ScienceDaily: Top News

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• What primary care providers should know about diabetic neuropathy
• 500-million year-old species offers insights into the lives of ancient legged worms
• Study identifies the southeast's most diverse and imperiled waterways
• Limited sign of soil adaptation to climate warming
• The recent slowdown in global carbon dioxide emissions masks the challenges ahead
• Rule could take one-third of chest pain patients off emergency department heart monitors
• Over 100 new blood pressure genes could provide new targets for treating hypertension
• Milestone for the analysis of human proteomes
• Scientists illuminate the neurons of social attraction
• Cosmic dust that formed our planets traced to giant stars
• Discovery of new fossil from half billion years ago sheds light on life on Earth
• High-altitude living decreases the risk of heart disease
• Epigenetic diversity in childhood cancer
• World Heritage sites getting hammered by human activities
• Study tallies extra calories Americans consume in their coffee, tea
• Smoke-free policy cuts nicotine detected in Philadelphia public housing in half
• Pop! goes the hearing, balloon study suggests
• Cell-tracking agents get a boost
• Protein in womb plays lifelong role in bone health, study of mice shows
• Animal genetics: The bovine heritage of the yak
• Storing solar power increases energy consumption and emissions, study finds
• Preventing blood clots with a new metric for heart function
• Mental activities may protect against mild cognitive impairment
• Unified time, frequency picture of ultrafast atomic excitation in strong fields
• First-ever GPS data release to boost space-weather science
• Model shows female beauty isn't just sex appeal
• Bone markers as screening strategy for patient adherence to osteoporosis medications
• Boosting the solar protection factor with rationally designed, nature-inspired sunscreens
• Wearable, low-cost sensor to measure skin hydration
• Mindfulness motivates people to make healthier choices
• Practice makes perfect, and 'overlearning' locks it in
• Bag-like sea creature was humans' oldest known ancestor
• Report describes VHA clinical demonstration project for lung cancer screening
• A glitch in 'gatekeeper cells' slowly suffocates the brain
• Role of terrestrial biosphere in counteracting climate change may have been underestimated
• Antibiotics can boost bacterial reproduction
• Scientists unravel the process of meltwater in ocean depths
• Both push and pull drive our galaxy's race through space
• Online database aims to collect, organize research on cancer mutations
• Unraveling the mystery of why cancer cells survive and thrive
• Researchers identify drug that alleviates opioid withdrawal
• Shootings in US schools are linked to increased unemployment
• Forty-four invading species 'loose' in North Atlantic
• Kids should pay more attention to mistakes, study suggests
• Unique mapping of methylome in insulin-producing islets
• Prediction of large earthquake probability improved
• Deciphering the emergence of neuronal diversity
• School bullying linked to lower academic achievement, research finds
• Don't be so hard on yourself: Study on first-year student stress
• Largest genetic study of inflammatory bowel disease provides clues on new drug targets
• Certain heart fat associated with higher risk of heart disease in postmenopausal women
• Heart failure survival rates show no improvement
• Fighting age-related fibrosis to keep organs young
• We dislike hypocrites because they deceive us
• The attraction effect: How our brains can be influenced
• Where are the tools for scientific writing?
• Certain fat found around the heart associated with higher risk of heart disease in postmenopausal women
• Can big data help cancer patients avoid ER visits?
• Using big data to understand the body's response to viral attack
• ArcInTexETN: textile thinking for new ways of living

What primary care providers should know about diabetic neuropathy Posted: 30 Jan 2017 07:47 PM PST Endocrinologists and neurologists from both sides of the Atlantic and teamed up with the American Diabetes Association to craft a new position statement on the prevention, treatment and management of diabetic neuropathy.

500-million year-old species offers insights into the lives of ancient legged worms Posted: 30 Jan 2017 07:47 PM PST A new species of lobopodian, a worm-like animal with soft legs from the Cambrian period (541 to 485 million years ago), has been described for the first time from fossils found in the Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Study identifies the southeast's most diverse and imperiled waterways Posted: 30 Jan 2017 11:51 AM PST After more than a year of data collection, analysis and mapping, experts have published a comprehensive survey of Southeastern watersheds and the diverse aquatic wildlife that live in these freshwater ecosystems.

Limited sign of soil adaptation to climate warming Posted: 30 Jan 2017 11:00 AM PST While scientists and policy experts debate the impacts of global warming, Earth’s soil is releasing roughly nine times more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than all human activities combined. This huge carbon flux from soil, which is due to the natural respiration of soil microbes and plant roots, begs one of the central questions in climate change science. As the global climate warms, will soil respiration rates increase, adding even more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and accelerating climate change?

