ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• As chimpanzees grow, so does yawn contagion
• Farm and germ education go hand in hand
• For celebrated frog hops, scientists look to Calaveras pros
• Barley crops affected by disease found on common wild grass
• Chimpanzees: Alarm calls with intent?
• Flower research shows gardens can be a feast for the eyes – and the bees
• Sun's magnetic field going to flip soon: 11-year solar cycle wimpy, but peaking
• Avian influenza virus detection using smell
• The brain's neural thermostat
• What makes a data visualization memorable?
• Without plants, Earth would cook under billions of tons of additional carbon
• Using mobile devices to look up drug info prevents adverse events in nursing homes
• Drones open way to new world of coral research
• Babies know when you're faking, psychology researchers show
• Worldwide database of brain images for chronic-pain conditions
• New soil testing kit for third world countries
• Curiosity confirms origins of Martian meteorites
• Sky survey captures key details of cosmic explosions
• Empathy? Surprising study shows that brains process the pain of villains more than the pain of people we like
• Poor rural youth in Haiti are rich in family ties, rooted in their own culture
• Economic dangers of 'peak oil' addressed
• Participation in cardiac rehab program improves recovery in stroke patients
• New survey tools unveil two celestial explosions
• Extinct 'mega claw' creature had spider-like brain
• Sinking teeth into the evolutionary origin of our skeleton
• Tracking viral DNA in the cell
• New light on star death: Super-luminous supernovae may be powered by magnetars
• Genetic errors identified in 12 major cancer types
• Taking stock of research on sleepless soldiers
• Finding blood clots before they wreak havoc
• Wari, predecessors of the Inca, used restraint to reshape human landscape
• Tracking viral DNA in the cell: New method to generate virus particles containing labeled viral DNA genomes
• Schizophrenia linked to abnormal brain waves: Neurological hyperactivity produces disordered thinking
• Study shows how Staph toxin disarms the immune system
• Researchers discover, treat toxic effects of ALS mutation in neurons using patients' skin cells
• Better understanding of inherited hearing loss
• When neurons have less to say, they speak up
• One of the quietest places on Earth: Soundproof room for acoustic research
• 'Individualized' therapy for the brain targets specific gene mutations causing dementia, ALS
• Rare gene mutation sheds light on protein's role in brain development
• Carbon cycle models underestimate indirect role of animals
• Taking guns away from mentally ill won't eliminate mass shootings, psychiatrist argues
• Birds on repeat: Do birdwatchers playbacks hurt fowl?
• Recession's after-effects could lead to cheating and workplace theft suggests new study
• Warning against Wi-Fi in cars: Drivers will be too distracted even if devices are voice-operated, study shows
• Maximizing broccoli's cancer-fighting potential
• Engine technology on the road to meeting emissions standards
• Glowing neurons reveal networked link between brain, whiskers
• Light triggers death switch in cancer cells
• Toward a urine test for detecting blood clots
• Software uses cyborg swarm to map unknown environs
• Ancient Syrians favored buying local to outsourcing production
• Cuckoos impersonate hawks by matching their 'outfits'
• Solar panels can be used to provide heating and air conditioning
• Working to the beat
• Just ask the animals: Fishers with GPS sensors show animal movements
• Eye contact builds bedside trust
• Brain connections underlying accurate introspection revealed
• Genetic fingerprinting of pearls developed
• New heat-resistant materials could vastly improve solar cell efficiency

As chimpanzees grow, so does yawn contagion Posted: 16 Oct 2013 06:32 PM PDT As sanctuary-kept chimpanzees grow from infant to juvenile, they develop increased susceptibility to human yawn contagion, possibility due to their increasing ability to empathize.

Farm and germ education go hand in hand Posted: 16 Oct 2013 06:32 PM PDT School children demonstrated significantly increased knowledge of germ spread and prevention on a farm after working on an interactive lesson about microbes.

For celebrated frog hops, scientists look to Calaveras pros Posted: 16 Oct 2013 06:30 PM PDT The Calaveras County Jumping Frog Jubilee has entered the scientific record via a new article. Experienced bullfrog "jockeys" at the event routinely get their frogs to jump much farther than researchers had ever measured in the lab. How? Decades of refined technique, uncommonly motivated humans and herps, and good old-fashioned large sample size.

