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Study links chemicals widely found in plastics and processed food to elevated blood pressure in children and teens

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:01 -0500

Plastic additives known as phthalates (pronounced THAL-ates) are odorless, colorless and just about everywhere: They turn up in flooring, plastic cups, beach balls, plastic wrap, intravenous tubing and—according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the bodies of most Americans. Once perceived as harmless, phthalates have come under increasing scrutiny. A growin

Source: NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine - Discipline: Health

Bird's playlist could signal mental strengths and weaknesses

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:45:01 -0500

Having the biggest playlist doesn't make a male songbird the brainiest of the bunch, a new study shows.

Source: Duke University - Discipline: Neuroscience

New method for producing clean hydrogen

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:01 -0500

Duke University engineers have developed a novel method for producing clean hydrogen, which could prove essential to weaning society off of fossil fuels and their environmental implications.

Source: Duke University - Discipline: Energy

Finding a family for a pair of orphan receptors in the brain

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:15:01 -0500

Researchers at Emory University have identified a protein that stimulates a pair of "orphan receptors" found in the brain, solving a long-standing biological puzzle and possibly leading to future treatments for neurological diseases.

Source: Emory Health Sciences - Discipline: Neuroscience

Changing cancer's environment to halt its spread

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:00:01 -0500

By studying the roles two proteins, thrombospondin-1 and prosaposin, play in discouraging cancer metastasis, a trans-Atlantic research team has identified a five-amino acid fragment of prosaposin that significantly reduces metastatic spread in mouse models of prostate, breast and lung cancer. The findings suggest that a prosaposin-based drug could potentially block metastasis in a va

Source: Boston Children's Hospital - Discipline: Cancer

Estimates reveal low population immunity to new bird flu virus H7N9 in humans

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:45:01 -0500

The level of immunity to the recently circulating H7N9 influenza virus in an urban and rural population in Vietnam is very low, according to the first population level study to examine human immunity to the virus, which was previously only found in birds. The findings have implications for planning the public health response to this pandemic threat.

Source: Wellcome Trust - Discipline: Epidemiology

Going green: Nation equipped to grow serious amounts of pond scum for fuel

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:03 -0500

A new analysis shows that the nation's land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel a year in the United States, one-twelfth of the country's yearly needs.

Source: DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - Discipline: Energy

Minus environment, patterns still emerge

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:15:01 -0500

Environment is not the only factor in shaping regulatory patterns -- and it might not even be the primary factor, according to a new Rice University study that looks at how cells' protein networks relate to a bacteria's genome.

Source: Rice University - Discipline: Microbiology

Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:00:01 -0500

Australian scientists have charted the path of insulin action in cells in precise detail like never before. This provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes.

Source: Garvan Institute of Medical Research - Discipline: Health

Single-cell transfection tool enables added control for biological studies

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:45:02 -0500

Northwestern University researchers have developed a new method for delivering molecules into single, targeted cells through temporary holes in the cell surface. The technique could find applications in drug delivery, cell therapy, and related biological fields.

Source: Northwestern University - Discipline: Molecular Biology

14 closely related crocodiles existed around 5 million years ago

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:30:01 -0500

Nowadays, the most diverse species of crocodile are found in northern South America and Southeast Asia: As many as six species of alligator and four true crocodiles exist, although no more than two or three ever live alongside one another at the same time. It was a different story nine to about five million years ago, however, when a total of 14 different crocodile species existed and at least sev

Source: University of Zurich - Discipline: Paleontology

Origins of human culture linked to rapid climate change

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:15:02 -0500

Rapid climate change during the Middle Stone Age, between 80,000 and 40,000 years ago, during the Middle Stone Age, sparked surges in cultural innovation in early modern human populations, according to new research.

Source: Cardiff University - Discipline: Environment

The pirate ant: A new species from the Philippines with a bizarre pigmentation pattern

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:00:01 -0500

Scientists discovered a new enigmatic species of ant coming from the Philippines. Cardiocondyla pirata or the pirate ant engages the imagination with a bizarre pigmentation pattern that has no equivalent worldwide. The female castes in the colonies of these species can be recognized by a distinctive dark stripe across the eyes that resembles a pirate eye patch, which inspired the authors to

Source: Pensoft Publishers - Discipline: Animals

Small but speedy: Short plants live in the evolutionary fast lane

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:45:01 -0500

Biologists have known for a long time that some creatures evolve more quickly than others. Exactly why isn't well understood, particularly for plants. But it may be that height plays a role, says Robert Lanfear of Australian National University and the U. S. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center.

Source: National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) - Discipline: Evolution

Video: Allosaurus fed more like a falcon than a crocodile, new study finds

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:30:01 -0500

The mighty T. rex may have thrashed its massive head from side to side to dismember prey, but a new study shows that its smaller cousin Allosaurus was a more dexterous hunter and tugged at prey more like a modern-day falcon.

