Science News
Black Holes Regurgitate 'Spitballs' After Devouring Stars
Live Science - 12 Jan 2017 14:37
When a black hole devours a star, it spews planet-size "spitballs" of regurgitated gas tumbling through the galaxy -- and some of these globs can come within a few hundred light-years of Earth, new research shows.
How stress may increase risk of heart disease and stroke
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 04:36
Heightened activity in the amygdala -- a region of the brain involved in stress -- is associated with a greater risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a study that provides new insights into the possible mechanis...
Found: Neurons that orient bats toward destination
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 23:25
Bats - like humans - can find their favorite fruit stand (or coffee shop) even when it's hidden behind a screen or tall buildings. How? Scientists have now identified the neurons that point bats in the right direction, e...
Annual report examines state of college student mental heath
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 23:06
Despite increased demand for counseling centers on college campuses, students aren't necessarily getting sicker. Instead, it's likely student mental health needs across the country have increased due to national preventi...
Being rude to your child's doctor could lead to worse care
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 22:36
Emotions tend to run high in hospitals, and patients or patients' loved ones can be rude to medical professionals when they perceive inadequate care. Investigators warn though, that being rude may lead to worse care for ...
Twinkle, twinkle little supernova
Symmetry Magazine - 12 Jan 2017 22:15
Using Twinkles, the new simulation of images of our night sky, scientists get ready for a gigantic cosmological survey unlike any before. Almost every worthwhile performance is preceded by a rehearsal, and scientific per...
Two-thirds of packaged foods, drinks in Canada have added sugars
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:14
An analysis of over 40,000 commonly available packaged foods and beverages in Canada has found that 66 percent of these products -- including some infant formulas and baby food products and many so-called 'healthier' foo...
Markers for prostate cancer death can identify men in need of more aggressive treatment
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:14
A prostate specific antigen (PSA) nadir greater than 0.5 ng/mL following radiation and androgen deprivation therapy appears to identify men prior to PSA failure who are at high-risk for dying early as a result of treatme...
Melanoma mutation likes fat for fuel
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:13
Cancer cells love glucose, so a high-fat, low-carb diet should starve them, right? Not cancers driven by a notorious melanoma mutation. Research in mice suggests that cancers with BRAF V600E will grow faster in response ...
Seeing vape pen in use boosts desire to smoke among young adults
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:13
The newer e-cigarette vape pens (AKA vaporizers) may not look like cigarettes, but they stimulate the urge to smoke as powerfully as watching someone smoke a traditional tobacco cigarette.
Master regulator of cellular aging discovered
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:13
Scientists have discovered a protein that fine-tunes the cellular clock involved in aging.
Decreasing cocaine use leads to regression of coronary artery disease
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:13
People who use cocaine regularly are at high risk of coronary artery disease. A study now reports that stopping or reducing cocaine use can potentially reverse the process of coronary atherosclerosis.
'Mysterious' non-protein-coding RNAs play important roles in gene expression
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:13
Enhancers boost the rate of gene expression from nearby protein-coding genes so a cell can pump out more of a needed protein molecule. A mysterious subset of non-coding RNAs -- enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) are transcribed from ...
Crybaby: The vitamins in your tears
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:13
Would you rather shed a couple tears or have your blood drawn? Testing for nutritional deficiencies in blood can be invasive and expensive. Researchers explored what it takes to switch to tears instead and their study fo...
Improving longevity of functionally integrated stem cells in regenerative vision therapy
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:12
One of the challenges in developing stem cell therapies is ensuring that transplanted cells can survive long enough to work. Researchers report one of the first demonstrations of long-term vision restoration in blind mic...
New research holds promise for personalized lung cancer treatments
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:12
New research has uncovered distinct types of tumors within small cell lung cancer that look and act differently from one another. Scientists also identified a targeted drug combination that worked well with one specific ...
Malaria transmission may increase when more parasites are transferred via mosquito bite
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:12
Mosquitos carrying a greater number of malaria-causing parasites may be more likely to cause infection in the people they bite, according to a new study.
Biologists discover how viruses hijack cell's machinery
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:12
Biologists have documented for the first time how very large viruses reprogram the cellular machinery of bacteria during infection to more closely resemble an animal or human cell -- a process that allows these alien inv...
Putting "Life" in Order with Acoustical Tweezers Designed for Widespread Use
Physics Buzz - 12 Jan 2017 21:12
Whether you're pulling out a splinter of wood or an eyebrow hair, tweezers are the go-to tool. For these and many other situations that involve moving an object too small to grasp with human hands, a $1.49 pair of metal ...
Wearable biosensors can flag illness, Lyme disease, risk for diabetes; low airplane oxygen
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:11
Can your smart watch detect when you are becoming sick? A new study indicates that this is possible. By following 60 people through their everyday lives, researchers found that smart watches and other personal biosensor ...
Researchers create mosquito resistant to dengue virus
Science Daily - 12 Jan 2017 21:11
Researchers have genetically modified mosquitoes to resist infection from dengue virus, a virus that sickens an estimated 96 million people globally each year and kills more than 20,000, mostly children.
No sign of seasonal dark matter after four years of searching
New Scientist - 12 Jan 2017 21:01
The XENON100 experiment just checked up on a controversial claim that dark matter comes and goes with the seasons - and found nothing