Model Helps City Planners Prepare to Weather Large Storms

Researchers have developed a modeling tool to help local communities better understand their vulnerabilities to large storms stoked by climate change.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1F0hZaX

via

Can 'ghosts' cause bad air? Poor indoor air quality and 'sightings'

A team of researchers is studying possible links between reported hauntings and indoor air quality. It is known that some fungi, such as rye ergot fungus, may cause severe psychosis in humans.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1IjIWJA

via

Protein may improve liver regeneration: GF21 boosts regenerative ability in mice carrying human PPAR alpha protein

Researchers have illuminated an important distinction between mice and humans: how human livers heal. The difference centers on a protein called PPAR alpha which activates liver regeneration.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1xwxZ70

via

A robot prepared for self-awareness: Expanded software architecture for walking robot Hector

A year ago, researchers showed that their software endowed the walking robot Hector with a simple form of consciousness. Their new research goes one step further: they have now developed a software architecture that could enable Hector to see himself as others see him. “With this, he would have reflexive consciousness,” explains an expert. The architecture is based on artificial neural networks.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/19z8wPp

via

Skin tough: Why skin is resistant to tearing

Researchers have recorded the first direct observations of the micro-scale mechanisms behind the ability of skin to resist tearing. The results could be applied to the improvement of artificial skin, or to the development of thin film polymers for flexible electronics.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1OW8S31

via

Early education narrows the achievement gap with younger starts and longer stays

New research reveals high-quality early education is especially advantageous for children when they start younger and continue longer. Not only does more high-quality early education significantly boost the language skills of children from low-income families, children whose first language is not English benefit even more.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1C3qUWS

via

Stereotypes persist that class, privilege determine intellect and success

A meritocracy holds that if you work hard enough, you can succeed in life, regardless of race, religion, gender or social status. But a new study suggests that, despite egalitarian efforts to downplay class as a forecaster for intelligence and achievement, many people still believe their destiny is tied to their station in life.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1bNUef2

via

Soil organic matter susceptible to climate change

Soil organic matter, long thought to be a semi-permanent storehouse for ancient carbon, may be much more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought. Scientists have found that the common root secretion, oxalic acid, can promote soil carbon loss by an unconventional mechanism -- freeing organic compounds from protective associations with minerals.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1NF2dc6

via

Exercise largely absent from US medical school curriculum, study shows

Fewer than half of the physicians trained in the United States in 2013 received formal education or training on the subject of exercise, according to new research. "There are immense medical benefits to exercise; it can help as much as medicine to address some health concerns," said a national expert on the benefits of physical activity. "Because exercise has medicinal as well as other benefits, I was surprised that medical schools didn't spend more time on it."



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1DnGjqK

via

Bullying by students with disabilities reduced by social-emotional learning

Peer victimization -- bullying -- declined 20 percent among students with disabilities who participated in Second Step social-emotional learning curricula, authors of a new study report. More than 120 students with disabilities at two school districts in the Midwest United States participated in the research, which was part of a larger three-year clinical trial of the widely used social-emotional learning curricula Second Step.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1NF2dZw

via

In Alzheimer's mice, memory restored with cancer drug

Memory and as well as connections between brain cells were restored in mice with a model of Alzheimer's given an experimental cancer drug, researchers report. "With this treatment, cells under bombardment by beta amyloid plaques show restored synaptic connections and reduced inflammation, and the animal's memory, which was lost during the course of the disease, comes back," said the senior author of the study.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1INdMuS

via

'Pan-Eurasian experiment' searches for solutions to Northern climate, environmental issues

European, Russian and Chinese scientific leaders and researchers in climate issues gathered recently in Helsinki, Finland for a conference on the Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX). “Global warming and other comparable ecosystem changes have dramatic effects in the Arctic and the Boreal regions. These are the regions which we have very little information on”, say experts. PEEX is a multi-disciplinary, multi-decadal research program for the Northern and the Arctic areas. It mostly involves basic research in the natural sciences, but is also expected to produce concrete and technical solutions for environmental problems.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1Gd7LIr

via

Criminologist challenges effectiveness of solitary confinement

A criminologist finds that solitary confinement does not deter inmates from committing further violence in prison. The prisoners in the study who received solitary confinement were no more -- or less -- violent behind bars after the punishment, according to the study. Solitary confinement also did not affect how soon an inmate committed further violent acts while incarcerated.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/19ymYHp