Barley crops affected by disease found on common wild grass Posted: 16 Oct 2013 06:26 PM PDT A major fungal pathogen which affects barley crops is also present on a common wild grass according to a new study.

Chimpanzees: Alarm calls with intent? Posted: 16 Oct 2013 06:26 PM PDT Major research led by University of York scientists has discovered remarkable similarities between the production of vocalisations of wild chimpanzees and human language.

Flower research shows gardens can be a feast for the eyes – and the bees Posted: 16 Oct 2013 06:26 PM PDT Are our favorite garden flowers attractive to hungry visitors such as bees and butterflies to feed on?

Sun's magnetic field going to flip soon: 11-year solar cycle wimpy, but peaking Posted: 16 Oct 2013 06:24 PM PDT In a 3-meter diameter hollow aluminum sphere, a physics professor is stirring and heating plasmas to 500,000 degrees Fahrenheit to experimentally mimic the magnetic field-inducing cosmic dynamos at the heart of planets, stars and other celestial bodies.

Avian influenza virus detection using smell Posted: 16 Oct 2013 06:24 PM PDT New research reveals that avian influenza, which typically is asymptomatic, can be detected based on odor changes in infected birds. The results suggest a rapid and simple detection method to help prevent the spread of influenzas in avian populations.

The brain's neural thermostat Posted: 16 Oct 2013 12:28 PM PDT Scientists observed in vivo that neocortical neurons, cells that control higher functions such as sight, language and spatial reasoning, have a set average firing rate and return to this set point even during prolonged periods of sensory deprivation. Furthermore, the average firing rate is so well regulated by this neural thermostat that the rates do not change between periods of sleep and wakefulness.

What makes a data visualization memorable? Posted: 16 Oct 2013 11:56 AM PDT "Chart junk" -- the noisy visual elements that attract criticism in design circles -- can help make a data visualization more memorable. And the chart types we learned about in school (bar graphs, pie charts, etc.) are not the easiest to recall.

Without plants, Earth would cook under billions of tons of additional carbon Posted: 16 Oct 2013 11:56 AM PDT Researchers found that Earth's terrestrial ecosystems have absorbed 186 billion to 192 billion tons of carbon since the mid-20th century, which has significantly contained the global temperature and levels of carbon in the atmosphere.

Using mobile devices to look up drug info prevents adverse events in nursing homes Posted: 16 Oct 2013 11:56 AM PDT Nearly nine out of 10 nursing home physicians said that using their mobile devices to look up prescription drug information prevented at least one adverse drug event in the previous month.

Drones open way to new world of coral research Posted: 16 Oct 2013 11:56 AM PDT Camera-equipped flying robots promise new insights into climate change effects on important ecosystems.

Babies know when you're faking, psychology researchers show Posted: 16 Oct 2013 11:56 AM PDT Psychology researchers demonstrate that infants can detect whether a person's emotions are justifiable given a particular context.

Worldwide database of brain images for chronic-pain conditions Posted: 16 Oct 2013 11:54 AM PDT A new database featuring hundreds of brain scans and other key clinical information will help researchers tease out similarities and differences between these and many other chronic-pain conditions, helping to accelerate research and treatment development.

New soil testing kit for third world countries Posted: 16 Oct 2013 11:53 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new soil testing kit designed to help farmers in third world countries. On-the-spot soil testing could have major impact in improving crop yields due to poor soils, and can test for the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and potassium, as well as active organic matter, and certain soil physical limitations. The raw results of the tests are sent by cell phone to a central website where calculations are made and recommendations are delivered back to the extension agent.

Curiosity confirms origins of Martian meteorites Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:40 AM PDT Earth's most eminent emissary to Mars has just proven that those rare Martian visitors that sometimes drop in on Earth -- a.k.a. Martian meteorites -- really are from the Red Planet. A key new measurement of Mars' atmosphere by NASA's Curiosity rover provides the most definitive evidence yet of the origins of Mars meteorites while at the same time providing a way to rule out Martian origins of other meteorites.

