ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Facebook use leads to depression? No, says study
• Cutting daily sitting time to under three hours might extend life by two years
• Taking a bird's eye view could cut wildlife collisions with aircraft
• Online news 'takes off in US and UK while most Germans prefer a newspaper'
• Pompeii-style volcanic ash fall preserved 'nursery' of earliest animals
• Small molecule may play big role in Alzheimer's disease
• Newer technology to control blood sugar works better than conventional methods
• A roll of the dice: Quantum mechanics researchers show that nature is unpredictable
• Cranberry products associated with prevention of urinary tract infections
• Social network screening of employees can make organizations unattractive to applicants
• Drug from Mediterranean weed kills tumor cells in mice
• New screening method for sudden death in athletes
• New insights into how the most iconic reaction in organic chemistry really works
• Regulation by proteins outside cancer cells points to potential new drug target: Reprogram cancer cells to state of permanent dormancy?
• Hormone curbs depressive-like symptoms in stressed mice
• Training improves recognition of quickly presented objects
• Smart headlight system: Shining light between drops makes thunderstorm seem like a drizzle
• Triboelectric generator produces electricity by harnessing friction between surfaces: Could touch screens generating own electricity?
• Rating films with smoking 'R' will cut smoking onset by teens, experts say
• Corals on ocean-side of reef are most susceptible to recent warming
• Investing in karma by doing good deeds
• Long-term hormone treatment increases synapses in female rats' prefrontal cortex
• Cell differentiation as a novel strategy for the treatment of an aggressive type of skin cancer
• Technique spots disease using immune cell DNA
• Winds played important role in keeping oil away from South Florida
• Tiny bubbles snap carbon nanotubes like twigs
• Better treatment for brain cancer revealed by new molecular insights
• New target discovered deep within cancer cells
• Pediatric brain tumors traced to brain stem cells
• Handlebar level can affect sexual health of female cyclists
• Lipid helps cells find their way by keeping their 'antennae' up
• Sustainability of rice landscapes in South East Asia threatened
• New species of wirerush from the wetlands in northern New Zealand
• Obesity linked to circle of friends
• Geologists testing aquifer rocks as containers to permanently trap carbon dioxide
• Turning off key piece of genetic coding eliminates toxic effect of statins, study suggests
• Good news about the glycemic index of rice
• Belching black hole proves a biggie: First known 'middleweight' black hole
• Lower iron levels seen in newborns of obese mothers
• Discovery of epigenetic links in cell-fate decisions of adult stem cells paves way for new osteoporosis treatments
• New gene transfer strategy shows promise for limb girdle and other muscular dystrophies
• HPV vaccine reduces infection, even in unvaccinated: Evidence of 'herd' protection
• 'Mad cow disease' in cattle can spread widely in autonomic nervous system before detectable in the central nervous system
• Girls' mathematics performance more likely to suffer than boys' as a result of mathematics anxiety
• Overweight? There's a vaccine for that, at least for mice
• Sounds of Northern Lights are born close to ground
• 'Fingerprinting' nanoscale objects and viruses
• Nitrogen dioxide air pollution lessens in parts of US and Europe, increases in Middle East and parts of Asia
• The Dark Knight Rises, and crashes: Students discover Batman's cape gliding technique is fatally flawed
• Climate in northern Europe reconstructed for the past 2,000 years: Cooling trend calculated precisely for the first time
• Poker faces may distort facial features more than smiles in passport photos
• New avenue to better medicines: Metal-peptide complexes
• Wound care meta-review draws firm conclusions
• 'MRI' of the Sun's interior motions challenges existing explanations for sunspots

Facebook use leads to depression? No, says study Posted: 09 Jul 2012 08:11 PM PDT A study of university students is the first evidence to refute the supposed link between depression and the amount of time spent on Facebook and other social-media sites.

Cutting daily sitting time to under three hours might extend life by two years Posted: 09 Jul 2012 08:11 PM PDT Restricting the amount of time spent seated every day to less than three hours might boost the life expectancy of US adults by an extra two years, indicates a new analysis.

Taking a bird's eye view could cut wildlife collisions with aircraft Posted: 09 Jul 2012 08:10 PM PDT Using lights to make aircraft more visible to birds could help reduce the risk of bird strikes, new research has found. The study examined how Canada geese responded to different radio-controlled model aircraft.

