ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Glaciers cracking in the presence of carbon dioxide
• Suomi NPP satellite sees auroras over North America
• Analysis finds likely U.S. voters rank health care second most important issue in presidential choice
• Testosterone increases honesty, study suggests
• First whole genome sequencing of multiple pancreatic cancer patients has been outlined
• Singing mice show signs of learning
• Like songbirds and people, mice can learn new tunes
• Parent-clinician communication about children's drug reactions needs improvement, study finds
• Skin hair skims heat off elephants
• Single spider dads caring for eggs suffer no disadvantages despite parenting costs
• New fossils suggest ancient origins of modern-day deep-sea animals
• Negative news stories affect women's stress levels but not men's
• Making crowdsourcing more reliable
• Nerve and muscle activity vary across menstrual cycle
• High Levels of Blood-Based Protein Specific to Mesothelioma
• Older adults tend not to stick with their meds following heart attacks
• Exercise helps ease premature cardiovascular aging caused by type 2 diabetes
• Eliminating sagebrush may hurt rather than help wildlife
• Exercise could fortify immune system against future cancers
• Minutes of hard exercise can lead to all-day calorie burn
• Stroke becoming more common in young people
• NASA's Mars rover Curiosity: Work resumes with first scooped sample
• Saturn's ever-changing F ring
• Study challenges assumptions on wartime sexual violence
• Scientists pinpoint gene variations linked to higher risk of bipolar disorder
• Neuroimaging technique captures cocaine's devastating effect on brain blood flow
• Gene signature predicts prostate cancer survival
• Nanoparticles: Making gold economical for sensing
• Cold cases heat up through new approach to identifying remains
• The good, the bad, and the guilty: Anticipating feelings of guilt predicts ethical behavior
• Light might prompt graphene devices on demand
• Sweeping X-ray imaging survey of dying stars is 'uncharted territory'
• Improving nanometer-scale manufacturing with infrared spectroscopy
• Fly like an eagle: New launch and recovery system takes unmanned aerial vehicles into the future
• Mine your business: Text mining insights from social media
• Human neural stem cells study offers new hope for children with fatal brain diseases
• Melanoma: The wolf in sheep’s clothing
• SpaceX cargo mission: Return science sample capability as important as space station resupply
• Best of both catalytic worlds: New technique for heterogenizing homogenous nano catalysts
• Squeezing ovarian cancer cells to predict metastatic potential: Cell stiffness as possible biomarker
• RNA-based therapy brings new hope for an incurable blood cancer
• Criteria used to diagnose sports head injuries found to be inconsistent
• Photonic gels are colorful sensors: Thin-film polymer metamaterial with potential for many uses created
• More about spatial memory problems associated with Alzheimer's revealed
• Applying information theory to linguistics
• Small fish can play a big role in coastal carbon cycle
• How the body uses vitamin B to recognize bacterial infection
• NIH–sponsored workshop calls for more detailed reporting in animal studies
• The graphene-paved roadmap: 'Wonder material' has potential to revolutionize our lives
• Detailed view of brain protein structure; Results may help improve drugs for neurological disorders
• Cambrian fossil pushes back evolution of complex brains
• Surprising spiral structure spotted by astronomers
• Zinc fingers: A new tool in the fight against Huntington's disease
• Living near livestock may increase risk of acquiring MRSA
• Saving money while making your vote count
• 3-D model for lung cancer mimics the real thing
• From lectures to explosives detection: Laser pointer identifies dangerous chemicals in real-time
• New mechanism for molecular interactions: 'Molecular sled' carries viral enzyme along DNA to find and interact with targets
• Are liberal arts colleges disappearing?
• Parenting more important than schools to academic achievement, study finds

Glaciers cracking in the presence of carbon dioxide Posted: 10 Oct 2012 04:17 PM PDT The well-documented presence of excessive levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is causing global temperatures to rise and glaciers and ice caps to melt. New research has shown that carbon dioxide molecules may be also having a more direct impact on the ice that covers our planet.

