ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Need for better characterized genomes for clinical sequencing
• Sponge structure key to mopping up oil spills
• New climate study argues for carbon fee
• The origins of the universe
• Can’t sleep? Street lights may be keeping you awake
• How much sleep do you really need, and what happens when you don’t get enough?
• A new way to stretch DNA
• H. pylori infection may reduce risk of allergic esophageal condition
• Drinking more water associated with numerous dietary benefits, study finds
• Increases in state, local spending could decrease mortality rates, researcher finds
• Drought in Eastern Mediterranean worst of past 900 years
• Bees 'dumb down' after ingesting tiny doses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos
• Early MRI screening reduces risk of breast cancer death for survivors of childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Cholera-like disease 'piggybacking' on El Niño to reach new shores
• Physicists get a perfect material for air filters
• Expansion of lone star ticks in Kansas
• High patient satisfaction with telemedicine-based care of sleep apnea
• Donor organ recovery at standalone facility increases suitable organs for transplant
• Why objects in the universe have such a range of sizes: Celestial bodies born like cracking paint
• Link between sleep and social participation may be key to healthy aging
• New method to stop Argentine ants
• Impact of climate change on public health
• Less connectivity improves innovation
• The evolution of amyloid toxicity in Alzheimer's
• Eliminating GMOs would take toll on environment, economies
• Autism test on the horizon as firm screens for signatures of disorder
• How to tame your robot
• More than 200,000 in Massachusetts still without health insurance
• Understanding spit
• Is conservation aid preventing deforestation?
• Identity unearthed: How excavations in Sudan reveal the transformation Egyptian, Nubian culture
• Twin study: Genetics, environment affect different regions of the brain
• Low vitamin D predicts aggressive prostate cancer
• Researchers identify risk factors that predict violence in adults with mental illness
• Hey boss: Workers prefer consistent jerk to loose cannon
• OLED displays and solid-state lightings in mass production, coming soon
• New discovery opens doors to manipulating fat production in the body
• Beta blockers may lead to new novel triple negative breast cancer treatments
• Analysis finds tax credit extensions can impact renewable energy deployment, electric sector
• Campuses need safety planning to protect abuse victims, study finds
• Regulating neuronal membrane lipids could be the key to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's
• Neutrophils 'vacuum' microbes away from brain
• High-carbon coal products could derail China's clean energy efforts
• What you know can affect how you see
• Turning on blood flow turns on fat-burning brown fat in mice
• Cardiac effects of running your first marathon examined in new study
• Signposts to the muscles
• New research helps solve the riddle of the ocean carbon conundrum
• New formula can predict professional football players' long-term concussion damages
• Combination injection improves glucose control for patients with type 2 diabetes
• Study calls into question current MERS vaccine strategy
• Air pollution linked to higher risk of preterm birth for mothers with asthma
• They work for stores and airlines: Could customer loyalty programs work in health care too?
• 'Water Battery': Charging water by means of a mini water bridge
• Study may widen patient pool that benefits from EPZ-5676 against acute myeloid leukemia
• Preserved Siberian moose with the DNA of ancient animal discovered
• Studies explain adolescents' vulnerability to addictive drugs
• Brain connectivity disruptions may explain cognitive deficits in people with brain injury
• Whole-exome sequencing: Rational approach for 'diagnostic odyssey' patients
• Life or illusion? Avoiding 'false positives' in the search for living worlds

Need for better characterized genomes for clinical sequencing Posted: 01 Mar 2016 05:49 PM PST Challenges in benchmarking difficult, but clinically important regions of the genome have been reported. The results underscore the need to extend benchmarking references against which sequencing data and analyses can be compared and validated.

Sponge structure key to mopping up oil spills Posted: 01 Mar 2016 05:49 PM PST An interconnected structure, which water can easily flow through, is key to creating a highly effective mechanical sponge for clearing oil spills.

New climate study argues for carbon fee Posted: 01 Mar 2016 05:49 PM PST A new study reports that current rising temperatures already noticeably load the 'climate dice,' with growing practical impacts. As a bottom line, the lead author argues that a carbon fee is needed to spur replacement of carbon fuels with clean energy.

