ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Fiery-red coral species discovered in the Peruvian Pacific
• Perceived personal control reduces mortality risk at low, not high, education levels
• New technique makes 'biogasoline' from plant waste
• Mood-stabilizing drug could treat inherited liver disease, study shows
• Biostatistics approach to genetics yields new clues to roots of autism
• Gene mutation defines brain tumors that benefit from aggressive surgery
• Helping young adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities
• Cancer screening is only a phone call away: Phone messages can promote cancer prevention measures
• Genetic function of tumor suppressor gene discovered; could offer new avenue to cancer therapies
• New method to restore skull after brain surgery appears to reduce complication rates
• Macrosystems ecology: New scientific field looks at the big picture
• Earlier depression treatment prevents heart attacks, strokes, study shows
• Dramatic thinning of Arctic lake ice cuts winter ice season by 24 days compared to 1950
• Extreme high speed planes: How safe would planes be traveling at Mach 7 and above?
• How does radioactive waste interact with soil and sediments?
• Murderers who killed during robberies more likely to return to crime when paroled
• Written all over your face: Humans express four basic emotions rather than six
• Communities prepared to be resettled for sake of conserving tigers
• Satellites show 'total' California water storage at near decade low
• Arctic cod inspire new way to help hospitals keep blood on ice
• Quasi-particle swap between graphene layers
• Does the term 'research-based' keep parents in the dark?
• How smartphones help find avalanche victims
• New moisture-buffering plaster 'sucks up' water vapor
• Prototype of single ion heat engine created
• Greenland's fastest glacier reaches record speeds
• Researchers Advance Findings on Key Gene Related to Cancer Metastasis
• As the temperature drops, risk of fracture rises
• Critically endangered leatherback turtles tracked to reveal danger zones from industrial fishing
• Painting robot lends surgeons a hand in the operating room
• 'Envy-free' algorithm developed for settling disputes from divorce to inheritance
• Big chill to understand quark-gluon plasma of early universe
• Greenhouse 'time machine' sheds light on corn domestication
• Capturing ultrasharp images of multiple cell components at once
• Two papers unraveled the mystery of sex determination and benthic adaptation of the flatfish
• 'Blueprint for action' issued to combat shortages of life-saving drugs
• Finnish agriculture increasingly steered by market forces
• Researchers develop first single-molecule LED
• Understanding vaccinations: Development and review
• Single-sex education unlikely to offer advantage over coed schools, research finds
• Common colds during pregnancy may lead to childhood asthma
• For infants, stress may be caught, not taught
• Beneficial insects, nematodes not harmed by genetically modified, insect-resistant crops
• First African study on biodiversity in genetically modified maize finds insects abundant
• Whether you lose or gain weight depends on weekdays
• Liver tumors found in mice exposed to BPA
• Women 35 and older are at decreased risk to have anatomically abnormal child, study suggests
• Hardships explain much of hospital asthma readmissions among black children, teens
• Shy kids not delayed or deficient in language, they just speak less
• For young African-Americans, emotional support buffers biological toll of racial discrimination
• Positive feelings about race, ethnicity tied to stronger development in minority youth
• Vitamin C and E supplements may hamper endurance training, study suggests
• White silk wrappings key to female spider's heart
• High media use, reduced sleep, low activity: Adolescents at 'invisible' risk of mental ill-health
• Chemical products on a renewable basis
• Rat islands 'a laboratory of future evolution': Rats predicted to fill in Earth's emptying ecospace
• Vulnerability to future phosphorus shortage: Key ingredient to modern farming
• Your brain is fine-tuning its wiring throughout your life
• Raindrop research dials in satellite forecasting accuracy
• Beliefs about HPV vaccine do not lead to initiation of sex or risky sexual behavior among teen girls, young women, study shows

Fiery-red coral species discovered in the Peruvian Pacific Posted: 03 Feb 2014 10:36 AM PST A new coral species, Psammogorgia hookeri, has been collected by scuba divers from rocky ledges at depths to 25 meters in Peru's Paracas National Reserve.

Perceived personal control reduces mortality risk at low, not high, education levels Posted: 03 Feb 2014 10:36 AM PST Personality researchers find having a sense of control over one's life can reduce mortality rates in people who have little education, but a sense of control does not influence mortality rates in people with higher levels of education.