Suomi NPP satellite sees auroras over North America Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:22 PM PDT Overnight on October 4-5, 2012, a mass of energetic particles from the atmosphere of the Sun were flung out into space, a phenomenon known as a coronal mass ejection. Three days later, the storm from the Sun stirred up the magnetic field around Earth and produced gorgeous displays of northern lights. NASA satellites track such storms from their origin to their crossing of interplanetary space to their arrival in the atmosphere of Earth.

Analysis finds likely U.S. voters rank health care second most important issue in presidential choice Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:22 PM PDT A new analysis of 37 national opinion polls conducted by 17 survey organizations finds that health care is the second most important issue for likely voters in deciding their 2012 presidential vote. This is the highest that health care has been ranked as a presidential election issue since 1992.

Testosterone increases honesty, study suggests Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:22 PM PDT Testosterone is considered the most important male hormone, associated with aggression and posturing. Researchers have now been able to demonstrate that this sex hormone surprisingly also fosters social behavior. In play situations, subjects who had received testosterone clearly lied less frequently than individuals who had only received a placebo.

First whole genome sequencing of multiple pancreatic cancer patients has been outlined Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Whole genome sequencing -- spelling all 3 billion letters in the human genome -- "is an obvious and powerful method for advancing our understanding of pancreatic cancer," according to a new study.

Singing mice show signs of learning Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Guys who imitate Luciano Pavarotti or Justin Bieber to get the girls aren't alone. Male mice may do a similar trick, matching the pitch of other males' ultrasonic serenades. The mice also have certain brain features, somewhat similar to humans and song-learning birds, which they may use to change their sounds, according to a new study.

Like songbirds and people, mice can learn new tunes Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Ultrasonic vocalizations in mice can be learned based on sounds they hear. Scientists have found the first evidence that the ability to learn vocalizations, a capacity so far believed to be restricted to a handful of bird and mammal species like humans and dolphins, is shared by another species: mice.

Parent-clinician communication about children's drug reactions needs improvement, study finds Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Many parents are dissatisfied with communication regarding adverse drug reactions experienced by their child, and the implications of such reactions for the child's future use of medicines, according to a new study.

Skin hair skims heat off elephants Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Body hair in mammals is typically thought to have evolved to keep us warm in colder prehistoric times, but a new study suggests that it may do the opposite, at least in elephants. Epidermal hair may have evolved to help the animals keep cool in the hot regions they live in, according to new research.

Single spider dads caring for eggs suffer no disadvantages despite parenting costs Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Exclusive paternal care associated with mating benefits and lower mortality risk in harvestman spiders.

New fossils suggest ancient origins of modern-day deep-sea animals Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Fossils discovered in North Atlantic Ocean reveal ancestry of sea urchins and related species.

Negative news stories affect women's stress levels but not men's Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:21 PM PDT Bad news articles in the media increase women's sensitivity to stressful situations, but do not have a similar effect on men, according to a new study.

Making crowdsourcing more reliable Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:19 PM PDT Researchers in the UK are designing incentives for collection and verification of information to make crowdsourcing more reliable.

Nerve and muscle activity vary across menstrual cycle Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:19 PM PDT Nerve fibers, and the muscles they control, behave differently at different points along the menstrual cycle, potentially making women more vulnerable to knee injuries.

High Levels of Blood-Based Protein Specific to Mesothelioma Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:19 PM PDT Researchers have discovered the protein product of a little-known gene may one day prove useful in identifying and monitoring the development of mesothelioma in early stages, when aggressive treatment can have an impact on the progression of disease and patient prognosis.

Older adults tend not to stick with their meds following heart attacks Posted: 10 Oct 2012 02:19 PM PDT A new study of Medicare patients after heart attacks revealed an overall low exposure to the four medication classes.

Exercise helps ease premature cardiovascular aging caused by type 2 diabetes Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:18 PM PDT Exercise helps attenuate the premature cardiovascular aging that type 2 diabetes can cause.

Eliminating sagebrush may hurt rather than help wildlife Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:18 PM PDT Efforts to enhance wildlife habitat by controlling vegetation could actually cause more harm than good. Wyoming big sagebrush is often manipulated to decrease its density and encourage the growth of herbaceous plants. However, this may bring about declines in the population of birds, elk, and other animals.

Exercise could fortify immune system against future cancers Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:18 PM PDT A small pilot study suggests that T cells become more responsive in exercising cancer survivors weeks after chemo ends.

