ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Possible Viking discovery by archaeologist could rewrite North American history
• Intelligent scalpel locates cancerous tumors in the brain
• Your viruses could reveal your travel history, and more
• Brain region crucial for using boundaries to navigate identified
• Preference for dating smarter partners negatively affects women's attitudes toward STEM
• Researchers identify candidate biomarker of accelerated onset diabetic retinopathy
• Fragile X research
• What are aerosols?
• Feeding the world: Uncovering a key regulator of flower head development in rice
• Engineered monomeric streptavidin
• An overfed fetus may become an overweight adolescent
• Lower home temperature in winter is associated with lower waist measurement
• Infants with strong sucking skills are more likely to gain additional weight
• Light helps develop programmable materials
• Artificial molecules
• Growing skin in the lab
• Ancient DNA shows European wipe-out of early Americans
• Rise of the ridiculously resilient ridge: California drought patterns becoming more common
• Massive deforestation found in Brazil's Cerrado
• Study determines economic impact, ripple effect of hunting on CRP-funded land
• Discovery of cellular counting mechanism used for size control in algae with links to cancer genetics
• New cause of exceptional Greenland melt revealed
• Researcher synthesizes hybrid molecule that delivers a blow to malignant cells
• In mildly obese patients, sleeve-it surgery may increase weight loss and glycemic control
• Transgender veterans have high rates of mental health problems
• Number of science, engineering graduate students up in 2014
• Older overweight and obese adults with diabetes benefit from better diet and exercise
• Training to prevent strain injury? Contraction mode matters
• Lithium hoarding behind failure of promising new battery
• How to control chlamydia: An ECDC guidance for Europe
• Brain processes social information at high priority
• Chemical in antibacterial soap may disrupt mix of organisms in digestive tract
• New plasma source favorable for hydrogen negative ion beam is developed
• New toolkit can improve primary healthcare for people with developmental disabilities
• Attention deficit after kids' critical illness linked to plasticizers in medical tubes
• Transmission of viruses between eastern and western honey bees are rare
• Secrets of protons in water ice
• Nepali textile find suggests Silk Road extended further south than previously thought
• HIV-positive children, adolescents: Added benefit of rilpivirine not proven
• Ruthenium nanoframes open the doors to better catalysts
• Ice Age Antarctic Ocean gives clue to 'missing' atmospheric carbon dioxide
• Call them spare tires or love handles, belly fat is bad
• New test can predict death in patients with serious liver disease
• Vaccine adjuvant protects against post-burn infection
• Strongest titanium alloy aims at improving vehicle fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions
• Scientists divide magnetic vortices into collectivists and individualists
• Study raises online golf tutorials to above par
• Pros and cons of mandatory GMO labeling
• Heart rate variability predicts epileptic seizures
• Canine influenza transmitted to cats in Midwestern shelter
• Did public opinion of immigration take a negative turn during the recession?
• Crafting a sustainable future for humanity
• Hard mathematical problems as basis for new cryptographic techniques
• Study on the assessment of students: Overcoming bias in decision making
• Tactile power steering for order picking carts
• Radar with 360° vision
• The Moon may play a major role in maintaining Earth's magnetic field
• New insights in blood vessel formation
• Climate change drives UK wine production but not without weather shocks
• Infants born prematurely may show less interest in others

Possible Viking discovery by archaeologist could rewrite North American history Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:20 PM PDT Using satellite imaging, an archaeologist may have found evidence of the 2nd Norse settlement in North America at a site in Newfoundland.

Intelligent scalpel locates cancerous tumors in the brain Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:08 PM PDT Removing a brain tumor is a delicate task, if not done properly it can have catastrophic consequences, such as brain damage, motor impairment or failure in controlling a vital organ function. In order to make this work more precise scientists have designed a "smart scalpel" that determines whether an area is healthy or tumorous.

Your viruses could reveal your travel history, and more Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:08 PM PDT The genomes of two distinct strains of the virus that causes the common lip cold sore, herpes simplex virus type 1, have been identified within an individual person -- an achievement that could be useful to forensic scientists for tracing a person's history. The research also opens the door to understanding how a patient's viruses influence the course of disease.

