ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Experts call for a tobacco-free world by 2040 Posted: 12 Mar 2015 05:22 PM PDT Leading public health researchers today call for the sale of tobacco to be phased out by 2040, showing that with sufficient political support and stronger evidence-based action against the tobacco industry, a tobacco-free world -- where less than 5 percent of adults use tobacco -- could be possible in less than three decades.

Parents' depression can lead to toddlers in trouble Posted: 12 Mar 2015 02:38 PM PDT A father's depression during the first years of parenting -- as well as a mother's -- can put their toddlers at risk of developing troubling behaviors such as hitting, lying, anxiety and sadness during a critical time of development, according to a new study.

Injured spinal cord: Regeneration possible with epothilon? Posted: 12 Mar 2015 02:38 PM PDT Damage to the spinal cord rarely heals because the injured nerve cells fail to regenerate. The regrowth of their long nerve fibers is hindered by scar tissue and molecular processes inside the nerves. Scientists in now report that help might be on the way from an unexpected quarter.

E-cigarette advertising makes one crave ... tobacco? Posted: 12 Mar 2015 02:38 PM PDT Television advertisements for e-cigarettes may be enticing current and even former tobacco smokers to reach for another cigarette. The researchers studied more than 800 daily, intermittent, and former smokers who watched e-cigarette advertising, and who then took a survey to determine smoking urges, intentions, and behaviors.

Hidden meaning and 'speed limits' found within genetic code Posted: 12 Mar 2015 02:38 PM PDT Speed matters when it comes to how messenger RNA deciphers critical information within the genetic code -- the complex chain of instructions critical to sustaining life. The investigators' findings give scientists critical new information in determining how best to engage cells to treat illness -- and, ultimately, keep them from emerging in the first place.

Naturally acidic waters of Puget Sound surround labs Posted: 12 Mar 2015 02:37 PM PDT Two years of measurements in Puget Sound show that these waters naturally tend to be more acidic, with 13 to 22 percent of the unusual acidity due to human-driven climate change.

Chronic Kidney Disease May Increase Certain Risks During Pregnancy Posted: 12 Mar 2015 02:35 PM PDT Among pregnant women, the risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes—such as preterm delivery or the need for neonatal intensive care—increased across stages of chronic kidney disease, a study concludes. The risks of intrauterine death or fetal malformations were not higher in women with chronic kidney disease.

Unique proteins found in heat-loving organisms attach to plant matter Posted: 12 Mar 2015 12:41 PM PDT Unique proteins newly discovered in heat-loving bacteria are more than capable of attaching themselves to plant cellulose, possibly paving the way for more efficient methods of converting plant matter into biofuels.

Why exercise magnifies exhaustion for chronic fatigue syndrome patients Posted: 12 Mar 2015 12:41 PM PDT The mechanism that causes high-performance athletes to 'feel the burn' turns out to be the culprit in what makes people with chronic fatigue syndrome feel exhausted by the most common daily activities, new research shows.

Distinct brain mechanisms related to dental pain relief Posted: 12 Mar 2015 12:41 PM PDT Local anesthesia has made life more comfortable for dental patients since 1884. However, little is known about brain mechanisms related to dental pain relief. In this study, the researchers aimed to investigate task related brain activity and functional connectivity patterns following onset of a regional anesthetic nerve block during continuous noxious dental stimulation.

Boosting a natural protection against Alzheimer's disease Posted: 12 Mar 2015 12:39 PM PDT A gene variant has been identified by researchers that may be used to predict people most likely to respond to an investigational therapy under development for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study, is based on experiments with cultured neurons derived from adult stem cells.

High cholesterol, triglycerides can keep vitamin E from reaching body tissues Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:30 AM PDT In the continuing debate over how much vitamin E is enough, a new study has found that high levels of blood lipids such as cholesterol and triglycerides can keep this essential micronutrient tied up in the blood stream, and prevent vitamin E from reaching the tissues that need it. This raises new questions about whether or not most people have an adequate intake of vitamin E.

Ebola outbreak of 2014 may have laid tracks for deadly measles epidemic in Africa Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:30 AM PDT Researchers report that the African countries most affected by the 2014 Ebola outbreak could now be highly susceptible to measles epidemics due to severe disruptions in routine health care such as vaccinations.

