ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Fusion researchers make breakthrough: Control intense heat bursts in fusion experiments
• Addressing long-standing mysteries behind anti-wear motor oil additive
• River algae affecting mercury pollution at Superfund site, study shows
• Expanding blood pressure screenings beyond primary care can improve hypertension detection
• Why Super Mario runs from left to right: People prefer it
• How cannabis use affects people with Bipolar Disorder
• More than 2 million people die prematurely every year because treatment for kidney failure is unavailable
• Energy drinks raise resting blood pressure, with effect most dramatic in those not used to caffeine
• Common herpes medication reduces HIV-1 levels, independent of herpes infection
• Prolonged shortened sleep increases blood pressure at night, researchers find
• High-end imaging: New blending techniques
• Hubble source catalog: One-stop shopping for astronomers
• NASA spacecraft in Earth’s orbit, preparing to study magnetic reconnection
• New Mercury surface composition maps illuminate the planet's history
• Nearly 70 percent of evangelicals do not view religion, science as being in conflict
• Bariatric surgery appears to cut risks for serious asthma-related events
• Free will? Analysis of worm neurons suggest how a single stimulus can trigger different responses
• Enhanced flu protection: Four beats three
• Bond and bond alike: Unlikely hydrogen bond discovered
• Big toe's big foot holds evolutionary key
• High power and high safety oxide-based negative electrode materials for Li-ion battery
• Evolution of childbirth: Wider hips don't make locomotion easier, so why is labor so hard?
• Atomic force microscopy developed for imaging nanoscale dynamics of neurons
• Why do cells rush to heal a wound? Mysteries of wound healing unlocked
• Environmental tobacco smoke is associated with periodontitis in US non-smokers
• Birth weight and pregnancy complications associated with the enamel defects
• Genetically engineered immunotoxin shows early promise in patients with B-cell malignancies
• Novel monitoring tools tackle chemical surface waters pollution
• Number of fungal species has been greatly overestimated
• Presentation is key in patient information, research suggests
• Scientists question tropical protected areas' role under climate change
• Listening to classical music modulates genes that are responsible for brain functions
• Tablet use: significance of usage position, potential for neck damage
• Female mice do not avoid mating with unhealthy males
• Mobile quarantine station for malicious android apps
• Blood pressure drug protects against symptoms of multiple sclerosis in animal models
• Minimally invasive spinal fusion surgery: Less painful, faster recovery, smaller incisions
• New genome-editing technology to help treat blood cancers
• Antibiotic nanoparticles attack respiratory infection at source, reduce drug side effects
• Building a genomic GPS
• New protocol can help emergency departments evaluate patients with acute chest pain
• Nine superfruits and super seeds to add to your diet
• Electronic cigarette vapors contain toxins, have potential to be a public health concern

Fusion researchers make breakthrough: Control intense heat bursts in fusion experiments Posted: 13 Mar 2015 02:17 PM PDT Researchers have made a breakthrough in understanding how to overcome obstacle to controlled fusion reactions.

Addressing long-standing mysteries behind anti-wear motor oil additive Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:09 AM PDT Motor oil contains chemical additives that extend how long engines can run without failure, but, despite decades of ubiquity, how such additives actually work to prevent this damage have remained a mystery. Now, engineers and ExxonMobil have teamed up to answer this question.

River algae affecting mercury pollution at Superfund site, study shows Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:09 AM PDT Periphyton -- a community of algae, bacteria and other natural material living on submerged surfaces -- is helping to transform mercury pollution from a Superfund site along a New Hampshire river into a more toxic form of the metal, researchers have found.

Expanding blood pressure screenings beyond primary care can improve hypertension detection Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:09 AM PDT Expanding blood pressure screenings to non-primary care settings can help identify more patients with high blood pressure, commonly called hypertension, and could contribute to better hypertension control and management, according to a study.

Why Super Mario runs from left to right: People prefer it Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT There may be a fundamental bias in the way people prefer to see moving items depicted in pictures, according to research. An analysis of photos of people and objects in motion revealed a common left-to-right bias.

How cannabis use affects people with Bipolar Disorder Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT The first study to examine the use of cannabis in the context of daily life among people with Bipolar Disorder has shown how the drug is linked to increases in both manic and depressive symptoms.

More than 2 million people die prematurely every year because treatment for kidney failure is unavailable Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT At best, only half of people worldwide needing kidney dialysis or transplantation to treat kidney failure in 2010 received it, new research shows. This suggests that at least 2.3 million people may have died prematurely from kidney failure because they could not access this life-saving treatment.