Brain region crucial for using boundaries to navigate identified Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:08 PM PDT Researchers discovered which region of the brain helps us use boundaries to navigate.

Preference for dating smarter partners negatively affects women's attitudes toward STEM Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:07 PM PDT Women with a preference for more intelligent partners are less likely to show interest in male-dominated fields such as math and science, according to a newly published study.

Researchers identify candidate biomarker of accelerated onset diabetic retinopathy Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:07 PM PDT Researchers describe, for the first time, an association between a defective myogenic response of blood vessels in the retina and early, accelerated development of retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes. The findings may lead to the development of targeted therapies to delay or prevent the development of diabetic retinopathy in this population.

Fragile X research Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:07 PM PDT Researchers have new findings on fragile X, an autism-linked genetic disorder. Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is an inherited cause of intellectual disability, especially among boys. It results in a spectrum of intellectual disabilities ranging from mild to severe, as well as physical characteristics, such as an elongated face, large or protruding ears, and large testes. Accompanying behavioral characteristics include stereotypic movements, such as hand-flapping, and social anxiety.

What are aerosols? Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:50 AM PDT An atmospheric scientist has flown on planes outfitted with high tech equipment through wildfire plumes and over the ocean, and has visited stations all over the globe to observe aerosols and understand the potentially big impact these suspensions of tiny particles can have on climate.

Feeding the world: Uncovering a key regulator of flower head development in rice Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:45 AM PDT Discovering how rice flower structures develop in response to environmental cues will help breeders increase the productivity of this crucial food crop. In a groundbreaking study, scientists uncovered an important regulator of this developmental process through mutant and molecular analysis.

Engineered monomeric streptavidin Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:45 AM PDT A novel streptavidin variant with improved biotin binding characteristics allows stable monovalent detection of biotinylated targets for imaging applications and can be recombinantly fused to introduce a biotin binding tag, report researchers.

An overfed fetus may become an overweight adolescent Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:45 AM PDT Higher levels of blood markers in the umbilical cord indicate that the baby has more fat and may continue having more fat into late childhood and adolescence, new research suggests.

Lower home temperature in winter is associated with lower waist measurement Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:45 AM PDT Elderly adults are bigger around the middle when they turn up the heat inside their homes during the cold season and have smaller waistlines when their homes stay cool, new research finds.

Infants with strong sucking skills are more likely to gain additional weight Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:45 AM PDT A new study of African-American infants finds that those who feed more vigorously at one month of age have higher weight at four months, which may be associated with a later risk for obesity.

Light helps develop programmable materials Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:45 AM PDT Light of a certain wavelength can be used to put so-called active materials into motion and control their movement. In the future, this discovery can become significant in widely different areas such as environmental protection, medicine and the development of new materials which can be programmed.

Artificial molecules Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:45 AM PDT A new method allows scientists to fabricate artificial molecules out of different types of microspheres. The researchers would like to one day use such tiny objects in micro-robots, for photonics and basic biochemical research.

Growing skin in the lab Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:45 AM PDT Using reprogrammed iPS cells, scientists have successfully grown complex skin tissue -- complete with hair follicles and sebaceous glands -- in the laboratory.

Ancient DNA shows European wipe-out of early Americans Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:45 AM PDT The first large-scale study of ancient DNA from early American people has confirmed the devastating impact of European colonization on the Indigenous American populations of the time.

Rise of the ridiculously resilient ridge: California drought patterns becoming more common Posted: 01 Apr 2016 11:44 AM PDT Atmospheric patterns resembling those that appeared during the latter half of California's ongoing multi-year drought are becoming more common, report scientists.

Massive deforestation found in Brazil's Cerrado Posted: 01 Apr 2016 10:11 AM PDT Agricultural expansion in Brazil's Cerrado is quickly chewing up rainforests and savannas -- even altering the region's water cycle, a new study finds.

Study determines economic impact, ripple effect of hunting on CRP-funded land Posted: 01 Apr 2016 10:11 AM PDT An economic analysis of data gathered from survey respondents who bought South Dakota hunting licenses showed that more than $37.5 million was generated through those who hunted on land set aside through Conservation Reserve Program funding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency research shows the economic contribution, impacts and benefits from hunting that occurs on CRP lands and calculates the effect of a 50 percent reduction in CRP acres.

