ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Excess sitting linked to coronary artery calcification, an early indicator of heart problems Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:59 PM PST Sitting for many hours per day is associated with increased coronary artery calcification, a marker of subclinical heart disease that can increase the risk of a heart attack, according to research. Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease and the leading cause of death in the United States.

Hot flashes at younger age may signal greater cardiovascular risk Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:59 PM PST Women who experience hot flashes earlier in life appear to have poorer endothelial function -- the earliest sign of cardiovascular disease -- than women who have hot flashes later in life or not at all, according to two new studies.

Women don't get to hospital fast enough during heart attack Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:59 PM PST Women suffering a heart attack wait much longer than men to call emergency medical services and face significantly longer delays getting to a hospital equipped to care for them, putting women at greater risk for adverse outcomes.

Elusive El Niño arrives: Forecasters predict it will stay weak, have little influence on weather and climate Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:27 PM PST The long-anticipated El Niño has finally arrived, according to forecasters with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. In their updated monthly outlook released today, forecasters issued an El Niño Advisory to declare the arrival of the ocean-atmospheric phenomenon marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean near the equator.

How healthy is genetically modified soybean oil? Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:21 PM PST Soybean oil accounts for more than 90 percent of all the seed oil production in the United States. Genetically modified soybean oil, made from seeds of GM soybean plants, was recently introduced into the food supply on the premise that it is healthier than conventional soybean oil. But is that premise true? Just barely, say scientists.

Snffing out origins of methane: instrument identifies methane's origins in mines, deep-sea vents, and cows Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:21 PM PST Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide in its capacity to trap heat in Earth's atmosphere for a long time. The gas can originate from lakes and swamps, natural-gas pipelines, deep-sea vents, and livestock. Understanding the sources of methane, and how the gas is formed, could give scientists a better understanding of its role in warming the planet.

Nutrient pollution damages streams in ways previously unknown, ecologists find Posted: 05 Mar 2015 12:21 PM PST An important food resource has been disappearing from streams without anyone noticing until now. Ecologists reports that nutrient pollution causes a significant loss of forest-derived carbon from stream ecosystems, reducing the ability of streams to support aquatic life.

Mars: The planet that lost an ocean's worth of water Posted: 05 Mar 2015 11:04 AM PST A primitive ocean on Mars held more water than Earth's Arctic Ocean, and covered a greater portion of the planet's surface than the Atlantic Ocean does on Earth, according to new results published today. An international team of scientists used ESO's Very Large Telescope, along with instruments at the W. M. Keck Observatory and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, to monitor the atmosphere of the planet and map out the properties of the water in different parts of Mars's atmosphere over a six-year period. These new maps are the first of their kind.

Hubble sees supernova split into four images by cosmic lens Posted: 05 Mar 2015 11:04 AM PST Astronomers have spotted for the first time a distant supernova split into four images. The multiple images of the exploding star are caused by the powerful gravity of a foreground elliptical galaxy embedded in a massive cluster of galaxies.

Gut microbial mix relates to stages of blood sugar control Posted: 05 Mar 2015 10:30 AM PST The composition of intestinal bacteria and other micro-organisms -- called the gut microbiota -- changes over time in unhealthy ways in black men who are prediabetic, a new study finds.

Oxytocin nasal spray causes men to eat fewer calories Posted: 05 Mar 2015 10:30 AM PST A synthetic nasal formulation of the hormone oxytocin reduced caloric intake in healthy men, particularly consumption of fatty foods, after a single treatment, a new study finds. The results confirm those of animal studies showing oxytocin reduces food intake.

Male partner's healthier lifestyle may help infertile obese female conceive Posted: 05 Mar 2015 10:30 AM PST Male partners of infertile obese females may increase the odds of conceiving a child by improving their own weight and dietary habits, preliminary results from a pilot study suggest.

