From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 1:58 AM
Subject: Phys.org Newsletter Monday, Dec 16
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>
Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for December 16, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- The brain's got rhythm: Extracting temporal patterns from visual input- Researchers take a step toward developing a 'universal' flu vaccine
- Graphene nanoribbons an ice-melting coat for radar
- Scientists home in on short list of interesting RNA 'machines'
- New simple, inexpensive graphene treatment method could unleash new uses
- SMA reveals giant star cluster in the making
- Innovative instrument probes close binary stars, may soon image exoplanets
- Mothers see their youngest as shorter than they are
- Penn-led team reduces toxicity associated with Lou Gehrig's disease in animal models
- Microprinting leads to low-cost artificial cells
- Discovery of 1.4 million-year-old fossil human hand bone closes human evolution gap
- Cat domestication traced to Chinese farmers 5,300 years ago
- Researchers create first soluble 2D supramolecular organic frameworks
- Ancient chemical bond may aid cancer therapy
- Do vitamins block disease? Some disappointing news
Astronomy & Space news
China's flag-bearing rover photographed on moon
China hailed its lunar probe mission a success after the country's first moon rover and the landing vehicle that carried it there took photos of each other on the surface, state media reported.
Gaia secured inside fairing
ESA's billion-star surveyor Gaia, less than a week from launch, is now tucked up inside the fairing that will protect it during the first few minutes of ascent into space.
Gaia on a mission to map billions of stars in the Milky Way
On the 19th of December, the Gaia satellite will be launched and it will make the most precise measurements of the billions of stars in the Milky Way to date. Gaia is an astronomical satellite that measures the positions, distances and movement of stars. Behind the European ESA project is the Danish astronomer from the Niels Bohr Institute, Erik Høg, who has played a key role in developing the design of the new satellite, which will be a million times more efficient than its predecessor, the Hipparcos satellite.
NASA sees 'some success' with space station fix
NASA engineers are still trying to fix an International Space Station cooling problem and have not yet decided whether spacewalks will be necessary, the US space agency said Monday.
China to launch moon rock-collecting probe in 2017 (Update)
China said Monday it was on track to launch a fifth lunar probe with the aim of bringing back lunar soil and rock samples following the successful moon landing of a space probe.
Swift satellite catches a hundred thousand new cosmic X-ray sources
An international team led from the University of Leicester has published a major list of celestial X-ray sources in the Astrophysical Journal. The result of many years work, this list of over 150,000 high-energy stars and galaxies will be a vital resource for future astronomical studies.
Video: NASA testing modified "pumpkin suit" for asteroid mission spacewalks
(Phys.org) —NASA is taking steps to make spacewalking on an asteroid a reality. In the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers are testing a modified version of the pumpkin-orange Advanced Crew Escape System (ACES) worn by space shuttle astronauts during launch and reentry for use by future crew in the Orion spacecraft.
Image: NASA's Hubble looks at a members-only galaxy club
(Phys.org) —This new Hubble image shows a handful of galaxies in the constellation of Eridanus (The River). NGC 1190, shown here on the right of the frame, stands apart from the rest; it belongs to an exclusive club known as Hickson Compact Group 22 (HCG 22).
NASA debates space station repairs or restocking (Update)
Spacewalk or space delivery? That's the question facing NASA as space station flight controllers try to revive a crippled cooling loop.
Nearby failed stars may harbor planet
(Phys.org) —Astronomers, including Carnegie's Yuri Beletsky, took precise measurements of the closest pair of failed stars to the Sun, which suggest that the system harbors a third, planetary-mass object.The research is published as a letter to the editor in Astronomy & Astrophysics available online.
SMA reveals giant star cluster in the making
W49A might be one of the best-kept secrets in our galaxy. This star-forming region shines 100 times brighter than the Orion nebula, but is so obscured by dust that very little visible or infrared light escapes.
Innovative instrument probes close binary stars, may soon image exoplanets
A new instrument that combines two high-resolution telescope techniques – adaptive optics and interferometry – has for the first time distinguished and studied the individual stars in a nearby binary star system, demonstrating promise for eventually picking out planets around other stars.
