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• Young scientist discovers magnetic material unnecessary to create spin current
• Breakthrough experimental therapy to treat colon cancer, chronic inflammatory bowel disease
• New method to halt the advance of liver cancer found
• Two classes of inexpensive generic drugs can reduce breast cancer deaths, new research shows
• Pesticides found in most pollen collected from foraging bees in Massachusetts
• Nanotechnology research leads to super-elastic conducting fibers for artificial muscles, sensors
• Changing the Color of Light
• American poverty prospects higher than expected
• Tiny mechanical wrist gives new dexterity to needlescopic surgery
• Biomarkers higher in binge drinkers
• Abrupt climate change may have rocked the cradle of civilization
• Preventing knee pain in at-risk adults with diabetes
• Researchers discover new role for protein in cell division
• Innovative algorithm is helping scientists decipher how drugs work inside the body
• Researchers pinpoint where the brain unites our eyes' double vision
• Scientists set sights on glaucoma medication to treat TB
• Cages offer new direction in sustainable catalyst design
• Managers: Beware of gender faultlines
• Scientists identify schizophrenia's 'Rosetta Stone' gene
• New chiral property of silicon discovered: Photonic applications
• Promising treatment for devastating genetic disorder found
• Mammoths killed by abrupt climate change
• Ultra-thin hollow nanocages could reduce platinum use in fuel cell electrodes
• Potential new targets for treating kidney disease
• Why West Nile virus is more dangerous in the elderly
• Despite court ruling, survey finds child welfare professionals oppose corporal punishment
• Teens with medical marijuana cards much likelier to say they're addicted, but few teens have them
• Four-legged snake fossil found
• Building confidence helps people with MS have fuller lives, reports researcher
• More efficient process to produce graphene developed
• Researchers map out trajectory of April 2015 earthquake in Nepal
• Personalized banner ads are a double-edged sword
• U.S. breast milk is glyphosate free
• Mystery of the instant noodle chromosomes
• Are fish getting high on cocaine?
• Small oxygen jump in atmosphere helped enable animals take first breaths
• Improved outcomes associated with stem cell transplantation for children with serious chronic leukemia
• U.S. South Asians more reluctant to seek medication for pain
• Plant diagnostic services reach public with social media
• Gene-sequence swap using CRISPR to cure hemophilia
• Brown dwarfs, stars share formation process, new study indicates
• College social life can predict well-being at midlife
• Fighting mosquito resistance to insecticides
• Simple technology makes CRISPR gene editing cheaper
• Access denied: Leukemia thwarted by cutting off link to environmental support
• New antibody portal bolsters biomedical research reliability
• Overeating caused by a hormone deficiency in brain?
• Stressed young birds stop learning from their parents and turn to wider flock
• Simple flip of genetic switch determines aging or longevity in animals
• Genetically distinct cells reveal nature's strategy for avoiding pregnancy complications
• Opening the door to the cause of myeloid leukemia: Finding the targets of common mutation
• Genetic roots of adolescent scoliosis
• Female stink bugs 'select' color of their eggs
• Bigger, older cousin to Earth discovered
• Multisource feedback process helps surgeons assess, improve teamwork skills
• Link between physician training, brand name prescribing found
• Chemotherapy and quality of life at the end of life
• Body fat can send signals to brain, affecting stress response
• Study identifies challenges of delirium detection in older adults in emergency department
• Expert panel sets nutrition guidelines to manage GI symptoms in autism

Young scientist discovers magnetic material unnecessary to create spin current Posted: 23 Jul 2015 06:11 PM PDT You don't need a magnetic material to create spin current from insulators, researchers say. This work has important implications for the field of spintronics and the development of high-speed, low-power electronics that use electron spin rather than charge to carry information.

Breakthrough experimental therapy to treat colon cancer, chronic inflammatory bowel disease Posted: 23 Jul 2015 06:11 PM PDT A groundbreaking experimental therapy has been discovered that has the ability to suppress the development of ulcerative colitis (UC), a disease which causes inflammation in the digestive tract and colon cancer. The treatment utilizes a chemical inhibitor able to block an RNA molecule (microRNA-214) involved in the transmission of genetic information.

New method to halt the advance of liver cancer found Posted: 23 Jul 2015 06:11 PM PDT Drugs targeting the lymphotoxin-beta receptor may improve liver cancer treatment, a new study suggests. The findings could provide new treatment strategies for the disease, which is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.

