ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Factors associated with discrimination in specialty care access for children with public insurance examined in new study
• Acupuncture may ease severe nerve pain associated with cancer treatment, study suggests
• Kids born just a few weeks early at risk of behavioral problems, study suggests
• Global warming 'not slowing down,' say researchers
• 'Double tsunami' doubled Japan destruction
• Can companies, political groups or organizations have a single mind?
• NASA sees birth of first Southern Indian Ocean season tropical storm
• Ancient dry spells offer clues about the future of drought
• Where is the accurate memory? The eyes have it
• Whitefly, tomato growers find truce in new Texas variety
• 'Label-free' imaging tool tracks nanotubes in cells, blood for biomedical research
• Marine predators in trouble
• Global winds could explain record rains, tornadoes
• Chemists become molecular sculptors, synthesizing tiny, molecular traps
• Headaches after traumatic brain injury highest in adolescents and girls, study finds
• Fastest-rotating massive star ever recorded
• Dust storms affect subsequent emergency hospital admissions, study finds
• Defensive measures: Toward a vaccine for Ebola
• Neurotransmitter dopamine might improve the treatment of cancer, new study suggests
• Infectious fungus, thought to be asexual, isn't
• Lessons learned from yeast about human leukemia: The power of basic model organisms in human health
• Researchers evaluate rice as a source of fetal arsenic exposure
• American Society of Clinical Oncology issues annual report on progress against cancer
• Prevalence of conduct disorder among families of Mexican migrants in the U.S. examined in new study
• Trends in quality of care and health care spending for depression examined in new study
• Post-partum psychiatric episodes associated with increased risk of developing bipolar affective disorder, study finds
• State policies mandating physical education and recess associated with increase in overall in-school physical activity among children
• Childhood maltreatment associated with cerebral gray matter reductions in adolescents
• Few parents recall being told by doctors that their child is overweight
• Physical fitness trumps body weight in reducing death risks, study finds
• Young women may reduce heart disease risk eating fish with omega 3 fatty acids, study finds
• Chinese health coverage increases with new government efforts, study finds
• Past abuse leads to loss of gray matter in brains of adolescents
• More young people are becoming nurses; Trend may help ease future nursing shortage in U.S.
• Memory and attention problems may follow preemies into adulthood
• Mothers are not reaching breastfeeding goals: What needs to change?
• NASA's Voyager hits new region at solar system edge
• NASA's Kepler confirms its first planet in habitable zone outside our solar system
• Scientists rediscover rarest U.S. bumblebee: Cockerell's Bumblebee was last seen in the United States in 1956
• Carbon dioxide emissions rebound quickly after global financial crisis
• Proton beam experiments open new areas of research
• Record massive black holes discovered lurking in monster galaxies
• Prolonged fatigue for those who had chemotherapy for breast cancer, follow-up study finds
• Preoperative aspirin therapy can benefit cardiac surgery patients, study finds
• Veterinarians find infections faster by monitoring blood compound; Blood test for dogs could lead to similar human test
• Giant super-Earths made of diamond are possible, study suggests
• Scientists discover how brain corrects bumps to body
• First habitable-zone super-Earth discovered in orbit around a Sun-like star
• Early Earth may have been prone to deep freezes, study finds
• Return of the Persian leopard In Afghanistan's central highlands
• Autism may involve disordered white matter in the brain
• Orphaned children exhibit genetic changes that require nurturing parents, study finds
• Child abuse changes the brain, study finds
• Acquired traits can be inherited via small RNAs
• S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g electrical conductance to the limit
• Climate changes faster than species can adapt, rattlesnake study finds
• Snakebite victims absent in health system as most consult traditional healers, research finds
• When the heat's on, some fish can cope: Certain tropical species have greater capacity to deal with rising sea temperatures than thought
• Astronomers find fastest rotating star
• Study of strong ground motion may show need to modify building codes

Factors associated with discrimination in specialty care access for children with public insurance examined in new study Posted: 05 Dec 2011 04:46 PM PST In a study in which researchers posing as mothers attempted to schedule appointments for children at specialty clinics, affiliation of the clinic with an academic medical center was associated with fewer denials of appointments for children with Medicaid-CHIP coverage versus children with commercial insurance, according to a new study.

