Science News-Glowing bacteria detect buried landmines

ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Distantly related fish find same evolutionary solution to dark water
• Silk clothing did not improve eczema in children
• Fresh fruit consumption linked to lower risk of diabetes and diabetic complications
• Eyewitness confidence can predict accuracy of identifications, researchers find
• New study quadruples known genetic risk factors for Fuchs dystrophy
• What's a knot -- and what's not -- in genomic mapping
• Potential number of organ donors after euthanasia in Belgium
• Spinal manipulation treatment for low back pain associated with modest improvement in pain, function
• Antarctic penguin colony repeatedly decimated by volcanic eruptions
• 26 novel genes linked to intellectual disability
• Mechanism that regulates acoustic habituation identified
• Wiring of the 'little brain' linked to multiple forms of mental illness
• Team tackles mysterious disease afflicting wild and captive snakes
• When children see war as better than peace
• Genetic basis for drug response in childhood absence epilepsy
• It's not just big business: Crowdsourcing creates a 'win-win situation'
• Assessing noise in Southern California whale habitat
• Physicists discover hidden aspects of electrodynamics
• Did you catch that? Robot's speed of light communication could protect you from danger
• So you think you can secure your mobile phone with a fingerprint?
• Unraveling the drivers of large iceberg movement
• New class of optoelectronic materials developed
• Microbiologists discover possible new strategy to fight oral thrush
• Distracted? Slowing down, not a safe option
• Marine ecologists discover and name the first endemic tree-climbing crab
• Humans and sponges share gene regulation
• How many dolphins are there in Hong Kong waters?
• Palaeontologist reconstructs feathered dinosaurs in the flesh
• One in three teens with autism spectrum disorder receives driver's license
• Glowing bacteria detect buried landmines
• New hope for more effective treatment of leukemia
• Environmental DNA helps protect great crested newts
• Researchers unravel how stevia controls blood sugar levels
• Norwegian women drink least while pregnant, British women drink most
• First photoactive drug for pain treatments
• Heart surgeons actively involved with TAVR patients every step of the way
• Intestinal bacteria may protect against diabetes
• 'Cold' great spot discovered on Jupiter
• Relocation of proteins with a new nanobody tool
• Religiosity does not increase the risk of anorexia nervosa
• New protein regulated by cellular starvation
• Are your sensors spying on you?
• Obesity in Hispanic adolescents linked to nearly sixfold increase in high blood pressure
• Higher tobacco taxes needed to reduce smoking rates in South Asia, new analysis says
• Parent-mediated therapy may help babies at risk of developing autism
• Researchers trace origin of blood-brain barrier 'sentry cells'
• PID1 gene enhances effectiveness of chemotherapy on brain cancer cells
• Innovative model for the study of vision
• Legionella bacteria's escape route revealed
• Some strategies to limit sugary drinks may backfire
• Cross-cultural study strengthens link between media violence, aggressive behavior
• Flammable floodplains are weak spot of Amazon forest
• Eat wild venison to support native woodland birds, says ecologist
• Laser-based dermatological procedures could be revolutionized with new technique
• Medically monitoring premature babies with cameras
• Insight into protein critical to Zika virus reproduction
• What happens to the boats? The 1755 Lisbon earthquake and Portuguese tsunami literacy
• New model maps likelihood of ebola spillovers
• El nino shifts geographic distribution of cholera cases in africa
• Scientists make strides explaining how we discern language

Distantly related fish find same evolutionary solution to dark water Posted: 11 Apr 2017 12:10 PM PDT Changes in a single color-vision gene demonstrate convergent evolutionary adaptations in widely separated species and across vastly different time scales, according to a new study. The study, which combined genetic analysis with a 19-year-long selection experiment, supports the idea that the mechanisms of adaptive evolution may be more predictable than previously suspected.

Silk clothing did not improve eczema in children Posted: 11 Apr 2017 12:10 PM PDT No significant differences were observed in eczema severity for children with moderate to severe eczema who wore silk garments compared with those who wore their usual clothing, according to a randomized controlled study.

Fresh fruit consumption linked to lower risk of diabetes and diabetic complications Posted: 11 Apr 2017 12:10 PM PDT Greater consumption of fresh fruit was associated with a lower incidence of diabetes, as well as reduced occurrence of complications in people with diabetes, in a Chinese population.

