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66 articles from ScienceDaily
Ancient natural history of antibiotic production and resistance revealed
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 23:23
The study is the first to put antibiotic biosynthesis and resistance into an evolutionary context. The findings will help to guide the future discovery of new antibiotics and antibiotic alternatives which are medicines that are vitally needed given the current global threat of antimicrobial resistance.
Impact of largescale tree death on carbon storage
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 23:23
Largescale 'disturbances', including fires, harvesting, windstorms and insect outbreaks, which kill large patches of forest, are responsible for more than a tenth of tree death worldwide, according to new research.
Smoldering spots in the brain may signal severe MS
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 23:23
Aided by a high-powered brain scanner and a 3D printer, researchers peered inside the brains of hundreds of multiple sclerosis patients and found that dark rimmed spots representing ongoing, 'smoldering' inflammation, called chronic active lesions, may be a hallmark of more aggressive and disabling forms of the disease.
Icebergs delay Southern Hemisphere future warming, study shows
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 23:23
Future warming can accelerate the disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet. A large fraction of the ice will enter the Southern Ocean in form of icebergs, which melt and provide a cooling and freshening effect to the warmer and denser ocean water. This process will increase the formation of sea-ice and shift winds and ocean currents. The overall effect is a slowdown in the magnitude of...
Asian longhorned beetle larvae eat plant tissues that their parents cannot
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 23:23
Despite the buzz in recent years about other invasive insects that pose an even larger threat to agriculture and trees -- such as the spotted lanternfly, the stink bug and the emerald ash borer -- Penn State researchers have continued to study another damaging pest, the Asian longhorned beetle.
Potential for Rift Valley fever virus transmission in Colorado livestock
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 23:23
Researchers found that mosquitoes that could transmit the virus were abundant in feedlots and at nearby sites in Northern Colorado.
Excess body fat, particularly around the waist, is a major risk factor for premature death among Hispanics
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 23:23
Both general and abdominal obesity were strongly associated with mortality among Mexican adults. Each 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI above 25 kg/m2 was associated with a 30 percent increase in mortality. These findings refute previous research showing that being overweight was not strongly associated with mortality in Hispanic populations.
Gut-brain connection helps explain how overeating leads to obesity
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 22:05
A multi-institutional team reveals a previously unknown gut-brain connection that helps explain how those extra servings lead to weight gain.
First cells may have emerged because building blocks of proteins stabilized membranes
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 21:55
Scientists have discovered that the building blocks of proteins can stabilize cell membranes. This finding may explain how the first cells emerged from the primordial soup billions of years ago: The protein building blocks could have stabilized cell membranes against salt and ions that were present in ancient oceans. In addition, membranes may have been a site for these precursor molecules to...
Osteoporosis drugs linked to reduced risk of premature death
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 21:54
A large cohort study has revealed a common osteoporosis drug significantly decreases premature mortality risk, likely related to a reduction in bone loss.
Ancient pigs endured a complete genomic turnover after they arrived in Europe
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 21:22
New research has resolved a pig paradox. Archaeological evidence has shown that pigs were domesticated in the Near East and as such, modern pigs should resemble Near Eastern wild boar. They do not. Instead, the genetic signatures of modern European domestic pigs resemble European wild boar.
Poor fit between job demands, reasoning abilities associated with health conditions
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 21:21
Older workers whose reasoning abilities no longer allow them to meet the demands of their jobs may be more likely to develop chronic health conditions and retire early, which may not be ideal for the employee or employer, according to new research.
In first-of-its-kind study, researchers highlight hookah health hazards
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 20:49
Hookah waterpipe use has grown in popularity in recent years -- 1 in 5 college students in the U.S. and Europe have tried it -- but the practice could be more dangerous than other forms of smoking, according to a first-of-its-kind study.
An alternate theory for what causes Alzheimer's disease
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 20:49
Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia among the elderly, is characterized by plaques and tangles in the brain, with most efforts at finding a cure focused on these abnormal structures. But a research team has identified alternate chemistry that could account for the various pathologies associated with the disease.
Study examines a million corals one by one in urgent call to save reefs
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 20:49
Scientists have completed a landmark study on how to save coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Mapping the structure of protein aggregate that leads to Alzheimer's
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 20:49
A research team has mapped the molecular structure of an aggressive protein aggregate that causes acceleration of Alzheimer's disease.
Natural-gas leaks are important source of greenhouse gas emissions in Los Angeles
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 20:49
Scientist have found that methane in L.A.'s air correlates with the seasonal use of gas for heating homes and businesses.
It's not you, it's the network
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 20:03
The result of the 2016 US presidential election was, for many, a surprise lesson in social perception bias -- peoples' tendency to assume that others think as we do, and to underestimate the size and influence of a minority party. Many psychologists attribute the source of these biases to faulty cognitive processes like 'wishful thinking' or 'social projection,' but according to a new study, the...
Bacteria made to mimic cells, form communities
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 20:03
Scientists have found a way to make single-celled bacteria behave like stem cells, differentiating into genetically unique individuals as they divide.
Researchers identify key mechanism linked to neuropsychiatric lupus
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 20:03
A breakthrough study has identified a specific antibody target implicated in neuropsychiatric symptoms of lupus. These symptoms, including cognitive impairment, mood disorders, seizures, headaches and psychosis, are among the most prevalent manifestations of the disease and occur in as many as 80% of adults and 95% of children with lupus.
Detention basins could catch more than stormwater
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 20:03
Everywhere you go there are stormwater detention basins built near large construction projects intended to control the flow of rainwater and runoff. Now, those basins might help in controlling nitrogen runoff into rivers and lakes, according to civil and environmental engineers.
Diarrhea-causing bacteria adapted to spread in hospitals
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 19:09
The gut-infecting bacterium Clostridium difficile is evolving into two separate species, with one group highly adapted to spread in hospitals, according to new research.
Thinnest optical waveguide channels light within just three layers of atoms
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 19:09
Engineers have developed the thinnest optical device in the world -- a waveguide that is three layers of atoms thin. The work is a proof of concept for scaling down optical devices to sizes that are orders of magnitude smaller than today's devices. It could lead to the development of higher density, higher capacity photonic chips.
Study finds older adults less distracted by negative information
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 19:09
USC researchers looked at 'emotion-induced blindness,' which refers to distractions caused by emotionally arousing stimuli. In four experiments using a quickly presented sequence of images, they examined how older adults prioritize emotional information. They found both younger and older adults demonstrated emotion-induced blindness, but older adults were more distracted by positive information...
Chemists find new path to make strong 2D material better for applications
- ScienceDaily
- 19/8/12 19:09
Scientists make hexagonal-boron nitride, a 2D material much stiffer than steel and an excellent conductor of heat, much simpler to modify for applications through a new chemical process.