Sky survey captures key details of cosmic explosions Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:23 AM PDT Developed to help scientists learn more about the complex nature of celestial objects, astronomical surveys have been cataloging the night sky since the beginning of the 20th century. The iPTF started searching the skies for certain types of stars and related phenomena in February. Since its inception, iPTF has been extremely successful in the early discovery and rapid follow-up studies of transients, and two recent papers by iPTF astronomers describe first-time detections.

Empathy? Surprising study shows that brains process the pain of villains more than the pain of people we like Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT A counterintuitive findings from a new study show that the part of the brain that is associated with empathizing with the pain of others is activated more strongly by watching the suffering of hateful people as opposed to likable people.

Poor rural youth in Haiti are rich in family ties, rooted in their own culture Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT Haitian teens, especially those who live in the country's rural areas, are among the poorest persons in the Western Hemisphere, but they are rich in their family relationships and strongly rooted in their own culture.

Economic dangers of 'peak oil' addressed Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT Researchers illustrate why the imminent peaking of global oil production is a threat to U.S. national and global economies and demonstrate in their new study which vulnerable sectors could put the entire US economy at risk when global oil production peaks.

Participation in cardiac rehab program improves recovery in stroke patients Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT Stroke patients who participate in a cardiac rehabilitation program for six months make rapid gains in how far and fast they can walk, the use of weakened limbs and their ability to sit and stand.

New survey tools unveil two celestial explosions Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT A team of researchers used a novel astronomical survey software system -- the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) -- to link a new stripped-envelope supernova, named iPTF13bvn, to the star from which it exploded. The iPTF team also pinpointed the first afterglow of an explosion called a gamma-ray burst that was found by the Fermi satellite.

Extinct 'mega claw' creature had spider-like brain Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the earliest known complete nervous system exquisitely preserved in the fossilized remains of a never-before described creature that crawled or swam in the ocean 520 million years ago. The find solves a long-standing debate as to when the ancestors of chelicerates -- spiders and their kin -- made their first appearance and provides evidence that their biting mouthparts evolved from the claw-like appendages of a long-extinct group known as megacheirans.

Sinking teeth into the evolutionary origin of our skeleton Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:22 AM PDT Did our skeletons evolve for protection or for violence? The earliest vestiges of our skeleton are encountered in 500-million-year-old fossil fishes, some of which were armor-plated filter feeders, while others were naked predators with a face full of gruesome, vicious teeth.

Tracking viral DNA in the cell Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:21 AM PDT Cell biologists and chemists reveal how viral DNA traffics in human cells. They have developed a new method to generate virus particles containing labeled viral DNA genomes. This allowed them to visualize, for the first time, single viral genomes in the cytoplasm and the nucleus by using fluorescence microscopy in regular or superresolution mode. The new findings enhance our understanding of how viral disease occurs, and how cells respond to infections.

New light on star death: Super-luminous supernovae may be powered by magnetars Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:21 AM PDT Astronomers have shed new light on the rarest and brightest exploding stars ever discovered in the universe. Their research proposes that the brightest exploding stars, called super-luminous supernovae, are powered by magnetars -- small and incredibly dense neutron stars, with gigantic magnetic fields, that spin hundreds of times a second.

Genetic errors identified in 12 major cancer types Posted: 16 Oct 2013 10:21 AM PDT Examining 12 major types of cancer, scientists have identified 127 repeatedly mutated genes that appear to drive the development and progression of a range of tumors in the body. The discovery sets the stage for devising new diagnostic tools and more personalized cancer treatments.

Taking stock of research on sleepless soldiers Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:37 AM PDT Various behavioral treatment options are helping to treat the sleeplessness experienced by American soldiers who have been deployed in recent military operations. A review of research has been done on deployment-related insomnia among military personnel and veterans, conducted since 2010.

Finding blood clots before they wreak havoc Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT Simple urine test developed by engineers uses nanotechnology to detect dangerous blood clotting.

Wari, predecessors of the Inca, used restraint to reshape human landscape Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT The Wari, a complex civilization that preceded the Inca empire in pre-Columbia America, didn't rule solely by pillage, plunder and iron-fisted bureaucracy, a new study finds. Instead, they started out by creating loosely administered colonies to expand trade, provide land for settlers and tap natural resources across much of the central Andes.