Online news 'takes off in US and UK while most Germans prefer a newspaper' Posted: 09 Jul 2012 02:37 PM PDT Researchers are examining how the digital revolution is changing the way we access news. Among the first findings, it shows that of those surveyed, most Germans still prefer a newspaper. Meanwhile, online news has overtaken print and TV news as the most frequently used medium in the UK and US for those using computers, mobile phones and tablets for news. One in five people in the UK now shares news stories every week through social networks or e-mail. However, the report also suggests out of the five countries studied, consumers in the UK were the most resistant to the idea of paying for online news.

Pompeii-style volcanic ash fall preserved 'nursery' of earliest animals Posted: 09 Jul 2012 02:26 PM PDT A volcanic eruption around 579 million years ago buried a 'nursery' of the earliest-known animals under a Pompeii-like deluge of ash, preserving them as fossils in rocks in Newfoundland, new research suggests.

Small molecule may play big role in Alzheimer's disease Posted: 09 Jul 2012 02:24 PM PDT Alzheimer's disease is one of the most dreaded illnesses facing older Americans. Researchers have used supercomputing to reach a consensus on the underlying mechanism of the disease.

Newer technology to control blood sugar works better than conventional methods Posted: 09 Jul 2012 02:24 PM PDT Newer technologies designed to help people with type 1 diabetes monitor their blood sugar levels daily work better than traditional methods and require fewer painful needle sticks, new research suggests.

A roll of the dice: Quantum mechanics researchers show that nature is unpredictable Posted: 09 Jul 2012 01:27 PM PDT Many of the predictions we make in everyday life are vague, and we often get them wrong because we have incomplete information, such as when we predict the weather. But in quantum mechanics, even if all the information is available, the outcomes of certain experiments generally can't be predicted perfectly beforehand. power. The paper looks at measurements on members of maximally entangled pairs of photons that are sent into Stern-Gerlach-type apparatus, in which each photon can take one out of two possible paths.

Cranberry products associated with prevention of urinary tract infections Posted: 09 Jul 2012 01:27 PM PDT Use of cranberry-containing products appears to be associated with prevention of urinary tract infections in some individuals, according to a new study.

Social network screening of employees can make organizations unattractive to applicants Posted: 09 Jul 2012 01:26 PM PDT Social networking websites offer a potentially large amount of personal information to organizations about job applicants. However, organizations that implement online screening practices through sites like Facebook may reduce their attractiveness to applicants and current employees.

Drug from Mediterranean weed kills tumor cells in mice Posted: 09 Jul 2012 12:54 PM PDT Scientists have developed a novel anticancer drug designed to travel -- undetected by normal cells -- through the bloodstream until activated by specific cancer proteins. The drug, made from a weed-like plant, has been shown to destroy cancers and their direct blood supplies, acting like a "molecular grenade," and sparing healthy blood vessels and tissues.

New screening method for sudden death in athletes Posted: 09 Jul 2012 12:54 PM PDT A new study suggests that echocardiography be included as part of screenings to help identify student athletes with heart problems that could lead to sudden death.

New insights into how the most iconic reaction in organic chemistry really works Posted: 09 Jul 2012 12:54 PM PDT The Diels-Alder reaction is the most iconic organic chemistry reaction. Scientists now report on exactly how this chemical reaction, discovered in 1928, occurs.

Regulation by proteins outside cancer cells points to potential new drug target: Reprogram cancer cells to state of permanent dormancy? Posted: 09 Jul 2012 12:54 PM PDT Proteins outside cancer cells that send signals to the cancerous cells to stop proliferating represent a potential novel target for therapeutic strategy, says a biochemist whose team made the finding.

Hormone curbs depressive-like symptoms in stressed mice Posted: 09 Jul 2012 12:54 PM PDT A hormone with anti-diabetic properties also reduces depression-like symptoms in mice. The finding offers a novel target for treating depression.

Training improves recognition of quickly presented objects Posted: 09 Jul 2012 12:54 PM PDT "Attentional blink" is the term psychologists use to describe our inability to recognize a second important object if we see it less than half a second after a first one. It always seemed impossible to overcome, but psychologists now report they've found a way.

