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168,132 articles from ScienceDaily

Smallholder farmers need improved stake in Nile's development, experts say

A new book finds that the Nile river, together with its associated tributaries and rainfall, could provide 11 countries -- including a new country, South Sudan, and the drought-plagued countries of the Horn of Africa -- with enough water to support a vibrant agriculture sector, but that the poor in the region who rely on the river for their food and incomes risk missing out on these benefits...


SUNDAY 4. NOVEMBER 2012


Scientists monitor comet breakup

The Hergenrother comet is currently traversing the inner-solar system. Amateur and professional astronomers alike have been following the icy-dirt ball over the past several weeks as it has been generating a series of impressive outbursts of cometary-dust material. Now comes word that the comet's nucleus has taken the next step in its...

Drug doesn't significantly lower risk of major heart problems in dialysis patients

In one of the largest and longest trials involving patients with kidney failure, a study led by an international team of researchers found that cinacalcet -- a drug commonly prescribed to patients with kidney failure and a disturbance of bone and mineral metabolism known as secondary hyperparathyroidism -- does not significantly reduce the risk of death or major cardiovascular...

People in 'crowdsourcing' challenge find defibrillators in Philadelphia

Participants in a "crowdsourcing" challenge in Philadelphia used a smart phone application to locate, photograph and map more than 1,400 automated external defibrillators in public places. Although more AEDs are being placed in gyms, schools, shopping malls and public buildings, their exact location is often unknown, and their use remains...


SATURDAY 3. NOVEMBER 2012


In-sync brain waves hold memory of objects just seen

The brain holds in mind what has just been seen by synchronizing brain waves in a working memory circuit, an animal study suggests. The more in-sync such electrical signals of neurons were in two key hubs of the circuit, the more those cells held the short-term memory of a just-seen object. The work demonstrates, for the first time, that there is information about short term memories reflected in...

New research on employment-based insurance sheds light on health care reform

Men with employment-contingent health insurance who suffer a health shock, such as a cancer diagnosis or hospitalization, are more likely to feel "locked" into remaining at work and are at greater risk for losing their insurance during this critical time as compared to men who are on their spouse's insurance plan or on private insurance plans, according to a new...


FRIDAY 2. NOVEMBER 2012


New studies reinforce American Heart Association's stand on limiting sodium

New studies reinforce the American Heart Association's recommendation to limit daily sodium (salt) intake to less than 1,500 milligrams. Suggestions by some groups that healthy people can consume more sodium are based on incorrect analyses of observational studies and misinterpretations of clinical research. Because most dietary sodium comes from processed and prepared foods, the American Heart...

Brain imaging alone cannot diagnose autism

Experts caution against heralding the use of brain imaging scans to diagnose autism and urges greater focus on conducting large, long-term multicenter studies to identify the biological basis of the disorder.

Giving fluorescence microscopy new power to study cellular transport

The ability of fluorescence microscopy to study labeled structures like cells has now been empowered to deliver greater spatial and temporal resolutions that were not possible before, thanks to a new method. Using this method, they were able to study the critical process of cell transport dynamics at multiple spatial and temporal scales and reveal, for the first time, properties of diffusive and...

Building small: In many industries, economies of size is shifting to economies of numbers

For decades, "bigger is better" has been the conventional path to efficiency in industries ranging from transportation to power generation. Food once grown on small family plots now comes overwhelmingly from factory farms. Vessels that carried 2,000 tons of cargo have been replaced by modern container ships that routinely move 150,000 tons. But now, new research shows, we are on the cusp of a...

Difficult-to-read font reduces political polarity, study finds

Liberals and conservatives who are polarized on certain politically charged subjects become more moderate when reading political arguments in a difficult-to-read font, researchers report in a new study. Likewise, people with induced bias for or against a defendant in a mock trial are less likely to act on that bias if they have to struggle to read the evidence against...

Disaster defense: Balancing costs and benefits

Do costly seawalls provide a false sense of security in efforts to control nature? Would it be better to focus on far less expensive warning systems and improved evacuation procedures? A father-son team have developed new strategies to defend society against natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy and the effects of climate change. The approach, which considers costs and benefits while identifying...

Our solar system is not quite as special as once believed, new research suggests

Some 4.567 billion years ago, our solar system's planets spawned from an expansive disc of gas and dust rotating around the sun. While similar processes are witnessed in younger solar systems throughout the Milky Way, the formative stages of our own solar system were believed to have taken twice as long to occur. Now, new research, suggests otherwise. Indeed, our solar system is not quite as...