| Ocean scientists recommend plan to combat changes to seawater chemistry Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:16 PM PDT Global carbon dioxide emissions are triggering permanent changes to ocean chemistry along the North American West Coast that require immediate, decisive action to combat. That action includes development of a coordinated regional management strategy. |
| Cause of global warming: Consensus on consensus Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:16 PM PDT A research team confirms that 97 percent of climate scientists agree that climate change is caused by humans. |
| How depression may compound risk of type 2 diabetes Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:13 PM PDT Depression may compound the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people with such early warning signs of metabolic disease as obesity, high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels, according to researchers from McGill University, l'Universitchr('233') de Montrchr('233')al, the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montrchr('233')al and the University of Calgary. |
| Replacing butter with vegetable oils does not cut heart disease risk Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:13 PM PDT New research of old data suggests that using vegetable oils high in linoleic acid failed to reduce heart disease and overall mortality even though the intervention reduced cholesterol levels. And researchers found that consuming vegetable oils might actually be worse for heart health than eating butter. |
| The trouble with drinking guidelines: What, in the world, is a standard drink? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:11 PM PDT The controversy over the UK's new safe drinking guidelines revealed how much people within a country can disagree about drinking. It turns out that countries disagree with each other, too. |
| Predicting gentrification through social networking data Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:11 PM PDT Data from location-based social networks may be able to predict when a neighbourhood will go through the process of gentrification, by identifying areas with high social diversity and high deprivation. |
| Over-the-counter drug may reverse chronic vision damage caused by multiple sclerosis Posted: 12 Apr 2016 06:11 PM PDT A common antihistamine used to treat symptoms of allergies and the common cold, called clemastine fumarate, partially reversed damage to the visual system in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a preliminary study. |
| The pyrophilic primate Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:05 PM PDT Fire, a tool broadly used for cooking, constructing, hunting and even communicating, was arguably one of the earliest discoveries in human history. But when, how and why it came to be used is hotly debated among scientists. A new scenario crafted by anthropologists proposes that human ancestors became dependent on fire as a result of Africa's increasingly fire-prone environment 2-3 million years ago. |
| Using nanotubes to create single photons for quantum communication Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:05 PM PDT Researchers demonstrated a new material, made from tiny carbon tubes, that emits the desired single photons (of interest for data encryption) at room temperature. |
| A flexible camera: A radically different approach to imaging Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:04 PM PDT Researchers have developed a novel sheet camera that can be wrapped around everyday objects to capture images that cannot be taken with one or more conventional cameras. They designed and fabricated a flexible lens array that adapts its optical properties when the sheet camera is bent. This optical adaptation enables the sheet camera to produce high quality images over a wide range of sheet deformations. |
| Workstations: Standing up for comfort Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:03 PM PDT Researchers were interested in determining if a study using a psychophysical protocol could provide guidance for the development of guidelines for standing computer workstations similar to those for seated workstations. |
| Mobility plays important role in development for toddlers with disabilities Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:03 PM PDT Typical toddlers simultaneously spend about three hours a day in physical activity, play and engagement with objects such as toys, while their peers with mobility disabilities are less likely to engage in all of those behaviors at the same time, new research shows. |
| Southern California's reduction in smog linked to major improvement in children's health Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:03 PM PDT A study that tracked Southern California children over a 20-year period has found they now have significantly fewer respiratory symptoms as a result of improved air quality. Researchers examined a health issue that makes many parents anxious while pulling at their pocketbooks: bronchitic symptoms that could land otherwise healthy children in a doctor's office or hospital. |
| Benefits to using telehealth with ASD families Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:03 PM PDT Parents with children on the autism spectrum are able to have a specialist address challenging behavior in these children by interacting over the computer, too -- and at less than half of the cost of receiving similar care in person, suggests a new report. |
| How the brain produces consciousness in 'time slices' Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:03 PM PDT Scientists propose a new way of understanding of how the brain processes unconscious information into our consciousness. According to the model, consciousness arises only in time intervals of up to 400 milliseconds, with gaps of unconsciousness in between. |
| Potential role for vaccine in malaria elimination Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:03 PM PDT Although the World Health Organization decided not to recommend the use of RTS,S/AS01, the most advanced malaria vaccine candidate that is in development, in infants within the Expanded Programme of Immunisations (EPI), termination of further development of RTS,S/AS01 would be a loss for malaria elimination efforts, according to a new article. |
| Mobile phone surveillance could help tackle rabies Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:03 PM PDT A mobile-phone-based system for rabies surveillance in Tanzania is demonstrating huge potential for mobile technologies to improve public health service delivery, especially in resource-poor settings, according to a new article. |
| First description of 2015 Zika virus outbreak in Rio de Janiero Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:03 PM PDT Since the recent link to severe neurological defects in infants born to mothers infected during pregnancy, Zika virus (ZIKV) has become a public health and research priority. A new study reports details from the 2015 Zika outbreak in Rio de Janeiro -- the first with a high proportion of cases confirmed by molecular diagnosis--and proposes changes to the current diagnostic criteria for ZIKV disease. |
| Single-cell analysis of embryos reveals mis-segregation of parental genomes Posted: 12 Apr 2016 01:03 PM PDT Single-cell embryos contain a set of maternal and paternal chromosomes, and as the embryo grows, daughter cells receive a copy of each. In a new study, researchers have discovered errors during the earliest stages of embryonic development can lead to entire sets of maternal and paternal chromosomes segregating into different cells, resulting in chimeric embryos. |
| Letting every voice be heard Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:53 AM PDT As with any muscle in the body, prolonged or improper use can cause injuries to these vocal cord muscles causing a partial or even complete loss of the voice. |
| Early treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder accelerates recovery, but does not sustain it Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:53 AM PDT The majority of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recover after early treatment -- but a substantial number still suffer for years after a traumatic event even with early clinical interventions, according to a study. |
| Local fires reduce rainfall in dry season in southern Africa Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:50 AM PDT Emissions of particles, in particular soot, from local fires in southern Africa have increased due to human activities. Along with increasing global carbon dioxide levels, these particles have led to a reduction in precipitation during the dry season in the region. The findings illustrate that reducing or cleaning local fires may help to counteract reduced rainfall. |
| International college students are less likely to experience violent crimes Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:49 AM PDT International students attending universities in the United States, particularly females, may be less at risk for violent, non-sexual victimization than their domestic counterparts, due, in part, to their choices in lifestyles and activities, new research suggests. |
| Research reveals trend in bird-shape evolution on islands Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:49 AM PDT In groundbreaking new work, biologists have discovered a predictable trend in the evolution of bird shape. |
| For kids raised in stable families, no difference in well-being with same-sex versus different-sex parents Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:49 AM PDT Children raised by same-sex female parents with a stable family life show no difference in general health, emotional difficulties, coping and learning behavior, compared to children of different-sex parents in similarly stable relationships, concludes a study. |
| An invisible system to rescue the heart Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:47 AM PDT In a new heart failure study, the blood system is being explored for the purpose of improving heart function. The study has revealed the potential of a secondary system that had previously received scant attention. |
| Understanding genes linked to autism-relevant behavior in high-risk siblings Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:47 AM PDT Psychology researchers are searching for early markers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), following a study predicting ASD symptoms from children's behavior in the first year of life. Infants who demonstrated less initiating joint attention, using eye contact to share an experience with another person, tended to have higher levels of autism symptoms at age three. |
| Calcium isotope may hold the secret to the mass of neutrinos Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:47 AM PDT Scientists around the world are being kept in suspense by the negligible mass of neutrinos, subatomic particles that could be matter and antimatter at the same time. Now, researchers have used one of the world's most powerful computers to analyze a special decay of calcium-48, whose life, which lasts trillions of years, depends on the unknown mass of neutrinos. This advance will facilitate the detection of this rare decay in underground laboratories. |
| Milestone reached on path to new form of male contraception Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:47 AM PDT Researchers developing a new form of male contraception have isolated an enzyme they hope will allow them to stop sperm from swimming to the egg. |
| Sorry kids, seniors want to connect and communicate on Facebook, too Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:47 AM PDT Older adults, who are Facebook's fastest growing demographic, are joining the social network to stay connected and make new connections, just like college kids who joined the site decades ago, according to researchers. |
| Scientists reveal new target for anti-lymphangiogenesis drugs Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:47 AM PDT In an emerging field of research, a study reveals a mechanism in the regulation of lymphangiogenesis. Scientists identified a new target for drug treatment to prevent conditions caused by lymphangiogenesis, which include some blinding eye diseases, organ transplant rejection, and cancer metastasis. |
