ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Most accurate robotic legs mimic human walking gait
• Antibodies reverse type 1 diabetes in new immunotherapy animal study
• Extreme heat raises climate change questions, concerns
• Turning history's 'lost' into 'found': Pictorial history-map of Santa Catarina Ixtepeji, a village in Mexico rediscovered
• Dust today, gone tomorrow: Astronomers discover Houdini-like vanishing act in space
• Life's molecules could lie within reach of Mars Curiosity rover
• Bioengineers discover single cancer cell can produce up to five daughter cells
• Child diabetes levels almost four times higher in China than in US
• Drought monitor shows record-breaking expanse of drought across United States
• Jekyll and Hyde bacteria helps or kills, depending on chance
• Smaller volcanoes could cool climate
• miR loss may power maligant transformation in chronic leukemia
• Brain center for social choices discovered: Poker-playing subjects seen weighing whether to bluff
• Novel nanotherapeutic delivers clot-busting drugs directly to obstructed blood vessels
• Like it or not, Facebook and friends can be used to influence health behavior
• Natural climate shifts drove coral reefs to a total ecosystem collapse lasting 2,500 years
• Origins of key immune cells discovered
• The key (proteins) to self-renewing skin
• Eddies, not sunlight, spur annual phytoplankton bloom in North Atlantic
• Nitrogen pollution changing Rocky Mountain National Park vegetation
• Solar flare: Another M-class flare from Sunspot 1515
• Sharing data links in networks of cars
• Driver cellphone blocking technology could save lives
• Gene linked to facial, skull and cognitive impairment identified
• First direct evidence that elemental fluorine occurs in nature
• Critical process in stem cell development identified
• Diabetes drug makes brain cells grow
• How a protein meal tells your brain you're full
• Scientists identify critical 'quality control' for cell growth
• Single dose radiation at time of surgery helps women with early stage breast cancer forego 6-7 week radiation regimen
• First robot-assisted distal pancreatectomy performed
• Higher doses of vitamin D are effective in fracture risk reduction in older adults, study suggests
• New instrument sifts through starlight to reveal new worlds
• Music to my eyes: Device converting images into music helps visually impaired find things with ease
• Trace me if you can: Studying the marine top predators with biogeochemical markers
• Endowment effect in chimpanzees can be turned on and off
• Employees' interests predict how they will perform on the job
• Does being an intense mother make women unhappy?
• When to rein in the stock market
• Future Dengue forecast: intricate relationships between mosquitoes, virus and climate change found
• Yak genome provides new insights into high altitude adaptation
• Groundbreaking discovery of mechanism that controls obesity, atherosclerosis
• Robot vision: Muscle-like action allows camera to mimic eye movement
• Simple exercises are an easy and cost-effective treatment for persistent dizziness
• Rewiring DNA circuitry could help treat asthma
• New clues explaining tendon injury
• Hormones dictate when youngsters fly the nest, says new research
• Platelet drug shows clinical benefits for severe, unresponsive aplastic anemia
• New study maps hotspots of human-animal infectious diseases and emerging disease outbreaks
• Postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients associated with prolonged cognitive impairment
• Developing world has less than 5% chance of meeting UN child hunger target, study estimates
• Discovery improves understanding of early onset inflammatory disease
• 'Impossible’ binary stars discovered
• Toward a Better Understanding of Earthquakes
• Privacy issues: Data abuse on certain mobile apps uncovered
• Next front in worldwide AIDS battle: Stretching use of anti-HIV drugs

Most accurate robotic legs mimic human walking gait Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:37 PM PDT A group of researchers has produced a robotic set of legs which they believe is the first to fully model walking in a biologically accurate manner.

Antibodies reverse type 1 diabetes in new immunotherapy animal study Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:37 PM PDT Scientists have used injections of antibodies to rapidly reverse the onset of Type I diabetes in mice genetically bred to develop the disease. Moreover, just two injections maintained disease remission indefinitely without harming the immune system.

Extreme heat raises climate change questions, concerns Posted: 05 Jul 2012 05:49 PM PDT The recent heat wave baking much of the country has prompted many people to ask: Is this due to climate change?

Turning history's 'lost' into 'found': Pictorial history-map of Santa Catarina Ixtepeji, a village in Mexico rediscovered Posted: 05 Jul 2012 05:49 PM PDT When antiquities go MIA, sometimes the sleuthing of a network of scholars can lead to rediscovery . That's what happened recently.