Acupuncture may ease severe nerve pain associated with cancer treatment, study suggests Posted: 05 Dec 2011 04:17 PM PST Acupuncture may help ease the severe nerve pain associated with certain cancer drugs, suggests a small preliminary study.

Kids born just a few weeks early at risk of behavioral problems, study suggests Posted: 05 Dec 2011 04:17 PM PST Children born just a few weeks too early are significantly more likely to have behavioral and/or emotional problems in the pre-school years, new research suggests.

Global warming 'not slowing down,' say researchers Posted: 05 Dec 2011 04:17 PM PST Researchers have added further clarity to the global climate trend, proving that global warming is showing no signs of slowing down and that further increases are to be expected in the next few decades.

'Double tsunami' doubled Japan destruction Posted: 05 Dec 2011 03:19 PM PST Researchers discovered that the destructive tsunami generated by the March 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake was a long-hypothesized "merging tsunami" that doubled in intensity over rugged ocean ridges, amplifying its destructive power before reaching shore. Satellites captured not just one wave front that day, but at least two, which merged to form a single double-high wave far out at sea -- one capable of traveling long distances without losing its power.

Can companies, political groups or organizations have a single mind? Posted: 05 Dec 2011 03:19 PM PST News of employee misconduct always creates a whirlwind for the companies involved -- think of Enron, Goldman Sachs and UBS, for example. But are these firms responsible for the actions of their employees? Or do individual members have distinct and independent responsibility separate from a group's actions?

NASA sees birth of first Southern Indian Ocean season tropical storm Posted: 05 Dec 2011 03:19 PM PST The Southern Indian Ocean cyclone season is off and running and NASA's Aqua satellite saw the birth of Tropical Cyclone 01S.

Ancient dry spells offer clues about the future of drought Posted: 05 Dec 2011 03:19 PM PST As parts of Central America and the US Southwest endure some of the worst droughts to hit those areas in decades, scientists have unearthed new evidence about ancient dry spells that suggest the future could bring even more serious water shortages. Three researchers have presented new findings about the past and future of drought.

Where is the accurate memory? The eyes have it Posted: 05 Dec 2011 03:19 PM PST The witness points out the criminal in a police lineup. She swears she'd remember that face forever. Then DNA evidence shows she's got the wrong guy. It happens so frequently that many courts are looking with extreme skepticism at eyewitness testimony.

Whitefly, tomato growers find truce in new Texas variety Posted: 05 Dec 2011 03:19 PM PST The whitefly in Texas may be sending up a surrender flag to tomato processors in the state thanks to a scientist developing a new variety that resists the virus spread by this pesky insect.

'Label-free' imaging tool tracks nanotubes in cells, blood for biomedical research Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:02 PM PST Researchers have demonstrated a new imaging tool for tracking structures called carbon nanotubes in living cells and the bloodstream, which could aid efforts to perfect their use in biomedical research and clinical medicine.

Marine predators in trouble Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:01 PM PST Iconic marine predators such as sharks, tunas, swordfish, and marlins are becoming increasingly rare under current fishing trends, say researchers.

Global winds could explain record rains, tornadoes Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:01 PM PST Scientists have proposed a common root for an enormous deluge in western Tennessee in May 2010, and a historic outbreak of tornadoes centered on Alabama in April 2011. Both events seem to be linked to a relatively rare coupling between the polar and the subtropical jet streams.

Chemists become molecular sculptors, synthesizing tiny, molecular traps Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST Using clever but elegant design, chemists have synthesized tiny, molecular cages that can be used to capture and purify nanomaterials.

Headaches after traumatic brain injury highest in adolescents and girls, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST In a new study, researchers analyzed the prevalence of headaches three and 12 months after mild, moderate or severe traumatic brain injury in children ages 5 to 17, and discovered the risk of headache was higher in adolescents (ages 13 to 17) and in girls.

Fastest-rotating massive star ever recorded Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST An international team of scientists has found the fastest-rotating massive star ever recorded. The star spins around its axis at the speed of 600 kilometers per second at the equator, a rotational velocity so high that the star is nearly tearing apart due to centrifugal forces.

Dust storms affect subsequent emergency hospital admissions, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST A new study reveals that dust storms have an adverse effect on emergency hospital admission for chronic lung disease, often known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Defensive measures: Toward a vaccine for Ebola Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:00 PM PST Researchers have made progress toward a vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus. They have demonstrated that a plant-derived vaccine for Ebola provided strong immunological protection in a mouse model. If early efforts bear fruit, an Ebola vaccine could be stockpiled for use in the United States, should the country fall victim to a natural outbreak or a bioterrorism event in which a weaponized strain of the virus were unleashed on soldiers or the public.