Abnormal brain rhythms tied to problems with thinking in schizophrenia Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:56 AM PST By studying specially bred mice with specific developmental and cognitive traits resembling those seen in schizophrenia, researchers have provided new evidence that abnormal rhythmic activity in particular brain cells contributes to problems with learning, attention, and decision-making in individuals with that disorder.

Drug to control appetite could also fight anxiety Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:56 AM PST Did you know that our body produces its own marijuana-like compound to protect us against anxiety? A study reveals a new biological pathway that regulates this system and suggests that a drug currently in clinical trials to treat obesity might also provide an attractive way to combat anxiety disorders.

In vivo CRISPR-Cas9 screen sheds light on cancer metastasis, tumor evolution Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:55 AM PST For the first time, CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology has been employed in a whole organism model to systematically target every gene in the genome. A team of scientists has pioneered the use of this technology to 'knock out,' or turn off, all genes across the genome systematically in an animal model of cancer, revealing genes involved in tumor evolution and metastasis and paving the way for similar studies in other cell types and diseases.

From chick to bedside: Removing the Wnt barrier Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:55 AM PST Kick starting a process that might repair the damage done in cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis could begin with disabling a driver that helps block regeneration, say researchers.

Twin copies of gene pair up in embryonic stem cells at critical moment in differentiation Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST The two alleles of Oct4, a gene important in embryonic stem cells, don't remain separate in the nucleus of stem cells but rather pair up, at the developmental point at which stem cells begin their maturation into specific cell types, scientists have discovered.

Phthalates potentially alter levels of a pregnancy hormone that influences sex development Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST Exposure to hormone-altering chemicals called phthalates -- which are found in many plastics, foods and personal care products -- early in pregnancy is associated with a disruption in an essential pregnancy hormone and adversely affects the masculinization of male genitals in the baby, according to new research. The findings focus on the role of the placenta in responding to these chemicals and altering levels of a key pregnancy hormone.

Nine steps to survive 'most explosive era of infrastructure expansion in human history' Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST A team of scientists call attention to nine issues that must be considered if there is to be any hope of limiting the environmental impacts of the ongoing expansion of new roads, road improvements, energy projects, and more now underway or 'coming soon' in countries all around the world.

Mutation in APC2 gene causes Sotos features Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST Sotos syndrome is a congenital syndrome that is characterized by varying degrees of mental retardation and a large head circumference etc. It is known that 90 percent of Sotos syndrome patients have mutations in the NSD1 gene. This time, an international research group has revealed that mutation in the APC2 gene causes symptoms of Sotos syndrome related to the nervous system, from analyses of the Apc2-knockout mouse.

Seven strategies to advance women in science Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:54 AM PST The Initiative on Women in Science and Engineering Working Group, a collection of more than 30 academic and business leaders, present seven strategies to advance women in science, engineering, and medicine in the modern landscape.

Menopausal whales are influential and informative leaders Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:53 AM PST Menopause is a downright bizarre trait among animals. It's also rare. Outside of the human species, only the female members of two whale species outlive their reproductive lives in such a major way. Female killer whales typically become mothers between the ages of 12 and 40, but they can live for more than 90 years. Males rarely make it past 50. Now, researchers have new evidence to explain why.

Molecule found in tree leaves helps female mice combat weight gain; males unaffected Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:53 AM PST A small molecule that binds to a receptor found on muscle cells speeds up energy metabolism -- but only in female mice. Researchers have shown that female mice treated with a molecule found in tree leaves could indulge in high-fat foods without gaining weight or accumulating fat. Males did not enjoy similar benefits, highlighting the need to study both sexes while developing drugs.

Biomolecular force generation based on principle of a gas spring Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:52 AM PST The mechanical basis of mitosis has only been understood in fragments so far. Now scientists have been able to add another piece to the puzzle of cell biological mechanisms.

Baby mantises harness mid-air 'spin' during jumps for precision landings Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:52 AM PST High-speed videos reveal that, unlike other jumping insects, the juvenile praying mantis does not spin out of control when airborne. In fact, it both creates and controls angular momentum at extraordinary speeds to orient its body for precise landings.

