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• Proteins that control energy use necessary to form stem cells
• Wind farms can provide society a surplus of reliable clean energy
• Important and complex systems, from the global financial market to groups of friends, may be highly controllable
• Childhood abuse may impair weight-regulating hormones
• Braking system for immune responses
• As age-friendly technologies emerge, experts recommend policy changes
• What singing fruit flies can tell us about quick decisions
• Swing voters hold more sway over candidates on economic issues
• Plankton make scents for seabirds and a cooler planet
• Passive acoustic monitoring reveals clues to minke whale calling behavior and movements
• Inhibition of CDK4 might promote lymphoma development, progression
• New approach makes cancer cells explode
• Scientists find mechanism to reset body clock
• Computers see through faked expressions of pain better than people
• Ocean's carbon budget balanced: Supply of food to midwater organisms balanced with demands for food
• Nanoparticle-based coating for aircraft engines may triple service life and reduce fuel consumption
• Size, personality matter in how Kalahari social spiders perform tasks
• Animals losing migratory routes? Devasting consequences of scarcity of 'knowledgeable elders'
• Obesity: Not just what you eat
• Future generations could inherit drug and alcohol use
• Moon of Saturn: Surface of Titan sea is mirror smooth
• Oldest fossil evidence of modern African venomous snakes found in Tanzania
• Improved pavement markings can save lives
• Cognitive function and oral perception in independently-living octogenarians
• Genes play key role in parenting: Children also shape parents' behavior
• Stem cell combination therapy improves traumatic brain injury outcomes
• Surgery after major stroke also improves survival odds in elderly patients
• Stem cells created from a drop of blood: DIY finger-prick technique opens door for extensive stem cell banking
• Engineering materials for super-efficient nanoelectronics: Potential way to make graphene superconducting
• First evidence of plants evolving weaponry to compete in the struggle for selection
• New control over topological insulator
• Real-time simulation of textiles with new software
• Why do more people watch men's soccer? Different ball game for male and female soccer players
• WPA2 wireless security cracked
• Amphibians and dinosaurs were the new large predators after the mass extinction
• Algae may be a potential source of biofuels and biochemicals even in cool climate
• Ants plant tomorrow's rainforest
• Regular physical activity reduces breast cancer risk irrespective of age
• Eyes are windows to the soul -- and evolution
• Tiny transistors for extreme environs: Engineers shrink plasma devices to resist radiation
• Safety first, children: How parents can help kids recognize danger
• Loblolly pine genome is largest ever sequenced: Seven times bigger than the human genome
• Can 'love hormone' protect against addiction?
• Fake laughter doesn't fool the brain, research reveals
• Past HIV vaccine trials reveal new path to success
• Dry future climate could reduce orchid bee habitat
• Impaired new learning found in persons with Parkinson's disease
• Patients enjoy good quality of life 10 years after esophagectomy, gastric pull-up
• Antibodies that may cut risk of HIV infection better understood

Proteins that control energy use necessary to form stem cells Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:08 AM PDT Two proteins that control how cells metabolize glucose play a key role in the formation of human stem cells. Studies suggest these proteins which also play a role in the process that transforms normal cells into cancer stem cells, might also be targets for new cancer therapies.

Wind farms can provide society a surplus of reliable clean energy Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:08 AM PDT Researchers have found that the wind industry can easily afford the energetic cost of building batteries and other grid-scale storage technologies. However, for the solar industry, scientists found that more work is needed to make grid-scale storage energetically sustainable.

Important and complex systems, from the global financial market to groups of friends, may be highly controllable Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:07 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that all complex systems, whether they are found in the body, in international finance, or in social situations, actually fall into just three basic categories, in terms of how they can be controlled.

Childhood abuse may impair weight-regulating hormones Posted: 20 Mar 2014 10:47 AM PDT Childhood abuse or neglect can lead to long-term hormone impairment that raises the risk of developing obesity, diabetes or other metabolic disorders in adulthood, according to a new study. The study examined levels of the weight-regulating hormones leptin, adiponectin and irisin in the blood of adults who endured physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect as children. The study found dysregulation of certain hormones in people who had been abused or neglected as children.