Eyewitness confidence can predict accuracy of identifications, researchers find Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:58 AM PDT Many individuals have been falsely accused of a crime based, at least in part, on confident eyewitness identifications, a fact that has bred distrust of eyewitness confidence in the US legal system. But a new report challenges the perception that eyewitness memory is inherently fallible, finding that eyewitness confidence can reliably indicate the accuracy of an identification made under certain, 'pristine' conditions.

New study quadruples known genetic risk factors for Fuchs dystrophy Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:58 AM PDT Researchers discovered three novel genetic mutations associated with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy, the most common corneal disorder requiring transplantation.

What's a knot -- and what's not -- in genomic mapping Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:08 AM PDT Genome mapping complements DNA sequencing, offering insight into huge, intact molecules between 150,000 and 1 million base pairs in length. Obtaining measurements of such large segments is not without its challenges, but new research into the physics of nanochannel mapping may help overcome a (literal) knot in the process and advance genome mapping technology.

Potential number of organ donors after euthanasia in Belgium Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:08 AM PDT An estimated 10 percent of all patients undergoing euthanasia in Belgium could potentially donate at least one organ, according to a study.

Spinal manipulation treatment for low back pain associated with modest improvement in pain, function Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:08 AM PDT Among patients with acute low back pain, spinal manipulation therapy was associated with modest improvements in pain and function at up to six weeks, with temporary minor musculoskeletal harms, according to a study.

Antarctic penguin colony repeatedly decimated by volcanic eruptions Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:08 AM PDT One of the largest colonies of gentoo penguins in Antarctica was decimated by volcanic eruptions several times during the last 7,000 years according to a new study.

26 novel genes linked to intellectual disability Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:08 AM PDT 26 new genes have now been linked to intellectual disability. Currently most patients with intellectual disability receive no molecular diagnosis, which significantly affects their health and shortens their lifespan.

Mechanism that regulates acoustic habituation identified Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:07 AM PDT Most people will startle when they hear an unexpected loud sound. The second time they hear the noise, they'll startle significantly less; by the third time, they'll barely startle at all. This ability is called acoustic habituation, and new research has identified the underlying molecular mechanism that controls this capability. The research opens the door to potential new treatments, especially for people who have autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia and who experience disruptions in this ability.

Wiring of the 'little brain' linked to multiple forms of mental illness Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:07 AM PDT Nearly half of people with one mental illness also experience another mental illness at the same time. This is leading researchers to shift their focus away from individual disorders and search instead for common mechanisms or risk factors that might cause all types of mental disorders. Researchers have now linked specific differences in the cerebellum and pons to many types of mental illness.

Team tackles mysterious disease afflicting wild and captive snakes Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:07 AM PDT Biologists and veterinarians across the central and eastern United States are calling on researchers to help them identify, understand and potentially treat snake fungal disease, a baffling affliction affecting more than a dozen species of wild and captive snakes in at least 15 states.

When children see war as better than peace Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:07 AM PDT For most people, the end of a war offers relief, hope, and an end to violence. This may not be the case for children born of wartime rape, however, who often endure continued brutality in the post-war period.

Genetic basis for drug response in childhood absence epilepsy Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:07 AM PDT Consider two children who have childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), the most common form of pediatric epilepsy. They both take the same drug -- one child sees an improvement in their seizures, but the other does not. A new study has identified the genes that may underlie this difference in treatment outcomes, suggesting there may be potential for using a precision medicine approach to help predict which drugs will be most effective to help children with CAE.

It's not just big business: Crowdsourcing creates a 'win-win situation' Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:07 AM PDT Why do ordinary people sign on to help design or produce a product without much compensation? Why do they volunteer their time and skills to a company that profits? And how can a firm better address the crowd's needs in order to to maximize value for all involved in the co-creation project? A new study explains why. While companies undeniably benefit, individual contributors also gain connections, status and skills.

Assessing noise in Southern California whale habitat Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:07 AM PDT A new study assessing the underwater soundscape off Southern California found that blue, fin and humpback whales experience a range of acoustic environments, including noise from shipping traffic as well as quieter areas within a national marine sanctuary.

Physicists discover hidden aspects of electrodynamics Posted: 11 Apr 2017 10:06 AM PDT Radio waves, microwaves and even light itself are all made of electric and magnetic fields. The classical theory of electromagnetism was completed in the 1860s by James Clerk Maxwell. At the time, Maxwell's theory was revolutionary, and provided a unified framework to understand electricity, magnetism and optics. Now, new research advances knowledge of this theory.

Did you catch that? Robot's speed of light communication could protect you from danger Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:47 AM PDT If you were monitoring a security camera and saw someone set down a backpack and walk away, you might pay special attention -- especially if you had been alerted to watch that particular person. According to researchers, this might be a job robots could do better than humans, by communicating at the speed of light and sharing images.

