ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Do I look bigger with my finger on a trigger? Yes, says study
• Key to new antibiotics could be deep within isolated cave
• Keeping wood preservatives where they belong: In the wood
• Serious complication of gastrointestinal procedure can be avoided with single dose medication
• Buy coal? New analysis shows purchasing fossil fuel deposits best way to fight climate change
• Exotic manure is sure to lure the dung connoisseur
• 'Time machine' will study the early universe
• Breakthrough in quantum communication
• Astronomers discover sandstorms in space
• Head injuries often impair medical decision-making skills
• Astronomers identify 12-billion-year-old white dwarf stars only 100 light years away
• Achilles heel of dengue virus identified: Target for future vaccines
• Ocean acidification linked to larval oyster failure
• Sparrow migration tracked for first time from California to Alaska
• Seed size is controlled by maternally produced small RNAs, scientists find
• New pregnancy risk for babies and moms: Overweight moms with moderately high blood sugar raise health risk
• Powerful sequencing technology decodes DNA folding pattern
• 'Brain-only' mutation causes epileptic brain size disorder
• Fragile X syndrome can be reversed in adult mouse brain
• Distinct brain cells recognize novel sights
• Tackle fungal forces to save crops, forests and endangered animals, say scientists
• Global effort launched to save turtles from extinction
• Newly approved treatment for acid reflux disease available
• Trouble coping with the unfamiliar as you age? Blame your white matter
• Duck-billed dinosaurs endured long, dark polar winters
• Feral pigs can carry nasty bacteria that can be transmitted to people
• Gene switches do more than flip 'on' or 'off': Can exhibit much more complex binding behavior
• Hybrid copper-gold nanoparticles convert CO₂
• New insights into when beach sand may become unsafe for digging and other contact
• Real-life scientific tail of the first 'electrified snail'
• Could 'advanced' dinosaurs rule other planets?
• Climate change boosts then quickly stunts plants, decade-long study shows
• Oldest-ever reptile embryos unearthed
• Study refutes suggestion that men prefer the lady in red because of body association
• True cost of freedom of information (FOI) requests for universities revealed
• Exploring the risk and rewards of stem cell products
• Possible cause of movement defects in spinal muscular atrophy identified
• Timing pregnancy an important health concern for women
• Stem cells from pelvic bone may preserve heart function
• Bats save energy by drawing in wings on upstroke
• Widespread adaptability: Coral reefs may be able to adapt to climate change with help from algae
• Wildlife thriving after nuclear disaster? Radiation from Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents not as harmful to wildlife as feared
• Grid-based computing to fight neurological disease
• Study on extrasolar planet orbits suggests that planetary systems like our solar system is the norm
• Power without the cord for small devices
• Skin and umbilical cord cells turned directly into nerve cells
• Possible origin of chronic lymphatic leukemia identified
• Birds: Divorce and breeding dispersal may support the better option hypothesis

Do I look bigger with my finger on a trigger? Yes, says study Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:54 PM PDT Anthropologists asked hundreds of Americans to guess the size and muscularity of four men based solely on photographs of their hands holding a range of ordinary objects, including handguns. The research confirmed what scrawny thugs have long known: brandishing a weapon makes a man appear bigger and stronger than he would otherwise. The findings suggest an unconscious mechanism that could misguide people about the magnitude of physical threats.

Key to new antibiotics could be deep within isolated cave Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:54 PM PDT Researchers discovered a remarkable prevalence of antibiotic resistance bacteria isolated from Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico, one of the deepest and largest caves in the world and a place isolated from human contact for more than four million years.

Keeping wood preservatives where they belong: In the wood Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:52 PM PDT Pressure-treated wood is great stuff, but the chemicals used to preserve it from decay can leach out, where they can be toxic to bugs, fungi and other hapless creatures. Now, scientists are using nanotechnology to keep the chemicals inside the wood where they belong.

Serious complication of gastrointestinal procedure can be avoided with single dose medication Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:52 PM PDT A serious complication of ERCP, a procedure commonly used to diagnose and treat problems of the bile and pancreatic ducts, may be eliminated with a single dose medication.