Source: Ohio University - Discipline: Paleontology

Novel RNA-based classification system for colorectal cancer

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:15:01 -0500

A novel transcriptome-based classification of colon cancer that improves the current disease stratification based on clinicopathological variables and common DNA markers is presented in a study published in PLOS Medicine this week. (A transcriptome is all RNA produced by a population of cells.) Pr. Pierre Laurent-Puig and colleagues from INSERM in Paris, France used genetic information from

Source: Public Library of Science - Discipline: Cancer

Reducing caloric intake delays nerve cell loss

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:00:02 -0500

Activating an enzyme known to play a role in the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction delays the loss of brain cells and preserves cognitive function in mice, according to a study published in the May 22 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings could one day guide researchers to discover drug alternatives that slow the progress of age-associated impairments i

Source: Society for Neuroscience - Discipline: Neuroscience

Soft matter offers new ways to study how ordered materials arrange themselves

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:45:01 -0500

A fried breakfast food popular in Spain provided the inspiration for the development of doughnut-shaped droplets that may provide scientists with a new approach for studying fundamental issues in physics, mathematics and materials.

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology - Discipline: Materials Science

Abundance and distribution of Hawaiian coral species predicted by model

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:30:01 -0500

Researchers from the University of Hawaii – Manoa (UHM) School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) developed species distribution models of the six dominant Hawaiian coral species around the main Hawaiian Islands including two species currently under consideration as threatened or endangered. They found the order of coral abundance (from highest to lowest) around the main Hawaiian I

Source: University of Hawaii ‑ SOEST - Discipline: Marine Biology

Study shows where scene context happens in our brain

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:15:01 -0500

In a remote fishing community in Venezuela, a lone fisherman sits on a cliff overlooking the southern Caribbean Sea. This man –– the lookout –– is responsible for directing his comrades on the water, who are too close to their target to detect their next catch. Using abilities honed by years of scanning the water's surface, he can tell by shadows, ripples, and even the b

Source: University of California - Santa Barbara - Discipline: Neuroscience

Video: Cracking the ice code

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:00:05 -0500

What happened the last time a vegetated Earth shifted from an extremely cold climate to desert-like conditions? And what does it tell us about climate change today?

Source: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee - Discipline: Geology

Early-life traffic-related air pollution exposure linked to hyperactivity

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:45:01 -0500

Early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution was significantly associated with higher hyperactivity scores at age 7, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Source: University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center - Discipline: Health

'Whodunnit' of Irish potato famine solved

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:30:01 -0500

It is the first time scientists have decoded the genome of a plant pathogen and its plant host from dried herbarium samples. This opens up a new area of research to understand how pathogens evolve and how human activity impacts the spread of plant disease.

Source: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft - Discipline: Agriculture

Genetic predictors of postpartum depression uncovered by Hopkins researchers

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:15:01 -0500

The epigenetic modifications, which alter the way genes function without changing the underlying DNA sequence, can apparently be detected in the blood of pregnant women during any trimester, potentially providing a simple way to foretell depression in the weeks after giving birth, and an opportunity to intervene before symptoms become debilitating.

Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine - Discipline: Genetics

The mammoth's lament: UC research shows how cosmic impact sparked devastating climate change

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:00:01 -0500

Herds of wooly mammoths once shook the earth beneath their feet, sending humans scurrying across the landscape of prehistoric Ohio. But then something much larger shook the Earth itself, and at that point these mega mammals' days were numbered.

Source: University of Cincinnati - Discipline: Geology

Practice makes perfect? Not so much

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:45:01 -0500

Turns out, that old "practice makes perfect" adage may be overblown.

Source: Michigan State University - Discipline: Psychology

Advance in nanotech gene sequencing technique

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:30:02 -0500

The allure of personalized medicine has made new, more efficient ways of sequencing genes a top research priority. One promising technique involves reading DNA bases using changes in electrical current as they are threaded through a nanoscopic hole.

Source: University of Pennsylvania - Discipline: Materials Science

New study finds blind people have the potential to use their 'inner bat' to locate objects

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:15:01 -0500

New research from the University of Southampton has shown that blind and visually impaired people have the potential to use echolocation, similar to that used by bats and dolphins, to determine the location of an object.

Source: University of Southampton - Discipline: Animal Behavior

Video: Engineers create on-wetting fabric drains sweat

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:01 -0500

Waterproof fabrics that whisk away sweat could be the latest application of microfluidic technology developed by bioengineers at the University of California, Davis.