Minutes of hard exercise can lead to all-day calorie burn Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:18 PM PDT Time spent in the drudgery of strenuous exercise is a well-documented turn-off for many people who want to get in better shape. In a new study, researchers show that exercisers can burn as many as 200 extra calories in as little as 2.5 minutes of concentrated effort a day -- as long as they intersperse longer periods of easy recovery in a practice known as sprint interval training.

Stroke becoming more common in young people Posted: 10 Oct 2012 01:18 PM PDT New research reveals that stroke may be affecting people at a younger age.

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity: Work resumes with first scooped sample Posted: 10 Oct 2012 12:28 PM PDT The team operating Curiosity decided on Oct. 9, 2012, to proceed with using the rover's first scoop of Martian material. Plans for Sol 64 (Oct. 10) call for shifting the scoopful of sand and dust into the mechanism for sieving and portioning samples, and vibrating it vigorously to clean internal surfaces of the mechanism. This first scooped sample, and the second one, will be discarded after use, since they are only being used for the cleaning process. Subsequent samples scooped from the same "Rocknest" area will be delivered to analytical instruments.

Saturn's ever-changing F ring Posted: 10 Oct 2012 12:25 PM PDT The Cassini spacecraft captures Saturn's ever-changing F ring, showing its bright core, another strand of ring material, and a breakaway clump of material close to the core.

Study challenges assumptions on wartime sexual violence Posted: 10 Oct 2012 12:14 PM PDT A new study finds that there is no compelling evidence to support a host of widely held beliefs regarding wartime sexual violence.

Scientists pinpoint gene variations linked to higher risk of bipolar disorder Posted: 10 Oct 2012 12:14 PM PDT Scientists have identified small variations in a number of genes that are closely linked to an increased risk of bipolar disorder, a mental illness that affects nearly six million Americans.

Neuroimaging technique captures cocaine's devastating effect on brain blood flow Posted: 10 Oct 2012 12:12 PM PDT Researchers have developed a high-resolution, 3D optical Doppler imaging tomography technique that captures the effects of cocaine restricting the blood supply in vessels of the brain.

Gene signature predicts prostate cancer survival Posted: 10 Oct 2012 12:12 PM PDT Researchers have identified a six-gene signature that can be used in a test to predict survival in men with aggressive prostate cancer.

Nanoparticles: Making gold economical for sensing Posted: 10 Oct 2012 12:08 PM PDT Newly developed gold nanocluster arrays are well suited for commercial applications of a high-performance sensing technique.

Cold cases heat up through new approach to identifying remains Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT In an effort to identify the thousands of John/Jane Doe cold cases in the United States, scientists have found a multidisciplinary approach to identifying the remains of missing persons. Using "bomb pulse" radiocarbon analysis, combined with recently developed anthropological analysis and forensic DNA techniques, the researchers were able to identify the remains of a missing child 41 years after the discovery of the body.

The good, the bad, and the guilty: Anticipating feelings of guilt predicts ethical behavior Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT From politics to finance, government to education, ethics-related scandals seem to crop up with considerable regularity. As whistleblowers and investigative journalists bring scandals to light, one can't help but wonder: Are there specific character traits that predispose people to unethical behavior? Converging evidence suggests the answer could be guilt proneness. Psychological scientists have examined the existing research on guilt proneness, exploring how it might influence our behavior in the workplace and beyond.

Light might prompt graphene devices on demand Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT A breakthrough in plasmonics could allow the creation of on-demand electronic devices on graphene by hitting the material with light of a particular wavelength or at a certain angle.

Sweeping X-ray imaging survey of dying stars is 'uncharted territory' Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT The death throes of dying stars are the focus of a sweeping new survey using NASA's Chandra X-ray satellite observatory. More than two dozen astronomers have aligned their research goals to use Chandra to image a set of dying stars in the neighborhood of the Sun. The resulting X-ray images of these dying stars -- called planetary nebulae -- are shedding light on the violent "end game" of a Sun-like star's life.

