Science news

• More Floods for West Virginia [Graphic]

  27-06-2016 22:30 via rss.sciam.com
  Heavy rains for the Mountain State and the U.S. Northeast are up 71 percent
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• Picky eaters: Bumble bees prefer plants with nutrient-rich pollen

  27-06-2016 22:09
  Bumble bees have discriminating palates when it comes to their pollen meals, according to researchers. The researchers found that bumble bees can detect the nutritional quality of pollen, and that this ability helps them selectively forage among plant species to optimize their diets.
  
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• Getting a grip on slippery cell membranes

  27-06-2016 22:09
  Within our cells, myosin-1 motors carry tiny bits of cargo along an inner framework called the cytoskeleton. To do so, they must tug on flexible membranes made of fatty molecules called lipids. Scientists have long wondered how the motors can maintain their grip on these slippery membranes. A new report offers a biophysical explanation.
  
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• Chronic fatigue syndrome is in your gut, not your head

  27-06-2016 22:09
  Physicians have been mystified by chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition where normal exertion leads to debilitating fatigue that isn't alleviated by rest. There are no known triggers, and diagnosis requires lengthy tests administered by an expert. Now, for the first time, researchers report they have identified biological markers of the disease in gut bacteria and inflammatory microbial agents in the blood.
  
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• Water windfall' discovered beneath California's Central Valley

  27-06-2016 22:01
  New research indicates that California's Central Valley harbors three times more groundwater than previously estimated, but challenges to using it include pumping costs, ground subsidence and possible contamination from fracking and other oil and gas activities.
  
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• Researchers discover a new method to boost oil recovery

  27-06-2016 22:01
  As oil producers struggle to adapt to lower prices, getting as much oil as possible out of every well has become even more important, despite concerns from nearby residents that some chemicals used to boost production may pollute underground water resources. Researchers have reported the discovery of a nanotechnology-based solution that could address both issues -- achieving 15 percent tertiary oil recovery at low cost, without the large volume of chemicals used in most commercial fluids.
  
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• Antibodies to dengue may alter course of Zika virus infection

  27-06-2016 22:01
  Scientists find cross-reactivity that may influence plans for Zika and dengue vaccine studies.
  
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• Doctors face barriers to harnessing potential of mobile health apps

  27-06-2016 21:33 via cbc.ca
  
  Mobile health apps on our phones can hold a wealth of helpful information to take better care of ourselves, but family doctors still face barriers harnessing the potential.
  
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• Shark jelly is strong proton conductor

  27-06-2016 20:30
  
  A jelly found in sharks and skates, which helps them sense electric fields, is a strong proton conductor.
  
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• Teaching an old drug new tricks to fight cytomegalovirus

  27-06-2016 20:06
  An old drug once mostly used to treat amebiasis -- a disease caused by a parasite -- and induce vomiting in cases of poisoning appears to also halt replication of cytomegalovirus (CMV), a herpesvirus that can cause serious disease in immunocompromised individuals, including those with HIV or organ transplant recipients, report researchers.
  
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• Gene hunters find rare inherited mutations linked to bipolar disorder

  27-06-2016 20:06
  Using so-called next-generation genome sequencing, researchers have identified 84 potential inherited gene mutations that may contribute to the most severe forms of bipolar disorder. About 5.6 million Americans are estimated to have bipolar disorder, say the authors of a new report.
  
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• Two newly identified dinosaurs donned weird horns

  27-06-2016 20:00
  
  Two newly discovered relatives of Triceratops had unusual head adornments — even for horned dinosaurs.
  
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• Poisoning risk to small children from laundry pods

  27-06-2016 19:33
  A new study says laundry pod detergents pose an increased risk of severe injury for young children over nonpod detergents.
  
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• Vegetation in Russian Arctic has memory

  27-06-2016 19:30
  Adaptation to climate change has a lag of several thousands of years, report researchers. The permafrost regions in the Arctic are among those areas of the world in which the temperature is rising particularly fast due to climate change. However, biologists are currently observing that the tree vegetation is only minimally adapting to these changes. In those areas where pine and spruce trees should be growing according to the air temperature, the Siberian larch is still thriving.
  
