ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

'Live fast, die young' galaxies lose the gas that keeps them alive Posted: 01 Feb 2015 05:32 PM PST Galaxies can die early because the gas they need to make new stars is suddenly ejected, new research suggests. Most galaxies age slowly as they run out of raw materials needed for growth over billions of years. But a pilot study looking at galaxies that die young has found some might shoot out this gas early on, causing them to redden and kick the bucket prematurely.

How pancreatic cancer cells sidestep chemotherapy Posted: 30 Jan 2015 06:14 PM PST One reason pancreatic cancer can be so challenging to treat is because its cells have found a way to sidestep chemotherapy, research shows. They hijack the vitamin D receptor, normally associated with bone health, and re-purposed it to repair the damage caused by chemotherapy.

Researchers develop new instrument to monitor atmospheric mercury Posted: 30 Jan 2015 06:14 PM PST A new instrument to monitor atmospheric mercury in the atmosphere has been developed and tested by scientists. The measurement approach is called sequential two-photon laser induced fluorescence (2P-LIF) and uses two different laser beams to excite mercury atoms and monitor blue shifted atomic fluorescence.

DNA clock helps to get measure of people's lifespans Posted: 30 Jan 2015 06:29 AM PST A biological clock that provides vital clues about how long a person is likely to live has been discovered by researchers. Researchers studied chemical changes to DNA that take place over a lifetime, and can help them predict an individual's age. By comparing individuals' actual ages with their predicted biological clock age, scientists saw a pattern emerging.

Renewable biofuel production avoids competition with food resources Posted: 29 Jan 2015 05:41 PM PST The efficient production of both biofuel and animal feed from one crop is now possible, and can be done on a farm without the need for off-site processes. The research demonstrates the practical potential of an alternative to fossil fuels that does not compete with food resources.

Repeated head blows linked to smaller brain volume, slower processing speeds Posted: 29 Jan 2015 03:51 PM PST The Impact of repeated head blows is evident at relatively young age, researchers report, and is linked to a heightened risk of cognitive impairment. Researchers warn that there do seem to be important indicators of brain damage linked to repeated blows to the head, which could be used to inform future regulations.

More than one-third of kids in England are overweight/obese Posted: 29 Jan 2015 03:51 PM PST More than one-third of kids in England are overweight/obese, researchers report, however there does seem to be some evidence that rates may be leveling off in younger children.

Testing for EGFR mutations, ALK rearrangements is cost-effective in NSCLC. Posted: 29 Jan 2015 02:04 PM PST Multiplexed genetic screening for epidermal growth factor receptor and anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangements and subsequent biomarker-guided treatment is cost-effective compared with standard chemotherapy treatment without any molecular testing in the metastatic non-small cell lung cancer setting in the United States, researchers report.

Gut bacteria byproduct linked to chronic kidney disease for the first time Posted: 29 Jan 2015 02:03 PM PST For the first time, researchers have linked trimethylamine N-oxide -- a gut metabolite formed during the digestion of egg-, red meat- or dairy-derived nutrients choline and carnitine -- to chronic kidney disease.

A rare glimpse at the elusive Saharan cheetah Posted: 29 Jan 2015 01:09 PM PST Research by scientists and conservationists shows that critically endangered Saharan cheetahs exist at incredibly low densities and require vast areas for their conservation. The research also offers some of the world's only photographs of this elusive big cat.