Energy drinks raise resting blood pressure, with effect most dramatic in those not used to caffeine Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:07 AM PDT Healthy young adults who don't consume caffeine regularly experienced greater rise in resting blood pressure after consumption of a commercially available energy drink — compared to a placebo drink — thus raising the concern that energy drinks may increase the risk of cardiac events, researchers found.

Common herpes medication reduces HIV-1 levels, independent of herpes infection Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:07 AM PDT Valacyclovir reduces HIV-1 levels — even when patients do not have herpes -- results from a resent study indicate. The result not only means that Valacyclovir can be used effectively with a broader range of HIV-1 patients, but also suggests promising new avenues for the development of HIV-fighting drugs. This insight is particularly significant given that some forms of HIV-1 have become resistant to existing medications.

Prolonged shortened sleep increases blood pressure at night, researchers find Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:07 AM PDT People exposed to prolonged periods of shortened sleep have significant increases in blood pressure during nighttime hours, researchers report in a small study of eight participants.

High-end imaging: New blending techniques Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:07 AM PDT Researchers have achieved the first "image fusion" of mass spectrometry and microscopy — a technical tour de force that could, among other things, dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Hubble source catalog: One-stop shopping for astronomers Posted: 13 Mar 2015 10:07 AM PDT Astronomers have created a new master catalog of astronomical objects called the Hubble Source Catalog. The catalog provides one-stop shopping for measurements of objects observed with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA spacecraft in Earth’s orbit, preparing to study magnetic reconnection Posted: 13 Mar 2015 08:28 AM PDT Following a successful launch at 10:44 p.m. EDT Thursday, NASA's four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft are positioned in Earth's orbit to begin the first space mission dedicated to the study of a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection. This process is thought to be the catalyst for some of the most powerful explosions in our solar system.

New Mercury surface composition maps illuminate the planet's history Posted: 13 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PDT Scientists have created global-scale maps of Mercury's surface chemistry that reveal previously unrecognized geochemical terranes -- large regions that have compositions distinct from their surroundings. The presence of these large terranes has important implications for the history of the planet

Nearly 70 percent of evangelicals do not view religion, science as being in conflict Posted: 13 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PDT Media and popular culture might portray religion and science as being at odds, but new research suggests just the opposite.

Bariatric surgery appears to cut risks for serious asthma-related events Posted: 13 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PDT Bariatric surgery can significantly reduce the risk of asthma attacks -- also called exacerbations -- in obese patients with asthma, research shows. The report is the first to find that significant weight reduction can reduce serious asthma-associated events.

Free will? Analysis of worm neurons suggest how a single stimulus can trigger different responses Posted: 13 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PDT Even worms have free will. If offered a delicious smell, for example, a roundworm will usually stop its wandering to investigate the source, but sometimes it won't. Just as with humans, the same stimulus does not always provoke the same response, even from the same individual.

Enhanced flu protection: Four beats three Posted: 13 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PDT New research findings parallel earlier results: Adding a strain of influenza B could improve effectiveness of an influenza vaccine. Findings from this study of flu vaccines delivered by a small needle intradermally parallel earlier results that found adding a strain of influenza B could improve the effectiveness of a flu vaccine nasal spray and a traditional intramuscular vaccine that is injected as a shot in the arm muscle. All studies showed the addition of the B strain improved the antibody response to that strain and didn't weaken the body's immune response to other flu strains in the vaccine.

Bond and bond alike: Unlikely hydrogen bond discovered Posted: 13 Mar 2015 07:18 AM PDT As with magnets and alternating current, positively charged molecules never aim for one another. Indeed, similarly charged poles are repelled. Nevertheless, scientists have managed to bond positively charged phosphorus atoms with positively charged hydrogen ones. Their insight may prove pivotal to understanding how biologically important molecules such as DNA and proteins form properly.

Big toe's big foot holds evolutionary key Posted: 13 Mar 2015 07:18 AM PDT Our skeletons hold tell-tale signs that show that human bipedalism are unique to humans especially when compared to our closest living relatives, apes. Exactly when these signs first appear in our evolutionary history is one of the fundamental questions driving Palaeoanthropology studies today. Scientists have now combined visualization techniques, engineering principles, and statistical analysis into a powerful new way of analyzing the structure of long bones.

High power and high safety oxide-based negative electrode materials for Li-ion battery Posted: 13 Mar 2015 06:45 AM PDT Researchers have shown electrochemical Li insertion and deinsertion property of Ti-Nb mixed oxide Ti2Nb10O29 (TNO) at high current rate is greatly improved by vacuum annealing. This is mainly attributed to enhancement of intrinsic electronic conductivity of TNO by introducing oxygen vacancy. Vacuum-annealed TNO is promising negative electrode material of high power and high safety Li-ion battery for large scale application.