Medicine & Health news
New report shows diagnosed diabetes, pre-diabetes, and gestational diabetes is on the rise among privately insured Ameri
About 8.8 percent of the privately insured population in 2012 had diabetes or was diagnosed as being at high risk for diabetes, up from 8.3 percent in 2011, but the rates of disease varied depending on age, gender and region of the country, says a new report from HCCI. In 2012, over one quarter of men between the ages of 55-64 and nearly one in 10 Southerners had diabetes or were at risk for diabetes.
Analysis: UK right-to-die law will still not succeed
Analysis by Dr Iain Brassington, ethicist, Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, University of Manchester:
Secondary conditions affect length of hospital stay and charges for HIV patients
A University of Arkansas researcher and her colleagues have found that secondary conditions and diseases that could become deadly significantly affect how long HIV patients stay in the hospital.
Custodial care doesn't work for troubled young people
Putting young people who have committed no crime into custodial care as recommended in the Carmody Inquiry Report won't work, says QUT's Professor Robert Lonne, after the Queensland Government announced it would implement all of the Report's 121 recommendations.
The success of a comprehensive child obesity project is assessed
AS the UK faces up to a growing obesity crisis among youngsters, a University of Huddersfield expert has told a major conference about a successful project which saw a large number of children not only lose weight but also gain in self-esteem and begin to enjoy exercise, which they had previously grown to hate.
ACA brings legal immigrants opportunities as well as responsibilities
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) does not expand access to health insurance for undocumented immigrants but may pave the way for many legal immigrants who have trouble obtaining this crucial coverage, concludes a report released today by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS). The report outlines the opportunities as well as the obligations that the federal health reform law will bring to lawfully present immigrants, people who have obtained green cards or visas allowing them to work, live and study in the United States.
Breathalyzer to detect lung cancer
Researchers at the University of Huddersfield are working on a breathalyser device that will be able to detect very early signs of cancer, making a cure much more likely.
Blue light phototherapy kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to new studies
New Rochelle, NY, December16, 2013—Blue light has proven to have powerful bacteria-killing ability in the laboratory. The potent antibacterial effects of irradiation using light in the blue spectra have now also been demonstrated in human and animal tissues. A series of groundbreaking articles that provide compelling evidence of this effect are published in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery.
Hybrid protein deregulates complement in dense deposit disease
Dense deposit disease is a rare congenital disorder that is associated with complement dysfunction and often results in end stage renal disease within 10 years of the initial diagnosis. A small percentage of dense deposit disease is associated with mutations in the genes encoding factor H or C3 and autoantibody production.
A mouse model to evaluate potential age-promoting compounds
While there are well-established mouse models to identify cancer-causing agents, similar models are not available to readily test and identify age-promoting agents. Recently, a mouse strain (p16LUC mice) was developed that can be used to evaluate the transcription of p16INK4, which is increasingly expressed during aging and in age-associated diseases.
Guidelines 2.0: New guideline development checklist for health researchers
Researchers hope that a comprehensive new checklist will help guideline developers/organizations around the world create and implement better recommendations for health care. The guideline development checklist, created by an international team of researchers, is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
French panel recommends legalising assisted suicide
A panel set up at the request of President Francois Hollande on Monday recommended legalising assisted suicide in France, where the debate on euthanasia has re-emerged after several end-of-life tragedies.
The effects of sequestration on Indian health
(Garrison, NY) As federal legislators work toward a budget agreement, a new commentary documents the harmful effects of sequestration on the Indian Health Service. Sequestration forced a 5 percent reduction in funds for the Indian Health Service, perpetuating longstanding health care disparities and raising questions about the federal government's legal and moral obligation to Indians, states the commentary, which appears in the Hastings Center Report. It calls for the United States to fundamentally change how the Indian Health Service is funded.
US immigrants hesitate to seek health insurance
Many immigrant families are hesitant about applying for government subsidized health insurance under President Barack Obama's health care law, worried that providing personal information could draw the attention of immigration authorities.
Despite rising health costs, few residency programs train doctors to practice cost-conscious care
Despite a national consensus among policy makers and educators to train residents to be more conscious of the cost of care, less than 15 percent of internal medicine residency programs have a formal curriculum addressing it, a new research letter published today in JAMA Internal Medicine by a Penn Medicine physician found.
Pediatricians urge consumption of only pasteurized dairy products
Pregnant women, infants and young children should avoid raw or unpasteurized milk and milk products and only consume pasteurized products, according to a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Heavy marijuana users have abnormal brain structure and poor memory
Teens who were heavy marijuana users—smoking it daily for about three years—had abnormal changes in their brain structures related to working memory and performed poorly on memory tasks, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.