New technique makes 'biogasoline' from plant waste Posted: 03 Feb 2014 10:36 AM PST Gasoline-like fuels can be made from cellulosic materials such as farm and forestry waste using a new process. The process could open up new markets for plant-based fuels, beyond existing diesel substitutes.

Mood-stabilizing drug could treat inherited liver disease, study shows Posted: 03 Feb 2014 10:36 AM PST Opening up a can of worms is a good way to start hunting for new drugs. In a study published, researchers demonstrate how they used a primitive worm model to show that a drug typically used to treat agitation in schizophrenia and dementia has potential as a treatment for ±-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

Biostatistics approach to genetics yields new clues to roots of autism Posted: 03 Feb 2014 10:35 AM PST Researchers have developed a statistical method for genetic screens that improves the classic genome-wide association screen, and, applying to autism, have uncovered genes related to the disorder that had not been suggested in previous analyses. The scientists offer evidence that beginning treatment in infants at the first symptoms could change the course of the disease, possibly preventing the permanent "pruning" of neurons, which occurs during the first two years of life, from cementing autistic symptoms in place.

Gene mutation defines brain tumors that benefit from aggressive surgery Posted: 03 Feb 2014 10:15 AM PST A new study has found that malignant astrocytoma patients whose tumors carry a specific genetic mutation benefit greatly from surgical removal of the largest possible amount of tumor.

Helping young adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities Posted: 03 Feb 2014 10:15 AM PST In a new study, researchers address shortcomings in transitional care in the Canadian healthcare system. The team identified important challenges in the transition from pediatric to adult health care, especially among youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities (such as autism spectrum disorders, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and cerebral palsy).

Cancer screening is only a phone call away: Phone messages can promote cancer prevention measures Posted: 03 Feb 2014 10:13 AM PST It may be the simple telephone that helps save lives. Researchers have found that personalized cancer screening messages over the phone can better help promote preventive cancer measures.

Genetic function of tumor suppressor gene discovered; could offer new avenue to cancer therapies Posted: 03 Feb 2014 09:28 AM PST Researchers have discovered a genetic function that helps one of the most important "tumor suppressor" genes to do its job and prevent cancer. Finding ways to maintain or increase the effectiveness of this gene could offer an important new avenue for human cancer therapies.

New method to restore skull after brain surgery appears to reduce complication rates Posted: 03 Feb 2014 09:28 AM PST Surgeons report they have devised a better, safer method to replace bone removed from the skull after lifesaving brain surgery. The new technique, they say, appears to result in fewer complications than standard restoration, which has changed little since its development in the 1890s.

Macrosystems ecology: New scientific field looks at the big picture Posted: 03 Feb 2014 09:28 AM PST Big data is changing the field of ecology. The shift is dramatic enough to warrant the creation of an entirely new field: macrosystems ecology. "Ecologists can no longer sample and study just one or even a handful of ecosystems," said author and macrosystems ecology pioneer.

Earlier depression treatment prevents heart attacks, strokes, study shows Posted: 03 Feb 2014 09:28 AM PST New research is the first to find that treatment of depression before any apparent signs of cardiovascular disease can decrease the risk of future heart attacks and strokes by almost half.

Dramatic thinning of Arctic lake ice cuts winter ice season by 24 days compared to 1950 Posted: 03 Feb 2014 09:28 AM PST Arctic lakes have been freezing up later in the year and thawing earlier, creating a winter ice season about 24 days shorter than it was in 1950, a new study has found.

Extreme high speed planes: How safe would planes be traveling at Mach 7 and above? Posted: 03 Feb 2014 09:27 AM PST It's a sci-fi concept that's at the center of a 25-year exploratory project: building a hypersonic aircraft that takes off from the runway and doesn't need a rest, inspection or repair after it lands -- unlike the space shuttle -- but can zip back around the world within an hour's landing. Researchers are developing the validation metrics that could help predict the success or failure of such a model before it is even built, as test data becomes available from component, to sub-system, to the completely assembled air vehicle.

