Science news

• Opioid prescribing and practices in Ohio emergency departments

  01-08-2017 23:10
  Researchers report that the majority of Ohio's emergency department (ED) administrators and physicians are in support of the most recent state guidelines for prescribing opioids, but challenges still exist in implementation.
  
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• Health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are confirmed, but just for the upper class

  01-08-2017 23:10
  The Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease but only if you are rich or highly educated. This is the surprising finding by researchers who performed a study on over 18,000 subjects.
  
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• Chronic fatigue syndrome: Biomarkers linked to severity identified

  01-08-2017 22:31
  Investigators used high-throughput analysis to link inflammation to chronic fatigue syndrome, a difficult-to-diagnose disease with no known cure.
  
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• Climate scientists create Caribbean drought atlas

  01-08-2017 22:03
  Atmospheric scientists have developed the first-of-its-kind, high-resolution Caribbean drought atlas, with data going back to 1950. Concurrently, the researchers confirmed the region’s 2013-16 drought was the most severe in 66 years due to consistently higher temperatures – a hint that climate change is to blame.
  
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• Ecosystem cascades affecting salmon

  01-08-2017 22:00
  New research reveals that shifts in ocean conditions in the Gulf of the Farallones leads to changes in bird predation, affecting the number of California salmon that return as adults.
  
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• Scientists turn to big data in hunt for minerals, oil and gas

  01-08-2017 21:42
  OSLO (Reuters) - Scientists searching for everything from oil and gas to copper and gold are adopting techniques used by companies such as Netflix or Amazon to sift through vast amounts of data, a study showed on Tuesday.
  
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• New imaging tracer allows early assessment of abdominal aortic aneurysm risk

  01-08-2017 21:29
  Researchers have developed a way in which medical imaging with SPECT/CT could potentially be used to assess a patient's rupture risk for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Delaying surgical treatment can be life-threatening, and this new type of imaging could allow physicians to diagnose disease and better plan its management.
  
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• Virgo detector joins LIGO in the search for gravitational waves

  01-08-2017 21:15
  
  The Virgo detector near Pisa, Italy, has begun searching for subtle ripples in the fabric of spacetime.
  
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• Climate change before your eyes: Seas rise and trees die

  01-08-2017 20:43 via cbc.ca
  They're called "ghost forests" — dead trees along vast swaths of coastline invaded by rising seas, something scientists call one of the most visible markers of climate change. And they're becoming more common.
  
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• Magic helps unmask how the brain works

  01-08-2017 20:42
  Scientists have used the 'mirror box' illusion -- an old magic trick - in a number of neuroscience studies. Researchers are using a new version of the illusion to study how the brain processes multiple sensory inputs to perceive our bodies and the world around us.
  
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• Dietary restriction can improve learning in worms

  01-08-2017 20:05
  Dietary restriction -- the reduction of a specific nutrient or total dietary intake without triggering malnutrition -- increases longevity and improves learning, but are these processes regulated separately? A new study indicates that the answer is 'yes.'
  
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• Chemical weathering could alleviate some climate change effects

  01-08-2017 20:05
  Scientists have discovered that chemical weathering, a process in which carbon dioxide breaks down rocks and then gets trapped in sediment, can happen at a much faster rate than scientists previously assumed and could potentially counteract some of the current and future climate change caused by humans.
  
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• Papers of note in Science Translational Medicine 9 (400)

  01-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles describe new strategies to selectively target therapeutics to tumors.
  
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• Papers of note in Science Immunology 2 (13)

  01-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This month’s articles show how agonists of the STING-cGAS pathway in dendritic cells might serve as vaccine adjuvants and how tumor-derived exosomes increase the abundance of an immunosuppressive molecule on monocytes.
  
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• Papers of note in Science 357 (6349)

  01-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles identify a mechanism that targets incompletely translated polypeptides for degradation and review the various roles of a class of dietary tryptophan metabolites in health and disease.
  
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• Papers of note in Nature 547 (7664)

  01-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  This week’s articles highlight mechanisms that sensitize cancer cells to therapy; a protease involved in radiation-induced bystander effects; the structural basis of cannabinoid receptor activation; and the detection of water currents by fish.
  
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• Messaging with naked RNA

  01-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Activated stromal cells release an unshielded RNA in exosomes that induces interferon-stimulated gene expression in breast cancer cells and tumor growth.
  
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• High glucose-induced ROS activates TRPM2 to trigger lysosomal membrane permeabilization and Zn2+-mediated mitochondrial fission

  01-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Diabetic stress increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction. We hypothesized that ROS-sensitive TRPM2 channels mediated diabetic stress–induced mitochondrial fragmentation. We found that chemical inhibitors, RNAi silencing, and genetic knockout of TRPM2 channels abolished the ability of high glucose to cause mitochondrial fission in endothelial cells, a cell type that is particularly vulnerable to diabetic stress. Simila
  
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• Gut microbes help turn up the heat?

