ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

---

• Who is responsible for climate change?
• Biochemical cascade causes bone marrow inflammation, leading to serious blood disorders
• Compounded outcomes associated with comorbid Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular disease
• From pencil marks to quantum computers
• Ultrasound for astronomers? A young star's age can be gleamed from nothing but sound waves
• New strategy could uncover genes at the root of psychiatric illnesses
• Ironing out details of the carbon cycle: Dissolved iron in North Atlantic traced to Sahara desert
• Size of the human genome reduced to 19,000 genes
• How you cope with stress may increase your risk for insomnia
• Biological basis for magic mushroom 'mind expansion' discovered
• Polyphenols could yield small benefit for people with PAD
• Japanese gold leaf artists worked on a nanoscale: X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy is a non-destructive way to date artwork
• Four in 10 pancreatic cancers could be prevented by lifestyle changes
• Nearly 80 percent of U.S. deaths in first three decades of life are due to unintentional injury or violence
• Addiction starts with an overcorrection in brain, study shows
• Key brain region responds to subjective perception in study of individual neuron activity
• Alzheimer's linked to brain hyperactivity

Who is responsible for climate change? Posted: 04 Jul 2014 10:47 AM PDT Calculating the cumulative cost of carbon dioxide emissions gives new insights into the question of who is responsible for climate change. One of the major reasons for the failure of the 2009 Climate Convention Conference in Copenhagen was the issue of carbon debt. Developed countries called for emission reductions in developing countries, while the latter use the former's historical emissions, their carbon debt, as a reason for inaction. A new article suggests how to finally settle this question of historical responsibility.

Biochemical cascade causes bone marrow inflammation, leading to serious blood disorders Posted: 03 Jul 2014 01:23 PM PDT Like a line of falling dominos, a cascade of molecular events in the bone marrow produces high levels of inflammation that disrupt normal blood formation and lead to potentially deadly disorders including leukemia, a research team has reported. The discovery points the way to potential new strategies to treat the blood disorders and further illuminates the relationship between inflammation and cancer.

Compounded outcomes associated with comorbid Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular disease Posted: 03 Jul 2014 01:23 PM PDT Anecdotal information on patients with both Alzheimer's disease and cerebrovascular disease have been confirmed by researchers using mouse models in two different studies. The findings, which found elevated levels of homocysteine is associated with a number of disease states, have potentially significant implications for patients with both disorders.

From pencil marks to quantum computers Posted: 03 Jul 2014 01:23 PM PDT One of the hottest materials in condensed matter research today is graphene. Graphene had an unlikely start: it began with researchers messing around with pencil marks on paper. Pencil "lead" is actually made of graphite, which is a soft crystal lattice made of nothing but carbon atoms. When pencils deposit that graphite on paper, the lattice is laid down in thin sheets. By pulling that lattice apart into thinner sheets -- originally using Scotch tape -- researchers discovered that they could make flakes of crystal just one atom thick.

Ultrasound for astronomers? A young star's age can be gleamed from nothing but sound waves Posted: 03 Jul 2014 11:24 AM PDT Determining the age of stars has long been a challenge for astronomers. Astronomers now show that 'infant' stars can be distinguished from 'adolescent' stars by measuring the acoustic waves they emit.

New strategy could uncover genes at the root of psychiatric illnesses Posted: 03 Jul 2014 09:55 AM PDT Understanding the basis of psychiatric disorders has been extremely challenging because there are many genetic variants that may increase risk but are insufficient to cause disease. Now investigators describe a strategy that may help reveal how such 'subthreshold' genetic risks interact with other risk factors or environmental exposures to affect the development of the nervous system. Their research pinpoints a genetic variant that may predispose individuals to schizophrenia.

Ironing out details of the carbon cycle: Dissolved iron in North Atlantic traced to Sahara desert Posted: 03 Jul 2014 08:28 AM PDT Iron is an essential element in all living creatures, and its availability in seawater can have a profound effect on phytoplankton growth and, consequently, the earth's carbon cycle. Scientists have assessed the various sources of dissolved iron in the north Atlantic Ocean, establishing that a great deal of it, some 70 to 90 percent, originates from dust blowing off the Sahara desert.