via

Significant reduction in fatal car crashes after increase in alcohol taxes

Increasing state alcohol taxes could prevent thousands of deaths a year from car crashes, say researchers, who found alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes decreased after taxes on beer, wine and spirits went up in Illinois.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/19ymYHj

via

Restoring IL-17 may treat skin infections related to chronic alcohol consumption

Alcoholism takes a toll on every aspect of a person's life, including skin problems. Now, a new research report helps explain why this happens and what might be done to address it. "The clinical association between alcoholism and severe skin infection is well established," said one expert. "The ability to experimentally model skin immune deficiencies that occur in chronic alcoholics opens up new avenues to test immune-based therapies to better protect this population and thereby limit the spread of infectious disease to the broader community as well."



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/19ymYHd

via

The rapid rise of human language

Human language likely developed quite rapidly into a sophisticated system, a linguist contends. Instead of mumbles and grunts, people deployed syntax and structures resembling the ones we use today, this expert suggests.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1aftBiJ

via

Memory immune cells that screen intruders as they enter lymph nodes

A new population of 'memory' immune cells has been discovered by scientists, throwing light on what the body does when it sees a microbe for the second time. This insight, and others like it, will enable the development of more targeted and effective vaccines.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/19ymVLE

via

How did he do it? Mayor Bloomberg's public health strategy evaluated

How did former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg succeed in achieving so much of his "comprehensive and far-reaching" public health agenda? Key strategies included harnessing the full authority of the City health department and mobilizing the existing workforce to focus on targeted reforms, according to a study.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1aftDqQ

via

200th anniversary of Tambora eruption a reminder of volcanic perils

The volcanologist Stephen Self, an expert on super-eruptions, was the first modern-day scientist to visit Tambora in Indonesia, the site of the largest volcanic eruption in 1,000 years. On the 200th anniversary of its eruption in 1815, Self and others warn of the ever-present dangers of volcanoes like Tambora. Globally dispersed clouds of sulfate aerosols could lead to cooling, crop failures and famine, as happened in the 'year without a summer' of 1816.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1aftDqI

via

Genetic variability in the platelet linked to increased risk for clotting

Coronary heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the United States, are diseases associated with heightened platelet reactivity. A new study in humans suggests an underlying reason for the variability in the risk of clotting is due to a genetic variation in a receptor on the surface of the platelet.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1BIPyfN

via

Age matters: Discovering why antidepressants don't work well for kids

A new study had researchers seeking answers to why the therapeutic benefit afforded by SSRIs was so limited in children and teenagers. If researchers can uncover the biological mechanisms preventing available treatments from producing antidepressant effects, scientists can then target those mechanisms to develop new antidepressants that will treat childhood and adolescent depression more effectively.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1GJ83qM

via

Scientists discover elusive secret of how continents formed

Geoscientists have revealed information about how continents were generated on Earth more than 2.5 billion years ago -- and how those processes have continued within the last 70 million years to profoundly affect the planet's life and climate.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1BIPAUU

via

Non-invasive technique allows amputee to use bionic hand, powered by his thoughts

Medical researchers have created an algorithm that allowed a man to grasp a bottle and other objects with a prosthetic hand, powered only by his thoughts.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1CIuFGs

via

Soft, energy-efficient robotic wings

Researchers have discovered a new resonance phenomenon in a dielectric elastomer rotary joint that can make the artificial joint bend up and down, like a flapping wing.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1CIuFpZ

via

Brittle bone disease: Drug research offers hope

A drug being developed to treat osteoporosis may also be useful for treating osteogenesis imperfecta or brittle bone disease, a rare but potentially debilitating bone disorder that that is present from birth, scientists say.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1OVBxFt

via

Intestinal bacteria can be used to classify effects of different diseases

It is possible to quantify and classify the effects of different diseases on the activity of intestinal bacteria, new research demonstrates for the first time. Human intestinal flora, known as microbiota, can be considered as an additional organ in the body. It consists of millions of bacteria that interact with each other and with the body, thus affecting its functioning and health. It is known that many intestinal disorders such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and diseases such as obesity, cancer and autoimmune diseases can cause changes in the composition of gut bacteria.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1C2Cdi2

via

History of depression puts women at risk for diabetes during pregnancy, study finds