So you think you can secure your mobile phone with a fingerprint? Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:46 AM PDT No two people are believed to have identical fingerprints, but researchers have found that partial similarities between prints are common enough that the fingerprint-based security systems used in electronic devices can be more vulnerable than previously thought. The vulnerability lies in the fact that fingerprint-based authentication systems feature small sensors that store partial fingerprints. The researchers found there could be enough similarities among different people's partial prints that one could create a 'MasterPrint.'

Unraveling the drivers of large iceberg movement Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:45 AM PDT When, in the foreseeable future, a tabular iceberg nearly seven times the size of Berlin breaks off the Larsen C Ice Shelf in the Antarctic, it will begin a journey, the course of which climate researchers can accurately predict.

New class of optoelectronic materials developed Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:45 AM PDT A new class of semiconductor materials has been pioneered that might enhance the functionality of optoelectronic devices and solar panels -- perhaps even using one hundred times less material than the commonly used silicon.

Microbiologists discover possible new strategy to fight oral thrush Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:45 AM PDT An antimicrobial protein caused a dramatic reduction in the creamy white lesions associated with oral thrush in a preclinical study, report microbiologists in a new report.

Distracted? Slowing down, not a safe option Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:45 AM PDT Drivers who slow down while using mobile phones have the potential to increase on-road conflicts, a new study warns. Distracted drivers reducing their speed might sound favorable in terms of safety, but it could also lead to other types of crash risk, say investigators.

Marine ecologists discover and name the first endemic tree-climbing crab Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:45 AM PDT A new species of mangrove-climbing micro-crab from Hong Kong, Haberma tingkok, has recently been discovered, described and named.

Humans and sponges share gene regulation Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:45 AM PDT Humans have a lot in common with the humble sea sponge, according to research that changes the way we think about animal evolution. A research team report that a collaborative study found sponges use a complex gene regulation toolkit similar to much more complex organisms such as humans.

How many dolphins are there in Hong Kong waters? Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:45 AM PDT The first-ever comprehensive population assessment of the Chinese white dolphins that inhabit Hong Kong waters has been presented by researchers. In their report, they include information on how what they found differs from the common public belief.

Palaeontologist reconstructs feathered dinosaurs in the flesh Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:45 AM PDT Until now it has been hard to get an accurate idea of the shape of a dinosaur from its fossilized remains, as only their bones are usually preserved. Using a new technique, palaeontologists have reconstructed the first highly detailed body outline of a feathered dinosaur based on high-definition images of its preserved soft tissues.

One in three teens with autism spectrum disorder receives driver's license Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:45 AM PDT One in three adolescents with autism spectrum disorder acquires an intermediate driver's license, and the majority does so in their 17th year. The vast majority of teens with ASD who receive a learner's permit goes on to receive their license within two years after becoming eligible, suggesting that families make the decision of whether their children with ASD will learn to drive before their teens ever get behind the wheel.

Glowing bacteria detect buried landmines Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:45 AM PDT Clearing landmines is dangerous work, posing risk of injury or death to personnel trying to find them. Responding to this need, researchers report a novel system combining lasers and fluorescent bacteria to remotely map the location of buried landmines and unexploded ordnance.

New hope for more effective treatment of leukemia Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:44 AM PDT The discovery of a protein signature that is highly predictive of leukemia could lead to novel treatments of the leading childhood cancer, according to new study showing that competition among certain proteins causes an imbalance that leads to leukemia.

Environmental DNA helps protect great crested newts Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:44 AM PDT Research has revealed how tiny amounts of DNA (eDNA) released into water by great crested newts can be used to monitor the species. This can bring benefits for its conservation, and help protect great crested newts from major construction projects. It has also revealed, for the first time, how great crested newt eDNA varies throughout the year in relation to population size and environmental factors.

Researchers unravel how stevia controls blood sugar levels Posted: 11 Apr 2017 07:44 AM PDT What makes stevia taste so extremely sweet? And how does the sweetener keep our blood sugar level under control? Researchers have discovered that stevia stimulates a protein that is essential for our perception of taste and is involved in the release of insulin after a meal. These results create new possibilities for the treatment of diabetes.

Norwegian women drink least while pregnant, British women drink most Posted: 11 Apr 2017 06:02 AM PDT A study among over 7000 women in 11 European countries shows the proportion of women in Europe who drink alcohol when they know they are pregnant is lowest in Norway and highest in the UK. The countries with the highest proportion of women who reported alcohol consumption during pregnancy were the UK (28.5 %), Russia (26.5 %) and Switzerland (20.9 %).