Breastfeeding an ideal feeding pattern for infants, experts say Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST Human milk provides the best nutrition for most babies and breastfeeding provides the best nutrition for infants and very young children, according to an updated position paper. The paper also outlines the health risks of not breastfeeding, which include increased rates of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality, increased health care costs and significant economic losses to families and employers.

Autistic features linked to prenatal exposure to commonly found fire retardants, phthalates Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST Exposure during pregnancy to a combination of fire retardant chemicals and phthalate chemicals -- both present in the average home -- can contribute to autistic-like behaviors in the offspring, according to an animal study.

Exposure to endocrine disruptors during pregnancy affects the brain two generations later, rat study shows Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST Prenatal exposure to low doses of the environmental contaminants polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, change the developing brain in an area involved in metabolism, and some effects are apparent even two generations later, a new study finds. Hereditary effects included increased body weight, but only in descendants of females -- and not males -- exposed to PCBs in the womb.

Protein's pivotal role in heart failure discovered Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST A key piece in the complex molecular puzzle underlying heart failure -- a serious and sometimes life-threatening disorder affecting more than 5 million Americans -- has been identified by researchers. They explored the heart's progression from initial weakening to heart failure, and found that a protein, known as RBFox2, plays a critical role in this process.

Flood and drought risk to cities on rise even with no climate change Posted: 05 Mar 2015 09:51 AM PST A heads-up to New York, Baltimore, Houston and Miami: a new study suggests that these metropolitan areas and others will increase their exposure to floods even in the absence of climate change.

Single site on Mars advanced for 2016 NASA lander Posted: 04 Mar 2015 08:11 AM PST NASA's next mission to Mars, scheduled to launch one year from today to examine the Red Planet's deep interior and investigate how rocky planets like Earth evolved, now has one specific site under evaluation as the best place to land and deploy its science instruments.

Smoking when pregnant increases cancer risk for daughters Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:06 AM PST Women who smoke when pregnant are putting their daughters at a greater risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer later in life, a new study has determined. Findings also demonstrated that mothers who reported smoking most days while pregnant had daughters who had an earlier age of first menstruation, or menarche.

Family interventions reduce smoking rates in children, adolescents Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:06 AM PST A global review into the effectiveness of family-based programs has found these programs can be highly effective in stopping children from taking up smoking. "Preventing children from starting to smoke is important to avoid a lifetime of addiction, poor health, and social and economic consequences," said one expert and investigator.

Breakthrough in nonlinear optics research Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:06 AM PST A method to selectively enhance or inhibit optical nonlinearities in a chip-scale device has been developed by scientists. To achieve their result the scientists investigated a specific optical nonlinearity that deals with the interaction between light and sound on chip scale devices.

Hidden hazards found in 'green' products Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:06 AM PST Common consumer products, including those marketed as 'green,' 'all-natural,' 'non-toxic' and 'organic' emit a range of compounds that could harm human health and air quality, researchers have found. But most of these ingredients are not disclosed to the public.

Energetic immune cells vital for fighting disease Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST A good immune system relies on a key 'energy producing' protein in immune cells to develop immunity to vaccines and disease, an international team of scientists has found. The protein, called HuR (human antigen R) is critical for controlling metabolism in B cells, which make antibodies that are essential in fighting infections and in developing long-term immunity after vaccination.

Reliance on smartphones linked to lazy thinking Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST Our smartphones help us find a phone number quickly, provide us with instant directions and recommend restaurants, but new research indicates that this convenience at our fingertips is making it easy for us to avoid thinking for ourselves.

Magnetic material attracts attention for cancer therapy Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST An extraordinary self-regulating heating effect that can be achieved in a particular type of magnetic material may open the doors to a new strategy for hyperthermia cancer treatment, researchers say. "This strong, self-regulated heating effect is unmatched by other materials," an investigator said. "It opens a novel design strategy for realising in vivo hyperthermia therapy."