A history of depression may put women at risk for developing diabetes during pregnancy, according to research. This study also pointed to how common depression is during pregnancy and the need for screening and education.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1OVBxp6

via

Bacteria play an important role in long term storage of carbon in the ocean

The ocean is a large reservoir of dissolved organic molecules, and many of these molecules are stable against microbial utilization for hundreds to thousands of years. They contain a similar amount of carbon as compared to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Researchers found answers to questions about the origin of these persistent molecules in a recent study.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1OVxbhG

via

Domestic violence deters contraception

Women who are abused by their partner or ex-partner are much less likely to use contraception; this exposes them to sexually transmitted diseases and leads to more frequent unintended pregnancies and abortions. These findings could influence how physicians provide contraceptive counseling.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1OVxb1a

via

Poor behavior linked to time spent playing video games, not the games played

Children who play video games for more than three hours a day are more likely to be hyperactive, get involved in fights and not be interested in school, says a new study. It examined the effects of different types of games and time spent playing on children's social and academic behavior.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1DmL5Vv

via

'Gold standard' for pain relief after shoulder surgery may not be 24 karat

Around 10,000 patients undergo shoulder surgery in Ontario every year and most go home the same day. Since it's quite a painful procedure, a lot of effort goes into making sure patients can manage their pain while at home recovering. The current "gold standard" for pain management is a single shot of freezing such as lidocaine or ropivacaine to reduce pain during and after surgery, which is still performed under general anesthetic. Doctors had thought that this freezing, coupled with oral painkillers, would manage pain and keep patients comfortable for the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery, but this may not be the case.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1FekPvv

via

Internet searches create illusion of personal knowledge, research finds

Searching the Internet for information may make people feel smarter than they actually are, according to new research. In a series of experiments, participants who searched for information on the Internet believed they were more knowledgeable than a control group about topics unrelated to the online searches. In a result that surprised the researchers, participants had an inflated sense of their own knowledge after searching the Internet even when they couldn't find the information they were looking for.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1NA8TpZ

via

Brain's 'gender' may be quite flexible: Mechanism that plays key role in sexual differentiation of brain

During prenatal development, the brains of most animals, including humans, develop specifically male or female characteristics. But scientists have known little about the details of how this differentiation occurs. Now, a new study has illuminated details about this process. Researchers succeeded in transforming the brain of a female rat after an important developmental window had closed, giving it the characteristics of a male rat brain.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1I0ZKIv

via

Researchers map seasonal greening in US forests, fields, and urban areas

Using the assessment tool ForWarn, US Forest Service researchers can monitor the growth and development of vegetation that signals winter's end and the awakening of a new growing season. Now these researchers have devised a way to more precisely characterize the beginning of seasonal greening, or 'greenup,' and compare its timing with that of the 14 previous years. Such information helps land managers anticipate and plan for the impacts of disturbances such as weather events and insect pests.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1I0ZKs8

via

What makes a child feel unsafe in their neighborhood?

Differences in the way children and adults perceive the world extend to their sense of safety in their social and physical environments and this in turn can impact their health, say researchers. "While we knew that a child's sense of safety is informed by his or her own parents' sense of safety, we did not know how the child's own perceptions of their environment contributes to this sense," explained the study's first author.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1OVuOLU

via

Keeping hungry elephants at bay

Until now electric fences and trenches have proved to be the most effective way of protecting farms and villages from night time raids by hungry elephants. But researchers think they may have come up with another solution – the recorded sound of angry predators.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/19FrVxG

via

Travelling pollution: East Asian human activities affect air quality in remote tropical forests

Researchers have detected a human fingerprint deep in the Borneo rainforest in Southeast Asia. Cold winds blowing from the north carry industrial pollutants from East Asia to the equator, with implications for air quality in the region. Once there, the pollutants can travel higher into the atmosphere and impact the ozone layer.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1OVuQTK

via

People in MTV docusoaps are more ideal than real: Obese characters are no-shows in 'reality' programs