Buy coal? New analysis shows purchasing fossil fuel deposits best way to fight climate change Posted: 11 Apr 2012 01:16 PM PDT New research suggests that actually buying coal, oil and other dirty fossil fuel deposits still in the ground could be a far better way to fight climate change.

Exotic manure is sure to lure the dung connoisseur Posted: 11 Apr 2012 01:16 PM PDT A two-year study involving more than 9,000 dung beetles evaluated their preferences for exotic herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore dung in the Great Plains of North America.

'Time machine' will study the early universe Posted: 11 Apr 2012 01:16 PM PDT A new scientific instrument, a "time machine" of sorts, built by astronomers, will study the earliest galaxies in the universe, which could never be studied before.

Breakthrough in quantum communication Posted: 11 Apr 2012 01:16 PM PDT Scientists have created the first elementary quantum network based on interfaces between single atoms and photons. Whether it comes to phoning a friend or to using the internet -- our daily communication is based on sophisticated networks, with data being transferred at the speed of light between different nodes. It is a tremendous challenge to build corresponding networks for the exchange of quantum information.

Astronomers discover sandstorms in space Posted: 11 Apr 2012 01:16 PM PDT Astronomers believe they have found the answer to the mystery of a powerful 'superwind' which causes the death of stars.

Head injuries often impair medical decision-making skills Posted: 11 Apr 2012 01:15 PM PDT A traumatic brain injury can negatively affect a patient's medical decision-making ability at a time when patients or their families must make myriad complex decisions, say researchers. The severity of the injury directly corresponds to the amount of impairment, according to findings. Patients with mild TBI showed little impairment one month after injury, while those with more severe injury were significantly impaired.

Astronomers identify 12-billion-year-old white dwarf stars only 100 light years away Posted: 11 Apr 2012 11:43 AM PDT Astronomers have identified two white dwarf stars considered the oldest and closest known. Astronomers identified these 11- to 12-billion-year-old white dwarf stars only 100 light years away from Earth. These stars are the closest known examples of the oldest stars in the universe forming soon after the Big Bang.

Achilles heel of dengue virus identified: Target for future vaccines Posted: 11 Apr 2012 11:43 AM PDT This study for the first time shows what dengue virus region the immune system of humans target when they are fighting off the virus.

Ocean acidification linked to larval oyster failure Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:22 AM PDT Researchers have definitively linked an increase in ocean acidification to the collapse of oyster seed production at a commercial oyster hatchery in Oregon, where larval growth had declined to a level considered by the owners to be "non-economically viable."

Sparrow migration tracked for first time from California to Alaska Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:22 AM PDT Using tiny tags to track a bird's location, biologists have unlocked the mystery of where golden-crowned sparrows, which overwinter in California, go to breed in the spring. By using tags that record day length to estimate location, the biologists determined that four golden-crowned sparrows tagged in central coastal California spent the breeding season along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska.

Seed size is controlled by maternally produced small RNAs, scientists find Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:22 AM PDT Seed size is controlled by small RNA molecules inherited from a plant's mother, a discovery that has implications for agriculture and understanding plant evolution.

New pregnancy risk for babies and moms: Overweight moms with moderately high blood sugar raise health risk Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:22 AM PDT Pregnant women who are overweight with moderately elevated blood sugar are at a higher risk of bad pregnancy outcomes than previously known. Their risk is higher than pregnant women who are obese with normal blood sugar or pregnant women who have gestational diabetes and a normal weight.

Powerful sequencing technology decodes DNA folding pattern Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:22 AM PDT Using a powerful DNA sequencing methodology, researchers have now investigated the three-dimensional structure of DNA folds in the nucleus of a chromosome. The findings provide scientists with a greater understanding about the basic principles of DNA folding and its role in gene regulation.