The origins of the universe Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:54 PM PST An in-depth look at the origins of matter and the environmental conditions that helped shape the universe today.

Can’t sleep? Street lights may be keeping you awake Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:50 PM PST If your neighborhood is well-lit at night, you may not be sleeping well, according to a new study.

How much sleep do you really need, and what happens when you don’t get enough? Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:50 PM PST Every March, we are all faced with the arrival of Daylight Saving Time and its impact on our circadian rhythms, our sleep-wake pattern. The 1-hour shift in time can even temporarily disrupt our ability to fall asleep at night and to wake up in the morning. We not only lose an hour of sleep, but the time change disrupts the body's biological clock and circadian rhythm. The effect is the same as jetlag in plane travel, in which our bodies remain on the prior schedule for a period of time.

A new way to stretch DNA Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:50 PM PST Researchers have recently developed a new way to controllably manipulate materials, in this case biomolecules that are too small to see with the naked eye. By stretching molecules like DNA and proteins, scientists can find out important information about the structure, chemical bonding and mechanical properties of the individual molecules that make up our bodies. This understanding could shed light on diseases like cancer and ALS. The new technique is called acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS).

H. pylori infection may reduce risk of allergic esophageal condition Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:48 PM PST New research suggests that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection of the stomach, which occurs in about half of the world's population and can cause peptic ulcers and stomach cancer in minority of cases, may help protect against an allergic disorder of the esophagus condition called eosinophilic esophagitis.

Drinking more water associated with numerous dietary benefits, study finds Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:47 PM PST A new study has examined the dietary habits of more than 18,300 US adults, and found the majority of people who increased their consumption of plain water by 1 percent reduced their total daily calorie intake as well as their consumption of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol.

Increases in state, local spending could decrease mortality rates, researcher finds Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:41 PM PST A researcher used rigorous statistical methods from the field of economics to show how small increases in social spending on welfare and education can reduce the risk of dying.

Drought in Eastern Mediterranean worst of past 900 years Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:41 PM PST A new study finds that the recent drought that began in 1998 in the eastern Mediterranean Levant region, which comprises Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey, is likely the worst drought of the past nine centuries.

Bees 'dumb down' after ingesting tiny doses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:41 PM PST Honeybees suffer severe learning and memory deficits after ingesting very small doses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, potentially threatening their success and survival, new research suggests.

Early MRI screening reduces risk of breast cancer death for survivors of childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:41 PM PST Early screening with MRIs can reduce breast cancer mortality for female survivors of childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) who received chest radiation, researchers have confirmed in a screening effectiveness study.

Cholera-like disease 'piggybacking' on El Niño to reach new shores Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:41 PM PST Waterborne diseases are being spread by El Niño, say researchers. El Niño describes the unusual warming of surface waters along the tropical west coast of South America. These events tend to occur every 3 - 7 years; something many suggest have become more regular and extreme in recent years, as a result of climate change.

Physicists get a perfect material for air filters Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:40 PM PST Scientists have synthesized the material that is perfect for protection of respiratory organs, analytical research and other practical purposes. An almost weightless fabric made of nylon nanofibers with a diameter less than 15 nm beats any other similar materials in terms of filtering and optical properties.

Expansion of lone star ticks in Kansas Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:40 PM PST Researchers have found habitats suitable for lone star tick populations in Kansas are growing.

High patient satisfaction with telemedicine-based care of sleep apnea Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:40 PM PST A new study suggests that telemedicine-based management for obstructive sleep apnea is as effective and may be comparable to in-person care.

Donor organ recovery at standalone facility increases suitable organs for transplant Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:39 PM PST Transplant surgeons report that obtaining organs from deceased organ donors costs much less and leads to a higher number of transplantable organs recovered when brain-dead donors are moved from the hospital to an independent, freestanding facility dedicated to organ recovery.

