| To clean up ocean plastics focus on coasts, not the Great Pacific garbage patch Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:39 PM PST The most efficient way to clean up ocean plastics and avoid harming ecosystems is to place plastic collectors near coasts, according to a new study. |
| How ants self-organize to build their nests Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:49 PM PST Ants collectively build nests whose size can reach several thousand times that of individual ants and whose architecture is sometimes highly complex. However, their ability to coordinate several thousand individuals when building their nests remains a mystery. To understand the mechanisms involved in this process, researchers combined behavioral analysis, 3D imaging and computational modeling techniques. Their work shows that ants self-organize by interacting with the structures they build thanks to the addition of a pheromone to their building material. |
| Making weak TB drugs strong again Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:44 PM PST Biophysicists have discovered why the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) are naturally somewhat resistant to antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones. Their findings, based on mapping the detailed three-dimensional structure of the drugs interacting with an essential enzyme in the TB germ, also reveal why some TB drugs are more potent than others and suggest how drug developers can make fluoroquinolones more efficacious against mutations that make the lung disease drug resistant. |
| Why Spiderman can't exist: Geckos are 'size limit' for sticking to walls Posted: 18 Jan 2016 03:43 PM PST Latest research reveals why geckos are the largest animals able to scale smooth vertical walls -- even larger climbers would require unmanageably large sticky footpads. Scientists estimate that a human would need adhesive pads covering 40 percent of their body surface in order to walk up a wall like Spiderman, and believe their insights have implications for the feasibility of large-scale, gecko-like adhesives. |
| Human sounds convey emotions clearer and faster than words Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:49 AM PST It takes just one-tenth of a second for our brains to begin to recognize emotions conveyed by vocalizations. It doesn't matter whether the non-verbal sounds are growls of anger, the laughter of happiness or cries of sadness. More importantly, the researchers have also discovered that we pay more attention when an emotion (such as happiness, sadness or anger) is expressed through vocalizations than we do when the same emotion is expressed in speech. |
| New findings may enhance PARP inhibitors therapy in breast cancer Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:45 AM PST PARP inhibitors, an emerging class of drugs being studied in cancer clinical trials, may be enhanced by combining them with inhibitors targeting an oncogene known as c-MET which is overexpressed in many cancers, new research shows. |
| Cheaper solar cells with 20.2 percent efficiency Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:45 AM PST A solar-panel material that can cut down on photovoltaic costs while achieving competitive power-conversion efficiency of 20.2 percent has been created by researchers. |
| Explosive underwater volcanoes were a major feature of 'Snowball Earth' Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:44 AM PST Around 720-640 million years ago, much of the Earth's surface was covered in ice during a glaciation that lasted millions of years. Explosive underwater volcanoes were a major feature of this 'Snowball Earth,' according to new research. |
| Mapping out cell conversion Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:44 AM PST An algorithm that can predict the factors required to convert one human cell type to another has been developed by researchers. These game-changing findings have significant implications for regenerative medicine and lay the groundwork for further research into cell reprogramming. |
| Light-activated nanoparticles prove effective against antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs' Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:44 AM PST In the ever-escalating evolutionary battle with drug-resistant bacteria, humans may soon have a leg up thanks to adaptive, light-activated nanotherapy recently developed by researchers. |
| Scientists solve 3D structure of protein that guides the immune system Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:44 AM PST The three-dimensional structure of a crucial ion channel has been revealed by researchers, whose findings shed light on the channel's possible role in immune functions such as detecting infection and inflammation. |
| Tiny electronic implants monitor brain injury, then melt away Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:44 AM PST A new class of small, thin electronic sensors can monitor temperature and pressure within the skull - crucial health parameters after a brain injury or surgery - then melt away when they are no longer needed, eliminating the need for additional surgery to remove the monitors and reducing the risk of infection and hemorrhage. |
| Cardiac arrests in high-rise buildings: Low survival rates above 3rd floor Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:44 AM PST Residents of high-rise buildings had better survival rates from cardiac arrests if they lived on the first few floors, and survival was negligible for people living above the 16th floor, according to a study. |