Two classes of inexpensive generic drugs can reduce breast cancer deaths, new research shows Posted: 23 Jul 2015 04:05 PM PDT Two different classes of drugs, aromatase inhibitors and bisphosphonates, can each improve survival prospects for postmenopausal women with early breast cancer, two recent studies indicate. Moreover, the researchers suggest that the two types of drug can be used together, increasing the benefits while also decreasing some side-effects.

Pesticides found in most pollen collected from foraging bees in Massachusetts Posted: 23 Jul 2015 04:05 PM PDT More than 70 percent of pollen and honey samples collected from foraging bees in Massachusetts contain at least one neonicotinoid, a class of pesticide that has been implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder, in which adult bees abandon their hives during winter.

Nanotechnology research leads to super-elastic conducting fibers for artificial muscles, sensors Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:16 PM PDT Scientists describe in a new study how they constructed elastic conducting fibers by wrapping lighter-than-air, electrically conductive sheets of tiny carbon nanotubes to form a jelly-roll-like sheath around a long rubber core.

Changing the Color of Light Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:15 PM PDT Researchers have developed a method that could improve medical imaging and cancer treatments and increase the efficiency of commercial solar cells by 25 to 30 percent.

American poverty prospects higher than expected Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:15 PM PDT For Americans, the likelihood of experiencing relative poverty at least once in their lifetime is surprisingly high, finds a new analysis from a noted poverty expert.

Tiny mechanical wrist gives new dexterity to needlescopic surgery Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:13 PM PDT A mechanical wrist less than 1/16th of an inch thick -- small enough to use in needlescopic surgery, the least invasive form of minimally invasive surgery -- has been created by scientists. Needlescopic surgery, which uses surgical instruments shrunk to the diameter of a sewing needle, is the ultimate form of minimally invasive surgery. The needle-sized incisions it requires are so small that they can be sealed with surgical tape and usually heal without leaving a scar.

Biomarkers higher in binge drinkers Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:13 PM PDT A biomarker found in the blood of alcohol users is significantly higher in binge drinkers than in those who consume alcohol moderately, according to a study. The biomarker, called phosphatidylethanol, could be used to screen young adults for harmful or heavy drinking such as binge drinking.

Abrupt climate change may have rocked the cradle of civilization Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:13 PM PDT New research reveals that some of the earliest civilizations in the Middle East and the Fertile Crescent may have been affected by abrupt climate change. These findings show that while socio-economic factors were traditionally considered to shape ancient human societies in this region, the influence of abrupt climate change should not be underestimated.

Preventing knee pain in at-risk adults with diabetes Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:12 PM PDT An intensive program of diet and exercise had a small but statistically significant protective effect against the development of knee pain in the short term among overweight adults with diabetes, a new study has found.

Researchers discover new role for protein in cell division Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:12 PM PDT Pharmaceutical sciences researchers have discovered a protein's previously unknown role in cell division. The well known protein ATF5 controls how often specific genes are copied from DNA. But the research team has found it is also acting as a structural protein.

Innovative algorithm is helping scientists decipher how drugs work inside the body Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:12 PM PDT Researchers have developed a computer algorithm that is helping scientists see how drugs produce pharmacological effects inside the body. The study could help researchers create drugs that are more efficient and less prone to side effects, suggest ways to regulate a drug's activity, and identify novel therapeutic uses for new and existing compounds.

Researchers pinpoint where the brain unites our eyes' double vision Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:12 PM PDT Using prisms and an advanced brain scanner, researchers have found the point in the human brain -- very early in image processing in the visual cortex -- in which the transformation to a cyclopean view of the world takes place.

Scientists set sights on glaucoma medication to treat TB Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:12 PM PDT A common medication used to treat glaucoma could also be used to treat tuberculosis, even the drug-resistant kind, a new study suggests. It's estimated that 2 billion people, globally, carry the infection, but in most cases it lies dormant and the immune system is able to prevent it from spreading in the body.

Cages offer new direction in sustainable catalyst design Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:12 PM PDT Engineers have developed a new approach to structuring the catalysts used in essential reactions in the chemical and energy fields. The advance offers a pathway for industries to wean themselves off of platinum, one of the scarcest metals in Earth's crust.

Managers: Beware of gender faultlines Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:12 PM PDT Do you have gender 'faultlines' in your organization? New research suggests that such fissures appear when gender differences solidify into cliques. And this tends to occur when members of one gender share other demographic traits and professional interests, such as age, job responsibilities and time served.

Scientists identify schizophrenia's 'Rosetta Stone' gene Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:12 PM PDT A breakthrough reveals gene's influence in a vulnerable period of the brain's development. Researchers hope it could offer a therapeutic target for reversing the disease. There is 'strong evidence' that subtle changes early on in life can lead to 'much bigger' effects in adulthood.