First photoactive drug for pain treatments Posted: 11 Apr 2017 06:02 AM PDT The design of the first light-activated drug – the JF-NP-26 – is underway for the treatment of pain, according to a research with animal models.

Heart surgeons actively involved with TAVR patients every step of the way Posted: 11 Apr 2017 06:02 AM PDT Cardiothoracic surgeons are fully invested in the patient-centered, team-based model of care, guiding patients through the entire transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) experience, from the decision to undergo TAVR to discharge from the hospital and return to normal activities, according to a new survey.

Intestinal bacteria may protect against diabetes Posted: 11 Apr 2017 06:01 AM PDT A high concentration of indolepropionic acid in the serum protects against type 2 diabetes, shows a new study. Indolepropionic acid is a metabolite produced by intestinal bacteria, and its production is boosted by a fibre-rich diet. According to the researchers, the discovery provides additional insight into the role of intestinal bacteria in the interplay between diet, metabolism and health.

'Cold' great spot discovered on Jupiter Posted: 11 Apr 2017 06:01 AM PDT A Great Cold Spot comparable in scale to Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot (24,000 km west-east and 12,000 km north-south) has been found on the planet. The phenomenon, only recently observed, may have existed for thousands of years, however, this is the first direct evidence of a sustained weather system generated by polar aurorae and opens possibility on other planets.

Relocation of proteins with a new nanobody tool Posted: 11 Apr 2017 05:59 AM PDT A new method by which proteins can be transported to a new location in a cell has been developed by researchers. The novel tool enables scientists to study the function of proteins depending on their position by using nanobodies. The tool can be used for a wide range of proteins and in various areas of developmental biology.

Religiosity does not increase the risk of anorexia nervosa Posted: 11 Apr 2017 05:59 AM PDT Religiosity has been associated with various forms of fasting and self-starvation for thousands of years. Many believe that extreme religiosity can be a risk factor of anorexia nervosa. However, a recent population study conducted in Finland showed that religiosity does not increase the risk of anorexia nervosa.

New protein regulated by cellular starvation Posted: 11 Apr 2017 05:59 AM PDT An unexpected role for a protein has been found, involved in the DNA repair mechanism. The protein SHPRH not only helps to fix mistakes generated during DNA replication, but also contributes to the generation of new ribosomes, the cell's “protein factories.” The newly discovered task depends on the nutritional state of the cell and might be associated with aging and anemia.

Are your sensors spying on you? Posted: 11 Apr 2017 05:58 AM PDT Cyber experts have revealed the ease with which malicious websites and installed apps can spy on us using just the information from the motion sensors in our mobile phones.

Obesity in Hispanic adolescents linked to nearly sixfold increase in high blood pressure Posted: 11 Apr 2017 05:58 AM PDT Obesity raises the prevalence of high blood pressure among adolescents but the increase is particularly pronounced among Hispanics compared to white, African-American or Asian ethnic groups, according to a study by researchers.

Higher tobacco taxes needed to reduce smoking rates in South Asia, new analysis says Posted: 11 Apr 2017 05:58 AM PDT Higher taxes on tobacco could reduce consumption in South Asia by at least one-third and avoid 35-45 million premature deaths, concludes a new analysis.

Parent-mediated therapy may help babies at risk of developing autism Posted: 11 Apr 2017 05:58 AM PDT The earliest autism intervention study in the world that uses video to provide feedback to parents of babies at family risk of autism, has indicated a reduction in the severity of emerging signs of autism.

Researchers trace origin of blood-brain barrier 'sentry cells' Posted: 11 Apr 2017 05:58 AM PDT A population of cells that protect the brain against diseases and harmful substances are not immune cells, as had previously been thought, but instead likely arise from the lining of the circulatory system, researchers studying zebrafish have determined.

PID1 gene enhances effectiveness of chemotherapy on brain cancer cells Posted: 11 Apr 2017 05:58 AM PDT The gene PID1 enhances killing of medulloblastoma and glioblastoma cells, investigators have found. Medulloblastoma is the most commonly occurring malignant primary brain tumor in children; glioblastoma is the most commonly occurring malignant primary brain tumor in adults.

Innovative model for the study of vision Posted: 11 Apr 2017 05:57 AM PDT For the first time, research shows that the progressive processing of the visual signal underlying human object recognition is similarly implemented in the rat brain, thus extending the range of experimental techniques that can be applied to the study of vision.