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• Mercury's origins traced to rare meteorite

  27-06-2016 19:29
  Geologists trace Mercury's origins to weird, rare meteorite, and find planet cooled dramatically shortly after it formed.
  
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• Ladykiller: Artificial sweetener proves deadly for female flies

  27-06-2016 19:29
  In testing multiple artificial sweeteners, a research team found that one was particularly deadly for female fruit flies -- and left males relatively untouched. D-mannitol is a sweetener typically used to sweeten gum or add a coating to hard candy or dried fruit for those with diabetes.
  
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• Why kid syndrome patients experience different sets of symptoms

  27-06-2016 19:28
  A team researchers has compared the effects of two disease-causing mutations, potentially explaining why patients with the rare genetic disorder keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness (KID) syndrome can experience different sets of symptoms.
  
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• Virtual tissue technology reveals new drug target in polycystic kidney disease

  27-06-2016 19:28
  Using virtual tissue technology, researchers have identified a potential new drug target in the fight against polycystic kidney disease, an illness with no effective FDA-approved treatment that affects 200,000 people per year in the United States. The study reveals that errors in how cells stick together give rise to two forms of kidney cysts.
  
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• Could ancient wheat be the future of food?

  27-06-2016 19:28
  Researchers believe untapped consumer markets exist for ancient foods such as einkorn, emmer, and spelt. Two plant breeders argue that the consumer demand for high-quality, healthy food specialties presents an opportunity to reintroduce ancient wheat varieties and other plant species by creating 'farm to fork' supply chains that satisfy consumer demand; provide niche markets for small farmers, millers, and bakers; and increase agricultural biodiversity.
  
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• Drug that helps addicts may help treat cancer too, say experts

  27-06-2016 18:59
  The drug naltrexone (LDN), which is used to treat addicts, can have a beneficial impact on cancer patients if it is given in low doses, new research suggests.
  
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• Benefits of drinking coffee outweigh risks, review suggests

  27-06-2016 18:58
  Coffee is enjoyed by millions of people every day and the 'coffee experience' has become a staple of our modern life and culture. While the current body of research related to the effects of coffee consumption on human health has been contradictory, a new study found that the potential benefits of moderate coffee drinking outweigh the risks in adult consumers for the majority of major health outcomes considered.
  
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• NASA rover findings point to a more Earth-like Martian past

  27-06-2016 18:57
  Chemicals found in Martian rocks by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover suggest the Red Planet once had more oxygen in its atmosphere than it does now. The findings add to evidence revealing how Earth-like our neighboring planet once was.
  
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• Scientists develop nanomachines to diagnose illness

  27-06-2016 18:56
  Tiny machines that build themselves and detect disease? Step inside the nanoscale world of one researcher's lab.
  
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• Food’s transit time through body is a key factor in digestive health

  27-06-2016 18:55
  The time it takes for ingested food to travel through the human gut – also called transit time – affects the amount of harmful degradation products produced along the way. This means that transit time is a key factor in a healthy digestive system.
  
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• Researchers discover potential genetic trigger of autoimmune disease

  27-06-2016 18:53
  Researchers have uncovered a potential genetic trigger of systemic autoimmune disease. The study discovered virus-like elements within the human genome linked to the development of two autoimmune diseases: lupus and Sjogren's syndrome.
  
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• Pain medicine helps preserve vision in model of inherited retinal degeneration

  27-06-2016 18:53
  A pain medicine that potently activates a receptor vital to a healthy retina appears to help preserve vision in a model of severe retinal degeneration, scientists report.
  
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• New tool for forecasting behavior of the microbiome

  27-06-2016 18:53
  A team of investigators has developed a suite of computer algorithms that can accurately predict the behavior of the microbiome -- the vast collection of microbes living on and inside the human body.
  
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• Metabolic flexibility and immune defenses may influence species spread

  27-06-2016 18:53
  Why most species are rare has long interested biologists, but until recently our understanding of the factors driving differences in range size has been limited. New research suggests metabolic flexibility and the immune response may both influence how rare or common a species is.
  
