Τετάρτη 24 Ιουλίου 2013

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


Wave of blue fluorescence reveals pathway of death in worms

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 03:12 PM PDT

The final biological events in the life of a worm are described in a new article. The paper reveals how death spreads like a wave from cell to cell until the whole organism is deceased.

Clearest new pictures of immune cells

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 03:11 PM PDT

Scientists have revealed new images which provide the clearest picture yet of how white blood immune cells attack viral infections and tumors.

US physicians put patients' best interests above concerns about health care costs

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 03:06 PM PDT

A new study of attitudes about health care costs reveals that an overwhelming majority of U.S. physicians feel a responsibility to address costs, but prioritize their obligations to patients' best interests over cost concerns.

Organ transplantation as source of fatal rabies virus case

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 03:06 PM PDT

An investigation into the source of a fatal case of raccoon rabies virus exposure indicates the individual received the virus via a kidney transplant 18 months earlier, findings suggesting that rabies transmitted by this route may have a long incubation period, and that although solid organ transplant transmission of infectious encephalitis is rare, further education to increase awareness is needed.

NASA's Spitzer observes gas emission from Comet ISON

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:57 PM PDT

Astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have observed what most likely are strong carbon dioxide emissions from Comet ISON ahead of its anticipated pass through the inner solar system later this year.

Choosing a wave could accelerate airplane maintenance

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:50 PM PDT

Ultrasonic waves can find bubbles and cracks in adhesive bonds holding airplane composite parts together, and now aerospace engineers can select the best frequencies to detect adhesive failures in hard-to-reach places more quickly.

When bar fights get mean, bystanders intervene

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:50 PM PDT

People are more likely to try to break up a bar fight when they believe the conflict is too violent, or has the potential to become more violent, according to researchers.

Valley networks suggest ancient snowfall on Mars

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:50 PM PDT

Researchers have shown that some Martian valleys appear to have been caused by runoff from orographic precipitation -- moisture carried part of the way up a mountain and deposited on the slopes. The findings help to answer the question of whether water flowing on ancient Mars bubbled up from the ground or fell down from the atmosphere.

Pain of artificial legs could be eased by real-time monitoring

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:50 PM PDT

Engineers have developed a device that tracks how much a person's limb swells and shrinks when inside a prosthetic socket. The data could help doctors and patients predict how and when their limbs will swell, which could be used to build smarter sockets.

Sleep deprivation linked to aging skin, study suggests

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:50 PM PDT

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, physician-scientists found that sleep quality impacts skin function and aging. The study, commissioned by Estée Lauder, demonstrated that poor sleepers had increased signs of skin aging and slower recovery from a variety of environmental stressors, such as disruption of the skin barrier or ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Poor sleepers also had worse assessment of their own skin and facial appearance.

Oxygen – key to most life – decelerates many cancer tumors when combined with radiation therapy

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:49 PM PDT

A multidisciplinary team has found that measuring the oxygenation of tumors can be a valuable tool in guiding radiation therapy, opening the door for personalized therapies that keep tumors in check with oxygen enhancement.

Pathways activated in most K9 bone tumors not driving the worst bone tumors

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 12:49 PM PDT

A new study shows NOTCH signaling elevated in K9 osteosarcoma, but aspects of Notch signaling noticeably deactivated in the worst cancers.

Purple bacteria on Earth could survive alien light

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:45 AM PDT

Purple bacteria contain pigments that allow them to use sunlight as their source of energy, hence their color. Physicists recently found that these organisms can also survive in the presence of extreme alien light. The findings show that the way in which light is received by the bacteria can dictate the difference between life and death.

Athletes need to be careful to monitor diet, weight to maintain muscle mass

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:45 AM PDT

Athletes seeking a healthy performance weight should eat high fiber, low-fat food balanced with their training regimen in order to maintain muscle while still burning fat, according to a new article.

Optimists better at regulating stress

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:45 AM PDT

It's no surprise that those who tend to see a rose's blooms before its thorns are also better at handling stress. But science has failed to reliably associate optimism with individuals' biological stress response -- until now.

Natural pest control protein effective against hookworm: A billion could benefit

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:44 AM PDT

A benign crystal protein, produced naturally by bacteria and used as an organic pesticide, could be a safe, inexpensive treatment for parasitic worms in humans and provide effective relief to over a billion people around the world.

Vulnerabilities of the deadly Ebola virus identified

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:44 AM PDT

Disabling a protein in Ebola virus cells can stop the virus from replicating and infecting the host, according to new research.

Harvesting electricity from the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:44 AM PDT

A new method for producing electricity from carbon dioxide could be the start of a classic trash-to-treasure story for the troublesome greenhouse gas, scientists are reporting. The method uses CO2 from electric power plant and other smokestacks as the raw material for making electricity.

Rare bushcricket's chirp as loud as a power saw

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:43 AM PDT

A recently rediscovered species of bushcricket uses elastic energy and wing movement to reach high ultrasonic frequencies involving sound levels of about 110dB – comparable to that of a power saw.

Perfecting digital imaging

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:43 AM PDT

Computer graphics and digital video lag behind reality; despite advances, the best software and video cameras still cannot seem to get computer-generated images and digital film to look exactly the way our eyes expect them to.

Scientific who's who of Bolivian mammals

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:42 AM PDT

Biologists have published a massive database of mammals occurring in Bolivia, shedding light on the poorly known yet vast wildlife diversity of this South American country.

Faster, simpler diagnosis for fibromyalgia may be on the horizon

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:42 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a reliable way to use a finger-stick blood sample to detect fibromyalgia syndrome, a complicated pain disorder that often is difficult to diagnose.