Tracking viral DNA in the cell: New method to generate virus particles containing labeled viral DNA genomes Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT Cell biologists and chemists reveal how viral DNA traffics in human cells. They have developed a new method to generate virus particles containing labeled viral DNA genomes. This allowed them to visualize, for the first time, single viral genomes in the cytoplasm and the nucleus by using fluorescence microscopy in regular or superresolution mode. The new findings enhance our understanding of how viral disease occurs, and how cells respond to infections.

Schizophrenia linked to abnormal brain waves: Neurological hyperactivity produces disordered thinking Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT Schizophrenia patients usually suffer from a breakdown of organized thought, often accompanied by delusions or hallucinations. For the first time, neuroscientists have observed the neural activity that appears to produce this disordered thinking.

Study shows how Staph toxin disarms the immune system Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new mechanism by which the deadly Staphylococcus aureus bacteria attack and kill off immune cells. Their findings explain a critical survival tactic of a pathogen that causes more skin and heart infections than any other microbe, and kills more than 100,000 Americans every year.

Researchers discover, treat toxic effects of ALS mutation in neurons using patients' skin cells Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT Researchers have discovered how the most common genetic abnormality in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia kills neurons, and have successfully developed a therapeutic strategy to block this neurodegeneration in neurons made from the skin cells of ALS patients. The findings have important implications for treating patients with these debilitating, currently incurable neurodegenerative diseases.

Better understanding of inherited hearing loss Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:20 AM PDT A team of researchers made an important discovery that could better explain some inherited forms of hearing loss in humans. Scientists identified a group of proteins crucial for shaping the cellular organ responsible for detecting sounds.

When neurons have less to say, they speak up Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:20 AM PDT The brain is an extremely adaptable organ – but it is also quite conservative. That's in short, what scientists are now able to show. Researchers have found that neurons in the brain regulate their own activity in such a way that the overall activity level in the network remains as constant as possible. This remains true even in the event of major changes.

One of the quietest places on Earth: Soundproof room for acoustic research Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:20 AM PDT Silence isn't just golden, it's an absolute necessity for one professor. His current work involves building a better hearing aid, and for that he needs an extraordinarily quiet room.

'Individualized' therapy for the brain targets specific gene mutations causing dementia, ALS Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:20 AM PDT Scientists have developed new drugs that — at least in a laboratory dish — appear to halt the brain-destroying impact of a genetic mutation at work in some forms of two incurable diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and dementia.

Rare gene mutation sheds light on protein's role in brain development Posted: 16 Oct 2013 09:19 AM PDT Though worlds apart, four unrelated families have been united in a medical mystery over the source of a rare inherited disorder that results in their children being born with abnormal brain growth and severe functional impairments.

Carbon cycle models underestimate indirect role of animals Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:28 AM PDT While models typically take into account how plants and microbes affect the carbon cycle, they often underestimate how much animals can indirectly alter the absorption, release, or transport of carbon within an ecosystem.

Taking guns away from mentally ill won't eliminate mass shootings, psychiatrist argues Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:28 AM PDT A string of public mass shootings during the past decade-plus have rocked America leaving policymakers and mental health experts alike fishing for solutions to prevent these heinous crimes.

Birds on repeat: Do birdwatchers playbacks hurt fowl? Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:28 AM PDT Using the emphatic sounds of two bird species in Ecuador, a researcher has -- for the first time in peer-reviewed research -- examined the effects of birdwatchers' "playbacks" in the wild. He shows that playbacks do have potentially negative consequences, especially in terms of birds' energies.

Recession's after-effects could lead to cheating and workplace theft suggests new study Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:28 AM PDT We like to think we'd stick to our ethical principles no matter what. But when people feel financially deprived -- as many did from losses suffered thanks to the last market and banking meltdown -- they are more likely to relax their moral standards and transgress to improve their financial situation. They are also more likely to judge other deprived moral offenders who do the same more leniently.

Warning against Wi-Fi in cars: Drivers will be too distracted even if devices are voice-operated, study shows Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:28 AM PDT Plans to provide high-speed Internet access in vehicles, announced last month in North America could do with some sobering second-thought, says a psychology professor in a new study on the impact of auditory distractions on visual attention.

Maximizing broccoli's cancer-fighting potential Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:28 AM PDT Spraying a plant hormone on broccoli -- already one of the planet's most nutritious foods -- boosts its cancer-fighting potential, and researchers say they have new insights on how that works.