Dust today, gone tomorrow: Astronomers discover Houdini-like vanishing act in space Posted: 05 Jul 2012 05:13 PM PDT Astronomers report a baffling discovery never seen before: An extraordinary amount of dust around a nearby star has mysteriously disappeared. "It's as if the rings around Saturn had disappeared," said an astronomer.

Life's molecules could lie within reach of Mars Curiosity rover Posted: 05 Jul 2012 04:41 PM PDT Stick a shovel in the ground and scoop. That's about how deep scientists need to go in order to find evidence for ancient life on Mars, if there is any to be found, a new study suggests. The new findings, which suggest optimal depths and locations to probe for organic molecules like those that compose living organisms as we know them, could help the newest Mars rover scout for evidence of life beneath the surface and within rocks.

Bioengineers discover single cancer cell can produce up to five daughter cells Posted: 05 Jul 2012 04:41 PM PDT Conventional biology expects the process of mammalian cell division, mitosis, to occur by the equal partition of a mother cell into two daughter cells. Bioengineers have developed a platform that mechanically confines cells, simulating the in vivo three-dimensional environments in which they divide. Upon confinement they have discovered that cancer cells can divide a large percentage of the time into three or more daughter cells instead.

Child diabetes levels almost four times higher in China than in US Posted: 05 Jul 2012 04:41 PM PDT Chinese teenagers have a rate of diabetes nearly four times greater than their counterparts in the United States. The rise in the incidence of diabetes parallels increases in cardiovascular risk, researchers say, and is the result of a Chinese population that is growing increasingly overweight.

Drought monitor shows record-breaking expanse of drought across United States Posted: 05 Jul 2012 04:41 PM PDT More of the United States is in moderate drought or worse than at any other time in the 12-year history of the U.S. Drought Monitor, officials have said.

Jekyll and Hyde bacteria helps or kills, depending on chance Posted: 05 Jul 2012 04:41 PM PDT Living in the guts of worms are seemingly innocuous bacteria that contribute to their survival. With a flip of a switch, however, these same bacteria transform from harmless microbes into deadly insecticides. Scientists have revealed how a bacteria flips a DNA switch to go from an upstanding community member in the gut microbiome to deadly killer in insect blood.

Smaller volcanoes could cool climate Posted: 05 Jul 2012 04:41 PM PDT Scientists have discovered that aerosols from relatively small volcanic eruptions can be boosted into the high atmosphere by weather systems such as monsoons, where they can affect global temperatures. The massive eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991 temporarily dropped temperatures by half a degree Celsius world-wide.

miR loss may power maligant transformation in chronic leukemia Posted: 05 Jul 2012 03:12 PM PDT This study shows that loss of a particular molecule in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) shuts down normal cell metabolism and turns up alternative mechanisms that enable cancer cells to produce the energy needed to proliferate and invade neighboring tissue. The study shows that the molecule, miR-125b, is often lost in CLL, and that the loss is associated with a characteristic of cancer cells called the Warburg effect.

Brain center for social choices discovered: Poker-playing subjects seen weighing whether to bluff Posted: 05 Jul 2012 03:12 PM PDT Although many areas of the human brain are devoted to social tasks like detecting another person nearby, a new study has found that one small region carries information only for decisions during social interactions. Specifically, the area is active when we encounter a worthy opponent and decide whether to deceive them.

Novel nanotherapeutic delivers clot-busting drugs directly to obstructed blood vessels Posted: 05 Jul 2012 03:12 PM PDT Researchers have developed a novel biomimetic strategy that delivers life-saving nanotherapeutics directly to obstructed blood vessels, dissolving blood clots before they cause serious damage or even death. This new approach enables thrombus dissolution while using only a fraction of the drug dose normally required, thereby minimizing bleeding side effects that currently limit widespread use of clot-busting drugs.

Like it or not, Facebook and friends can be used to influence health behavior Posted: 05 Jul 2012 03:12 PM PDT Whether the goal is to curb smoking at a local school or to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases within a community, it is important to understand the social structure of the group and the dynamics of influence at play, according to public health research.

