ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Anti-cell death agent a potential treatment for vision loss associated with MS
• Older adults who exercise regularly may lower chances for severe mobility problems
• Better scaffolds help scientists study cancer
• Breathing new life into 'Great Oxidation Event'
• Why the ocean has absorbed more carbon over the past decade
• Naps may help preschoolers learn, study finds
• Poor and less educated suffer the most from chronic pain
• First nuclear explosion helps test theory of moon's formation
• Snow leopard and Himalayan wolf diets are about one-quarter livestock
• Splitfin flashlight fish uses bioluminescent light to illuminate plankton
• Scientists create organs-on-chips for large-scale drug screening
• Versatile 2-dimensional material grown in lab
• Grow, mow, mulch: Finding lawn's value
• Believe in the American dream? You're less likely to impulse buy, study finds
• Method to identify bacteria in blood samples works in hours instead of days
• Hidden lakes drain below West Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier
• Chimpanzee feet allow scientists a new grasp on human foot evolution
• Alternative theory on how aspirin may thwart cancer
• Deep groundwater aquifers respond rapidly to climate variability
• Large groups of photons on demand: An equivalent of photonic 'integrated circuit'
• Youth soccer coaches can prevent injuries with just 90-minutes of training
• Data on blue whales off California helps protect their distant relatives
• Wolfing it down: Brown bears reduce wolf kill rates says usu ecologist
• Three new uranium minerals from Utah
• Analyzing gut microbes and their byproducts essential to understanding human health
• Research will shift how cancer diversity and resistance are understood, studied
• Designer compound may untangle damage leading to some dementias
• How hydras know where to regrow lost body parts
• A middleweight black hole is hiding at the center of a giant star cluster
• Planets of red dwarf stars may face oxygen loss in habitable zones
• Calcified plaque raises heart disease risk for younger adults
• Refined method offers new piece in the cancer puzzle
• Lattice of nanotraps and line narrowing in Raman gas
• Current climate change models understate the problem, scientists argue
• Math learned best when children move
• Key friendships vital for effective human social networks
• Pioneering chip extends sensors' battery life
• Fish uses sneaking behavior as stealth mating strategy
• PTSD symptoms may be prevented with ketamine
• Diesel trains may expose passengers to exhaust
• Researchers quantify immune cells associated with future breast cancer risk
• Flat lens opens a broad world of color
• Study reveals how melanoma spreads
• Why there is sometimes permanent vision loss after head injury
• The origin of stem cells
• Students who enjoy or take pride in math have better long-term math achievement
• One year of high-quality early education improves outcomes for low-income infants, toddlers
• For youth of color, losing trust in teachers may mean losing the chance to make it to college
• Host birds reject brown parasitic eggs more often the blue-green eggs
• How Thailand eliminated mother-to-child HIV transmission
• Insights on optimal treatment of Paget's disease of bone
• 'Goldilocks' genes that tell the tale of human evolution hold clues to variety of diseases
• Rethink needed to save critically endangered black rhinoceros
• Measuring time without a clock
• Compound from deep-water marine sponge could provide antibacterial solutions for MRSA
• Record-breaking material contracts when heated
• Real-time feedback helps save energy and water
• Function of olfactory receptor in the human heart identified
• New evidence in favor of dark matter: The bars in galaxies are spinning more slowly than we thought
• 'Corrective glass' for mass spectrometry imaging

Anti-cell death agent a potential treatment for vision loss associated with MS Posted: 08 Feb 2017 04:35 PM PST A new therapeutic agent tested in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS) produced anti-inflammatory activity and prevented loss of cells in the optic nerve, according to a new study.

Older adults who exercise regularly may lower chances for severe mobility problems Posted: 08 Feb 2017 01:47 PM PST A team of researchers theorized that exercise might also help adults prevent or delay disabilities that interfere with independent living.

Better scaffolds help scientists study cancer Posted: 08 Feb 2017 01:46 PM PST Three-dimensional printed scaffolds with varying pore sizes help scientists see how bone cancer tumors are prone to spread in a realistic environment.

