new light on DNA copying process
Research led by a scientist at the University of York has thrown new light on the way breakdowns in the DNA copying process inside cells can contribute to cancer and other diseases.
Toward the origin of America's first settlers
The most supported traditional hypothesis points out that the earliest well-established human culture in the North American continent were the Clovis, a population of hunters who arrived about 13,000 years before present from North-East Asia through the Bering Strait, and scattered over the continent.
The exciting life cycle of a new Brazilian leaf miner
A new species of leaf miner from the important family Gracillariidae has been recently discovered in the depths of the Brazilian jungle and described in the open access journal Zookeys. The Gracillariidae family is an ancient one with fossils dating back its origins to around 97 million years. Among the leaf miners of this family there are some species with significance as economic factors as well as agricultural pests. The new species, Spinivalva gaucha, is associated with representatives of the Passiflora plant genus among which is the economically important and favorite to many passion fruit, also native to Brazil.
100+ million mapped (and growing) records of nearly every living US species
Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation or BISON is the only system of its kind; a unique, web-based Federal resource for finding species in the U. S. and territories. Its size is unprecedented, offering more than 100 million mapped records of nearly every living species nationwide and growing. And the vast majority of the records are specific locations, not just county or state records.
Researchers weed out ineffective biocontrol agents
'Keep it simple' is a good rule of thumb when designing biocontrol programs to combat weeds and invasive plants, according to a meta-analysis of studies by UBC biodiversity experts.
Study provides new understanding of rare white shark movement around Hawai'i
A study just published in the Journal of Marine Biology sheds new light on the relatively rare but occasionally recorded presence of white sharks in waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands, and suggests a new method to help distinguish between white sharks and close relatives, such as mako sharks. The paper, titled "Occurrence of White Sharks in Hawaiian Waters", was written by Kevin Weng of the University of Hawai'i – Manoa's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) and Randy Honebrink of the Hawai'i DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR).
Sexiness doesn't always have a downside
(Phys.org) —University of Queensland researchers have found that sexiness doesn't have to be a burden, at least not if you're a male threadfin rainbowfish.
From mice to humans, comfort is being carried by mom
There is a very good reason mothers often carry their crying babies, pacing the floor, to help them calm down. New research published in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on April 18 shows that infants experience an automatic calming reaction upon being carried, whether they are mouse or human babies.
Learned helplessness in flies and the roots of depression
When faced with impossible circumstances beyond their control, animals, including humans, often hunker down as they develop sleep or eating disorders, ulcers, and other physical manifestations of depression. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on April 18 show that the same kind of thing happens to flies.
When it comes to survival of the fittest, stress is a good thing
When the woods get crowded, female squirrels improve their offspring's odds of survival by ramping up how fast their offspring grow.
Neural activity in bats measured in-flight
Animals navigate and orient themselves to survive – to find food and shelter or avoid predators, for example. Research conducted by Dr. Nachum Ulanovsky and research student Michael Yartsev of the Weizmann Institute's Neurobiology Department, published today in Science, reveals for the first time how three-dimensional, volumetric, space is perceived in mammalian brains. The research was conducted using a unique, miniaturized neural-telemetry system developed especially for this task, which enabled the measurement of single brain cells during flight.
Study shows depleted fish stocks can come back from the brink
(Phys.org) —Nature is a lot more resilient than we sometimes think. A study by Rutgers marine scientists published recently in Science shows that species of fish that have been overfished for decades can often be brought back more easily than expected once fisheries managers put limits on the exploitation.
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