Researchers study alcohol addiction using optogenetics
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers are gaining a better understanding of the neurochemical basis of addiction with a new technology called optogenetics.
Personalized vaccine for most lethal type of brain tumor shows promise
Patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treated with an experimental vaccine made from the patient's own resected tumor tissue showed an improved survival compared with historical patients who received the standard of care alone, according to an analysis of a phase 2 trial of this vaccine that was recently published in the journal Neuro-Oncology and accompanied by an editorial highlighting the importance of the trial.
Study says consumers like bread with less salt
Consumers can't tell the difference between regular bread and bread with 10 percent less salt, according to taste tests by Oregon State University.
Crohn's disease study uses patients' own bone marrow cells for personalized treatment
An innovative clinical trial using the science of "personalized" cellular therapy is treating older adolescents and adults suffering from Crohn's disease.
UCLA helping to change the way a community eats, one store at a time
Big chain grocery stores, farmers markets and other sources of healthy foods are usually in short supply in low-income communities. Public health experts refer to these areas as "food swamps" for their lack of available nutritious foods.
Medications developed for other uses show potential to curb cervical cancer
Two existing drugs – one the active ingredient in an anti-fungal medication and the other now used to control iron levels in the blood – both show promise as potential treatments for cervical cancer, according to newly published research by scientists at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Study: Children's understanding of alternative courses of events
The capacity to think about how the present would be if an event in the past had taken a different course is referred to by experts as counterfactual reasoning. A research project funded by the FWF plans to examine how this kind of thinking develops, and identifies what distinguishes counterfactual reasoning from other types of conditional reasoning. Moreover, it will investigate developmental links between counterfactual reasoning and emotions like regret and remorse, and whether counterfactual reasoning plays a central role in the development of scientific reasoning.
New research shows exercise may help pregnant women quit smoking
New research from Western University shows that pregnant women wishing to quit smoking should exercise and just 15 to 20 minutes of walking is enough to stave off most tobacco cravings.
Fat-finger a text rather than lose digit to frostbite
The popular half-gloves that leave fingers uncovered for texting may be good for communicating electronically, but they may also lead to permanent loss of fingers due to exposure to the cold.
Loyola expert in child safety offers Christmas toy tips
As Santa puts the finishing touches on gifts for those on the nice list, it's important for parents to make sure wish list items bring joy, not tragedy, on Christmas morning.
Taking the heat out of jellyfish stings
Everyone has their own theory about how to best relieve the pain of a jellyfish sting, however a team of University of Sydney researchers has examined a host of often-used methods to determine which is the most effective.
Language can affect children's mathematical development, study shows
(Medical Xpress)—A unique international study has found that the grammatical structures of language can influence children's early understanding of numbers.
Single mothers most at risk of poor mental health
Single parents tend to have poorer mental health than partnered parents, with single mothers particularly at risk, new research from the University of Otago Wellington (UOW) shows.
What's healthier, butter or margarine?
Butter gets points for taste; margarine for being easy to spread. But the healthiest option is not strictly called butter or margarine – it's a "spread".
Coffee and cigarettes may protect against liver disease, study says
Coffee and cigarette smoking may protect against the rare liver disease Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), study shows.
Five effective parenting programs to reduce problem behaviors in children
All parents want what's best for their children. But not every parent knows how to provide their child with the tools to be successful, or how to help them avoid the biggest adolescent behavior problems: substance use, delinquency, school dropout, pregnancy and violence.
Do degrading TV portrayals of women cause gender harassment?
A new study in Psychology of Women Quarterly considers whether objectifying women in television and harassment are causally linked. Researchers Silvia Galdi, Anne Maass, and Mara Cadinu designed two experimental studies that used video materials of actual TV shows to investigate the causal relationship between TV exposure and harassing conduct.
Nuclei in wrong place may be cause, not result, of inherited muscle diseases
Incorrectly positioned nuclei are not merely a sign but a possible cause of human congenital myopathies, a string of inherited muscle diseases, Victoria Schulman, graduate student at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Mary Baylies, Ph.D., developmental biologist at the Sloan Kettering Institute of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City, will report on Monday, Dec. 16, at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting in New Orleans
Life's not a squeeze for pregnant women
Despite their changed body size, pregnant women are just as good as other people at judging whether they are able to fit through openings, such as doorways, or not. This is thanks to a process called perceptual-motor recalibration that helps people to adjust their spatial awareness of their environment based on changes in their body's size and abilities, says John Franchak and Karen Adolph of New York University in the US. Their study, published in Springer's journal Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, is the first to report such perceptual recalibration in response to actual growth rather than on the experimentally induced manipulation of body size.