Why objects in the universe have such a range of sizes: Celestial bodies born like cracking paint Posted: 01 Mar 2016 02:39 PM PST Researchers have explained why objects in the universe come in a wide variety of sizes, from the largest stars to the smallest asteroids -- and it has a lot to do with how paint cracks when it dries. When a volume is under internal tension -- as the early universe was due to gravity -- the most efficient way to relieve that tension is by 'cracking' hierarchically -- few large and many small.

Link between sleep and social participation may be key to healthy aging Posted: 01 Mar 2016 11:48 AM PST Sleep may be one of the most important factors for well-being; yet, according to the CDC, one in three adults does not get enough. Lack of sleep can lead to potential cognitive declines, chronic diseases and death. Now, research finds that older adults who have trouble sleeping, could benefit from participating in social activities, in particular attending religious events.

New method to stop Argentine ants Posted: 01 Mar 2016 11:48 AM PST Researchers may have found a better, more environmentally friendly way to stop the procession of Argentine ants, which have been spreading across the United States for the past few decades, despite pest control efforts.

Impact of climate change on public health Posted: 01 Mar 2016 11:48 AM PST Doctors warn of the impending public health crisis brought on by climate change and call for action to help prepare the world for what is ahead.

Less connectivity improves innovation Posted: 01 Mar 2016 11:48 AM PST Connectivity does not always lead to more complex technology. An individual's propensity to learn from successful cultural models -- a common strategy that allows us to copy efficient solutions from others -- reduces the diversity of solutions. Partially connected groups are more likely to produce diverse solutions, allowing them to innovate by combining different solutions.

The evolution of amyloid toxicity in Alzheimer's Posted: 01 Mar 2016 11:47 AM PST Outsized human suffering is linked to 'amyloid beta,' an otherwise tiny, innocuous-looking protein molecule, as it is suspected to be a key player in neurodegenerative mechanisms underlying Alzheimer's disease. The molecules appear to become toxic within our bodies when they make contact with each other and form small bundles. Oddly, they may become less toxic again as the bundles grow and form ordered fibrillary plaque deposits. This begs the question: what's different about these bundles?

Eliminating GMOs would take toll on environment, economies Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:15 AM PST Higher food prices, a significant boost in greenhouse gas emissions due to land use change and major loss of forest and pasture land would be some results if genetically modified organisms in the United States were banned, according to a study.

Autism test on the horizon as firm screens for signatures of disorder Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:15 AM PST A company is screening blood samples in an effort to develop a biologically based method to diagnose autism. The company specializes in detecting the byproducts of cellular activity and then applying high-powered statistics to detect patterns among thousands of metabolites.

How to tame your robot Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:14 AM PST A student has put the power of interacting with robots into our hands — literally.

More than 200,000 in Massachusetts still without health insurance Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:14 AM PST The cost of health insurance, limits in eligibility and difficulties with the application process are among the major reasons more than 200,000 individuals across Massachusetts are still uninsured, according to a new report .

Understanding spit Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:14 AM PST This is a story about spit. Not just any spit, but the saliva of cyst nematodes, a parasite that literally sucks away billions in profits from soybean and other crops every year. Scientists find how nematodes use key hormones to take over root cells.

Is conservation aid preventing deforestation? Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:13 AM PST International conservation aid may lead to more deforestation in sub-Saharan African countries Better governance can help mitigate forest loss in heavily forested countries, say researchers, revealing rates of deforestation in a study of 42 African countries.

Identity unearthed: How excavations in Sudan reveal the transformation Egyptian, Nubian culture Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:13 AM PST An anthropologist details how excavations in Sudan reveal the transformation Egyptian and Nubian culture. In a middle-class tomb just east of the Nile River in what was Upper Nubia, a woman offers a glimpse of how two met civilizations met, mingled and a new pharaonic dynasty arose. Her tomb was Egyptian, but she was buried in the Nubian style -- placed in a flexed position on her side and resting on a bed. Around her neck she wore amulets of the Egyptian god Bes, the protector of households.

Twin study: Genetics, environment affect different regions of the brain Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:13 AM PST Evidence has been found that genetic influence on cerebral glucose metabolism played a major role in the bilateral parietal lobes and the left temporal lobe of the human brain, while environmental influences after birth dominated in other regions.