| Mapping software tracks threats to endangered species Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:26 AM PDT Modelling software and satellite imagery can be used to rapidly predict the movements of endangered species in remote or inaccessible regions, a study shows. Scientists used the images and software to assess habitat loss restricting the mobility of Peru's endangered San Martin titi monkey and identify the 10 percent of remaining forests best suited for the conservation of essential movement corridors. Comprehensive on-the-ground assessments would have taken longer and been cost-prohibitive. |
| Prevalence of homosexuality in men is stable throughout time since many carry the genes Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:26 AM PDT Around half of all heterosexual men and women potentially carry so-called homosexuality genes that are passed on from one generation to the next. This has helped homosexuality to be present among humans throughout history, even though homosexual men normally do not have many descendants who can directly inherit their genes. |
| 1917 astronomical plate has first-ever evidence of exoplanetary system Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:26 AM PDT You can never predict what treasure might be hiding in your own basement. It turns out that a 1917 image on an astronomical glass plate from the Carnegie Observatories' collection shows the first-ever evidence of a planetary system beyond our own Sun. |
| New Swedish study on the grammar of subclauses in historical English Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:26 AM PDT When do English speakers say whether that will happen is unknown and when do they say it is unknown whether that will happen? Looking at, among other things, medieval homilies and early modern letter correspondence, a researcher in Sweden shows how clausal arguments, and in particular clausal subjects, have been expressed at different points in time in the history of English. |
| Antibiotic resistance genes increasing Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:26 AM PDT Around the world, antibiotic use and resistance is increasing while the discovery of new antibiotics has nearly halted. This troubling trend is exacerbated by concentrated animal feeding operations. Results from the study show that in large swine farms where antibiotics are used continuously in feed for growth promotion and disease prevention, multidrug-resistant bacteria are likely the norm rather than the exception. |
| Scientists discover how the brain repurposes itself to learn scientific concepts Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:26 AM PDT The human brain was initially used for basic survival tasks, such as staying safe and hunting and gathering. Yet, 200,000 years later, the same human brain is able to learn abstract concepts, like momentum, energy and gravity, which have only been formally defined in the last few centuries. New research has now uncovered how the brain is able to acquire brand new types of ideas. |
| Long-range secure quantum communication system developed Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:26 AM PDT A novel approach to the construction of quantum communication systems has been developed for secure data exchange. The experimental device based on the results of the research is capable of transmitting single-photon quantum signals across distances of 250 kilometers or more, which is on par with other cutting edge analogues. |
| Sexually transmitted infections, peer pressure may have turned humans into monogamists Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:20 AM PDT Prehistoric humans may have developed social norms that favor monogamy and punish polygamy thanks to the presence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and peer pressure, according to new research. As hunter-gatherers began living in larger populations of early settled agriculturalists, the spread of STIs could explain a shift towards the emergence of social norms that favored one sexual partner over many. |
| Bringing the landslide laboratory to remote regions Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:20 AM PDT Thanks to millions of years' accumulation of the wind-deposited, highly-porous sediment from which China's Loess plateau takes its name, the region has been called the most erosion-prone on Earth. However, despite the prominent geomorphic role gravity erosion plays on the slopes, the process isn't well understood due to the complexity of soil failure occurrence and behavior. |
| More blood vessels in adipose tissue may alleviate type 2 diabetes Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:20 AM PDT The International Diabetes Federation has declared diabetes 'A Global Emergency' in urgent need of effective therapies. A recently published study suggests that generating healthy blood vessels in adipose tissue could provide help in normalizing metabolic balance in obese people who develop type 2 diabetes. |
| Physicians' knowledge about FDA approval standards for 'breakthrough therapy' Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:20 AM PDT In a new study, researchers surveyed internists and specialists to examine their knowledge about U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval standards and perceptions of the 'breakthrough therapy' designation. |
| Multifaceted quality improvement intervention does not reduce risk of death in ICUs Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:20 AM PDT Implementation of a multifaceted quality improvement intervention with daily checklists, goal setting, and clinician prompting did not reduce in-hospital mortality compared with routine care among critically ill patients treated in intensive care units in Brazil, according to a new study. |
| Will raindrops stick to a spider web's threads? Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:20 AM PDT If you go out after a rain, you may notice spider webs glistening with water droplets. The soggy webs resemble human-made meshes for fog collection: They both have thin fibers that collect water from droplets in the air. Now researchers have developed a model to predict whether a falling droplet will stick to a thin fiber, and how much water residue will remain on the fiber. |