Fruit fly studies help scientists swat aggressive relapsing leukemia
Using genetic information initially uncovered in fruit fly studies, scientists have developed a unique therapeutic strategy that stops an aggressive and deadly form of leukemia in laboratory models of the disease.
Gene variant exacerbates inflammatory arthritis in mice
University of Utah researchers have discovered a naturally occurring genetic variation in mice that predisposes carriers toward developing severe, inflammatory arthritis. The finding implicates a new class of genes in arthritis progression, potentially opening doors to new treatment options. The study will be published ahead of print on Dec. 16 in the online issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Brain waves encode information as time signals
How information is processed and encoded in the brain is a central question in neuroscience, as it is essential for high cognitive function such as learning and memory. Theta-gamma oscillations are "brain waves" observed in the hippocampus of behaving rats, a brain region involved in learning and memory. In rodents, theta-gamma oscillations are associated with information processing during exploration and spatial navigation. However, the underlying synaptic mechanisms have so far remained unclear.
New classification system to improve scheduling of emergency surgery highlighted
Researchers in Finland have implemented a classification system for emergency operations that allows for a fair and efficient way to manage a large volume of such surgery. The system is described in a special issue of the BJS (British Journal of Surgery) that focuses on emergency surgery. Other studies in the issue focus on topics ranging from advances in the use of surgery performed through natural orifices to the global burden of conditions requiring emergency surgery.
Families urged to get to the heart of their medical histories this Christmas
Doctors are encouraging people to take advantage of Christmas gatherings with relatives to discuss family medical histories to help tackle ill-health.
EU membership may have led to allergy increase in rural Poland
Poland's entry into the EU may have had the surprising consequence of increasing allergies in rural villages, according to a new study. Surveys show that the prevalence of atopy, a predisposition towards allergic reactions, jumped from seven per cent to 20 per cent in villages in southwest Poland between 2003 and 2012.
Study explores evolution of bacteria that can be used to fight dengue
Wolbachia, a symbiont that resides naturally up to 70% of all insect species, are probably the most prevalent infectious bacteria on Earth. In 2008 Luis Teixeira, now a principal investigator at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC, Portugal), and other scientists have discovered that Wolbachia can protect their hosts against viral infections. Since then, several studies have been made to further investigate the interactions between Wolbachia and insects, aiming to build new strategies to use this bacterium in the control of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as dengue. Now, Luis Teixeira's research team studied the genetic variability of Wolbachia strains and discovered that bacteria that give stronger protection against virus grow to higher concentrations and often shorten the host's lifespan. These results help to understand Wolbachia evolution in nature and open the way to the identification of the best strains to be used in the biocontrol of mosquito-spread diseases. This work was published in the latest issue of PLOS Genetics.
Brittle-bone babies helped by fetal stem cell grafts
Osteogeneis imperfecta (OI) is a congenital bone disease that causes stunted growth and repeated, painful fracturing. Ultrasound scans can reveal fractures already in the fetus, and now an international team of researchers from Sweden, Singapore and Taiwan have treated two babies in utero by injecting bone-forming stem cells. The longitudinal results of the treatment are published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.
Tweaking energy consumption to combat muscle wasting and obesity
Using a new technique to evaluate working muscles in mice, researchers have uncovered physiological mechanisms that could lead to new strategies for combating metabolism-related disorders like muscle wasting and obesity. The study appears in The Journal of General Physiology.
Health care costs steadily increase with body mass
Researchers at Duke Medicine are giving people another reason to lose weight in the new year: obesity-related illnesses are expensive. According to a study published in the journal Obesity, health care costs increase in parallel with body mass measurements, even beginning at a recommended healthy weight.
Team finds first biomarker linked to delirium duration
Researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research have identified the first biomarker that appears to be linked to the duration of delirium. This novel role for S100ß as a biomarker for delirium duration in critically ill patients may have important implications for refining future delirium treatment in intensive care unit patients.
