ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Seeing the forest and the trees: Panoramic, very-high-resolution, time-lapse photography for plant and ecosystem research
• Elementary magnets coming in double-packs
• Innovations could save lives of mothers, children
• Nanoparticle vaccine: Particles that deliver vaccines directly to mucosal surfaces could defend against many infectious diseases
• Sex trafficking and exploitation of minors serious problems in the U.S.
• Dams provide resilience to Columbia River basin from climate change impacts
• Discovery offers bio-solution to severe canola crop losses
• Seeing light in a new light: Scientists create never-before-seen form of matter
• Global study reveals new hotspots of fish biodiversity
• 'X-shape' not true picture of chromosome structure, new imaging technique reveals
• Ancient soils reveal clues to early life on Earth
• Engineers build computer using carbon nanotube technology
• Whale mass stranding attributed to sonar mapping for first time
• 'Jekyll and Hyde' star morphs from radio to X-ray pulsar and back again
• Common cosmetic and sunblock ingredient, titanium dioxide, may have potential health risks
• Improved smartphone microscope brings single-virus detection to remote locations
• Tiny antennas let long light waves see in infrared
• Genetic makeup and diet interact with the microbiome to impact health
• New early detection test for prostate cancer
• Model to study human response to bacteria that cause peptic ulcers developed
• New approach to treating human brain cancer could lead to improved outcomes
• Fetching faces and friendly foxes
• Commonly prescribed statin linked to memory impairment, study in rats suggests
• Alpine archaeology reveals high life through the ages
• Do elite 'power sport' athletes have a genetic advantage?
• Feast to famine: Oxygen starvation regulates fat cells in obesity
• Chemical synthesis: A simple technique for highly functionalized compounds
• Uncovering factors at the heart of muscle weakness
• Tapping a valuable resource or invading the environment? Research examines the start of fracking in Ohio
• Sheep mucosa shows the way to more effective medicine for neurological diseases
• When the going gets tough, the materialistic go shopping
• A day in the life of the mysterious odd-clawed spider Progradungula otwayensis
• Sustainable livestock production is possible
• The deep Greenland Sea is warming faster than the world ocean
• With carbon nanotubes, a path to flexible, low-cost sensors: Potential applications range from air-quality monitors to electronic skin
• New knowledge on molecular mechanisms behind breast cancer
• Wormlike hematite photoanode breaks the world-record for solar hydrogen production efficiency
• Turning plastic bags into high-tech materials
• Deep sea ecosystem may take decades to recover from Deepwater Horizon spill
• Epigenetic changes observed in blood may point to early stages in Parkinson disease
• New genus of electric fish discovered in 'lost world' of South America
• Tiny camera records details of scene without losing sight of the big picture
• Recent highlights in molecular biology and evolution
• Unstable chromosomes linked to less favorable response to RT and surgery in prostate cancer patients
• China's synthetic gas plants would be greenhouse giants
• Tweets reveal news readership patterns around the world
• Fundamental physicists discover surprise new use for super-chilled neutrons to measure the movement of viruses
• A plant believed to be endemic to Morocco appears in Spain for the first time
• New multifunctional topological insulator material with combined superconductivity
• Melatonin helps control weight gain as it stimulates the appearance of ‘beige fat’ that can burn calories instead of storing them, study suggests
• The future of the suburbs
• Cocaine exposure in the womb: The brain structure is intact, development is off track
• The cool glow of star formation: First light of powerful new camera
• Unstable chromosomes linked to less favorable response to radiation therapy and surgery in prostate cancer patients
• Flame retardants in blood drop after State ban
• The 'in-law effect': Male fruit flies sleep around but females keep it in the family
• Social deprivation a key factor in mortality in type 1 diabetes
• 'Traffic light' test could prevent hundreds of people developing alcohol-related cirrhosis

Seeing the forest and the trees: Panoramic, very-high-resolution, time-lapse photography for plant and ecosystem research Posted: 25 Sep 2013 12:21 PM PDT A new technique uses the GigaPan EPIC Pro, a robotic camera system, to create time-lapse sequences of panoramas that allow the viewer to zoom in at an incredible level of detail, e.g., from a landscape view to that of an individual plant. This system greatly improves the utility of time-lapse photography by capturing interactions between the environment and plant populations in a single sequence.