Smart headlight system: Shining light between drops makes thunderstorm seem like a drizzle Posted: 09 Jul 2012 12:06 PM PDT Drivers can struggle to see when driving at night in a rainstorm or snowstorm, but a new smart headlight system can improve visibility by constantly redirecting light to shine between particles of precipitation. The system, demonstrated in laboratory tests, prevents the glare that occurs when headlight beams are reflected by precipitation back toward the driver.

Triboelectric generator produces electricity by harnessing friction between surfaces: Could touch screens generating own electricity? Posted: 09 Jul 2012 12:06 PM PDT Researchers have discovered yet another way to harvest small amounts of electricity from motion in the world around us -- this time by capturing the electrical charge produced when two different kinds of plastic materials rub against one another. Because the devices can be made approximately 75 percent transparent, they could potentially be used in touch screens to replace existing sensors. "Transparent generators can be fabricated on virtually any surface," said one of the researchers. "This technique could be used to create very sensitive transparent sensors that would not require power from a device's battery."

Rating films with smoking 'R' will cut smoking onset by teens, experts say Posted: 09 Jul 2012 12:06 PM PDT New research estimates, for the first time, the impact of an R rating for movie smoking. Researchers emphasize that an R rating for any film showing smoking could substantially reduce smoking onset in US adolescents -- an effect size similar to making all parents maximally authoritative in their parenting, they say.

Corals on ocean-side of reef are most susceptible to recent warming Posted: 09 Jul 2012 11:28 AM PDT Marine scientists have linked the decline in growth of Caribbean forereef corals -- due to recent warming -- to long-term trends in seawater temperature experienced by these corals located on the ocean-side of the reef. The research was conducted on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System in southern Belize.

Investing in karma by doing good deeds Posted: 09 Jul 2012 11:28 AM PDT For many important outcomes in life -- applying for jobs, waiting for medical test results -- there comes a point when you just have to sit back and hope for the best. But that doesn't mean we always behave that way. New research suggests that even when an outcome is out of our control we often act as though we can still get on the good side of fate by doing good deeds.

Long-term hormone treatment increases synapses in female rats' prefrontal cortex Posted: 09 Jul 2012 11:28 AM PDT A new study of aged female rats found that long-term treatment with estrogen and a synthetic progesterone known as MPA increased levels of a protein marker of synapses in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region known to suffer significant losses in aging. The new findings appear to contradict the results of the Women's Health Initiative, a long-term study begun in 1991 to analyze the effects of hormone therapy on a large sample of healthy postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79.

Cell differentiation as a novel strategy for the treatment of an aggressive type of skin cancer Posted: 09 Jul 2012 10:36 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a molecular mechanism that favors the disappearance and inhibition of SCC development. The authors propose that these mechanisms could be crucial for the development of targeted therapies that could potentially overcome drug resistance.

Technique spots disease using immune cell DNA Posted: 09 Jul 2012 10:36 AM PDT By looking at signature chemical differences in the DNA of various immune cells called leukocytes, scientists have developed a way to determine their relative abundance in blood samples. The relative abundance turns out to correlate with specific cancers and other diseases, making the technique, described in two recent papers, potentially valuable not only for research but also for diagnostics and treatment monitoring.

Winds played important role in keeping oil away from South Florida Posted: 09 Jul 2012 10:35 AM PDT Winds played an important role in keeping oil from the Gulf oil spill away from South Florida.

Tiny bubbles snap carbon nanotubes like twigs Posted: 09 Jul 2012 10:35 AM PDT A computer model shows that long nanotubes bend and snap like a twig when blasted with ultrasonic energy. The research finds that short and long nanotubes behave differently during sonication. The discovery answers a longstanding question about the origin of competing power laws that were found in experiments on cutting nanotubes by sonication.

Better treatment for brain cancer revealed by new molecular insights Posted: 09 Jul 2012 10:35 AM PDT Nearly a third of adults with the most common type of brain cancer develop recurrent, invasive tumors after being treated with a drug called bevacizumab. The molecular underpinnings behind these detrimental effects have now been deciphered. The findings reveal a new treatment strategy that could reduce tumor invasiveness and improve survival in these drug-resistant patients.

New target discovered deep within cancer cells Posted: 09 Jul 2012 10:35 AM PDT Investigators have found that blocking a fundamental process deep within cancer cells can selectively kill them and spare normal cells.