Neurotransmitter dopamine might improve the treatment of cancer, new study suggests Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:59 PM PST A new study found that injections of the neurotransmitter dopamine can improve blood flow to tumors and delivery of an anticancer drug, doubling the amount of drug reaching tumors and increasing its effectiveness. Dopamine also raised tumor oxygen levels, which typically improves the effectiveness of both chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The study suggests a use for dopamine in treating cancer and perhaps other disorders in which normalizing abnormal blood vessels might improve therapeutic responses.

Infectious fungus, thought to be asexual, isn't Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:59 PM PST Candida tropicalis turns out to have sex, making it the second medically important member of the genus to be capable of mating. Sex may improve the survival of the species, particularly when it's under pressure. It may also mean the species can achieve greater virulence or drug resistance more quickly than previously thought.

Lessons learned from yeast about human leukemia: The power of basic model organisms in human health Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:59 PM PST The trifecta of biological proof is to take a discovery made in a simple model organism like baker's yeast and track down its analogs or homologs in "higher" creatures right up the complexity scale to people, in this case, from yeast to fruit flies to humans. In a pair of related studies, scientists have hit such a trifecta, closing a circle of inquiry that they opened over a decade ago.

Researchers evaluate rice as a source of fetal arsenic exposure Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:59 PM PST A new study advances our understanding of the sources of human exposure to arsenic and focuses attention on the potential for consuming harmful levels of arsenic via rice. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment and in elevated concentrations it can be harmful to human health. Rice is susceptible to arsenic contamination due to its ability to extract arsenic from the environment into the rice plant.

American Society of Clinical Oncology issues annual report on progress against cancer Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:58 PM PST The American Society of Clinical Oncology has released Clinical Cancer Advances 2011: ASCO's Annual Report on Progress Against Cancer, an independent review of the advances in cancer research that have had the greatest impact on patient care this year. The report also identifies the most promising trends in oncology and provides insights from experts on where the future of cancer care is heading.

Prevalence of conduct disorder among families of Mexican migrants in the U.S. examined in new study Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:58 PM PST The prevalence of conduct disorder appears to have increased substantially across generations of the Mexican-origin population after migration to the United States, however this increase was observed more for nonaggressive than aggressive symptoms of CD, according to a new study.

Trends in quality of care and health care spending for depression examined in new study Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:58 PM PST Over a 10-year period, spending for Medicaid-enrolled patients with depression increased substantially but only minimal improvements in quality of care were observed, according to a new study.

Post-partum psychiatric episodes associated with increased risk of developing bipolar affective disorder, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:58 PM PST Experiencing a psychiatric episode within the first 30 days post-partum appears to be associated with an increased risk of developing bipolar affective disorder, according to a new study.

State policies mandating physical education and recess associated with increase in overall in-school physical activity among children Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:58 PM PST State and school district-level policies mandating minimum requirements for in-school physical education and recess time are associated with increased odds of schools in those states and districts meeting physical activity recommendations for students, according to a new study.

Childhood maltreatment associated with cerebral gray matter reductions in adolescents Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:51 PM PST Childhood maltreatment is associated with reductions in cerebral gray matter volume, and even if adolescents reporting exposure to maltreatment do not have symptoms that meet full criteria for psychiatric disorders, they may have cerebral gray matter changes that place them at risk for behavioral difficulties, according to a new study.

Few parents recall being told by doctors that their child is overweight Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:51 PM PST A new study finds that among parents of overweight children, less than 25 percent recall ever being told by a doctor or other health care provider that their child is overweight.

Physical fitness trumps body weight in reducing death risks, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:51 PM PST Maintaining or improving physical fitness is linked to lower death risks even after controlling for BMI change, according to a new study. Becoming less fit is associated with higher death risks, regardless of BMI changes. BMI change was not associated with death risks.

Young women may reduce heart disease risk eating fish with omega 3 fatty acids, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:51 PM PST Women who seldom or never eat fish may be increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease by 50 percent or more, according to the first population-based study among younger women. Those who ate fish most often, especially fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids, had 90 percent lower risk than those who ate little or no fish. The link with cardiovascular disease was evident, even among women in their 30s.