Low vitamin D predicts aggressive prostate cancer Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:11 AM PST A new study provides a major link between low levels of vitamin D and aggressive prostate cancer. Research showed deficient vitamin D blood levels in men can predict aggressive prostate cancer identified at the time of surgery. The finding is important because it can offer guidance to men and their doctors who may be considering active surveillance, in which they monitor the cancer rather than remove the prostate

Researchers identify risk factors that predict violence in adults with mental illness Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:11 AM PST Researchers have identified three risk factors that make adults with mental illness more likely to engage in violent behavior. The findings give mental health professionals and others working with adults with mental illness a suite of characteristics they can use as potential warning signs, allowing them to intervene and hopefully prevent violent behavior.

Hey boss: Workers prefer consistent jerk to loose cannon Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:11 AM PST Is your boss always a jerk? You still may be better off than those workers whose supervisor is courteous one moment and rude the next. New research suggests employees whose superior is consistently unfair are actually less stressed and more satisfied with their job than employees with an erratic boss.

OLED displays and solid-state lightings in mass production, coming soon Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:11 AM PST Scientists have fabricated highly-efficient, solution-processed fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes using pure-organic thermally-activated delayed-fluorescence emitters.

New discovery opens doors to manipulating fat production in the body Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:11 AM PST Move over diet and exercise, a new weight control method is in the works and it involves manipulating the production of fat cells at their source. A new research report shows that at least some human fat cells are actually produced from stem cells that originate in bone marrow.

Beta blockers may lead to new novel triple negative breast cancer treatments Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:11 AM PST New research shows that a commonly prescribed class of high blood pressure drugs may have the potential to slow the growth of triple negative breast cancer tumors. These drugs, called 'beta blockers' work by counteracting the pro-growth effect caused by adrenaline by affecting the the beta2-adrenoceptor.

Analysis finds tax credit extensions can impact renewable energy deployment, electric sector Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:09 AM PST New analysis explores the potential impact of recently extended federal tax credits on the deployment of renewable generation technologies and related US electric sector carbon dioxide emissions.

Campuses need safety planning to protect abuse victims, study finds Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:09 AM PST With up to half of college students experiencing abuse by an intimate partner at least once during their college careers, safety planning should be added to prevention and education programs in higher education, according to a research brief.

Regulating neuronal membrane lipids could be the key to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:09 AM PST Using latest-generation molecular simulations researchers have demonstrated that a decrease in polyunsaturated lipids in neuronal membranes, as seen in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's sufferers, directly affects the binding rate of dopamine and adenosine receptors.

Neutrophils 'vacuum' microbes away from brain Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:09 AM PST Researchers have discovered a new way that white blood cells (neutrophils) defend our brains from infection -- they move the microbes from our brains' blood vessels or vasculature so they can be disposed elsewhere instead of just killing them at the site of infection.

High-carbon coal products could derail China's clean energy efforts Posted: 01 Mar 2016 10:09 AM PST China's plan to ramp up production of new chemicals and synthetic fuels made from coal could derail recent efforts to lower its carbon dioxide emissions and instead lock the Chinese government into high-carbon investments for years to come, a new study finds.

What you know can affect how you see Posted: 01 Mar 2016 09:01 AM PST Do you see what I see? Maybe not, if you know more about it than I do. Using the Arabic alphabet as a frame of reference, researchers studied how experts in the language and novices viewed various letters and found clear evidence that visual processing is influenced by experience.

Turning on blood flow turns on fat-burning brown fat in mice Posted: 01 Mar 2016 09:00 AM PST Increasing the blood flow in brown fat causes it to burn more calories in mice and may help treat obesity, a new study reports.

Cardiac effects of running your first marathon examined in new study Posted: 01 Mar 2016 08:54 AM PST Novice marathon runners will be examined in a new study for possible beneficial or harmful cardiac changes by researchers in a new study that hopes to understand the effects of intensive exercise on those not used to it.

Signposts to the muscles Posted: 01 Mar 2016 08:47 AM PST A protein complex, whose function had previously been virtually unknown, appears to act as a guide to growing nerve cells, ensuring they reach their intended destinations. The discovery revealed that a protein complex referred to as ASC-1 appears to be responsible for the control of numerous nerve growth factors.