Yucatan Peninsula hit by tsunami 1,500 years ago, evidence indicates Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST The eastern coastline of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, a mecca for tourists, may have been walloped by a tsunami between 1,500 and 900 years ago, says a new study. There are several lines of evidence for an ancient tsunami, foremost a large, wedge-shaped berm about 15 feet above sea level paved with washing machine-sized stones, said the researchers. Set back in places more than a quarter of a mile from shore, the berm stretches for at least 30 miles, alternating between rocky headlands and crescent beaches as it tracks the outline of the Caribbean coast near the plush resorts of Playa del Carmen and Cancun.

Turning a vole into a mighty rodent Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST Take a wild, common forest-dwelling mouse-like rodent, known as a vole, and subject it to 13 rounds of selection for increased aerobic exercise metabolism, and what do you get? A mighty 'mouse' with a 48 percent higher peak rate of oxygen consumption and an increased basal metabolic rate, compared to unselected controls. Scientists have used an evolution technique that has gained popularity, dubbed 'evolve and resequence,' to measure the genetic changes that pushed the humble vole to Olympian levels of performance.

Neuropathy: Relief for diabetics with painful condition Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST Those with painful diabetic neuropathy who received two low dose rounds of a non-viral gene therapy called VM202 had significant improvement of their pain that lasted for months, researchers report. "Right now there is no medication that can reverse neuropathy," the study's first author said. "Our goal is to develop a treatment. If we can show with more patients that this is a very real phenomenon, then we can show we have not only improved the symptoms of the disease, namely the pain, but we have actually improved function."

Understanding how the stomach responds to injury could help target therapy against gastric damage Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:05 AM PST A better understanding of the stomach's immune response to Helicobater pylori infection could lead to new therapies targeting damage in the stomach, report researchers.

Little evidence that executive function interventions boost student achievement Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST Despite growing enthusiasm among educators and scholars about the potential of school-based executive function interventions to significantly increase student achievement, a federally funded meta-analysis of 25 years' worth of research finds no conclusive evidence that developing students' executive function skills leads to better academic performance, according to a new study.

Significant facial variation in pre-Columbian South America Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST A team of anthropology researchers has found significant differences in facial features between all seven pre-Columbian peoples they evaluated from what is now Peru -- disproving a longstanding perception that these groups were physically homogenous. The finding may lead scholars to revisit any hypotheses about human migration patterns that rested on the idea that there was little skeletal variation in pre-Columbian South America.

Human brains age less than previously thought Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST Older brains may be more similar to younger brains than previously thought. In a new paper, researchers demonstrate that previously reported changes in the aging brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging may be due to vascular (or blood vessels) changes, rather than changes in neuronal activity itself.

£10 billion GP incentive scheme has no impact on premature deaths Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST There was no link between 10 billion pound pay-for-performance incentive scheme aimed at GP's and a reduction in premature deaths, an English study has concluded. "If this incentive scheme and others like it around the world are to continue, more attention needs to be paid to ensure that the performance indicators are more closely aligned to evidence for mortality reduction," the first author warns.

Semi-veggie diet effectively lowers heart disease, stroke risk Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:04 AM PST A pro-vegetarian diet that emphasizes a higher proportion of plant-based foods compared to animal-based foods may help lower the risks of dying from heart disease and stroke by up to 20 percent, according to a large-scale study. Researchers suggest that substituting some of the meat in your diet with vegetables may be a simple way to lower the risk of heart-related death.

Einstein put to the test: Satellite mission on dark energy and theory of gravitation Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:03 AM PST Physicists have gained new insights into dark energy and the theory of gravitation by analyzing data from the "Planck" satellite mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). Their results demonstrate that the standard model of cosmology remains an excellent description of the universe. Yet when the Planck data is combined with other astronomical observations, several deviations emerge. Further studies must determine whether these anomalies are due to measurement uncertainties or undiscovered physical correlations, which would also challenge Einstein's theory of gravitation. Thus, the analysis of the Planck data gives major impetus for research during future space missions.