Chinese health coverage increases with new government efforts, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:51 PM PST A new study of health insurance in nine Chinese provinces shows that individual coverage surged within a two-year time frame, from 2004-2006, coinciding with new government interventions designed to improve access to health care. The changes were most dramatic in rural areas.

Past abuse leads to loss of gray matter in brains of adolescents Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:51 PM PST Adolescents who were abused and neglected have less gray matter in some areas of the brain than young people who have not been maltreated, a new study shows. The brain areas impacted by maltreatment may differ between boys and girls, may depend on whether the youths had been exposed to abuse or neglect, and may be linked to whether the neglect was physical or emotional.

More young people are becoming nurses; Trend may help ease future nursing shortage in U.S. Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:51 PM PST The number of young people becoming registered nurses has grown sharply since 2002, a trend that should ease some of the concern about a looming nursing shortage in the United States.

Memory and attention problems may follow preemies into adulthood Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:51 PM PST Babies born at a very low birth weight are more likely to have memory and attention problems when they become adults than babies born at a low to normal weight, according to a new study.

Mothers are not reaching breastfeeding goals: What needs to change? Posted: 05 Dec 2011 01:50 PM PST More mothers are breastfeeding their newborns, but for too short a duration to gain the maximum benefits of breastfeeding for both mothers and infants. New observations and a variety of strategies for encouraging women to breastfeed longer are presented in a collection of articles.

NASA's Voyager hits new region at solar system edge Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:18 AM PST NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has entered a new region between our solar system and interstellar space. Data obtained from Voyager over the last year reveal this new region to be a kind of cosmic purgatory. In it, the wind of charged particles streaming out from our sun has calmed, our solar system's magnetic field is piled up, and higher-energy particles from inside our solar system appear to be leaking out into interstellar space.

NASA's Kepler confirms its first planet in habitable zone outside our solar system Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:10 AM PST NASA's Kepler mission has confirmed its first planet in the "habitable zone," the region around a star where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface. Kepler also has discovered more than 1,000 new planet candidates, nearly doubling its previously known count. Ten of these candidates are near-Earth-size and orbit in the habitable zone of their host star. Candidates require follow-up observations to verify they are actual planets.

Scientists rediscover rarest U.S. bumblebee: Cockerell's Bumblebee was last seen in the United States in 1956 Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:06 AM PST A team of scientists recently rediscovered the rarest species of bumblebee in the United States, last seen in 1956, living in the White Mountains of south-central New Mexico. Known as "Cockerell's Bumblebee," the bee was originally described in 1913 from six specimens collected along the Rio Ruidoso, with another 16 specimens collected near the town of Cloudcroft, and one more from Ruidoso, the most recent being in 1956.

Carbon dioxide emissions rebound quickly after global financial crisis Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:06 AM PST The sharp decrease in global carbon dioxide emissions attributed to the worldwide financial crisis in 2009 quickly rebounded in 2010, according to researchers.

Proton beam experiments open new areas of research Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:06 AM PST By focusing proton beams using high-intensity lasers, a team of scientists has discovered a new way to heat material and create new states of matter in the laboratory. In a new report, researchers unveiled new findings about how proton beams can be used in myriad applications.

Record massive black holes discovered lurking in monster galaxies Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:06 AM PST Astronomers using the Keck, Gemini and MacDonald observatories have discovered the largest black holes to date: Two monsters with masses equivalent to 10 billion suns that are threatening to consume anything, even light, within a region five times the size of our solar system. These monsters may be the remains of quasars that brightened the early universe.

Prolonged fatigue for those who had chemotherapy for breast cancer, follow-up study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:06 AM PST In a follow-up study, researchers have found that patients who receive chemotherapy for breast cancer might experience prolonged fatigue years after their therapy. The new study is a follow-up to a study on fatigue and chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Preoperative aspirin therapy can benefit cardiac surgery patients, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:06 AM PST Aspirin taken within five days of cardiac surgery is associated with a significant decrease in the risk of major postoperative complications, including renal failure, a lengthy intensive care unit stay and even early death, according to a study by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and UC Davis Medical Center set to appear in the journal Annals of Surgery.

Veterinarians find infections faster by monitoring blood compound; Blood test for dogs could lead to similar human test Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:06 AM PST In pets and people, the time it takes to diagnose an infection may mean life or death. Now, a veterinarian is identifying ways to diagnose pet infections in approximately a third of the current diagnosis time.

