Science News
The moon is a harsh mistress--gravitational impacts on NSLS-II
Phys.org - 19 Oct 2017 15:40
Night and day, as the moon orbits around earth and the earth around the sun, the gravitational forces of these celestial bodies pull on the earth. This pulling force is what causes the earth's sea levels to rise and fall...
Black butterfly wings offer a model for better solar cells
Phys.org - 19 Oct 2017 15:30
(Phys.org)--A team of researchers with California Institute of Technology and the Karlsruh Institute of Technology has improved the efficiency of thin film solar cells by mimicking the architecture of rose butterfly wing...
Why our 'freakish' galaxy has got cosmologists seriously worried
New Scientist - 19 Oct 2017 15:17
In the grand club of galaxies, the Milky Way is increasingly looking like an outlier. This is a looming challenge for cosmology, says Geraint Lewis
Be concerned about how apps collect, share health data, expert says
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 23:16
Americans should be concerned about how health and wellness apps collect, save and share their personal health data, a medical media expert says.
The microbial anatomy of an organ
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 23:16
The first 3-D spatial visualization tool has been developed for mapping 'omics' data onto whole organs. The tool helps researchers and clinicians understand the effects of chemicals, such as microbial metabolites and med...
Three million Americans carry loaded handguns daily, study finds
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 22:42
An estimated 3 million adult American handgun owners carry a firearm loaded and on their person on a daily basis, and 9 million do so on a monthly basis, new research indicates. The vast majority cited protection as thei...
TBI laws effective at reducing rate of recurrent concussions, new study shows
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 22:42
A recent study from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital done in conjunction with researchers from Colorado School of Public Health at the University at Colorado and Temple Universi...
More permissive concealed-carry laws linked to higher homicide rates
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 22:42
Easier access to concealed firearms is associated with significantly higher rates of handgun-related homicide, according to a new study.
Newly discovered viral marker could help predict flu severity in infected patients
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 22:42
Flu viruses contain defective genetic material that may activate the immune system in infected patients, and new research published in PLOS Pathogens suggests that lower levels of these molecules could increase flu sever...
Using optical chaos to control the momentum of light
Phys.org - 19 Oct 2017 20:51
Integrated photonic circuits, which rely on light rather than electrons to move information, promise to revolutionize communications, sensing and data processing. But controlling and moving light poses serious challenges...
Physicists gain understanding of how bubbles at the edge of plasmas can drain heat and reduce fusion reaction efficiency
Phys.org - 19 Oct 2017 20:49
To fuse hydrogen atoms into helium, doughnut-shaped devices called tokamaks must maintain the heat of the ultrahot plasma they control. But like boiling water, plasma has blobs, or bubbles, that percolate within the plas...
Researchers drill down into gene behind frontotemporal lobar degeneration
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:30
Mutations in the TMEM106B gene significantly increases a person's risk of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), the second most common cause of dementia in those under 65, researchers have demonstrated. While the dat...
Flu simulations suggest pandemics more likely in spring, early summer
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:30
New statistical simulations suggest that Northern Hemisphere flu pandemics are most likely to emerge in late spring or early summer at the tail end of the normal flu season, according to a new study.
H7N9 influenza is both lethal and transmissible in animal model for flu
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:30
In 2013, an influenza virus began circulating among poultry in China. It caused several waves of human infection and as of late July 2017, nearly 1,600 people had tested positive for avian H7N9. Nearly 40 percent of thos...
Study shows how nerves drive prostate cancer
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:30
Certain nerves sustain prostate cancer growth by triggering a switch that causes tumor vessels to proliferate, show researchers. Their earlier research -- which first implicated nerves in fueling prostate cancer -- has p...
Brain takes seconds to switch modes during tasks
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:29
The brain rapidly switches between operational modes in response to tasks and what is replayed can predict how well a task will be completed, according to a new study in rats.
Tracing cell death pathway points to drug targets for brain damage, kidney injury, asthma
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:29
Scientists are unlocking the complexities of a recently discovered cell death process that plays a key role in health and disease, and new findings link their discovery to asthma, kidney injury and brain trauma. The resu...
Discovery lights path for Alzheimer's research
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:29
A metallic probe invented at Rice University that lights up when it binds to a misfolded amyloid beta peptide has identified a binding site that could facilitate better drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease. When the probe ...
Gene circuit switches on inside cancer cells, triggers immune attack
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:29
Researchers have developed a synthetic gene circuit that triggers the body's immune system to attack cancers when it detects signs of the disease.
Country's prevalence of visual impairment, blindness associated with level of socioeconomic develop
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:29
In an analysis of data for 190 countries and territories, those with higher levels of socioeconomic development had a lower prevalence of visual impairment and blindness, according to a study.
Childhood cancer survivors commonly stay at jobs to keep health insurance, new study finds
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:29
A significant number of childhood cancer survivors are worried about keeping their health insurance, to the point of letting it affect their career decisions, the results of a national cancer survey find.
Renewable resource: To produce vital lipoic acid, sulfur is used, then replenished
Science Daily - 19 Oct 2017 20:29
New research shows how a protein is consumed, then reconstituted, during the production of a compound required for converting energy from food into a form that can be used by our cells. The results could help scientists ...