ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Magnet for fast and cheap data storage invented
• Positive health technique for stressed nurses found
• Ancient Chinese medicine put through its paces for pancreatic cancer
• Fire prevention: Water-mist may prevent rain of sparks
• Personality clashes not the cause of workplace harassment -- organizational structure to blame
• Usain Bolt's superhuman speed would give him the power of flight on Saturn's moon Titan
• Humans responsible for 62% of cougar deaths in re-established populations
• Tears and fears: How do emotions change our political attitudes?
• How ancient Greek plays allow us to reconstruct Europe's climate
• Black hawks downed: Bird threat to U. S. military helicopters revealed
• Potent HIV antibody research has opened up possibilities for HIV prevention, treatment
• World-class orchestras judged by sight not sound
• Spanish forest ecosystems: Carbon emission will be higher in second half of century
• Relativity shakes a magnet: New principle for magnetic recording
• Mandatory arrest in domestic violence call-outs causes early death in victims
• Plants convert energy at lightning speed
• Talking Neanderthals challenge the origins of speech
• Study of antibody evolution charts course toward HIV vaccine
• First glimpse of brain circuit that helps experience to shape perception
• Protective mutations for type 2 diabetes pinpointed
• Imaging dynamics of small biomolecules inside live cells
• Newly discovered catalyst could lead to the low-cost production of clean methanol from carbon dioxide
• Optical nano-tweezers control nano-objects: Trap and move individual nano-object in three dimensions using only light
• European flood risk could double by 2050
• Global warming felt to deepest reaches of ocean
• In first moments of infection, a division and a decision
• As one food allergy resolves, another may develop: Same food may trigger both allergies
• Promising results with local hyperthermia of tumors
• Computer engineer patents quantum computing device
• Physicists solve 20-year-old debate surrounding glassy surfaces
• Peat soils as gigantic batteries
• Reverse logistics not as easy as it sounds: Why companies have difficulties in implementing recycling, refurbishing major items
• Beneficial anti-inflammatory effects observed when plant extracts fed to sick pigs
• iphone photography: Revolution or passing phase?
• Ease and security of password protections improved
• Brain research tracks internet safety performance, dispels assumptions, identifies traits of those at-risk

Magnet for fast and cheap data storage invented Posted: 03 Mar 2014 07:37 AM PST Physicists have come up with a new synthetic material for optical data storage.

Positive health technique for stressed nurses found Posted: 03 Mar 2014 07:37 AM PST Within the health care industry and beyond, daily exposure to stress can lead to negative consequences for employees both on and off the job – from apathy and burnout to physical illness or mental impairments. New research suggests the implementation of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program can reduce employee stress and burnout. In the study, a sample of 41 female nurses from a large healthcare company participated in an 8 week scheduled course of guided instruction in mindfulness meditation practices, facilitated group discussion, stretching and yoga, work and home assignments, and individually tailored instruction and support. Results showed statistical improvement in both overall health and wellness of the nurses at each point of intervention.

Ancient Chinese medicine put through its paces for pancreatic cancer Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:44 AM PST The bark of the Amur cork tree has traveled a centuries-long road with the healing arts. Now it is being put through its paces by science in the fight against pancreatic cancer, with the potential to make inroads against several more. Researchers were already exploring the cork tree extract's promise in treating prostate cancer when the team found that deadly pancreatic cancers share some similar development pathways with prostate tumors. The potential of natural substances to treat and cure disease has great appeal, but the advantage of cork tree extract, available as a dietary supplement in capsule form, is that it already has been established as safe for use in patients.

Fire prevention: Water-mist may prevent rain of sparks Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:43 AM PST Fire researchers have shown that sparks from a burning house can be prevented from spreading if the loft is fitted with an extinguishing system based on water-mist, i.e. tiny water droplets that turn into steam. Shortly after the catastrophic fire in Lærdal in Western Norway, which destroyed 40 buildings, an eleven-year-old report from the Norwegian Fire Research Laboratory, has once again become highly relevant.

Personality clashes not the cause of workplace harassment -- organizational structure to blame Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:43 AM PST While it may be easy to put workplace harassment down to personality conflicts, in reality workplace harassment is most often a product of the workplace itself, not the people in it. More research needs to be done into the role organizations play in workplace harassment, in order to address a critical issue with widespread social and economic impacts, the researchers say.

Usain Bolt's superhuman speed would give him the power of flight on Saturn's moon Titan Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:43 AM PST We all know Usain Bolt is one of the fastest people on Earth. Now, students have shown his superhuman speeds would actually allow him to fly like a bird on one of Saturn's moons while wearing a wingsuit. The world-record holding sprinter has reached top speeds of 12.27 meters per second, which would be fast enough for him to take off on Titan while wearing a regular wingsuit. Theoretically, the Olympic athlete would then be able to soar above the planet – without any need for propulsion.

Humans responsible for 62% of cougar deaths in re-established populations Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:42 AM PST The reintroduction of mountain lions across the mid-western United States has made species management an urgent area of research for conservationists. A new report explores the fatal cost of human interaction with cougars and asks what state agencies can do to protect both species.