Improving nanometer-scale manufacturing with infrared spectroscopy Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT While there have been significant breakthroughs in nano-manufacturing, there has been much less progress on measurement technologies that can provide information about nanostructures made from multiple integrated materials. Researchers now report new diagnostic tools that can support cutting-edge nano-manufacturing. Using atomic force microscope based infrared spectroscopy to characterize polymer nanostructures and systems of integrated polymer nanostructures, researchers were able to chemically analyze polymer lines as small as 100 nm.

Fly like an eagle: New launch and recovery system takes unmanned aerial vehicles into the future Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT A shipboard-capable system designed to support both the launch and recovery of the Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle, successfully completed final demonstration flight testing Sept. 27 at a testing range in eastern Oregon.

Mine your business: Text mining insights from social media Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT Thanks to blogs, online forums, and product review sites, companies and marketers now have access to a seemingly endless array of data on consumers' opinions and experiences. In principle, businesses should be able to use this information to gain a better understanding of the general market and of their own and their competitors' customers.

Human neural stem cells study offers new hope for children with fatal brain diseases Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT Physician-scientists have demonstrated for the first time that banked human neural stem cells can survive and make functional myelin in mice with severe symptoms of myelin loss. Myelin is the critical fatty insulation, or sheath, surrounding new nerve fibers and is essential for normal brain function.

Melanoma: The wolf in sheep’s clothing Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:11 AM PDT Melanoma is so dangerous because it tends to metastasize early on. New treatment approaches utilize, among other things, the ability of the immune defense to search out and destroy malignant cells. Yet this strategy is often only temporarily effective. A research team has discovered why this is the case: In the inflammatory reaction caused by the treatment, the tumor cells temporarily alter their external characteristics and thus become invisible to defense cells. This knowledge forms an important foundation for the improvement of combination therapies.

SpaceX cargo mission: Return science sample capability as important as space station resupply Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:43 AM PDT While the first NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) flight to the International Space Station is historic, the delivery and more importantly the return of science samples is pivotal. Since the retirement of the shuttles, the only return capability available from the space station was via the Russian Soyuz vehicle, with cold stowage even more limited -- but not anymore. Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, is now able to provide this service, as well.

Best of both catalytic worlds: New technique for heterogenizing homogenous nano catalysts Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:15 AM PDT Researchers have combined the best properties of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts by encapsulating metallic nanoclusters within the branched molecular arms of dendrimers. The results are heterogenized homogeneous nanocatalysts that are sustainable and feature high reactivity and selectivity.

Squeezing ovarian cancer cells to predict metastatic potential: Cell stiffness as possible biomarker Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:15 AM PDT New research shows that cell stiffness could be a valuable clue for doctors as they search for and treat cancerous cells before they're able to spread. The findings found that highly metastatic ovarian cancer cells are several times softer than less metastatic ovarian cancer cells.

RNA-based therapy brings new hope for an incurable blood cancer Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:15 AM PDT A new class of drugs that interfere with the aggressive over-production of a protein related to Mantle Cell Lymphoma is being developed. The drugs have the ability to kill off the mutated protein and stop the over-proliferation of cells.

Criteria used to diagnose sports head injuries found to be inconsistent Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:15 AM PDT A study of sports programs at three major universities finds that the way the injury commonly called concussion is usually diagnosed – largely based on athletes' subjective symptoms – varies greatly and may not be the best way to determine who is at risk for future problems.

Photonic gels are colorful sensors: Thin-film polymer metamaterial with potential for many uses created Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:15 AM PDT Tunable photonic gels show promise for sensors, security devices, computer components and display systems.

More about spatial memory problems associated with Alzheimer's revealed Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:15 AM PDT Researchers have created a mouse model that reproduces some of the chemical changes in the brain that occur with Alzheimer's, shedding new light on this devastating disease.

Applying information theory to linguistics Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:15 AM PDT Researchers believe that information theory -- the discipline that gave us digital communication -- can explain differences between human languages.

Small fish can play a big role in coastal carbon cycle Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:15 AM PDT Research shows that small forage fish like anchovies can transport carbon into the deep sea through their fecal pellets -- where it contributes nothing to current global warming.

How the body uses vitamin B to recognize bacterial infection Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:14 AM PDT An Australian research team has discovered how specialized immune cells recognize products of vitamin B synthesis that are unique to bacteria and yeast, triggering the body to fight infection.