Breathing new life into 'Great Oxidation Event' Posted: 08 Feb 2017 01:46 PM PST Scientists are providing fresh insights into the 'Great Oxidation Event' (GOE), in which oxygen first appeared in the Earth's atmosphere more than 2.3 billion years ago.

Why the ocean has absorbed more carbon over the past decade Posted: 08 Feb 2017 01:46 PM PST With the ocean absorbing more carbon dioxide over the past decade, less of the greenhouse gas is reaching the Earth's atmosphere. That's decidedly good news, but it comes with a catch: Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the ocean promote acidification, which breaks down the calcium carbonate shells of some marine organisms.

Naps may help preschoolers learn, study finds Posted: 08 Feb 2017 01:46 PM PST Researchers studied verb learning in 3-year-olds, finding that those who napped after learning new verbs had a better understanding of the words when tested 24 hours later.

Poor and less educated suffer the most from chronic pain Posted: 08 Feb 2017 01:04 PM PST Poorer and less-educated older Americans are more like to suffer from chronic pain than those with greater wealth and more education, but the disparity between the two groups is much greater than previously thought, according to new research.

First nuclear explosion helps test theory of moon's formation Posted: 08 Feb 2017 12:13 PM PST Radioactive glass found blanketing the ground after the first nuclear test bomb explosion is being used by scientists to test theories about the Moon’s formation some 4.5 billion years ago.

Snow leopard and Himalayan wolf diets are about one-quarter livestock Posted: 08 Feb 2017 12:02 PM PST Around a quarter of Himalayan snow leopard and wolf diets are livestock, the rest being wild prey, according to a new study.

Splitfin flashlight fish uses bioluminescent light to illuminate plankton Posted: 08 Feb 2017 12:01 PM PST The flashlight fish uses bioluminescent light to detect and feed on its planktonic prey, according to a new study.

Scientists create organs-on-chips for large-scale drug screening Posted: 08 Feb 2017 12:01 PM PST Modeling human organs on a small scale has been a major goal of researchers focused on improving the discovery of drug compounds that can target specific tissue cells, such as cancerous tumors. Now scientists have discovered an effective way to recreate the complex three-dimensional structure of tissues in a format that can be used in drug compound screening for potential new treatments.

Versatile 2-dimensional material grown in lab Posted: 08 Feb 2017 12:01 PM PST Researchers report that they are the first to grow a 2-D material with the ability to have many different properties.

Grow, mow, mulch: Finding lawn's value Posted: 08 Feb 2017 12:01 PM PST Can grassy lawns affect carbon and nitrogen in the soil? Researchers found grass species and mowing habits can make a difference.

Believe in the American dream? You're less likely to impulse buy, study finds Posted: 08 Feb 2017 12:01 PM PST When materialistic consumers believe in the American dream -- that it's possible to improve their economic status through hard work -- they are less likely to spend impulsively, according to new research.

Method to identify bacteria in blood samples works in hours instead of days Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:19 AM PST A desktop diagnosis tool has been developed that detects the presence of harmful bacteria in a blood sample in a matter of hours instead of days. The breakthrough was made possible by a combination of proprietary chemistry, innovative electrical engineering and high-end imaging and analysis techniques powered by machine learning.

Hidden lakes drain below West Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:19 AM PST Drainage of four interconnected lakes below Thwaites Glacier in late 2013 caused only a 10 percent increase in the glacier's speed. The glacier's recent speedup is therefore not due to changes in meltwater flow along its underside.

Chimpanzee feet allow scientists a new grasp on human foot evolution Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:19 AM PST An investigation into the evolution of human walking by looking at how chimpanzees walk on two legs is the subject of a new research paper.

Alternative theory on how aspirin may thwart cancer Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:19 AM PST Many studies have pointed to a role for aspirin in cancer prevention. Scientists have been unsure how the drug works in this regard, although they usually cite aspirin's anti-inflammatory effect. Now, lab studies point to a different mechanism. It involves aspirin's action against platelets, the blood cells that play a role in forming clots -- and new blood vessels, which can aid tumor growth.