Source: University of California - Davis - Discipline: Materials Science

Iron-platinum alloys could be new-generation hard drives

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:45:01 -0500

Meeting the demand for more data storage in smaller volumes means using materials made up of ever-smaller magnets, or nanomagnets. One promising material for a potential new generation of recording media is an alloy of iron and platinum with an ordered crystal structure. Researchers led by Professor Kai Liu and graduate student Dustin Gilbert at the University of California, Davis, have now found

Source: University of California - Davis - Discipline: Materials Science

Study shows how bilinguals switch between languages

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:30:01 -0500

Individuals who learn two languages at an early age seem to switch back and forth between separate "sound systems" for each language, according to new research conducted at the University of Arizona.

Source: Association for Psychological Science - Discipline: Neuroscience

Slow earthquakes: It's all in the rock mechanics

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:15:01 -0500

Earthquakes that last minutes rather than seconds are a relatively recent discovery, according to an international team of seismologists. Researchers have been aware of these slow earthquakes, only for the past five to 10 years because of new tools and new observations, but these tools may explain the triggering of some normal earthquakes and could help in earthquake prediction.

Source: Penn State - Discipline: Genetics

Amazon River exhales virtually all carbon taken up by rain forest

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:00:01 -0500

The Amazon rain forest, popularly known as the lungs of the planet, inhales carbon dioxide as it exudes oxygen. Plants use carbon dioxide from the air to grow parts that eventually fall to the ground to decompose or get washed away by the region's plentiful rainfall.

Source: University of Washington - Discipline: Environment

Opening doors to foldable electronics with inkjet-printed graphene

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:45:01 -0500

Imagine a bendable tablet computer or an electronic newspaper that could fold to fit in a pocket.

Source: Northwestern University - Discipline: Materials Science

Fossil brain teaser

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:01 -0500

A new study conducted at the University of Bristol and published online today in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology sheds light on how the brain and inner ear developed in dinosaurs.

Source: University of Bristol - Discipline: Paleontology

Molecular trigger for Alzheimer's disease identified

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:15:02 -0500

Researchers have pinpointed a catalytic trigger for the onset of Alzheimer's disease – when the fundamental structure of a protein molecule changes to cause a chain reaction that leads to the death of neurons in the brain.

Source: University of Cambridge - Discipline: Genetics

Parasitic wasps use calcium pump to block fruit fly immunity

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:01 -0500

Parasitic wasps switch off the immune systems of fruit flies by draining calcium from the flies' blood cells, a finding that offers new insight into how pathogens break through a host's defenses.

Source: Emory Health Sciences - Discipline: Genetics

Protein study suggests drug side effects are inevitable

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:45:01 -0500

A new study of both computer-created and natural proteins suggests that the number of unique pockets – sites where small molecule pharmaceutical compounds can bind to proteins – is surprisingly small, meaning drug side effects may be impossible to avoid. The study also found that the fundamental biochemical processes needed for life could have been enabled by the simple physics of protein folding.

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology - Discipline: Health

Do salamanders hold the solution to regeneration?

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:30:01 -0500

Salamanders' immune systems are key to their remarkable ability to regrow limbs, and could also underpin their ability to regenerate spinal cords, brain tissue and even parts of their hearts, scientists have found.

Source: Monash University - Discipline: Immunology

Older prostate cancer patients should think twice before undergoing treatment

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:15:01 -0500

Older prostate cancer patients with other underlying health conditions should think twice before committing to surgery or radiation therapy for their cancer, according to a multicenter study led by researchers in the UCLA Department of Urology.

Source: University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences - Discipline: Cancer

Video: Principles of locomotion in confined spaces could help robot teams work underground

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:00:03 -0500

Future teams of subterranean search and rescue robots may owe their success to the lowly fire ant, a much-despised insect whose painful bites and extensive networks of underground tunnels are all-too-familiar to people living in the southern United States.

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology - Discipline: Robotics

Team finds mechanism linking key inflammatory marker to cancer

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:30:01 -0500

In a new study described in the journal Oncogene, researchers reveal how a key player in cell growth, immunity and the inflammatory response can be transformed into a primary contributor to tumor growth.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Discipline: Cancer

Genetic diversity within tumors predicts outcome in head and neck cancer

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:15:01 -0500

A new measure of the heterogeneity – the variety of genetic mutations – of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients with the most common type of head and neck cancer. In the May 20 issue of the journal Cancer, investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary describe how their measure was a better predictor of survi

Source: Massachusetts General Hospital - Discipline: Cancer

Whole-cell vaccine was more effective than acellular vaccine during CA pertussis outbreak

Mon, 20 May 2013 11:00:01 -0500

Whole-cell pertussis vaccines were more effective at protecting against pertussis than acellular pertussis vaccines during a large recent outbreak, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in Pediatrics.

Source: Kaiser Permanente - Discipline: Epidemiology

Kinks and curves at the nanoscale

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:45:01 -0500

One of the basic principles of nanotechnology is that when you make things extremely small—one nanometer is about five atoms wide, 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair—they are going to become more perfect.