You are when you eat: Limiting flies to specific eating hours protects their hearts against aging, study finds Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:30 AM PDT Limiting flies to specific eating hours protected their hearts against aging, a study has demonstrated. Previous research has found that people who tend to eat later in the day and into the night have a higher chance of developing heart disease than people who cut off their food consumption earlier. "So what's happening when people eat late?" asked a biologist whose research focuses on cardiovascular physiology. "They're not changing their diet, just the time."

Magnetic nanoparticles could allow brain stimulation without wires Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:29 AM PDT Researchers have developed a method to stimulate brain tissue using external magnetic fields and injected magnetic nanoparticles -- a technique allowing direct stimulation of neurons, which could be an effective treatment for a variety of neurological diseases, without the need for implants or external connections.Magnetic nanoparticles could allow brain stimulation without wires.

Summer storm weakening leads to more persistent heat extremes Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:29 AM PDT Storm activity in large parts of the US, Europe and Russia significantly calmed down during summers over the past decades, but this is no good news. The weakening of strong winds associated with the jetstream and weather systems prolongs and hence intensifies heat extremes like the one in Russia in 2010 which caused devastating crop failures and wildfires.

Frozen highly charged ions for highest precision spectroscopy Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:29 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated for the first time Coulomb crystallization of highly charged ions (HCIs). The new method opens the field of laser spectroscopy of HCIs providing the basis for novel atomic clocks and high-precision tests of the variability of natural constants.

Political liberals display greater happiness, study shows Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:29 AM PDT What does it mean to be happy? Is it how happy you say you are, or is it how happy you act? Previous research has found that political conservatives report being happier than political liberals. But psychologists have discovered that those on the left exhibit happier speech patterns and facial expressions.

Humans adapted to living in rainforests much sooner than thought Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:29 AM PDT An international research team has shed new light on the diet of some of the earliest recorded humans in Sri Lanka. The researchers analyzed the carbon and oxygen isotopes in the teeth of 26 individuals, with the oldest dating back 20,000 years. They found that nearly all the teeth analyzed suggested a diet largely sourced from the rainforest.

Molecule-making machine simplifies complex chemistry Posted: 12 Mar 2015 11:29 AM PDT A new molecule-making machine could do for chemistry what 3-D printing did for engineering: Make it fast, flexible and accessible to anyone. Chemists built the machine to assemble complex small molecules at the click of a mouse, like a 3-D printer at the molecular level. The automated process has the potential to greatly speed up and enable new drug development and other technologies that rely on small molecules.

Age-related discrimination can add to healthcare woes Posted: 12 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT Discrimination by doctors or hospitals can make older patients even sicker, researchers report. A national survey shows that one in every three older Americans who are on the receiving end of age-related discrimination in the healthcare setting will likely develop new or worsened functional ailments in due course.

Super-resolution microscopes reveal link between genome packaging, cell pluripotency Posted: 12 Mar 2015 10:08 AM PDT In 1953 Watson and Crick first published the discovery of the double helix structure of the DNA. They were able to visualize the DNA structure by means of X-Ray diffraction. Techniques, such as electron microscopy, allowed scientists to identify nucleosomes, the first and most basic level of chromosome organization. Until now it was known that our DNA is packaged by regular repeating units of those nucleosomes throughout the genome giving rise to chromatin. However, due to the lack of suitable techniques and instruments, the chromatin organization inside a cell nucleus could not be observed in a non-invasive way with the sufficient resolution.

High-tech gas sensing capsules for better gut health Posted: 12 Mar 2015 10:07 AM PDT High-tech gas sensing capsules that can send data from inside the gut direct to a mobile phone have been developed by scientists, opening new possibilities for diagnosis, treatment and health analysis.

Study details microRNA's role as double agent during Hep C infection Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:36 AM PDT Once inside a liver cell, the hepatitis C virus must bind to miRNA-122 in order to establish a persistent infection. Researchers have now found an unanticipated consequence of this interaction: By using miRNA-122 for its own ends, the virus appears to pull these molecules away from their normal job regulating genes.