Deep groundwater aquifers respond rapidly to climate variability Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:18 AM PST Changes in climate can rapidly impact even the deepest freshwater aquifers according to hydrologists. The researchers found that responses to climate variations can be detected in deep groundwater aquifers faster than expected -- in many cases within a year.

Large groups of photons on demand: An equivalent of photonic 'integrated circuit' Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:18 AM PST Holographic atomic memory is the first device able to generate single photons on demand in groups of several dozen or more. The device, successfully demonstrated in practice, overcomes one of the fundamental obstacles towards the construction of some type of quantum computer.

Youth soccer coaches can prevent injuries with just 90-minutes of training Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:18 AM PST Professional preventive training programs can be expensive and difficult to implement. A new study shows that when coaches receive even a small amount of education about preventive training, they can be as effective as professional athletic trainers at mitigating poor movement behavior and preventing injury in young soccer athletes.

Data on blue whales off California helps protect their distant relatives Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:18 AM PST A research team has found a way to translate their knowledge of blue whales off California and in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean to the other side of the world, revealing those areas of the Northern Indian Ocean where whales are likely to be encountered.

Wolfing it down: Brown bears reduce wolf kill rates says usu ecologist Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:18 AM PST The influence of predation on an ecosystem may depend on the composition of the predator community, researchers report.

Three new uranium minerals from Utah Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:18 AM PST Three new minerals recently found are secondary crusts found in old uranium mines in southern Utah. They're bright, yellow and hard to find. Meet leesite, leószilárdite and redcanyonite.

Analyzing gut microbes and their byproducts essential to understanding human health Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:18 AM PST To best understand the potential of microbes in the gut to affect human health, clinicians need to look not just at the bacteria present in fecal samples but also at metabolites like amino acids that those bacteria produce, according to a new study.

Research will shift how cancer diversity and resistance are understood, studied Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:18 AM PST Circular DNA, once thought to be rare in tumor cells, is actually very common and seems to play a fundamental role in tumor evolution, say researchers.

Designer compound may untangle damage leading to some dementias Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:18 AM PST Scientists may be able to prevent and reverse some of the brain injury caused by the toxic form of a protein called tau.

How hydras know where to regrow lost body parts Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:17 AM PST Few animals can match the humble hydra's resilience. The small, tentacled freshwater animals can be literally shredded into pieces and regrow into healthy animals. A new study suggests that pieces of hydras have structural memory that helps them shape their new body plan according to the pattern inherited by the animal's 'skeleton.' Previously, scientists thought that only chemical signals told a hydra where its heads and/or feet should form.

A middleweight black hole is hiding at the center of a giant star cluster Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:17 AM PST All known black holes fall into two categories: small, stellar-mass black holes weighing a few suns, and supermassive black holes weighing millions or billions of suns. Astronomers expect that intermediate-mass black holes weighing 100 -- 10,000 suns also exist, but so far no conclusive proof of such middleweights has been found. Today, astronomers are announcing new evidence that an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) weighing 2,200 suns is hiding at the center of the globular star cluster 47 Tucanae.

Planets of red dwarf stars may face oxygen loss in habitable zones Posted: 08 Feb 2017 10:17 AM PST Scientists are expanding the definition of habitable zones (the area around a star where a life-sustaining planet might lurk), taking into account the effect of stellar activity that can threaten exoplanets' atmospheres with oxygen loss.

Calcified plaque raises heart disease risk for younger adults Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:43 AM PST The mere presence of even a small amount of calcified coronary plaque, more commonly referred to as coronary artery calcium (CAC), in people under age 50 — even small amounts — was strongly associated with increased risk of developing clinical coronary heart disease over the ensuing decade, report researchers.

Refined method offers new piece in the cancer puzzle Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:23 AM PST A special spectrometry method that is normally used in analyses of computer chips, lacquers and metals has been further developed so that it can help researchers better detect harmful cells in the body.

Lattice of nanotraps and line narrowing in Raman gas Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:23 AM PST Decreasing the emission linewidth from a molecule is one of the key aims in precision spectroscopy. One approach is based on cooling molecules to near absolute zero. An alternative way is to localize the molecules on subwavelength scale. A novel approach in this direction uses a standing wave in a gas-filled hollow fiber. It creates an array of deep, nanometer-scale traps for Raman-active molecules, resulting inlinewidth narrowing by a factor of 10,000.