Neuroscientists perform important step towards cell therapy for diseases of the cerebral cortex Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:03 AM PST Researchers at the ULB – IRIBHM and ULB Neuroscience Institute – have tested the therapeutic potential of cortical neurons generated at the laboratory, by transplantation in the brains of adult mice. Their research is published in the journal Neuron1.

Weight loss surgery can be a safe option for obese children, experts say Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:03 AM PST Weight loss surgery does not stunt the growth of obese children when applied within a clinical pathway. It is a safe option to use and provides hope for youngsters who are unable to shed pounds through weight management programs that include counseling and lifestyle changes, experts report.

Simple sideline test shown effective in diagnosing concussion in student athletes as young as 5 years old Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PST An easy-to-administer vision test has shown effective in diagnosing concussion in student athletes as young as 5 years old, researchers report.

Chemists develop 'looking glass' for spotting sound molecular structures Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PST Chemists have developed a computational approach for determining the viability and suitability of complex molecular structures -- an advancement that could aid in the development of pharmaceuticals as well as a range of other materials.

Study simulates changes to admissions criteria for NYC’s specialized high schools Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PST A new report examines students' pathways from middle school to matriculation at a specialized high school, and simulates the effects of various admissions criteria that have been proposed as alternatives to the current policy -- which uses students' performance on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) as the sole determinant of admission.

'Extinct' bird rediscovered: Last seen in 1941 Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PST A scientific team has rediscovered a bird previously thought to be extinct. Jerdon's babbler (Chrysomma altirostre) had not been seen in Myanmar since July 1941, where it was last found in grasslands near the town of Myitkyo, Bago Region near the Sittaung River.

First-of-its-kind center to diagnose, treat deadly blood clots Posted: 05 Mar 2015 08:02 AM PST The creation of a new multidisciplinary Venous Thromboembolic Disease Center (VTEC) has been announced in New York to treat those with life-threating blood clots.

Poverty, not the 'teenage brain,' accounts for high rates of teen crime Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:17 AM PST While many blame the 'teenage brain' for high rates of teen crime, violence, and driving incidents, an important factor has been ignored: teenagers as a group suffer much higher average poverty rates than do older adults. A new study finds that teenagers are no more naturally crime-prone than any other group with high poverty rates.

Protecting crops from radiation-contaminated soil Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:17 AM PST A chemical compound that prevents plants from taking up cesium, thus protecting them -- and us -- from the harmful effects of soil contaminated with radiocesium, has been discovered by scientists.

Antibodies to brain proteins may trigger psychosis Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:13 AM PST Antibodies defend the body against bacterial, viral, and other invaders. But sometimes the body makes antibodies that attack healthy cells. In these cases, autoimmune disorders develop. Immune abnormalities in patients with psychosis have been recognized for over a century, but it has been only relatively recently that scientists have identified specific immune mechanisms that seem to directly produce symptoms of psychosis, including hallucinations and delusions.

Cardiovascular disease kills 51% of women in Europe and breast cancer kills 3% Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:13 AM PST Cardiovascular disease (CVD) kills 51% of women in Europe and breast cancer kills 3%, bucking the misperception that CVD is a man’s disease. CVD is the top killer in women and is largely preventable.

'Life-prolonging' research for cystic fibrosis patients underway Posted: 05 Mar 2015 05:13 AM PST Preventing lung infections in childhood could stop later life-threatening infections for people with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to recent research. Scientists are investigating how bacteria found in children with CF can disarm their natural defence mechanisms, making it easier for more virulent bacteria to infect their airways. By the time many CF patients reach adulthood, they have already contracted the chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial strain, which can cause extensive and eventually fatal damage to the lungs. The infection is currently extremely difficult to treat effectively.