Pediatric brain tumors traced to brain stem cells Posted: 09 Jul 2012 10:34 AM PDT Stem cells that come from a specific part of the developing brain help fuel the growth of brain tumors caused by an inherited condition, researchers report.

Handlebar level can affect sexual health of female cyclists Posted: 09 Jul 2012 09:16 AM PDT Handlebar position is associated with changes in genital sensation in female cyclists, according to a new study.

Lipid helps cells find their way by keeping their 'antennae' up Posted: 09 Jul 2012 09:16 AM PDT A lipid that helps lotion soften the skin also helps cells find and stay in the right location in the body by ensuring they keep their "antennae" up, scientists report.

Sustainability of rice landscapes in South East Asia threatened Posted: 09 Jul 2012 09:16 AM PDT Scientists have raised several concerns on the future of the rice ecosystems in South East Asia.

New species of wirerush from the wetlands in northern New Zealand Posted: 09 Jul 2012 09:16 AM PDT The northern part of the North Island of New Zealand is marked at approximately 38 degrees S latitude by a distinct ecological boundary known as the "kauri line". This region forms the southern distributional limit of many plants and is the warmest part of New Zealand. A number of endemic plants are found there. Ecologists have recently discovered a new species of wirerush from peatlands north of the "kauri line."

Obesity linked to circle of friends Posted: 09 Jul 2012 09:13 AM PDT A study of high school students provides new evidence that a person's circle of friends may influence his or her weight. Students were more likely to gain weight if they had friends who were heavier than they were. Conversely, students were more likely to get trimmer -- or gain weight at a slower pace -- if their friends were leaner than they were.

Geologists testing aquifer rocks as containers to permanently trap carbon dioxide Posted: 09 Jul 2012 09:13 AM PDT Kansas geologists are doing a comprehensive statewide study on using rocks for long-term storage of carbon dioxide.

Turning off key piece of genetic coding eliminates toxic effect of statins, study suggests Posted: 09 Jul 2012 09:13 AM PDT A new study sheds light on cholesterol and bile metabolism in the liver.

Good news about the glycemic index of rice Posted: 09 Jul 2012 07:27 AM PDT Research analyzing 235 types of rice from around the world has found its glycemic index varies from one type of rice to another with most varieties scoring a low to medium GI.

Belching black hole proves a biggie: First known 'middleweight' black hole Posted: 09 Jul 2012 07:27 AM PDT Astronomers have found the first known "middleweight" black hole. Before it was found, astronomers had good evidence for only supermassive black holes -- ones a million to a billion times the mass of the Sun -- and "stellar mass" ones, three to thirty times the mass of the Sun.

Lower iron levels seen in newborns of obese mothers Posted: 09 Jul 2012 07:25 AM PDT Being born to an obese mother with elevated levels of the hormone hepcidin was associated with lower iron status at birth, according to researchers.

Discovery of epigenetic links in cell-fate decisions of adult stem cells paves way for new osteoporosis treatments Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:32 AM PDT The ability to control whether certain stem cells ultimately become bone cells holds great promise for regenerative medicine and potential therapies aimed at treating metabolic bone diseases, especially osteoporosis. Now, scientists have made a significant breakthrough in that direction. The scientists have discovered two key epigenetic regulating genes that govern the cell-fate determination of human bone marrow stem cells.

New gene transfer strategy shows promise for limb girdle and other muscular dystrophies Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:32 AM PDT The challenge of treating patients with genetic disorders in which a single mutated gene is simply too large to be replaced using traditional gene therapy techniques may soon be a thing of the past. A new study describes a new gene therapy approach capable of delivering full-length versions of large genes and improving skeletal muscle function. The strategy may hold new hope for treating dysferlinopathies and other muscular dystrophies.

HPV vaccine reduces infection, even in unvaccinated: Evidence of 'herd' protection Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:32 AM PDT The HPV vaccine not only has resulted in a decrease in human papillomavirus infection in immunized teens but also in teens who were not immunized. The study is believed to be the first to show a substantial decrease in HPV infection in a community setting as well as herd protection.