| Core set of genes for plant-fungal symbiosis uncovered by researchers Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:44 AM PST A group of genes necessary for plants to form beneficial relationships with nutrient-bearing soil fungi has been uncovered by a team of scientists. They compared the genomes of plants that form these symbiotic relationships to those that don't. A better understanding of the genetic basis of the symbiosis may one day yield better crop plants that require less fertilizer input. |
| Laws of nature predict cancer evolution Posted: 18 Jan 2016 10:44 AM PST The spread of mutations through a cancer follows natural laws -- and is therefore theoretically predictable, just as we can predict the movement of celestial bodies or the weather, a study shows. This intriguing research raises the possibility that doctors could take clinical decisions on how an individual patient's cancer will change, and what treatments should be used, by applying mathematical formulas to tumor biopsies. |
| Broken UV light leads to key heart muscle cell discovery Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:31 AM PST For a team of investigators trying to generate heart muscle cells from stem cells, a piece of broken equipment turned out to be a good thing. The faulty equipment pushed the researchers to try a different approach. Their new method uses a "Matrigel mattress" to rapidly generate cardiac cells suitable for heart disease studies and drug discovery. |
| Environmental policy behind imbalance in phosphorus, nitrogen levels of the North Sea Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:27 AM PST European measures aimed at improving water quality through the reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus loads in the North Sea have resulted in an imbalance of these two nutrients in surface waters, new research shows. |
| No more needles at the dentist: Just a tiny electric current instead Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:27 AM PST If you're scared of the dentist's needles you're not alone -- but new research means you might not have to put off that appointment again. A study reveals how the dentist could give you anesthetic using a tiny electric current instead of a needle. |
| Girls more likely to be cyber-bullying victims Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:26 AM PST New research has found that in some situations, moderate internet users are more likely to be exposed to cyber-bullying than heavy internet users. |
| Cranberry extract confirmed to help fighting urinary tract infections in breastfed babies under age one Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:26 AM PST Cranberry extract helps fighting urinary tract infections (UTIs) in breastfed babies under one year of age, new research confirms. This work has proven that this compound prevents the prescription of antibiotics in the prophylaxis for recurrent urinary tract infections in infants with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), so preventing the risk of increasing the bacterial antibiotic resistance. |
| Austerity has slowed regional recovery during the post-2008 recession, says new study Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:26 AM PST Austerity measures at national level have not helped regions to recover following the 2008 economic crisis, according to a new study of the UK and other EU countries. On the contrary, high public debt countries have been more successful in sheltering their regional economies, the research concludes. |
| New biomarkers for improved treatment of severe heart- and lung disease Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:26 AM PST New blood biomarkers reflecting vasoreactivity in lung blood vessels of patients with heart- and lung disease, can lead to simplified diagnostics and better evaluation of treatment for patients with the condition pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a new dissertation suggests. |
| Ticks that transmit Lyme disease reported in nearly half of all US counties Posted: 18 Jan 2016 07:25 AM PST Lyme disease is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus), and the range of these ticks is spreading, according to new research. |
| Intelligent electronics to become durable, flexible and functional through new technology Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:45 AM PST With a roll-to-roll overmoulding manufacturing process recently developed, components can be easily overmoulded into durable electronics products such as wearable sports solutions, toys and, for instance, household appliances equipped with an overmoulded solar cell, report researchers. |
| Scientists use wood to create biodegradable, renewable alternative to Styrofoam Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:44 AM PST We may soon be saying goodbye to polystyrene, the petroleum-based material that is used to make Styrofoam. In what looks like an ordinary bicycle helmet, designers have replaced Styrofoam with a new shock-absorbing material made with renewable and biodegradable wood-based material. |
| Stepping beyond our 3D world Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:44 AM PST Over centuries, humans have tried to discover a Theory of Everything. Possible candidates for this cachet, such as String Theory and Grand Unified Theory, require higher dimensions or higher-dimensional symmetries, for instance ten dimensions, despite their radical difference from the world we actually experience. One such symmetry – known as E8 – exists in eight dimensions and is the largest symmetry without counterparts in every dimension and is therefore called exceptional. Now a scientist has constructed E8 for the first time, along with other exceptional 4D symmetries, in the 3D space we inhabit. These exceptional symmetries are essentially 3D phenomena in disguise. |