'Brain-only' mutation causes epileptic brain size disorder Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:20 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a mutation limited to brain tissue that causes hemimegalencephaly, a condition where one half of the brain is enlarged and dysfunctional, leading to intellectual disability and severe epilepsy. The research has broad significance as a potential model for other complex neuropsychiatric diseases that may also be caused by "brain-only" mutations.

Fragile X syndrome can be reversed in adult mouse brain Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:20 AM PDT A recent study finds that a new compound reverses many of the major symptoms associated with Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited intellectual disability and a leading cause of autism. The paper describes the exciting observation that the FXS correction can occur in adult mice, after the symptoms of the condition have already been established.

Distinct brain cells recognize novel sights Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:20 AM PDT The brain's ability to learn to recognize objects plays out in the inferior temporal cortex. A new study offers a possible explanation of how two classes of neurons play distinct roles to help that happen.

Tackle fungal forces to save crops, forests and endangered animals, say scientists Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:20 AM PDT More than 600 million people could be fed each year by halting the spread of fungal diseases in the world's five most important crops, according to new research.

Global effort launched to save turtles from extinction Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:19 AM PDT A global effort to take direct responsibility for the continued survival of some of the world's most endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles has just been launched.

Newly approved treatment for acid reflux disease available Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:19 AM PDT A newly approved device to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is now available.

Trouble coping with the unfamiliar as you age? Blame your white matter Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:19 AM PDT A brain-mapping study has found that people's ability to make decisions in novel situations decreases with age and is associated with a reduction in the integrity of two specific white-matter pathways.

Duck-billed dinosaurs endured long, dark polar winters Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:19 AM PDT Duck-billed dinosaurs that lived within Arctic latitudes approximately 70 million years ago likely endured long, dark polar winters instead of migrating to more southern latitudes.

Feral pigs can carry nasty bacteria that can be transmitted to people Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:19 AM PDT A new study shows that, for the first time since testing began several years ago, feral pigs in North Carolina have tested positive for Brucella suis, an important and harmful bacteria that can be transmitted to people.

Gene switches do more than flip 'on' or 'off': Can exhibit much more complex binding behavior Posted: 11 Apr 2012 10:19 AM PDT Scientists have found that transcription factors don't act like an 'on-off' switch, but instead can exhibit much more complex binding behavior.

Hybrid copper-gold nanoparticles convert CO<sub>2</sub> Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:05 AM PDT Researchers have come up with a solution that may further reduce the energy needed for copper to convert carbon dioxide, while also making the metal much more stable.

New insights into when beach sand may become unsafe for digging and other contact Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:05 AM PDT With summer days at the beach on the minds of millions of winter-weary people, a new study provides health departments with information needed to determine when levels of disease-causing bacteria in beach sand could pose a risk to children and others who dig or play in the sand.

Real-life scientific tail of the first 'electrified snail' Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:05 AM PDT The world's first "electrified snail" has joined the menagerie of cockroaches, rats, rabbits and other animals previously implanted with biofuel cells that generate electricity -- perhaps for future spy cameras, eavesdropping microphones and other electronics -- from natural sugar in their bodies. Scientists say their new biofuel cell worked for months in a free-living snail.

Could 'advanced' dinosaurs rule other planets? Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:05 AM PDT New scientific research raises the possibility that advanced versions of T. rex and other dinosaurs -- monstrous creatures with the intelligence and cunning of humans -- may be the life forms that evolved on other planets in the universe. "We would be better off not meeting them," concludes the study, which appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Climate change boosts then quickly stunts plants, decade-long study shows Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:05 AM PDT Global warming may initially make the grass greener, but not for long, according to new research results. The findings show that plants may thrive in the early stages of a warming environment but then begin to deteriorate quickly.

Oldest-ever reptile embryos unearthed Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:03 AM PDT Dating back 280 million years or so, the oldest known fossil reptile embryos have been unearthed in Uruguay and Brazil. They belong to the ancient aquatic reptiles, mesosaurs. The study of these exceptionally well-preserved fossils suggests that mesosaurs were either viviparous (pushing back this mode of reproduction by 60 million years) or that they laid eggs in advanced stages of development.