Elementary magnets coming in double-packs Posted: 25 Sep 2013 12:21 PM PDT Simulating solid state properties with precisely controlled quantum systems is an important goal. Now scientists have come one step closer – to be precise, to the understanding of processes in ferromagnetic solid state crystals in which elementary excitations, so-called magnons, can emerge.

Innovations could save lives of mothers, children Posted: 25 Sep 2013 11:15 AM PDT Ten health care innovations, if brought to scale immediately in low-resource countries, could have the potential to save the lives of some 1.2 million mothers and children in 2015. Right now the annual global death toll of mothers and children under 5 is 6.9 million. Between 2016-2020, these innovations have the potential to save the lives of nearly 7.5 million women and children.

Nanoparticle vaccine: Particles that deliver vaccines directly to mucosal surfaces could defend against many infectious diseases Posted: 25 Sep 2013 11:15 AM PDT Many viruses and bacteria infect humans through mucosal surfaces, such as those in the lungs, gastrointestinal tract and reproductive tract. To help fight these pathogens, scientists are working on vaccines that can establish a front line of defense at mucosal surfaces, potentially defending against many infectious diseases.

Sex trafficking and exploitation of minors serious problems in the U.S. Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:23 AM PDT Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors are serious problems in the United States with long-term adverse consequences for children and society as a whole, and federal agencies should work with state and local partners to raise awareness of these issues and train professionals who work with youths to recognize and assist those who are victimized or at risk, says a new report.

Dams provide resilience to Columbia River basin from climate change impacts Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:23 AM PDT Dams have been vilified for detrimental effects to water quality and fish passage, but a new study suggests that these structures provide "ecological and engineering resilience" to climate change in the Columbia River basin.

Discovery offers bio-solution to severe canola crop losses Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:23 AM PDT A genetic discovery by an international research team offers a solution to a long-standing "green seed problem" that causes millions of dollars annually in canola crop losses.

Seeing light in a new light: Scientists create never-before-seen form of matter Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:23 AM PDT Scientists have managed to coax photons into binding together to form molecules -- a state of matter that, until recently, had been purely theoretical.

Global study reveals new hotspots of fish biodiversity Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:23 AM PDT Teeming with species, tropical coral reefs have been long thought to be the areas of greatest biodiversity for fishes and other marine life -- and thus most deserving of resources for conservation. But a new global study of reef fishes reveals a surprise: when measured by factors other than the traditional species count -- instead using features such as a species' role in an ecosystem -- new hotspots of biodiversity emerge, including some nutrient-rich, temperate waters.

'X-shape' not true picture of chromosome structure, new imaging technique reveals Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:23 AM PDT A new method for visualising chromosomes is painting a truer picture of their shape, which is rarely like the X-shaped blob of DNA most of us are familiar with.

Ancient soils reveal clues to early life on Earth Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:23 AM PDT Oxygen appeared in the atmosphere up to 700 million years earlier than we previously thought, according to new research, raising new questions about the evolution of early life.

Engineers build computer using carbon nanotube technology Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:23 AM PDT Silicon chips could soon hit physical limits preventing them from getting smaller and faster. Carbon nanotube technology has been seen as a potential successor. But so far no one's been able to put all the pieces together. Stanford's CNT computer is therefore an important proof of principle. And while this is a bare-bones device, the processes used to create the world's first CNT computer are designed to scale.

Whale mass stranding attributed to sonar mapping for first time Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:22 AM PDT An independent scientific review panel has concluded that the mass stranding of approximately 100 melon-headed whales in the Loza Lagoon system in northwest Madagascar in 2008 was primarily triggered by acoustic stimuli, more specifically, a multi-beam echosounder system operated by a survey vessel contracted by ExxonMobil Exploration and Production (Northern Madagascar) Limited.

'Jekyll and Hyde' star morphs from radio to X-ray pulsar and back again Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:22 AM PDT Astronomers have uncovered the strange case of a neutron star with the peculiar ability to transform from a radio pulsar into an X-ray pulsar and back again. This star's capricious behavior appears to be fueled by a nearby companion star and may give new insights into the birth of millisecond pulsars.

Common cosmetic and sunblock ingredient, titanium dioxide, may have potential health risks Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:06 AM PDT Using a particular type of titanium dioxide -- a common ingredient in cosmetics, food products, toothpaste and sunscreen -- could reduce the potential health risks associated with the widely used compound.