| Streaming services are a blessing and a curse for the music industry Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:44 AM PST Paid music streaming services can increase revenues for the music industry and lead consumers to spend more money on music overall. Free streaming, in contrast, is less beneficial. These are the findings of a recent empirical study that included interviews with over 2500 music fans over the course of more than one year. They found that although free as well as paid streaming services reduce revenues from CDs and downloads, the subscription fees for paid streaming services over-compensate for the losses in other channels. |
| An image is worth a thousand kilos? Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:44 AM PST Okay, so maybe not a thousand kilos, exactly, but a new study shows how a photo diary can keep dieters motivated, making them more likely to achieve their target weight. |
| Increased childbirth at Indian health facilities led to no matching reduction in maternal deaths Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:44 AM PST To reduce maternal and neo-natal deaths, India launched a cash transfer program in 2005 that provides monetary incentives for women to give birth in health facilities instead of at home. While the program successfully increased the use of health facilities for child birth, it did not reduce maternal deaths as much, especially in poor areas, a new paper reports. |
| Harmful mutations have accumulated during early human migrations out of Africa Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:43 AM PST Modern humans (Homo sapiens) are thought to have first emerged in Africa about 150,000 years ago. 100,000 years later, a few of them left their homeland traveling first to Asia and then further east, crossing the Bering Strait, and colonizing the Americas. Experts have developed theoretical models predicting that if modern humans migrated as small bands, then the populations that broke off from their original African family should progressively accumulate slightly harmful mutations - a mutation load. Moreover, the mutational load of a population should then represent a way of measuring the distance it has covered since it left Africa. In a nutshell: an individual from Mexico should be carrying more harmful genetic variants than an individual from Africa. |
| Ads for candy-flavored e-cigarettes could encourage vaping among school children Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:41 AM PST Advertisements featuring e-cigarettes with flavors such as chocolate and bubble gum are more likely to attract school children to buy and try e-cigarettes than those featuring non-flavored e-cigarettes, according to new research. |
| Report identifies positive news on kidney disease in the US, yet challenges remain Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:41 AM PST The annual data report from the United States Renal Data System reveals both positive and negative trends in kidney disease in the US. Medicare spending for patients with chronic kidney disease aged 65 and older exceeded $50 billion in 2013 and represented 20 percent of all Medicare spending in that age group. In addition, the total cost to Medicare for end-stage kidney disease grew to $30.9 billion and accounted for 7.1 percent of the overall paid Medicare claims costs. |
| Seeing where energy goes may bring scientists closer to realizing nuclear fusion Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:41 AM PST An international team of researchers has taken a step toward achieving controlled nuclear fusion -- a process that powers the sun and other stars, and has the potential to supply the world with limitless, clean energy. The team developed a new technique to 'see' where energy is delivered during fast ignition experiments and improve energy delivery to the fuel target. |
| Thwarting abnormal neural development with a new mutation Posted: 18 Jan 2016 05:41 AM PST Researchers have discovered how to reverse the abnormal axonal development characteristic of CFEOM3, a congenital disease that affects the muscles that control eye movements. The work shows how creating a specific mutation rescued abnormal axonal growth in the developing mouse brain. |
| Frequent contact between parents, adult children is beneficial to both Posted: 16 Jan 2016 06:50 PM PST Though parents may worry that they are more involved with grown children than in the past, frequent contact between parents and their grown children can be beneficial to both parties, suggests a new paper. |
| Predictability of DNA markers for population-level study based on species-level variation Posted: 16 Jan 2016 06:47 PM PST To answer the question of whether genes that show high levels of variability across different species could also be useful in population-level evolutionary studies, scientists tested the utility of numerous genes previously found to be useful in inferring relationships of cactus species. Because the rate of evolution -- and, thus, the amount of variation -- is not constant, a screening step is necessary to discover genomic regions with sufficient variability between individuals of the target species. |
