ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Re-assessing 'at risk' cutoffs for birth weight
• Infrared links could simplify data center communications
• Flu fighter: Breath monitor to detect flu
• Increasing factory and auto emissions disrupt natural cycle in East China Sea
• For bonding and breastfeeding, newborns benefit from a cheek full of dextrose
• Brain-computer interface allows completely locked-in people to communicate
• Large marine protected areas effectively protect reef shark populations
• Experts urge use of evidence-based medicine to avoid overtreatment of type 2 diabetes
• The making of Antarctica
• 'Ghost particles' could improve understanding the universe
• Mathematical model reveals parental involvement can 'immunize' students from dropping out
• E-tool provides wake-up call for parents of children with excess weight
• Astronauts' brains change shape during spaceflight
• Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering report released
• Existing reprocessing techniques prove insufficient for flexible endoscopes
• Substance in crude oil harms fish hearts, could affect humans as well
• Researchers explore essential cell behavior with crystal sensor
• Scientists design electricity generator that mimics trees
• Intimate partner violence among youth linked to suicide, weapons and drug use
• Tracing the cosmic web with star-forming galaxies in the distant universe
• Why only some people develop life-threatening dengue infections
• Online retail prices often match those in stores
• African lake provides new clues about ancient marine life
• Optimized compiler yields more-efficient parallel programs
• Link between sleep, cognitive impairment in the elderly
• Autism may begin early in brain development
• Children exposed to complications at birth at risk of autism, study finds
• Air pollution may lead to dementia in older women
• Research journey to the center of the Earth
• Mechanism for photosynthesis already existed in primeval microbe
• How a bacterial protein's structure aids biomedical studies
• Ultrahigh sensitivity graphene infrared detectors for imaging and spectroscopy
• Cell biology: New molecular details about protein sorting in the cell
• Scientists show how cells communicate
• Scientists step closer to developing new drug in fight against antimicrobial resistance
• Paracetamol study could open door for way to treat liver damage
• Paper spotlights key flaw in widely used radioisotope dating technique
• Reversing the HIV epidemic: Europe needs to scale-up prevention, testing and treatment
• Spider silk demonstrates Spider man-like abilities
• Females no longer neglected in obesity research
• Drug candidate stabilizes essential transport mechanism in nerve cells
• Climate change drove population decline in New World before Europeans arrived
• New study connects running motion to ground force, provides patterns for any runner
• Yeast mutants unlock the secrets of aging
• Updated cystic fibrosis diagnosis guidelines can help in diagnosis, personalized treatment
• Scat sniffer dogs tell researchers a lot about endangered lizards
• Habitat features and social behavior impact how baboons move as a group
• Engineers develop low-cost, flexible terahertz radiation source for fast, non-invasive screening
• How stressful will a trip to Mars be on the human body?
• Engineered intrinsically disordered proteins provide biomedical insights
• Scientists Uncover Possible Therapeutic Targets for Rare Autism Spectrum Disorder
• The world's first heat-driven transistor
• Physically active children are less depressed
• Boxer crabs acquire anemones by stealing from each other, and splitting them into clones
• A better way to farm algae for biofuels, chemicals
• Hitting the right notes
• Shift to tighter physician-hospital integration is more complex than expected
• NASA's Fermi discovers the most extreme blazars yet
• NASA's Fermi sees gamma rays from 'hidden' solar flares
• Using fruit flies to study cancer: Scientists investigate childhood tumors

Re-assessing 'at risk' cutoffs for birth weight Posted: 31 Jan 2017 03:59 PM PST A recent research article contributes to the evidence base regarding the use of population charts for detection of fetal growth disorders and how best to determine risk of complications.

Infrared links could simplify data center communications Posted: 31 Jan 2017 03:59 PM PST Data centers are the central point of many, if not most, information systems today, but the masses of wires interconnecting the servers and piled high on racks begins to resemble last year's tangled Christmas-tree lights disaster. Now a team of engineers is proposing to eliminate most of the wires and substitute infrared free-space optics for communications.

Flu fighter: Breath monitor to detect flu Posted: 31 Jan 2017 03:58 PM PST A new hand-held breath monitor can potentially detect the flu virus.