Giant super-Earths made of diamond are possible, study suggests Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:05 AM PST A planet made of diamonds may sound lovely, but you wouldn't want to live there. A new study suggests that some stars in the Milky Way could harbor "carbon super-Earths" – giant terrestrial planets that contain up to 50 percent diamond. But if they exist, those planets are likely devoid of life as we know it.

Scientists discover how brain corrects bumps to body Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:05 AM PST Researchers have identified the area of the brain that controls our ability to correct our movement after we've been hit or bumped -- a finding that may have implications for understanding why subjects with stroke often have severe difficulties moving.

First habitable-zone super-Earth discovered in orbit around a Sun-like star Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:05 AM PST NASA's Kepler Mission has discovered the first super-Earth orbiting in the habitable zone of a star similar to the Sun. A team of researchers, including Carnegie's Alan Boss, has discovered what could be a large, rocky planet with a surface temperature of about 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit), comparable to a comfortable spring day on Earth.

Early Earth may have been prone to deep freezes, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:05 AM PST Researchers who have adapted a three-dimensional, general circulation model of Earth's climate to a time some 2.8 billion years ago when the sun was significantly fainter than present think the planet may have been more prone to catastrophic glaciation than previously believed.

Return of the Persian leopard In Afghanistan's central highlands Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:05 AM PST Recent camera trap images from the rocky terrain of Afghanistan's central highlands have revealed a surprise: A Persian leopard, an apex predator long thought to have disappeared from the region, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Autism may involve disordered white matter in the brain Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:05 AM PST It's still unclear what's different in the brains of people with autism spectrum disorders, but evidence from genetic and cell studies points to abnormalities in how brain cells, connect to each other. A new study now provides visual evidence associating autism with a disorganized structure of brain connections, as well as defects in myelin -- the fatty, insulating coating that helps nerve fibers conduct signals and that makes up the brain's white matter.

Orphaned children exhibit genetic changes that require nurturing parents, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:05 AM PST Children who experience the stress of separation at birth from biological parents and are brought up in orphanages undergo biological consequences such as changes in their genome functioning, researchers report in a new study.

Child abuse changes the brain, study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 11:04 AM PST When children have been exposed to family violence, their brains become increasingly "tuned" for processing possible sources of threat, a new study reports. The findings reveal the same pattern of brain activity in these children as seen previously in soldiers exposed to combat.

Acquired traits can be inherited via small RNAs Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:27 AM PST Researchers have found the first direct evidence that an acquired trait can be inherited without any DNA involvement. The findings suggest that Lamarck, whose theory of evolution was eclipsed by Darwin's, may not have been entirely wrong.

S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g electrical conductance to the limit Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:27 AM PST Scientists have developed a method for mechanically controlling the geometry of a single molecule, situated in a junction between a pair of gold electrodes that form a simple circuit. The manipulations produced over tenfold increase in conductivity.

Climate changes faster than species can adapt, rattlesnake study finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:26 AM PST The ranges of species will have to change dramatically as a result of climate change between now and 2100 because the climate will change more than 100 times faster than the rate at which species can adapt, according to a newly published study that focuses on North American rattlesnakes.

Snakebite victims absent in health system as most consult traditional healers, research finds Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:26 AM PST Fatal snakebites are a bigger-than-acknowledged global health problem that has been vastly under-reported, according to new research. A key reason for the low count is that many snakebite victims are treated or die without seeking or reaching health facilities.

When the heat's on, some fish can cope: Certain tropical species have greater capacity to deal with rising sea temperatures than thought Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:26 AM PST Australian scientists have discovered that some tropical fish have a greater capacity to cope with rising sea temperatures than previously thought – by adjusting over several generations. The discovery sheds a ray of hope amid the rising concern over the future of coral reefs and their fish under the levels of global warming expected to occur by the end of this century.

Astronomers find fastest rotating star Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:24 AM PST The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope has picked up the fastest rotating star found so far. This massive bright young star lies in our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 160,000 light-years from Earth. Astronomers think that it may have had a violent past and has been ejected from a double star system by its exploding companion.

Study of strong ground motion may show need to modify building codes Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:24 AM PST New testing conducted in a steep, mountainous region of Utah, using mining induced events, is providing a new set of data necessary for better predictions on building codes, especially when earthquakes are a factor.

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