Braking system for immune responses Posted: 20 Mar 2014 10:14 AM PDT The surface of immune system cells is home to a number of receptors which are able to detect pathogens. As soon as these receptors are activated, inflammation occurs and the body's defense mechanisms kick in. A receptor on human cells that specifically recognizes crystals has been identified by researchers for the first time. It is found on immune cells and binds uric acid crystals, which trigger gout but also control immune responses.

As age-friendly technologies emerge, experts recommend policy changes Posted: 20 Mar 2014 10:14 AM PDT From smart phones to smart cars, both public and private entities must consider the needs of older adults in order to help them optimize the use of new technologies, according to experts.

What singing fruit flies can tell us about quick decisions Posted: 20 Mar 2014 10:14 AM PDT The pitch and tempo of the male fruit fly's mating song is based on environmental cues rather than a stereotyped pattern, researchers have discovered. These findings could be substantial for understanding rapid decision-making in more advanced beings such as humans.

Swing voters hold more sway over candidates on economic issues Posted: 20 Mar 2014 10:14 AM PDT Economics professors have published a paper on a theory of candidate competition that accounts for the influence of both economic and cultural issues on individual voting behavior. The researchers tested their theory using what they term a "differentiated candidates framework" in which two office-motivated candidates differ in their ideological position and choose a level of government spending and implied taxes to maximize their vote share.

Plankton make scents for seabirds and a cooler planet Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:55 AM PDT The top predators of the Southern Ocean, far-ranging seabirds, are tied both to the health of the ocean ecosystem and to global climate regulation through a mutual relationship with phytoplankton, according to newly published work from the University of California, Davis.

Passive acoustic monitoring reveals clues to minke whale calling behavior and movements Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:20 AM PDT Scientists using passive acoustic monitoring to track minke whales in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean have found clues in the individual calling behaviors and movements of this species. These findings provide insight into one of the least studied baleen whales.

Inhibition of CDK4 might promote lymphoma development, progression Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:19 AM PDT Anticancer agents that inhibit tumor growth by targeting a cell-cycle regulatory protein called CDK4 might actually promote the development and progression of certain B-cell lymphomas. The research suggests that CDK4 inhibitors, which are now in clinical testing, should be used cautiously, particularly in patients with B-cell lymphomas. The findings raise the possibility that these inhibitors work through off-target effects and require further investigation.

New approach makes cancer cells explode Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:19 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that a substance called Vacquinol-1 makes cells from glioblastoma, the most aggressive type of brain tumor, literally explode. The established treatments that are available for glioblastoma include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. But even if this treatment is given the average survival is just 15 months. It is therefore critical to find better treatments for malignant brain tumors.

Scientists find mechanism to reset body clock Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:19 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new mechanism that governs how body clocks react to changes in the environment. The discovery could provide a solution for alleviating the detrimental effects of chronic shift work and jet-lag.

Computers see through faked expressions of pain better than people Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:19 AM PDT Scientists have found that a computer system spots real or faked expressions of pain more accurately than people can. Humans could not discriminate real from faked expressions of pain better than random chance -- and, even after training, only improved accuracy to a modest 55 percent. The computer system attains an 85 percent accuracy.

Ocean's carbon budget balanced: Supply of food to midwater organisms balanced with demands for food Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:58 AM PDT Ocean scientists have, for the first time successfully balanced the supply of food to midwater organisms with their demands for this food. The depth at which they consume this sinking material regulates our climate by determining how much carbon is stored by the ocean and how much remains in the atmosphere. The study in the North Atlantic focuses on 'marine snow' -- bacteria, microscopic animals and sinking organic matter.

Nanoparticle-based coating for aircraft engines may triple service life and reduce fuel consumption Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:58 AM PDT Researchers have started using nanoparticles in the heat-insulating surface layer that protects aircraft engines from heat. In tests, this increased the service life of the coating by 300%. This is something that interests the aircraft industry to a very great degree, and the hope is that motors with the new layers will be in production within two years.

