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Science3 Oct 2013

Identifying people by their bodies when faces are no help

Every day we recognize friends, family, and co-workers from afar -- even before we can distinctly see a face. New research reveals that when facial features are difficult to make out, we readily use information about someone's body to identify them -- even when we don't know we're doing so. "Psychologists and computer scientists have concentrated almost exclusively on the role of the face in person recognition," explains lead researcher, Allyson Rice of the University of Texas at Dallas. "But our results show that the body can also provide important and useful identity ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

New advances in the study of human mitochondrial DNA

A study concerning the evolution of mitochondrial DNA, performed by researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), has allowed to determine the frequency and pattern of heteroplasmy in the complete mitochondrial genome using a representative sample of the European population. This phenomenon, which indicates the presence of different mitochondrial DNA types in a cell or an individual, can be found in more than half of the population. The data obtained indicates that many of the newly arising mutations found never reach fixation at the population level due ...

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Science3 Oct 2013

Why do humans pig out?

Researchers from University of Copenhagen have discovered big differences in the variability of eating habits among pigs. The newly published study showed that for some (pigs with certain genetic variants) overeating was normal behavior and for a particular group of pigs there was clear evidence they were genetically programmed to eat more food than others. The study was led by professor Haja Kadarmideen and is the first study in the world looking at pig to human comparative genetic mapping to reveal key genes on the human genome that are known to be involved in human obesity. ...

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Science3 Oct 2013

The order of words

Think of a frequently used noun or verb in our language. Try to count how many times you have uttered it in the last two hours. Now, do the same with the article "the". The language we speak is not only made of content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, for instance) but also of lots of words that provide a support to them (articles, prepositions, etc.) that are used much more frequently than the first (function words, or functors). Despite the huge variability of known languages, language scientists were able to divide them roughly into two main categories: the languages ...

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Science3 Oct 2013

Rare research into false killer whales reveals anti-predator partnerships

False killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) are one of the least studied species of ocean dolphin, but new light has been cast on their behavior by a team of marine scientists from New Zealand. The research, published in Marine Mammal Science, reveals how a population off the coast of New Zealand has developed a relationship with bottlenose dolphins to defend themselves from predation. The 17-year study revealed that all 61 individuals in the area were linked in a single social network, while 88% of identified individuals were re-sighted in the same area over several ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

Great potential for faster diagnoses with new method

The more accurately we can diagnose a disease, the greater the chance that the patient will survive. That is why many researchers are working to improve the quality of the diagnostic process. Researchers at the Nano-Science Center, University of Copenhagen have discovered a method that will make the process faster, cheaper and more accurate. This is possible, because they are combining advanced tools used in physics for research in biology at nanoscale, two scientific disciplines usually very distant from each other. Many diseases can be diagnosed using so-called biomarkers. ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

5 regular meals a day reduce obesity risk among adolescents

A regular eating pattern may protect adolescents from obesity, according to a Finnish population-based study with more than 4,000 participants. When eating five meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks – a day, even those with a genetic predisposition to obesity had no higher body mass index (BMI) than their controls. The collection of the data on the study population began prenatally, and the participants were followed up until the age of 16. The aim was to identify early-life risk factors associated with obesity, to investigate the association between meal frequencies, ...

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Environment3 Oct 2013

Improving water security with blue, green, and gray water

Agriculture is one of the most insatiable consumers of dwindling water resources around the world. And food production will need to increase by about 70% over the next 35 years to meet the needs of a growing population. Crops aren't creating the only demands; agriculture will face competition for water from cities, industries, and recreation. With limited water and the increasing number of people depending on it, water security is tenuous. But integrated water management plans using "blue," "green," and "gray" water can increase water security. What do these colors mean ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

Alcoholism treatment before, after liver transplantation reduces relapse

New research reports that liver transplant recipients who receive substance abuse treatment before and after transplantation have much lower alcohol relapse rates than those untreated or only treated prior to transplantation. A second study determines that continued alcohol abuse following liver transplantation decreases graft survival, further highlighting the importance of preventing alcohol relapse. Both studies are published in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society. ...

