ScienceDaily: Top News

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• 'Plasma bubbles' may have aided enemy in fatal Afghan battle
• Search for better biofuels microbes leads to human gut
• Future flexible electronics based on carbon nanotubes
• Complexity of diabetes: Restoring the complexity of the overall blood sugar control system
• 'Bendy' LEDs: Displays and solar cells with inorganic compound semiconductor micro-rods one step closer
• Solar explosions 'inside' a computer: Understanding solar flares to improve predictions
• Magnetized fusion technique produces significant results: 'Break-even' point close
• Brain wave may be used to detect what people have seen, recognize
• Termites evolved complex bioreactors 30 million years ago
• The origin of Uranus and Neptune elucidated
• Drilling Into an Active Earthquake Fault in New Zealand
• 2014 Arctic sea ice minimum sixth lowest on record
• Food affected by Fukushima disaster harms animals, even at low-levels of radiation, study shows
• Video blinds us to the evidence, study finds
• Critically ill ICU patients lose almost all of their gut microbes and the ones left aren't good
• New DNA sequencing method to diagnose tuberculosis
• Fruit and vegetable consumption could be as good for your mental as your physical health
• Scientists grow a new challenger to graphene
• New computer model to aid greener, leaner aircraft design
• Artificial intelligence that imitates children’s learning
• Graphene: When a doughnut becomes an apple
• Presence or absence of early language delay alters anatomy of the brain in autism
• Reversing the effects of pulmonary fibrosis with a microRNA mimic
• Best exercise for obese youths analyzed
• Maternal breast milk is risk factor for cytomegalovirus transmission in premature infants
• Statin use during hospitalization for hemorrhagic stroke associated with improved survival
• Old drug may be key to new antibiotics
• Artificial liver tested as potential therapy for patients with alcohol-related organ failure
• Genetic switch regulates a plant's internal clock based on temperature
• Platelets modulate clotting behavior by 'feeling' their surroundings
• Immune response turned up, not down, by flu during pregnancy, study finds
• Antifreeze proteins in Antarctic fishes prevent freezing ... and melting
• Plant variants point the way to improved biofuel production
• Fine line between breast cancer, normal tissues
• Firelight talk of the Kalahari Bushmen: Did tales told over fires aid our social and cultural evolution?

'Plasma bubbles' may have aided enemy in fatal Afghan battle Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:18 AM PDT Plasma bubbles may have contributed to communications outages during the 2002 battle of Takur Ghar in Afghanistan. A new model could help predict the impact of such bubbles on future military operations.

Search for better biofuels microbes leads to human gut Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:07 AM PDT Scientists have scoured cow rumens and termite guts for microbes that can efficiently break down plant cell walls for the production of next-generation biofuels, but some of the best microbial candidates actually may reside in the human lower intestine, researchers report.

Future flexible electronics based on carbon nanotubes Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:06 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated a new method to improve the reliability and performance of transistors and circuits based on carbon nanotubes, a semiconductor material that has long been considered by scientists as one of the most promising successors to silicon for smaller, faster and cheaper electronic devices.

Complexity of diabetes: Restoring the complexity of the overall blood sugar control system Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:06 AM PDT For millions of people in the United States living with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, measuring the daily rise and fall of blood glucose (sugar) is a way of life. Our body's energy is primarily governed by glucose in the blood, and blood sugar itself is exquisitely controlled by a complicated set of network interactions involving cells, tissues, organs and hormones that have evolved to keep the glucose on a relatively even keel, pumping it up when it falls too low or knocking it down when it goes too high. This natural dynamical balance becomes lost when someone develops diabetes.

'Bendy' LEDs: Displays and solar cells with inorganic compound semiconductor micro-rods one step closer Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:06 AM PDT "Bendy" light-emitting diode (LED) displays and solar cells crafted with inorganic compound semiconductor micro-rods are moving one step closer to reality, thanks to graphene. Currently, most flexible electronics and optoelectronics devices are fabricated using organic materials. But inorganic compound semiconductors such as gallium nitride (GaN) can provide plenty of advantages over organic materials for use in these devices -- including superior optical, electrical and mechanical properties.

Solar explosions 'inside' a computer: Understanding solar flares to improve predictions Posted: 23 Sep 2014 07:22 AM PDT Strong solar flares can bring down communications and power grids on Earth. By demonstrating how these gigantic eruptions are caused, physicists are laying the foundations for future predictions. The shorter the interval between two explosions in the solar atmosphere, the more likely it is that the second flare will be stronger than the first one.

Magnetized fusion technique produces significant results: 'Break-even' point close Posted: 23 Sep 2014 07:17 AM PDT Working with two magnetic fields and a laser, all at low points of their power outputs, Sandia's Z machine has released neutrons in an amount surprisingly close to 'break-even' fusion.

Brain wave may be used to detect what people have seen, recognize Posted: 23 Sep 2014 07:16 AM PDT Brain activity can be used to tell whether someone recognizes details they encountered in normal, daily life, which may have implications for criminal investigations and use in courtrooms, new research shows. The findings suggest that a particular brain wave, known as P300, could serve as a marker that identifies places, objects, or other details that a person has seen and recognizes from everyday life.

Termites evolved complex bioreactors 30 million years ago Posted: 23 Sep 2014 07:16 AM PDT Achieving complete breakdown of plant biomass for energy conversion in industrialized bioreactors remains a complex challenge, but new research shows that termite fungus farmers solved this problem more than 30 million years ago. The new insight reveals that the great success of termite farmers as plant decomposers is due to division of labor between a fungus breaking down complex plant components and gut bacteria contributing enzymes for final digestion.

The origin of Uranus and Neptune elucidated Posted: 23 Sep 2014 07:15 AM PDT Astronomers have just proposed a solution to the problematic chemical composition of Uranus and Neptune, thus providing clues for understanding their formation. The researchers focused on the positioning of these two outermost planets of the Solar System, and propose a new model explaining how and where they formed.

Drilling Into an Active Earthquake Fault in New Zealand Posted: 23 Sep 2014 07:14 AM PDT Geologists are drilling nearly a mile beneath the surface of New Zealand this fall to bring back rock samples from an active fault known to generate major earthquakes. The goal of the Deep Fault Drilling Project is to better understand earthquake processes by sampling the Alpine Fault, which is expected to trigger a large event in the coming decades.

2014 Arctic sea ice minimum sixth lowest on record Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:02 AM PDT Arctic sea ice coverage continued its below-average trend this year as the ice declined to its annual minimum on Sept. 17, according to new research.

Food affected by Fukushima disaster harms animals, even at low-levels of radiation, study shows Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:02 AM PDT Butterflies eating food collected from cities around the Fukushima nuclear meltdown site showed higher rates of death and disease, according to a study. "Our study demonstrated that eating contaminated foods could cause serious negative effects on organisms. Such negative effects may be passed down the generations. On the bright side, eating non-contaminated food improves the negative effects, even in the next generation," the lead author noted.

Video blinds us to the evidence, study finds Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:02 AM PDT Where people look when watching video evidence varies wildly and has profound consequences for bias in legal punishment decisions, a team of researchers at two Law Schools has found.

Critically ill ICU patients lose almost all of their gut microbes and the ones left aren't good Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:02 AM PDT After a long stay in the Intensive Care Unit only a handful of pathogenic microbe species remain behind in patients' intestines, a study has shown. The team of researchers tested these remaining pathogens and discovered that some can become deadly when provoked by conditions that mimic the body's stress response to illness.

New DNA sequencing method to diagnose tuberculosis Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:02 AM PDT A new approach to the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) has been developed by researchers working in the UK and The Gambia that relies on direct sequencing of DNA extracted from sputum -- a technique called metagenomics -- to detect and characterize the bacteria that cause TB without the need for time-consuming culture of bacteria in the laboratory.

Fruit and vegetable consumption could be as good for your mental as your physical health Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:59 AM PDT New research focused on mental wellbeing found that high and low mental wellbeing were consistently associated with an individual's fruit and vegetable consumption. 33.5% of respondents with high mental wellbeing ate five or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day, compared with only 6.8% who ate less than one portion.

Scientists grow a new challenger to graphene Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:59 AM PDT Scientists have developed a new way to fabricate a potential challenger to graphene. Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms in a honeycomb lattice, is increasingly being used in new electronic and mechanical applications, such as transistors, switches and light sources, thanks to the unprecedented properties it offers: very low electrical resistance, high thermal conductivity and mechanically stretchable yet harder than diamond. Now researchers have developed molybdenum di-sulphide.

New computer model to aid greener, leaner aircraft design Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:59 AM PDT A computer model that accurately predicts how composite materials behave when damaged will make it easier to design lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft.

Artificial intelligence that imitates children’s learning Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:59 AM PDT The computer programs used in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are highly specialized. They can for example fly airplanes, play chess or assemble cars in controlled industrial environments. Scientists have now created an AI program that can learn how to solve problems in many different areas. The program is designed to imitate certain aspects of children's cognitive development.

Graphene: When a doughnut becomes an apple Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:59 AM PDT In experiments using the wonder material graphene, researchers have been able to demonstrate a phenomenon predicted by a Russian physicist more than 50 years ago. They analyzed a layer structure that experts believe may hold great promise.

Presence or absence of early language delay alters anatomy of the brain in autism Posted: 23 Sep 2014 05:59 AM PDT Individual differences in early language development, and in later language functioning, are associated with changes in the anatomy of the brain in autism. A new study has found that a common characteristic of autism -- language delay in early childhood -- leaves a 'signature' in the brain.