Tears and fears: How do emotions change our political attitudes? Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:39 AM PST Politicians know that turning on the tears can be a vote winner, but how does the political manipulation of our emotions actually work? Researchers explore how emotions such as anxiety, even if their cause has nothing to do with politics, can result in a hardening of our views.

How ancient Greek plays allow us to reconstruct Europe's climate Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:39 AM PST The open air plays of the ancient Greeks may offer us a valuable insight into the Mediterranean climate of the time, reports new research. Using historical observations from artwork and plays, scientists identified 'halcyon days', of theater friendly weather in mid-winter.

Black hawks downed: Bird threat to U. S. military helicopters revealed Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:39 AM PST Rotary-wing aircraft, such as Apache and Chinook helicopters, play vital combat and logistical roles across the U.S. military services, but new research reveals how vulnerable these aircraft are to wildlife strikes. Many types of aircraft are vulnerable to strikes, estimated to cost the aviation industry $1.2 billion worldwide per year; however, to date no assessment of strikes to military rotary-wing aircraft has been conducted.

Potent HIV antibody research has opened up possibilities for HIV prevention, treatment Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:39 AM PST The discovery of how a KwaZulu-Natal woman's body responded to her HIV infection by making potent antibodies (called broadly neutralizing antibodies, because they are able to kill multiple strains of HIV from across the world), has been reported by an international team of scientists. All HIV infected people respond to HIV by making antibodies. In most patients, these antibodies are not able to kill a wide range of HIV -- this is described as a lack of neutralization breadth. However, in a few infected people, they naturally make antibodies that kill (neutralize) many different kinds of HIV. The identification and successful cloning of these special antibodies enables the researchers to make sufficiently large quantities for further testing, similar to the way a medicine used to prevent or treat HIV would be tested.

World-class orchestras judged by sight not sound Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:39 AM PST World-class orchestras can be accurately identified by silent video footage of performances, but not through sound recordings, a new study has found.

Spanish forest ecosystems: Carbon emission will be higher in second half of century Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:35 AM PST Spanish forest ecosystems will probably emit high quantities of carbon dioxide in the second half of the 21st century. This is the conclusion of a report that reviews the results obtained from the implementation of the forest simulation model GOTILWA+, a tool to simulate forest growth processes under several environmental conditions and to optimize Mediterranean forests management strategies in the context of climate change.

Relativity shakes a magnet: New principle for magnetic recording Posted: 03 Mar 2014 05:35 AM PST Scientists have predicted and discovered a new physical phenomenon that allows to manipulate the state of a magnet by electric signals. Current technologies for writing, storing, and reading information are either charge-based or spin-based. Semiconductor flash or random access memories are prime examples among the large variety of charge-based devices. They utilize the possibility offered by semiconductors to easily electrically manipulate and detect their electronic charge states representing the "zeros" and "ones". The downside is that weak perturbations such as impurities, temperature change, or radiation can lead to uncontrolled charge redistributions and, as a consequence, to data loss. Spin-based devices operate on an entirely distinct principle.

Mandatory arrest in domestic violence call-outs causes early death in victims Posted: 02 Mar 2014 04:54 PM PST Researchers followed up on a landmark domestic violence arrest experiment and found that African-American victims who had partners arrested rather than warned were twice as likely to die young.

Plants convert energy at lightning speed Posted: 02 Mar 2014 04:54 PM PST A new way of measuring how much light a plant can tolerate could be useful in growing crops resilient to a changing climate, according to scientists.

Talking Neanderthals challenge the origins of speech Posted: 02 Mar 2014 03:52 PM PST We humans like to think of ourselves as unique for many reasons, not least of which being our ability to communicate with words. But ground-breaking research shows that our 'misunderstood cousins,' the Neanderthals, may well have spoken in languages not dissimilar to the ones we use today.

Study of antibody evolution charts course toward HIV vaccine Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST In an advance for HIV vaccine research, a scientific team has discovered how the immune system makes a powerful antibody that blocks HIV infection of cells by targeting a site on the virus called V1V2. Many researchers believe that if a vaccine could elicit potent antibodies to a specific conserved site in the V1V2 region, one of a handful of sites that remains constant on the fast-mutating virus, then the vaccine could protect people from HIV infection.

First glimpse of brain circuit that helps experience to shape perception Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST How do our memories shape the way sensory information is collected? For the first time, scientists have demonstrated a way to observe how our experiences shape sensory information in awake animals. The team was able to measure the activity of a group of inhibitory neurons that links the odor-sensing area of the brain with brain areas responsible for thought and cognition. This connection provides feedback so that memories and experiences can alter the way smells are interpreted.

Protective mutations for type 2 diabetes pinpointed Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST Mutations in a gene that can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even in people who have risk factors such as obesity and old age, has been found by an international team of researchers. The results focus the search for developing novel therapeutic strategies for type 2 diabetes; if a drug can be developed that mimics the protective effect of these mutations, it could open up new ways of preventing this devastating disease. Type 2 diabetes affects over 300 million people worldwide and is rising rapidly in prevalence. Lifestyle changes and existing medicines slow the progression of the disease, but many patients are inadequately served by current treatments.