'Mad cow disease' in cattle can spread widely in autonomic nervous system before detectable in the central nervous system Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:31 AM PDT Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease") is a fatal disease in cattle that causes portions of the brain to turn sponge-like. This transmissible disease is caused by the propagation of a misfolded form of protein known as a prion, rather than by a bacterium or virus. Previous research has reported that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) becomes affected by the disease only after the central nervous system (CNS) has been infected. In a new study researchers found that the ANS can show signs of infection prior to involvement of the CNS.

Girls' mathematics performance more likely to suffer than boys' as a result of mathematics anxiety Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:31 AM PDT If a train is travelling a distance of 55 miles at 150mph, how long will it take to reach its destination? If the thought of having to answer this question makes you apprehensive, then you may have mathematics anxiety. A new study reports that a number of school-age children suffer from mathematics anxiety and, although both genders' performance is likely to be affected as a result, girls' maths performance is more likely to suffer than boys'.

Overweight? There's a vaccine for that, at least for mice Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:31 AM PDT New vaccines promote weight loss. A new study assesses the effectiveness of two somatostatin vaccinations, JH17 and JH18, in reducing weight gain and increasing weight loss in mice. Four days after the first injection of modified somatostatin, the vaccinated mice had a 10% drop in body weight (not seen in the control mice).

Sounds of Northern Lights are born close to ground Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:30 AM PDT For the first time, researchers have located where the sounds associated with the northern lights are created. The auroral sounds that have been described in folktales and by wilderness wanderers are formed about 70 meters above the ground level in the measured case. Researchers located the sound sources by installing three separate microphones in an observation site where the auroral sounds were recorded. They then compared sounds captured by the microphones and determined the location of the sound source.

'Fingerprinting' nanoscale objects and viruses Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:30 AM PDT Scientists have found a way of effectively identifying nanoscale objects and viruses that could offer a breakthrough for biomedical diagnostics, environmental protection and nano-electronics.

Nitrogen dioxide air pollution lessens in parts of US and Europe, increases in Middle East and parts of Asia Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:30 AM PDT Satellite measurements show that nitrogen dioxide in the lower atmosphere over parts of Europe and the US has fallen over the past decade. More than 15 years of atmospheric observations have revealed trends in air quality. As the world's population increases, economies in many countries are also growing and populations are concentrating in large cities. With the use of fossil fuels still on the rise, pollution in large cities is also increasing.

The Dark Knight Rises, and crashes: Students discover Batman's cape gliding technique is fatally flawed Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:30 AM PDT Batman returns to cinemas for the Dark Knight Rises next month (July 20) - but unless he has invested in a new cape, he may fall into some trouble.

Climate in northern Europe reconstructed for the past 2,000 years: Cooling trend calculated precisely for the first time Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:26 AM PDT Scientists have published a reconstruction of the climate in northern Europe over the last 2,000 years based on the information provided by tree-rings. Researchers used tree-ring density measurements from sub-fossil pine trees originating from Finnish Lapland to produce a reconstruction reaching back to 138 BC. In so doing, the researchers have been able for the first time to precisely demonstrate that the long-term trend over the past two millennia has been towards climatic cooling.

Poker faces may distort facial features more than smiles in passport photos Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:26 AM PDT Photographs of faces may not be adequate proof of a person's identity and this could have serious implications for the accuracy of passport photographs in determining identity. Research has shown that an image of a person may look strikingly different from one image to the next. We are told not to smile in our passport photos as a smile distorts the face; but the opposite may actually be true, and a poker face may be the one which distorts normal facial features.

New avenue to better medicines: Metal-peptide complexes Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:25 AM PDT Scientists have used metal complexes to modify peptide hormones. They report for the first time on the three-dimensional structure of the resulting metal-peptide compounds. "With this work, we have laid the molecular foundation for the development of better medicines" says one of the researchers. The team examined hormones that influence the sensation of pain and tumour growth.

Wound care meta-review draws firm conclusions Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:25 AM PDT Robust evidence exists for some wound care interventions, but there are still gaps in current knowledge requiring international consensus and further high-level clinical evidence, according to a paper published online by BJS, the British Journal of Surgery.

'MRI' of the Sun's interior motions challenges existing explanations for sunspots Posted: 09 Jul 2012 06:24 AM PDT Scientists have created an "MRI" of the Sun's interior plasma motions, shedding light on how it transfers heat from its deep interior to its surface. The result upends our understanding of how heat is transported outwards by the Sun and challenges existing explanations of the formation of sunspots and magnetic field generation.

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