Current climate change models understate the problem, scientists argue Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:16 AM PST A new study on the relationship between people and the planet shows that climate change is only one of many inter-related threats to the Earth's capacity to support human life.

Math learned best when children move Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:16 AM PST Children improve at math when instruction engages their own bodies, concludes a new study. The results also document that children require individualized learning strategies.

Key friendships vital for effective human social networks Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:16 AM PST Close friendships facilitate the exchange of information and culture, making social networks more effective for cultural transmission, according to new research that used wireless tracking technology to map social interactions in remote hunter-gatherer populations.

Pioneering chip extends sensors' battery life Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:16 AM PST A low-cost chip that enables batteries in sensors to last longer, in some cases by over ten times, has been developed by engineers.

Fish uses sneaking behavior as stealth mating strategy Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:15 AM PST A researcher found and recorded the Cuatro Ciénegas cichlid, a rare fish by the scientific name of Herichthys minckleyi, using a stealth mating strategy called sneaking to slip his DNA into the next generation.

PTSD symptoms may be prevented with ketamine Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:15 AM PST Researchers have evidence that giving a small dose of ketamine one week before a psychologically traumatic event may help prevent PTSD. The study, in mice, may have implications for soldiers who are at risk for trauma and PTSD.

Diesel trains may expose passengers to exhaust Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:15 AM PST A new study finds that diesel trains may expose passengers to elevated levels of certain pollutants, especially if they are sitting directly behind the locomotive -- these commuters breathe exhaust levels nine-times higher than on a busy city street.

Researchers quantify immune cells associated with future breast cancer risk Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:15 AM PST Researchers have quantified the numbers of various types of immune cells associated with the risk of developing breast cancer, outlines a new report.

Flat lens opens a broad world of color Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:15 AM PST The first flat lens that works within a continual bandwidth of colors, from blue to green, has now been developed by researchers. This bandwidth, close to that of an LED, paves the way for new applications in imaging, spectroscopy and sensing.

Study reveals how melanoma spreads Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:15 AM PST Newly identified genes and genetic pathways in primary melanoma -- a type of skin cancer -- could give researchers new targets for developing new personalized treatments for melanoma, and potentially other cancers. Learning how the genes are expressed (turned on or off) could be used in the future to predict how and when the cancer cells will spread to other parts of the body and how fast they will grow.

Why there is sometimes permanent vision loss after head injury Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:15 AM PST Research has shed new light on what causes the permanent vision loss sometimes seen in the wake of a head injury, report investigators.

The origin of stem cells Posted: 08 Feb 2017 08:15 AM PST The protein WOX2 is responsible for enabling plants to develop organs throughout their lives.

Students who enjoy or take pride in math have better long-term math achievement Posted: 08 Feb 2017 06:44 AM PST A study of 3,425 German students from grades 5 through 9 has found that students who enjoyed and took pride in math had even better achievement than students with higher intelligence.

One year of high-quality early education improves outcomes for low-income infants, toddlers Posted: 08 Feb 2017 06:44 AM PST Infants and toddlers from low-income families who attended a high-quality center-based early education program did better in language and social skills after only one year than children who do not attend the program, research shows. The program, included specific components that may contribute to the positive development of children from low-income families.

For youth of color, losing trust in teachers may mean losing the chance to make it to college Posted: 08 Feb 2017 06:44 AM PST In a new set of longitudinal studies, minority youth perceived and experienced more biased treatment and lost more trust over the middle school years than their white peers. Minority students' growing lack of trust in turn predicted whether they acted out in school and even whether they made it to college years later.

Host birds reject brown parasitic eggs more often the blue-green eggs Posted: 08 Feb 2017 06:44 AM PST Host birds reject brown parasitic eggs more often the blue-green eggs, a new study has concluded.

How Thailand eliminated mother-to-child HIV transmission Posted: 08 Feb 2017 06:44 AM PST Thailand has become the first Asian country to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, thanks to a pragmatic