Ponds are disappearing in the Arctic Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:36 AM PDT Ponds in the Arctic tundra are shrinking and slowly disappearing, according to a new study. More than 2,800 Arctic tundra ponds in the northern region of Alaska's Barrow Peninsula were analyzed using historical photos and satellite images taken between 1948 and 2010. Over the 62-year period, the researchers found that the number of ponds in the region had decreased by about 17 percent, while pond size had shrunk by an average of one-third.

Database on healthy immune system developed Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:36 AM PDT An extensive database identifying immune traits, such as how immune cell function is regulated at the genetic level in healthy people, has been developed by researchers. While many genetic risk factors have been linked to various diseases, including autoimmune disorders, how a genetic change causes susceptibility to a disease is not always clear. By studying healthy people, researchers have created a reference resource for other scientists.

Largest review of clinical trials to assess risk of patients using Varenicline Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:36 AM PDT Findings from the largest review of clinical trials to date to determine whether patients prescribed the smoking cessation drug Varenicline (brand name Champix in the UK) are at an increased risk of neuropsychiatric events are have been published.

Inflammation in mouth, joints in rheumatoid arthritis Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:35 AM PDT Periodontitis shares pathogenic mechanisms with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and may trigger its onset, scientists say. In a new study, researchers performed joint and dental examinations, determined Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) antibodies, and examined inflammatory microenvironments in early and chronic RA patients.

Nature's inbuilt immune defense could protect industrial bacteria from viruses Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:33 AM PDT Findings from a new study that set out to investigate the evolution of immune defenses could boost the development of industrial bacteria that are immune to specific viral infections.

Some genes 'foreign' in origin and not from our ancestors Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:33 AM PDT Many animals, including humans, acquired essential 'foreign' genes from microorganisms co-habiting their environment in ancient times, according to new research. The study challenges conventional views that animal evolution relies solely on genes passed down through ancestral lines, suggesting that, at least in some lineages, the process is still ongoing.

Preventing heart cells from turning to bone Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:33 AM PDT Human cells have been used to discover how blood flow in the heart protects against the hardening of valves in cardiovascular disease. What's more, they've identified a potential way to correct this process when it goes wrong by flipping the switch on just a handful of genes. These findings may have implications for related conditions, like hardening of the arteries, which causes heart attacks and stroke.

Mind reading: Spatial patterns of brain activity decode what people taste Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:33 AM PDT Scientists have revealed how taste is encoded in patterns of neural activity in the human brain.

Cells target giant protein crystals for degradation Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:33 AM PDT Researchers engineered a fluorescent protein that rapidly assembles into large crystals inside living cells, and showed that cells actively targeted the crystals for degradation. The unprecedented size and purity of these crystals allowed an analysis of the protein's structure directly within the intact cell. The researchers observed the crystallization process and the cell's responses in real-time, potentially transforming the production and study of protein crystals.

New work schedule could cure your 'social jetlag' Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:33 AM PDT Many of us are walking around all the time in a fog caused by 'social jetlag.' That's what happens when we lose sleep because our daily schedules don't match our bodies' natural rhythms. The condition can be a particular problem for shift workers, who work into the night or on a shifting schedule. Now, researchers report that sleep and workers' wellbeing could be improved if schedules took workers' biological clocks into account.

Biotech materials made simple: Crystal structures altered by a single protein Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:27 AM PDT In nacre, layer lattices of inorganic calcium carbonate alternate with layers of organic material. Chitin, collagen and various proteins ensure that the calcium carbonate grows in these defined layers. What role the proteins play during growth had not previously been explained, but the assumption was that several proteins acted together to control the structure of the calcium carbonate lattice as well as themselves forming part of the nacreous layers. However, now researchers have now shown that the crystal lattice of calcium carbonate can be altered using just a single protein species.

Statin guidelines miss middle-age patients, over-target seniors Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:26 AM PDT The newest guidelines for the use of cholesterol-lowering statins in people at risk of heart disease may be too generic, excluding middle-aged adults who could benefit from the drugs, and over-prescribing in older adults, according to a new study.

Stem cells lurking in tumors can resist treatment Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:25 AM PDT Scientists are eager to make use of stem cells' extraordinary power to transform into nearly any kind of cell, but that ability also is cause for concern in cancer treatment. A new study shows stem cells are found even in low-grade tumors, where they can resist treatment.