Size, personality matter in how Kalahari social spiders perform tasks Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:57 AM PDT At first glance, colonies of thousands of social spiders all look the same and are busy with the same tasks. Not so, says researchers after carefully studying various gatherings of social spiders of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. The size and condition of a particular spider's body indicates which task it generally performs within a colony. In addition, neighboring colonies can have different "personalities" too.

Animals losing migratory routes? Devasting consequences of scarcity of 'knowledgeable elders' Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:19 AM PDT Small changes in a population may lead to dramatic consequences, like the disappearance of the migratory route of a species. Scientists have created a model of the behavior of a group of individuals on the move (like a school of fish, a herd of sheep or a flock of birds, etc.) which, by changing a few simple parameters, reproduces the collective behavior patterns observed in the wild.

Obesity: Not just what you eat Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:19 AM PDT To understand how obesity develops, researchers used state-of-the-art technology to analyze the accumulation of fat in the body at the cellular level, and according to their new findings, nutrition is not the most important factor driving obesity. The researchers offer insight into the development of obesity and are now creating a platform to develop new therapies and technologies to prevent or even reverse fat gain.

Future generations could inherit drug and alcohol use Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:19 AM PDT Parents who use alcohol, marijuana, and drugs have higher frequencies of children who pick up their habits, according to a new study. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2011, about 22.6 million Americans age 12 years and older said they used illicit drugs in the last month.

Moon of Saturn: Surface of Titan sea is mirror smooth Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT The surface of Ligeia Mare, Titan's second largest sea, has a mirror-like smoothness, possibly due to a lack of winds, geophysicists say. As the only other solar system body with an Earth-like weather system, Titan could serve as a model for studying our own planet's early history.

Oldest fossil evidence of modern African venomous snakes found in Tanzania Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT Scientists have found the oldest definitive fossil evidence of modern, venomous snakes in Africa. The newly discovered fossils demonstrate that elapid snakes -- such as cobras, kraits and sea snakes -- were present in Africa as early as 25 million years ago. Elapids belong to a larger group of snakes known as colubroids, active foragers that use a variety of methods, including venom, to capture and kill prey.

Improved pavement markings can save lives Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT As spring finally emerges after a ferocious winter, our battered roads will soon be re-exposed. While potholes and cracks might make news, a bigger concern should be the deterioration to pavement markings, from yellow to white lines, which are a big factor in preventing traffic accidents. A study from Concordia University, funded by Infrastructure Canada and published in Structure and Infrastructure Engineering, found that snowplows are the biggest culprit in erasing roadway markings.

Cognitive function and oral perception in independently-living octogenarians Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT Researchers hypothesized that the decline of cognitive impairment is involved in oral perceptions since its preclinical stage. The aim of this study was to examine association of cognitive function with tactile and taste perceptions in independently-living 80-year-old elderly. These results suggest that the decline of cognitive function was related to tactile and taste perceptions in independently-living octogenarians without dementia.

Genes play key role in parenting: Children also shape parents' behavior Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:15 AM PDT Scientists have presented the most conclusive evidence yet that genes play a significant role in parenting. The study sheds light on another misconception: that parenting is solely a top-down process from parent to child. While parents certainly seem to shape child behavior, parenting also is influenced by the child's behavior -- in other words, parenting is both a cause and a consequence of child behavior.

Stem cell combination therapy improves traumatic brain injury outcomes Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:14 AM PDT A combination stem cell therapy utilizing umbilical cord cell and growth factor treatment improves traumatic brain injury outcomes in animal models and could offer hope for millions, including US war veterans with traumatic brain injuries, new research shows. The researchers concluded that additional studies of this combination therapy are warranted in order to better understand their modes of action.

Surgery after major stroke also improves survival odds in elderly patients Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:14 AM PDT Patients who are over the age of 60 and have suffered a major stroke due to blockage of the middle cerebral artery benefit from hemicraniectomy -- removal of part of the skull located above the affected brain tissue. These patients' chances of survival increase two-fold. However, patients who have been operated on often survive with severe disabilities, while patients who do not undergo the surgery generally die quickly.