New chiral property of silicon discovered: Photonic applications Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:11 PM PDT By encoding information in photons via their spin, 'photonic' computers could be orders of magnitude faster and efficient than their current-day counterparts. Likewise, encoding information in the spin of electrons, rather than just their quantity, could make 'spintronic' computers with similar advantages. Engineers and physicists have now discovered a property of silicon that combines aspects of all of these desirable qualities.

Promising treatment for devastating genetic disorder found Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:11 PM PDT A multi-institutional team of researchers has identified an apparently successful treatment for a genetic immune disorder that causes a multitude of health problems -- ranging from infections, diabetes, lung disease and the body's immune system attacking and damaging healthy tissues.

Mammoths killed by abrupt climate change Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:11 PM PDT New research has revealed abrupt warming, that closely resembles the rapid man-made warming occurring today, has repeatedly played a key role in mass extinction events of large animals, the megafauna, in Earth's past.

Ultra-thin hollow nanocages could reduce platinum use in fuel cell electrodes Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:11 PM PDT A new fabrication technique that produces platinum hollow nanocages with ultra-thin walls could dramatically reduce the amount of the costly metal needed to provide catalytic activity in such applications as fuel cells.

Potential new targets for treating kidney disease Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:11 PM PDT Proteins in the Wnt signaling pathway help drive kidney scarring that can lead to chronic kidney disease, researchers report. When investigators examined the complex process of scarring, or fibrosis, in failing kidneys, they discovered that proteins in the Wnt signaling pathway play a critical role in the crosstalk between cells as scarring occurs.

Why West Nile virus is more dangerous in the elderly Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:11 PM PDT West Nile virus (WNV) is particularly dangerous in older people, who account for a large number of severe cases and deaths caused by the virus. WNV infection turns serious when the virus crosses the blood-brain-barrier and wreaks havoc among nerve cells in the brain. A new study suggests that several critical components of the early immune response to the virus are impaired in elderly individuals, and that this can explain their vulnerability.

Despite court ruling, survey finds child welfare professionals oppose corporal punishment Posted: 23 Jul 2015 11:02 AM PDT Nearly a month after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that parents have the right to use corporal punishment to discipline their children, a new survey finds that most leading child welfare professionals think spanking is harmful for children and leads to more aggressive behavior.

Teens with medical marijuana cards much likelier to say they're addicted, but few teens have them Posted: 23 Jul 2015 11:02 AM PDT Teens using marijuana for medical reasons are 10 times more likely to say they are hooked on marijuana than youth who get marijuana illegally, a new study shows. The study is the first to report on a nationally representative sample of 4,394 high school seniors and their legal or illegal medical marijuana use as it relates to other drug use. In the study, 48 teens had medical marijuana cards, but 266 teens used medical marijuana without a card.

Four-legged snake fossil found Posted: 23 Jul 2015 11:01 AM PDT An "absolutely exquisite" fossil of a snake that had four legs has been discovered by a team of scientists and may help show how snakes made the transition from lizards to serpents.

Building confidence helps people with MS have fuller lives, reports researcher Posted: 23 Jul 2015 10:48 AM PDT To help people with MS maintain autonomy and independence, a team of researchers set out to determine what factors prevented individuals from undertaking and enjoying the activities they believe are most important to live fulfilling lives.

More efficient process to produce graphene developed Posted: 23 Jul 2015 10:48 AM PDT Researchers have developed an ultra-bright lamp-ablation method that surmounts the shortcomings and has succeeded in synthesizing few-layer (4-5) graphene in higher yields. It involves a novel optical system that reconstitutes the immense brightness within the plasma of high-power xenon discharge lamps at a remote reactor, where a transparent tube filled with simple, inexpensive graphite is irradiated.

Researchers map out trajectory of April 2015 earthquake in Nepal Posted: 23 Jul 2015 10:31 AM PDT Researchers have accurately mapped out the movement of the devastating 7.8-magnitude Nepal earthquake that killed over 9,000 and injured over 23,000 people. Scientists have determined that the earthquake was a rupture consisting of three different stages. The study could help a rapidly growing region understand its future seismic risks.

Personalized banner ads are a double-edged sword Posted: 23 Jul 2015 10:31 AM PDT Trust in a particular vendor affects the degree to which consumers will accept or reject a personalized banner ad, research concludes. The investigators wondered where people would draw the line at having the items they had looked at reflected back at them.