Improved smartphone microscope brings single-virus detection to remote locations Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:06 AM PDT Scientists are reporting an advance in smartphone-based imaging that could help physicians in far-flung and resource-limited locations monitor how well treatments for infections are working by detecting, for the first time, individual viruses. Their study on the light-weight device converts the phone into a powerful mini-microscope.

Tiny antennas let long light waves see in infrared Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:06 AM PDT Researchers have developed arrays of tiny nano-antennas that can enable sensing of molecules that resonate in the infrared spectrum. The semiconductor antenna arrays allow long-wavelength light to strongly interact with nano-scale substances, so the arrays could enhance the detection of small volumes of materials.

Genetic makeup and diet interact with the microbiome to impact health Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:06 AM PDT New research shows that an individual's genomic makeup and diet interact to determine which microbes exist and how they act in the host intestine. The study was modeled in germ-free knockout mice to mimic a genetic condition that affects 1 in 5 humans and increases the risk for digestive diseases.

New early detection test for prostate cancer Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:03 AM PDT A new urine test that improves on PSA screening for prostate cancer is now available. The test incorporates three specific markers that could indicate cancer and studies have shown that the combination is far more accurate than PSA alone.

Model to study human response to bacteria that cause peptic ulcers developed Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:03 AM PDT Researchers have developed a model that helps scientists and clinicians understand that complex interactions of a type of bacteria that is the leading cause of peptic ulcers. The discovery may inform changes in the ways doctors treat patients.

New approach to treating human brain cancer could lead to improved outcomes Posted: 25 Sep 2013 10:02 AM PDT A new experimental approach to treating a type of brain cancer called medulloblastoma has been developed, and could lead to improved outcomes.

Fetching faces and friendly foxes Posted: 25 Sep 2013 08:25 AM PDT 'What is beautiful is good' -- but why? A recent article provides a compelling physiological explanation for the 'beauty stereotype' - why human beings are wired to favor the beautiful ones.

Commonly prescribed statin linked to memory impairment, study in rats suggests Posted: 25 Sep 2013 08:24 AM PDT New research that looked at whether two commonly prescribed statin medicines, used to lower low-density lipoprotein or 'bad cholesterol' levels in the blood, can adversely affect cognitive function has found that one of the drugs tested caused memory impairment in rats.

Alpine archaeology reveals high life through the ages Posted: 25 Sep 2013 08:24 AM PDT Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of human activity in the high slopes of the French Alps dating back over 8000 years.

Do elite 'power sport' athletes have a genetic advantage? Posted: 25 Sep 2013 08:23 AM PDT A specific gene variant is more frequent among elite athletes in power sports, reports a new study.

Feast to famine: Oxygen starvation regulates fat cells in obesity Posted: 25 Sep 2013 08:22 AM PDT Researchers have identified the role of the protein TIS7 in processes that regulate adipogenesis, whereby non-specialised cells become adipose or fat cells.

Chemical synthesis: A simple technique for highly functionalized compounds Posted: 25 Sep 2013 08:22 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated a technique that allows direct functionalization of alkenes without the need for metallic reagents, photolysis or extreme reaction conditions.

Uncovering factors at the heart of muscle weakness Posted: 25 Sep 2013 08:22 AM PDT Researchers show how orange, apple and grapefruit juices affect the absorption of certain prescription drugs into the body.

Tapping a valuable resource or invading the environment? Research examines the start of fracking in Ohio Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:30 AM PDT A new study is examining methane and other components in groundwater wells, in advance of drilling for shale gas that's expected over the next several years in an Ohio region.

Sheep mucosa shows the way to more effective medicine for neurological diseases Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:30 AM PDT New research shows how medicine for the brain can be absorbed through the nose. This paves the way to more effective treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and tumors in the brain.

When the going gets tough, the materialistic go shopping Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:30 AM PDT Materialistic people experience more stress from traumatic events such as terrorist attacks and are more likely to spend compulsively as a result, according to an international study.

A day in the life of the mysterious odd-clawed spider Progradungula otwayensis Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:28 AM PDT Biologists have provided a first-time glimpse into the natural history of the enigmatic spider species Progradungula otwayensis. Lurking in the hollows of old myrtle beech trees and thus hard to collect, this extraordinary spider is an endemic species confined strictly to the beautiful Great Otway National Park.

Sustainable livestock production is possible Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:28 AM PDT New research has identified what may be the future of sustainable livestock production: silvopastoral systems which include shrubs and trees with edible leaves or fruits as well as herbage.