Discovery of cellular counting mechanism used for size control in algae with links to cancer genetics Posted: 01 Apr 2016 10:08 AM PDT Cell size is a critical trait for improved yields of algal biofuels, scientists have discovered. Unlike the textbook paradigm of cell proliferation where cells double in size and then immediately split into two new daughters, cells of Chlamydomonas and many of its green algal relatives can enlarge more than ten times in size before they start dividing.

New cause of exceptional Greenland melt revealed Posted: 01 Apr 2016 10:08 AM PDT The energy associated with air temperature and moisture content, rather than radiant energy from the sun, was responsible for more melt during the 2012 exceptional melt episodes on the Greenland Ice Sheet, new research indicates. Using the PROMICE automatic weather station data, they found climate models underestimate the impact of exceptionally warm weather episodes on the ice sheet.

Researcher synthesizes hybrid molecule that delivers a blow to malignant cells Posted: 01 Apr 2016 10:06 AM PDT A new molecule recently developed shows promise for treating breast cancer. The protein/polymer-gold nanoparticle composite, besides being easy to synthesize, can load up with drugs, carry them to malignant cells, and unload them where they can do the most damage with the least amount of harm to the patient.

In mildly obese patients, sleeve-it surgery may increase weight loss and glycemic control Posted: 01 Apr 2016 10:06 AM PDT In mildly obese ('class I') patients, sleeve with ileal transposition (sleeve-IT) surgery results in better glycemic control than either gastric bypass or clinical treatment, a new study suggests.

Transgender veterans have high rates of mental health problems Posted: 01 Apr 2016 10:06 AM PDT Among military veterans identifying as transgender, 90 percent have at least one mental health diagnosis, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression, and nearly 50 percent had a hospitalization after a suicide attempt or suicidal thoughts.

Number of science, engineering graduate students up in 2014 Posted: 01 Apr 2016 10:06 AM PDT The number of science and engineering graduate students at US academic institutions rose by 3 percent between 2013 and 2014, owing largely to a 13.1 percent increase in foreign graduate enrollment.

Older overweight and obese adults with diabetes benefit from better diet and exercise Posted: 01 Apr 2016 10:06 AM PDT Lifestyle changes that include healthier diet and routine physical exercise help older overweight and obese adults with Type 2 diabetes improve glucose control, body composition, physical function and bone quality, according to preliminary findings of an ongoing clinical trial.

Training to prevent strain injury? Contraction mode matters Posted: 01 Apr 2016 08:23 AM PDT Hamstring injuries are the most common noncontact injury in elite sport. Despite increased research efforts, these injury rates continue to rise. Recent evidence has shown that short muscle fiber lengths can increase the risk of hamstring injury in elite soccer players. This study aimed to see how fascicle lengths change following training interventions of either lengthening or shortening contractions.

Lithium hoarding behind failure of promising new battery Posted: 01 Apr 2016 08:23 AM PDT A salt plays a critical role in allowing lithium-sulfur batteries to hold a charge after more than 200 uses; this work offers needed design principles for creating long-lasting, high-capacity batteries.

How to control chlamydia: An ECDC guidance for Europe Posted: 01 Apr 2016 08:19 AM PDT They are young and mostly female: with more than 3.2 million cases between 2005 and 2014, chlamydia remains the most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection across Europe. An updated Guidance on chlamydia control in Europe from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control makes the case for national chlamydia control strategies in the European Union Member States and shows ways to develop, implement or improve national or local control activities.

Brain processes social information at high priority Posted: 01 Apr 2016 08:19 AM PDT Our perception is highly sensitized for absorbing social information, new research has found. The brain is thus trained to pay a great degree of attention to everyday actions.

Chemical in antibacterial soap may disrupt mix of organisms in digestive tract Posted: 01 Apr 2016 08:19 AM PDT Use of a common nonprescription antimicrobial, triclocarban, during pregnancy and breast-feeding may alter the offspring's composition of intestinal bacteria and other micro-organisms, called the gut microbiota, a new animal study finds.