Immune system-in-a-dish offers hope for 'bubble boy disease' Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:25 AM PDT Researchers have been able to grow patient-derived, healthy cells in the lab, coming a step closer to treating fatal blood disorders. "This work demonstrates a new method that could lead to a more effective and less invasive treatment for this devastating disease," says the study's senior author. "It also has the potential to lay the foundation to cure other deadly and rare blood disorders."

Optogenetics without the genetics Posted: 12 Mar 2015 09:25 AM PDT Light can be used to activate normal, non-genetically modified neurons through the use of targeted gold nanoparticles. This new method represents a significant technological advance with potential advantages over current optogenetic methods, including possible use in the development of therapeutics.

Predicting which African storms will intensify into hurricanes Posted: 12 Mar 2015 08:23 AM PDT Most hurricanes over the Atlantic that eventually make landfall in North America actually start as intense thunderstorms in Western Africa one or two weeks earlier, research indicates. This research may help cities and towns better prepare for these hurricanes with far more warning.

The ACA may reduce ER visits (slightly) but doesn't affect hospitalizations Posted: 12 Mar 2015 08:23 AM PDT Two patient groups created by the Affordable Care Act -- Medicare patients enrolled in federally designated patient-centered medical homes and people under age 26 who are allowed to remain on their parents' health insurance -- had slightly fewer emergency department visits than they had before health care reform. However, there was no change in the rate of the most expensive types of emergency visits: those that lead to hospitalization, research shows.

Social status has impact on overall health of mammals Posted: 12 Mar 2015 08:23 AM PDT High social status has its privileges -- when it comes to aging -- even in wild animals. In a first-of-its-kind study involving a wild species, researchers have shown that social and ecological factors affect animal health. The results focused on spotted hyenas in Kenya.

Study bolsters 'turbocharged' protein as a promising tool in hemophilia gene therapy Posted: 12 Mar 2015 08:22 AM PDT Using gene therapy to produce a mutant human protein with unusually high blood-clotting power, scientists have successfully treated dogs with the bleeding disorder hemophilia, without triggering an unwanted immune response. In addition, the 'turbocharged' clotting factor protein eliminated pre-existing antibodies that often weaken conventional treatments for people with hemophilia

Reaching '80 percent by 2018' would prevent more than 20,000 colorectal cancer deaths per year Posted: 12 Mar 2015 08:22 AM PDT Increasing colorectal cancer screening rates to 80 percent by 2018 would prevent an additional 21,000 colorectal cancer deaths per year by 2030, according to a new study.

New gene therapy for hemophilia shows potential as safe treatment Posted: 12 Mar 2015 08:21 AM PDT A reprogrammed retrovirus could successfully transfer new clotting genes into animals with hemophilia B to safely and dramatically decrease spontaneous bleeding, a new study has shown.

Underground ocean on Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede Posted: 12 Mar 2015 08:21 AM PDT Identifying liquid water on other worlds, big or small, is crucial in the search for habitable planets beyond Earth. Though the presence of an ocean on Ganymede has been long predicted based on theoretical models, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope found the best evidence for it. Hubble was used to watch aurorae glowing above the moon's icy surface. The aurorae are tied to the moon's magnetic field, which descends right down to Ganymede's core. A saline ocean would influence the dynamics of the magnetic field as it interacts with Jupiter's own immense magnetic field, which engulfs Ganymede. Because telescopes can't look inside planets or moons, tracing the magnetic field through aurorae is a unique way to probe the interior of another world.

Geography matters: Imaging overuse seen for breast, prostate cancer in certain regions across the U.S. Posted: 12 Mar 2015 08:21 AM PDT Patients with low-risk prostate or breast cancer were more likely to receive inappropriate imaging during treatment, based on the region of the country in which they received medical care, a report has shown.

Liver-sparing operation associated with higher survival rates in cancer patients Posted: 12 Mar 2015 07:07 AM PDT A surgical approach in which a surgeon removes less than a lobe of the liver in a patient undergoing an operation for liver cancer is associated with lower mortality and complication rates, according to new study.

Government corruption in South Africa contributes to overfishing, study finds Posted: 12 Mar 2015 07:07 AM PDT Bribery among government officials who inspect fishing along the coast of South Africa contributes to overfishing, according to new study. A researcher examined how corruption has hampered the implementation of the regulations that are meant to keep fishing at sustainable levels.