Stem cells created from a drop of blood: DIY finger-prick technique opens door for extensive stem cell banking Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:13 AM PDT Scientists have developed a method to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells from a single drop of finger-pricked blood. The method also enables donors to collect their own blood samples, which they can then send to a laboratory for further processing.

Engineering materials for super-efficient nanoelectronics: Potential way to make graphene superconducting Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:13 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a potential way to make graphene -- a single layer of carbon atoms with great promise for future electronics -- superconducting, a state in which it would carry electricity with 100 percent efficiency.

First evidence of plants evolving weaponry to compete in the struggle for selection Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:13 AM PDT Rutting stags and clawing bears are but two examples of male animals fighting over a mate, but new research has uncovered the first evidence of similar male struggles leading to the evolution of weaponry in plants.

New control over topological insulator Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:11 AM PDT Scientists investigating the electronic properties of ultra-thin films of new materials -- topological insulators (TIs) -- have demonstrated a new method to tune their unique properties using strain. Topological insulators are new materials with surfaces that host a new quantum state of matter and are insensitive to contaminants, defects and impurities. Surface electrons in TIs behave like massless Dirac particles in a similar way to electrons in graphene. Moreover, surface currents in topological insulators also preserve their spin orientation and coherence on a macro scale.

Real-time simulation of textiles with new software Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:11 AM PDT Fashion designers, pattern makers and tailors produce new collections using computer programs. Scientists are now connecting both worlds so the design process can be virtually simulated. New software technology depicts clothing samples in real time and is highly realistic. New collections can get to market faster and customer preferences can be realized more flexibly.

Why do more people watch men's soccer? Different ball game for male and female soccer players Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:11 AM PDT Every year billions of people across the globe tune in to watch the UEFA Champions League in which men compete in soccer, yet the number who tune-in to watch the female equivalent is miniscule and research has discovered it is a whole different ball game. For the first time both versions of the sport have been compared by the University of Sunderland to discover how the male game differs from that of the female game from a physical and technical point of view.

WPA2 wireless security cracked Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT There are various ways to protect a wireless network. Some are generally considered to be more secure than others. Some, such as WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), were broken several years ago and are not recommended as a way to keep intruders away from private networks. Now, a new study reveals that one of the previously strongest wireless security systems, Wi-Fi protected access 2 (WPA2) can also be easily broken into on wireless local area networks (WLANs).

Amphibians and dinosaurs were the new large predators after the mass extinction Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT Some 252 million years ago, the largest extinction event occurred at the end of the Permian age. It wiped out almost 90 percent of all life in water. So far researchers had assumed that the ecosystems gradually recovered from this catastrophe over a long stretch of eight to nine million years and that large predators at the uppermost end of the food chain were the last to reappear. Palaeontologists now show that the food nets during the Early Triassic did not recover in stages. Large predators like, for instance, crocodile-like amphibians and later the precursors of the known plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs went in search of prey in the oceans soon after the end of the mass extinction.

Algae may be a potential source of biofuels and biochemicals even in cool climate Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT Algae are organisms useful in many ways in the transition towards a bio-economy. Even in a cool climate as in Finland, algae might be used to produce biochemicals and biofuels, besides use in capture of industrial carbon dioxide emissions. Algae are not yet profitably cultivated for energy production purposes. The cultivation is challenging especially in cool climate where there is little daylight in winter.

Ants plant tomorrow's rainforest Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT Tropical montane rain forests are highly threatened and their remnants are often surrounded by deforested landscapes. For the regeneration of these degraded areas, seed dispersal of forest trees plays a crucial role but is still poorly understood. Most tree species are dispersed by birds and mammals, but also by ants. This new research demonstrates the importance of this hitherto neglected ecosystem function for the restoration of montane rain forests. Ants promote the regeneration of these forests by dispersing seeds to safe sites for tree establishment.