Gene that may stop the spread of breast cancer identified

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:42 AM PDT

In cancer, the spread of tumor cells from the primary site to other parts of the body is called metastasis and is a major cause of death, especially in patients with breast cancer. A new study shows that metastasis in breast cancer and the risk of death are reduced when the function of the gene HGMA2, is limited.

Why are sea stars dying from New Jersey to Maine? Divers asked to report large groupings of starfish

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:42 AM PDT

Marine biologists are working to identify the cause of a disease that is killing sea stars (starfish) from New Jersey to Maine.

We don't like unfamiliar music, even though we claim we do

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 10:42 AM PDT

Spotify. Pandora. iTunes. YouTube. We are constantly bombarded with a seemingly limitless amount of new music in our daily lives. But why do we keep coming back to that one song or album we couldn't get enough of in college? New research shows that although consumers say they prefer to listen to unfamiliar music, their choices actually belie that preference.

Oldest European fort in the inland U.S. discovered in Appalachians

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:37 AM PDT

The remains of the earliest European fort in the interior of what is now the United States have been discovered by a team of archaeologists, providing new insight into the start of the U.S. colonial era and the all-too-human reasons spoiling Spanish dreams of gold and glory.

No link between prenatal mercury exposure and autism-like behaviors found

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:37 AM PDT

The potential impact of exposure to low levels of mercury on the developing brain -- specifically by women consuming fish during pregnancy -- has long been the source of concern and some have argued that the chemical may be responsible for behavioral disorders such as autism. However, a new study that draws upon more than 30 years of research in the Republic of Seychelles reports that there is no association between pre-natal mercury exposure and autism-like behaviors.

New approach for studying deadly brain cancer

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:37 AM PDT

Human glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most common, aggressive and deadly forms of brain cancer, is notoriously difficult to study. Now engineers have developed a three-dimensional hydrogel that more closely mimics conditions in the brain than other platforms used to study brain cancer.

Controlling genes with light: New technique can rapidly turn genes on and off, helping scientists better understand their function

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:37 AM PDT

New technology can rapidly start or halt the expression of any gene of interest simply by shining light on the cells.

Brain picks out salient sounds from background noise by tracking frequency and time, study finds

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:37 AM PDT

New research reveals how our brains are able to pick out important sounds from the noisy world around us. The study could lead to new diagnostic tests for hearing disorders.

A new weapon against stroke

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:36 AM PDT

Stem cell research for stroke has focused on developing therapeutic neurons -- the primary movers of electrical impulses in the brain -- to repair tissue damaged when oxygen to the brain is limited by a blood clot or break in a vessel. New research, however, shows that other cells may be better suited for the task.

Secrets of mussels' clinginess revealed

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:36 AM PDT

Understanding the strength of the shellfish's underwater attachments could enable better glues and biomedical interfaces.

Protons hop from one water molecule to another given suitable energy conditions

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 08:36 AM PDT

Protons, as positively charged hydrogen ions, move very rapidly in water from one water molecule to the next, which is why the conductivity of water is relatively high. The principle of proton conduction in water has been known for 200 years and is named the Grotthuss mechanism after its discoverer, Theodor Grotthuss.

Tropical ecosystems regulate variations in Earth's carbon dioxide levels

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 07:35 AM PDT

Rising temperatures, influenced by natural events such as El Niño, have a corresponding increase in the release of carbon dioxide from tropical forest ecosystems, according to a new study.

New record for cosmic X-ray sightings: Exploring extreme universe with rich new resource

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 06:54 AM PDT

Scientists have set a new record for cosmic X-ray sources ever sighted -- creating an unprecedented cosmic X-ray catalog that will provide a valuable resource allowing astronomers to explore the extreme Universe.

Is a common food fungus worsening the AIDS epidemic?

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 06:52 AM PDT

A type of fungus coating much of the stored corn, wheat, rice and nuts in developing countries may be quietly worsening the AIDS epidemic, according to a new article.

Going through the motions improves dance performance

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 05:13 AM PDT

Dance marking -- loosely practicing a ballet routine by "going through the motions" -- may improve the quality of dance performance by reducing the mental strain needed to perfect the movements, according to new research.

Environmental toxins enter the brain tissue of polar bears

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 05:13 AM PDT

Scientists from Denmark and Canada are worried by their new findings showing that several bioaccumulative perfluoroalkyl substancesare crossing the blood brain barrier of polar bears from Scoresby Sound, East Greenland. Meanwhile, the same group of scientists is beginning to see a decrease in concentrations of this group of contaminants in polar bears from the same region.

Major cities often safest places in the U.S.

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 05:13 AM PDT

Overturning a commonly-held belief that cities are inherently more dangerous than suburban and rural communities, researchers have found that risk of death from injuries is lowest on average in urban counties compared to suburban and rural counties across the US.

Devastating long-distance impact of earthquakes

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 04:39 AM PDT

In 2006 the island of Java, Indonesia was struck by a devastating earthquake followed by the onset of a mud eruption to the east, flooding villages over several square kilometers and that continues to erupt today. Until now, researchers believed the earthquake was too far from the mud volcano to trigger the eruption. Geophysicists have now use computer-based simulations to show that such triggering is possible over long distances.

Non-toxic flame retardants

Posted: 23 Jul 2013 04:39 AM PDT

Flame retardants are often extremely harmful to health. Despite this, they are found in many types of synthetic materials which would otherwise ignite quickly. Researchers have now succeeded in producing non-harmful flame retardants.

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