Δευτέρα 30 Ιουνίου 2014

Science News SciGuru.com

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Progress in the fight against drug-resistant tuberculosis

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 05:52 PM PDT

Recent years have witnessed an explosion in the levels of tuberculosis, making it the second biggest cause of death by infectious disease after HIV. A major reason behind this is the emergence of strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that are resistant to rifamycin family antibiotics such as rifampicin, the most effective tuberculosis antibiotic available. However, a breakthrough may be on the way in the fight against tuberculosis.

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ScienceDaily: Top Science News

ScienceDaily: Top Science News


Noninvasive brain control: New light-sensitive protein enables simpler, more powerful optogenetics

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:21 AM PDT

Engineers have now developed the first light-sensitive molecule that enables neurons to be silenced noninvasively, using a light source outside the skull. This noninvasive approach could pave the way to using optogenetics in human patients to treat epilepsy and other neurological disorders.

Emperor penguin in peril

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:20 AM PDT

Scientists studying Emperor penguin populations across Antarctica finds the iconic animals in danger of dramatic declines by the end of the century due to climate change. Their study finds the Emperor penguin 'fully deserving of endangered status due to climate change.'

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


One in 10 deaths among working-age adults in U.S. due to excessive drinking, report finds

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 11:00 AM PDT

Excessive alcohol use accounts for one in 10 deaths among working-age adults ages 20-64 years in the United States, according to a new report. Excessive alcohol use led to approximately 88,000 deaths per year from 2006 to 2010, and shortened the lives of those who died by about 30 years. These deaths were due to health effects from drinking too much over time, such as breast cancer, liver disease, and heart disease; and health effects from drinking too much in a short period of time, such as violence, alcohol poisoning, and motor vehicle crashes.

Astronomers closer to proving gravitational waves with precise measurements of rapidly rotating neutron star

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 08:27 AM PDT

When Albert Einstein proposed the existence of gravitational waves as part of his theory of relativity, he set in train a pursuit for knowledge that continues nearly a century later. These ripples in the space-time continuum exert a powerful appeal because it is believed they carry information that will allow us to look back into the very beginnings of the universe. But although the weight of evidence continues to build, undisputed confirmation of their existence still eludes scientists. Researchers have now provided another piece of the puzzle with their precise measurements of a rapidly rotating neutron star: one of the smallest, densest stars in the universe.

Animals built reefs 550 million years ago, fossil study finds

Posted: 26 Jun 2014 11:16 AM PDT

It is a remarkable survivor of an ancient aquatic world -- now a new study sheds light on how one of Earth's oldest reefs was formed. Researchers have discovered that one of these reefs -- now located on dry land in Namibia -- was built almost 550 million years ago, by the first animals to have hard shells.

Ancient ocean currents may have changed pacing and intensity of ice ages: Slowing of currents may have flipped switch

Posted: 26 Jun 2014 11:16 AM PDT

Researchers have found that the deep ocean currents that move heat around the globe stalled or even stopped about 950,000 years ago, possibly due to expanding ice cover in the north. The slowing currents increased carbon dioxide storage in the ocean, leaving less in the atmosphere, which kept temperatures cold and kicked the climate system into a new phase of colder but less frequent ice ages, they hypothesize.

New species of small mammal: Round-eared elephant-shrew found in Namibia

Posted: 26 Jun 2014 10:22 AM PDT

Scientists have discovered a new species of round-eared sengi, or elephant-shrew, in the remote deserts of southwestern Africa. This is the third new species of sengi to be discovered in the wild in the past decade. It is also the smallest known member of the 19 sengis in the order Macroscelidea.

Fruits, vegetables: Good for health, not necessarily a weight loss method

Posted: 25 Jun 2014 10:18 AM PDT

People trying to lose weight are often told to eat more fruits and vegetables, but new research shows this bit of advice may not be true. "Across the board, all studies we reviewed showed a near-zero effect on weight loss," the lead author said. "So I don't think eating more alone is necessarily an effective approach for weight loss because just adding them on top of whatever foods a person may be eating is not likely to cause weight change."

When it rains, it pours ... on the sun

Posted: 24 Jun 2014 06:32 AM PDT

Just like on Earth, the sun has spells of bad weather, with high winds and showers of rain. But unlike storms on Earth, rain on the sun is made of electrically charged gas (plasma) and falls at around 200,000 kilometers an hour from the outer solar atmosphere, the corona, to the sun's surface. Now a team of solar physicists has pieced together an explanation for this intriguing phenomenon with imagery that shows a 'waterfall' in the atmosphere of the sun.

Great walls could eliminate major tornado threat in Tornado Alley, expert says

Posted: 23 Jun 2014 09:03 AM PDT

Can we eliminate major tornadoes in Tornado Alley? Devastating tornadoes over there start from violent clashes between northbound warm wind and southbound cold wind. If engineers built three east-west great walls, 300 meters high and 50 meters wide, one in North Dakota, one passing Oklahoma and one in Texas, such barriers would weaken such air mass clashes and diminish major tornado threat, according to one expert.

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

ScienceDaily: Top Environment News


Emperor penguin in peril

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:20 AM PDT

Scientists studying Emperor penguin populations across Antarctica finds the iconic animals in danger of dramatic declines by the end of the century due to climate change. Their study finds the Emperor penguin 'fully deserving of endangered status due to climate change.'

High CO2 levels cause warming in tropics

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:20 AM PDT

Higher concentrations of carbon dioxide, CO2, in the atmosphere cause warming not only at high latitudes but also across tropical regions, according to new research. "These results confirm what climate models have long predicted -- that although greenhouse gases cause greater warming at the poles they also cause warming in the tropics. Such findings indicate that few places on Earth will be immune to global warming and that the tropics will likely experience associated climate impacts, such as increased tropical storm intensity," the project leader said.

ScienceDaily: Top Health News

ScienceDaily: Top Health News


Noninvasive brain control: New light-sensitive protein enables simpler, more powerful optogenetics

Posted: 29 Jun 2014 11:21 AM PDT

Engineers have now developed the first light-sensitive molecule that enables neurons to be silenced noninvasively, using a light source outside the skull. This noninvasive approach could pave the way to using optogenetics in human patients to treat epilepsy and other neurological disorders.

Ankle replacement becomes more common to relieve severe arthritis pain

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 06:27 PM PDT

Improvements in implant design have prompted more people with severe arthritis in their ankle to consider ankle replacement to relieve pain. The newest implant is considered by many to be an advance over previous models, designed to better reproduce the ankle's natural motion and last longer.

How common are cruel comments posted to online news sites?

Posted: 27 Jun 2014 10:31 AM PDT

Anyone who's ever ventured into the comments section of a news website has likely observed some unfriendly exchanges. Now research has confirmed just how common such behavior is. The study found that more than 1 in 5 comments included some form of incivility, with name-calling as the most prevalent type.

New routine testing for some non-hodgkin lymphomas recommended

Posted: 26 Jun 2014 10:20 AM PDT

Three subgroups of a single type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that have markedly different survival rates have been discovered by researchers. These subgroups could not be differentiated by routine pathology but only with the aid of novel genetic tests, which the research team recommends giving to all patients with ALK-negative anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL).