Menlo Park, Calif. — The first complete chemical analysis of feathers from Archaeopteryx, a famous fossil linking dinosaurs and birds, reveals that the feathers were patterned—light in color, with a dark edge and tip—rather than all black, as previously thought. The findings came from X-ray experiments at the Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where scientists were able to find chemical traces of the original dinobird and its pigments in the rock that entombed it 150 million years ago. "This is a big leap forward in our understanding ...

A novel genetic mutation was first identified in 2010 as causing hearing loss in humans. Researchers have now discovered that this mutation induces malfunction of an inhibitor of an enzyme commonly found in our body that destroys proteins. Published today in the American Journal of Pathology, this inhibitor is known scientifically as SERPINB6. Dr Justin Tan of the University of Melbourne and lead author of the study said individuals who lack both copies of this good gene were reported to lose their hearing from 20 years of age. "This is unusual because most people show ...

Legislation to restrict consumption of large sugar-sweetened beverages in food service establishments would affect 7.5% of Americans on a given day, and a greater percentage among those who are overweight, including 13.6% of overweight teenagers, according to researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Challenging criticism that the restriction is discriminatory against the poor, the study finds low-income individuals would not be disproportionately affected. The proposed restrictions were approved by the New York City Board of Health. They are ...

Brazilian paleontologists Taissa Rodrigues, of the Federal University of Espirito Santo, and Alexander W. A. Kellner, of the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, have just presented the most extensive review yet available of toothed pterosaurs from the Cretaceous of England. The study features detailed taxonomic information, diagnoses and photographs of 30 species and was published in the open access journal ZooKeys. Pterosaurs from the Cretaceous of England were first described by British naturalists Richard Owen and Harry Seeley in the 19th century, ...

The Swiss are justly famed for their craftsmanship when creating extremely precise pieces of technology. Now a Swiss team from the Geneva Observatory has achieved extraordinary precision using a comparatively small 1.2-metre telescope for an observing programme stretching over many years. They have discovered a new class of variable stars by measuring minute variations in stellar brightness. The new results are based on regular measurements of the brightness of more than three thousand stars in the open star cluster NGC 3766 [1] over a period of seven years. They reveal ...

SALT LAKE CITY, June 12, 2013 – Using hands-free devices to talk, text or send e-mail while driving is distracting and risky, contrary to what many people believe, says a new University of Utah study issued today by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "Our research shows that hands-free is not risk-free," says University of Utah psychology Professor David Strayer, lead author of the study, which he conducted for the foundation arm of the nonprofit AAA, formerly known as the American Automobile Association. "These new, speech-based technologies in the car can overload ...

New data from the University of Washington's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute indicates increases in heroin availability, abuse and deaths across the state, particularly among young adults ages 18-29. These increases are concerning because of the high risks of overdose and contracting infectious diseases associated with heroin use. Police drug evidence testing, particularly in 2011 and 2012, points to dramatic increases in heroin. The largest increases were outside of metropolitan areas; the number of pieces of police evidence positive for heroin totaled 842 in 2007 and ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: The launch of the European Rheumatology Research Foundation (ERRF) was today announced at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism. The European Rheumatology Research Foundation (ERRF) is an independent, non-profit body devoted to promoting research in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). The ERRF supports high-quality, peer-reviewed research by raising funds from commercial and non-commercial donors. The ERRF aims to support basic and applied research in order to reduce the burden of disease for ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: New PSUMMIT 2* data first presented at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, further demonstrate the efficacy of ustekinumab in Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). Anti-TNF naïve and anti-TNF-experienced patients randomised to one of two ustekinumab doses (45mg or 90mg) demonstrated significant and sustained improvements in the signs and symptoms of PsA, with favourable safety profiles. PsA is a chronic inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis which significantly impacts health-related quality of life ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: A new study presented today at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, shows that one in eight patients at risk of developing a serious adverse drug event (ADE) is taking over-the-counter (OTC) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), often to treat a musculoskeletal complaint. Of these high risk OTC NSAID users, over one-third had taken the medication for more than 7 days, and 3% had exceeded the maximum recommended daily dosage. Patients were considered at high risk of a serious ADE from OTC ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: A new study presented today at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, shows that treatment with brodalumab demonstrates significant clinical response and an acceptable safety profile in subjects with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). PsA is a chronic inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis which significantly impacts health-related quality of life in patients, and increases risk of co-morbid cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases.2 Psoriasis occurs in 2-3% of the population, with PsA occurring in ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: A new study presented at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, shows that rapid evaluation for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) by Color Doppler Ultrasound (CDUS) followed by immediate initiation of treatment (if required) significantly reduces permanent vision loss. Of the patients evaluated by the ''fast track'' principle from March 2010 to December 2012, 11.1% had transient visual manifestations, and none went on to suffer from permanent visual loss. GCA is a condition in which medium and large-size arteries, ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: A new study presented today at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism shows that tocilizumab is efficacious and leads to a sustained clinically meaningful improvement in children with polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (pcJIA). Tocilizumab is a humanized recombinant antibody, which blocks the receptors where interleukin-6 (IL-6) attaches to the surface of cells. When IL-6 is unable to attach to these cells, they are prevented from driving inflammation. Elevated serum and joint fluid IL-6 levels ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: Data from AMPLE presented at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, demonstrate comparable efficacy and similar safety profiles between subcutaneous abatacept (ABA) and adalimumab (ADA). AMPLE, the first two-year head-to-head biologics trial, was comprised of 646 biologic-naïve patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) equally randomised to either ABA or ADA, with a stable dose of methotrexate (MTX). 79.2% (252 of 318) ABA patients and 74.7% (245 of 328) ADA patients completed the trial. RA is a ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: New data presented today at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism show that apremilast administered to patients with psoriatic arthritis continues to demonstrate meaningful clinical responses beyond 24 weeks. For patients who completed 52 weeks of the study, up to 65% achieved ACR20* response rates. Also, apremilast continued to be well tolerated with an acceptable longer-term safety profile. Apremilast is a novel, oral small-molecule inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4). It works as an anti-inflammatory ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: A new study presented at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, demonstrates the efficacy of the ARASHI method at evaluating radiographic (X-ray) joint damage in RA. The study validated the use of ARASHI to assess joint damage in RA, and clarified the pattern of progression of damage during two-year TNF-blocking therapies. In addition to concluding the success of the scoring method, the data also showed that hip and knee joints with pre-existing damage were predisposed to continue destruction, even during ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: Results of the first study involving RA patients in the development of an internet-based physical activity intervention were presented at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism. These data show that seven categories are crucial for the adoption and maintenance of PA: personal incentives, personal mastering, information adapted to the Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) condition, peer support, professional coaching, physical environment and resources, and societal support/financial assistance. RA is a chronic autoimmune ...