Reversing the effects of pulmonary fibrosis with a microRNA mimic Posted: 22 Sep 2014 03:13 PM PDT A potential new treatment that reverses the effects of pulmonary fibrosis, a respiratory disease in which scars develop in the lungs and severely hamper breathing, is being studied by scientists. The treatment uses a microRNA mimic, miR-29, which is delivered to lung tissue intravenously. In mouse models, miR-29 not only blocked pulmonary fibrosis, it reversed fibrosis after several days.

Best exercise for obese youths analyzed Posted: 22 Sep 2014 03:00 PM PDT What exercise program can best fight the 'epidemic' of teen obesity? According to a study, by combining aerobic exercise with resistance training. "Obesity is an epidemic among youth," says one author. "Adolescents who are overweight are typically advised to exercise more, but there is limited evidence on what type of exercise is best in order to lose fat."

Maternal breast milk is risk factor for cytomegalovirus transmission in premature infants Posted: 22 Sep 2014 03:00 PM PDT Premature infants, especially those born with very low-birth-weight, are particularly vulnerable to cytomegalovirus infection because of their immature immune systems. Maternal breast milk is a primary source of postnatal cytomegalovirus in very-low-birth-weight patients, researchers say.

Statin use during hospitalization for hemorrhagic stroke associated with improved survival Posted: 22 Sep 2014 03:00 PM PDT Patients who were treated with a statin in the hospital after suffering from a hemorrhagic stroke were significantly more likely to survive than those who were not, according to a study. This study was conducted by the same researchers who recently discovered that the use of cholesterol-lowering statins can improve survival in victims of ischemic stroke.

Old drug may be key to new antibiotics Posted: 22 Sep 2014 02:57 PM PDT An anticonvulsant drug called lamotrigine is the first chemical inhibitor of the assembly of ribosomes in bacteria. he discovery is important as there is growing concern worldwide about how antibiotic resistance is making the cures for infections ineffective. The World Health Organization has declared that antibiotic resistance is a major threat to global health security.

Artificial liver tested as potential therapy for patients with alcohol-related organ failure Posted: 22 Sep 2014 02:57 PM PDT A novel, human cell based, bioartificial liver support system is being tested for patients with acute liver failure, often a fatal diagnosis. The external organ support system is designed to perform critical functions of a normal liver, including protein synthesis and the processing and cleaning of a patient's blood. The filtered and treated blood is then returned to the patient through the central line.

Genetic switch regulates a plant's internal clock based on temperature Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Scientists have found the molecular cog in a plant's biological clock that modulates its speed based on temperature. "Temperature helps keep the hands of the biological clock in the right place," said the corresponding author of the study. "Now we know more about how that works."

Platelets modulate clotting behavior by 'feeling' their surroundings Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Platelets respond to surfaces with greater stiffness by increasing their stickiness, the degree to which they "turn on" other platelets and other components of the clotting system, researchers have found. Platelets, the tiny cell fragments whose job it is to stop bleeding, are very simple. And yet they have proven to be "smarter than we give them credit for," researchers have found.

Immune response turned up, not down, by flu during pregnancy, study finds Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Pregnant women have an unusually strong immune response to influenza, an unexpected finding that may explain why they get sicker from the flu than other healthy adults, new research has found. The results were surprising because immune responses are thought to be weakened by pregnancy to prevent the woman's body from rejecting her fetus.

Antifreeze proteins in Antarctic fishes prevent freezing ... and melting Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Antarctic fishes that manufacture their own 'antifreeze' proteins to survive in the icy Southern Ocean also suffer an unfortunate side effect, researchers report: The protein-bound ice crystals that accumulate inside their bodies resist melting even when temperatures warm.

Plant variants point the way to improved biofuel production Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Scientists have discovered variant plants with straw that are more easily digested for biofuel production. Critically, the plants are not significantly smaller or weaker than normal plants. The discovery could make biofuels from plant residues easier and cheaper to make, reducing pressure on food crops used for biofuels.

Fine line between breast cancer, normal tissues Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT A tool has been successfully tested that will help surgeons better distinguish cancerous breast tissue from normal tissue, thereby decreasing the chances for repeat operations. The tool, known as DESI mass spectrometry imaging, works by turning molecules into electrically charged versions of themselves, called ions, so that they can be identified by their mass.

Firelight talk of the Kalahari Bushmen: Did tales told over fires aid our social and cultural evolution? Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT A study of Africa's Kalahari Bushmen suggests that stories told over firelight helped human culture and thought evolve by reinforcing social traditions, promoting harmony and equality, and sparking the imagination to envision a broad sense of community, both with distant people and the spirit world.

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