Source: University of Vermont - Discipline: Materials Science

New theory on genesis of osteoarthritis comes with successful therapy in mice

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:30:01 -0500

Scientists at Johns Hopkins have turned their view of osteoarthritis (OA) inside out. Literally. Instead of seeing the painful degenerative disease as a problem primarily of the cartilage that cushions joints, they now have evidence that the bone underneath the cartilage is also a key player and exacerbates the damage. In a proof-of-concept experiment, they found that blocking the action of a crit

Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine - Discipline: Molecular Biology

Sea level influenced tropical climate during the last ice age

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:15:01 -0500

Scientists look at past climates to learn about climate change and the ability to simulate it with computer models. One region that has received a great deal of attention is the Indo-Pacific warm pool, the vast pool of warm water stretching along the equator from Africa to the western Pacific Ocean.

Source: University of Hawaii ‑ SOEST - Discipline: Geology

RNA capable of catalyzing electron transfer on early earth with iron's help, study says

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:01 -0500

A new study shows how complex biochemical transformations may have been possible under conditions that existed when life began on the early Earth.

Source: Georgia Institute of Technology - Discipline: Chemistry

Lovelorn frogs bag closest crooner

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:45:01 -0500

What lures a lady frog to her lover? Good looks, the sound of his voice, the size of his pad or none of the above? After weighing up their options, female strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) bag the closest crooner they can, finds research in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers of Zoology. This seemingly short-sighted strategy turns out to be the optimal mate choice

Source: BioMed Central - Discipline: Animal Behavior

Women's reproductive ability may be related to immune system status

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:30:01 -0500

New research indicates that women's reproductive function may be tied to their immune status. Previous studies have found this association in human males, but not females.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - Discipline: Health

Study identifies new approach to improving treatment for MS and other conditions

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:15:01 -0500

Working with lab mice models of multiple sclerosis (MS), UC Davis scientists have detected a novel molecular target for the design of drugs that could be safer and more effective than current FDA-approved medications against MS.

Source: University of California - Davis Health System - Discipline: Health

Now we know why old scizophrenia medicine works on antibiotics-resistant bacteria

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:00:05 -0500

In 2008 researchers from the University of Southern Denmark showed that the drug thioridazine, which has previously been used to treat schizophrenia, is also a powerful weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus).

Source: University of Southern Denmark - Discipline: Microbiology

New discovery of ancient diet shatters conventional ideas of how agriculture emerged

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:45:01 -0500

Archaeologists have made a discovery in southern subtropical China which could revolutionise thinking about how ancient humans lived in the region.

Source: University of Leicester - Discipline: Anthropology

Climate change may have little impact on tropical lizards

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:30:01 -0500

A new Dartmouth College study finds human-caused climate change may have little impact on many species of tropical lizards, contradicting a host of recent studies that predict their widespread extinction in a rapidly warming planet.

Source: Dartmouth College - Discipline: Environment

Scientists capture first direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly effect

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:15:03 -0500

A team of researchers from several universities – including UCF –has observed a rare quantum physics effect that produces a repeating butterfly-shaped energy spectrum in a magnetic field, confirming the longstanding prediction of the quantum fractal energy structure called Hofstadter's butterfly.

Source: University of Central Florida - Discipline: Physics

Artificial forest for solar water-splitting

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:00:01 -0500

In the wake of the sobering news that atmospheric carbon dioxide is now at its highest level in at least three million years, an important advance in the race to develop carbon-neutral renewable energy sources has been achieved. Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have reported the first fully integrated nanosystem for artifici

Source: DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory - Discipline: Physics

High-testosterone competitors more likely to choose red

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:45:01 -0500

Why do so many sports players and athletes choose to wear the color red when they compete? A new study to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that it may have to do with their testosterone levels.

Source: Association for Psychological Science - Discipline: Psychology

New insights into how materials transfer heat could lead to improved electronics

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:30:01 -0500

U of T Engineering researchers, working with colleagues from Carnegie Mellon University, have published new insights into how materials transfer heat, which could lead eventually to smaller, more powerful electronic devices.

Source: University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering - Discipline: Technology

Nanotechnology could help fight diabetes

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:15:01 -0500

Injectable nanoparticles developed at MIT may someday eliminate the need for patients with Type 1 diabetes to constantly monitor their blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin.

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Discipline: Materials Science

Genetic risk for schizophrenia is connected to reduced IQ

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:02 -0500

The relationship between the heritable risk for schizophrenia and low intelligence (IQ) has not been clear. Schizophrenia is commonly associated with cognitive impairments that may cause functional disability. There are clues that reduced IQ may be linked to the risk for developing schizophrenia. For example, reduced cognitive ability may precede the onset of schiz

Source: Elsevier - Discipline: Neuroscience