FDA calls for safety review of antibacterial soaps (Update 2)
In response to health concerns over the widespread use of antibacterial soaps, US manufacturers will soon have to meet stricter requirements showing long-term safety, regulators said Monday.
Bedtime for toddlers: Timing is everything, study finds
The bedtime you select for your toddler may be out of sync with his or her internal body clock, which can contribute to difficulties for youngsters attempting to settle in for the night, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study.
Elective early-term deliveries increase complications for baby and mom, study says
Enduring the last few weeks of pregnancy can be physically and emotionally challenging for some women. The aches and pains, the swelling of the limbs and the anxiety of when labor may start are part of the natural gestation process, but they also can seem unbearable. It may seem easier to relieve symptoms associated with late pregnancy by electing to deliver early, but Mayo Clinic researchers caution that there can be an increased risk of complications to the mother and the newborn associated with early-term deliveries.
Fracking chemicals disrupt hormone function
A controversial oil and natural gas drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, uses many chemicals that can disrupt the body's hormones, according to new research accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's journal Endocrinology.
Researchers discover how a protein complex revs up T cell activation to fight infections
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified a protein complex that is essential for jumpstarting the immune response during the critical first 24 hours of an infection. The research appears in the current issue of the scientific journal Immunity.
Affordable Care Act offers opportunities to strengthen trauma systems
Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of death and disability for people under the age of 45 and the fourth-leading cause of death for people of all ages. Much progress has been made over the last 50 years in developing statewide regionalized trauma systems to care for these injuries, but authors of a review appearing in the December issue of Health Affairs, believe more work is needed to ensure the right patient gets to the right place at the right time, and that the Affordable Care Act may offer opportunities to strengthen trauma systems.
Retinoblastoma dysfunction promotes pancreatic cancer cell growth
Indiana University cancer researchers have discovered that a protein that normally suppresses tumors actually promotes the growth and spread of pancreatic cancer.
Scientists find burglary-ring-like mechanism in lethal 'Contagion' virus
A team of scientists from Washington State University has discovered how one of the planet's most deadly known viruses employs burglary-ring-like teamwork to infiltrate the human cell.
Do patients in a vegetative state recognize loved ones?
Patients in a vegetative state are awake, breathe on their own, and seem to go in and out of sleep. But they do not respond to what is happening around them and exhibit no signs of conscious awareness. With communication impossible, friends and family are left wondering if the patients even know they are there.
Spurred by food allergies, two esophagus conditions stump doctors
Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine found that two on-the-rise esophagus conditions are so similar that even a biopsy is not enough to distinguish one disease from the other.
Tinnitus discovery opens door to possible new treatment avenues
For tens of millions of Americans, there's no such thing as the sound of silence. Instead, even in a quiet room, they hear a constant ringing, buzzing, hissing, humming or other noise in their ears that isn't real. Called tinnitus, it can be debilitating and life-altering.
Moderate consumption of alcohol can improve immune response to vaccination
It's the time of year when many of us celebrate the holidays with festive foods and drinks, including alcohol. No better time then to ask if it is true, as is widely held, that moderate consumption of alcohol is beneficial to health.
Minorities' health would benefit most from beverage sugar tax, researchers report
Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages is likely to decrease consumption, resulting in lower rates of diabetes and heart disease, and these health benefits are expected to be greatest for the low-income, Hispanic and African-American Californians who are at highest risk of diabetes, according to a new analysis led by researchers at UC San Francisco.
Regenerative medicine: Researchers develop new tool for transplanting stem cells
Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues in Belgium have developed a specialized catheter for transplanting stem cells into the beating heart. The novel device includes a curved needle and graded openings along the needle shaft, allowing for increased distribution of cells. The result is maximized retention of stem cells to repair the heart. The findings appear in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.
Lung cancer death rates continue to fall, helping the decrease in overall cancer death rates
The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, covering the period 1975, showed death rates for lung cancer, which accounts for more than one in four cancer deaths, dropping at a faster pace than in previous years. The recent larger drop in lung cancer deaths is likely the result of decreased cigarette smoking prevalence over many years, and is now being reflected in mortality trends. The lung cancer death rate decline, as well as declines in colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer death rates, has also helped drive decreases in death rates for all cancers types combined, a trend that began about 20 years ago. The decreased death rates for these four cancers accounted for more than two-thirds of the overall reduction in cancer death rates in the period 2001-2010. The report showed, however, that death rates increased for some cancers, including cancers of the liver and pancreas for both sexes, cancers of the uterus in women, and, in men only, melanoma of the skin! and cancers of the soft tissue in this 10 year period.