The deep Greenland Sea is warming faster than the world ocean Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:28 AM PDT Recent warming of the Greenland Sea Deep Water is about ten times higher than warming rates estimated for the global ocean. Scientists analyzed temperature data from 1950 to 2010 in the abyssal Greenland Sea, which is an ocean area located just to the south of the Arctic Ocean.

With carbon nanotubes, a path to flexible, low-cost sensors: Potential applications range from air-quality monitors to electronic skin Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:28 AM PDT Researchers are showing the way toward low-cost, industrial-scale manufacturing of a new family of electronic devices. A leading example is a gas sensor that could be integrated into food packaging to gauge freshness, or into compact wireless air-quality monitors. Flexible pressure and temperature sensors could be built into electronic skin. All these devices can be made with carbon nanotubes, sprayed like ink onto flexible plastic sheets or other substrates.

New knowledge on molecular mechanisms behind breast cancer Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:28 AM PDT Researchers have gained more insight into the molecular mechanisms of importance for, for example, cancer cell growth and metastasis. The research objective is improved and more targeted drugs.

Wormlike hematite photoanode breaks the world-record for solar hydrogen production efficiency Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:28 AM PDT Scientists have developed a "wormlike" hematite photoanode that can convert sunlight and water to clean hydrogen energy with a record-breaking high efficiency of 5.3 percent.

Turning plastic bags into high-tech materials Posted: 25 Sep 2013 07:26 AM PDT Researchers have developed a process for turning waste plastic bags into a high-tech nanomaterial. The innovative nanotechnology uses non-biodegradable plastic grocery bags to make 'carbon nanotube membranes' -- highly sophisticated and expensive materials with a variety of potential advanced applications including filtration, sensing, energy storage and a range of biomedical innovations.

Deep sea ecosystem may take decades to recover from Deepwater Horizon spill Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT The deep-sea soft-sediment ecosystem in the immediate area of the 2010's Deepwater Horizon well head blowout and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will likely take decades to recover from the spill's impacts, according to a new scientific article.

Epigenetic changes observed in blood may point to early stages in Parkinson disease Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT Researchers have now shown that a distinctive pattern of epigenetic modifications is observed in specific genes associated with Parkinson Disease. Even more interesting, these changes could be easily analyzed in blood samples from patients, which appear to replicate the "epigenetic status" of brain tissue cells, potentially simplifying early diagnosis of the disease.

New genus of electric fish discovered in 'lost world' of South America Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT A previously unknown genus of electric fish has been identified in a remote region of South America by team of international researchers. The Akawaio penak, a thin, eel-like electric fish, was discovered in the shallow, murky waters of the upper Mazaruni River is northern Guyana.

Tiny camera records details of scene without losing sight of the big picture Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT To capture all the details of a scene, you might take many photos at close range. To get the whole scene at once, you could use a wide-angle or fisheye lens; but without an large lens you would be sacrificing the fine resolution that would help you catch that partial footprint you might otherwise have missed. Now a new type of miniature camera system promises to give users a big picture view without sacrificing high-resolution.

Recent highlights in molecular biology and evolution Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT Research has found a greater number of "escaping genes" on the X chromosome than have been previously detected, with implications for the understanding of mental impairment in humans.

Unstable chromosomes linked to less favorable response to RT and surgery in prostate cancer patients Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT Detailed evaluation of a prostate cancer tumor biopsy may predict treatment outcomes for image-guided radiation therapy or surgery for prostate cancer.

China's synthetic gas plants would be greenhouse giants Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT Coal-powered synthetic natural gas plants being planned in China would produce seven times more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional natural gas plants, and use up to 100 times the water as shale gas production, according to a new study.

Tweets reveal news readership patterns around the world Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:22 AM PDT In a new article, researchers used data collected from Twitter to study readers' news preferences across the globe and discovered that different countries have stronger preference towards different types of articles -- American and British readers are more drawn to opinion and world news, Spaniards to local and national news, Brazilians to sports and arts, and Germans to politics and economy.

Fundamental physicists discover surprise new use for super-chilled neutrons to measure the movement of viruses Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:21 AM PDT First evidence that ultra-cold neutrons interact with moving nano-sized particles provides a new tool for chemists, biologists and engineers.    Billiard-ball collisions may also explain inaccuracies in 60-year-old experiments to measure the lifetime of the neutron and explain the origin of matter in the universe.