Madrid, Spain, 12 June 2013: A new study presented at EULAR 2013, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, demonstrates that progressive muscle strengthening using a Swiss ball is effective in improving muscle strength and walking performance in patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). Patients randomised to the exercise programme showed statistically significant improvements in muscle strength with no worsening of disease activity; in addition these patients reported greater satisfaction with their treatment than those in the control group. AS ...

Two new studies by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery have shed light on joint replacement outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One study overturns the common belief that RA patients have worse outcomes after a total knee replacement (TKR) than patients who undergo the operation for osteoarthritis. The other study demonstrates that RA patients who undergo a total hip replacement were as likely to have significant improvements in function and pain as patients with osteoarthritis (OA), even though they did not do as well. The news will be reported ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Pixie dust may be the stuff of fanciful fiction, but for scientists at UC Santa Barbara's Department of Materials, a commonly used sugar-based additive has been found to have properties that are near magical. By adding minute amounts of it during the fabrication of organic semiconductors, they have been able to dramatically increase yield and control crystallization, which could, in the near future, make the technology not only cheaper and more accessible, but also enhance its performance. Results of their study are published in the recent issue ...

Vitamin C may substantially reduce bronchoconstriction caused by exercise, says Dr. Harri Hemila from the University of Helsinki, Finland. Hemila's meta-analysis "Vitamin C may alleviate exercise-induced bronchoconstriction" was published in BMJ Open (7 June, 2013) Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction means the transient narrowing of the airways that occurs during or after exercise. It can cause symptoms such as cough, wheezing and the shortness of breath. Formerly, this condition was called exercise-induced asthma. Usually, the diagnosis of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction ...

This news release is available in German. Will emails be quantum encrypted in the future? Will we be able to teleport quantum states over large distances via ordinary glass fiber cables? Laser-cooled atoms which are coupled to ultra-thin glass fibers are ideally suited for applications in quantum communication. Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology have now demonstrated experimentally that such glass fibers are capable of storing quantum information long enough so that they could be used for entangling atoms hundreds of kilometers apart. This constitutes ...

Passiflora is a genus of beautiful plants commonly known as the passion flowers or passion vines. The most famous representative of this group is the passion fruit, favorite to many. Passiflora contains around 530 species with native ranges throughout the southern United States and Mexico as well as Central and South America. In addition, there are 24 species of Passiflora endemic to the Old World. In China, the native Passiflora exhibit high levels of endemism, seldomly display overlapping distributions, and are in general extremely rare. A new study published in the ...

"Pharmaceutical residues are becoming increasingly a problem for the environment. Sewage plants do not decompose these substances completely. The problem will worsen if one considers, for example, the rising proportion of elderly people in our society who actually account for the increased consumption of medicine," notes Dr. Katrin Pollmann, Team Leader Biotechnology at the HZDR. "Our color sensor method is generally suitable for detecting all kinds of substances," continues Dr. Pollmann. It could also be very profitable when used for recycling strategic metals, an ...

This news release is available in German. The song of songbirds is usually transmitted from one generation to the next by imitation learning and is thought to be similar to the acquisition of human speech. Although song is often learnt from an adult model, there is some evidence of active vocal learning among siblings. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen now showed that juvenile zebra finches that have been raised without their fathers are able to learn their song via a brother that for a short period had been exposed to the father's' ...