Evolution of childbirth: Wider hips don't make locomotion easier, so why is labor so hard? Posted: 13 Mar 2015 06:45 AM PDT A new study found no connection between hip width and efficient locomotion, and suggests that scientists have long approached the problem in the wrong way. "This idea, that pelvic width for birth and pelvic width for locomotion are connected, is deeply ingrained in this discipline," said the first author of the study. "Everyone thinks they know this is true...but it's wrong, and it's wrong for two reasons. First, the way we had modeled the forces involved didn't make sense. Second, we found that you can't predict, from the width of the pelvis, how much energy someone is using, so we've been looking at this biomechanical problem entirely wrong."

Atomic force microscopy developed for imaging nanoscale dynamics of neurons Posted: 13 Mar 2015 06:45 AM PDT Atomic force microscopy is a leading tool for imaging, measuring, and manipulating materials with atomic resolution. It has previously been applied to image solid materials, but has been difficult to apply for soft and large samples like eukaryotic cells and neurons without damaging the sample. Researchers have now developed an ATM system for imaging eukaryotic cells and neurons allowing for analysis of cell morphology changes with a spatial resolution ~20-100 fold better than that of a standard light microscope.

Why do cells rush to heal a wound? Mysteries of wound healing unlocked Posted: 13 Mar 2015 06:45 AM PDT A multidisciplinary research team has discovered how cells know to rush to a wound and heal it -- opening the door to new treatments for diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The findings shed light on the mechanisms of cell migration, particularly in the wound-healing process. The results represent a major advancement for regenerative medicine, in which biomedical engineers and other researchers manipulate cells' form and function to create new tissues, and even organs, to repair, restore or replace those damaged by injury or disease.

Environmental tobacco smoke is associated with periodontitis in US non-smokers Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:36 AM PDT Periodontitis affects approximately 47% of adults in the United States and the U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that cigarette smoking is one of its causes. Despite numerous adverse health effects of environmental tobacco smoke, an association between periodontitis and this "second-hand smoke" in non-smokers remains questionable. In this study, the researchers aimed to investigate the association between serum cotinine and periodontitis among U.S. non-smokers.

Birth weight and pregnancy complications associated with the enamel defects Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:36 AM PDT A cross-sectional representative study aimed to assess the association between birth weight and severity of defects development of enamel (DDE) in the primary dentition. The sample was comprised 1,309 children five years of age, enrolled in kindergarten in the city of Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. The children were examined at school for the diagnosis of DDE. The mothers answered a questionnaire containing information of complications during pregnancy. The response variable was dichotomized in greater and lesser gravity of developmental defects of enamel, depending on the location of the DDE, when in the previous sector was considered minor and when he was in the posterior region or both, greater severity. The covariates were child gender, birth weight, prematurity, age of the mother during pregnancy and complications during pregnancy.

Genetically engineered immunotoxin shows early promise in patients with B-cell malignancies Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:36 AM PDT DT2219, a new bispecific ligand-directed diphtheria toxin, was found to be safe and clinically effective in a small group of patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies, according to phase I clinical trial data.

Novel monitoring tools tackle chemical surface waters pollution Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:34 AM PDT With the socio-economic developments of the last decades, new emerging compounds have been produced, released and discharged through different point and diffuse sources in European rivers, lakes, and marine-coastal and transitional waters. Treated municipal wastewaters contain a multitude of organic chemicals including pharmaceuticals, hormones, and personal care products, which are continuously introduced into aquatic ecosystems. Their possible effects on the environment and human health is often unknown.

Number of fungal species has been greatly overestimated Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:34 AM PDT The most species-rich fungal communities are in tropical rainforests, new research confirms. The estimated global species richness of fungi, 1.5–5.1 million species, however, seems to be a vast overestimation, according to their data.

Presentation is key in patient information, research suggests Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:34 AM PDT The font type of written text and how easy it is to read can be influential when it comes to engaging people with important health information and recruiting them for potentially beneficial programs, new research has found.

Scientists question tropical protected areas' role under climate change Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:34 AM PDT New research highlights how poor connectivity of protected area (PA) networks in Southeast Asia may prevent lowland species from responding to climate change. Tropical species are shifting to higher elevations in response to rising temperatures, but there has been only limited research into the effectiveness of current protected area networks in facilitating such movements in the face of climate change.