How does radioactive waste interact with soil and sediments? Posted: 03 Feb 2014 09:25 AM PST Scientists are developing computer models that show how radioactive waste interacts with soil and sediments, shedding light on waste disposal and how to keep contamination away from drinking water.

Murderers who killed during robberies more likely to return to crime when paroled Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:35 AM PST Murderers who committed homicide during robberies are more likely to commit crimes again when they are paroled, compared to murderers who committed homicide under other circumstances, according to research.

Written all over your face: Humans express four basic emotions rather than six Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:35 AM PST Human beings are emotional creatures whose state of mind can usually be observed through their facial expressions. A commonly-held belief posits there are six basic emotions which are universally recognized and easily interpreted through specific facial expressions, regardless of language or culture. These are: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise and disgust. New research suggests that in fact, there are really only four.

Communities prepared to be resettled for sake of conserving tigers Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:35 AM PST Research has revealed that people in the western Terai Arc Landscape, India, are prepared to relocate their homes and families to help conserve tigers.

Satellites show 'total' California water storage at near decade low Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:35 AM PST Updates to satellite data show that California's Sacramento and San Joaquin River basins are at near decade-low water storage levels.

Arctic cod inspire new way to help hospitals keep blood on ice Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:21 AM PST Antifreeze proteins from fish living in icy seas have inspired a new way to freeze blood which could one day increase the precious stocks available for medical procedures.

Quasi-particle swap between graphene layers Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:21 AM PST Equations used to describe parallel worlds in particle physics can help study the behavior of particles in parallel graphene layers. Scientists have used a particle physics theory to describe the behavior of particle-like entities, referred to as excitons, in two layers of graphene, a one-carbon-atom-thick honeycomb crystal.

Does the term 'research-based' keep parents in the dark? Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:21 AM PST Does applying the term 'research-based' to parental advice automatically provide a stamp of authority? A commentary paper suggests that parents and caregivers are frequently misled into an 'ignorance trap' by recommendations which are based on ill-informed research.

How smartphones help find avalanche victims Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:21 AM PST Not a winter goes by without an avalanche incident. In the search for those buried beneath the snow, every second counts. Now smartphones equipped with functions of an avalanche transceiver should help locate the victims quickly.

New moisture-buffering plaster 'sucks up' water vapor Posted: 03 Feb 2014 08:21 AM PST Water vapor generated by cooking, taking a shower or drying damp clothes can condense on cold walls, encouraging the growth of mildew and microbes. Scientists have now developed a special wall plaster to deal with this problem. Its ability to absorb moisture from the air is significantly better than that of conventional lime plaster and even that of clay rendering.

Prototype of single ion heat engine created Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:10 AM PST Scientists are working on a heat engine that consists of just a single ion. Such a nano-heat engine could be far more efficient than, for example, a car engine or a coal-fired power plant.

Greenland's fastest glacier reaches record speeds Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:10 AM PST Jakobshavn Isbræ (Jakobshavn Glacier) is moving ice from the Greenland ice sheet into the ocean at a speed that appears to be the fastest ever recorded. Researchers measured the dramatic speeds of the fast-flowing glacier in 2012 and 2013.

Researchers Advance Findings on Key Gene Related to Cancer Metastasis Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:10 AM PST Researchers report that the disabling of two key genes, SSeCKS/AKAP12 and Rb, led to early development of prostate cancer and was also associated with high rates of metastasis to nearby lymph nodes.

As the temperature drops, risk of fracture rises Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:10 AM PST Record-setting winter weather in the U.S. has led to lots of road condition advisories, but could there also be a slip and fall alert?

Critically endangered leatherback turtles tracked to reveal danger zones from industrial fishing Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:10 AM PST One of the biggest threats to critically endangered leatherback turtles is bycatch from industrial fishing in the open oceans. Now, a team of researchers has satellite-tracked 135 leatherbacks with transmitters to determine the turtles' patterns of movement in the Pacific Ocean. Combined with fisheries data, the researchers entered the information into a computer model to predict bycatch hotspots in the Pacific.

Painting robot lends surgeons a hand in the operating room Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:09 AM PST A robotic painting arm has been developed that could one day lend doctors a hand in practicing complex, robot-assisted surgeries without having to step foot in an operating room.

