Monday, July 6, 2015

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Astronomers see pebbles poised to make planets

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:48 PM PDT

A team of astronomers announced the discovery of a ring of rocks circling a very young star. This is the first time these 'pebbles', thought to be a crucial link in building planets, have been detected.

Universe’s hidden supermassive black holes revealed

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:48 PM PDT

Astronomers have found evidence for a large population of hidden supermassive black holes in the Universe.

Do micro-organisms explain features on comets?

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:47 PM PDT

Comet 67P/Churyumov--Gerasimenko, studied in detail by the European Space Agency Rosetta and Philae spacecraft since September 2014, is a body with distinct and unexpected features. Now two astronomers have a radical explanation for its properties -- micro-organisms that shape cometary activity.

Small cosmic ‘fish’ points to big haul for SKA Pathfinder

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:47 PM PDT

A wisp of cosmic radio waves, emitted before our solar system was born, shows that a new radio telescope will be able to detect galaxies other telescopes can't.

Arthritis drug could be used to treat blood cancer sufferers

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:47 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered that a common drug given to arthritis sufferers could also help to treat patients with blood cancers, and is one thousandth of the cost of another drug that works in the same way. The discovery may open up cost effective treatment options for cancer patients across the world.

'Bee soup' could help understand declines, test remedies

Posted: 05 Jul 2015 04:46 PM PDT

It may sound counter-intuitive, but crushing up bees into a 'DNA soup' could help conservationists understand and even reverse their decline, according to scientists. New research shows that collecting wild bees, extracting their DNA, and directly reading the DNA of the resultant 'sop' could finally make large-scale bee monitoring programs feasible. This would allow conservationists to detect where and when bee species are being lost and whether conservation interventions are working.

New understanding of retinoblastoma proteins' role in cell death and cancer progression

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 03:38 PM PDT

A new review article focuses on RB role in apoptosis provides a comprehensive overview on the role of RB proteins in the coordinated control of cell decisions.

Mass killings, school shootings are contagious

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 12:15 PM PDT

A team of researchers examined databases on past high-profile mass killings and school shootings in the US and fit a contagion model to the data to determine that these tragedies create a period of contagion lasting an average of 13 days, that roughly 20 to 30 percent of such occurrences arise from contagion and that the incidence of these events is significantly higher in states with a high prevalence of gun ownership.

Genes may not be to blame for link between migraine, heart disease

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 11:23 AM PDT

Genes may not be to blame for the increased risk of heart disease some studies have shown in people with migraine, especially those with migraine with aura, new research shows. Aura are sensations that come before the headache, often visual disturbances such as flashing lights.

Researchers test fecal transplantation to treat ulcerative colitis

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 10:28 AM PDT

A research team recruited 75 patients with a flare up of their ulcerative colitis and randomized them to fecal transplant therapy given as an enema derived from stool donated by an anonymous healthy donor, and placebo.

Genetic variation determines response to anti-diabetic drug

Posted: 02 Jul 2015 10:27 AM PDT

In the first study of its kind, researchers have shown how an anti-diabetic drug can have variable effects depending on small natural differences in DNA sequence between individuals. They aim to apply this knowledge to develop personalized approaches to treating diabetes and other metabolic disorders.