Study refutes suggestion that men prefer the lady in red because of body association Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:03 AM PDT The color red has long been associated with women's sexual attractiveness, but a new study has shown that this is not linked to any association in men's minds with the redness of women's genitalia.

True cost of freedom of information (FOI) requests for universities revealed Posted: 11 Apr 2012 09:03 AM PDT The true cost to a university of processing a freedom of information (FOI) request has now been revealed.

Exploring the risk and rewards of stem cell products Posted: 11 Apr 2012 07:28 AM PDT Scientists have developed a road map that could help guide researchers, stem cell product manufacturers, treating physicians and patients through the complex maze of imagining, creating and developing stem cell products and using them to treat disease.

Possible cause of movement defects in spinal muscular atrophy identified Posted: 11 Apr 2012 07:27 AM PDT An abnormally low level of a protein in certain nerve cells is linked to movement problems that characterize the deadly childhood disorder spinal muscular atrophy, new research in animals suggests.

Timing pregnancy an important health concern for women Posted: 11 Apr 2012 07:26 AM PDT A new article highlights the importance of a woman's ability to time her childbearing. The author asserts that contraception is a means of health promotion and women who work with their health care providers to ensure they are healthy prior to conceiving can minimize their risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

Stem cells from pelvic bone may preserve heart function Posted: 11 Apr 2012 07:24 AM PDT A clinical trial is evaluating the use of stem cells from the pelvic bone marrow to improve heart function. Patients' own stem cells may preserve heart muscle function after a heart attack.

Bats save energy by drawing in wings on upstroke Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:41 AM PDT Bat wings are like hands: meaty, bony and full of joints. A new study finds that bats take advantage of their flexibility by folding in their wings on the upstroke to save inertial energy. The research suggests that engineers looking at flapping flight should account for wing mass and consider a folding design.

Widespread adaptability: Coral reefs may be able to adapt to climate change with help from algae Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:41 AM PDT Large-scale global survey of corals using high sensitivity genetic analysis shows many coral species can host multiple algal symbionts -- including some thought to help survive warming oceans.

Wildlife thriving after nuclear disaster? Radiation from Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents not as harmful to wildlife as feared Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:41 AM PDT Radiation from the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents may not have been as harmful to wildlife as previously thought.

Grid-based computing to fight neurological disease Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:41 AM PDT Grid computing, long used by physicists and astronomers to crunch masses of data quickly and efficiently, is making the leap into the world of biomedicine. Researchers have networked hundreds of computers to help find treatments for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's. They are calling their system the 'Google for brain imaging.'

Study on extrasolar planet orbits suggests that planetary systems like our solar system is the norm Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:40 AM PDT Orbits of other planetary systems are aligned, like in a disk, just like in our own solar system, according to a new analysis.

Power without the cord for small devices Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:40 AM PDT Cell phones and flashlights operate by battery without trouble. Yet because of the limited lifespan, battery power is not a feasible option for many applications in the fields of medicine or test engineering, such as implants or probes. Researchers have now developed a process that supplies these systems with power and without the power cord.

Skin and umbilical cord cells turned directly into nerve cells Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:40 AM PDT Until recently, the production of pluripotent "multipurpose" stem cells from skin cells was considered to be the ultimate new development. In the meantime, it has become possible to directly convert cells of the body into one another -- without the time-consuming detour via a pluripotent intermediate stage. However, this method has so far been rather inefficient. Scientists have now developed the method to the point that it can be used for biomedical applications.

Possible origin of chronic lymphatic leukemia identified Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:40 AM PDT Up until now the causes of the development of chronic lymphatic leukemia, the most common form of cancer of the blood in Europe, have been unknown. At present a cure is not possible. Medical researchers have now however discovered a lead on the origin of this disease.

Birds: Divorce and breeding dispersal may support the better option hypothesis Posted: 11 Apr 2012 05:40 AM PDT Divorce and breeding dispersal in the dunlin Calidris alpina bird may provide support for the better option hypothesis.

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