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• Link between gut bacteria, MS discovered

  27-06-2016 18:53
  Researchers are now saying bad gut bacteria -- or an insufficient amount of good bacteria -- may have a direct link to multiple sclerosis.
  
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• Disrupted immunity in fetal brain is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders

  27-06-2016 18:53
  New research findings in mice may help explain how viral infection during pregnancy raises the risk of autism and schizophrenia in their offspring. The study may explain, among other things, how the mother's infection with the cytomegalovirus (CMV) during pregnancy, which affects her own and her fetus's immune system, increases the risk that her offspring will develop autism or schizophrenia, sometimes years later.
  
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• Diabetes sniffer dogs? 'Scent' of hypos could aid development of new tests

  27-06-2016 18:51
  A chemical found in our breath could provide a flag to warn of dangerously-low blood sugar levels in patients with type 1 diabetes, according to new research. The finding could explain why some dogs can be trained to spot the warning signs in patients.
  
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• Stress contagion possible amongst students, teachers

  27-06-2016 18:49
  Teacher burnout and student stress may be linked, according to a new study. The work is the first of its kind to examine the connection between teacher burnout and students' cortisol levels, which are a biological indicator of stress.
  
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• Flipping a protein switch to illuminate brain functions

  27-06-2016 18:49
  Researchers have engineered an artificial switch that could let scientists turn individual neurotransmitter receptors on and off. Shedding light on these receptors' role in memory formation could contribute to the development of new drugs for neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS.
  
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• New cancer drug target found in dual-function protein

  27-06-2016 18:44
  Scientists have identified a protein that launches cancer growth and appears to contribute to higher mortality in breast cancer patients. The new findings suggest that future therapies might target this protein, called GlyRS, to halt cancer growth.
  
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• Lower levels of coenzyme Q10 in blood associated with multiple system atrophy

  27-06-2016 18:44
  The neurodegenerative disease known as multiple system atrophy (MSA) affects both movement and involuntary bodily functions. Questions have been raised about the potential role of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) insufficiency in the development of MSA. Little is known about blood levels of CoQ10 in patients carrying either COQ2 mutations or no mutations.
  
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• Global, evolving, and historic make-up of malaria species uncovered

  27-06-2016 18:44
  A team of scientists has uncovered the global, evolving, and historic make-up of Plasmodium vivax, one of the five species of malaria that infect humans. The research, which links the spread of the parasite back to colonial seafaring, among other phenomena, underscores the challenges health experts face in controlling the parasite.
  
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• Epigenetics: New tool for precision medicine

  27-06-2016 18:44
  Four new papers mark the feasibility of epigenetic analysis for clinical diagnostics and precision medicine. Epigenetic analysis addresses key limitations of genetic testing, helping to ensure that patients are accurately diagnosed and treated with the right drug at the right time.
  
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• Consumption of omega-3s linked to lower risk of fatal heart disease

  27-06-2016 18:44
  A global consortium of researchers banded together to conduct an epidemiological study analyzing specific omega-3 fatty acid biomarkers and heart disease. They found that blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids from seafood and plant-based foods are associated with a lower risk of fatal heart attack.
  
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• Docs Diagnose Smartphone 'Blindness' in 2 Women

  27-06-2016 18:29
  For two women in the United Kingdom, mysterious vision problems that happened only at night or early in the morning turned out to have a rather innocuous cause: looking at a smartphone in the dark. An eye exam showed her vision was normal, and she had no signs of a blood clot or other conditions that could cause short-term vision loss, the doctors said. This vision problem lasted about 15 minutes, and happened on and off for six months, the report said.
  
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• Stomach Sucker: How Does New Weight-Loss Device Work?

  27-06-2016 18:21
  The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a weight-loss device that may sound like something out of a science-fiction movie: a small tube inserted into the stomach allows patients to drain a portion of their gut's contents before the body absorbs those calories. The device, called AspireAssist, was approved by the FDA after a year-long clinical trial on 171 people, 111 of whom underwent a procedure to place the device. But not all weight-loss experts think the device is a game-changer.
  