In pursuit of the perfectly animated cloud of smoke: Simulations more realistic than ever Posted: 12 Mar 2015 07:07 AM PDT Simulations of impressive landscapes and alien creatures have become commonplace, especially in fantasy and science fiction films. But simulations are also appearing in ever more medical and engineering applications. However, the road to a perfect illusion is complex and time-intensive. Scientists have now developed a methodology that could accelerate these calculations.

Secret of how plants regulate their vitamin C production revealed Posted: 12 Mar 2015 07:07 AM PDT In the regulation of vitamin C, it is the level of vitamin C itself in each plant cell that decides whether RNA turns into the protein which makes vitamin C, researchers have found. "Understanding these mechanisms may help in plant breeding programs to produce hardier plant crops and improve human health because iron deficiency anemia is the most common form of malnutrition worldwide," explains one expert.

Engineers create chameleon-like artificial 'skin' that shifts color on demand Posted: 12 Mar 2015 07:07 AM PDT Borrowing a trick from nature, engineers have created an incredibly thin, chameleon-like material that can be made to change color -- on demand -- by simply applying a minute amount of force.

How does order emerge? Posted: 12 Mar 2015 07:04 AM PDT Scientists have analyzed how fast order can appear in a quantum-mechanical system. During the freezing of water, the initially unordered molecules start to form an ordered crystal, namely ice. During this phase transition, they rearrange from an unordered into a more ordered state. This setting naturally poses one important question: How long does this phase transition take, i.e. how long does it take for each molecule to find its place in the crystal?

Post-fire logging can reduce fuels for up to 40 years in regenerating forests, new study finds Posted: 12 Mar 2015 06:23 AM PDT Harvesting fire-killed trees is an effective way to reduce woody fuels for up to four decades following wildfire in dry coniferous forests, a study has found. "Large wildfires can leave behind thousands of acres of fire-killed trees that eventually become fuel for future fires. In the past, post-fire logging has been conducted primarily to recover economic value from those fire-killed trees," said the study's leader.

Developers neglect privacy, security in health apps Posted: 12 Mar 2015 06:22 AM PDT Telemedicine researchers have proposed a series of recommendations to programmers to improve the security of health applications on mobile devices. According to these specialists, it is a rapidly growing area, but the insecure handling of clinical and medical data can be critical for users. Health applications are enjoying a boom. There are already some 100,000 on the market on iOS (Apple) and Android platforms, generating 4.5 billion dollars’ worth (around 3.3 billion euros) of business, researchers note.

Sweet nanoparticles target stroke Posted: 12 Mar 2015 06:22 AM PDT Materials resulting from chemical bonding of glucosamine, a type of sugar, with fullerenes, kind of nanoparticles known as buckyballs, might help to reduce cell damage and inflammation occurring after stroke. A team has tested this on mice, opening the door to potential new drugs for the cerebrovascular accident.

Low breast density in mammography worsens breast cancer prognosis Posted: 12 Mar 2015 06:22 AM PDT Very low mammographic breast density worsens the prognosis of breast cancer, according to a recent study. Disease free survivals, as well as overall life expectancies, were significantly shorter in women with very low-density breasts in comparison to women with high density breast tissue. The lower the breast tissue density, the less fibroglandular tissue there is compared to fat tissue.

Metaphor usage highlights social bonds and increases understanding of others' emotions Posted: 12 Mar 2015 06:22 AM PDT Observe whether two people use metaphors in conversation with each other if you want to guess how close they are as friends. Or sharpen your ability to tune into other people’s emotional or mental states by observing the metaphors they use. Why is this? Because metaphors can in fact help one to ‘mind read,’ according to experts.

'Chaotic Earths': Some habitable exoplanets could experience wildly unpredictable climates Posted: 12 Mar 2015 06:21 AM PDT Astronomers have delved into possible planetary systems where a gravitational nudge from one planet with just the right orbital configuration and tilt could have a mild to devastating effect on the orbit and climate of another, possibly habitable world.

Actresses must be picky about with whom they work to survive in movie industry Posted: 12 Mar 2015 06:21 AM PDT Actresses need to be pickier than men about with whom they work if they want to survive in the movie industry, suggests a new study.