Natural climate shifts drove coral reefs to a total ecosystem collapse lasting 2,500 years Posted: 05 Jul 2012 03:12 PM PDT A new article shows how natural climatic shifts stopped reef growth in the eastern Pacific for 2,500 years. The reef shutdown, which began 4,000 years ago, corresponds to a period of dramatic swings in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

Origins of key immune cells discovered Posted: 05 Jul 2012 03:09 PM PDT Neuropathologists have solved the puzzle surrounding the origins of follicular dendritic cells – cells of lymphoid organs that play an important role in many autoimmune and infectious diseases. The research team has demonstrated that follicular dendritic cells originate in cells located in the walls of blood vessels. Thanks to these findings, scientists now have the means to investigate key features of the development of autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammation, tumors, and prion infections.

The key (proteins) to self-renewing skin Posted: 05 Jul 2012 03:09 PM PDT Scientists have discovered how human epidermal progenitor cells and stem cells control transcription factors to avoid premature differentiation, preserving their ability to produce new skin cells throughout life.

Eddies, not sunlight, spur annual phytoplankton bloom in North Atlantic Posted: 05 Jul 2012 03:09 PM PDT Researchers have long believed that the longer days and calmer seas of spring set off an annual bloom of plants in the North Atlantic, but scientists have now discovered that warm eddies fuel the growth three weeks before the sun does.

Nitrogen pollution changing Rocky Mountain National Park vegetation Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:21 PM PDT A new study indicates air pollution in the form of nitrogen compounds emanating from power plants, automobiles and agriculture is changing the alpine vegetation in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Solar flare: Another M-class flare from Sunspot 1515 Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:21 PM PDT Active Region 1515 has now spit out 12 M-class flares since July 3. Early in the morning of July 5, 2012, there was an M6.1 flare. It peaked at 7:44 AM EDT. This caused a moderate -- classified as R2 on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's space weather scale -- radio blackout that has since subsided.

Sharing data links in networks of cars Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:20 PM PDT A new algorithm lets networks of Wi-Fi-connected cars, whose layout is constantly changing, share a few expensive links to the Internet.

Driver cellphone blocking technology could save lives Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:20 PM PDT Researchers in India are developing a new technology that will prevent truck drivers and other road users from using their cell phones while driving. The technology based on RFIDs could also be integrated with police traffic monitoring.

Gene linked to facial, skull and cognitive impairment identified Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:20 PM PDT A gene whose mutation results in malformed faces and skulls as well as mental retardation has been found by scientists.

First direct evidence that elemental fluorine occurs in nature Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:20 PM PDT Fluorine is the most reactive chemical element. Until now the accepted scientific doctrine was, that therefore it cannot exist in nature in its elemental form. A team of chemists has now, for the first time, successfully identified natural elemental fluorine in a special fluorite, the "fetid fluorite" or "antozonite."

Critical process in stem cell development identified Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:20 PM PDT Scientists have discovered that environmental factors critically influence the growth of a type of stem cell--called an iPS cell -- that is derived from adult skin cells. This discovery offers newfound understanding of how these cells form, while also advancing science closer to stem cell-based therapies to combat disease.

Diabetes drug makes brain cells grow Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:20 PM PDT The widely used diabetes drug metformin comes with a rather unexpected and alluring side effect: it encourages the growth of new neurons in the brain, according to researchers. Their study also finds that those neural effects of the drug also make mice smarter.

How a protein meal tells your brain you're full Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:20 PM PDT Feeling full involves more than just the uncomfortable sensation that your waistband is getting tight. Investigators have now mapped out the signals that travel between your gut and your brain to generate the feeling of satiety after eating a protein-rich meal. Understanding this back and forth loop between the brain and gut may pave the way for future approaches in the treatment and/or prevention of obesity.

Scientists identify critical 'quality control' for cell growth Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:20 PM PDT Scientists have identified a series of intricate biochemical steps that lead to the successful production of proteins, the basic working units of any cell.

Single dose radiation at time of surgery helps women with early stage breast cancer forego 6-7 week radiation regimen Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:19 PM PDT INTRABEAM radiotherapy is an innovative radiation treatment delivered in a single dose at the time of surgery.

First robot-assisted distal pancreatectomy performed Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:19 PM PDT Minimally invasive procedure to remove part of pancreas offers a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery.

Higher doses of vitamin D are effective in fracture risk reduction in older adults, study suggests Posted: 05 Jul 2012 02:19 PM PDT Based on the results of a pooled analysis of 11 unrelated randomized clinical trials investigating vitamin D supplementation and fracture risk in more than 31,000 older adults, scientists say higher doses of Vitamin D may be the most beneficial in reducing bone fractures in this age group.