A plant believed to be endemic to Morocco appears in Spain for the first time Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:21 AM PDT Polygala webbiana is a species which was thought to be exclusive to North Africa. The plant is a shrub with pink flowers and branches covered with hairs (trichomes), which was believed to be endemic to Morocco, has now been confirmed in Spain.

New multifunctional topological insulator material with combined superconductivity Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:21 AM PDT Most materials show one function, for example, a material can be a metal, a semiconductor, or an insulator. Metals such as copper are used as conducting wires with only low resistance and energy loss. Superconductors are metals which can conduct current even without any resistance, although only far below room temperature. Semiconductors, the foundation of current computer technology, show only low conduction of current, while insulators show no conductivity at all. Physicists have recently been excited about a new exotic type of materials, so-called topological insulators. A topological insulator is insulating inside the bulk like a normal insulator, while on the surface it shows conductivity like a metal. When a topological insulator is interfaced with a superconductor, a mysterious particle called Majorana fermion emerges, which can be used to fabricate a quantum computer that can run much more quickly than any current computer.

Melatonin helps control weight gain as it stimulates the appearance of ‘beige fat’ that can burn calories instead of storing them, study suggests Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:17 AM PDT Spanish scientists have discovered that melatonin consumption helps control weight gain because it stimulates the appearance of 'beige fat', a type of fat cell that burns calories   instead of storing them. White adipose tissue stores calories leading to weight gain whereas 'beige fat' (also known as 'good or thinning fat') helps regulate body weight control, hence its metabolic benefits.

The future of the suburbs Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:17 AM PDT Few living environments are more universally maligned than the suburbs. The suburbs stand accused of being boring, homogeneous, inefficient, car-oriented, and sterile. Some critics even argue that the suburbs make people fat. While criticisms mount, however, a large proportion of the world's population continues to live in the suburban fringes of growing cities. What factors will affect the future of the suburbs? What changes do planners need to accommodate in planning the next generation of urban growth?

Cocaine exposure in the womb: The brain structure is intact, development is off track Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:17 AM PDT Prenatal cocaine exposure affects both behavior and brain. Animal studies have shown that exposure to cocaine during in utero development causes numerous disruptions in normal brain development and negatively affects behavior from birth and into adulthood. For ethical reasons, similar studies in humans have been more limited but some research has shown that children exposed prenatally to cocaine have impairments in attention, control, stress, emotion regulation, and memory. Research also suggests that such children may be more predisposed to initiate substance use.

The cool glow of star formation: First light of powerful new camera Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:17 AM PDT A new instrument called ArTeMiS has been successfully installed on APEX — the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. APEX is a 12-meter diameter telescope located high in the Atacama Desert, which operates at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths — between infrared light and radio waves in the electromagnetic spectrum — providing a valuable tool for astronomers to peer further into the Universe. The new camera has already delivered a spectacularly detailed view of the Cat's Paw Nebula.

Unstable chromosomes linked to less favorable response to radiation therapy and surgery in prostate cancer patients Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:16 AM PDT Detailed evaluation of a prostate cancer tumor biopsy may predict treatment outcomes for image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) or surgery for prostate cancer, according to new research.

Flame retardants in blood drop after State ban Posted: 25 Sep 2013 06:16 AM PDT A class of flame retardants that has been linked to learning difficulties in children has rapidly declined in pregnant women's blood since the chemicals were banned in California a decade ago.

The 'in-law effect': Male fruit flies sleep around but females keep it in the family Posted: 24 Sep 2013 04:36 PM PDT A study of mating preferences in fruit flies (Drosophila) has found that males and females respond to the sexual familiarity of potential mates in fundamentally different ways. While male fruit flies preferred to court an unknown female over their previous mate or her sisters, female fruit flies displayed a predilection for their 'brothers-in-law'.

Social deprivation a key factor in mortality in type 1 diabetes Posted: 24 Sep 2013 04:36 PM PDT Levels of social deprivation, as well as how well a patient controls their blood sugar, is an independent risk factor for mortality in people with type 1 diabetes.

'Traffic light' test could prevent hundreds of people developing alcohol-related cirrhosis Posted: 24 Sep 2013 04:35 PM PDT A simple 'traffic light' test that detects hidden liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in high risk populations could reduce harmful drinking rates and potentially prevent hundreds of alcohol-related deaths a year. The Southampton Traffic Light (STL) test, which costs about £50, could be used by GPs in the community, appeared to help reduce drinking rates in people with the highest risk of liver disease.

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