Imaging dynamics of small biomolecules inside live cells Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST A significant step has been made toward visualizing small biomolecules inside living biological systems with minimum disturbance, a longstanding goal in the scientific community. In a study, a research team describes its development of a general method to image a broad spectrum of small biomolecules, such as small molecular drugs and nucleic acids, amino acids, lipids for determining where they are localized and how they function inside cells.

Newly discovered catalyst could lead to the low-cost production of clean methanol from carbon dioxide Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST Scientists have discovered a potentially clean, low-cost way to convert carbon dioxide into methanol, a key ingredient in the production of plastics, adhesives and solvents, and a promising fuel for transportation. Scientists combined theory and experimentation to identify a new nickel-gallium catalyst that converts hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methanol with fewer side-products than the conventional catalyst.

Optical nano-tweezers control nano-objects: Trap and move individual nano-object in three dimensions using only light Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST Researchers have invented nano-optical tweezers capable of trapping and moving an individual nano-object in three dimensions using only the force of light. Using this approach, they have demonstrated trapping and 3-D displacement of specimens as small as a few tens of nanometers using an extremely small, non-invasive laser intensity.

European flood risk could double by 2050 Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:36 AM PST Losses from extreme floods in Europe could more than double by 2050, because of climate change and socioeconomic development. Understanding the risk posed by large-scale floods is of growing importance and will be key for managing climate adaptation.

Global warming felt to deepest reaches of ocean Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:35 AM PST A new study shows that the 1970s polynya within the Antarctic sea ice pack of the Weddell Sea may have been the last gasp of what was previously a more common feature of the Southern Ocean, and which is now suppressed due to the effects of climate change on ocean salinity.

In first moments of infection, a division and a decision Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:35 AM PST Using technologies and computational modeling that trace the destiny of single cells, researchers describe for the first time the earliest stages of fate determination among white blood cells called T lymphocytes, providing new insights that may help drug developers create more effective, longer-lasting vaccines against microbial pathogens or cancer.

As one food allergy resolves, another may develop: Same food may trigger both allergies Posted: 02 Mar 2014 11:35 AM PST Some children who outgrow one type of food allergy may then develop another type of allergy, more severe and more persistent, to the same food. The more severe allergy is eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), which has been increasing in recent years.

Promising results with local hyperthermia of tumors Posted: 28 Feb 2014 06:05 PM PST Combined use of iron oxide nanoparticles and an alternating magnetic field can induce local hyperthermia in tumors in a controlled and uniform manner. The results Induced anti-tumor immune response that reduced the risk of recurrence and metastasis. Standard cancer care involves surgery, but surgeons have few tools to guarantee the removal of every cancer cell, especially when there is unrecognized metastases in other anatomic locations. An approach like local hyperthermia one day might be used to kick start the immune system to ward off any cancer cells not removed by surgery to increase the chances of treatment success.

Computer engineer patents quantum computing device Posted: 28 Feb 2014 12:58 PM PST While widespread quantum computing may still be 15 years away, a computer engineering has patented a quantum processor capable of parallel computing that uses no transistors.

Physicists solve 20-year-old debate surrounding glassy surfaces Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:13 AM PST Physicists have succeeded in measuring how the surfaces of glassy materials flow like a liquid, even when they should be solid. A series of simple and elegant experiments were the solution to a problem that has been plaguing condensed matter physicists for the past 20 years.

Peat soils as gigantic batteries Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:13 AM PST Researchers have described a process that suppresses the formation of methane in soils that are rich in humic substances. For this process to work, the soils need to switch between having no oxygen and having oxygen.

Reverse logistics not as easy as it sounds: Why companies have difficulties in implementing recycling, refurbishing major items Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:12 AM PST There are several good reasons why a company might practice reverse logistics - the process of retrieving broken, worn out or obsolete items for recycling or refurbishment. These include improved public image wherein customers recognize the benefits of buying from an environmentally responsible company, improved environmental record and improved resource usage. However, there are several obstacles that lie between a world in which consumers dispose of their own goods and companies as a matter of ethical and economic obligations invoke a reverse logistics system.

Beneficial anti-inflammatory effects observed when plant extracts fed to sick pigs Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:12 AM PST Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome is the most expensive and invasive disease for pig producers on a global scale. Though it is not occurring on every farm, it is the biggest disease problem in the pig industry, said an animal sciences researcher.

iphone photography: Revolution or passing phase? Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:12 AM PST Photography has morphed with each technological advance, becoming, simpler, more spontaneous and more accessible.  A new article explores the effect of the iphone on photography, the technological 'mash-up' with the internet and omnipresent social connectivity.

Ease and security of password protections improved Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:11 AM PST A new article proposes and tests four two-factor schemes that require servers to store a randomized hash of the passwords and a second device, such as the user's security token or smartphone, to store a corresponding secret code.

Brain research tracks internet safety performance, dispels assumptions, identifies traits of those at-risk Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:11 AM PST Researchers used a novel methodology to gain new neurological insights into how users face security questions and how their personalities might affect their performance.

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