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Technology3 Oct 2013

Accurate maps of streams could aid in more sustainable development of Potomac River watershed

FROSTBURG, MD -- Where a stream ends is clear, but where it begins can be more difficult to discern. Researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science have developed a new method to solve this problem, resulting in a new map of the Potomac River watershed stream network that significantly improves the information needed for assessing the impact of urbanization on aquatic ecosystems. "For the first time, we have an accurate representation of where streams once flowed through major urban areas of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. and where streams ...

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Science3 Oct 2013

Invasive mussel is not harmed by toxins and invades the freshwaters of Europe and North America

While most freshwater mussels react stressfully and weaken when exposed to the toxins in blue-green algae in their water environment, the little zebra mussel is rather indifferent. It is not affected by the toxins, and this helps it outmatch stressed and weakened mussels, report researchers from the University of Southern Denmark. This is bad for the biodiversity, and in some countries the superior zebra mussels imposes great costs to the industry. At first glance it looks like good news: Researchers have discovered that the freshwater zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) ...

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Science3 Oct 2013

LSUHSC researcher discovers target for new Rx class for inflammatory disorders

New Orleans, LA – Research led by Charles Nichols, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, describes a powerful new anti-inflammatory mechanism that could lead to the development of new oral medications for atherosclerosis and inflammatory bowel disorders (IBS). The findings are published in PLOS ONE, available online at http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075426 One of the master inflammatory molecules in the body is Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Infections and certain diseases lead to the production of this ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

Stem cells help repair traumatic brain injury by building a 'biobridge'

Tampa, FL (Oct. 3, 2013) -- University of South Florida researchers have suggested a new view of how stem cells may help repair the brain following trauma. In a series of preclinical experiments, they report that transplanted cells appear to build a "biobridge" that links an uninjured brain site where new neural stem cells are born with the damaged region of the brain. Their findings were recently reported online in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE. "The transplanted stem cells serve as migratory cues for the brain's own neurogenic cells, guiding the exodus of these ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

American Chemical Society podcast: A one-two punch against cancer

The latest episode in the American Chemical Society's (ACS') award-winning Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions podcast series describes the development and successful lab tests on the first potential drug to pack a lethal one-two punch against melanoma skin cancer cells. Based on a report by Nathan Luedtke, Ph.D., in the journal ACS Chemical Biology, the new podcast is available without charge at iTunes and from http://www.acs.org/globalchallenges. The drug has a dual activity. Hit number one destroys cells in the main tumor, and the second hit blocks the spread ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

Scientists discover new role for cell dark matter in genome integrity

This news release is available in French. University of Montreal researchers have discovered how telomerase, a molecule essential for cancer development, is directed to structures on our genome called telomeres in order to maintain its integrity and in turn, the integrity of the genome. In an article published in the journal Molecular Cell, the scientists explain how they discovered that telomerase molecules are rallied together by a molecule called TERRA, a so-called "non-coding RNA" having no known function in the cell. The scientists used cutting edge microscopy ...

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Environment3 Oct 2013

2 new enigmatic spider species with peculiar living habits from Uruguay

The two new species described from Uruguay, Chaco castanea and Chaco costai, are middle sized spiders that range between 1 and 2 cm in body size. Like all Nemesiids they have elongated body and robust legs with predominantly black-brownish coloration. A recent study in the open access journal Zookeys provides a detailed description of the two news species and a rare glimpse into their living habits. The two new species are typically found in sandy soils of oceanic and river coastal areas associated with psammophyte, or sand-dwelling, vegetation. This is where these peculiar ...