More midriff, cleavage and muscle is seen in MTV's popular television docusoaps such as The Real World, Jersey Shore or Laguna Beach than in the average American household. Semi-naked brawny Adonises and even more scantily clad thin women strut around on screen simply to grab the audience's attention. In the process, they present a warped view to young viewers about how they should look.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/19FrSC9

via

Score! Video gamers may learn visual tasks more quickly

Video games not only sharpen the visual processing skills of frequent players, they might also improve the brain's ability to learn those skills, according to a new study. Gamers showed faster consolidation of learning when moving from one visual task to the next than did non-gamers.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1NA0T8z

via

Secrets of the seahorse tail revealed

A team of engineers and biologists reports new progress in using computer modeling and 3D shape analysis to understand how the unique grasping tails of seahorses evolved. These prehensile tails combine the seemingly contradictory characteristics of flexibility and rigidity, and knowing how seahorses accomplish this feat could help engineers create devices that are both flexible and strong.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1NA0T8s

via

How to make a profit from rotting garbage

Landfills can make a profit from all their rotting waste and a new patent explains exactly how to make the most out of the stinky garbage sites. Decomposing trash produces methane, a landfill gas that can be used to produce electricity or heat. Since methane is a greenhouse gas and most landfills don't produce enough of it to make energy production worthwhile, many dumpsites burn, or flare, the methane away so that the harmful gas does not escape into the atmosphere. But a new process shows how landfills can up their methane production to turn a profit.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1MugSK2

via

HIV patients experience better kidney transplant outcomes than hepatitis c patients

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)-positive kidney transplant patients experienced superior outcomes when compared to kidney transplant patients with Hepatitis C and those infected with both HIV and Hepatitis C, according to a study.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1IiOeoy

via

New clues to why poor nutrition in the womb leads to obesity later in life

Babies receiving poor nutrition in the womb tend to be smaller at birth, which has been linked to the development of obesity and other health problems later in life. Researchers continue to discover other consequences related to undernutrition during pregnancy. A new study examines how poor fetal nutrition affects protein expression in the fat tissue of adult rats, revealing key differences between males and females.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1ExKXE0

via

Macrostructure of the universe: An 'unfocused' eye that sees the big picture

Designed to detect the fossil radiation of the Universe, the Planck satellite, working in tandem with Herschel, can also help to understand the macrostructure of the Universe. A just-published experimental study has detected astronomical sources that may be precursors to galaxy clusters, the largest dynamically stable structures existing in the Universe. These primitive elements have long been sought by astrophysicists since they are crucial for tracing the development of the Universe’s macrostructures. The classic methods used in the quest for large-scale structures are unfortunately difficult to apply (or just completely inapplicable to these objects).



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1bN3ct4

via

Impact of domestic violence on women's mental health

In addition to their physical injuries, women who are victims of domestic violence are also at a greater risk of mental health problems such as depression and psychotic symptoms. "We studied the impact of domestic violence on the risk of mental health problems, particularly depression," explained the first study author. "We also studied the role of certain factors from the victims' personal history, such as childhood abuse and economic poverty," she explained.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1NzrFhl

via

How a deadly fungus evades the immune system

New research has scientists re-thinking how a lethal fungus grows and kills immune cells. The study hints at a new approach to therapy for Candida albicans, one of the most common causes of bloodstream infections.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1DlQBrs

via

Generous welfare benefits make people more likely to want to work, not less

Generous welfare benefit levels make people who are not in employment more likely to want to work rather than less, new research suggests. "Many scholars and commentators fear that generous social benefits threaten the sustainability of the welfare state due to work norm erosion, disincentives to work and dependency cultures," the researchers say. "This article concludes that there are few signs that groups with traditionally weaker bonds to the labor market are less motivated to work if they live in generous and activating welfare states."



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1NzrFhh

via

Pig-borne disease most likely jumped into humans when rearing practices changed

The most virulent strains of Streptococcus suis, the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in adult humans in parts of southeast Asia and in pigs around the world, are likely to have evolved and become widespread in pigs at the same time as changes in rearing practices, according to research from an international consortium.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1DlQyfl

via

Why slimy cheats don’t win: 'Cheating' amoebae don't survive better than 'cooperating' amoebae

Darwin's evolutionary theory predicts survival of the fittest. So why do different survival tactics co-exist, if evolution should always favor the winning strategy? To answer that question scientists have been studying a single-celled amoeba, also known as slime mold, which displays certain behaviors that have been labelled as "cheating" or "cooperating." They found that cheaters don't necessarily win in terms of overall survival, suggesting that biologists should re-evaluate how they define and measure social cooperation.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1DlQBri

via

Discovery of two new species of primitive fishes

Paleontologists have discovered two new species of Saurichthys. The ~242 million year old predatory fishes were found in the fossil Lagerstätte Monte San Giorgio, in Ticino. They are distinct from previously known Saurichthys species in the shape of the head and body, suggesting different habitats and diet.



from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1NzrH8H

via