ScienceDaily: Top News

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• One reason brain tumors are more common in men
• Chili peppers for a healthy gut: Spicy chemical may inhibit gut tumors
• Why is the Sun's atmosphere so much hotter than its surface? Nanoflares
• On-chip topological light: First measurements of transmission and delay
• Society bloomed with gentler personalities and more feminine faces: Technology boom 50,000 years ago correlated with less testosterone
• A map for eye disease: Most detailed molecular map of eye region associated with vision loss
• Scientists name new species of cetacean: The Australian humpback dolphin
• 'Normal' bacteria vital for keeping intestinal lining intact
• Small RNAs in blood may reveal heart injury
• Botany: Developmental regulation of important plant phloem components discovered
• New mothers still excessively sleepy after 4 months, study shows
• Heavy metals and hydroelectricity
• 'Active' surfaces control what's on them: Scientists develop treated surfaces that can actively control how fluids or particles move
• Explaining the fascinating shape of freezing droplets
• USDA report on greenhouse gas emissions: Uniform tools to measure, manage greenhouse gas emissions
• 'Wetting' a battery's appetite for renewable energy storage: New liquid alloy electrode improves sodium-beta battery performance
• Companion planets can increase old worlds' chance at life
• Symbiotic survival in marine bivalve mollusks
• 'Fracking' in the dark: Biological fallout of shale-gas production still largely unknown
• For bats and dolphins, hearing gene prestin adapted for echolocation
• Light pulses control graphene's electrical behavior
• Recent use of some birth control pills may increase breast cancer risk, study suggests
• Chemists develop MRI technique for peeking inside battery-like devices
• Common herbal-based anti-malarial drug effective in controlling asthma, study suggests
• Preterm children do not have an increased risk for dyscalculia, new research suggests
• Scientists find new calorie-burning switch in brown fat
• When particles fall left and right at the same time: Physicists develop new method to verify quantum entanglement
• Keep calm moms: Maternal stress during pregnancy linked to asthma risk in offspring
• Rosetta's comet: Imaging the coma
• NASA announces Mars 2020 rover payload to explore the Red Planet as never before
• Childhood coxsackie virus infection depletes cardiac stem cells, might compromise heart health in adults
• Selective logging takes its toll on mammals, amphibians

One reason brain tumors are more common in men Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:33 PM PDT New research helps explain why brain tumors occur more often in males and frequently are more harmful. For example, glioblastomas, the most common malignant brain tumors, are diagnosed twice as often in males, who suffer greater cognitive impairments than females and do not survive as long. The researchers found that retinoblastoma protein, a protein known to reduce cancer risk, is significantly less active in male brain cells than in female brain cells.

Chili peppers for a healthy gut: Spicy chemical may inhibit gut tumors Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:33 PM PDT Researchers report that dietary capsaicin – the active ingredient in chili peppers – produces chronic activation of a receptor on cells lining the intestines of mice, triggering a reaction that ultimately reduces the risk of colorectal tumors.

Why is the Sun's atmosphere so much hotter than its surface? Nanoflares Posted: 01 Aug 2014 02:11 PM PDT Scientists have recently gathered some of the strongest evidence to date to explain what makes the sun's outer atmosphere so much hotter than its surface. The new observations of the small-scale extremely hot temperatures are consistent with only one current theory: something called nanoflares -- a constant peppering of impulsive bursts of heating, none of which can be individually detected -- provide the mysterious extra heat.

On-chip topological light: First measurements of transmission and delay Posted: 01 Aug 2014 02:11 PM PDT First came the concept of topological light. Then came images of topological light moving around a microchip. Now full measurements of the transmission of light around and through the chip.

Society bloomed with gentler personalities and more feminine faces: Technology boom 50,000 years ago correlated with less testosterone Posted: 01 Aug 2014 02:11 PM PDT Scientists have shown that human skulls changed in ways that indicate a lowering of testosterone levels at around the same time that culture was blossoming. Heavy brows were out, rounder heads were in. Technological innovation, making art and rapid cultural exchange probably came at the same time that we developed a more cooperative temperament by dialing back aggression with lower testosterone levels.

A map for eye disease: Most detailed molecular map of eye region associated with vision loss Posted: 01 Aug 2014 09:50 AM PDT Vision specialists have created the most detailed molecular map of a region of the human eye associated with disease, including age-related macular degeneration. The map catalogs more than 4,000 proteins in each of three areas of the choroid.

