Monday, July 13, 2015

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


New design could dramatically boost efficiency of low-cost solar panels

Posted: 12 Jul 2015 05:40 PM PDT

A new material design could make low-cost solar panels far more efficient by greatly enhancing their ability to collect the sun's energy and release it as electricity.

Ultrasound accelerates skin healing, especially for diabetics and the elderly

Posted: 12 Jul 2015 05:38 PM PDT

Healing times for skin ulcers and bedsores can be reduced by a third with the use of low-intensity ultrasound, scientists have found.

Donor funds fall short for key global health functions

Posted: 12 Jul 2015 05:38 PM PDT

Some $22 billion was spent on global health aid in 2013, yet only a fifth of this went toward such global imperatives as research on diseases that disproportionally affect the poor, outbreak preparedness and global health leadership. The authors call for more spending on these global functions, as world leaders prepare to gather for the Financing for Development Conference this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss how the Sustainable Development Goals should be financed.

Worms hitch rides on slugs when traveling to far flung places

Posted: 12 Jul 2015 05:38 PM PDT

Slugs and other invertebrates provide essential public transport for small worms in the search for food, according to new research.

What happens when cosmic giants meet galactic dwarfs?

Posted: 12 Jul 2015 05:38 PM PDT

According to a new study of more than 20,000 merging galaxies, when two different sized galaxies smash together, the larger galaxy stops the smaller one making new stars.

Surgeries before college athletics may result in more injuries during college play

Posted: 12 Jul 2015 05:38 PM PDT

Athletes who've had lower extremity surgeries before going on to play in college, might be at a higher risk for another surgery independent of gender and sport, say researchers presenting their work today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Tommy John surgeries increasing for youth athletes

Posted: 12 Jul 2015 05:38 PM PDT

Surgeries related to overuse elbow injuries, i.e. Tommy John Surgery, are more common among youth athletes than previously believed, according to new research.

Gene therapy advance thwarts brain cancer in rats

Posted: 11 Jul 2015 09:38 AM PDT

A nanoparticle gene delivery system has been developed by scientists that destroys brain gliomas in a rat model, significantly extending the lives of the treated animals. The nanoparticles are filled with genes for an enzyme that converts a prodrug called ganciclovir into a potent destroyer of the glioma cells.

Older athletes able to return to sport after rotator cuff repair

Posted: 11 Jul 2015 09:37 AM PDT

Outcomes following the arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears in older athletes appears to be successful a majority of the time, according to new research.

Surgery a better treatment option for some hamstring injuries

Posted: 11 Jul 2015 09:37 AM PDT

Patients treated surgically for a hamstring rupture demonstrated better results than those treated only with therapy, according to a new study.

Stem cell researchers poke around for blood genes

Posted: 10 Jul 2015 01:10 PM PDT

Even though the transplantation of blood stem cells, also known as bone marrow, has saved many lives over many decades, the genes that control the number or function of blood stem cells are not fully understood. In a new study, researchers have uncovered new genes that affect blood stem cell development and maintenance.

Spotting the elephant not in the room

Posted: 10 Jul 2015 01:09 PM PDT

An automated thermal detection system that can discern wild elephants from background and other animals in infrared images could save lives in parts of the world where the animals roam free and often enter villages and other human habitation, according to research.

Farming is driving force drying soil in Northern China

Posted: 10 Jul 2015 01:09 PM PDT

An important agricultural region in China is drying out, and increased farming may be more to blame than rising temperatures and less rain, according to a study spanning 30 years of data. A research team analyzed soil moisture during the growing season in Northern China and found that it has decreased by 6 percent since 1983.

Surprisingly high geothermal heating beneath West Antarctic Ice Sheet

Posted: 10 Jul 2015 01:09 PM PDT

The amount of heat flowing toward the base of the West Antarctic ice sheet from geothermal sources deep within the Earth is surprisingly high, according to a new study. The results provide important data for researchers trying to predict the fate of the ice sheet, which has experienced rapid melting over the past decade.

Fishing for new ways to stop Parkinson's, a researcher makes big catches in the gene pool

Posted: 09 Jul 2015 03:03 PM PDT

A geneticist is exploring the protective power of coffee, nicotine and NSAIDs -- and the damage caused by the immune system and microbiome. She also finding predictive power in key genetic variations.