U.S. breast milk is glyphosate free Posted: 23 Jul 2015 10:31 AM PDT Glyphosate, the main ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, does not accumulate in mother's breast milk, researchers have found. The study is the first to have its results independently verified by an accredited, outside organization.

Mystery of the instant noodle chromosomes Posted: 23 Jul 2015 10:11 AM PDT Researchers have evaluated the benefits of placing the DNA on the principle of spaghetti. Scientists concluded that packing of the genome in a special state called 'fractal globule,' apart from other known advantages of this state, allows the genetic machinery of the cell to operate with maximum speed due to comparatively rapid thermal diffusion.

Are fish getting high on cocaine? Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:56 AM PDT Both prescription and illegal drugs such as morphine, cocaine and oxycodone have been found in surface waters in Canadian rivers. New research shows that wastewater discharged from wastewater treatment plants in the Grand River watershed of southern Ontario has the potential to contaminate sources of drinking water with these drugs.

Small oxygen jump in atmosphere helped enable animals take first breaths Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:56 AM PDT Measurements of iron speciation in ancient rocks were used to construct the chemistry of ancient oceans. Analysis suggests that it took less oxygen than previously thought to trigger the appearance of complicated life forms.

Improved outcomes associated with stem cell transplantation for children with serious chronic leukemia Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:56 AM PDT Researchers have shown greatly improved outcomes in using stem cell transplantation to treat patients with a serious but very rare form of chronic blood cancer called juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML).

U.S. South Asians more reluctant to seek medication for pain Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:56 AM PDT When compared with other ethnicities, Asians are the most unsatisfied with the health care they received in the United States, previous research has shown. This dissatisfaction with health care partly is caused by health practices in the U.S. clashing with the practices Asian patients and families may be more used to experiencing overseas. Now, researchers have found that health care providers perceive South Asians living in the U.S. to be more reluctant than other ethnicities to report pain as well as seek medications to treat the pain they experience near the end of their lives. Researchers say this finding provides an opportunity for health care professionals to deliver better culturally responsive care to South Asian patients and their families.

Plant diagnostic services reach public with social media Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:56 AM PDT Are your plants dead or dying? An online Plant Diagnostic Clinic might be able to help. Experts provide advice for homeowners, landscape professionals, nursery retailers and government agencies can find a photographs of plant problems to compare plant conditions.

Gene-sequence swap using CRISPR to cure hemophilia Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:55 AM PDT For the first time, chromosomal defects responsible for hemophilia have been corrected in patient-specific iPSCs using CRISPR-Cas9 nucleases. Hemophilia A occurs in about 1 in 5,000 male births and almost half of severe cases are caused by identified "chromosomal inversions." In a chromosomal inversion, the order of the base pairs on the chromosome are reversed so the gene doesn't express properly and the sufferer lacks the blood coagulation factor VIII (F8) gene, which causes blood to clot in healthy people.

Brown dwarfs, stars share formation process, new study indicates Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:54 AM PDT The discovery of jets of material ejected from still-forming brown dwarfs provides the first direct evidence that these enigmatic objects form in the same way as their more-massive siblings, stars, rather than like planets.

College social life can predict well-being at midlife Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:53 AM PDT It's well known that being socially connected promotes a person's overall and psychological health. A new study now shows that the quantity of social interactions a person has at 20 -- and the quality of social relationships that person has at age 30 -- can benefit her well-being later in life.

Fighting mosquito resistance to insecticides Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:53 AM PDT Controlling mosquitoes that carry human diseases is a global health challenge as their ability to resist insecticides now threatens efforts to prevent epidemics. Scientists have identified new genetic markers for mosquito resistance to insecticides, which could improve its detection in the field.

Simple technology makes CRISPR gene editing cheaper Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:52 AM PDT The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool requires an RNA guide to precisely target a segment of DNA, where the Cas9 enzyme can either cut or latch on with a fluorescent probe. Creating guide RNAs is time consuming and expensive, however. Researchers have found a simple, cheap way to produce these guides, making it easy to produce thousands simultaneously, even turning an entire genome into a library of tens of thousands of guide RNAs.

Access denied: Leukemia thwarted by cutting off link to environmental support Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:52 AM PDT A protein's critical -- and previously unknown -- role in the development and progression of acute myeloid leukemia, a fast-growing and extremely difficult-to-treat blood cancer, has been revealed by researchers.

New antibody portal bolsters biomedical research reliability Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:52 AM PDT The Histone Antibody Specificity Database is a newly launched online portal that lets scientists find the right antibodies for their research with a much higher degree of confidence than ever before.