Increasing factory and auto emissions disrupt natural cycle in East China Sea Posted: 31 Jan 2017 01:12 PM PST China's rapid ascent to global economic superpower is taking a toll on some of its ancient ways. For millennia, people have patterned their lives and diets around the vast fisheries of the East China Sea, but now those waters are increasingly threatened by human-caused, harmful algal blooms that choke off vital fish populations, according to a new study.

For bonding and breastfeeding, newborns benefit from a cheek full of dextrose Posted: 31 Jan 2017 12:49 PM PST Researchers are proving that a dose of dextrose gel administered into a baby's cheek along with regular feedings can raise hypoglycemic babies' blood sugar, allowing them to stay with their mothers, which promotes breastfeeding.

Brain-computer interface allows completely locked-in people to communicate Posted: 31 Jan 2017 12:01 PM PST A computer interface that can decipher the thoughts of people who are unable to communicate could revolutionize the lives of those living with completely locked-in syndrome, according to a new article. Counter to expectations, the participants in the study reported being "happy," despite their extreme condition.

Large marine protected areas effectively protect reef shark populations Posted: 31 Jan 2017 11:56 AM PST Expanded marine protected areas are successful in limiting fishing and increasing reef shark populations, report scientists.

Experts urge use of evidence-based medicine to avoid overtreatment of type 2 diabetes Posted: 31 Jan 2017 11:56 AM PST Research supports an evidence-based medicine (EBM) approach that embraces individualized care to prevent overtreatment, specifically for patients with type 2 diabetes.

The making of Antarctica Posted: 31 Jan 2017 11:56 AM PST A group of researchers suggest that the best way to understand the creation of the glaciers in Antarctica is by linking two competing theories about their origins. They argue that the deepening of the Drake Passage changed patterns of ocean circulation which in turn resulted in a drop in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to a threshold that allowed glaciation to take place.

'Ghost particles' could improve understanding the universe Posted: 31 Jan 2017 11:56 AM PST New measurements of neutrino oscillations, observed at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole, have shed light on outstanding questions regarding fundamental properties of neutrinos. The findings could help fill key gaps in the Standard Model, the theory that describes the behavior of fundamental particles at every energy scale scientists have been able to measure.

Mathematical model reveals parental involvement can 'immunize' students from dropping out Posted: 31 Jan 2017 11:56 AM PST Newsflash for American high school students -- choose friends wisely, or they may end up costing you your education.

E-tool provides wake-up call for parents of children with excess weight Posted: 31 Jan 2017 11:56 AM PST An innovative e-tool is helping lift the blinders for parents of children with excess weight by offering much-needed and welcomed support.

Astronauts' brains change shape during spaceflight Posted: 31 Jan 2017 11:25 AM PST MRIs before and after space missions reveal that astronauts' brains compress and expand during spaceflight, according to a new study.

Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering report released Posted: 31 Jan 2017 10:37 AM PST The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) today announced the release of the 2017 Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering (WMPD) report, the federal government's most comprehensive look at the participation of these three demographic groups in science and engineering education and employment.

Existing reprocessing techniques prove insufficient for flexible endoscopes Posted: 31 Jan 2017 10:37 AM PST Current techniques used to clean endoscopes for reuse are not consistently effective, according to a new study. The findings of this study support the need for careful visual inspection and cleaning verification tests to ensure that all endoscopes are free of damage and debris before they are high-level disinfected or sterilized and used on another patient.

Substance in crude oil harms fish hearts, could affect humans as well Posted: 31 Jan 2017 10:37 AM PST Exposure to oil can cause severe cardiovascular effects in fish. Experiments provide direct evidence of how phenanthrene, an oil pollutant found in water, air and soil, causes irregular heartbeat and weaker contractions of heart cells.

Researchers explore essential cell behavior with crystal sensor Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:44 AM PST A team of scientists has developed a new tool to monitor under a microscope how cells attach to an adjacent substrate. Studying adhesion events can help researchers understand how tissues grow, how diseases spread, and how stem cells differentiate into more specific cell types.

Scientists design electricity generator that mimics trees Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:43 AM PST A prototype biomimetic tree has been built that generates electricity when wind blows through its artificial leaves. The researchers think such technology may help people charge household appliances without the need for large wind turbines.