New instrument sifts through starlight to reveal new worlds Posted: 05 Jul 2012 01:12 PM PDT An advanced telescope imaging system that started taking data last month is the first of its kind capable of spotting planets orbiting suns outside of our solar system. The collaborative set of high-tech instrumentation and software, called Project 1640, is now operating on the Hale telescope at the Palomar Observatory in California after more than six years of development.

Music to my eyes: Device converting images into music helps visually impaired find things with ease Posted: 05 Jul 2012 01:12 PM PDT Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) use sound or touch to help the visually impaired perceive the visual scene surrounding them. The ideal SSD would assist not only in sensing the environment but also in performing daily activities based on this input. For example, accurately reaching for a coffee cup, or shaking a friend's hand. In a new study, scientists trained blindfolded sighted participants to perform fast and accurate movements using a new SSD, called EyeMusic.

Trace me if you can: Studying the marine top predators with biogeochemical markers Posted: 05 Jul 2012 01:12 PM PDT New research deals with the increasingly important impact of the human activities on marine top predators. The authors analyze the use of intrinsic biogeochemical markers, such as stable isotopes, fatty acids, trace elements and chemical pollutants, among others, to trace the spatial and trophic ecology of marine top predators (seabirds, marine mammals, fish, etc.), which can travel thousands of kilometers each year.

Endowment effect in chimpanzees can be turned on and off Posted: 05 Jul 2012 12:14 PM PDT Groundbreaking new research in the field of "evolutionary analysis in law" not only provides additional evidence that chimpanzees share the controversial human psychological trait known as the endowment effect -- which in humans has implications for law -- but also shows the effect can be turned on or off for single objects, depending on their immediate situational usefulness.

Employees' interests predict how they will perform on the job Posted: 05 Jul 2012 12:14 PM PDT When evaluating job applicants, employers want to ensure that they choose the right person for the job. Many employers will ask prospective employees to complete extensive tests and questionnaires to get a better sense of what those employees might be like in an office setting. But new research suggests that a different factor -- employee interests -- may be a better way to predict who will perform well on the job. Employees' whose interest profiles matched their job profiles were more likely to perform better, help others in the organization, and stay with the company longer. Students whose interest profiles matched the profile of their major were more likely to remain in their program and get good grades.

Does being an intense mother make women unhappy? Posted: 05 Jul 2012 12:14 PM PDT Does being an intense mother make women unhappy? Women who believe in intensive parenting -- i.e., that women are better parents than men, that mothering should be child-centered, and that children should be considered sacred and are fulfilling to parents -- are more likely to have negative mental health outcomes, according to new research.

When to rein in the stock market Posted: 05 Jul 2012 12:14 PM PDT The stock market should be regulated only during times of extraordinary financial disruptions when speculators can destroy healthy businesses, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University scholar..

Future Dengue forecast: intricate relationships between mosquitoes, virus and climate change found Posted: 05 Jul 2012 12:12 PM PDT Northern states could face longer outbreak seasons than the Southern region.

Yak genome provides new insights into high altitude adaptation Posted: 05 Jul 2012 11:46 AM PDT Scientists have completed the genomic sequence and analyses of a female domestic yak, which provides important insights into understanding mammalian divergence and adaptation at high altitude.

Groundbreaking discovery of mechanism that controls obesity, atherosclerosis Posted: 05 Jul 2012 11:46 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a new signalling pathway that controls both obesity and atherosclerosis. They have demonstrated that mice deficient in the Wip1 gene were resistant to weight gain and atherosclerosis via regulation of the Ataxia telangiectasia mutated gene and its downstream signalling molecule mTor. These groundbreaking findings may provide significant new avenues for therapeutic interventions for obesity and atherosclerosis.

Robot vision: Muscle-like action allows camera to mimic eye movement Posted: 05 Jul 2012 11:44 AM PDT Using piezoelectric materials, researchers have replicated the muscle motion of the human eye to control camera systems in a way designed to improve the operation of robots. This new muscle-like action could help make robotic tools safer and more effective for MRI-guided surgery and robotic rehabilitation.

Simple exercises are an easy and cost-effective treatment for persistent dizziness Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:39 AM PDT New research has shown that patients with persistent dizziness can benefit from a booklet of simple exercises.