  01-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Cold temperatures induce a switch in cholesterol metabolism that alters the gut microbiota and facilitates thermogenesis.
  
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• A cluster of immunoresolvents links coagulation to innate host defense in human blood

  01-08-2017 19:53 via stke.sciencemag.org
  Blood coagulation is a protective response that prevents excessive bleeding upon blood vessel injury. We investigated the relationship between coagulation and the resolution of inflammation and infection by lipid mediators (LMs) through metabololipidomics-based profiling of human whole blood (WB) during coagulation. We identified temporal clusters of endogenously produced prothrombotic and proinflammatory LMs (eicosanoids), as well as specialized proresolving mediators (SPMs). In addition to eic
  
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• Study suggests Earth to warm more than 2 C this century

  01-08-2017 19:21 via cbc.ca
  A new study from the University of Washington suggests that there is a 90 per cent chance Earth will warm anywhere between 2 C and 4.9 C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.
  
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• Noise helps cells make decisions

  01-08-2017 19:16
  Random differences between cells early in development could be the key to making different cells in the body, according to new research. Different cell types -- brain, blood, skin, gut etc. -- all have unique and vital roles, yet they all start out the same. Cells become different as a result of a long sequence of biochemical choices made before we're born. For us to be healthy, these choices need to ensure we get the right number of each cell type.
  
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• Size matters, and so do temperature and habitat, to scavengers and the carcasses they eat

  01-08-2017 19:12
  Size matters in the carrion world, and so do habitat and temperature. New research has shed fresh light on the largely understudied area of vertebrate scavenging ecology.
  
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• A new portrait of the world’s first flower is unveiled

  01-08-2017 18:44
  
  A reconstruction of the first flowers suggests the ancient blooms were bisexual.
  
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• Steroid treatment for type of kidney disease associated with increased risk for serious infections

  01-08-2017 17:53
  Among patients with IgA nephropathy and excess protein in their urine, treatment with pills of the steroid methylprednisolone was associated with an unexpectedly large increase in the risk of serious adverse events, primarily infections, according to a study. IgA nephropathy is a kidney disease that occurs when the antibody immunoglobulin A (IgA) lodges in the kidneys.
  
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• Genome sequencing shows spiders, scorpions share ancestor

  01-08-2017 17:52
  Researchers have discovered a whole genome duplication during the evolution of spiders and scorpions.
  
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• Did the first flower look like this?

  01-08-2017 17:18 via bbc.co.uk
  All living flowers ultimately derive from a single ancestor that lived about 140 million years ago, a study suggests.
  
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• Caffeine shortens recovery time from general anesthesia

  01-08-2017 17:10
  Caffeine helps quickly boost wakefulness following general anesthesia, a new study finds. The stimulant — used daily by more than 90 percent of adults in the U.S. — appears to alter physiological function in two different ways to shorten recovery time.
  
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• Missing signals lead to diabetic nerve injury

  01-08-2017 17:00
  Molecules that help cells communicate with each other -- called cytokines -- might be the key to repairing diabetic nerve damage. Diabetes devastates nerve cells, which can lead to poor circulation, muscle weakness, blindness, and other painful side effects. The new study showed diabetic mice can't repair nerve cells after damage due to low levels of specific cytokines.
  
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• Investigators use light to kill microbial 'vampires'

  01-08-2017 16:38
  Staphylococcus aureus (staph) is the leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. Antibiotic-resistant strains of the bug, like MRSA, can kill. If S. aureus is going to drink our blood like a vampire, let's kill it with sunlight, suggests new research.
  
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• Engineers produce long lasting, energy density battery

  01-08-2017 16:38
  A new generation of manganese dioxide-zinc batteries with unprecedented cycle life and energy density has now been revealed by scientists. The discovery has made the common household battery suitable for large grid storage applications.
  
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• One in three U.S. adults takes opioids, and many misuse them

  01-08-2017 16:33
  
  More than a third of U.S. adults used prescription opioids in 2015, and nearly 13 percent of that group misused the painkillers in some way.
  
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• Pathologic hallmarks of Alzheimer's found in aged chimpanzee brains

  01-08-2017 16:17
  Humans are considered uniquely susceptible to Alzheimer's disease, potentially due to genetic differences, changes in brain structure and function during evolution, and an increased lifespan. However, a new study provides the most extensive evidence of Alzheimer's disease brain pathology in a primate species to date. Researchers found that the brains of aged chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, show pathology similar to the human Alzheimer's disease brain.
  