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• These Plant Compounds May Reduce Menopause Symptoms

  27-06-2016 18:17
  Some plant-based therapies, including supplements with compounds found in soybeans, may help reduce symptoms of menopause, according to a new review of relevant research. In these studies, the women took either a planted-based therapy, such as a supplement or herbal remedy, or a placebo to treat symptoms of menopause. The plant-based therapies included a class of compounds called phytoestrogens, which are found in certain foods, like soybeans.
  
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• AI Boosts Cancer Screens to Nearly 100 Percent Accuracy

  27-06-2016 18:16
  Diagnosing cancer is about to get more accurate, with the help of artificial intelligence. Pathologists have diagnosed diseases in more or less the same way for the past 100 years, by laboring over a microscope reviewing biopsy samples on little glass slides. But now, scientists and engineers have created a technique that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and can differentiate cancer cells from normal cells almost as well as a top-notch pathologist.
  
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• How Could Hot Drinks Cause Cancer?

  27-06-2016 18:15
  People who drink very hot beverages may increase their risk of developing cancer, a new investigation by the World Health Organization (WHO) has found. So what is it about drinking hot beverages that may lead a person to develop cancer?
  
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• New 'Artificial Synapses' Could Let Supercomputers Mimic the Human Brain

  27-06-2016 18:12
  Large-scale brain-like machines with human-like abilities to solve problems could become a reality, now that researchers have invented microscopic gadgets that mimic the connections between neurons in the human brain better than any previous devices. The new research could lead to better robots, self-driving cars, data mining, medical diagnosis, stock-trading analysis and "other smart human-interactive systems and machines in the future," said Tae-Woo Lee, a materials scientistat the Pohang Univ
  
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• 5 Surprising Facts About Egg Freezing

  27-06-2016 18:12
  A city in Japan has announced that it will pay a large part of the cost of egg freezing for women who live there, as part of a program aimed at raising the country's low birth rate. Egg freezing is the process of extracting egg cells from a woman's ovaries and storing them for later use. Urayasu, a city near Tokyo, will provide the currency equivalent of $850,000 over a three-year period to fund a research project on egg freezing, according to the Associated Press.
  
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• Music Festival Season Is Here: How to Avoid Dangerous Health Problems

  27-06-2016 18:06
  Your favorite bands aren't the only things that make headlines when summer music festival season is in full swing — each year, there are also news stories of people becoming dangerously ill and even dying at these events. Indeed, summer music festivals can be a perfect storm of heat, dehydration and drug use that can lead to deadly consequences. When it comes to drugs at these events, the biggest problem is ultimately the bad decision-making that goes hand-in-hand with drug use, said Dr. L
  
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• Caffeine's 'Boost' Disappears When You're Extremely Sleep-Deprived

  27-06-2016 18:05
  "These results are important, because caffeine is a stimulant widely used to counteract performance decline following periods of restricted sleep," the lead author of the study, Tracy Jill Doty, a behavioral biology scientist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Maryland, said in a statement.
  
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• Two-Dimensional Materials Create New Tools for Technologists

  27-06-2016 18:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Mixing and matching ultrathin compounds—each with unique optical, mechanical and electrical properties—may produce tailored materials optimised for a wide range of functions 
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• 2-Dimensional Materials Create New Tools for Technologists

  27-06-2016 18:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Mixing and matching ultrathin compounds—each with unique optical, mechanical and electrical properties—may produce tailored materials optimised for a wide range of functions 
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• 'I study in a cave' - Going to school in Syria

  27-06-2016 17:38
  By Khalil Ashawi and Bassam Khabieh TRAMLA/DOUMA, Syria (Reuters) - Syrian student Ali Khaled Stouf has to walk down several steps into a hole in the ground to get inside his school -- a cave. There for four hours each morning, he studies subjects like Arabic, English, maths and religion, sitting on a rug with dozens of children in the underground space in Tramla, an opposition-held village in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. "We sit on the ground and often we don't see clearly because it is
  
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