Intimate partner violence among youth linked to suicide, weapons and drug use Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:43 AM PST Adolescents who are violent toward their romantic partners are also more likely to think about or attempt suicide, carry a weapon, threaten others with a weapon and use drugs or alcohol than peers in non-violent relationships, according to new research.

Tracing the cosmic web with star-forming galaxies in the distant universe Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:42 AM PST A research group has revealed a picture of the increasing fraction of massive star-forming galaxies in the distant universe. Massive star-forming galaxies in the distant universe, about 5 billion years ago, trace large-scale structure in the universe. In the nearby universe, about 3 billion years ago, massive star-forming galaxies are not apparent. This change is consistent with the picture of galaxy evolution established by other independent studies.

Why only some people develop life-threatening dengue infections Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:42 AM PST After contracting dengue fever once, certain people who encounter the virus again develop much more severe infections. New research identifies an immunological signature that could help identify and better treat these patients.

Online retail prices often match those in stores Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:42 AM PST In 10 major countries, companies sell their wares at the same prices in stores and online, at the same moments, nearly three-quarters of the time, new research indicates.

African lake provides new clues about ancient marine life Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:41 AM PST New research shows there may have been more nitrogen in the ocean between one and two billion years ago than previously thought, allowing marine organisms to proliferate at a time when multi-cellularity and eukaryotic life first emerged.

Optimized compiler yields more-efficient parallel programs Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:41 AM PST By modifying the 'middle end' of the popular open-source compiler LLVM, MIT computer scientists have created a C compiler that optimizes parallel code better than any other.

Link between sleep, cognitive impairment in the elderly Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:41 AM PST Daytime sleepiness is very common in the elderly with prevalence rates of up to 50 percent. Caused by sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), a disruption of normal breathing during sleep, these cause recurrent awakenings and subsequent excessive daytime sleepiness. Now a researcher stresses that it is time for physicians to consider the association between these sleep conditions and cognitive impairment in the elderly.

Autism may begin early in brain development Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:41 AM PST An overload of neural connections typically observed in autistic brains begins early in mammalian development, when key neurons in the brain region known as the cerebral cortex begin to form their first circuits, new research shows. By pinpointing where and when autism-related neural defects first emerge in mice, the study results could lead to a stronger understanding of autism in humans -- including possible early intervention strategies.

Children exposed to complications at birth at risk of autism, study finds Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:41 AM PST Children who were exposed to complications shortly before or during birth, including birth asphyxia and preeclampsia, were more likely to develop autism spectrum disorder, according to a study.

Air pollution may lead to dementia in older women Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:41 AM PST Tiny air pollution particles -- the type that mainly comes from power plants and automobiles -- may greatly increase the chance of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Scientists and engineers found that older women who live in places with fine particulate matter exceeding the US Environmental Protection Agency's standard are 81 percent more at risk for global cognitive decline and 92 percent more likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer's.

Research journey to the center of the Earth Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:41 AM PST Researchers may be one step closer to solving the mystery at the core of the Earth. It has long been established that approximately 85 percent of the Earth's core is made of iron, while nickel makes up an additional 10 percent. Details of the final 5 percent - believed to be some amount of light elements - has, until now, eluded scientists.

Mechanism for photosynthesis already existed in primeval microbe Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:41 AM PST A Japanese research team has discovered an evolutionary model for the biological function that creates carbon dioxide from glucose in photosynthesis. They found the mechanism in a primitive, non-photosynthesizing microbe.

How a bacterial protein's structure aids biomedical studies Posted: 31 Jan 2017 09:40 AM PST A light-sensing protein from a salt-loving, sulfur-forming microbe has proved key to developing methods essential to advanced drug discovery, understanding human vision and other biomedical applications. In a new review, researchers present a history of decades of research of this microbe and the many new technologies that have enabled these applications.

Ultrahigh sensitivity graphene infrared detectors for imaging and spectroscopy Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:45 AM PST Researcher have developed a novel graphene-based infrared (IR) detector demonstrating record high sensitivity for thermal detection. Graphene's unique attributes pave the way for high-performance IR imaging and spectroscopy.