Overeating caused by a hormone deficiency in brain? Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:52 AM PDT When hormone glucagon like peptide-1 was reduced in the central nervous system of laboratory mice, they overate and consumed more high fat food, scientists have found. Although this is not the only reason why people overeat, the study provides new evidence that targeting neurons in the mesolimbic dopamine system -- a reward circuit in the brain -- rather than targeting the whole body might be a better way to control overeating and obesity with fewer side effects.

Stressed young birds stop learning from their parents and turn to wider flock Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:52 AM PDT Juvenile zebra finches that experience high stress levels will ignore how their own parents forage and instead learn such skills from other, unrelated adults. This may help young birds avoid inheriting a poor skillset from parents -- the likely natural cause of their stress -- and becoming trapped by a 'bad start in life.'

Simple flip of genetic switch determines aging or longevity in animals Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:52 AM PDT When does aging really begin? Scientists now have a molecular clue. In a study of the roundworm C. elegans, they found that adult cells abruptly begin their downhill slide when an animal reaches reproductive maturity. A genetic switch starts the aging process by turning off cell stress responses that protect the cell by keeping important proteins folded and functional. Germline stem cells throw the switch in early adulthood, after the animal starts to reproduce, ensuring its line will live on.

Genetically distinct cells reveal nature's strategy for avoiding pregnancy complications Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:52 AM PDT Researchers add a new twist to the more than century old biological principles of Mendelian inheritance -- describing a small group of cells in pregnant mothers that promote genetic fitness and multi-generational reproductive health.

Opening the door to the cause of myeloid leukemia: Finding the targets of common mutation Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:52 AM PDT A breakthrough in understanding how mutated genes in leukemia reprogram blood stem cells and send them spiraling out of control has been made by a team of scientists.

Genetic roots of adolescent scoliosis Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:52 AM PDT Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis -- a condition featuring curvature of the spine -- affects tens of millions of children worldwide, but does not have a known cause. Now, scientists have discovered a gene that is linked to susceptibility to the condition.

Female stink bugs 'select' color of their eggs Posted: 23 Jul 2015 09:52 AM PDT Stink bug mothers will lay darker or lighter eggs depending on how much light is reflecting off of a surface. The newly discovered adaptation is likely related to how some species of stink bugs are able to deposit their eggs on top of leaves, as the darker-colored eggs are better protected from UV radiation. Surprisingly, the eggs are not darkened by melanin, but by a previously unknown pigment.

Bigger, older cousin to Earth discovered Posted: 23 Jul 2015 08:57 AM PDT NASA's Kepler mission has confirmed the first near-Earth-size planet in the "habitable zone" around a sun-like star. This discovery and the introduction of 11 other new small habitable zone candidate planets mark another milestone in the journey to finding another "Earth."

Multisource feedback process helps surgeons assess, improve teamwork skills Posted: 23 Jul 2015 08:55 AM PDT A performance evaluation process used widely by Fortune 500 companies accurately and effectively assesses surgeons' adherence to core standards of excellence and spurs changes in behavior to improve surgical practice and teamwork, a new study confirms.

Link between physician training, brand name prescribing found Posted: 23 Jul 2015 08:55 AM PDT Physicians in training are twice as likely to order a costly brand-name statin (used to lower blood cholesterol levels) when supervised by senior physicians who prefer those medications in their own practice, according to a new study.

Chemotherapy and quality of life at the end of life Posted: 23 Jul 2015 08:54 AM PDT Chemotherapy for patients with end-stage cancer was associated with worse quality of life near death for patients with a good ability to still perform many life functions, according to an article.

Body fat can send signals to brain, affecting stress response Posted: 23 Jul 2015 08:13 AM PDT The brain's effect on other parts of the body has been well established. Now, a group of researchers has found that it's a two-way street: Body fat can send a signal that affects the way the brain deals with stress and metabolism.

Study identifies challenges of delirium detection in older adults in emergency department Posted: 23 Jul 2015 08:13 AM PDT Researchers have conducted what is believed to be the first study to interview providers to identify the barriers and possible catalysts to delirium detection in emergency care situations. An estimated one to two million older adults with delirium visit hospital emergency departments in the United States annually. Two-third of cases are unrecognized.

Expert panel sets nutrition guidelines to manage GI symptoms in autism Posted: 23 Jul 2015 08:13 AM PDT A new guideline for the nutrition of management gastrointestinal symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorders provides a framework for clinicians to navigate frequently seen issues such as food selectivity, alternative diets and nutritional deficits.

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