New plasma source favorable for hydrogen negative ion beam is developed Posted: 01 Apr 2016 08:18 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new plasma wave phenomenon, leading to the development of a negative ion source for fusion plasma heating.

New toolkit can improve primary healthcare for people with developmental disabilities Posted: 01 Apr 2016 08:18 AM PDT Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have more health issues than other adults, but they are less likely to receive preventative care. A new toolkit will help family health teams provide better, more proactive care for this vulnerable and underserved population.

Attention deficit after kids' critical illness linked to plasticizers in medical tubes Posted: 01 Apr 2016 08:18 AM PDT Children who are often hospitalized in intensive care units are more likely to have attention deficit disorders later, and new research finds a possible culprit: a high level of plastic-softening chemicals called phthalates circulating in the blood. The researchers suggest these chemicals, which are added to indwelling medical devices such as plastic tubes and catheters, seep into the child's bloodstream.

Transmission of viruses between eastern and western honey bees are rare Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:20 AM PDT Interspecific transfers of viruses between the western honey bee (Apis mellifera) and the eastern honey bee (Apis cerana) are rare, even if honey bees are kept in close proximity, new research reveals.

Secrets of protons in water ice Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:18 AM PDT While drinking your favorite cold drink, you probably do not imagine what is going on inside each ice cube. Scientists have now explained in detail the theory behind two experiments that show how protons inside ice behave.

Nepali textile find suggests Silk Road extended further south than previously thought Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:18 AM PDT Analyses of cloth remains found near a gold/silver funerary mask in the Samdzong tomb complex in Nepal point to connections with north-east Asia and suggest the possibility that Samdzong was inserted into the long-distance trade network of the Silk Road.

HIV-positive children, adolescents: Added benefit of rilpivirine not proven Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:18 AM PDT Drug manufacturer only presented data from a one-arm study, which are unsuitable for the derivation of an added benefit in comparison with the comparator therapy.

Ruthenium nanoframes open the doors to better catalysts Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:18 AM PDT Researchers have created the first ruthenium nanoframes by manipulating the metal's crystal structure. The two-part process could open up a new group of catalysts made from materials with unique atomic arrangements. If they prove to be efficient catalysts, they could also improve hydrogen fuel production and carbon storage.

Ice Age Antarctic Ocean gives clue to 'missing' atmospheric carbon dioxide Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:18 AM PDT Scientists have explored the question of carbon dioxide storage in the oceans. The team glimpsed into the ocean's past, thanks to a group of tiny ocean dwellers called foraminifera.

Call them spare tires or love handles, belly fat is bad Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:18 AM PDT Bad news. It's not just obesity that can increase the risk of heart failure. Just a few extra kilos, especially around the gut, are dangerous, too.

New test can predict death in patients with serious liver disease Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:17 AM PDT The biomarker CD163 can predict mortality in blood samples from patients with acute on chronic liver failure, report scientists. Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a sudden deterioration of the liver function in a patient with liver cirrhosis accompanied by failure of one or more organ systems. This liver disease has a serious prognosis and the four-week mortality rate is 20-30%.

Vaccine adjuvant protects against post-burn infection Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:17 AM PDT Research findings suggest that the use of a FDA-approved drug may serve a dual purpose by protecting people who are at high risk of infection, including those with severe burns, cancer, and other conditions that may compromise their immune systems' ability to ward off disease.

Strongest titanium alloy aims at improving vehicle fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:17 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have been able to see what makes this titanium alloy so strong -- and then make it stronger.

Scientists divide magnetic vortices into collectivists and individualists Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:17 AM PDT In manganese monosilicide, microscopic magnetic vortices -- skyrmions -- may behave as 'collectivists' or 'individuals,' i.e. they are able to create a single structure, or they can also split up individually. Studying the behavior of skyrmions will help to create unique quantum devices based on new physical principles.

Study raises online golf tutorials to above par Posted: 01 Apr 2016 07:17 AM PDT The internet is overflowing with online tutorials dedicated to improving your game of golf and other motor skills. A new study has shown that straightforward changes to the way these tutorials are presented can have a measurable difference in the performance of the student.