Scientists name new species of cetacean: The Australian humpback dolphin Posted: 01 Aug 2014 09:50 AM PDT Scientists examining a taxonomically confused group of marine mammals have officially named a species new to science: the Australian humpback dolphin, Sousa sahulensis.

'Normal' bacteria vital for keeping intestinal lining intact Posted: 01 Aug 2014 09:50 AM PDT Scientists have found that bacteria that aid in digestion help keep the intestinal lining intact. The findings could yield new therapies for inflammatory bowel disease and a wide range of other disorders.

Small RNAs in blood may reveal heart injury Posted: 01 Aug 2014 08:58 AM PDT Like clues to a crime, specific molecules in the body can hint at exposure to toxins, infectious agents or even trauma, and so help doctors determine whether and how to treat a patient. In recent years, tiny pieces of RNA called microRNAs have captured scientific attention for their potential as markers of health and disease.

Botany: Developmental regulation of important plant phloem components discovered Posted: 01 Aug 2014 07:58 AM PDT Researchers have combined traditional genetic approaches with 3-D reconstructions from scanning electron microscopy to discover and characterize genes regulating the development of plant sieve elements.

New mothers still excessively sleepy after 4 months, study shows Posted: 01 Aug 2014 07:50 AM PDT New mothers are being urged to be cautious about returning to work too quickly, after a study found one in two were still excessively sleepy four months after giving birth. "Sleep disruption strongly influences daytime function, with sleepiness recognized as a risk-factor for people performing critical and dangerous tasks," an author of the new article said.

Heavy metals and hydroelectricity Posted: 01 Aug 2014 07:50 AM PDT Hydraulic engineering is increasingly relied on for hydroelectricity generation. However, redirecting stream flow can yield unintended consequences. Researchers from the U.S. and Peru have documented the wholesale contamination of the Lake Junín National Reserve by acid mine drainage from the Cerro de Pasco mining district.

'Active' surfaces control what's on them: Scientists develop treated surfaces that can actively control how fluids or particles move Posted: 01 Aug 2014 07:50 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new way of making surfaces that can actively control how fluids or particles move across them. The work might enable new kinds of biomedical or microfluidic devices, or solar panels that could automatically clean themselves of dust and grit.

Explaining the fascinating shape of freezing droplets Posted: 01 Aug 2014 07:43 AM PDT A water droplet deposited onto an icecold surface clearly has more effect than a drop in the ocean: the droplet will freeze in a peculiar way, forming a pointy tip. Scientists have found an explanation for this remarkable shape. Insight into this process is also useful for understanding processes like 3-D printing.

USDA report on greenhouse gas emissions: Uniform tools to measure, manage greenhouse gas emissions Posted: 01 Aug 2014 07:42 AM PDT The U.S. Department of Agriculture today released a report that, for the first time, provides uniform scientific methods for quantifying the changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon storage from various land management and conservation activities.

'Wetting' a battery's appetite for renewable energy storage: New liquid alloy electrode improves sodium-beta battery performance Posted: 01 Aug 2014 07:42 AM PDT A new liquid metal alloy enables sodium-beta batteries to operate at lower temperatures, which could help the batteries store more renewable energy and strengthen the power grid.

Companion planets can increase old worlds' chance at life Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT Having a companion in old age is good for people -- and, it turns out, might extend the chance for life on certain Earth-sized planets in the cosmos as well. Planets cool as they age. Over time their molten cores solidify and inner heat-generating activity dwindles, becoming less able to keep the world habitable by regulating carbon dioxide to prevent runaway heating or cooling.

Symbiotic survival in marine bivalve mollusks Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT One of the most diverse families in the ocean today -- marine bivalve mollusks known as Lucinidae (or lucinids) -- originated more than 400 million years ago in the Silurian period, with adaptations and life habits like those of its modern members. A new study tracks the remarkable evolutionary expansion of the lucinids through significant symbiotic relationships.

'Fracking' in the dark: Biological fallout of shale-gas production still largely unknown Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT Eight conservation biologists from various organizations and institutions found that shale-gas extraction in the United States has vastly outpaced scientists' understanding of the industry's environmental impact. With shale-gas production projected to surge during the next 30 years, determining and minimizing the industry's effects on nature and wildlife must become a top priority for scientists, industry and policymakers, the researchers said.

For bats and dolphins, hearing gene prestin adapted for echolocation Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT A little over a decade ago, prestin was found to be a key gene responsible for hearing in mammals. A new study has shown that prestin has also independently evolved to play a critical role in the ultrasonic hearing range of animal sonar, or echolocation, to help dolphins navigate through murky waters or bats find food in the dark.

Light pulses control graphene's electrical behavior Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT Graphene, an ultrathin form of carbon with exceptional electrical, optical, and mechanical properties, has become a focus of research on a variety of potential uses. Now researchers have found a way to control how the material conducts electricity by using extremely short light pulses, which could enable its use as a broadband light detector. These findings could allow ultrafast switching of conduction, and possibly lead to new broadband light sensors.

Recent use of some birth control pills may increase breast cancer risk, study suggests Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT Women who recently used birth control pills containing high-dose estrogen and a few other formulations had an increased risk for breast cancer, whereas women using some other formulations did not, according to new data.

Chemists develop MRI technique for peeking inside battery-like devices Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT Chemists have developed a method for examining the inner workings of battery-like devices called supercapacitors, which can be charged up extremely quickly and can deliver high electrical power.

Common herbal-based anti-malarial drug effective in controlling asthma, study suggests Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:11 AM PDT Asthmatic patients may soon have a more effective way to control the condition, thanks to a new pharmacological discovery.

Preterm children do not have an increased risk for dyscalculia, new research suggests Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:11 AM PDT Preterm children do not suffer from dyscalculia more often than healthy full-term children, experts say, contrary to previous studies. Unlike most other studies, the researchers took the children's IQ into consideration.

Scientists find new calorie-burning switch in brown fat Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:11 AM PDT Biologists have identified a signaling pathway that switches on a powerful calorie-burning process in brown fat cells. The study sheds light on a process known as "brown fat thermogenesis," which is of great interest to medical researchers because it naturally stimulates weight loss and may also protect against diabetes.

When particles fall left and right at the same time: Physicists develop new method to verify quantum entanglement Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:11 AM PDT It takes only a slight disturbance for a pencil standing on its tip to fall in one direction or another. In the quantum world it is possible in principle for particles of a system to fall both left and right at the same time. Differentiating this "and" state -- the quantum entanglement of particles -- from the classical "or" is an experimental challenge. Scientists have now devised a novel and universal method that enables entanglement verification for states of large atomic systems.

Keep calm moms: Maternal stress during pregnancy linked to asthma risk in offspring Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:10 AM PDT During pregnancy, many women make a concerted effort to keep stress levels low -- and for good reason. Maternal stress has been linked to a number of negative outcomes for women and their infants, including developmental and behavioral problems. Now, it has been linked to the development of asthma. Researchers found that a single bout of stress during pregnancy can affect allergy and asthma susceptibility in neonates.

Rosetta's comet: Imaging the coma Posted: 01 Aug 2014 05:44 AM PDT Less than a week before Rosetta's rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, images obtained by OSIRIS, the spacecraft's onboard scientific imaging system, show clear signs of a coma surrounding the comet's nucleus. A new image from July 25, 2014, clearly reveals an extended coma shrouding 67P's nucleus.

NASA announces Mars 2020 rover payload to explore the Red Planet as never before Posted: 01 Aug 2014 05:41 AM PDT The next rover NASA will send to Mars in 2020 will carry seven carefully-selected instruments to conduct unprecedented science and exploration technology investigations on the Red Planet.

Childhood coxsackie virus infection depletes cardiac stem cells, might compromise heart health in adults Posted: 31 Jul 2014 11:57 AM PDT There is epidemiological evidence that links type B coxsackie virus infection with heart disease, and research now suggests a mechanism by which early infection impairs the heart's ability to tolerate stress at later stages of life. CVB infection is very common and affects mostly children, and is often asymptomatic.

Selective logging takes its toll on mammals, amphibians Posted: 31 Jul 2014 11:57 AM PDT The selective logging of trees in otherwise intact tropical forests can take a serious toll on the number of animal species living there. Mammals and amphibians are particularly sensitive to the effects of high-intensity logging, according to researchers who conducted a meta-analysis of almost 50 previously published studies from around the world.

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