New research helps solve the riddle of the ocean carbon conundrum Posted: 01 Mar 2016 08:47 AM PST Initially, the fact that the oceans are absorbing a significant amount of the carbon dioxide we pump into the atmosphere by burning biomass and fossil fuels would appear to be a good thing. However, as more carbon dioxide dissolves into the oceans, it changes the pH of the seawater (a process called ocean acidification), making it difficult for some marine life to survive.

New formula can predict professional football players' long-term concussion damages Posted: 01 Mar 2016 08:45 AM PST Amid the heightened awareness of concussion-related brain damage among professional football players, a new study reports that researchers can predict cognitive outcomes long after the players have retired.

Combination injection improves glucose control for patients with type 2 diabetes Posted: 01 Mar 2016 08:41 AM PST Injection of a new long-acting insulin combined with another drug improves glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes and, additionally, is associated with weight loss, a multinational clinical trial has found.

Study calls into question current MERS vaccine strategy Posted: 01 Mar 2016 08:41 AM PST The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) develops mutations that make the virus less virulent during an outbreak rather than more virulent, researchers report. The study has implications for vaccine development.

Air pollution linked to higher risk of preterm birth for mothers with asthma Posted: 01 Mar 2016 08:38 AM PST Pregnant women with asthma may be at greater risk of preterm birth when exposed to high levels of certain traffic-related air pollutants, according to a study. The researchers observed an increased risk associated with both ongoing and short-term exposure to nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, particularly when women were exposed to those pollutants just before conception and in early pregnancy.

They work for stores and airlines: Could customer loyalty programs work in health care too? Posted: 01 Mar 2016 08:38 AM PST When you buy a cup of coffee, an airline ticket or a tank of gas these days, you probably pull out a customer loyalty card without even thinking about it. You may be thinking mostly about perks. But the place you're buying from is focused on keeping your business. Now, a team proposes that health-care providers should offer the same kinds of programs -- for reasons that go far beyond why businesses use them.

'Water Battery': Charging water by means of a mini water bridge Posted: 01 Mar 2016 07:32 AM PST Researchers have managed to produce electrically charged water by means of a floating water bridge.

Study may widen patient pool that benefits from EPZ-5676 against acute myeloid leukemia Posted: 01 Mar 2016 07:31 AM PST The mechanism that gene MN1 uses to cause an aggressive AML subtype is better understood thanks to new research. Drugs targeting weak link in the chain of causation are in clinical trials for other subtypes.

Preserved Siberian moose with the DNA of ancient animal discovered Posted: 01 Mar 2016 07:31 AM PST Scientists have found preserved moose in Western Siberia that have unique features of DNA structure. This discovery will help determine the origin and path of moose movement in the last few tens of thousands of years and gives reason to believe that Siberia is a unique genetic repository.

Studies explain adolescents' vulnerability to addictive drugs Posted: 01 Mar 2016 07:31 AM PST Researchers have discovered one reason why adolescents are more prone to drug addiction than adults, with findings that could lead to new treatments for addictive disorders.

Brain connectivity disruptions may explain cognitive deficits in people with brain injury Posted: 01 Mar 2016 07:31 AM PST Cognitive impairment following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common, often adversely affecting quality of life for those 1.7 million Americans who experience a TBI each year. Researchers have identified complex brain connectivity patterns in individuals with chronic phases of traumatic brain injury which may explain long term higher order cognitive function deficits.

Whole-exome sequencing: Rational approach for 'diagnostic odyssey' patients Posted: 01 Mar 2016 07:31 AM PST Whole-exome sequencing (WES) could serve as a viable diagnostic approach for identifying rare inherited diseases and providing a resolution for patients on a diagnostic odyssey, new clinical research shows.

Life or illusion? Avoiding 'false positives' in the search for living worlds Posted: 01 Mar 2016 04:53 AM PST New research will help astronomers better identify -- and thus rule out -- "false positives" in the search for life beyond Earth.

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