The recent slowdown in global carbon dioxide emissions masks the challenges ahead Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:55 AM PST Many performance indicators of global and national energy systems suggest that global temperatures could still be kept below 2°C. However, future trajectories will soon diverge from 2°C pathways if key existing technologies are not rapidly deployed and new technological advances made.

Rule could take one-third of chest pain patients off emergency department heart monitors Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:34 AM PST Researchers have validated a rule that could safely take a third of chest pain patients in the emergency department off of heart monitors, according to a study. Implementing this rule could free up these monitored beds for sicker patients and reduce wait times.

Over 100 new blood pressure genes could provide new targets for treating hypertension Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:34 AM PST Scientists have found 107 new gene regions associated with high blood pressure, potentially enabling doctors to identify at-risk patients and target treatments.

Milestone for the analysis of human proteomes Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:34 AM PST Researchers report on the synthesis of a library of more than 330,000 reference peptides representing essentially all canonical proteins of the human proteome. It is a major milestone in the ProteomeTools project which aims at translating human proteome information into new molecular and digital tools with the potential for use in drug discovery, personalized medicine and life science research.

Scientists illuminate the neurons of social attraction Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:34 AM PST The ancient impulse to procreate is necessary for survival and must be hardwired into our brains. Now scientists have discovered an important clue about the neurons involved in that wiring. With a whiff of the opposite sex, certain hormone-sensitive neurons trigger pro-social behavior in mice and could play roles in anxiety, depression, and other mood-related conditions in humans

Cosmic dust that formed our planets traced to giant stars Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:34 AM PST Scientists have identified the origin of key stardust grains present in the dust cloud from which the planets in our Solar System formed, a study suggests.

Discovery of new fossil from half billion years ago sheds light on life on Earth Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:34 AM PST A new species of fossil has been discovered that will shed light on early animal ecosystems. Investigators discovered the new species while conducting a survey of microfossils in mudstones from western Canada. To their surprise, the samples yielded miniscule loriciferans: a type of animal so small it has been considered “unfossilizable”.

High-altitude living decreases the risk of heart disease Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:34 AM PST This new research is the first to to link living at high altitudes and the risk to initially healthy people developing all the criteria that make up the metabolic syndrome, a combination of high blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as excess body fat around the waist, that contributes to serious health problems.

Epigenetic diversity in childhood cancer Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:34 AM PST Tumors of the elderly carry many DNA mutations that can influence disease course. In contrast, much fewer genetic variants exist in childhood cancers, leaving their clinical diversity unexplained. This conundrum has now been addressed for Ewing sarcoma: researchers observed unexpected variety in the epigenome of these tumors.

World Heritage sites getting hammered by human activities Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:33 AM PST A new study warns that more than 100 natural World Heritage sites are being severely damaged by encroaching human activities.

Study tallies extra calories Americans consume in their coffee, tea Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:33 AM PST More than 160 million people in the US drink coffee or tea on a regular basis, and many of them use sugar, cream, flavored syrups or other calorie-laden additives in their drinks of choice. A new analysis reveals just how much Americans are adding to their caloric intake by spicing up or sweetening their coffee or tea.

Smoke-free policy cuts nicotine detected in Philadelphia public housing in half Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:33 AM PST The largest public housing authority to implement comprehensive smoke-free policies, the Philadelphia Housing Authority, is seeing significant positive results related to secondhand smoke exposures.

Pop! goes the hearing, balloon study suggests Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:33 AM PST A common birthday party favor can blow up into a problem for children -- but also a bigger conversation about hearing loss, say researchers.

Cell-tracking agents get a boost Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:33 AM PST An improved compound of bismuth and carbon nanotubes could enhance the ability to track stem cells as they move through the body and target diseases.

Protein in womb plays lifelong role in bone health, study of mice shows Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:33 AM PST Osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, is a genetic disorder that causes bones to break easily. Severe cases of the disease can result in hundreds of fractures during a person's lifetime or even death. Researchers have shown that limiting a specific maternal protein in pregnant mice with osteogenesis imperfecta resulted in offspring with stronger, denser bones. The finding might one day provide a new therapeutic approach to treating brittle bone disease.