'Envy-free' algorithm developed for settling disputes from divorce to inheritance Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:09 AM PST Whether it's season tickets to Green Bay Packers' games or silver place settings, divorce and inheritance have bred protracted disputes over the assignment of belongings. But, now, a trio of researchers has found a method for resolving such conflicts in an envy-free way.

Big chill to understand quark-gluon plasma of early universe Posted: 03 Feb 2014 07:09 AM PST Run 14 at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) will feature a dramatic improvement in machine performance enabling detailed studies of the quark-gluon plasma of the early universe and its transition to the matter we see in the universe today.

Greenhouse 'time machine' sheds light on corn domestication Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:38 AM PST A grass called teosinte is thought to be the ancestor of corn, but it doesn't look much like corn at all. Scientists were surprised to find that teosinte planted in growth chambers under climate conditions that simulate the environment 10,000 to 12,000 years ago looks more like corn. This may help to explain why early farmers chose to cultivate teosinte and lends support to the idea that teosinte was domesticated to become one of the most important staple crops in the world.

Capturing ultrasharp images of multiple cell components at once Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:38 AM PST A new microscopy method could enable scientists to generate snapshots of dozens of different biomolecules at once in a single human cell. Such images could shed light on complex cellular pathways and potentially lead to new ways to diagnose disease, track its prognosis, or monitor the effectiveness of therapies at a cellular level.

Two papers unraveled the mystery of sex determination and benthic adaptation of the flatfish Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:38 AM PST Researchers have successfully decoded the first genome of a flatfish -- half-smooth tongue sole, providing insights into ZW sex chromosome evolution and adaptation to a benthic lifestyle.

'Blueprint for action' issued to combat shortages of life-saving drugs Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:38 AM PST A group of prominent healthcare experts including bioethicists, pharmacists, policymakers and cancer specialists have proposed concrete steps for preventing and managing a nightmare scenario that is becoming all too common: shortages of life-saving drugs.

Finnish agriculture increasingly steered by market forces Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:35 AM PST Agriculture in Finland is becoming more market driven. EU and national support systems will continue to protect production, but the risks due to fluctuating prices will increase. It is anticipated that the major structural changes in agriculture will continue, and the number of livestock farms in particular will decrease steadily.

Researchers develop first single-molecule LED Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:35 AM PST The ultimate challenge in the race to miniaturize light emitting diodes (LED) has now been met: Scientists have developed the first ever single-molecule LED. The device is formed from a single polythiophene wire placed between the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope and a gold surface. It emits light only when the current passes in a certain direction.

Understanding vaccinations: Development and review Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:34 AM PST Childhood immunization recommendations have been the focus of increased attention over the past decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently has an age-specific schedule of recommendations for sixteen vaccine preventable diseases for children/adolescents.

Single-sex education unlikely to offer advantage over coed schools, research finds Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:34 AM PST Single-sex education does not educate girls and boys any better than coed schools, according to research analyzing 184 studies of more than 1.6 million students from around the world.

Common colds during pregnancy may lead to childhood asthma Posted: 03 Feb 2014 06:34 AM PST Women that are pregnant may want to take extra precaution around those that are sniffling and sneezing this winter. According to a new study published today, the more common colds and viral infections a woman has during pregnancy, the higher the risk her baby will have asthma.

For infants, stress may be caught, not taught Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:46 AM PST New research shows that babies not only pick up on their mother's stress, they also show corresponding physiological changes.

Beneficial insects, nematodes not harmed by genetically modified, insect-resistant crops Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:46 AM PST Two new studies show that genetically modified Bt crops have no negative effects on two beneficial insect predators or on a beneficial, entomopathogenic nematode.

First African study on biodiversity in genetically modified maize finds insects abundant Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:46 AM PST A new study from South Africa shows that the biodiversity of insects and related arthropods in genetically modified crop fields is essentially the same as that among conventional crops.

Whether you lose or gain weight depends on weekdays Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:45 AM PST Almost everyone loses weight on weekdays and gains weight on weekends. What separates the slim from the heavy isn't how much more they gain on weekends. It's how much they lose during the weekdays. In this study, researchers look into the impact that the seven-days-a-week human cycle has on weight.