Size of the human genome reduced to 19,000 genes Posted: 03 Jul 2014 08:28 AM PDT A new study updates the number of human genes to 19,000; 1,700 fewer than the genes in the most recent annotation, and well below the initial estimations of 100,000 genes. The work concludes that almost all of these genes have ancestors prior to the appearance of primates 50 million years ago.

How you cope with stress may increase your risk for insomnia Posted: 03 Jul 2014 07:30 AM PDT A new study is the first to identify specific coping behaviors through which stress exposure leads to the development of insomnia. Results show that coping with a stressful event through behavioral disengagement -- giving up on dealing with the stress -- or by using alcohol or drugs each significantly mediated the relationship between stress exposure and insomnia development.

Biological basis for magic mushroom 'mind expansion' discovered Posted: 03 Jul 2014 07:26 AM PDT New research shows that our brain displays a similar pattern of activity during dreams as it does during a mind-expanding drug trip. The study found that under psilocybin, activity in the more primitive brain network linked to emotional thinking became more pronounced, with several different areas in this network -- such as the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex -- active at the same time. This pattern of activity is similar to the pattern observed in people who are dreaming.

Polyphenols could yield small benefit for people with PAD Posted: 02 Jul 2014 02:00 PM PDT Polyphenols -- compounds found in cocoa and other foods -- may help people with peripheral artery disease walk a little longer and farther before pain sets in. More research is needed to see whether long-term use of these compounds in dark chocolate can improve circulation and aid patients.

Japanese gold leaf artists worked on a nanoscale: X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy is a non-destructive way to date artwork Posted: 02 Jul 2014 08:09 AM PDT Ancient Japanese gold leaf artists were truly masters of their craft. An analysis of six ancient Namban paper screens show that these artifacts are gilded with gold leaf that was hand-beaten to the nanometer scale. Researchers believe that the X-ray fluorescence technique they used in the analysis could also be used to date other artworks without causing any damage to them.

Four in 10 pancreatic cancers could be prevented by lifestyle changes Posted: 02 Jul 2014 07:23 AM PDT Almost 40 per cent of pancreatic cancers -- one of the deadliest forms of cancer -- could be avoided through maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking according to research, in a call to arms against the disease. While more research is needed to find better ways of diagnosing and treating the disease, there is evidence to suggest that some pancreatic cancers are linked to being overweight and to smoking -- and almost four in 10 could be prevented by lifestyle changes to address this.

Nearly 80 percent of U.S. deaths in first three decades of life are due to unintentional injury or violence Posted: 01 Jul 2014 04:32 PM PDT A new report on unintentional injury and violence in the United States has found that prevention strategies across society show a great deal of promise in preventing unintended deaths and injuries. In 2010 alone, the top three causes of death for those aged between one and 30 were unintentional injury, suicide, and homicide. Almost four fifths of deaths among people in this age group were due to injuries, with only one fifth due to chronic diseases and only 1% due to infectious diseases.

Addiction starts with an overcorrection in brain, study shows Posted: 01 Jul 2014 11:29 AM PDT A trio of new studies show how the brain overcorrects to drugs and alcohol in a way that suppresses dopamine long-term, leading to withdrawal symptoms. "Addiction is a brain disease that could be treated like any other disease," one researcher said. "I wouldn't be as motivated to do this research, or as passionate about the work, if I didn't think a cure was possible."

Key brain region responds to subjective perception in study of individual neuron activity Posted: 30 Jun 2014 04:32 PM PDT When evaluating another person's emotions – happy, sad, angry, afraid – humans take cues from facial expressions. Neurons in a part of the brain called the amygdala "fire" in response to the visual stimulation as information is processed by the retina, the amygdala and a network of interconnected brain structures. Some of these regions respond just to the actual features of the face, whereas others respond to how things appear to the viewer, but it is unknown where in the brain this difference arises.

Alzheimer's linked to brain hyperactivity Posted: 30 Jun 2014 01:45 PM PDT The precise molecular mechanism that may trigger elevated neuronal activity in Alzheimer's patients has been pinpointed by researchers. This mechanism subsequently damages memory and learning functions. With the understanding of this, the potential for restoring memory and protecting the brain is greatly increased.

You are subscribed to email updates from Most Popular News -- ScienceDaily To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610