Listening to classical music modulates genes that are responsible for brain functions Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:34 AM PDT Although listening to music is common in all societies, the biological determinants of listening to music are largely unknown. According to a new study, listening to classical music enhanced the activity of genes involved in dopamine secretion and transport, synaptic neurotransmission, learning and memory, and down-regulated the genes mediating neurodegeneration. Several of the up-regulated genes were known to be responsible for song learning and singing in songbirds, suggesting a common evolutionary background of sound perception across species.

Tablet use: significance of usage position, potential for neck damage Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:34 AM PDT Tablet use has rocketed. Last year in the US, for example, 42% of under 18's owned one and more than half of 35-49 year olds used them regularly. This figure seems unlikely to decrease and yet only limited guidance is available on minimizing health risks. Tablet use requires significant head and neck flexion and has implications for potential neck injury to users. In a new article, researchers evaluate the head-neck biomechanics during tablet use, the implications for the neck musculature and future ergonomics recommendations.

Female mice do not avoid mating with unhealthy males Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:34 AM PDT A male's attractiveness lies not only in his physical appearance. This is true for people as well as for animals. Scent plays an important role for many creatures when it comes to choosing a mating partner. Female mice show preferences for the scent of healthy males and yet surprisingly they choose unhealthy males just as often as mating partners, scientists report. Mating choice is therefore not based solely on odor.

Mobile quarantine station for malicious android apps Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:34 AM PDT The attacks were perfidious: In February this year, the Czech IT security company Avast declared that it had identified several malicious game apps for mobile phones in the Google Play Store -- ones that would only become criminally active on the device after several weeks. Then the affected smartphones or tablet computers would suddenly take minutes, instead of seconds, to display all the usual settings in proper colors. Or a message would appear when unlocking the device, claiming that the memory was infected or full of pornographic data. Anyone following the instructions given there would be redirected to suspicious sites, which make users download even more malicious programs (malware).

Blood pressure drug protects against symptoms of multiple sclerosis in animal models Posted: 13 Mar 2015 05:32 AM PDT An FDA-approved drug for high blood pressure, guanabenz, prevents myelin loss and alleviates clinical symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in animal models, according to a new study. The drug appears to enhance an innate cellular mechanism that protects myelin-producing cells.

Minimally invasive spinal fusion surgery: Less painful, faster recovery, smaller incisions Posted: 12 Mar 2015 07:16 PM PDT A minimally invasive spinal fusion back surgery results in less blood loss, less postoperative pain, smaller incisions, a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery and return to work. Rather than cutting through paraspinal (back) muscles, the surgeon spreads and dilates the muscles to obtain access to the lumbar (lower back) spine.

New genome-editing technology to help treat blood cancers Posted: 12 Mar 2015 05:22 PM PDT A new genome editing technology has been developed that can target and kill blood cancer cells with high accuracy. Using the technology, researchers were able to kill human lymphoma cells by locating and deleting an essential gene for cancer cell survival.

Antibiotic nanoparticles attack respiratory infection at source, reduce drug side effects Posted: 12 Mar 2015 05:21 PM PDT Treating respiratory disease is often difficult because drugs have to cross biological barriers such as respiratory tissue and mucosa, and must therefore be given in large quantities in order for an effective amount to reach the target. Now researchers have shown that the use of nanoparticles to carry antibiotics across biological barriers can be effective in treating lung infections. Doing so allows better delivery of the drug to the site of infection, and hence prevents the development of antibiotic resistance which may be caused by too large and continued doses of antibiotic. Additionally, such a strategy might help to overcome the rapid metabolism and excretion of the antibiotic from the body, which happens when it is administered by traditional routes, either orally or intravenously.

Building a genomic GPS Posted: 12 Mar 2015 02:38 PM PDT A new 'app' for finding and mapping chromosomal loci using multicolored versions of CRISPR/Cas9, one of the hottest tools in biomedical research today, has been developed by scientists.

New protocol can help emergency departments evaluate patients with acute chest pain Posted: 12 Mar 2015 02:37 PM PDT A recently developed risk-evaluation protocol can help hospital emergency department personnel more efficiently determine which patients with acute chest pain can be sent home safely, according to a randomized trial.

Nine superfruits and super seeds to add to your diet Posted: 12 Mar 2015 02:35 PM PDT Although there is no universal standard definition of a super seed or superfruit, they are often described as providing a number of nutrients and health benefits all in one package. A new article describes nine seeds and superfruits that fit the bill for consumers' desire for natural, minimally processed foods.

Electronic cigarette vapors contain toxins, have potential to be a public health concern Posted: 12 Mar 2015 12:38 PM PDT On the heels of the Federal Drug Administration's (FDA) second public workshop to explore the public health considerations associated with e-cigarettes, researchers explore the composition of e-cigarette vapor and the potential health impacts of secondhand exposure.

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