Regular physical activity reduces breast cancer risk irrespective of age Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:08 AM PDT Practising sport for more than an hour day reduces the risk of contracting breast cancer, and this applies to women of any age and any weight, and also unaffected by geographical location. Compared with the least active women, those with the highest level of physical activity reduced their risk of breast cancer by 12%, researchers say.

Eyes are windows to the soul -- and evolution Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:06 AM PDT Why do we become saucer-eyed from fear and squint from disgust? These near-opposite facial expressions are rooted in emotional responses that exploit how our eyes gather and focus light to detect an unknown threat, according to a new study.

Tiny transistors for extreme environs: Engineers shrink plasma devices to resist radiation Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:05 AM PDT Electrical engineers have fabricated the smallest plasma transistors that can withstand high temperatures and ionizing radiation found in a nuclear reactor. Such transistors someday might enable smartphones that take and collect medical X-rays on a battlefield, and devices to measure air quality in real time.

Safety first, children: How parents can help kids recognize danger Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:05 AM PDT Children are experts at getting into danger. So, how can parents help prevent the consequences? One answer, researchers say, is for parents to better understand how their children rate hazards and then use conversation to explain why certain situations can be dangerous.

Loblolly pine genome is largest ever sequenced: Seven times bigger than the human genome Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:05 AM PDT The massive genome of the loblolly pine -- around seven times bigger than the human genome -- is the largest genome sequenced to date and the most complete conifer genome sequence ever published. This achievement marks the first big test of a new analysis method that can speed up genome assembly by compressing the raw sequence data 100-fold.

Can 'love hormone' protect against addiction? Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:05 AM PDT Addictive behavior such as drug and alcohol abuse could be associated with poor development of the so-called "love hormone" system in our bodies during early childhood, according to researchers. The groundbreaking idea has resulted from a review of worldwide research into oxytocin, known as the "love hormone" or "bonding drug" because of its important role in enhancing social interactions, maternal behavior and partnership.

Fake laughter doesn't fool the brain, research reveals Posted: 19 Mar 2014 07:25 PM PDT As the world celebrates International Day of Happiness today (Thursday, 20 March), can we tell whether people are truly happy just from their laugh? "During our study, when participants heard a laugh that was posed, they activated regions of the brain associated with mentalizing in an attempt to understand the other person's emotional and mental state," the authors state.

Past HIV vaccine trials reveal new path to success Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:57 PM PDT A subclass of antibodies associated with an effective immune response to an HIV vaccine has been discovered by a multi-national research team. The finding helps explain why a combination of two vaccines was able to show some effect, when one vaccine alone did not. The study also provides key insights that could aid development of new vaccines.

Dry future climate could reduce orchid bee habitat Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:57 PM PDT During Pleistocene era climate changes, neotropical orchid bees that relied on year-round warmth and wet weather found their habitats reduced by 30 to 50 percent, according to a study that used computer models and genetic data to understand bee distributions during past climate changes.

Impaired new learning found in persons with Parkinson's disease Posted: 19 Mar 2014 01:52 PM PDT Memory and learning in patients with Parkinson's disease was the focus of a new international study. The researchers found that the Parkinson's group's ability to learn new information was significantly poorer when compared with controls. "We concluded that the memory deficit in patients with PD without dementia was caused by a deficit in learning new information. Improving new learning is an important factor to consider in the development of cognitive rehabilitation interventions in this population," the authors conclude.

Patients enjoy good quality of life 10 years after esophagectomy, gastric pull-up Posted: 19 Mar 2014 01:52 PM PDT Long-term survivors after esophagectomy with gastric pull-up can enjoy a satisfying meal and good quality of life according to a new study. This study concluded that pessimism about the long-term quality of life after an esophagectomy on the part of treating physicians and patients is unwarranted.

Antibodies that may cut risk of HIV infection better understood Posted: 19 Mar 2014 01:52 PM PDT What immune response should a vaccine elicit to prevent HIV infection? Two studies bring scientists closer to answering this question by identifying previously unrecognized attributes of antibodies that appear to have reduced the risk of HIV infection in the only clinical trial to show efficacy, albeit modest, of an experimental vaccine regimen in people.

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