NIH–sponsored workshop calls for more detailed reporting in animal studies Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:14 AM PDT A workshop sponsored by NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has produced a set of consensus recommendations to improve the design and reporting of animal studies. By making animal studies easier to replicate and interpret, the workshop recommendations are expected to help funnel promising therapies to patients.

The graphene-paved roadmap: 'Wonder material' has potential to revolutionize our lives Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:14 AM PDT Wonder material graphene could not only dominate the electronic market in the near future, it could also lead to a huge range of new markets and novel applications, a new paper claims. An international team of scientists has produced a 'Graphene Roadmap' which for the first time sets out what the world's thinnest, strongest and most conductive material can truly achieve.

Detailed view of brain protein structure; Results may help improve drugs for neurological disorders Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:14 AM PDT Researchers have published the first highly detailed description of how neurotensin, a neuropeptide hormone which modulates nerve cell activity in the brain, interacts with its receptor. Their results suggest that neuropeptide hormones use a novel binding mechanism to activate a class of receptors called G-protein coupled receptors.

Cambrian fossil pushes back evolution of complex brains Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:14 AM PDT Complex brains evolved much earlier than previously thought, as evidenced by a 520-million-year-old fossilized arthropod with remarkably well-preserved brain structures. Representing the earliest specimen to show a brain, the fossil provides a "missing link" that sheds light on the evolutionary history of arthropods, the taxonomic group that comprises crustaceans, arachnids and insects.

Surprising spiral structure spotted by astronomers Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:14 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered a surprising spiral structure in the gas around the red giant star R Sculptoris. This means that there is probably a previously unseen companion star orbiting the star. The astronomers were also surprised to find that far more material than expected had been ejected by the red giant.

Zinc fingers: A new tool in the fight against Huntington's disease Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:13 AM PDT Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited genetic disorder caused by the multiple repetition of a DNA sequence (the nucleotides CAG) in the gene encoding a protein called "Huntingtin". People who do not suffer from the disease have this sequence repeated 10 to 29 times. But in an affected person, the triplet is present more than 35 times. New research provides positive results reducing the chromosomal expression of the mutant gene, which would prevent the development of disease.

Living near livestock may increase risk of acquiring MRSA Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:13 AM PDT New study finds regional density of livestock is an important risk factor for nasal carriage of livestock-associated MRSA for persons with and without direct contact with livestock.

Saving money while making your vote count Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:13 AM PDT A management professor studies how communities can more easily and inexpensively transport voting machines on Election Day, while reducing the possibility of voter fraud.

3-D model for lung cancer mimics the real thing Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:13 AM PDT A new technique that allows scientists to grow lung cancer cells in three dimensions could accelerate discoveries for a type of cancer that has benefited little from scientific research over the last several decades. The model uses biological matter to form miniature lungs.

From lectures to explosives detection: Laser pointer identifies dangerous chemicals in real-time Posted: 10 Oct 2012 08:25 AM PDT By using an ordinary green laser pointer, the kind commonly found in lecture halls, an Israeli research team has developed a new and highly portable Raman spectrometer that can detect extremely minute traces of hazardous chemicals in real time. The new sensor's compact design makes it an excellent candidate for rapid field deployment to disaster zones and areas with security concerns.

New mechanism for molecular interactions: 'Molecular sled' carries viral enzyme along DNA to find and interact with targets Posted: 10 Oct 2012 08:25 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a new mechanism that may alter principle understandings of molecular interactions within a cell's nucleus. Scientists describe the details of how particular proteins use a "molecular sled" to slide along DNA -- much like a train running along its tracks -- to find and interact with other proteins. The findings suggest this mechanism may be universal.

Are liberal arts colleges disappearing? Posted: 10 Oct 2012 08:25 AM PDT Liberal arts colleges continue redefining their historical missions or flat-out disappearing -- a trend that threatens to diminish America's renowned higher education system, scholars argue in a new study.

Parenting more important than schools to academic achievement, study finds Posted: 10 Oct 2012 08:25 AM PDT New research finds that parental involvement is a more significant factor in a child's academic performance than the qualities of the school itself.

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