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Science3 Oct 2013

Scientists generate first map of clouds on an exoplane

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — On the exoplanet Kepler 7b, the weather is highly predictable, an international team of scientists has found: On any given day, the exoplanet, which orbits a star nearly 1,000 light-years from Earth, is heavily overcast on one side, while the other side likely enjoys clear, cloudless weather. The new work, by researchers from MIT and other institutions, is the first mapping of the distribution of clouds on an exoplanet. The scientists observed that one of Kepler 7b's hemispheres is blanketed with a dense layer of clouds — far denser than any found ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

New X-ray vision can reveal internal structure of objects

Scientists have developed a new kind of 'X-ray vision' that is able to peer inside an object and map the three-dimensional distribution of its nano-properties in real time. University of Manchester researchers, working with colleagues in the UK, Europe and the US, say the novel imaging technique could have a wide range of applications across many disciplines, such as materials science, geology, environmental science and medical research. "This new imaging method – termed Pair Distribution Function-Computed Tomography – represents one of the most significant developments ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

Louisiana Tech University physicists contribute to new findings of international research team

RUSTON, La. – Physicists from Louisiana Tech University are part of an international team of researchers which has reported first results for the proton's weak charge based on precise new data from Jefferson Laboratory, the nation's premier electron beam facility for nuclear and particle physics research in Newport News, Va. The results will be published in an upcoming issue of "Physical Review Letters," a prestigious and widely-referenced international journal that focuses on major advances in physics and cross disciplinary developments. The "Q-weak" experiment used ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

Three hours is enough to help prevent mental health issues in teens

This news release is available in French. The incidence of mental health issues amongst 509 British youth was reduced by 25 to 33% over the 24 months following two 90-minute group therapy sessions, according to a study led by Dr. Patricia Conrod of the University of Montreal and its affiliated Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Centre. "Almost one-in-four American 8 to 15 year olds has experienced a mental health disorder over the past year. We know that these disorders are associated with a plethora of negative consequences," Conrod said. "Our study shows that teacher ...

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Science3 Oct 2013

Drowsy Drosophila shed light on sleep and hunger

Why does hunger keep us awake and a full belly make us tired? Why do people with sleep disorders such as insomnia often binge eat late at night? What can sleep patterns tell us about obesity? Sleep, hunger and metabolism are closely related, but scientists are still struggling to understand how they interact. Now, Brandeis University researchers have discovered a function in a molecule in fruit flies that may provide insight into the complicated relationship between sleep and food. In the October issue of the journal Neuron, Brandeis scientists report that sNPF, a ...

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Science3 Oct 2013

New small-molecule catalyst does the work of many enzymes

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Researchers report that they have created a man-made catalyst that is an "enzyme mimic." Unlike most enzymes, which act on a single target, the new catalyst can alter the chemical profiles of numerous types of small molecules. The catalyst – and others like it – will greatly speed the process of drug discovery, the researchers say. Their findings appear in the Journal of the American Chemistry Society. Most enzymes are large proteins that act on only one molecular target, said University of Illinois chemistry professor M. Christina White, who conducted ...

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Science3 Oct 2013

How depression blurs memories

To pinpoint why depression messes with memory, researchers took a page from Sesame Street's book. The show's popular game "One of these things is not like the others" helps young viewers learn to differentiate things that are similar – a process known as "pattern separation." A new Brigham Young University study concludes that this same skill fades in adults in proportion to the severity of their symptoms of depression. The more depressed someone feels, the harder it is for them to distinguish similar experiences they've had. If you've ever forgotten where you parked ...

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Engineering3 Oct 2013

3D dynamic imaging of soft materials

Autumn is usually not such a great time for big special effects movies as the summer blockbusters have faded and those for the holiday season have not yet opened. Fall is more often the time for thoughtful films about small subjects, which makes it perfect for the unveiling of a new movie produced by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Through a combination of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and their own unique graphene liquid cell, the researchers have recorded the three-dimensional motion of ...

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Medicine3 Oct 2013

Innovative approach could ultimately end deadly disease of sleeping sickness

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A tag team of two bacteria, one of them genetically modified, has a good chance to reduce or even eliminate the deadly disease African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, researchers at Oregon State University conclude in a recent mathematical modeling study. African trypanosomiasis, caused by a parasite carried by the tsetse fly, infects 30,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa each year and is almost always fatal without treatment. In a 2008 epidemic, 48,000 people died. In this research, scientists evaluated the potential for success of a new approach ...

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