Cell biology: New molecular details about protein sorting in the cell Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST The targeted incorporation of proteins into the membrane is a vital process for cell maintenance; these membrane proteins ensure the proper functioning of the cell's metabolism, communication with its environment, and energy supply. Protein-sorting mechanisms ensure that membrane proteins are specifically recognized among thousands of different proteins -- and are sent to the membrane, where they're needed.

Scientists show how cells communicate Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST Primary cilia are antenna-like structures that are present on the surface of most cells in the human body. The cilia are essential mediators of communication between the different cells in the body. If the cilia are defective, this communication is disrupted, and the cells are unable to appropriately regulate several important cellular processes, which ultimately can lead to severe diseases that may affect nearly every organ and tissue in the body, in the developing embryo as well as in the adult.

Scientists step closer to developing new drug in fight against antimicrobial resistance Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST Scientists have for the first time determined the molecular structure of a new antibiotic which could hold the key to tackling drug resistant bacteria.

Paracetamol study could open door for way to treat liver damage Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST Scientists have shed light on how paracetamol can damage the liver, by harming vital structural connections between adjacent cells in the organ.

Paper spotlights key flaw in widely used radioisotope dating technique Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST An oversight in a radioisotope dating technique used to date everything from meteorites to geologic samples means scientists have likely overestimated the age of many samples.

Reversing the HIV epidemic: Europe needs to scale-up prevention, testing and treatment Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST Experts from across the European Union discuss how to reverse the HIV epidemic and how to prepare Europe to achieve the set target of ending AIDS by 2030.

Spider silk demonstrates Spider man-like abilities Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST Spider silk offers new inspiration for developments in artificial muscle technology. The silk of the Ornithoctonus Huwena spider demonstrates impressive weight-lifting abilities with efficient, water-driven actuation.

Females no longer neglected in obesity research Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST Scientists revise the typical use of male rats and point to sex-differences that can drastically change how we approach obesity and the related health problems in females.

Drug candidate stabilizes essential transport mechanism in nerve cells Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST New research has discovered how a drug candidate works to possibly alleviate Alzheimer's disease and autism spectrum disorders.

Climate change drove population decline in New World before Europeans arrived Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST Scientists report on dramatic environmental changes that occurred as Native Americans flourished and then vanished from the Midwestern United States before Europeans arrived. The researchers theorize that catastrophic climate change they observed, which doomed food production, was a primary cause of the disappearance.

New study connects running motion to ground force, provides patterns for any runner Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST Researchers have developed a concise approach to understanding the mechanics of human running. The research has immediate application for running performance, injury prevention, rehab and the individualized design of running shoes, orthotics and prostheses. The work integrates classic physics and human anatomy to link the motion of individual runners to their patterns of force application on the ground -- during jogging, sprinting and at all speeds in between.

Yeast mutants unlock the secrets of aging Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST Researchers take a closer look into what delaying and accelerating yeast genes might mean for humans.

Updated cystic fibrosis diagnosis guidelines can help in diagnosis, personalized treatment Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST An international research group of 32 experts from nine countries has updated the guidelines for diagnosing the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. The researchers expect that these guidelines will provide better direction for clinicians looking at patients with symptoms of the disease to make a correct diagnosis and recommend personalized treatment.

Scat sniffer dogs tell researchers a lot about endangered lizards Posted: 31 Jan 2017 07:44 AM PST Dogs can be trained to find almost anything, but one researcher had them detect something a little unusual -- the scat of endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizards. The dogs helped find out how important shrubs are in preserving lizard populations in the face of climate change.

Habitat features and social behavior impact how baboons move as a group Posted: 31 Jan 2017 06:31 AM PST When deciding what path to take during collective movement, individual baboons will likely follow the road most traveled by their group mates, according to new findings.

Engineers develop low-cost, flexible terahertz radiation source for fast, non-invasive screening Posted: 31 Jan 2017 06:31 AM PST Scientists have successfully developed flexible, high performance and low-power driven terahertz (THz) emitters that could be mass-produced at low cost. This novel invention is a major technological breakthrough and addresses a critical challenge for industrial application of THz technology.

How stressful will a trip to Mars be on the human body? Posted: 31 Jan 2017 06:31 AM PST Preliminary research results for the NASA Twins Study debuted at NASA's Human Research Program's annual Investigat