Liver tumors found in mice exposed to BPA Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:45 AM PST In one of the first studies to show a significant association between BPA and cancer development, researchers have found liver tumors in mice exposed to the chemical via their mothers during gestation and nursing.

Women 35 and older are at decreased risk to have anatomically abnormal child, study suggests Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:45 AM PST In a new study, researchers report that women ages 35 and older are at a decreased risk of having a child with a major congenital malformation, after excluding chromosomal abnormalities.

Hardships explain much of hospital asthma readmissions among black children, teens Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:42 AM PST Black children are twice as likely as white children to be readmitted to the hospital for asthma -- a disparity due in large part to a greater burden of financial and social hardships, according to a new study.

Shy kids not delayed or deficient in language, they just speak less Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:42 AM PST Previous research has suggested that shy children have difficulties with language. A new longitudinal study of 816 toddlers has found that shy children who are inhibited in their behavior understand what's being said as well as less shy peers, even though they tend to speak less. In other words, these children are merely reluctant to respond rather than delayed or deficient in understanding language.

For young African-Americans, emotional support buffers biological toll of racial discrimination Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:42 AM PST A new study has found that African-American youth who report experiencing frequent discrimination during adolescence are at risk for developing chronic diseases like heart disease in later years. The study, which looked at 331 rural youth living in Georgia, found that emotional support from parents and peers can protect from the effects of allostatic load -- biological wear and tear due to exposure to repeated stress.

Positive feelings about race, ethnicity tied to stronger development in minority youth Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:42 AM PST A meta-analyses of 46 studies reviewing ethnic-racial affect has found that the more positively minority youth feel about their ethnicity or race, the fewer symptoms of depression and behavior problems they have. Youth with positive ethnic-racial affect had better self-esteem and had fewer problems with drugs or alcohol. Together, the studies looked at African American, Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and American Indian youth in the United States, primarily middle and high school students.

Vitamin C and E supplements may hamper endurance training, study suggests Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST Vitamin C and E supplements may blunt the improvement of muscular endurance -- by disrupting cellular adaptions in exercised muscles, suggests a new study.

White silk wrappings key to female spider's heart Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST South American spider females pick their mates according to how well the nuptial gift is wrapped. It's not only what's inside the nuptial gift that a potential suitor brings to a female Paratrechalea ornata spider that counts. It's the whole package, white silk wrappings and all, that can give one male spider the edge over another.

High media use, reduced sleep, low activity: Adolescents at 'invisible' risk of mental ill-health Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST Adolescents with high media use, reduced sleep and low physical activity comprise an 'invisible-risk' group that has high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms, according to a large international study.

Chemical products on a renewable basis Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST A breakthrough in the use of renewable raw materials in chemical production has been achieved -- production of 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural. Scientists have developed an innovative hydrothermal method to obtain the organic compound from biomass. Being a platform chemical, 5-HMF can serve as a precursor for various materials.

Rat islands 'a laboratory of future evolution': Rats predicted to fill in Earth's emptying ecospace Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:40 AM PST New research predicts that rats will continue to grow and fill a 'significant chunk' of Earth's emptying ecospace. Their global influence is likely to grow in the future as larger mammals continue to become extinct.

Vulnerability to future phosphorus shortage: Key ingredient to modern farming Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:38 AM PST The world was given a shock when global phosphorus prices were raised by 800% in 2008. At a stroke, it became clear how dependent we are on phosphorus for our food supply. Phosphorus is an ingredient in artificial fertilizers and is indispensable in modern farming.

Your brain is fine-tuning its wiring throughout your life Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:38 AM PST The white matter microstructure, the communication pathways of the brain, continues to develop/mature as one ages. Studies link age-related differences in white matter microstructure to specific cognitive abilities in childhood and adulthood.

Raindrop research dials in satellite forecasting accuracy Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:36 AM PST Dialing in the accuracy of satellite weather forecasting is the goal behind basic research into raindrop size and shape now being done.

Beliefs about HPV vaccine do not lead to initiation of sex or risky sexual behavior among teen girls, young women, study shows Posted: 03 Feb 2014 05:36 AM PST A new study may alleviate concerns that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine leads to either the initiation of sex or unsafe sexual behaviors among teenage girls and young women.

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