Pros and cons of mandatory GMO labeling Posted: 01 Apr 2016 06:21 AM PDT Researchers have concluded that mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods is justified, based on an extensive review of international scientific and legal frameworks related to genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Heart rate variability predicts epileptic seizures Posted: 01 Apr 2016 06:19 AM PDT Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that causes seizures of many different types. Recent research has found that epileptic seizures can be more easily predicted by using an electrocardiogram to measure fluctuations in the heart rate than by measuring brain activity, because the monitoring device is easier to wear.

Canine influenza transmitted to cats in Midwestern shelter Posted: 01 Apr 2016 05:07 AM PDT It may be called canine influenza, but an expert has confirmed that the virus that sickened a large number of dogs in the Midwest last year has now infected a group of cats in the region.

Did public opinion of immigration take a negative turn during the recession? Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:52 AM PDT Increasingly popularity of right-wing political parties has not been because of an increase in anti-immigrant sentiment, suggests a new report.

Crafting a sustainable future for humanity Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:51 AM PDT Global efforts to protect the planet will fail unless we take concepts like equality and wellbeing into account, according to a new article.

Hard mathematical problems as basis for new cryptographic techniques Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:51 AM PDT New cryptographic algorithms have been created that are based on particularly hard mathematical problems. They would be virtually unbreakable, say investigators.

Study on the assessment of students: Overcoming bias in decision making Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:51 AM PDT Even experienced teachers may be involuntarily affected by psychological bias related to pupils' ethnicity. This could affect key decisions related to a child's educational career. Researchers have shown that these biases can be overcome.

Tactile power steering for order picking carts Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:51 AM PDT Vehicles in logistics centers will be more intuitive to steer in the future, thus making work easier and safer. "Tactile" handles will make this possible: They employ pressure sensors to detect the direction in which a user is pushing or pulling the cart. Whenever there is a risk of a collision, the cart stops immediately.

Radar with 360° vision Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:51 AM PDT Nowadays it is impossible to imagine industry without robots. Safety laser scanners mostly safeguard dangerous areas and protect people from collisions. But optical sensors have their limitations, for instance when plastic surfaces, dust or smoke obstruct their line of sight. Researchers have now developed a new, high-frequency radar scanner that cuts through these obstacles. It can monitor its environment in a 360-degree radius, making it ideal for safety applications wherever people and robots work together.

The Moon may play a major role in maintaining Earth's magnetic field Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:51 AM PDT The Earth's magnetic field permanently protects us from the charged particles and radiation that originate in the Sun. This shield is produced by the geodynamo, the rapid motion of huge quantities of liquid iron alloy in the Earth's outer core. To maintain this magnetic field until the present day, the classical model required the Earth's core to have cooled by around 3 000 °C over the past 4.3 billion years. Now, astronomers suggest that, on the contrary, its temperature has fallen by only 300 °C. The action of the Moon, overlooked until now, is thought to have compensated for this difference and kept the geodynamo active.

New insights in blood vessel formation Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:51 AM PDT How vascular tubes build, maintain and adapt continuously perfused lumens to meet local metabolic needs remains poorly understood. Recent studies showed that blood flow itself plays a critical role in the remodelling of vascular networks and suggested it is also required for the lumenization of new vascular connections. However, it is still unknown how haemodynamic forces contribute to the formation of new vascular lumens during blood vessel morphogenesis.

Climate change drives UK wine production but not without weather shocks Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:44 AM PDT The idea of climate change turning the UK into a viable wine-making region may have boosted the industry in recent years. But cold snaps, sharp frosts and downpours threaten productivity. Research reveals that year-to-year climate variability and hazardous weather at key points in the growing season leave the industry highly sensitive to the elements. It also suggests that in vogue varieties (Chardonnay and Pinot noir) are more susceptible to UK climate variability than traditional varieties.

Infants born prematurely may show less interest in others Posted: 01 Apr 2016 04:44 AM PDT Researchers found evidence that babies born prematurely are less interested in other people compared to infants born full-term, when tested at 6 and 12 months of age. The study adds further insight into recent reports about the links between premature birth and autism.

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