Animal genetics: The bovine heritage of the yak Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:33 AM PST Though placid enough to be managed by humans, yaks are robust enough to survive at 4,000 meters altitude. Genomic analyses show that yak domestication began several millennia ago and was promoted by repeated crosses with cattle.

Storing solar power increases energy consumption and emissions, study finds Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:33 AM PST Homes with solar panels do not require on-site storage to reap the biggest economic and environmental benefits of solar energy, according to research. In fact, storing solar energy for nighttime use actually increases both energy consumption and emissions compared with sending excess solar energy directly to the utility grid.

Preventing blood clots with a new metric for heart function Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:33 AM PST Scientists have discovered a new method for predicting those most at risk for thrombus, or blood clots, in the heart. The critical factor, they found, is the degree to which the mitral jet penetrates into the left ventricle of the heart.

Mental activities may protect against mild cognitive impairment Posted: 30 Jan 2017 10:33 AM PST Researchers have found that engaging in mentally stimulating activities, even late in life, may protect against new-onset mild cognitive impairment, which is the intermediate stage between normal cognitive aging and dementia. The study found that cognitively normal people 70 or older who engaged in computer use, craft activities, social activities and playing games had a decreased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.

Unified time, frequency picture of ultrafast atomic excitation in strong fields Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:11 AM PST New insight that light sometimes needs to be treated as an electromagnetic wave and sometimes as a stream of energy quanta called photons is as old as quantum physics. In the case of interaction of strong laser fields with atoms the dualism finds its analogue in the intuitive pictures used to explain ionization and excitation: The multiphoton picture and the tunneling picture. In a combined experimental and theoretical study on ultrafast excitation of atoms in intense short pulse laser fields, scientists succeeded to show that the prevailing and seemingly disparate intuitive pictures usually used to describe interaction of atoms with intense laser fields can be ascribed to a single nonlinear process.

First-ever GPS data release to boost space-weather science Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:10 AM PST Today, more than 16 years of space-weather data is publicly available for the first time in history. The data comes from space-weather sensors.

Model shows female beauty isn't just sex appeal Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:10 AM PST Female beauty may have less to do with attracting the opposite sex than previously thought, at least in animals. Results of a mathematical modeling study suggest that romantic attention, by itself, is not enough to give attractive females an evolutionary edge over their plainer counterparts -- even when their good looks help them snag superior mates. For females, the benefits of beauty likely go beyond their success in the mating market, the model shows.

Bone markers as screening strategy for patient adherence to osteoporosis medications Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:10 AM PST A new position paper proposes measuring specific bone turnover markers (BTMs) in patients who have initiated use of oral bisphosphonates for postmenopausal osteoporosis as a practical way to identify low adherence. BTMs can reflect the early effect of the drug on bone tissue. If low response is detected shortly after treatment begins, this may indicate low adherence or point to underlying causes of impaired response to medication.

Boosting the solar protection factor with rationally designed, nature-inspired sunscreens Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:10 AM PST The ideal sunscreen should block UVB and UVA radiation while being safe and stable. Scientists have introduced a new family of UVA and UVB filters based on natural sunscreen substances found in algae and cyanobacteria. They are highly stable and enhance the effectivity of commercial sunscreens.

Wearable, low-cost sensor to measure skin hydration Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:10 AM PST Researchers have developed a wearable, wireless sensor that can monitor a person's skin hydration to detect dehydration before it poses a health problem. The device is lightweight, flexible and stretchable and has already been incorporated into prototype devices that can be worn on the wrist or as a chest patch.

Mindfulness motivates people to make healthier choices Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:10 AM PST People who are more mindful -- aware of the present moment -- are less likely to feel shame when confronted with health advice and are thus more motivated to make positive behavior changes, according to new research.

Practice makes perfect, and 'overlearning' locks it in Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:10 AM PST People who continued to train on a visual task for 20 minutes past the point of mastery locked in that learning, shielding it from interference by new learning, a new study shows.

Bag-like sea creature was humans' oldest known ancestor Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:10 AM PST Researchers have identified traces of what they believe is the earliest known prehistoric ancestor of humans -- a microscopic, bag-like sea creature, which lived about 540 million years ago.

Report describes VHA clinical demonstration project for lung cancer screening Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:09 AM PST Implementing a comprehensive lung cancer screening program was challenging and complex according to a new article that describes a lung cancer demonstration project conducted at eight academic Veterans Health Administration hospitals.