| Scientists find 'secret sauce' for personalized, functional insulin-producing cells Posted: 12 Apr 2016 10:20 AM PDT Researchers uncover molecular switch to make effective sugar-responsive, insulin-releasing cells in a dish, offering hope for diabetes therapy. |
| Mosquito may play key role in transmitting eastern equine encephalitis in Southeast Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:07 AM PDT Culex erraticus is more abundant than Culiseta melanura, the study shows. So it may be more important than scientists originally thought in transmitting EEE virus, at least in the Southeast. EEE virus, transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, can be passed to a wide range of animals including birds, reptiles and mammals. But once infected, horses and humans appear to suffer the most adverse effects. |
| Liver disease risk increased by type 2 diabetes Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:07 AM PDT People with type 2 diabetes are at greater risk of serious liver disease than those without the condition, new research has shown. Researchers warn that hospital admissions and deaths caused by liver disease are likely to rise if cases of type 2 diabetes continue to increase at current rates. |
| Coordinated response could reduce spread of emerging superbug in health facilities by more than 75 percent, study suggests Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:07 AM PDT A simulation of how the so-called "superbug" carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) might spread among health care facilities found that coordinated efforts prevented more than 75 percent of the often-severe infections that would have otherwise occurred over a five-year period. |
| The ecological role of fruit aroma Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:05 AM PDT Fruits are a highly valuable source of food. They are packed with tasty and healthy nutrients and are often characterized by alluring colorful displays and an attractive aroma. Yet it is still unclear which evolutionary forces drove fruits to acquire such a diverse range of different attractive traits. In two new studies, scientists show that the aroma of ripe fruits may be an adaptation whose function is to attract primates to consume the fruits and consequently disperse their seeds. |
| Commercializing gas bubbles for cancer drug delivery Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:05 AM PDT Researchers are now working to design stable micro-bubbles which, combined with ultrasound, can deliver cancer drugs straight to the target tumor. |
| Study provides new understanding of diabetic peripheral neuropathy Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:03 AM PDT A research team provides a paradigm shift in the understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying diabetic peripheral neuropathy and wound healing in the treatment of corneal and skin diabetic ulcers. |
| Same immune-system proteins may first giveth, then taketh away motor control Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:03 AM PDT A family of proteins with important roles in the immune system may be responsible for fine-tuning a person's motor control as they grow -- and for their gradual loss of muscle function as they age. The new research potentially reveals a biological cause of weakness and instability in older people, as well as a possible future treatment that would target the proteins specifically. |
| Combined effects of copper, climate change can be deadly for amphibians, research finds Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:03 AM PDT Researchers warn that the extinction to two amphibian species -- the southern toad and the southern leopard frog -- may be hastened by the combined effects of climate change and copper-contaminated wetlands. |
| Angiogenesis factor found to promote three age-related diseases of the eye Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:00 AM PDT Increased expression of the angiogenic factor VEGF-A promotes three common aging-related eye conditions - both versions of age-related macular degeneration and also cataracts - in an animal model, report scientists. |
| Handwriting analysis provides clues for dating of old testament texts Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:00 AM PDT Widespread literacy was required for the composition of key Old Testament texts, a new study suggests. It provides, for the first time, empirical evidence of literacy in the final days of the Kingdom of Judah. |
| Copper sulfate found to be toxic to stingless bees Posted: 12 Apr 2016 08:00 AM PDT Copper sulfate, which is used as an organic fungicide and as fertilizer, is toxic to an important bee pollinator known as Friesella schrottkyi, Brazilian researchers have found. |
| New insights into how the brain adapts to stress Posted: 12 Apr 2016 07:59 AM PDT Genes in the brain that play a crucial role in behavioral adaptation to stressful challenges are controlled by epigenetic mechanisms. Adaptation to stress is known to require changes in the expression of so-called immediate-early genes in the brain, particularly in the hippocampus, a brain region that plays a crucial role in learning and memory, scientsts report. |
| Researchers identify root of chronic pain as potential new drug target Posted: 12 Apr 2016 07:53 AM PDT A research team has revealed new information on the underlying mechanisms of cell circuits in a part of the brain for novel therapeutic strategies to treat chronic pain. |
| Discovery in roundworms may one day help humans with spinal cord injury and paralysis Posted: 12 Apr 2016 07:53 AM PDT A newly discovered pathway leading to the regeneration of central nervous system (CNS) brain cells (neurons) in a type of roundworm (C. elegans) sheds light on the adult human nervous system's ability to regenerate. |
| Unexpected long-range particle interactions: Spinning cells could attract each other across surprisingly long distances Posted: 12 Apr 2016 07:53 AM PDT A team of researchers has found that moving bodies can be attracted to each other, even when they're quite far apart and separated by many other objects. |