Rewiring DNA circuitry could help treat asthma Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:39 AM PDT Reprogramming asthma-promoting immune cells in mice diminishes airway damage and inflammation, and could potentially lead to new treatments for people with asthma, researchers have found. The researchers were able to reprogram the asthma-promoting cells (called Th2 [T-helper 2] cells) after identifying an enzyme that modifies the DNA of these cells. The enzyme could be a target for the development of new treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases, in particular allergic asthma, caused by an excess of Th2 cells.

New clues explaining tendon injury Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:38 AM PDT Scientists have identified a component of tendons which could lead to the development of tests and treatments to target tendon disorders.

Hormones dictate when youngsters fly the nest, says new research Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:38 AM PDT Seabirds feed their young less as they reach an age to fly the nest, but it's hormones that actually control when the chicks leave home, according to new research.

Platelet drug shows clinical benefits for severe, unresponsive aplastic anemia Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:38 AM PDT Eltrombopag, a drug that was designed to stimulate production of platelets from the bone marrow and thereby improve blood clotting, can raise blood cell levels in some people with severe aplastic anemia who have failed all standard therapies. The findings of this new clinical study suggest eltrombopag could be a second-line therapeutic option for this disease.

New study maps hotspots of human-animal infectious diseases and emerging disease outbreaks Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:38 AM PDT A new global study mapping human-animal diseases like tuberculosis and Rift Valley fever finds that an "unlucky" 13 zoonoses are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths per year. The vast majority occur in low- and middle-income countries.

Postoperative delirium in cardiac surgery patients associated with prolonged cognitive impairment Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:38 AM PDT Postoperative delirium has been linked to prolonged loss of cognitive function in cardiac surgery patients. The findings suggest that interventions to prevent delirium in advance of surgery could help cardiac patients avoid long-term cognitive consequences.

Developing world has less than 5% chance of meeting UN child hunger target, study estimates Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:37 AM PDT Insufficient progress has been made in most developing countries to meet the United Nations' target of halving the proportion of children who suffer from hunger by 2015 compared with 1990 levels, according to a systematic analysis of data on children's height and weight. Although the nutritional status of children under five has improved overall since 1985, one in five infants and children in developing countries is still moderately or severely underweight, amounting to an estimated 110 million children worldwide. Another 148 million are mildly underweight.

Discovery improves understanding of early onset inflammatory disease Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:37 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a 'constant cloud' of potent inflammatory molecules surrounding the cells responsible for diseases such as thickening of the arteries and rheumatoid arthritis.

'Impossible’ binary stars discovered Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:37 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered four pairs of stars that orbit each other, in less than 4 hours. Until now it was thought that such close-in binary stars could not exist.

Toward a Better Understanding of Earthquakes Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:37 AM PDT The earth is shaken daily by strong earthquakes recorded by a number of seismic stations worldwide. Tectonic tremor, however, is a new type of seismic signal that seismologist started studying only within the last few years. Tremor is less hazardous than earthquakes and occurs at greater depth.  The link between tremor and earthquakes may provide clues about the more destructive earthquakes that occur at shallower depths. Geophysicists have collected seismic data of tectonic tremor in California. These data are now being evaluated in order to better understand this new seismic phenomenon.

Privacy issues: Data abuse on certain mobile apps uncovered Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:37 AM PDT "My smartphone knows everything about me, starting with my name, my phone number, my e-mail address, my interests, up to my current location," explains a computer science professor. "It even knows my friends quite well, as it saves their contact details, too," he says. Therefore he is not surprised that several mobile applications, also known as apps, display simple functionality up front, while in the background, they send the identification number of the device, the personal whereabouts of the user, or even the contact details of friends, colleagues and customers to a server somewhere in the internet.

Next front in worldwide AIDS battle: Stretching use of anti-HIV drugs Posted: 05 Jul 2012 10:35 AM PDT Medical researchers say it is possible to stretch the use of anti-HIV drugs. More efficient and cheaper manufacturing methods, better drug formulations, lower-dose prescriptions and shorter treatment periods are all feasible, safe and potentially effective. Implementation of these efforts would, they say, make the drugs more accessible to the remaining two-thirds of people with HIV disease, most of them living in poor sub-Saharan Africa and unable to afford or get access to treatment on their own.

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