Physicians who prefer hospice care for themselves more likely to discuss it with patients
Although the vast majority of physicians participating in a multiregional study indicated that they would personally enroll in hospice care if they received a terminal cancer diagnosis, less than one-third would discuss hospice care early in the course of treating a terminally ill cancer patient. A research letter published online in JAMA Internal Medicine also identifies factors that increased the likelihood that physicians would choose hospice care for themselves and examines how their preferences relate to the timing of end-of-life care discussions with patients.
Antihypertensives associated with lower dialysis risk for patients with advanced CKD
Patients with stable hypertension and the most advanced stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD) before dialysis appeared to have a lower risk for long-term dialysis or death if they were treated with the antihypertensive drugs known as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), according to a study published by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Study analyzes diabetes drug metformin as obesity treatment for children
Treatment with the diabetes drug metformin appears to be associated with a modest reduction in body mass index (BMI) in obese children when combined with lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise, according to a study by Marian S. McDonagh, Pharm. D., of the Oregon Health & Science University, and colleagues.
Ear acupuncture can help shed the pounds
Ear acupuncture can help shed the pounds, indicates a small study published online in Acupuncture in Medicine.
A treatment for obesity-associated asthma
(Medical Xpress)—Research conducted at Boston Children's Hospital indicates that obesity might cause asthma via factors in the immune system and suggests a new way of treating asthma in obese people—who often respond poorly to standard asthma medications. The study, conducted in a mouse model of asthma and in human lung fluid, was published online Dec. 15 by Nature Medicine.
Team grows kidney from stem cells
(Medical Xpress)—University of Queensland researchers have made a major leap forward in treating renal disease, today announcing they have grown a kidney using stem cells.
Scientists discover potential vaccine for malaria
Scientists from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have discovered a key process during the invasion of the blood cell by the Malaria parasite, and more importantly, found a way to block this invasion.
Twins study confirms genetic role in political belief
(Medical Xpress)—A research paper appearing in the academic journal Political Psychology re-affirms the genetic underpinnings of political beliefs, refuting critics who challenged previous research that linked politics with genetics.
Scientists identify molecular biomarkers of vaccine immunity
Testing the efficacy of vaccines in clinical trials takes years, even decades. Yet challenging infections like HIV, malaria and dengue are striking today. To speed up vaccine testing, scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center have established a goal of creating a "vaccine gene chip."
Mothers see their youngest as shorter than they are
Many parents say when their second child is born that their first child suddenly appears to have grown overnight. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on December 16 have an explanation: until the birth of the new child, those parents were subject to a "baby illusion," routinely misperceiving their youngest child as smaller (and younger) than he or she really was.
Penn-led team reduces toxicity associated with Lou Gehrig's disease in animal models
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a devastating illness that gradually robs sufferers of muscle strength and eventually causes a lethal, full-body paralysis. The only drug available to treat the disease extends life spans by a meager three months on average.
Research shows how household dogs protect against asthma and infection
Children's risk for developing allergies and asthma is reduced when they are exposed in early infancy to a dog in the household, and now researchers have discovered a reason why.
Do vitamins block disease? Some disappointing news
There's more disappointing news about multivitamins: Two major studies found popping the pills did not protect aging men's brains or help heart attack survivors.
Researchers take a step toward developing a 'universal' flu vaccine
Every year the approach of flu season sets off a medical guessing game with life or death consequences. There are many different strains of flu and they vary from year to year. So each season authorities must make an educated guess and tell manufacturers which variants of the flu they should produce vaccines against.
The brain's got rhythm: Extracting temporal patterns from visual input
(Medical Xpress)—To understand how the brain recognizes speech, appreciates music and performs other higher-level functions, it is necessary to understand how neural systems process temporal information. Recently, scientists at Beijing Normal University studied a simple but powerful network model by which a neural system can extract long-period (several seconds in duration) external rhythms from visual input. Moreover, the study's findings suggest that a large neural network with a scale-free topology – that is, a network in which the probability distribution of the number of connections between its nodes follows a power law – is analogous to a repertoire where neural loops and chains form the mechanism by which exogenous rhythms are learned. Importantly, their model suggests that the brain does not necessarily require an internal clock to acquire and memorize these rhythms.
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