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191,281 articles from EurekAlert

Rutgers neuroscience may hold key to hearing loss remedy

A Rutgers University team is opening new doors to improved hearing for the congenitally or profoundly deaf. They researchers found that two neurotrophin proteins in the cochlea -- brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 -- figure prominently in the relay of sound messages to the brain. The research is showing precisely how these multidimensional proteins operate in the cochlea. Their...

Safer, more accurate radiation therapy for expecting mothers

Developing fetuses are extremely sensitive to radiation, which poses an impossible dilemma for expecting mothers in need of screening or treatment for cancer. Now researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new set of modeling tools that could enable safer, more accurate, and more effective radiation therapy and nuclear medicine imaging procedures for pregnant women.

Sandia supercomputers offer new explanation of Tunguska disaster

The stunning amount of forest devastation at Tunguska a century ago in Siberia may have been caused by an asteroid only a fraction as large as those postulated in previously published estimates, Sandia supercomputer simulations suggest. Because there are more smaller asteroids than larger ones, the need to guard against such impacts may be greater than previously thought.

Study examines imaging procedures for diagnosing blood clots in the lung

New research indicates that a diagnostic strategy using computed tomographic pulmonary angiography may be a safe alternative to conventional lungs scans (known as ventilation-perfusion scans) for excluding the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lung vessels), although CTPA may detect more clots, according to a study in the Dec. 19 issue of JAMA.

Twin study indicates genetic basis for processing faces, places

A new study of twins indicates that the genetic foundation for the brain's ability to recognize faces and places is much stronger than for other objects, such as words. The results, which appear in the Dec. 19 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, are some of the first evidence demonstrating the role of genetics in assigning these functions to specific regions of the brain.

University of Maryland researchers develop 2-D invisibility cloak

A University of Maryland research team has used plasmon technology to create the world's first invisibility cloak for visible light. The engineers have applied the same technology to build a revolutionary superlens microscope that allows scientists to see details of previously undetectable nanoscale objects.

Unsupervised children are more sociable and more active

Youngsters who are allowed to leave the house without an adult are more active and enjoy a richer social life than those who are constantly supervised, according to a study conducted at UCL and reported in a special edition of the journal Built Environment (Dec. 19).

Variable light illuminates the distribution of picophytoplankton

Tiny photosynthetic plankton less than a millionth of a millimeter in diameter numerically dominate marine phytoplankton. Their photosynthesis uses light to drive carbon dioxide uptake, fueling the marine food web over vast areas of the oceans. A new study published in this week's PLoS ONE by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Christophe Six and a team of scientists from MountAllison University,...

Vitamin B12 function may be diminished by excessive folate

In a study of adults aged 20 and over, researchers at Tufts University showed that homocysteine and methylmalonic acid are at much higher levels in individuals who have a combination of vitamin B-12 deficiency and high blood folate levels than in individuals who are also vitamin B12 deficient but have normal folate levels.

What's health care like in America's prisons and jails?

A person is sentenced to prison in America to be punished for a crime. But should that punishment also include denial of food, safety and health care? A landmark Supreme Court decision 30 years ago helped launch the nationwide movement to improve prison health care. So, how does health care in today's prisons compare to what it was like three decades ago?