Engine technology on the road to meeting emissions standards Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:28 AM PDT An engine design appearing under the hoods of many new cars and light trucks today is close to meeting the latest pollution standards that will require vehicles to emit fewer harmful particles over their lifetimes, scientists are reporting.

Glowing neurons reveal networked link between brain, whiskers Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT New research on mouse whiskers reveals a surprise -- at the fine scale, the sensory system's wiring diagram doesn't have a set pattern. And it's probably the case that no two people's touch sensory systems are wired exactly the same at the detailed level, according to this study.

Light triggers death switch in cancer cells Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT Researchers have created a peptide (a small piece of protein), linked to a light-responsive dye, capable of switching 'on' death pathways in cancer cells. The peptide remains inactive until exposed to external light pulses which convert it into a cell death signal.

Toward a urine test for detecting blood clots Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT Detecting dangerous blood clots, which can cause life-threatening conditions such as strokes and heart attacks, leading causes of death for men and women in the US, has been a coveted and elusive goal. But scientists are now reporting progress in the form of a simple urine test.

Software uses cyborg swarm to map unknown environs Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT Researchers have developed software that allows them to map unknown environments -- such as collapsed buildings -- based on the movement of a swarm of insect cyborgs, or "biobots."

Ancient Syrians favored buying local to outsourcing production Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT Archaeologists have found evidence that, contrary to a widely held theory, ancient Syrians made their stone tools locally instead of importing finished tools from Turkey.

Cuckoos impersonate hawks by matching their 'outfits' Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:27 AM PDT An evolutionary trick allows cuckoos to 'mimic' the plumage of birds of prey, and may be used to scare mothers from their nests -- allowing cuckoos to lay eggs. Parasitism in cuckoos may be more much more widespread than previously thought.

Solar panels can be used to provide heating and air conditioning Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:26 AM PDT The use of solar panels to produce hot water for the bathroom is standard practice, but researchers now suggest that they may also be used to provide large offices with heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Their proposal involves the incorporation of solar collectors into a gas-based cogeneration system with an absorption machine, which would reduce both energy expenditure and CO2 emissions.

Working to the beat Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:26 AM PDT Scientists have contributed significantly towards a first explanation for the development of music. Contrary to what was previously suspected, music does not simply distract us when physically working hard by making the work seem a lot easier, but actually the music reduces the effort. This new insight permits on the one hand a conclusion to human's historical development of music, and on the other hand provides an important impulse for the expansion of the therapeutical use of music.

Just ask the animals: Fishers with GPS sensors show animal movements Posted: 16 Oct 2013 08:26 AM PDT Many animals are adapting to human encroachment of their natural habitats. Carnivores in particular require territories of sufficient size and so are often forced to move between numerous small habitat patches. To date, scientists often use mathematical models to predict these important routes, but fishers fitted with GPS sensors are now showing that their calculations may be missing the mark if they ignore animal behavior.

Eye contact builds bedside trust Posted: 16 Oct 2013 07:04 AM PDT Doctors who make a lot of eye contact are viewed as more likable and empathetic by patients, according to a new study.

Brain connections underlying accurate introspection revealed Posted: 16 Oct 2013 07:04 AM PDT The human mind is not only capable of cognition and registering experiences but also of being introspectively aware of these processes. Until now, scientists have not known if such introspection was a single skill or dependent on the object of reflection. Also unclear was whether the brain housed a single system for reflecting on experience or required multiple systems to support different types of introspection.

Genetic fingerprinting of pearls developed Posted: 16 Oct 2013 07:04 AM PDT For the first time, a group of researchers has succeeded in isolating DNA from pearls and used their genetic material to identify the specific species of oyster that produced the pearl. In a parallel project, researchers used radiocarbon dating to analyze the age of pearls, opening up new avenues for determining the origin and age of pearl jewellery.

New heat-resistant materials could vastly improve solar cell efficiency Posted: 16 Oct 2013 07:04 AM PDT Scientists have created a heat-resistant thermal emitter that could significantly improve solar cell efficiency. The novel component is designed to convert heat from the sun into infrared light that can be absorbed by solar cells to make electricity -- a technology known as thermophotovoltaics.

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