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• High tsunami danger in Alaska, perhaps elsewhere

  01-08-2017 16:17
  Scientists probing under the seafloor off Alaska have mapped a geologic structure that they say signals potential for a major tsunami in an area that normally would be considered benign. They say the feature closely resembles one that produced the 2011 Tohoku tsunami off Japan, killing some 20,000 people and melting down three nuclear reactors. Such structures may lurk unrecognized in other areas of the world, say the scientists.
  
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• Flu shot's impact on pregnant women and their babies

  01-08-2017 16:17
  For most of us, getting the flu is a miserable inconvenience, but for some it can be dangerous, even deadly. Pregnant women and young babies are among those most at risk for complications from the flu, and while doctors have long recommended flu shots for protection, experts weren't exactly sure how the shots affect pregnancy.
  
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• Successful prediction of multi-year US droughts and wildfire risk

  01-08-2017 15:45
  A new study shows that difference in water temperature between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans together with global warming impact the risk of drought and wildfire in southwestern North America. A new model proves capable of much longer-term forecasts of mega-drought and active wildfire seasons than those currently available to people in agriculture, water management and forestry.
  
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• It's never too cold for quantum

  01-08-2017 15:44
  The peculiar characteristics demonstrated by 'quantum critical points' at absolute zero remain one of the great unsolved mysteries of science.
  
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• Teen depression increases risk for violence

  01-08-2017 15:43
  Adolescent depression increases the risk of violence, suggests a new study.
  
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• Sun's core rotates four times faster than its surface

  01-08-2017 15:43
  The sun's core rotates nearly four times faster than the sun's surface, an international team of astronomers reports. The most likely explanation is that this core rotation is left over from the period when the sun formed, some 4.6 billion years ago.
  
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• Gene-regulatory factors shown to improve pancreatic cancer response to chemotherapy

  01-08-2017 15:43
  Researchers revealed that, in pancreatic cancer, the microRNAs miR-509-5p and miR-1243 can promote E-cadherin expression and thereby reduce the likelihood of cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition, or indeed reverse this transition. This ability to stop cells from adopting a phenotype linked to high migration and invasiveness was also shown to synergistically increase the cancer cell-killing efficacy of gemcitabine, which is promising for developing more effective combinatorial treat
  
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• Evolution of fan worm eyes

  01-08-2017 15:43
  Scientists examining the multiple eyes found on the tentacles of fan worms have discovered they evolved independently from their other visual systems, specifically to support the needs of their lifestyle.
  
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• Diagnosing and treating invasive fungal infections

  01-08-2017 15:43
  Thousands of patients suffering from invasive fungal infections in intensive-care units or after organ transplantation will benefit from the latest insights into diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
  
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• Adorable alpine animal acclimates behavior to a changing climate

  01-08-2017 15:43
  As climate change brings new pressures on wildlife, species must 'move, adapt, acclimate, or die.' Researchers have reviewed the literature on acclimation through behavioral flexibility, identifying patterns among invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and fishes with focus on the American pika.
  
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• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants probe of black water near Niagara Falls

  01-08-2017 15:16 via cbc.ca
  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has directed state regulators to investigate wastewater discharges that turned the water near the base of Niagara Falls black last weekend.
  
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• History of gum disease increases cancer risk in older women

  01-08-2017 15:03
  Postmenopausal women who have a history of gum disease also have a higher risk of cancer, according to a new study of more than 65,000 women.
  
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• Structures, mechanisms that enable bacteria to resist antibiotics

  01-08-2017 15:02
  Scientists have spent years studying the structures and mechanisms bacteria use to resist antibiotics. Researchers can now describe the efflux pumps and transporters that certain disease-causing bacteria use to keep antibiotics away.
  
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• Resistance training may slow down the progression of multiple sclerosis

  01-08-2017 15:02
  In the past, multiple sclerosis patients were advised not to exercise for fear of exacerbating the illness. However, it is now known that physical training can relieve many of the symptoms, including the excessive fatigue and mobility impairments that are often seen. New research now shows that resistance training may protect the nervous system and thus slow the progression of the disease.
  
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• Oil fields: Alternative to wasteful methane flaring

  01-08-2017 15:02
  Researchers say they have a solution to the oil field flares wasting 3.5 percent of the world's natural gas: an inexpensive reactor that can convert methane to electricity.
  
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• Boat noise disrupts fish cooperation

  01-08-2017 15:02
  Noise from motorboats changes the behavior of cleaner fish and the species they help, outlines a new report.
  
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• Should the World Tap Undersea Methane Hydrates for Energy?

  01-08-2017 14:00 via rss.sciam.com
  Debate rises over whether mining frozen gas beneath the ocean would aggravate global warming
  -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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