A glitch in 'gatekeeper cells' slowly suffocates the brain Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:09 AM PST Abnormality with special cells that wrap around blood vessels in the brain leads to neuron deterioration, possibly affecting the development of Alzheimer's disease, a study reveals. 'Gatekeeper cells' called pericytes surround blood vessels. They contract and dilate to control blood flow to active parts of the brain. Pericyte degeneration may be ground zero for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, ALS and possibly others, researchers said.

Role of terrestrial biosphere in counteracting climate change may have been underestimated Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:09 AM PST New research suggests that the capacity of the terrestrial biosphere to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) may have been underestimated in past calculations due to certain land-use changes not being fully taken into account.

Antibiotics can boost bacterial reproduction Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:09 AM PST The growth of bacteria can be stimulated by antibiotics, scientists have discovered.

Scientists unravel the process of meltwater in ocean depths Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:09 AM PST An international team of researchers has discovered why fresh water, melted from Antarctic ice sheets, is often detected below the surface of the ocean, rather than rising to the top above denser seawater.

Both push and pull drive our galaxy's race through space Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:09 AM PST What is propelling the Milky Way's race through space? By 3-D mapping the flow of galaxies through space, researchers found that the Milky Way galaxy is speeding away from a large, previously unidentified region of low density.

Online database aims to collect, organize research on cancer mutations Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:09 AM PST Researchers have developed an online 'knowledgebase' intended for the gathering and organization of this information so that clinicians have improved chances of identifying important mutations in a patient's tumor and potentially connecting genetic errors with drugs known to target them.

Unraveling the mystery of why cancer cells survive and thrive Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:09 AM PST Cancer cells hijack a mechanism that enables stem cells and germ cells to continue dividing, by reactivating telomerase. A research team reports on the discovery that TERT promoter methylation is the key to cancer cells' success in maintaining telomeres and surviving.

Researchers identify drug that alleviates opioid withdrawal Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:09 AM PST Opioid use and abuse is a significant social, health and economic issue. Researchers have discovered that an existing anti-gout medication is effective in reducing the severity of withdrawal symptoms in opioid-dependent rodents. For their study, the researchers looked specifically at two common opioid drugs: morphine and fentanyl.

Shootings in US schools are linked to increased unemployment Posted: 30 Jan 2017 08:09 AM PST Economic insecurity is related to the rate of gun violence at K-12 and postsecondary schools in the United States, new research has found. When it becomes more difficult for people coming out of school to find jobs, the rate of gun violence at schools increases. The study reveals a persistent connection over time between unemployment and the occurrence of school shootings in the country as a whole, across various regions of the country and within affected cities.

Forty-four invading species 'loose' in North Atlantic Posted: 30 Jan 2017 07:08 AM PST Accidental introductions of non-native species has been of increasing concern since the 1980s when human-mediated transportation, mainly related to ships' ballast water, was recognised as a major route by which species are transported and spread.

Kids should pay more attention to mistakes, study suggests Posted: 30 Jan 2017 07:02 AM PST Children who believe intelligence can grow pay more attention to and bounce back from their mistakes more effectively than kids who think intelligence is fixed, indicates a new study that measured the young participants’ brain waves.

Unique mapping of methylome in insulin-producing islets Posted: 30 Jan 2017 07:01 AM PST Throughout our lives, our genes are affected by the way we live. Diet, exercise, age and diseases create imprints that are stored in something called methylome. Now, for the first time, researchers have been able to map the entire methylome in the pancreatic islets which produce insulin, and the researchers have made several important discoveries.

Prediction of large earthquake probability improved Posted: 30 Jan 2017 07:01 AM PST Scientists have developed a mathematical law to explain the size distribution of earthquakes, even in the cases of large-scale earthquakes such as those which occurred in Sumatra (2004) and in Japan (2011).

Deciphering the emergence of neuronal diversity Posted: 30 Jan 2017 06:21 AM PST Neuroscientists have analyzed the diversity of inhibitory interneurons during the developmental period surrounding birth. They have discovered the emergence of three main sub-groups of interneurons by decoding the expression of cell-type specific genes as well as their exact, and often unexpected, location in the cortex. These results should help researchers in discovering how psychiatric-related genetic disturbances impact the emergence of neuronal sub-types and how to design novel cell-type specific interventions.

School bullying linked to lower academic achievement, research finds Posted: 30 Jan 2017 06:21 AM PST A study that tracked hundreds of children from kindergarten through high school found that chronic or increasing levels of bullying were related to lower academic achievement, a dislike of school and low confidence by students in their own academic abilities, according to new research.